Disclaimer: ….. Do I really have to go through this again?

Through Crimson Eyes

Chapter 11: Pursuit

"GOD DAMNIT"

Several of the Hokage's assistants cringed in fear as their leader exploded. Her rage was certainly a horrifying sight, and quite frankly none of them wanted to be around when she decided to vent her ire on one of them. They promptly made tracks.

Tsunade was unaware of their departure; her entire attention was focused on the problem at hand. Her eyes were clenched shut in an attempt to stop the tears of pain and frustration that threatened to flow down her face.

Naruto was gone.

It had been nearly a day since he had been driven away from Konoha, his body transformed by the Kyuubi's corruptive power. He had wrought a great deal of violence before hand, and she was still going over the statistics:

24 Hyuuga Jounin - dead

386 Citizens – dead

224 Citizens - Injured

That was the current count, give or take a few considering the state of some of the bodies.

Tsunade brought her hand down onto her desk again, the substantial crack that had developed during her last assault spread further. She brought her fist down again and again, each time the crack spread further. The desk had been specially constructed by some of the finest crafters in Konoha, and it was designed to be incredibly sturdy, being able to bear almost any weight. But even it would not be able to take much more punishment from the irate Hokage.

"THIS WASN'T SUPPISED TO HAPPEN!"

"KUSO!"

"KUSO, KUSO, KUSO, KUSO!"

A loud crack was heard as the desk collapsed beneath the onslaught. Standing up from the pile of wreckage, Tsunade took a moment to compose herself before calling her assistants back in. They entered timidly, their faces clearly displaying their nervousness. Snapping at them to get their asses inside, they jumped in swiftly, standing stiffly as the Hokage passed out several assignments. Another shout sent them off quickly, each of them hurrying out once again.

She looked back over the most recent file, her lips curling in a sneer as she finished penning in the last bit of information:

Hyuuga Hiashi:

Status: Eyes badly damaged in battle. The surface damage was repaired, though the quality of his eyesight has been significantly reduced from 15/20 vision to 30/30 vision. Bloodline Limit Byakugan rendered unusable due to intense tissue and opening point scarring around the eyes.

She really shouldn't feel so good reading such a report, but frankly Hiashi should be thanking her. She had been all in favor of leaving the bastard completely blind, and having his vision repaired was more than he deserved. Still the Hyuuga family had put pressure on her that she could not ignore, and as it was she doubted that they would be satisfied with the results. Oh well, she would deal with that later.

With that taken care of, Tsunade steeled herself for one of her more unpleasant tasks ahead. She still had to meet with the council to 'discuss' Naruto's fate. She knew, of course, that it would be no discussion at all; they had already decided their ruling. Hell they had probably been rehearsing this moment for the last thirteen years.

She had no doubts as to the outcome of this meeting.

She hated it.

She hated being weak, watching helplessly as those she cared about suffered because she couldn't do anything. She hated watching other people from behind as they continued to walk forward.

That's the way it had been since the beginning. She knew, of course, that Sasuke was stronger than her. She had no illusions about that, and it had been just another outlet for her own obsession. But when she had been outclassed by Naruto…

Her mood dropped at that line of thought. Is that really how she had seen him? As some stupid, no talent dead last like everybody else? She had, and that was one of the memories that hurt the most. All the times she had cast him down, belittled his efforts, compared him to Sasuke, treated him as if he were something beneath her notice. She had absolutely no right or reason to have dismissed him so easily when he had, even in the beginning, been a better ninja than she had been. But more than that, he had been a better person than she had been. She had locked that feeling away for such a long time, after all, it had been so much easier to look down at him. It had helped to block out her own feelings of inadequacy.

Her carefully constructed walls had come crashing down when Sasuke had left, and when Naruto went out to bring him back. She had watched, yet again, as her two teammates left her in the dust, and she was forced, once again, to watch them from behind, helpless to do anything but wait. But that time had been so much worse, because she had known that there was more at stake than simple pride.

And when Naruto came back, dying from a blow from Sasuke, a strike that had been delivered with a clear intent to kill, she could almost feel something break inside her. She still didn't know exactly what had broken, or maybe she wasn't ready to face what she was already aware of. But seeing him lying there, bleeding, unconscious, it all seemed horribly wrong somehow.

When she and the others had learned about his shocking truth, and to have discovered it in such a terrifying way as she and the others came face to face with his secret as his contained power nearly tore his hospital room apart, it all became clearer. And her hurt only deepened.

And to see him transformed, consumed by that demonic power, rampaging across the village in a mindless rage, that grin that he always wore completely buried underneath his released anger and hate. That had hurt even more. She had not, even then, been frightened of him. Even when she had seen the bodies of those he had killed, she could not help but feel that he was justified, that he deserved to wreak a little vengeance against the village that had, for the most part, been so cruel to him. She felt that he would have been justified if he had torn through her as well.

And now he was gone. His dreams, his goals, everything had been ground into the dust by the actions of fools. She knew that nothing would be the same, not anymore…

"Sakura, it is almost time for the ceremony" A harsh voice called from down the stairs, her mothers. Sakura's face twisted into a grimace.

The ceremony was a wake held for the 'victims' of the Kyuubi's second attack upon Konoha. A collection of selfish, self righteous assholes once again seeking to cast their petty hatred upon something that never deserved their malice in the first place. The whole ceremony would be completely hollow, she knew. Person after person getting up in front of the village and recounting how their loved one or loved ones were murdered in the demon fox's 'unprovoked' attack. More fuel for their fear and hate.

Leaning her head in her arms, she looked out across the village from her window, sighing deeply into her arms. A few tears rolled out again, remnants of her latest outburst a few minutes ago with her parents. Now that she understood Naruto better, now that his secret was out, she could see the level of contempt that people had for him. Her parents had been mortified when they heard of their daughter's involvement with Naruto, and the fight was probably loud enough to be heard all the way into the next country. It had ended with tears on both sides. But she would not back down, not this time.

She had no intention of going to the ceremony. She didn't think her heart could take it. Or her stomach for that matter, she would probably retch after one or two speeches given by the bereaved victims.

No, this would be her opportunity. She was sick and tired of being left behind, standing back while those closest to her suffered, leaving her behind.

She would leave tonight.

Hinata didn't really know what to think. She knew what she should have thought, what any member of the family would have felt were they sitting where she was now. She sat in a small, rather uncomfortable chair, looking over her currently sleeping father. She couldn't help but feel morbidly amused at just how much time she had spent in the hospital these last few months.

What was she feeling? She honestly didn't know, it was hard to place. She felt that she should be angry at Naruto, maybe even hate him for what he had done. She was probably obligated to feel angry with him. She had even tried, more out of a remaining sense of loyalty to her father than anything else, but it simply wouldn't come. She cared about him too much, and in just a short time he had become more important to her than just about anyone. He had believed in her when no one else did, and that meant more to her than anyone could possibly know.

Which is why seeing Naruto as he was last night caused her so much pain. Seeing the carefree, cheerful disposition of Konoha's loudest ninja, her loudest ninja, warped and deformed into that, stalking towards her ready to kill, his cheerful face twisted into a snarl of bloodlust and rage. It was an expression she had never wanted or expected to see on his face, and that had terrified her more than the possibility of her own death.

Contrary to her feelings towards Naruto, Hinata found her anger swelling easily and naturally towards the man who lay sleeping in the bed in front of her. The man who had never seen anything in her besides her position as the Hyuuga heir. And later, when Hannabi had been born, she did not get even that shred of attention. To him she was always a failure, a nobody, something so easily cast aside when a better replacement became available. She had to desperately fight down the surge of guilty pleasure in seeing him in this sad state. The man responsible for so much of her pain lay broken in front of her, taken down by the one boy who had believed in her wholeheartedly.

She knew that she shouldn't feel good about this; she knew that it was wrong.

She knew she shouldn't, but she did.

Casting one last angry look at the once proud Hiashi, she left the room quietly.

"The Kyuubi must be labeled a missing nin!"

Tsunade scowled at the collected group of old men and women who made up the Council of the Leaf, a collected group of old farts who were too stuck on tradition and their own narrow way of thinking.

At least that was her thought on the matter.

The council had unanimously agreed to have Naruto put on the missing Nin list, but more than that, they had demanded that he be classified as an S-Rank. Tsunade had, of course, argued long and hard against such an action, yet even she as the Hokage had little leverage in the face of the unified council. She really wished she could beat their old wrinkled heads in with a rusty lead pipe.

"What Naruto did was terrible, but considering the state he was in, that mob got what was coming to them! The seal had been broken, but we could have figured out a way to fix it if they had not been so thirsty for blood."

"I do not think you fully grasp the situation, Hokage-sama." One of the council members stated, his raspy voice resounding in the vast meeting hall.

"Provoked or not, the boy has proven himself far too dangerous. We would be fools to let such an abomination exist." Said another, an old crone of a woman.

Tsundade clenched her fists at her sides. This was the most she could do. She was probably the strongest kunoichi on the continent; she could smash entire buildings with a single strike. And she found herself completely helpless before this sickening group before her. Giving a rough bow, she left the chambers, smashing the large wooden door into splinters on her way out.

"I take it the meeting did not go so well?" A voice called as she stormed down the hallway.

Tsuande looked over at her former teammate, her anger still raging in her eyes. She nodded wordlessly.

"… I see…"

She glared at him "I see? Is that all you have to say? For a man who failed so miserably to keep Naruto safe, you are entirely too relaxed about this situation!"

"There is no need to be striking below the belt here. I did what I could, given how the situation turned out can you say you would have done any better?" Jiraiya said evenly, a hint of anger present in his voice. He leveled a glare back at her.

They held ground against each other before Tsunade eventually shied away. Her eyes, which had been like twin coals of burning anger cooled, revealing the pain that had been hidden beneath.

"I-I'm sorry Jiraiya… I know that you did what you could. None of us could have predicted what would happen, and certainly none of us expected what did happen. It's just…"

She couldn't continue. Her legs gave way as she slumped to the ground, her sobs wracking her shoulders with such intensity it almost seemed like she would break. Not really knowing what else he could do, the toad sannin knelt down and drew her in for a hug, letting her vent into his shoulder.

"I-I just wish… that things h-had turned out better than this! He doesn't deserve this!" She cried, an occasional hiccup making its way into her words.

Jiraiya hugged her tighter "… I know…"

It took almost fifteen minutes for her to calm down. When she did, she pushed him gently, but firmly away, giving him a brief smile of thanks before her gaze hardened again, once again assuming the role of Hokage.

"There is something that I want you to do."

"Heh, I know. I'm already packed and ready to hunt the little brat down." He chuckled, his face once again displaying his trademark grin. He gave her a thumbs up (He would die before he referred to it as the Nice Guy Pose).

She smiled back, a hint of her own self showing through as well, "You're going to need a team. In the state he is in, Naruto is far too much to handle one on one, even for you."

Jiraiya rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Well that sand kid Gaara has already stated that he is leaving in pursuit tonight, with or without company, so I figured I would duck out at around that time myself. Anybody else you plan to send?"

Tsunade smiled enigmatically "I was never planning on sending anybody with you. But I have a feeling that you'll find all the help you need waiting for you when you leave." She stated before she walked off down the hall, her shoes clacking loudly on the hard wood floor.

Jiraiya just stared after her "Huh!"

The ceremony was nearly ready by the time Hinata made her way back to the Hyuuga estate. The throng of people, all standing around wallowing in their own grief, sent a wave of revulsion through her, the intense feelings still something she was not really used to. Turning her head away she made her way to her room, her plan already solid in her mind. Packing only the basic necessities, she quickly shouldered her pack, slipping silently out the window into the deepening night. Not that she really needed to be stealthy about it, she wouldn't be missed.

Most of the Hyuuga had already left, leaving the courtyard feeling even more empty than usual. This was the last glance she planned to have of it, and despite the painful memories this place held, she could not help but take a few moments to burn this last image into her mind. After allowing herself to soak up what was left of the only place she had ever known as home, she started for the gate.

"It looks like you've grown up after all."

Whirling around with a slight 'eep' she came face to face with another pair of milky white eyes.

"N-Neji-nisan!" She stuttered, her heart sinking. She had been caught before she had even left the grounds.

"I don't think I really need to ask about where you are going. I would recommend against it though" Neji stated calmly, looking at her with that unnerving all-seeing gaze of his.

"I… I-I…" She stuttered uncontrollably. Then, drawing in a deep breath, she forced her expression to harden into what she hoped was a defiant glare, which for her ended up looking like more of a pout.

"I-I will not s-stay here. Th-there is nothing for me here now. I… I am going after Naruto-kun, and y-youcan'tstopme…" She rushed to get that last part out, her nerve almost completely broken from speaking so boldly.

Neji simply sighed, as if expecting this response "Very well then, Hinata-sama". Reaching behind him, he casually lifted up a small backpack of his own, slinging it over his shoulder as he turned and began to walk out of the Hyuuga compound.

"N-Neji-nisan?" Hinata started, utterly bewildered.

He turned back towards her "To tell the truth, there is nothing left for me here either. I have already been unofficially cast from this clan by Hiashi-sam… Hiashi-san. I stood in his way and betrayed the Hyuuga clan, and because of that I will never find a place here." He looked up, rueful smile playing on his lips, remembering "but I don't regret my actions. Naruto has done so much for this village, for me, and I can only hope that this will help me to pay off the dept that I owe to him… and to you."

"Neji-nisan, you…"

"I was planning on leaving anyway" he said quickly, cutting her off, "but I had a feeling that you would too. I wanted to see just how serious you where about this though" He turned and began walking again.

Hinata simply stared at him for a few moments before her face broke into a small smile. Nodding happily she ran after his retreating form, never once looking back towards the world that she had left behind.

It would only be a few minutes before her parents discovered she had left, but that should be enough time for her to make her way to the gates. With her pack slung over her shoulder and her headband tied securely up around her head, she slipped quietly out of her window, making her way from roof to roof before she dropped into a back alley.

'Good, no one seems to have noticed yet' Sakura thought as she made her way through the alley way towards the gate. The sun had set completely, and the village was beginning to darken as the last sliver of light began to recede. The sounds of the ceremony were starting, and it would not be long before her parents noticed she was gone. She had to leave quick.

When the gates came into view she could feel her heart soar, just a little bit. Once she was out of Konoha, she could begin her search for Naruto, a search that she was determined to do no matter the cost.

She landed in front of the gates, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing them currently unmanned. The guards were probably all at the wake, so her departure would go unnoticed.

"I guess I will have company after all."

A soft voice caught her attention. Peering out into the darkness beyond the gate, she could make out the familiar figure of a boy with a large goard strapped to his back. He was currently leaning casually against a large tree.

"Gaara?" Sakuar asked hesitantly.

The red haired shinobi simply nodded.

Well this made things a bit more complicated. She doubted she could tell him straight to his face that traveling with him would be unnerving, and he was no doubt planning on leaving so she certainly would not be able to stop him…

"Yo."

"KYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Caught completely by surprise, Sakura spun around, delivering a high powered cross hook to the shadowy figure that had appeared behind her. There was an 'omph' and a crash as the figure smashed into the ground several feet away.

"… Geeze, that was almost as hard as one of Tsunade's punches" Jiraiya groaned painfully, nursing his throbbing cheek.

"Then don't sneak up on me idiot." Sakura yelled.

"Good, you showed up. I was just about ready to leave." Gaara stated quietly. The sand nin reached down and hefted a small pack over his shoulder, apparently eager to get going.

"Ahh, Sakura-san, G-Gaara-kun?"

All eyes turned towards the direction of the latest arrivals. Neji, follwed closely by Hinata walked towards the gate from another road, their faces clearly expressing a small degree of surprise at seeing everybody else.

"Neji? Hinata?" Sakura asked. They nodded in affirmation.

"Well it looks like everybody is here."

Now everybody turned towards this last voice as Tsunade approached all of them.

Jiraiya scratched his head, "So I suppose this is what you meant by my finding all the help I'd need, eh?" He chuckled.

Tsunade nodded before turning to regard the rest of them.

"I don't think I need to waste the time stating the requirements of the mission to all of you. Needless to say that it is my hope that you can find Naruto and bring him back home where he belongs. I will do all that I can here to ensure that he has a place that he can come back to."

They all nodded, even Gaara inclined his head little.

"Good, and remember that this is a class-A mission, and I expect nothing but the best from all of you. Dismissed."

With that the ragtag group began to leave, each of them taking to the trees as the leapt away through the forest in pursuit of Naruto.

"Oh, Sakura, wait a moment."

"Huh?" Sakura asked, a little wary. She still hadn't forgotten the Hokage's actions last night.

"Here, take this." She said, handing her a large scroll. Sakura took it gingerly, eying the parchment with a small degree of awe.

"This is one of my personal scolls. Kakashi has told me about your potential, and hopefully the techniques contained it that scroll will help you on your path." She smiled, a little sadly.

"H-Hokage-sama, I don't knowh what…"

"There is no need to say anything, just… just bring Naruto back home. For all of us."

A few tears slipped down Sakura's face as she smiled back at her. She nodded.

"I will, I promise." With that, she leapt off after the others into the night.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Wait for meeee!"

A certain green beast rounded the corner a few moments after Sakura had left. A huge backpack was slung over his shoulder, and his clothing was covered in dirt, as if he had tripped constantly on his way there.

Wordlessly, Tsunade pointed in the direction they had left out side the gates. Giving her a deep bow, which almost caused his back pack to topple over his head, he took off in pursuit, still screaming Sakura's name.

Tsunade stood staring a few moments after he left before giving off a short laugh and turning back towards the village. This was one gamble that she felt certain she would win.

AN: (Drops to the ground in the patented Crouch of the White Tiger stance) Please, PLEASE forgive me for not updating sooner, but this was so hard to write this time. Seriously though I am glad I took the extra time, and now things seem to be fully set in motion.

Sorry for not getting to Naruto in this chapter, but it was necessary that I got that all underway. And next chapter will focus a great deal on Naruto and just what is happening to him.

This is looking to be an interesting journey ne? Sakura, Gaara, Neji, Hinata, and Lee, all led by the Super Pervert Jiraya himself. That certainly has some possibilities.

Well barring serious cases of writers block, my summer is well underway, which means I have more time to write, which means (hopefully) more frequent chapters. That is the plan at least.

And I would like to offer one last thankyou to all of you who have been waiting patiently, you know who you are. Just know that I am by no means planning on abandoning this story until it is completely finished.