Mr. Nobody: My apologies for making you all wait for so long, and my only excuse is life, college, procrastination, unmotivation, perfectionism, and mom limiting my computer time. Oh, and working on other stories.

Though, what really makes me feel bad is that I had this chapter setup and ready to go since July. I feel like a real ass. What's more, this chapter is not very long. :(

Please enjoy!

Chapter 4

Awakening part 4

Central Park.

"Once you're out of the way, we'll hunt down those other ones like you!" The red-hooded Anbu soldier stated, pistol hovering over Sasuke's body.

"Huff, No..." Sasuke desperately began trying to struggle, strength beginning to fail him. "I... won't... let you!"

"Heh! What makes you think you got a choice?" The Anbu leader said.

At that moment, Sakura stepped on the Anbu's foot, forcing him to let go. She then elbowed him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him, and then followed up with elbowing him in the back, then tossing him aside. She then ran full speed towards the Anbu leader, tackling him, forcing him to lose his pistol.

"Sasuke!" she cried out.

Sasuke took advantage of the distraction, kicking the female Anbu off of him, and then getting to his feet; he threw the Anbu on his arm, sending him flying towards a tree, knocking him unconscious, and then did the same to the Anbu on his other arm, knocking him out as well.

Sakura ran to him, checking to see if he was ok. The female Anbu took out her pistol, and began to fire, fortunately missing her shots. Sasuke grabbed Sakura, bridal style, and jumped as high as he could to the trees, jumping from branch to branch to get away.

When Sasuke ran out of trees to jump from, he used the momentum of his running, and spread his wings out to their full width, gliding away from the shooting.

"CEASE FIRE!" The Anbu leader shouted, "We can't afford to draw too much attention. But don't worry. They won't get far."

Somewhere in New York.

Naruto and the others were still gliding around, looking for a spot to land.

While gliding, Choji was munching on a large apple fritter, taking huge bites out of it. "Gulp! These are great! You guys should try some!"

Kiba glared at him, clearly upset. "We would have, if you hadn't eaten the entire cart full!" He yelled.

They found a building to land on, trying to land gently on top. While the others landed safely, Naruto was flapping in mediocre way, crash landing into a brick wall.

Bang! "OW!" He held his head in pain.

"Nice one, idiot!" Kiba sneered.

"Shut it! It's not my fault, this is a big city! My wings are tired!" Naruto yelled back.

"M-mine are sore too." Hinata stated, lightly rubbing her sore wing.

Shikamaru grabbed his shoulder, rolling his arm a bit. "We're all sore, and its long way back to the castle." He said, stoically.

Naruto then stared down at a street corner where a man was calling for a ride, his hand raised in the air, finger extended. "Yo! Taxi!" A yellow vehicle then pulled up, taking him to his desired destination.

Naruto pondered for a sec, thinking of a plan. "Hmmmm! Ah Hah!" Naruto then sneered a bit, as an idea came to him like light bulb.

A little later on the ground, hiding in the building corner.

"Naruto, I don't think this is a good idea!" Shikamaru stated.

"Don't worry, I'll call for one of those… 'Taxis,' then we'll be given a ride to the castle and not have to fly the rest of the way there!" Naruto proudly stated.

"B-be careful N-Naruto." Hinata murmured.

"Relax, I got this." He then saw one coming, so he walked out into the street, mimicking the man from earlier. "Yo! Taxi!" He yelled out.

Instantly, the taxi driver freaked out, hitting his breaks, then performing a U-turn, screeching the tires as he did, almost hitting a parked car.

"Looks like you scared someone off this time, idiot!" Kiba yelled towards Naruto, all of them sighing in disappointment.

"Looks like we walk." Choji sadly stated.

Central Park, underneath a bridge.

Sasuke was leaning on Sakura for support, fatigue sapping his strength away. "Uh! What is wrong with me...?"

Sakura noticed the dart still in Sasuke's arm, then pulled it out observing it. "This is what's wrong; they pumped you full of something!" She then noticed something on Sasuke's back, embedded in the silk of his kimono top. "This is how they found us!" She said as she pulled it off.

"What is that?" Sasuke said, still trying to stay awake.

"A tracking device!" She handed it to him to look at.

He stared at it for sec. "Grr! Some form of magic that led them to us?" He irritantly asked, handing it back to her.

"That's one way of putting it!" She then stared at the tracking device, seeing a symbol on the front. "Look! Some kind of manufacturer's logo!" She stated, showing it to him.

"But how did this...device get on me in the first place?" Sasuke asked.

"Good question!" Sakura thought to herself, noticing a stray dog rummaging through tossed away food bags. She then began carefully moving towards the stray. "Here boy, come here!" She said calmly, the dog growling at her in mistrust. "Easy boy, easy!" She held out her hand, the dog seeing no threat, began to sniff and lick it. While the stray did this, she placed the device behind the dog's ear.

"Ok, now go on boy! Go, go!" She said, nudging it away from them, causing it to run off. "There, let them chase Fido instead of us!" She then walked over to Sasuke, hoisting him to lean on her shoulder. "Come on; let's get out of here before something else happens!" They both began to walk off, Sasuke trying his best to stay awake.

Castle entertainment room.

Kakashi was sitting on the Lazy Boy chair, watching a romantic comedy that was currently on, showing a girl continuously slapping a guy. Akamaru was resting on the nearby sofa. "Hmhmhehehe!" The program then went to a dog food commercial, surprising Akamaru from the barking of the dog, causing him to growl and bark back. "Hehehe!" Kakashi chuckled at this.

He then looked out the window, noticing that the sun was beginning to raise, a serious expression in his eyes. Turning off the T.V., he got out of the chair, stretching his feathered wings out. "Come boy, they should be getting back soon." He calmly said.

Akamaru stretched out on the sofa, then scratched behind his head a bit, then followed Kakashi to the roof.

Off in the sky, Kakashi saw five figures gliding their way towards the castle, Akamaru barking gleefully. The five landed on the castle in front of Kakashi, beating the sun. "It's about time you guys got home." Kakashi calmly stated.

"Kakashi sensei, this city is so amazing, there were huge buildings made of metal and glass everywhere!" Naruto yelled amazement in his eyes.

"There were underground tunnels with giant snakes!" Kiba cut in, also amazed.

"Lights so b-bright they made night into day!" Hinata almost spoke that sentence after Kiba, she was so amazed.

"They had many new strategy games of different sorts!" Shikamaru actually was excited about what he saw, hoping mostly to catch a good game of Shogi, Chess, or even a game of Go.

"AND THE FOOD WAS EXCELLENT!" Choji yelled out in delight.

"Easy, easy! Calm down! Now have you guys seen Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, almost chuckling from the excitement.

"We haven't seen the jerk since night fall! We thought he'd be back by now! It's almost dawn!" Naruto yelled, slightly worried for his old rival, and friend.

"Hmm! That's what worries me a bit!" Kakashi stated, looking out at the city.

Central Park.

Sakura continued to support Sasuke, who was falling deeper into toxin induced sleep, practically dragging his feet as he walked. He then noticed the sky brightening up, fear really evident on his face. "Too late! Huff, huff! I-I'll never... make it back be...fore sunrise!"

"Before sunrise?" Sakura asked concerned.

Sasuke let go of her, heading towards the cover of the trees. "Huff! Helpless... during the day and no... Defense!" He tried desperately to find a hiding spot among the trees.

"I don't get it! What happens at sunrise?" She asked, even more concerned than before.

He fell to the ground on his hands and knees, unable to support himself anymore. "Hmph! You'll see!"

The sun peeked up, Sakura looking back at it as it rose above the city. She then caught sight of the Anbu still searching and looking for them. "Sasuke, we got to move!" She whispered, looking back at Sasuke noticing him turn to stone, making her gasp in surprise.

She went over to his statue, holding his shoulder to try and wake him up. "Sasuke? Sasuke!" He wouldn't budge.

She looked back to see the Anbu still searching for them, but heading their way. She looked back at Sasuke, then back at the Anbu, thinking of something to do. 'I have to lead them away from Sasuke!' She thought.

She ran out into the open, catching the Anbu's attention, and then quickly running in the opposite direction of Sasuke.

"There she goes!" The leader called out.

"Where's the beast?" The female member asked.

"We'll track him later with the transmitter! Get HER! We can't have any witnesses!" The leader ordered, chasing after Sakura, his squad following after.

Sakura ran through the forest as fast as her legs could take her, the Anbu hot on her tail. She got out of the forest and into a large picnic area with tables, parasols, and many chairs. She ran out to the middle of the picnic area, ducking low, hiding herself among the many tables, and when the Anbu arrived, they had lost sight of her among the tables.

"Fan out!" The leader ordered. The Anbu began searching down each row of chairs and tables, looking for any sign of pink, pistols in their hands waiting.

Sakura peeked above the table top, seeing the leader heading in her direction. The Anbu was still looking, unaware of her presence. He glanced towards her way, forcing her to duck to avoid being spotted. Thinking he saw something, he began to head that way, still unaware of her presence.

Sakura waited patiently under the table, waiting for him to approach it. He was about to pass by it, when all of sudden, Sakura sweep kicked his legs from under him, causing him to trip. She then quickly grabbed his gun, knowing the noise caught the other Anbu soldier's attention, and then quickly tried to run.

Two Anbu had spotted her, and began to fire off their semi-automatics, aiming straight for her. The tables and chairs provided much cover from the semi-automatic's firing, protecting her from the shots. As she ran, Sakura took aim, and then fired the pistol towards the firing soldiers, hitting two in the shoulder area, knocking them both out from blood loss.

She continued to run, avoiding shots from the remaining Anbu, heading straight for the boat house right next to the picnic area. She ran inside, locking the wooden door, taking a second to catch her breath. She looked at the inside of the boat house, and saw boating supplies, and the lake right in front of her.

The Anbu move in slowly, knowing she is armed, keeping their guns aimed towards the boat house. Sakura checked the pistol for bullets, only to find empty. "Sigh! Damn!" She tossed the pistol aside, knowing it's no more use to her.

Bullets began to pierce the wooden door, narrowly missing Sakura, causing her to duck for cover. The bullets continued, Sakura crouched in a fetal position to avoid being shot, when she caught the smell of gas. Looking to her side, she saw several containers of gasoline, one of them pierced by the bullets, leaking the foul liquid. Knowing one spark would blow her sky high, she ran for the water.

She ran as fast as she could, almost reaching the dock's lake. BOOM! An explosion went off, the shockwave pushing Sakura towards the water, destroying the boat house.

"That takes care of that!" The female member proudly stated.

"Let's just make sure!" The Anbu leader said not wanting any slip-ups, and then went over to check the lake.

Sakura swam with all her might underwater, not coming up knowing that if she did, they would shoot her. She swam until she went two piers down, coming up desperately for air underneath the pier, huffing and puffing as she did. She then heard footsteps walking down the pier, and remained as quiet as possible.

Seeing the reflection of the female Anbu member, Sakura waited patiently until the Anbu was overhead, then grabbed her by the foot, dragging her into the water, knocking her in the head. She quickly got out of the water, and then ran into the forest, the Anbu leader catching sight of her.

"You don't know it, but you're making this harder than it had to be!" He taunted to her, cocking his rifle, and then giving chase.

She ran as fast as she could, not caring where she was going. She stopped at a large rock side blocking her way, a waterfall flowing down the face of the rocks.

The Anbu leader continued to search through the woods, but then caught sight of the large rock formations blocking anymore exits.

"It's over, lady!" he said, continuing his search, gun aiming forward. "Don't get me wrong! I admire you! You and that freak job took out six of my guys!" He then stopped when he caught sight of her red jacket. 'Got her!' he thought. "And now!" He said gently, bushing branches out of the way. He jumped out, gun fixed on her, only to find out it was only her jacket hanging on a branch. "Uh-oh!" 'A decoy?'

Sakura then jumped down from a rock formation above him, slamming his hand with the gun into the rock behind. "Ah!" he yelled out in pain, releasing the gun. She had a hold of his wrists, but he quickly pushed her back, his body much bigger than hers, even though she surprisingly stronger than he was.

He then charged to tackle her, but she grabbed his arm, throwing him over her shoulder, his head hitting a rock formation, knocking him out. Sakura caught her breath, then grabbed her coat, feeling exhausted.

"A lot to go through for a lawn ornament." She said to herself, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

A little while later, she sat down next to the statue of Sasuke, trying to rest up, keeping her ears open for attackers. She then heard the footsteps of someone coming, and then got into a ready position in case it was an enemy.

The person revealed himself to be a morning jogger, Might Gai to be exact, who stopped and jogged in place after spotting Sasuke's statue. "I've run this path…huff… for five years! Huff! I've never noticed that statue before!" He stated.

Sakura sighed, "Yea! This parks just full of surprises!"

Gai just shrugged, then just jogged off, continuing on with his jogging. "Have a youthful day!" Gai yelled out to her before leaving.

The sun had finally gone down, Sakura still waiting by the statue of Sasuke, her head down in sleep. As night overtook the city, cracks began to form on the statue's body.

Crick! Crack!

Sakura looked up from her sleep in surprise, seeing Sasuke begin to break free from the stone skin.

"Sasuke! Are you ok?" She asked, worry in her voice.

"Yea, I'm fine." Sasuke said, slightly annoyed, brushing off the last bits of stone on his shoulders.

"That sedative must have worn off!" She said, happy to see Sasuke ok.

He then began to untie the pink ribbon from last night, showing no signs of the stab wound. Sakura looked at it in amazement.

"Your wound is gone! But how?" She asked.

"Sleep rejuvenates us!" He stated, staring at her, noticing her clothes were slightly messy. He also noticed slight bags under her eyes. "You stayed with me throughout the entire day?"

Sakura smiled. "Yea, well, someone had to make sure those manga book rejects didn't find you!" She joked.

Sasuke stared at her, then, swallowing his pride, he spoke. "Thank you. It is very possible that you've saved my life." He then held out his hand to her in the form of a hand shake, the pink ribbon in it.

She stared at the hand for a sec, slightly surprised by his gesture of respect. She then smiled, reaching her hand out to his, grasping it firmly; while he grasped her hand gently, careful not to crush it.

"So now we're even." She stated, looking at him happily.

There was then a brief moment of silence, in which Sasuke's view on humans began to slightly change. 'Perhaps, not all humans are bad!' He thought to himself.

Sakura on the other hand, was just happy he was less paranoid now. 'I did it! He's finally opening up to me. I hope I can get him a little more out of his shell, now.' she thought to herself. 'Yeah! Way to go girl. You bagged a hot guy, CHA!' Her inner self yelled excitedly, pumping her imaginary fist in the air. This almost made Sakura blush.

"I must return! They'll be worried about me!" He calmly said, breaking his hand away, letting the ribbon drop in her hand.

"I understand!" She said solemnly as he began to walk away. "So, uh? Later tonight?" She asked, hoping to see him more.

He stopped in place, and then began to think about it. He then turned around, and nodded yes to her, smirking as he did.

Castle Tower.

All the gargoyles began to stretch and wake up from stone hibernation. Naruto then peeked up to Sasuke's spot on the castle tower, a look of slight worry on his and the rest of the clan's face.

"Don't worry guys. He'll be back. We didn't survive a thousand year sleep just to lose him now." Kakashi calmly stated, taking out his book to read while speaking.

Naruto looked out toward the city, still worried about his old rival and friend. "I hope your right Kakashi sensei." He solemnly said.

Akamaru then whined a bit, also very worried about Sasuke.

Naruto then spotted something in the moonlight, coming their way. "LOOK!" Naruto yelled out, pointing in the direction of the moon. They all looked to see a dark figure flying towards them, then instantly smiled when they realized it was Sasuke.

Sasuke flew in, landing where the clan stood, a serious expression on his face.

"SASUKE, YOUR BACK... err... I mean, where have been, jerk? Pulling an all day shift with your Date?" Naruto stated slyly, pinkie extended.

"It wasn't a date, loser! Oh, and, uh... it's good to see you too!" Sasuke said, at first, upset with Naruto, but then cooled down to say something serious.

"So, what happened Sasuke?" Shikamaru asked, wondering what kept Sasuke out all day.

"It appears we have enemies!" Sasuke stated from a television screen inside Itachi's office, Itachi himself and Shino watching.

Itachi turned off the T.V. screen with the remote, looking towards Shino with a smirk.

"We're ready for him now Shino." Itachi stated.

"Given what happened, I wish you had accompanied us last night, Sensei!" Sasuke stated.

"Oh really? Then I guess your date didn't go well?" Kakashi calmly said, still reading his book.

"Did you smooch her, jerk?" Naruto teased, attempting to aggravate Sasuke. It was working.

"It wasn't a date! Can we just drop the subject now?" Sasuke angrily said, almost looking demonic.

"Ahem!"

They all looked behind the group to see Shino standing there waiting for them. "Mr. Uchiha would like to see you now, Sasuke." Shino stated, bowing as he did.

Castle Dining Hall.

Sasuke entered the room, still slightly annoyed by Itachi's presence. "You wish to see me, Itachi?"

Itachi smirked, and then began walking to one of the doors in the room. "Sasuke! There is someone here I want you to meet." His hand gestured to the door next to Neji's book. "An old acquaintance, I believe."

The door opened, completely dim inside, showing no one in the shadows.

"Hmph! And who would that be?" Sasuke asked, slightly curious, but still uninterested and annoyed.

A figure stepped out, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen in shock and gasp. "You... you're alive!" Sasuke said.

The figure was his red-headed love, walking towards him, smiling towards him. Her attire was slightly different, for she was wearing a lavender jacket which covered her arms but had holes for her wings, short black shorts with a hole for her tail, and long black thigh high stockings that were cut at the ankles. "Sasuke, my love!" She said sultrily.

Sasuke opened his wings up, face still in shock. She spread her wings open, opening her arms for an embrace, and then quickly ran over towards Sasuke, almost knocking him down. She then wrapped her wings around Sasuke's body, nuzzling into him. Sasuke doing the same thing with his wings embraced her affection completely. Itachi watched with amusement.

"My angel, it really is you!" Sasuke said, stroking the wild side of her hair, not wanting this moment of bliss to end.

"Oh Sasuke! All the days I've dreamed of you and this moment!" She said, also stroking his hair, a deep blush on her face.

"Ahem! I am very happy for you both." Itachi stated, not showing any emotion on his face.

"This man has brought us together, my love! We owe our union to Itachi Uchiha!" She stated happily.

Sasuke was still confused. "But... how?...You were shattered by the Vikings!" Sasuke said.

"No, I feared for your safety! So I left the castle to find you! But I lost my way, and the sun rose before I could return!" She answered, staring him straight in the eyes.

"How did you survive all these centuries?" He asked.

She stroked his face affectionately. "When I returned to the castle, the Magus had already turned you to stone! I begged him to cast his spell on me, so that when we woke up, we might awaken together!"

"I saw her a year ago, and was so impressed I acquired her for my private collection." Itachi stated. "Then after I woke you up, it seemed plausible that a trip to the castle would have the same affect on her!" Itachi finished.

Sasuke embraced her again. "With you alive, I can start to live again as well!" Sasuke smiled, yes, actually smiled at her.

"It's as you said!" She started, nuzzling her face into his chest. "You and I are one, now and forever!"

"He's been in there for too, something is up." Kiba stated, slightly annoyed.

"I am more worried about this prospect of already having enemies. It's troublesome, I know. But we will have to be a little more precautious." Shikamaru stated, trying to stare at either the night clouds or the stars, thinking the events over in his head.

"Oh come on guys, we can take them. We've already beat them a lot of times anyways." Naruto boasted.

"You idiot, that doesn't mean we should get all cocky over a couple of wins, the first time we had the element of surprise. Sasuke barely made it out the last time." Kiba yelled, annoyed by Naruto boast.

"What did you call me?" Naruto yelled.

"You heard me!" Kiba yelled, getting into Naruto's face.

Hinata looked over at her secret crush while standing behind Kakashi and Akamaru. 'I really wish I could get Naruto to notice me.' She thought to herself, completely ignoring Naruto and Kiba's argument.

"The best thing we can do for now is to keep our guard up, and see what progresses." Kakashi stated solemnly while reading his newest volume of his Hentai stories.

Akamaru was lying down at this point, moping because he couldn't go with the group. Choji being Choji was munching down on these flat dehydrated potato slices called potato chips, barbeque pork flavored to be exact.

"I'm just saying we just met the guy, we can't just go about trusting someone we know almost nothing about!" Kiba continued.

They suddenly heard some noise coming from the stairway. They all stopped what they were doing to see Sasuke coming out.

"There, you see, everything is all…" Naruto suddenly stopped when he spotted something off about Sasuke. He was smiling. "Holy Crap, Sasuke is smiling, it's a sign of the Apocalypse, and the End Times are upon us. It's the end of the world as we know it. Either that, or Sasuke and Itachi are gay, and they just had a good time." Naruto yelled holding his hands to his head in a panic.

Sasuke got slightly peeved at this, and as responded as one naturally would. "Shut up Idiot! You're ruining my good mood. And I am not gay!" Sasuke yelled, ready to beat the living crap out of Naruto if it wasn't for the others holding him back.

"Hehe… it is good to see you haven't changed while you were asleep, Naruto. You are still able bring a smile to my face." A feminine voice stated.

Everyone but Sasuke's eyes widened, smiles soon adorning their face. "It's you. Wow, this is great. I can't believe that you're alive. Can things get any better." Naruto yelled out happily to the red-headed gargoyle.

What was left of the clan began surround her, happy to see her, asking many questions, or commenting on her being alive.

"This is great. Akamaru was so upset when we thought you were dead." Kiba said with grin. To prove his point, Akamaru jumped up to her, and began lick her face happily, causing her to smile and laugh.

"It's good to see you too. Now down boy, down." The red-head commanded in cheery tone, trying to gently nudge Akamaru down.

"It's nice and all that you're here. But how did you get here in the first place?" Shikamaru asked in a bored tone.

"Who cares, she's here, she's ok, she's alive. That's all that matters." Naruto yelled out.

"It's g-good to see that y-you are ok…" Hinata mumbled.

"Hinata, you still have to work on your stuttering. Also it is still hard to hear you." The red-head stated happily, glad to see that everyone is still the same as they were back then.

"I can't wait to show you all the delicious food they got in this new world." Choji said, a bit of drool working its way down the edge of his mouth.

"That can wait till later, as well as her telling us her story." Kakashi stated, still reading his book.

"It is good to see you too, Kakashi Sensei. I see you still read inappropriate literature." She bowed with respect, and then had a wry smile on her face and a gleam in her light red eyes. Tears then began to fill up her eyes. "It is good to see you all again. I was afraid I would never see any of you ever again. Now, we will have time to catch up again soon, but first, I think we need to repay our debt to Mr. Uchiha for bringing us back. I don't know about you guys, but I most certainly wouldn't want a debt left unpaid." She stated happily.

"See, I told you Itachi is legit. We can totally trust him." Naruto stated proudly.

"Speaking of Mr. Uchiha. Sasuke, Itachi told me what happened the other night, about the attack." She stated.

"Yeah, he wanted us to retrieve the stolen disks for him." Sasuke drawled.

"Well I think we should do it, out of gratitude for saving all of us." She pleaded.

Sasuke began to contemplate this, and decided to let the group decide. "Sigh! What do you guys think? Honestly, for some reason, I don't like the guy. But I want to hear what you all think."

"We should definitely help him out, he helped us out, so we should repay the favor!" Naruto yelled out, fists pumping in the air.

"I still don't think it's a good idea to just go out and do what Itachi asks. We still barely know him" Kiba grumbled, his arms crossed.

"I-I think th-that we sh-should help him o-out." Hinata stuttered, agreeing with Naruto for obvious reasons.

"It sounds way too troublesome to deal with; besides, we don't know anything about our enemy, and might end up walking into a trap." Shikamaru added, still trying to find a constellation or a cloud formation in the sky, anything to get his mind off of current events.

"Honestly, it doesn't' matter what you decide on Sasuke, I just hope we take care of it before sunrise so I can get a bite to eat." Choji smiled, munching on his potato chips.

"Well Sasuke, it is you decision. What's it going to be?" Kakashi asked, still reading his book.

Sasuke looked to each of his clan members, looking to him for his decision. He contemplated, but finally came to a decision. "Alright, we will aid Itachi in retrieving those disks. If nothing else, we might rid ourselves of the humans who hunt us."

The group had gone back to Itachi's office, going over the mission, and planning out strategies for the assault.

"So that's what I need you to do. I have given you all of the schematics for the security layout, and what must be done. I believe that all of you are the only ones who are capable for this task. Only your speed, strength, and individual skills can stand against their defenses." Itachi stated, his red eyes looking at each of them sternly as he did.

Shikamaru was in deep thought, going over certain plans of engagement, ones that would prevent as much loss on their side as possible, preferably no loss at all. "Three targets… one in a tower, the second underground, and the last in a flying fortress. Troublesome. Too many unknowns." Shikamaru then placed his fingers together, his thumbs facing upwards. He was really thinking hard on the subject.

"So what's the plan Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked. As the official leader of the clan, Sasuke could always rely on Shikamaru to come up with a winning strategy. That was why Shikamaru was the clan's strategist, and the first one Sasuke goes to for strategic advice.

"Since the flying fortress in the air, they will probably assume that not that many enemies can break in undetected, which would mean they would have little security, and since the tower and underground base are on the ground, those two spots will probably be the most heavily guarded. My advice would be for the team that deals with the tower be a team of four, since it might be the most guarded. I think that Choji should go for strength, Hinata for speed and quick reflexes, I to assess any unknown situation, and Naruto for dumb luck."

"HEY!" Naruto yelled out, insulted by that comment.

Ignoring Naruto's yell, Shikamaru continued. "For the Underground base, we need someone to be able to locate the base with ease. For this, I suggest Kakashi since he has the most experience among; Kiba and Akamaru to not only provide combat aid, but also to help locate the base."

"Alright! Akamaru has needed to get out and exercise anyway! Isn't that right boy?" Kiba yelled excitedly. Akamaru replied with a happy "Arf!"

"Finally, since the two of you always worked well together in fight, I think the flying fortresses should be taken care of by you two." Shikamaru was referring to both Sasuke and the red haired gargoyle.

"This mission requires stealth and perfect timing, due to the fact that if one base is attacked, they will alert the other bases. We need to perform simultaneously, and without fail. If even one of the teams fails or gets caught, we would all end being detected. Because of that, all of us must arrive at the designated targets before midnight. Once there, everyone must wait until midnight arrives, only then will we start the mission. The humans of today have these devices called watches, which we will use to synch our timing. When the numbers reach 12:00, We make our move. No one and I repeat no one is to jump ahead or go too late. Understood?" Shikamaru looked at everyone as they nodded, understanding what is required.

'Impressive. By knowing their strengths and weaknesses, he has formed three teams for the required situations. He's even adapted his planning with today's technology. He is indeed an efficient strategist.' Itachi mused to himself.

"Alright, you all know what to do. Remember, the human's technology is more advance and dangerous in this time, so don't do anything to get you or your teammates killed." Sasuke stated.

The gargoyles then began to head out, preparing for the rough night. As they left, Itachi gave a small smile which no one saw.

They all went up to the highest tower to glide off.

"Ok, let's go then!" Naruto yelled, flying off ahead of the others.

"The idiot is not even heading in the right direction." Shikamaru grumbled, putting his hand up to his head for a headache that was coming on.

"Oh Naruto…" Hinata murmured, slightly down casted by Naruto's idiocy.

The rest of the Tower team headed off to catch up with Naruto, and then go off in the right direction.

"Please don't screw up." Sasuke solemnly whispered to himself, secretly hoping for the safety of his clan mates.

"He might be young minded and idiotic at times, but he is also a warrior trained by the best. Plus he has the others to make sure he doesn't screw up." The Red head, hearing her beloved's worry.

Sasuke looked to her with another true smile again (I know, you are probably saying, Yeah right, like that is even possible), and lightly held her hand. "To sail the skies with you again, it is like a dream."

"We've dreamed long enough. It's time for our dreams to come true." The Red head said with a blush. She then glided off, Sasuke following behind her.

"Ah, young love. Well, we might as well start going. Help me carry Akamaru, Kiba." Kakashi stated, placing his book behind his back, and then going over to lift Akamaru with Kiba. They both lifted him off, and flew off.

Sasuke and the red head had finally found the massive aircraft. It was huge, even bigger than the castle, with two hover propellers on both sides, almost resembling a large Zeppelin, the words "CyberBiotics" on the side.

Sasuke and the red head tried to glide to it, but the wind from the propellers pushed them down. Using the muscles in their wings, they began to flap them to gain altitude, and push against the wind. They finally caught an updraft that pushed them both up. Taking advantage of this, they both used their claws, digging into the metal of the machine like tin foil. Sasuke then grabbed a piece of the bottom, and ripped it off, creating an opening into the large ship.

Sasuke crawled inside first, checking the area for enemies. He saw that he ended up in an empty hallway, and proceeded to pull his beloved up.

"The disc will probably be the most heavily guarded spot in this fortress." Sasuke stated, keeping an eye out for intruders.

"If the humans want to throw away their worthless lives guarding it, that's their problem." The red head stated coldly, walking off in a random direction. Sasuke slightly twitched at hearing that, but made no comment about it. "This way!" she yelled. Sasuke followed.

They continued walking for down the metallic corridor, until the sound of gun calking caught their attention. Behind them were two guards dressed in black uniforms, guns raised towards them.

"Hold it right there!" One man said, the other one coming out from behind the corner.

The red head then sneered at the guards, her eyes beginning to glow red. "You won't fire those things in here, you might damage the airship." She said, her voice dripping with malicious venom.

"Don't bet on it, whatever you are!" The man said sternly, his partner slightly shaking, but putting on a brave bravado. "Stand back, I'm warning you!"

She then proceeded to move at an incredible speed, jumping to the wall to pounce on the guard. The other guard moved back, aiming his gun at the redhead. Sasuke moved quickly, pushing his beloved out of the way, the bullet hitting one of the steam pipes. Steam began to fill the entire corridor, the guard quickly covering his face to avoid the heat, the steam fogging up his black sunglasses.

He then began to try and find the intruders, his nerves on high alert. He couldn't see anything through the steam, but he held up his gun just in case, pointing it at any shadows within the steam. Sweat began to pour down his face, his eyes darting back and forth behind his shades, his breathing erratic.

Suddenly, he saw something zoom past him colliding with the wall. When he looked to see who it was, he saw it was another security guard unconscious and knocked out. He quickly pointed his gun in the direction of where the tossed guard came from, and saw two glowing red eyes in the steam, a snarl quickly following.

He went to shoot the target when suddenly his gun was pulled out of his hand by Sasuke who appeared from behind him, eyes glowing red. Sasuke then karate chopped the man in the neck, effectively knocking him out.

"The gun shots might have alerted the others, we have to hurry." Sasuke stated. The redhead walked up to the unconscious guard with the shades, and then picked him up by the collar, carrying him toward the hole they came in from.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sasuke inquired.

"I am just making sure he doesn't cause more trouble later." She stated sweetly.

"Don't, killing someone in the heat of battle is one thing, but this is dishonorable." Sasuke gritted angrily.

She almost looked shocked at his response, but then her eyes narrowed, that cold stare returning again. "Fine, whatever." She then tossed the man aside toward one of the walls. "The centuries have certainly changed you Sasuke." She then walked away angrily.

Sasuke stared out to her, and then began to follow her down the corridor. He noticed a slight bite mark on her wrist when she threw the guard, but choose not to say anything.

Meanwhile, at the same time, at the tower.

The team was waiting at the top of the tower for Shikamaru's signal, waiting for when it was time to break in. While they waited, Shikamaru had his eyes closed, Choji opened up a bag of chips and began to munch down, while Naruto and Hinata were staring out at the city, or more precisely, the statue of the giant lady wearing a crown and holding a torch.

"That lady must have been really great if they made a statue of her that big." Naruto stated in awe at the large green woman.

"Um… y-yes, indeed…" Hinata stated. Hinata was trying to pretend to be looking out at the city, but in truth, she was sneaking glances at Naruto, her face a deep hue of lavender-red.

While everyone else was relaxing, Shikamaru was contemplating recent events. 'Something just doesn't feel right... I feel like there is something that I am missing here.' He sighed, 'Whatever, I'll figure it out later…'

Shikamaru's eyes then opened up on alert, as the wristwatch signaled midnight. "It's time. Choji, if you would."

"Alright, sure thing. No problem." Choji stowed away his snack for later, then walked up to a metal door. Cracking his knuckles and shoulders, he then grabbed a hold of the edges of the metal door. Pulling with great strength, and a grunt, the door popped off its hinges, locks and all.

Hinata peered inside, seeing no enemy in the room, then hopped down inside, making room for the others to come in. The group then spotted an elevator, and moved toward it.

"Ok, according to Itachi's blueprints… it should be four floors down from the roof." Shikamaru drawled.

Choji grabbed the edges of the elevator door down the middle, and began to pull apart. "Hey, this one's a lot like the elevator back at the castle." Choji stated.

Shikamaru looked at the elevator. "There is not enough room to glide down."

Naruto then took a look. "Hey guys, maybe we can use the ropes in the center of this thing to climb down." Naruto then grabbed on to the ropes, and began to slide down.

Shikamaru sighed at Naruto over eagerness, then looking at Choji who just shrugged, and Hinata who also sighed, but for a different reason. They then followed Naruto's example, and began to slide down the rope.

Naruto was counting each floor he was passing. "1, 2, 3, 4. This must be the one."

Choji moved in front of the closed elevator door, and began to pull it apart. "Man, this is easy. We'll have that disk and be back in time for supper." Choji stated with grunt.

The moment the doors were opened, the sound of multiple guns calking was heard. "Make that a late supper." Naruto stated. Right in front of the group were guards in black uniforms with their guns aimed at the group, ready to fire.

To be continued...

End of Chapter 4

It will probably be long before I post the next chapter for this... to my very few fans, I apologize for my slacking. I will try to get this out sooner.

Signed,

Mr. Nobody