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This is a shorter chapter, but it sets up the next...well...I'll let you read it and find out. ;

On we roll

Chapter_18: Building Up

Three days is a long time to wonder. For those lucky few who hold no serious thoughts, nor struggle in life, it is a relatively short and generally pleasant period of time used up with family and friends with no worries to cloud the carefree atmosphere.

The last three days of Naruto's life was not spent thus.

As he searched for the Akatsuki hideout, his mind continued to plague him with…confusion, confliction and new, frightening uncertainty.

Naruto wiped the thick sleet from his eyes, keeping his ears sharp for the slightest trace of sound or movement. He couldn't smell anything with this heavy downpour. The weather had remained staunchly uncooperative through the last seven days, yet another element which did nothing to improve Naruto's cheery disposition.

He was beginning to wonder if he would ever find this marauding band of reprobates or if he would spend the remainder of his days fruitlessly combing through the crumbling remnants of a once prosperous city. Was Akatsuki watching him now? Were they laughing at him because of his arrogance, because he'd thought he could find them? Leering and heckling as he battled his way uselessly through the brutal wind and cold sleet?

No they weren't, but that thought didn't help his mood any either.

One upside was that he hadn't seen a single Hebi through all his trudging and exploring in the city's underbelly. He didn't know what would have happened if he'd seen that Suigetsu character selling crack on the sidewalk.

Maybe they were hiding.

The blond peeled himself from the slight shelter of the wall and began to crawl up its side. The wind lashed at the exposed upper half of his face, whipping his hair around to sting the back of his neck. He grit his teeth and continued his climb, feeling his way upwards. The brick crumbled easily under his fingers, allowing the digits to puncture into the moldering stone, aiding his upward ascent.

He crested the parapet at last, exposing his body completely to the harsh and driving elements.

Naruto looked out across what he could see of the city from his vantage point. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the map the gang boss had sent him earlier in the week.

The paper flapped, trying to escape his grasp and fly away in the heavy wind. The blond growled in frustration as his eyes raked across the dark marker stains scratched into the map's surface.

This had probably been the most useful portion of the packet Boss Hebi had sent to him via a slightly disgruntled Suigetsu.

He could see why it was the Hebi gang was known for information. The detail included in that single manila envelope was incredible.

Every Akatsuki sighting had been marked down on the map of Southern Konoha in bold red strokes. Every building Naruto had searched sported a thick black slash through it.

The ratio of black slashes to red marks was steadily growing higher with each successive search.

He was starting to second guess himself. What if he had missed them somehow? What if he'd over looked something; a secret passage, a hidden door, a tunnel that led to the real Akatsuki hideout? Could he have failed to see something so basic? Could he afford to risk it if he had?

He saw the flash of red the instant he heard them.

"We've kept them waiting for too long. You always play too much with your food."

"They won't start without us, Sasori, my man. You worry too much."

Naruto peered through the hazy half-frozen rain and suddenly recognized the coats. He growled, a mix between triumph and shock, before leaping headfirst off the building. This was what he had been waiting for.

He tucked his head and rolled; a feat he could only accomplish when he was Kyuubi. He felt the impact of slick pavement against his spine and slide down with his motion. He skidded a little, pushing up to his feet and slipping to the cover of a nearby doorway with the remainder of his momentum.

Naruto paused to listen and cursed silently. The voices had stopped. Had he missed them? Had they already gone on?

"I saw something."

His heart leapt up into his throat. The voice had come from the other side, just beyond the concealing lip of the doorframe. And it was getting closer.

"Don't be stupid," To Naruto's incredible relief, when the second Akatsuki spoke, the first set of footsteps stopped. "You can't see anything in this rain. Let's go, we're late."

The very air around Naruto seem to be holding its breath, waiting…

"Fine, whatever," The blond exhaled. He didn't want to tip his hand before these two led him to their hideout. After he knew where to lead the authorities, he could be as out in the open as those suckers wanted.

Naruto risked a quick peek around the corner of his hiding place and saw the hem of a black coat disappear into an alley. He waited, counting a slow 10 in his head before stepping out into the elements once again.

When no one jumped immediately out to attack him, the superhero took it as a sign that he was in the clear to follow.

He darted to the alley into which the Akatsuki disappeared. Carefully, slowly, he began to creep inwards. He had no desire to be taken by surprise, not when he was so close.

Up ahead a door creaked. The blond flattened himself up against the dilapidated brick, willing himself to become one with the stone. He didn't actually disappear, but if someone were to look down the dark passage, unless they had elite vision like he did, they wouldn't be able to pick out a form.

He counted a second set of 10.

Nothing.

And then there was a second creek, a barely audible 'click', then…only the steady thrum of droplets splashing onto concrete.

He was moving, sprinting up to the origin of the sounds.

A door.

Expert eyes flicked across its surface, the jam, the hinges and handle. He could detect no signs of traps.

The blond eased the door open and thrust himself inside. The instant the door shut behind him, he was drowned in total blackness.

He could still hear the rain drilling against the street outside, but the noise was much softer now that he had the walls between himself and it.

Nothing moved in the darkness beyond. The superhero took a hesitant step forward, testing the floor beneath his feet. It was concrete. Good, that meant he didn't have to worry about the floorboards giving him away. Nevertheless, he continued to walk with caution, trying each step before he set his full weight down.

His eyes strained to see in this unnaturally thick black. He could make out the form of stairs climbing upwards, but he couldn't risk it. The steps looked ancient. And even if they held his wait, they wouldn't do it without audible protest. Kyuubi worked best in silence.

He approached the bottom step and looked up. He could make out a ledge. It's original purpose might've been to guard against anyone on the second floor tripping and falling down the stairs. But right now, it was exactly what Naruto needed as a landing zone.

The blond took a second to guesstimate the distance and braced himself for the leap. He couldn't screw this up. If he did...Naruto shook his head. He couldn't mess this up.

He jumped, his hands outstretched, his fingers curving into the solid wood of the banister. He hit the edge and pulled his body the rest of the way over it. To his immense satisfaction, the wooden structure had emitted only the smallest of squeaks as he'd hauled himself up.

Naruto paused, pricking his ears, and grinned.

The sound of quarrelling voices was faintly coming from his left, further in.

With the same infinite care he had taken when navigating the last level, Naruto paced closer to the disturbance. The shouting grew louder with every careful step he took. When he stopped to search for his next stride, he could make out little pieces of the argument.

"…need to stop…"

"You're…too much time…"

"…wrong with that?"

"…blow those…up…"

"That's…solution to everything…"

Naruto frowned. He didn't know what to make of the tidbits he was getting. He had to get closer.

He could see a door on the far side of the hall, opened only a fraction. That fraction was enough to spill both light and sound out to him. But would it do the reverse for those inside?

The blond pressed himself into the wall next to the portal, risking a look inside the brightly lit room.

Seven figures, all dressed in the same black coats, were gathered. Most leaned on chairs or an ancient couch, a few had taken places on the floor. One, Naruto couldn't tell anything beyond flaming red hair, was sprawled lazily across the old wood. They were all arguing, with the exception of two people Naruto hadn't noticed until then.

A woman; she was pretty. It was stupid how strange describing a girl that way seemed now that he admittedly found Sasuke attractive. Before he realized what he was doing, he found himself comparing how much smoother the raven's skin looked to this woman's. Naruto felt laughter bubbling in his chest and squashed it. That was probably the worst way to get discovered by Akatsuki ever: giggling like a schoolgirl.

He returned his focus to cataloging as much information as he could on each individual Akatsuki member. His gaze flicked to the next upright figure and felt his blood run cold.

The second was a man, pierced and…odd. There was no other way to describe him. The man radiated a disquieting aura of pure malice even while he said nothing. Or maybe it was because he said nothing that he was so much more unsettling.

"Silence,"

Instantly, the room quieted. Naruto's breath silently hitched as his heartbeat began to pound in his ears. Had he been caught?

"The time has come to put our plans into motion."

No, he hadn't. The blond gulped down a relieved sigh and focused in on the crowded room nearby.

A murmur that sounded like: 'finally' to the blond passed over the seven gathered figures. That the leader had heard was obvious, but if he intended to address the matter it seemed he would do it later. He continued to speak, his voice almost bored.

"We have the names, what Danzo gave us before his death."

"We already know that," A tall man spoke, baring his sharp teeth as he interrupted his leader. "Why don't you just let us know what it is we're supposed to do?"

"Yeah," Put in another, his silvery hair and eyes reminding Naruto of a sable. "And don't be so ambiguous. It's hard to follow instructions when you don't know what you're supposed to do. Even Kakazu doesn't mince words like you do."

"Hidan," Came a murderous voice to the man's immediate right. "If you don't stop speaking, I'll kill you."

Hidan, apparently used to such language from the other, laughed, but made no further comment.

The tall man, who had first interrupted his leader, opened his mouth again.

"Kisame stop this useless prattle," The red-haired Akatsuki lying on the floor sighed. "Let the man speak."

The tall man whirled and for a moment it looked like he was going to curb stomp his comrade.

"I'll talk whenever I want to you little dipshi-"

"That's enough." It was the woman who spoke this time, her voice cutting smartly through what would have been another descent into chaos. "If you're so impatient to hear, then listen."

"We have clear targets." The Akatsuki leader continued as if he had never been cut off. "The time has come to shake Konoha's foundations, if we sever the snakes head, the body will die. It is thus so with every city. Cut off the tumultuous masses from their leaders and they will crumble into dust."

The tall man named 'Kisame' began to laugh, sharp, short bursts of mirth which startled Naruto. "That," He grinned, his pointed teeth bared with malicious fullness. "Is what we've been waiting months for. That's the brilliant plan?"

"So, so you want me to blow them up, my man Pain?" This came from a slender blond man leaning against the far wall. The question was punctuated by a low, but mad chuckle. "That's fine with me. I'll show them true art."

The redhead on the floor snorted, but made no further comment. His blond companion scowled.

"A bomb will suffice." The many-pierced man affirmed before once more addressing the entire room. "We will deal with this city's teetering government. After the Hokage is disposed of, the rest will fall naturally into place."

Naruto sucked in a breath. This was the Akatsuki's plan? They were going to kill the Hokage, blow up the state building just like they did the police station?

"How much longer are you expecting us to wait, Pain? I'm not going to wait forever."

The many-pierced man turned to Kisame…and smiled.

Kyuubi felt himself shiver. That small upturning of lips was ominous; a razors' kiss. It promised horror and suffering far beyond all human imagination and endurance.

"It will begin before the sun rises on another day."

Naruto sprinted to the lip he had only minutes before dragged himself over. He swung down, pushing silently off the wall as he dropped, giving him the few extra feet he needed to clear the last of the stairs before landing on the compact concrete with no more than a creak of leather.

Tomorrow morning, this city was going to become Hell. He had to warn Sasuke, had to get him away while there was still time.

He exited the old building, letting the heavy rainfall soak into his hair as he ran.

His mind raced along with his body. Three separate obligations raged and battled for first priority. He had promised to let Kakashi know the second he found something, to give them time to prepare a defensive strategy. But at the same time, he wanted to get Iruka away from Konoha, at least until all this business was finished one way or another. And he wanted, needed to find Sasuke, to make sure that he was safe. But he would have to find the raven before he could deliver that message and he didn't know how long such a search would take. He didn't know where Sasuke was. At the time, kissing Sasuke had seemed vastly more important than asking him for his itinerary. The last thing he expected to happen three days ago was Akatsuki to make their move.

A wild thought struck Naruto. What if Sasuke's urgent business had called him out of Konoha?

He still felt the cold grip of worry at his sternum, but it had lessened some. It wasn't much, but it was enough. He had to warn Kakashi and Iruka first and then…

Naruto sprang, pushing up the building in front of him. He straightened. Konoha had never looked so big before.

Would he find Sasuke in time? Would the raven even listen to him?

The raven would argue that he didn't need protecting. Would have told Naruto to stop thinking so much and just do what he had to. He could even see Sasuke's face as he said those words. His eyebrows would furrow ever so slightly above his oddly expressive eyes and his lips would tighten almost imperceptibly. But beneath all that, the raven would be smirking, letting Naruto know that it wasn't a big deal. He was a big boy.

Naruto felt his heart tighten painfully. But he had to turn, to run, towards the people who needed his protection.

.:xXXx:.

Iruka was having the best week of his life. His kids at school were being abnormally polite and quiet. He had just finished moving in with Kakashi and he was just putting the final touches on Naruto's 24th birthday present. It was a little late, but he had been so caught up with life, he hadn't even thought about the absentee blond until Kakashi asked him what the big red circle around October 10th meant.

He was planning on dropping the big gift wrapped package off at Naruto's apartment later that night along with some homemade Osaka that his foster son was fond of.

He wasn't expecting his son to find him.

The doorbell only rang once before Iruka's new home was forcibly invaded by a blur of yellow hair and black leather.

"Iruka!" The superhero yelled, stepping nimbly over the doormat. "Iruka!"

"Naruto, how many times have I told you to wipe your feet when you come inside?"

The blond couldn't help but grin as the familiarly chiding voice and its owner hurried up to him.

"I came looking for you." He felt as though this was a rather obvious statement, but the brunette didn't comment. He drew his foster child further inside and tried to kick-close the door. The last thing he needed was the neighbors to start asking questions.

"What's the matter Naruto?" He couldn't help the parent coming out a little in his voice. Old habits die hard after all. The last time he had seen the blond, he was preparing to go in after the Akatsuki. He felt his pulse jumpstart and stutter.

"Did you…did you find them?" His voice was a harsh whisper, fear weaving thin filaments into it; because he already knew the answer.

"Yeah," The blood red eyes dimmed a little, and began to turn blue, but the intensity behind them did not diminish. "Iruka, you have to leave Konoha."

"What?" The brunette jerked in surprise. "But I…everything, I can't just…"

"Please," His son pleaded, gripping him by the shoulders. "I heard them. This city is going to become the most dangerous place to be very soon and I want you to be far away when it does."

Iruka slumped. He wasn't sure whether he should laugh, thank his son, or burst into tears. He would go, of course, what else could he do? But that small part of him that was still Naruto's father asked: "What about you."

Like before, he knew what the answer would be even as the words left his mouth. His son would stay. It was his choice, his destiny to be here while the world fell apart. This was what Naruto was born to do. He was fated to fight for Konoha, to battle and protect it with all his might.

But as the tears spilled down the brunette's cheeks, he hoped upon hope that his son would not have to die for Konoha as well.

"Will you give Kakashi this?" The blond pressed a thick envelope into his foster father's hands. "It's everything I can remember plus some information I got from Hebi. The Akatsuki…" Iruka shook his head.

He gave Naruto a sad smile as his fingers closed around the Manila paper. "The less I know about all this, the better."

The blond grinned back, even though it was hidden behind his mask.

"I have to go," Naruto tried not to let guilt overcome the moment of happiness. But he had other friends to warn, to make sure they were safe.

Iruka didn't look mad, but nodded. The goodbye between them was silent. You didn't say farewell when the ones you loved went off to war, but with your heart.

The brunette felt tears sting his eyes and tried to blink them away, wanting to keep Naruto in his sight for as long as he could. But between one blink and the next…his son was gone.

.:xXXx:.

There wasn't much left.

Sasuke's eyes ran along the pictures. The dozen digital graphic displayed gruesomely torn flesh and wet decay; all that was left of Danzo's regular call girl.

Akatsuki had done a job on her, he had to admit that. Her face was gone, literally cut from her skull; her teeth had been yanked out, her hair shorn down to a thick fuzz. Every distinguishing facial feature was gone. And then they dumped her carcass into the Konoha River. It was why Juugo had taken so long to find her.

But this woman hadn't been a complete fool. Or perhaps she was simply paranoid. For whatever reason; before her death, she'd had information tattooed on the inside of her right thigh.

The raven studied the flaccid limb dispassionately. She might've known that something like this would happen to her; that someone might want to erase her. She was as close to a gang collaborator as anyone could physically be. If she were intelligent, she would have realized that it was only a matter of time. It seemed she was. It explained why she had taken such unorthodox precautions to ensure no matter how completely her killers disposed of normal means of identification, whoever found her body would still be able to find out who she was.

He read the name etched neatly into the once perfect thigh. The words registered, but meant nothing to him beyond what he already knew.

This at one time was the prostitute Danzo had employed on a regular basis. She was, according to his information, the last person to see the Konoha Police Commissioner alive.

He had hoped that she was still alive when he had instigated this search. She would have been able to answer some questions which had, up to this point, remained unacceptably unanswered.

They would have to stay that way a little longer it seemed. Unless…

Strong slender fingers traced the black VHS case. Juugo had gone to the woman's address and searched the place. His discovery of a hidden stash of documents and video footage under the floor was not an unpleasant development.

The raven had spent the last twelve hours picking through the gathered media with a fine tooth comb. And what he discovered was that every single item, whether document, audio or visual incriminated Danzo conclusively for a startlingly wide range of crimes.

It looked to him as though the Commissioner's prostitute had been planning to break away from her employer just before she was killed.

The majority of the cases meant little to Sasuke. Most were simple instances of social disturbance or favoritism. One was a file of Danzo's early dealings with Hebi and a one: Uchiha Sasuke, a fairly detailed outline of favors to be exchanged under certain preset circumstances. It wasn't a problem any longer. He had incinerated the compilation after a thorough perusal. And he knew there was nothing left of Danzo's office to connect him to Hebi or anything else.

But there was this one tape that still remained staunchly mysterious. It was the last piece of evidence, in the small pile. Perhaps it was one of the first grabs that whore had made.

There was nothing remarkable about the video cassette itself; black, plastic, white title stuck to the front. It was all exactly what one would expect to see from a VHS tape. The single phrase scribbled on the title line caught his eye:

October 10th, Konoha Community Hospital.

Now he was just waiting for Suigetsu to get come back with the VCR.

"Go home."

Juugo, who had up to this point, remained immobile to the raven's right, nodded once to acknowledge his Boss and wasted no more of his precious free time with words.

Sasuke picked up the tape and studied it. He was beginning to understand what was going on, even if the details were, as of yet, eluding him.

The prostitute had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The testimony of the police officer placed her in Danzo's office minutes before the explosion. But she had not been in the building when it the bomb detonated, he had evidence of that before him now. So she had seen something, something that meant she was too dangerous to leave as a loose end.

The brutality of her demise was proof enough for Sasuke that Akatsuki had been behind the murder. So it followed that it had been the Akatsuki in the police station that night. By the same logic, it must have been them who had exploded the station.

But before that, they had been speaking with Danzo. For what? What did they ask him?

The Uchiha felt his blood run cold. The Commissioner was the only contact who had known the true identity of Boss Hebi. What if they had found out?

But that was absurd. If they had managed to get Danzo to talk, wouldn't they have made a move to dispose him by now?

If it had been anyone else, Sasuke would have shrugged the implications off. But it was not anyone else. This was the Akatsuki.

If they knew, what were they waiting for?

He didn't know it, but at that moment, only a mile from where he now sat, Akatsuki was no longer waiting.

The Akatsuki were on the move.

Author's note: So, I had absolutley no idea what to title this chapter, everything just seemed too cliche or it didn't fit. 'Sigh' Anyway, good news for all of you:

I finally sat down and plunked out a solid outline for the rest of the story. So updates should be coming fast and furious. (Watch, now that I said that, I'm going to have nothing but homework :p)

Okay, honest oppinion time: I am a little worried about the lack of response to my WIP: Mortis. Should I discontinue it? Don't be mean, but I can handle you telling me that I should get rid of it if no one wants to read it.

Review please!

TTFN (tee hee, tigger)