A/N: Dracen here...Sorry for the long delay. My editor had a little mishap with the internet. Blame procrastination. T.T Thus, this was totally late, and behind. Which also prompts me to start finishing my other chapter for Konoha Wars. Man...I'm behind...TT-TT

To Stalker-san: Thanks for the advice! X3 Though...any good ideas on how? Cuz it's been quite a while since I last watched the anime or read the manga...or any stuff related...O.o

Yah...any helpful advice or whatnot will be greatly appreciated. Especially on personality quirks of the characters, wording, etc, etc. Many thanks to those who do!

Now...done wasting your time.

Naruto: Dracen-kun doesn't own Naruto, nor does she profit from using me and my friends...

Lost

Chap. 3

It was all etched on Gaara's face.

Shino was in his usual stiff posture, glasses pushed up higher on the bridge of his nose. Sai was paler, and hunched over on the table. Lee, surprisingly, was silent. Gaara was in a foul emo mood. "Aren't we lucky?"

The other four, who were standing at the doorway, twitched. Since when did Gaara start saying how blessed they were? They became worried when Sai laughed brokenly. It was hoarse, hollow, and reminded Naruto of himself. Deep inside. Just like it. "We just got a nice little gang welcome."

Itachi and Kisame were at the gang headquarters. Pein, their ever so stoic leader, had ordered each team to go raid the houses of the rumored new gang, who Zetsu had spied on. Of those, Shino, Lee, Gaara, Sai, Kiba, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, and Naruto, were all targeted and split among the teams. Itachi and Kisame had Naruto and Shikamaru. Konan and Pein had Gaara and Neji. Sasori and Deidara had Kiba. Tobi and Yahiko had Shino. Hidan and Kakuzu had Sai. Zetsu took care of Chouji.

All the houses were defaced. Windows were broken, doors, smashed, books scattered, not to mention the graffiti on the wall. Neji's had a blown up hole in the front of his yard. There were threats scrawled all over the walls, and on the remnants of the windows of Sai's home. Shikamaru's yard was trashed. Kiba's had no grass left. Naruto's home was left unscathed, only because the members were there, and because Itachi supposedly didn't want a mess next to Sasuke's new house.

Yet, that day, Chouji was the only one who went home after they came home from the beach. Sai agreed to Chouji's request, and dropped him off.

Zetsu had a reputation for killing without being asked.

It was then that Naruto noticed faint tears tracks down Lee's face. Sai looked at them with guilt laced with understanding. They could barely hear the whisper. "They took him. They took Chouji. Chouji isn't here anymore. Because I agreed to drop him off at his house last night. They killed him."

Silence rang through the dining room. Shikamaru looked aghast. "He what?"

Lee looked over forlornly. "He's dead. And our homes are all trashed and destroyed. We got a call sometime around six this morning, when Gaara was raiding the kitchen for some coffee."

Shikamaru dropped to his knees. His brown eyes were hazy, and riddled with pain. "I don't believe it."

Shino finally spoke. "Look outside the window."

Neji was there first. Shikamaru followed, a desperate gleam in his eyes. His childhood friend couldn't have died. Not now. He couldn't have died, right?

When they looked out the window, Shikamaru's hopes shattered like glass. Where Chouji's house once stood, there now stood a still flaming pile. He could see the police, the ambulance, everyone crowded around. Chouji had been sleeping. The house had been set on fire. Chouji never made it out.

Neji scanned the area, noticing the fire, and the mess they made of everyone else's home. Pale eyes narrowed in spite. Naruto came up from behind, and gasped. Kiba couldn't utter a word. Naruto's eyes glazed over. "So that's the world that we're entering."

Shikamaru stood frozen. Tears started running down his face. "Chouji…."

He collapsed on his knees, and punched the wall once, hand dragging down, leaving a bloody smear on the white wall. "He's gone. He's damn gone."

Meanwhile, at the table, Lee was also crying. He and Chouji had been on pretty good terms. Now he was gone.

Guilt weighed down on each of them. Shikamaru started sobbing, pounding the floor in desperation, as if everything was a dream, and that he could break out of it, and find Chouji waiting with a plate of freshly made cookies. "DAMNIT!"

Neji knelt down next to Shikamaru, and put his arms around Shikamaru's shoulders, quietly comforting his friend. "He may not be coming back, Shikamaru. But he'll want us to fight."

Itachi parked his black Jaguar in the allotted parking space, and got out, wearing a black suit and designer shades. He was at the airport, doing his duty as an older brother. He was supposed to pick Sasuke up, but he also had one other task to attend to. Which was why he came two hours early. Itachi had a sleek briefcase with him. Inside was something that could drive a dangerous bargain. Of course, he would have to get it past the officials first. Shouldn't be a problem.

When he got inside the main building, he looked around, scanning for the location he was supposed to be at by 1:00. It was 12:50. Then he saw it. It was a small meeting room, up on the second layer. Very subtle, Madara. I suppose we could've done just as well right in the midst of a café. Nevertheless. Itachi sighed. He hated that bastard. He and Tobi were twins, but Tobi was kicked out of the Sharingan Inc. a long time ago. Madara was the owner of the whole damn thing. All haughty, like he could order anyone around. Now, Itachi had come back, to ask for a simple favor. He hated being submissive.

Meanwhile, Kisame was not far behind. By Itachi's request, he had also come along, just in case. He parked across from Itachi, and got out of the blue Mercedes-Benz. How he loathed leaving the sushi behind, and the soft supple sharkskin seats. Absolutely loved that car. He reached into the glove compartment and pulled out his mata policia. It was a Belgian made firearm, designed to penetrate bullet proof vests and gear. It served him well in many circumstances. He checked the cartridge, and when satisfied, slid it into a hidden pocket on the inside of his jacket.

All the while, Madara was watching from the large glass wall. He saw Itachi. He saw Kisame following behind. He smiled. Everything was as planned. Soon, he would have what he needed to perfect a simple weapon. One that he was going to use to blow up the Sound Village, along with the Oto Inc. as well. Then, there would be no more competition. He was going to own the monopoly. Madara gave a dark chuckled. "Soon."

After the initial shock wore off, and everyone was calm, they became alert and aware of what was going on. They had to become an official gang, so they could avenge Chouji. But they had no damn idea what the hell they were going to do.

Neji sighed, before calling everyone over to the table. "Okay. We've most definitely decided that we are to become a gang. However, we'll be needing quite some assistance. We only have a total of eight people, now that Chouji's gone, and most other groups have at least fifteen, if not more."

Shikamaru frowned, and spoke. "From Naruto, we have deuced that the Akatsuki have eleven, not counting their subordinates and acquaintances. They have resources. Which would include weapons, hideouts, etc. They're experienced, and actually know what they're doing. We have two places already secured, but we have no weapons, and no clue what we're supposed to be doing."

Until now, Naruto had been relatively quiet, but piped up when he heard the word 'weapons'. "Hey, I know where to get firearms. Though, it's an illegal line, so we have to be careful. It's a friend of mine, over at Krakura. They have gangs too."

Neji nodded. "Then that is solved, for now. Also, there is an issue on how we're using these weapons. First of all, none of us, except Naruto, have had any contact with guns, grenades, canons, whatever. We'll need training. Second, our purpose is to defeat the Akatsuki."

Sai shrugged. "We might get pulled into a different world. Which means we'll end up lost if we're not careful. Besides, we can always practice in one hideout, and leave the other one for gatherings."

Thoughtful looks greeted the latter comment. Neji shrugged. "Why not? But which one?"

Naruto frowned. "We could vote on the one to practice in. There's the one somewhere in my backyard, or hill, and there's the one up somewhere in the statues."

"The hill?"

Five hands.

"The statues?"

Two hands.

Naruto thought about it. The one in the hill was easier to attack, but invariably easier to reach, and had a much larger space for them to practice in. He hadn't gone much deeper, but there was enough room for long range practice as well. The one up in the Fourth Hokage's statue was hard to reach, easiest to defend, and smaller, though it would still allow room for furniture, ammunition and weapon storage, and food storage. "I say the hill, behind my house, for the practice one. It has more space for us to practice in, and easier to reach. It could be the secondary place, since the statues have maximum defense and best attack range. Hardly visible as well," he added.

No one argued. It was a valid point, and made perfect sense. The only thing missing were the weapons. Shikamaru groaned. "Highly troublesome. I, quite frankly, do not trust Naruto to go by himself. Even if he thinks it's safe. I say not. Someone will have to go with him."

Naruto glared. "I'm not fuckin helpless."

Shikamaru glanced at him. "Neither was Chouji."

That shut him up. "Fine. Then who do you trust?"

Shikamaru closed his eyes. "Take Neji and Kiba with you. And I promise they, meaning the rest of them, won't destroy your house. The thing is, we don't have anywhere else to go now."

Shino nodded. "At least, we'll go in groups of three to retrieve some of our property. That way, we can fully move into the other hideout, and set some parts up down in the hill. We'll just tell our parents it's a long term project for high school, full year."

Naruto and Kiba gave him a strange look. Shino never spoke so many words in one brief interlude. "Wow, Shino. You learned to talk…."

Sai snorted. "Of course. So, we'll gather what isn't destroyed and bring them in, including food and clothing, and whatever else. Furniture, books, stuff to keep us occupied-"

"The chainsaw."

Now it was Gaara's turn to be looked at weirdly. Naruto twitched. "A chainsaw, Gaara? Are you sure I'm going to allow you to bring that in my house?"

Gaara glanced at him. "Why not?"

Naruto fumed. Neji smirked. "Can't be too bad, Naruto."

Naruto threw his hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll let you. Just please don't destroy my garden…."

"You have a garden? Woah."

"Shut up, Kiba. At least they live. I don't have dogs peeing on them."

"So you say."

"Duh. They grow. Unlike the paintings of yours, Sai. They don't grow. And no caustic remarks, Neji."

"But Sai and Kiba are having fun. Should fate let me have some fun too?"

"NO. I'm not having you join in too."

"No worries, my youthful friend. I will do a hundred pushups if he does. Yosh!"

"Shut up."

"Naruto, mind if I let my pet bugs loose in the garden?"

"Hell no. They'll eat my tomatoes."

"Troublesome."

"Smart. You just realized."

Shikamaru sighed. They could be so immature. Chouji would probably be talking about food now, if he was here. Damn. But there's no time to grieve. We'll get killed if we stop too.

Gaara smirked. "It's okay, Naruto. At most, the house might get torn down."

Naruto glared. Man, they were mean. He sighed. "We better get going. You guys should practically bring everything important to living with you. Beds as well. If you need a car, there's a van in the garage."

Lee blinked at him. "What kind?"

"A van. It's a Mercedes-Benz."

Kiba whistled. "That's expensive, man. How do you manage to afford it?"

Naruto smirked. "Yeah. I did. Insert an evil laugh for me. Though, you could thank Jirayia. He offered to get me a Porsche, but the van looked better."

Neji looked over. "Give the keys to Gaara. I actually trust his driving. Meanwhile, we can also use my van. What's the other car you drive?"

"Oh. It's another Mercedes-Benz. We should use it. Has built in transport places for smuggling weapons. Toshi modified it. You'll meet him as well."

There was no further discussion, and while Shino and Shikamaru stayed, the rest set out to do their respective task.

Naruto got in the driver's seat, while Neji took the seat next to him. Kiba sat behind. Shikamaru was standing next to the car. "Shikamaru, we might be gone for a few days. There are spare beds and sheets upstairs. Be careful. Tell them to leave everything in the living room."

Shikamaru nodded. Neji frowned. "Few days? Where is Krakura?"

Naruto grinned. "Overseas. We're going to the airport."

Itachi was currently sitting across from Madara. Outwardly, he was fine. Composed, calm, giving off vibes of the Uchiha charm that had several girls fainting as he made his way upstairs. Inwardly, he was loathing every second of it. Hated Madara, hated his task, hated his life at the moment. Madara looked like he was enjoying it. "So, Itachi-san. You made it safely. However, you can tell Kisame to come in as well."

Outside, Kisame groaned. Once again, stealth mode failed on the Uchiha. It always worked fine with anyone else. Breathing deeply, he walked in, and stood behind Itachi.

Madara smiled. It didn't reach his eyes, which remained cold. "That's better. So, we are gathered around to discuss a simple tradeoff. Explain the situation further, Itachi."

Itachi put forth a briefcase. "On behalf of Pein-sama, I would like to request a million euro to fund our ongoing effort in the streets. This money will allow us to upgrade weapons, strengthen other aspects, and buy supplies."

Madara looked on with interest. "A million. In euro. In exchange?"

Itachi answered steadily. "For an entire unit of uranium and plutonium charges. Fully activated. Radioactive. Fully compatible with ENO253. Enough to blow up an entire town with pure ease. Even more as well."

Madara gave a thoughtful look, though they all knew it was just a pretense. "And this was developed by?"

"Developed by Sasori-san."

Madara smiled. "Simply wonderful, Itachi. A bargain quite fair, I suppose. And the quality, then, is most high, isn't it?"

Itachi nodded. Madara smiled again. "Then it is a deal, at not one million euro, but one and a half million euro. It is a small price for what's to come."

Madara handed him a black briefcase, identical to the one Itachi had with him. Itachi wordlessly slid the one containing the charges to Madara. They switched briefcases, and each stood. Itachi bowed slightly, and proceeded to walk out the room. Kisame followed. Madara watched them with amusement. "So foolish. But that isn't a matter."

Madara made his way back to the officials. When he passed by, they nodded. They only checked the one he had with him before, which was designed so that only shapes of clothing would appear on the scanning screen. They didn't bother checking twice. Now, he was off with his much needed component. A sleek limousine pulled up, windows down, with the chauffeur driving. When Madara got in, the windows were scrolled back up. The black car drove off, deadly weapon in hold.

Kisame and Itachi made their way back to their car. Kisame growled. He was extremely irritated. So was Itachi. "Damn bastard. So all high and mighty. At least we got the money."

Itachi shrugged. "I don't like it either, but we needed the money to fund Sasori's lab."

Kisame sighed. "That excuse again. I swear, this nowhere near fun. Hidan's gonna be laughing at me again. Let's go, once you pick up your little bro."

Itachi nodded his consent. Kisame paused for a moment. "By the way, why does he need those charges anyways?"

"To power a small scale nuclear bomb. ENO253."

Omake: If I didn't kill Chouji...

"Shut up, Kiba. At least they live. I don't have dogs peeing on them."

"So you say."

"Duh. They grow. Unlike the paintings of yours, Sai. They don't grow. And no caustic remarks, Neji."

"But Sai and Kiba are having fun. Should fate let me have some fun too?"

"NO. I'm not having you join in too."

"No worries, my youthful friend. I will do a hundred pushups if he does. Yosh!"

"Shut up."

"Naruto, mind if I let my pet bugs loose in the garden?"

"Hell no. They'll eat my tomatoes."

"Can I eat them?"

"What the hell? Never!"

"Troublesome."

"Smart. You just realized."

"I'm hungry." ...

All others: T.T

As expected...someone's hungry.

A/N: Yeeaaah...So there's the third chapter. Does it make up for the delay and Chouji's murder? Please review!

~Dracen