Worry not SuperNekofan, there are plenty of cookies to go around, in fact –gives cookie- enjoy it wisely.

Mitsuki-the chakra usage will probably only be used in extreme situations, like how when he was younger he could only use Kyuubi's when he lost total control of his emotions or his life was seriously threatened. Most likely something along those lines. Also, so long as he uses the Wolfsbane potion like Lupin, he'll be able to keep his mind.

Feldoran-presents with cookie-

Sanao Mikaru- for the moment, the Malfoy family's allegiances are still in the process of being decided

SaturnXK- yes, Neji and Gaara are looking for Naruto together, and to your yaoi question, there won't be any pairings in this story, though there might be the occasional undertones of slash and het, but even that will most likely be rare.

Thanks to all my ever so fantastic reviewers and all the people who've favorited it as well, you rock pretty hard :3

Now onwards and enjoy

Chapter 9: Built for Sin

Naruto enjoyed a lot of things. His friends, ramen, learning new jutsu, and many other things that would take far too long to list. So getting to the point, one of the few things he especially disliked was being naked in the middle of a cold stream, in a strange, unfamiliar forest, along with a surly Death Eater who'd spent the better part of several months holding him captive, torturing him, along with a large number of other equally nasty things. It really just rubbed him the wrong way, especially after he'd just run his ass off from some strange moving purple mountain with horns to save the jerk. So yeah, things could have at least tried to be better, but from the absolutely flabbergasted look on the other's face and the fact that his hand was wavering uncomfortably close to his wand, things weren't about to start looking up anytime soon. So, as they each silently contemplated the other, he came up with a plan. A solid plan. A good plan that was well thought out, guaranteed to work, and reinforced with positive thinking.

Which was exactly why he, with an animalistic war cry, leapt at the other and proceeded to pummel his face into an unrecognizable mess.

Yeah, it was a great plan.

His fists crashed with a resounding crack each time they met with skin. The crunch of a nose breaking, cheekbones bruising, lips splitting. They rang like a cacophony of brutal sounds to his hypersensitive ears, the skin pressing against his knuckles with vicious intimacy. The sharp flecks of blood spattered haphazardly into the surrounding water, the chilly depths absorbing them without thought, painting the water a runny pink.

And still the man beneath did nothing to retaliate. Something that only infuriated him more than words could describe. He wanted him to scream, to foolishly ask for mercy, to hit him back, to knock him over and dole out his own punishments. But he didn't, he just lay there in the shallow stream, the water splashing up into his face, weighing down his clothes, and washing away his blood, eyes unblinking as Naruto's fists continued to pummel him, his feature schooled in a façade of no reaction. So he pulled his punches harder, dugs his knees in tighter, and scratched deeper than humanly possible.

And still nothing.

The rocks themselves were strange. They loosely formed a circle that at one time had obviously been complete, but centuries of weathering had worn them down into a ramshackle mess of what it once had been. But the shape itself wasn't what was important. No, what was important was the utter power that it just seemed to radiate from every crack and pore of stone. It was almost overwhelming in its entirety, and it sent shivers down Neji's spine. So much power, so much literally packed in every single surface, it was practically an overload on the senses.

With a bated breath, he activated the Byakugan.

And instantly flailed back as his eyes were flash-blinded by the brightest energy signature he'd ever seen. The grainy blanket of sand that caught him scooped him up, almost like a hovering chair, with a thin tendril coming up to spread thickly over his hastily deactivated eyes. The soothing, cool darkness massaged his shuttered eyelids, the tiny pebbles never once encroaching into his eyes, their stinging brutality stayed into surprising gentleness.

A growl of annoyance ripped from his throat, and the sand whipped away, revealing his abruptly bloodshot eyes, the veins surrounding the stark white of his eyes an angry, bitter red. Irritated, he swiped his palms across them, futilely rubbing them in hopes of comfort for the sensitive orbs. The presence of his companion moving closer to him jarred him slightly, the disorientation of his eyes skewing his other senses embarrassingly.

"What can you make of this?"

Neji considered his words, trying with surprising difficulty to get his thoughts into order, something which would be much easier if his eyes did not burn so. With one last rubbing of the oversensitive orbs he regarded the other.

"I can't say with certainty what the original purposes of these rocks were, but whatever they may have been it was undoubtedly powerful. They have been imbued with centuries of the outsiders' strange chakra, or magic as they call it, and I can say that as of now, it has been used as a gateway between our worlds. Definitely not the only one, but most likely one of the more powerful ones in this part of the world, I can imagine that there are others are scattered throughout their world, places of old, strong magic that can only be accessed by those of considerable strength. Or perhaps with large groups, with each member contributing a portion of their power to make it work. The fact that there are still remnants of Naruto's own signature remaining here, not to mention what I can distinguish as many others; he was forced through here by some ritual they performed. Undoubtedly, something that is not unlike our own summoning methods, only instead of bringing forth something like Naruto's toads or the Godaime's slugs, it's a botched human version."

He said it all quickly, barely pausing for breath between sentences. He looked to Gaara for his reactions, but as usual, the others stoic silence prevailed, his face betraying almost nothing. But the slight furrowing of his nonexistent eyebrows told Neji all he needed to know of the other's thoughts on the matter.

Quietly, he activated his eyes once more, carefully limiting his sight of the mounds of stone, instead focusing his sight farther west, the beginning outlines of a small town encroaching up his vision. A frown tugged at his lips as he saw the people and their dress. Deactivating his eyes once more, he looked to his ever silent partner.

"There's a small town near us, roughly 2 miles away. It would be best if we were to alter our appearance, our current dress and features would cause us to stick out rather sorely, and garner unwanted attention." He gave brief details of what the people their age seemed to favor wearing. Gaara nodded in understanding.

He closed his eyes, his hands soundlessly rising into the needed seals. With a muted poof of smoke, a teen of roughly the same slender build and height stood before him, a messy head of chocolate brown spikes sprouting from his head and drooping into his now dark, hazel eyes and slim eyebrows, however the heavy rings still surrounded them. The tattoo melted into unmarred pale skin, his facial features now softer and more round rather than the sharp angles that made it up before. His clothing mirrored the designs of what he'd seen the younger people wearing. Instead of his usual color scheme of browns, reds, and tans, he now wore a long, almost trench-coat like jacket that was black and decorated with chains and pins. He wore a pair of odd, dark wash pants that were made out of some rough material and a pair of equally dark steel-toed boots. He looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Neji stifled a smirk at the odd style these people seemed to adopt before doing the same, his hands seamlessly forming the needed seals perfectly. With another gust of smoke he stood changed before the other, his normally long, brown hair shortened until it only just swept his shoulders in rich, dirty blonde waves. His opaque, milky eyes were now a light, seemingly violet color that stood out sharply amidst his now tan skin. An unadorned black t-shirt with fishnet sleeves hugged his chest and arms, and a simple pair of black shorts hung down to his knees. He wore a matching pair of boots.

A beat of silence passed.

"We look ridiculous."

Gaara merely let out a noncommittal grunt and began walking.

Her eyes were empty, the once bright greens hollow and listless. She lay unmoving on the ground, her pink locks splayed across the ground in ratty tufts. The small puddle of blood collected around her head, fanning out around her like a blood-stained halo. Her poor arm lay twisted and crooked. Her teeth and lips were painted vividly with blood; it dripped and dried down her chin and to her neck, leading a trail until it disappeared beneath her torn clothing.

"I don't want it to be this way dammit!"

He slid to his knees into the mud, his hands trembling as they clenched into the dripping dirt. His shoulders shook, his chest heaved, and his breaths came ragged and torn. His hand shook as it reached for a kunai, poising it delicately between palm and fingers. With a 'swish' it tore deeply, raggedly, into his other hand, the bright red of his blood gurgling to the surface, seeping to the ground beneath him, mixing morbidly with the soggy brown and clear of the water and dirt, swirling before thinning out and dispersing completely.

He blinked rapidly, her image swept away with his blood. A crazed laugh of relief stuck in his throat. He'd always been so terrible when it came to genjutsu…

His eyes burned with the harsh beating of the wet sun, the blurry tears scurrying down his scarred cheeks without restraint. His throat convulsed and choked, the words trapping themselves against his teeth, refusing to sound the way he desperately needed them to. Because he had to say this, had to tell them, to let them know what this truly was. What it only could be. He had to find them. She was ok, everything was fine, and it would be alri-

A pair of black sandals came into his bowed vision. A pale hand shot forward, grasping his chin tightly before raising it to meet their eyes.

Naruto's lips wobbled and he drew the bottom between his teeth.

"Don't do it…Please…"

She felt tired. So, so very tired. She felt that her very bones seemed to echo with an all consuming ache, reverberating into every cell of her body. Blindly she groped for her sake cup, and cursed loudly when it continued to elude her. With a frustrated growl she brought her fist down onto the desk, which let loose an ominous groan before splitting in two. She stared at the scattered remains impassively before letting loose a deep sigh.

"Shizune," she called, her voice cracked and rough, "I need a new desk."

He felt one of his fingers break with a snap and just as quickly felt it moving back into place. He pulled his fist back, his knuckles cracking with harsh accuracy. The other's face was a mess of mottled bruised and achingly shallow cuts that dribbled blood without fail, leaking and painting his face messily red. He wrenched his hand back again, preparing for another onslaught.

Snape blinked as he felt the blonde tense before standing stiffly from his chest. A 'whoosh' of air filled his lungs to the brim, and he breathed it in with a relieved gasp. There was a splash of water that alerted him to the boy's movements and he looked up to watch him step onto land. His blue eyes blazed darkly, dots of blood decorating his face in random places.

'My blood.' He thought dazedly.

Weakly, he hefted himself into a sitting position, his body protesting with every movement. His eyes were met with a pair of disturbingly calm blue that sent chills down his spine. His lips opened to speak, but no sound came out, only the loud clack of teeth snapping together in disbelief and anger. His wand was wet and slick as he grasped it into his hand, but he kept it lowered at his side. They stared for several moments before the blonde's head snapped to the side just as the bushes began to rustle. Snape's sharp inhale of breath was released quickly as he saw the rather rumpled form of one Remus Lupin.

The older werewolf's eyes widened as he took in the scene: Naruto's bare body, Snape's completely demolished face, and the fact that they were both sopping wet in the middle of the Forbidden Forest.

"Well then…who would care to explain?"

Hermione restlessly shifted on her feet as she examined the shelf before her. Her teeth delicately bit down on her lips as her eyes shifted from title to title, each sweeping never revealing the book she was searching for. Honestly, she thought to herself, new school books shouldn't be so hard to find.

Finally, it caught her eye, and with a satisfied smile she reached forward to pluck it from the shelf, only to have another set of hands carelessly snatch it away. Indignation rose to her lips, and she twisted around, a sharp reprimand already forming on her lips, only to die before they even left her mouth.

She felt her mouth go dry with nervousness as she took in the pompous sight of Draco Malfoy leaning casually against the shelf, the book held lazily in his pale hands. His usual self-assured smirk was in place, his light eyes glinting with a glow that immediately set her teeth on edge.

"Hello Granger, fancy meeting you here." Even his voice sounded with the same aristocratic smugness that he carried himself with. With a grimace stretching across her lips and her hand already wrapped around her wand in her pocket, she stalked forward, her hand snapping out to grasp the book. Surprisingly, he didn't move it away, and let her hand grasp the spine of the book. Silence resounded around them, and for some unknown reason she felt a blush spread across her face. Uselessly, she tugged the book toward her, and was even more taken aback when he merely let it slide from his hands. She stumbled back slightly, shock evident on her face. She saw his eyes flit over her shoulder, and the smirk on his face tugged down slightly.

"See you around Granger." He waltzed away, leaving her with the distinct feeling that something major had just happened.

'Whatever it was, it was certainly odd…'

"Was that Malfoy?" An annoyed voice said from behind her, and she turned to find Harry standing behind her, an unpleasant expression on his face as he looked in the direction of the retreating blonde.

"Yes," she sniffed huffily, "just being his usual incorrigible self." Her tone let him know that that was all she was willing to say about the matter, and resolutely she continued her book hunt, Harry trailing behind her as they traversed the many shelves of Flourish and Blotts.

So then, we've finally started more character introductions, and Gaara and Neji have finally arrived. I know this is terribly, terribly late, but I hope you enjoyed it.-Cherry