Chapter 18

With an exhausted sigh, Sakura reached up slowly to untie her hair. She smoothed the pink strands before stretching the tension out of her shoulders. Blinking several times against the tiredness in her aqua-green eyes, the medical kunoichi examined her work once more.

Ino lay on her stomach, her hair splayed across the pillow and over the side of the hospital bed like a waterfall of gold. The injuries on her back and arms, carefully healed and stitched by Sakura, were pink and swollen under the humming lights. A twinge of concern pulled Sakura's eyebrows together as she noted the tension in the blond's muscles.

"If Naruto hadn't gotten there in time…" Sakura shuddered slightly at the thought as she reached over to gently pat Ino's shoulder.

"Let's get you bandaged up so that the boys can come in, Ino." Sakura said with a smile. "I can feel Shikamaru's impatience all the way from here."

Nodding silently, Ino pushed herself up slowly. As she sat on top of the pristine white sheets, holding her hair out of the way while Sakura wrapped bandages around her bare torso, she appeared as frail and delicate as a flower peeking up from the snow. Worried that even a slight misstep or a rough touch would damage her, Sakura finished her work in silence.

The pink-haired kunoichi understood only too well how it felt to be totally dominated by an opponent. She too had experienced the moment when frustration and desperation gave way to unyielding fear. Even though she didn't want to admit it, Sakura knew that if it wasn't for Naruto's heroics, her life would probably have ended long ago.

She helped Ino into a hospital gown, propping up the pillows so that the blond could sit comfortably. Once Ino was settled, Sakura put her hands on her hips, studying her childhood friend intently. "Are you ready for me to let them in?" She asked gently.

Ino nodded slowly. "If my students are there, I want to see them too."

"Okay," Sakura replied with a smile, walking over to the door. "Just hang in for a minute, I'll be right back."

Sakura slipped out into the hallway, sliding the door shut behind her. She joined the current of nurses and patients until she reached the corner where she paused, her eyes immediately drawn to her teammate. Naruto sat quietly on one of the several benches which lined the hall, his eyes closed and face calm as he waited with surprising patience. Ino's female student, Aya, was curled in a ball on his lap, her eyes red from tears as she leaned her head on his chest. Eros and Leon, who were both watching vacantly as people passed them, sat on either side of the Sage. They would glance up eagerly whenever someone approached them, only to look away in disappointment when the person didn't mention their sensei.

No matter where he went, people were simply drawn to Naruto. And when he came to places such as this, surrounded by the sterile surfaces and the industrial lights, he seemed more real and warm than anything else around him. Even as Sakura watched, half hidden by the corner, several injured shinobi approached him. He opened his eyes with a smile before they spoke. He knew every one of them by name. His rough voice was calming and reassuring as it echoed in the narrow hallway.

In stark contrast to this tranquil scene, Shikamaru was practically burning a path in the floor with the speed of his pacing. His expression was taut and his shoulders were stiff with agitation. As practiced as he was at leading other shinobi, always with a display of lazy disinterest, Shikamaru cared about his comrades more than anyone else. He felt a deep sense of responsibility whenever someone on his team was injured. Sakura had seen him waiting tensely in the halls of the hospital on many occasions, waiting to hear the medical conditions of his fallen comrades.

Just as Sakura was about the step around the corner, a flash of blue caught her attention. Naruto was watching her quietly from his seat across the hall. He smiled when their eyes met, his whiskered cheeks dimpling.

"Sakura!" He called out, his rich voice tumbling from his lips with the familiarity of an old melody. "How's Ino?"

Shikamaru stopped, turning quickly as Sakura rounded the corner with flushed cheeks. Eros and Leon jumped to their feet, followed by Aya once she had scrambled awkwardly from Naruto's lap. The young kunoichi ran to Sakura, gripping her hand tightly. "Is Ino-sensei okay?" She asked breathlessly, her eyes wide.

Sakura bent over, smiling at the three Genin in turn. "Your sensei's going to be just fine. Make sure you thank her properly for protecting you, okay?"

"We will!" Aya responded quickly, glancing at her teammates. "Can we go see her now?"

As Sakura opened her mouth to answer, Naruto stood up, catching their attention. "Aya-chan," He said gently, "How about you stay here with Sakura-chan and me for a minute? I think Shikamaru needs to go and see Ino first."

Shikamaru glanced to the side, rubbing his head awkwardly when the Genin turned to inspect him. The young team exchanged confused looks before Aya asked, "Do you have to talk to Ino-sensei about something, Shikamaru-sensei?"

"Yes, he does." Naruto said, grinning devilishly. "Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"

"Naruto, you bastard." Shikamaru muttered, his eye twitching. He glanced at Sakura sheepishly. "Is that alright?"

The kunoichi smirked. "I'm sure that will be fine. We'll give you five minutes, okay?"

The strategist nodded once, his ears going pink as he quickly rounded the corner. Aya continued to grip Sakura's hand tightly as she watched the slow progression of the clock on the wall, preparing to grab her teammates and dash off when exactly five minutes had passed. When Sakura glanced down at the kunoichi, Naruto's bare feet caught her eye.

Her eyes shot up, her expression a disgruntled glare. "Naruto," She hissed, "What the hell are you wearing? Where are your shoes?"

Naruto blushed, rubbing his nose sheepishly. "I was meditating with Sasuke when I noticed that Ino was in trouble and I kind of left in a hurry, so I didn't have time to change."

Sakura eyed him critically, noting how his old mesh undershirt was entirely too small on him now. The fabric stretched over his broad shoulders and chest, cutting into his skin. Shaking her head, the kunoichi released an exasperated sigh. "Go home and change." She ordered. "And throw that shirt out! I'm amazed that Sasuke lets you wear that thing."

"Eh?" Naruto exclaimed, glancing down at himself. "It was the last shirt I had that was clean. We put off laundry for as long as we can."

"Just hurry up and go," Sakura muttered, her cheeks getting hot. Hearing Naruto talk about Sasuke in that way, as if they were a single entity, never failed to embarrass her. "We'll have to talk for a while when you get back, so don't take too long."

Naruto's sapphire eyes narrowed slightly, growing serious at the thought of their pending conversation. But still, he managed to smile, saluting quickly before turning and striding away on silent, naked feet.

Sasuke was irritated.

Extremely irritated.

But he kept his face an emotionless mask, broken only by the slight frown which pulled his slender eyebrows together. He resisted the urge to get up and start pacing, settling his chin on his hand as he sat, studying the blond.

The clone Naruto had told him what was happening right after the original left. But since then, the blond had simply stood in silence as he looked out at the forest, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, trying to get a clear picture of Ino in his mind. He could only muster up a few vague memories of the kunoichi, since he had always regarded her as just another annoying girl back in his academy days. Rather than feeling guilty about it, he smirked at the whiskered blond. "It seems like you're always running around saving other people."

Glancing over with a deadpanned glare, Naruto replied, "I've saved your sorry butt a few times, you jerk. If it wasn't for me, you'd still be hanging out in a cell."

"Woah, hey!" Sasuke exclaimed, straightening up quickly. "Are you going to hold that over my head for the rest of my life?"

The clone sniffed loudly, replying with an air of dignity, "Only when I need to."

"Such a child," Sasuke muttered darkly. "I've saved you a few times as well."

Rubbing at his head, Naruto turned and walked into the house, muttering as he went. "I don't remember something like that happening."

Sasuke scrambled to his feet and stomped into the house behind the blond, confused by the level of irritation he felt. It wasn't because of their conversation, and it wasn't because Naruto had to leave abruptly on their first day of training either. Rather, Sasuke found himself - once again - frustrated that he couldn't be of any help to his Guardian. Even though he didn't necessarily care about other people, he still wanted to be at Naruto's side. He wanted to be the one to go and save people on Naruto's behalf. He found himself willing to do anything to lessen the burden on Naruto – to make the weight of being a hero easier to bear.

The memory of Naruto's pained, frustrated expression flashed across his mind.

Without realizing it, Sasuke stopped moving. He watched Naruto's retreating back as he walked into the kitchen, his shadow stretching out into the hallway.

"Don't go."

He could hear the sound of Naruto's bare feet on the wooden floor. It was then that Sasuke realized that he wasn't breathing, panic rising up in his chest.

"Naruto!"

Sasuke blinked in shock. He hadn't meant to yell.

Naruto's head appeared around the doorframe, his eyes wide. Sasuke stared at the gentle gleam of sunlight which fell over the blond, his chest heaving as he sought air. Naruto recognized what was happening to him instantly. It had happened many times before.

Out of nowhere and over nothing, it seemed, Sasuke was on the verge of having a panic attack.

Something flashed in the clone's eyes, too quickly for Sasuke to decipher what it was. He stepped out into the hallway, opening his mouth to speak, but the words never came. The clone turned towards the door, his attention on the chakra which had appeared suddenly on the road.

He turned back to Sasuke, his blue eyes burning. "Hang in there," He said, managing a reassuring smile. "The original just got home."

With that, the clone vanished in a puff of smoke. Sasuke crouched down in the hall, clutching at his chest as he attempted to calm himself. "Fuck," He muttered. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

He could hear the sound of Naruto's footsteps as he raced up the path, stomping onto the porch before flinging the door open. Their eyes met instantly, sapphire and obsidian, and the rest of the world seemed to disappear. Relief washed over Sasuke as he inhaled deeply, his nerves suddenly settling.

"Naruto," He said softly. "Welcome home."

The blond inhaled sharply, walking swiftly down the hallway. In one fluid motion, he knelt down on the dark hardwood, pulling Sasuke into his arms. The pale ninja leaned into him heavily, his arms hanging limply by his side. Naruto held him tightly, surrounding him with all-encompassing warmth.

"I know you're getting restless," Naruto whispered, his lips on Sasuke's forehead. "But please bear with it for a while longer. Then, you'll be able to come with me. We'll do these things together, you know."

Sasuke shook his head slowly, thinking that Naruto's incredible ability to read people was tremendously convenient at times like these. "I'm fine," He muttered coldly. "I'm being stupid, letting my frustration get the better of me."

"It's not stupid," Naruto replied fiercely, leaning back so that he could look at Sasuke. "I understand that being cooped up in here is frustrating for you, and I know how much it bothers you when I'm coming and going all the time. I'm sorry Sasuke, I'm supposed to be your Guardian and yet -"

He stopped abruptly when Sasuke laughed softly. "I said it's fine, idiot-blond." He began, his voice gentle. "I can't just selfishly keep you to myself, anyway. You're the guardian of this entire village, not just mine."

Naruto shook his head with a smile, stroking his fingers over Sasuke's cheek. He lifted his chin gently, leveling Sasuke with an intense look. "No, I'm yours. Completely yours, Sasuke."

Sasuke averted his eyes. "Is that because of the mission you're stuck with? Operation Moon Guardian?"

"No, idiot," Naruto replied blatantly, sighing. "It's because I love you."

Sasuke inhaled deeply before returning Naruto's sigh, hoping that his response imparted on that swirling breath. The sharp line of his frown finally loosened, his eyebrows pulling away from one another as he slipped his eyelids shut. His lips curled upwards slightly as he whispered, "I wonder who the real idiot is?"

As Naruto laughed softly, Sasuke was distracted by a sudden thought. "My goals exist only in the darkness. That much has never changed. The code name I've been given, Moon; the more I think about it, the more I realize how fitting it is. If it weren't for the sun, the moon would be completely invisible. Shrouded in darkness, it would continue to circle the world unseen. But even though the sun gives it light, a part of the moon is always submerged in darkness and hidden away. It will never be able to escape that fate; just as I will never be able to escape the darkness within myself. Not completely, anyway."

He opened his eyes, seeing his reflection in a mirror of sky blue. Naruto blinked slowly, tilting his head questioningly. Sasuke shook his head with a low hum.

"You have to leave again, don't you?" He accused lightly.

"Um, yeah," Naruto glanced away, feeling guilty. "But you know what? I would much rather stay here with you, so -"

He stopped speaking abruptly, untangling his arms from Sasuke as he pushed himself to his feet. In a few large strides he was at his bedroom door, entering the room which was slightly dusty from disuse. Raising his eyebrow, Sasuke wondered idly when the last time Naruto actually slept in his own room was. They always slept in Sasuke's bed, so the only reason Naruto had to enter his room was to change his clothes.

This only fueled Sasuke's curiosity and he rose to his feet shakily, his body still not having forgiven him for the sudden assault of panic. Leaning against the doorframe, Sasuke followed Naruto's movement with shuttered, dark eyes. The blond pulled his Jounin vest on over top of his mesh shirt, zipping it up halfway. He then walked over to his dressing table, picking up his headband and securing it tightly around his forehead.

Naruto grinned at Sasuke as he walked past him, plodding down the hall quietly. He stepped down into the entranceway, bending over to pull on his sandals. When he straightened up, he reached for his Sage cloak, pulling it on with an air of finality. Sasuke watched the crimson fabric until it had stopped fluttering, glancing up at Naruto questioningly.

The blond smiled even wider, finally continuing his sentence. "I'd rather stay with you, so I'll just send a clone."

Without further ado, another grinning Uzumaki appeared. The original opened the door for his double, saluting formally as the clone rushed out of the house and down the path. When the door had closed again, Sasuke smirked.

"Is it really okay for you to send a clone?" He asked, not actually caring if it wasn't.

"Sure, I was just supposed to go back to the hospital to talk about some stuff." Naruto replied, toeing off his sandals. "But even if it is kind of important, you're more important right now - especially when you're standing there looking at me like that."

Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous rollercoaster of his own emotions as he replied, "What, I get bored being stuck in here all day with nobody but an idiot-blond clone as company."

Naruto lowered his eyes, blushing as his eyebrows met in a frown. "For at least this month, as much as I possibly can, I swear I'll stay here with you. I prom -"

"And for some reason," Sasuke cut in, not wanting to hear the promise that he knew Naruto couldn't keep. "Watching you put clothes on really just makes me want to tear them off again."

For a moment, Naruto simply stood in stunned silence. But then, his face went an utterly astounding shade of red, his eyes as wide as his mouth. After blinking several times, the first word which crept hoarsely from his throat was, "Shit".

And then he was moving, rushing back up the hall as he shrugged off his cloak, letting it flutter to the ground as he crashed into Sasuke heatedly. Wrapping his arms around Naruto's shoulders as their lips met, Sasuke followed Naruto's rhythm as he guided them backwards. As his calves hit Naruto's unused bed, Sasuke yanked down the zipper on the blond's vest, tugging it over his shoulders roughly and letting it crumple to the ground.

Smiling slightly, Sasuke tucked his fingers into the neck of Naruto's shirt, and in one sharp jolt, tore it down the front. With a questioning hum, Naruto pulled his head back to glance down at his ruined clothing.

"Sorry," Sasuke said in a low voice. "But I really, really hate that shirt."

Naruto laughed then, a molten roll of his voice which sent a shiver down Sasuke's spine. The chakra seal on his shoulder throbbed, sending an electric pulse through his body. But as Naruto glanced up, it was the look in his eyes that made Sasuke feel lightheaded.

"Honestly," The blond said as he leaned forward slowly, taking advantage of his height to keep his lips just out of Sasuke's reach. "Right now, I don't give a fuck."

Sasuke inhaled sharply as Naruto captured him with a hug, twisting so that Sasuke landed on top of him when they fell back onto the stale sheets. The dark-haired ninja laughed softly, tilting his head to peer at Naruto through his bangs. Ignoring the intense desire which was coursing south through his body, Sasuke contented himself with simply observing Naruto for a moment.

Slowly, he slipped his fingers under Naruto's forehead protector, pulling it off gently. "Are you sure you're only mine?" He softly inquired, raking his slender fingers through Naruto's hair.

Still staring in awe and slight confusion, all Naruto could do was nod before choking out, "Yeah, your idiot-blond."

"You must be crazy." Sasuke replied, a hint of sadness in his voice.

But as he leaned down and kissed Naruto softly, his hair falling out of its ponytail, the blond realized that he couldn't care less. Maybe he was crazy, completely insane, for loving someone like Sasuke this much. But as he lost his hands in dark hair, then allowed his fingers to wander across the landscape of Sasuke's body, Naruto knew that it didn't matter.

As long as Sasuke was there, not even the prospect of insanity frightened him. As long as he had Sasuke, Naruto was home.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence hung between the four shinobi of the Leaf. Outside the closed door, the muffled sound of the hospital's activity seemed to be an entire world away. Ino and Naruto had joined forces to recount the events from that morning, but when the tale was over, the shinobi became lost in thought.

Sakura sat on the end of Ino's hospital bed, her back rigid and her mouth a thin line. Ino slumped tiredly into her pillows, her eyes unfocused as her mind wandered. Naruto lounged on the other bed, looking entirely too relaxed in the tense situation, while Shikamaru stood with his arms firmly crossed. He was facing the window, but Naruto suspected that he wasn't seeing the village, bathed in the light of a sunny winter afternoon, at all.

It was Ino who finally broke the silence. "You warned us, Naruto." She said, repeating herself again. "If I had taken your warning more seriously, then this might not have happened. I'm sorry."

"Ino!" Sakura exclaimed, turning to her friend with an appalled expression. "None of us realized just how real the Kou's threat was! And besides, even if you had taken it seriously, there's nothing you could have done in that situation."

Naruto's clone nodded reassuringly, gracing Ino with a warm smile. "She's right, Ino. If anything, I'm sorry that I couldn't get there sooner."

Ino shook her head slowly, but she didn't respond. Lacking her usually fire and sass, she simply examined her folded hands. Glancing over at Shikamaru quickly, Naruto noticed the ripple of unchecked emotion which passed over the strategists reflected face.

"Kou," He said, uttering the name like it was a curse. Turning sharply, his gaze landed on Naruto. "Hey, Naruto, tell me about the theory that you had Sakura researching. I want to know everything about the Kou, so don't hold out on me."

After exchanging a quick glance with Sakura, Naruto inhaled deeply. He sat up straighter as he began to explain. "This was something I noticed when I was travelling between the villages, where I always made a point of talking to the people who had been possessed by the Kou. They were all different ages, came from different places, and from the way they described their lives it seemed like there was literally no connection between any of them. But there were a few things that all of them had in common. First of all, they all claimed that they simply 'woke up' one day, without having any recollection of what they had been doing during the time they were possessed. In fact, none of them even remember being possessed in the first place. The second similarity is that they all claimed to have strange dreams, voices in their heads or a sense of emptiness or loss that they couldn't explain. But the last thing I noticed is the one that bothers me the most."

He paused here, frowning deeply as he studied the tiles on the floor. "The mental state of everyone who had been controlled by the Kou decreased at a rate so fast, it was actually pretty scary. People that were completely coherent when I spoke with them only weeks before had suddenly lost their grip on reality. When I went to see the people who were being controlled by the Kou on the night we moved Sasuke, they were the same way too. They had vivid hallucinations, suffered from what seemed like multiple personalities, and had absolutely no sense of self or spatial awareness. But what I found the most interesting is that they all claimed to have memories that they didn't think were actually theirs."

Naruto stood up, rubbing the back of his head as he began slowly pacing. "And that's when I had a thought. If the Kou have been around for hundreds of years, then it's possible that some of the patients within our psychiatric ward here were once possessed by them as well. It was a long shot, but I asked Sakura to interview all the patients, to try and find some sort of clue or connection that might help lead us to the Kou."

Sakura nodded sharply, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a thin scroll. "I compiled all the information I gathered here." She said as she released the seal on the scroll, glancing up at the pacing Jinchuuriki. "I haven't had the chance to tell you yet Naruto, but, you were right."

"Really?" Naruto exclaimed, looking completely shocked.

"Yes," Sakura replied seriously. "The first thing I did was look through the files for people with similar diseases, such as Amnesia or Multiple Personality Disorder. I also looked into patients diagnosed with various forms of depression or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. When I actually started talking to them, I noticed right away that there were some clear similarities in their stories. But, I think the most difficult, and also the most helpful person to talk to was a woman who was in her nineties.

"This poor woman couldn't even remember her own name. She told me that she had lived in a small village when she was young, and had memories of her life there up until her early teens. But then, the next time she regained any awareness, she was a woman in her early thirties in a place she's never seen before. That place turned out to be here, Konoha, in the time of the second and third Hokage. Ever since then, she's been having nightmares, or flashes of memory that she can't identify as her own. She said that in these memories, she seems to be looking through someone else's eyes."

Shikamaru shook his head, interested and disgusted at the same time. "To just steal someone's life like that, and leave them with such mental torment," He muttered, shaking his head. "It almost makes me glad that the Kou just kill some of their victims."

Naruto frowned, not agreeing with Shikamaru's view on that particular point. But he didn't comment, turning back to Sakura instead. "These memories, Sakura-chan, did you find anything that seemed like a clue about the Kou?"

"I did," The kunoichi replied gently. "Every person listed these fragments of memory - or imagery, rather – that they said had a very different feeling than the rest. Apparently, when they see these images, they feel intense longing or nostalgia, even."

She glanced down at her notes, her voice low as she continued. "That old lady wrote down what she saw for me. I'll read it for you now: 'Emerald-eyed figures surrounded by gossamer fabric, which dances in a high, cold wind. There is polished white stone above clouds and mist which clings to the trees, and all around me are smiling wolves of gleaming iron.'" She glanced up, rolling the scroll. "I couldn't really make sense of any of that, especially not the last part."

"Their masks," Shikamaru muttered. "The guy a fought was wearing a metal mask that was crafted to look like the jaws of a wolf."

Ino glanced up, nodded slowly. "My guy had one of those as well."

"Maybe the wolf is the symbol of their Clan or something," Shikamaru muttered, glancing over at Naruto with a frown. "But off the top of my head, I can't really make sense of the rest of it."

Naruto plopped down on the bed again, his mind racing. Having long since adapted to the long silence of meditation, he found it surprisingly easy to draw information out of fragments or even silence. "A hall full of statues, open to the wind and above the clouds, as well as a feeling of longing for that placr." He muttered, his eyes lighting up. "This is it, you guys! This is the clue we were looking for, you know!"

He jumped up, beaming excitedly at his comrades. Shikamaru's eyes widened as he caught on to Naruto's train of thought, his arms dropping to his side as he stepped forward. "Naruto, do you think that these memories are of the Kou's home?"

"There's no doubt!" Naruto agreed, his fists clenching as he attempted to control his excitement. "That's the reason no one's even heard of the Kou since the time of the First Hokage, you know! They've been hiding way up in the mountains!"

"It's possible that they're even living in an old temple or something," Sakura added, her eyes shining. "Nobody from the outside world would think to look in a place like that."

Naruto turned to the strategist, his blue eyes blazing. "Shikamaru, I need you to do me a favour." He said, his voice taking on an edge of command. "Take that scroll from Sakura-chan and go straight to Granny Tsunade. Let her read it and explain the situation, and then request that recon teams are sent out to the mountain ranges all around here. Can you do that for me?"

Shikamaru nodded, walking over to accept the scroll from the medical kunoichi without a word. It was then that Naruto's expression grew serious, his voice lowering. "And also, please ask her to send some people to collect that fallen shinobi from the Land of Feathers."

After a slight pause, Shikamaru smiled. "Trust you to remember him, even in this situation." He teased gently. "Alright, Naruto, I can take care of that. I'll stop by your place later to let you know how it goes."

"Thanks, Shikamaru." Naruto replied, watching with a smile as the shadow-nin slipped out the door quietly.

He turned back to Sakura, smiling at her warmly. "Thanks for your hard work, Sakura-chan." He said, bowing his head. "If it wasn't for you, we still wouldn't have any clues, you know?"

Sakura blushed as pink as her hair. "No, it was you who noticed the connection. All I did was research it a little."

As Naruto opened his mouth to respond, Ino's expression caught his eye. Her forehead was a map of wrinkles as she frowned, her eyes glazed again. Concerned, Naruto walked over to the side of her bed, leaning down slightly. "Ino?" He said carefully. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, the blond Yamanaka shook her head. "I can understand why none of them stay sane for very long." She whispered, her voice trembling. "I didn't want to say this with Shikamaru around, since he's already so worried about me. My father and I train together all the time, strengthening our mental barriers by trying to force our way past each other's defenses. But the thing the Kou did, 'Full Boy Illusion' or whatever, it felt completely different. It wasn't just his mind; he was trying to force his entire being into me - trying to squash himself into the space which was already filled by me. I mean, it wasn't just my mind he was attacking. I could feel him in my bones. Honestly, I have never felt so completely violated before in my life. And it only lasted for a few seconds."

A few tears strayed from her lovely blue eyes, but she wiped them away quickly. She managed a smile as she looked up, noticing the horrified expressions on her friends faces. "Don't look at me like that, guys." She said, laughing nervously. That laugh was immediately followed by a look of open vulnerability.

"Hey, Naruto," Ino said, her bottom lip visibly quivering as she reached over to hold Sakura's hand tightly. "Do you think you could go and find my dad?"

Smiling sadly, Naruto nodded, feeling entirely undeserving of the look of gratitude Ino granted him.

As he turned to leave the room, Naruto could feel the anticipation building within his chest. Even though the events surrounding the Kou since their appearance had been unpleasant and dark for all of them, they had all been leading to this one clue. Finally, after months of dead ends and false leads, things were finally moving.

"Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura – everyone," Naruto thought, his face set determinedly as he stepped out into the hall. "We're going to find them. I won't let them hurt any more of my comrades. I swear, I will protect you!"

His eyes transitioned from blue to gold as he strode down the hall, his cloak billowing behind him. Within seconds, he discovered the location of Inoichi Yamanka's chakra, and upon approaching the nearest open window, Naruto vanished in a flash.

A/N: Wow, okay. I kind of forced this chapter out, because I'm moving today and I don't know when I'll be able to post something again. Hopefully, it won't be a long absence. Also, please excuse Sasuke in this chapter. The poor dear is emotional, what can I say?

As usual, thank you all very much for your reviews and favourites. You're all lovely.