Disclaimer: the monkey's with wings have joined the pigeons on strike! i swear they're doing this to be mean, so i still dont own, however i do own a kiba doll! yay!
A/N- wow, that took a really long to write and it's shorter than the last chapter...I'm sooo sorry for taking so long, i kept getting distracted...but here it is! after so long! Chapter 10 yay! (cue theme music...wait, we have none? drat- starts humming theme music) Reviews are luv!
"NO! NARUTO!"
She was battered and bruised. She hurt in places she hadn't hurt in, in a long time, however the most important thing on her mind at the moment was that she was pissed off. She was far from angry at this point, her opponent discovered as he suddenly found a kunai lodged in his chest; the blond ninja was furious.
Her foot connected with the man's head, creating a satisfying 'crunch'. See, in her life there was few things that really made her blood boil; it just so happened that kidnapping her friends happened to be near the top of the list.
Ino was seeing red as she took out the two nearest enemy nin, making sure that they would not be moving anytime in the near future. Arms wrapped around her waist from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. She viciously rammed her head backwards, feeling her assailants nose shatter under the impact. The grip loosened, giving her enough room to flip the woman over her shoulder, sending them both to the ground.
"Where'd they take them!?" Ino shouted, fist biting into the nin's cheek. The woman merely smiled up at her.
Her instincts took over, rolling her off the woman as a series of shurriken shot down from the tree above. They missed her, hitting the enemy nin instead, but Ino was already in the tree, taking hold of one of the men's legs and the others elbow, sending them crashing together and then down to the forest floor.
"Ino!" Lee appeared next to her, face unreadable. "Kiba is in need to your assistance." She could just see the fanged teen laying, unconscious a little ways away. "Sasuke and I shall take care of the remaining bounty hunters." She nodded, resisting the urge to beat the remaining enemy senseless, her medic-nin training taking over. Across the clearing Sasuke moved with deadly precision, eyes with a loathing she had never seen before, taking out their enemy.
Kiba had small burns covering his arms and a gash on his forehead. Sending chakra to her hands she worked, healing as much of the burns as she could, they would not leave a scar however they would be sore for a while. She bandaged his arms, then the gash on his head, sitting back on her heels, deciding what to do next. Her fingers itched with the need to do something; anything as the sounds from the battle faded around her.
"They've retreated." Sasuke stood next to her, eyes flashing dangerously. "They have what they came for."
"Ino, is Kiba alright?" Lee's voice was carefully neutral as he joined them, she glanced up at him, trying to read him, but the suns rays blocked her view of his face.
"He'll be fine, I healed the worst of his burns, we just have to wait-" She cut off as Kiba groaned, eyes slowly opening. "-for him to wake up. Kiba? How do you feel?"
His eyes opened fully, confusion written on his features as he studied the people around him. "What? Shino!" His eyes widened, as he shot upright, swaying slightly, gripping her arm, tightly. "Where's Shino?!"
"He…was taken, along with Naruto and Gaara." Ino explained softly, helping Kiba lay back down, holding his hand tightly.
"We have to get them back!"
"I'll get them back." Sasuke stated, turning away from the group.
"They will learn not to trifle with ninja's of Konoha!" Lee stuck out his thumb, ready for a fight, a cold edge had mad its way into his eyes making her glad that they were on the same side.
"I'm going alone. The rest of you should head back to Konoha; I'll bring them back safely." Ino's eyes narrowed, standing slowly. Sasuke turned back to them, in time for the blond girl to grab the front of his shirt tugging him forwards so they were nose to nose.
"Look Sasuke, I know you've been gone for a few years, but in case you forgot, we have something called teams and friends and we look out for each other." She snapped furiously. "This lady may be after you, but the people they took weren't just your friends and that means we're going with you, whether you like it or not- so suck it up because we're stronger as a team, then apart."
The raven-haired teen stared at her, surprise evident on his features as she released his shirt, clearing her throat, the anger from the fight still fresh in her mind.
"Way to go Ino!" Kiba cheered, now sitting propped up against one of the trees that had not been destroyed in the fight.
"We've all got a stake in the fight that is obviously coming. You'd better accept it." She finished, determination set on her features. Sasuke nodded, still appearing slightly shocked at the speech. An uneasy silence descended upon the group, broken as Kiba started suddenly, sniffing at the air.
"Hey guys, time to hug and make up," Kiba called, climbing to his feet, "cause someone's coming."
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Shino had never felt this way before. Anger filled him; he was furious, beyond furious. He couldn't think straight as the emotion clouded his mind.
The man in front of him would pay, pay for hurting his friends, pay for taking away his control. His kikaichuu buzzed restlessly inside of him, the only part, along with his mind that the man before him had no control over.
"Shino, did we enjoy the trip?" Those red eyes mocked him, laughed at him. The man- what had he said his name was? Right, Jira. Jira had hurt Kiba, had made him hurt his friends. It was only a matter of time before Shino broke free and when he did- all hell would break loose.
"I'll take your silence as a yes." The man un-strapped some sort of scroll from either leg, placing them on a small table. He could just make out the writing on it, recognizing the symbols as something he had read about once in a book. So that was how he was getting his speed. Jutsu's.
"It's been awhile since I've had a new puppet. And a Konoha ANBU at that! Now to find a way to control those insects of yours, the perfect killing machine, shouldn't take more than a simple jutsu."
Fear was clouding his mind, mixing with the rage. What if the others didn't come? Or didn't make it in time? Were they even alive? No! He couldn't think like that, not if he wanted to keep his sanity. The others would come and even if they did not- he had received top marks at the academy, he would find a way out.
"Now, now, Shino, no thinking like that." Jira smiled, over at him, sickly sweet. "You're not going anywhere anytime soon, best just to accept it now."
Frustration ran through him, a curse bubbling in his throat, but no sound came out. He had never felt a fury like this before; it battled for control of him. He needed to control it, if he wanted to remain sane. He had to remain calm.
He would find his way out, he just had to bide his time, which seemed like an almost impossible task at present.
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As a strategist, he chose never to show emotion. Showing it could cost you your life, or that of a comrade. He had always been excellent at appearing bored and while most of the time he was bored, there were times when he had to push down any and all emotion to keep his façade.
Then there were times like these that his emotion would slowly get the better of him, clouding his mind. At the moment, it was his anxiety, that perhaps only Iruka, Kakashi and Gai-sensei could sense, however that was three people too many; which was why he was grateful that none of them mentioned anything.
They were approaching a spot in the forest where a battle had obviously taken place recently, the marks in the foliage growing larger as they approached the unknown scene. Next to him Iruka-sensei's face was set in a frown, eyebrows creased, and eyes darting around the area.
Shikamaru halted suddenly; the others close behind as they reached the edge of a large, destroyed, clearing. Scorch marks drew a line from one end to the other, trees uprooted. A familiar chakra was tickling the back of his mind, as he took a chance and stepped forwards, out into the open area.
"SHIKA!" A welcomed blond mass tackled him, hugging him tightly. It said a lot that there was no hesitation when the other had revealed themselves, both in her strange trust in Shikamaru and what they had probably been through.
"Ino? Where is everyone else?" He looked around, over the top of his friend's head, finally noticing the other chakra signatures being uncovered. Lee stepped out from behind a tree as Kiba released the genjutsu on them, however it was not their sudden appearance that startled the second group, Uchiha Sasuke appearing next to them did.
"Sasuke." Iruka-sensei was the first to speak, breaking the startling silence. So Naruto had finally done it. Had finally found the Uchiha. Speaking of which, the obnoxious blond was missing. "Where's Naruto?" Iruka frowned, and he could tell that the other man was searching for the unique chakra, and not finding it.
Ino went rigid, slowly pulling back from the hug. He watched, warily as she glanced over at to Kiba and Lee, then at the larger group.
"Where are Shino and Gaara?" Hinata's voice, though soft, could be heard clearly.
"A group of bounty hunters captured them." Shikamaru glanced up sharply, mind racing at the information. Kiba growled lightly, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. They had been captured? How?
"And you just let them be taken?" Temari moved to his side, casting a calculating glance at the other blond next to him. He did not need this right now.
"We were out numbered and a little busy trying not to be killed." Ino snapped, blue eyes flashing. If he didn't do something, he had this feeling that the two blonds would end up fighting, and they didn't have the time to spare.
"How long ago were they taken?" The group's attention was diverted to the silver haired Jounin, shifting the tension away from the two girls.
"Not long. We were just about to follow them." Shikamaru noticed how Sasuke seemed to hesitate on the word 'we', his gaze shifting to Ino for a split second. Something told him there was more to it, but there wasn't time to question it. Every second they waited, the more chance there was that they'd lose their trail.
"If you're done Gai," Kakashi drawled, interrupting the tearful reunion between Gai and Lee that they had been doing their best to ignore. "Sasuke is going to lead us to the bounty hunters."
Ino shifted next to him, as though preparing her for what was to come. She'd become a lot stronger in the past few years, something that a friendship with Naruto seemed to do to everyone, but even in the large group, there was a sense of dread creeping into him, making him wonder if any of them were strong enough to do what needed to be done.
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FLASHBACK
"Not a chance!" A vase hit the wall in the battle of wills that had the entire building on edge.
"There's no point in continuing! You're becoming obsessed and you should be devoting your time to other missions." The large oak desk was shoved to the side of the room, out of harms way.
"I'm not obsessed!" Papers scattered, floating to land in piles of the floor.
"Stop being an idiot, kid! You're wasting all of our time!" Naruto's eyes flashed dangerously, Tsunade meeting his glare from less than a foot away.
"It's not a waste of time!" Shizune quickly closed the office door, seeking safety in the shelter of the hallway. She would have to ask Tsunade to sign the forms later.
"He's gone! Get over it!" Naruto's punch was blocked easily, the older woman gripping his hand and squeezing until it hurt, but the blond just continued to glare at her.
"I'll bring him back!" Naruto growled, yanking his hand free. "And I'll prove you wrong!"
"Is that a bet?" Amber eyes glinted, a smirk making its way onto her face.
"What?" The blond paused, confusion making its way onto his face.
"If you do bring the Uchiha back then I'll take you into consideration for next Hokage, but if you lose-" she paused, gripping his chin and tilting his face upwards. "if you lose you admit you were wrong and do every mission I assign you without complaint."
Naruto hesitated, before nodding, a suddenly sure grin making its way onto his face.
"Just you wait! I'm gonna win this bet, cause Sasuke belongs in Konoha! You'll see!" He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Tsunade, leaning against the desk spotting him marching out of the building and down the street, determined grin visible even from the tower.
"I hope you're right, kid."
END FLASHBACK"Gaara, you awake?" The kazekage didn't reply, merely shooting him an annoyed look. That would be a yes, then. Naruto sighed, shifting and leaning back against the rough stone of his cell. He wasn't completely sure where he was, but he figured it had something to do with the bounty hunters.
He gave the chain attached to his foot an experimental tug, not entirely surprised when it didn't budge. His chakra was still being suppressed and while the jutsu should have worn off by then, there was a thick red collar attached to his neck that seemed to be what was now keeping him from using his or Kyuubi's chakra.
If he had have been able to reach the door, than he might have been able to pick the lock, but the chain wouldn't let him go that far. He didn't have many options at the moment.
"Hey Gaara, do you think the others are okay?" The red haired ninja was separated from him by a series of bars across the two cells, but not enough to obstruct their views of each other, which he had discovered when he woke up, the initial panic dissipating when he had discovered he wasn't alone.
"I have no doubt that they are well." He nodded, tilting his head to stare up at the ceiling.
"What do you think they're gonna do to us?"
"They probably want us as either bait or for the demons that reside inside of us." Naruto sighed, standing suddenly. That's what he'd figured. In that case, he wasn't going to wait around to see what happened.
Whoever had stuck them in their cells, hadn't done a very good job of checking them, he discovered as he found the senbon he had concealed in his armor. Pulling it out, he used the reflection from the water bowl to pick at the collar.
A jolt of electricity traveled through him, as the metal object first touched the collar. Yelping in pain, he dropped the needle, tugging at the collar.
"That will not work." He glared over at the other ninja, hands dropping to his sides as he chose instead to go to work on the bracelet around his ankle. He'd never been the best at this kind of thing, he grunted in frustration, hiding the needle underneath a pile of straw in the corner at the sound of footsteps outside of his cell.
"We have to do something! I'm not going to let that her win!" He whispered furiously as the footsteps faded. 'Moon' had captured the wrong ninja and he was going to make sure she knew it.
They fell into silence again, Naruto still working furiously on the chain holding his ankle. No matter what he tried, he could not get the lock to open.
"Do you ever give up?" The blond barely glanced up, not giving the question much thought.
"Not if I can help it." Maybe if he twisted the needle this way?
"You never stopped searching for Uchiha." Naruto paused, his eyes still trained on the metal in front of him. "Did you never consider it easier to leave the task to someone else or to stop your search?"
Laughter made its way past his lips and part of him new that he sounded hysterical and maybe a little insane, but it didn't matter as he clutched his sides, laughing so hard that tears made their way past his tightly closed eyes and down his cheeks. He wasn't even sure what was so funny.
Gaara gazed curiously at him, when he had finally managed to calm down, wiping the tears from his face.
"Sorry, I don't know why I found that so funny." He hid the needle away in a small crack in the wall. "Everyone tried to talk me out of searching for him, and I just realized that I proved them all wrong." Naruto grinned over at the kazekage, leaning back against the cool stonewall. "Now, we just need him to find us."
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"They're in the cells." Moon glanced up sharply, displeased at having her dinner interrupted. The three men in front of her averted their eyes in discomfort, but remained where they stood.
"Pardon me?" She placed her cutlery down, wiping gently at her lips with a cloth.
"The two demons are locked in the cells, with both their demons and chakra suppressed." The man repeated again, eyes trained on a spot above her left shoulder.
"Good, Jira, I heard you brought a new pet home." The oldest of the three grinned, making her rather pleased that she did not have to deal with him often.
"Yes, I have him locked in my quarters at the moment. Completely under my control."
"And this jutsu, how long will it last?" She stood, making her way around the table to stand before the three.
"Until the incantation is spoken. Or he breaks free of it, which will never happen." She nodded slowly, hand slipping to rest on the kunai hidden in her sleeve. "Once I discover how to make him speak, he will be of much use to you." That caught her attention.
"And you believe you can do this?"
"Yes," He nodded, grinning at his brothers. "And I believe I can control the insects inside of him as well. He could become the perfect assassin."
"Very well. Jira, I believe you just saved your life." His face went from glee to fury in seconds.
"What? You were going to kill me!?"
"Oh you know how business is." She turned, sensing his attack, moving faster than he could blink, resting the sharp blade of her kunai against his throat. "Make no mistake that I would not hesitate to replace you in a second." Pulling the blade away, she slipped it back into her dress, spinning gracefully. "Continue with your day gentlemen. I have guests to prepare for." Moon exited the room, a wicked smile making its way onto her lips at the bloodlust screaming to be let out.