"Speaking current tense"

"Speaking past tense"

'Thinking current tense'

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

Wow, that took a long time. Sorry for the very, very late update everyone. I have not been in the mood to write anything for ages, and even now it's a bit difficult. Even this chapter has gone through many revisions, one being today, and while the way this has played out was not my original intention for the story, it is close to the direction I wanted it to go in. I probably shouldn't of posted this up til I had everything sorted, but I was excited about finally getting the chapter done that I made that mistake. Sorry. It is what I can make work, and I'm pleased with it, so I hope it's a good read.

Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief – Part 3

Seconds stretched on for an eternity as Madara regarded the two ninja in front of him. He had initially thought of quickly destroying them to further demoralise the other four ninja as they ran off in the direction of Konoha. He had smirked behind his mask as he imagined the blood raining down on the four little rats as they tried to flee, the rain turning everything red as they panicked at the horror of what he did.

That plan went out the window though as he heard the one named Joker make his witty little remark. 'Let's make it a few interesting minutes shall we?' Now, instead of killing them all quickly in a brutal show of power, he would draw it out as proper vengeance for what they had done to him. And he was going to enjoy it. First he would kill Joker for his smart remark that made it seem like he actually stood a chance against the Uchiha. Showing him his own heart as it beat outside his body would be Madara's reply to that.

Then he would pick apart Sasuke, literally, for his insolence. Madara had had such high hopes for the young Uchiha, and after all he had done for Sasuke the little shit had the audacity to leave, taking all Madara had given him with him. No, that would not do, and instead of slowly hunting down the youngest Uchiha like a predator stalking its quarry, making it feel fear at every turn, Madara was going to finish him now in the most degrading, humiliating way he could think of. He would tear Sasuke apart outside, then replay the action a million times in the young Uchiha's mind before allowing him to die.

Then, once those two were out of the way he would run down the other four that left, killing the two Anbu as quickly as possible, while making as much mess as possible. Though not his intended target, he wanted them to scream for the way they and their teams infiltrated and destroyed his fortress. For the way in which they easily killed so many of his ninja that he invested a good deal of time and effort into gathering and training.

That would leave only the Jinchuuriki, and the Hyuuga who rescued him. Madara was really going to enjoy breaking those two. All the more so because of the love they had for the other. And he was going to use that to exact as much revenge as possible for the trouble the two had caused. The Hyuuga would suffer because it was her that led the mission to rescue Naruto, and subsequently, was responsible for the destruction of his base and the death of his ninja occupying it.

Then as he slowly destroyed the Hyuuga in the most humiliating ways he could think of, Madara would make Naruto watch as punishment not only for the ways in which he interfered with the immortal Uchiha's plans over the years, but also for the way the young Namikaze's parents meddled with his plans while they were alive. It was the only fit punishment Madara could think of, and one that would serve the dual purpose of weakening the Jinchuuriki's will enough to allow him to easily extract the Kyuubi form its host body.

But before all that, Madara was going to have some fun with the two in front of him. Afterall, it wasn't like he was insane with power. He could very easily let them go and accomplish his goal, but why do that when they just wouldn't stop messing with his plans. Keeping his face as calm as possible, though no-one could see it behind his mask, Madara slowly began to reach up with his right hand towards his mask. Instantly Joker and Sasuke tensed their bodies, preparing for whatever attack came their way. Now Madara smirked. Watching the two of them for any sudden movements, Madara's right hand finally reached his mask, and gripping it casually he began to slowly lift the spiral-pattern mask in an upwards direction. Madara's lone visible eye danced with glee as he watched both Joker's and Sasuke's faces pale at the implication of what the immortal Uchiha was doing.

Then just as quickly the mask was back in place and Madara was shaking his right-hand index finger in the same way a mother would admonish a child in a patronising way. "Tsk tsk tsk little ninja's. Did you really think I was going to take off my mask?" Madara had to hold back a laugh as he saw both Konoha ninja slightly deflate in relief, but still remain ready. "Afterall, it's not like I'd have to go all-out to finish you two off in your current states." Instantly both Sasuke and Joker were tense again, their eyes lit up with determination as Madara smirked behind his mask. 'Too easy.'

Joker had a plan, albeit not a very good one. One of the major problems was that he needed a fully-functioning Sasuke to make it work, and as he glanced to his right he could see the young Uchiha struggling to remain standing. Joker also needed a miracle to occur.

When he decided to stay back and help his ally-turned-traitor-turned-ally hold off his homicidal ancestor, Joker had not been really thinking clearly. All he knew was that he needed to do this in order to give the mission its highest chance of completion. That way the sacrifice of his teammates would not be in vain. This way his sacrifice would not be in vain.

Instantly his course of action came to him. For months after Madara made his presence known during the Kage Summit, teams of ninjas had worked day and night in Konoha in order to unravel his abilities. The two main theories were that Madara's powers were all connected to his Sharingan. His corporeal body, his way of appearing and disappearing, all of it was because of his eyes.

The other theory was that it was a time/space jutsu. In all of Konoha's history only one man had ever used time/space jutsu, that man being Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, and unfortunately there were no records, books or notes to compare Madara's abilities to the Fourth's. So that left many to theorise on how to defeat the ancient Uchiha.

Everyone who had something to do with the study, from those researching to those who just knew it was happening, had some theory on what Madara's abilities were and how to beat them, ranging from the ludicrous to the mundane. It was during a brief lull in missions that the then members of Team Hydra were relaxing in a bar after a particularly difficult mission, and the topic of how to beat Uchiha Madara was brought up.

For a solid hour the most wildest of theories were thrown around the table, as well as alcohol, until at the end of it all Joker made a suggestion that got the most laughs. It wasn't because the theory was outrageous, or stupid, or impossible. Joker's theory got the most laughs at the end of the teams drinking session cause it was the most cowardly, and Team Hydra never did anything the cowardly way.

And now that two members of Team Hydra were dead, Joker was going to trample on their memory further. It made him sick to consider it, but it was the only thing he could think of to possibly ensure the success of the mission. In order to beat Uchiha Madara, Joker was going to be a coward. If the situation wasn't so serious, he'd be laughing his ass off.

"Well, it seems like one of you might actually have a plan." Shocked at the interruption to his thoughts. Joker focused on Madara. Could he tell what Joker what thinking? "Don't read much into it kiddies, I'm just guessing considering how long it's taking to get started. Tell you what, considering the abilities you two have and who has the plan, I suggest that Sasuke attacks close while Joker attacks from mid-range. That will give you two the best shot at being successful, though I doubt either of you stand much of a chance getting within five feet of me" The smug tone of the immortal Uchihas voice confirmed what Joker suspected. Madara was playing with them.

Seeing no other way of doing things, Joker decided to go with the flow. If anything it might be the last thing the old Uchiha suspected. Joker turned to Sasuke. "I think we should follow Gramps' advice here Sasuke. You go in close and I'll provide back up. If you can give me some time I might be able to finish off the old man before he grabs his cane."

A Hn was the stoic Uchiha's only reply as he charged at his ancestor before anymore was said.

"Gramps? Old Man? Are you trying to upset me Joker-kun?" Watching the approaching Sasuke start off his attack with a volley of his only shuriken, Madara let them pass through him before throwing a volley of his own shuriken at Sasuke, the younger Uchiha dodging to the right. "I give you some good advice and a fighting chance, and all you can do is insult me? I'm offended Joker-kun." Madara placed his left-hand over his heart and mock fainted to emphasise how hurt he was.

Unable to shy away from a verbal joust, Joker responded while running in an arc around the recovering Sasuke. "I'm so sorry you feel that way Madara. Tell you what, how about you surrender and then we can have a nice chat about our feelings."

"That won't be happening."

"So be it." At those words, the dynamic of the battle shifted. Gone was the easy attitude of the Uchiha ancestor and Joker realised it was now or never. Running further around Madara to the right, Joker watched as Sasuke ran straight in to attack. Throwing a right punch, Sasuke's attack phased through Madara's head, the following left-jab, high right-kick and reverse left-kick doing the same.

As Sasuke stepped back Joker used the brief pause to throw a kunai at Madara, the attack hopefully giving his ally some time. The kunai went through Madara's body near his heart, the force of the throw driving the kunai into the wall of a building ten metres away. Then Madara was on top of Sasuke. "Let me show you how a true Uchiha fights little one."

Keeping his speed the same, Madara went through several attacks that pushed Sasuke back. Two quick punches led into an overhead elbow strike, the force of the strike causing Sasuke to falter in his block, another kunai from Joker, this time aimed at the arm striking at Sasuke doing nothing to break the attack. A knee kick followed, and as Sasuke struck back with a quick kick of his own, Madara caught the appendage in a two-hand grip that was straight away turned into an over-the-shoulder throw that sent Sasuke in the same direction as a kunai that passed through Madara again, this time through the chest.

Flipping in mid-air, Sasuke landed several metres behind Madara, the kunai from Joker missing his head by mere millimetres as he tilted his head slightly. Crouched low, the young Uchiha sped through the hand-seals of his signature fire technique. Fingers placed at his mouth, Sasuke shot a fireball straight at Madara's back, which quickly engulfed him.

As Sasuke finished his technique he quickly rolled to his left as a blur materialised into Madara, his right foot impacting the ground in an axe kick where the young Uchiha just was. Moving to escape his close proximity to Madara, Sasuke was overcome with searing pain throughout his body. Falling to the ground on his knees as the pain robbed his body of function, Sasuke realised too late it wasn't an attack as Madara picked him up and threw him towards Joker.

Watching Sasuke go down from an invisible attack, Joker stopped the preparations for his plan and moved to assist the young Uchiha. However, he was forced to readjust his actions as Madara roughly picked up his young descendant and threw him towards Joker. Taking the opportunity presented, Joker moved around the airborne Sasuke, the young Uchiha landing roughly on his right side, and unleashed an attack at the older Uchiha, hoping to catch him off-guard. Throwing the last of his kunai and shuriken, Joker placed his hands together and now a thousand kunai and shuriken were speeding towards his target in a wide arc.

Moving through the trees in the direction of Konoha, Mantis and Rose came to a stop on two branches as they tried to form a brief defensive perimeter around Hinata and Naruto, the latter hunched over on another branch, as the need to vomit overcame him.

Regaining himself, he briefly looked up at Hinata, her face etched with concern for only a second before it hardened again. Naruto would of found this shocking if he wasn't used to it by now. He had seen the same thing happen with many ninjas, and though it shocked him at first when Hinata did it, after several missions with her he was used to it. Standing back up, he nodded to her once, and they were off again through the trees.

Due to his state, Naruto had his right arm wrapped around Hinata's shoulders as she held him up. This made it easy to talk to her, though after several seconds he found that he could think of nothing appropriate to say in the situation, unless it was to do with their escape. Trying to concentrate on the action of moving through the treetops, Naruto however found himself thinking about their escape, and more specifically about a certain Uchiha, and the interactions between said Uchiha and his fiancé.

Naruto turned his head slightly towards Hinata, hoping that the action would make it harder for anyone else to hear what he was about to ask. "Why Hina?"

Watching her closely through the corner of his eyes, Naruto saw Hinata quickly glance at him also through the corner of her eyes, then refocus on the path ahead. "You know why."

The coldness of her voice shocked Naruto. He could tell that several different emotions ran through her mind as she said that, and he could tell that broaching the subject now was not wise. Yet, he was not about to let the subject slide when he was just as angry and confused about the situation.

Here was the woman he loved, cooperating with the man than caused him so much pain and suffering. He was okay letting it go when they were escaping Madara's compound. Now, however, he needed to know. He was starting to question not only himself, his sanity more specifically, but also the woman he loved and her motivations that lead to now. Was she also someone who would betray him as well? Would she cause him untold amounts of pain?

The thoughts going through his head must have been visible on his face, because Hinata spoke to him once again. "Think about it, baka."

The break in his thoughts caused by her statement, and the feeling of love that was evident in those words, shattered the dark road he was heading down. Re-affirming his love for Hinata, and her love for him, Naruto did what she asked, and thought about the situation. He struggled for several seconds until he placed himself in her shoes to try and better understand her motivation. Then a proverbial light bulb went off in his head.

What would he do if he was in Hinata's shoes and she was the one kidnapped? He would do anything, anything, to get her back. And that's just what she did.

Turning to Hinata again, his emotions were visible enough that a small smile that graced her face was the only confirmation he needed that he was right. He felt like such a fool now for even questioning her. It should have been obvious the moment he thought about it.

Again sensing his train of thought, Hinata interrupted his musing. "Don't worry about it. Let's just focus on getting back home."

Home. He liked the sound of that. Focusing on the situation and pushing aside his traitorous thoughts, Naruto was surprised to find they had stopped. Four blurs shot out of the trees in front of them and materialised into four Anbu.

Rose was the first to speak. "Boy, am I glad to see you guys."

"Where is Kakashi-san going?"

Naruto turned to Hinata as she asked the Anbu squad leader the question. It was a surprise to Rose and Mantis as well considering the quick movement of their heads.

"We were ordered to provide backup so you could complete your mission." The Anbu squad leader responded.

"So, why is he heading back there by himself?" Hinata asked again as she nodded in the direction of Uchiha Madara's base.

"He ordered us to escort you back to Konoha while he deals with something. I asked him to explain, but he was not forthcoming with an explanation. I suggest we move out as quickly as possible. I can take over supporting Naruto, if you like?"

Naruto could feel Hinata tighten her grip on him. "That won't be necessary, let's go". Hinata nodded once to the Anbu leader, and then they were moving through the trees again, the new Anbu squad forming a defensive perimeter around Hinata, Naruto, Rose and Mantis.

Watching the small amount of kunai and shuriken he threw multiply into a thousand, Joker waited for Madara's next move. Joker wasn't actually planning on such an attack against the elder Uchiha, but when he saw Sasuke's body get thrown in his direction, he knew he only had two choices. One, he catch the younger Uchiha, thus disrupting preparations for his plan, or he dodge the airborne Uchiha and still get distracted from his preparations.

Knowing that such an opening could be a double-edged sword, Joker dodged and turned the distraction into an opening for an attack, hoping to catch Madara off guard.

The attack could of been anything, but Joker knew better. While the ninja's of Konoha might not have known the specifics of Madara's abilities, there was enough to form some hypothesises. If Uchiha Madara did indeed use a time/space jutsu like so many believed, then there had to be an amount of time between uses. Every ninja technique had a short amount of time between uses, whether it was because of the use of hand seals, or because of a recharge of chakra.

Multiplying his thrown kunai and shuriken a thousand fold was his way of hoping to land a hit. Watching Madara stand calmly as the storm of sharp objects neared him, Joker knew right then that he was wrong. He hadn't caught Madara off-guard, Madara had led him to this action.

The rain of kunai and shuriken passed harmlessly through Uchiha Madara and impacted the ground around him, the sounds of metal impacting earth lasting for mere seconds. As silence fall on the battlefield, Joker found himself acutely aware of the laboured breathing of Sasuke, who still laid on the ground several metres from him.

Sasuke was of no use now, Joker knew that. It was just him versus Madara, and the ancestor of the Uchiha clan had him just where he wanted him. Joker was now defenceless, and his miracle plan was a failure.

Readjusting his stance, Joker waited. Madara took one step forward, time seeming to slow for Joker as he watched, and then Madara was right in front of him. Shifting back, Joker lashed out with a series of punches and kicks, each attack phasing through the Uchiha. As one particularly vicious right kick passed through his body, Madara latched onto the appendage and used the jerk in momentum to throw Joker roughly onto the ground beside him.

"I've had enough of playing with you two now. I wanted to see what you could do as it might of amused me, especially since I wanted to crush you two badly. However, after seeing what you were trying to accomplish I don't think I should give you the chance." Madara's voice was soaked with venom as he stalked over to the still prone form of Joker.

Joker, still recovering from the brutal throw, was shocked at Madara's statement. How had he known what he was planning? Surely he couldn't of figured it out already? Turning over on the ground so he could face his assailant, Joker knew the answer. Not only did the older Uchiha have the Sharingan, but he also had many years of experience over Joker. If Joker had lived for as long as the Uchiha had, he no doubt would of figured out most of his weaknesses, and found some way to eliminate them.

Knowing his only option, Joker scrambled to his feet to face Madara. He wasn't going down without a fight, not after all he and his team had sacrificed. If all he did was delay the mad Uchiha from pursuing his target for several seconds, then he would give everything to do that.

"So, you still have enough to fight with. I'll give you credit boy, most just accept defeat. Not many have the audacity to stand up to me when they know they're going to die." Madara's voice was condescending as he looked at Joker. "Now I'm going to make you suffer."

"Give it your best shot, you wrinkled old geezer. I'm surprised you haven't fallen asleep cause I think it's past your nap time." Joker couldn't help himself as he spoke back to his target. After hearing the tone of the Uchiha's voice he knew what he had to say, if only to piss him off more. If anything it might give him a few extra seconds.

Flashing through hand seals, Joker prepared for his last attack when he was interrupted by a body colliding with his. Though it wasn't enough to knock him down, it was enough to stop his attack. That's when he noticed that it wasn't Madara who collided with him. It was Sasuke.

In the second that followed the situation became clear to Joker. Sasuke had moved in front of him just as Madara thrusted his right arm forward to pierce his stomach. The resulting impact from Sasuke moved Joker just out of range of the attack. Now Joker could feel Madara's fingertips on his stomach where the attack would of struck.

"Well Sasuke, you do play possum well, I'll give you that. Though unless I'm mistaken, my arm is now piercing you body, and I can take whatever I want from it." To illustrate his point Madara began to move his arm back through Sasuke's body, brushing it past several organs that cause more pain to the younger Uchiha.

Coughing as blood began to spill from his mouth, Sasuke looked up at his ancestor. "That may be true Madara, but now you can't move." Emphasising his point, Sasuke reached up with both hands and grabbed the arm that was running through his. Grinning like a madman, Sasuke's eyes, blazing with the Sharingan, looked directly into the lone visible eye of older Uchiha.

That's when Madara felt the pull of a time/space jutsu, and moving quickly removed his right arm from his body so he could escape back out of range. As he stopped several metres away, a vortex in the air where he just was continued on for a second longer before disappearing.

Madara knew exactly where the technique originated from. "Hatake Kakashi."

Standing beside the now collapsed Sasuke, Kakashi kept his lone Sharingan eye locked on Madara as he prepared for the next attack.

After several tense seconds Madara sighed. "It looks like I'll have to withdraw for now." Seeing his opponents tense for an attack, Madara spoke again. "Don't take this the wrong way, so I'll give you a reason since you pushed me this far." Pointing to Kakashi, he continued. "Now that you're here, that means my target will no doubt be safely back in Konoha soon. Missing an arm as I am now, finishing you three and catching them will prove difficult without more interference. Looks like I'll have to regroup and try again some other time." Now almost jovial in character, Madara did a one arm shrug before disappearing in a vortex from the battlefield.

Joker and Kakashi waited several seconds before relaxing, slightly.

"Will you need help getting back to Konoha Joker?"

"No, Kakashi-san, though it might be a bit slow." Looking down at Sasuke, Joker pointed to him. "What about the Uchiha?" Both noticed that Sasuke had passed out with the right arm of Madara still in him.

"He's still alive, so we take him back with us. I'll carry him, you follow." Picking up the unconscious Sasuke, careful not to provoke his injuries further, Kakashi turned to Joker. "Though Madara says he's withdrawing for now, I suggest we hurry as fast as we can back to Konoha. He can still attack us at any time." Nodding his agreement, Joker followed Kakashi into the trees as both raced back as fast as they could incase they were right in distrusting the immortal Uchiha.

Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.