Chapter 3:

Kakashi wanted to kill himself. As Gai sprouted on about youth and whatnot, his head was still spinning about this amulet. It puzzled him to no end. Still, when Gai addressed him (Which wasn't very often with his ramblings) he smiled politely and nodded, completely missing what the Jōnin had said.

"Yosh! And then while eating my most youthful breakfast; I remembered that I had forgotten to pick up some of my youthful skin care cream. And so, my faithful student, that is why your sensei's skin looks most unyouthful today!" He wailed.

However, his most youthful student was for once not paying attention to his Sensei. His mind was adrift in a sea of woe, namely floating around two areas. One, Lee was not able to partake in the defence of Konoha. And this bothered him to no end.

He fell asleep during the battle, when he awoke he was moved to the civilian evacuation area! Yet his teammates got to train and go on the most youthful exercises, and he was stuck in a hospital, with his arm and leg bandaged. He was useless. The doctors wouldn't let him train; it was torture!

And then came the second problem in Lee's life. Namely his teammate, Tenten.

She was becoming a problem, a major problem. Every single thought that the sixteen year old even considered, she would always be there, smiling. And sometimes doing other things. And this frustrated the young genin to no end. She would never go for a guy like him, with his stupid hair. Although he did not understand why nobody like his spandex suit, it made you a stronger Shinobi. Still, she most obviously preferred Neji over him. She was always by his side. It made Lee's stomach clench, and his shoulders sag.

"EE-LEE!" Gai called loudly banging his huge fists on the table, causing the owner of the café to shout obscenities at him. Gai ignored him, and gave Lee thumbs up. "Lee, I understand! You wish to borrow some of my youthful skin-care products! Yosh!"

While Gai was very far off what his student was thinking, it still brought a smile to the bowl-cut boy's lips. "Yosh, I would love some Gai-sensei!" he exclaimed proudly.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!

"Gai-sensei!

"L-"

A mug sailed through the air and smacked against Gai's head, cracking into a million pieces. "Shut up!" The café owner yelled once again, viciously scrubbing his countertop.

Kakashi shook his head. 'Oh Gai…'

"Yosh! Kakashi, you may not believe this shocking revelation, but I have an ulterior motive!" Gai exclaimed standing up, leaping on the table and doing his 'Nice Guy' pose. Lee, all his problems forgotten for now, looked up at his Sensei with tears in his eyes. "Yosh, Gai-sensei is so cool!"

"You see, I know what that thing in your envelope is!" he exclaimed.

Kakashi's eyes widened, although they quickly narrowed. "Right."

"Yosh, how can my most youthful rival not believe me!? No matter, allow me to explain!"

After another round of unrepeatable words that the café owner threw his way, Gai sat down reluctantly, and leaned forward. Lee too was curious, and he leaned forward intently. Kakashi just crossed his arms and looked at Gai pitifully.

"You see, when the Uchiha were still alive, I was once asked to guard a special amulet that allowed the wearer to locate a certain member of the Uchiha clan. I talked with the keeper of the amulet and he stated that it contained the blood of Itachi Uchiha, and Sasuke Uchiha."

Kakashi was now curious. Even Gai would not lie about such a thing. "Are you sure Gai?" the copy nin questioned. Gai nodded.

"Yes, it is true my most youthful rival. However, when Itachi massacred his clan, the amulet was sealed in the Third's special vault. But now, you have it. Did it come with anything else?"

"I don't think so," Kakashi began as he rifled through the envelope. "Nope nothing… wait, what's this?"

Kakashi noticed a small slit in the envelope. He reached in, and pulled out a note.

"Hmm," he announced, and carefully unwrapped the note. He began to read it out loud.

Kakashi. If you are reading this, then I have died. If my suspicions are correct, then Orochimaru has tried to take over the village. I of course know that the brave Shinobi with the will of fire have fended him off and whatever evils he has produced.

Enclosed in this envelope is the Uchiha Heir Blood Amulet. This amulet is a tracking device, namely used as you may have guessed to track the heir of the Uchiha. If I am dead, and the village has been attacked, then you must undertake an S class mission.

You must track down Itachi Uchiha, and make him return to the village. You will do this by force, if necessary. I presume that if the village has been attacked, and the likelihood of the higher ranking Shinobi helping with the clean-up, you will need to take a few of the lower level ninja with you.

I recommend the following:

Shikamaru Nara

Shino Aburame

Kiba Inuzuka

Any if all from Gai's team

Naruto Uzumaki.

Sasuke may be a choice, but that is up to you to decide.

As for the fact he is an S ranked criminal, I have sufficient proof that he was manipulated by Danzō and the other council members to murder the Uchiha clan and flee the village to stop a coup d'état.

Kakashi's eyes widened, as did Gai's and Lee's. "This is grave news indeed. Itachi Uchiha…" Gai trailed off.

Kakashi continued reading, highlighting the sufficient proof to prove that Itachi was manipulated by the council. After that, the letter continued.

I trust your judgement Kakashi, and I know you will do the right thing. I believe he can help rebuild the village. And, perhaps he can help steer Sasuke away from the dark path that he is soon to follow.

Kakashi was now certain. The Third Hokage was psychic.

Good luck Kakashi, and remember that the will of fire runs through all of Konoha's inhabitants, and that we will gain strength through each other.

Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Kakashi mulled over the information silently. 'Itachi Uchiha,' he thought with a frown. 'Would this really help the village?'

"Kakashi."

Said nin snapped his head up, and saw Gai staring at him seriously. He sighed. "Whether this is right or not, Danzō and the council members are in the wrong. They will surely be prosecuted and hopefully executed. This means that Itachi was wrongly tried. We have a duty to get him back to this village."

Kakashi was shocked at Gai's seriousness, but nodded. He was right, Danzō would pay for his crimes and with Itachi back in the village, it's power would significantly increase.

"And what if he doesn't want to come back?" Lee asked. Kakashi had almost forgotten the injured genin was there.

"Then we'll let him leave." Gai said.

"Okay," Kakashi said standing up. "I'm going to gather a team-"

"Yosh! You mean we are going to gather a team my youthful rival!?"

Kakashi went to say there was no way on gods earth that Gai would be coming with him, but he couldn't really say otherwise, could he. He was looking for help, and while Gai never shut up, he was a good ninja.

"Yes, I meant us."

"Yosh!" Gai yelled happily leaping up once again on the table and giving Kakashi his nice guy pose. "I shall not let you down, the flames of youth burn strong within us!"

"Yosh, indeed they do sensei, I am most looking forward to getting out and doing youthful things."

Gai and Kakashi froze, and Lee's megawatt smile dropped slightly. "Lee…" Gai trailed off unnaturally quiet. "I do not think it is a good idea for you to come along."

"But-"

"Lee, I am sorry. But Gai is right. You would get injured, and could be killed in your current state."

"But, please! I just want to help. I am sick and tired of sitting back and letting other people do things, I am a Shinobi! I want to help protect the village at all costs!"

A lamp sailed through the air and connected with Lee's head, sending him backwards with a crash. "Shut up!" Urusai yelled angrily for the umpteenth time. Lee rubbed his head gingerly as Gai and Kakashi exchanged a silent conversation.

"Very well," Kakashi sighed reluctantly. "You can come."

"YOSH!"

Sakura calmly walked down the forest path, content. Well, content on the outside anyway. On the inside, well, that was a completely different story. She was worried. Worried about Sasuke, Lee, everybody.

Especially her mother. She sighed as she remembered the news the doctors had given her, about how her mother was crushed by some fallen debris. She lost the twins. They both cried for three days straight.

Still, she was out here looking for Naruto, and should focus on finding his chakra signature.

Scanning around the area, she could not find hide nor hair of the blonde boy or Sasuke. "Naruto," she gritted, slowly increasing her speed. The stupid blonde just had to be so hard to find, didn't he? He could be loud and obnoxious as anybody, but oh no, when he goes training he disappears off the face of the earth!

Still, Sakura shook her head sadly. She shouldn't be taking her anger out on Naruto.

When she had met up with team 7 and told them that her mother had lost the twins, there were mixed reactions. Kakashi remained stoic, his eyes holding pity. Naruto's mouth opened and closed like a fish, before he looked at the ground sadly and muttered his condolences. And Sasuke, well, even he looked saddened. He said sorry. Sorry. That was the only word he had said to her in one week. Sorry!?

Sakura picked up the pace once again, her feet stomping angrily against the dirt. The forest was quiet, and while the sun was close to setting, it still lit the horizon slightly. However, the field of vision towards the sky was blocked by a thick hue of grey clouds. The only indication that the sun was setting was the gradual darkening of the area. Sakura knew she would give up her search and go home soon. It was dark, and she hated the dark.

It seemed irrational, that she would be afraid of the dark. The shadows were a ninja's weapon, and yet here she was starting to get paranoid. Best Shinobi ever.

After ten more minutes of sighing, angry stomping, and general frustration, Sakura turned around in a huff and stomped back the other way in a huff. "Stupid Naruto, stupid Sasuke…" She trailed off as she realised what she said. She just called Sasuke stupid. The boy she has had a crush on for most of her life, and she called him stupid. Jesus, she was really screwed up. But, Sakura was at the end of her rope. She was sick and tired of him always ignoring her; they were on the same team for god's sake! He had inadvertently broken up her relationship with her best friend, and he still didn't acknowledge her. She had wanted to confront him about it, demand to know why he couldn't say more than two words to her. But, she hadn't. Everyone had been so broken up about the Hokage's death; it would have been downright tactless to engage in a fight. But she would do soon. And then she would get stronger and show the world (especially her teammates) that she could stand up there with the best of them and be regarded as a strong kunoichi.

If only she would have been more observant. Perhaps she may have noticed the slight rustling in the bushes, or the fact that every so often a shadow danced across the treetops, watching her every move. If only. As Sakura neared the exit to the forest, she sighed happily. She could see the lights of Konoha, and that filled her with slight warmth.

Then a chill ran up her spine, as she felt a warm breath on the back of her neck. She swung around, and was met with darkness. She shook her head at her paranoia, and turned back around to see the bright lights of Konoha. They weren't there.

Panic shot through her, there was nothing. It was just black. She looked down at her hands. Nothing. She couldn't see anything.

"Hello?" she whimpered, hoping it was Sasuke playing some cruel joke. A shrill laugh rumbled from somewhere. "Sasuke, come out here!" she called out in fear.

"I'm afraid your boyfriend is not here. Not yet anyway."

The voice was unfamiliar, but it was gruffly high, like someone was just recovering from a coughing fit.

Then, she felt it. A prick on the back of her neck. She reached for where she thought her kunai pouch was and grasped at it. Her hand was caught, and roughly pulled behind her.

She felt some heavy breathing on the back of her neck, and she shivered as she felt someone's mouth touch her ear.

"Sleep well."

"So, where are we going?" The question was a simple enough one, and shouldn't annoy anyone. Unless it has been asked twenty times in the past five minutes.

Shino let out an inaudible sigh. "Naruto, we are heading to complete a mission."

"Yes, but where!?"

"Were you paying attention to Kurenai-sensei?" Kiba asked irritably. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "We've been asked to babysit for an important builder who is helping to rebuild the walls of the village."

"Oh!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata was standing shyly towards the back, tapping her fingers together nervously. This would be the first time she had ever been on a mission with her crush, and it was affecting her.

"Yo Hinata, you okay? You're looking a little red."

Hinata stiffened. "N-no Naruto, I am fi-fine."

Naruto nodded contently, turning back around to argue with Kiba over his attention span. Shino was walking wordlessly ahead, barely acknowledging what the two loudmouths behind him were arguing about. No, he was too busy trying to figure out why Kiba checking him out back at the training fields hadn't bothered him. And he could not come up with an answer. And this was extremely frustrating. After Kiba had run off, the day progressed with some more training and small chat, until the sun had started to set. After that, the group had proceeded back towards the village. However, they were intercepted by Kiba. The dog nin had come with a message for Kurenai. It was a mission from a friend of hers, and she had sent team eight, along with Naruto, to complete that mission.

"Wait a second, if we're babysitting, does that mean we'll be looking after babies?"

Shino audibly sighed, but didn't respond.

"Woah! Really, babysitting babies? Who would have guessed?" Kiba hissed, squaring his shoulders. Naruto squared up to him, their eyes locked, ready to fight.

"Pl-please guys don-don't fight." Hinata tried to reason with them. It didn't work as Kiba lunged on Naruto, knocking him to the ground. The duo rolled around on the floor, embroiled in a wrestling match. Hinata looked towards Shino for aid, and the bug user just shook his head. "Will you two come on and stop acting like babies."

"Who pops out six babies!?" Kiba yelled incredulously as he kept one baby on the crook of his arm and another on the crook of his other arm.

When the group had gotten to the home of the builder (having pulled Naruto and Kiba away from each other) they were unpleasantly shocked to discover not one, not two, but six babies!

Shino, Kiba and Naruto were not baby people. But, here they were, trying to calm down five screaming midgets. The sixth one was being rocked and cooed at by Hinata, who was perfectly happy and content looking after babies. "Hinata, how do you work this thing?!" Naruto yelled as he tapped the baby he was holding on the back.

"Na-Naruto, you should put the baby on your shoulder, so he do-does not throw-"

Too late.

"Ahh!" Naruto yelled loudly as baby bile projected over his shoulder. Kiba had burst into hysterics, almost dropping his two babies in the process.

Naruto growled at Kiba, before walking over to Hinata and dumping the baby on her knee. "Could you look after him while I get cleaned up?" he asked. She nodded, and he left the room mumbling about evil midgets.

While all this was going on, Shino was having a rather bizarre interaction with one of the babies. The other one he was meant to look after was sound asleep, and he was stuck in a staring contest with the other one. Shino looked at the baby curiously. The baby looked at Shino curiously. She wiggled and wobbled on the table, but her eyes were still firmly fixed on Shino's dark glasses.

"Hello." Shino said. The baby looked at him, before muttering.

"Goo."

Shino nodded. "Yes, it has been rainy today."

"Gaa-ga goo!"

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"Gaaa! Goo-go-gaga-goo!"

"That, I must disagree with."

Kiba was staring at Shino, his jaw agape. He turned to Hinata, and opened and closed his mouth like a fish. She too was mildly curious, and her eyes were widened like saucers as she gently rocked the two now quiet babies in her arms.

"Gaaa!"

"Well-"

"Goo-ga-gaga!"

"That is logical, I suppose-"

"Gagagagga-gooo!"

"Are you mocking me?"

Kiba burst into hysterics, even Hinata giggled softly.

Naruto at this point returned with a clean face, and looked to the side to see Kiba laughing, Hinata giggling and Shino looking quite annoyed.

"Did I miss something?"

Finally, after much stress, sweat and internal tears, Team Eight and Naruto had finally gotten all the babies to sleep. They were now in the middle of Kiba and Naruto trying to wrap their heads around Shino's 'argument' with a baby.

"So, what were you even arguing about?" Kiba asked astonished. Shino shrugged.

"We were discussing the differential tastes of breast milk and bottled milk."

…

"What!?" Naruto yelled loudly, flinging his arms up into the air. Kiba bonked him on the head, but swivelled his head around to meet Shino's with a piercing gaze.

"You're joking, right?"

Shino merely adjusted his glasses.

"Anyway," Hinata chimed in, turning her gaze upwards to the now clear night sky. "It-it's a beautiful night."

The three genin looked up, and they all smiled softly. The stars were shining brightly, illuminating the dark sky. "It is nice," Naruto said. The others merely nodded in agreement.

They stayed in the silence for a while, just taking in the cool air.

"What time are the brat's parents' home?" Kiba asked finally. Hinata, while a bit annoyed that he referred to the babies as 'brats', decided to answer.

"About 11."

"Good, only half an hour left."

"Yeah," Naruto said stretching his arms and yawning. His hand however landed on Hinata's shoulder. They both froze. Kiba noticed there interaction, and smirked.

"Really Naruto, that's the oldest trick in the book!"

"I-I wasn't- I didn't-" He stuttered, his face turning a deep shade of red. "So-sorry Hinata." He said quietly, taking his hand off of her shoulder. She was blushing bright scarlet, her vision downcast.

"It-it's alright Naruto." She murmured, before standing up quickly. "I'm go-going for a walk." She announced, walking away briskly.

Naruto sighed. Great, now she thought he was making a move on her, and that he was a pervert. He wasn't, and he didn't mean for his hand to land on her shoulder. "Yes you did," a voice called from the back of his head, which distinctly sounded like Jiraya. He shook his head, standing. "I'm going to apologize again."

Kiba and Shino didn't acknowledge him, so he walked off to follow Hinata. This left the two other members of team 8 in an awkward position. "God, Naruto really is blind isn't he?" Kiba said unsurely, as he watched for Shino's reaction. The bug nin nodded in response and that was about it.

"So, uh…"

"Why were you examining my body?"

Kiba blushed. Only Shino and his bluntness could make him blush, the ass. "I-I wasn't checking you out." He tried to fruitlessly to defend himself. Great, now he was stuttering. The next thing you know, he would start to fidget with his hands like Hinata does.

"No, I said you were examining my body. I never implied that you were checking me out, I merely asked why you were examining me."

"Well…" the dog nin trailed off as Akamaru came up to his side, yipping affectionately. "How are the brat's boy?" he asked, desperate to steer the conversation away from the current topic. Akamaru barked, and Kiba nodded. "Good, go and watch them for a little longer and report back." The white dog did as complied, receiving a stroke from his master, before bouncing off happily.

"You have still not answered my question."

Kiba sighed. "Look Shino. I-I was just 'examining' you to make sure that you weren't injured by my fang over fang." He smiled. 'Please buy that, please-'

"I do not believe you." Kiba's face flushed. "However, I will not press you on a matter that you do not wish to discuss. Now, I believe soon we will be leaving this establishment. I will go and wait inside with the babies." And with that, he got up and walked away. Yet Kiba somehow knew that Shino was annoyed with him. It tore him up inside.

Hinata hadn't walked far. The house was still within very much viewing distance, and the Hyūga heir was surprised by the length of the garden. It was so large, it's a shame she didn't get to explore it, but of course the babies were her top priority. She sat down on a bench that was overlooking quite a large pond. These builders really were rich.

Hinata sighed. Great, now she had made Naruto upset. He obviously didn't like her like that, and never wou-

"Hey, Hinata!"

Hinata shut her eyes tightly. For the first time in her life, she hoped it wasn't him. But it was.

Naruto sat down next to her hesitantly. He was scared; he had obviously upset her in some way. God, he screwed everything up! Could he not go one minute without screwing up?

He sighed, and opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. It was no use. What was the point? He would screw up again and again, and be back in this position.

As they sat together in an awkward silence, Naruto gazed at the sky, and as Hinata's eyes were boring into the ground, a memory crossed the blondes mind.

"When I was twelve," Naruto began, his eyes shifting slightly into ones of sadness instead of awkwardness. Hinata turned her head to the side slowly. "I remember this one time Iruka-sensei was really mad at me for dropping a stink bomb at a council meeting." He smiled softly at the memory, but his eyes still portrayed a deep sense of sadness. "I've never seen him so mad before. He just yelled and yelled and told me to get out immediately. He scared me, and he had never done that before. I thought…" he trailed off slightly, his mouth forming a thin line. "I thought he hated me. So, I packed my stuff, and decided to run away. I just didn't care. Nobody treated me with respect, or even liked me. I had nothing left to stay there for. So I ran out of the village, dodging the ninja they sent after me, until I reached a stream." Naruto stopped, his face turning deeply pained. "A tiger was waiting." He shut his eyes tightly. "It attacked me."

Hinata gasped softly. Tiger attacks, even against ninja, were often fatal. And yet here he was. Naruto was luckier than most thought.

"The next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital, hooked up to loads of machines. And Iruka was there. He apologized, and said he didn't mean to make me so upset. He was deeply sorry…" Naruto trailed off as he finished the story. Hinata was now fully facing the blonde, and she smiled softly. Before she could apologize for making him feel uncomfortable, he said. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

Hinata blinked.

"Wh-what?" she asked, assuming she misheard him.

He cleared his throat again. "I said I was sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"We-well I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable."

Naruto's eyebrows rose. "Sorry? Sorry for what?" he asked incredulously. Before Hinata could respond, he continued. "I was the one who put my hand on your shoulder, not you. It's my fault I made you feel uncomfortable."

"N-no," She argued. "I was the one who s-sat to close to you. I sho-should have moved."

"That's a stupid excuse." Naruto declared after a few moments, turning his head upwards. "I did something wrong, not you Hinata."

"Ye-yes, but-"

"Hinata."

The electric signal from was sent before the blonde could react, and he reached out for her pale cheek. Hinata gasped at the contact with Naruto's warm and rough hand against her soft cold skin. She flushed brightly, but couldn't look away. His bright blue eyes shined with confusion.

"Oh crap!" he thought quickly, his eyes widening. What had he done? Naruto let out a stream of curses inside his own head at his stupidity. He really couldn't do anything right could he? Slowly, Naruto retracted his hand from her soft cheek, albeit grudgingly. She had really soft skin, like the snow when he visited the Snow Country. Only this was much better.

"Hin-Hinata, I'm so-"

Suddenly, Hinata's blush disappeared and she leapt forward, pushing Naruto back roughly. They both landed with a loud oof on the ground, the Hyūga on top of the blonde nin. "Wha-"Naruto choked out, his first instinct was to pull her closer, that she was making a move on him. And he didn't mind at all.

Before he could say anything more, he noticed a barrage of shuriken fly over the spot where the two genin had been sitting. His eyes widened in realisation. On top of him, Hinata gasped. She stood up shakily, and Naruto noticed the shuriken embedded deep in Hinata's arm.

"Shame, I was hoping I would be able to kill you quickly and take the blonde brat with me. Ah well, the pink bitch didn't put up much of a fight." A voice rang out from the darkness.

Hinata whirled around, activating her Byakugan. Her lavender eyes grew whiter and the veins around her eyes bulged. She got into her Juuken stance shakily, her eyes betraying her sense of fear. "Kiba, Shino." She called out weakly, as her assailant showed himself.

The man walked out onto the pond lazily, yawning as he ran his hand through his black hair. From what Hinata could make out, he was wearing a dark brown flak vest, and standard Shinobi attire for lightning ninja. All the common items were there, from the dark brown arm warmers, to the sandals, to the brown tight fitting Shinobi trousers. The main indicator that he was from the village, however, was the lightning ninja headband with a line through the symbol of the village that was strapped to his right arm. However, his most striking feature was the black blindfold that blocked his eyes from view. It was like a void, and that if you stared into it too long it would suck you in and never let you out.

"Oh well girly," he said cracking his knuckles. "You're in for a world of hurt."