Disclaimer: Surely you must have something better to read than this blurb stating that I don't own Naruto. Heck, why not skip this paragraph altogether? Are you still reading this? Wow, your attention span is astounding.

With a calculated movement, a hand swatted a mosquito in the middle of a swamp. The hand in question was then brushed off on a pair of pants that were at one point fluorescently orange. Now, the said trousers were covered in mud, and not too surprisingly, more dead mosquitos.

It had been a while since Naruto had begun his stakeout. He had been at it all night, mentally taking notes on the shift schedule and behaviors of the henchman standing between him and his objective. It was difficult to stay awake, but there was no way in heaven earth that the Uzumaki was going to slip up after waiting so long. Nothing would stop him, he was sure.

Unfortunately for Naruto, fate had other plans.

Anyone in Gato's employ would admit that the exiled mist ninja he had contracted were a nasty bunch. Zabuza was an arrogant jerk, the Demon Brothers were quiet and spiteful, and Haku was just plain 'creepy'. Of course, the thugs judging the shinobi were greedy and violent sociopaths for the most part, so it could just be assumed that the feeling was mutual. One such thug was not too thrilled that it was his turn to scout the nearby forest for anyone who would oppose them.

Termite, or so he liked to be called, was actually quite resentful that the duty fell to him in the first place. Only one person had ever been caught in the entirety of their patrolling policy. A civilian looking for her pet, nonetheless. So, you could imagine his surprise when he actually found someone in the surrounding lands. Two kids, a guy and a girl.

As a general rule, a thug would have just jumped and attacked them on the spot. Misfortune would have it that Termite was a competent individual with amazing eyesight. He understood the importance of a leaf symbol. He also understood the importance of not being trounced by someone bearing such a symbol. Armed with the knowledge that he did not want to be out of a job or beaten to a pulp, Termite did the only thing he could think of. He got the hell out of the way of the two and reported their presence to Gato before they had the chance to even sense his presence.

Gato was in no way happy to be woke up in the middle of the night, much less to learn that there were intruders in his forest. The high-roller didn't hesitate to send out a rather large team to apprehend the two trespassers. Therefore, about twenty-three armed men left the bungalow before the sun rose completely, instructed to bring them back alive but the worse for wear.

Naruto was startled by the sudden number of guards sent out on patrol, and for an alarming hour or two, he feared he had been detected and took the necessary precautions against their attack. Time passed, and the onslaught never came, which confused the Uzumaki immensely. If they hadn't been leaving to catch him, then what HAD they left for? It wasn't the day that Zabuza attacked the bridge yet, was it? And, even if it were, didn't the ninja leave first? He was sure he would have at least gotten a glimpse of Zabuza if the man had already departed.

All Naruto could do was wait, and wait he did. It was nearly noon before the group emerged from the foliage. About nine of them were injured to the point of unconsciousness, he noted with a grin, and three of them hadn't come. The smile quickly faded into disgust when he realized that the thugs were dragging two masses through the muck, one of which was writhing and obviously still conscious. Gato was twisted, taking civilians and just beating them like that. What had those two done? Who were they?

Curious, Naruto closed in silently until his eyes could focus on the captives. It took only a few nanoseconds to identify them, but to actually process the information took about five seconds, and ended with him seeing in red.

Sasuke was unconscious, and Sakura was bound and blindfolded.

The two had been taken down by mere bandits, and they would now be at the nonexistent mercy of a crime lord. Why? Well, given the circumstances under which Naruto had left the safety of Kakashi's wing, Naruto could only assume that they were searching for him. Searching for the loud-mouthed, ever-troublesome dobe.

All Naruto's rational thought centers shut down with the guilt and rage, and without even realizing it, he had duplicated himself five times over and let out a battle cry that would have made infamously dramatic Gai proud. Without any thought of the consequences, Naruto ploughed through the ranks of the henchmen, punching and hacking at them with kunai.

Their screams of surprise and agony could be heard from the nearby bungalow, alerting even Haku and a newly-awakened Zabuza to the third intruder's presence.

Sakura had been struggling very hard against her captors, vicious and shamed. If it hadn't been for her long hair, everything would have been fine. How did she not see the folly her locks could bring? Sasuke and she hadn't had any problem trouncing their attackers until one had grabbed those damned pink strands and pulled her into an armlock with a knife to the neck.

With her as a hostage, Sasuke was rendered effectively ineffectual. He didn't dare take the captor out, because the moment he did, another with less patience would take the kunoichi and…

Sakura's thoughts were interrupted with the sudden cry from her missing teammate, a cry that sounded like a strange animal. One moment she was being dragged by her enemies, and the next they were struggling to get as far away from her as possible. She was at once very bewildered and afraid, and with the ropes at her feet unmanned, she attempted to shake them off.

Suddenly, a muddy set of hands grabbed her bound hands through the chaos. She found herself screaming with the henchmen before she realized the ropes had been cut. With those gone, it was only a mater of seconds before the bonds on her feet, too were removed. Finally, the grubby hands yanked the cloth from her eyes, exposing her eyes to harsh sunlight.

She winced at the sudden illumination before focusing on her mysterious savior.

"Sakura." he breathed, the battle behind him ending in victory,"-can you stand?"

This voice she knew, and before she even said anything, her fist flew at his face.

Naruto caught it with wide, concerned eyes. Sakura had never seen him look so scared. She opened her mouth to speak, but he put a finger to her lips and stared at her in a way that gave her chills from the intensity.

"Get Sasuke and run," he instructed, shooting a glance over his shoulder. She stared at him blankly, so he shook her.

"Now!" he commanded, shoving her backwards and flying at the bungalow from which Haku was exiting in full gear.

"What about you?!" she finally gasped out, grabbing the unconscious Uchiha.

"I'll be fine! Now, go!" he growled, prompting Sakura's feet into speeding back in the direction from which she came with Sasuke in tow. Haku made to block her escape, but Naruto bowled the masked boy over. She didn't look back.

Author's note: Whee! See what I did instead of my homework? Aren't you proud of me? …Maple addict Katsimus sister scolded me. I hope you're happy.