He was running again, faster than he had ever run in his entire life. That light at the end of the tunnel pulled him stronger with each passing moment. Naruto knew they were there in that light. He knew he would find them there. He did not know how he knew, nor did it matter. All he knew was that he had to get there. And that meant he had to run faster, and then faster still. So he did. He ignored the acidic burn in his legs as he pushed them. It was a distraction he could not afford. No, he had to get there. He had to find them. He had to run.

Naruto had been frantically searching the rooms, trying to find his long lost precious people before Sai could. The newest member of Team Kakashi confused him so. He had told Naruto that he wanted to preserve the blond boy's bonds, just as he had struggled to preserve the bond with his own brother. Had it been a lie? The story of a brother who nearly died, and nearly plunged Sai into an emotionless abyss? Another layer to his cover, protecting his true mission? Had it all been a lie so he could get close to Sasuke and Sakura, and to kill them?

They'd found his bingo book, discarded no far from where Naruto had collapsed. He was still cursing himself for letting that happen. But between his earlier fight with Orochimaru, and the toll the nine-tails chakra had taken on his body, to their frantic chase after the blasted snake and his four-eyed flunky. That trap they'd laid had caused the team to push themselves even harder, but Naruto had been able to hide just how worn out he had been. Or, at least, so he thought.

However, when they reached Orochimaru's hidden facility and found Sai, Naruto hadn't been quite as prepared to face down Kabuto when he showed up. If not for Sai's intervention, Naruto wasn't sure they'd have even won that fight; Hinata showed signs of exhaustion as well, a fact Naruto also blamed himself for. She had, after all, spent quite a lot of chakra healing him, and apparently in shunting out the nine-tails chakra as well. And then, as they split up to search for Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto's body had finally rebelled against him.

When he awoke, Sai was gone. They'd found that book, and the truth about the pale boy had become more apparent. Or had it? Naruto didn't know, but he did know he had to find his old teammates before Sai did. They had search room after room, slamming door after door. And then that explosion had happened. He feared the worst after that, but as he raced towards the source of that blast he couldn't help but shake the feeling that this was it. He would find them there.

He had to find them there.

And so he was running towards that light. It burnt his eyes, but he did not stop or slow. He charged through the swirling dust that remained from the blast, causing wisps of it to curl up in the bright sunlight. He could see Sai there, standing at the center of what had apparently been a decent chunk of the facility. It was impossible to tell what sort of place the room was used for now.

Naruto realized that Sai was staring up at something. But his feet were moving faster than his brain. They carried him into the center of the room. He came to a skidding halt right before hitting Sai. Naruto hadn't even enough time to say a single thing before a voice from the past spoke to him.

"Naruto." it said, soft and trailing. He turned, then, to see what it was that his new teammate had been stairing at, but part of him already knew. After all, he knew that voice. He would remember it anywhere.

Naruto did not notice as Hinata came rushing in behind him, nor her saying his name as she did. He did not notice as she turned to look at what he and Sai were staring at, nor did he notice her shock when she saw them. He noticed none of this because he was focused on them instead.

He was taller, now. The first thing that game to his mind. The hair and the face, they were the same in so many ways and yet different as well. It was an older face, harsher too. There was only the barest hints of emotion in his eyes, a subtle sense of subdued disapproval. Naruto had seen that expression many times before. One of Sasuke's hands rested on the hilt of a sword that was tucked into his rope belt. He wore a loose white robe, along with a set of deep navy pants and undershirt. He wore armored boots and gauntlets to match the light plating on other sections of his outfit. But what surprised Naruto the most was a certain Konoha hitae-ite with a scratch carved through the middle that hung from Sasuke's neck.

But Sasuke hadn't said anything at all. No, it had been Her.

Sakura was taller too. And beautiful. He'd always thought she had been beautiful, and time hadn't changed that at all. Her hair was long, hanging down past her waist. She wore the same soft cherry red he remembered, but the color was the only remnant of that old outfit. She wore a sort of high-collared sleeveless coat or blouse now, with white fur around the collar and a sash around her waist that reminded Naruto uncomfortably of the one worn by Orochimaru's right hand man. It flowed down into a knee-length side-slit skirt, with a white miniskirt under that. But what stood out from her outfit the most was what she lacked; she had no hitae-ite or marker of any sort.

While Sasuke's expression spoke of almost disinterest, Sakura's was not so reserved. Naruto recognized that expression, because he'd seen it many times and made it himself as well; it was an expression of pain. A deep wound that no technique nor medicine could heal. A wound to the heart, and the pain of the soul.

"Sasuke. Sakura" Naruto said softly, slowly mulling over each syllable. He had been about to say something more when the other voice from his past interrupted him. The voice of the man he considered a brother.

"You shouldn't have come, Naruto." Sasuke said with an tone of finality and conviction. It was said with such a degree of authority that, for the briefest of moments, Naruto believed it too. But that thought was replaced with a storm of other emotions. The Konoha shinobi couldn't even begin to scratch the surface of what he was feeling. He looked down for the briefest of moments, overwhelmed.

It was Hinata's voice that brought him back. She said his name again, and this time it registered somewhere in his mind. His eyes snapped open and turned back up to look a his old teammates, budding tears forming as he did. Sasuke had seemed momentarily amused by this, as though he saw something far more than had been displayed.

"Why, then?" he asked. His fists began to clench, but his voice never managed to escape it's weak and low tremble.

"Why did you leave me alive, than? You knew I'd come."

Sasuke said nothing for a long moment. His expression was unchanging, even when he finally spoke. It was not the answer Naruto expected in the least.

"Because she asked me to." he said. Naruto's face twisted into an unknown emotion, as if his mind was unable to choose between sorrow and rage. Was that it? She had asked Sasuke not to kill him? What he hell did that mean?

Hinata's byakugan activated on a reflex, but even with it she was only able to catch the tail end of Sasuke's sudden movement. It was fast. Faster than she'd ever seen before. Faster than she thought was possible. Neither Neji-niisan, or Kurenai-sensei, or even her father. He seemed to almost disappear, and then was suddenly standing right next to Naruto, right next to him in fact, with one hand still resting on the hilt of his sword. She took a step back in reflexive shock before scolding herself. Sasuke spoke before she could say a word.

"Your dream of becoming hokage. I let you keep that, didn't I? That is still your dream, isn't it?" Sasuke said, tone of subtle humor seeping through the words. What caught Naruto was that it was not a mocking tone. Sasuke was not disbelieving, even if he was laughing in his own way. He simply stood in place, barely inches apart from Sasuke, eyes fixed forward.

"Shouldn't you be training, than, instead of chasing us?"

"How can someone be hokage if they can't save their own friends?" he said, face now holding an alien blankness. It was not normal for a face as emotive as his to be so blank and that did not escape the notice of both Hinata and Sakura. Finally, Naruto looked up at Sakura, locking his eyes with hers.

"What do you think, Sakura? Can someone like that really be hokage?" he asked, causing her to flinch. The response was quick, but not from her. The slow grind of steel echoed through the ruins.

"Well, in that case." Sasuke said with a bit more bite, "Perhaps I should put your out of your misery, than."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted, just as the blade nearly left it's scabbard. Sasuke's eyes flicked back for just a moment. And then Sasuke was gone, back to standing next to the long-haired kunochi he'd stolen away from Konoha when he left. She said something, almost too low for him to hear, but his brain pieced it together easy enough; she had told him thank you. Naruto felt some anger begin to bubble to the surface, feral thoughts trying to claw their way to the surface. Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder, and a wave of soothing seemed to fly through him. No, he wouldn't let that take over again.

"I'm sorry." he heard from Sakura, causing his face to harden for a moment. She was sorry?

So was he.

And then they were gone, disappearing in an instant. Naruto fell to his knees, arms hanging loosely at his sides. He barely noticed as captain Yamato entered the ruined room, so lost was he inside his own head. They'd left him again. And, once again, he'd been unable to do a damn thing to stop it.

A short time later, in a hidden location...

Had there been anyone to notice, it would have been readily apparent that Sasuke Uchiha was in a particularly foul mood. Never the most cheerful of souls in the best of days, his current state was actually palpable in the air, radiating waves of killing intent bleeding off him. It was directed at no one person in particular, just an uncontrolled seething in the air. Of course, the abnormality came from the fact that Sasuke had become rather controlled about his emotional state; he was known for his restraint, and this comparatively long-term lapse in control meant one of two things; either he was consciously not even bothering to contain himself, or he was angered to such a state that it was an unconscious thing. Neither boded well for anyone who happened to get in his way.

It was perhaps lucky, than, that Orochimaru had chosen another of the less populated of his hideouts; it was a choice that likely saved a few lives, or at the very least averted a maiming. Not that it was likely his intent, of course, but things are what they are.

The hidden facility was underground, much like the previous one. Sasuke hadn't been told where it was located, but he had deduced that it was more than likely in the Land of Rivers, one of the larger of the non-elemental countries, located between fire and wind country. It had no shinobi village of it's own, and in truth was, despite it's size, a fairly unimportant country in the grand scheme of global politics. It was, as it's name implied, covered in rivers and wetlands, a fact which made it fertile ground for farming but also made much if it hard to traverse, even for a ninja.

Sasuke was moving quickly through the earthen halls, torches flickering as he went past. He hadn't truly been so angry until Orochimaru had decided to have a lengthy talk with the Uchiha about their arrangement, amongst other things. The discussion hadn't been particularly noteworthy, and Sasuke hadn't really been sure of why Orochimaru had bothered. That was until he'd deemed it necessary to question if Sasuke had a backbone at all, for being unable to fight his old comrades. Orochimaru accused him, more mocking than serious, of getting soft. It was less an accusation and more an insult, and despite himself Sasuke reacted.

Well, to be more precise, he almost exploded. Sasuke choked back his rage and then stormed out of the room. That alone was a sign of particularly impressive control; he refrained from showing his hand or messing up his plans too soon, at least. Later, he might consider that Orochimaru was baiting him for just that reason, but at the moment it was simple anger. So much so that he barely noticed the soft burning of the triple tomoe mark branded to his neck. In fact, he didn't even notice it until he was halfway back to his quarters, at which point the brand was searing red.

It took a moment to regain himself, pouring his focus into containing the cursed seal. Sasuke cursed himself for neglecting his control exercises over the mark, having spent an increasing amount of time training with Sakura instead. In truth, though, the seal hadn't acted up like this in months. It was feeding on his current anger, looping in on itself to amplify it and feed again. The Uchiha fell against the wall, dragging himself towards his new room.

He threw the door open with a fair bit of undue force. The marks were beginning to grow on him now, spreading down his arm and body. Sasuke could have sworn someone was talking to him, but what was said was lost in the haze that clouded his perception of everything. The pain was becoming worse by the second. And then, like the touch of ice, a cooling wave began from his shoulder and washed through him. Sasuke was conscious just long enough to see Sakura's worried face as she held on to him, lips moving in unheard pleas.

And then there was blackness.

Back in Konohagakure no Sato...

She had long thought that her shyness was a thing of the past, the close contact over the past few weeks with Naruto having purged it from her. Or so she'd thought, and hoped. Unfortunately for her, the moment they'd returned from the last mission she'd seen Naruto more dejected than she ever seen him. For more than he'd been even after his teammates had left nearly three years prior. It was terrible to watch, and yet Hinata found herself unable to look away.

When they'd first returned, he had been silent through the entire mission report. He had spent the entire time staring at his feet, and disappeared without a word after they had been dismissed. Hinata's concern was such that she was unable to bring herself to let it be. She spent a few hours trying to find him, but he was unseen to the majority of the populous. She wasn't sure what drove her to the old spot, where she'd found him so long ago right before the ill-fated chuunin exam finals.

Hinata found Naruto even worse than she feared; Naruto was slumped against one of the wooden training posts, with his arms hanging listlessly at his side and head hanging low. Hinata had grown uncomfortably used to seeing Naruto so very much unlike his usual energetic and full-of-life self, but in all the time she had yet to see him so bad. Not even after every other failed mission to find his old teammates, nor the years without leads. Not even right after they'd disappeared.

She realized that she was hiding again, watching him from a distance. The shyness was gripping her tight, and despite the urge to do something, anything really, she simply could not push herself out from her hiding spot in the grove of trees that surrounded the training site. So much had happened, the last thing she wanted was to make it worse for him. Hinata wasn't really sure how she could, but she certainly wasn't confident that she wouldn't, either.

Indeed, seeing Naruto like this seemed to sap the confidence from her. He had done so much for her, driven her so hard without even knowing. It was not like so many others who tried to motivate her; they all demanded something from her. Naruto simply inspired by doing, smiling, and by the simple act of being Naruto. But just as he could be the brightest light in the room, when it was snuffed out like this the life of everything seemed to flee. Everything else mattered less.

Hinata had always considered Naruto to be strong. Recent revelations about what he'd been through, and what he held inside of him made that even more evident to her, and she constantly kicked herself for the twangs of fear she had felt after learning. She wasn't strong like he was, and if even he could be in such a state then what did it say for her? He had lost his will, and in turn Hinata had lost her own. She realized how pathetic that was; so dependent on someone else to such a point. It was wrong for her to be on his team, she didn't deserve that. He needed someone who could pick him up and hold him; someone to stoke his fire when it grew dull and weak. Hinata couldn't do that. He needed someone who could.

And it was that thought that seemed to stoke something in her. The thought of someone else with Naruto, something she hadn't truly considered. It was strange; he'd shown interest in Sakura, but she had not thought of what it would be like for someone else to show interest in him. How strange that the thought of him holding someone did not inspire as the thought of someone else holding him did. Something changed in her, a strange click. It wasn't some grand epiphany that revealed something grand and deep about her. Indeed, Hinata never really thought about what it actually meant, as people so rarely did. It was a small thing, but so often that was all it took, and all that really counted.

Hinata decided that if Naruto needed someone to be strong, then she would be strong. Strong outside of him, for when his strength was not enough. She did not stop to consider the philosophical ramifications of this choice. She did not consider how this would change her life, or how deep and meaningful it was. In truth, it wasn't deep and meaningful at all, for she did not think of it in that way at all. She did it because she loved him.

Love meant many things to many and for many different people. It was that moment that Hinata truly realized what her love meant.

Naruto looked up at her as she reached and sat down next to him, folding her legs under her as she did. It was a wordless exchange as their eyes met, a brief moment of silence followed by a small smile from the blond-haired boy. Without a thought he rested his head against he shoulder and closed his eyes, blissfully unaware of the red color Hinata was sporting.

It was a small thing. But some times that was all it took, and all that really counted.

Elsewhere in Konoha...

Sai was unsure of himself. This was a particularly unappealing situation, thankfully rare but still unavoidable at this juncture. After returning from the mission, and debriefing, he had been quick to report to his Root superior. In this case it had been a direct report to Danzou himself. And for the first time, Sai found himself lying to a superior.

It was unsettling how easy I came to him, a reflexive mechanism that allowed him to weave a sufficiently convincing replacement for the truth. Sai had covered up his disobedience of orders, and abandonment of the mission without a second thought. The unreaction provoked from Danzou made things almost worse, and the relief that washed through the Root operative when his report was finished was something totally alien.

But even more complicated for him was the strange relief that being told to stay with his new team gave him. It was a fear that he hadn't known he had, a fact that made it particularly difficult to hide. Danzou did not fail to notice that, it seemed, and chastised him somewhat for what the Root leader described as 'unnecessary emotional attachment.' Sai simply agreed and apologized, but Danzou left without another word.

Sai sat in silence for a long time. He wished his brother was there. Shin made things easier. But Shin had been sent on a mission not long before Sai had, and he was unsure of when, if ever, he would be returning. The thought of Shin not returning spiked many feelings in him, a fact that made Sai even more unsure.

He'd been taught to be emotionless. That it was a path to strength and peace. But Naruto's strength was different, driven by emotion. It was volatile and dangerous, but it was also... natural. Human. It reminded Sai so much of Shin.

And then, without much fanfare or thought, Sai decided that he would do whatever it took to help Naruto bring back his team. Shin would do that. And so Sai would to.

And then he wasn't so unsure of himself anymore.

END PROLOGUE: Pack Light

Author Note:

To the guy who posted three fairly unhappy reviews about the fact that the main character of a story with the power of the strongest existent demon sealed into his gut and who has a motivation and drive of an extreme level is somehow stronger than the supporting characters.

Cool story, bro.

But, because I'm bored, I'll break it down on all three reviews.

Firstly, you seem to forget that Hinata more or less gave a bit fuck you to Deidara when he attacked her, which seems to get ignored in favor of the fact that, while distracted, she gets hit with an attack. I don't remember giving an indication that Naruto could do it alone, and Kakashi sure as hell couldn't have. You seem to have attributed some things about how Naruto works that haven't really been shown either. And I've never had anyone really think what Naruto did is, per se, amazing. Certainly not elegant or flashy. As per poison, realize that would not make sense. Firstly, Deidara was going after his Jinchuuriki, not Sasori. Secondly, hard to judge what effects a bijuu would have on it's host; they haven't at all been shown to be the same universally.

Secondly, flat out the only one who could face Orochimaru in that group was Naruto, and only when he's got his tailed form up. Why? Because that was canon back in the actually story, and it makes sense! We're talking about one of the strongest people in the world here, someone who, while WITHOUT HIS ARMS took on both of the other Sannin. This guy is not a pushover. Attacking as a team would just get a majority of that team killed.

Thirdly, you take a situation in which Hinata shows exceptional skill and a unique power and somehow twist that into being more evidence of me just screwing the support cast over to prop up Naruto. Never mind that Naruto wasn't even in control of himself while fighting. Never mind the reason he was able to summon the ability to fight was because Hinata was in danger. Never mind that he likely would have DIED WITHOUT HER to shut down the bijuu chakra and heal him afterward. Therefor, lets summarize: Naruto reaches a draw, doesn't win, and would have died, which makes it almost a loss. Hinata's presence is the only thing that keeps him alive. This is Naruto blowing through someone in seconds.

All in all, you're points seem more like you made a decision and then tried to justify it through anything you saw. You also seem to think that the supporting cast will ever be of equal strength to the main character. They won't. Naruto will, inherently, be stronger than Hinata. Sasuke will, inherently, be stronger than Sakura. However, Hinata and Sakura, and the rest of the cast, will show particular skill at a later date, when they have a chance to. You forget that, for good reason, the story has been following an near-canon path, and that little differences have been setting up the later and more drastic changes.

That being said, in canon, Naruto has hardly been shown to be 'stronger than anything.' However, if he was, it would make sense too. The manga is not called Konoha nor is it called Hinata or Kakashi. It's Naruto. He's the title character. It's ABOUT HIM. Of course he's stronger, that's to be expected!

However, I do appreciate your longer reviews, even if I disagree with them. It's nice to see someone actually going through and giving some thought to things, not to discourage any of my other reviewers of course. I appreciate all of them. I hope next time, however, my anonymous critic may use a name, so I can PM him back personally, and perhaps start a discussion on this. Until then, this note will have to do.

Now, on another point, I found this chapter very hard to actually write, and rewrote many parts of it. Still am not totally pleased, but it is what it is and that is that. You'll notice that it has subtle differences from the prologue; it's the same event but written just slightly different. You'll also notice the main canon difference is that there is no fight; Sasuke and Sakura leave before Kabuto and Orochimaru show up, and even before Yamato shows up. This may seem minor, but look close and you'll see a very important thing that doesn't happen as it does in canon, and that will come back to later as a very important divergence that can change the story immensely.

This ends Part 1, which is the prologue of the story. I'll try to get the next chapters up soon.

Thus, coming soon... Part 2 of Pack Light: Poisoned Bonds. Look for it soon!