A/N: This chapter and possibly the next two will be a little shorter and catch up on what all of the characters are currently doing, so as to make sure avoid everything getting too muddled.

Chapter 24 – Catching Up Volume I

Tsunade scowled as Yamanaka Fu strolled confidently down the hospital corridor behind her soon-to-be-former assistant. Shizune's replacement, Rin, sat beside her; anxiously chewing her fingernails down to the quick. Mitarashi Anko lie comatose in a room across the hall, and with the arrogant Fu her only hope of recovery Tsunade had little hope for the girl. After hours of brain scanning Shizune had concluded that Anko was stuck in her mind, caught up in a back lash of two S-level jutsu that she'd used during the attack on Konoha, the shock to her system had been too extreme and they needed a mind expert to go in and pull her out. Unfortunately, Fu was the only Yamanaka with any considerable experience currently in the village.

Tsunade knew of his close ties with Danzo and couldn't bring herself to trust the young man. Haughty and sharp tongued, as the old geezer's protégé, there was, in truth, little to like about the man, and the way he was smirking as he eyed Shizune up and down did little to change her mind.

Still trapped in a cramped cell with the recently whining and crying Kakashi, Obito crossed his fingers and begged the Will of Fire to lend Anko its strength. Today they were finally going to attempt to pull his kunoichi teammate back to reality and while he wouldn't cry like the "pussy-cat ninja" sobbing in the corner, he was extremely nervous for her. He supposed he wasn't as upset as Kakashi not because he cared for Anko any less, but rather because he was sure she was entirely capable of handling this. As far as Obito was concerned Mitarashi Anko was the toughest, loudest, bawdiest, craziest bitch Konoha had ever seen and there was no way she was getting beater just this yet. She had way more things to accomplish yet, hell they still had to get that snake bastard back for what he'd done to her. Itachi, Kakashi, and he were depending on her to exonerate them, and though their lives hung in the balance, totally dependent on their injured comrade, Obito didn't falter one bit in his faith that they would be freed. Anko had never let him down before and he was sure she wouldn't start now.

Baki crouched down low in the sand, the small bundle in his arms began to stir again and two small bodies clung to his legs, weighing him down more and more with each step. Killing Yashamaru, stashing the body, and stealing Gaara had been the easy part. Keeping three small children alive in the harsh climate of wind country might very well be beyond his considerable skill.

Danzo stalked stiffly and angrily down the long and windy tunnel deep beneath the village hidden in the leaves. His face contorted with rage as he choked down the bile building in his esophagus every time he thought about Fu, his own disciple, bringing that traitorous Mitarashi out of her coma. He hadn't ever wanted anyone knowing about Uchiha Madara, and he certainly didn't want everyone knowing this soon. That was a secret he had intended to carry with him to the grave, and now because of those meddling kids it would soon be common knowledge.

He'd ordered Fu to leave her in the coma and claim the girl was too far gone to bring back but the arrogant Yamanaka had refused. It seemed that the cocky hotshot refused to do anything that would cast doubt on his skills as a ninja, and especially his skill with his family jutsu. The puffed-up bastard was hoping for a seat on the Yamanaka council and wouldn't take any risks that would affect his chances. If he said it couldn't be done and that foolish upstart Minato waited for Inoichi to return to the village and try himself the older Yamanaka would do it himself; at which point Fu's mastery of the clan jutsu would be called into question and his shot at a council seat would be over. Danzo fumed silently in the dark caverns beneath his city and wished again for the Kyubi to burn that old fool Hiruzen's and his idiot protégé Minato's bones to ash.

Genma walked quickly through ht gates of the burnt out village of Furi-zu, as his eyes scanned the empty shells that used to be homes for any signs of survivors. Around his neck hung the smaller of the two boys they'd found hiding beneath the flaming debris; the boys' pale alabaster ski stood out starkly against his pitch black hair and he giggled as Genma hoisted him up onto his shoulders. According to the older of the two the boy riding shotgun on his shoulders had recently turned two, while he counterpart had reached the wise old age of five. They'd both had ninja who didn't return home one night for parents and had been living at an orphanage when the demon fox had roared through town.

As the adults fled for their lives the boys had been abandoned and the older one had hidden them under an overturned oven while their home burned down around them, and while they'd been born to different parents, surviving the fires of hell had made them brothers. It had taken the squad almost an hour to convince them to come to back with them to Konoha, and they'd only agreed when Genma promised they could train to become ninja once they were safely in the village. The older boy's name was Shin, and like Hatake Kakashi he had prematurely grey hair, he'd explained to Genma that he hadn't known the little one's name before the attack but since then he'd been calling him Sai.

Choza held back a flood of tears as he raced through the forest's of fire country with chakra speeding through his muscles and Namiashi Raido's limp form hanging off his back. The fool had taken a tail to the face when he'd knocked the Akamichi to the ground and out of harm's way. Initially the young man had seemed fine but as the poisoned miasma of the demon fox soaked into the wound Raido had grown weaker and then succumbed to the unconsciousness.

Before he'd gone out though, Raido had told Choza he needed to be more careful, "I already knew your memory was going, else you'd have recognized that damn Madara, but now your eyes are going too. You better get those checked out soon; Shibi and I didn't get you home early to see your kid be born just so you could die before his first birthday old man."

Choza prayed to the Will of Fire that he'd get the boy home to Tsunade-hime in time.

Uchiha Madara cackled with joy even as his burnt body steamed the water he'd fallen into and pain shot through every inch of his body. His skin crackled and split and burnt chunks of charred black flesh split and fell off his skeleton. Sure, he'd been in actual hell for who knew how long, there every second felt like years, but he'd made it back out and he would make those traitorous family members of his pay for what they'd done to him.

Stepping out of the shower Hyuga Hizashi caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror and turned to get a better look. Angry red scratches marred his back, and bite marks bruised his collar bone. He'd never before looked quite so beaten up and yet he'd never ever felt nearly as great. Glancing back through the steam filled room to the shower he watched the reason for his happiness emerge looking good enough to eat. Hizashi smiled, he would have to give Minato-sama his thanks when they returned home, but for now he'd continue enjoying the perks of his current assignment.

A/N: Thanks for reading and please send a review. Please, please, please…. I'm begging for them because they truly make my day. Thank you!