The Will of Fire: Kindling the Flame

by Star of the West

Narumi Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Saburo Haruno have just graduated from the academy. They have now taken the first step on the path that will lead them into the adventure of a lifetime. The journey of team seven and their comrades has begun.

17. Retrieval

Narumi raced through the forest behind Kira, both of them intent on the scents flowing through the air around them. The blonde kunoichi forced her anxiety down, preventing it from surging through her as she took in a deep breath, trying to decipher the mysteries of the scent trail.

She could smell Sasuke, his scent sharp with adrenaline, and sweat, frustration, and anger. The scent of resistance. If she'd needed any further proof that Sasuke had not willingly deserted the village, it was all there in his scent. And smells did not lie.

The other four scents though, were largely calm and steady. There was a certain urgency in their scent, natural for ninja operating in enemy territory, but other than that, they seemed unconcerned. Narumi felt a flash of irritation, eyes narrowing as she fought to maintain the calm that was so necessary for the squad leader.

The rest of her chosen team trailed behind her in the single file formation that she'd chosen for the mission. The squad moved quickly and silently, each trusting the others to take care of their own unique task and protect the whole of the group.

Just as Narumi was about to turn to Shika and ask if she'd come up with any possible strategies for when they caught up with their quarry, Kira called out sharply in a wary tone of voice.

"Hey! The scent of the enemy is spread all over this place!"

Narumi's head shot around, and she reacted instantly, voice sharp and urgent.

"Everyone stop now!"

All five ninja dropped instantly out of the long, chakra-enhanced, leaping run that they used to cover great distances, landing side by side on a large limb of a nearby tree. Narumi lifted her had and glanced around uneasily. Kira was right, the stench of the Oto-nin was everywhere here.

Saburo stood just beyond Shika, leaning forward slightly to fix his eyes on Narumi.

"What is it, Narumi-chan?"

Shaking her head uneasily, the Uzumaki ran her eyes over the trees around them, body setting itself for battle. Even as she spoke, she strained her senses, searching for any trace of danger around them.

"I'm not sure."

Glancing over at Hirohito, she spoke quickly to the quiet boy.

"Hirohito-kun, can you use your Byakugan to check the area?"

The Hyuuga nodded once, acknowledging the order and lifting his head. He'd dropped the dojutsu when they'd settled onto the branch, but now he reactivated it. Prominent veins stood out around his eyes, the pale violet-white color of the eyes themselves lightening very slightly and taking on silvery undertones.

His eyes flickered around the surrounding area quickly. After a moment, his eyes fixed on a specific tree just ahead of them, and he pointed to a particular spot on the trunk.

"There."

Narumi followed his finger, and spotted an explosive tag, it's red and white coloring barely visible from where it was hidden behind a thick clump of glossy, dark green leaves. Shika drew in a sharp breath beside her, but said nothing. Saburo and Kira both swore explosively.

Hirohito ignored the reaction his revelation drew, and continued on, his voice soft but firm, his usual stutter nearly gone from his voice entirely.

"An explosive tag. There are five more of them, in the formation of the barrier seal."

Narumi breathed out a silent sigh of relief. Hirohito might not use the byakugan as instinctively and easily as his more talented cousin, Nobuye, but he was by no means unskilled with the classic dojutsu of his family.

Shika's voice was sharp and frustrated. And slightly worried.

"I've read about that. It's a high class ninjutsu trap that's triggered when the enemy enters the area encircled by the seals."

Kira cursed even more virulently than before, shooting an uneasy glance at Narumi and Shika.

"Isn't there anyway we can flank it?"

Hirohito shook his head, brow furrowing. This time he didn't drop the byakugan. Though he was answering Kira's question, his eyes flickered back and forth between the Inuzuka and the bright haired team leader.

"We could circle around the trap, but it is quite large. The detour would take time."

Narumi shook her head decisively, eyes intent on the one tag she could see.

"Time is the one thing we don't have. The longer we take to reach the enemy, the greater chance they'll escape entirely."

Shika sighed, dark eyes knowing as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well then, what do you think we should do?"

Narumi exchanged a look with Saburo, and then lifted her hands into a familiar cross shape.

"I'm going to spring the trap."

Kira's eyes bulged, and her hand locked tightly around Narumi's upper arm, long, claw-like nails digging into the orange sleeve of her jacket.

"Are you insane? You could be killed! And the enemy will know we're here on top of that!"

Narumi shook her friends hand off impatiently and shook her head.

"No, it'll be fine."

Glancing over at the rest, she saw that both Shika and Saburo understood perfectly well what she was about to do. Shika because the Nara was too smart for her own good, and Saburo because he knew Narumi very well by now, and was used to the way she worked. Satisfied, she explained the plan for Hirohito and Kira.

"I'll make five Kage Bunshin and send them in to trigger the trap. That will clear it out of our way, and the enemy should believe that at least some of us were killed in the blast. They'll expect pursuit, yes, but they were obviously already expecting that. This way, they'll think it's wounded, reduced pursuit at best."

Shika nodded once, and Kira subsided uneasily. Hirohito still looked worried, but he said nothing, merely nodding uncertainly. Saburo shook his head at her and waved an arm easily through the air.

"Well then, get on with it."

Narumi grinned, and lifted her hands again, reaching for the deep well of her chakra. Before she actually reached into the well that fed her coils, she glanced at the others.

"Fall back. It's gonna get crowded for a minute."

The others nodded, and retreated to a branch in the tree just behind this one, still close, but giving her the distance she needed for the jutsu she was about to preform. A moment later, five Kage Bunshin burst into being around her, covering the branch were her team had stood only moments before.

As Kage Bunshin, they already knew the purpose she had in mind for them. The five of them almost instantly henged into a group of random, nondescript Konoha-nin, not a one of them from the large clans. After all, if the seals had any element that allowed the enemy to know who had sprung the trap, there was no reason to give them any accurate information about their pursuers.

Once the henge were safely in place, one of them stepped forward in the guise of a middle aged man with graying hair and a large, puckered scar that spread across a good portion of his face.

"We're off boss."

Narumi nodded to the gruff-sounding man, and the five figures turned and raced through the trees. As they did, she and her team fell back a few more branches, in case there was any kind of blast wave from the springing of the trap.

A moment later, there was as explosion, still fairly small by ninja standards, but enough to wipe out the five man group that had entered the trap field. Narumi felt a heady rush of information swirling into her brain, and realized that all five bunshin had been dispersed in the explosion and its aftermath.

Shaking her head slightly, she waited a moment for the area to settle, and then nodded to her team.

"Alright, let's go."

Wordlessly, they all sprang forward, falling into formation again as they went. Narumi called out a last order as they moved forward through what had previously been a trapped area.

"Everyone keep your eyes out for traps. We can't assume this was the only one."

The others nodded, and the five Konoha-nin moved swiftly forward through the forest, not hindered even by the damage the trees had taken in the blast of the sprung trap. If the Oto-nin thought they were in for a clean getaway because they'd thrown up a few traps, they were sadly mistaken.

---

Danzo nodded gravely to Homura and Koharu as they sat across from him, his voice the perfect blend of deference, respect, and seriousness as he thanked them for seeing him. It was imperative that he keep the elders feeling as if he was the only ally they had who truly understood what had to be done for the good of the village.

It was an image he'd been cultivating with them since the Kyuubi attack. When they'd discovered the existence of the jinchuriki, he'd seen the revulsion in their eyes as they gazed on the child. In that moment, he'd known they'd be useful to him, and begun to cultivate them so that when the time came, they would be his loyal supporters.

And he'd done well. They'd stood with him whenever the ultimate good of the village was concerned. When the Uchiha had threatened to rise up, they'd agreed with him that the clan must be put to death for their treason, down to the smallest child.

But while the three of them were usually able to exert a certain amount of pressure on Hiruzen, when their old teammate drew the line, the other two refused to press further. It had been a source of frustration that Danzo had been unable to overcome while the Sandaime lived, yet another reason that he'd had to be disposed of.

Many years ago, when the time came for the jinchuriki to be sent to the academy, Danzo and the two elders had come before the Hokage, insisting that the girl be put into proper training so that she could fulfill her purpose as the weapon of the village. After all, hadn't the Kyuubi attack proven that treating Kushina as a normal Kunoichi had come to no good?

But here, the Hokage had put his foot down and flatly refused any and all demands from the three council members. Danzo had been frustrated by the old mans senile attachment to the quainter notions of camaraderie that existed within the village. Well enough for the lower ranks and children, but the Hokage should be beyond such foolishness!

However, even that could now be turned to his advantage. After all, Koharu and Homura had chafed at the decision, and now the girl was within his reach once more. All he had to do was play his hand right, and the powers of the Kyuubi would be his to wield for the sake of the village.

Calming himself, he sipped at the steaming cup of green tea in his hands, letting the bitter heat wash over his tongue. Iron control kept his body language from broadcasting anything to alarm or excite the elders unduly. Now, to the task of laying the groundwork.

"I wished to speak to you both about a matter that I believe to be of grave importance of the village."

Homura nodded seriously, and Koharu blew out a gusty sigh, her wrinkled face contorting as she complained crossly.

"Well, you would be the only one! That impudent whelp Tsunade doesn't listen to half of what we tell her! Dashing about making decisions as if she knows best for the village when she hasn't set foot inside the walls in years!"

Danzo nodded, his voice carrying a careful, barely-there hint of sympathy. Here was another way to coax them along. Their resentment of Tsunade and her unwillingness to pander to their own sense of self-importance would serve him well.

"Tsunade-hime is perhaps...impetuous...in her actions."

Koharu snorted rudely, and displeased agreement flickered in Homura's eyes.

"That's putting it mildly."

Sighing heavily, Homura took a deep swallow of his own tea, and then looked directly at Danzo.

"All true, but I doubt that you wished to speak with us about Tsunade's impertinence."

Danzo inclined his head, carefully schooling himself once more in order not to show how he bristled at the almost-command, allowing himself a moment of smug pride in the iron control that allowed no hint of his true feelings or intentions to reach the old fools before him. Truly, while he and Hiruzen rarely agreed, he'd respected his old friend far more than these two. Even when he was going soft, he still had the spine to act on his beliefs openly.

"I thought to bring to your attention a matter that has caused me growing concern. You are aware, I presume, of the actions of the group known as Akatsuki?"

Homura nodded, eyes glinting, and Koharu spoke scornfully.

"Indeed. Not only did they attack the village, they attempted to steal away our jinchuriki."

Danzo hummed his assent and dropped his gaze to the steaming surface of his tea, satisfied that their information was enough that they grasped the basics of what he wished them to know, and incomplete enough that any details that could connect him to the organization in question would slip by them. Since Hiruzen died, these two where the only ones old enough to recognize the trademark signs of his fieldwork with operatives.

"Yes. But there is more. I believe that the main purpose of this organization is to obtain the jinchuriki and harness its powers for use against the village."

With a sense of satisfaction, he watched the shock and indignation bloom across their features, along with the tiny spark of fear that began in their eyes. Good. If he were to get his hands on the jinchuriki, he must keep these two thinking of it as the weapon it was, and afraid that enemies of the village would wrench that weapon from their grasp.

"Also, I have found that Orochimaru has expressed a certain amount of...interest...in the jinchuriki."

Koharu started to her feet, hissing in shock and anger.

"What? But didn't that wench Tsunade send the jinchuriki after Orochimaru's men to retrieve the Uchiha?"

Danzo made sure his expression was properly regretful and worry laced as he replied.

"I'm afraid so."

He though Koharu might keel over from outrage right there. As she spluttered, Homura spoke up in a sharp, demanding tone.

"That places the village doubly at risk! If Orochimaru gets his hands on both the Uchiha and the jinchuriki-!"

Danzo nodded again, his voice soothing and filled with unspoken promises.

"This is why I wished to speak to you again on the matter of the jinchuriki. Our enemies obviously still covet its power, and Tsunade doesn't know what she's handling. I had thought it might be best to arrange things so that the jinchuriki was properly seen to, but..."

Here he trailed off, and leaned back, staring down into his tea with a carefully constructed look that combined despair, sorrow, worry, and old loyalty.

"...Hiruzen...he was so certain that she should be left among other ninja her own age. I would not wish to go against the wishes of my dear friend so soon after his death."

Both the elders shoulders dropped slightly, and they seemed as if they were feeling again the loss of their old teammate. But they shook it off quickly. They had, after all, had a long time to convince themselves that the Sandaime was a fool who was too kind for own good, and they sensed opportunity to sweet to miss in his passing.

Koharu brightened suddenly.

"You're right, Danzo. It would be unseemly to disrespect Sarutobi in such a way. But we can do both. Respect him AND deal properly with the Kyuubi issue."

Danzo looked up, artfully feigning surprise and curiosity. Koharu smirked triumphantly, leaning forward slightly as she spoke.

"What about ROOT? They answer to you, so you could see to it that the jinchuriki was handled properly. And I'm sure that you have a few younger ninja in your service?"

Danzo nodded slowly, as if he'd never even considered such a thing before. Inwardly, he felt triumph bloom. He was not yet at his goal, but this was an important step. It was vital that the other two believe that it was entirely their idea to place the jinchuriki and all its power in his hands.

"That's true. I do have a few young ninja that are being trained in ROOT..."

Homura nodded decisively, getting to his feet in a regal motion.

"And no one who might complain can have any objection to the jinchuriki being recruited into an elite force of the village. Very well then, that's what we'll do."

Danzo stood as well, his body language that of an equal and a friend as he bid the other two farewell.

"I shall do what must be done for the good of the village. Thank you both."

Koharu nodded, sweeping an arm grandly through the air.

"We will speak with you again at a later time."

Danzo inclined his head as the other two swept out the door. When he was alone in the room save for the three cups on the table and the ROOT shinobi crouched in the shadows of the room, he allowed himself a tiny quirk of the corner of his mouth. Yes, everything was going as planned.

---

Narumi and her friends walked carefully along the forest floor in a loose group. Half an hour after they'd made it past the trap field, they'd been forced to abandon the forest canopy. Knowing that Konoha-nin were most at home among the upper levels of the forest, the Oto-nin had trapped that the most heavily, obviously hoping to catch them out.

As the five of them moved cautiously forward, still following the scent trail that both Kira and Narumi had verified, the Inuzuka grumbled irately, one hand braced on her hip. She'd thrown back her hood, and Akamaru had tucked himself into the vacant sack of cloth, nuzzling the back of her head comfortingly.

"What the hell? I don't like this! Coming up against this many traps..."

Shika shrugged slightly, and though her drawl was as relaxed as it ever was on missions, her fingers twitched slightly.

"Well, at least the enemy doesn't seem to have much time to set the things up. I'm seeing a lot of rushed work. That could mean that they're not moving as fast as they'd like."

Near the back of the group, Hirohito nodded, voice quiet but reassuring.

"Uchiha-san was taken against his will, and he is not the kind of shinobi to merely allow himself to be dragged away. He'll fight them, and that will slow them down."

Narumi shook her head slightly, brow furrowed tightly as she glanced at Saburo, who had moved up to walk beside her.

"No. I don't think he can fight them anymore."

Everyone but Kira stared at her questioningly, and she shrugged.

"I'm not saying Sasuke wouldn't fight them as hard as he could. But Kira will tell you, peoples scents can tell you all sorts of things. At first, Sasuke's scent was packed with adrenaline, among other things. Basic indicators that he was upset, and exerting himself. Fighting back."

The others nodded cautiously, and Kira nodded, dropping back between Shika and Hirohito.

"She's right. That's how I read the trail. But then we hit that spot a ways out from the village, just before the trap field."

Narumi took the tale back up, locking glances with Saburo briefly before turning her attention back to the surrounding greenery.

"When we got there, the scent was...odd. Sasuke's scent had fear in it, and the Oto-nin smelled like they'd been putting some effort out themselves. Also, I thought I smelled a trace of poison. But it was too faint to be sure. After that, Sasuke's scent has been subdued, barely there. Almost muffled."

Kira nodded. Shika tensed, eyes narrowing uncertainly.

"That's...unnerving."

Saburo grunted, and Narumi grimaced, quickening her stride slightly. As she moved away from Saburo, a glint of sunlight caught her eye, and she called absentmindedly over her shoulder.

"Tripwire."

As she started to step over it, Shika called out sharply, voice alarmed.

"Narumi, wait!"

The blonde blinked and tried to pull back, but it was too late. She'd already begun to move, and her own weight and momentum wouldn't allow her to draw back soon enough. Panicked, she hoped whatever blunder she'd just made wouldn't get her comrades killed as well.

Before she could even brace herself for whatever was about to happen, her body suddenly jerked out of her control. Her extended leg jerked up into the air, the other foot rising up off the ground until she was balanced on the ball of her foot. Her back arched, torso leaning back until she was practically horizontal to the ground, and one arm thrust back, fingers curling tightly as if she were grasping at something.

Frozen, she found herself unable to move. Narumi knew that the position should have sent her crashing forward atop the tripwire, and whatever danger Shika had spotted, but miraculously, she remained as she was.

Straining her eyes, she peered from the corner of her vision, and saw that behind her, Shika had used Kagemane to seize her. The Nara was in the same position, except that her arm shot back past Kira's head to clamp down on the front of Hirohito's coat.

The Hyuuga had stumbled forward to crash into Kira's back, resulting in the oddly overextended position in which Shika held her. The Inuzuka had braced her feet, to hold the weight, and now a very red Hirohito had braced his hands on her shoulders, stammering apologies as he backed up.

Akamaru had thankfully managed to escape danger by wiggling forward over Kira's shoulder to drop into her arms, and the Inuzuka was muttering about crazy Nara clan members. Shika ignored her, allowing Hirohito to scramble back and pull her with him.

Narumi sighed as her body began to draw back. In an instant, one of Saburo's arms wrapped around her shoulders, while the other seized her waist. As the rosette lifted her backwards, Shika released both the jutsu and the stuttering Hyuuga heir behind her.

Once everyone was out of danger, the dark haired girl approached and hunkered down in front of the tripwire.

"Look at this. One wire is intentionally positioned to reflect the sunlight and catch attention, so that the second camouflaged wire catches you. A double trap."

Saburo had let go of Narumi, but he hovered over her shoulder, eyes narrowed as he glared at the wires.

"That's really well made for a rush job."

Shika nodded.

"But that only means that they're resting. Either they're wounded, or it's an ambush."

Narumi stepped to the side and looked back at the still faintly pink Hirohito. The Hyuuga nodded as she gestured to him, and called out his Byakugan, holding very still for a moment, eyes distant and intense.

When he refocused on Narumi and the others, he was tense and uncertain.

"I found them. They're not far, and they're resting. It looks like they ran into a fight."

Kira lifted her head, scenting, and then nodded as the wind shifted.

"Now that you mention it, I can smell blood. Nothing too strong, but enough for a minor fight. Still, too much for just capturing Sasuke and keeping him in line."

Hirohito nodded, and then spoke again, voice soft.

"There's something else as well. I couldn't see Sasuke, but they had a...coffin with them. Also, there's another presence heading towards the Oto-nin, from the direction of the border. Reinforcements perhaps."

Narumi clenched her fists and then looked over the others. If they didn't get this done quickly, things were going to get a whole lot harder on them real fast.

"Hirohito, can you take another look? We need to know where Sasuke is before we move."

The Hyuuga nodded, and once again looked beyond them all, violet-white eyes almost seeming to pulse for a moment. When he looked back to Narumi, his face was even paler than normal, and he looked horrified. When he spoke, his voice was slightly sickened.

"Sasuke...he's inside the coffin."

Narumi and Saburo both stiffened, and the blonde took a step forward, voice alarmed and urgent.

"Is he dead?"

Hirohito shook his head slowly.

"I don't think so. It's difficult to say. There's some sort of barrier surrounding the coffin, making it difficult to see through."

Shika spoke up, though her voice was unnerved, and her eyes wide. A bead of sweat rolled slowly down her face as she abandoned her usual drawl for clipped, uncertain words.

"Considering how badly Orochimaru wanted Sasuke to serve him, I doubt that they would kill him so quickly."

Hirohito had continued to watch the enemy while the rest of them spoke, and he suddenly called out urgently.

"The other Oto-nin has joined them."

Narumi hissed and frowned tightly.

"We have no more time for this. Let's go."

The five of them returned to the canopy, racing towards the enemy as quickly as they could while still evading the traps scattered throughout the trees. Eyes narrowed, Narumi called sharply back to Hirohito without looking at him.

"How far out are we?"

The Hyuuga's voice was strained and worried.

"Just over half an hour!"

The Uzumaki cursed and tried to push herself harder. Kira called out to her as the others increased their pace to match the blonde.

"Calm down! We'll get there in time."

Narumi shook her head tersely.

"If they cross the territorial border, we won't be able to pursue further. If we did, we could cause a war! We have to get to Sasuke before that!"

After that they traveled in a grim silence, dodging traps and springing through the canopy as fast as they dared. They were twenty minutes out when Hirohito groaned, his voice frustrated.

"Narumi-chan! They've split up!"

Glancing back in alarm, she exchanged a look with Saburo and then questioned the Hyuuga quickly.

"How big are the groups, and which has Sasuke."

The Hyuuga shook his head slightly.

"The original four are going one way, and the shinobi who met up with them earlier is headed another. But...I can't tell which has Sasuke. Both of them are carrying coffins sealed with barriers."

Narumi swore viciously, mind spinning. Shika hissed, but said nothing. When they finally reached the clearing where Hirohito said they'd rested, Narumi called a halt. Perching in the branches, she spoke very brusquely to the Hyuuga.

"Check the clearing."

It took a matter of seconds before Hirohito waved them forward with a nod.

"It's clear."

Landing in the center of the clearing, Narumi looked around and took a deep breath in. Kira was doing the same behind her, and everyone else had fallen into formation, keeping a wary eye on the surrounding foliage in case of a hidden ambush or trap that the byakugan might have missed. Unlikely, but possible.

After sorting through the scents of the clearing and pacing after the trails, Narumi swore viciously.

"Kuso!"

Kira growled agreement, looking just as agitated. The others watched them silently until Shika spoke, eyes intent.

"What is it?"

Narumi hissed out a breath and then spoke in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Sasuke's scent is with both trails. They could have taken his shirt or something with one group to achieve it, but either way, I can't tell just from the scent which he's with without following the trail for a long while. And it's even harder since the scent is being muffled."

Shika sighed, leaning her head back.

"Then we'll have to split up."

Narumi nodded grimly. Hirohito looked alarmed.

"I-isn't that dangerous? There aren't that many of us..."

Narumi sighed, rubbing the back of her head in agitation.

"I know. But we can't take the chance of losing Sasuke."

Squaring her shoulders, Narumi looked over the others, thinking hard.

"Shika, you take Hirohito and Kira after the original group. They're the most likely to have Sasuke. Saburo and I will go after the new guy."

Kira frowned agitatedly.

"If the main group is the most likely to have Sasuke, why don't we all go after them? Or why don't you at least send someone else with Saburo?"

Narumi shook her head decisively, meeting Shika's gaze in a silent question. The other girl gave her a slow nod, indicating she thought this was the best plan for the circumstances. Some of the weight lifted from Narumi's shoulders as she explained her reasoning to Kira.

"We need one of the trackers in each group, that means me or you Kira. You work best with Hirohito, and I work best with Saburo, which makes it logical for one pair of us to go after the main group, and the other to follow the new guy. Shika will be needed by whichever group is taking care of the larger group. Her strategies will be invaluable."

Here she hesitated, and then gritted her teeth before biting out the final deciding factor in the way she'd split the team.

"And also, if Sasuke is with the main group, that makes the loner suspicious. If Orochimaru were just sending someone in to help confuse the trail, it would make more sense to send another group of four in, the same way he did the first time. If the guy on his own doesn't have Sasuke, he's almost certainly here at least partly for another reason. That means it may be vital for us to discover the reason he's here, and as the only chuunin present, that duty logically falls to me."

Kira didn't look particularly happy, but she reluctantly nodded her acquiescence. Taking a deep breath, Narumi turned to Shika.

"You're squad leader. If you retrieve Sasuke, flare your chakra and then make a run for the village. Saburo and I will do the same."

Shika nodded once, shoulders drawing back, face calming as she met Narumi's eyes. The blonde did her best to give her a cheerful grin.

"Be safe."

The other three nodded, and Hirohito stuttered a reply.

"Y-you t-too, Narumi-chan."

Kira growled and punched her shoulder lightly.

"See ya back at the village, hothead!"

Then the three of them sprang away, Kira in the lead as they chased after the original groups scent trail. Narumi turned to Saburo with a fierce grin.

"Let's go!"

Saburo nodded, and the two of them took off in a different direction. Narumi took a deep breath, and sprang through the trees. Saburo drew even with her, eyes just barely glancing at her as they traveled.

"So? Is Sasuke with this guy?"

Narumi shrugged, frustrated by her own lack of knowledge.

"There's a fifty-fifty shot. But that barrier must be messing with the scent, because I really can't tell."

Saburo tensed slightly, but he didn't say anything else as the two of them raced onward.

---

Sasuke fought his way slowly back towards consciousness. His entire body was paralyzed by agony, pain searing along his nerves. It felt as if he were alternating between being burned alive and frozen solid, and one side of his body felt very strange. Darkness wrapped him utterly, and he had the sense that he was in a suffocatingly small space, the air still and thick.

Unable to move and barely awake, Sasuke peered blearily at the blackness surrounding him, trying to pinpoint the reason for the surging fear and unease that raced through his mind, filling it almost past the point of conscious thought.

Then he remembered. He remembered it all. Waking up over the shoulder of one of the four Oto-nin who'd come to take him on Orochimaru's orders. Being dragged along at the end of a rope as he stumbled forward, taking every opportunity to strike out against the strange captors who insisted on referring to him as 'Sasuke-sama'.

He remembered coming to a halt in a clearing. Being told that he'd have to die once, whatever that meant. Seeing the coffin and being chilled with fear of the thing. Being held down and force fed a pill, and then being enveloped, inside and out, in flames as cold as ice that seemed intent on tearing his body apart from the inside out. The last thing he could remember was being picked up and stuffed into the coffin.

And now he was awake. His mind sluggishly tried to work through the fear and pain, and he wondered if he was dead. If this was how he would spend the rest of eternity, crammed into a small darkness. Doing his best to shake off the terror that rose from that thought, he blinked and concentrated.

He wasn't dead. If he were dead, he wouldn't be able to feel the rough wood pressing against his body, or the rough, jostling motion. From the frequency and violence of the jarring, he'd guess that he was being carried somewhere. Dragging in a ragged breath, he shook his head slightly and forced himself further towards alertness.

The village would have realized he was missing by now, Saburo would have seen to that. If the rosette was still alive. Sasuke swallowed hard against the thought. No, he couldn't think like that. Saburo would have survived. He'd have alerted the village, and they'd send someone after him. He just had to hold out until they arrived.

Until then, however, he'd have to rely on himself. And that meant using what strength he had to the fullest advantage, and doing his best to get away on his own. His hands were still bound behind his back, and he suspected that they'd hurt terribly if he weren't already in so much pain.

The first step then, would have to be freeing his hands. He'd worry about the rest after that. Leaning forward and stretching his arms as far as he could, he wriggled his fingers into his weapons pouch, and hooked a shuriken. He'd prefer a kunai, but he couldn't reach his holster like this, so the shuriken would have to do.

Gripping it by the center hole, he carefully began sawing through the rope binding his wrists with the razor edged blade. As he worked, he tentatively tried to extend his chakra senses. He didn't even get a sense of his captors before he hit a chakra barrier as smooth and hard as polished marble.

Hissing quietly, he concentrated on cutting himself free. After that, he would take some time to rest and recover. When they opened the...barrel...he would be ready. And if he were lucky, by then whoever was hunting after them would have found him.

---

Narumi's eyes widened slightly, and she came to a halt, holding up a hand to signal the stop to Saburo. Her teammate dropped lightly to the branch beside her, eyes inquisitive and wary.

"What is it, Narumi-chan?"

Resisting the urge to snarl, she shook her head distractedly.

"The trail splits again. I'm not sure which way he actually went, and we're close enough to the border that we can't afford to just pick one at random and risk it being the wrong one."

Saburo looked uneasy, but he knew as well as she did what this meant. They'd have to split up again. The Oto-nin were doing everything they could to deplete the forces of any pursuit forces so they could get away with Sasuke in tow.

The two teammates exchanged a long look. Then Saburo nodded hard.

"Alright. Tell me which way one of the trails goes. If I can pick up a chakra trace, my sensing abilities should be good enough to follow it."

Narumi bit her lip, wanting to protest and knowing that if the guy they were following had Sasuke that this was the only way they had a real chance of getting him back. She drew in a shuddering breath and nodded, pointing.

"That way. Northeast, toward Yu no Kuni."

Saburo set himself to spring away, and then gave her a long hard look.

"Narumi-chan, if you get into trouble, flare your chakra as bright as you can manage. Sasuke wouldn't want you to get killed trying to save him."

Narumi silently nodded. She wouldn't promise to call Saburo if she were in serious trouble. That would only get him killed. But if she kept quiet and nodded her agreement to his assessment of Sasuke's wishes, he would assume she would call, and leave without trying to force the issue.

Sure enough, Saburo sprang through the trees almost at once. When she was sure he was far enough away not to be suspicious, she began racing almost recklessly towards the border with Oto no Kuni. Inhaling deeply, she assured herself of her quarries trail, and increased her speed. She was nearly atop her quarry.

When she finally caught up, she was not a moment too soon. The Oto-nin was just entering the valley of the end when she reached him, the large coffin ominous and pulsing with a strange power. He had nearly made it across the border. She didn't intend to let that happen.

"Hey!"

The Oto-nin ground to a stop, and turned to face her, setting the coffin down beside him, one hand draped lightly on its lid. He and Narumi locked gazes, staring at each other as she landed lightly across the river from him.

The Oto-nin had dull gray hair that hung limply to his shoulders, flat eyes of a pale, sickly green, and bone white skin. Vivid red markings lined his lower lid, and a pair of dots the same shade rested above his brows. A thick purple rope was wrapped around his waist, and the neckline of his long-sleeved white tunic was low enough to expose the black curse mark on his chest.

Something about him put her hackles up, and Narumi felt her lips curling back to reveal her sharper than normal canines. A touch of a growl entered her voice, and she dropped into a predatory crouch, her eyes glinting with warning.

"I'll be taking Sasuke back now, 'ttebayo!"

The man narrowed his eyes, and tucked his chin, the movement oddly menacing.

"I can't allow that. This is is an important vessel for Orochimaru-sama's dream."

Narumi's growl deepened, and she tensed.

"Sasuke is NOT a 'vessel' and Orochimaru can't have him!"

With that, she reached for the deep well of her chakra, preparing for battle. Her sense of it brightened, taking on form in her mind until she could clearly see and feel it. The pool of blue flames, a thousand shades of turquoise, cerulean, azure, and sapphire dancing together, twining around each other and surging through her body.

As power and anger both moved through her, she felt changes begin to come over her body. Her canines lengthened to true fangs, her whisker markings thickened, and the world jumped into brilliant sharpness, the cooler colors such as the blue of sky and water washing out, while warm colors like the red markings of her enemy grew more intense.

The Oto-nin frowned at her, and stepped slightly forward. His eyes were slightly puzzled, though he showed no real change of expression.

"You..."

Ignoring him, Narumi snarled.

"What does Orochimaru want with Sasuke anyway?"

The man regarded her quietly. Then he spoke, and his voice took on a noticeable overtone of pride.

"Orochimaru-sama has already completed the jutsu of immortality. The jutsu requires him to replace his body with a new one before his current body succumbs to the strain and rejects him."

Slender golden brows plunged steeply downward, as she lifted her hands into the seal for Kage Bunshin.

"I won't let you!"

With a massive explosion, more than a hundred bunshin appeared surrounding both Oto-nin and coffin on both sides of the river, replicating the ferociously angry kunoichi many times over and adding a rumbling, many-throated roar that magnified the words.

The Oto-nin looked around himself, expression never even shifting as his dull eyes flickered across the figures of his enemy.

"Oh. Interesting."

Slowly, he lifted his hands, the long sleeves sliding back over his wrists to reveal them, along with the long, sharpened spears of bleached-white...bone? Yes bone. Narumi swallowed hard.

"Come."

Intent on her prey, Narumi and her bunshin all surged forward across the rock, leaping the river towards the grey haired man. The Oto-nin stepped forward, crossing both arms in front of him, palms outward.

"Behold! THe dance of the willows!"

Twirling and striking, the man slashed, tore, and impaled his way through the clones. Even in her current state, she could see that his movements had a strange similarity to her own, though his movements were more swooping lines than spherical motions.

As he moved through the ranks, sharp, jagged pieces of bone sprouted from his knees, shoulders, and elbows like strange growths, the better to cut through the vulnerable bodies of the bunshin.

One bunshin dived for him, twisting around a blow to grab a growth. Throwing her weight against it, she tried to snap the thing off, but it didn't so much as bend. In the instant in which she was vulnerable, the Oto-nin calmly drove his palm into her stomach, the bone spear driving through her gut and dispersing the body.

Narumi and the bunshin receded, not attacking for the moment as the Oto-nin crouched in the clearing atop the coffin, regarding them as cooly as ever. As the blonde tried to formulate a strategy, the Oto-nin hopped down to stand in front of the coffin, bony growths retracting, leaving behind smooth skin and ragged holes in his clothing.

Reaching up, the Oto-nin unzipped the upper half of his tunic slightly, and slipped it from one shoulder. As he did, the skin of his shoulder began to bulge and shift. It continued to stretch until the thick layer of skin split and peeled away and back, revealing the thick, ropy red of muscles.

Those two bulged and shifted, until some of the fibers snapped with a terrible sound that had Narumi wincing. A thick white knob of bone protruded through the torn muscle fibers and split skin, sliding up into the air. The Oto-nin reached for it calmly, as if he felt no pain at all, wrapping his hand around the shaft of the bone just below the knob.

WIth that same, calm precision, he pulled the thing slowly upwards with a sick squelching sound. Narumi gagged, trying not to wretch as she realized that she was watching him as he pulled out his own left humerus. With a final flick, he flipped the end of the bone out of his shoulder to point it at her.

The end of it had added an unnatural length that sported the same broken, lethally sharp tip. It was almost like a sword made from bone. As he completed the motion, his arm dangled limply for a moment, sagging against his body. Then it slowly stiffened and took on it's proper shape as the muscles of his shoulder wove back together, and the thick sheet of his skin sealed over as if it had never been torn asunder.

Without remarking on his own horrific, impossible feat, the Oto-nin stared at her.

"Soon. Soon the new vessel will emerge to become a true servant of Orochimaru-sama, and you will be dead. My name is Kimimaro, and I shall be the one to take your life, woman of Konoha."

Uneasy, she growled at him, and slipped two fingers into her weapons pouch. The tips of her claws clinked softly against the metal of her weapons, ringing slightly as she pressed her fingers against the metal surface of her chosen weapon.

Seizing a couple of shuriken, she whipped her arm forward, launching the two throwing stars towards Kimimaro with vicious accuracy. With a single quick movement of his bone-sword, he deflected both, sending them spinning into the river.

Kimimaro regarded her flatly, his face still as unchanging as the rock around them.

"These are no ordinary bones. They are compressed to maximum density, and are as solid as steel."

Narrowing her eyes, Narumi stepped forward from the protection of her bunshin, lifting her chin and snarling defiantly.

"So what? I'll break those bones of yours to pieces!"

Moving serenely forward, Kimimaro reversed his sword in his hand, and she could have called his voice serene if not for the dead quality that saturated it.

"Fool. behold the Dance of the Camellia."

With that, he began to move. Scything forward into the ranks of her bunshin, he moved with a stately grace as precise and steady as if he were practicing forms rather than engaging in actual battle. Determinedly, Narumi and her bunshin surged into battle, doing their best to get around the bone sword to strike at the enemy.

Working in concert, the bunshin managed to draw the Oto-nin away from the coffin containing Sasuke. Slowly the thinning ranks forced him back further and further up the valley towards the great statue of Uchiha Madara.

While her bunshin kept the enemy occupied, Narumi maneuvered around to the coffin containing Sasuke and set grimly to work. Once, in the academy, she'd snuck into the teachers lounge to pull a prank, and found a book there. She hadn't gotten a good look at it, but it was a book of seals. One of which, had been a barrier seal.

Narumi's apartment had been broken into and vandalized earlier that week, and thinking it would be handy, she'd memorized the swirling characters and rings of the seal. Of course, she hadn't had the chakra control or reserves to actual use the knowledge for ages.

But now she did. And as quickly as possible, she whirled around the coffin, sketching as hastily as she dared in the dirt, funneling her chakra into the strokes. She didn't normally have patience for this kind of work, but she was able to draw up her own exploding tags, so it wasn't too difficult. She was nearly distracted when she thought she heard thudding sounds from within the coffin, but with an effort of will, she threw herself into the task.

Just as Kimimaro dispersed the last handful of bunshin, she completed the seal, a bright bubble of chakra forming around the coffin and sealing everything out. No one, not even Narumi, would be able to get in now. Out yes, in no.

Satisfied that she'd done all she could to assure that Sasuke wasn't stolen away during the battle, she turned to face the dull voiced ninja behind her. He was staring at her coolly.

"And then there was one."

She allowed herself a feral grin, baring her fangs at him triumphantly. His eyes shifted from her to the faintly glowing blue curve of the barrier, and then back to her.

"I see. The barrier draws its power from you, I presume? All the more reason to kill you quickly."

Swallowing, Narumi set herself for battle, making sure to keep her muscles and joints loose as Ero-sennin had taught her. Quickly, she flicked over the experiences of her clones, searching for information she could exploit against him. What she found made her stomach tighten.

'Damn, this guy's really good. Even with all those bunshin, not a single blow was landed! I haven't touched him!'

Glaring at him, she surged forward, twisting around his sword, and pulling hand back, fingers crooked, claws extended as she swiped viciously at his face.

"Hah! As if! We're gonna take Sasuke home to Konoha, 'ttebayo!"

As she struck downwards, Kimimaro swayed backwards and twisted, whirling around her easily. She landed awkwardly, the momentum of her strike forcing her to overextend and stumble. Kimimaro darted around in front of her, sword lifted.

"Futile."

As his sword lashed up diagonally across her torso, Narumi threw up her arms, palms inward, so that the blow skidded across the outside of her forearms. As the bone blade slid up off her arms, it sliced through the shoulder and neck of her jacket, causing the weighty item of clothing to slide and sag until it nearly fell from her body.

Gritting her teeth against the pain of the blow, Narumi thanked Kami for the protection of adrenaline as she felt the slick hotness of blood sheeting down her arms from the slice across her forearms. Before she could move away, Kimimaro's foot slammed painfully into stomach, sending her flying back through the air and across the river.

Kimimaro was a great deal stronger and larger than she was, and as her slender body arched towards the statue of the shodaime, the rushing wind tore her abused orange jacket completely off her body. She didn't see what happened to it. Shutting her eyes tightly, she braced herself against the inevitable impact.

But when she hit, it wasn't cold stone at her back. A gust of wind caught her, spinning her so that she was flying sideways, and she struck a hard warmth. Arms curled protectively around her shoulders and under her knees, and she felt herself being carried through the air.

When the movement stilled, she blinked her eyes open, staring up at her rescuer in surprise. She'd half-expected Saburo to have come to her aid, despite the fact that she hadn't sent him any distress signal. But he boy who held her was definitely not Saburo.

Kimimaro frowned at him, voice distant.

"Who are you?"

Deep green eyes sparked and a grin nearly as feral as her own curled across a tanned face. When the boy spoke, his voice was a confident drawl, and his chin tipped proudly up.

"An ally of the leaf. Teruyoshi of Sunagakure."

---

Teruyoshi dropped his eyes from the eerie Oto-nin across from him, and looked at the kunoichi in his arms. What he saw made him furrow his brows in concern. Blood glistened on her arms and the front of her shirt, though the source seemed to be a relatively shallow gash across her forearms that had left the muscles in working order.

What really surprised him were the changes to her physical appearance. Elegantly curved claws tipped slender fingers instead of nails, and shining fangs had taken the place of human canines. The fine markings on her cheeks had thickened and darkened, lending her face a certain wild fierceness, and her bright blue eyes had turned a brilliant crimson with slit pupils.

He'd known that she was like Gaara, but somehow he hadn't connected her with the violent and frightening transformations his little brother suffered from. Yet despite her more fearsome appearance, she didn't truly frighten him anymore now than she had before. So he ignored the enemy before them, shoved down his surprise at his own reaction, and spoke to her in a light, teasing tone.

"Hey, Beautiful. Did you know your eyes are red?"

The blonde stiffened slightly, and glared ferociously up at him. Teruyoshi chuckled and shook his head slightly, tone placating.

"Ah, don't get mad at me! It's a good look on you, honest!"

He pretended not to notice the look of blank surprise and confusion that the kunoichi gave him. Shaking his head thoughtfully, he cast his eyes skyward, purposefully making his voice playfully serious.

"Well, to be honest, red eyes look really creepy on that teammate of yours. But it really suits you."

Carefully, he sat her on her feet and turned back towards the opposite side of the river. Eyes flicking back and forth between the Oto-nin and the coffin surrounded by a wall of chakra. Furrowing his brow slightly, he glanced at the kunoichi standing beside him.

"I heard that broody got kidnapped, and that you were supposed to take a team after him...?"

Narumi nodded, jaw tight as she stared hard at the enemy. Jerking her chin towards the coffin, she spoke quietly, voice worried.

"I'm pretty sure Sasuke's in there. I don't know what they've done to him, but he's not dead."

Teruyoshi whistled, eyebrows shooting up. Unease roiled in his stomach, and he shot her a questioning glance.

"A coffin? Man, these Oto guys are really sick, huh?"

The Konoha-nin narrowed her eyes grimly, and shrugged one shoulder.

"Their trail split twice, and if we were going to get to them before they crossed the border my team had to split up as well."

Seeing the worry flickering across her face, Teruyoshi threw her a proud smirk.

"Don't worry about your comrades. I think they'll be fine."

And they should be. After all, both his little brothers had gone after the larger group, and he hadn't sensed any trouble in the direction of the other chakra signature nearby.

"So, what's this guys deal?"

The girl arched a brow at him as she began to move slightly away from him, eyes turning back to the enemy, claws crooked meaningfully as she started to shift to the attack.

"His attacks are bone-based. He can pull them out of his body, change their shape, and regrow them instantly. I think he can pretty much control them at will. And they're as hard as steel."

Teruyoshi grimaced, eyeing the older teen with a faint sort of disgust. To manipulate his bones like that, and use them as weapons had to some sort of kekkei genkai. Probably not one that was at all pleasant to watch either.

Setting himself, he moved in the opposite direction as the kunoichi, eyes fixed on the enemy, a threateningly confident smirk playing around his mouth. The Oto-nin looked silently back and forth between him and the blood smeared jinchuriki girl prowling the other direction.

In an instant, he brought up his arms in a sharp arc. Teruyoshi felt the faint coiling of disgust in his gut tighten as he saw the tips of the pale fingers had split, muscle and skin peeling apart neatly and bloodlessly to reveal the white of bone. The motion of his arms sent five tiny pieces of bone hurtling towards Teruyoshi, and another five towards Narumi.

Not at all worried, Teruyoshi whipped his sword smoothly from it's place across his back, and whipped it out and down in a smooth strike, sending out a powerful blast of wind from the blade. The wind struck the bones, scattering them, and pushing them away from the Suna-nin.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Narumi whipping around in fluid, twisting motions, weaving through and under the projectiles and passing through them unharmed. Laughing appreciatively, Teruyoshi threw himself forward, sprinting across the river towards the enemy. While his water-walking skills were still rough from lack of practice, they were adequate.

When he reached the other side, he threw himself into the twisting dance of the sword, slashing towards the enemy. The Oto-nin met the attack smoothly, fading back out of the way of his strikes, eyes narrowing slightly as what looked like sharpened ribs exploded outward from his chest and back in a forest of spikes.

"Dance of the pines!"

Spinning in under the slicing steel blade, the Oto-nin surged towards Teruyoshi, palm extended towards him even as another bone spear erupted from it. The blonde cursed sharply, throwing his body to the side as he evaded the outstretched palm. But the movement threw him off balance, leaving him momentarily vulnerable.

Before the Oto-nin could take full advantage of the opening, a pair of deceptively slender arms wrapped around each of his arms from behind. The two bunshin planted their feet and heaved, dragging the enemy back. In the same instant, another blonde figure flashed past Teruyoshi, swiping her claws across the Oto-nin's face.

The enemy jerked back as Teruyoshi regained his footing and moved warily back. The Oto-nin hissed, eyes tightly closed against the blood spilling from the diagonal cuts slicing down his forehead and across his nose and cheek. Two bone spears erupted from his elbows, plowing into the bunshin and dispersing them instantly.

Fortunately, by that time both Teruyoshi and the kunoichi were back out of range. Regarding the now bleeding enemy, Teruyoshi realized that perhaps close combat was not the best option. Before he could say anything, Narumi created a slew of Kage Bunshin and charged back in fearlessly.

Frowning, Teruyoshi waited tensely for her to disengage so he could launch his new line of attack. He had to admit though, he was impressed by her skill. The bunshin wove around each other and the blows of the enemy with a fluid grace that he wouldn't have thought someone with so much raw power would have been able to master.

But while it was beautiful and even entrancing to watch, it wasn't long before the bunshin were dispersed, some by attacks of the enemy, others when they were caught striking a blow at the Oto-nin and impaled by the forest of bony spikes standing out from his torso.

When the last clone dispersed, Teruyoshi called out sharply.

"Down!"

The Konoha kunoichi shot away from the enemy, instinctively acting in concert with him as an ally, and removing herself from the path of his attack. Grinning, Teruyoshi bit into the pad of his thumb, and smeared the blood down the blade of his sword.

Pulling the sword back, he arched his back, and whipped the sword forward, slicing at the air in front of him. As he did, he sent his chakra fountaining through the blade, using the steel and blood as a focus, and crying out the name of the jutsu.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A battle-scarred weasel with a scythe was momentarily visible in the winds springing forth in front of him, before it vanished away. A roaring gale of slicing wind blades sprayed out across the stone, slamming into the Oto-nin in a spray of blood, sending his body smashing back into the stone wall of the valley.

The kunoichi came up behind him, eyeing the wind storm warily.

"Did you get him, 'ttebayo?"

Teruyoshi half turned his head and made to answer him, but before he could the winds died away, and with them his voice. Deep scars stretched across the stone and up the canyon wall, but the Oto-nin in the center was still standing.

Sprays of his blood painted the stone around him, and pieces of skin had been sliced away from his body. But he still stood. The holes in his skin revealed sheets of glistening white bone, even as they healed closed, and what skin was undamaged was covered in black markings. The Oto-nin regarded them evenly, still not affected even by this most devastating attack.

"Most impressive. If I hadn't formed bone plates just beneath my skin, I would certainly have been sliced to pieces."

Bending his head forward, his hair slid away from the nape of his neck, revealing the sickening sight of bulging skin splitting to reveal the white bone of his spine pushing up through the skin. Reaching back, he grabbed the thing and pulled.

Teruyoshi stared as the bones slid out and out, until the Oto-nin had to start drawing forward over his shoulder, causing the flexible whip to bend around him. Cruel looking spikes sprouted from the sides of it, and when the end finally slid free, his spine had already regrown, and the dark hole was closing over. The Oto-nin stared dispassionately at the two of them from behind the long spear-whip of bone.

"Dance of the clematis."

The thing lost its rigidity as the Oto-nin whipped it forward. Teruyoshi's eyes widened, and he tried to dodge back, flinging his arm out to knock Narumi away from the line of attack. The whip extended further than he'd thought it could, and wrapped around him, pinning his arms to his sides and cracking sharply against itself.

Cursing, Teruyoshi tried to struggle, eyes narrowed in fury. It was almost like fighting a puppet master, but not quite. Thankfully, the spikes on the whip were laying along his body, not digging into him, but no matter how much he struggled, the bone restraints didn't loosen.

Behind him he heard Narumi cry out sharply, but he was too focused on finding a way out of the situation at hand to reply to her. Slowly, the Oto-nin began pulling him in, a new bone spear glistening as it protruded from his palm.

As the Oto-nin pulled him forward, the black markings began to spread and fade slightly, melting together until the Oto-nin's skin was a dark grey. Black markings above and below his eyes spread and merged, sweeping up the sides of his face, and his body deformed. A great tail sprouted from the base of his spine, and great spikes of bone like horns tore through the skin of his back.

When the transformation was complete, Teruyoshi found himself facing a lizard-like creature that bore an odd semi-resemblance to Shuukaku, the great bijuu that dwelt within the depths of Gaara's seal.

However, Teruyoshi was accustomed to such transformations. The sight did not conjure unmatched fear in him, though it did warn him to be even more wary of the enemy shinobi than before. Such things were never purely for show, and his skills were probably more deadly than ever now.

Digging his feet into the stone as best he could, he sent all the chakra he could manage to the soles of his feet, trying to hold his ground. He managed to slow his unwilling advance slightly, but nothing more than that.

He was still trying to come up with a solution, when a voice growled dangerously behind him, making him fight an impulse to crane around to look back over his shoulder.

"Let go of him, 'ttebayo!"

The Oto-nin turned his eyes to something just behind Teruyoshi, eyes as flat and dead as ever, demonic appearance making the unblinking stare even more unnerving. It was like the Oto-nin wasn't even really human, but just a creature masquerading as such.

Teruyoshi shivered, and called over his shoulder in an urgent, strained voice, never taking his eyes off the enemy.

"I'll be fine, Konoha. Take your teammate and get out of here. That's your mission, right?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Narumi's voice rang out behind him, strong and determined.

"Don't know much abut Konoha-nin, do you Suna? We never abandon a comrade."

The next thing he knew, a bunshin surged up behind the creature, somehow managing to avoid the spikes and wrap her arms around his neck. Another two wrapped themselves around his arms, holding him in place as best they can. As they did, the wind behind him picked up, and a gold and orange blur shot past him.

Narumi charged fearlessly towards the enemy, one arm stretched behind her. In her hand, outlining her claws in light, was a whirling maelstrom of chakra compressed into a tight ball. Lunging forward, she snapped her arm forward, sinking the jutsu into the Oto-nin's gut.

The Oto-nin's body curved forward, eyes widening in shock. Shards of shattered bone flew as they were ripped apart, and the Oto-nin's body was pushed back, his feet plowing shallow furrows in the soft stone.

When the wind faded and the jutsu dissipated, Narumi was left with her palm planted in the center of a bloody, spiraling gouge, a sheet of bone beneath her hand deeply carved with a spiral pattern. Shredded muscle and skin hung over the bone plate, slowly knitting back together. The Oto-nin coughed once, blood splattering across his chin, and his breathing was ragged, but otherwise he seemed to have escaped harm.

Narumi was trying to yank her arm back, but new spikes of bone had sprouted from the Oto-nin's chest, piercing and trapping her arm in several spots, holding her in place. The Oto-nin dropped the whip holding Teruyoshi in place, and the green-eyed boy thrashed free as quickly as he could.

Just before he won his freedom, the Oto-nin slammed a palm into the kunoichi's abdomen in a mirror blow of the one she'd inflicted on him. Teruyoshi paled, staring wide-eyed as a bone spear erupted in bloody glory from her lower back.

There was a moment of frozen silence. Then the bones clutching her arm retracted, and the Oto-nin tossed her savagely away. The bone slid free with a horrible sucking sound, and the Konoha-nin flew backwards, splashing into the river and sinking out of sight beneath the surface.

Alarmed and angry, Teruyoshi shouted and yanked himself free of the last coil of the bone whip. Throwing a handful of shuriken towards the enemy, he sprang back towards the river, unleashing a powerful blast of wind.

Hoping that the wind would keep the enemy busy for the moment, he turned towards the river, heart in his mouth, gut tying itself into knots. He was terrified that the injury might prove fatal. Not only would Narumi die, something that for some reason made him panic, but Gaara would never forgive him.

One part of the river was ribboned with the dark red of blood, and as he raced over the water towards it, he saw the kunoichi surface, gasping and coughing, hunched low in the water with her golden braid a sodden trail of color in the red-tinted water around her.

Before he could even register his relief that she at least had not drowned, something heavy and grey whistled through the air towards him. The Oto-nin, looking more like a beast than a human, slammed it's thick tail into his side.

Teruyoshi gasped, vision greying at the edges as he was tossed easily up into the air. The power of the blow was so great that he landed sprawled on the near arm of the Shodaime Hokage statue. His head cracked hard against a carved fold of cloth, and he choked in pain, the world around him spinning wildly into a confusing and meaningless blur.

---

Narumi kept one arm pressed tightly against the wound in her abdomen. She blearily forced herself to swim to the bank where Sasuke lay in the coffin. In her minds eye, she could see Teruyoshi's brilliant green eyes fixing on her, temporarily distracted as he tried to come to her aid. Kimimaro's attack on him, the pained curve of his back as he was thrown into the air.

Shuddering, she choked as a wave of water splashed into her mouth, rushing down her throat and into her lungs with her most recent gasp of air. The violent shuddering of her ribs and core muscles that accompanied the action had her convulsing in pain as the abdominal wound was jarred and pulled.

She barely made it to the shore, laboriously dragging herself half out of the water and up onto the bank. Diluted blood leaked out into a puddle beneath her wounds in a watery red pool. She'd lost so much blood already that she was becoming light-headed and dizzy with it.

With an effort, she raised her eyes to look around. Kimimaro was just stalking past her towards the barrier. Teruyoshi was nowhere in sight, and the beast that the Oto-nin had become was already healing from the wound the rasengan had given him. She had been afraid that the jutsu had lacked proper power given her exhausted and light-headed state, but the damage inflicted was even less than she'd feared.

She did take some satisfaction from the fact that the grey-haired shinobi was still coughing up blood intermittently. As he passed her, she reached out and weakly wrapped a hand around his ankle, trying to keep him from advancing further on the barrier protecting Sasuke.

Kimimaro looked down at her silently, and she glared up at him, heaving for breath, forcing the pain she was feeling to the very back of her mind.

"...I...I won't let you..."

The Oto-nin yanked his ankle from her grasp and calmly continued towards the barrier. When he spoke he didn't look at her, and his cool voice was caught between cruelty, and dismissive lack of interest.

"Give up. You are bleeding out. Your allies are scattered and unable to aid you, soon to join you in the land of the dead. And now, the vessel will belong utterly to Orochimaru-sama."

So saying, he dismissed her entirely, and pulled an arm back, focusing on the barrier. A large, spear-like cone of bone that covered his entire forearm grew from his skin, and with a twist of his body, he brought it slamming into the barrier.

The barrier's cool light flickered at the impact, but held. Kimimaro cocked his head, and brought his arm back again, hammering into the barrier over and over with relentless strength, determined to overcome it by sheer brute force. And indeed, with every blow the light of the barrier dimmed further.

Narumi watched him in horror, struggling to drag herself closer. But with each moment, her body grew weaker, refusing to obey her frantic mental screams for it to obey, to move, to attack!

Feeling her strength ebbing, seeping slowly from the wound in her abdomen to spill across the ground, she scraped her claws harshly against the stone beneath her, anger rising furiously into her throat, choking her as hot tears of frustration slipped from her cheeks. She couldn't even summon the control to flare her chakra and call for Saburo.

As her senses began to dim, it felt as if a fog was falling over her, distancing her from her surroundings and muffling both sound and scent. As the fog thickened and she drifted further, a darkly familiar, growling voice. It rumbled through her, shaking her very ribs and vibrating up her spine, pulsing sluggishly through her thinning blood.

"So, tell me Wenchling. Have you a death wish?"

Kyuubi's voice was oddly dry, less cruel, if more caustic. Mutely, Narumi squeezed her eyes shut. Memories flashed through her mind, and she could feel the heavy presence of the Kyuubi, as if he were flipping through her memories with her, absorbing her knowledge into himself. Snorting, he bellowed derisively at her.

"Fool human! This foe is beyond your strength! If you want to die so badly, I will be more than pleased to oblige you!"

Narumi snarled weakly back at him, summoning up what concentration she could.

'Not gonna die! I won't lose to him! I can't!'

There was a puzzled, expectant silence. Then the heavy presence came again, and a single question resonated through her mind, filling her mind.

"Why?"

Her mind flashed to Sasuke, and droll understanding washed through her from Kyuubi.

"Ah...I see. Your kith and kin. It seems I was right. You do have vixen in you."

The Kyuubi's voice took on a certain amount of dark laughter.

"How amusing! Very well, Wenchling! I shall give you the power to crush your opponent!"

Before she could throw up any defenses, anger that bordered on rage boiled up through the blonde. Strength rose with it, filling her utterly, pressing up through her body and filling her to the brim with violent heat.

The thick, red rage of Kyuubi mixed with her own anger as it filled her, the chakra that accompanied it pulsing through her coils in place of her own. As the chakra continued to pour into her, her consciousness began to narrow and fall away. As her sense of the world around her faded, a roar ripped from her throat.

---

Shaking his head against the disorientation, Teruyoshi forced himself to roll over onto his stomach and dragged himself to where he could peer over the arm of the statue he was lying across. What he saw made him curse his sluggish body, and attempt to force himself into motion.

Down on the narrow bank, the Oto-nin was assaulting the barrier thrown around the coffin that contained the Uchiha. Narumi lay half in and half out of the water, her body bonelessly limp, one arm flung out across the stone towards her enemy.

He feared the worst as he saw the utter stillness of her body, but before he could force himself into motion, something very odd began to happen. The bubbling red chakra of a bijuu began drifting up from her in wisps.

The wisps quickly thickened into a veil as the Kyuubi's chakra spilled right through her skin. As the bubbling cloak covered her entire body, the water around her began to hiss and bubble, steaming and boiling as she slowly rose to her feet and waded onto the shore.

Her wounds were steaming as much as the river water had, and fresh, sweat-slicked closed over them, leaving her uninjured. Her features were even more heavily influenced by the Kyuubi than before, and a snarl pulling at her lips.

More chakra exploded forcefully outwards from her. The tie of her braid burst, her hitae-ate blasted off of her forehead, wild golden hair whipping wildly around her in the currents of the chakra.

Striding forward, she gripped one of the massive bone spears protruding from his back in each of her hands, and wrenched backwards. The Oto-nin stumbled back, surprised. Quickly he yanked around to face her. Instead of tearing his bone spikes from her hands, the additional force merely caused her claws to slice cleanly through them.

Tossing the two pieces away, the feral kunoichi gave her enemy a predatory grin. Teruyoshi watched her, remembering something Gaara had recently told him. There was a state, between full possession by the bijuu, and control of oneself, where the bijuu's instincts combined with your own and took over.

It had only happened a few times to Gaara, but the state could apparently be triggered by extreme circumstances. If he had to judge, he'd say that was what was going on with Narumi. A glowing red tail swished around her body, along with long tapered ears atop her head, and yet she did not give off the paralyzing sakki that a full bijuu possession would cause.

The Oto-nin launched himself towards her in an attack, but she simply caught him by the hair and turned, flipping him over her shoulder and slamming him back first into the ground. The shallow cuts opened across her skin by his bones barely had time to bleed before they healed in a rush of power and steam.

Lifting a hand, she crooked her claws, summoning another maelstrom of chakra. This time, it was brilliant red, though it didn't bubble as the chakra that roiled across her body did. Without missing a beat, she slammed the jutsu down into the Oto-nin's chest.

Blood burst from the enemies lips, his eyes widening, and then sliding out of focus, going glassy as his body slumped back against the ground, grey skin returning to alabaster pale, markings fading away and tail and spines receding into his body.

Teruyoshi stared, shocked. An enemy that powerful, and she'd taken him down so quickly. Logically speaking, he'd always known that she was potentially as dangerous as Gaara, but knowing and seeing were two entirely different things.

The kunoichi stared down at the corpse for a moment, nostrils flaring. Once she was assured of his death, her lip curled back in a snarl of satisfaction, and she turned half towards the coffin and it's flickering barrier.

In that moment of stillness, Teruyoshi stared down at her, somehow feeling that he was memorizing every detail of the fierce, bloody, magnificent scene below him.

Long golden hair swirling through the air, slitted crimson eyes glinting beneath fine brows, slender tanned limbs taking on a ruddy glow beneath the shifting chakra cloak, clothing fluttering around her. The ears and tail he had noticed before seemed almost a natural extension of her, the way she carried herself making her seem like an otherworldly creature. Absently, she lifted her hand to her mouth, tongue flickering out to lick, cat-like, at her blood as it dripped across her claws.

He'd always thought she was beautiful, and while this probably should have terrified him, he was used to greater scenes of blood and carnage centered around the more terrible power of his brother. No, even now he couldn't help but feel that the deadly grace she exuded was fascinating.

Then she had turned fully towards the coffin, and the odd trance he'd fallen under broke. His eyes widened in alarm as he realized that she would instinctively strike out at it. If he didn't stop her, she'd regret it later.

Forcing himself into a crouch, the Suna-nin sprang from the statue, landing silently on the surface of the river. He stumbled for a moment, and then surged forward, dashing up behind her. Before she could turn, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders, and clamped the other hand over her eyes.

"Easy, Uzumaki! Come on, calm down! It's alright, everything's over now. It's over."

Making sure his voice was the soothing tone he sometimes used when he spoke to Gaara, he winced slightly when her claws dug into the arm wrapped around her shoulders, a warning growl rumbling in her throat. The bijuu chakra that wrapped her body burned his arms and chest through his clothing, but he ignored it.

Continuing to keep up a soothing stream of speech, he forced himself to wait calmly as the chakra cloak slowly faded away. He'd already been quite badly burned, but he'd had similar burns from Gaara before. Claws faded to fingernails, and in a moment, he was holding up an exhausted kunoichi, her limp hair falling quietly over his arm.

When she spoke, her voice was a little harsh and raspy, tired.

"...Teruyoshi?"

Nodding, he dropped his hand from her eyes, though he didn't let go of her shoulders. He had the feeling that she might fall over if he did.

"Yeah. You got the Oto-nin, by the way. I think we're in the clear."

There was a long moment of silence, and Teruyoshi could sense that she was staring hard at the flickering barrier, and the smoking coffin contained within. Wearily, he wondered if he was seeing things, and if not, if he should be concerned about the chakra roiling thickly around the wooden object.

Doing his best to make his voice light, he glanced down at her with a tired half-smile.

"By the way, congratulations on making Chuunin."

The blonde twisted her head around to look up at him, obviously startled. His smile widened slightly, and he continued in a teasing voice.

"Of course, I'll make chuunin myself, soon enough. So you won't have to worry about fraternization with the lower ranks for long."

Narrowing her eyes, the girl snorted and shook her head, stepping forward. Teruyoshi instantly dropped his arm, though he followed closely after her. With a few hesitant gestures, she broke the barrier around the coffin, and stepped forward. Just as she did, the coffin blasted apart in a roiling mass of chakra and smoke.

Cursing, Teruyoshi dragged Narumi back out of the danger zone. She yanked urgently away from him as soon as the smoke cleared. The Uchiha stood there, looking unsteady and horrified.

Black, flame-like markings covered half of his body. The eye on that side of his face was oddly distorted, the iris a strange, flat gold, while the sclera was a dull gray-black. He looked slowly up at the two of them, his eyes alarmed. Bloody rope-burns ringed his wrists, and he looked much the worse for wear.

Stumbling forward, the Uchiha gasped out a few rough words, apparently not even noticing Teruyoshi's presence.

"...Na-Narumi...help...me..."

With that, he collapsed forward. Though Narumi wasn't in much better shape, she lunged forward and caught him, stumbling to the side and slamming her shoulder into the stone wall of the canyon. Turning her back to the rock, she slid down it, cradling her teammate against her chest.

The two Konoha-nin stared blankly ahead and slightly down, as if they were past the point of registering further danger. Teruyoshi hesitantly took a step forward, but before he could reach them, Haruno, the boy with the pink hair, skidded into the valley.

His eyes locked onto the two beaten looking figures sitting against the wall, and he swore viciously enough to make Teruyoshi stare at him in surprise. The boy seemed much too by the book to know that particular term.

Making a break for his teammates, he bolted past Teruyoshi, hissing under his breath as he went to his knees beside the other two, hands flying over them uneasily.

"Are you two alright? What happened? Damn, Narumi-chan why didn't you call me? No, don't answer that!"

Whipping around on his knees, the rosette fixed fiery eyes on the older boy, voice sharp.

"You! We have to get them back to the village."

Teruyoshi nodded in surprise. He hadn't known that pinky had so much fire in him. Stepping forward, he spoke quietly.

"My brothers will meet up with us along with your other comrades. I don't think your teammates can walk, so if you'd like, I can carry Uzumaki."

Saburo looked somewhat torn, but he nodded tightly. Grabbing Sasuke's wrist, he dragged the darker boys arm over his shoulders, looping his free arm around his waist and hauling his friend to his feet.

"Come on, Sasuke. We're taking you home."

Teruyoshi bent to scoop the exhausted blonde into his arms. Once he had her, he turned quietly to the only fully conscious member of team seven. The Haruno eyed him for a minute, then nodded once.

"Thank you. For helping them."

Then he turned, and leapt quickly away from the valley and into the forest. Teruyoshi sighed, adjusting his grip. Trees. His legs were always sore after traveling through trees. Not that there was any choice right now. Drawing in a breath, he glanced around, and scooped up Narumi's hitae-ate with his toe and flipping it into the air.

The half-conscious kunoichi caught sight of the flashing object rising up next to her, and caught it weakly, holding it tightly to her chest. Teruyoshi chuckled slightly as he followed after Saburo, heading back towards the ninja village hidden deep in the thick, dangerous forest.

"Easy there, Beautiful. We'll have you and your teammates back in Konoha before you know it."

The girl stirred slightly, muttered something under her breath too low for him to catch, and then relaxed into sleep.

---

Danzo strode through the streets of Konoha towards a very specific establishment. It was a bar where the more reckless elements of Konoha's civilian citizenry tended to congregate. Root kept careful track of the movements of such people. After all, they were easy to manipulate, and thus useful.

The work he was about to do could easily have been left to one of his ROOT operatives, but this was work both vital and delicate for Danzo's ambitions in the service of the village. And as he well knew, if you truly wanted something done right, the best way to accomplish that was to do the task yourself.

With a quick flicker of chakra, the War Hawk called up a henge, transforming himself into a harmless looking, aged civilian man. Any other civilian who saw him would swear he was an ordinary man who'd spent his life engaged in hard labor.

Of course, any passing ninja would immediately know him for what he was, and be suspicious. After all, you didn't get to his level without your chakra system becoming far stronger and more developed than any civilian could ever hope to have. But it was unlikely that ninja would pass through this particular establishment, so he would be fairly safe in his disguise.

Once he was assured that all was in place, he moved quietly through the shadowed doorway, and headed for an empty barstool. He'd chosen a time of day that was just before the truly busy hours for such a place. He didn't want a crowd of cautious older men, he wanted the fiery young layabouts who would have the place to themselves in the hours before their elders were freed from their jobs.

Taking a seat, and glancing furtively around the room, he allowed himself a tiny spark of satisfaction. The young men he saw lounging around the tables were just what he wanted. Old enough to be full of fire and passion, young enough to be foolish and trusting of an elder.

When the bar tender turned questioningly to him, he ordered a beer. Normally he didn't touch the stuff, not caring for the taste, or the way it dulled his senses. The coarse drink was one he associated with civilians who had no taste for anything better. But if he were to be accepted by these young men, he would have to pass every test they could set him. Even the ones they weren't consciously aware of.

Lifting the bottle to his lips, he tilted his head back and took a long drink, ignoring the rank stench that filled his nostrils and the acidic burn as the foul liquid washed over his tongue and down his throat. Setting the bottle down in front of him, he fixed an expression of vague, brooding worry on his face, and waited.

Sure enough, it was hardly a moment before a slender young man with flat brown hair and eyes wandered up to lean against the bar next to him inquisitively.

"Hey old-timer. What are you doing in here so early?"

Danzo forced himself to chuckle warmly, his voice taking on the rough, husky tones of a man who'd spent his life working hard and drinking deeply.

"I didn't cut work if that's what you're wondering, youngster. I'm retired."

The younger man whistled, ordering a beer of his own.

"Don't mind if I join you then?"

Danzo shook his head, making sure that the friendly smile he gave the other was still tinged with a hint of worry.

"Help yourself. I'll warn you though, I can still drink a lad like you under the table."

The boy chuckled and lifted his bottle to clink it just a bit roughly against Danzo's own beverage. The two of them chattered aimlessly for a while, the conversation wandering over the various subjects of interest to civilian working folk. Danzo made sure to lend a sympathetic ear at all times, nodding and murmuring reassurances, convincing his companion that the 'old man' was on his side. That he had his best interests at heart.

Then came the tricky part. When they were about halfway through their beers, the younger man glanced sideways at him with a slight frown.

"So, tell me Old-timer, what's bothering you?"

Danzo made sure to look surprised, and the younger man nudged him companionably, taking another long swig of his beer, and swiping the back of his wrist across his mouth.

"Come on, you've looked miserable ever since you got here."

Danzo fixed an uncertain half-smile on his face, making sure his voice became tentative.

"Oh...no, it's nothing. It'd probably bore a lad such as yourself."

The boy snorted, leaning closer and eyeing him closely.

"Ah, you're not the type to worry over nothing. I know that!"

Danzo hesitated slightly, pretending to consider. Then with a sigh, he appeared to give in, leaning in and lowering his voice slightly as if he didn't wish to be heard.

"Well...the other day I overheard some of the ninja talkin'. You remember the Uchiha massacre?"

The younger man nodded curiously, leaning in and lowering his own voice in response to Danzo's secretive manner.

"Yeah, I heard about it when I was a kid. One of those Uchiha kids lost it and slaughtered everybody in the clan but that little one that was in the Chuunin exams a while back, yeah?"

Danzo nodded. An incomplete and vague summary, but enough understanding for his purposes.

"That's right. Well, the traitor ran off as soon as he was done murderin' his family, and turned nuke-nin. But the way I heard it, he's showed back up, tryin' to get his hands on the Kyuubi brat."

While Danzo was aware that the jinchuriki girl was not one and the same being with Kyuubi, he was also aware that there was little if any distinction between the two in the minds of the civilians, particularly the generation that was old enough to know of her existence and lost family members in the attack, but young enough to have grown up resenting her.

The boy proved his speculation right when he scoffed slightly, taking another deep swig of his beer, and speaking dismissively.

"So what? Good riddance to bad rubbish, that's what I say."

Danzo nodded, his tone halfway between commiseration and worry.

"Aye, I'd agree with you there, but here's the thing. Back when Kyuubi had first attacked, there was rumors. Rumors that the Uchiha could control the Kyuubi with their sharingan, make it do things."

Dropping his eyes to his bottle, he swirled the liquid in the heavy brown glass contemplatively, almost absently. Carefully now. He had to lead the boy to the proper conclusion, but still leave plenty of room for the seed to grow without restraint.

"That's what's botherin' me, ya see? If the traitor can control the Kyuubi, and he gets his hands on it...well, he already killed his own family, didn't he? Why not go for the rest of the village?"

Shaking his head slightly, he took on a troubled, brooding look.

"And then with the new Hokage - a woman! - lettin' the thing run around all over creation...well, it just unsettles a man. Makes him wonder."

Downing the last of his beer with a swift gulp, he shook himself, and slowly got to his feet, smiling ruefully and clapping the younger man on the shoulder.

"Ah, well! Don't let the foolishness of an old man worry you lad!"

So saying, he tossed a few coins on the counter, and hobbled from the bar, leaving behind a very still young civilian. As soon as he was clear of the quarter, he released the henge and faded back into the shadows, heading back to ROOT headquarters.

Yes, the seed had been skillfully planted, and in fertile ground. Now his simple suggestions would grow into full-fledged rumors, and suspicion. And in due time, those would bear fruit, bringing the latest step in his great plan to completion.

A tiny smile, nearly a smirk, passed over the dark, scarred face. Yes, now the village of Konoha was one step closer to peace.

---

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the slight delay. Yet more internet problems at my house. Apparently our whole block is having some sort of problem. But I got this out as fast as I could, and I thank you for your patience with me!

So, reviews! As always, many thanks to you all! Such a pleasure to hear from you!
To Zelga Lim Li, Yep, the Teme is still loyal! No need to worry on that account! If anything, Orochimaru's attempts to drag him off and show him 'real power' are going to drive him to even greater heights of loyalty and contempt for all things traitorous.
To jayley, thank you for the support! Believe me, I treasure the reviews I do get all the more for not being deluged in them. You guys are my inspiration \(^0^)/. I hope you liked the retrieval mission. Honestly, I wanted to write a whole lot more detail into it but…when I tried, the chapter started to grow ridiculously huge, even for me (-_-'). So yeah. It ended up like this.
To ChaosIdeals, My thanks for the review! I shall do my best to keep the interesting coming!
To Tempest NightMoon, Well, I'm afraid Narumi doesn't get her hands on the sound four, on account of them pulling the whole 'splitting up' stunt…but don't worry. They were thoroughly trounced for her, by proxy. Heh heh heh.
To Ceralyn, do let me know what you thought of the retrieval mission! It turned out to be more difficult to write than I thought, so I'd love to hear what you guys thought.
To LOLmythLOL, Thank you very much for the support and the enthusiasm. I shall strive not to disappoint with future updates, and hope to hear from you again. Please enjoy!
To Zandamh, Not to worry, Shika didn't forget Chouji. But in this storyline, he's off on a mission at the moment, like Shinako, Nobuye, and Tenma. Actually, he's with Nobuye and Tenma at the moment, but I may have forgotten to write that in? If so, I apologize. Not to worry though! I love Chouji, and he shall certainly have gloriously shining moments in this fic. I promise.
To Hugo0974, please continue to enjoy the story (^_^).

And the explanations!

First off, Narumi subconsciously checks a lot of her plans and ideas with Shika before finalizing things. That's not because she lacks confidence or anything, it's simply because she knows just how smart Shika is, and if she can verify her plans as being good ones, she'd rather have that extra reassurance.

Second, Danzo. Sneaky bastard, isn't he? Manipulating a couple of power hungry old buzzards like that. The thing about Danzo is, no matter how slimy he is, he's practical. Very realistic view of his own abilities, so he's much less vulnerable to the type of arrogance that leads to stupid mistakes. And as you can see, he's very busy manipulating everything to go his way. So tell me, did anyone see that particular suggestion about Narumi and ROOT coming?

Third, No, Sasuke didn't cooperate with the 'you-must-take-this-pill-and-die' thing. But you know, restrained fourteen year old boy versus four twenty-something year olds with the second level of their curses unlocked? Yeah, not good odds. Force feeding you know.

Fourth, you have to remember that in this fic, Sasuke is not going with Orochimaru's minions willingly. So, that changes things a great deal. For one, they can't count on him to go on to Orochimaru on his own if they get caught up in a fight. Matter of fact, when he gets his second level of the cursed seal, he's likely to start up even heavier and harder to control resistance. That means they can't afford to let the retrieval team catch up with them. So, when Kimimaro shows up, they decide to duplicate the coffin with Sasuke inside, and split up. The sound four takes the fake, thinking the retrieval team will assume they still have the real thing. Also, they think that Kimimaro has a greater chance of restraining Sasuke and taking him the all the way to Orochimaru once he wakes up.

Fifth, the reasons Narumi gave for the team splitting up to chase them are all true. However, she also has a hunch that the new guy has Sasuke, which ends up paying out. I think that's all already been explained pretty thoroughly though.

Sixth, because Sasuke is mentally trying to resist being taken to Orochimaru, he forces himself to burn through the 'death-pill' faster than he should have, and wakes up faster than he should have been able to. The downside is that his body isn't through changing yet, and he's still very weak and confused. He actually passes out a couple different times after that first return to wakefulness. This is why he doesn't get out of the barrel in time to help Narumi, and when he does he's still pretty much helpless. By forcing himself to wake up early, he delayed the recovery process from his 'death', and weakened himself physically. On the upside, in doing so he prevented Orochimaru from delving further into his mind during the time he would have been unconscious and without mental defenses.

Seventh, Kimimaro creates a bone bunshin to lay a false trail, hoping to distract his pursuers, and forcing Narumi and Saburo to split up. Narumi, of course, finds the real one, and does her best to kick his butt into next week. On the other hand, even Gaara almost lost to Kimimaro, sooo….yeah, she needs help. Even then, she ends up needing Kyuubi's strength. Oh, and the reason rasengan didn't work properly the first time she used it is because she is still new to the technique, and the chakra control it requires is difficult for her. Having lost so much blood, it was impressive enough for her to have called it up at all.

Eighth, Kyuubi. Yeah, he's got a certain fondness for Narumi. As he said the first time they met, She has more 'spine' and 'vixen' to her than any of his other hosts, who have been mostly female. He likes her gutsiness, and strength of spirit. Not to say he wouldn't still shred her and take control of her body if he could…but it wouldn't be personal. Am I making any sense?

Ninth, No, Teruyoshi is not a pervert. Like I said, he's used to full-on demon transformations, so first stage bijuu chakra cloak doesn't really scare him the way it would other people. Plus, he's the type of guy to be attracted to strong girls. So that's why he reacts to Narumi the way he does.

And lastly, Saburo does catch up with the clone, but it disperses during the real Kimimaro's battle with Narumi, and he had started heading after her. He was about back to where they'd split up when he felt the burst of chakra from Kyuubi. However, he doesn't know that's from Narumi. He thought it was the Oto-nin and that she'd gotten into really serious trouble, and double-timed it up to the valley of the end. Where he promptly took charge of two very exhausted teammates.