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.

18. Black Seeds

They were nearly back Konohagakure when Narumi shifted in his arms and blinked slowly up at him, just barely hovering on this side of unconsciousness and nearly delirious with blood loss and what looked like chakra exhaustion.

"...Sasuke...what about Sasuke? We did get him, didn't we?"

Once again, as he had several times over the past half hour, the Suna-nin nodded patiently and answered with gruff gentleness. He was keenly aware of the rosette Konoha-nin's warning glare. The other boy had been mutely warning him away from any loss of patience or caution the entire trip, apparently not at all happy about entrusting the kunoichi to his care, however temporary.

"Yeah, Beautiful. You got him back."

Before the girl could resettle for another period of dazed silence and vacant staring, they found themselves surrounded by a flurry of white clothing as iryo-nin sprang up into the trees around them, voices firm and urgent.

"Genin Haruno! What are the conditions of Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Narumi?"

The boy sighed in relief, pacing the iryo-nin rather than stopping.

"I'm not sure. They're both pretty out of it, and the Oto-nin did something strange to Sasuke, but I don't know what."

The Iryo-nin exchanged a glance, and then they nodded sharply. The one who seemed to be the squad leader spoke briskly.

"Alright. We'll take them now."

As the group came to a halt, Saburo tightened his grip on Sasuke. Teruyoshi watched his eyes flicker between his teammates and the iryo-nin. Then he uneasily turned Sasuke over to the iryo-nin. But when one of them reached to take Narumi from Teruyoshi, the rosette called out sharply.

"Wait! I'll take Narumi. I can carry her as well as anybody."

Teruyoshi blinked in surprise, and then realized with irritation that the other boy didn't want either teammate out of his sight, but as he could only carry one, he'd rather entrust one of them to the iryo-nin of his own village than to a Suna-nin.

However, he didn't say anything about his irritation. Instead, he simply handed over the blonde girl. For some reason, he felt enven more annoyed when she sighed, and relaxed into the other boys hold, curling trustingly against his chest.

Shaking himself in confused irritation, he threw off the odd feeling in time to catch the tail end of the rosettes latest inquiry of the iryo-nin.

"What about the others?"

As they resumed their course towards Konoha, the iryo-nin replied in an efficient report.

"The Hokage ordered the first and second medic teams dispatched as well. They've already recovered the main squad, and taken them to receive urgent medical treatment."

The rosette looked alarmed, voice tightening.

"What? What happened? Are they alright?"

The lead iryo-nin glanced at the boy in sympathy, though his tone remained calm.

"Shika Nara, and Inuzuka Kira have both taken heavy damage, but are not in life threatening danger. The Hyuuga heir, however, is in critical condition. We are uncertain as to whether or not he will pull through."

The rosette fell into a stricken silence, shoulders tight with anxiety as the blood drained from his face. Teruyoshi kept his silence until they reached the large gates of Konohagakure. The group came to a stop there, and lead iryo-nin spoke quickly in low tones to the two chuunin guards.

After a moment, they were waved through. The iryo-nin and Saburo raced off into the village, likely heading for the hospital. Teruyoshi made to follow them, and one of the chuunin gripped his upper arm. The man's voice was stiff and his gaze suspicious.

"You. Suna. The rest of your team is at the hospital. Join them there."

Teruyoshi scowled, yanking his arm away uneasily. He supposed he should expect it. After all, no matter that Sunagakure had been manipulated by Orochimaru, they had attacked this village. Invaded it. It was only natural that the shinobi here would view him and his brothers with wariness.

Ignoring the hostile stares of the guards, he followed after Saburo and the iryo-nin. They had gained quite a bit of ground, but he was able to follow them to the large white building that had to be the hospital.

He groaned slightly as they dropped from the roofs to the grassy green stretch of courtyard around the building. As they walked towards the building, he took a moment to wonder what sort of madness had infected these Konoha-nin that they must always travel in high places. His legs ached horribly from all this springing through the air.

Slowly, he followed the rest of the group into the building. Cool, sterile air washed over him as he passed through the door, and he shivered slightly. While the crisp dryness was soothing after the heavy wetness of forest air, the temperature was far too cold for the daytime.

The iryo-nin hustled Saburo and the two limp Konoha-nin down a hall and up a staircase, leaving his sight. He glanced around uncertainly. After a moment, he walked up to the main desk, and cleared his throat.

The white-robed kunoichi sitting behind the counter glanced up at him, and drew a sharp breath, eyes flickering to the glinting metal plate on his arm gaurd, proudly carved with the symbol of his village. Narrowing his eyes, he smirked at her, leaning carelessly against the counter.

"Hey there. Seen my brothers around? A red head with a gourd and a cranky kid all in black with Kabuki paint?"

Behind him, a familiar voice spoke up sharply.

Oi! I heard that, Aniki!"

Glancing over his shoulder, Teruyoshi let out a long breath, relief flooding through him. He'd been half afraid something might have happened to his brothers when his own opponent turned out to be so insanely strong. But there Kankuro stood, a bottle of water in one hand and a half-scowl on his face.

"Kankuro."

Punching him lightly in the shoulder, the younger boy rolled his eyes and beckoned him as he turned back down the hall.

"Come on. Gaara's outside the operating room."

Quickly, Teruyoshi followed and drew even with him. As the two of them ghosted along the hall, Teruyoshi glanced over, his voice quiet.

"So? How'd it go?"

Kankuro shrugged tiredly,

"Harder than we thought. Those Oto-nin put up quite a fight. If it weren't for that kunoichi, Nara, we probably would have been in deep trouble. Gaara managed to keep anybody from dying, though it was a close call with the Hyuuga. That's whose getting operated on. I think Gaara feels guilty."

Glancing over, Teruyoshi elbowed his younger brother with a slight frown.

"Why?"

Kankuro sounded more exasperated than anything else.

"I don't know. You know how he's been since he woke up after the exams. It wasn't even his fault. The Hyuuga kid jumped out in front of an arrow to protect the Inuzuka girl."

Shaking his head slightly, he sighed.

"Anyway, after the fight, the iryo-nin showed up and brought us back here. I don't think they like us much, though."

Teruyoshi snorted at the indignation in his brothers voice and rolled his eyes.

"Don't mind it, Kankuro. Let's just go find Gaara."

Glancing sideways at him, the puppeteer snorted.

"Speaking of, Gaara's been on pins and needles worrying about Uzumaki. You can bet he's gonna grill you."

Teruyoshi grimaced, and opened his mouth to say something. Before he could speak, they turned a corner and found themselves in a short corridor leading to a set of wide double doors with a glowing sign above them that read 'Op in Progress'.

Low benches with flat cushions lined the walls, and Gaara perched on one. His arms were crossed over his chest and his gourd leaned against the bench beside his legs. Looking up, his pale blue eyes widened a touch at the sight of his eldest brother. Standing, he fixed Teruyoshi with an unblinking stare.

"Teruyoshi-nii-san. I trust your end of the mission was successfully completed?"

Smiling weakly, the blonde's mind raced as he tried to think of a way to avoid mentioning that he'd nearly let the girl Gaara considered to be his first and only friend nearly die, while still explaining her current situation. Stalling desperately, he pretended not to notice the real question hidden in the words.

"Yeah. We got the Uchiha back from Oto and brought him back to the village. He's a little worse for wear, but the mission was a success."

Gaara cocked his head slightly, fingers tightening on his arms, and a slight tension threading through his tone of voice. Teruyoshi winced. He should have known Gaara would pick up on his attempt. The kid was more perceptive than anybody gave him credit for.

"And Narumi Uzumaki? Is she well?"

Teruyoshi rubbed the back of his neck and sighed.

"Well...that's complicated."

When anxiety and fear darkened pale blue eyes, Teruyoshi hastened to clarify the admittedly ambiguous statement.

"Hold on, I don't think she's in serious condition! Not anymore, anyway..."

Sighing, he dropped his gaze to the benches and gestured weakly.

"I'll explain. Can we just...sit down for a minute? Damn Konoha-nin have thighs of steel or something."

Kankuro interjected, making a deliberate effort to lighten the atmosphere.

"I know. All this bouncin' around through the air and never coming to ground...not even in the village! Give me a good stretch of desert or flatland any day."

Gaara didn't respond to either of them, but he settled back onto the bench. The other two settled on the bench opposite him and Teruyoshi winced slightly as his abused muscles relaxed. What he really needed was a good long soak in a hot-spring.

Pulling his thoughts forcefully back on track, he shook his head slightly and began to speak.

"After we split up, the trail diverged again. The Oto-nin that Uzumaki and Haruno were chasing cloned himself and split the trail again. They each followed one branch, and I decided to try the trail that headed towards Oto territory."

He leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes for a minute.

"When I arrived, Uzumaki had already engaged the enemy. She'd managed to separate the Oto-nin from the coffin in which they had placed Uchiha."

Kankuro interrupted, pulling back with a look of utter disgust.

"Wait a second. A coffin? I thought..."

Teruyoshi shrugged, shoving a hand distractedly through his wild hair, and wondering absently what exactly had happened before he arrived on the scene. Taking a deep breath, he resumed his tale.

"He wasn't dead. They put him in there alive."

Grimacing his agreement at the disgust on his brothers features, he continued.

"Anyway, Uzumaki had somehow put up a barrier seal around the coffin to keep the Oto-nin from escaping with the Uchiha. When I got there, we fought him together, but the guy was unnaturally strong. He had some sort of kekkai genkai that worked with his bones, and a strange power that stemmed from a mark on his chest."

A hint of frustration entered his voice as he remembered the battle.

"I thought I had him when I summoned Kamatari, but he started to change. That black mark on his chest spread all over his body and he got stronger. A lot stronger. He managed to catch me with a whip, and changed again. It was like..."

Here he struggled for a way to describe what he had felt and seen without saying something cruel to Gaara.

"It was almost like he was a jinchuriki. He changed into something not human...but he was still in control. It was...unsettling."

Now he lifted his eyes to Gaara, feeling that he should keep an eye on the younger boys reactions to what he was about to say.

"Uzumaki attacked him in an attempt to protect me, and was stabbed just below her ribcage. The Oto-nin threw her into the river. I had managed to get free during the struggle between them, and went after her."

Gaara was stiff and still, and Teruyoshi had to work at not twisting his fingers or fidgeting under that pale, unwavering gaze.

"The Oto-nin knocked me up into one of the statues bordering the waterfall in the valley, and I was...temporarily stunned. When I came too, the Oto-nin was working on breaking the barrier seal. Uzumaki had made it to the bank but...she wasn't moving. I thought she'd bled out."

Gaara's knuckles whitened as his hands fisted in the cloth covering the crook of his elbows. He didn't say anything, but his lips compressed to a thin line, and Teruyoshi could see that he was practically vibrating with distress and tension.

"That was when the Kyuubi intervened. I don't think she was taken over, but she definitely went feral. There was strange red chakra all over her body, and it formed a tail and fox ears. Also, her physical appearance changed."

He carefully avoided mentioning his lack of a negative reaction to the change, not sure if he could explain it even if he wished too. Besides, for some reason it felt faintly embarrassing.

"Her wounds healed over like she'd never been hurt, and she attacked the Oto-nin. But this time, it was like she was toying with him almost. Killed him without even breaking a sweat. I managed to calm her down after that."

Again, he deliberately left out the details of the event in question. He'd already cast a henge to hide the burns on his chest and the insides of his arms from the bijuus chakra. He'd take care of those later, on his own, just as he had with burns he'd received from Gaara on missions. No reason for anyone to worry unduly over something so small.

Shrugging and clearing his throat, he finished up his half report, half explanation, still very aware of his baby brothers eyes burning into him accusingly.

"She collapsed right after that. Her wounds seem to have all healed up, and I don't think she's in serious danger, but-"

In the middle of his last sentence, the sign above the operating room doors blinked off, and one wide slab of white swung outwards. The woman who stepped out was none other than the Godaime Hokage herself, her green coat fluttering around her legs as she moved forward and gave the three of them a friendly nod.

"Gaara-san, Kankuro-san, Teruyoshi-san. You'll be glad to know that Hirohito Hyuuga is out of danger. They're all going to be fine."

Gaara stood up and nodded quietly to the Godaime, slinging his gourd over his back in its customary place, his voice soft and calm. Only Kankuro and Teruyoshi heard the slight tension running beneath his tone.

"Thank you very much, Hokage-sama. If you'll excuse me there's a friend I need to see to."

With a bow that somehow managed to be both respectful, elegant, and brief, the red head turned, his long maroon coat flaring dramatically around his legs. Striking up a brisk pace, he left the hall, ghosting around the corner with such ease that had he not moved so quickly, you'd never have known he was hurrying.

---

Gaara found team sevens room without much difficulty. Despite the fact that he was no longer the half-mad killing machine he once was, most people still found his stare to be quite intimidating, and a simple iryo-nin apprentice was no different.

When he reached the door, he hesitated even as he laid his hand gently on the handle. Nervous doubt washing through him. While he was fairly confident that Narumi was his friend, her teammates might not see things that way. It was entirely possible they might not want him here.

Shaking himself slightly, he firmly told himself that he was more than a match for them if need be. He hoped anyway. Drawing in a slow breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside the clean, quiet whiteness of the hospital room.

Two twin beds were in the room, both flanked by machinery and IV drips. In the near bed lay Sasuke Uchiha, his normally alabaster skin even paler than usual, nearly matching the sheets he lay on.

The other bed was occupied by his kunoichi teammate, her tanned skin a sharp contrast to his, golden hair splayed wildly across her pillow, and her expression pained. Between the two beds hovered an anxious looking boy with pink hair that was even messier than usual, and worried jade-green eyes.

The rosette looked up at him in surprise, mouth working silently for a moment before he managed to speak to the silent red-head standing firmly in the door.

"...G-Gaara? What...I mean why...?"

Gaara forced himself not to show embarrassment or nerves. Ignoring the stuttering boy he stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him. Moving across the room, he spoke as if he were only stating a fact, and an obvious one at that.

"I'm here to visit Narumi. I was told that she had returned after successfully completing her mission."

Drawing up a chair on the side of her bed, he sat down and looked her over, stretching his senses outwards. He could feel the residue of heat and power in her coils that he associated with bijuu, telling him that she had indeed drawn on the Kyuubi during the fight.

In contrast, her own chakra was barely there as far as he could sense, trickling slowly through her coils. He could also feel the places on her body where she had been injured from the heavy concentration of traces of bijuu chakra that permeated the skin, muscle, bone, and blood.

Saburo had sat on the edge of the Uchiha's bed, eyeing the intruder into his teams temporary haven with a certain amount of confusion and distrust. When he spoke he kept his voice quiet enough not to disturb the two unconscious teens.

"The iryo-nin checked them both over. They said that Narumi's suffering from severe chakra strain, because she drew on more chakra than she can handle. I don't know what that means, because I've seen ninja run themselves right into chakra exhaustion without ever getting chakra strain."

The rosette shook his head quietly, but Gaara understood almost immediately what the problem was. Chakra strain was a condition that was almost entirely unique to jinchuriki. While all jinchuriki had an enormous amount of chakra to draw on, both their own and that of the bijuu, the human body could only handle so much before it was overloaded.

For born jinchuriki like himself and Narumi, their bodies had developed from the beginning to handle those immense amounts of chakra, and they could hold out for even longer than those jinchuriki who were made so later during life. But even for them, there was a breaking point beyond which they could not go.

Gaara himself had suffered from this particular affliction a few times before, so he wasn't entirely surprised. He also knew that it was even harder on the body when such a condition was brought about when you were already severely wounded. But he was also sure that if that was all that was wrong, Narumi would be fine. She was strong, and no jinchuriki would die from chakra strain of this level.

Relaxing slightly, he looked up at the tired looking rosette, and spoke quietly.

"And the Uchiha?"

The other boy blinked startled green eyes at him, apparently surprised by his inquiry. Gaara didn't see why he was surprised. After all, the Uchiha was not only the reason for the mission that had left Narumi and the other three Konoha-nin so injured, he was also Narumi's comrade. And if there was one thing about the blonde that he'd come to understand, it was that she treasured her village and her comrades above all else.

"Um...they're not sure what's wrong with Sasuke. They said that they'd send Tsunade-sama to have a look at him as soon as they could but..."

Saburo shrugged helplessly, troubled gaze sliding to his deathly still teammate. Gaara merely turned his own silent contemplation back to the blonde on the bed. He couldn't decide if he was glad that Teruyoshi had been the one to follow her or not.

On the one hand, he had almost complete confidence in his eldest brothers skill, and he knew that without his help Narumi could easily have been killed. At the same time, he was equally sure that if he had been the one to go to her aid, he would have been able to prevent her being pushed to this state.

Narrowing his eyes very slightly, he forced those thoughts from his mind. After all, the opponent had been strong enough to force her to draw on her bijuu. And he was sure that Teruyoshi had done everything possible.

After reassuring himself of his brothers efforts, Gaara allowed himself to slip into the quiet, meditative state that he used to strengthen his mental defenses against and control over Shukaku. Across the room from him, Haruno continued to drift anxiously between the beds, casting cautious glances towards the silent red head.

A short while later, the door opened again. Gaara lifted his eyes to see both his brothers entering the room. Teruyoshi was laughing while Kankuro gestured wildly, voice indignant and face a bright enough red that his kabuki paint was nearly invisible.

"...and I'm telling you that's not it! Why would I ever be attracted to a foul-mouthed tomboy like that?"

Saburo looked up, brows snapping together to form a fierce scowl as he hissed warningly at the two rowdy Suna-nin.

"Quit making a racket! Don't you know how to act in a hospital room? Either shut up or get out!"

Both the newcomers pulled up short, staring at the rosette in surprise. Teruyoshi looked startled and a little guilty, a sheepish smile pulling at his mouth. Kankuro, on the other hand, immediately tried to bluster his way through his own embarrassed guilt.

"Yeah? Why don't you make me, pinky?"

The Konoha genin's hands clenched immediately into fists, chakra pulsing warningly around them, its glow deceptively soft. Stalking stiffly towards the other boy, he growled at him, jade eyes sparking dangerously.

"My pleasure, doll-boy."

Narrowing his eyes, Gaara didn't even bother to stand. With a flick of his wrist, sand writhed out of his gourd and sprang up between the two would-be combatants, forcing them apart.

Saburo stumbled back and sat heavily on the Uchiha's bed, swearing under his breath, while Teruyoshi lunged to catch Kankuro before he could fall. Gaara spoke quietly, a slight warning in his gaze as he watched the group of them.

"Enough. This is neither the time or place for foolish posturing."

Before either of the others could answer him, a strong, feminine voice that somehow managed to be both sharp, and amused spoke up.

"Well, at least one of you has some sense."

As his brothers stepped out of the doorway, a tall, buxom woman with ash blonde pigtails and piercing brown eyes entered the room, hands propped on her hips as she surveyed them all.

"Honestly, the both of you ought to be ashamed. Especially you, Haruno. While I'll give you that the shouting wouldn't make for the most restful environment, your chakra spike has done much more to agitate your teammates than any amount of shouting."

Gaara glanced at the two ninja stretched out on the beds, and was surprised to see that the woman was right. Both were twisting beneath their sheets, faces drawn into agitated frowns as they tried to fight their way towards wakefulness.

Shaking her head, the woman circled the three boys in front of the door, and moved up between the beds, laying a hand on each of the injured ninja's foreheads. Her hands momentarily glowed with the gentle, verdant green of healing chakra, and the agitated Konoha-nin slowly relaxed back into calm stillness.

"Really. What both of them need most right now is sleep."

Gaara watched her curiously, realizing that this must be the Godaime-hokage. Dismissing the stammering apologies of both parties, the woman glanced back and forth between the four young shinobi staring at her. When she spoke her voice was brisk and to the point.

"Alright, which of you was with these two during the mission? I understand that the team was forced to split."

Teruyoshi locked his hands behind his back, straightening and lifting his chin as he met the woman's gaze.

"That would be me, ma'am."

The Hokage turned fully to him, eyes cool and measuring.

"Report."

Gaara watched intently as Teruyoshi told the woman all he knew in the same respectful, concise tones he used with Baki-sensei. There was something a bit odd about his brothers demeanor that was bothering him.

The older boys shoulders were tense, and Gaara could tell that he was being careful not to look in the direction of the bed by the window. It was almost like he was nervous or uncomfortable around Narumi. Gaara frowned slightly, confused.

Teruyoshi had always been the one and only person to never show true fear of him, the only person who dared to treat him like the younger brother that he was. At the time, Gaara had always assumed that it meant that he was like Yashamaru, acting like he cared until he had a chance to attack. Now, he was grateful for his brothers patience and support.

But then, why was Teruyoshi uncomfortable now? Yes, he had seen Narumi call on her bijuu, but he had seen Gaara do worse with a similar power and never acted this way with him. Unable to understand why his brother was reacting in such a way, Gaara decided to ask him about it later.

When the blonde Suna-nin was done reporting, the Hokage hummed low in her throat, turning troubled eyes to the Uchiha, and the Uzumaki. Both had been dressed in the loose, dark clothing of hospital patients, all their gear set aside for the duration of their treatment. The only thing that remained was a green crystal pendant around Narumi's neck, and the Hokage looked at that for a long time.

Then she sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, moving to the Uchiha's bedside. Reaching out, she laid one hand on his forehead, and the other on his chest, just below his throat. Both hands glowed as she allowed her eyes to slide closed.

There were several long moments of silence, wherein Saburo hovered anxiously, eyes intent on the Hokage, Gaara watched quietly, and his brothers shifted uneasily in the background. Finally, the Godaime pulled back her hands, and opened her eyes, stepping away from the bed.

Before she could speak, the window behind Gaara was ripped open, and a blur of navy, silver, and forest green shot by him. Alarmed at the speed that he had no time to react to, Gaara instinctively threw up a shield of sand between himself, the sickbeds, and the possible threat.

A sharp, dangerous voice rang out angrily from the other side of the barrier.

"Where are they?"

The Godaime's voice was calm and soothing, slightly dry as she answered smoothly.

"Calm down, Kakashi. They're all safe. Gaara-san, would you mind retracting that wall of yours?"

Blinking uncertainly over at his brothers and Haruno, who had both been caught on this side of his barrier, he saw that both Kankuro and Teruyoshi were equally confused. Saburo, on the other hand, was practically sagging against the frame of the nearest bed in relief.

Considering the reaction of the Konoha genin, and the apparent lack of surprise from the Godaime, he called his sand back. Now he could see a very agitated looking jounin with silver hair and one black eye that swept across the room. The man practically vibrated with tension.

Blinking, Gaara vaguely recognized this man as team sevens jounin-sensei. That was confirmed when Haruno sprang across the room with a hoarse cry and hugged the man tightly around the waist, burying his face in his chest like a lost child rediscovering the safety of their parents presence.

The jounin relaxed, lone visible eye softening slightly as he ruffled the boys hair soothingly. His gaze flickered from the obviously distraught rosette to the two prone figures in the beds, and then slowly turned towards the Hokage, his face stony.

"Tsunade-sama. With all due respect, what in the nine hells have you done to my students?"

Gaara's eyes widened, and he stared at the bristling man. No one in Sunagakure had ever dared to speak to his father like that. Oh, the council might disagree with him, the jounin might occasionally advise against one of his decisions, but that was very different from this.

The Godaime, however, didn't seem at all offended or even surprised by the mans attitude. She just rubbed her temples and drew a deep breath.

"Easy, Hatake. Narumi was my best option for team leader, and you know she'd never have left Haruno behind. And besides, even if I hadn't assigned the two of them, they still would have gone. It's your own damn fault for teaching them to be so stubborn."

Hatake grunted, but he glanced down at the rosette who'd calmed enough to step back from him, and smiled gently.

"Good job, Saburo. You did well."

The boy nodded, face pale and chin stubbornly set.

"Thanks, Sensei."

The jounin looked up at the Hokage, who rolled her eyes gently and then crossed her arms as she spoke.

"Sasuke is our biggest problem at the moment. He's not in immediate danger, but there are traces of a chemical compound that I don't recognize in his system. Also, his curse seal seems to have further developed into a more advanced stage, most likely in reaction to the compound administered to him. I'll have to do more work with him to determine what that means, but at the moment, I'm optimistic."

The woman's eyes flickered from one bed to the next as she spoke quietly to Hatake, her expression a little tired.

"Narumi is currently suffering from something I've never seen before. It's like she used more chakra than she could physically handle, and her body has shut down temporarily to repair the damage. However, I think she'll be fine given the proper rest."

Glancing over towards Teruyoshi, she gave a small smile.

"I think you have this young man to thank for that. He seems to have prevented her from straining herself further..."

Suddenly the Hokage frowned, eyes focusing intently on his brother. Gaara followed her glance, only to find that Teruyoshi was holding himself even more stiffly than before, arms pressed close against his sides as he tried to meet her gaze.

The Hokage stalked across the room and grabbed his wrist, yanking his arm out from his side, and turning the inside of it towards her. Unsnapping the clasps that held the heavy leather cuff around his brothers arm closed, she eased it off, and ignored his protests, sending out a burst of chakra.

"Kai!"

At first Gaara was confused, then horrified. The skin of his brothers arm shimmered, and then seemed to melt away as the henge was dispersed. In it's place was raw red flesh, blistered and burned, stretching over the palm of his hand and the undersides of his fingers, up his wrist and forearm, the side of his upper arm, and beneath his mesh shirt.

An identical burn was visible on the inside of his other arm, and Gaara could see a hint of raw red through the mesh that peeked from the v-neck of his wrap shirt, indicating that the burns stretched across his chest as well.

The Hokage cursed and then shook her head.

"How in the...? Never mind, I think I can guess."

From the way her eyes flickered cautiously to Saburo, and a few comments that Gaara had picked up here and there, he gathered that the Konoha-nin of his and Narumi's age-group didn't know about her status as a jinchuriki. Though everyone else was quite obviously aware.

He wasn't really given time to think about that, as the Hokage ordered Teruyoshi to hold out his arms so she could remove his shirts and remaining cuff. When he tried to protest again, she hushed him instantly, glaring at him until he obeyed.

As she peeled the clothing off of him as gently as possible, Gaara saw Hatake's eye narrow slightly, following the path of the burns with something like suspicion. Then the man spoke up in a lazy drawl that didn't quite match the sharpness in his dark stare.

"How did you say you calmed Narumi down again...?"

Gaara blinked as Teruyoshi turned red, and stammered awkwardly.

"I...that is...I mean she...I just..."

The Hokage, who was already bent over him and moving gently glowing hands over his burns glanced up and raised an eyebrow, while Hatake's face seemed to still and darken slightly.

"I see..."

Gaara looked back and forth between his brother and the two Konoha adults, confused and curious. Before anymore stammering could be done, the door opened again, and Gaara looked up in exasperation. Really, the room was getting rather crowded already.

An old man with an x-shaped scar on his chin, bandages swathed around his head and over one eye, and only one arm stood quietly in the doorway. Both the Hokage and Jounin Hatake tensed, eyes flicking warily up to the old man, who didn't seem to notice their sudden silent hostility.

The man swept his gaze across the room, and the hairs on the back of Gaara's neck prickled uneasily as that cold gaze passed over him. Then the man was fixing his attention back on the Hokage, and for all the tension his arrival had brought, his voice was calm and almost soothing.

"Tsunade-hime. There was a matter I wished to discuss with you, and your assistant did not seem certain of when you would return..."

The Hokage turned her gaze pointedly away from the old man, fixing her attention back on Teruyoshi's burns.

"For good reason. I have patients to attend to. We'll speak later."

The man frowned, then turned a wary gaze towards Gaara and his brothers.

"These must be our...allies."

Tsunade's brown eyes narrowed and she spoke with frosty politeness.

"Danzo, I'll have to ask you to leave now. I have to concentrate, and I'm afraid the iryo-nin will have fits if I bring any more visitors into this room at the moment."

There was a long silence, and then the man inclined his head slightly, backing out of the room, and closing the door softly behind him. Tsunade let out a long breath, and then turned back to Teruyoshi.

"Now, where were we?"

---

Delight and satisfaction leapt within him as Danzo left the hospital at a properly dignified pace. The image of the extensive and very distinctive burns that spread across the Suna brat's body danced behind his eyes. Such a golden opportunity that fate had presented to him! With this, with this the jinchuriki would come running to him, flinging her power straight into his hands.

Drawing in a subtle breath, he kept an iron grip over his facial expression as his mouth fought to curl up into a satisfied smile. Oh, if only Hiruzen knew how his own teachings would become the very tool Danzo needed to seize the weapon the dear Sandaime had insisted that the jinchuriki was not.

Turning aside into a darkened alley behind an abandoned shop, he came to a halt and flared his chakra very subtly. It wasn't enough to get the attention of any of the village shinobi, but it was more than strong enough for his purposes.

Nearly instantly, a black clad shinobi with the pale blonde hair and baby blue eyes of the Yamanaka clan was kneeling before him. Examining the ROOT shinobi, Danzo allowed himself yet another moment of satisfaction. This man was clearly related to the Yamanaka's but his facial features were far more rough hewn than theirs.

While all clans kept an eye on their members, illegitimate children were often overlooked and forgotten. Such children provided a perfect pool of willing volunteers for ROOT, personally loyal to Danzo with all the abilities of the major clans, and none of the possible division of loyalties between clan, surface village, and the true interests of Konoha.

This man was his current ROOT bodyguard, a stroke of luck that Danzo silently rejoiced in. When he spoke he kept his voice even and firm, as he always did with his ROOT. However, he couldn't help the spark of triumph that flashed through his eyes.

"Eri. You saw the Suna boy."

The man dropped his head a little further, murmuring his acknowledgment. Danzo's eyes blazed and then settled.

"Excellent. Now, this is what I want you to do..."

---

Narumi blinked and stared. She was standing atop the river in the valley of the end. She could sense the great stone figures of the Shodaime and Madara Uchiha looming up behind her, and the Oto-nin was standing in front of her.

She started to tense, but then realized that he wasn't doing anything. Just standing there, staring at her in shock. Slowly, she realized that she could feel the bubbling heat of the Kyuubi's chakra surrounding her, racing through her coils. And that her hand was both wet and warm.

Looking down, she found her claws buried deep in the oozing ruin of the Oto-nin's chest. She gagged as the Oto-nin coughed up blood, spraying the thick, dark liquid across her cheek and throat. But her body didn't respond to her.

Her hand yanked out of his chest, but not of her own violation. The Oto-nin collapsed on top of the water. Though she knew instinctively that he was dead, he didn't splash through the surface immediately as he should have.

Looking down, she tried to cry out, despite her throat refusing to cooperate. The river beneath her wasn't water, but blood. The Oto-nin sank slowly beneath the surface, his grey hair and pale garments slowly staining an ugly red as he was pulled down into the sticky, sluggish currents.

Eyes burning, Narumi felt herself turn away from the spot where she'd dropped him. Behind her stood Teruyoshi. He looked worried, concerned about her, and didn't seem to notice the river of blood beneath his feet, the speckles of red that splashed up onto his legs as he walked towards her with outstretched arms.

Enfolding her in a hug, he murmured soothingly to her.

"It's alright, I'm here. I'll help you."

And then suddenly the scent of burning flesh came to her and the blonde boy was screaming in agony. Narumi realized that the violent red chakra around her had transformed into an ugly fire, and though it didn't harm her, Teruyoshi was being burned alive.

The Suna-nin let go of her and tried to back away, but her arms came up to seize him tightly, returning his embrace and holding him within the flames. Inside her mind, Narumi screamed and struggled to release him, to push him away. But her body would not obey.

Teruyoshi screamed and screamed, begging her to release him, his skin blistering and running like wax. Then it began to blacken and flake away. And through it all Narumi could not wrestle her body into submission. As if her very flesh had transformed into a monster that fought her will.

When her arms finally released him, he was already dying. Like the Oto-nin, he collapsed to the thick river, sinking slowly into it. Narumi stared down at the ruined corpse drawing in it's last breaths, horror and fear and self-revulsion fighting within her. She did this.

With a last rattling breath, the once-shinobi choked out a last message in a voice ruined by flames and smoke and screaming.

"N-Naru...no'...no' y'r faul'...trus' yo-"

With a final rattling gasp of pain, he went still and sank away beneath the boiling red-black surface of the river. Narumi tried to scream, to dive after him, to do anything. But her body refused her, simply turning away.

She felt numb and the breath dragged into her lungs hurt, stabbing into her like razor blades sculpted of ice. The world around her seemed to blur and smear as boiling tears welled up in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks in hissing trails before steaming away in the heat of the chakra/fire that still writhed across her skin.

But perhaps the world really did smear away, because when her vision clears she's standing in the heart of the village. Her stomach twists horribly, plummeting into her toes as her heart leaps into her throat. She half thinks it's trying to choke her to death before she can do any more harm.

Sasuke and Saburo are there. Running towards her, calling out to her. Oh right. She's still covered in blood and fire, and smelling like burning flesh and death. Those scents overwhelm her own sense of smell again, and she rips her throat raw trying to scream a warning.

But she can do nothing but watch as her own claws tear into her brave, selfless, wonderful teammates, burning them and cutting them to pieces. And just like before as she stands over their bodies while they die, they assure her that it's alright. That they trust her. That they believe in her.

She's still trying to scream when the others come. All of them. The rest of the rookie nine, Lee's team, Kakashi-sensei, the Academy kids, Ikyue-sensei, Tsunade-baa-chan and Ero-sennin. Everyone.

The scene repeats itself over and over again. Blood and fire everywhere, her precious people all dying at her own hands as the village burns around her. Tears stream down her cheeks even as her jaw stretches open to loose a crazed laugh not her own.

Choking on her despair, she screamed.

Blue eyes flew open to stare at the ceiling as Narumi gasped for air, whimpering quietly. The room was dark and cold, the moon shining distantly through the window to bathe the beds in pale light, leeching the color from the occupants.

Surging into a sitting position, the kunoichi looked around her with wide, wild eyes. Her loose clothing and the blankets around her were soaked with cold sweat, and her hair plastered to her neck, face, and back.

She was shivering violently in the cool night air, but by contrast her cheeks were hot with tears. Her eyes felt heavy and swollen, and her throat was so raw and torn that it hurt even just to breathe.

Staring down at her slightly trembling hands, she nearly cried out in relief that there was no blood and no fire. Vaguely she wondered why she didn't weep, and then realized that she had no tears left. When she drew in a breath, the scents of the hospital flooded her nose, the old blood nearly making her throw up.

Then she realized that another scent lay thickly in the air. Her head whipped around, and she gasped in relief when she saw Sasuke's pale form in the bed beside her, inky hair splayed untidily across the glowing white of the pillow.

Struggling up from the bed, she yanked her legs free of the twisted sheets and stumbled almost mindlessly across the room towards her teammate. Reaching out, she made as if to touch him. But the instant she saw her own fingers stretching out towards him, she threw herself back with a violent shudder, suddenly terrified that her touch would set him aflame.

Suddenly she couldn't stand this place. Trapped in a room that carried the scent of blood, however old, and her teammate lying vulnerable and trusting in front of her. Turning, she scrambled blindly for the window. Forcing it open, she leapt to the windowsill and launched herself out into the night.

Racing blindly across the rooftops, she didn't even notice where she was going. She just continued her headlong rush, desperate to get away. Frantically she wondered if she hadn't better leave the village. After all, she'd hurt it wouldn't she?

Once, she dropped to the ground, unconciously avoiding a patrol leaving the village proper for the outer perimeter of the wall. When she hit the ground, she staggered sideways, shoulder crashing hard into the wall of a building. She struggled for breath, chest heaving as she panted. Before she could collect herself, harsh yellow light struck her face like a blow. Hissing, she tried to curl miserably away from it.

A large, rough hand seized her arm, and dragged her back around. Squinting, she found herself surrounded by a small group of very drunk looking civilians. Laborers. Their leader, a young man with brown hair and eyes, glared down at her.

"Hey, you're the Kyuubi brat!"

His words had a drunken slur to them, and the men around him muttered sullenly. Long experience had her muscles tensing warily, knowing that angry people who connected her with the Kyuubi were never a good thing.

Seizing her by the shoulders, he shook her violently, growling angrily down at her.

"You...you think we don't know? You're gonna kill us all for that damn traitor, aren't ya? Gramps warned us! Why don't you just die, you damn monster?"

Too tired and frightened to make proper sense of his words, Narumi merely registered the hostility and potential danger. With a sound that was half scream and half sob, she ripped herself easily from his grip, and sprang into the air again, hurtling over the roofs.

As she reached the edge of the village, she landed awkwardly on the edge of a roof. Her sweat-slicked foot skidded and slid, and before she knew it she was tumbling headlong towards the ground. Throwing up her arms, she twisted her body and managed to absorb most of the impact with a quick roll as she struck the ground.

Sprawling out on the lush grass, she gasped for breath, squeezing her eyes shut against the remnants of nightmare terror racing through her blood. That particular dream shadowed her own fears of losing control of her demon far, far too closely. What was worse, everyone knew it was going to happen. Hadn't those villagers said something like that?

Kyuubi's healing ability meant that she would have no bruises from the encounter, but the places he'd gripped her felt tender and sore, burning like brands of shame through the clinging wet cloth of her shirt sleeves.

A soothingly soft voice suddenly spoke up from close by.

"Hello, young one."

Alarmed, the blonde kunoichi rolled and wrenched herself to her feet, body tense and ready to run. But the sight that met her was oddly calming. An old man, scarred and weathered by the life of a shinobi, his hand resting lightly atop a cane, a kindly glint in his single visible eye.

Narumi's experiences with the Sandaime had taught her that elderly shinobi of the village could be trusted and relied upon. Caught between flight and a sudden desire to spill all her troubles, she wavered, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Ah...I..."

The man's brow furrowed slightly, and he took a step towards her, voice concerned.

"Are you alright, child?"

Dropping her chin, she didn't answer. Right now what she really wanted was to talk to Sandaime-jiji, or Ero-sennin, or Kakashi-sensei. But she didn't know where either Sensei or Ero-senin were, and jiji was gone for good.

A moment later, a warm hand was laid on her shoulder. Stiffening, she jerked her head up, staring at the man with wide, haunted eyes. He'd set his cane against the wall to touch her, and she half expected him to convulse and drop to the ground in flames.

When he didn't, her breath rushed out of her all at once in a dry, ragged sob of relief. Looking more concerned than ever, he spoke to her in a gentle voice, turning her towards a stone bench set beneath the trees.

"There, there. Come and sit with me."

Once they'd both settled, the man braced his cane in front of him, folding his hand across the top of it. Turning slightly towards her, he fixed a steady gaze on her, voice soft and coaxing.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Thinking about how to explain herself, Narumi suddenly flushed. She still felt awful and terrified, but how did she explain that she was running about Konoha in the middle of the night after having escaped from the hospital of all places, because she'd had a bad dream? What sort of kunoichi would that make her sound like?

Looking away, she hunched her shoulders, cheeks pinking slightly as she mumbled.

"I-I had a nightmare..."

The man's voice sounded puzzled.

"I see. It must have been quite bad."

Shifting, she glanced at him.

"Well, it's just that...you see, I..."

Suddenly his expression cleared, and his gaze softened. Though he never smiled or outright shifted his expression, he somehow gave off an air of trustworthiness and reliability.

"I see. You dreamed about the kyuubi?"

Stiffening, she looked up at him, alarm returning along with a wash of fresh adrenaline. Seeing her distress, he shook his head slightly, voice soothing.

"Not to worry, child. I don't hold it against you. Hiruzen was quite fond of you, and if I cannot trust his judgment, what will I trust?"

Blinking in confusion, she cocked her head at him. He chuckled softly, a very slight smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Ah. Sandaime Hokage. His first name was Hiruzen, and it is what he was called when we were young. I'm afraid I've never lost the habit."

Narumi looked at him for a long minute, and then relaxed completely with a long sigh. Jiji's friend. That meant he was somebody she could trust, someone who would help her.

"Well...yes. Only not. I...I dreamed that I was using the kyuubi's chakra. Only, I wasn't. I was there, and it was my body, but I couldn't...I couldn't...stop myself. I tried but...I was killing everyone...I hurt them. My comrades...the village..."

Shuddering, she pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and burying her face in her knees. A long series of shudders raced down her spine, and she clenched her jaw to hold her distress at bay.

There was a long silence, and then the man spoke in a carefully thoughtful voice.

"...that is quite serious. However, it is just a dream. Surely such a thing could never truly happen?"

Snapping her head up, she opened her mouth to protest hotly.

"Of course no-"

Narumi abruptly cut herself off as she remembered something. Teruyoshi standing over her, wan and tired, burns on his arms and chest, and the sense of Kyuubi's chakra eating into his skin. Paling, she felt her stomach roll. She couldn't say that she wouldn't hurt her comrades, because she already had.

Swallowing hard, she dropped her face back to her knees.

"I...I think I already did..."

There was another silence, and then the man spoke up very softly.

"Well... that is certainly frightening."

Narumi swallowed hard and whispered into the silence around them.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want to protect my comrades."

The man hummed thoughtfully, and when he spoke his voice was hesitant.

"Well...I agree that this transformation you've told me of could be dangerous. The council will most likely want to remove you from the active duty roster."

The blood drained from Narumi's face and she shriveled in on herself. All she wanted, all she'd ever worked for, was to be a great kunoichi, to become Hokage. To be the best warrior in the village, and be able to say with pride that she could protect what was important to her.

The man beside her spoke again, voice even more hesitant than before.

"Of course, if you could control it, that would be different."

Narumi slashed a hand desperately through the air in front of her, body rigid with emotion.

"But that's just it! I can't control it!"

The man shook his head slightly.

"You can't control it now, perhaps. There are people who could help you with that. Ways you could continue to serve the village."

Narumi looked up at him hopefully, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Really?"

The old man nodded.

"You'd have to volunteer of course, but...you see, I am head of a specialized division of ninja known as ROOT. I have ninja there who could help you learn to control the kyuubi. But they're not supposed to work with the bulk of our ninja force. You'd have to join ROOT."

Narumi sucked in a sharp, uncertain breath, eyes widening.

"But...but I couldn't leave team seven!"

The old man looked sympathetic, but his voice was softly questioning.

"I understand your feelings of course, but what if you lose control of the kyuubi again...?"

Narumi froze, her mind flashing back to Sasuke and Saburo bleeding out on the ground while the village burned. Her protests died in her throat. As she stared unseeingly off into the darkness, the man spoke to her soothingly.

"But you needn't worry. I won't ask you to leave your team permanently. It would just be for a little while, until you'd learned to harness the Kyuubi's power."

Narumi looked at him, muscles stiff with tension, voice caught between hope and terror.

"Really? You think I could?"

The man nodded solemnly.

"Yes, with help."

Narumi's mind spun wildly. The old man was right. She needed to get control of this and fast. Who knows what might happen next time she lost control? And he was willing to give her that help. Drawing a trembling breath, she looked up at him with vulnerable eyes.

"You...you promise that I'll still be on team seven?"

The man nodded again, his voice gentle and his eyes serious.

"Of course. Just think of this as going on an extended training journey. You'll be with ROOT ninja during that time, but when you return it will be to your own team."

Wiping furiously at her eyes, Narumi nodded and sniffled. She was exhausted, cold, and sticky. When she spoke, her voice was rough and strained with the exertion of her nightmare and subsequent encounters.

"A-alright. I'll do it."

She never saw the flare of triumph in the old mans eyes. She only heard him stand and speak kindly to her.

"Very well then. Right now you need to get cleaned up, and go to sleep. Where is your home, youngling?"

Numbly she stood and shuffled ahead of him, leading the way silently to her apartment. When they reached it, she groped above the door for her spare key, finding it and and opening the door. The man behind her gave her a slight smile.

"Now, I have to go back to my own home. I'm afraid I lost track of time while researching a jutsu, and I've stayed up far later than I am accustomed to. Take care of yourself, youngling."

After he left, Narumi moved slowly into her room, a stray tear slipping down her cheek. She didn't want to leave team seven, even temporarily. But at the same time, how could she ignore the warning her dream had given her.

Shaking her head, she peeled herself out of her clammy, sweat-soaked hospital garments, and headed for the bathroom. A quick shower, and then bed. Everything would be better in the morning. It had to.

---

Danzo entered ROOT headquarters with a distinct sense of triumph. He'd left the jinchuriki at it's place of residence after their little conversation, and now a little praise was in order. Flaring his chakra, he summoned his guard.

When the Yamanaka was kneeling in front of him, Danzo spoke quietly, making sure no hint of his excited state touched his voice. His ROOT were used to him being a steady and unmovable leader, untouched by the unreliability of emotion, and he wouldn't break that image now.

"You did as I asked?"

The shinobi dropped his head a bit lower, his voice soft and even.

"Yes, Danzo-sama. After I was assured she was deeply enough asleep not to wake, I crafted the dream and placed it in her mind, and combined it with her memories of the incident with the Suna-nin. The result was...rather more intense than I had expected."

Danzo nodded, dismissing that last statement. The jinchuriki hadn't been turned into a gibbering wreck, and had practically thrown herself into the ranks of his own personal ninja force, therefore the possible emotional damage was of little import to him.

"The means were effective and the result adequate. That will do."

Eri vanished back into the shadows at the dismissal as Danzo called another two ninja to him. He had the ROOT members on a rotating sleep schedule so that one half of his force was always awake and alert, ready to answer his call. As the two ninja knelt before him, he spoke quietly.

"In the morning, I want someone to take the jinchuriki out to one of the farther training grounds and work with it on meditation techniques. Make sure that no one comes into contact with her until I say otherwise."

As the two faceless shinobi nodded and melted away, Danzo allowed himself a moment to savor the fruition of his plans. Things were falling into place nicely.

---

Kakashi stormed up the stairs of the tower, heading for the Hokage's office. Rage boiled through him, tinting his vision red. One chuunin, either very brave or very stupid, stepped into his path and tried to stop him, voice indignant and flustered.

"Jounin Hatake, you can't just push your way in here and demand-"

At the end of his patience, Kakashi caught the man by the throat, his single black eye narrowed to a slit as he hissed in the hapless guards face.

"I'll do whatever I damn well please, and you will get the hell out of my way!"

The man nodded once, eyes wide and terrified. As well he should be. Kakashi worked hard to cultivate the image of a man who was always calm, laid-back, and in control of himself. But today he was in no mood to pander to anyone. He wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

Casting the chuunin aside, he stalked the rest of the way to the door he wanted, and kicked it open with a loud crash. Tsunade and Jiraya were both inside, and both looked up at him with something akin to shock. He ignored it, slamming the door behind him and prowling forward, his voice an almost animalistic growl low in his throat.

"Where. Is. She?"

The sannin exchanged glances, and Tsunade began to speak, her voice cautious.

"Kakashi-"

The silver-haired jounin overrode her, entire body vibrating with tension, fingers unconsciously twitching towards his weapons holster.

"Why has my student disappeared from the hospital? For that matter, where has she disappeared to? And why the HELL do I have ROOT ninja telling me that she's no longer my concern? What the fuck is going on here?"

Tsunade lifted a hand, eyeing him warily. Kakashi merely glared back at her. Hokage or not, he would get his answers, and then he was going to go get his student and anyone who got in his way could just enjoy their one way trip to the afterlife.

The blonde woman cleared her throat, and spoke again.

"Danzo sent me a message this morning. Apparently, Narumi volunteered to join ROOT last night."

Kakashi's eye shot wide open, and he went very still.

"That's not possible. Not only does Narumi not even now about ROOT's existence, she would never leave team seven. Especially not now."

Tsunade took an agitated swig from a bottle of sake at her elbow.

"Don't you think I know that? Danzo must have done something, but whatever happened, the girl has volunteered. I can mitigate that, even negate it given time, but right now my options are limited."

Right now, all the jounin really wanted was to get his hands on whoever had meddled with his student, because he knew there was foul play involved. But Kakashi restrained himself with an effort of immense willpower, and spoke stiffly, his voice dangerous.

"Limited? What in the nine hells do you mean, limited? You're the hokage for Kami's sake!"

Tsunade looked distressed, waving a hand through the air uncomfortably.

"The political situation is delicate right now. Danzo has some heavy duty support on the council, and both the elders are backing him on this. My position is too new to cancel out that kind of leverage!"

Kakashi stared at her hard, fingers playing with the side of his weapons holster, legs automatically spreading into a deeper, stronger stance. If Pakkun were here, he'd say Kakashi had his hackles up.

"Alright, just tell me where she is. Danzo or whoever, I guarantee they won't be a problem after that."

Jiraya regarded him gravely.

"Easy Kakashi. Tsunade and I have been talking, and we think we have a plan for-"

The sannin was interrupted by the door opening, this time with much more decorum than it had on Kakashi's entrance. Danzo stood calmly in the doorway. Kakashi saw red, his sharingan eye springing open and whirling furiously behind his headband.

All three of the other ninja in the room caught the sudden wave of intense Sakki. Before Kakashi could actually take action, Jiraya stepped forward and caught his shoulder in a bruising grip, though he glared sourly at Danzo as well.

To the old war monger, it probably looked like the sannin was calming Kakashi, reminding him to keep his head. In point of fact, he was restraining the younger shinobi by main force, using a jutsu that paralyzed Kakashi's body, keeping him frozen in his place.

The scarred man walked slowly into the room, speaking calmly.

"Tsunade-hime. You wanted to see me?"

The woman nodded tightly, eyes flashing.

"It's about Narumi Uzumaki."

Danzo stopped, affecting a puzzled look.

"I thought I had already informed you that she volunteered to join the ranks of ROOT. Admittedly, she's a bit old, but I'm willing to work with that."

Kakashi made a noise deep in his throat, wanting to roar at the man, but his jaw remained locked. Tsunade glared at the man, speaking stiffly.

"As I'm sure you are aware Danzo, she might be too old for ROOT, but by the laws of the village she is too young to actually volunteer. She can declare intent, but nothing more. Anbu level and up cannot be attained unless the ninja in question is of age, excepting times of war."

Danzo lifted a shoulder carelessly.

"I am aware, Tsunade-hime. However, if the girl is to ever be fit for ROOT duties, we must begin at once. There is also the fact that she is already chuunin level. Surely that means her own opinions should be given a certain amount of credence?"

Tsunade hissed out a long breath.

"Yes, chuunin status does afford her that right, despite her age. However, her age is still a major factor. As it is, you must have the agreement of her jounin-sensei to authorize her transfer."

When the blonde glanced over at him, Kakashi suddenly found that he could speak again, though he still couldn't move. So he poured all the venom and sakki he could manage into his voice.

"Not a chance in all the nine hells!"

Jiraya's hand tightened slightly on his shoulder, but Kakashi never averted his glare from what had become yet another personal enemy. The other man frowned, and made as if to speak, but Tsunade lifted her hand.

"Yes, I know Danzo. We seem to have two conflicting stances here, so we shall compromise. Jiraya had already spoken to me about taking the girl under his wing as his apprentice, an arrangement that would be very beneficial to the village. So this is what we will do."

Quickly, her gaze flickered over the three men in her office.

"Jiraya will take Narumi with him to train, and Danzo may select one ROOT ninja to accompany them. Narumi is fourteen now. When she comes of age at seventeen, they will return to the village and if she is still so inclined, she may declare her loyalty to ROOT and officially join its ranks. If not, she will return to her duties as a member of team seven under special-jounin Hatake."

Looking from one to another, she lifted a brow and spoke in a terse, flat voice.

"Is this agreeable to all of you?"

Jiraya nodded his assent quickly. Danzo hesitated for a long moment, before inclining his head. Kakashi glared savagely. He could very clearly see that if he did not agree to this arrangement, Danzo would likely get his hands on Narumi. In which case, he was fully prepared to go nuke-nin, and take the girl with him.

However, that would leave Saburo and Sasuke behind in the village, and he had a duty to protect all three of them as their sensei. Which meant that he had no choice but to agree. He didn't have to like it though. So when he spoke, he allowed his opinion to show through, furious rage and killing intent dripping from every line of him and every word he spoke.

"I agree, Tsunade-sama."

He refused to use her title. Hokage was something that he would always associate with Minato-sensei, and Minato-sensei would never have let a scumbag like this manipulate him or the ninja he was supposed to protect. Tsunade flinched slightly, but continued smoothly.

"Then the three of them will leave tomorrow."

Danzo nodded to the three of them, his voice still remote and polite.

"If that is all, I will take my leave of you."

So saying, he left the room, closing the door gently behind him. It was a long moment before Jiraya dared to cautiously draw his hand back and release the jutsu constraining Kakashi's movement. The jounin stood still as a statue for a very moment, never taking his eyes from the door Danzo had just vanished through.

Then, he spun to face Tsunade, eyes blazing. He could feel the sharingan whirling bright crimson behind his hitae-ate, but he didn't stop it as he fixed his baleful stare on the woman who was his leader and commander.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go explain to my students why their teammate is about to vanish for three years."

Without so much as a nod, he vanished in a swirl of leaves and smoke, letting his chakra lash out sharply as he disappeared and cracking the sake bottle on the desk in half. Before any ANBU guards could react, he was already gone.

Reappearing on a roof a good distance away, he shot towards the memorial stone, intent on ranting to Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei. Before he buckled down to the unpleasant task of making his other two students aware of the situation, he needed to calm down.

A spar would be best, but he reflected morosely. That is, if he wasn't absolutely sure he'd lose it entirely and kill whoever agreed to fight him.

---

Sasuke shot to his feet, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his fingernails bit deeply into his palms, thin trails of blood dribbling from shallow wounds. His eyes were narrow and his voice disbelieving as he spoke sharply to his Sensei, a low roar filling his ears.

"What? What do you mean Narumi's gone?"

Beside him, Saburo was staring up at the tense jounin in stunned shock, apparently not fully comprehending what they'd just been told. Sasuke ignored him. Kakashi spoke again, his voice as flat and even as before, hands shoved deep in his pockets, orange book nowhere in sight.

"She was offered training by Jiraya-sama, and left the village on a training journey. They left this morning."

Sasuke shook his head sharply, practically hissing.

"No. She wouldn't do that! She wouldn't leave the team!"

Beside him Saburo seemed to regain some powers of speech, because he nodded vigorously, voice appalled.

"Especially not without at least telling us!"

Kakashi's carefully blank gaze caught and held their own, his voice never shifting from that odd monotone.

"I'm sorry, but the circumstances were...unique."

Raising his voice slightly, Sasuke took half a step forward.

"Itachi is still out there! It's not safe for her to be out of the village! What if something happens?"

Kakashi's expression became even more stony.

"Jiraya-sama is more than capable of keeping his student safe, and there will be a higher rank ninja traveling with them as well."

Sasuke's sharingan whirled to vibrant life, the bloody crimson shade intensifying his incensed glare to something near unnatural. Gritting his teeth, he snarled at his teacher.

"When will she be back then?"

Kakashi's eyes flashed and his shoulders stiffened, before he replied blankly.

"Three years."

There was a long silence, broken only by a choking sound from Saburo. Then Sasuke spun on his heel and raced for the village gate. Sprinting through the trees, he leapt straight up over the buildings, taking the shortest possible route.

When the great gates came into view, he rocketed straight through them, not bothering to even glance at the chuunin guards stationed there. He distantly heard some shouting, but ignored it. He'd just rounded the first bend in the road, when a heavy weight crashed into his back.

He found himself slammed to the ground and pinned there, struggling wildly against the dusty road. It wasn't more than a moment Saburo's steps came rushing up to him, voice agitated.

"Sasuke!"

An instant later, Kakashi's quiet voice struck him like a blow.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I can't just let you run off like that. The decision's already been made."

Saburo helped him up as the large ninja-hound Kakashi had summoned vanished from his back. The rosette scolded him almost frantically.

"What were you thinking, running off like that? You were only just released from the hospital!"

The distant, logical part of Sasuke's mind told him that Saburo was reacting over-protectively with him because he was still in shock over hearing that they'd suddenly lost their teammate, but that part of him was overwhelmed with suddenly redirected anger as he snarled at the other boy.

"I'm going to bring Narumi back, of course!"

Saburo stared at him for a minute, and then they both rose to their feet, an odd expression flashing across the rosette's face.

"Are you crazy? They're already gone!"

Sasuke stalked forward stiffly to stand nose to nose with his teammate, itching for a fight.

"They don't even have half a days head-start! If we really wanted to, we could catch up easily!"

Saburo's eyes narrowed, and his voice went tight and sharp.

"Yeah? And why should we, anyway? She obviously doesn't care about being on a team with us! She LEFT Sasuke! What the hell do you think you can-"

Sasuke's fist crashed hard into the other boys cheek, knocking him to the ground, and he leaped after him with an angry cry. That same distant part of himself was murmuring that Saburo was only talking like that because he was upset. He didn't mean it. But right now, Sasuke didn't care.

The two of them rolled across the ground, each giving as good as they got, dealing out blows that set ears ringing, and roaring incomprehensibly at each other. This was no shinobi battle, but rather a base barroom brawl. A civilian fight with no grace, skill, or strategy. Just the savage desire to beat each other bloody.

Kakashi's voice snapped out above them, monotone washed away in anger as he seized them by the back of their shirts and dragged them apart, holding them both at arms length as he glared reprovingly at the two of them.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! Both of you, snap out of it and behave like proper Konoha genin, or so help me I'll personally make sure than neither of you either gets past D-rank missions! Ever!"

Sasuke looked away, jaw tight, standing on his tiptoes as Kakashi held them both slightly off the ground. Kakashi suddenly sighed, and sounded tired.

"Look, both of you. Narumi's not leaving the team, she's just...getting some special training."

Sasuke growled slightly, still upset but knowing that if he lashed out again Kakashi-sensei would make him regret it.

"It doesn't make sense! She wouldn't!"

Kakashi set them both down, though he kept a hand twisted in each of their collars. Suddenly, he looked very tired.

"I know Sasuke."

The jounin hesitated, looking back and forth between the two boys.

"Neither of you is to repeat or act on what I'm about to tell you, alright?"

Sasuke frowned, stilling and exchanging an uneasy look with Saburo, anger suddenly dying. His sharingan faded away and both of them looked cautiously up at their captor.

"Of course, Sensei."

Kakashi eyed them for a long moment, and then released them slowly.

"I don't know for sure, but as teammates, you two have the right to know. Narumi volunteered to join a...specialized division of our shinobi forces yesterday morning. And the leader of that group has always wanted a certain power that lies dormant with Narumi."

Sasuke stared up at him sharply, and Saburo burst out with a sudden flood of anxious questions that were totally at odds with his sharply sarcastic carelessness a moment before.

"You think she was kidnapped? And what power are you talking about? A kekkai genkai? Is that why Itachi's organization wants her?"

Kakashi held up a hand and sighed heavily, his eyes tired.

"No, I don't think she was kidnapped. But there are other ways of coercing people aside from brute force. And I may be paranoid, but I find it suspicious that Narumi vanishes from the hospital in the middle of the night, and then turns up the next morning asking to join a group whose existence she should never have heard about."

Sasuke growled softly, eyes distressed.

"But what good does any of that do us? Narumi's gone!"

Kakashi shook his head grimly.

"Not forever. And the whole point of sending her out with Jiraya was to remove her from any...questionable influences. For the time being she's not going to be around, but she's till part of team seven. That will still be true when she comes back."

Sasuke snorted, voice still unhappy. He didn't like this. Three years was an eternity! How could they just split his team up like this? He'd never even gotten to talk to Narumi after she'd brought him back. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been covered in blood and exhausted from battle, and he'd barely been coherent.

Saburo summed up what was racing through his head in a very small voice, looking utterly miserable with a split lip, bruised cheek, and distraught eyes.

"But...but she's our teammate. I didn't even get to say goodbye..."

There was a long silence, during which Sasuke silently added his own sentiment to Saburo's. It wasn't fair. He'd managed to make it back to the village after being abducted by one of the most powerful and insane nuke-nin that Hi no Kuni had ever produced, only to lose a teammate to some unknown force from within the village itself.

Kakashi spoke in a voice that was light and cheerful, and Sasuke nearly snapped at him before he spotted the strain in his teachers visible eye.

"Well, there's nothing we can do now. With the Hokage involved, it's out of our hands. So we might as well go back and train."

After that, a dead silence fell over them. Kakashi-sensei walked at the back of the group, and Sasuke slouched forward, hunching his shoulders miserably. His new black eye was blossoming with color, its presence a slightly sharp pain that was swiftly fading to a pounding ache.

Silently he made himself a promise. Someone had caused this. He didn't know what they'd done, but someone had done something to Narumi that had made her leave. He was going to find them, and make them pay. And then he would find the bouncy blonde, and drag her back to the village if he had too.

A shoulder bumped against his, and he looked up, startled. Saburo was watching his features intently, eyes hard. They looked at each other for a moment, and Sasuke realized that his other teammate knew exactly what he'd been thinking about, and agreed whole-heartedly.

The two boys nodded to each other, mutely sealing the pact between them as they shuffled back into the village to the sound of teasing and laughter from the guards. Kakashi-sensei was right. There was nothing they could do right now.

But that would change.

---

A/N: Hi guys. This chapter was pretty short, but at the time it was a choice between shorter chapter on time, or longer chapter coming in late.

As always, to my wonderful peoples who both reads and reviews!
To kitsuneluvuh, such intensity! All things in their proper time, I promise.
To SomeoneInterested, yep, if there's one thing Danzo's not, it's stupid. Part of why he's so detestable in my opinion. I do hope his twistedness lived up to your expectations in this chapter.
To Zelga Lim Li, you know, now that you mention it, he is kind of mummy-like, isn't he? And definitely a sicko. As to Narumi's back up, I did consider Gaara. Unfortunately, considering the direction I want to take the story, he really wouldn't have worked. I'm afraid he would have dealt with Kimimaro with a lot less trouble, and a bloodless smack down with no guilt factor for Danzo to manipulate Narumi with would sort of screw with the storyline I'm working out.
To ChaosIdeals, thank you for the compliment. Flattery will get you everywhere (^-^).
To 10-iz4, thank you for continuing to read and enjoy the story! I hope it continues to entertain.
To Ceralyn, I'm so very sorry, but I really had to let him get his hands on Narumi. Sort of. Temporarily at least. Don't worry though! I can't write unhappy endings. They depress me.
To Angelbloodlover, I am impressed. Yep, while it wasn't in my plan, those two are definitely on their way to getting beyond the 'friends' stage. I'm glad to hear you approve!
To firehottie, I'm glad you like Teruyoshi! He's a lot of fun to write.

Explanations!

First off, the distrust between the Konoha-nin and the support team from Suna. While Narumi may trust them, most of the Konoha shinobi can only see them as traitorous bastards who broke the peace treaty and invaded. And having had the will of fire and desire to protect their comrades dinned into them from a young age, Konoha shinobi are disgusted by anything traitorous. Add to that that the Sandaime died in that attack, and they're not exactly pleased with anything Suna or Oto at the moment.

Second, The hospital room scene. When Kankuro and Saburo nearly get into a fight, it's mostly because Kankuro's embarrassed and Saburo's tired and very on edge. Really, they probably should have been kicked out, but as no nurses were present, it didn't happen. Also, the reason that both Sasuke and Narumi start trying to wake up when Saburo's chakra spikes is because given how they passed out, their instincts are screaming something along the lines of "TEAMMATE IN DANGER" and they're reacting accordingly. However, they need to rest, so Tsunade calms them down and send them back to sleep.

Then there's situation with Teruyoshi! Gaara notices that he's uncomfortable, but what he doesn't understand is the reason. He feels guilty over letting Narumi get hurt, and he's starting to like her. Not that he's fully realized that yet. And of course, immediately after that, a very, very irate Kakashi comes whizzing in and nearly scares the daylights out of Gaara. Mainly because he never paid all that close attention to the other teams sensei. So as far as he knows, there's an angry shinobi flying in the window, and from his own personal experience as a jinchuriki, that's never a good sign.

Kakashi himself is rapidly going into ultra papa bear mode, because as soon as he got back from his mission, the first thing he heard was that his students were in the hospital. Considering the condition he found them in, I thought his reaction was rather mild and restrained. Oh, and his reaction to Teruyoshi's burns? He figured out from the pattern of the burns that 'calming Narumi down' involved some form of an embrace. And being papa bear Kakashi, his first reaction is 'have-to-have-a-talk-with-this-kid'. Teruyoshi also realizes from his expression that he knows something, and is immediately reduced to something between embarrassment and alarm.

Just in case it's not utterly clear, Danzo, being the twisted freak that he is, ordered his Yamanaka guard to return to the hospital after dark and thoroughly screw with Narumi's mind. Not only did he create a really horrible dream that was mixed with memory and designed to prey on some of her deepest and darkest fears, he keyed emotional and physical responses in to intensify her reaction to it. All of which led to her being in a particularly vulnerable state of mind when Danzo approached her. And once he classified himself as a friend of Sandaime, she believed him to be trustworthy, which meant he probably could have manipulated her into anything short of utterly betraying the village.

Also, Danzo is very careful to keep her away from anyone who would warn her or help her stabilize, hoping to get her fully and officially assigned to ROOT. He doesn't quite succeed, seeing as Tsunade's decision places Narumi mostly under Jiraya, with only a minor ROOT influence present for about three years. But there is going to be a certain influence, and Danzo is a sneaky enough bastard to exploit that.

The only reason Danzo is not dead in an alley somewhere after daring to screw with Kakashi's student is because, as he himself says, he'd have to go nuke-nin after that. And if he went nuke-nin he'd either have to take his students with him, which he wouldn't because he knows how much better it is for them to be in the village and how much they love the village. Or he'd have to leave them behind, which he'd also never do. So basically, he was caught between an erupting volcano and mid-feeding frenzy shark infested waters. There really wasn't anything he could do, and he knew it. However, you can bet Danzo has a lifelong enemy now. And Kakashi WILL be getting Narumi back, ROOT or no ROOT. Also, he probably did something very horrifically violent to a training ground somewhere.

The reason Kakashi doesn't tell the boys about her leaving until after Narumi is gone is because he knows how upset and angry they'll be. And he's right about how irrational they would be once they got the news. While he tells them that he's sure foul play is involved, he doesn't say who is behind it. Mainly because Sasuke still has avenger tendencies, and Saburo's ridiculously protective, so they'd probably both go out and try to assassinate Danzo then and there. As it is, they're only plotting terrible things for when they do find out who it is. And they are actually plotting, not just grumbling or fantasizing. Danzo has no idea what he's getting himself into with this stunt.

Well, that's it for now. Hope the chapter was enjoyable, despite the brevity. I'm off to start work on the next one now!