Clash in the Snow Country: Legacy Version

Chapter 20 – The Best Laid Plans

Noon

The Daimyo of the Snow Country glanced once more at the collection of heads that represented his warlords and generals from his seat as they continued to talk and bicker about their next course of action. They were all currently seated in his meeting room, which, like most of his castle, was rather plain and dull with the notable absence of fine decorations that one of his power and prestige should have, though he had managed to pull together some tastes for this room in the form of a highly prized crafted table he "acquired" from one of the former local lords.

As for the chairs they all sat in, they were ordinary wooden chairs that were often uncomfortable to the rear end of the body. The sole exception for this was Doto's seat itself, an exact identical copy of his throne. The chairs were a deliberate set up by Doto, a clear indication of just who was in power. They were not equals here; they served him, and the chairs each of them sat in were just one example of showing this.

Doto sat at the head of the table, naturally, while the other ten men sat five to a side with a large map of the shinobi countries on said table. Along the walls stood a number of armed Samurai from each of the Warlord's private guard. Tall and silent, the guards gave a lingering impression of gargoyles watching the meeting. Ones that were ready to leap out and hack a man's head off in an instant's notice should the meeting take a turn for the worst. And finally, behind Doto's chair stood eight of his own Loyalists. At the moment, several markers were situated on several points of the map as the warlords were in a heated debate as to where to strike first.

"Konohagakure is CLEARLY the best choice for our attack!" one of the warlords shouted, a bulging man who resembled a walrus as he used a stick to move several markers from Hidden Sand to Hidden Leaf. "They're weak now! Half of their manpower is gone. Half! Their defenses are down, they are still rebuilding and are still shaken from the loss of their precious Sandaime Hokage! We couldn't ask for a better opportunity!"

Another man from the opposite side of the table used his own stick to move several markers from Konoha back to Sand. "You're underestimating the Leaf scum's strength, just like Orochimaru and his goons did! They have already replaced their damned Hokage and you think they aren't aware of their state? They're on guard now more than ever!" This one had an eyepatch over his left eye with long thick unruly hair. He spat off to the side. "We should hit Sand! They took big losses from their failed attack and were already the weakest of the great nations!" He slammed his stick down on the map, jostling the markers. "We strike here and we're guaranteed victory!" Two others gave a nod in agreement.

"You're all idiots!" The other nine Warlords looked over to see a skinny old man as he gestured at the Water Country. "Are you all such complete toddlers that you want to raid the lion's den far away while completely ignoring the tigers in our own backyard!? We go and hit any of the other four, Mist will attack us from the rear while we're occupied!"

A well-dressed man in a very rich and brightly colored kimono gave a nod. "Kirigakure is clearly the only choice we have. We know our enemy there. And they are still recovering from their Kekkai Genkai civil wars. They're disorganized, lack strong leadership and are overall weakened. We can take out the Capital long before Mist even learns of our attack and at Mist's doorstep with half their pants down."

That's when a Warlord with a face like a prune took a deep smoke from his pipe. "We were victorious against Mist in the last war because it was a war of attrition. We won by constantly beating back their attacks on us. We know them, just as they know us. Disorganized though they may be, if we attack them we'd be giving them a common enemy to unite against. It's best to leave them alone and strike another target and not take that chance."

"And where would you strike first, o wrinkled one?"

A solid smile appeared on the man's face as he blew out a large puff of smoke right on a portion of the map. Kumogakure.

"ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

"YOU WANT TO ATTACK THE STRONGEST OF THE GREAT NATIONS!?!"

"LUDICROUS! INSANITY! UTTER NONSENSE!!"

Doto thumped his fist on the arm of his chair and the Warlords shut up immediately. The smug smile on the man who had offered the suggestion remained strong on his face. After a nod of approval from the Daimyo to continue, he spoke. "It's because they're the strongest that we should target them first. No matter where else we strike, we will be weaker as a result. We must hit them while we're at our absolute best! If we ignore them now, they'll become all the more difficult to subdue. They'll continue to grow strong while we grow weak!" He hammered his fist on the table at the end of this, the noise echoing through the entire room.

As the group quietly pondered the points brought up, Doto found himself doing the same. What the man said about Cloud was true, though it could be argued that they were the strongest even before Orochimaru's thwarted attack on the Hidden Leaf. Once the Third Shinobi War had ended, the Great Villages had turned their attention to disarmament for the new age of peace, drastically cutting down on shinobi numbers, limiting research on new jutsu, creating heavier restrictions on the Academies and the process to become shinobi and so forth.

Except for Kumogakure.

Instead of disarming like the other four were doing, they took the opposite direction and were re-arming themselves, pulling out all the stops in order to do so such as with the infamous Hyuuga Incident all those years ago, where Cloud attempted to capture the heiress of the clan. No one was entirely sure why Cloud was continuing to build its strength. Minor villages like Hotsprings that had been targeted by Kumo during the war feared that Cloud was preparing to start a new war for whatever reason. A few believed that Cloud was paranoid due to their detachment during the war, fearing retaliation from all sides, and thus were building up strength to the point where they could challenge the rest of the shinobi world if need be.

The current Raikage could only be described as a supervolcano with a hair trigger, ready to erupt with enormous quantities over the tiniest of matters. With an individual like that, minor villages' fears about Cloud starting up a new war had some basis. It wouldn't take much to tick off the Raikage and have him utterly demolish things in retaliation. More than once Doto wondered how the hell someone like him ended up in such an important leadership position. He was far too unstable and hotheaded to be trusted to handle his job. He personally believed that the Raikage was just a figurehead chosen by Cloud. A mere sword to showoff its strength while the real power resided in the Village Council or perhaps even an aide or two.

Regardless of the man's characteristics, there was no denying he was very much a threat on the battlefield. One that Snow may not be ready to handle. Yet.

To complicate things further, it was a long standing belief that the Five Great Villages were approximately equal in strength. Some might have better economies or stronger militaries, but it all balanced out to keep them of relatively similar strength with approximately one thousand standing shinobi forces per village. At least that was what they were supposed to believe. Reports suggested that with Cloud's rearmament policies, they now had three times that strength. In contrast, a minor village would be lucky to be able to host three hundred shinobi.

Not that that applied to Snow. Doto had been planning his move ever since he assumed power ten years ago, discreetly sending more and more children to the Academy to be trained as shinobi, pushing their numbers close to eight hundred, implementing new policies to produce better results as well as systemically building up the Daimyo's forces from the population as a whole. The vast majority of his new recruits were on 'on call' status and not officially deployed, giving the appearance that Snow's military was on par with the rest of the minor villages.

An oversight that would cost the great villages dearly when he made his move. With Sousetsu's fortune financing everything.

"You forget," another warlord spoke up, who had a large weasel-like mark on the back of his coat, "that while Cloud has an extremely powerful Kage and high numbers to contend with, the real threat are those two freaks of nature that guard its borders."

There was quiet muttering as the warlords and guards uttered two names with clear contempt in their voices.

Nii Yugito.

Kirabi.

Cloud's two Jinchuuriki hosts. Of all of them out there, it was stated these two were the only ones who had full control over their respective demons, with the exception of the previous Mizukage. Topped with the Raikage, the three were a very formidable force and it was them who made many of the ninja villages consider Cloud truly invincible. Some weren't even sure the Sannin from Konoha could match them.

Doto hadn't yet bothered to tell them that he had apprehended Konoha's secret weapon as he was still awaiting the results from Akufu. If the boy was a Jinchuuriki or even some shinobi with a previously unknown bloodline, chances were they wouldn't be able to exploit any of it in time for a preemptive strike on Kumogakure.

"With the three of them together, we have no hope for victory even with the element of surprise on our hands. Before we attack Cloud, we must get rid of at least one of those damned freaks. As such, we need to hit Iwagakure first!" the same warlord spoke as he slapped his hand down on the Earth Country on the map.

"You want to hit Hidden Rock first!?" another man asked, clearly shocked. "They're our allies!"

"So what? It's not like we care about that."

"While that is true, it means one less of the Great Villages to worry about. When we start our campaign, we'll only have to worry about four of them since Rock thinks we're all friends. They might even try to join us! We attack Rock, we go from a friendly ally to another cold hard enemy. There's no need to unite all our enemies at once! We save Rock for later and we'll have less hassle to worry about!"

The other man snorted in disgust. "The Great Villages have never all allied together against a common foe before and to suggest they will now against us is delusional. The fact that Rock is our ally means the perfect opportunity to get them completely off guard. Rumors say that they are having to rely on some mercenary force to deal with their cutbacks! It would also allow us to completely bypass the terrain which has always served as their first line of defense unopposed! Once inside, we'd be able to crush both the capital and Iwagakure easily!"

Several men were already shaking their heads. "You think they'll just let us move troops inside their borders so easily!?" the walrus-like warlord spoke again. "Hidden Rock isn't stupid. The second we try something like that, their guards will go up and we'll lose your so-called opportunity. Konoha is the one we must hit before it's too late!"

"Perhaps I can offer my own opinion on the matter."

All heads immediately jerked to the end of the table, where they saw a figure standing there with a big fat smile on his face. How did he get in here!? When did he get in here!?

"You!" Doto shouted in recognition as several men and shinobi dashed towards the intruder. "I killed you at –"

He didn't get a chance to finish as fierce winds erupted all around the intruder, flinging both samurai and shinobi against the walls hard. Before the remaining guards could act, they all froze at seeing the figure changing from the one they knew into someone else entirely. Pale white skin and long flowing black hair matching a very familiar face that everyone recognized.

"Orochimaru..." many uttered quietly as they all tried to back away. Only Doto held his ground, though just barely. It was only through a drive to hold his image to his subordinates that he didn't waver.

The former Leaf nin gave a quiet chuckle as he motioned them all to settle down. "Peace be with you. I do not come to kill you. Merely to present your nation with the golden opportunity you are seeking."

"... and how do you know of what we seek?" Doto asked him, not one person in the room relaxing in the slightest.

"Oh, I have been listening to your squabbles for some time, as amusing as they were," the Sannin member said with confidence and stride in his voice. "I came here for my own purposes and I'm in a position to help you achieve what you want with two pieces of good fortune for you."

Intrigued, but not throwing away his common sense, Doto gave a nod. "And what did you come for?"

"I came to retrieve a little child that has eluded my grasp for the time being. I felt it was time to deal with the matter personally while he was away from Konoha's protective graces. Uchiha Sasuke."

Doto gave a smirk in hearing that. "It seems even the almighty Orochimaru is not all-knowing. Seek all you want, all you'll get is a corpse."

"Because you froze him beneath an icy lake and left him for dead?"

The man's smirk disappeared as quickly as it came. He knew?!

Orochimaru shook a finger disapprovingly, much like a parent lecturing a misbehaving child. "Poor fools... never believe a shinobi is dead until you have their headless corpse at your feet. A lesson you should all well know."

"He can't possibly escape that lake!" Doto challenged, iron slowly returning to his voice while the others looked at him like he was mad. "He was tired and exhausted to begin with! There's no way he could had survived!"

"Make no mistake; I know these three Leaf genin far better than you will ever know. The Uchiha will survive your little deathtrap and return. The girl as well. They will come. For your head and for their comrade. Leaf ninja are predictable like that. And when they come, you will defeat them."

One of the Warlords recovered his nerve well enough to speak. "You want us to do your dirty work so you can claim the Uchiha for yourself?"

"Yes."

The man looked ready to erupt in protest but a combination of Orochimaru's glare and Doto's hand signaling him to stop prevented him from doing so. "And why should we do your bidding?"

"Because I can make your dreams of conquest a reality."

Doto raised an eyebrow.

Orochimaru began walking around the table clockwise as though he didn't have a care in the world as his eyes studied the map, naming them as he went. "Iwagakure. Kumogakure. Kirigakure. Konohagakure. Sunagakure." He returned back to his previous position, his eyes settling on Doto once more. "So many targets, so many variables to consider. But which to strike first?

"There is no question that your true target will be Konohagakure. They are the ones who interfered with your affairs ten years ago when you came to power. They are the ones attempting to overthrow you through your niece now. They were the leading power on their side and part of the reason Kirigakure was able to hammer you during the war. Even weakened as they are, they are a very formidable force. Three of their genin defeated fifty of your so-called Chunin this day. You have very few, if any, that can stand up to their elite shinobi. And no one that can stand up to the likes of my former teammates Tsunade and Jiraiya. You can go in with your numbers, technology and special assets and I would still bet on Konoha winning the day. And with your forces decimated from such a foolish attack, Mist will no doubt take advantage of your weakened state. Go forward with this plan and Snow will be erased from the map before the month is out."

No one from Snow offered a protest to Orochimaru's statement.

"So what you need to do," Orochimaru said, slamming his fist on the map, "is hit Kirigakure."

"Ha!" the old Warlord who had suggested the idea cried out in glee. The leader of Otogakure's disapproving glare stopped the skinny man from gloating further.

"Make no mistake. You are not attacking Mist. It is a mere surgical strike. The Water Country as a whole is rife with chaos and confusion as they are trying to rebuild from their Bloodline purges. What you want to do is add to that chaos so that Mist is unable to take advantage of you when you begin your campaign. Strike the Capital city, assassinate a few key officials and shinobi. Raze a few villages all across their country. Make them think that they are being attacked simultaneously from all sides. In and out so Mist does not learn who was responsible. They will scurry about like headless chickens, suspecting everyone including their fellows for the attacks while they try to recover and organize. They will be unable to take advantage of your absence when you assault Konohagakure."

Doto rubbed his chin as he considered it. The deal he had made with the current Mizukage was long over, so he had no qualms about striking Mist. And what the snake bastard was saying did make sense...

Orochimaru merely continued, casually moving all of Snow's markers to Konoha. "Then you strike Konoha. Undoubtedly, they will be cautious due to Mist's problems, but the ambiguity of it will keep them from suspecting you specifically. You will strike by systematically raiding Konoha's outskirts, testing their defenses and keeping them guessing when and where you will eventually strike the village itself. This will give your shinobi much needed battle experience for when you face them head on.

"Should you manage to take Konoha, subduing Kiri should be your next priority. Your shinobi will be battle-hardened and the discord apparent. And even if they have recovered and reorganized, your defeat of Konoha will have demoralized them. They will fall easily and your flank will no longer be in danger of being attacked by them.

"With two of the Great Villages defeated, the other minor villages will begin to join you. However, you should not strike again so quickly. Fortify your positions in the Fire and Water Countries and allow your men to rest. You also must familiarize your forces with your new territories. Even with their fall, they will continue to resist you. So you will solidify your grips on them so that when you strike your next target, they don't overthrow you. Once you have sufficient control of them, you will strike Sand with allies in hand. And this time, Rock will not come to their aid since Sand abandoned them for Leaf during the last war. They will be alone. And they will fall.

"Rock will be the next target of choice. You will need a very good plan of attack for them which you can work out when the time comes. What matters is that the key to taking Iwagakure and the Earth Country is bypassing the terrain. That's the hard part. Once you get past, striking the capital and the village itself will be child's play. With four of the five Great Villages under your control, more of the minors will back you up and you will at long last have the forces you need to assault Kumogakure directly. Victory will be yours."

The warlords were all looking at each other like children in a sweet shop. Even the guards were beginning to look excited at hearing the prospect of their ambitions really coming true. Doto, however, did not partake in the excitement. "You speak constantly of our victory. Do you serious expect us to believe you're just going to let us win without trying to gain control yourself?"

Those words killed the mood right there as they all returned to their tense state of anxiety.

"What I seek," Orochimaru said after a moment, "is not conquest. Seeing the windmill in motion is more than enough for me. And Konoha's destruction will be complete. That's what matters to me. Doing it myself is irrelevant as long as they are crushed into the dust."

"You speak big, but your lies and intentions still seep through your words. You already stated that you didn't believe we could defeat Konoha even weakened as they are, yet you tell us to challenge them first. Clearly you have a hidden motive."

"So quick to judge. It will prove your undoing. On your own, yes, Konoha would prevail over you... had I not offered you the means to victory that I promised earlier," Orochimaru replied.

Doto's eyebrow raised once more, recalling that Orochimaru had offered two pieces of good fortune to them. "You intend to attack Konoha with us?"

"No. My own forces are too spent to help you in your campaign. Nor would I support you in an attack if they weren't. You boasted that you could win against the five on your own terms. Consider your assault on Konoha a chance to show the merit of your words and dedication." With that, Orochimaru held up a single finger. "What I will do is give you exactly what you need in order to succeed. Critical intelligence. ANBU patrol routes. Positions of the Daimyo's forces. Access to the Fire Capital. Holdings and fallback points located in the Fire Country. A map of the Leaf village layout. An analysis of their defenses and where you can exploit them. Defensive positions the Leaf-nin will take in the village. Shelters where the civilians will hide in. Imagine you going after them and the Leaf scum abandoning all sense of reason in order to protect them."

The men gathered in the room held their breaths tightly at what the snake said. Such information would be more valuable than Sousetsu's fortune by far! They really would be able to crush the Leaf village, a feat that no one had been able to do! Not Orochimaru, not the other major villages of Iwagakure and Kumogakure, not even the Kyuubi itself! But Snow would! Doto himself felt the same excitement coursing through his veins at the possibilities with such critical intelligence, but he didn't let it override his common sense.

There was no guarantee that even with this information that they would win. If Orochimaru had all he promised, it obviously didn't do him any good since he still lost with the Sand Village backing him. On the other hand, the fact that he lost could account to the validity of what he was offering. After fighting himself, he had seen firsthand how the Leaf would react and fight. And Snow would have more means of fighting than Orochimaru had... and with the village's staggering losses on top of that...

They really could win!

"Before you started organizing your victory celebrations, remember that I haven't given you any information yet," Orochimaru spoke up, once more darkening the mood. "I require something on your part first."

"... for us to defeat these genin for you to snatch up," Doto repeated.

"Yes. Which brings me to my second piece of good fortune for you. Everything you'll need to know about your three foes, including the Jinchuuriki you now hold in your prison."

At the word, the warlords and guards all looked at Doto with a mixture of surprise, shock, and awe while the man himself allowed a smile on his face. "Tell me more," he said.

After uttering his instructions to begin preparations for Orochimaru's battle plan, he gestured for the former Leaf-nin to follow him out of the war room. He sent an aide to gather the San Eihei to him at once. He wasn't stupid enough to meet with Orochimaru alone. In the privacy of his currently vacant throne room, Orochimaru told Doto, Nadare, Fubuki and Mizore each of Team 7's secrets, past, jutsus and characteristics.

At the end of it, the man could hardly contain himself at the information. While issuing quick orders for the three to return to the lake and confirm Orochimaru's statements, he all but rushed out of his throne room to confirm with Akufu if what the snake was saying was true. It was exactly what he had hoped for and more! With all this new information, he'd be able to harness the boy's powers for himself... and level Konoha and the Great Villages!

One month. That was all he would need. Time to mobilize Snow's forces and use Sousetsu's fortune to boost his military forces and creation of more war blimps, kunai launchers and so much more!

In one month, the Hidden Leaf Village would be erased from the map. Permanently.

The other man in the throne room gave his own sinister smirk as he watched the Snow Leader rush out. Things were working out exactly as he hoped they would.

The board is set. The pieces are moving. Your move, Team 7. Make it count, for it's your last, Bakeru thought to himself as he mimicked his master's laugh echoing all across the throne room.


2:00 pm

Koyuki's Cell

Koyuki heard Naruto's screams for hours, many with such intensity she didn't think possible. She tried to block them out as best she could by sitting on the chair. That hadn't worked, so she stood in the corner and sung quietly to herself, hoping that would distract her. It didn't work. In a desperate attempt, she took to the bed and covered her ears with the blankets and pillows.

Naruto's screams still pierced her skull as though the items were made of thin air.

In the end, she just pulled up her chair and sat at the bars to look down the hallway where the screams were coming from, waiting for them to stop.

"So, what's it like being the Sky Princess?" Naruto asked the actress as he walked up to her, slightly startling her.

A curse. That's what it was. A mockery of what she was trying to run from and a constant reminder of what she had lost.

His headband took care of all that. He walked over to Yukie and stated "Are you tired of running, bitch?"

No, she wasn't tired of running. Running kept you alive and left your memories behind. What she was tired of was Naruto. Why wouldn't he leave her alone?!

The first one was quite handy and him being in this movie would give him a first-hand account of any others. "I'll… think about it…" Naruto said slowly.

"A talentless idiot shouldn't even think, much less act."

He annoyed her. He followed her. Even got himself involved in her movie utilizing her move. Why couldn't he just leave her alone? The fact that he was her bodyguard was irrelevant on several points. Foremost being that she didn't want a bodyguard. He was also trailing her before he was given the mission. She should be happy that the boy was getting his just desserts for not listening to her and finally out of her hair, so why was it she only felt more and more miserable as the boy's screams went on?

Naruto's response was firm. "I had no one. Nothing. I was alone. No one cared about me." He took a step towards her, arms moving around to gesture what he was saying. "No friends. No family. Not even a pet. Nothing. Nothing. Can you comprehend that? Can you even comprehend the idea of being absolutely alone your entire life with no one supporting you? I have! You haven't! You have no idea how deep your words hurt when you said 'no one would miss you.' So spare me your little monologue and just SHUT UP!"

She got it, she got it. He'd had more than his fair share of pain and loneliness in his life. Life had dealt him a poor hand just as much as it did for her. And now their hands had just become worse. Was that the reason why she couldn't get him out of her mind and stop pitying his situation right now? Even if it was, she didn't care. Just get out of her head!

"And what do you think you'll accomplish by going off alone?" Naruto demanded. He spoke in a softer tone, but Koyuki could still feel the weight in his voice. "Will you take another nap in the Snow? Or what if one of Doto's men found you? What would you do then, huh!?"

"Who cares!?" she shrieked out, partly surprising Naruto. Not because she was being loud about it, but because she sounded like she was about to cry. "I never wanted to come back here!"

"You had to come back! You can't keep running from your past!"

"Why not!? The past can't be changed!!"

"Then why the hell are you still living in it!?"

She still lived in the past because she couldn't get away from it. As long as Doto-ojiki lived, the past would always be hounding her, always be hunting her. It was also the place she had been happy with her father's loving embrace and smile. Do something about it, Naruto had said. Did he finally see now, amidst whatever torture he was undergoing right now, that there wasn't anything that they could do? That coming here brought nothing but pain and death?

"THIS AIN'T OVER!! THERE'S NO WAY I'M DYING, OR EVER GIVING UP! EVEN IF YOU'RE READY TO CALL IT QUITS, I'M NOT EVER GIVING. UP!!! C'MON!C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON,C'MON!!!"

That declaration shot through Koyuki's mind like a knife. Giving her head a shake, she tried to shove the meaning of those words out of her head. What good did not giving up accomplish? Only more pain. Koyuki was sure not giving up was working against Naruto right now in the midst of that room...

That's when Koyuki's head jerked downward at the hallway when she realized she hadn't heard a scream in awhile now. What did that mean? Was Naruto actually...

Looking downward at the hallway she at first saw nothing, then slowly figures began appearing. Two Yuki-nin were walking, dragging the blond boy along the ground like he was a rag doll. He looked so lifeless right now, Koyuki wasn't sure he was still alive. His clothes were a ragged mess, his hair out of place and his skin a deathly shade of white.

The two ninja turned to the cell across from hers and opened it as they dragged Naruto inside. They shackled his wrists together as they pulled upward, suspending the boy several feet above the ground. Before they left, Koyuki saw one of them slap a paper seal with the kanji "Contain" on it over the lock.

The actress looked over at the young ninja as the two Yuki-nin left. "So are you alive or dead?"

There was no response at first. Then the boy's right eye opened up with his left remaining firmly shut. "...no point in locking up a corpse, is there?" He sounded so... lifeless right now.

Koyuki gave a shrug. "Some like to display their defeated enemies. Flaunt their victory around for the world to see."

"Ah... but that would be more effective if you were placed outside for all to see. Can't show off if you lock your prize away underground."

"True."

"But putting the vanquished underground gives you a more reliable means of controlling who sees them and when."

Both of them turned their heads to see who had spoken that last line. None other than Doto himself, flanked by several Snow shinobi. "It shows your superiority and keeps the unworthy from seeing your prizes."

Neither commented on Doto's remarks as the man just strolled in front of Naruto's cell, grinning like a mad hyena. "All the questions... all the mysteries... the monstrous strength... the inhuman stamina... that demonic aura... the feral look in your face... even those marks on your face." Doto knelt down slightly so that he was at eye level with Naruto, now sprouting a deranged egotistical look. "The trump card of the Hidden Leaf, eh, Kyuubi?"

Koyuki felt her heart miss a few beats as her eyes automatically settled on the boy again. Kyuubi?

Naruto made no response to the accusation, while Doto just ranted on and on. Sealed into the boy at birth by the Yondaime Hokage in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack. How he was supposed to be regarded as the village hero but was resented and hated instead.

As Koyuki listened on, she tried to make sense of this all. Naruto hosted the Kyuubi inside him? Did that mean he was the Kyuubi in human form? If he was, he was nothing like a demon she thought the fox would be. And if that wasn't the case, then how did the relationship work between him and the demon? Were they trying to tell her that a huge hundred meter tall fox was somehow stored in the body of a one hundred forty seven centimeter boy? The concept just seemed completely ludicrous!

Yet... what her uncle was saying made sense. It did explain much about Naruto's abilities. From his canine-like tracking, to his enormous strength, even that cunning of his. While her mind accepted it, some part of her didn't for some reason she wasn't sure of. Was the Kyuubi the source of his unwavering determination and the ever-annoying resolve to never give up? Just where was the line of Kyuubi and Naruto drawn? At what point were they the same and when they were different?

"Tell me what you think of this little scenario, little fox," Doto went on, caught up in his own fantasies as he held up his hands like he was presenting a picture. "Konohagakure. Still rebuilding from the previous invasion. The holes made in its walls only half-repaired. Its buildings riddled with workers and carpenters to hide the scars from the fighting. Its people just starting to feel calm and safe once again. Their guard is low, their faces just waking up at dawn and at the horizon... is a nightmare from the past. The dreaded Nine-Tailed Biju once again at Konoha's gates, with an army of Snow Ninja at its heels!"

"Keep your delusions to yourself," the boy spat back. "Even if you had the guts to take on Konoha with those pathetic ninja you call shinobi, there's no way in hell you'd get the Kyuubi's cooperation or mine."

Being called 'pathetic' by a caged prisoner ticked off the escorting ninja. One of them looked ready to pop a vein in his forehead. Doto, on the other had, just threw his head back and gave that laugh of his. "Cooperation? Is that what you think I'm doing? Trying to sway you to my side and do my bidding?" He gave another round of laughter before quickly cutting off, a look of disgust on his face. "Don't flatter yourself, brat. I would sooner grovel in a trash heap looking for rats to aid my army than try and get you on my side. You have insulted my person and I assure you before I'm through with you, you will be crying and begging for my forgiveness. To the point where you hyperventilate out of sheer desperation to spare you."

"So what then? You extract the Kyuubi for your own purposes? Is that what you're trying to taunt me with?"

"Rest assured, now that I know exactly what you are, harnessing that power for myself will be a simple task. Your extraction – and I promise you it will hurt – will come in due time. No. I'm here to tell you a simple message. Umino Iruka."

Against his will, Naruto gave a flinch as his eye widened ever so slightly.

"Yes, I thought that would catch your attention. I know the rest of your precious people, brat. Umino Iruka. Sarutobi Konohamaru. Hyuuga Hinata. Your classmates from the Academy. When we attack, I'm going to personally hunt each one of them down. They will weep and cry until they curse your name out with damnation at ever knowing you. I'll be sure to pay the Sandaime a visit as well. We don't want him to be too comfortable with his eternal rest, now do we? Just... like... your... team."

Naruto gave a snarl as he kicked his legs backwards, planting his feet against the wall then shoving himself forward at the man. Doto didn't so much as flinch as Naruto hit the bars, only to have energy zap the Leaf genin. The boy gave a loud yell at the unexpectedly painful shock as he began swinging back and forth slowly. Doto just laughed in the boy's face as he snapped his fingers, calling his men to his attention. He then gave a nod at Koyuki's cell.

The princess blew out of her nose as they unlocked her door and beckoned her to come out. It was time already, it seemed. As she was led down the hall, she could barely see Naruto open his eye. "Where... are... you taking... her...?"

No one answered as they walked to the end of the passageway and began climbing the stairs, Naruto's faint demands of 'ANSWER ME' unanswered like a man buried alive in a tomb.


One hour earlier, 1:00 pm

Sakura

The pink-haired kunoichi's eyes fluttered open slowly, though focus was another matter entirely. All she could see was a hazy white all around, like trying to look through a fogged-up window. Part of the reason her vision was so bad was because her mind was almost entirely focused on the splitting headache she was feeling. It was as though someone had driven a large nail into her skull.

Silent as a shadow, she sat up and began rubbing her forehead in an attempt to ease the pain as she tried to take in her surroundings. She was in someplace quite warm, though the floor was a bit damp. Or was it the ground? She couldn't tell. It was only now as she had been rubbing her head did she realize it had been bandaged.

While her right hand nursed her pounding head, she used her left hand to rub her eyes hoping that would clear up her vision some. She blinked a few times and the details slowly began forming as her vision returned to its normal state. She was in some sort of cave... or something like a cave, maybe. Upon further examination, she realized it wasn't a cave, but a large hole dug into the snow itself.

Looking out of the corner of her right eye, she saw several things. The first was a small fire crackling away that filled the small hole with warmth, which she was very grateful for. The second was the sight of Sasuke's back, his cloak wrapped around him, though there were several tears and rips in it. So that's where the bandages came from. She was about to speak when a third thing caught her attention, freezing her voice in the throat.

A wire had been strung from one end of the shelter to the other over the fire, and on the wire wasboth hers and Sasuke's clothes (their sandals at the foot of the fire), including their... no... that couldn't be... giving her head a slight shake, she took another look at those... items... and saw that it was no illusion or trick of her mind.

Hanging up were both of their undergarments. It took exactly 3.7 seconds for Haruno Sakura's mind to fully comprehend this before her gazed snapped downward at herself.

"AAAHHH!!!!!!!"

Sasuke, who had been in the middle of dozing, immediately snapped wide awake as he jumped to his feet his own cloak falling to the ground. "WHAT!?! THE ENEMY!?! HOW MANY!?! THE SHAPESHIFTER!?! THOSE SNOW NINJA!?! ITACHI!?!"

The only answer the Uchiha got was a solid uppercut to his jaw, followed by several disgusted words.

Sasuke hit the roof of his homemade shelter hard, shaking enough of the 'ceiling' that several clumps of snow fell down right on Sakura, Sasuke and their now newly wet clothes before Sasuke came back crashing down on the ground, allowing Sakura getting a full look of... him, prompting her face to go the same color as her hair.

"AAAHHH!!!!!!!"

Fast-forwarding fifteen minutes past the next round of screams, shouts, explanations, denials and general pandemonium, things settled down. Their clothes were restrung over the fire to dry off again as the two Leaf shinobi sat back to back, wrapped in their cloaks once more as they stared into the wall.

"You know, I never expected you to have such a violent streak to you," Sasuke uttered as he rubbed his cheeks, and for once, it wasn't due to the damn urge but to the new slap marks he had.

"Sorry," Sakura replied. Her head bandage had to be reapplied and the room was currently spinning. "I'm not used to waking up... well... like that."

"Sorry. It was rather necessary. I tried to wake you, but you were out like a light. I thought you were dead several times."

"Sorry. I understand. I didn't mean to go off on you like that... or for all my clothes to be off."

"Sorry. If you're going to do the job, do it right. And it's not just your clothes off."

"Sorry. I realize that. Still... you got a good look, didn't you?"

"Sorry. It was rather unavoidable, and you just got one yourself."

Sakura didn't bother responding to that as she tugged on cloak tighter. "Think we could not mention this to anyone else?"

"Most definitely."

That's when Sakura's stomach growled. She blushed slightly in reaction before Sasuke handed her several items. "Here. Konoha's finest nutrient bars. Waterlogged version."

Nutrient bars. Emergency food rations for shinobi on missions. Each shinobi carried a week's worth of them for this type of situation. They held the maximum amount of nutrients, proteins, vitamins and everything else the body needed for the day. And they tasted like earwax rolled in sand, which was why shinobi preferred to hunt or even stop at stands to eat. She had heard rumors that Shino was fond of them. How that was was beyond her, but then again, she didn't understand the Aburame heir that much as it was.

A second rumbling of her stomach put the fight out of her as she grabbed the bars, muttering a quick 'arigato' as she opened one and took a bite, resisting the urge to spit it back out. To her surprise, they were also soggy. That explains what he meant by 'waterlogged version'.

"What happened... since I've been out?" she asked, taking another bite.

The boy responded by telling her that after their five combination strike on the train, Mizore's metal arm had launched out, striking her on the head and knocking her into the lake out cold. He had dived in and gotten her out and by the time they were out of the lake, everyone else had left due to a storm coming. Where Naruto was, he didn't know.

"I guess I owe you my life," Sakura stated once he was done. "Thanks."

Though she said it, she wasn't sure she believed him. Oh, not about her falling into the lake and him getting her out. That she could easily see and would explain her headache. He wasn't the type to invent such a story just to look at her. What she didn't believe was the circumstances. She was almost positive he had left something out. She couldn't see the Snow Shinobi just leaving when they knew they were in the lake. Even with a storm coming, they would have left someone to keep an eye and kill them when they surfaced.

So what could he had left out? What else could had happened that he would want to hide?

"It was nothing," Sasuke replied, dragging her out of her theories. "That's what com... friends... do, isn't it?"

"... yes... I suppose so..." she agreed as she returned to eating.

They didn't speak again as Sasuke started eating himself. It had been quite a taxing time between losing Kakashi, fighting shapeshifters, their own arguments, fighting snow ninja after snow ninja after snow ninja. She felt she could devour their entire supply of emergency rations right there, but she made sure to leave some for later. There was no telling when they would need them again.

What was their next move? They were tired and weak. Wait for reinforcements? They had no way of knowing Naruto's frog messenger's progress and how quickly help could come, let alone how to rendezvous with them when they finally came. And where was Naruto? Was he searching for them, or carrying on the mission himself? Or was he captured? Dead? Where were they for that matter? Doto's castle had been over sixty kilometers from their previous position, but where was that? Had they traveled north? South? East? West? And how far? Were they closer or farther from the castle?

And where was the movie crew? What happened to them? They weren't fighters, so the Snow ninja should have easily rounded them up. Had they escaped? Not even Makino would be that stupid to remain in such hostile territory to film some movie.

This must be what the sense of command was like. How to see the possibilities in a situation where you had no idea what to do. To be able to pick the best course of decision and act on it. To be able to get out of the dire situation for the safety and well-being of yourself and those you commanded, whether it was a simple team or a full battalion.

For the next forty minutes, she constantly turned these questions over and over in her mind, trying to see the possibilities and what they should do. That's when Sasuke got up and spoke, saying they should get dressed and leave. Whatever their next move was, they first had to learn where they were.

Making sure to keep their eyes where they should be, the two dressed quickly in silence. Sakura wished they still had their packs with them with all their spare clothes and accessories, but there was no point in wishing for what they didn't have. She might as well be wishing for a four course meal.

They squeezed out of the 'entrance' of Sasuke's man-made shelter into the winter-infested enemy country. The storm had passed some time ago, so the skies were clearing up, with only patches of dark clouds here and there that let the sunshine bathe the frozen earth below. Snow-covered trees stood all around them as far as the eye could see. A few birds were out singing, but other than that, there was no sign of animal life that they could see. Which way should they go first?

"I headed north when I started walking," Sasuke spoke up, his right hand casually touching a katana in his weapon's pouch. When did he get that? "With the storm, I don't know if I managed to keep going north or if I wandered another direction." He looked upward to get the position of the sun, then looked southward. "Let's head south. Best direction to try, and if we're lucky, we should get back to the railroad and get our bearings."

Sakura just gave a nod as they both started walking south side by side. As they did, she made a point to keep her eyes scanning their surroundings. For Yuki-nin or a village. They couldn't afford another fight with the enemy ninja, so their best bet was to blend in and regain their strength.

"I want to talk to you about our... little issue," Sasuke's voice said unexpectedly.

The words caught Sakura off guard, making her just blurt out 'Huh?'

Though she didn't catch it, Sasuke's gaze had darkened slightly at her casual reply, as though she didn't take it seriously. "Your reaction to my little... departure and what you had said to me," he answered in a slow and careful voice.

Oh, that? Truthfully, she had forgotten all about it. Dozens of snow ninja trying to kill you will do that. Sakura gave a shrug. "I said I needed time," she replied without looking at him as she continued to search for signs of life. "Anyway, it's not important right now."

"... not... important?"

She gave a nod. "That's right. There's no need to bother ourselves with something as minor as that."

"THAT'S IT!!!"

Sakura felt her heart leap into her throat at the unexpected yell of fury as she felt strong hands grab her shoulders, turning around to look right into Sasuke's face, red from anger with a cold dark void in those black eyes of his that Sakura couldn't help but stare into with both a mixture of awe and fear.

"I'VE HAD IT!!!" Sasuke roared into her face, making her flinch badly. "I'M SICK OF THIS!! I'VE TRIED AND I'VE TRIED AND YOU KEEP FIGHTING ME WITH IT! YOU WON'T LOOK AT ME, YOU WON'T EVEN USE MY NAME!!

Wait, what!? Look at you... no, no, no! That wasn't the reason! She had been concentrating on their surroundings! It wasn't that -

"I'VE TRIED GIVING YOU SPACE AND YOU JUST GO ON LIKE NOTHING'S HAPPENED!! I TRY TALKING TO YOU DIRECTLY ABOUT IT AND YOU KEEP BRUSHING ME OFF!! YOU SAY WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO WORRY ABOUT IT WHEN WE HAVE NOTHING BUT TIME THANKS TO THE FACT WE'RE FUCKING LOST IN AN ENEMY COUNTRY!!!"

Because her voice was lost in her throat from his reactions! And she hadn't been that uncooperative with his efforts... had she!?

"WE'RE SETTLING THIS RIGHT NOW... AND I DON'T CARE HOW!!! IF THIS IS WHAT I HAVE TO DO, IF THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY AND RESOLVE THIS, THEN SO BE IT!!!"

And that's when Sasuke's fist slammed into her face. She gave a cry of shock and pain as she fell on her butt, blood trickling out of her mouth. She looked up to see his leg raised and coming down to strike her but she rolled out of the way narrowly missing his heel drop.

She rolled and jumped back to her feet as she wiped the blood from her mouth, her own anger rising. "And so you think you can make me talk!?! Oh, why not!? What else would you know about solving your problems than just beating the shit out of it!?!"

"I've tried talking to you and you keep pushing it away!!" Sasuke retorted, throwing another punch at her but this time she caught it in her hand. However, that left her open for a sharp left cross to her right cheek.

So in response, she slammed her free hand down on his arm, making him gave a sharp cry of pain. "I asked you for time!!" Solid right jab between Sasuke's eyes.

"I gave you time!" Left kick to Sakura's gut.

"It's up to ME to decide how much time I need, not you!" Another punch to Sasuke's face, but he grabbed it and twisted her arm around behind her back. New pain shot through her arm as Sasuke twisted it more.

"It does concern me when you won't even tell me what you want in the first place!!" The girl gave another cry at a new jolt of pain shooting through her arm when she stomped down hard on Sasuke's foot, then slammed the back of her head against his face. The two blows forced Sasuke to let go of her arm, allowing Sakura to place her other hand on her face and drive an extra powerful elbow right into Sasuke's abdomen.

The Uchiha boy coughed up blood right in Sakura's face, who didn't pay it any mind at all as she tackled him, the result of the two rolling around the ground as they both struggled to get the upper hand. They continued rolling for about three meters before a pair of punches forced the two off each other and back on to their feet. Hoping to get her before she recovered, Sasuke came at her with another lunge faster than before. This time, Sakura deliberately took the hit knowing she couldn't hope to match him through speed. She dropped to the ground into a complete splits stance as she attempted to strike both of Sasuke's knees, but he backflipped to avoid her strikes with the extra kick to her chin on his way out.

Sakura hit the ground anew as Sasuke landed on his feet and ran towards her. She quickly grabbed a handful of snow and flung it at him, hitting him right in the face as he stopped dead in his tracks. Sitting up, she swung her right leg, sweep-kicking him off his feet. The rookie of the year, however, caught himself with one hand and flipped back to his feet, already wiping the snow away, but it allowed Sakura to get back to her own feet.

She ran right towards him, hoping he'd launch a kick at her, which he obliged. Fully expecting it, she crossed her arms in front of her to block it, then quickly grabbed his leg. She pivoted on her feet as she attempted to throw him up, but he jumped off his second leg and delivered a kick right to her head. As she started to fall, she made a tossing motion at Sasuke, who saw that she had a smoke bomb in her hand.

SHIT!! he cried mentally before it exploded in his face. She went into that exchange not hoping to catch his kick, but to get him close enough to throw a smoke bomb at point-blank range!

But she wasn't Naruto. She wasn't accustomed to fighting in a smokescreen, so she wouldn't be able to see either.

The Haruno regained her footing and charged into the smokescreen, only to hit nothing. What!? But Sasuke should have been standing somewhere in the smoke, how did she miss?

That's when she felt something grab her ankle as her eyes went wide with horror. He had dropped to all fours, allowing him both to avoid her and set up for his next strike!

Jerking Sakura's leg, Sasuke threw the girl off balance as he got up to uppercut her in the stomach, only to hit thin air. His momentary surprise allowed Sakura to get a solid blow on Sasuke's chest, knocking him out of the smokescreen. Sasuke thought he had grabbed Sakura's right ankle when he really had grabbed her left, throwing off his aim just enough for Sakura to dodge.

That's when Sakura jumped out of the smoke towards Sasuke on the ground, both fists ready, but Sasuke avoided her strikes. However, her fists hit the ground and when they came up they were covered in rock-like gloves on her hands.

Sasuke breathed out in annoyance as he formed the Faiatama in both hands. The fireballs came to life in his hands immediately, their fire mimicking that which Sasuke felt within him as they both charged each other, with Sakura's Rock Gloves striking hard against Sasuke's handheld fireballs. The Rock Gloves began cracking under the strain from the Katon while the Faiatamas were beginning to bulge from the force on them like a balloon from the Doton.

Finally both techniques expired in a shower of rocks and flames when Sasuke lunged his head forward, using the metal on his headband to strike against Sakura's exposed forehead.

As expected, the girl gave a cry of pain from the blow as Sasuke maneuvered his foot behind hers and swiftly knocked her legs from beneath her. As she fell, Sasuke made a point of hanging onto her, allowing him to pin her against the ground hard with him partially sitting on top of her.

Sakura began struggling to get out of his grasp but to no avail. "GET OFF ME!!!"

In response, Sasuke just tighten his grip as he knelt closely to her face. "I'm SORRY!! ALRIGHT!?! I'm SORRY that I USED you and your feelings like I did to get my fight with Naruto! It was stupid, idiotic and heartless of me!! Is that what you want to hear!? I'm SORRY!!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT!!"

It was almost as if he had been frozen by a Hyouton jutsu because Sasuke went incredibly still at the declaration.

"I don't know!!!" Sakura repeated, breathing hard. She almost looked ready to cry. "Are you happy now!?! I don't know what I want from you!!"

"... you... don't know...?" he repeated. Clearly, this wasn't the answer he was expecting.

"Do you have ANY idea how much it hurt to hear what you did!?!" Sakura went on, tears falling freshly now. "I had spent every waking moment from when we graduated from the Academy trying to win your approval and appreciation!! When you helped me with my genjutsu, I thought I was on the right track at long last! Then I see you sneaking off to go to Orochimaru! I poured my heart out to you!! I would have done ANYTHING for you! I would have ran off with you if you had let me!!"

"... then why don't you simply hate me for what I did and tell me to jerk off?"

"Why?" Sakura then did something that completely astonished the young Uchiha.

She laughed.

A low sad laugh. The type of laugh you would use to get ready for a large party that you had been looking forward to for weeks, only to arrive a day early than when it was scheduled to take.

"Why? It's rather obvious, isn't it?! Even one with the emotional range of pond scum like you should be able to figure it out! Because I still feel that way about it! Even after knowing what you've done and using me for it, I still feel that way about you!!"

At that statement, Sasuke did his best impression of a gaping fish out of water.

"Do you GET IT yet!?! I'm torn here! I can't decide to whether to hate you or love you! On the one hand, you used and took advantage of my feelings like they were nothing! I SHOULD hate you for that! But on the other hand, I enjoy being around you! When you let down your defenses and let people be close to you, you can be quite a charming and caring human being!! I spent months with you on Team 7 and years in the Academy admiring you! I can't toss that all away even if I wanted to! I just want to be able to rip both of these feelings out of me so I can decide what to do, but I CAN'T!! I couldn't decide what to do and the more nagging you did about it, the worse it got! How can I answer your question when I can't decide if I want to punch you or hug you!?"

At that point, tears were flowing down Sakura's face quite steadily now, like she had confessed some horrible sin. Though being forced to confront a painful internal issue out loud to the direct cause of that said issue with no resolution available could be argued with a close second.

Sasuke just hung his head low as he loosened his grip on her. "Then let's start over."

Sakura had to blink a few times to try and clear the tears away to get a better look at him. Start over? What did he mean by – she trailed off as she looked over his shoulder, seeing what looked like a falling star coming right at them. It only took a fraction of a second to realize just what it was and it wasn't a falling star.

It was the glimmer of a sword.

At the same instant, Sasuke caught sight of the sword as he quickly leaped off to the side, while Sakura rolled off to the other. A short sword stabbed into the ground where the two had been just a millisecond ago, a Snow Ninja kneeling on the ground next to it.

"Teenagers..." the man said in disgust as he stood up. He looked the same as any ordinary Shinobi of the Snow Country except for a small silver emblem on his chest depicting a steel fist and a scar on his left cheek as he jerked his sword from the ground. "You're all alike, thinking the entire world resolves around you to the point where you can have a love spat without a care in the world. Pathetic."

Sasuke had jumped to his feet with a large look of disbelief and a groan to match. Sakura tried to get up, only for a second Snow Ninja to jump down on her, keeping her pinned to the ground. "Stay here, young one," the man stated.

"Sakura!" Sasuke hollered, only to jump backwards to keep the sword from striking through his neck.

"You don't need to worry about her, Uchiha," the other snow ninja spat, venom in his voice as he gripped the sword in his hand tighter, which Sakura saw was shorter than a normal katana. A chokuto, she thought it was called. "I have spent far too much time tracking you down for you to be distracted by your stupid little girlfriend."

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked carefully, his eyes darting from Sakura on the ground to the snow ninja on top of her (whom looked vaguely familiar to him) to the woods expecting more ambushes.

In response, the man tossed back his hood and lower his facial mask, revealing that he was missing the lower half of his left ear. "My name is Enrai Taigi." He put the chokuto in his... mouth?... as he pulled out a scroll. "You killed my lover." With that, he summoned two normal-sized katanas which he held in his hands in the reverse grip style. "Prepare to die."


(Author's Note) Whew! Done at last! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Feels like that's all I say lately, gotta change that. This time, I got more involved in my church and had a rather busy couple of weeks which left me more exhausted than usual and cut into my writing time. But that's all over now and so now I can get back to it!

So I hope this chapter was enjoyable and worth the wait. Had a war meeting surrounding Doto's plans while he taunts Naruto, and Sakura and Sasuke finally start to resolve things between them, only to be interrupted by Taigi and Homare. Their luck is not too good, is it?

And like the other times in this story, once again, if you can't reason with someone, just beat the crap out of them ^_^ Alright, in all seriousness, no, don't do that. As you read, Sasuke and Sakura got into a small fight over the issue. Nothing too elaborate, but I hope it was enjoyable. There was an ulterior motive for having them duke it out rather than just talking or whatever and it deals with Team 7 as a whole. Or more specifically, its three youngest members.

It's to deal with the issue of 'who is the strongest' between Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura. Much like the Sannin, people debate whom is the strongest among them and due to Jiraiya having Sennin Mode, he is often labeled as the strongest of the three.

I'm not one of them (no offense to those that do name one stronger than the others). I take the stance that there is no one strongest member between them. That each one has their own strengths and weaknesses that balance them out like the old phrase Snake beats Frog beats Slug beats Snake. A roundabout way of portraying equality, but it works. And I decided to do the same thing with Team 7 here with Sasuke the 'Snake', Naruto the 'Frog' and Sakura the 'Slug' and reversed it. So that the Frog (Naruto) beat the Snake (Sasuke), the Snake beat the Slug (Sakura) and the Slug beat the Frog. Yes, I know Sasuke's future summons in this storyline are eagles and not snakes, but the Sannin imaginary that Team 7 shares with them is still prominent.

In the previous Naruto vs Sasuke fight and Sakura vs Naruto fight, some disliked the fact I had a clear winner. That I should have gone with ties to show the equality. I chose this method. Showing that while Sakura may not be as skilled as Naruto and Sasuke in fighting, she does have other attributes that she's better at than them. That there is no one strongest member among the three, that they all balance each other out with their own strengths and weaknesses. That each one is capable of both defeating and losing to the others. That's my stance on the matter. For both Team 7 and the Sannin and something I plan to show with the remainder of this story and that of Chuuten when the time comes.

The talking leading up to Sakura and Sasuke's fight, I hoped to match to the previous one they had in the flashback in the second chapter, only with the situations reversed. Do let me know if I succeeded in that venture or not. In any case you can decide for yourselves if Sasuke was justified in doing what he did to resolve the issue between him and Sakura or not.

Shout out to Tellemicus once more for putting up with my nagging questions to help make this chapter better!

Until next time!

I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, any jutsu that Tellemicus created that are used in this story belongs to him. Big thanks to Paintball-Gamer for beta-reading this!