After a few days of travel, they stood at the base of the great mountain, eyes trained on the peak, its tip piercing through the clouds. Luscious grass crawled up the side of it, slowly growing sparser the higher it went; eventually, at what Naruto could only assume was a quarter of the way up, the greenery ultimately stopped. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he observed it, glancing back at Kakashi.

"So, are we going to climb this, or what," Naruto asked, glancing back up. He had never climbed a mountain before, but he heard stories from those that stopped in the village. He recalled one in particular, about how the air would seem to slowly disappear, until at last it didn't matter if you breathed or not. Unconsciously his hand came to rest over his chest, imagining the burning sensation as his lungs would beg for oxygen that wasn't there.

"If I remember the way, we won't be climbing much," Kakashi replied, head tilted back as he stared at the massive wall of rock in front of them. He reached his staff towards it, the tip brushing it, causing a few pebbles to cascade downwards. He tapped against the stone, humming thoughtfully as he moved along the wall; he continued tapping, seemingly searching for something. The trio watched him with curiosity, finding themselves following him as he made his path. After about twenty feet of what seemed to be meaningless walking, Kakashi's staff struck a stone; the sound of wood hitting metal reverberated through the forest.

"Ah, there it is," Kakashi said cheerfully, glancing back at the three. He chuckled slightly at their puzzled expressions, eyes trained on the rocks. He turned back to the mountainside, placing both hands on the staff; the crescent moon hanging from the tip glowed, causing the rock that it was touching to glow with it. The ground began to quake, catching the others off guard; the horses tails flicked nervously, backing away from the mage. Slowly, the mountainside parted before him, revealing a massive cavern before them. With a flick of his fingers, fire flew from his staff, lighting up torches lined along the walls. As he turned back to face them, he wished he could capture the moment; Naruto and Sakura stood watching in awe, while Sasuke was doing his best to not look impressed.

"Well then, shall we head in," He asked, gesturing towards the inside. They snapped to attention, as if they had just awoken from a trance, grasping the horses' reigns and leading them into the mountain, Kakashi guiding the way.

"What is this place," Naruto asked, looking around in wonder. The only time he had ever walked beneath a mountain was when he visited Sakura, and from the looks of the path it didn't appear to be of dwarven origin.

"You remember the story of Gyuki I told you," He asked; Naruto nodded, "In the past, this was the only way to get to him. However, when the new guardian came in and a village was built, this passage was no longer used as new ones were created."

"You mean there are others like this," Naruto asked in awe, "They must be extraordinary mages to be able to make more like this!'

Kakashi scratched the back of his neck, "Ah, the other passages aren't exactly like this. They're not hidden by magic, and anyone with a keen eye can find them, so they're just ordinary tunnels."

"So what keeps people out then if they're not hidden by magic?"

Kakashi glanced up at the ceiling, eye catching the glint of steel in the shadows. "Ah…they're not the friendliest of people, as we're about to find out."

"Eh," Naruto asked, looking around; he had just enough time to brace himself as a large body charged into him, ramming him against a wall. He weakly held up his shield, trying to fend off the attacker to no avail. Suddenly, the creature screamed, backing up; Naruto peeked from behind his shield in time to see Sakura yank her axe out of its back, a look of hatred on her face.

"Raukhus," She hissed, body crouched in an attacking stance, "Ohr an shmek lieb!" She shouted, charging towards him. Naruto watched in shock as he pulled his own sword, blocking the hit from her axe. He scrambled to his feet, pulling his own sword out its scabbard, shield held in his other hand as he lunged forward to assist. The creature saw him coming, pushing Sakura away in time to block his hit.

Naruto grit his teeth, raising his shield and slamming it into the creature's head. It roared in pain, backing up slightly, giving Naruto the opening to end the battle. As he prepared to strike, another creature jumped in front of him, its back turned to him.

"Karui," The one blocking him growled, "You should learn to control your temper. Or, at the very least, listen to Lord A when he tells us to await Kakashi!"

Karui glared up from the ground, golden eyes narrowed to slits. "Don't belittle me Omoi," She snarled, "Even Samui said we should be cautious of imposters!"

"That I did," Another voice called, catching Naruto's attention. His eyes widened at the sight, seeing Kakashi walking calmly beside another one, although this one seemed to have a fairer complexion than the others. "However, enforcing stereotypes of our race isn't going to help our cause."

Karui huffed, standing up off the ground, brushing her fiery red hair out of her face. "Well then, they better watch what they say," She said, glaring pointedly at Sakura. "Especially the dwarf."

"Miz burk vel liebz vazr an merag," Sakura spat, glaring back at her. Karui growled, raising her sword, the point directed at her throat.

"Care to have a fair fight, princess," Karui spat back; Sakura lunged towards her, stopped only by Omoi catching her by her chainmail and hoisting her into the air.

"Enough," Samui said, staring pointedly at Karui, "Fighting amongst ourselves is not going to save the lands from Kaguya." Karui merely crossed her arms over her chest at the statement, glaring at the ground as she grumbled incoherently under her breath. Samui rolled her eyes at the childish behavior, turning to Kakashi. "You made Lord A worry."

"Ah yes," Kakashi said, "My apologies for that. We got caught up in some trouble in Danzou's city."

"We heard," Samui replied, turning her back, "If we move quickly, we'll reach the village before nightfall."

Kakashi nodded, following her as she led the way down the passage. Omoi placed Sakura back on her feet, walking ahead of her to walk beside Samui. Sakura fixed her clothes, glaring at Karui as she passed by her to take her place at the lead. Naruto ran up beside her, eyes wide with concern; as he reached out to her though, she smacked his hand away, turning to walk down the passageway.

"I'm fine," She called back; Naruto sighed, rubbing his temples as Sasuke came up beside him.

"She seems agitated," Sasuke observed. Naruto snorted as they followed after the group, glancing over at the elf.

"There's a high chance that you'll be wearing that fancy hat tomorrow morning," Naruto said, gesturing towards Kakashi's hat. Sasuke frowned, an image of him wearing the hat popping into his mind.

"I'd never wear something as hideous as that."

"Really now," Naruto asked, "Not even if you could summon a fearsome creature with one of those baubles?"

"I have something called pride, and it dictates me to not look like the front window of a shop that sells meaningless trinkets."

Naruto hummed in agreement, directing his attention back to Sasuke. "Well, looks like I was right," He said after a moment of silence. Sasuke glanced at him in question, silently urging him to continue. "Those few nights again, when I said you would be different; I was right. Pretty sure someone power hungry would wear a stupid hat if it had power."

Sasuke stared at him blankly, almost as if he couldn't believe the words that had been uttered. When Naruto merely offered a grin in response, he sighed, shaking his head. "Dolle naa lost." He muttered, walking ahead of Naruto. Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Uh...always glad to help," He said with uncertainty, following behind them.

"They've found them," A large, brown dragon with horns said, lazily opening an eye. He flinched slightly as the man sitting atop his snout struck a note, growling slightly. "That wretched thing needs to be tuned."

"And how would you know," The man replied, "You don't have any talent. Just an old dragon, filled up with malice."

"That doesn't even rhyme, B."

"It's this thing called a near rhyme," He replied, "It's got a nice flow, sounds pleasing to the ear…I made it up myself. You like it?"

"It's a butchery of civilized language, similar to that abomination you call music."

B strummed the instrument again, much to his chagrin. "Gyuki, relax, and let your mind run free. And perhaps, one day, you'll be as musical as me."

Gyuki sighed, readjusting himself. "Despite that not making a lick of sense, at least it rhymed."

"What do you mean? It made plenty of sense!"

"What would a dragon like me want to do with having musicality?"

"So that we could travel the world together and be the greatest bards in history!" B said, gesturing grandly. Gyuki merely sighed again, rolling his eyes.

"An orc that wishes to be a bard," He snorted, "Sometimes I wonder how many times your mother dropped you on your head."

"She never dropped me, though there were a few times I messed around without a helmet…" B said, smiling slightly as he remembered childhood memories. Gyuki merely snorted again, lip twitching upwards in amusement.

"You brought us to the orcs without telling us," Sakura screeched, glaring at Kakashi. "Have you gone mad?"

Naruto and Sasuke both involuntarily flinched as she slammed her hand down on a table, the wood splintering slightly under her strength. During the rest of their travel, Sakura had flitted between glaring at Kakashi and glaring at their guides, hands curled tightly into fists at her sides. After they had reached the small village littered with buildings protruding from the naturally occurring rock formations, it was only a matter of time before Sakura would explode. Inwardly, Naruto was thankful that she had been able to wait until they reached their quarters.

"I merely did it for the sake of the quest," Kakashi replied calmly, unfazed by her anger. "I knew that if I had told you earlier, you would have vehemently denied participating."

"You're damn right I would," She spat back, "With your seemingly omnipotent powers, you should know damn well how I feel about orcs! And with good reason too!"

"Well, I did try to give a warning ahead of time," He reasoned, "I tried to say that they were unpleasant people."

Sakura threw her hands up into the air, releasing her frustrations in a shrill shriek, causing Naruto and Sasuke to wince again. Without warning, she stormed from the room, heading to the front door. Kakashi turned around in his chair, watching her with a raised eyebrow.

"Where are you going?"

"To be alone," She responded, ripping the door open. "And far away from any lyaggen thaurki." She spat, glaring pointedly at Kakashi before exiting, slamming the door behind her. Kakashi sighed, rubbing his temples as he leaned back in his chair.

"I am far too old to be dealing with temper tantrums…" He muttered under his breath. "Naruto, go after her."

Naruto stiffened, face paling considerably. "M-Me? I dunno, when she gets like this it's usually best to just, you know, leave her alone."

"You're the one who knows her best, and would most likely prevent her from doing anything…rash," Kakashi reasoned, "Besides, if I sent Sasuke, he'd most likely make her angrier."

Naruto thought over his words, ignoring the way Sasuke narrowed his eyes Kakashi. "True…" He muttered, heaving a sigh. He stood up, grasping his sword and shield, placing them on his back. Soon he had jogged out of the room, the sounds of the door opening and closing signaling his departure. Sasuke and Kakashi sat in silence, the only sound filling the room was the faint calls of Sakura's name as Naruto got farther away.

"I suppose you're upset with me as well," Kakashi said, glancing over at Sasuke. "Given that elves and orcs don't exactly get along either."

"Unlike Sakura, I am able to put prejudices aside for the moment." Sasuke replied. "Right now, we have a common enemy in Kaguya, and destroying her is our main priority. Anything else can be dealt with later."

"But you're still curious as to why there are orcs here, aren't you?"

Sasuke stiffened slightly, surprised that he could tell his thoughts. "…While I knew that it didn't have to be a mage to guard the dragons, I assumed it couldn't be any other race besides dwarves, elves, or humans."

Kakashi nodded. "A common misconception. You know the story of the battle between the orcs and Madara, correct?" He asked; Sasuke nodded. "It is the aftermath that is usually left out. After everything was said and done, Gyuki was still left without a protector. As the three races met to decide who would take over, they were approached by the leader of the orcs. According to their leader, they wished to seek sanctuary in our lands."

"And they let them?"

"Not without great struggle mind you," Kakashi answered, "It took much arguing on the orc leader's part to even convince them to listen to his pleas. According to him, due to having lived in the North for so long and become accustomed to the harsh realities of that land, they had assumed that the only way to escape was to take over this land by force. It was only after their defeat, when they realized that no matter where they would go now they would become extinct, that they decided to approach it diplomatically."

"So then how did they acquire Gyuki?"

"Well, as you can imagine, none of the other races wanted anything to do with them. However, they were in need of a guardian for Gyuki, and who better to do that then the fiercest warriors known to the lands?"

"They were being used," Sasuke stated, realization dawning on him. Kakashi nodded, continuing the story.

"Not only that, but because Gyuki had to be isolated, they would be far away from everyone else; the hope was that they would merely fade away. However, they didn't count on them to thrive in the harsh mountains, or for Gyuki to take a liking to them. But, the orcs are a private race, only going to war when they are called upon; the only ones who know of their existence are those living around the mountains."

"If they're not killing anyone, then what are they doing?"

Kakashi chuckled, "The same array of jobs that humans do. Some are merchants, farmers, or blacksmiths, and a good deal of them offer protection to traveling caravans from bandits. But, like any race, there are always a few bad apples."

"I suppose she ran into those ones then," Sasuke asked; Kakashi nodded.

"I cannot give you her story, for it isn't my right, but know that it is a sound reason to despise them. I'm sure that, when the time comes, she will tell you; until then, be patient. No matter how much she may get on your nerves." He added on, eye crinkling in a smile. "Understood?"

Sasuke merely grunted in response, glancing at the door where she and Naruto had exited. That movement alone gave the answer that Kakashi sought; together, they waited for their return.

"Sakura," Naruto called, running down the path, looking around wildly; the time he had wasted in the house caused him to lose sight of her. He wracked his mind for areas that she would frequent during these times, scanning the area for anything that matched the description. Eventually, he spotted an opening in the walls of the mountain, far away from the rest of the village.

"Sakura," He shouted again, running madly towards it. His chest burned, the chill air piercing his lungs as the cold seeped into his bones. Still, he ran on, mind focused only on reaching her before she did something brash. As he neared the cave, he began hearing her shouts and the sound of metal bashing into stone. He slowed to a stop at the entrance, doubled over with his hands on his knees as he tried to regulate his breath. He looked up, seeing that Sakura was the only one there, smirking at his form.

"That out of shape, huh?"

"Sakura…" He wheezed, standing up straighter. "You shouldn't…you shouldn't of run off like that."

Her eyes hardened, her grip on the axe tightening. "Then Kakashi should be telling the whole truth, now shouldn't he?"

"You know it wasn't his intention to hurt you."

"But he did," She shouted, eyes turning to the ground, "He did, and no matter how you spin it, the damage is done!"

"Sakura…" Naruto said softly, taking a few cautious steps into the cave. When she didn't yell at him, he continued walking forward, eventually standing a few inches away from her. He touched her cheek, causing her head to snap forward; he noted the glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes.

"Sakura…" He repeated; he took a step backward as she flung herself at him, face buried in his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her, hand gently smoothing over her hair as he felt the front of his shirt begin to get wet.

"Of all the…" She hiccupped, "Why? She's dead, and yet…why Naruto?" She asked, looking up at him with watery eyes, "Why wouldn't he tell me?"

Naruto brushed the hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Perhaps he thought you'd handle it better."

"He expected me to handle being around murderers well," She asked incredulously; Naruto shook his head at her question.

"I mean, that's just my speculation; there could be a lot of reasons why! Like…hm..." He wondered aloud, face scrunched in thought, "Ah! Like, maybe he didn't want to upset Sasuke anymore than he already was! After all, he is a bit of a prick when he's mad about something. Or maybe, maybe he didn't want to freak me out; after all, this is my first quest."

"This is mine as well you dauh," She sniffled, poking his chest. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah, but you're Sakura Haruno of the brave and mighty Haruno dwarves! You'd have nothing to be worried about on a quest like this!"

"Except losing a friend," She said as she looked up at him, the green of her irises standing out more against the red of her sclera, tears still involuntarily falling from her eyes. Naruto smiled at her, pulling her close to him again.

"You won't lose me Sakura," He said softly, stroking her hair again. "Not now, not ever."

She nodded against his chest, feeling herself calm down slightly at his words. The rage and sadness that had washed over her ebbed away, leaving her feeling hollow and tired. She leaned more against Naruto, eyes closing in tiredness. "I miss her…." She mumbled sleepily.

"I know," Naruto said quietly as he felt her weight sag. "Come on, let's go back so that you can go to bed."

"But I wanna beat up Kakashi," She whined; Naruto chuckled, likening her current state to a child wanting their mother to purchase them candy.

"You can beat Kakashi up tomorrow," He said, pushing her to her feet gently. She grumbled, picking her axe up from the ground and hoisting it back onto her back. She fixed her helmet and her clothes, before turning back to face Naruto. She offered him a small smile; he grinned in response, turning around and heading out of the cave with her trailing behind him.

The sound of the door opening caught Sasuke and Kakashi's attention, signaling the return of Naruto and Sakura. Into the room walked Naruto as Sakura walked behind him, casting a cold glare at Kakashi. However, despite her glare, Kakashi couldn't help but to notice the red rimming her eyes, nor the flush of her cheeks.

"I assume you didn't do anything too reckless?" Kakashi asked, taking in their current state and the fact that no orcs have come to the house to kill them.

"He promised that I would be able to kill you tomorrow," She responded, "So if you'll excuse me, I'll go rest up to be prepared."

"At least let me survive before the meeting," Kakashi called after her retreating back; the sound of a slamming door was his only answer. He stood up, stretching slightly from having sat for so long. "Well, if I live tomorrow or not doesn't change the fact that we have a meeting with Lord A in the morning. So either way, because it will be a busy day, it's best to rest now."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded as Kakashi left them, heading to his own room. Naruto began to head after him, already fantasizing about sleeping in a real bed, before a hand grasping his upper arm stopped him. He turned around, meeting Sasuke's serious gaze with a questioning glance.

"What?"

"What happened out there," Sasuke asked, releasing his arm. Naruto shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, I can't really say," He replied, "It's kinda private, and well, I'm pretty sure Sakura would get mad at me if I said anything. And I mean, I just got her to calm down, so we wouldn't want that to happen, would we?"

"…No, we wouldn't," Sasuke replied after a moment's pause. Naruto grinned, turning back around to head down the hallway.

"Great, then I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Sasuke nodded, following Naruto down the hall to their room. As they walked, with Naruto chattering aimlessly about how good it will feel to be back in a real bed, Sasuke tuned him out to pay attention to the one thought on his mind.

"What could they have done to make her cry?"

Raukhus: Dwarf term for orcs.

Ohr an shmek lieb: I will kill you

Miz burk vel liebz vazr an merag: My axe and your face will be friends

Dolle naa lost: Your head is empty

Lyaggen thaurki: Lying mages

A/N: Fun fact: Reason why this took so long was because I had no idea how to get it started. I had an idea, but I was like, "Gee, how do I introduce it?" Pair that off with finals week and me getting horrendously sick (All better now though!), and this took a bit of time. But here it is, the start of the Gyuki arc!