Gaara, Sunagakure.

Gaara was about finished with the work he had to do for the day. He picked up the stamp to authorize the plans for adding another children's wing to the hospital and several other projects. He was about to push the stamp down onto the first page of the final stack of papers when he suddenly stopped. He looked up at the brightly lit office and narrowed his eyes. He could have sworn there was the feeling of being watched. He put the stamp down on the table next to the stack and then stood up off his chair. He then walked around the table and said, "who's there." It wasn't a question, more of a command.

He was certain there were stealth jutsu's out there in the world with many shinobi in Iwagakure proficient in them. But he didn't sense anyone or anything… he didn't sense a physical presence and it left him with an odd sensation of dread. Gaara slowly turned around in place, his eyes scanning the empty spaces in his office while thousands of tiny grains of sand, mentally controlled by the Kazekage, swirled slowly around the room. If there was someone in the room using a stealth jutsu, the sand would highlight the outlines of their bodies.

'There is no one here,' he thought after a few minutes with the grains of sand still swirling around the room.

But there was still the sense of being watched. A feeling of being oppressed. And suddenly the temperature dropped. Gaara saw his breath condense before he spun to his left where he thought he heard a whisper. But there was no one present in the office. And just as it appeared, the cold vanished and warmth returned. Gaara turned around once again, hopeful that the sand in the air would outline something or someone… but there was still nothing.

Gaara just stood there, in the middle of the room, a chill going up and down his spine. He couldn't stop thinking about the feeling of oppression. He couldn't stop thinking about the sense of being watched. What was it? What caused it? The entire situation left him uneasy.

'Gaara!' he stiffened at hearing the shrill yell from Shukaku in his mind. Even though they have been separated for many years by now, Gaara and the One-Tail still shared a link. Gaara turned towards the windows in his office and mentally answered the call from his former Bijuu, 'something's wrong, Brat! I can't sense Kurama anymore…' At hearing this Gaara was stunned, if Shukaku could not sense the nine-tails, that means something must have happened to Naruto.

'Gaara! I can't sense the other remnants of the Bijuu with Kurama! The other Bijuu and I can't meet in Naruto's inner mind! And… and I sense something else… a danger. Something bad… something evil!'

Gaara rushed towards his desk. He never heard Shukaku so… so frightened. He needed to call the Hokage, he needed to know what was going on in Konoha. Suddenly, he felt a powerful presence from behind him. He turned towards the windows facing the high walls where sentry lights lit up the sky following a bloodcurdling roar coming from the direction of the desert.

"What the?" Gaara whispered before making his way out of his office after opening one of the windows.

Ino

Ino just finished putting on a dark blue blouse when she finished sending a mental message to Tsunade. She now sat on the edge of her bed and began slipping on a pair of dark coloured leggings and it wasn't too long before she had both feet on the floor while she looked at the mirror attached to her dressing table. The vision – if it could be called a vision – of the girl earlier had Ino rattled and many questions forming in her mind; who was she? Why did she have a vision of the girl? Why did they look so eerily similar? Ino pressed her lips together while reaching for her sandals. Standing up while staring at her reflection on the mirror, Ino tied her hair back into a pony tail before turning her body away… her eyes were still on the reflection. Her heart was racing as she recalled the incident from earlier when it seemed as if there was a delay in her reflection following her movements. Just thinking about that incident brought more chills running up and down her spine.

'My reflection's moving now too,' Ino thought to herself as she walked towards the end of her bed before making a turn. Facing the glass doors leading to the balcony beyond, Ino stared at her own reflection as she walked onwards. Still, there was nothing unusual as she opened the door and stepped out into the balcony much to her relief. What happened earlier was creepy, especially since she was alone… she certainly did not want to encounter anything unusual now since she was still alone.

At least for a moment; she closed the glass door behind her after turning off her bedroom light. In an instant, Raven appeared next to her in a swirl of leaves… and it had Ino give out a small yell while bring her left hand to her chest.

Raven titled his head at the reaction before said, "apologies, Ino-san."

Ino waved her other hand while replying, "no, no. I'm just a little jumpy."

She didn't know if Raven was aware of what was happening around Naruto, and so she did not elaborate. All she said was "let's get out here, Raven." And then they were off leaping from one rooftop to another. Moving at a quick pace, Ino felt the cool breeze against her cheeks as she thought about the worry in Tsunade's telepathic reply. When Ino mentioned those strange names, she could sense fear from the former Godaime Hokage when the latter mentioned she recognized one of the names. However, Tsunade did not state which name she recognized. Ino wondered about the mysterious myths and stories Tsunade must have heard when she was younger… and she also wondered what Uzu had to do with this entire situation.

Taking a deep breathe to calm herself, and then slowly exhaling as they continued leaping faster and faster and faster, Ino's mind was on Naruto. While they were not as close as Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Choji… hell, she was probably the last on a long list of people who Naruto associated with on the best of days. Over the years though, she felt as if her view of Naruto had grown from the annoying troublemaker of Konoha to the less annoying hero of Konoha.

'He is still annoying sometimes,' Ino thought to herself as they neared the hospital, 'but at least we speak and hang out as friends now.'

Yes, they were friends. And while her old brash younger-self would be demanding to know why the both of them would be friends in the first place, the older Ino knew her younger-self would be ignored. She had truly begun to notice Naruto and his growth from the day he returned to the village after beating Pein. She still remembered the words that slipped out of her lips that day, "I could almost fall for him". It was an excited whisper, but she was certain that Shikamaru heard it since he was the one who stared at her curiously before looking away towards Sakura and the others who were throwing Naruto up into the air in celebration.

Ino's chain of thought was broken when Raven called out to her saying they were a leap away from the hospital. She steeled herself; she was determined to help Naruto as much as possible while she and Raven leapt down to the main entrance of the hospital. Raven then nodded at her before saying he had performed the duty assigned to him and returned her safely to the hospital. Ino nodded before thanking him and then, after watching him leap away, she walked through the sliding glass door and into the main lobby.

Walking into the cool air of the main lobby, the glass door closed behind her while Ino telepathically contacted Tsunade who then gave her the meeting location. Ino sensed anxiously in Tsunade's mental voice while walking towards the elevators. She waved at the receptionist just as a sudden chill crawled up and down her spine. Midway between the reception station and the elevator lobby, Ino stopped and looked down at the goosebumps erupting on both her arms.

Suddenly, Ino could feel as if there was someone watching her from behind. Gulping, Ino's heart raced as she slowly looked over her left shoulder. She hoped there was nothing behind her… or better yet, she hoped there was someone alive standing behind her. It was silly, but seeing what happened to Naruto and the incident in her shower had her on edge; so, she was hoping that maybe Shikamaru or Choji was behind her.

'Nothing,' Ino thought to herself before licking her lips – which were suddenly so dry. Closing her hands into fists, she quickly strode towards the lift lobby, the feeling of being watched still ever present. Every part of her being was telling her contact Tsunade to ask for an escort, but she left silly. Shaking her head, Ino hurried towards the elevators once again, pressed the button to call for the doors to open, and then stepped inside. After tapping the floor number, Ino looked on as the doors closed… the sense of being watched was stronger than ever by now. She took in a deep breath while mentally telling Tsunade that she was in the elevator.

And just after sending the mental message, Ino felt dizzy. She grabbed the handrail to her left with one hand and her forehead with another hand. The chill in the elevator was great by now as she closed her just while breathing out… her breath condensing in the air. Her mind started to whir while, at the same time, Ino felt her body going numb. She gave out a slow gasp before feeling her eyelids feel heavy. It was as if there was something pushing down her shoulders forcing her to submit to an unknown force.

Ino wanted to mentally call out for help, but the feeling of oppression in the elevator was so strong that she couldn't even mould her chakra. Through her now nearly closed eyelids, Ino looked up with her heavy head and stared at the numbers changing on the number panel indicating the floor number. She was breathing hard as she looked away and closed her eyes while trying to push the feeling away. Suddenly, she could feel a hand on her left shoulder. Ino froze as each individual finger pressed down into her shoulder; not hard enough to cause pain, but hard enough as a signal to not move her body.

She breathed out as sweat gathered on her forehead. It was freezing in the elevator and she was sweating as if she was standing in a heated room. Ino watched her breath condense in the air… rising up before vanishing out of sight. All the while the hand was still on her shoulder. She couldn't help but shift her eyes toward her peripheral vision… her mind was screaming not to move… but a part of herself needed to see who or what stood next to her. Especially since the elevator was supposed to be empty.

Gulping, Ino turned her head slowly until she caught a glimpse of the dark yellow and black of Naruto's jacket. Taking a sharp breath, Ino shifted her eyes forward once again and the atmosphere was heavier and heavier. Ino could feel the grip of the fingers on her shoulder get tighter; just before she closed her eyes and stiffened when she felt someone breathe on her ear.

Oh, she was so very afraid. Her heart was racing, the hair on the back of her neck stood up, goosebumps were present on her arms. She could feel the feeling of oppression rising as if it was trying to force her down to her knees.

"I…," Ino needed to be brave. She knew this was something different than what she faced in the Fourth Ninja War, at least there was something and someone to physically punch. But now there was nothing physical to punch… nothing to attack mentally. She needed to be brave against this unseen presence. She needed to be brave. "I'm not afraid," Ino whispered as she looked up at the panel showing that she just about to reach her floor.

And as soon as she said that she was not afraid, the doors opened with a DING and Ino hurriedly stepped out. As soon as she stepped into the elevator lobby, Ino felt warmth once again and the feeling of oppression was gone. She couldn't sense anything behind her anymore nor could she sense anything unknown in the lobby. 'Which is a good thing,' she thought to herself before turning around to look into the empty brightly lit elevator as the doors started to close. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ino couldn't help think back to the colours she had seen from her peripheral vision; it was the usual colour of the jacket Naruto would wear when he was going about his business in the village or during missions.

'There's nothing there now,' Ino thought to herself before she turned towards the entrance into the hallway, 'for now, I need to meet with Tsunade-sama in the waiting room.'

Tsunade

Upon reaching the waiting room several minutes ago, Tsunade felt a sense of relief. She glanced at Shizune, who was sitting on the chair closest to her, who had the same sense of relief etched on her face. If she had to be honest, she was glad to be out of Naruto's room… she needed some space to breath especially after witnessing what happened to Naruto. Tsunade then glanced at the others – from Sasuke, to Sakura, to Choji, and then to Neji before she leaned back on the wall behind her.

The door to the waiting room was to her left as she pushed away from the wall, the click-clack of her slippers the only sound as she walked towards the entryway and closed the door. All the while, she told them the very same things that Ino mentally told her about seeing a woman who looked like her, as well as the things she said, in the shower. Closing the door with a CLICK, Tsunade then closed her eyes and whispered a prayer she had heard her grandmother speak a long ago during a trip to Uzushiogakure.

"Grandma Mito, what did you say and why are you using that paper?" young Tsunade had said that day long ago. She was in bed while Mito placed a paper, with markings she didn't understand, onto the wooden door of the guest room in the home of Head of the Uzumaki clan. Mito would tell her it was a ritual for the children of the island, but the story behind the ritual would have to wait.

Tsunade forced herself back into the present as she turned around and walked towards the seat next to Shizune. Sighing, she sat down and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What we speak of now, must never be spoken of outside this room… at least not while this Lilith creature…" Tsunade closed her eyes as a chill travelled up and down her spine at the realization that her grandmother's story had the possibility of being true.

Tsunade opened her eyes upon hearing both Shizune and Sakura calling her name. She nodded at them before saying, "Ino's on the way. Anyway what I have to say… well… I'll say when Ino comes back." Tsunade then turned her head towards Sasuke, "once we are done here, I need you to teleport me, Neji, and Sai to the village of Uzushiogakure." At that, everyone stared at her in surprise; and before anyone could say anything, Tsunade continued, "Sakura, you and the others will be staying in the village to prepare. I'll inform Kakashi after I'm done here, but I think he will agree with me on this."

"On what?" Sasuke said with eyes narrowed at her. Tsunade glanced at all the others staring back at her as well, "why Uzushiogakure? What do we need to prepare for? What does any of this have to do with what's happening to Naruto?"

Tsunade took in a deep breath just before there was a knock on the door and a female voice – Ino's voice – saying, "Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade grabbed the door handle and then pulled it down before opening the door. She could have sworn there was a tremble in Ino's voice and it made Tsunade wonder if the blonde had sensed something on the way to the waiting room. 'Or maybe she is still dealing with the sight of that unknown person who appeared to her.'

"Ino," Sakura said with a serious look on her face before asking if she was feeling alright. Ino nodded her head and waved her hands while Tsunade closed the door behind her. She could hear Sakura and then Choji, who sounded more worried than anyone there in the room, ask what happened and if she was hurt. Ino shook her head once again before taking a seat next to Neji who nodded at her.

Now that everyone was present in the waiting room, Tsunade turned and leaned back against the door. "In addition to mentally telling me about the situation Ino faced in her apartment, there was a name given to her by the mysterious woman."

Tsunade took a deep breath as she remembered the story. "It was a horror story… a myth… something that's not supposed to be true."

"Every myth has a grain of truth, Tsunade-sama," Neji pointed out.

"This truth was something unbelievable," Tsunade said as Mito's voice retold the story in her mind. Forcing back the shivers that were threatening to run through her whole body, Tsunade spoke, "the last time I went to visit family in Uzu, before it was destroyed, my Grandma Mito told me a story… a story told to frighten children who were troublesome and naughty."

"You were trouble, Tsunade-sama?" Choji asked with a surprised look on his face; a look shared with both Sakura and Ino.

Tsunade rolled her eyes before continuing, "a story about the Soul Eater and its children."

"Soul Eater?" Ino asked, her face now serious as she leaned forward, "that was one of the names that person spoke of."

Tsunade nodded her head before continuing, "the story goes that the Soul Eater came to this world with its children and began a reign of terror. This… this army of darkness the Soul Eater led would feed on living things especially human beings. At the time, the people of Uzushiogakure used what we now call Jutsu's to seal away threats; and the people of Uzushiogakure formed an army of light to battle the Soul Eater and its army of darkness on the mainland. The war lasted for years with many deaths on both sides but eventually the people of Uzushiogakure gained an upper hand and destroyed the army of darkness before sealing away the Soul Eater." Tsunade stared at the group staring back at her while before she continued, "that's the story at least. The ending goes that the Soul Eater remains sealed in Uzu at the Temple of the Sealers, and that naughty and troublesome children would be taken to the Temple as punishment. The story goes that the temple guards would loosen the seal and release some of the Soul Eaters aura in order to frighten children."

Tsunade noticed the shocked looks and waved her arms quicky before saying, "they were just threats to frighten children. Even Grandma believed it to be just a story. I mean a wholesale demonic war led by something called the Soul Eater? I come on."

"So Lilith must be the Soul Eater," Choji said.

Ino then said something that brought fear to Tsunade's heart, "then Lilith or the Soul Eater, whatever we call it, is growing in power." She turned towards Ino who was staring back at her with an anxious look, "I felt something watching me in the lobby…" and just as Sakura and Choji were about to speak up, Ino continued, "and there was a feeling… a sensation of being oppressed in the elevator. I felt a hand on my shoulder even though I was the only one in the elevator. I felt the temperature drop, I felt something breath my ear and… and I swear I could make out the colours of Naruto's orange and black jacket on my peripheral vision."

Tsunade glanced at Sasuke who was staring at Ino with a hint of surprise on his face. She then turned to Sakura who spoke up… or at least tried to speak up.

"That's..." Sakura had her eyes wide open at Ino who turned her head toward the pink haired woman, "Ino…" Tsunade could see Sakura trying to say something that would put Ino at ease before looking away towards Neji and then to Sasuke.

In the background, Tsunade heard Sakura ask Ino if she was feeling better now; and as they spoke, Tsunade spoke towards Sasuke, "if there's anything on this Soul Eater, it would be in the Temple of the Sealers."

"When do we leave?" Sasuke said as he stood up while Sakura turned away from Ino and looked up at him.

Tsunade replied, "as soon as I tell Kakashi what's going on." She then took a deep breath, "I know this isn't the perfect honeymoon, but not only does this threat affect Naruto… it's also something that could affect the world. I think we'll be able to find some information on the Soul Eater in the Temple," Tsunade then pressed her lips together at Sasuke's nod and the silent agreement from everyone else. "Get ready to leave," Tsunade nodded at Sasuke and Neji before turning towards Sakura, "Sakura, you'll work with Shizune on preparing for a possible village wide attack. Tell everyone it's a training exercise of a Code Alpha situation."

"Understood."

Tsunade then turned towards Ino, "you'll come with me to talk to the Hokage, Ino. I wanted to ask you to connect your mind to mine so that I could better understand the threat we face, but if the stories I heard are true… then the threat is our annihilation. We need to find a way to stop what could happen once Lilith finishes feeding on Naruto. We need to find a way to get to Naruto in his own mind… a way to get him to fight from within. Can you think up a plan within…" Tsunade then turned towards Sasuke and Neji before asking how long it would take for them to be ready to leave the village. Tsunade nodded at their answer before turning back towards Ino, "… an hour? Something that would protect you as well when you enter his mind."

"Yes, ma'am," Ino replied nodding her head.

"Okay then," Tsunade said nodding her head, "disperse."

TBC.