Tsunade

Tsunade did sense something cold and evil emanating through the elevator when they were traveling up to Naruto's floor. She felt it getting stronger when she and Shizune exited the elevator and stepped into the hallway. She felt as if this feeling thickened around her as she rushed towards Ino when the latter was sitting on the floor which her back leaning against the closed door. It would be upon reaching her that Tsunade realized, from Ino's expression of fear, that the latter must have experienced something in the room. It would be to alleviate Ino's fear that she called on Raven to escort Ino home.

'Raven is escorting her home; whatever it was she thought she saw or felt must have terrified her,' Tsunade thought to herself as the Anbu and Ino both vanished. Turning back towards the closed door, she placed her hand on the metal handle and sucked in a deep breath once her fingers touched the freezing cold handle. However, the hallway itself was just cool enough to be comfortable, 'definitely not this cold.'

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked as she watched Tsunade open the door before her mentor then took her hand off the handle and started rubbing both hands together. Tsunade walked into the room first while telling Shizune not to touch the handle despite the room itself was as cool as the hallway. There was nothing to indicate that the temperature dropped before the current comfortable temperature. The door automatically closed behind them as they walked towards the foot of Naruto's bed. Tsunade was staring at the unconscious boy while Shizune walked towards the machines and checked on his vitals.

'A little more than five percent of his chakra is gone,' Tsunade thought to herself as she glanced at the machines monitoring Naruto before her eyes glanced towards the worried expression on Shizune's face. Her eyes then shifted towards Naruto once again, 'all the chakra in his body… including the ones from the other bijuu... is being sucked into this Lilith thing.' Tsunade noted that Naruto was lying peacefully – at least he looked peaceful – on the bed before she turned towards Shizune when the latter said, "Tsunade-sama, was it just me or did Ino seem a bit scared?"

'She was,' Tsunade thought to herself before giving voice to her thoughts as she nodded her head and said, "something must have happened when we were changing and she was alone."

"I should have stayed," Shizune said as she and Tsunade walked over to the bed. Shizune stood at the left side of the bed as she watched Naruto lying still while Tsunade stood to his right. In a casual outfit now instead of the fancy sequin dress she wore for Sakura's wedding, Tsunade crossed her arms over across her chest. She was staring down at the peaceful expression on the face of the young man she considered a younger brother; a face that was interspersed with the cold and evil expression on his face when Lilith used him to give a voice to herself. Tsunade told Shizune that there was no point in dealing with the past now, and that they would have to handle what was happening in the here and now.

It was just then that Tsunade stiffened slightly as the memories from her dissipated clone returned to her. She turned her head towards Shizune and said, "Sakura, Sasuke, Neji, and Choji are on the way here." Shizune was still staring at Naruto while nodding her head slowly; Tsunade could see that her apprentice was concerned about what was happening to Naruto. Turning her head away from Shizune, Tsunade continued to stared at the peaceful expression on Naruto's face, 'what is this Lilith doing to him other than speaking through him and draining the chakra in his body? How peaceful is he really?' Deep down Tsunade could sense that there was nothing peaceful about how Naruto was feeling. She only had to stare at the machine to her right to see that his chakra and lifeforce was being sucked out into Lilith – whatever she was supposed to be, 'Naruto, you need to fight this thing… person… demon… whatever she is, you need to fight.'

"Naruto," Tsunade whispered as she gripped the handrails and leaned forward, "I know you're in there. You need to fight. Come on… fight." She was inches away from his face when she pressed her lips together while a deep-seated feeling of anger grew within her. Naruto already suffered so much, and now he had to suffer even more. "I know you can hear me, so fight." Tsunade then sighed before standing up straight and then stepping back. She then made her way to the couch.

Tsunade sat on the soft couch and stared at the bed while Shizune walked to Naruto's right side, the latter's hands on the railing by the side of the bed. Tsunade then leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees while clasping her hands together. She was staring at Naruto before her eyes shifted towards Shizune who was brushing Naruto's blonde hair away from his forehead.

"I need to know exactly what Ino saw," Tsunade whispered before Shizune turned towards her, "I need to know what kind of threat we're facing."

"The only way to do that would be to connect your mind to Ino's through her Clan jutsu," Shizune pointed out while Tsunade shifted her eyes back towards Naruto's direction. Yes, that was what she needed to do… she needed to see what it was that Ino saw. And then she needed to come up with a plan that would save both Konoha and Naruto.

Tsunade nodded her head while thinking, 'whatever plan we come up with, we cannot talk about it in front of Naruto.'

"But not in front of Naruto," Tsunade said as she looked down at the unconscious young man, 'she… Lilith, I mean… could hear everything. Let Ino return after she rests, then we'll decide.'

Ino

Raven was by Ino's side as the two of them leapt from one roof to another on the way to the latter's apartment. It was the very one she shared with Sakura until the pink haired kunoichi moved out ll her things to Sasuke's home a few days ago. Ino took in a deep breath as she continued to push back the memory of that black-eyed Naruto staring at her before shutting the door to his room. It was creepy, as if he was looking right through her physical body and into her very soul.

'And I'm living alone now, so I don't want that look… those eyes… that very feeling of dread around me when I'm at home alone.' Ino knew it was ridiculous to feel that way since she had already experienced and seen some of the worst things imaginable. However, a large part of her knew that this was something that was different.

"Ino-san," Raven said before Ino, her thoughts now brought back to the present, turned her head towards the dark haired man. The Anbu nodded at the distant dots leaping from one building to another on the way to the hospital, "that must be Sasuke-san and the others."

"Probably is," Ino said as she looked back towards the front before leaping another roof and then landing on a third floor balcony just across the front door of the Yamanaka flower shop. 'Oh right, I'll stay with mom for the next few days.' Raven landed right next to her as she reached for the unlocked glass door before saying, "I'm just going to take a quick shower and then change."

'Yes,' she thought to herself, 'mom's living in the apartment above the shop, I'll stay with her until this feeling is gone.' Taking a deep breath, Ino pulled the glass door to one side just after the Anbu said that he would be on the roof of the adjacent building waiting for her. And then he was gone.

Ino stepped into the warm room and then closed the glass door, along with the curtain that shielded the room from prying eyes, behind her. She turned on the light switch to her right and then walked towards the dressing table which had a tall mirror attached to it. As she approached the table, Ino began taking off her earrings and necklace before placing them onto the table top. She then pushed the thin straps of her dress away and let it fall onto the carpeted floor. She stepped to the side before crouching down. However, as she crouched down to grab her dress – just as her head moved away from the mirror for just an instant and down towards the crumbled dress on the floor, the corner of her eyes caught an image that forced chills up and down her spine even though the room was warm.

And then goosebumbs erupted throughout her body. What she thought she saw made her heart race in her chest. She could have sworn that her reflection did not move. Ino gasped before she shot up and stared at the reflection which also made the same movements as her while grasping onto the dress in her left hand. While staring at her reflection, Ino threw the dress onto the bed behind her – something that her reflection did as well.

'I must be really creeped out,' Ino thought to herself as she closed her eyes and shook her head before opening them once again to stare at the reflection copying her actions. She lifted both arms over her head, and the reflection did so as well. She then jumped a few times, and her reflection did so as well.

Shaking her head once again, Ino began to remove her make-up before walking into the shower. Sliding the frosted glass shower door behind her, Ino turned the showerhead and closed her eyes as the cool water landed on her and beaded down her body. The cool water slowly turned warm before Ino ran her hands through her hair. As her fingers ran through her long platinum blonde hair, Ino suddenly paused upon feeling a chill running up and down her spine once again.

She opened her eyes, stepped back into the shower stall with her back hitting the wall, and stared at the frosted glass between the shower and the rest of the washroom. Ino pressed her lips towards and frowned while the water from the shower head continued falling in front of her as she started making hand seals. Once she was done, Ino began a quick telepathic scan to make sure she was the only one in the apartment.

And she was.

But now, in this small space, Ino was getting this feeling that she was not alone. She reached for the shower tap and then twisted it. The water slowed down before completely stopping – she was now standing naked with water dripping off her body and onto the wet floor while her eyes were locked on the frosted glass.

"Who's there?" Ino asked as she cautiously walked towards the door to the shower, "Raven?"

There was no answer.

She reached out with her hand… a hand that she couldn't help but notice was slightly trembling… and grabbed hold of the handle. She was about to slide the door open when she gasped at the sight of the outline of a person on the other side of the door. She stared at the outline of the body for a few seconds while her heart raced and her breathing quickened. She was terrified as she yelled out "who's there!"

The shadowy outline of the figure behind the frosted glass patrician simply stood there. Ino felt as if her heart was going to burst out of her chest before she closed her eyes once again. She mentally told herself that she needed to get a grip on herself. Her fingers tightened around the door handle as she thought, 'it's just my imagination, it has to be. I'm not sensing the same feelings when Naruto fell at the reception; I'm not feeling anything except for this… this chill.' She opened her eyes and immediately widened them – the figure was gone. Ino quickly slid the door open and she stared out into the blue and white tiled washroom.

Ino felt that feeling of a chill go away just as it arrived before she rubbed her forehead and then slid the shower door shut once again, "Maybe what's happening with Naruto is making me think some really weird thoughts." Ino turned on the shower once again and then grabbed the washcloth hanging on her left side. After lathering the cloth with the rose scented body soap, Ino began washing herself while thinking, 'and it's made my imagination just get out of control.' As she used the lathered washcloth on herself, Ino suddenly stopped – the cloth was pressed just over her right breast when she felt a chill once again.

She felt someone watching her and her head shifted slightly towards the sliding door. However, there was no shadow this time. No, this time she felt that there was something behind her. Whatever it was… it was in the shower with her. Ino wanted to yell out for help… she wanted to move her entire body, but she could not since it seemed her entire body had gone numb. And then she opened her mouth wide as if she was about to scream when a hand landed on her shoulder. However, there was no sound that escaped her lips as darkness suddenly surrounded her for a second before there was a bright flash of light and she found herself standing in a room with white walls.

"Hello."

Ino could feel sensation returning to her body before she spun around, and her eyes widened in shock at the sight before her. It was herself. She was staring at herself. Ino took a few steps back in stunned silence as her eyes remained on the figure in front of her. The figure had short blonde hair up to her shoulders, her eyes were a deep aquamarine colour and she was wearing what looked to be armour spattered with blood.

"I apologize," the figure said as she took a step forward while her arms now hung by her sides and palms facing outwards showing she was unarmed, "when you reached in through Lilith's miasma form, your psychic signature became a beacon for me."

"Wha… what?" Ino managed to mumble as the figure… the woman who looked so much like her… looked back over her shoulder with a fearful expression before turning her head back towards Ino once again, "who… what… who are you? And why can't I…"

"Please," the woman put her hands together as if begging for Ino to listen, "hear me. I cannot stay for too long. I already feel my essence being pulled back towards Lilith." Ino was trying to calm herself while so many questions were swimming in her mind as the woman – someone who could be her doppelganger – spoke, "I latched onto your psychic signature and pulled myself out from the hell within Lilith. She must be stopped! She…"

"Who… who are you?"

Ino saw the woman shake her head in frustration before saying, "does it matter?"

"You look like me, so yeah it does," Ino replied with eyes narrowed, "and… and you mentioned Lilith… she... whatever she is…" Ino then waved her arms before exclaiming, "she is killing a friend of mine, and…"

"You must hear me!" the woman exclaimed before Ino could finish her words, "Lilith is an interdimensional demon. She and her beasts… her children… live only to feed and destroy. She is nigh immortal and it took many sacrifices to finally rid the world of her."

"I…"

"You must go to Uzu!" the woman exclaimed just before she doubled over in pain before yelling out, "she is pulling me back into her!" Ino wanted to run towards the woman… after all she looked so much like her and was in so much pain. However, the woman waved her away and yelled out, "stay away from me! Go to Uzu! Go to the Temple of the Sealers and then…! AAAAAHHHHH!" Ino reached out as the woman stumbled backwards before her body started to fade. As she faded away, the woman yelled out, "she has many names! Death Bringer! The Darkness! The Collector! The Soul Eater!" The woman then howled in pain before it looked as if she was ripped out of the space in front of her through a single point mid-air.

Ino wanted to rush towards where the woman used to be when she felt as if she was being pulled through herself. The screams of pain from the woman rang in her ears when she shut her eyes closed at a flash of light before opening them to find herself in the shower once again with water cascading down her back.

Ino found herself panting before she spun around, the suds from the lather now flowing down her skin and onto the tiled floor of the shower. She shut off the water and then opened the sliding door before grabbing her towel on the way out the shower door. She had a few names now… names she hoped Konoha's research department would find helpful. For now though, Ino needed to get dressed and then return to the hospital. She needed to talk to Tsunade.

Tsunade

Tsunade was seated next to Shizune as they stared at the unconscious Naruto. Ino had been gone for nearly ten minutes by now and all the two could do was stay silent in their support for Naruto's wellbeing. Tsunade bit her lower lip while staring at the machine measuring Naruto's chakra, it was up to nine percent now. Looking away, she mentally cursed at her helplessness and hoped that Kakashi, Temari, and Kurotsuchi would be able to come up with something in regards to the name Lilith.

Tsunade rubbed her forehead before resting her hands on her knees and then leaning back onto the couch. She turned her head towards Shizune who was biting the nail on a finger nervously while staring worriedly at Naruto. Tsunade looked away, this was something none of them had ever expected. It was troubling.

And Tsunade didn't know what to say. That was the most frustrating part. Upon hearing the soft knock on the door, Tsunade stood up and tightened the coat she was wearing to keep her warm from the air-conditioner.

"Yea," she said.

Tsunade already sensed the chakra signatures on the other side of the door even before she said, "come in."

The door opened and the first person to walk in was Sakura who was still in her reception dress. Before Tsunade and Shizune could say anything, Sakura's head turned towards the bed and Tsunade saw her expression fall.

Sakura was followed by Sasuke who turned his head towards the bed. Tsunade saw a look of worry transform into anger before he turned back towards her. While the others walked into the room behind him, Sasuke asked, "how is he?" Tsunade could sense the young man was angry at his helplessness, and that he was doing everything he could to hold himself in check.

But before she could answer, Tsunade raised her hand at him before looking away and then down towards the floor. There was a ringing in her ears and the feeling of pressure being applied to the back of her head; it was something she recognized as the Yamanaka's telepathic jutsu. Tsunade looked up at Sasuke before saying, "hold on, I think Ino's trying to contact me."

At hearing Ino's name, Tsunade noticed Sakura looked up from Naruto and then walking towards her. At the same time, Tsunade heard the panicked mental voice of Ino calling out towards her.

"Tsunade-sama, can you hear me?"

"Tsunade-sama? Is Ino... where is she?" Sakura stopped her questions when Tsunade asked for silence as everyone turned their eyes onto her. Tsunade closed her eyes and mentally replied an answer.

"Ino, what is it? You sound frightened? Is everything okay?"

"I am putting on my clothes and hurrying back... Tsunade-sama, I... I just experienced something strange."

"What?" Tsunade mentally asked before she turned her head towards Naruto. She had a strange feeling that there was something wrong... something that involved Lilith somehow. She then thought, "what happened?"

"There was... it's weird but I can explain when I get back. All you need to know is that I saw someone who looked like me just appear out of thin air. I mean... I think she appear in my mind."

"What!?"

"She... me... whoever this person is said that I have to go to Uzu, and that there was something pulling her before she vanished."

"Uzu? Uzushiogakure?"

"I think so," Ino replied, "I don't know... she mentioned something about the Temple of the Sealers and..."

"My grandmother once spoke to me about that Temple... its in Uzushiogakure."

"Okay, and then before she vanished, she said a few names."

"Which are?"

"Kunuuth, Death Bringer, The Darkness, The Collector, The Soul Eater."

Tsunade's eyes widened before she stepped back in stunned silence. She turned her head towards Naruto again while mentally telling Ino to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Tsunade mentally told her that she recognized one of the names as a myth... a horror story to tell naughty children. It was a series of stories her mother and grandmother would tell her whenever she was caught doing something she wasn't supposed to do or when she and her brother would not follow their parent's instructions. However, she put no credence to the stories since they were only stories. Once the connection was cut between her and Ino, Tsunade felt her arms trembling.

"We need to get out of here," Tsunade whispered as she stared at Naruto, "Ino contacted me, there's something we need to talk about."

"Why not just speak here?" Sasuke asked.

"Whatever Lilith is, she will..."

It was then that everyone froze before turning their attention to Naruto who chuckled in a deep guttural voice. Sakura turned around from facing Tsunade to gasping out while taking a step back in fear at seeing Naruto. And she was not the only one; Choji, Shizune, Neji and Sasuke all stepped back slightly at the sight of Naruto with his eyes open while laying down. While that wasn't unusual, what had everyone feel a chill through their bones were his eyes which were as black as coal, a stark contrast to his blonde hair. He had a sneer on his lips as he slowly sat up; his eyes locked on each of them as he licked his lips.

"Yamanaka Ino," the deep guttural voice that was definitely not from Naruto spoke, "one of the souls I ate so long ago latched onto her. I forced her back into me... I should have taken Ino's soul as well when I had the chance."

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered taking a step forward.

"Who are you? Really?" Sasuke said as he activated the sharingan. The red glow of the doujutsu was aimed at Naruto who laughed before sneering.

"You have three days to get your affairs in order," 'Naruto' said as he looked at Sasuke before his eyes turned towards Sakura, "this child will be my Prince... my right hand when I take physical form." He then turned towards Tsunade, "and there is nothing you can do." Tsunade pressed her lips together as 'Naruto' continued, "when I finally rise, my children will rise and this land will be our meal."

"Let go of him," Sasuke demanded.

"Your soul will be the first I take, Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto's sneer turned to a maniacal grin before laughing out loud. He then turned to Sakura who was staring back at him with a shocked expression, "and then you, Haruno Sakura. And then Yamanaka Ino, and then the rest of this pitiful village." He then slowly leaned back until his head lay on the pillow while saying, "run around. Try to defeat me. I wish to see you try. My children and I will feast on this world." And then Naruto closed his eyes and went back to unconciousness.

Tsunade, her hands clenched into fists, then ordered everyone, "the waiting room on this floor! Move now! Lets go!"

TBC