Nel here, hope y'all are enjoying. Things are about to get intense, so I hope you are ready for an action-packed chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it!

xxx

Naruto pulled the black mask down over his face. It had been weeks since he had put the note in the tree, he checked every day since then, it was still there. But he hadn't checked today; he had been too busy preparing for this night. He had been planning this night since he had placed that note. Tonight, was the night he broke into the Anbu black ops headquarters. He had spent countless hours on surveillance, watching their patterns. He had spent time talking with former members, learning everything he could to increase his chances of success. He had used a transformation jutsu when talking with people, so that no one would know he was the one asking questions. He would tell them he was writing an article for the Leaf on the contributions and importance of the Anbu. He had come to find that there was a lot of unpleasant rumors surrounding Danzo, the head of the Anbu. It was time he had a taste of his own medicine. Naruto was dressed in all black. No skin showed, not a strand of hair, he had made sure that his mask sat far enough away from his face so that his eyes couldn't be seen. He would succeed. This was about more than just Sasuke now; it was time that the power shifted. The age of these elders was over.

Naruto made his way through the forest. He moved swiftly and quietly. Every movement had a purpose. He had picked this night because there was no moon, he completely melted into the darkness. As he neared the complex he stopped just at the edge of the forest.

"Multi-shadow clone jutsu." He said under his breath. Instantly 30 clones appeared, he split them into three groups and instructed them to attack the far side of the building in 10 minutes exactly. They were his distraction. They had all disappeared into the night. They had strict instructions that no matter the cost, their identities could not be discovered. At the very beginning of his planning he had snuck into the room that stored the building plans for the entire village. He had reviewed the blueprints for the complex and committed them to memory. He was going to enter as close to the record room as possible. His goal was to get in and out before they even had a chance to suspect the people, they were fighting were just the diversion.

"And 3, 2, 1." Right on schedule the watchman began their shift change. 30 seconds until the diversion. A scream of pain ripped into the deadly quite night from the far side of the complex.

"Sage mode." In seconds he had made it to the complex. He talked himself though his plan in his head as he went. …Second floor, third window to the right… He squatted on the wall next to the window, clinging to the stone with his chakra. He jimmied it. He landed silently in the hallway. …Staircase down the hall and to the left…four flights down… He checked around the corner before proceeding. There was one guard posted to the door to the record room. Naruto climbed onto the ceiling using his chakra. He squatted in the corner over the doorway.

"Multi-shadow clone jutsu." Three clones appeared and dropped to the floor. They threw a smoke bomb and went running into the hallway going the opposite direction of the record room. The guard banged on the record room door, two more Anbu appeared. Two pursued down the hall, the third ran right past Naruto. Naruto jumped into the hall and disappeared into the record room before the smoke cleared. He made his way to the letter U. He started searching through the file cabinets until he found the section on Uchiha. Anything that looked relevant he took. He took the information out of the folder and replaced it with blank paper. The less disturbed it looked the better. Once everything he thought he might need was in his pack, he went to the section with the personal files; it had the identities of all of the Anbu, present and past. He left the top drawer just barely open; it contained all of the current Anbu member's files. Now, when they did check to see if anything had been tampered with, and they would, they were Anbu after all. They would be so busy worrying about who knew the identities of all the Anbu to notice some missing files about the Uchiha's that were many years old. He made his way back to the window he had come in through. He did his best to get rid of any signs of tempering. He summoned a few more shadow clones. Directing each clone down different hallways throughout the complex first in the opposite direction he wanted to go, sending anyone nearby chasing after the intruder. Within moments Naruto was onto the roof. Before they even had time to realize he was an enemy he was off the roof and into the woods. He used his shadow clones for cover.

Once he had put some distance between him and the complex, he circled wide and headed back toward the village. As soon as he was sure he couldn't be tracked he recalled all his shadow clones. Before he reentered the village, he stripped off all of his black clothes, and put his white cloak on. Once inside he threw all the black stuff in the trash, making sure it was well buried. The cool night air kissed his skin, his cloak flowing behind him as he walked. Once he got back to his room, he looked at the clock. It was a few minutes after 2am. The whole thing had only taken about an hour. He had been in and out in less than 20 minutes. Everything had gone according to plan. The rebirth of the Leaf started now. He put the backpack with the documents under his bed and went to sleep.

xxx

Everything had been going crazy and then suddenly stopped. It had all happened right on shift change and had been over in less than 20 minutes. There was no sign that they had even hurt the enemy. A few of them had been wounded and there were plenty of kunai and shuriken scattered all over the place but other than that it was as if they had been fighting ghosts. No one had seen the enemy either, it was a pitch-dark night, and the enemy had been fully cloaked in black. The most anyone saw was flashes of black. Whoever they were they were fast. By the time they had regrouped and were ready to launch a formal attack it had all been over. This was clearly a well-planned, coordinated attack. They were after something specific. Danzo had been furious when it had been reported that the intruders had gotten away. He had shot off a few curse words, yelled, and told one of the Anbu to report this incident to the Hokage at once. It was, after all, a serious breach of security. Since no one had gotten a good look at the enemy, and they had not worn any markings, unless something turned up, they had no way of knowing who had attacked. Danzo had ordered that every inch of the complex be searched. After he had finished issuing orders, he had left to have an emergency meeting with the Hokage and other elders. Nothing like this had ever happened, sure there had been attacks, but no one had ever made it so far. Things had just changed.

xxx

"Lady Tsunade...Lady Tsunade. Wake up."

"Hmm, wa, nh, huh?" Tsunade fought to open her eyelids. She groaned when she saw the clock, it was just a little after 2:30am. "What is it Shizune? This had better be important." Shizune sighed.

"Would I ever wake you up if it wasn't?"

"Very well." Tsunade drug herself out of bed and began getting dressed. "What's going on?"

"It's the Anbu, there's been an incident."

"An incident? What is that supposed to mean?"

" I don't know, he wouldn't tell me anything else. All I know is that Danzo is on his way here, he has called for an emergency meeting with the elders."

"Danzo! I don't like the sound of this. Let's get going." Shizune nodded.

Danzo arrived just before three, the other two elders, Homura and Koharu, arrived shortly thereafter.

"Alright Danzo, what's the meaning of this? Why have you summoned us here? And at this hour!" Tsunade hated to be woken up, it didn't leave her in a very lenient mood.

"Something dire has happened."

"Well out with it then!"

"The complex was attacked."

"What!" Tsunade's displeasure evident on her face. The two elders gasped.

"It happened just an hour ago. But the attack is not the most disturbing part. They got inside, and they escaped. Without a single casualty. I have the Anbu scouring every inch of the complex now to try and figure out what they were after."

"This is very troubling." Koharu said.

"Indeed." Homura agreed.

"It would have to be ninja of incredible skill to be able to pull this off, and with such ease. Do we have any idea who could have done this?" Tsunade asked.

"There are many possibilities, and none of the men saw any distinctive features of any of the intruders. All of the ones that were seen were cloaked fully in black, and no identifying marks on their uniforms." Danzo admitted.

"They were careful. Clearly this was planned for a while."

"Yes, they attacked right at the change of shifts. They had done their homework."

"Do you think it's someone we know, and that's why they put so much effort into concealing their identity?"

Danzo sighed. "Perhaps, but it would be to anyone's advantage to do so, we can't assume anything. A report should be coming in any moment on the findings from the search." As if on cue a black op appeared.

"The initial report sir." He handed the report to Danzo and disappeared.

"Hmmm." Danzo rubbed his chin as his read. "It would appear that all the evidence suggests that they were attempting to break out a prisoner. All of the intruders that penetrated the complex appeared to be heading toward the area where we hold prisoners. The attack outside was just a diversion so that the others could get inside. The best guess is that when they realized they would be unable to succeed they retreated."

"That seems too easy." The other two elders nodded their heads in agreement with Tsunade. Something that rarely happened. "There plan was far to put together. To organized. This is what they want us to think. We're missing something. I don't like it. Danzo, keep looking and send me updates regularly. We need to get to the bottom of this. Fast." The other three nodded in agreement.

xxx

Naruto had taken his time showering and getting breakfast the next morning, he was sitting at his kitchen table intently focusing on the documents he had acquired. What he was learning saddened him. Ever since the battle between Madara Uchiha and the First Hokage there had been discourse between the village the Uchiha clan. Everyone was always suspicious of them, thinking that they were plotting and planning. It was no wonder they had actually planned a coup. It just seemed like an avoidable situation, why did so many people have to die. Naruto was going to make sure that as long as he lived nothing like this happened again. He would become Hokage, and he would change the Leaf for the better. After a few hours of reading he decided to go out and take a break. He hadn't checked the hollowed-out tree in almost two days. He peaked out of his window; it was raining. He hadn't even noticed when it started, it looked like it had been coming down for a little while. Lucky him. It would wash away any potential evidence he had left behind last night, it would also wash away his scent. He grabbed a coat from his closet. As he made his way to the tree the weather continued to worsen. It reminded him of the afternoon he had fought Sasuke. It had poured. Even though it was only midafternoon, the storm made it dark and gloomy. Naruto peaked into the tree; he froze. A shuriken was stuck where the kunai had previously been. Sasuke had been here. He didn't even bother to go get supplies; he took off towards the cave.

xxx

It was about four in the morning when Sasuke had made it to the tree that they had decided to use as a communication post. It was a dark night, no moon. When he reached down to place his shuriken in the tree, he had been surprised to find a kunai already there. A letter wrapped around the handle. It must be important for Naruto to have left a note. He put his shuriken in the tree and headed back to the cave where he would be able to read the letter. He had left Suigetsu to wait a goodly distance away from the cave. If Naruto made it before he had to leave, he wanted privacy. It had taken a while before the opportunity had presented itself to do an intel drop. For now, it worked to his advantage for both sides to think he was on their team, both sides protecting him. It had been weeks and he hadn't made a decision. It was turning out to be more difficult than he had expected.

Once he had made it back to the cave, he got comfortable on the bed and unwrapped the letter from the kunai handle. It had clearly been there for a while, but it was still legible.

I hope you everything is going okay, and you are staying safe. There are a few things I feel you need to know. That night out on the lake, and the time we spent together after you carried me to camp, everything I said to you I meant 100%. This time apart has only served to strengthen my feelings. I am totally crazy about you and I want you to know that it will never change. I will love you with my dying breath. Ever since we were kids, we never got along, but I see now, it was just the way I used to get close to you. I didn't understand my feelings and that was the only way I knew how to express them. I know now, and I am never going to let you go again.

I will fulfill the promise I made to you that night, I don't know how, not yet, but I've never gone back on my word, and this isn't going to be the thing that makes me. I've been trying to think of different options, because it is really important that it gets done right. Together I am sure that we will be able to figure it out.

I want you by my side, through thick and thin, I can't bear to think about living life without you in it. When I close my eyes, I see you, feel your touch against my skin, I relive that night all over again. Only to open my eyes to loneliness. Suke, I love you. You mean more to me than my own life. I will continue to make plans; I hope to see you soon. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder, I hope that's true because I really miss you. I think I am a bigger supporter of birds of a feather flock together though.

Stay safe; know you have my heart, even if you don't want it, it will always be yours. Just know if we move forward, I am a jealous man.

- Ruto

He read over the letter a few times. He hadn't been expecting that. Lightning cracked outside. The storm was in full force now. He wondered if Naruto was traveling in it. All sorts of things had gone through his head as he read the letter, the first part had made him happy, he had found himself biting his lower lip thinking back to that night. He had been surprised by the sincerity and level of commitment in the second part, Naruto was going at it with everything he had, every resource. It showed how much he truly cared. If Sasuke had had concerns about Naruto following through before, after reading this letter he didn't anymore. The last paragraph had prompted a typical Sasuke reaction. He had smirked, chuckled, and called Naruto an idiot. It was the last part that had made up Sasuke's mind. "...you have my heart, even if you don't want it...just know if we move forward, I am a jealous man." Naruto had made his intentions clear and given Sasuke the option to not pursue the relationship. Jealous huh? Sasuke thought to himself as he contemplated the letter. Now that's something I'd like to see...

Sasuke shook his head. "Such a well written letter and yet he couldn't come up with better code names? Tch. Suke." Although he would never admit it, he liked it. Ruto on the other hand, not so much. He would have to think of something better to call him. He was glad Naruto had written this letter, because of it he was able to make up his mind. He hoped even more now that Naruto would make it to the cave, there were quite a few things he wanted to tell him, in person.

It had been a few hours, Sasuke was laying on the bed when he heard footsteps in the cave. He sat up. As the dark figure came into the candlelight his heart sank.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to wait." Suigetsu crossed his arms and frowned.

"I have been waiting. We don't have any more time to waste waiting for your love toy to show up. We are supposed to be meeting up with Deidara he is going to start to wonder if we don't arrive soon." Sasuke crossed his arms and gave him a blank look. He knew he was right. They would just half to stop in again on their way back.

"I'll write everything down in a scroll and then we'll go." Suigetsu nodded his agreement. As soon as the scroll was complete, they headed out into the stormy night.

xxx

Naruto had run without any breaks until he got to the cave. Water cascaded off of him in little waterfalls. It had taken him longer than he would've liked to get there because of the weather. When he entered the cave, he cursed under his breath.

"Damn, missed him." He saw the scroll setting on the desk, he grabbed it and sat down on the bed to read. The first thing he saw made him laugh.

Suke and Ruto? That's the best you could come up with?

At least he knew Sasuke had gotten his letter. He was pleasantly surprised by the humor laced comment. The rest of what was written down wasn't so humorous.

Madara is leading this whole ridiculous crusade. He is planning to resurrect the 10 tails, which is what all of the other tailed beast came from. If he accomplishes this it will be catastrophic. There is nothing that can compete with the combined power of all the tailed beast. He will destroy the whole world. I don't care what he thinks, there is no way he will be able to control that thing. He has sent me on a mission to go with Deidara to as he put it, "Take care of some pesky ninja who are getting a little too close." There is much more he is not telling me, I'm certain. The plan is to take care of Deidara on this mission. That would leave only three Akatsuki left. They have been substantially weakened but I don't think Madara, aka Tobi really cares. They're just pawns he was using to gather up the tailed beasts. He never cared if they lived or died. I have spent a little bit of time sparing with him, he is very powerful, it is going to take a lot to bring him down...but together we should be able to figure it out. Naruto smiled at the reference to his letter. The scroll continued on a little more, giving details about a creepy shark guy named Kisame and his chakra eating sword, and information about where the current hideout was, along with words of caution about trying to do surveillance on it. The last line said he would try to stop back by in about a weeks' time. Naruto ripped off the first line and last line off of the scroll. That he would keep, the rest he would give to Lady Tsunade. He was going to need to think of the reason behind him having this intel now. Things were about to get more difficult. His stomach growled. He was beginning to wish he had packed some supplies. He headed back out into the storm.