Hi everyone!! I am truly, TRULY sorry this took so damn long!! I've been busy with volunteering at 2 different places and studying for the GRE. As a result, I could no longer do all of my pastimes all at once, which led to dividing it all in very OCD-ish ways. I'll try to step up the pace again, but you all know how it is: Life can be unpredictable.

Also, you may have noticed that with some reviews I actually responded to directly. It just seems more efficient when the review is fresh on my mind, and it saves me time when I post new chapters. Without further delay, here's the next one!

Disclaimer: Okay, here's the f*****g deal!! Whoever keeps accusing me of copy-right infringement, stop it, or I will burn every volume and DVD of Naruto to the ground, so no one can own it!!

"So, this is the army you've prepared." Kizu noted as he observed the Iwa troops from the treetops with his subordinates. "Impressive, better than I had imagined."

Deidara, grinned greedily as he replied "You're most welcome. Iwa, after all, is the largest of the great shinobi villages by far. Even if our forces are reduced to 20 percent, we could still take on Konoha directly."

Hidan just huffed in annoyance as he listened to the two of them. He was beginning to wonder why he was brought back when Kizu wouldn't even let him fight. "So, you got the girl's body, all thanks to Tobi. Now what?"

Kizu quickly replied "This girl is the apprentice of the Hokage. Konoha is much softer than other shinobi villages; I'd imagine no one would dare touch this female, let alone try to kill her…However, that brings about a new set of problems; they just may attempt a retrieval mission. There shouldn't be too many who can fight this girl directly one on one, but as a team, anything is possible. That's why I still need you two: To protect me from being taken back. Formidable as this girl may be, I'm sure there are others who can counteract her abilities. This operation can only succeed if I am present."

Hidan nodded, seemingly satisfied. Still, something nagged him. "May I…?" he began to ask.

Kizu laughed wickedly, his henchmen still not used to the way he sounded. "By all means; kill to your hearts' content." Hidan slowly began to smile in response.

Suddenly, an Iwa nin sprinted up to Kizu and pressed a kunai against his throat. Before his subordinates could react, he hoisted Kizu above to the canopy. Deidara stared hard at the ninja holding his boss hostage; not that he was worried. "Let's see…your name was…" Deidara snapped his fingers, trying to remember. "…Itten, I believe. Anyway, what the hell do you think you are doing?" he asked without raising his voice.

The Iwa nin's hand quivered at how calm Deidara behaved. Not a good thing when one was taking a hostage. But he did his best to not show it. "This woman…she killed my brother!! I saw it with my own two eyes!! Do you think I would let such an opportunity go by? She may be possessed, but even so, I must still make her pay for her crimes!!" Emphasizing his point, he pressed the kunai into Sakura's neck just enough to cause her to bleed slightly.

Deidara just rolled his eyes in response. "Great, another wanna-be avenger." Making eye-contact with Kizu, he asked "Shall I, or will you?"

"Oh, the pleasure's all mine." Kizu replied sinisterly. Quickly, he thrust his palm into his captor's ribs, deep enough to shatter them completely. Before he had time to react, Kizu thrust his hosts' fingers into the nin's lungs and twisted. With Sakura's strength, it felt more like Jell-O than a human body. The shinobi spewed blood from his mouth, and fell to the ground below.

Wiping some of the blood off his face, Kizu leapt down to rejoin his subordinates. "Well, I'd say we're only a few hours away from Konoha; let us get a move on before we have to deal with more idiots like him."

"I told you that you should have your hood on." Deidara warned as cautiously as possible. "An Anbu ninja like her has probably made lots of enemies from my homeland."

"You think I'm concerned about that? Even if this host body is killed, I will be safe. Still, I should put the girl's mask on; she is an ANBU after all, and it would look unusual if she came back without it. Besides, it will cover the toys on this girl's pretty face." Kizu replied. As Kizu walked by Hidan and Deidara, he glared at Tobi suspiciously. As punishment for his near betrayal the other day, Kizu forced Tobi to walk around with his face exposed, and an arm cast in a sling to prevent him from interfering in the operation. He still couldn't get over it; never before had he seen a ninja pacify another through kindness. Looking back at Tobi before putting the mask on, Kizu thought "Hopefully, he's learned his lesson. But I can't take any chances. It's too bad…even if he wouldn't kill anyone like usual, at his peak he would be quite useful for this." Still, both either healing Tobi or letting him remain as he was were double-edged swords. He could see Tobi was confused, and to let him loose was too dangerous. Still, he kept him around just in case.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, there was one downside to the current jutsu Kizu used that he had to deal with: he could hear his host's thoughts. Sakura had a stronger spirit than expected; even now, she was still fighting him from within. Kizu yawned thinking about it. "Didn't get a wink of sleep last night." He thought to himself. "Well, I've pulled three all-nighters before. This should only take one."

Yuji breathed deeply, anticipating the torture he would endure while trying to forget that which he had already went through. He had heard stories about torture before, and then of course there was Ibiki, who was a textbook example of such a victim. Right now, he wished he took them and his word more seriously. Pressed against an electric fence on low power, hot water torture, being forced to swallow substances he would rather not talk about…and that was all in one day. On top of that, Yuji's foot went untreated, and his captor wouldn't even allow him to limp as they moved from room to room. The searing pain that came from it made him feel sick and week, and if nothing was done soon…Opening his eyes, and taking a glance at his foot, Yuji groaned. "Might be too late already." His foot was sporting a very unhealthy looking reddish pigment.

Chained to a bed, Yuji did everything he could to mentally prepare himself for whatever was next. He already tried simply breaking the chains, but he was used up most of his chakra just to keep himself from drowning during the flood. Problem was, he could only fathom and resist what was already done to him…and he knew whatever was coming would be worse. Just as he calmed down, Koungasenki came in, smiling like a maniac and brandishing a pair of pliers. "Those nails of yours are looking a bit long." The Iwa nin jeered. "I'm afraid I'll have to trim them down a little."

"Oh shit, this is going to hurt…" Yuji pretended to relax back into the bed and forced a smile on his face. "Oh, good! I thought you've forgotten all about me!" He would at least try to keep his tormentor from getting the satisfaction of him writhing in pain.

Koungasenki growled in frustration. Granted, most experienced shinobi should be able to endure torture of this level…but a kid like this should've broken down long before. "Quiet." He replied coldly. "Don't make me consider applying these pliers to…a rather sensitive part of your anatomy. Assuming, of course, you're man enough to have one." Just as he was about to advance on him, someone made a knock on the door. Frustrated, Koungasenki swung it open. An Iwa chunin stood right in the way. "What the fuck do you want!?" Koungasenki demanded.

The chunin, unprepared for his outburst, fumbled "Due to the destruction of the concentration camp Handan, your teammate, Genkkakushojou, requested that you rejoin your comrades."

Koungasenki snorted in disgust. "Can't you see I'm a bit busy right now!? She might be lonely, but that's her problem right now!!" he groaned, tilting his head towards his captor.

The chunin continued "But don't you know about the siege? Or do you simply want no part in it?"

Koungasenki immediately silenced himself, and his look of annoyance was replaced with one of curiosity. "Genkakushoujou is participating in it!?" He received he letter from Deidara days before that Iwa was planning to send a huge concentration of its forces directly at Konoha. By shinobi standards, this was a foolish maneuver. Even with their huge numbers, Konoha would retaliate with all sorts of traps. But then again, he knew that's what they wanted Konoha to think. And if his teammates were in it, he knew he would be missing out on something fun.

The chunin stuttered "Y-yes. I believe so."

Koungasenki looked back at Yuji, and smiled. "Well…" he walked over, and lifted Yuji away from the bed, simply straining his bonds until they were broken, much to his captive's dismay.

"Wait a minute!" the chunin screamed. "You can't take him!! He's a ninja like us!! If anything happens…"

"Relax!!" Koungasenki sighed as he tied security explosion tags to various parts of Yuji's body, and a gag. "He's beaten as it is, and as you can see, I've taken the necessary precautions. Besides, he can't be much older than 13; even in Bloody Mist the ninja do everything they can to rescue their young. I think he will make a fine addition." Hoisting him up on his shoulders, Koungasenki grinned. "So, you have a connection with the human summoners?"

"Yes. They're scheduled to summon any stragglers left behind in 2 hours. Simply hold on to me and we will be there in an instant." Yuji could only lie helplessly over his captor's shoulder as they went, but like a real shinobi, instead of praying for his safety, he thought about what to do next. "I'll find a way out of this…I have to." he told himself.

Back in Konoha, the two remaining Sanin, plus Gaara, gathered in a room overlooking a map. The three looked over all the strategies they could apply in this war. There was more to it though; they also had to keep track of other events that at a glance may have nothing to do with the war, but in fact might be related. Jiraya pointed to one area, recalling a specific event in mind. "I just got word a forest fire started in this area right here. It could be nothing; but the area is conveniently between us and Earth country. Plus, there's a trail there…perfect for transporting an army."

Gaara asked. "Are you proposing we scout the area?" Gaara would have offered to send his own troops to do the job, but most of them were concentrated on keeping Iwa out of Wind country, and Suna had the smallest shinobi army of the five great nations; he simply had no one to spare

"Small team. That's all." Jiraya said gruffly. "Three of our own should be able to verify this."

Before Tsunade could offer her opinion on the matter, a Konoha nin came rushing in the office. Tsunade had to resist the urge to yell; after all, if a mature shinobi came running into her office without knocking, it had to be for a very good reason. "Hokage-sama!! Only an hour away, a huge troop of Iwa nins!!"

Tsunade stood. It looked like there might not be any need to scout the forest Jiraya suggested, at least not now. "How many?" It had to be a good number if it turned out to be the Tsuchi-kage ordering on an all-out frontal assault.

"I…I couldn't even estimate how many!" the ninja gasped. "I'd dare say even a million!! We need to take evasive action, now!!"

Tsunade's heart stopped at the sound of his voice. Iwa had the largest army of the great nations, but a million!? In shinobi warfare!? It was unprecedented. Even she and Jiraya combined with all the available shinobi of Konoha would have a hard time defending the village. Putting herself together, she once again took her role as Hokage."We can't risk facing them head on. Get Hatake Kakashi, Akimichi Chouji, and Izunuka Kiba!!! Jiraya will accompany you as well!!" The three ninja she named plus Jiraya had the most chakra at the moment, and would be perfect together as an offensive barrier. As Jiraya followed the nin outside, Tsunade muttered to herself "If Naruto were here, though, it would be different. His bushins always had plenty of chakra to spare; he'd even brag that he would do this all himself."

Naruto was long overdue on his report and Tsunade feared the worse for him. If there was one thing she hated about being Hokage, it was that she did not have the freedom to mourn and worry for the shinobi closest to her during times like these. Naruto and his team were listed MIA; while she hoped for the best, it was almost a guarantee they were dead, and in a war like this, conducting a search party was almost impossible. Naruto wasn't the only one gone; Sakura was late as well, even if by only a day. She cracked under pressure less than this and got the sake out each time. Kami knows how she was dealing with her fears now.

Tsunade realized that in addition to making the perfect defense, she would have to call upon an efficient offense as well. Not to meet them head on, but to pick off their numbers subtly in true shinobi fashion. She turned to her new assistant "Get me Yamato, Yamanaka Ino, and Tenten!! Bring them here immediately!!"

"R-Right!" Hinata squeaked with surprise as she rushed to get them.

Gaara then walked to Tsunade. "Something's wrong. It's ridiculously obvious; they might as well have hired a band of samurai for this job. They must be planning something, something that we cannot foresee."

Tsunade nodded. "I know. Iwa has always been the most populous hidden village by far. But to concentrate nearly seventy percent of their forces on this village in a full frontal assault…Still, I have to treat the situation as it appears. And I'm prepared for the worst." She would later find out that she had no idea how wrong she was.

Shiguri panted as he desperately tried to keep up with his sensei, who was tree-hoping at breakneck speed. "Oh man, how does he do it!? I know jonins are supposed to have incredible speed and stamina, but DAMN!!" They've been running for nearly a day at almost full speed, and needless to say, Shiguri wasn't ready for a test of endurance like this. Granted, the food pills helped, but it bothered Shiguri that he didn't see his sensei pop in one this whole time. He, on the other hand, already had several. In fact, now that he thought about it, he may have swallowed the last one.

"Just a bit more Shiguri!!" Naruto called from ahead. "We're almost there!!"

"Hey, I'm no quitter!!" Shiguri called back in frustration.

Just then, other ninjas jumped from the trees. And Naruto could tell from their hostile demeanor that they weren't from Konoha. "For the love of…!" Naruto shouted. Quickly, he formed his kage bushins and Shiguri got his Dragon Tongues ready in response. Margay pulled out a kunai in defense as well. Naruto's clones pummeled the attackers, and Shiguri sliced anything that came near him. Their flexibility kept the enemy from getting too close. Naruto was doing just fine on his end, but it wasn't long before the others recognized him.

"Is that…?"

"Yes! It's the Jinchuriki that traitor has talked about!! If we catch them here, Tsuchikage…"

Before the shinobi could finish, Naruto flattened his face with a punch that Shiguri swore matched Sakura's, tucking the enemy into bed a bit early, perhaps even permenately. "If you're going to say something about capturing me, don't make it about a promotion!" Naruto yelled in disgust.

Shiguri, loosing the defensive, ran towards Naruto. Looking at the numbers, he realized they really had to work together now. "Hey, sensei!! You know you can't win without sacrifice, right!?" To emphasize the point, Shiguri winked at the two adults.

Naruto got the meaning, and immediately hurled all the spare shuriken he had into the canopy. He was no Tenten, but his shurikenjutsu had become quite excellent, if he did say so himself.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped when he heard "Don't move!!"

Naruto turned around, and saw an Iwa nin press a kunai to the back of Margay's head, her arm locked to prevent her from escaping. "Some proud warriors you turned out to be." Naruto commented in disgust.

"If you're looking to fight someone with honor, check with your local samurai. Now, just come with us. I'm sure you know the routine."

Naruto just shrugged nonchalantly. "No."

Surprised, the nin stabbed Margay's shoulder, eliciting a scream from her. "You think this is a fucking game!?" Most shinobi in this region cared about their comrades, and taking hostages almost always worked. Instead of backing off, Naruto slowly advanced on him. "You wouldn't dare." The Iwa nin hissed. Something wasn't right. Suddenly, Shiguri thrust his Dragon Tongue right through Margay and into him. As he coughed up blood, he spat out "No way. You Konoha nins are too soft. You wouldn't…"

"You're right." The woman he thought he took hostage showed up from underneath the branch they were fighting on. "They most certainly would not."

The Iwa shinobi took a look at his supposedly deceased hostage, and it turned into a bushin of Naruto, who also seemed to be bleeding profusely. "Hey, we know how to cheat too." The bushin dissipated completely, and the Dragon Tongue was yanked out of the man, leaving him collapsed on his knees.

Naruto could tell from his vest this was the commander, and felt they were safe for now. Before Naruto could sigh in relief, another group of Iwa nin sprang from the trees. "Of all the-!" Okay, so the strategy of taking out the leader didn't always work. The trio jumped down to the ground before they could be impaled. There was no telling how many of these nins there were; they had to get out of here!! Tree-hoping was the fastest, but that was where they were most likely to be. Naruto yelled "Shiguri!! Do you have an earth jutsu that can possibly help us out here so we can get to Konoha faster!?"

Shiguri got next to him and quickly replied "You know, I think I have just the thing!! You're going to be doing all the work though!!!"

"WHAT!?" Naruto shouted. "This isn't the time for jokes!!"

Ignoring him, Shiguri shouted "Doton!! Kakugon Mawashigurama no Jutsu!!"

Suddenly, the ground Naruto and his two comrades were standing on broke off, forming a narrow rectangle beneath them. Much like a coiling snake, it rose, and the two ends joined together, forming a wheel they were inside of. Suddenly, Shiguri's remark became clear. Naruto, quite pleased with the results, simply said "Give me he a hand here."

The three began running, and the boulder-wheel went with them. The Iwa nins tried to stop them but their shuriken simply ricocheted off the moving rock. The only thing they could do was get out of their way.

The Mizukage meditated in his tent, clearing his mind of all distractions. He would need a focused mind to pull off the feat he coveted. Taking down Konoha, or any village within the Great Five, was no easy task. One misstep could put his own village in danger. Then there was Midoriiro. After the seven swordsmen were deemed traitors, he made it his mission to end their lives. What kind of example would he set otherwise, by letting nins whose strength rivaled his own get away scott-free. There was only one left, and she had to be dealt with. However, even if he did succeed in killing her, her sister was just as much of a threat…

Just then, a small newt appeared; he had a contract with the newts, and often sent them along with his most trusted men. "The Inferno Squad has reached the southern borders of Fire Country." The small amphibian reported.

"Any setbacks?"

"Possibly, they said. It appears that Iwa is getting ready to attack Konoha. To interfere could prove dangerous, since neither one is our ally."

The Mizukage smiled under his mask. "Far from it. By the sound of it, this sounds like a perfect opportunity. Tell them to let Iwa do the work; when they're gone, we'll finish Konoha off, and if there's nothing left…well, Iwa will have become our next target by default. Relay that message for me."

The newt disappeared, and the Mizukage turned to his left, where his unofficial bodyguard stood: Taifuu. "Would it be alright if I requested you to deliver the message to Midoriiro?" the Mizukage asked, as if he was a father talking to his daughter.

Taifuu, who stood right by him, bowed. "You never need to ask, only command, Mizukage-sama."

The Mizukage smiled and replied. "Good girl."

He handed her an envelope, and as she tucked it away into her uniform, Taifuu asked "Mizukage-sama, shall I send the message by killing the young man she was with? I just believe it will be more…effective that way."

The Mizukage thought about it, and waved his hand. "No need. From what we were told, the men successfully held him down. I don't think he's anything to worry about. To be safe though, try to immobilize him." He then stood, and in response, Taifuu kneeled. The Mizukage touched her shoulder gently. "I know your pain, your yearning for revenge. Don't act hastily; the time to avenge your family will come. I promise you. Simply do exactly as I say, and you will have what you desire most." With that, the girl vanished.

The Mizukage chuckled softly; at best, she was just as strong as her sister. "Killing two birds with one stone indeed." He thought to himself, savoring how all of his ambitions would be soon fulfilled.

Kakashi got ready to defend his position as ordered. Preparing for the inevitable onslaught, his body trembled, not in fear, but in hate. Memories of his team's mission into Earth Country began to cloud his mind. Of Minato trying to reach him. Of Obito, dying for him. And Rin… Kakashi could never get over what had happened…he wanted his two students with him at this moment more than anything. The emotions boiling up inside him scared him; if Naruto or Sakura were here, they could at least keep him in check. If his old sensei would here, he would fix the problem altogether.

"I wish Minato was here too." A voice called. Kakashi turned to his side to see Jiraya. "They would have fled on sight if they had seen him again. Would make things a lot easier." Jiraya sighed. "I really wish Naruto would've let me tell him all about his father. I should have from the start. But then…"

Kakashi patted his elder comrade on the shoulder. "I understand why you kept the truth from him. I'm to blame as well, and had as much responsibility as you to tell him. But now that the truth about his father is out, he needs to know about his mother."

Jiraya nodded in agreement. "I'll tell him. When he's ready to hear me out."

Just then, Chouji and Kiba joined them. "Yo." Kiba waved. "Never thought I'd be fighting amongst the big leagues. Although, now that I am, it makes me realize we're beyond deep trouble." Kiba scratched his dog's head, trying to keep his spirits despite the grim situation.

Chouji shielded his eyes as he looked into the forest. "Looks like you won't have time to worry about that. Get ready; they're coming."

Judging by common sense, it was unlikely what they were witnessing was Iwa's entire army. But they were sure wishing they did as they came out. "This is it men!! Run over them!!"

A rainstorm of shuriken rushed at them, but the Konoha nin were prepared. "Doton!! Doryuheki!!" A wall with dog heads shot up, blocking the shuriken.

"Don't stop!!! Climb over it!!!" The Iwa nin, some of whom knew it would be suicidal, climbed over in an attempt to dog pile their opponents. Their commander's orders were absolute, and tradition held it was a great honor to die for Iwagakure.

However, death came to some sooner than expected; a giant tongue whipped forward and caught some of them. The toad Jiraya summoned picked off as many of the ninja as possible as if they were flies. When it looked like some would get through, the sage yelled "Now, Chouji!!"

Chouji grew to an enormous size, and ran into the wall. The stone wall collapsed, leaving many Iwa nins to fall and for those lucky enough to avoid death, be put out of commission nonetheless. "Your turn, Kiba!!"

"You heard him, Akamaru! Let's do it!!" Kiba leapt on Akamaru and the duo charged "Getsuga!!" Two spinning whirlwinds pummeled the army. After the jutsu was dispelled, Kiba flew off Akamaru and hurled kunai at everyone in sight. Landing, he took a second to scan what was left, only to feel his eyes widen in size. "All that, and we didn't put a dent in their numbers!"

One Iwa nin managed to capture Kiba in a full nelson, but Akamaru grabbed the attacker by the jaws and flung him away. As more were about to lunge on top of them, Chouji used his Nikudan Sensha to flatten them. Stopping, he expanded his limbs and swung the attackers away. Then, Jiraya and Kakashi charged straight into the crowd, each with a rasengan in his hand. The men fell like bowling pins on contact. However, the two elites were taken by surprise when someone created an earth dragon and fired upon the two.

Kiba and his dog rushed over to help, but powerful smokebombs were thrown in front of them, distorting their senses more than they would have for an ordinary ninja.

"Doton!! Tsuyatsuya Doriine no Jutsu!!" Chouji found his feet stuck in the ground, and began to sink.

"Oh shit!!"

The Iwa nin who cast the Earth Dragon snickered in satisfaction. However, he was met with bitter disappointment, when he realized Jiraya summoned a toad stomach in the nick of time, protecting both him and his junior comrade. Upon seeing this, the Iwa nin began to charge at the organic shield, hoping sheer numbers would tear it down. Grabbing his elbow, Jiraya forced Kakashi outside. The sage lit a match, threw it into the stomach and dove out himself. The stomach was impervious to everything from the outside. However, the inside was extremely flammable. The explosion that followed sent more of the nins sky-high the second they got close.

The explosion didn't help just the two experienced nins; it also created a breeze that blew away the smoke choking Kiba and Akamaru. Recovered, Kiba yelled to his dog "Chouji!! Go get him!!"

Akamaru ran towards the sinkhole engulfing Chouji, while Kiba kept any would-be attackers at bay. The only think sticking out of the ground was Chouji's hand, and if Akamaru didn't act now, something terrible could happen. Although his body began sinking as well, he swam through the soft ground, taking Chouji's hand in his teeth. Then, Akamaru spun in his Getsuga, tearing both of them away from the quicksand. Despite his bloody hand, Chouji was grateful and briefly patted Akamaru to show his gratitude. "Thanks boy." Chouji then took out a string lined with kunai, and wrapped it around his body. "Nikudan Hari Sensha!!" Chouji expanded once more, and if he could offer any consolation to his enemies, it was that being sliced was quicker than getting crushed.

Everything seemed to be going in Konoha's favor again, but Jiraya and Kakashi were not as optimistic as their two younger comrades. "They're weak, but they're beginning to take a toll on my chakra." Kakashi said. "And they probably haven't sent their strongest yet."

"Hang in there!! " Jiraya yelled. "Tsunade's probably sending a stealth team to take out the rest!!!"

The general looked at the scene from behind the mountains with his telescope. While he was surprised at the strength of the ninjas defending Konoha, he didn't actually expect the first wave to make it through. In fact, they were supposed to be a sacrifice in the first place.

Turning to the side, he stared at the Hokage monuments. "There it is. According to Tsuchikage-sama, the civilians and students should be there." Turning behind him, he called "Ebukuro!"

The Iwa nin he called appeared right before him. "Yes sir!"

"Summon your birds and send them to the monuments! We'll take them right there!"

Obediently, he followed his commander's orders. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!!" Birds appeared, and took off into the sky. They were large enough to carry two people, so they couldn't fly over there without being noticed. They had to go around the mountain, but the general believed that they could keep Konoha occupied long enough without them noticing.

Suddenly, Deidara appeared and addressed the general. "Excellent. Remember, wait until my signal; we can't do this when their guard is still up."

The general simply scoffed at him. "I still don't trust that comrade of yours… or you, for that matter. You betrayed us once before; why Tsuchikage-sama let you back in isn't for me to question. That woman may be essential to this operation, but she's a traitor just like you. 'Never trust one who betrays their comrades, lest they betray you as well', the saying goes."

Deidara simply smiled. "Oh, you'll find this to be to your liking. Promise" Of course, when this was all done, Deidara was planning to kill them all…

"Finally." Shikamaru muttered. The trek back to Konoha was long, boring, and on top of that, escorting Iori was a pain. She behaved just fine, and he knew she was innocent; but because of protocol, he had to watch her closely. He was really beginning to hate protocol. That was what made the trip ridiculously unpleasant for him. Watching someone like a hawk when he knew they were innocent of any crime was the biggest pain in the ass. But the council would be all over him if he implied he took his eyes off her for even one second.

Before he could think of anything else, something whizzed past his line of vision when they came upon a cliff overlooking the forest. He stopped, and stared intently. There it was again. "Kunai. It had to be." Motioning his students and captor behind a rock, Shikamaru once again took position of field captain. "Hanabi. Find out what's going on."

As commanded, Hanabi activated her Byakugan and scanned the area. Before she could answer, Shikamaru already understood how bad the situation was; Hanabi's face trembled, if only for a second. "Our village…Iwa is attacking it!! I can't even estimate how many…"

Shikamaru couldn't even say troublesome to describe this event. If a Hyuuga couldn't count the enemy…they were most certainly in deep shit. "Alright. I suppose you all know what to do." Hanabi and her two teammates nodded, ready to fight for their village.

Before they took off, Shikamaru signaled them to wait. Walking towards Iori, he drew a kunai and quickly cut Iori's cuffs. "Wha…"

"It was simply protocol. I trust you. And even if I didn't…it's not exactly a smart idea to go fight and guard a captive at the same time." Iori slowly smiled at him. "Just follow me; I'll trap them, you take them out of commission." Shikamaru and the four junior ninjas leapt into the forest to join their comrades.

Down in the forest, the battle for Konoha continued to rage. "Mokuton!! Karyudo Shinkan no Jutsu!!!" Yamato created a square hole in the ground that the advancing Iwa nins fell through. The hole itself wasn't that deep; but the wood spikes below would quickly finish most of them. Yamato didn't have long to even grin at his small contribution, as an enemy ninja ambushed him from the side and shattered his skull with boxing gloves made of stone. The ninja grinned briefly at what seemed to be a clean kill…but then was pulled INTO the tree trunk he was standing on. Yamato emerged from the other side, leaving his prey with nothing but his face free to move. "Be thankful that I am in a good mood today; otherwise I would have finished you off like I'm supposed to." As soon as he landed, he immediately created a plateau to defend himself from a horde of shuriken he spotted at the last second. "Crap, there's too many!!"

From the other side of the forest, the Iwa nins looked ready to move. The commander of this troop yelled "Alright men!!! Full speed ahead!! Remember, to die for Tsuchikage-sama is the greatest glory one could hope for! Don't turn away, not even if death is imminent!!" Just as they were about to charge, the man to the commander's side fell. Normally he would have been undeterred…but this strike came from directly behind, meaning there was a traitor within. And what's more, he recognized the kunai. Instead of rage welling up inside of him, he felt fear and uncertainty. He couldn't even think it was him! It didn't make sense!! And he could not carry out his duty as his commander…not without taking his own life afterwards. Deathly afraid of the answer he would receive, he turned around and whispered "Son?"

His eyes widened in horror as his own 14 year old son leapt forward and sliced his throat with the very kunai he hand-crafted just for him. The others were equally confused and horrified, and stopped in their attack all-together. It wasn't uncommon among them to betray one another, but to see a son, especially as young as the one before them, kill his own father was unthinkable. The boy seemingly regained his senses, and stared in horror at the blood in his hands.

From behind the bushes, Ino gripped her own heart in disgust, unable to block out the blood-curdling scream from her ears. She herself could not believe she had just done that. It was war; she had to pick a target that would best immobilize the attacking forces, and she did so without thinking about the moral consequences. She had to put it in the back of her mind for now though; right now, she had to do her part to protect everybody. There would be time for self-pitying later…a part of her wished there wouldn't be, however.

It seemed she wouldn't have to worry about it for now, though: wood grew out of the ground in a corkscrew pattern, squeezing the entire stunned troop together. "Good work, Ino!" Yamato called as he sprinted towards her hiding spot.

"Shut up." The blonde muttered under her breath.

Just then, more Iwa nins appeared out of the forests and attacked the two. Yamato did everything possible with his wood jutsus to keep them at bay. However, as Ino engaged an enemy in a kunai battle, an enemy charged at her from the side. There was not enough time for her to use a mind jutsu or simply dodge. However, as she prepared for the worse, the attacking nin stopped a bit short. In fact, he seemed to be paralyzed altogether. "What the-?"

"Now!!" someone shouted. Four kids then leapt out of the bushes, and each knocked him out with distinctive taijutsu styles.

"Wait!" Ino nearly screamed aloud. "Those are Shikamaru's students!! Which means…" Her teammate and lifelong childhood friend finally jumped into sight. "Shikamaru!"

"Nice to see you're still alive, Ino." Shikamaru commented rather nonchalantly, but knowing him for as long as she did, she knew his comment was genuine.

Ino then looked to Shikamaru's side to and realized something was off. Like all jonin, Shikamaru only had 3 students. But she counted four, and the last one looked awfully familiar. "Shikamaru…Isn't that Naruto's student?"

Shikamaru just sighed as Iori stared back at her nervously. "It's…it's a long story."

Ino, trying to sound as impartial as possible, said "I have some questions I would like to ask her."

Before Shikamaru could respond in the red-head's defense, Yamato shouted "It will have to wait I'm afraid!!" The jonin pointed to the oncoming hordes.

"Oh, for the love of…there's no end to them!!!" Shikamaru yelled. Everyone got into a fighting stance, preparing for the worse.

Then, something landed in the middle of the incoming battalion…and sent the Iwa nins flying like leaves in the wind. The Konoha nin defending themselves felt a powerful tremor from the impact.

"Could it be…?" Yamato wondered…

"Yes!" Ino shouted happily. "It's Sakura!" Indeed, the pink-haired kunoichi was making short work of the enemy's chunin and genin. Then, they retreated.

Before Ino could shout praise to her best friend, Shikamaru said "Something's wrong."

"What the hell are you talking about!? This is Sakura for crying out-loud!! She sent those so-called 'ninjas' crying!!" Ino retorted.

"It is Sakura for sure, that much is true." Yamato confirmed. "But Shikamaru is correct. The Iwa nin have been known to think of their kage as god; why did they disperse like that? Under normal circumstances, they would have carried out orders to the death, much like samurai."

"Are you suggesting that Sakura has turned on us!?" Ino almost shouted in anger and disbelief.

"Keep an open mind to every possibility." Yamato reminded the young kunoichi. He couldn't imagine it himself…but shinobi had to put their feelings aside in order to address the problems in front of them in a practical way.

As soon as the Iwa nins had fully dispersed, Sakura turned towards them. She was wearing her ANBU mask, which was required whenever she was on the field. Ino was in the middle of one day of R and R before the attack, so she wasn't given a chance to put on her own gear on. She then walked to them….rather slowly. Sakura would most likely not act familiar with them in her ANBU gear, protocol for keeping her identity secret, but she was moving unusually stiff. It was as if she was hiding something. When she finally approached them, she said, rather bluntly, "I must see Hokage-sama."

Ino blinked at the way she said it. Something was…off. She couldn't quite describe it, but even when trying to maintain cover, Sakura was being unusually blunt.

"Did you not hear me? I must see Hokage-sama. If I don't meet with her in time, we could be overwhelmed by the enemy!" Sakura sounded desperate. Even if she was telling the truth, in a more excited state, Sakura would have surely referred to the Hokage as "Shishou-sama".

"You can tell us just as easily." Shikamaru commented, trying to keep a cool head. At this point, it couldn't be so urgent that only the Hokage had to know.

"Can you quickly think of what to do once I tell you? I think not. It's quite urgent, and I suggest we head to her office this instant." She said, attempting to hide the impatience in her voice.

Now even Ino was beginning to have doubts. Even if it was urgent, Sakura had always held Shikamaru's intelligence in the utmost respect; she should have told him on their way to the Hokage's and later Shikamaru would have offered some useful advice to her. Still, it was too soon to jump to conclusions. But she knew something was definitely not right. "Let's go."

"I'll go too." Shikamaru said. "I have some important business with Hokage-sama myself. " Turning to Iori, he gestured his head, signaling for her to come with him. He also made a quick "Sshh" gesture with his finger. Very fast, but it was enough for Iori to get the message.

Sakura seemed to be hesitant. But relenting, she said "Very well."

Shikamaru ordered his students to come with him, and Ino whispered to Yamato "Hang in there. We'll be back as soon as we can." She didn't dare whisper anything to suggest she and Shikamaru were going to watch Sakura like a hawk; there was too much risk of being heard. But all three of them just knew what to do.

As distressing as it was to face possibly more enemies alone, Yamato was actually quite relieved that Ino and Shikamaru could look beyond their own biases. "Stay safe."

Kakashi and the others were being worn down, and fast; the number of Iwa nin was simply astounding. Kakashi thrust his Raikiri into an enemy's chest, and used what little strength he had left to keep himself standing. It wasn't the smartest idea to use such a big jutsu against common ninjas, but his other techniques were being countered by a few of the enemy teams.

Akamaru was crippled, effectively cutting Kiba's strength in half. Chouji was down to using his clan's pills to fight back…but Kiba snatched them away before he could even swallow the green one, noting that in a crisis like this, Tsunade would have no time to make an antidote. Jiraya was wearing down as well; he was nearing 60, and lately he had been having arthritis-like problems, among other things.

"We'll make it through this…somehow." Kakashi heaved. Truthfully, he wasn't sure they would. But it was better to keep one's spirits up against impossible odds instead of resigning oneself to death.

Just as it looked like all hope was lost, the oncoming troops stopped. One of them tapped a radio in his ear. "We've been ordered to withdraw and standby!!!" He shouted to his comrades. Just like that, the entire troop backed away into the forest.

"What's going on!?" Kiba yelled. "They had us!!" While he was relieved, the only reason he could think of for their withdrawal was pity. And no matter the circumstances, that didn't sit well with him, no matter how badly such luck was needed.

"Don't be upset, pup." Jiraya said, patting him on the shoulder. "Anymore, and we would have been history." Jiraya eyed the landscape suspiciously. "Still, for them to just back off like that…they're planning something."

Kakashi couldn't agree more. Before he could state his opinion, something to his side caught his attention. He swore he saw something pink. "Sakura? Could it be her?" Kakashi then called to the others rather casually "Listen, I don't know if she can, but this would be a good time to get some treatment. "

"You go on ahead." Jiraya called. "I got some espionage to do." Jiraya summoned a small toad, and opened its mouth. Then, to the younger ninjas' amazement, he simply stepped in the mouth and somehow compressed himself in order to fit. The toad's stomach didn't expand at all and didn't seem to be in any pain. As if nothing was wrong, it simply hopped away.

"How…how did he….!?" Kiba stuttered in disbelief.

"That's Jiraya-sama for you." Kakashi noted, smiling underneath his mask. "Let's hurry." The two simply followed orders and followed the senior

"Excellent." Tsunade thought. Earlier, Tsunade saw Shikamaru and Ino racing towards her tower with an ANBU ninja. She ordered Hinata to use her Byakugan to identify the ANBU ninja, and Tsunade's heart swelled with relief upon hearing it was Sakura. While the current situation was nothing to ignore…it did give her some peace to learn that her student was okay.

Calmly, Tsunade waited with Gaara in her office, as after what seemed to be an eternity Sakura finally opened the door to her office and stepped inside. "Forgive my lateness, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade's eyebrows furrowed. "Hokage-sama?" Although Sakura was required to call her that in public when wearing ANBU gear, in the privacy of her office…it was a bit strange; she never did it before, and Tsunade didn't mind in the least when it was just the two of them. Even with Gaara around, she wouldn't have minded. On top of that, she seemed to ignore Gaara altogether. Deciding to let it slide, Tsunade said "I hope you have a good reason for being late."

"Indeed. I was nearly captured by the enemy, and I had to remain low."

"And the rest of your team?" Tsunade didn't like the way Sakura spoke about it; if what she said was true, she was way too calm about it. And she knew her too well.

Sakura hesitated for a moment. "Dead. All dead."

Tsunade was becoming suspicious. She couldn't imagine betrayal from her of all people…but then again, she couldn't have imagined Orochimaru's betrayal back then either. "I suspect that you have something more important than an overdue report, Hakumei."

Quickly, Sakura looked around, as if seeing who she was talking too. Realizing that she meant her, she straightened up. "Yes."

Inside, Kizu was panicking. He realized that even if Tsunade wouldn't realize the whole truth, she was now onto him. "Shit! I should have known something like this would happen!!" Still, the best thing to do for right now was to go along with the plan as close as possible. Tsunade, as he thought, knew something was not right. But she wasn't going to jump to conclusions just yet. For now, she thought, she would go along with the act until she knew exactly what was up as she listened to Sakura continue.

"During my absence, I spied on the troops that are attacking us now. I would've taken them all out myself, but I am ashamed to admit by myself it wouldn't have been possible. As you can tell, they are planning to overwhelm us with brute force. By most standards, an idiotic tactic, but with their numbers I believe it will only be a matter of time before they achieve their goal. Before that happens, you must evacuate the civilians into the bunkers. They know how to tear down our walls, and will no matter what that may mean."

Tsunade thought about it for a minute, and not just about the civilians. She didn't trust Sakura's strange behavior…but the danger from Iwa was more obvious. Besides, she was right. "Alright. Follow me. Kazekage-sama, will you be so kind as to wait here for my return?" Gaara simply nodded curtly as Tsunade led Sakura out the door.

Tsunade led Sakura down the hallway, and not only to Sakura's surprise, took another person with her. "Hinata, come with us." Both Sakura and Hinata seemed surprised by the order.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, she is just a chunin…" Sakura stated rather coldly.

"Do you doubt my judgment, Hakumei?" Tsunade asked sternly.

Sakura stuttered "N-no, Hokage-sama…" Kizu had to remind himself while posing as a subordinate, not to question the superior's orders.

Hinata herself was not sure why Tsunade asked her to come along. Truth be told, Sakura's comment hurt her a lot. But she stayed silent as the three kunoichi traveled down the elevator underground to ANBU headquarters. When they arrived at the bottom, several ANBU on standby meditated.

"Inform them. I will trust you in getting everyone to safety." Sakura bowed, and went to them, giving commands. "Hinata, did you notice the way Sakura addressed you when I told you to come with us?" Tsunade whispered to Hinata.

Hinata thought about it. "Well…while I wouldn't expect anything more, hearing Sakura-san put it so bluntly like that was unusual; she's usually a very nice person."

Tsunade nodded. "Hinata, use your Byakugan again, and tell me what you see. Don't worry about the others; just focus on Sakura."

Hinata did as she was told, and activated her bloodline once more. Taking a good look at Sakura, Hinata whispered "Hokage-sama, did Sakura get her face pierced recently?"

Tsunade's eyes blinked. "No…in fact, she's squeamish about piercings of any kind…." Tsunade realized just then she may indeed have a problem. "Hinata…go back up and wait for me in my office. I'll be there shortly."

Hinata bowed, and made her way back up. "Sakura…" Although she was often jealous that Sakura had Naruto's heart, she had always considered her a dear friend. She also knew what the Hokage was thinking…and it would break her heart as well as Naruto's if she was proven correct.

A pair of ANBU ninja, plus Sakura and whatever chunin were still available, ordered the civilians to evacuate. They could hear by the noise that it was only a matter of time before their village would be overrun, so they gladly obeyed the soldiers.

"Hurry up!!" a feminine yet angry voice called. The crowd almost balked, but kept moving at a steady pace.

Two ANBU escorts looked at Sakura. "Isn't Hakumei behaving…a bit strangely?"

"We were told by the Hokage's slug to expect something like this."

"Expect what?"

The two turned around to see the legendary Copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi, standing behind them curiously. Since Kakashi was a former ANBU ninja himself, he was well respected by the ANBUs and often treated as one of them. They decided telling him just enough information would be alright…if anything, it might even be helpful. "Hokage-sama said Hakumei was acting quite strangely. Perhaps you can be the judge of that."

Kakashi looked at Sakura, and noticed by the way she moved that she was unusually anxious. "Yes…do you have a plan?" The two whispered to him as low as they could, and Kakashi nodded.

Kakashi walked up to Sakura, and patted her shoulder. Sakura quickly withdrew away from him, clearly agitated. "What's wrong, Hakumei? You seem to really be on the edge." Kakashi said, being careful to maintain his calm persona but not making it sound like he was ignoring the gravity of the situation.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of a battle!? Do you want the deaths of innocent civilians on our hands!?" she shouted back, almost furious. "If not, I suggest you help me!!" As if to emphasize her point, an explosion went off right near the walls that protected the village.

Taking the hint, Kakashi went along with guiding the civilians to the bunkers inside the Hokage monuments. However, both Kizu inside her and Kakashi knew something was up…and were eyeing each other very suspiciously.

Deidara waited patiently at his post. Through his scope, he could see the civilians nearing the bunkers. "Perfect." Konoha would have no choice but to negotiate. While the primary purposes of ninja villages were independent militaries, they also needed normal civilians such as farmers, doctors, and even businessmen to sustain them. Even the most savage ninja village would make an effort to save what they needed, and Konoha would obviously try to save them all. Of course, if Iwa's demands were met, it would still mean the end of Konoha as an independent village. "They'll most certainly try a counter attack." Deidara thought. "But they won't have long to come up with a plan that could work!!" The blonde smiled in anticipation. "I wonder what you'll do!!"

"Deidara-sama!" one of the foot soldiers called.

"You're bothering me. What is it!?" Deidara snapped.

"Koungasenki is here!!"

Deidara's face perked up. "Isn't he supposed to be a guard right now!?" he asked.

"The camp was destroyed." Deidara turned around to see Koungasenki, carrying someone over his shoulders. "They were a waste of time anyway. I enjoyed the slow torture and everything, it was just….SO SLOW." Koungasenki emphasized.

"Kounga-kun, I'm glad you are able to participate. I would have convinced Mutsuguro-chan to take part in this operation, but given my current position I thought it was best not to push my luck." Deidara replied with a smile. "Genkakushoujou and San are waiting right above the monuments. Give me your hostage; go meet them as quietly as you can."

Koungasenki did so, and whispered into his ear "A word with you, if I may." Deidara nodded, and knelt down to listen. "If there is a time to take out that fatass who dares calls himself a kage, now's the time. I know you're not here for conquest, at least, not yet. But even if you have no desire to return, at least allow us to take over. While he is no better morally than any other Kage we've had, at least the ones before him earned their power and actually helped the village to live on. This one doesn't give a damn; all he cares about is money and sake. His policy for reducing the potential jonins has held everyone back. Genkakushoujou had to coerce him with her drugs just to get us up to chunin level when we should be special jonin at least. And I suspect that he may have promoted San a rank higher than us only to show the people his standards are not quite that rigid. Mutsuguro will be the downfall of Iwa, even if we take down Konoha and Suna. While I know patriotism is not something high on your priorities list…it is on mine. At least, MY vision of what it should be."

"And what is your vision, my dear boy?" Deidara asked, gleefully curious.

"Chaotic and bloody." Koungasenki replied with just a notch below a whisper.

Deidara smiled, and whispered "Don't worry. I've already made arrangements for Mutsuguro-chan to come down here. He and the other two kages will meet for negotiations…but whichever way it goes, I'll make sure it turns on him. However, as for who's going to lead Iwa after that…I'll leave it up to you."

Deidara patted his student's shoulder as he formed an insane smile. "Internal violence has always fascinated me. I can't wait to see who will betray me first…" It took Koungasenki every ounce of actual discipline he had to suppress himself from laughing…

"Deidara!!" one of the soldiers called.

The Akatsuki member rolled his eyes. "What is it?" He was starting to think he should have made the soldiers referred to someone else.

"Something seems to be happening in the village…it's seems that they're barring off the civilians from the shelters."

Deidara's eyes piqued. "Interesting…" Deidara got his clay bird ready and zoomed in on the village. "It seems they've figured it out. Good thing Kizu-sama anticipated this."

"You fool!! What do you think you are doing!?" Sakura screamed.

Just a moment ago, Kakashi created an earth wall between the bunkers and the civilians. The civilians and children were now more confused than before, and were on the verge of panicking. It was a tough decision for Kakashi to make, but there was even greater risk to them if the two of them gave opposing commands. They would have lost it immediately if it seemed their protectors were arguing over what they should do, so Kakashi decided a physical barrier would be best. "I'm not sure the comrade I knew is really the one behind the mask." Kakashi replied coldly.

"What difference does it make!? Can you not see the chaos around you!?" Sakura yelled as she flailed her arms around.

"Yes. And it is precisely because of that chaos that I need to make decisions with a clear head." The copy nin replied, calm as ever. "I have decided that A: you're an imposter. Or B: a traitor."

Kizu had to restrain himself from pulling out a kunai; but using his host's fists to pummel the masked man seemed reasonable enough. "YOU….!"

Sakura lunged at him, but stopped short. "I noticed something odd about you too, Hakumei." Shikamaru appeared from behind the crowd.

Looking down, Kizu saw their shadows connected. "I see…he puts chakra into his shadow and uses it to capture me."

"Thanks." Kakashi called back. "With her strength, it could've gotten ugly real fast."

Ino appeared to his side, and prepared her mind jutsu. "Shintensen no Jutsu!" Ino looked into her mind…and fell back with a scream.

"Ino! What's wrong!?" Kakashi asked as he helped her up.

"I couldn't find out much. Like before, I was forced out. But this time, it was different. Whatever it was, it is not her…" Ino looked at her friend in fear. "Whatever it was, it was pure evil…I never felt such hatred in my life…"

Finally, Tsunade appeared. She didn't speak a word, nor did her face betray any emotions. "Shikamaru, bring her deeper into the village. Ino, I need you to stay with the other villagers. Keep them safe." Ino nodded in understanding; whatever was causing Sakura's strange behavior, Tsunade didn't want to expose her identity; even if she was ruled innocent, the civilians would distrust her greatly.

After a few minutes, she, Shikamaru and Kakashi, with their prisoner in tow, walked into the center of town, which was completely empty. The Hokage calmly walked up to her…and thrust her hand across, shattering her mask.

Kakashi was shocked at what he saw; he couldn't imagine how Tsunade managed to keep calm. Sakura's face was studded with piercings; it was completely unlike her. Her eyes, instead of bright green, were a pale grey. But her sneer…it was that which got to both of them. "You…" Tsunade hissed. "You are not Sakura."

Sakura smirked. "Impressive. I guess Konoha chose wisely when they made you Hokage."

"Who are you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

The only thing holding Tsunade back at this point was that even if her mind wasn't there, it was still Sakura's body."If I may venture a guess: Kizu, leader of the Akatsuki." "Sakura's" face widened in surprise, confirming her suspicions. "Itachi left us a message. You coerced him into joining you using his family, and had a special jutsu to keep him in check. I see no reason for Sakura to betray us, which means you are controlling her body."

Sakura's face slowly relaxed, and she laughed. "I underestimated you. I can see why you were chosen to be Hokage, Tsunade."

"There's one thing I don't understand; I know what you're after, and it doesn't involve this village."

"Yet." Tsunade reminded herself; anyone trying to obtain the power of the biju had to be using it for war. But for now, that wasn't important.

"Well…you'll learn soon enough. Of course, with what we're planning to get what we want, your entire village will be affected as well, but it was necessary to obtain our prize. Wouldn't have made much difference anyway; you see, I plan to destroy the entire ninja world."

The way he said it so calmly sent chills up Tsunade's spine. "Well, it's over, for now. All I'll have to do is pull off those jewels and Sakura will be back to normal."

Kizu just smirked. "It's not that simple. You see, these jewels are directly fused into her skin. You try pulling them off with all your might, you might take her face as well. They can only be removed when I choose for them to be. And second…"

Tsunade turned as she heard a loud bang behind her, right where the crowd was.

"…I didn't think I could pull this off just by impersonating her from the beginning. I just led you to believe that was what I was trying to do." Before Tsunade could blink, Kizu sucker-punched her in the stomach, sending her flying into the apartment building behind her. Shikamaru broke his concentration, and Kizu was free. Quickly, he escaped back to his prize…

"What's happening!?" one of the chunin screamed. Suddenly, he was blown away by an explosion that seemingly came out of nowhere. The civilians and academy students were about to panic, but the few ANBU kept them in check.

"Do not panic!! Stay calm!!" As soon as he set his hands down, he too was blown away by a futon-katon blast.

A beast with a traditional mask stood in the man's place, and retreated back to its master: into Hidan. "Not bad. Kakuzu had some interesting killing techniques. But!..." Hidan threw his scythe at an attacking nin. "…I still prefer my method!!" The scythe missed its victim by a hair…but it was enough to get some blood. "Yes, yes!!" Hidan screamed. He brought his weapon back to him, and licked the blood off. "Let the ritual begin!!" Hidan formed his trademark trigram around him, and his skin transformed into a skeleton-costume form. Without warning, he stabbed himself. Both he and his victim felt the intense pain to be expected. But as was known by those who fought him and lived to tell about it, Hidan did not die. Too bad the same could not be said about his victim. "Ohhh, it feels so good after going without it for so long…"

"You!!!"

Hidan turned around and saw a blonde woman hurl kunai and shuriken at him. Hidan didn't bother blocking them, and simply took it. "Wait, I know you!!! Yes, just like last time….tell me, where is that pineapple-haired punk!? I've a bone to pick with him!!"

Ino didn't answer him, and instead launched more kunai. "I know how he attacks…this will be no problem!!" Ino cut her pony-tail, and flung the hair at Hidan. Suddenly, the strands of hair came to life, and wrapped around his arms and torso. "Without that scythe, you can't use your special ability!!!" Ino prepared to slice his head off; she knew that he wouldn't be killed, but at least he would be immobilized. But just as she got close…Ino fell back in pain. Looking at her stomach, Ino saw that some sort of tendril from Hidan's body impaled her. "No…it can't be…he's dead…" Ino collapsed in a heap as Hidan withdrew the tendril. Taking a quick look at the hostages, he shouted "Alright, boys and girls!! You know the deal: Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt!!"

"Except you!!" Another ninja attacked from behind. His sword went right through Hidan's body. Of course, the rouge nin was unfazed.

"What the fuck was that!?" he shouted angrily.

Suddenly, something pricked the attacking nin. He slapped his neck….then relaxed. "Heh, heh…" Lazily, almost zombie-like, he walked over to a civilian couple in the middle.

"W-what are you doing?" the husband asked, hugging his wife close to him.

The ANBU just continued to laugh like a drunkard, and raised his sword.

"Akashishi!! Stop!!" One of his comrades blocked his sword before he could strike them down. "Snap out of it!" Akashishi did not answer, and swung his sword wildly at his partner, laughing the whole time. Before it could become a full-scale fight, they were both doused by a shower of acid. The last ANBU nin protecting the civilians unsheathed his two ninjato and prepared to face off against whoever dared to attack his village. However, a crystal shot up from the ground and stabbed his stomach, taking him out. Now anyone who was not a ninja was easy pickings.

"May I have your attention please!!" The civilians looked up to see a man with blond hair atop a clay bird descend to the ground. The man said "I'm sure you can tell that this is obviously a hostage situation. And if you don't cooperate…well, then you obviously don't know what a hostage situation is!!" Suddenly, Iwa nin leaped from the mountains down to the ground below. Birds also flew down and circled the helpless villagers. "I'd imagine reinforcements are arriving. Hold them off boys!!" Deidara commanded. One group of Iwa nins faced off against the incoming reinforcements, while the second with the help of the giant birds carried the rest out of the village.

"No..." Ino struggled back up, gripping her wound. She saw with one of her eyes that Hidan was about to stab himself, likely killing her in the process. "…I won't…allow it…" Ino threw all of her smoke pellets on the ground, creating a large smokescreen.

"Won't do ya much good." Hidan jeered. "I can still…" A small fireball shot out and hit Hidan's hands, causing him to drop his scythe, and the sharp end impaled his foot. "Damn it, you bitch!! Now I gotta do the whole fucking ritual all over again!!"

Before he got the chance, someone kicked him into the mountain. Gaara stood in his place, his face as cold as ever. "Akatsuki…" he growled. At his command, the sand erupted from his gourd as he directed it towards the Iwa nin. Some of it knocked them away, but he focused most of his sand on saving whatever non-ninja he could.

"ARRGGHH!! I can't get through !!" one of them cried.

"Forget about it!!" one of them cried. "They're coming!! Fall back!!!"

"Are you alright, Hokage-sama!?" Kakashi yelled as he helped his superior up.

"I'm fine. Just caught off guard." Tsunade replied. "Quickly! The villagers!!"

Tsunade and the others ran to the floor of the monuments, hoping they were not too late. When they arrived, they found Gaara and other Konoha shinobi standing in the middle of the ground, looking up. Surrounding him were several globes of sand. "The villagers!!" Tsunade shouted. "Kazekage-sama, thank you so much!!"

"Now's not the time to celebrate. I couldn't get all of them." Gaara said as he pointed up.

Kizu, in Sakura's body, sat on the walls and laughed down upon them, with Hidan at his side. "You scum." Tsunade hissed. Tsunade wanted to scream at him to release her, but somehow everyone knew they had to keep it a secret, for Sakura's sake. Assuming, of course, they could get her back.

Kizu didn't utter a word. Instead, he pulled out a scroll, and drew from it a VHS tape. Without warning, he simply dropped it. Kakashi quickly caught it. Without even looking at it, he just knew what he would see on it. "I suggest you take a look at that before you try anything foolish." The possessed Sakura sneered. With that, Kizu and Hidan simply sprinted up the cliff. Kakashi handed the tape over to Tsunade, neither one able to take their eyes off the cliffs. Even if they ran to catch up with her, they'd lose track of her and lose time looking for her when they needed to plan how to retrieve the villagers.

Shikamaru spotted Ino and picked her up, as Gaara released those he had saved. "Is there a doctor among you!?" Shikamaru shouted.

"Here, give her to me; I'll take her to the clinic." One of the remaining civilians said. Normally, the Hokage treated ninjas, but everyone understood that she had no such time.

"We're here!!!"

The group whirled around to see what seemed to be an intricately carved boulder roll their way. They got into their defensive stances and shielded the villagers, almost eager for blood from the recent events.

"Calm down, it's just us!!"

Everyone lowered their guard when they recognized the voice. "Naruto?" Tsunade whispered.

Without warning, Naruto, Shiguri, and a kunoichi from Iruka's team leapt out. Tsunade dropped her kunai in disbelief. She wanted to hug him so badly…but there were more important matters. Even so, the situation was so overwhelming that she couldn't help but cry. Seeing him safe when her other "grandchild" seemed to be suffering a fate worse than death was just too much for her to put on a decent poker face. Naruto and his two companions rushed towards them. "Ba-chan!! I know we're under attack!!! Just tell me where-" Naruto and Shiguri stopped dead when they noticed how eerily quiet the village was, almost as if nothing attacked the village at all. "Guys…if there's something going on that I need to know about, I need to know, and I need to know it now."

Tsunade simply nodded. "We need to head to my office, right now. Kakashi will fill you in."

As Kakashi walked over to Naruto to explain everything, Shiguri took notice of something else. "Iori?"

"Shiguri?" The two kids just stared at each other for the longest time, and then rushed at each other. They both laughed madly, and cried as they hugged each other.

"I thought you were dead!! I thought you were fucking dead!!" Shiguri nearly screamed.

"I'm just glad you're okay!!" Iori replied. She looked behind him, and her smile turned into a worrisome frown. "Isn't Yuji with you?"

Shiguri's face frowned quickly. "No. You mean he's not with you?"

"Guys." The two turned to face their sensei. "I'm worried about Yuji too, but we don't know where to begin. Right now, we have to focus at the task at hand. It's hard for me too, and not just because of Yuji." The two nodded reluctantly. Still, Iori quickly rushed up and gave her sensei hug, which Naruto quickly returned. "I'm glad to see you're safe too." Naruto whispered. After that, the Naruto and the other Konoha nins he was familiar with ran to the office.

Naruto didn't know what kept him from stopping dead in his tracks or from losing it completely once he heard the news. He didn't even remember walking into the office as Tsunade put the tape in. Naruto wanted to keep saying "It can't be," but he knew it would do no good.

He snapped back to attention when he heard the static on the TV. Finally an image appeared, something that made his heart sink. "S-Sakura?" Her face was pierced and studded, her eyes a pale gray. Instead of standard ninja attire, she was wearing the cloak of Akatsuki. But it was that evil smile that let him know that it wasn't Sakura. Not the one he knew and loved. To her sides were Deidara, and…Hidan!? That wasn't important right now. They defeated the two immortals before, they could do it again!

"If you're watching this, it means you know who we are and our objective." Sakura said. The way she said it was…so unlike her. Naruto couldn't let it go. "Now, you will hear our demands. As you know, we should have a sizable number of your non-ninja civilians hostage. And I think you know one thing you need in order to get them back: Uzumaki Naruto. Alive. But don't think for a second that alone will grant you your hostages back. No, in addition, the Hokage and the Tsuchikage must meet. The Tsuchikage will have a treaty written, requiring Konoha to become a satellite village of Iwagakure. We normally do not care about the politics of the ninja villages, but we needed Iwa's help, so we had to give them this in return. If you will pardon the cliché, it's nothing personal; just business. Besides, we can't have you all mounting a rescue operation after you get your people back, can we? I suppose you could simply sacrifice them and leave us to come up with a Plan B, but I doubt you have the audacity for that. Oh, and Uzumaki is to come to me alone. We will be sure to kill all of our hostages the instant we see something wrong. You have…2 hours. Uzumaki and the Hokage are to go to the locations indicated on the note that came with this tape."

The screen once again became nothing but snow. Those who had watched the video were stunned silent. 2 hours!? That wasn't nearly enough time to come up with a solid plan or gather the resources they would need. Everyone stood at a loss, but Naruto's two students finally spoke up.

"What are we going to do!?" Shiguri yelled.

"We don't have much time! Even if we keep our end of the bargain, there's no guarantee they will keep theirs!" Iori shouted along with her teammate.

Tsunade agreed with both of them; to simply do nothing or antagonize them directly was foolish. But to give into their demands…it was unthinkable. "We have no choice." Naruto said aloud at last.

Everyone's heads turned to him in disbelief. "Naruto! " Kakashi shouted. "I know they have Sakura, but there is no guarantee she and the others will be returned!! And even if they did, you'd only release them into a life of oppression or worse!!" The others could only look at Naruto in disappointment. He had earned their respect by becoming famous as the one ninja who never gave up. It broke their hearts to see him doing it for the first time.

"You misunderstood what I meant, Ba-chan." Naruto replied. "What I meant was that we have no choice but to mount a rescue operation!!" With that one sentence, everyone's hopes elated. There was no clear plan, as of yet…but they all believed he could pull it off. Especially if it was to get Sakura back safely. Everyone could see that Tsunade believed in him too.

But as Hokage, she had to be a realist. "You are aware that if this fails, we will essentially doom everyone."

Naruto nodded. "Like I said, we have no choice. We only have one shot at this, and I can plainly see it's a very long one. But it's in everyone's best interest to risk it!!"

Tsunade asked everyone "Any objections?" The only answer she got were visible smirks.

Followed by one of her own. "Very well. But where do we begin?"

"Whatever it is you're planning, count me in too." Everyone turned around to see Hinata at the doorway. "I saw the whole thing. After watching that, I simply cannot stay here and do nothing. Especially when I could have stopped all of this from happening in the first place."

Tsunade rubbed her head. The fact of the matter was that she did not believe that Hinata was as capable a fighter as she needed. Not only that, but if she was doing this just to win favors, there was a good chance that she could jeopardize the mission. "Hinata, I appreciate your concerns and willingness to help, but nothing you could have done would-"

"No, I believe I know the purpose of those piercings!!" Now everyone began to take her seriously. "At first, I didn't know what I was seeing. It seemed like some sort of wave hitting Sakura constantly. But now I know. Those jewels on her face were hollow. I saw something...something like a wave or radio signal that went straight to the jewels. Whoever is controlling her must be sending his or her chakra directly into her brain."

Tsunade processed the information in her mind. "It makes sense. I've never heard of such a jutsu, but it is theoretically possible…" She then asked "Do you think it can be removed?"

Hinata said "Possibly. I'd have to disable it first. Even if I did…"

"…there's no telling if her mind will be the same afterwards." Naruto muttered sadly. Slowly, he turned to her, trusting her completely. "Hinata, are you sure you can stand up to Sakura, enough just to touch those things?"

Everyone could tell Hinata was visibly scared. But they were surprised when she nearly screamed "I have to try!! Father's on a mission in Wind Country's borders, Neji –nisan can't fight, and the rest of the Hyuugas who are able to fight are further out in the battlefield! If I'm the only one who has a chance at it…" Hinata clenched her fists "…I will!! I must!!"

Hinata was right. Based on everything she had told them, she was the only one who could truly help the plan succeed. Tsunade didn't want to send her into battle, but she knew she was the best chance they had at pulling it off. "Very well then, Hinata. Rest assured, I and everyone else in this room will trust you completely." Then, the wheels began turning in both Tsunade's and Naruto's heads. Finally, they could formulate a plan…

Sasuke and Midoriiro came to a small village, and found another inn to reside in. They both doubted they would be safe for long, but it would be a decent place to rest for at least one day. The two companions hadn't talked much since she told him her story. It wasn't that he hated her because of who she was; he of all people had no right to judge. But he just couldn't shake off how she was now in a position his brother may have been in. Assuming a certain blonde was telling him the truth earlier.

"Your brother…he loved you, Sasuke…" Those were the words Naruto said. Sasuke wanted to believe he was lying. But why would he? What reason would he have? It most certainly did not appease him, and for all the trouble he gave Naruto, he doubted that he thought it would.

"So many similarities. Could it be true? Could it be, this whole time, Itachi wasn't to blame?" He wanted to believe that Itachi was somehow forced to do what he did. But no matter how many times he worked out a scenario, nothing made sense.

Realizing this train of thought was getting him nowhere, he turned to what now may be his only friend at the moment. She hardly did anything since they arrived. She just sat by the wall, clutching her sword. "Midoriiro; do you have any idea what you're going to do?" Midoriiro remained silent, and only clutched her sword even tighter. "Your sister is going to come after you no matter what. She will not rest. I need to know, and I need to know now! One way or another, it has to end!!"

Midoriiro didn't even turn to Sasuke when she said "And what do YOU propose? What will YOU do?"

Sasuke was at a loss. What could he do? Tell Taifuu to give her sister a chance to explain everything? He doubted something like that would work; he sure as hell wouldn't have stopped back when he still wanted to face Itachi.

Before he could say anything more, something whizzed past him and hit the wall, very close to Midoriiro's face. Sasuke almost instinctively unsheathed his sword, which he no longer had. He also felt some blood trickle down from his cheek. Quickly checking himself, he concluded the projectile was not coated with poison "They know we're here. And that was no miss." Midoriiro didn't respond as she unwrapped what seemed to be a note that was attached to the needle. Quickly, she read through it. "Well?" Sasuke asked.

No expression showed on her face, and she behaved as though she did not hear him. Sasuke leaned over to read it…and went out cold as something hit him in the back of the neck. Midoriiro rose, and swallowed the letter. Midoriiro didn't even bother to look as she saw her companion, whom she rendered unconscious, slump to the floor. She began to walk outside the door, but stopped short. Finally, she looked back at the unconscious Uchiha. She had to leave, and she would. But…she couldn't do it just like that. Sighing, she muttered "I really am too nice." She went to the desk, and began writing a note…

"So, it's all set then?" Tsunade asked. Everyone nodded affirmatively. "Okay then. Remember, we only have one chance at this!! Do not fail!! I've always told my shinobi the fate of everyone depends on you! Right now, I can't think of a better example to make that point!! Go!!!" With that, everyone dashed out the office. "Kazekage-sama, I ask that you may accompany me. No doubt Kizu will have warned the Tsuchikage that we're both here."

"Of course." Gaara replied. "Besides, if a fight broke out, I have a feeling that a trap will be laid especially for you. I figure I should lend a helping hand, this time physically."

Tsunade smiled at him. "I appreciate it. With you coming along, I actually feel pretty good about this." The Hokage got up and ejected the tape Akatsuki had given her. Without uttering a word, she crushed it. "While this is not on my top priorities at the moment, it is very much in Sakura's interest if we do everything we can to conceal this. Otherwise, her reputation could be tarnished."

"Of course." Gaara nodded in understanding. "We better get going."

Outside, the Konoha nin got into position, while Naruto ran straight to the outskirts of the leaf village. "Hang in there, Sakura…" Naruto thought. "…I'm coming for you!"

"Naruto-kun!!!"

Naruto turned around to see Hinata running by his side. "What's wrong, Hinata?"

Hinata said "Naruto, I trust your mind is on making sure this mission goes right!"

"Of course!" Hinata started to jump closer.

"So will I!! And…" Naruto turned around, curious. Hinata seemed like she was nervous, maybe even trying to hide something. Finally, she turned to him, forcing a smile. "I will bring Sakura back! That is my promise of a lifetime to you!"

Naruto's eyes widened, and suddenly he had an epiphany. He wondered why his peers joked around about Hinata always watching him…why Kiba always muttered "You don't get it, do you?" "Hinata…all this time…" Naruto pushed it in the back of his mind. Unlike Sakura, back when Sasuke defected from Konohagakure, he had a job to do. There would be time to talk to Hinata later. And there was one thing that wouldn't change. "Even if she is unable to return my feelings…I'll tell her!" As always, Naruto refused to accept the possibility of defeat. But realistically speaking, that possibility would always be there, and Naruto had learned the hard way that loved ones could go at anytime. Even though now was ideally the absolute worst time…he would tell her no matter what. Because he may never get another chance.

Well, I hope this was worth the wait for you! Next episode, the operation begins! Plus, Midoriiro vs. Taifuu!!

Itten-Speck

Handan-Judgment

Kakugon Mawashigurama-Granite Hamster Wheel

Ebukuro-Gizzard

Karyudo Shinkan-Hunter's Death Pit

Akashishi-Red Lion