Author's note:

So yes, um, ALL of the "ROUGE" ninja are OC. I honestly can't figure out why anyone would think otherwise...

I want to thank those that reviewed:

Guest: Is Shigure COMPLETELY O.C. in regard to the canon universe!?

Yes, he is. And as for the Uzumaki clan, yes it sucks but it's just how it is, at least Naruto wasn't old enough to remember having his parents die in front of him. Nor were they killed by his only living relative.

Underthesky- I am so glad that you are enjoying the story thus far. I hope you continue to do as as it progresses.

Ern Estine 13624- I hope to post in a somewhat timely manner *sweatdrops*

Yeager Jack- Thank you, I'm so glad you like it.

The Jingo- yes that about sums it up *laughs to myself*

DISCLAIMER:

I DO NOT OWN NARUTO.

Last time:

"Going by what the journal next to them said, I'm guessing speed and chakra boosters." Shruggging his shoulders Jugo just looked at Sasuke.

He smiled at the big guy, these would come in very handy in the next day and a half it was going to take them to get to the village. Maybe even make it so they could cut off a few hours of travel.

"Thank you, you get to carry her first."

Chapter 8: Back again

When they had left the hideout of the rogue ninja, the sun had already set a few hours before, and they didn't waste any time in heading out. The rest of the night and into the next, passed in a blur of passing trees with a few short breaks in between, long enough to eat an drink. They would dig out another chakra pill when they began to feel the effects wearing off, even though they knew they would pay for it later. The affects of using too many of them paled in comparison to Naruto dying in Sasuke's eyes.

Karin felt similarly, if only because Naruto was her only living relative she knew of. She couldn't imagine growing up the way Naruto had, being singled out and left the way she had. Karin was even more grateful for the memories of her family that she had. Hell she didn't feel any more jealousy towards the feelings Naruto and Sasuke had for each other. Not after everything she had learned and heard of her cousin. She deserved to have something that made her happy.

Jugo and Suigestu just pretty much followed Sasuke's lead.

They decided to stop avoiding main roads and villages and took the most direct route to the village they could, keeping their eyes open for any form of attack or people with hostile intentions. They were running out of time fast and they needed to get there as soon as they could.

When the sun had set again Jugo gave Naruto to Sasuke to carry as they were only a few hours away from the village and Sasuke didn't want to risk any of the others being harmed if one of the Leaf ninja tried to remove Naruto from them by force. They hadn't gone much further after they changed places before Sasuke came across the first of Konoha's alert systems, barely avoiding a paper bomb and a net rigged to capture anything that tripped it.

'Damn, my reflexes are slowing. Not too much...Shit!'

A black shape flew out of the trees beside him tackling him in the side sending him towards the ground.

Twisting his body so that Naruto wouldn't get injured, Sasuke managed to land on his feet in a crouched position. He couldn't defend himself very well while holding onto Naruto and he wouldn't risk turning his back on whoever attacked him as long as she was on his back, so he lifted his eyes to see the person better, ready to leap away if needed.

Shock couldn't begin to describe his thoughts as he gazed upon the ninja standing in front of him, kunai in hand at the ready, as they slowly stood up to their full height. Two other ninja joined him on both sides along with three others , anbu, he didn't recognize, but he kept his eyes on the ninja in front as the bigger one spoke.

"What are you doing here?!" Choji yelled thrusting his finger in Sasuke's direction, followed by a grunt when Shino elbowed him in the side.

Sasuke didn't say anything as he continued to watch as the first ninja's gaze landed on Naruto's blonde hair over his shoulder causing his eyes to widen.

"What's wrong with her?" Shikamaru asked as his eyes narrowed with suspicion still holding the kunai in front of himself.

Choji and Shino looked at Shikamaru before glancing back and noticing her also. "Hey! That's Naruto!" Choji exclaimed excitedly before Shino whacked him and sighed. "Hey!" Choji massaged his head where there was going to be no doubt of a bump later. If the situation wasn't so critical, he might have found the sight to be slightly amusing.

Karin, Suigetsu, and Jugo landed behind Sasuke at that moment, right before Sasuke could say anything causing every one of the Leaf Anbu to tense for an attack.

Seeing the reactions of the anbu Sasuke tensed even more, preparing to either attack or charge towards the village, before movement from Shikamaru caught his eye.

"Stand down! He has Naruto on his back!" Shikamaru put himself between Sasuke and the Leaf Anbu hoping to stop anything before it started. "She has to be in pretty bad shape if she's allowed someone to carry her. Now lets hear what happened."

Jugo came up behind Sasuke and was beginning to remove her from his back in case something went wrong, they didn't want her getting caught up in anything. Sasuke felt as the ties became looser and the small movements of Naruto's weight shifting. Shikamaru watched from a short distance away, while he put his kunai back.

As soon as the last tie was undone and she was safely out of the way the Leaf Anbu surrounded Sasuke as more came out of the trees to surround the whole group.

"Wait!" Shikamaru yelled as one of the Anbu behind Sasuke held a kunai to his throat.

'This is getting old.' Sasuke thought as the coldness of the steel touched his skin, fighting the sudden fatigue hitting his system. 'Wonder how long before my legs give out on me?'

"Sasuke Uchiha, you are to be taken into custody." A muffled voice came from behind him as one ninja at each side of him put a chakra blocking cuff on each of his wrists. Knowing that this was going to happen didn't make it any easier for him to allow them to put them on him. The sudden feeling of his chakra being cut off was a shock.

He felt defenseless even though he knew better.

All of his remaining energy disappeared with his chakra causing him to crash to his knees causing the Anbu behind him to grunt with effort as he was pulled forward with the movement. Sasuke just lay there as the anbu struggled to get up. After said ninja was standing he hauled Sasuke into sitting position and propped him against his shin.

Straightening himself out the Anbu behind Sasuke pointed at Jugo, who was now the one holding Naruto. "Give us the girl and no one will bet hurt."

Jugo merely nodded and held her out for one of them to take.

"Shikamaru." came from Sasuke's slumped form causing said ninja to look over at him understanding what he wanted. He'd find a way to kill anyone who touched her, and growled as one of the anbu standing on the sides went to get her.

Sasuke didn't want any of the other ninja to touch her while she was so vulnerable.

Taking her from the big guy Shikamaru frowned at how warm she was, and how light.

Before he could ask again what was wrong Karin spoke up. "She was poisoned and needs to get to Tsunade as soon as possible. She's the only one who can help her."

The Anbu along with Sasuke disappeared into thin air as Shikamaru told Chohi and Shino to take the rest of Sasuke's group to the village and for the female ninja to tell them everything she knew.

Using a teleportation jutsu, Shikamaru appeared in the Hokage's headquarters with Naruto in his arms he made his way to Tsunade's office. People rushed to get out of his way as he raced through the halls before coming upon the Hokage's office.

"Lady Tsunade! It's an emergency!" The doors to her office swung open as he kicked them open, causing the older woman to look up with murder in her eyes, until she saw what he held. All the color drained from her face as she quickly made her way to her feet and clearing things from her desk so he could set her down. "She's burning up, they said she'd been poisoned and that you're the only one who can do anything."

As he set Naruto down Tsunade ripped open her shirt and took in the sight of her bandaged abdomen and the amount of blood soaking them. Making haste, she cut them from the small form on her desk to find the wounds bleeding freely before placing her hand above one of the more severe looking ones and closing her eyes to concentrate. She focused her chakra on healing the wound under her hand for a few moments but felt nothing happening.

Her eyes snapped open in confusion she looked at the wounds again. Just as she was about to begin again, Choji and Shino came in, followed by three other ninja she didn't recognize.

"What's going on here? Can't this wait? I'm..."

Choji cut her off, "It's important Lady Hokage!" motioning for the female ninja to come forward towards the Hokage.

"Naruto was poisoned by an ancient group of ninja," looking the blonde woman in the eye, Karin told her what she knew. That Naruto had been unconscious for over three days and hat her wounds wouldn't heal until the poison was out of her system. That the fox had told Sasuke that Tsunade was the only one who could possibly help Naruto, and that if she didn't hurry that she would die.

"The poison blocks off all her access to her chakra along with the fox's and any connection she has to the fox. While doing that it also eats away at any energy she has before it rendered her unconscious." Karin finished as Tsunade looked down at the girl on her desk, deep in thought.

Looking up at the red haired girl before her, Tsunade spoke. "Who are the people that did this?" Placing her hand on Naruto's forehead she set herself to the task of lowering her temperature.

"We aren't sure Ma'am, all we know is what Kurama told us, which is that the organization is old enough that he forgot their name, though he remembers what their goal is. They want the tailed beasts for themselves, though now it seems they also want to use Naruto as a brood mare for her future children and any powers they maay have."

At the mention of Kurama, Tsunade's eyes widened before narrowing quickly at the girl, "How did you speak to the fox?"

"It was Sasuke who spoke to the fox creature." came a deeper voice from the doorway. Looking over Karin's shoulder towards the door Tsunade saw two more unfamiliar ninja standing out of the way.

"Ah." Looking back down at Naruto she continued her examination. "Shino, go and retrieve Sakura. I am going to need her help for this. Bring her to the Hospital." She gently picked up the unconscious girl from her desk and made her way out of her office. Stopping at the doorway and looking back at Choji and Shino, "Take these three and book them some rooms at the closest Inn, if they came all this way they must be tired. Stay with them though, in case I need anything."

Tsunade knew what poison the red haired ninja spoke of, her family had written a hidden scroll about it many generations ago since there had always been a tailed beast in the village. When the poison first appeared they had lost many hosts since they didn't know that they were up against nor the causes. So after they perfected their treatment they wrote it down for future generations in case someone decided to use it again later. Tsunade had come across it years ago while reading random medical scrolls in the library in the forbidden section. The one that had many triggers and alarms just to get near the room. The reason the scroll was placed there wasn't because of the fact it had details about the cure for the poison, no, it was there because they had also figured out how to make it as well. which made sense in a way since how could you cure something without not knowing how to make it?

Tsunade also knew that it would take at lest two people working on the infected person and quite a bit of time in order to cleanse them of the poison. Time wasn't something they had a lot of if Naruto had been unconscious as long as the girl had claimed. They would need to work fast and really hard, probably without stopping if they were going to save Naruto. Tsunade figured they had less than twenty-four hours before Naruto was as good as dead and there was nothing they would be able to do to help her.

She stopped by the library on her way after handing Naruto to Shikamaru again and instructed him to take her to the emergency medical room and told him not to allow anyone into the room besides herself and Sakura.

She needed to get the scroll if she was going to do this right, and they couldn't afford to have any mistakes.

Shino arrived at Sakura's door a few moments later and began to knock when Sakura came around the corner of the building carrying what looked to be groceries.

Seeing Shino standing at her door caused her brow to furrow in confusion, but she smiled anyway. "Hey Shino, whats going on? Do you need me for something?" her keys jingled in her fingers as they felt their way to her house key.

"Lady Tsunade needs your assistance with an emergency at the hospital." He said simply before turning and walking away, having accomplished his task, deciding it was time to go home and go to bed.

Finding her key she stared after Shino as he went on his way. "Uh, ok then." Since she hadn't bought anything that needed to be put up right away she opened her door and set her bags down inside the doorway before locking the door again.

Author's note...again:

Sorry the chapter is so short, it just is.

I hope you enjoyed it and PLEASE REVIEW!

THANK YOU!