-Amegakure-

"To think you were pushed this far, Nagato. Even with the Rinnegan, you were left in such a state."

Bound to his large mechanical walker, Nagato could only watch the controlled Deva Path put the other five bodies into the capsules for repairs.

"Master Jiraiya was a formidable opponent. In a short amount of time, he was able to figure out the abilities of each path. And the other Sannin, Tsunade, had the strength to complete destroy the Asura Path in a single hit."

"Hanzo the Salamander was justified for sparing their lives and dubbing them 'Konoha's Legendary Three'. Jiraiya the Gallant and the granddaughter of the Hashirama, Tsunade. Each powerful in their own rights."

"This was the farthest Pain was ever pushed. It'll take some time to fully repair each body."

"Time, we don't have, I'm afraid. Konoha and Suna are privy to our plans. Itachi was Jiraiya's informant. We can't afford anymore setbacks, Nagato."

"Madara, do not worry. Peace will come."

"The longer the Eye of the Moon Plan takes to manifest, the harder the world will fight it. No more setbacks."

"In my current condition, I am of no use to the Akatsuki. I need to repair the damages."

Nagato could feel Madara's fury. The air was soaking in it. "Six months. Then, you will hunt for the jinchūriki yourself. In the meantime, I will take over full control of the Akatsuki. I will not allow this to drag out any longer."

"…Understood, Madara."

The Ghost of the Uchiha faded away into nothing, leaving no trace of his existence behind. Nagato hated that man with a passion. But his strength was needed to achieve the peace he's desired since his childhood. The peace his master believed he would find.

Then you're going to help me…Master Jiraiya.

Pushing a sixth body on a gurney, Jiraiya's corpse was loaded into the last remaining capsule.

-With Naruto-

The Gateway. Konoha and Suna's most advanced F.O.B. This particular forward operating base has earned a rough reputation. On the direct border of the Land of Wind and Land of Rock, the battles in the area were intense and ongoing. Built into a ravine, the Gateway served as the beginning of an unpaved road to Iwagakure.

Gaara and Genma were the ones going to pave that road.

In the few days since the joint division's arrival, now named Gateway's Attack Force, Gaara and Genma completely overhauled the base's defensive capabilities and reignited their counterattacks with large catapults and a designated quick response force for assaulting incoming enemy units.

And as icing on the cake, Gaara's ultimate defense, his sand, would be the greatest defensive asset the Gateway would have.

The large catapults were something Sunagakure had been working on for a long time. It was Gaara's father that began production on them back in the Third Great War but never had the opportunity to deploy the garrison. Until now, they had been collecting sand somewhere in the desert. Gaara knew they would serve well at this junction.

"How are preparations going, Captain?" Gaara sat at the head of the table in the briefing tent, Genma stood directly behind him.

Ibiki nodded. "Very well, Lord Gaara. If things continue like they have, the garrison will meet the timeframe you set."

Gaara nodded in appreciation. He was glad he chose his former master as one of his leaders. It helped quell some of his anxiety. "What of the scout team? Have they come back with a report?"

Tsume Inuzuka stood from her seat. She was appointed the leader of platoon of scout teams by Danzō. "Yeah, I've got some reports. My son, Kiba, has been leading the scout team on some chases to find any enemy movement. A lot of dead ends but they came across an enemy camp a good ten miles away, towards the end of the mountains."

"Ten miles?" Genma fiddled with his senbon. "That's pretty close. Too close for comfort."

"Iwagakure's probably gearing up for an attack." Shikamaru stated. "Ten miles is a good distance to prepare without anyone noticing. Besides, they're in their territory. They aren't expecting us to send scouts so deep like that."

"We have to be ballsy to win this thing." Genma called out. "We have to take some risks in order to gain momentum to push into enemy territory. Recall your scout team, Tsume. Take camp is our first target. We'll hit them before they hit us."

Ibiki looked to his Kazekage. "Lord Gaara? What's your opinion?"

Gaara felt inclined to agree with his partner. "Commander Genma is correct in saying that chances need to be taken in order to gain ground towards Iwagakure. Genma, go get a company sized element ready to deploy once the scout team sends more information. You and I will lead."

Genma smirked devilishly. "Yes sir."

The commanding jōnin swiftly exited the tent and greeted his team. "Good news, we're moving out already. Get your gear ready. I'm going to get the rest of the company ready. Be ready to move out soon."

"Where are we going?" Ino questioned, but Genma was already out of earshot. "Captain Genma!"

"Don't bother with it, Ino." Naruto could care less about the location. He was glad that they weren't going to be sitting around forever. "Just do as he says."

"You aren't concerned at all, Naruto?"

"No. Not really."

Ino looked to the other member of this makeshift team. "Sai? You aren't curious at all where we're going?"

Seemingly uninterested, Sai responded blankly. "In ANBU and ROOT, most of our missions are carried out in very little Intel. This is something I'm used to."

Ino sighed. How did she get stuck with these two? "How could either of you be so relaxed about this? It's very concerning, to me, that we don't know where we're going for this mission."

"On the contrary, I believe Naruto is the most concerned out of anyone here."

Stupefied, Naruto glared at the pale shinobi. "What the hell are you talking about, Sai?"

Sai pulled out a book from his pouch. "I've been reading this book to better understand emotions and what people do to cover them up. On page seventy-two, the author states that people often cover their true feelings by acting like they don't care about a situation when they actually deeply care. It's a technique a person uses when they want to keep their emotions hidden from others because they are scared of being either hurt or seen as an outcast. Most likely due to past trauma."

While Ino was impressed by Sai's knowledge of psychological issues and mental health, Naruto stared at the emotionless shinobi. He felt a quick rise in anger. But it disappeared just as quick. "Whatever Sai."

Sai turned his head slightly, confused by the statement. "An unusual rebuttal."

"Be glad I said anything at all." Naruto turned to leave. "I'm going to pack."

Both Sai and Ino watched the blonde jinchūriki walk towards his tent, which was nearby. He threw the flap open, revealing that there was another person in there. And it wasn't Hinata. From the quick glance, it seemed to be a Suna kunoichi.

Ino rolled her eyes. "Pig."

Sai looked at Ino, perplexed. "I'm confused. Why did you say that?"

"Because Naruto is being a pig."

"I don't follow."

Ino sighed. Is it worth the effort to explain? Quickly realizing that Ino would have to explain eventually, she figured she would get it over it to avoid mind numbing later on. "I called Naruto that because he's only using that girl in there for sex. Just like he has been doing with Hinata. There's no love. No connection. Just mindless sex. It's degrading to that girl."

Sai merely blinked. "But how does calling Naruto a 'pig' pertain to him having mindless, loveless sex? He's not a farm animal."

Ino rolled her eyes. "It's obviously not literal. It's just a term, Sai. A repulsive term about someone. It means they're doing something horrible. Like Naruto using that girl for sex."

Sai was still just as confused. Ino was horrible at explaining slang terms. "But, my assumption, they're both consenting in the action of intercourse. How is it horrible? From my experience, sex is a great source of relief."

Turning sharply towards Sai, Ino was flabbergasted. "Y-You've had sex, Sai?!"

Unfazed, Sai saw no reason to hold back. "A few times, yes. It was greatly reliving and stimulating. Do you want me to show you?"

Flustered and embarrassed, Ino shuttered at the thought of Sai and her together like that. She could only imagine how pale his penis is compared to the rest of his body. A thought she didn't want to dwell on. "S-Shut up, Sai! I'm not that kind of girl!"

Now, Sai understood Ino's feelings. Or, at least, what his book told him what her behavior was meaning. When a girl reacts embarrassed about sexual relations or conversation, it means they are either jealous or wanting it themselves. Usually both. "Ah. I understand what you're saying now."

Sighing, Ino was relieved that this whole ordeal was over with. "Good…"

"You are either jealous of that girl in Naruto's tent and want to be in there yourself, or simply haven't lost your virginity and are curious to the affects it can have." Sai's uncomfortable smile made Ino's embarrassment even worse. "Which is it?"

"FUCK OFF, SAI!"

Watching Ino storm off in an embarrassed tantrum, Sai could only wonder what he said wrong. He was only quoting a book that was written off the research of emotions. How could it be wrong?

The book was right. Women are confusing.

-Deployment, Day Thirteen-

"The camp is at these coordinates." Kiba pointed at the map. "We've been watching them for the past few days. Yeah, they're definitely gearing up for an attack."

Shikamaru felt a sense of pride knowing that he was right. As did Genma. He was happy that they would be hitting them first. He was itching to get after these bastards after three years of being held in check.

Genma was indifferent about Tsunade's sudden step down as Hokage. He truly admired the Sannin for what she did for Konoha after the Third Hokage's death and he truly liked her as Hokage. But he disagreed with nearly every decision she made about this war. It never led to victories or into enemy territory. The only good decision Tsunade made was allying with Suna, even if it did take them some time to fully enter the war.

And Genma may not like Danzō as a person, but he couldn't fault the Warhawk's leadership skills. Those speeches had Genma fired up and ready to charge in. So long as Danzō kept his personal agenda out of his decision making, he would follow him anywhere.

"Then let's hit them quick and strong." Genma was planning this out as he spoke. "We split the company into two super platoons, attack from two sides. Split their attention on two fronts. If we're quick enough, we can get in close and take them all out without much resistance. We can catch them by surprise."

Shikamaru was quick to point out some flaws. "That's a good plan on paper, but that doesn't account for them being ready. For all we know, they're watching us right now. If we want to take this camp, we need to hit them on every side." The Nara pointed on the map every spot where they needed to attack. "If we place teams here, and squads here and here, it'll cut off any possible escape route and bottleneck them into a single location. Then, it's just a matter of negotiations."

"Negotiations?" Genma questioned. "We're going to take prisoners?"

"Intel from enemy shinobi will greatly increase our chances of avoiding conflicts and winning the ones we do engage in." Shikamaru wanted to avoid as much as conflict as he could, knowing full well that this was a war, and that death and blood were inevitable. "We need to look at the long game. This is just like a game of shogi."

"Shogi?" Genma questioned.

"Do only plan one move ahead in shogi? No. The goal to take out the opponent's king. In our case, that's Iwagakure and the Tsuchikage. The less we sacrifice now, the stronger we can maintain when we finally make it to the capital."

"What about reinforcements?" Ibiki questioned. "We can call for that, you know."

"I'm creating a scenario where we don't have that. I already have plans and back-up plans with reinforcements. For now, we have to act as if we don't have that luxury."

"Enough of this." Gaara finally broke his silence. "We have a battle at hand. Discussing different long-term strategies can be done at a later time. For now, we go with Shikamaru's plan of assault. Get teams and squads in place. We have one hour."

Orders and directives were passed down through the various channels of communication until the lowest level of shinobi. Every single shinobi knew what exactly the mission was and how it would be done.

Naruto and his team were positioned on the southeast side with Kiba's scout team. They were waiting on the signal to begin their attack.

In the center of their group, a small plume of smoke silently bellowed into the air. It was small enough for Naruto to know exactly who it was.

"Grandpa Sage? What are you doing here?"

The green frog was silent as the smoke slowly dissipated into the air. He looked tired, practically exhausted. Battle worn. He was fresh off the toughest battle of his long life.

"Hey!" Kiba harshly whispered. "Keep your fucking voice down, Naruto! Don't give away our position!"

But he ignored. His focus only on the Elder Toad Sage in front of him. The silence was deafening.

"…Fukasaku…"

The green toad finally broke his hard thousand-yard stare and looked at the jinchūriki in his scared, worried eyes. "Naruto-boy…I'm so sorry…"

Slow realization set in. His knees trembled, weakening by the second. His body began to drip with a cold, slow sweat. "No…"

"There's no easy to say it…"

"Don't say it…"

"Keep your voices down! They're right next to us!"

"Jiraiya-boy has fallen in battle…"

All sound instantly disappeared and all that remained was a terrible, gut-wrenching hum. He felt the commotion around him, knowing that the enemy had found them. But he frozen in time.

Jiraiya…died?

"Shit!" Kiba shouted.

The two teams instantly jumped into the fight, as the rest of the company ran in to attack. Within a matter of a moment, it was all out war. Konoha fighting Iwagakure.

"…What?"

"It all happened fast, Naruto-boy. That der Akatsuki leader was strong, stronger den anythin' we ever faced before. That Rinnegan was no joke…"

Akatsuki…

"Jiraiya-boy made sure that Ma, Tsunade, and I were sent away before they attacked him. He…faced dem alone."

Alone…

"And you left him there?"

That humming stopped. Silence returned. Trembles of weakness turned into shakes of rage. Fear in the eyes of a small boy replaced with violence of an unhinged beast.

"He sent us away, Naruto-boy. There was nothing we could do."

"You could've gone back!" Tojin manifested in Naruto's hand, subconsciously feeding off his anger. "You left him behind!"

"Naruto-boy! That's not how it happened!"

"You left him there to die!"

"Enough, boy!" Fukasaku may be feeling guilty but wouldn't let this stand. "You aren't the only one who lost someone important. He was like a son to me."

"And a father to me!"

Two Iwa shinobi rapidly approached from the rear, trying to get the jump on Naruto in his state.

"He was the one person I needed to stay with me! And you left him to die!"

Sharply spinning on his heel, Naruto sliced the shinobi's heads clean off the body with a single movement of Tojin. The blade dripped with their blood as Naruto stood like a statue, allowing the Will to overtake him.

More blood. Take them all down.

Moving in an unorthodox, eerie manner, Naruto leapt away from Fukasaku and dashed into the battle. With the swift and powerful Tojin, Naruto began taking down Iwa shinobi one after another. Each becoming more gruesome then the last.

Ino stopped to watch, as did many other Konoha and Suna shinobi. Naruto quickly became a one-man killing force that no one dared to try and stop.

"What the hell is going on with him?" Shikamaru questioned out loud.

"Master Jiraiya died…"

The surrounding ninja all stared at the Yamanaka, disbelief filling their souls at what they just heard.

"What?!" Shikamaru couldn't believe that. It sounded impossible. It was impossible.

"There's no way someone could take down one of the Sannin!" A Konoha shinobi shouted.

"Orochimaru just died a few weeks ago. How is it impossible?" A Suna shinobi questioned.

The sounds of sickening death blows from Tojin filled the air, silencing the disbelief in the company. The proof was right there, massacring the camp of Iwa shinobi. Naruto's anger could be felt. Heard in his cries of sorrow. His tears mixed with the enemies' blood.

Keep killing. Don't stop until all life is gone.

But with each slice of the blade, why didn't he feel better? Why didn't taking out his rage and sorrow on these damned souls help?

It will. The more we spill blood, the more pain releases.

Release pain on who? On others? Or himself?

Forget yourself. All that matters is the next kill.

Naruto plunged the blade through a heart of a teenager no older than him. "All that matters…is the next kill."

Flicking off the blood, Naruto set his demonic eyes on the remaining living. Iwa was scrambling to survive, clinging to anything that could somehow keep them alive.

But it wouldn't. Nothing would save them from Naruto's wrath.

Even in the wake of the bloodshed, Naruto remained still with his sword drawn. The others avoided him like a plague victim, leaving him in an empty section of the encampment, while they searched for intel and possible information.

Ino and Sai watched Naruto from a distance, both out of safety and curiosity. They were both simply amazed and disgusted by the bloody scene before them.

"Could you ever believe a single person would ever cause this much death and bloodshed?" Ino questioned aloud.

"Itachi Uchiha comes to mind." Sai causally states.

"Are you seriously comparing Naruto to Itachi Uchiha, the man who massacred an entire clan because he felt like it?

"Not necessarily, no. But Naruto is showing some really bad behavior."

"Now, you're suggesting he'll go rouge. I'm really digging this confidence you have in him, Sai. It's reassuring."

Seemingly shocked by this, Sai pulled out his book. He flipped through several pages quickly until he stopped and read for a moment. "Was that sarcasm?"

Ino inwardly sighed, annoyed by this. "Yes, it was. Cut Naruto some slack, Sai. Master Jiraiya was his godfather. And from what Sakura told me, he was the closest thing Naruto had to a father."

"Defending him? That's new for you, Ino. According to this book, when a someone defends another that there isn't any mutual friendship between, it usually means that there are underlying feelings of romantic interest."

Ino rolled her eyes, not bothering to react. Sai was clueless and only understood emotion from a book. He had virtually no understanding of what it truly felt like to go through emotions, especially grief. "Whatever Sai."

"I am not dismissing Naruto's pain, like you are assuming. It is devastating to lose someone important. But he is not the only one to lose someone. It's hard for me to convey sympathy to someone who is being selfish."

Confused, Ino stared at Sai. "Selfish? He just found out! We all did!"

"Initial reactions to something traumatic are heavy indicators towards the behavioral patterns, especially after losing an important person. You are a prime example of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Have you not just lost a sensei? From my understanding, Asuma Sarutobi meant a great deal to you and your teammates. Yet, here you are, concerned for the wellbeing of someone else."

Realizing what Sai was trying to convey, Ino sunk back. She still wasn't ready to talk about Asuma. "People deal with their grief in other ways…"

"I understand that. But this…isn't healthy. Destruction like this only leads to more sorrow. Bloodshed only covers the pain. Then, the weight of that blood begins to weigh on a person. It does not end well."

"Why do you care so much?" Ino jumped back. "Why are you so concerned for his mental health and what he does?"

Sai watched Naruto for another moment, before turning to leave. "I should ask you the same thing."

Ino remained in place, watching Sai walk away. With his words staying in her mind, Ino continued to watch Naruto from afar.

Why do you care so much?

-With Genma-

Genma and a team of shinobi systemically searched each tent for any possible information that might prove useful in some way. Countless files and searching the dead bodies continuously generated nothing.

"Commander Genma, you might want to take a look at this."

Taking the file from the chūnin hand's, Genma flipped it open. "A personal file? Who is this girl?"

Fū. A young girl, no older than thirteen. There was a small picture of the girl. And dozens of coordinates with checks by them, meaning that were searched. Iwagakure was looking for her.

"What do you think, Kazekage?"

Gaara looked over the file himself. "They are searching for her. These coordinates searched locations. Some of them are in the Land of Wind. This girl…Iwagakure wants her for something."

Genma fiddled with the senbon more. "Yeah, but why? She's not even from Iwa. Look. Her affiliation is Takigakure, that waterfall village in the Land of Water. Why would Iwagakure waste resources looking for this girl? And why is she all the way out here?"

"Perhaps she was captured and is on the run. But that only raises the more of the same questions." Gaara closed the file and handed it back to the shinobi. "Take this to the intel team and have them gather information on her. We should divert a small team to search for her, as well. If Iwa wants her, we should as well."

Genma nodded. "I agree. We can put my team on it. Sai is an excellent tracker. Ino can get any answer we want from anyone. And Naruto…well, he's Naruto. They'll get the job done."

-With Itachi-

Being on the run was nothing new to the Uchiha prodigy. Frankly, this was more comfortable to him than being in the Akatsuki or being in Konoha. Rouge was his element. It was all he knew.

Itachi remained in the central hideout that the Uchiha clan kept off the record from Konoha. But he went far to get his supplies. He didn't want to be followed, recognized, or noticed.

He stopped at the local tavern in a small village just outside the Land of Fire. It was a long journey back and he needed a good meal and a strong drink to get him there. Something Itachi quickly learned to appreciate after going rouge the first time.

"Man, this war is just dragging on and on!" A Kumogakure shinobi complained with his comrades. "Why doesn't Konoha just give up already?"

"They're stubborn bastards, that's why." Another chimed in. "Besides, we get paid more during war times. It can drag on as long as it can."

The group clang glasses and shot down their liquor.

"Hey, did you hear? One of Konoha's Sannin, Jiraiya I think, was killed the other week!"

"What?!"

"No fucking way!"

"What's a Sannin?"

"Konoha's Legendary Three? You've never heard of them?"

Itachi's appetite suddenly disappeared. Sitting nearby, he overheard their entire conversation. He thought he heard wrong for a moment.

"Who did him in?"

"That group leader, Akatsuki. Apparently, it was a pretty good fight."

What on earth were you doing, Jiraiya…?

Leaving the money on the bar, Itachi swiftly exited the tavern. He made no other stops as he left the small village. He was will into the darkness of the forest before finally letting it go. A single tear traced down his cheek.

His last true comrade.

-With Naruto, Ino, and Sai-

The coordinates that were stated in the document were easily over one hundred miles away from the encampment that Gateway's Attack Force raided. It would have taken a normal squad days to get to it. But for Sai and his ability to create massive birds to fly on, it was only a few hours.

It was a silent ride. Neither dared to speak. Naruto's mere presence was enough to silence any noise that could possibly escape from their throats.

They could feel his sorrow.

His anger.

That sword was still in hand. Fueling his rage.

"How much further?"

Ino wasn't expecting Naruto to speak. "…We should be approaching the coordinates in a few minutes."

"We don't know what are at these coordinates. We need to be prepared for anything."

Ino looked towards the horizon. "There! It's a base!"

The bird slowed its flight speed to a slight hover, maintaining height to stay undetected. Below them was a large-scale, heavily guarded camp. There were easily a few hundred shinobi in the camp.

"There's so many shinobi down there." Ino was starting to feel overwhelmed. "Wait! They're Iwagakure! I thought Iwa was looking for this girl? Do they have her in their possession?"

"Whatever the case is, Fū must be extremely important to Iwagakure for there to be this much security." Sai stated. "From my experience, something else this means they really don't want her escaping. If she truly is down there."

"I wonder what makes this girl so important." Ino wondered out loud.

Naruto moved closer to the edge of the bird, looking down at the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm going down there."

"What?! That's fucking suicide, Naruto!"

"Ino's correct. We should map out the camp while we remain undetected so the company can plan an accurate assault. There is no tactical advantage for you in enter that encampment by yourself. You would certainly be killed."

Naruto was silent, allowing the two realize that he had made his decision.

"What are you going to do?"

"Kill 'em all."

Naruto stepped off the bird, freefalling through the air and into the center of the camp. His landing was gracefully and strong, letting everyone know that he had arrived.

"What the hell?"

"It's Konoha! They found us!"

"Sound the alarm!"

"Get the child out of here! We can't let her be found!"

With a beastly roar from the Kyūbi, Naruto's body was carried by Tojin. Slaughtering enemy shinobi without hesitation. Some tried to fight, only to fall within seconds. The fear Naruto was projecting was enough to drop grown men to their knees and let him take their lives so that they did not have to feel his true vengeance.

The little boy that was once filled with all the hope the world had been replaced with darkest pits of hell and the anger that came with it.

Naruto was gone.

This was what remained.

The commanding officer ran into one of the tents while his shinobi were being massacred. He waited for the devil to pass by. If he had any chance to escape and get the child away, he would have to slip away while they were dying in fear.

The world is resting on your shoulders, Ansem. Don't fail me.

The Tsuchikage's confidence in him gave Ansem the boost he needed. He grabbed the unconscious child from the bed and used a reverse summon to escape the camp. Now outside the walls, Ansem stopped to listen to the cries for help. His shinobi were dying. And he was running away.

Disgraceful.

But he needed to push on. To keep going. For the sake of the world.

But Sai and Ino stood in his way.

"How'd you find this camp?" Ansem had to know how they were found. Not even he could them.

"Simple site exploitation." Sai drew his tanto. "Hand over the girl and your life will be spared."

Ansem clutched the girl tighter. "You have no idea what you're doing! This girl…the fate of everything lies with her!"

Ino's hard stare faltered slightly. "What do you mean? Who is she?"

"She's one of the nine. She's being hunted. We're protecting her, keeping her safe from him!"

One of the nine? Being hunted? There was no question about who or what was going on now. But that didn't answer all the questions surrounding the girl.

"Him?"

Before Ansem could elaborate, a sword plunged through his chest. Naruto swiftly took the girl into his arms as he pulled Tojin from the man's chest. Cradling the girl in his arms, he watched the man slowly choke on his own blood.

"Y-You…! K-Kyūbi!"

Ansem's eyes rolled to the back of his head, succumbing to the darkness of death.

"Naruto…" Ino could hardly stomach the sight of him. Coated from head to toe in wet, dripping blood.

Tojin slowly vanished as Naruto hoisted the girl in his arms. "This girl…she's a jinchūriki." His grip tightened slightly. "They were protecting her from the Akatsuki."

"But that doesn't explain why a ninja from Takigakure was in the custody of Iwagakure. Or who this mysterious 'him' is. He could've answered a lot of our questions, Naruto. You didn't have to kill him."

"I did what needed to be done." Naruto walked past the two without sparing a glance. "Our mission is complete. Let's go."

The continued theme for their time together, Sai and Ino watched Naruto from afar. The frustration from the day clearly had Sai at his limit with their teammate.

"Maybe, I was wrong."

Ino tore her eyes away from Naruto. "Wrong about what?"

"When I requested that I stay with Naruto on a team, I thought I could somehow help him. Help him get off this path was going down. I've many shinobi walk the path he's on. And it only leads to darkness."

"Sai…"

"I'm beginning to think it was a fool's errand. He doesn't want help."

"I'm not excusing Naruto's actions, but he just recently found out that his grandfather was killed in battle. By the same organization that is hunting him. I think he's allowed to fall off the rails a bit."

"Again, why are you so quick to defend him? Out of the two of us, you should be the one that's most critical of him. I don't have the psychological training like you do. I thought you'd be of more help."

Ino fully turned to face him. "Why are you so determined to help him? What makes you so righteous in your cause?"

Showing an uncharacteristic amount of emotion, Sai was visibly agitated and annoyed by the day's events. "He reminds me of my older brother. He went down the same path and it got him killed. I didn't know how to help then. But I do now."

Ino was stunned. "You had a brother?"

Sai nodded. "…Once. A long time ago."

Deciding enough was said, Sai began walking in Naruto's direction. He was quick to draw up another bird big enough for them to ride on. Naruto was right. The mission was complete, and it was time to return.

Taking one look back at the camp, Ino could only stomach the sight for so long before having to turn away. She knew she would never get used to the violence. The bloodshed. How could anyone just kill like that and feel nothing?

Ino watched Naruto. Every minute detail.

That's when she saw it. Slowly traveling down his whiskered cheek. A lone tear that glistened on the light from the setting sun.

It was only a mask of anger and rage.

Underneath the mask was just a small boy that just lost his dad.