EDITED: 3/12/17- grammar and spelling mistakes, nothing major. 

~~~~~~~~~~

25

Neji muttered a curse as he leapt away from the trajectory aimed at him. Somewhere up ahead, he saw Naruto do the same thing as he battled his own opponent. Down below, Akai and Yuudai used combination attacks to fight the shinobi that had surrounded them.

The ground shook from the doton jutsu that Yuudai used. From the rock formation that the grey wolf made earlier, Neji once more assessed the situation. Just like he predicted, a certain jutsu was activated the moment he and Naruto attempted to open the seal on the cave. Earlier, they were able to disable the petty traps that were set at the entrance of the cave. As Yuudai found the makeshift trigger for the supposed maelstrom of kunai, Akai had uncovered the exploding tags hidden among the rocks and moist earth while Neji scouted for more hidden traps using his Byakugan. With his directions, Naruto found all the thin wires and sealing tags. Only one main seal remained, and that was on the huge boulder that blocked the entrance to the cave. For this, Neji had to focus his Byakugan on two sites: the one on the boulder and the one that Kishi and Kuroi found at the riverbed.

Upon assessment of the tag Neji figured it must be a time-sensitive sealing tag overlapped with a jutsu. With his instructions, he and Kuroi simultaneously destroyed the tag—he with a Hakke Kusho and Kuroi with a lightning jutsu—and now the two groups are battling clones. He has no idea of the battle going on with the two wolves on water, but he hoped they'll be okay. The mud clones seem to be of high caliber since for every one clone that he kills off, two more appear. He recognized it soon enough but Naruto realized it too late. With all his slashing, it was when the enemy reached a large number that the blonde realized his mistake.

"Neji! They won't stop multiplying like mushrooms!" Naruto yelled as he and his clone attacked.

"Stop hacking, they'll only increase in number!" Yuudai barked in response as he blocked an attack with an earth wall.

Neji jumped up higher to a tree branch and focused his Byakuugan. If only he could make it to the entrance...

Just then Akai aimed a fireball to a clone, causing the tree Neji was to catch on fire. Neji leapt to the ground and spun a kaiten which sent the enemies flying.

Their match with the mud clones lasted for a while before Akai spoke up.

"I have an idea!" The red wolf said. "Naruto, Neji you go on ahead! Yuudai and I have a plan!"

Naruto backflipped and dodged before saying, "What?!"

Yuudai and Akai shared a glance and communicated with each other. The two wolves nodded before Yuudai looked at Neji. "Hyuuga, go on after Hime-chan. We'll take care of these."

Neji met the wolf's grey eyes. "We'll make an opening," said Yuudai. "Take Naruto and go when I say so."

The Hyuuga heaved a deep breath and nodded. Meeting Naruto's eye, he sent a covert signal to which the blonde reciprocated. Dodging blows, the two shinobi converged at a high tree and looked over as the two wolves prepared a combination attack. Akai roared and streams of fire formed a trail as he rounded up all the mud clones. Then, Yuudai gathered his chakra and slammed his paws to the ground. An earth dome formed, trapping the clones inside. Swiftly, Akai sprung airborne and aimed a fire jutsu at the small opening Yuudai left, toasting the clones within and hardening them into clay.

"Hyuuga, go!"

Neji did not need to be told twice. Together, he and Naruto took the opportunity and slipped inside the cave. Once inside, the cave sealed shut. It took a few seconds for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Neji, where are we?" Naruto asked.

Neji looked around, his Byakugan vision trying to detect any signs of chakra aside from theirs. "I don't know."

They walked warily forward. The inside of the cave was enormous. It was pitch-black and cold. However, unlike natural caves, Neji noted the absence of stalactites and usual rock protrusions. Instead, the cave walls are smooth, polished. Neji frowned. It appears to be man-made and has been here for a long time, if the dents and cracks are to be judged.

Naruto approached Neji. "Where do we start looking? This place is too big."

"It would be unwise to separate," Neji replied. "We don't know this place and what waits inside. Our individual chances of survival is bigger if we stick together for now."

Naruto met Neji's pale eyes. "Can't your Byakuugan see Akira-chan's or Kakashi-sensei's chakra?"

"My Byakuugan is not perfect. I have initially scanned the place and apparently, there's no one here but us."

Naruto heaved a deep breath. Will they still be able to find Akira and Kakashi? A part of him refuses to give up but a small part already has doubts. It has been more than a day. He trusts Neji's judgment—he is after all, a jounin, a prodigy, and in their various missions his cool head always prevails. But right now, did they just walk in into a bigger trap?

"Maybe this isn't the real hideout," Naruto said. "Maybe Kishi and Kuroi found the real one and we must head there!"

Neji had already contemplated that too, but something tells him they have the right place. "Let's keep going for now." He widened the scope of his vision and observed concentrations of chakra. The two shinobi walked on further, kunais out and senses acute for any signs of their comrades.

"There's a concentration of chakra that I want to investigate," Neji said. "It's possible that they have kept Akira there."

Naruto nodded. "Don't you think it's odd though? I mean, there's nobody else here but us."

Neji agreed with the blonde. The place was uncharacteristically lacking of guards. It could be attributed to the enemies' overconfidence, but it definitely was a good thing for the two shinobi.

As they went deeper into the cave, the atmosphere grew colder and damper. A cave of this size would definitely not go unnoticed if it was within Konoha, so Neji deduced that they must be somewhere far from the Land of Fire. It was actually pretty impossible to pinpoint their exact location and it worried Neji. He hoped that Sachiko's fast legs would be enough to bring them rescue from Konoha. Their chances of escape and rescue rest in the white Ookami.

Just then, Naruto tensed beside him and Neji soon knew why. Far up ahead of the dark tunnel, a faint glow of chakra glimmered.

~~~~~~~~~

In the next minutes since Sachiko's arrival, Tsunade had been busy. It was already past midnight and still she was walking from one building to the next with 2 ANBU in tow. Shizune had the task of making sure that Fujiwara lives and right now the brunette was busy in the hospital, stabilizing the actress. Kotetsu had gone off to fetch Ibiki and Izumo had run off to gather Team Asuma plus Sakura. Meanwhile, Sachiko waits outside the gates.

Tsunade ignored the startled gasps from the medics and nurses as she entered the brightly-lit hospital. Right now, she has urgent matters at hand and could not be bothered with propriety.

She walked straight to the reception desk. "Where's Shizune?" she asked in a stern voice.

The young woman looked up at her, eyes wide. "I-I-Intensive Care Unit 2 ma'am..."

Tsunade nodded curtly and with long strides walked to where the receptionist was pointing. Together with her ANBU guards the Hokage walked the wide corridor, her heels clicking loudly against the pristine floor. Not too long after, she reached the said Unit.

At her presence Kotetsu, Ibiki and other ANBU stood and bowed respectfully. She dismissed the action with a slight wave of her hand.

"Sorry for dragging you at this late hour, Ibiki," she said at the tall man. Under the harsh lights of the hospital, the scars on the face of the Interrogation Unit Head seemed more pronounced, the shadows under his eyes darker and lines at the corner of his mouth grimmer. As ever, Morino Ibiki looked intimidating.

Ibiki shrugged. "How can I be of service, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade sighed before peeking at the narrow window of the ICU where Shizune was hard at work. "I need you to get information from that woman." She stepped aside to let Ibiki peek at the small window. The man's jaw clenched.

"Understood."

The Hokage smirked. As expected of Ibiki, he does things with little fuss. "I will tell you when you can start; I want her to be medically stable first before you put her under your interrogation techniques." When Ibiki did not respond, Tsunade looked up at him to meet his steely gaze. "I want her to have all mental faculties intact, Ibiki. She's a critical parcel."

Ibiki narrowed his eyes a little. "I am guessing this is more than her profile."

"Yes. One of the daimyo's affiliates." Tsunade rubbed her throbbing temple. "Kakashi's team is missing, 2 shinobi have been abducted and I was told that Fujiawara is behind it all. I am sending a team for rescue."

Ibiki nodded. "Alright. I will await your command, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded her assent and entered the room. Shizune immediately looked up and the other medics in the room paused momentarily to acknowledge her presence before resuming their tasks.

"How are we doing?" Tsunade asked.

"We're working on stabilizing her," Shizune answered promptly. "Initial blood tests show low hemoglobin levels, high hematocrit, normal platelet and white blood count. She's also dehydrated, some electrolytes are dangerously low."

Tsunade took the folder handed to her and browsed through the documents. Her blood test results are what she expected. She walked up to the x-ray plates that littered the room. "Injuries?"

"Cracked ribs—total of 6, resulting to a partially collapsed lung. Heart is okay. Left shoulder fracture, soft tissue damage, ruptured spleen." Shizune sighed. "Damaged chakra pathways though."

At this Tsunade smirked. "I'd say a Rasengan and Jyuken, eh?"

Shizune nodded ruefully. "Yes. A deadly combination."

Tsunade approached the unconscious Fujiwara. Most of her wounds have already been cleaned by the nurses but the actress still looked deathly pale. Tsunade gathered chakra on her palms and did her own assessment. Shizune and her team did a great job at stopping the bleeding in her vital organs but her damaged chakra channels will take quite a while to heal.

"Transfuse 2 units of whole blood, put her on KCl, Amino acid drips," Tsunade ordered. "Make her long bones heal faster to compensate for the loss of blood, rapid cellular repair too. We need her conscious as soon as possible."

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

Satisfied, Tsunade gave one last look at Shizune before she stepped out of the hospital room. She was met by her ANBU guards.

"I want this room off limits from anybody except Shizune, Ibiki and I," Tsunade ordered sternly. "Only senior medics and nurses can provide care to the patient. I also want ANBU with her at all times."

The two masked shinobi bowed in obedience. After a deep breath, Tsunade left the hospital to meet the team she assembled. Who would've thought that a simple escort mission could turn this bad?

Maybe the elders were right; she was indeed stupid for sending two jinchuriki out of the village at the same time. Putting Naruto out is already a risk—Akatsuki and that bastard Orochimaru is at large—and add Akira to the mix makes matters worse. The Satsuna is a war waiting to happen. Once other villages get wind of another jinchuriki in Konoha's hands, it would spell a power-struggle. Tsunade can kiss all treaties goodbye.

She resisted the urge to groan in frustration. She should've listened to Shizune and to those old fools. Then none of this would happen.

She reached her office where outside, Shikamaru, Choji, Ino and Sakura are waiting with Izumo. The five shinobi bowed.

Tsunade motioned the others to follow her inside. After dismissing Izumo, the Hokage faced the remaining shinobi.

"I want your team to rescue Team Kakashi," Tsunade stated without preamble. "I am appointing you Shikamaru, as team leader."

Shikamaru nodded in acknowledgement. Meanwhile the pinkette's eyes widened with worry. "What happened to Kakashi-sensei? Is Naruto with him?"

Tsunade leaned against her desk. "Yes. Their team is composed of Kakashi as team leader, Neji, Naruto and Satsuna Akira. You're all familiar with her, I suppose."

The three shinobi nodded and Tsunade continued, "A week ago I sent them on an escort mission. A-ranked since this is a mission requested by the daimyo himself. Unfortunately, they met an accident along the way. It jeopardized their safety and that of their ward as well." Tsunade chose to be vague with the finer details of the failed mission. "I am told that Naruto and Neji are in pursuit of the perpetrators. I want you to assist them and recover Akira and Kakashi. Akira's Ookami will be waiting for you outside the gates. Be ready to leave in 30 minutes."

"Hai!"

When finally their team had gone out, Tsunade sat on her chair, leaned back and sighed. This must be her worse gamble yet.

~~~~~~~~~

Ino eyed the huge white wolf standing before her. Under the moonlight, the wolf's fur looked brighter and its silver streaks glistened brightly. She lifted a hand to stroke its fur but hesitated. She heard from someone that wolves are fickle creatures. They're not like Akamaru who's all around gentle.

"She's beautiful," Sakura whispered beside her.

Ino nodded. "Yeah. But how do you think she'll be able to help us?"

Sakura shrugged.

"I have their location in mind."

The two kunoichi stepped back in surprise. "It talks!" Ino squeaked.

Instead of being offended, the wolf grinned. "Yes. My name's Sachiko. Nice to meet you!"

After regaining composure, Sakura and Ino smiled back. "I'm Yamanaka Ino," the blonde said. "And this is Haruno Sakura. Shikamaru and Chouji are on their way, they won't be long."

The wolf bowed in acknowledgement. "Thank you. I just received word from the others that they have found the enemies' lair and that Neji and Naruto have already gone in to look for Akira-hime and Kakashi-san."

"Others?" Sakura asked. "What do you mean?"

Sachiko merely replied, "The pack."

Shikamaru and Chouji arrived shortly. After a brief discussion of their plans, the four shinobi dashed off with Sachiko taking the lead.

The four shinobi marveled at the wolf's speed. Due to the situation, their mission briefing was quite short and they did not bother Tsunade with minor questions such as 'how the hell did this mission fail if both Kakashi and Neji are on board?', because knowing the two's caliber, it is quite unimaginable that they would fail missions, and get captured like now. But still, there is always a first time.

The four of them have the same story. They were resting quite comfortably in their own homes when they were awoken by Izumo's bunshins and were instructed to report to the Hokage. Ino cursed the disruption of her beauty rest while Shikamaru scrambled into his clothes as quickly as he can, because between the Hokage and the glare of his mother, the lazy genius had no choice. Meanwhile, Chouji, being a dutiful shinobi, headed to the Hokage's office while snacking on a bag of chips. Sakura knew better that to complain. This is the Hokage after all.

After the briefing the four shinobi gathered their pre-packed mission gears, said goodbyes to their parents and converged at the gates. They met with the white ookami, and now as they dashed from one tree to the other, they replayed their mission strategy once more.

Sachiko went first as their guide to the location of the missing team. Shikamaru followed next, being the leader, Chouji at the rear while the two kunoichi in the middle. Shikamaru acknowledged the fact that Team 10's not the best team for rescue—their specialty is espionage and reconnaissance. However as Tsunade said, their team is the easiest to assemble at the moment since Kurenai's team was just deployed this morning, Asuma is still recovering from a recent injury and Team Gai has one member lacking and even if they replace Neji with a medic, one medic alone will not suffice. That's also the reason Sakura was placed in the team.

"Now if two medic nins are needed, that must mean Kakashi-sensei's team is in a dire situation," Sakura had said earlier.

Shikamaru took this into account. True, and that would mean there's the possibility of them engaging enemies above their rank. But the Hokage trusted his intellect enough and with the information the wolf shared, Shikamaru had already his plans laid out. He just hoped that everything went well.

"As soon as you have them, head home. Leave the rest to ANBU."

Those were Tsunade's words, all highlighted with her signature glare. Shikamaru sighed.

"Oi Shika, don't you go slacking off now," Ino said from his left.

The brunette shinobi frowned. "Ino, it's 2 in the morning, I haven't slept properly, you can't expect me to be all rainbows, woman."

"As if I enjoy running around at this ungodly hour," the blonde retorted. "All I'm saying is..." the rest of her sentence was drowned by a yawn.

"I wonder if they're okay," Sakura said, frowning with worry. "I mean, Kakashi-sensei to be captured. And Neji..."

"Yeah, Neji's the first among us to be promoted to jounin," Ino remarked.

"We simply did not expect the turn of things," Sachiko interjected. "Hatake-san had sound plans but none of us expected...this."

"Could you tell us a bit more about Akira-san?" Shikamaru asked Sachiko. "Especially her capture."

Sachiko slowed a bit to match the shinobi's pace. "We were in the mountain when she and Hatake-san were captured by the enemy. We were instructed by Akira-hime to stay out of the way since she will be masquerading as Fujiwara. We were waiting to be summoned but a long time passed before one came. However, it wasn't Akira-hime but Gamakichi."

Sakura's eyes brightened at recognition. "That's Naruto's frog!"

"Yes it is. Apparently, Akira-hime couldn't summon us, so Naruto and Neji-san had to do something to seek us out. We finally met with them and that's when we learned that Akira-hime and Hatake-san were missing. Neji-san believed that the enemies are after Akira-hime after he had spoken with Fujiwara. Unfortunately, that woman fainted before they could ask more." At this, the wolf's calm demeanor changed. "Though if it were only up to us, we would've killed her already. I would've sunk my teeth at her but Neji-san said we must keep her alive for interrogation. Fujiwara should be thankful to Neji-san."

Shikamaru sighed in relief. 'Good thinking, Neji,' he thought.

"Ibiki-san will have a field day with her," Ino commented.

"But why take Akira?" Sakura asked. "Wouldn't Naruto be... no offense meant, but Naruto's always been the target."

"Neji-san thinks they want the Kageboshi within Akira-hime," Sachiko answered. "He said that since Naruto was not taken, then they could only be after her."

The four shinobi fell silent at this information. They knew very little about Akira, only the fact that she's a jinchuriki to something 'evil' and that she was a batch earlier from the Academy. Sakura had a few brushes with her during her training with Tsunade and she learned that she was once an apprentice of the Godaime but soon left the field of medical ninjutsu. She had been seeing the red-haired kunoichi more often though, thanks to that one dinner they shared with Ino, Tenten and Hinata. But that was it.

"Well, we split up afterwards," Sachiko continued. "I was instructed to bring Fujiwara back to the village and get reinforcements while Yuudai-nii and the others looked for Akira-hime. At the beginning of the mission Hatake-san had asked us to latch our scents to all of Fujiwara's convoy. Those scents are what they used to track them. Unfortunately, the rain had washed away most of the scents but traces of Hatake-san's and Akira-hime remained."

"Earlier you said that you have their location in mind," said Sakura. "Then that means they've found Kakashi-sensei?"

"I believe they have," Sachiko answered. "Our ability to communicate only have a certain distance same as our tracking range. One mile."

The four shinobi gasped. "That's roughly 1000 meters!" Ino exclaimed.

"1,600 to be exact," Shikamaru quipped.

"But prior to losing contact Yuudai-nii told me that the pack will meet us somewhere south of Rokkasho, where we last met. From there we'll follow their trail." Sachiko let out a growl. "But we have to move fast. The last time I spoke with the pack..."

"What?" Sakura asked, worried. "What happened?"

Sachiko paused to meet the kunoichi's eyes. "They told me danger was thick in the air."

~~~~~~~~~

Kaito muttered a curse as he shifted the heavy weight on his shoulder. Carrying an unconscious man was no easy task, especially if said man was all 6 feet 2 inches and jounin to boot. All this dead weight was already causing strain to his shoulder and back.

"Hey, wanna switch?" he said to his companion.

"Why? You tired?" the other taunted.

Kaito grunted. "Damn right I am!" He shifted the man once more. "Fighting him wasn't easy. Screw Shinji and his plans."

At the mention of their leader's name, Jirou, the other man snarled at Kaito. "Keep your voice down! You know he's got a screw loose somewhere and goes ballistic at stuff like that. You wanna end up like the old man?"

"Wakushi? Hn, we know Shinji killed him off not because he was pissed but because the old man's a liability. Began suspecting and knows too much."

"Yeah but still. You wanna die now?"

Kaito was about to retort when their prisoner let out a groan. "Oh shut the fuck up, Hatake!" Kaito muttered as he shifted Kakashi carelessly on his other shoulder. "You weigh like a boar, you know that?"

Jirou smirked. "Tss. He wasn't much challenge as his reputation made him out to be. Nothing but big talk."

Kaito snickered. "Shinji was right, their weakness was the girl. Just one shot of genjutsu and he lost his balls."

"Heh. Good thing we tired him out first. Made it easier to trick him and then get the girl."

Kaito responded with a deep chuckle.

Unknown to the two men, Kakashi was fully awake and conscious. Infinite patience was instilled in him during his days in the ANBU and he was biding his time before he attacks. Shinji made the wrong move of not killing him—they should've struck when it was early. Keeping Kakashi alive was their biggest mistake.

Because Kakashi never fails a comrade.

His two captors fell into silence once more. Kakashi discreetly clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to get the blood flowing right to his limbs. He was hanging by the waist on Kaito's shoulder, and because the man was shorter, Kakashi was slipping off. He pretended to be unconscious still as he was lugged around.

He opened his eyes. They were in a narrow corridor. The dank smell of the underground filled his nostrils. He turned his head slightly to see more of his surroundings. There were only the smooth walls of the cave.

His chakra level is still quite low and barely enough for a class A jutsu but Kakashi knew he had to make do of what he has or else lose the chance of recovering Akira. That was his top priority: get Akira and escape. If he was correct, Neji and Naruto had somehow figured that they were ambushed and is now looking for them. He just hoped that the reinforcements come on time.

When Kaito and Jirou turned to a narrow corridor, Kakashi knew this was his chance. Taking the opportunity, he expelled his remaining chakra and broke through Kaito's hold with a Raikiri. The attack stunned the two men and Kakashi drove his lightning-enhanced hand through their hearts. It was all over in a matter of minutes.

Panting, Kakashi leaned against the wall and looked at his bloodied hands. His Raikiri sucked out most of his strength but he was determined to save Akira.

'This has been going on too long,' he thought as he struggled to stand up. 'I have to find her... this has to stop now!'

Kakashi winced but ignored the pain coursing through his muscles. Using the wall as support, he managed to stand upright. He had walked a few steps before his legs gave away again.

'Kuso! If Naruto saw me like this...' His hyperactive student's mocking grin flashed in his mind. No doubt that the young shinobi will call him 'old man'.

"Kakashi-sensei! Kakashi-sensei!"

'Great. Now I'm hearing voices in my head too,' Kakashi thought. He heaved deep breaths once more and closed his eyes briefly.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi opened his eyes once more and his hazy vision presented him with something orange and yellow. 'And I'm seeing him too? Wait...' His eyes closed from exhaustion.

"Kakashi-sensei! Wake up! Hey!"

He was being nudged roughly. He opened his eyes once more and was met by Naruto's face inches from him.

"Oh thank Kami you're alive!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning in relief. "But damn, sensei, you look—"

"He's almost chakra depleted. We have to get him away from here."

Kakashi recognized Neji's voice. The Hyuuga approached him. "Kakashi-sensei, can you hear me?"

Kakashi looked up at the Hyuuga and nodded. "Yes. They took Akira."

"Do you know where?"

Kakashi shook his head. "I don't know. But I do know that Shinji is planning to extract the Kageboshi from her." Naruto was already assisting him up.

Naruto and Neji shared a glance. "Shinji? The stuntman?" asked Naruto in confusion. "I don't understand –ttebayo! How is he involved in this?"

"You know him?" Neji asked the blonde.

"Yeah! The stuntman!"

Neji frowned and tried to recall which stuntman Naruto was pertaining to. His eyes widened when he finally remembered the tall, muscular man that had approached Akira several times during their trip. That Shinji. The Hyuuga clenched his fists. That Shinji will be a dead man soon.

Together, Naruto and Neji heaved Kakashi to his feet. The older jounin was weak and Neji knew they need him to be able to get to Akira. Naruto hauled Kakashi onto his back while Neji took the enemies' weapons. He scoured the area with his Byakuugan and saw an empty room which they could use to regroup for a while.

"We sensed someone's chakra although it was very faint," Naruto was saying as they walked.

"It must've been me," said Kakashi. "I used Raikiri to escape those men."

"Naruto and I cannot rescue Akira on our own," Neji said. "For one, we don't have an idea how many men this Shinji has." Just the taste of his name in his mouth made Neji thirst for the man's blood. He had never felt this rage before, except during the first chuunin exams where he almost killed Hinata. This time, however, his killing intent increased a hundred-fold.

"I am not certain too," Kakashi answered. "but I managed to cut their number and injure some of them... he'll probably have about half or so..."

To Neji their numbers didn't matter. Naruto, who has almost limit-less chakra reserves can do a kage bunshin with epic proportions and if Kakashi could regain a decent amount of chakra he will be efficient enough for a brief battle. Neji's primary concern is...

"How was she?"

Kakashi met the Hyuuga's inquiring stare. "The last time I saw her, she was weak. A chakra-depleting device was placed on her and it's eating her chakra away. It seems to affect the bijuu in her too."

Neji turned away, muttering a curse. It took all his self-control not to charge at Shinji head-on and turn him to pulp. Breathing evenly was proving difficult for the Hyuuga.

Naruto could feel the tension emanating from Neji and Kakashi. Like them, he was infuriated at the plight of Akira. Akira-chan, the only person he could relate to, who understand what it means to be an outcast, his friend, almost like a sister...

Once inside the empty room, Naruto set Kakashi on the ground. Neji once again activated his Byakugan.

"You really did a number on your chakra channels with that Raikiri, Kakashi-sensei," Neji said as he scanned the older jounin for injuries.

"Is it irreparable?" Kakashi asked.

"Nothing the medics can't handle," Neji replied. He looked out and saw a lone shinobi coming their way. He alerted the others about him.

"I'll take care of it," said Naruto. Neji gave his approval and Naruto went out to deal with the enemy. Minutes later, the blonde came back, grinning.

"That was disappointing," he said. "Now what?"

Neji looked at Kakashi then at Naruto. "We're in an underground complex but the personnel is few." He conjured a layout of the cave in his mind. "There's a concentration of chakra somewhere north of our position that I would like to investigate. There might be some guards there but I'm not sure of their number. It's highly possible that Akira and Shinji are there."

He once again scanned the hallways and saw that Naruto had disposed of the lone shinobi and the two others that Kakashi had killed. For now, the coast is clear.

"Kakashi-sensei, can you make it?" Neji asked the senior jounin.

Kakashi winced behind his mask but stood up, assisted by Naruto. "I'll be fine. It's important that we get Akira back fast."

"Alright, Naruto you take point," said Neji, voice heavy with killing intent. "Try to conserve your chakra Kakashi-sensei." He handed Kakashi the enemies' weapons pouch since Kakashi was the more compromised of them three, chakra-wise. "We get Akira, we kill off the rest."

As he turned to the door, Neji glanced back at the two shinobi with him. "Leave Shinji up to me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minamoto Shinji cursed for the nth time that night. If it wasn't for that old man meddling with their affairs, this whole thing would be done.

Wakushi sent that request to Konoha, hoping that their "elite" shinobi will sniff Shinji and Keiko out and bust their plans.

"Well I'm sorry old man but that's not gonna happen," muttered Shinji, frowning in distaste. As soon as he got wind of the old man's treachery, he made sure that he won't quack again and promptly killed him off. For Shinji, it was a humane death involving genjutsu that drove you so mad you'd just snap and die—considering his track record during his early days as an active shinobi. Now Wakushi was gone, just like that.

Keiko promptly found someone to replace the old fool, good enough to trick even the great Hatake and that sniveling girl with her over-large dog. Shinji made sure to mask his chakra, configure it to that of a civilian and suppress it to minimal levels. Being a sensory type shinobi especially trained for prolonged undercover missions made it possible for Shinji to do so.

They have predicted that Konoha will send their best and Shinji had previous knowledge of Kakashi's skills. The Hyuuga however was not expected, and apparently is new on the roster and still not in the Bingo books. The blonde loudmouthed jinchuriki, they are not concerned of. It was the girl they wanted.

Wakushi's interference truly threw their plans off the loop. What was supposedly a simple abduction had become more complicated when the old fool brought in these meddlesome ninjas. Shinji and Keiko were forced to re-evaluate their actions. Fortunately, fate seemed to be on their side when they caught word that the Satsuna will be sent as one of their guards.

But then she was always flanked by Hatake and her gigantic dog that it was near impossible to get close to her. Even the Hyuuga had the habit of hovering near the redhead. Shinji wasn't surprised at the male attention Akira was getting. It was easy to fall for the charms of the Satsuna women. Shinji himself could attest to that.

At this Shinji approached the table where the said girl lies, her eyes shut and mind twisted in a genjutsu only he can break and manipulate. His eyes skimmed over the girl's slender form. Under the pale light, her skin looked luminescent, red hair splayed like fire against her face. Shinji caressed her soft skin, a smug smile on his face. She really was beautiful and Shinji found himself thinking of the many ways she could pleasure him. His eyes darkened at the kunoichi's torn clothes, at the long legs that showed from the ripped kimono, the exposed abdomen and the parted lips. No wonder those three men with him can't get enough of her.

But pity, how they treat her back in that village she calls home. Lurking in the shadows, Shinji followed through the Satsuna's life and watched as her unique abilities were taken for granted. They saw how she was despised, hated and generally ignored. Shinji shook his head.

'Idiots, all of them,' he thought. Sarutobi only saw Akira as a political move and Tsunade saw her as a replacement. No tracker shinobi? Use the Satsuna. No shinobi to teach in the shithole they called Academy? Use the Satsuna. No bukijutsu expert around? Use the Satsuna. It impressed Shinji how the Satsuna was able to stomach such treatment. Maybe she did find something in Konoha worth her while. Probably came in the form of the blonde nine-tails jinchuriki.

Regardless. When this whole thing is over, she will never have to go back to that life again. She will be where she truly belongs.

Which brought Shinji back to his problem at hand. Their business can only proceed with Keiko and the woman was running incredibly late. Was it that difficult to dispose of those shinobi? Maybe her days seducing the daimyo had blunted her combat skills. Shinji thought it was likely.

'Could we have underestimated the Hyuuga and that No-name blond?' Shinji asked himself. When he and Keiko drew out their plans, they did not account for those two to be included in the roster of shinobi to be assigned to them. Besides, they have taken measures to make sure that Akira was well separated from those two, that is why Shinji decided to take majority of his men with him to take Hatake down, for he is the more obvious threat. He had anticipated that the Copy Ninja will not let Akira out of his sight.

Shinji tapped the chakra-depleting device attached on Akira. 'Just a few more minutes before we completely suck you dry,' he thought. 'Meanwhile, I hope you're enjoying the genjutsu.'

Akira then let out a groan. "Please...don't turn away from me..."

Shinji grinned. "It's working perfectly." Akira may be strong with untapped potential but behind her tough façade, she was nothing but a lonely girl, eager for acceptance and a sense of belongingness. Shinji knew how his genjutsu had seeped into that deep fear. He watched as the genjutsu she was in continued to torment her. The scenery changed into a forest, and Shinji grinned at the next scenes that unfolded.

Akira ran as fast as she could, hoping to outrun the thick fog that followed her. She evaded the trees, her hand stretched in front of her hoping to catch that orange jacket before her.

She had no concept of time or place. All she knew was that she's alone in the darkness. And terrified of it.

She saw Naruto in the distance but as she got closer to him, she was surprised to see his blue eyes dark with hatred.

"You're the reason the Kyuubi attacked the village!" he said. "You're the reason for my misery!"

She tried to approach Iruka-sensei who was just nearby but he shunned her too. "You're nothing but a demon, Akira. Get lost."

Tears threatened to choke her as the few precious people in her life turned their backs against her and started to walk away. Desperate, she tried to reach for them only to be engulfed by the growing darkness.

And then he saw his pearlescent eyes. Disgust. Hate. He said nothing then turned his back, and that action cut her heart deeper than the others did.

"I don't want to be alone..." she whispered. "Please don't leave me alone..."

Shinji bent to her ear. "You won't be... never again after this..."

Sobbing, Akira nodded. "Yes." And the darkness which she so desperately wanted to run away from fully engulfed her.

~~~~~~~~~

"Rasengan!"

Shinji threw his arms over his face as the wall exploded into millions of tiny pieces. When the dust and debris cleared, he stared in shock at the blonde shinobi who was supposed to be dead by now. Said shinobi was enveloped in some red chakra, teeth bared in a feral growl. Behind him was the Hyuuga and Hatake. Vicious glares were sent in Shinji's direction.

"You're all supposed to be dead!" Shinji yelled. No wonder Keiko had not arrived. He could envision the woman lying lifeless somewhere and he growled in anger. How could these punks escape his traps, the guards outside and the multiple layers of genjutsu covering the entrance?

As if reading his mind, Naruto kicked a lifeless body and Shinji recognized it as one of his men.

"Let Akira-chan go," Naruto growled murderously. It took all his willpower not to tear Shinji to pieces, but he had agreed to give that honor to Neji.

The Hyuuga stepped in and looked past Shinji where Akira was strapped down on a table. Shinji edged closer to her.

"I have worked for years to get my hands on her. You will not ruin this!" Shinji growled as he weaved hand signs.

Neji activated his Byakugan and shot toward him without hesitation. He caught Shinji's hand before it could make contact with Akira's unconscious form. He did not want to know they tricked them. All he wanted was to kill Shinji.

Having no time to complete his unsealing jutsu, Shinji evaded Neji's blows skillfully and retaliated. However, he was being pushed away from Akira.

Other enemy shinobi heard the commotion and entered the fray. Naruto and Kakashi swiftly jumped into action.

"Do not kill the girl!" Shinji ordered his men as he dodged a fatal attack from Neji. The Hyuuga was incredibly fast and Shinji could barely keep up. Around him, his men were falling like dying leaves at the hands of the blonde jinchuriki who had multiplied in crazy numbers, flooding the hideout with orange. From the opposite direction, another wall collapsed and Shinji saw the Satsuna's over-large dog emerge. Shinji sensed defeat, but he was determined to have the last laugh.

"Your efforts are futile!"

Neji clenched his teeth. "Shut up." His mind only had one thought: kill. He blocked off the man's chakra points, rendering his attacks useless.

"Only I can end the genjutsu!" Shinji stepped back, grinning hysterically as he barely managed to avoid a vital hit to his tenketsu.

"Hyuuga!"

Neji paused and swiftly glanced at Yuudai who was snarling at Shinji. Beside the wolf, Kakashi had managed to free Akira during the commotion. It only took one small nod from the Copy Nin for Neji to be reassured.

Shinji growled in fury as Kakashi hoisted the girl over his shoulder. Strength had just started to come back in his arms but he had enough fury towards Shinji to bear it. If only he wasn't in such a state, he himself would rip the man apart, but seeing as Neji had done it for him, Kakashi had to approve.

"Your Sharingan will be useless," Shinji scoffed, blood dripping from his nose. "The genjutsu draws from her fears! You cannot save her from herself!"

Kakashi smirked as he lifted his hitaite with his free hand and stared into Shinji's eyes. "You just taught me how." The tomoe on his mangekyo sharingan turned before Kakashi turned on his heel and left through the hole in the wall, courtesy of Akai who had positioned himself beside Naruto, burning those who came close into crisps. Their combined attacks shook the ground.

Shinji fumed and made an attempt to follow after Kakashi but his path was blocked by Yuudai. Shinji stepped back from the menacing wolf only to come into Neji's range once more.

"Why do you even bother with her anyway?" Shinji asked, eyes flitting from Yuudai who circled him, to Neji whose cold fury was palpable in the air. Neji remained silent.

Shinji laughed maniacally.

"Oh I knew it!" he sneered at Neji. "You have something for that bitch. Well I'm sorry to burst your lovesick bubble, but she is not worthy of affection! She's nothing but a husk to keep the Kageboshi in!"

Yuudai growled. "Do not speak of Akira-hime that way!" The wolf snarled and twisted into a chakra-infused Garuga and hit Shinji square in the chest. The man skidded on the floor.

Yuudai stopped spinning, eyes sharp. He stood beside Neji. "I kept my end of the bargain." The wolf turned to him, eyes dark with bloodlust. "Keep your word or else..."

Neji gave the wolf a brief nod before turning his attention back to Shinji who was struggling to stand up. He narrowed his eyes and slipped into his stance. "Hakke Rokujuyon Sho! (Trans: Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms!)"

He stepped fast: "Two palms! Four palms! Eight!"

Shinji's body convulsed as chakra was injected in him in rapid succession.

"Sixteen palms!"

The sound of organs rupturing mixed with the sound of the Hyuuga's fast strikes. Shinji coughed out blood and tissue.

"Thirty-two palms!"

Blood gushed forth from every orifice.

"Sixty-four palms!"

With rage fueling him, Neji slammed Shinji against the wall with his final strike. The man skidded and crumpled like a rag doll among the debris. Neji panted from the intensity of his move, the exertion rendering him breathless. Shinji's chakra pathways have been completely sealed off. The man was gasping for precious air.

Neji stood over him, his anger starting to ebb away at the victory. Shinji struggled to open his eyes.

"J-j-j...just...f-for...her?" the dying man gasped.

As life started to leave Shinji, the Hyuuga knelt to his level and smirked. "Anything for her."

~~~~~~~~~~

Yuudai ran after the injured jounin. It didn't take him long to find him huddled behind the trees. At his approach, the shinobi stiffened and flung a kunai.

The wolf evaded the blade and made his presence known. "It's just me, Hatake-san."

Kakashi turned at voice and sighed in relief. He settled the shivering girl on the ground as Yuudai approached.

"The others?" Kakashi asked.

"Still inside."

"Hm." He figured Neji and Naruto would do a number with Shinji and his minions. Knowing that the culprit for this fiasco is being taken care of, Kakashi shifted his focus to the injured kunoichi in front of him.

She was whimpering in fear, shaking like a dry leaf in the warmest of summers. Tears streamed down her cheeks continuously, face contorted in some unseen terror.

Yuudai knelt and prodded Akira with his snout. "Hime-chan... please... you're stronger than this." The wolf placed a paw on the device on Akira's abdomen.

"Hatake-san, can you take this off?" he asked—almost begged. His trust for the man and for the Hyuuga had increased exponentially when he realized that none of them intends to abandon Akira. They have all risked their lives to get her back, especially Kakashi who appeared to be on the verge of collapsing due to exhaustion.

"I'm sorry Yuudai but we've tried it and failed," Kakashi replied. "Besides, our concern for the moment is to break Shinji's genjutsu." He positioned himself closer to Akira, almost hovering over her limp form. "This will take a while," he said to the wolf. "Should anything happen, please find Neji and Naruto immediately."

The gray wolf nodded and stepped back in tense anticipation. Kakashi ran a hand in Akira's damp locks.

"Akira?" he spoke softly.

The kunoichi opened her eyes. She was still in darkness, alone and cold. She could see nothing but she heard someone call her name from a distance.

"W-Who's there?" she called out in a small voice. She dared not raise her hope, should that person flinch from her again.

There was no response and Akira hugged her knees. "If you're there... whoever you are... come find me. Please..." Fresh tears fell from her eyes. "I don't want to be alone..."

Her small voice echoed in the emptiness. "Please... come find me..."

For the longest time, there was silence. And then...

"You don't have to be alone. Akira, we're waiting for you."

Akira trembled. She recognized this voice. But she couldn't remember who it was. Fear once again rooted her to the spot. What if he sees her and hates her too? Call her a demon and tell her to leave?

But something stirred within her.

The Kageboshi is one huge ball of hatred. But if you fill your heart with happiness, it will shrink so small that it will disappear.

Tentatively, she took one step. Then another. And another.

You don't have to be alone.

We're waiting for you.

She broke into a run. "Where are you? Come for me...find me!"

She ran, faster and faster, until she saw light in the distance. She ran towards it, leaving the darkness behind.

Her feet touched soft grass and when she turned around, she was in a meadow. The darkness was gone.

Kakashi sucked his breath sharply, feeling as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. He knew the genjutsu had shattered when the woman beneath him looked up at him with clear, green eyes. When they have focused, he managed a faint, "We're waiting for..." before he collapsed into oblivion, his body reaching its absolute limit.

Akira was barely able to catch Kakashi when he slumped weakly, having exhausted his chakra supply. With his heavy form slumped over her, Akira tried to sit, still reeling from the abrupt transition from illusion to reality. She was half aware of Yuudai lifting Kakashi off her, the wolf's huge frame crushing her in a tight embrace.

She was reeling from the effects of the genjutsu and the chakra-device on her. As she returned Yuudai's embrace, burrowing her face on the thick fur of her friend and guardian, she looked over at Kakashi, unconscious, weak and injured.

They have not abandoned her as she expected them to. They knew what she is but they have not left her. Kakashi had depleted his chakra to break the genjutsu, and Yuudai was telling her how Neji, Naruto and the rest of the pack had risked their lives looking for her and making those bastards pay.

You don't have to be alone.

Kakashi has collapsed over her but Yuudai had repositioned him flat on his back. Akira scrambled to Kakashi's limp body and touched his burned hand. Who knew how many Raikiri he conjured just to save her?

"Hime-chan..."

Akira met the wolf's gray eyes. "Why?" she sobbed. "Why me Yuudai?"

Yuudai knelt beside her and nuzzled against her neck. Akira leaned against the wolf for support.

We're waiting for you.

His howls were the last thing she heard before everything turned to black.

When Naruto, Neji, the wolves arrived later, they found her unconscious against the gray wolf, her hand clamped tightly over Kakashi's burned one.

Author's Notes

Again, thanks to everyone who read and followed this story! Drop me a line if you have any suggestions/comments! :)