26 R-18

Naruto felt himself grinning in anticipation as he carried a giggling Temari to the master bedroom. Their bedroom. This was their night.

The door was already open as he walked in, using his foot to close it. He set Temari down on her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist. She in turn, wrapped her own arms around his neck, gazing at him with such love that Naruto couldn't help but return with a smile.

The acceptance of the thought that they were married was still settling in. They were together, until they died. Nothing could separate them.

The room was dark, except for the light from the lamps. Perfect.

Lemon

Deciding to start off the night's final event, Naruto leaned down a bit, capturing Temari's lips with his own. They had kissed many times by now, but he knew that both of them could tell that this one was different from them all.

The kiss was soft, as he gently caressed her upper lips with his mouth. He wanted this night to be their most special night. He wanted to make this last as long as he possibly could. Temari's one hand unwrapped from his neck to rest on his left cheek, her left leg coming out of the slit on the side of her dress, lifting to rest at his hip.

Temari had worn a very beautiful, deep blue, sleeveless gown for the reception. It wasn't too revealing, but it modestly showed off what she had. Her creamy, long legs were slightly revealed by the slits on the side, with the gown having a V-cut for her chest. It hugged her figure quite amazingly.

Naruto was fully convinced that no girl was more beautiful than his wife.

Naruto's right hand went down from Temari's waist to support her leg. His hand came to rest on the underside of her thigh, allowing Temari to rest it there. At the same time, her breath hitched as Naruto lightly roamed his hand back and forth.

"You are wearing too much for this night," said Temari in a sultry voice as she easily unbuttoned his suit jacket and smoothly slid it off him, leaving him in his shirt and pants.

"I think I'm making this too easy for you," Naruto teased as he bent his face further down to capture Temari's neck, beginning a series of love bites that caused Temari to start giving those delightfully, pleasurable moans. The movement of her fingers, which was smooth before, started to get erratic because of Naruto's switch of contact. Her fingers fumbled for the buttons of his shirt, never mind the bow tie on his neck.

She could feel Naruto smirking in triumph as he continued to lay kisses on her neck, going to lightly suck on her pulse point. That stopped Temari's fingers complete for a few moments as her hands contemplated whether to hold his head in place or to take off his shirt so that she could feel those abs of his.

They decided to meet in the middle ground.

Her right hand wrapped around his head, while her left went flat against his shirt for one moment. Then, molding a bit of chakra, she grabbed it into a fist and tore it right off, causing Naruto to pull back in surprise.

"You tore off my shirt?" There was actually very little surprise in his voice, as if he was not completely surprised.

"It's not as if you'll be wearing it a second time," Temari replied before attacking his lips again. Naruto shivered at the contact of her hand against her stomach. Not the one to be outdone, he moved his hand to her shoulders.

"Then I guess I should even the odds a bit." With that, he gently slid off the shoulder straps of her gown, causing the dress to drop down to her hips. Naruto applied a little bit of force to slide it down her hips, causing it to reveal her legs completely, pooling around her ankles.

Temari broke off the kiss, her face red from the activity. A smirk forming on her face, she bent down until she was on her knees, and directly in front of Naruto's cock.

Naruto's heartbeat quickened, him knowing exactly what Temari intended to do. He watched in slight awe and anticipation as Temari deftly opened his pants, causing them to slide down, leaving Naruto in his boxers. A large tent had already formed on the inside, and looked as if it would tear through his boxers any moment.

"That looks really uncomfortable," Temari commented as she slowly pumped him through his boxers. Naruto bit his lip to hold a groan, but his hips automatically went forward, desperate for more of Temari's contact.

Slowly, Temari pulled the boxers down, smiling widely at the large cock that sprung forward, free from its grasp. The veins on it were visible, and it was pulsating lightly. All ten inches of it. Temari began to get wet herself as she kept pumping him.

"I'm so glad that you are mine now," was all Temari said before she took it in her mouth, without any warning. Naruto gasped, the sensation being so new and yet so satisfying, at the same time giving him pleasure unlike anything he had ever felt before. If this was what sex entailed, he was going to get badly addicted.

Temari was new to this, so she was going entirely on instinct. This was the first time she was giving a blowjob to Naruto, and it was a feeling like nothing she had ever felt before. Of course, his cock was big enough that she barely went an inch past the head. She jacked him off at the same time she sucked on the head of his cock. She was blushing madly as she bobbed her head up and down. She used one hand to grip his hip to use as support.

Naruto's breathing had gotten quicker as he watched Temari suck his cock like it was a lollipop. His hands came to rest on her head as they untied the single ponytail Temari had worn for tonight. Her hair dropped to the middle of her upper back, and she looked just as beautiful as she always did. His hands buried themselves in the mass of her hair, holding her head in place as he lightly pumped in and out of her mouth, taking care that he did not go too deep.

After about ten minutes, Naruto felt that he was nearing his release. "Temari, I'm close….."

To his surprise, Temari did not let go of his cock. Instead, she only jacked him off faster and sucked him, creating even more vacuum in her mouth. "Fuck! I'm cumming!"

Temari's eyes widened as thick ropes of Naruto's cum shot into her mouth. It was a little sticky, and to her pleasant surprise, quite tasty. There was something about its taste that was just uniquely Naruto.

She gulped it down as fast she could, but after four gulps, it was just too much for her. She took the cock out of her mouth, and just closed her eyes in pleasure as the cum was splattered on her chest. There wasn't much remaining, but it was beyond Temari's limit….for now.

Naruto panted heavily as he stopped cumming. That was perhaps the best release he had ever gotten. He watched with delight as Temari gulped down his sperm, until she couldn't and just let it splatter against her heaving chest. He decided that he liked Temari covered with his cum.

She looked so unbelievably sexy.

Temari got up from her knees, wiping her mouth with her hands, leaving a smirk in the place. "Not bad for the first time, huh?"

Then, as if Naruto wasn't even in the room, she looked down at her chest, seeing her black bra covered with thick, white cum. Without a second thought, she reached behind and snapped the bra open, leaving it to fall at her feet, exposing her breasts. Looking up at a stunned Naruto, she shrugged, as if it was no big deal, "Can't wear dirty clothes now, can I?"

She was unprepared for Naruto to lunge at her like a wild animal, eyes filled with hunger. "You are doing that on purpose, aren't you?"

Without even waiting for her reply, he lifted her up, causing her to instinctively wrap her legs around him to keep from falling. He carried her to the bed and got on it on his knees, placing her down on her back. Temari only giggled as she ran her hands through his hair.

Naruto just gazed at her, as if trying to put her on fire. Temari shivered; she was definitely feeling some of that heat in her. She shivered in anticipation as she felt his hands drifting downwards, towards her panties. His voice was sounding erotic and sexy by now."It's not fair if I'm the only one naked, is it?"

He grasped the strings on the side of her hips, and slowly pulled them down, exposing her glistening, wet pussy. Temari shivered as Naruto's breath hit her in her most private area.

"I like keeping things balanced, so how about I return your favor?"

He spread her legs so he could have much easier access to Temari's womanhood. He slid two fingers inside her folds, her whimper only motivating him. He rubbed his fingers against her inner walls, only serving to raise her arousal further. He marveled at how tight she felt on the inside as he rubbed his fingers against her walls to draw moans of lust and pleasure from her. He bent down and experimentally licked the folds, just to see Temari's reaction.

Temari cried out with pleasure as her back arched. Her face was flushed and eyes closed, her hands stimulating the arousal by rubbing her erect nipples. Seeing her reaction, Naruto grinned and plunged tongue first into her pussy.

"Aaargh!"

The cry only spurred Naruto further as he gripped Temari's smooth and deliciously firm ass for leverage. He licked like the nectar of the gods of ramen was dripping from the pussy, and didn't let one drop go to waste. He lapped up her juices like a dog dying of thirst.

Temari's world was on fire as the pleasure reached to unimaginable heights. She maneuvered her legs onto Naruto's back, clenching him lovingly. Her fingers weaved through his golden blonde hair, pulling him closer to her, raising her hips for more pleasure. She didn't know about Naruto, but she was almost breathless. Her chest was heaving up and down, trying to draw deep breaths. His tongue moved faster inside her, eating her out like a sweet cake only reserved for him, which only served to draw her orgasm near.

"I'M CUMMING!"

She came with a scream, and cum she did. Naruto eagerly drank her release, finding the taste to be sweet and delectable. Temari was recovering when Naruto got up, licking his lips with a satisfactory smack. "That was a tasty treat."

He leaned down to Temari's neck, peppering it with small kisses. Temari tilted her head to give him more access. "Now that we are done with the starters, are you ready for the main course?"

Naruto's cock, which was still erect, and more, had grown one inch more due Temari's wonderful blowjob. It rubbed back and forth against Temari's clit, drawing a small moan from her. Naruto gave her a chaste kiss, as if trying to reassure her. His finger lit up with chakra as he moved it onto Temari's stomach, writing a seal. "Anti-pregnancy seal," he told her, "Don't want to get you pregnant with my kids just yet."

Temari gave a nod in understanding. Still, the thought of getting pregnant was exciting, but frightening.

The head of his cock rubbed against her pussy a few more times, before Naruto slowly slid it inside. Both of them gasped out loud for different reasons; Naruto, because Temari's walls had clamped tightly around his cock, giving him a pleasure that was simply indescribable. Temari, because Naruto was just so fucking huge!

Inch by inch, he slid inside until he met a barrier. His eyes met a nervous teal pair, but Temari nodded slowly. Without saying anything, Naruto pushed himself in forcefully, slamming his hips into hers and burying himself into her to the hilt. Temari cried out in pain, clutching Naruto's shoulders tightly as a few drops of blood dripped onto the sheet.

"It hurts, Naruto….." Temari whimpered as a few tears escaped from her eyes.

"It'll be alright in a few moments, Temari. Just bear with me," Naruto pleaded as he caught his lips with hers. He held still for a few moments as Temari acclimated to the pain of losing her virginity. Temari experimentally rolled her hips a little, moaning at the pleasure she now felt in place of pain. "You can move now, Naruto. But take it slow, please."

Naruto nodded as he pulled his head out and buried himself again, halfway this time. Repeating the motion a few times, Naruto found a nice, slow rhythm for himself. Temari's small winces of the remaining pain slowly faded away, now replaced by gasps and moans of sensual pleasure.

"Go deeper, Naruto."

Naruto smiled and leaned down to capture her lips, obliging her by going a bit more deeper while maintaining his rhythm. He picked up his pace when Temari started responding to the lip-lock. He grunted and groaned in pleasure as their hips slammed together.

"You're so tight, Temari!" He grunted between his thrusts. The sensation of her walls squeezing him every time he went in was just amazing. Temari pulled him closer by locking her legs behind his back, held in place by Naruto's hands on either side of her.

Temari couldn't believe just how great it felt. "You're! Huge! Naruto!"

Each word was said simultaneously with a thrust.

Naruto's rhythm reached a new height as he moved like a piston, in and out of her. Temari's moans were almost constant now, slowly increasing in volume. He glanced down to where the action was happening, seeing his cock shining from being covered in her juices. Temari's breasts were jiggling from the force Naruto was using to thrust inside her. After a short while, he felt himself getting close to his release.

"I'm close, Temari," he grunted as he increased his pace to maximum, feeling her walls clenching around him.

It was a miracle that Temari was able to reply to him. "Me! Too! Keep going!"

Naruto grunted as he fully buried himself inside of her, her walls clenching him so tightly that he couldn't keep in the groan. He bit down on her shoulder, increasing body contact. He exploded inside her, his wife gasping at the hotness that filled her up on the inside. Yet, Temari ensured that her pussy milked every drop of the obscene amount of seed that he released. Naruto also made sure on his end that not one drop escaped from her pussy. He kept cumming for a whole 20 seconds after which he completely dropped onto her, breathing heavily. His head was buried in her neck, nuzzling her lovingly, licking the spot where he left his mark.

"I love you," Naruto panted as he lifted up and gazed into her eyes.

Temari smiled tiredly and kissed him softly. "I love you too."

Naruto pulled out of her, and to Temari's surprise, he was still hard as he was in the beginning. Naruto looked up at her with a smile, "You up for another round?"

Lemon end

Temari dropped onto Naruto after an exhausting round, her juices spilling down his cock, mixed with his cum. Her stomach was a tiny bit bloated with how much of his cum Naruto had filled her with. She laid on his chest tiredly. "Where does all that come from? I have never felt so full before."

Naruto, who was equally as exhausted as his wife, chuckled as he ran her hand through her hair. "Let's just say I have good genes and leave it at that."

He was still buried inside her, though he was softening steadily. Still, he himself was surprised with just how much he was able to release. The feeling of satisfaction when he released into Temari was something that transcended elation. Naruto wasn't even sure satisfaction covered it or not.

Regardless, it was time to sleep.

He pulled out of her slowly, allowing some amount of juices to spill out, but neither of them cared enough. They were too tired for that. He pulled the covers over them as Temari snuggled into his side, already halfway asleep.

Naruto turned off the lamp and just pulled Temari closer, his sexual appetite over for the night.

"Best. Night. Ever." He whispered before falling asleep with a wide smile.

He was completely unaware of what was happening outside, in the village.

Sakura honestly did not know why she was roaming the streets of the village this late at night. She tried to convince herself that it was simply because she was in a good mood after her teammate's wedding, that she simply wanted to watch the stars, but that was not to be.

Something was seriously wrong.

That feeling was instinct, it was a gut feeling. Perhaps because she was a ninja, that feeling would be honed over time, but today it was acting up. Roaming the empty streets, she didn't know what she was looking for. Perhaps it was because-

"I didn't know you took late night walks, Sakura."

Sakura turned around with a look of total shock on her face upon hearing the familiar voice. There was Sasuke, dressed in his genin clothes sans hitai-ate, and a backpack on. Narrowing her eyes at him, she replied in a suspicious tone. "I could say the same about you."

Then a stray thought flew into her head, and the possibility was too big to not be questioned about. "Genin don't go on solo missions, and I don't see Kakashi-sensei. Tell me Sasuke. Where are you going?"

"Stay out of my business, Sakura."

Sakura bit back a gasp at his reply. Sasuke hadn't been this cold, this uncaring since the beginning of their days as team 7. It had gotten easier to hear some emotion in his voice since he and Naruto became… well, she wouldn't call it friendship, but they definitely had some sort of a bond. He had even smiled at the wedding and the reception tonight, and he looked genuinely happy for Naruto. Now that she looked at him, it seemed his walls of loneliness were back.

"It is my business when my teammate is about to become a missing-nin." Sakura snarled at him, shaking off her momentary shock just in time to see Sasuke walking past her. Her hand shot up to grab his bicep with a bruising grip, spinning him around with all her strength.

"Don't do this, Sasuke. Leaving us now would mean giving up all the bonds that we have worked so hard to forge with you! The bonds that Naruto has worked to forge with you! I know you care for him Sasuke, (even if you don't care for me) so try to understand that this isn't worth it at all!"

Sasuke looked at her with uncaring eyes. "I did start to think that working with you and Kakashi…..working with Naruto…..that was my way. But then I remembered what my life's goal is. And I would take whatever path is needed to achieve that goal."

Sakura grit her teeth. "Revenge won't make anyone happy, least of all you!" She hated the feeling of desperation that crawled up her spine. Even though she had progressed, she doubted she would be able to hold Sasuke here. He was in a league of his own, along with Naruto.

Sasuke's reply was blunt and crushing. "Revenge is what I have chosen."

"Then let us help you achieve it! You don't have to be alone in your pursuit! You, me… Naruto, we can help you find your happiness!"

By now, tears were spilling from her eyes. "Maybe it's just a leftover from my fangirl days, but… I don't want the person I love to go out into the cold world, and become even colder. I want to be your happiness, Sasuke. I love you so much."

Sasuke scowled at her. "You are really annoying."

Sakura ignored the sting of hurt that came from his statement. She pulled back her arm and threw a punch with all her strength, aiming to knock him out.

Of course, Sasuke saw that coming from miles away. Having trained with Naruto, Sakura was a snail to his speed. He easily dodged the punch and used his speed to get behind her.

"Goodbye, Sakura."

That was the last thing she heard before her world went black.

Naruto honestly had the best sleep in his entire, 13-year old life. Here he was, spooning his wife in their bed, after some intense love-making last night. Of course, his rate of recovery was something that very few people could hope to match.

Actually, scratch that. No one could match his rate of recovery. He was the one who had the strongest of the bijuu inside him, not anybody else.

Which was why, he found his eyes fluttering open at five-thirty in the morning, arms around Temari, whose back was resting against his chest, back to full energy. She was sleeping peacefully, tired because of the activities of last night. Strangely, Naruto actually felt proud of tiring her out.

Now, he just held Temari close to him as he closed his eyes.

Nothing could ruin this moment….

Ding dong!

Of course, he just had to jinx it by thinking about it. He checked his wife, relieved that she was still sleeping. He slowly disentangled himself from her, careful not to wake her.

Spreading out his senses, he was surprised to find the familiar, yin-laced chakra signature of Shikamaru. He soundlessly walked out of the room, without waking his wife. It was only when he reached the front door that he realized that he was buck naked. He hastily formed a half ram seal, transforming some clothes onto him.

Opening the door, he raised an eyebrow when he saw Shikamaru decked out in his chunin uniform, with a serious expression that was rarely seen on his face. It was obvious that Shikamaru was not on a social visit, so Naruto got straight to the point. "What's the problem?"

"Sasuke's gone."

If there was even the smallest amount of sleep remaining inside him, it was wiped out by the news that was delivered. "Are you saying he left the village?"

Shikamaru nodded, "I checked his house, and there were no signs of struggle. Sakura was also found knocked out on a bench on one of the roads. He left on his own free will."

A small amount of hurt grew inside Naruto. 'Why would you leave, Sasuke?'

He was careful not to let it show on his face. He forced rational thought into his head. "When did he leave?"

"Sometime in the early morning. Tsunade-sama sent me to get you for an emergency retrieval mission."

Naruto nodded sharply. "I'll meet you in her office in five minutes."

He shut the door gently and briskly walked to his bedroom. If Sasuke left on his own free will…..

He shook his head as he entered his room. He wanted answers from the source. He had warned Sasuke on what would happen if he were to leave the village, and he had thought that Sasuke had understood. He had thought that he and Sasuke had an understanding between themselves.

Guess he was wrong.

He washed his face and was about to dress up, when a shuffling of sheets from behind him caught his attention as he turned and found Temari waking up, giving him eyes that were barely open. "What is it, Naruto?"

Naruto smiled and simultaneously cursed himself for not having a camera, for his wife looked absolutely adorable right now. Buried in sheets, hair in disarray and rubbing her sleep laden eyes with her hand. Even her voice sounded like that of a child being forced to wake up.

"Sorry for waking you Temari," he said while putting on his arm bands, "but there is an emergency. Baa-chan has called me in."

Now she looked annoyed. "Right after our wedding night?"

He gave her a look of apology. "Seems like it. If it makes you feel better, the emergency is big enough to warrant my presence."

Holding the sheet to cover her chest, she asked. "What is it anyway?"

He zipped up his jonin jacket. "Uchiha Sasuke has left the village."

She wasn't immediately alarmed like him, but she woke up a little bit more. "He is your friend, isn't he?"

He had tied his hitai-ate around his bangs by now. "I thought so. Now, he is a potentially dangerous missing-nin."

He walked to Temari and sat down by her side. Taking her hand in his, he said, "I'm sorry, but I really have to go."

Temari sighed. "Why can't someone else go? Why were you specifically called? Why not some other jonin?"

"I don't know, Temari. But I have to obey the Hokage's summons," Naruto explained.

Temari frowned in worry, "I don't like this, our first morning as husband and wife being interrupted, but go."

Naruto smiled. "I'll make it up to you." He stole a quick kiss and was gone in a flash.

Naruto reappeared outside the office, just as Shikamaru was walking up to the door. He grumbled as he reached Naruto, "I wish I could do that jutsu. I wouldn't have to walk anywhere after that."

Naruto snorted beside him. "I doubt you would have chakra to spare."

He knocked the door, and after hearing the permission to enter, they both went inside to see Tsunade, sitting behind the desk, looking as if no one had asked her to get up at five in the morning.

Naruto cut straight to the chase. "What happened? He actually left on his own free will?"

Tsunade nodded, face grave and eyes blazing. "Yes….Sakura was found knocked out on a bench by the main road. She tried to stop Sasuke but he overpowered her. She told the nearest ninja upon waking. We believe he was enticed to by Orochimaru, or one of his shinobis."

"How could a guy like Orochimaru ent-"

"Shikamaru!" Naruto glared at his friend, shutting him up. "That is not the priority at the moment. Our first and foremost objective right now is to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke."

He turned to Tsunade. "I request a team of chunin and jonin for this mission."

Tsunade's face turned regretful. "Sorry Naruto, but I can't grant that request."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"We only have the bare minimum jonin here to protect the village, all the rest being sent out on missions. You'll only have to do with genin."

Naruto crossed his arms. "I presume I stayed because of my wedding?"

Tsunade nodded. "That is correct. Now, I'll give you the only thing I can at the moment. You have the freedom to choose your teammates for this particular mission. As the only jonin on this team, you are the team leader, Naruto."

Naruto nodded and turned to Shikamaru. "If we're going to have to do with genin, we best hurry to round every tough guy among the remaining rookies." Which is sadly, only one. The other one is a pretender, and the last one is a cookie, quite literally.

Shikamaru nodded, "I think I know what you mean. I'll get started right away."

As he turned to leave, Naruto told him one last thing. "You have ten minutes to assemble who you can, Shika. I'm appointing you my vice-team leader. As soon as you assemble everyone, you start on your pursuit. I'll catch up."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, "Wait, what do you-"

"That's an order, Shikamaru."

In a frustrated growl, Shikamaru asked him. "How the hell am I supposed to assemble who I have in mind in just ten minutes?!"

Wordlessly, seven of Naruto's shadow clones popped around them. One of them grabbed Shikamaru, and all of them disappeared in a flash as one.

Naruto turned to Tsunade with a frown. "What is going on? I saw Kakashi last night! Why can't he accompany us?"

Tsunade shook her head, "Kakashi has gone for a mission outside the village. You don't know because he went in the early hours of the morning. He was supposed to leave in the evening, but I only allowed him to stay because you invited him to your wedding."

Naruto bit back a curse at that. He took a deep breath and relaxed. "Okay. You want genin, to go on an A-rank, possibly S-rank mission?! You'll be sending them to their deaths!"

"What choice do I have Naruto?!" Tsunade snapped back in frustration.

Naruto glared at her, before bowing his head in thought. Lifting it up, he whispered her one question. "How do you want to bring him back?"

"What do you mean?"

Naruto asked the question. "In what condition do you want me to bring him back?"

Tsunade took a deep breath. "I would tell you to get him back alive, if possible. But since this is Orochimaru we are talking about here, I want you to bring him back in any way you can! We cannot risk Orochimaru getting the sharingan!"

Her eyes were hard, and Naruto understood the meaning behind her choice of words. Sasuke was to be brought back under any condition, whether it be alive, or dead.

His teeth gritted. "If I am doing this, I want back up. I'm not risking my team like this!"

Tsunade stood up in a fury, sending her chair skidding back. "I told you, I don't have shinobi to spare for this mission!"

Naruto tilted his head, "Maybe you don't," a smirk graced his face, "but our new allies do."

Shikamaru was in a bind. After Naruto had basically told him to scram, and if that was not enough, sent him off with his clones as help to gather up whatever team he had in his mind. At first he was annoyed, but when he asked a clone that why couldn't they just flash to Sasuke and retrieve him, the clone had, in all seriousness, informed him that Sasuke didn't have the FTG mark, which meant Hiraishin was out of question.

Without wasting time, he had sent one clone each to get Chouji, Kiba and Neji. He told the rest to dispel themselves. Shikamaru couldn't get Shino, as the guy was on a special mission with his father. They could have really used his chakra-absorbing bugs' help. Lee would have been a great addition to the team, however, he was still recovering from the surgery to put his limbs back together.

However, Shikamaru wanted to pull his hair out when the clone that was sent to get Chouji said that the Akimichi had come down with a case of food poisoning, and as such, won't be able to join the team.

They were literally down to a four-man cell now, just like they had started their ninja careers.

After putting together a plan of pursuit, they had set off…..and even caught up to the sound four. Shikamaru's plan had worked… to a point. They had managed to trap one of them with the shadow possession jutsu. Unfortunately, the sound four seemed to have planned for that, which shocked Shikamaru to the core. They had greatly underestimated their opponents, and now they were stuck inside an earth dome prison, the fat guy named Jirobo holding it from outside and sucking up their chakra through the walls.

Kiba yelled in frustration, his claws digging into his hair.. "Damn it! The longer we stay inside, the more chakra that bastard is taking from us!"

It sucked, and the unintentional puns were not helping.

Neji tried to remain rational and decisive. "There must be some sort of weakness, that we must find quickly," he muttered quietly, but the frustration was clear in his voice. What weakness?!

They had been inside for almost fifteen minutes, and Shikamaru couldn't risk getting any more of their chakra drained. He took a deep breath, "Let's-"

Whatever he was about to say, it was interrupted by a thundering crack on one spot of the dome, as if something had been smashed with brutal force on it. They all tensed up as the prison started rumbling, and eventually, the walls fell around them. Only to reveal….

They all relaxed slightly upon seeing Jirobo facing them, a blank look on his face, the forehead of which having the beginnings of a nasty bruise and small rivers of blood. The most significant thing, however, that caused Akamaru to whimper slightly, was the blade that was sticking out from in front the sound nin's throat.

It was clear to everyone that Jirobo was a dead man standing.

The blade slid back, and Jirobo fell on his knees, followed by his upper body, his face kissing the ground rather ungracefully. They all looked up to see eyes that were cold as ice, and sharp as a sword, the anger simmering in them like boiling lava in a volcano.

"N-Naruto?!"

Kiba cried out in shock as he saw Naruto kill the nin without an ounce of remorse on his face. "H-How did you-"

"I didn't give him a chance to prepare," Naruto cut him off. "As soon as I sensed him, I used body flicker to get right to him and shoved the blade in his throat. The asshole was too absorbed in his monologue to see me coming."

The nonchalant way he spoke about killing Jirobo was extremely unnerving, causing everyone except Shikamaru, to question whether Naruto was a closet psychopathic killer.

Kiba's face turned into a snarl, "We might have had an easier time if you had gotten here earlier!"

But Naruto was already walking past him. "I needed to ensure that we at least had some back up. I'm not going to get you all killed because there was a shortage of shinobi in the village. Now come on! We're losing precious time and distance!"

He started running, and the others assumed a formation that Naruto guessed was Shikamaru's idea. The said chunin caught up until they were side by side. "Naruto, there's something you need to know."

Taking his silence as Naruto listening, he continued, "They have Sasuke in a coffin….sort of. We believe him to be still alive, otherwise it would make no sense for them to kill him. There are three others we will probably have to face, and the number of opponents might include Sasuke, if the guy really did go willingly," he reported, grumbling the last bit.

"You don't need to worry about Sasuke. I'll take him on if it comes to that," Naruto assured him. Shikamaru nodded at that. Naruto was probably, no, the only one in their team who could stop Sasuke.

Naruto continued speaking, in a loud voice so others could hear him. "The lack of traps suggests that they expected the lot of you to be handled by the fat guy, which means we have a slight advantage, if only slight."

Kiba asked him in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"The element of surprise. They won't be expecting us to catch up to them this quickly, so we have a bit of time to come up with a plan. Not much though, so we better hurry," Naruto advised as they leapt through the trees.

It was clear to Shikamaru that Naruto was using his sensing abilities to track the remaining three nin, so the planning was left up to him. He was able to come up with a plan, but before he could tell it to his teammates and Naruto, the latter suddenly stopped, holding up a fist as a sign to stop all of them.

Each team member froze on the tree on which they had landed, not making a sound so as to listen to what Naruto was listening to. Naruto's danger sense had buzzed suddenly, which is why he had stopped. There had to be a trap, or worse, one of the members had stayed behind just in case the fat guy had failed.

They had planned this very impressively.

Naruto's keen eyes roamed around the trees, trying to spot anything that might be out of the ordinary. His extra-sensitive nose picked up a very, very faint smell of vinegar, but Naruto could not make any association of it to the mission. His eyes and ears were unable to pick up anything.

"Neji!"

The sharp whisper caused the said person to perk up. "Look ahead and tell me if we're heading into a trap or not."

Neji nodded and silently activated his byakugan, his eyesight going beyond of what normal eyes were capable off. The veins around his eyes became prominent as his eyes did their work. "There seems to be one of them standing on a branch 500 meters ahead of us. And he has six arms as well."

Naruto smirked faintly, "Six arms, huh? Not something we see every day."

He turned back, "I am sending a batch of clones to scout. They will travel 200 meters ahead of us, disguised as us. We will follow them, out of sight. Since we don't know the full scope of his abilities, we will engage as soon as he is occupied with the clones. Is that clear?"

After they organized themselves in a formation, Naruto sent a batch of clones disguised as the team ahead of them, while they discreetly followed behind. Just as Neji said, the clones were attacked by the sound nin as soon as they were in front of him. Out of sight, the team watched with disgusted fascination as the sound nin, spun spider webs from his mouth and trapped the clones.

Spinning a different type of web, a more hardened type, he was about to finish off the clones, when Naruto gave the signal to engage. Even though he was surprised, he adapted to the situation very quickly, realizing that the ones he had trapped were only clones. With a brutal maneuver of his webs, that told Naruto that they were dealing with no amateur here, he snapped all the clones out of existence. He managed to dodge Kiba's fang attack just in time, spinning a web that hung up the Inuzuka duo.

Naruto created six clones to distract the now known Kidomaru, who trapped them in another of his webs. Smirking in a feral way, he said, "Let's see which one of you is real!"

The real Naruto, who had body flickered up high, smirked as he saw Neji advancing silently behind the web weaver. However, before his strike to connect, Kidomaru manage to spot him and dropped down, neatly dodging the strike.

Quickly weaving a dense web, he trapped Neji into a cocoon. "My webs are strong enough to hold down elephants with ease. You are no match for them!"

He then turned back to the six clones, and then spun his hardened webs. He finished off all the six clones, and just as he was in his shock, Naruto acted.

He dropped silently from above, a kunai ready to bury itself in the nin's head, when Neji appeared out of nowhere, propelling both of them to another branch. He glared at the Hyuga, half in irritation and half in confusion. "What the hell?! How did you get out of that cocoon?!"

Shikamaru and Kiba joined them, while the man glared at them with hatred, wanting nothing more than to kill them. "How did you get out of the webs?!"

Neji coolly replied, "The Hyuga clan specialize in chakra based attacks, and your threads are full of chakra, Meaning," he turned to his teammates, and Naruto did not like where this was going, "This fight is best suited for me. Go now, and catch up to Sasuke!"

Shikamaru made a decision faster than Naruto and said, "I say we let him have this one. Naruto?"

Naruto gave Neji a hard glare, mixed with a searching glance. If Neji had not jumped in between, Kidomaru would be lying on the ground, a kunai buried in his head. His hand reached out, and roughly pulled Neji close to his face by his collar. "You better be alive after this fight, Neji," he told him in a harsh whisper.

He deliberately didn't tell him to catch up, because he knew Neji would be in no condition to catch up to them.

Neji gave a jerk of a nod, after which Naruto released him. Leaving Neji behind to fight Kidomaru, Naruto, Shikamaru and Kiba leapt away. No one spoke a word, for the tensions were high because they had to leave a comrade behind. It was one of the hardest decision ninja ever faced- to go or reach somewhere, you have to leave something, or in this case, someone behind.

"I'm not going easy on Sasuke when I get my hands on him," Naruto growled.

' About time. I really want to see that guy's ass handed to him on a silver platter decorated with diamonds.'

The growl in his mind almost caused Naruto to miss a step, but he recovered. Waving away Shikamaru's and Kiba's searching looks, he gestured them to increase their pace. "Speed up you two! We have to try our utmost to catch them before the sunset!"

The trio increased their speed, while Naruto continued his conversation with Kurama. 'About time you woke up. Tell me you didn't see me and Temari-"

' NO!'

Naruto sighed in relief. 'Good, otherwise it would have been terribly awkward.'

' It's a good thing that I can block myself in your mind, otherwise I would have had nightmares of your mating.'

' Awkwardness aside, I need to focus on my mission. Can't let my team get killed now, can I?'

' I don't understand why you even trusted the Uchiha in the first place!'

' I was not completely trusting, okay? I was reasonably cautious.'

' Your current predicament says different.'

Naruto had no response for that. '….Just let me concentrate, okay? I have a feeling that things would only get worse.'

Kurama snorted. 'They always get worse before they get better, Naruto. Remember that.'

The ancient fox went silent after that, leaving Naruto and his team to pursue in silence. Even though they kept going relentlessly, the darkness of the night descended upon them, and soon the only light source that they had was the full moon.

"We still haven't caught up to them!" Kiba growled in frustration.

Shikamaru placated him. "It's fine, we'll just maintain distance and wait to attack."

Kiba gawked at him. "Until dawn?! Wouldn't it be better to attack right now, while the dark gives us cover?"

Naruto and Shikamaru both rose an eyebrow. So Kiba can think intelligently sometimes. Shikamaru clarified Kiba's suggestion. "A sneak attack, you say?"

"Yeah! We can use decoys while one of us grabs the coffin."

Naruto shook his head. "As good as that sounds, the dark is only good for an instantaneous advantage. The sneak attack has to be timed perfectly and precisely, otherwise we all end up dead. Not to mention, you both don't have night vision, which only increasing the chances of our dying."

Kiba grumbled, but accepted the argument. Naruto and Shikamaru were far better when it came to calculating strategies. Thankfully, he didn't question the fact that Naruto excluded himself out of that statement.

Naruto guided them through the dark, applying a tiny bit of Kurama's chakra to his eyes to see through the dark. He kept his senses active for any sign that they had caught up, though he had a feeling that they would have to wait for a long time.

Naruto had brought three soldier pills with him. He took one, and gave the other two to his remaining team. They accepted them with a grateful nod of thanks.

The sun rose up in the sky, and Naruto finally got a lock on a chakra signature ahead of them, two in fact. It was similar to the last two sound ninja, so Naruto concluded that they were on the right track, and almost at the end of the trail. At the speed they were going…..

"I've got a lock on the last ones."

"Sakon!"

The warning reached the grey haired boy in time, as he smirked savagely.

His hands reached out quickly to catch those of the blonde who tried to bury a kunai in his neck. He grinned at the struggling blonde. "You are going to die if that's all you have!"

There was no change in the expression of his captive, so Sakon had no warning at all. A white twister went right through his captive- who was a shadow clone, judging from the smoke- and into him, sending him flying back towards the tree branch with his teammate stuck on it.

The redhead cursed and prepared to move herself and the coffin out of the way, when her eyes widened, and she struggled to look at the cause. She couldn't move! Her shadow had been caught by the chunin.

"Tayuya, move!"

Sakon yelled at her to move, but there was no way for her to do so. Shikamaru released his jutsu at the last minute, causing both of the sound nin into crash into each other. The coffin went flying, out of her grasp and straight into the arms of Kiba, who threw it to Naruto.

As soon as Naruto caught it, he barked out. "MOVE IT!"

Naruto ran off from the clearing, with Shikamaru and Kiba close behind. Naruto kept a faster pace than before, so his remaining team members had some trouble following him. Shikamaru grinned, "We can hightail it back to the village!"

As if it was that easy. "You are forgetting that they are recipients to the power of the curse seal, and as such would have no problem in catching up with us. In fact, I can sense them following, and Sakon is catching up!"

The chunin and the genin looked behind, their eyes widening upon seeing Sakon covered in the black waves of the curse mark. And he was steadily catching up to them. Shikamaru grit his teeth. "Naruto, you are the fastest one among us. So-"

Naruto sharply cut in. "I'm not leaving you behind, Shika!"

His right hand came up in a half ram. "Brace yourselves!"

A series of explosions, larger than what Shikamaru and Kiba had ever seen, rose up. Sakon was so into the pursuit, blinded by the rage that these kids had managed to outsmart him, that he failed to notice the explosive tags on the trees. They were put slightly out of sight, so as to not alert anyone immediately.

Naruto smirked in satisfaction. They path they were on was the same one that they came from, so Naruto had taken precautions in case of a pursuit like this. He had laid out some of his personal tags very systematically, for the sole purpose of slowing down anyone who might follow them in their return.

His smirk dropped, however, when Sakon emerged from the smoke, angrier than ever. "You'll have to try harder than that, you assholes!"

Unfortunately, Akamaru was surprised by the nin's appearance, and as a consequence, lost his footing momentarily. He fell and landed heavily on a trunk of a tree.

Kiba immediately changed course to his familiar. "Akamaru!"

Naruto cursed when he saw that Sakon had wrapped ninja wire around Akamaru, painfully trying to squeeze him to death. And it seemed that Naruto gave too little credit to the brains of the guy, for he did not forget about them. A kunai came racing towards them, an explosive tag wrapped in the ring.

Naruto's eyes widened and he retaliated, a shuriken whizzing through the air to knock the kunai off course. The kunai got knocked off its path, arching to bury itself a few meters away from Sakon. Kiba had just reached Akamaru when the tag went off.

For a moment, Naruto was blinded by the light of the explosion. The smoke that followed it did not help either.

Panic spread through him at the thought that Kiba and Akamaru were caught in the blast, and he hastily spread out his senses, trying to get a lock on their signatures. He released a breath of relief, followed by a frown of confusion when he sensed that all the three were falling down into a-

"What the fuck?! Where did that ravine come from?!"

For all his observational skills, Naruto was truly perplexed on how he had not managed to spot the deep ravine. In a rare moment where emotion clouded his judgement, he rushed forwards, ready to go down to see if they were alive, only to be pulled back by his chunin teammate.

He snarled at Shika. "What?!"

Shikamaru only pointed a finger behind them, and Naruto turned to see the redhead, Tayuya, coming for them. Naruto was about to say something when his danger sense buzzed loudly, indicating a particularly large threat heading for them behind his back. Spreading his senses, he found a large source of chakra heading for them, still half a kilometer away, and closing quickly.

Tayuya shouted. "You assholes!"

She was about to continue rushing forward, when she suddenly stopped, eyes trained not at Naruto and Shikamaru, but behind them. "You….what are you doing here?"

Seeing a mostly overconfident enemy whisper in such dread filled voice, Naruto braced himself for whatever was coming for them. He acted just at the right time, grabbing Shikamaru by the vest and flash stepping to another branch, avoiding the newcomer.

He was deathly pale, and looked as if he was under the effects of a sickness. His white hair was short, with two sections wrapped uniquely over his shoulder. He wore a strange, lavender body suit, with splits in the front to show his sweats. But it was the purple bow, that let Shikamaru know that shit was about to hit the fan.

It distantly occurred to Naruto that he should have left Hiraishin marks at intervals during their pursuit, so they could have avoided this sort of chase altogether.

He narrowed his eyes at the figure. "Who are you?"

"Kimimaro…..wh- how? Your body is no longer-"

The whisper was of shock, but Naruto had no problem hearing her. So this guy was suffering from an illness, and from her choice of words it was most likely terminal.

"True. That is all I am good for now…..making sure Orochimaru-sama's dream come to fruition," he spoke quietly, and Naruto internally frowned at the lack of emotion in his voice. "I have my mission, and you have yours. I will make sure the new vessel reaches Orochimaru-sama."

Naruto and Shikamaru faced the newcomer, who was standing right in front of them. Naruto was spreading his senses as far as he could, trying to locate even one of his markings, besides Shikamaru, but no such luck. They were too far out.

"Shika…"

"Don't forget the mission objective, Naruto," Shikamaru cut in calmly, his eyes not leaving his now chosen opponent.

Lowering his voice so that only Shikamaru could hear him, he spoke. "I better find you alive, you understand?"

Without waiting for a reply, Naruto was gone in a flash step. Kimimaro followed him not even a second later, ignoring Tayuya's cursing.

Now that Naruto was alone, he had no need to restrain his speed. He flew through the tree line, making Kimimaro frown as he struggled to keep up with the blonde, let alone catch up. Even with the coffin in his arms, Naruto was managing to maintain his lead on Kimimaro.

Kimimaro realized, that this blonde shinobi was deviously fast. He pushed his dying body further with the power of the curse seal, and started to steadily gain on the blonde, if only slowly.

Naruto's frustration was building up as he felt that the lead that was between him and his pursuer started to close up. 'Dammit! Looks like I will have to release all the seals!'

There was also some sort of strange energy coming from the coffin, and its taste was making him sick. Not to mention, the energy was steadily growing in amount. In his close proximity, it wanted to pulse through him, but was repelled by his own chakra. Naruto was nervous, even if nothing was really happening to him.

Then it occurred to him. One of the core, fundamental meaning of holding a high rank in the military forces. An advice that Kakashi had taught him, shortly after he got promoted. As a chunin, or a jonin, it was up to you to ensure that any mission you do, you do it with utmost precision. A mission should never remain incomplete if you could prevent it. No mistakes.

No loose ends.

He emerged from the forest into a large clearing. He set down the coffin, and waited for his tail to catch up.

Sure enough, a few moments later, Kimimaro came into sight. He walked calmly towards Naruto, curse marks receding back into the seal, confident that he could take Naruto on without its power. He murmured to himself. "How to defeat you?"

Naruto kept a cold expression on his face. "Would you happen to know just exactly what Orochimaru wants Sasuke for?"

Kimimaro did not reply immediately, instead choosing to size Naruto up. "Orochimaru-sama has already obtained the immortality jutsu….something that only he understands and is capable of."

Naruto dryly returned. "Suuuuuure. But I fail to see what that has to do with Sasuke."

"Immortality doesn't mean that the body will remain…..just the soul. His soul is immortal, and to house that immortal soul, every once in a while, a new flesh is needed."

Taking a deep breath to calm his shudders, Naruto spoke back. "So Sasuke is supposed to be the new vessel, I take it? For someone with a terrible sense of fashion and make up, he has surprisingly good taste," he smirked in the end.

Kimimaro either didn't get the joke, or just didn't have a sense of humor. Deciding to waste no more time, Naruto made his first move.

For Kimimaro, it all happened too quickly. One second, the shinobi was standing 30 ft across from him, right hand comfortably resting on the coffin. The next, his face made contact with a violent kick that sent him spinning into the air.

But he recovered quickly, and just in time to block a punch mid-air. His opponent was good, very good. The blow had only hurt a bit, because of his enhanced durability, but the fact that it even hurt said volumes about his opponent. They landed on the ground, and started exchanging blows.

Naruto was reasonably cautious when he engaged in a fight with Kimimaro. The bone-like protrusions coming from Kimimaro's palm were obviously to be avoided. Kimimaro was an aggressive fighter, but of the kind that managed to make each one of his moves like a deadly dance.

In a swift motion, his Hiraishin kunai came into his hand, coated with wind chakra, sharpened to the point of being a dagger. Kimimaro apparently saw those as a threat, even with his own set of weapons, as he switched to defense. The sound nin did not allow his annoyance to show on his face at the lack of pattern in the hits that Naruto was throwing at him.

Naruto, likewise, was trying to find an advantage. Those protrusions on his hands were very sharp and annoying. One swipe had come close to his throat. Not only that, but Kimimaro could apparently make those protrusions pop up from anywhere on his body. Naruto had yet to take a hit, but was finding it very hard to find an opening to his opponent's style to put a seal on him.

' Maybe I should spice it up a bit.'

Two clones suddenly appeared, and Kimimaro found it significantly harder to attack as he was forced to switch to defense. Even though they were shadow clones, they had the skill of the original and as such, three slashes found their way into his guard.

He snarled, losing his cool a bit and extended his bone spikes outwards like a porcupine, catching one of the clones and dispelling it into a cloud of smoke.

The remaining clone dodged a spike by doing a one-handed cartwheel on top of his head. His right hand, a spike protruding from his palm, came up to dispel it, but he made one crucial mistake in account of his short term problem.

He didn't keep track of the original.

As soon as he dispelled the clone, he caught something heading towards him in his peripheral vision. He desperately leapt to the side, trying to dodge whatever it was.

Even though the compressed ball of wind didn't hit Kimimaro directly, it was close enough that it might as well be a point-blank attack. The explosion violently hurled Kimimaro to Naruto's right, the wind from the explosion having made more than a few scratches on him. Just as he was about to switch directly to the second level of his curse mark, something brutally slammed into his back, sending him right back towards the direction that he came from, spinning like a screw in the air. He grit his teeth because whatever jutsu was used, it grinded on his back. Right where he couldn't grow bones from. Right where his flesh was.

And it really hurt.

Naruto kept his guard up, even though he'd managed to smash a Rasengan directly into Kimimaro's back. The guy was tough, more in a literal sense than the metaphorical. Naruto had figured that for him to use his bones as a weapon, they would have to be extremely tough. Tougher than one could imagine. So Naruto had created a rasengan slightly bigger than his usual, and spun it with greater speed than ever before. Which meant greater damage to the target. His clone had slapped a marking on Kimimaro's head, so Naruto was able to use Hiraishin to catch him off guard.

Still, it wouldn't exactly be a surprise to him if Kimimaro got up after that attack.

Just as he finished his last thought, he saw a figure slowly rising in the dust cloud that was created after the rasengan burst. He was obviously in pain, and when the dust finally cleared, Naruto bit back a smirk at Kimimaro's expression.

He was pissed off.

There was not a single trace of the calm, confidence Naruto had first seen on his face. All the composure seemed to have left him, and he looked like he wanted nothing more than to turn Naruto into a sponge by creating a number of holes that was a bit too disturbing to think about.

"You are powerful, Konoha shinobi," he said in a controlled voice that was a contrast to the rage filled expression. His back was hunched a bit, in obvious pain. "Never have I met someone who could push me like this, except for Orochimaru-sama."

Foul energy began to take an aura around him. "It seems that I cannot afford to hold back any longer."

Naruto watched as Kimimaro's power began to grow. Unlike the little black marks that covered Sasuke upon the seal's activation, his seemed to cover his entire body in almost a second layer, giving his skin an entirely new look. Judging by the way he was standing, it probably healed the injury caused by the rasengan as well.

All in all, he looked hideous.

Crack!

Confused, both Naruto and Kimimaro turned to look at the coffin. Naruto was about to turn back when nothing happened for a few moments, when the coffin exploded.

BOOM!

Naruto stood in his position, unflinching as he deduced that whatever purpose Sasuke was put into this coffin, that was fulfilled. Sasuke emerged from the coffin, looking… different.

The colors of his skin and hair were all wrong and inverted. Naruto couldn't see his face as he was facing Sasuke's back. "That's enough Sasuke! You're coming back with me, right now!"

His skin and hair reverted to normal colors, Sasuke laughed, and Naruto frowned deeply when he heard how detached it was, how…. manic it was. Sasuke walked towards into the forest, as if he had never heard Naruto speak.

"I'm ordering you to Stop. Right. Now, Sasuke!"

Sasuke broke into a run, disappearing into the trees, in the direction of the border of the fire country. He completely disregarded Naruto's growled order.

Naruto was in a bit of a bind right now. He could not turn, for Kimimaro would jam a bone spike into him at the slightest opening. And if he did not turn, he would lose Sasuke. He could already sense the Uchiha moving at incredible speeds. Speeds that he normally wasn't capable of, last time Naruto checked.

So he took a risk. He turned around, under the pretense of dropping his guard. Just like he expected, Kimimaro was at his back in less than a second, a spike ready to stab him through the heart.

" Konoha Senpuu!"

Two things happened after the cry was heard. Naruto flashed away to a kunai buried in the ground a few meters away, and Kimimaro suffered a vicious kick to the spike in his hand, sending him back.

Naruto lifted his head up to see…..

Yep, the green spandex, bushy eyebrows, it was Lee. The boy turned and grinned. "Naruto-kun! I am here to help!"

Naruto lifted an eyebrow, hiding his surprise at Lee's arrival. "You are supposed to be recovering, Lee. Why are you here?"

"I am here to help! I will stay behind and handle this most unyouthful opponent! You pursue Sasuke-kun!"

With a brisk nod of thanks, Naruto yanked his kunai out and dashed into the direction Sasuke had gone.

The entirety of his team had split up, putting their lives on the line so they could get Sasuke back.

This entire mission had been a relay, with every team member running their race.

The final lap was up to Naruto, and there was no way he would be losing.

He went full throttle, his senses locked onto Sasuke's.

Sasuke felt his power growing, yet at the same time, it did not feel like his power. But rather, power that was someone else's, merging with his own.

It was a feeling like nothing else, and it increased to a point that it got hard to contain, or control. Sasuke was conscious enough to know where he was, and decided that he had been trapped long enough. Now was his time to make his move.

If they were at where he was supposed to be, good.

If not, too bad for them, because he didn't care.

He knew where he was supposed to go.

He flexed his power, and the result was glorious. It was like being freed from the bonds that held you against your will, yet only made you stronger.

The power was still merged with him, and he felt powerful like never before. It was like the power itself was restrained, like him. Now it was free, and it felt amazing.

He was high on power, so high that he could only distantly hear someone calling his name. He paid the call no heed, only having one destination in mind. He flexed his power again, this time, commanding it to make him fast.

And it obeyed.

The power allowed him to go at speeds that only Naruto was capable of going at. Sasuke knew that his resistance seals had been taken off before he was put into the coffin, so he was almost twice as fast as he was before. Coupled with the power of the seal, and he was fast enough to give Naruto a run for his money.

(See what I did there? Run for his money?)

He was slowly coming down from the high, so his rationality was coming back. He looked back once, to see if anyone was following him or not. He gave a satisfied smirk upon seeing no one, and continued on his journey with even greater vigor.

He finally came to the border that separated the Fire country and the Rice country. It went by a name that was famous: Valley of the End.

The place not only served as the border between the two countries, but as a famous landmark. This place was carved out when Senju Hashirama fought his best friend, Uchiha Madara, to death.

By the way, Sasuke doesn't know who that is. This is the author, informing ya'll.

Sasuke jumped from the head of the Shodai Hokage, down to the water, and onto the head of the spiky haired statue.

This was it. Once he crossed this valley, he would sever all his bonds with Konoha. There was no coming back from this.

He froze in his tracks, however, upon hearing that achingly familiar voice, filled with coldness and simmering rage, masked with nonchalance.

"I hope you know that I won't let you leave like this, Sasuke."