Pain immediately sinks itself through my bones and core, the first sensation. Gritting my teeth, I force myself up, looking around, figuring out where the hell I am.

"Damn." a headache forcing pain through my skull suddenly appears, almost as if someone had hammered my head for hours on end. In an attempt to regain full consciousness, I retract my steps. I'm on a mountain...the one from my childhood...why? That's…

"The cure!" I search around desperately for any sign of the plant. The river, it probably took it. It stole it from my grasp. Fuck! It's not here. It's not here. My legs give out and fatigue conquers over the adrenaline from before. Should I just jump in and look for it? It could have fallen to the bottom? Possibly? Taking a closer look, I can see the rain has overflowed the river, the wave probably pushed me towards the edge. There's no use. It's gone. "Bleugh!" immediate thick liquid spurts from my dried, cold lips...I need to find a place to rest...need more meds. A foot after the other, I force my fatigued body to move.

….

The morning mountain sky greets me with a smirk. Birds mock a like, chirping to the sun's bipolar rhythmic. Not a single sign of the night's storm in its face.

I intend to move my hands to rub at my weary eyes tired at the sight, when I sense a prickly hard sensation tightly around my wrist.

"...?" The hell? Why am I? I struggle once more, wriggling everywhere for escape.

"!" Why am I tied up?! I roll several times around the moist, red soil, but alas, the ropes resist- showing absolute no sign of mercy. Who the hell tied me up and why, Dammit! They're not even here. The bastards tie me up for no reason, and then leave? "Agh! What the hell!" I shout at the top of my lungs, disrupting the mocking melody of the winged animals. I sigh after losing half my breath. Got to find a way out!

…

I've travelled down the river for at least a mile, carefully looking through, hoping I can catch a glimpse. Yet, the back of my mind tugs at my heart, "It's gone. It's destroyed. There's no hope." my chest aches, and I cough red once more. Maybe this is it?

"crack... crack…" the sound of branches cracking instantly catches my immediate attention. Shino? How did he already make it down? I was about to shout out when i heard another set of footsteps from a different direction. Two people?

…

I see a shadowy figure from afar. I was almost done! The rock I picked out seemed to be rather sharp, but once I actually put it to use, the thing decides to show its true dull colors. I glance up at the figure from before, however instead two different shadows appear a few feet away from the previous shadow.

Could it perhaps be Hinata? But, why would she tie me up? Was she afraid I would take her back? But...she's the one who ran away without saying a single thing! Good bye my ass!

"Hey, kid!" Pressure from my skull quickly captures my attention. "You finally awake?" A white bearded man with a sack of at least thirty pounds of rice for a gut, grins with a broken smile, his filthy shoes pressing against my skull. "Hey, kid. Your eyes are blue" the man grins madly, laughing in a creepy tone.

"-and he's got blonde hair too!" a thinner man who seemed to be the bearded man's shadow hurriedly adds. Why does any of this matter? Just let me go already!

"Who are you guys and what do you want? Why did you tie me up?" my mouth moves with anger and annoyance.

"Didn't you just hear? You've got blonde hair and blue eyes." I stare at them in confusion. "Kid, you've got money written all over you". How did they find out? I left all identification at the hospital, and these two don't seem like the type to watch recent events.

"What does it matter? There's plenty of people with blonde hair and blue eyes." They smile at each other in a way that can lift anyone's hairs on ends.

"True, however. There's a lot more people who don't have those certain, precious, qualities. Do you understand what I mean? These people will pay...lots and lots...for something like those eyes and blonde locks. And I bet they'll pay even more to have fun with them." his wide grin reveals several missing teeth. "Why are you up to this deep into the mountains anyways? Looking for trouble, aren't you?" he chuckled before placing a full packed bag on the ground, next to his accomplice.

"I'm here to hike." I swiftly lie, hoping they're looks match their mentality. However, once glance at one another and they quickly let out chunks of laughter.

"Ain't no one coming up these mountains to hike, there's only one reason to coming up these mountains, and you don't look like the type to be searching for it." The bearded man crushes my head harder into the ground, the smell of wet soil assaulting my nostrils, in a sorry effort I use my chin as a lever to resist, but then with one swift kick my chin cracks, and fails to retaliate.

"Not his face, hey! They'll bring the price down if he's all bruised." The heavy weight on my scalp disappears, "Put him to sleep, let's check his price." and shortly, my sigh along with it.

…

I shouldn't have followed them, but my instincts urged otherwise. And now, I think I know why. He's here, after I told him not to. He's still here. At first, I believed my mind was playing games, my eyes perhaps were failing me, must have hit my head pretty hard, but then I came closer and indeed. It was him. After all my warnings not to come, after I specifically told him not to he still came, and what's worse- he's brought trouble.

What do I do? What can I do? I should get Shino- he can help. Shino's…Shino is…he can't help me. He's too far, it'll be too late. I can't help him. What do I do? How do I get him back? I have to- have to do something. My palms infuse in sweat, I can feel the adrenaline running through my system, preparing for the fight. I look for the thickest log I can carry, make my way around the group and wait.

I see everything, the way his foot roughly pierces through his head, the way he persists, and yet receives another hard kick. I can't make anything from what they're saying…this is so frustrating, I feel like quickly putting them both to sleep. How dare they touch what's mine.

For a while, Naruto doesn't move, his head remains still on the ground. The large man speaks with the thinner man, and then leaves back into the direction they came from. Now's my chance.

Slowly, as quiet as I could, my feet sneak through the branches, get behind the thin man's sight. My hands grip the thick log, blood rushes and heart hovers on the edge of explosion. I take a large swing, muster up what's left of my strength. I hear the sound of meat meeting bone, and a large thud echoes through the morning air.