"Alright! I'm ready for the challenge!" Naruto Uzumaki yelled at the top of his lungs with both an excited and confident expression on his face. Not much time had passed since he had fought Gaara in the invasion against Konoha, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to show off his awesome moves. "Come on! Bring Orochimaru's goons right to me and I'll beat ever living crap out of 'em, ya know!"

"Calm down, Naruto." Sakura chided with an annoyed tone, her thoughts unknowingly aligning with Sasuke's. "Keep yelling like this and you're going to screw this whole thing up!"

Their platoon leader, Asuma Sarutobi, scratched the back of his head with an exasperated look on his face. "She is right you know, Naruto. Yell like that when we're in the thick of it and you're gonna give us away…"

After giving Asuma a silly face by childishly sticking his toughest out, he eventually conceded and decided to listen, remembering the situation they were in.

Internally, the son of the Sandaime Hokage let out a sigh of relief. Good. I was wondering when he would stop running his mouth. He's been talking nonstop for the past two minutes. How does Kakashi deal with this kid? His eyes held a bored light in them as he continued to gaze upon the orphaned boy. They suddenly flickered with interest when he realized the similarities between Naruto and a certain Uchiha that was on Kakashi's squad when they were younger.

The kid really was like Obito. While Asuma wasn't particularly close with the deceased Uchiha, he had known enough about him to know his goals and personality. And frankly, they quite frighteningly mirrored Naruto's. One would look at the blond and think that he was Obito's reincarnation or something.

I wonder if Kakashi has noticed the similarities...Asuma closed his eyes at the thought. He knew how hard Obito's death hit Kakashi. Perhaps the Hatake had already seen the similarities, and it was affecting how he treated him. Oh well, no use worrying about it now. We've got work to do.

"Alright. Listen up, Team 3!" He said suddenly with a tone of authority, catching the attention of the five Genin he was watching over. "Remember, this mission is no child's play. This isn't another one of your standard D-Ranked missions. Your generation is very special in the eyes of many. Not many Genin get to take a high-profile mission like this. None of you can handle a mission of this scale on your own, so you need to rely on each other."

Rely...on each other…Gaara thought to himself with narrowed eyes, unfamiliar with doing such a thing. He had always fought for himself. And when he fought for himself, there was never a need to rely on other people. Perhaps this was another lesson that he had to learn if he wanted to become Kazekage and prove his worth to the village.

Naruto, on the other hand, let out a confident smile. Piece of cake! Kakashi-sensei's already drilled this into our heads.

"Always, at all times, stay with another person. Never forget that you are working with people who share a common end goal as you. Completing the mission." Asuma said, a serious expression on his face. "If something were to happen to me, you all need to stick together as much as you can. Someone will have to take point and lead the group to success. Just keep that in mind as we continue on during this mission."

For some reason, as if on instinct, Sasuke chose that moment to look up at the sky. He saw a crow flying overhead, circling around the group far above in the sky. He sharpened his gaze and flashed his slumbering hatred as the thought of a certain man came into his mind.

"Let us begin. Hinata, activate your Byakugan to scout the area for any enemies. Also try to look for a safe entrance into Orochimaru's hideout." Asuma commanded the female Hyuga with a distant tone as he focused on Sasuke's angered and vengeful expression glaring up into the deep blue sky.

"Y-Yes!" Hinata croaked, startled at the sudden command. Forming multiple hand signs, she held up her fingers in an upward position close to her face. "Byakugan!"

While Hinata scouted, Asuma took the time to briefly look up into the sky. When he did, he saw what Sasuke was staring at.

A crow…

The symbol of death and misfortune. He distinctly remembered a man known for the use of powerful Genjutsu, usually utilizing crows to cast illusions upon his foes. The same man who turned traitor and deserted the village.

Asuma had a bad feeling about this…

"Oh, sensei!" Hinata suddenly blurred out with a gasp. "I see something…"

"What is it?" Asuma demanded. "An enemy?"

Hinata nodded her head at the answer. "Yes. With my current range, I can see two people approaching our group as we speak…" She then paused as she proceeded to expand the range of her sight to about one kilometer, making sure to turn in every direction to cover her blind spot. As she did so, she let out another gasp. "No. I was wrong, there's a third person who just entered my range. He seems to be alone...I-I don't think he's Oto…"

"What do you mean?" Asuma questioned with narrowed eyes, raising his chakra blades, ready to fight if necessary.

"I recognize the other two people. I fought them in the Forest of Death during the Chunin Exams. Th-The other one...he's going at a completely different pace than the others. He doesn't seem to be in a rush at all." Hinata said with a drop of sweat rolling down her face, her anxiety rising. "He's slow...too slow…" If the sight of the man didn't scare her enough, it was how slow he was going that really did her in. "I-I don't know what it is...but I'm getting the feeling that...this man is on a completely different level than the other two."

"Is that so?" Asuma mused with a look of contemplation. "Very well. Looks like I'm gonna have to take care of that guy. Hinata, please point me in his direction."

"He's over there." The indigo-haired Hyuga pointed to her right. "Keep going that way and you'll run into him soon enough."

"Thanks." Asuma said as he turned to the direction the Genin was pointing at. "I'm also getting the feeling that this guy is far above all of you. For that reason, I want you five to stay together and take on the two Oto Shinobi. If you fought them in the forest, then they should be no problem. Just remember that they could have been suppressing their strength."

And with that, Asuma Sarutobi disappeared with speed that no one could keep up with using their own eyes. Hinata had the Byakugan and she could barely keep up with the movements.

"Oi, Hinata!" Naruto called for his teammate. The girl let out a small squeak at the sound of her name.

"Y-Yes?"

"Tell me where those two guys are! I'm gonna go beat the shit out of them, ya know!" Naruto cheered with a confident expression.

"Oh." Hinata suddenly snapped back into reality. Composing herself, she pointed in front of her. "Over there."

"Alright! Thanks!" And just like that, the knucklehead ninja leaped off the branch e was standing on, disappearing through the lush green of the forest before any of his team could protest.

"Hold on, Naruto!" Sasuke called out, but it was as if the boy did not hear him. With an annoyed grunt, he said, "What an idiot!" Soon, he too went in the direction Naruto went in.

"Naruto-kun! Sasuke-kun!" Hinata cried out for her teammates in an attempt to get them to stop, but her attempts proved to be fruitless. She let out a sigh.

"I should go after them." Gaara said robotically as the last male of the group left the two kunoichi alone.

"Gaara!" This time it was Sakura who yelled out for their squad mate. "Damn it!" Asuma had told them to stick together, and they were now splitting up. She turned to her fellow female ninja. "At least no one except Asuma-sensei is alone."

Hinata frowned. At least Sakura was able to see a positive in a situation like this. That was something she was slightly envious of the girl for. She usually managed to look on the bright side of things with confidence. A trait that Hinata herself did not possess.

"-nata! Hey, Hinata!"

The Hyuga let out a gasp as she found her shoulders being shook by the pink-haired girl. She was daydreaming again. She didn't even notice that she had subconsciously deactivated her Byakugan.

"You sure do love to space out a lot." Sakura said with a quizzical look.

"Ahh! Pardon me for my rudeness, Sakura-san! I was just...what?!" Her pupiless eyes widened to the size of melons as she had reactivated her Byakugan.

"What is it?!" Sakura asked out of concern.

"They split up. The two ninja split up, and one is heading for the two of us! They will be here any second now."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "So that one leftover is going to fight Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara?" At her companion's nod, her concern grew. "What? You said you fought those two in the Forest of Death! One of them cannot be that powerful to the point where they can take on the likes of those three!"

The grim look on Hinata's face did not help quell Sakura's fears at all. "I-I'm afraid so. And from the looks of it, th-the person after us may just be as powerful as...look out!"

With a loud scream, Sakura found herself and Hinata tumbling off the branch after the latter had tackled her off. Fortunately, the fall wasn't too high to cause any injuries, but that still didn't mean hitting the ground didn't hurt like a bitch.

"Ow!" Sakura cried out, pushing her new friend off of her. "What the hell was that for?!" She paused when she saw the dirt-ridden face of Hinata looking up with a serious yet nervous expression at a branch above them. With caution, Sakura also chose to look up…

Only to see Kin Tsuchi looking down on them with gritted teeth, hands on her hips.

"Tch! That Byakugan of yours sure is annoying."

"It's you!" Sakura immediately recognized the girl, remembering her from the trio that attacked Hinata in the forest just as she had said. At that moment, she realized why they were being attacked by her only. She could tell by the look in the long-haired girl's eyes exactly what she wanted.

"It's payback time, scum."

Meanwhile

Dosu Kinuta landed on the branch he was jumping towards, choosing to wait for his opponents. He and Kin decided to split up in order to break up the group. They were pretty sure that they could handle the group on their own from there.

The Oto ninja curled his fingers to a fist, digging his nails into his skin. This power...I can still feel it coursing through my veins.

He looked up from his hand to see his three destined opponents stopping on a branch in front of him, commencing a face off.

"Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sabaku no Gaara." Dosu acknowledged, recognizing all three of them from the Chunin Exams that happened not that long ago. "I was surprised to hear that you were coming here. Is both Konoha and Suna that weak? All they have left to send is a few weak and inexperienced Genin? Oh, how the mighty great villages have fallen."

"Dosu Kinuta." The Uchiha identified, vividly remembering their enemy as well. "I assure you, we are not weak nor inexperienced. I say that it's enough. At least enough to defeat you!"

"This is good…" Dosu muttered under his breath as he widened his exposed eye, black marks starting to appear on the left side of his body. "I've been wanting to fight both you and Sabaku no Gaara for quite some time now, Sasuke Uchiha."

Said boy let out a shocked gasp along with Naruto as they laid their eyes upon the black markings. "That is…"

"The Curse Mark, correct. Just like the one you have, Uchiha." Dosu said with a smirk hidden under his bandages. "Originally, I would not be able to stand against the three of you. However, with this power granted to me by Orochimaru-sama, I am sure of my victory!"

Naruto let out a growl. "So that snake gave the mark to you too? Can't you see, he's just using you! Once you are of no use to him he's just going to throw you away like trash!"

Dosu remained silent, taking the Uzumaki's words into consideration. Perhaps, that was the case. But even if it was, it did not matter. At the moment, Dosu didn't know who he was. His allegiance with Orochimaru was all he had.

"Naruto." Gaara spoke up, catching the attention of the blond-haired boy. "It is pointless. He cannot be saved. He is merely another product of Orochimaru's brainwashing...another slave. What a pitiful guy."

Dosu's eye twitched at the insult. He didn't know, but something about that statement bothered him. Normally, he didn't take an opponent's trash talk too seriously, but this time was not of the norm.

"I am not just another pawn!" Dosu exclaimed, taking a battle stance, ready to charge. "I shall prove it to you all right here and now!"

In Another Area

Team 1 sat in the dull green forests of the desert. Their location was home to one of the only forests in the huge desert pit known as Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind). Fortunately, the hideout was concealed somewhere in the forest.

Kurenai felt confident in the Genin that she was given. Although she would have liked to have a tracker like Shino or Kiba or even one of the two Hyuga, this would work. Tactically, she thought that her group was very efficient. She had the help of Shikamaru, a newly promoted and very intelligent Chunin, Temari, who is quite smart herself. Ino, while not as smart as the other two, was not bad while Tenten's mastery in weapons would prove fruitful. Choji completed the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. Without one, the entire combo falls. Plus, the boy was the strongest physically out of everyone.

"Shikamaru, as I said before, if we were to get separated, it is your job to take point and lead your team." Kurenai advised her current subordinate, who gave a nod in response. "I can feel an intense killing intent in the air. Some very strong people are near."

As if on cue, Guren and Zaku appeared in front of the group. The male Oto ninja let out a malicious grin, immediately making a mad dash for the first Genin that caught his eye. This Genin was unfortunately Choji. Zaku had remembered the quick and easy defeat that the Akimichi had suffered against Dosu. He was a weak link, and the weak links must be dealt with.

However, despite his greatest attempt in eliminating Choji, his quick advance was halted abruptly by a hard kick to the stomach that threw him backwards. Zaku slammed his hand onto the ground, raising himself back to his feet as he scowled at the person who hit him.

"You bitch!" He cursed as he began to rush forwards, only to be stopped by the crystal blade of his fellow Oto nin.

"Idiot. Can't you see? Even with your mark you are still no match for a Jonin." Guren said simply as she laid her eyes on Kurenai, the being who had kicked Zaku. "I can tell...it's not much, but you've gotten faster since we last fought."

The Genjutsu Mistress narrowed her eyes. "I knew that we would be in battle again at some point. So I was training just for that moment. I'll be honest I didn't expect that rematch to be now…"

The Shoton user smirked, "Your snaky-friend can no longer help you now. I didn't get to finish what we started because of her. Now, we can get on with it without any interruptions."

Kurenai glanced at the Genin at her side, who stood with tense stances as they watched their enemies closely. Even in this situation, Kurenai could easily feel the nervousness that was coming off of Choji, Ino, and Tenten while facing Guren.

It's six people against two. She thought to herself. I am the only one who stands a chance against Guren. The others will be able to handle Zaku, but if things get bad I want to be close to help. In that case…

Kurenai removed a kunai from her pouch, gripping it tightly as she stared at both Zaku and Guren with focused eyes. "We'll have to defeat the both of you in order to get by."

"Oh please! Do you really think it's going to be that easy?" Guren questioned as black markings began to spread across Zaku's powering as the grin on his face grew even more.

Orochimaru's Curse Mark. Just like the one on Sasuke Uchiha...this will indeed be a hard fight to win. However, these odds aren't impossible. We still have a chance!

"You five, I'm counting on you to support me whenever I need help. For now, just focus on taking down the boy. I shall take care of Guren!"

"Yes mam!

It was Shikamaru the one who responded. Normally, he would refer to such things as a drag.

This time however, things were different...

During This Time

Neji gave his Jonin sensei a side glance. Over his year of being his pupil, Neji has come to understand the type of man Might Guy was. He had an overly determined mindset. One that would put even Naruto and Lee to shame.

Still, despite his idiotic demeanor and annoying attitude, Neji couldn't forget just how powerful Guy was. At full strength, he was most certainly one of the strongest in Konoha.

However, right now, something was different. Might Guy was not the overly eccentric man that Neji knew him to be. He seemed...deadly serious. In fact, if anything, he seemed very on edge. As if he was feeling a deadly presence in the air that only he and Kakashi could pick up. And if something could get Might Guy on edge, then it was definitely something big.

As a result of this fear, Neji immediately brought his hands in front of his face. Veins bulged around the edges of his eyes as Neji activated his dojutsu, using it to scan the area. Unfortunately, although his Byakugan was superior to Hinata's in combat prowess, his own visual power paled in comparison to hers when it came to range.

As he was right now, Neji could only see 50 meters max. As far as he was concerned, Hinata could see a kilometer, possibly a little farther.

Due to his handicap in range, it took a while for Neji to detect what most likely was leaving Kakashi and Guy in distress.

Two men…

That was it?

This is what made them so nervous? Neji thought curiously with a confused expression on his face.

"I assume you've seen them, right Neji?" Kakashi spoke up, startling the male Hyuga.

"Do you know them?" He asked in response with curiosity.

"One of them." Was the response he got. Kakashi turned to the rest of the Genin and spoke, "Listen up. The enemy's coming here are most likely not allies of Orochimaru. Regardless, that does not make them our allies. Be on guard. They are coming in this way."

"H-Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Kiba started with a concerned tone. "Are we in danger? Are those people strong?"

"Very strong." The response came from Guy this time.

"Yes." Kakashi stated his agreement. "One of them alone could take you all out. Guy and I are the only ones who stand a chance. And even then, our chances of victory may be slim…"

"But who is coming?" Kankuro interjected with his own question.

"Th-They're here…" Neji suddenly blurred out with a pale face. Seeing the Hyuga's face, the other Genin turned to where he was facing. They each saw two cloaked figures. One with a sword and another with raven-colored hair.

"We were right." Guy stated with a grim tone. "It is…"

Kakashi's only exposed eye crinkled. Out of all times for him to show his face, why now? This was the worst possible time.

"Yeah. It's him…"

So, he was a member of the organization Jiraiya had talked to him about. The organization that was potentially after Naruto. That was no doubt their purpose for being here. Either that, or possibly eradicating the traitor named Orochimaru.

He stared at the figure on his left. Cold red eyes bore into his soul. He had grown older since the last time he had seen him, but there was no doubt in his mind that it was the same person. A person who used to be his partner in the Anbu. A person responsible for the mass genocide of an entire clan…

"It's Itachi Uchiha…"

Hey, guys. I'm finally back, after like five months. Sorry that the chapter isn't long at all. I was just so lazy over the past couple of months and I got practically no work done. I was also sick for a little bit so that took quite a bit out of me as well.

Anyway, I could have done more, but I just wanted to post this chapter to let you guys know I'm still alive and kicking. All of the shit happening today is not going to stop me from writing this fic.

So, next chapter will be full of fighting as far as I'm concerned. It might take some time because I have to pick up on my plans for this fic and remember what I had planned and stuff. So, hope you guys can be patient for a bit.

Anyways, this was me, posting a chapter so you know I haven't abandoned this fic. Hope you guys enjoyed the short chapter.

Take care, goodbye!