Title: Daybreak
Chapter Title: Capture
Summary: Red clouds, take warning... bloodshed by morning. Akatsuki cloaks foretell nothing but disaster and misery, but even captured and severely injured, Naruto realizes there is no choice but to face them when he sees just who has joined their ranks.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters within, to my regret. Many thanks to the creator of the series, Masashi Kishimoto.
Warnings: Rated T for language, violence and some sexual content later on. Well, kind of T+. I don't believe it deserves a 'M' rating at this point, although it may rise later. There are also some spoilers for the manga in here, but nothing that the anime won't cover within the next two or three months.

Author's Note: I should be working on Rifts, but this is what happens when I try to focus on just one thing =P.

Reviews are appreciated, and I very much hope you enjoy this! :)

Daybreak

Chapter 1

"We could kill him. Nobody would know – we'll just weight his body and dump it in the river. He'd be reported as a missing-nin."

"Fuck that. Just slit his throat and leave him as a warning for the others not to bother us."

Watery, far away voices washed over Naruto as he swam sluggishly into consciousness, each syllable accompanied by an intense, pulsing ache in his skull.

"You can't do that, idiot! We don't want to be followed!"

"What, like we can't take on a bunch of wimpy losers from Konoha? Get real, Karin. You're just afraid that pretty-boy is gonna be pissed 'cause you let some weakling genin sneak up on you."

"What?! Listen up, you stupid bas-"

The sounds of a scuffle followed, the annoying voices drowned out by the crashing of heavy objects against gods knew what. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and focused on his breathing as what felt like a massive sledgehammer slammed into his temple in a daunting rhythm. Focus, focus, he needed to concentrate on what was happening. Start with touch. He was lying on his side on a cold stone floor, his hands tied tightly behind his back and head throbbing every time his heart beat. The left side of his face felt sticky and stiff – obviously dried blood, and most likely his own.

So far, it seemed like he was royally screwed.

Sound. There were at least two people in the room, arguing intensely. As the voices raised in pitch and began to hurl much more vulgar insults at each other, he tried to shift his hands, only to receive a sharp, jabbing pain as blood rushed back into them and tiny needles stung his fingertips. Trying to wriggle free was useless – some bastard obviously knew what he was doing when it had been tied.

Akatsuki? The idea of being captured by them made his blood run cold, but as far as he knew they were extremely competent – and certainly not prone to being surprised by a large, loud group of chuunin...

"You were supposed to be on lookout duty! What were you doing back there, anyways, fondling your sword?!" The first voice (Karin, he supposed) was obviously female, obnoxiously high pitched and thrumming with indignation.

"It's hardly my fault that you can't even defend yourself against a gangly kid from Konoha, you goddamn bitch! If Juugo hadn't been here, you'd be dead! Why are you even on this team?" This one was male, drawling and sounding both irritated and vaguely amused with the situation at the same time. Naruto envisioned a boy slightly older than him, with Kiba's smirk and Shikamaru's general apathy.

Remembering his comrades made him squirm suddenly. What was he doing here, anyways? All he hazily remembered was bursting into the fortress library, stacks of scrolls piled past his head, and seeing a woman rifling through them with fevered intensity. Then a heavy impact on the side of his head, and... nothing.

The mission.

Something went wrong with the mission. Something had happened, something that made Shikamaru order them all to break up, find the intruders before...

(before...?)

A stream of images from the past few days (green eyes smiling/bright streak of red across pale Hyuuga skin/frantic orders from squad leaders), flashed across his eyes, but he couldn't remember between the bickering voices and the deep throb of his temples. Naruto didn't dare open his eyes – they might notice he was awake, and that particular path probably ended with his body in the river. How had he been caught off guard like that – so unprepared that someone had managed to sneak up behind up him? He bit his lip harshly to avoid growling in frustration. The worst thing was that these guys were probably way weaker than him, and he was still in a position that could kill him if he wasn't careful.

"At least we have the scroll now, no thanks to you-"

A final twist of his hands against the rough rope convinced the blond that there was no escape that way. He chanced opening his eyes to slits, but could see only the plane of a tile floor, with no immediate weapons in sight. Shadowy figures were moving in the opposite corner of the room, but he didn't dare open his eyes any wider in case of detection. This was bad. No hands meant no jutsu, no jutsu meant hand to hand fighting in his possibly critically injured condition, and that meant there was absolutely no way he was getting out of this without the Kyuubi.

Ain't gonna be Hokage is this keeps up, you loser, Naruto thought to himself disgustedly and began to reach far down into his mind, searching for the elusive and explosively powerful chakra that would allow him to break free.

"Guys. Stop, please." This voice was much deeper and pleasant-sounding, but with an underlying current that indicated the request wasn't really a request at all. "Fighting will get us nowhere."

The other two voices promptly ceased, and huffy silence reigned for a moment before the voice spoke again, gently. "Blame can be assigned later. First, we have to figure out what to do with the prisoner. I... think that killing him might be a bad a idea."

"Well, he is from Konoha. In case you've forgotten, that's kind of who we're targeting at the moment." The other male said bitingly, and Naruto listened intently through the haze of pain in his mind, the first threads of power beginning to snake through his veins. Who the hell were these people?

"We also need information, though. Like why Konoha knew we were heading for the library, and how much they know about our motives and movements. Our leader might want to interrogate him."

Crap crap crap. Well, definitely not Akatsuki, then, if they didn't know who he was. The idea would have been comforting, had they not been calmly discussing how best to dispose of him. The Kyuubi chakra began to pour faster into his body, and Naruto tightened his muscles in preparation to break his bonds. His unknown captors would have the advantage, of course – three against one were never great odds, but the alternative was either death, or probably torture and then death. Besides, Naruto Uzumaki had faced much greater odds... and had come out laughing.

"Juugo, we have a problem." The woman named Karin said suddenly, the shrillness gone from her voice. "The prisoner's chakra... it's changing." She sounded worried, and light footsteps began to click across the tiles towards Naruto. His newly heightened senses quivered, and he could smell the perfume applied delicately to her neck, could feel the exact distance between her delicate feet and the sharp definition of his deadly hands. He flexed his newly renewed wrists behind him, and the ropes broke silently as he directed a sharp stream of red chakra at them. Blood lust sang through his veins, the same primal hunger for battle that always came with using the power of the Jinchuuriki. The pain of his battered body faded into the background, replaced by a rush of adrenaline. She'd be close enough to kill in three steps.

Two steps.

One.

Naruto sprang to all fours, opened his eyes, and barely registered a shock of bright red hair before he launched himself at the woman. Surprise flickered across her face, and she raised an arm to ward him off, but it was too late, and her throat was in his grasp even as her other hand rose with a knife and slit open his calf-

A sudden force across his face caused him to fly into the wall, and as a jarring impact shot through his shoulder, Naruto whirled to confront one of the biggest men he had ever seen. This must be Juugo, with wild orange hair and a dark look in his eyes. All his senses said enemy, and he gathered his chakra close to himself and expelled it in a sudden burst, causing everything over four feet high to be knocked to the ground, including a scrawny young man in the corner, who jumped to his feet with a scowl, hand reaching behind him for a sword that looked strangely familiar...

"Don't let him get away!" He shouted, flinging two kunai in Naruto's direction. The blond easily dodged and lunged forward to tackle the woman, who was in the middle of a complex jutsu. The new injury in his leg suddenly twinged, though, causing him to stumble as Juugo's massive arm knocked into him and pinned him against the wall. Naruto looked up to see an equally huge fist headed right towards his face. One hit from that and he was gone. Desperately, he kicked upwards with both legs and managed to knock Juugo's hand off course. It smashed into the wall an inch beside his head and blew the solid rock to smithereens. Naruto writhed under the man's grasp, crossing his fingers in a familiar gesture.

"Hold him still!" Karin yelled, fingertips glowing with a sickly-green chakra, and Juugo's fingers tightened around Naruto's neck.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto roared before his air supply was cut off, and gave a feral grin at the man's shocked expression as six more solid hundred and fifty pound clones infused with Kyuubi chakra leaped at him and Karin. The grip on his throat loosened as three clones attacked Juugo from behind, snarling viciously. Naruto slipped out of his grasp and directed chakra to his feet, running up the side of the wall and crouching to assess the situation while his assailants were busy with the clones. He almost winced when he saw the condition of his copies – one of the limitations of his jutsu was that they appeared in the same condition as him. The side of his face was scraped raw, steadily oozing blood, and he thought he could see a darker gash running from his temple into his hairline. The left pantleg of each clone was soaked in dark blood. Their movements were sluggish, too, even with the extra chakra, and they were quickly being dispatched by Juugo and Karin. He was obviously in bad condition, and by the looks of it, his captors were aiming to kill.

In short, it was time to get the hell out of here. Naruto's eyes darted around until he saw a wooden door in the opposite corner of the room. Excellent. All he would have to do was run across the ceiling...

His leg muscles tensed to make the dash, blood spurting from the gash received from Karin, but sudden cold steel pressing against his throat stopped him.

"Go on. I dare you." The third man's silky voice whispered into his ear, and before Naruto could turn around and punch him in the face (where the hell did he come from??), the hilt of a kunai hit him in the same damaged spot on his head, and he sank into unconsciousness.

aaa

"For god's sake, Suigetsu, he's not going bite you. Let him wake up. I've suppressed his chakra for now. The little bastard isn't going anywhere." A weary, high-pitched voice pierced Naruto's skull like a drill. There was a scream of metal as something heavy was moved away from his head.

"Fine." The man he presumed to be Suigetsu hissed, and Naruto groaned as a foot slammed into his ribs. "Get up."

"Go to hell, buddy." Naruto managed through gritted teeth, opening his eyes to slits. Three faces swam into view – Karin, with a long scratch down the side of one face and a sour expression, Juugo, frowning disapprovingly at something, and Suigetsu, with violet eyes and a nasty smile. The latter grinned, baring two rows of pointed teeth as he sheathed a giant sword on his back.

"I will someday, you can count on that. But not quite yet. Rise and shine, princess."

Naruto struggled onto one elbow, a difficult task now that his hands were tied again, and spat blood onto the ground, taking a quick glance around before the light pained his head. The room was gone... they were now in a forest clearing, with the afternoon sun high in the sky. It was a beautiful day – a huge difference from the storm clouds that had stretched for miles and had shown no signs of passing when he had started the mission. With dismay, he realized that he had no idea how long he had been unconscious.

"What..." Naruto began, and stopped as a dry pain shot through his throat. The pressure from Juugo's hands had been strong – he could feel a burning welt forming on the area under his jaw. "What do you want with me?" He choked out after a second, fingers curling into the ground. Plan B, since A had so obviously failed: find out what the hell they wanted, then go Kyuubi and run like hell.

"Information." Karin said, running a finger down the long cut on her face.

"Fuck you." Naruto coughed, the taste of copper coating his teeth. Through his squint, he thought he saw her smirk.

"Face it – you're in a bad situation. Either you can tell us what we want to know now, or we can torture you first, and then you can tell us." She smiled softly, eyes glinting. "Trust me, there's no way you'll be getting away this time."

"I'm not telling you anything!" Naruto snarled, the words coming out twisted and harsh through his constricted throat passage. With a mental shove he threw open the doors of his mind, ready to receive the hot, twisting chakra of the demon sealed in his stomach.

But none came. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt a tangible barrier between him and even his normal chakra – the power was just there, barely beyond his reach, seething beneath an alien surface that repelled all blows he tried to land on it. "What're you-" He focused his glare on Karin, whose face was drawn but satisfied. Her smirk only widened.

"I've suppressed your chakra – and I have to say, I'm impressed by how much you have. But it won't due you any good now. As long as I'm conscious and close by you, you won't even be able to walk on water."

Naruto stared at her, the first tingle of fear starting in his fingertips.

(not possible... only a Sharingan...!)

Karin laughed, red hair flowing prettily in the breeze. She sounded just like Sakura after besting him at training, but the difference between the two women could not have been greater. Bracing his entire body, Naruto leaped forward, unable to use his arms because of the bindings, but lashing out with his feet. As Suigetsu shouted in surprise and reached forward to grab him, Naruto's heel crashed into her nose, an audible crack sounding throughout the clearing. Then Juugo's spade-like hands were grasped firmly around his shoulders, and Suigetsu's arm was reaching out in a vicious backhand across his face, and his world exploded with pain.

When he shook himself into consciousness a few minutes later, voices were hurling fast paced words at each other again around him.

"This is a waste of time. Let's get moving."

"Are you kidding?!" Karin's voice sounded blocked somehow, and Naruto opened his eyes with satisfaction to see blood leaking out through her fingers as green healing chakra surrounded her face. "Juugo, carrying this kid around is what's a waste of time. Let's get the goddamn info out of him and dump the body. We can cover our tracks after that."

"Yeah, we can all see how successful your interrogation was." Suigetsu snapped, fingers drumming against the hilt of his sword..

"Hey, it's only because of me that he's out of commission for battle. If I hadn't developed the suppression jutsu, you'd probably be dead." Karin removed her hands from her face, revealing her repaired nose and shooting a venomous glare at Naruto.

Suigetsu scowled. "Yeah, yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Come on, we don't have all day." He rounded on Juugo. "Look, I'd love to spend the time playing with knives to get it out of him, I really would, but currently we have about ten Konoha shinobi on our trail who all seem to want this loser back. There's no time to sit around talking. Let's just take him to pretty-boy. He'll be able to get any information we need out of this one."

"No, we shouldn't bother him with something as trivial as this." Karin put in worriedly, and Naruto noted with a hint of satisfaction that this group's teamwork was worse than Team 7's had been at the start of their training. "You know how his temper gets sometimes, especially after-" She cut herself off, with a sideways glance at Naruto.

Juugo was quiet for a minute. Finally, he unfolded himself from his cross-legged position and stood. "Karin, how far away are the Konoha shinobi?"

The woman put a finger to her lips, eyes searching blindly through the treetops. "Half an hour." Reluctantly, she added, "I could cover our trail if I had too, but along with the chakra-repressing jutsu, I won't be able to do much more than crawl."

"Well, we could always leave you behind." Suigetsu suggested hopefully.

Juugo held up a massive hand to quell the resulting argument. "The information could be important, and I'd prefer not to use torture in any case." He looked down at Naruto's form dispassionately. The blond held his breath. "We'll take him back to the base. I'll carry him, since you left him in no state to even walk." With this, he frowned at Suigetsu. The latter put up his hands defensively.

"Hey, is it my fault that neither of you pussies could take him out in the fort? I just wanted to make sure he didn't run away again."

One of Juugo's eyelids flicked with irritation, and he added dryly, "And since you're so capable, you can have the honor of carrying Karin."

Naruto decided that despite having nearly choked him to death, he rather liked Juugo.

"Oh hell no." Suigetsu and Karin said at the simultaneously, glaring at each other. Naruto had to bite back a laugh, despite the unpromising situation and pain flowing through his body. At this rate, his friends would catch up to them in no time. His mirth soon subsided, though, as Juugo loomed over them both. Although the giant maintained a gentle tone, there was something sharp and sinister just beneath it.

"Listen up, you two. The only reason I was put in charge of this operation was because you two are extremely volatile when working together, which is almost laughable considering my own situation. Now, every moment away from the base and the person who can keep me under control is one more moment that I could potentially kill all of you without a second thought. So. Suigetsu, carry her and stop complaining. Karin, cover our trail and keep suppressing his chakra." Juugo reached down and flipped Naruto over his shoulder with a grunt. Naruto hissed in pain and gritted his teeth. From a few feet away, he could hear the rustle of clothing as Karin was hoisted onto Suigetsu's back, the latter muttering under his breath.

"And he calls us volatile. Why the hell did dickwad sent us out here with him, anyways? What happens if he turns all curse-marky on us?"

Naruto strained to hear the rest of the conversation as Juugo and Suigetsu leaped into the trees and began to run so fast the the world was a green blur. Fortunately, his hearing and eyesight had only improved over the years... to the point where Sakura had examined them thoroughly out of concern and announced that it must be the influence of the Kyuubi. Even now, with the wind rushing through his ears and the slow, deep breaths of the man carrying him, snatches of conversation reached him.

"It's risky, but I can suppress his chakra too, if I have to." Karin whispered, adding reproachfully, "And don't call him dickwad! Or pretty-boy. He has a name, you know."

"Gosh, thanks for enlightening me. I had no idea."

"You really are a total dick."

"At least I have one, unlike your precious Sas- arrg! You goddamn bitch, those don't grow back! Stop that or I'll drop you all fifty feet to the ground!"

Juugo sighed, glancing over his shoulder as they continued to bicker, but said nothing. Naruto gave him a weak nudge and said with a bloody grin, "It's like they're made for each other, eh?"

The giant snorted. "It's occurred to me before, but they'd probably kill each other before the week was out."

"It looks like they might do that anyways. Are you like the only sane one in the group or something?" Naruto asked, and was surprised when Juugo burst into peals of (bitter?) laughter. Slung over his back, the blond could feel his chest buzzing with the sound until Juugo calmed down, with the occasional chuckle slipping past his lips.

"You're the one who's insane, little boy. Surely you know that one of us is likely to kill you before the day is out. Why are you even talking to me?"

Naruto frowned through his haze of pain. "I'm bored, and there's nothing I can do about this whole thing right now." Juugo made a disbelieving sound, and Naruto gave a small shrug against his back. "My friends will come kick your ass in a few minutes anyways."

"We'll see about that." Juugo muttered with a hint of a smile, and looked sideways to the disgruntled Karin and grinning Suigetsu. "Are our tracks covered?"

She gave a terse nod. "Nobody will be coming this way for quite some time." Naruto's heart plummeted through his ribcage, and as they continued to discuss various tactics to stay hidden, grimly debated his chances of escaping. Viewed from any angle, they were slim – with that bitch repressing his chakra and serious damage to most of his body, he was as helpless After several minutes, he had noticed that there was no feeling in his left leg, where Karin's knife had gashed him. Poison? And above it all, every movement sent a shriek of pain through his head... Naruto doubted that he'd be able to run more more than ten minutes without keeling over. He tried again to reach his chakra, feel the tingling sensation of power through his veins, but was met with only harsh resistance. Karin glanced at him fiercely, as if feeling the attempt.

"Stop that, idiot. It's no use."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her, and hurled his will against the jutsu, feeling the shield between him and his chakra bend and flex under the pressure. Karin blanched, face draining of blood. A muscle twitched in her jaw as Naruto felt the separation snap back into place, and he noted with interest how her body sagged against Suigetsu's after the replenishing.

"Do that again and you won't wake up for a week." She hissed.

"What, scared I'll break through?" Naruto taunted, blood beading on his cracked lips as he smiled at her worried expression. A sudden rush hit his head, though, making it spin. The attempt had drained what little energy he had left, and making sure to keep the confident smile in place, he resolved to try it again when she wasn't expecting it.

"Knock it off." Juugo sighed at them both. "Karin, save your energy. He's not a threat at the moment. And kid... she's not joking, either, so you shut up too."

Naruto leaned his chin on Juugo's shoulder and spoke into his ear. "Hey, you still didn't answer my question. Are you secretly crazy or something?"

"Aren't we all?" The giant chuckled. "No offense, but you don't seem to be all there either. Provoking any of us isn't a great idea."

"Forgive me for not sitting down and taking it." Naruto said bitingly. "I can handle whatever you throw at me."

Juugo shook his head in disbelief. "That kind of talk would get you chosen for the next experiment where I'm from."

"And where's that?" Naruto tilted his head, the pressure in his head making the action taxing.

His captor didn't answer for a minute, and had slipped into a colder tone of voice when he actually did. "That's irrelevant. I shouldn't be talking to a prisoner. Go to sleep, little boy."

"Fine, fine, gotta act tough. Don't worry, I understand... have a good friend who's just like that, actually... won't understand that you don't have to do everything alone..." Naruto made no more attempts at conversation, and soon fell into a light sleep that was punctuated by the throbbing of his head and the occasional jolt from landing too hard on a branch.

aaa

Naruto woke for the third time that... (day? week? who knew?) with a raging thirst as his captors took a short break in another, almost identical clearing. He had been pushed roughly against a tree, hands still tied against his back.

"Water." He heard himself croak involuntarily, but forced himself to say nothing more. Either they would give it to him, or they wouldn't. No use in begging or threatening.

To his surprise, he felt someone lift a canister to his lips, and opened his eyes to see a weary-looking Juugo holding a small cup to his mouth. Naruto drank greedily, rivulets sliding down his chin, and nodded a small thanks. He thought he saw Juugo smile in return, but wasn't sure.

"You shouldn't do that." Suigetsu scowled from his backpack, rubbing his neck and tossing Karin a packet of food. "You'll only strengthen him for interrogation."

"Just look at him, Su. The poor guy's had it." Juugo reprimanded softly, and nudged Naruto's shoulder. "What's your name, anyways, kid?"

Naruto coughed, and said with a hint of his usual pride, "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Suigetsu whirled from rummaging through his pack, a strange gleam in his eye. "Naruto? Really? As in, the one the Naruto Bridge is named after?" When the blond nodded hesitantly, the violet-eyed man burst into loud laughter, leaning against a tree as he shook with amusement.

"What's so funny?" Naruto demanded as Suigetsu grasped at a branch, doubling over as he was wracked with laughter.

"Oh, man, that is too rich... of all the shinobi in Konoha, we happen to pick up Naruto Uzumaki... what are the odds... oh, he's gonna love this..." He broke into a wide grin.

"What the hell are you on, Suigetsu?" Karin sneered from her own tree, dark circles under her eyes. "Who is this kid?"

"Would you people stop calling me that! You're only like a year older than me!" Naruto growled, and was promptly ignored by everyone.

"Oh, he's no one important..." Suigetsu replied, eyes practically dancing with glee. "Let's go. I want to see the reaction when we get back to headquarters."

Juugo shook his head in a resigned way and hoisted Naruto onto his back, the blond protesting loudly. "Well, let's get going then. Move out, everyone." He glanced at Karin. "And make sure you don't fall asleep. We don't want the suppression jutsu to end."

"Don't worry... I'll take care of it." Suigetsu grinned menacingly, looking like he was having the time of his life as Karin shrieked her displeasure.

aaa

Naruto had no idea how long they traveled through forest after identical forest, but it was at least several hours later before his captors began to slow, eventually coming to a direct halt at the edge of the forest, where a small stone hut was nestled between to gigantic oak trees. A stream babbled aimlessly nearby, and dappled evening sun shone through the branches of the surrounding trees, bathing the area in warm light. It might have even been picturesque, Naruto decided, if they weren't going to try and kill him in that very same hut soon. The notion was decidedly worrying, especially since Karin had reported that the Konoha shinobi had lost their trail, but Naruto resisted the onset of fear that ate at his stomach. He had been in worse fixes, he reminded himself, although he was hard pressed to think of them at the moment. If all else failed, well... as distasteful as they were, Naruto had methods to restore his chakra. The seal could always be loosened, even though he shuddered at the thought of the demon invading more of his mind.

It wasn't a great plan, and the consequences would be dire, but really... what other choice did he have?

His thoughts were interrupted as Juugo swung him off his shoulders and placed him gently on the ground.

"Can you walk?" The man said briskly, though in a rather kind way. Naruto shrugged, taken aback by the tone.

"Only one way to find out." He said with a wink, took a step forward, and fell flat on his face into the soft grass before the hut. Juugo chuckled softly (...the hell? aren't you supposed to be breaking my arms or something?) and slid his arms under Naruto, lifting him up. Karin was not receiving such careful treatment – Suigetsu dumped her unceremoniously on the ground and stormed into the hut, muttering under his breath. She stood up and dusted herself off, swaying a bit in the chilly air.

"Are you alright?" Juugo asked, the same concerned tone permeating his voice.

"I'm fine." She snapped tersely. "Let's just get inside."

Heavily supported by Juugo – almost like a friend, what a weird situation – Naruto was half dragged, half carried over the wooden threshold of the hut...

...dumped on the floor in front of a sickeningly familiar black cloak with red clouds...

...(they're Akatsuki after all oh shit I'm gonna die)...

...and then quietly captured by the pale, hardened face of Sasuke Uchiha.

Hope you enjoyed! 'Till next time, then :)