Geez, my chapter titles are starting to sound like the anime titles.

A/N—8/17/09: Ohohohohohohoho. =) You all probably want to shoot me now, don't you?

Actually, for once, I DO in fact, have a reason this time.

When I was in the middle of writing this chapter. I was tired so I took a break. The next day my sister tried to play Fiesta (Online MMORPG) and clicked on, "Open with: Internet Explorer".

I don't know how, but this made ALL, and I mean, ALL programs "open with" Internet Explorer.

Nothing worked. AT ALL. And this includes Internet Explorer. (WTF!?)

Anyways, I've made this super-long chapter for all of you.

After this, it'll be moving along quite nicely with the title.

Oh yeah, and I'm leaving all of my original notes in here. It's too much of a hassle to change anything.

Chapter 10- Secret Base Uncovered! Hinata are you here?

*IT HAS BEEN TWO HOURS AND TWENTY-THREE MINUTES SINCE THE LAST WORD WAS SPOKEN*

But let us go back, two hours and twenty-two minutes to the point where the new ruler of the land of Clouds uttered the words, "tailed beast".

"WHAT!?" Tsunade exclaimed after hearing the words of a Jinchurikki. "Why did you keep this information to yourself for so long?!"

"I didn't think much of it," Idase replied. "I just thought that it was some crazy cult trying to create some stronger entity. We've had these types of things in the past."

Tsunade was about to say something, but the next thing that Idase said blew her mind to bits.

"And plus," Idase continued. "There's no such thing as a tailed beast."

After he said that, Tsunade sat at the table with an expression of pure flabbergastedness, as Idase sat drinking his cup.

Tsunade said nothing for a long time. She was secretly thinking,

Does he not know about the attack on Konoha twelve years ago?

"Idase…" Tsunade spoke, getting his attention back towards her instead of his tea.

Tsunade then gave him a menacing glare. "How old are you?"

"Huh? Uhm… 19 years old…" He said while still drinking his tea.

"And, where have you lived during your life?" Tsunade continued.

"When I was really young, I lived somewhere in The Tea Country. Then, when I turned six, my mother took me across borders into the Honey Country," Idase paused to pour his tea into his cup. "Then, she disappeared one day when I was eight, and never came back. I just started travelling and roaming the countries until I finally settled down in the Land of Lightning when I was ten."

Idase started to drink again.

"I eventually came across Kumogakure and started living there. Since I had to steal things when I was roaming, I was pretty good at moving around and not being noticed. I knew all of the inner workings, business, government, and people by the time I turned seventeen."

He started to twirl his hair around his finger. He was obviously getting bored with telling the Hokage about his past life.

"Last year, our inner workings decided to choose a new Kage, because the one that we had now, was getting pretty old. They held a type of written test, and then a battle royale for the ones who had passed. Apparently, I was appointed the Kage. I don't even remember how I did it either. It seems so long ago."

After that, Idase paused for a long time. He was probably expecting Tsunade to say or ask something. When nothing came out of her mouth, he continued to speak.

"I didn't know until a few weeks ago about the secret war that was happening right under my nose. That's why it took so long for an alliance to be signed," he paused. "Sorry about that!" Then he gave a type of grin that Naruto usually gave everyone.

Tsunade finally thought that this was a good time to speak.

"I thought you knew about all the inner workings?" It was stated, more than it was a question.

"That was when I was sneaking around. When you're in a bigger room, you tend to lose track of things," Idase spoke in return.

"Uh…" Idase faltered. "Why did you want to know my age and where I lived before?" he asked.

Tsunade then looked up from drinking her cup. She stared at him directly in the eye, then said, "Because, Idase-sama," she set her cup down. "Tailed Beasts exist."

Idase's face was one of defence.

"What!? There' s no way?!" He argued, though he sounded unsure of himself.

"Have you seen a really loud and annoying blonde boy walking around, lately?" Tsunade asked him squarely.

"Huh? You mean the kid with the whiskers?" Idase regained his composure. "Yeah, I've seen him. Why do you ask?"

Tsunade looked around to make sure no one would be able to hear the rulers speak.

"That boy has the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit sealed inside of him."

Idase's face changed rapidly from one of protection, to one of complete and utter astonishment.

"What? That kid? No way!" He stuttered.

"Twelve years ago, the Nine-Tailed Fox Demon attacked Konoha. To save this village, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Demon into a new-born child, who's umbilical cord had been freshly cut." Tsunade informed.

"Ugh, don't say those things when we're in a restaurant. It makes one lose their appetite," Idase complained.

"Too bad," Tsunade retorted.

"Anyways, I asked you those questions, because I wanted to know why you didn't believe in Tailed-Beasts. If you were nowhere near this area, it makes sense. If you had been near here, then I probably would've taken you in for some more questioning."

"Pft. All my work, and you still suspect me?" Idase asked crossly.

"I suspect everyone who went to the festival, everyone who was associated with Hinata or any of the Hyuga's during that time period, and everyone who came into Konoha during the celebration."

It was quiet for a moment, then one of the two spoke.

"Thank-you for your honesty," Idase replied whole-heartedly. He lifted his cup. "I think I'm beginning to understand the outer workings of my village now."

"Hmph. I see."

Tsunade also lifted her cup and finished all the tea that was inside of it.

She then put her hand into her robe and then pulled out a bottle of sake.

"You know that you're not allowed to bring your own alcohol into public restaurants, right?" Idase asked as he finished his own cup.

"I'm the Hokage. I do what I want," she replied, pouring some sake into Idase's and her own cup.

"Now," she said hiding the sake again. "I'd like to ask some more questions."

"Fire away, ma'am," he said while bringing his cup to his face.

A/N: Again, this next part was originally supposed to be a part of chapter 11. But, considering chapter titles and the fact that people are getting impatient with me, made me decide to combine chapter 11 with chapter 10. So, I hope you enjoy!

"Arf!" Akamaru howled.

"Kiba! How far away are we from Hinata?" Naruto yelled.

Kiba, Naruto, and Akamaru had been on Hinata's trail for almost 2 hours. Every second made them anxious and even more worried that they hadn't reached where Hinata was located.

"Hey! Akamaru!" Kiba shouted to his canine companion.

Akamaru sniffed the air and gave a resounding "bark!" to alert Kiba of his answer.

Kiba perked up, then he turned his head to face Naruto who was in the back of him.

"We're really close! Maybe 10 minutes away!"

"Yes! We're almost there!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Wait for us, Hinata…" Kiba mumbled under his breath.

"Huh? Kiba did you say something?" Naruto asked.

"What? Oh, uh, no, nothing…"

"How far are we, Neji?" Shikamaru asked as he led the squad of eight genin.

"Time-wise, about 15 or 20 minutes away."

"Shit! We might be cutting this too close…"

"It can't be helped, Shikamaru," Ino said. "Besides, Naruto and Kiba are way up ahead of us."

"Yeah, that's right!" Sakura agreed, "We shouldn't need to worry!"

"Naruto is irrational, and Kiba won't be able to think clearly if something goes wrong," Shino said. "Neither of them will be able to keep control of their actions.

"But, why would either of them go out of control?" Sakura asked questioningly.

"Remember what I said before?" Neji said, joining in on the conversation.

"Hinata-sama was kidnapped 9 years ago. These are the same people who kidnapped her before," Neji continued. "These people kidnapped her because they wanted the secret to the Byakugan. Since they've decided to try this again, they really want the Byakugan…"

No one liked where this was going.

"They'll do whatever it takes to get it. Even if that means murdering her," Neji concluded.

An uneasy silence followed.

He said murdered instead of killed… TenTen thought, stating in her mind.

TenTen looked over towards Neji and stared at the back of his head.

This must be very hard on him. He probably wanted to go with Kiba and Naruto. TenTen continued to think. Neji…

"Huh?" Neji said aloud.

"What? Did you find something Neji?" Shikamaru asked.

"I see something, I think that it's the base…"

Neji's eyes widened.

"WHAT THE…"

"What? What is it Neji?" Ino asked rather loudly, with concern in her voice.

"We need to hurry!" Neji shouted, picking up his pace.

"What did you see?" Shikamaru shouted to Neji, for he was going pretty far ahead of the group.

Neji stayed silent.

"Neji! What did you see?!" Shikamaru asked again, but louder.

"I saw…" Neji paused. "Where Hinata-sama was…"

Gasps and Uneasiness were felt and heard throughout the group.

"I can't explain much, but, all I know is that whatever they're about to do to Hinata-sama, they're going to do it soon…"

The group stayed in stunned silence.

"Everyone," Shikamaru started, catching the group's attention "pick up your pace."

Just then, Kiba, Naruto, and Akamaru were only 30 seconds away from the door of the hideout.

"Urgh!" Kiba grunted.

"What's wrong Kiba?"

"I smell something extremely foul…" Kiba answered while holding his arm up to his nose.

Akamaru also seemed to be affected by the smell.

*whimper…* Akamaru cried.

"Akamaru smells it too. What is it Kiba?" Naruto questioned.

"It…smells…like…"

"like…?"

"A mixture. Of person."

" 'Of person'?" Naruto asked, a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

"Yeah… It's REALLY strong, and foul…" Kiba explained in a forced voice. "UGH!"

"Kiba! How far are we!?" Naruto yelled.

Kiba paused before answering. "We're…here."

As they finally broke free from the endless trees, a building came into view.

The sunlight shining on it gave it a paisley yellow-ish color. The roof was slanted, and it seemed that the rest of the building was under the earth.

There were also two guards where a metal door was.

Both of them adorned the Kumo headband.

Both of the young Konoha Warriors and the animal partner, came out of the treetops and out of sight faster than the eye could blink.

One of the guards looked up. "Did you hear something?"

"No." the other guard replied. "The heat must be getting to—"

"Huh? 'to'…?" the original ninja replied, turning to face the other guard.

But his partner wasn't there.

"Hey!" He yelled out, pulling out a kunai. "This isn't funny!"

"You're right." A voice said from behind him.

"It's not." Another.

The two genin took out the guard just as they had to the one before, and he was out like a light.

"Let's go," Kiba said.

"Yeah." Naruto replied.

As Kiba put his hand on the door, he felt a small vibration. Ignoring it, he opened the door all the way.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream came from the inside of the dark staircase that went down, further and further into many black shadows.

The voice belonged to a kunoichi.

One that was very timid and shy.

The two boys at the top of the staircase instantly ran into the dark, save for their quick pause from the scream, to the source of the voice, yelling the kunoichi's name as they ran.

The trailing group heard a scream as well, then it died down.

This was result of the door closing, as Neji saw.

Neji and Shino voiced who everyone was thinking of on their minds.

"HINATA!"

The two instantly sped up, mere minutes away from the entrance. The rest of the group instantly followed, also keeping pace.

"Neji!" shouted the chunin. "What do you see?!" He commanded.

"Naruto and Kiba have gone into the building." Neji said with a quick and hasty tone.

"They took out the two guards at the door, and are getting rid of the rest, on the way down the stairs of the building." He continued.

"There are a lot of rooms they are passing, but they're getting close to where Hinata-sama is."

"Do you see Hinata?"

"I can't. Only glimpses every now and then. She's in pain, and they seem to have a protective barrier up."

"EVERYONE HURRY UP!" A loud voice boomed through the group.

Everyone was shocked at who the owner of the voice was.

Shino, the normally quiet and solitude person, had yelled at everyone to move faster.

He was starting to crack. His teammate was in danger and he had decided to do the responsible thing and stay with the group instead of the reckless thing that he now wish he had done before.

Without a second thought, everyone followed his command.

They were less than two minutes away from the door.

Just as Neji had said, Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru were making their way down the corridor at an alarming, lightning-quick rate, taking out other ninja on their route to their goal.

"Here!" Kiba confirmed halting just before turning into another hallway.

The three of them turning, could hear the scream louder and louder, as well as, to their horror, "other" sounds, many of which were difficult to describe.

Running through the hallway, they passed many metal doors, reinforced with heavy locks. One of these rooms held Hinata and it wasn't exactly difficult to see which one it was.

Akamaru barked at the only door which had notable sounds of pain and torture behind it, Kiba and Naruto both yelling in unison at the door, as if expecting it to open at the sounds of their voices. As they were about to make impact, the first door on ground level was thrown open at the timing and precision of TenTen throwing explosion tags by order of Shikamaru as they were within sight of the heavy metal.

They went through the door with precision one-by-one with Neji and Shino leading the group. Ignoring the stairs, they simply fell through the space which there were no stairs apparent. The rest of the group either followed suit, ran down, or bounced off the walls.

As they all individually fought the remaining ninja that Kiba, Naruto, and Akamaru hadn't cared to fight with, using their unique ninja techniques and fighting abilities, Shino, using his bugs to make an instant path, and Neji, using his Byakugan to map out the fastest route to where he could vaguely tell where Hinata was located, made a straight path to their own goal. This goal, where Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru were all beating up on the door.

"Akamaru, get ready!" Kiba ordered to his partner as they backed away from the door several feet.

Akamaru gave a confirming bark, and Kiba yelled out his signature moves in order.

"Man-Beast Clone Jutsu!" Akamaru changing into a clone of Kiba, was immediately in position for the next technique Kiba shouted out. "Gatsuuga!!!!"

Each of the Inuzukas, moved at an accelerated speed in the movement of a drill, heading on a dead-pan path to the door. The force of them hitting the door lasted for a full five seconds, in which the door cracked in several places from one point of pressure. On the last agonizing moment, the door sherked open, being wringed off its hinges, and the two Inuzukas barreled in followed by the fox-boy.

The dog and the owner finished their signature move as Akamaru transformed back into his original form, both landing on their feet withholding the sight they both saw.

Naruto ran in between both of them, stopping short of his energetic run as he looked at the scene before him.

The two other males who had followed furiously, finally hit ground floor and were led to the path where they only saw the three figures standing still with the howling scream still going on. Confused and running on masses of andrenaline, ran to where they were.

As Shino saw the reason for lack of movement, he fell to his knees staring in disbelief. Neji slowing his pace, also saw the reason, and eventually moved to a stop.

At this point a Kumo ninja fell to the ground with a grunt, followed by TenTen, Shikamaru, Choji, Sasuke, and Sakura and Ino by stairs. While they had landed or stepped on the last step, Naruto had slowly walked into the room closer towards the scream reaching his hand out slowly.

As the rest of the team headed into the room Sakura asked the question, "What's wrong everyone? Why did you all stop—"

The scream suddenly stopped as Sakura was cut off by silence. She turned to look at Naruto standing with his back turned towards the rest of the group. As they all stared at Naruto with questioning looks, save for Neji, Shino, Akamaru, and Kiba (whom was about to fall onto the floor), Naruto lifted his head and turned to look at everyone.

Kiba had fallen to his hands and knees looking at the ground with Akamaru whimpering to him as Naruto eventually turned the rest of his body to the team, noticeably holding something.

"Naruto?" Sakura said with a shake in her voice.

"What is that?" Shikamaru finished.

Naruto's thumb moved over the object towards a small button that was located on the side. It had four more buttons and a small cover which revealed a tape inside of it.

As he looked up, he said, "She's not here." And pressed his thumb.

Immediately the room was filled with the bloodcurdling scream, shocking everyone. Sasuke looked around, as well as the rest of the group, and noticed speakers in the corners, walls, and other parts of the room. As realization crept over them, horror also sneaked its way into their hearts.

And for the first time in his life, Shikamaru didn't have a plan.

Bet you didn't expect that plot twist now did you? I have to be honest with you, I didn't either.

Wow. Finally finished Chapter 10.

Since we've hit this rounded 2-digit number, let me thank all of my watchers, readers, and reviewers. I apologize for making you all wait…a year… So, yeah, I'll try updating better, but the other chapters may not be as long… uh, sorry again…

Anyways, a few things on this chapter. As you can read from the other author notes, I was writing this throughout different periods of time, which affected my writing style(s). So I apologize (again) for anything sloppy or grammatically confusing or just plain stupid.

So, yeah. Thank you everybody and I'll keep trying to please you. I love your reviews and I'll write more to read more of them.

Also, if anyone gets on my case about Naruto holding a tape recorder and that there are speakers around the room, keep in mind that these guys have TVs, video games, cameras, and VHS tapes.

Oh yeah, did you know that this Chapter filled up exactly 10 pages? Go figure, huh… (It's Chapter 10 in reality. Stupid Author's Notes...)

Ah, and that BS statement I made at the end of Chapter 7 (Explanations) is no longer valid. It probably would've been before, but the plot has changed. "ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?"