Disclamier: Do not own Naruto or any of its characters

Had a great Christmas and New Years and hope you did the same. Here is the next chapter. As stated earlier this is somewhat AU but we keep with the Naruto theme. Enjoy.

It was times like these that Sakura really regretted her large forehead. Inside the heating vents it was very small and the unit was heating up. She had about two minutes before it went full blast and fried her like an egg. Her forehead was sweating a lot and some of it was getting in her eyes. But she knew she had to work through it and complete her mission. If the boys could do there's then she would do hers. She refused to become a weak link on this team.

Despite the heat Sakura let a small smile come to her face thinking about that. A little over three months they had become a team. Not one that always got along or even functional all the time. But they were still a team non the less. I mean they did almost everything together. They trained, spared, ate, and even slept together. Sakura would almost say they were like a family.

As Sakura reached the correct vent to get out she took out a kunai and started to unscrew it from the inside. Perhaps they were a family, they really had no one else. Naruto was an orphan and never knew his parents. While Sasuke's had all been killed by his brother. As for herself since her mothers death her father hadn't been the same. Sakura missed her mother too, but it looked like her father had lost to will to live. He lost himself through sake and was just going through the motions. She still loved him, but she could not stay with him. The two had become complete strangers the past year, it was sad but true.

Unscrewing the last bolt Sakura grabbed the vent before it could fall forward. She pulled it inside and propped it up against the side of the shaft. She peeked her head and satisfied herself that she was exactly where she wanted to be. There appeared to be only one person in the library. The head librarian she saw in the distance with a small candle lighting her face. From Sakura's own experience the librarian was generally chunin rank and could be formidable if crossed. Sakura had no intention of confronting her and dropped down from the shaft onto the floor. Her genin reflexes easily compensated for the drop and she was fine.

Sakura stalked through the library using the moonlight coming through the window as her light. Using her photographic memory as her guide she directed her path to where she needed to go. She wasn't sure what she would find, but there had to be something that would help them. Sakura peeked through the book shelves to make such the librarian were still at her desk before moving on.

Sakura finally came to the section of the library she was looking for. She bent down and picked up the carpet. Just as the blueprint shown there was secret hatch the lead into a secret room. There were no designs for the room but Sakura had a good idea what was in it. If it was anything like Kohanu there was a vault down there that held the countries history and important documents. It of course wasn't the main vault. That vault was located in the Kage tower. But all three of them had agreed that trying to break into that one was not an option. Maybe in a few years but not now.

Sakura grabbed the handle and slowly pulled the door up. She took her time as not to make a noise. If the librarian heard anything she would immediately alert the others outside and Sakura would be trapped. Sweat once again descended down her brow at the work. The lid was heavy and going at such a slow pace was putting effort on her arm. She was going to have to work more on the strength exercises after this. Finally she opened it all the way and it stood on its own. Sakura let out a breath and climbed on the latter going down. She couldn't afford going through the opening and closing of the lid again so left it open. The librarian had little reason to patrol the library so would probably never see it.

As Sakura went down the ladder she was thinking about her next move. Unlike the temple that held the forbidden scrolls Sakura did not know the security designs of this place. There was a good chance she would set off an alarm almost immediately. There was also a chance there might actually be some guards down here. Lastly she had no idea what kind of safe it was or how to open it. Sakura had down played the difficulty to the others only because there was nothing they could do to help. She was the best person for this task.

Sakura finally saw some light and slowed her descent. She heard no movement nor did she see any human shadows so at least there were no more guards. One obstacle down, two to go. Sakura continued her decent and jumped down the rest of the way. She turned and froze on site.

In front of her were four rock shinobi with their weapons drawn in battle stances looking right at her. Sakura stumbled backwards and frantically reached for her own weapon. But then she stopped and relaxed her hands. On closer inspection the ninja hadn't made a move. Their also appeared to be a blue glow about them. It took Sakura a moment but she figured out what was happening. These four men were in cryogenic Jutsu.

Sakura had read about them and knew it to be a rarely used jutsu. The performer had to have almost inhuman charka control and knowledge of the human body. Basically the jutsu caused the person body to be suspended through time preserving of functions and body organs for a set amount of time. Does who were capable used it to freeze the bodies of the badly wounded so they would be preserved to treat at a later time. During the time of the Jutsu no wounds could fester or bleed. The jutsu could save many lives but was time consuming. A person had to slowly filter there charka through the body incasing a organ at the time. The person also had to allow it or the charka would be rejected causing both harm to the user and the person it was used on. Sakura had no idea Iwa had anyone of that caliber.

But in a strange way she could see the value of using it this way. Since the body functions slowed a person could go without food or water for days or even weeks. It also slowed the aging process to a certain degree enabling these men to live longer. Still, it wasn't much of a life guarding this place for years without seeing any light. Sakura didn't know when the jutsu was suppose to expire so she walked to the vault to get to work. As she passed the men their eyes remained straight never turning once to look at her. She knew the Jutsu didn't allow them to be aware so they would not remember her when she left.

Sakura now stood in front of the safe and looked hard at it. It was black and had four number slots across it. A little below that was a handle. The safe was probably around 6 inches thick so blowing through it was not an option. Not the mention the alarms it would set off. That meant she had to pick the right combination. Sakura had thought about this for a long time. In viewing the people for Iwa the past three months there was one common theme. Their defeat at the hand of Kohanu. Many of its people were stuck in the past and refused to forget about it. So the chances were good the code would resemble that was well. Sakura stepped closer and started turning the dials of each slot. When she was done the numbers represented the official end of the Third Shinobi War. Sakura let out a big breath and turned the handle.

She heard a click and it opened. Sakura quickly turned to the guards but they were still in the jutsu. She heard no alarms or people climbing down the hatch in a hurry. Sakura turned back and almost laughed in relief. She had actually done it. Not bad for an eight year old if she said so herself. Now she just had to take what she needed and get out of there without getting caught. Sakura reached forward and removed the documents and quickly went through.

There were some official papers about past alliances but nothing dealing with the present. Also some information about an ore mind found not to far from Iwa borders. The problem was it bordered on Grass territory and they didn't want to tell them about it. Sakura thought that was a little dishonest but pretty basic in politics. She finally reached some jutsus and quickly wrote them on her own scrolls. She didn't take the time to read in depth but realized they were earth and wind jutsus. Deciding she had enough and to keep to her time schedule she put the papers back and closed the safe. Sakura made her way past the guards and up the ladder. Soon she reached the top and slowly closed the lid.

Hearing no other movement she stealthily made her way to the vent and soon freedom. Sakura only hoped that the boys did as well as she did. They had proven they could put their differences aside when they had too. If they were to complete their assignment and not get caught, that was exactly what they were going to have to do.

Back at the academy Sasuke was wondering what he did so wrong to deserve this. Itachi was the mass murderer not him. But it was Sasuke who was cramped in a small vent with a dope who had his armpit in his face. Bathing on regularly had been a foreign idea to Naruto. Apparently he had only done it once a week. Sasuke and Sakura had put a stop to that quickly and made sure he bathed everyday. Naruto had complained but after forcefully bathing him a few times the idiot gave in and cleaned himself.

Which made there present situation he found himself in al least bearable. Sasuke pushed Naruto off him as much as he could in the small space and crawled forward. After leaving the supply room they had decided the mostly location of whatever was going on had to be in the basement. The top floors had been all but absent of any security. That meant that the guards were probably located on the lower decks. Also if someone wanted to keep something secret the basement was the best location. It had no windows and only one entrance to get to it. Sasuke and Naruto were sure that they would find their answers there.

As the floors were unguarded it had proven easier to reach first floor. From there they had snuck inside the nearest vent before being spotted. Now they heard several footsteps and guards talking to each other. This was further proof that they were going in the right direction. They followed the vents but were not sure of their course. Sasuke had memorized a majority of the floor plans but not the bottom section or vents too well. There had been no need to since they were not suppose to go in this area. Sasuke just hoped that they were going in the right direction and also for a little luck.

"Its about time for the meeting to start don't you think?" They heard a voice from below ask.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks and Naruto's face shoved into his butt. Sasuke frowned at this but said nothing. Naruto would know enough not to say anything either.

"I think all but one of the guests have arrived. After that that the meeting will begin."

"Good, the sooner it starts the sooner it can be over with." Said the first voice.

"What are you saying, you agreed to this like the others. Don't tell me your getting cold feet now." The other man said with a harsh edge in his voice.

"Calm down, I believe in the cause. I just wish they chose a different place to do it. Moving around shifts and sneaking people into the village is not wise. If any loyal followers of the kage find out and report us we are all dead."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed at this. These men sounded like traitors to their own village.

"No one will find out, we have all been very careful. Besides in time they will see that we are right. Iqware will become strong again and those that once mocked us will fall before our might."

"I hope your right, I really do." Said the voice before a set of footsteps could be heard walking in another direction.

Sasuke's body tensed as he took in everything. His instincts had been right, something big was going on here. Guards changing schedules, bringing unknown people in, scared of the kage finding out. Something important was going to be discussed here, and it might even deal with the Leaf Village. He had no choice now but to continue and discover everything he could. Sasuke crawled forward and felt Naruto do the same. No matter how much he made fun of him Sasuke was sure Naruto too understood the implications of what they had heard. They owed it to themselves and their village to find out what.

After crawling for a while they reached a chute that went straight down. They couldn't afford to simply slide down because that would make too much noise. Getting caught after coming this far wasn't an option. Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"We have to use charka with our hand and feet to go down slowly." Sasuke whispered.

Naruto frowned.

"But I haven't mastered that yet, and neither have you." He whispered back.

"I know but we have no other choice." Sasuke told him.

He then turned so his back was facing the shute and his face Naruto. Sasuke then crawled backwards and over the edge. He held on to the top for a moment taking deep breaths. Sasuke concentrated his charka and slowly let go. His hands and feet held and his body relaxed. He felt himself start to lose his grip and immediately tighten his hold. He stopped his descent falling only a few inches. Sasuke cursed himself for losing focus for even a second. Chakra climbing took an immense amount of concentration and charka control. The concentration he had but the control was a different story. Sasuke ignored that and continued his small climb down.

Naruto looked over the edge and saw Sasuke making his way down. Well if Sasuke could do it than so could he. Naruto turned around and started to crawl backwards. He stopped when he reached the edge and closed his eyes. Remembering what Sakura hand told him he started to pull the charka from himself. He circulated it through until it reached the palms of his hands and feet. Naruto felt a soft glow in those areas and knew that he got that part right. Now came the hard part of holding it once he began his climb. Naruto kept his eyes closed and went over the edge. He felt a small drop before he anchored himself on the shaft and held. Naruto was relieved and opened his eyes with a big smile.

As soon as he did he lost concentration and started to fall. Naruto panicked and tried to grab the wall but he could not call his charka back in the proper places. He was about to scream when he felt his butt land on something. Naruto was confused and looked down to see what had stopped his fall. He saw a mop of black hair.

"I got you, just don't move around a lot until we reach the bottom." Sasuke whispered up to him.

Naruto's legs were currently hooked over Sasuke's shoulder with his head in between. It was not a very comfortable situation for either of them but it was the best solution.

Sasuke continued climbing down not only hold his weight but Naruto's as well. This made it difficult since he hadn't mastered the technique. But Sasuke decided to think of it as training and a faster way to improve himself. This gave him the idea to use the weights they got when tree climbing as well. Sweat went down his brow and his muscles started to ache but Sasuke held on. For what seemed like hours his feet finally met something at the bottom. Sasuke let loose a small smirk and stood straight up. He then slowly lowered Naruto off his shoulder and turned to crawl in the vent.

"Thanks Sasuke." Came the soft voice behind him.

"Just train harder, you should have had this technique down by now." Sasuke responded moving forward. He didn't feel like getting sappy with Naruto.

They both continued forward until they started to hear voices. There was nothing clear but Sasuke and Naruto knew they must be getting closer. Soon light even filtered through a vent until they reach a closed grate. It acted like blinders and Sasuke could see people below. He moved over so Naruto could see as well.

There appeared to be six ninjas stationed along every corner acting as guards. Sasuke couldn't determine what they looked like because they were in Anbu uniforms with their faces covered. Most of the basement equipment seemed to be moved to the left side of the room. In the middle was a large table with nine chairs. Four on the left and on the right and one on the end. At the moment there were three people on each side. Four men and two woman. The only person Sasuke recognized was the elder gentlemen he remembered being named Saya. He was sitting on the right. The rest of the people looked younger than him, maybe mid thirties. They were all dressed in heavy cloaks that covered most of their body. Apparently during their journey here they did not wish to be recognized.

Sasuke also noticed that none of them wore any head bands or clothing that told where they came from. By their light coloring Sasuke could tell the people on the left were not from the Rock Village. Their skin was far to pale compared to the dark skinned people of Rock. Sasuke was trying to figure out what village they could have come from when the woman sitting beside Saya started to speak.

"Where are they, we are already ten minutes behind schedule. Perfect timing is paramount to these proceedings." The woman said.

Saya turned his eyes to her and put a gentle hand on top of hers.

"Calm yourself Yoshina, they will arrive shortly. This is too far important for them to not show up."

"Then where are they?"

"They are proabaly in the village as we speak and on their way here. Remember Yoshina, they too must be careful. We are the minority that believe in this cause and cannot afford to be found out. The other village leaders as well as our own Tsuchikage would have us executed without hesitation if out plans were discovered. They will come to see it our way in time, but we must remain calm and patient." He explained to her.

Yoshina continued to frown but slowly nodded her head. Saya nodded back and removed his hand from hers.

"Well said Saya-san, although I too am concerned about the third parties lateness we must be vigilante. Many things will be decided to this day." Said a man on the left. He had blood hair and hazel eyes. Little else could be seen from beneath the cloak but he was actually well figured. Considering he was one of the elite shinobi of his village this was to be expected.

"Thank you for saying so Etsu-san. But I do hope our patience is rewarded very soon." Saya responded.

Before any further conversation could continue there was a knock at the door. All eyes turned to it and the ninja guarding it whispered something to the other side. The response was apparently the correct one as they opened the door. Two rock ninja and three heavily clothed people walked through the door. The three quickly walked in filling in the rest of the seats. Their two escorts looked over the room for a moment before turning around and leaving. The door was swiftly closed behind them.

The cloaked figure who had taken the seat at the front of the table uncovered his face and shook his hair free. There was gasps all around the table. He had long blue hair to go along with his piercing blue eyes. There was a small scar running down the right side of his eyes to his mouth. He surveyed the room around him like a professional. He nodded apparently satisfied and turned his attention to the people at the table giving them a wide smile.

"I apologize for my lateness, but I received some last minute instructions from my master before leaving. Nothing to jeopardize this alliance mind you, if anything it will strengthen it." The blue haired man said keeping his smile.

Mouths were slowly closed as the people nodded their acceptance of his apology. But they were still stunned from the face before him. They never expected this man to be sent as a representative. The blue haired man seemed to recognize this and his smile got larger.

"By the looks on your faces I see introductions are not necessary. But to keep things formal I will introduce myself. I am Masakazu Tiaz, also known as Cloud's Lighting Count. There are many stories about me and I assure you they are all true. The two fine ladies sitting beside each of you are Keiko and Kichi, the Fenmar twins. No doubt you have heard of them as well and they are indeed and as deadly as they are beautiful." Masakazu said.

The other six open their mouths again as the two others removed their hoods from their faces. Both had short raven hair that went down to just above their shoulders and the blackest eyes. They looked almost exactly alike except for their skin. Keiko was pale color while Kichi was very dark. It was said they were of mixed heritage but no one knew for sure. What they did know was that while Masakuzu was Cloud's captain of the elite guard the twins were elite assassins. If Cloud wanted someone killed they sent these two ladies. They had never failed in their mission.

Etsu quickly regained his wits and a frown came to his face.

"While it in indeed an honor to have such well known ninja from Cloud here the question must be asked if there are ulterior motives for this." He said.

Masakuzu turned his eyes to him. To Etsu's credit he met the chilling stare.

"Such as?"

"Such as an attempt to intimate us or even kill us and claim glory for stopping a coup." Etsu answered without fear.

There was a hush silence around the table after that. The anbu guards around the room started to reach for their weapons anticipating some kind of conflict. The tension was dissolved when Masakuzu laughed.

"Now that is very funny. But I can assure you that is not the reason why we were sent. The Raikage just wanted you all to know how serious he is about this. Despite our reputations we are only three in a forigen land. If a fight were to break out we would take many with us but we would still die. None of those involved in this want that. To much hard work has gone on from all sides to betray the other now. I hope you believe that." Masakuzu told him.

Etsu kept the frown for a time before turning it into a small smile.

"You are correct, to much has gone into this. I apologize for my accusation but I felt it had to be said aloud. I'm sure their were others who were thinking the same thing. Now we can move past the tension and move on with the meeting." Etsu responded.

Masakuzu nodded at that and sat back in his chair. The twins made no movement at all and continued to look straight ahead. The anbu guards removed their hands from their weapons but remained on alert. Saya decided he should speak to move them along.

"Very well then, since you have introduced yourselves I will do the same. I am Saya, and down the line from me are Yoshina and Mamoru. Yoshina is a part of the Iwgware council while Mamoru like myself is a ninja who is my current protégé." He said.

"It is good to meet you are."

"I am Etsu, an elite shinobi of the Waterfall village. Next to me are Hano and Ritsuko, members of our local government. As you know Waterfall has no Kage but is ruled by the governing body of seven. They are two such members and spak for the other five as well." Etsu said introducing his group second.

"I am too pleased to meet you as well. You represent your villages proudly." Manakuzu told them all.

They all nodded their application of the compliment.

"Now I believe it is times we get down to the specifics of this proposed alliance. What each side is willingly to give and what they expect in return. As Rock is hosting this meeting I believe they should start." Manakuzu explained.

All eyes turned to the Iwa representatives as Saya cleared his throat.

"Well, as you all know this alliance is not currently endorsed my our present Tsuchikage. He believes the past should be left behind and that we should concentrate on rebuilding all that we have lost. I and many others do not agree with this. Our people can only truly heal if the stain of our defeat is avenged. Kohanu destroyed us both physically and mentally. As they have done to your villages as well." He explained.

Both Cloud and Waterfall representatives nodded at this. Their battles with the leaf village had all ended with defeat.

"Neither I nor the twins fought when Cloud was at war but I remember the stories at home. We too have truly yet healed from the defeat. Or the double defeat when the ill conceived plan to learn the secrets of the Bauyugan failed. I personally would like to remedy those past failures since I wasn't allowed to before." The Lighting count spoke. He was only a chunin did and not allowed to participate then. He was sure he could have made a difference.

"Yes, we all would. But as was proven then we can not do it alone. It is said every Kohanu ninja is worth fives times more than any ninja from another village. Well our combined might along with other smaller villages that would side with us could top that. To that effect Iwa is willingly to offer weapons in this campaign. Our Forges and blacksmiths are well known throughout the land. Only the Volcano village has better resources and its people are on the path to extinction from all the fumes. We also offer the knowledge of some of our finest jutsu's and techniques. Lastly we have all the information we gained during the war all well as different travel routes to reach Leaf without them knowing." Saya finished.

The other two groups looked impressed at what Rock was offering.

"But how can you do all this without their knowledge of your Tsuchikage. Surly he and those loyal to him would notice the changes." Manakuzu countered.

"He is the Tsuchikage for now. As you know the Kage tradition is different in Iwa in that the position is held for life. The Tsuchikage is getting older and there our four of our elite ninja who can be chosen to be his predecessor. Two of those agree with us. We will make sure one of them is the chosen successor when the time comes." Saya answered.

"Old or not the present Tsuchikage could still live for a lot more years. Far longer then our plan of attack allows." Etsu commented.

"That will not happen, when the time is right he will die. You not need to concern yourself with when and how. This act will solidify our commitment to this cause." Saya simply said.

The implications of such a statement were clear but no one added anything.

"Alright, I suppose I will go next. Waterfall is not one of the five great villages so we are unable to offer as much as you can. But our entire village is behind this alliance and we are in close proximity to Kohanu. We also have close ties to the Whirlpool village and are in the process of examing their sacred water. We believe in time we can duplicate its effects on giving shinobi a large boost of power without the fatal effects. We also have jutsu's that we are willingly to share. Besides that we offer our considerate manpower since we didn't lose many people in the war and have fought few major battles since then." Etsu finished.

Once again their were nods around the table.

"Well, I suppose it is my turn now. I must admit to be impressed at what both sides are offering. I believe Cloud's contribution will put it over the top. The Raikage and the people of Cloud have authorized me to offer our manpower and Jutsu's to this alliance. Also shelter for any alliance members as are mountain fortress is nearly impossible to get through. We also offer the shared power of our newest ally the Star Village. We will be allowed to study their meteor and its great power in exchange for making them one of the great villages once Kohanu falls. Lastly we offer prove of intent to join this alliance by destroying one of the leafs allies. We will turn the Fern village into a wasteland depriving Kohanu of an ally." He finished with broad smile.

The table tensed at such a declaration.

"But would not such an attack tip our hand. I thought the idea was to hit Leaf and its allies in one fatal swoop before they had a chance to retaliate." Etsu countered.

"Give Cloud some credit Etsu-san, we will not claim responsibility. There is a rogue missing nin group who services we use from time to time who have agreed to take the blame. They are happy to do so as it only improves their reputation and brings them more clients."

"The Leaf's retaliation could end them before they get anymore jobs." Saya said.

The Lighting Count simply shrugged.

"They will be killed. We shall do so as a sign of goof faith to the Leaf Village. It will also make sure this group doesn't sell us out." Manakuzu explained.

"You are as shrewd as your reputation says Lighting Count. Of course you will have to ensure that not one person from the Fern Village or the Missing Nin group is left alive. If any should live and report the truth yours plans would be worthless." Saya said.

"As you said earlier regarding your Tsuchikage, we will handle it." Manazuku responded.

There was silence as all that was said was taken in.

"It seems that all the cards have been laid down on the table. I for one am happy on what I have heard today. I believe in talking to the others they will agree as well. What say the rest of you?" Saya asked.

"I too am gratified on what I have heard. It is more than expected. If we truly are able to pool these resources together we will become an unstoppable force. I will inform the council of what was said here and am sure they will agree with my recommendation to proceed with this alliance." Etsu.

The rest of the eyes fell on the group from Cloud. The twins had no expression on their beautiful faces but Manakuzu's smile had gotten even wider.

"I think that all that needed to be said has been said ladies and gentlemen. I will relay all that has been said to the Raikage and I am positive he will agree. Soon the Leaf Village will be a memory and we three will rule the Shinobi Nation. Exact time table will be dicussed in the future after all of us have agreement from out countries. I believe a month will be the sufficient time to get answers from our people and start setting dates for certain steps. I also think Cloud should hold the next meeting on our terriroty, our there any objections?"

No one said anything.

"Good, then it is time I take my leave. This is truly the beginning of a great friendship." He said standing from the table. The twins did as well and followed Manazuku out of the room.

"We too shall take our leave, see you in a month." Etsu said following the same route and leaving the room with his entourage.

Once the door was closed the Anbu guards circled the table.

"The meeting seem to go well Saya-san, but can we truly trust them." An Anbu with a dog mask asked.

"We can up until the point of the destruction of the Leaf and its allies. After that it will be every village for itself. All three of us know this and will make preparations for it. But until that time we will work together and crush our enemies. No one will be able to stop us." Saya said with a cruel smile.

Above them Naruto and Sasuke moved their heads away from the vents with wide eyes. What they just heard was the formation of a deadly alliance with vast resources. They weren't sure what the Sacred water was or the Meteor from the Star Village but it had to be bad news. Not to mention the rallying point was the destruction of Kohanu, their home village. They didn't know when, but it would be soon.

Sasuke lay his head back and looked at the top of the shaft. He could have never imagined this was would have happen. He knew his Village was powerful and had made many enemies with their victories. But for so many to come together to destroyed them was unthinkable. Yes afterwards the alliance would fall apart as they all were greedy but it wouldn't matter then. His home would be destroyed. He had already lost one home, he didn't want to lose the entire village. They had to get a message to Kohanu. But it would have to be done safely. There was also a chance Kohanu wouldn't even belief it without proof. Sasuke didn't want to but to save their village they might have to return and make their case face to face.

Naruto closed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose. He knew he wasn't the smartest guy around but he understood basically what he had just heard. A bunch of villages were banding together to destroy Kohanu. Just because they had lost some wars in the past. They could claim wounded pride all they wanted but it was simple revenge. That was never a good reason to fight. He had to warn Leaf, but damnit he swore to get stronger before he returned. But if he didn't now there might not be a village to return to. Naruto was confused and didn't know what to do.

Naruto and Sasuke eventually shook themselves from their thoughts and looked at each other. In each others eyes they saw the turmoil the other was going through. Knowing it wasn't safe to talk with the others below they turned around and went back the way they came.

Their was no fuss this time as Naruto rode Sasuke's shoulder as they went back up the shaft. Naruto cussed himself for being so weak not to learn this simple skill. He swore he would train ten times as hard from now on. He would listen to everything Sasuke and Sakura told him no matter how boring it sounded. It may seem too late now but he would keep his promise.

As the boys were making their way through the vents Jiraya was waiting outside the Academy becoming very worried. His invisibility Jutsu was strong and he kept to the shadows so he was able to avoid the patrols. Still he did not wish to be here any longer than possible. The people of Iwa had long memories and did not forget or forgive. If seen they were instantly recognize him and attack. But he had to take the chance to make sure the kids were alright. Even if they were not the Trinity they were still part of Kohanu and he did not want them to get hurt.

He had visited the library earlier and seen the girl go in and out around fifteen minutes. He was rather impressed with her intelligence and stealth. Hopefully some would rub off on his under achieving grandson. Knowing his father he knew the boy had talent, he just had to push himself.

Once he was sure Sakura was safely away he checked on the Academy. Things seems to be running smoothly outside so there was there was little chance they had been caught. Still twenty minutes had passed since that time and he had seen heavenly cloak figures enter since then. He couldn't see their bodies and their charka had been minimal. But he swore that they were repressing their charka, how much he didn't know but he was sure it was a fair amount. He hoped the boys finished soon because something strange was going on inside the school. He was curious what that might be but could not afford the chance. He was a Sannin, but he did not overestimate his own skills.

Still even more time had passed and he began to get worried. He didn't know their exact time schedule but he knew they should have been out by now. Something must have gone wrong. He knew he couldn't go in there unnoticed but he had no choice. He would transform his appearance and hope for the best. Just as he was about to make the approaite hand seals the doors open and the cloaked figures he had seen earlier came out. He still couldn't tell what they looked like but he thought he caught a glimpse of blue hair from the person in front. But that was it as the group turned and disappeared around a corner. Another minute another cloaked group came out and disappeared as well. Something had happen inside their and Jiraya wanted to know. But he couldn't follow the cloak figures without figuring out if something happen to the kids.

Suddenly explosions came from inside the building and there were yelling voices. The patrol turned their attention to the building and quickly rushed toward it. Jiraya cursed knowing something had gone wrong and quickly transformed into one of the Iwa patrol guards he had seen around the library. It wouldn't hold up to a close inspection but he planned to be quick. With that he rushed off with the rest hoping to avoid a disaster.

TBC

Little cliffhanger. Should have next chapter done by end of week.