Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Naruto, nor do I make any kind of profit from this story. Now please do enjoy :)

Chapter Three: The Undeserving

Naruto sat on the swing set silently. This had always been a place of comfort and sorrow for him. It was the only location he could truly mull over all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours. The blond kicked a small pebble as he propelled himself back and forth on the swing. There were only a few 'facts' he knew about this current situation. First, Kagome was gone. Second, she had 'inherently' betrayed the village. Third, she was now to be considered a missing nin. And finally, he knew that nothing added up. If Kagome had truly betrayed them then why would she leave an apology for them; her team more specifically? If she truly hated the village enough to leave it then why even bother with a message? And what was that picture that Sasuke found? Could that have some sort of connection to the events currently unfolding in his beloved village?

He was unsure. All he knew was that Kagome was alone and she needed him. As her teammate it was his duty to come through for her. Even if she denied his assistance, he would still give it freely. After all wasn't that what friends were for? The swing came to a sudden stop at the tip of his foot. Sakura had spent most of her time following Granny Tsunade around and demanding answers from her. However their Hokage was silent as ever on the issue. She couldn't even look them in the eyes during the briefing. Also…his gaze darkened… Kakashi-sensei seemed keen on staying as far away from her as possible. Realization dawned on him. Whatever happened to Kagome, they were the ones that held the answers.

He stood to his feet swiftly. Is that where Sasuke had gone to the other night? To confront Kakashi-sensei? Without wasting another minute he rushed off in the direction of his teacher. Speaking with the Uchiha would get him no further in this investigation. His teammate would much rather discover this on his own rather than allow him to 'intrude' on his search. And since Sakura was haunting Granny Tsunade's very shadow, he didn't find much need to track her down. Sooner or later the kunoichi would get her to crack and spill the beans. All that was left was Kakashi-sensei. He of all people would be the most willing to give him the information he most desperately needed.

It didn't take Naruto long to reach his destination. He roughly banged his fist against the metallic door. "KAKASHI-SENSEEEII! OPEN THE DOOR!" He yelled angrily. Despite his 'convincing' pleas, the door remained closed. Only the sounds of groaning and sheets rustling with movement were heard. Realizing that his teacher was purposely ignoring him, the blond did the next best thing. Using his chakra he climbed up the side of the building with ease and snuck into his instructor's apartment. Needless to say his presence was not welcomed with open arms. Instead a large book was tossed carelessly at his skull.

He dodged the offending object with ease. However the site that laid before him was rather disturbing. The boy had known that their Sensei drank from time to time, but this was far different. Several sake bottles lay empty and broken on the carpeted floor. A single shot glass was still clutched in his teacher's pale hand. On the nightstand next to his bed yet another bottle of sake sat upright, the liquid in its container nearly to the bottom.

"Kakashi-sensei…." He stopped to survey the rest of the room. His headband rested on the table, a kunai knife planted squarely over the leaf symbol-stabbing it. The boy's gaze darkened, "…What happened?" Said man refused to answer him. Instead he poured the rest of the fiery liquid into his shot glass and downed it with a single gulp. Naruto stared at him for a few moments. Neither spoke. Only the uncomfortable silence of tension mounting between them remained.

"You should leave." Kakashi finally spoke. He dared not to look at his student. Sasuke had already made his attempt to weasel some information out of him. If he didn't spill the beans to the Uchiha than he certainly wasn't going to tell Naruto. After all if he knew the truth he'd track Kagome down and get himself either captured by the Akatsuki or killed in the process. What she needed right now was for them to get stronger. Then when they were all powerful enough, they would take the situation into their own hands and return her safely to the village. An uprising was beginning to set within the village. They were all very suspicious of the child's abrupt departure and if there was one thing he was sure of, only a few would buy the excuse that she had joined the Akatsuki. It was the duty of all adults in the village to see that the children were kept safe and sound until they could properly care for themselves. A child leaving the village to join the Akatsuki for no apparent reason was highly questionable in the eyes of his fellow shinobi. At the very least they would have the support of the village. The counsel could not defy their constituents for much longer. They could only go so far with their underhanded tactics….

"I'm not leaving until I get some answers Kakashi-sensei." The blond commented stubbornly. He eyed his student cautiously. Although the certainty of the village's suspicions loomed at the forefront of his mind, he also knew that divulging the information to Naruto or Sasuke would end in all of their deaths. One can only take a lie so far before it will spin dangerously out of control. When that happens, he feared that the counsel will stop at nothing to protect the 'peace' they sacrificed one of their own to maintain… even if that meant killing the innocent. Naruto especially. He was being safeguarded as a weapon. If he began to defy them, then they would no longer have any need of him. After all his death would bring the death of the Kyuubi as well. If that kind of power cannot be controlled, it must be destroyed in their eyes.

If only the Second Hokage could see what terrible monstrosities his precious pupils had become. He must be rolling in his grave at this point. Kakashi reached for his sake bottle once more. However the emptiness within it left him feeling despaired. He'd have to go out and buy more.

"Sensei!" Naruto yelled furiously. He was tired of waiting for the older man's response. He knew what happened but wasn't telling him! Could something truly terrible have happened to her? Why were they being forced out of the loop on this one? What in the hell was going on here!

"I cannot give you the answers you seek Naruto. Just go home." Icha Icha Paradise rested next to his shot glass. As much as he would like to lose himself in the beautifully written novel, he was no longer able to. Not while his students were in such disarray.

"Then at least answer me one thing." His pupil started, "We found a picture in Kagome's apartment. It was of her and another woman. They looked similar. If Kagome truly abandoned the village then why would she leave it? And who exactly was in that picture?" The boy's cobalt gaze pierced him, "You know don't you?"

The silver haired male took a deep breath. That was the only thing he could tell the boy. After that he was on his own. "That was her sister. She went missing many years ago."

"Sister?" The blond inquired.

"Yes." Kakashi nodded, "Kagome was not originally from this village. She moved here with her sister, Kikyou, when she was just five. However a year after their arrival she went missing. No one's seen her since. Shortly afterwards Kagome moved into the apartment complex. The rest, as you know, is history."

"Were there any suspects?" Naruto questioned more.

"None." He titled his gaze to the hawk flying high in the sky above. "There was no trace of her or her kidnapper. One minute she was out buying groceries, the next she was gone. It was the main reason why Kagome became a shinboi. She wanted to find her sister."

The Jinchuuriki's fists balled at his sides. So that was why. She had always been so very vague when it came down to reasons for joining the ranks of shinobi. However her sister's disappearance may also explain why, although rivals, she and Sasuke understood each other so well. Maybe that was why he was determined to find her on his own. To prove his worth not only to her, but to himself as well.

"I understand." He turned to face the door once more but halfway in his trek, he stopped and faced his teacher once more. "And Kakashi-sensei…. Lighten up on the sake. We'll definitely bring Kagome-chan back. Her and her sister. Dattebayo!" He was in Gai's infamous 'nice guy' pose and a self-confident grin spread across his lips. However there was sense of fierce determination underneath his boisterous persona. A will of fire that burned passionately inside of him. Kakashi's gaze softened at the boy.

"Aa. I know."

Sasuke trekked deep into the forest. His gaze focused solely on he tracks that Kagome had purposely left in the soft soil. Obviously she had wanted them to follow, but the question was who? Who did she want to discover her? And who exactly had she left with? It would be foolish to send her to the Akatsuki by herself. She wouldn't have any idea of where their base was located. But if she were to be escorted by a contact from within, then the job would be easy. The only hard part would be for her to be accepted into the organization.

He stopped suddenly and traced his hand over the carved bark in one of the trees. It had a small curve up and towards the right at the very edge-Kagome's signature attack. She always hooked her attacks slightly in a way that could not be copied. Each person had their own form of fighting. Even when using the sharigan, it was impossible for anyone to copy exact movements. Very subtly the attack was always adjusted to the sharingan user's own method. She was definitely here the other night. But was this a message for him to follow? Or was something else going on?

Next to her cut was another. Its mark was very different from anything Kagome had ever made. The lines were stiff and precise. Very little movement was involved with the cut. It spoke of a person who was calm, collected, but most of all, it spoke of a person experienced at the art of killing. A single name entered into his mind at that time:

Itachi

He recognized these cuts from his few sporadic childhood memories. The rest were overshadowed by the traumatic events of the massacre. The Uchiha closed his eyes.

"But nii-san, you promised!"

"Shut UP!" He snarled at the momentary flashback. "Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

"I'm sorry Sasuke...maybe another day."

Those words were accompanied by the image of his kind older brother smiling down on him. Sasuke's teeth clenched instinctively as his hands balled into tightly curled fists at his side. Now, more than ever, he needed to pull himself together. If he was to see this 'mission' to its end, then he would first need to kill Itachi. It was the only way...

Charcoal orbs hardened into slits. In order to bring his comrade back, he would first have to avenge his family. That alone was enough to strengthen his resolve.

'Itachi...your death is near...' The boy though ominously to himself before disappearing into the shadows of the forbidden forest.

Crystal droplets fell onto the glass pane. Inside it was an image of the five students and teacher. They were so happy then. So what had gone wrong? This was not the village that she had known and loved. This was not the Kagome that she had come to see as her closest friend. This was not the way things were supposed to have happened! She was supposed to have married Sasuke while Kagome found the precious person she had mentioned before, and Naruto? Well he was always supposed to have been Naruto. Not once did she ever think, or even believe, that one of them would have gone missing let alone 'abandon the village' as Lady Tsunade had put it. However she knew much better.

As much as her Hokage wished to keep her from prying, she knew something was terribly wrong with this village. Beneath the happy exterior and exuberant persona, there was something dark, something treacherous lurking just below the surface. Now that darkness has reared its ugly head and swallowed up one of her teammates and it was threatening to take yet another from her.

Sakura's gaze hardened as she angrily wiped away her tears. She was a shinobi, she must remain strong! Kagome-chan wouldn't want her crying over their fates. Not when they could still fight them. In one way or another that all had been bestowed undeserving circumstances. She wouldn't go so far as to call them 'fates' as their futures were yet to be determined. However it was unfair and despicable that Sasuke never got to truly know the real meaning of friendship and companionship before his brother stripped him all emotions entirely as well as the family he had cherished. Taking from him all the beautiful memories that he may have used to help him find the light once more.

Naruto, even in his most hyper-active state, there was always this lingering of sadness in his eyes that never seemed to fade. Like the loneliness of his past solitude still haunted his very soul. Although she verbally berated him and occasionally gave him a smack to his head for his misdeeds, there was always this 'wall' he had built up between himself and other people that seemed to appear when anyone got too close. All those smiles and laughs were completely and utterly faked...except in her presence. Only with her did he ever truly bring down the wall.

As for herself, although she didn't suffer any major traumatic events in her life that left her permanently emotionally scarred, she was given the heavy burden of attempting to keep her team together. Through all of the fights and the bickering, they all truly did care about each other. As the only member of the team that still had her family, she felt a keen desire to involve all of them in those memories. So that her family could become their family as well. Regardless of their situations, all she ever wanted to do was bring her team together in a way that had been previously unknown to many of them. Naruto in particular. Given this one reprieve from all their pain and suffering, she hoped that it would help draw them closer together not only as a team, but as friends and possibly even family.

But above all else it was Kagome who truly knew how to hold them all together. She would often tease Sasuke and rile Naruto up into a competition, however there was a true understanding between the three of them. One that she couldn't quite comprehend. Perhaps it was the companionship of those who had suffered great losses and, in the utmost brutal honesty, she truly did not want to experience that kind of pain. She was what held them together during the heat of battle. She was the person that they could all confide in and put their faith on. In essence, she made herself into that 'older sister' figure that they could always rely on. And she truly appreciated that aspect of her personality.

They had all been given circumstances that they were completely ill equipped or undeserving of. What had they done to cause such them to have such horrible outcomes in life? Now with the threat of losing one of their own to the darkness, they were compelled to bring her back. More so than ever once believed.

The kunoichi's gaze steeled into hardened slits. As a fellow comrade and friend, it was her duty to seek the truth of what really happened that night. And she just the way to get her master talking...

Naruto Fan's Notes: Welp there are actually a couple of song inspirations for this story. Well more like mixes off of YouTube. They are called "Heart's Will" and "Life and Death" by GmRebelliousV. Just typing in the titles dash GRV music should pull up the videos if you wish to listen to them. They're absolutely wonderful for inspiration for this story. I would highly suggest you check out his music if you need inspirations for your stories as well. There is a wide variety of mixes on his channel. So far I haven't found a bad one. :D