Naruto # JOURNEY BEYOND LOVE

Chapter 11. The power

The passage where Hinata saw Sasuke was considerably dark. They barely managed to see each other's faces.

"Hinata you are already back.. what's the news?" Sasuke walked in her direction and his face was partially visible in the moonbeam surfacing through the window creak.

"Naruto has gone to attend to our old buddies.. I think you should be with him" Hinata shrugged, adjusting her jacket.

"They located us already?.. how?.. I'm sure our men misdirected those sand Ninjas". Sasuke was confused.

"They followed me here. now they know our location" Hinata looked away not to see his reaction.

Sasuke chuckled "Strange that you couldn't detect them with the byakugan.. you shouldn't be very overconfident you know.. Naruto must have really been mad at you" Sasuke seemed to enjoy the circumstances.

Hinata walked past him and faced the window creak. Her face was equally visible now. Looking disgusted, she snapped "I don't understand why both of you spend so much time undermining me...it will be a lot better if you attend to your friends with Naruto. Shikamaru is here with the best of our classmates and kazekage will be here soon...save our asses now rather than bossing around".

Sasuke smirked again and was about to go when Hinata asked him about his task Naruto had mentioned to her. "Naruto asked me to help you with something.. is it a potential prisoner again?".

"Oh yeh that has been taken care of.. she's that crystal user.. she was really formidable.. had to play dirty to make her compromise.. ah such a task!!..make sure you ready her for anything which may come up.. she's inside this cell".. Sasuke pointed towards the closed bars of the cell behind him and vanished into darkness.

At the outside of the tower Naruto faced his friends. Shikamaru was ahead trying to talk to him.

"Look Naruto, we are just here to take you and Sasuke back, we don't intend to fight ..  please come along.. we don't have to do this" Shikamaru tried to make a truce.

"And what if I deny..we deny.. what then" Naruto questioned from the tower entrance.

"Well then in that case, it leaves us no option than to fight you and end your ways of doing things.. you both have become a threat to the shinobi world.. we need to change you for good". Shikamaru made his business clear.

Naruto approached nearer leaving the tower entrance when he saw Karin appear from behind where Shikamaru was standing and stood in the middle of him and Lee.

Naruto raised his eyebrow and widened his eyes. "Karin, So you came along too". Naruto gave a hateful look.

"Naruto, I don't want to fight you, give me a chance to explain myself.. none of these really has to happen.. your ways are self destructive".Karin pleaded.

"You remember to explain yourself after two years.. had your time enough with Sai to bring you back to me" Naruto looked down taking a few steps ahead as did Karin.

"You didn't look back even once after you left the Leaf in these past few months Naruto.. what was I to do.. where was I to fine you.. Tell me ?.? She yelled.

"Hold on guys ..This is not the time to play blame games.. we are here on a serious mission" Neji chipped in.

"Yeh let's talk and sort it out" Lee agreed.

Just then Sand jeeps were heard at a distance.

"Seems like you convinced my friend to join you then " Naruto proclaimed.

Within seconds, Kazekage and his men arrived at the tower entrance. Gaara saw everyone outside alongside Naruto.
He stepped out of his Jeep with Fu. He had asked her to stay inside but she disobeyed as usual.

Temari, Matsuri and other sand Ninjas were spotted by Naruto who all seemed like to seize him from all sides.

Gaara felt sentimental when he saw Naruto after so long. He stepped forward to face him. "Naruto, it's so good to see you well and alright.. I have come to rescue you my friend.. accept our request and abandon this darkness.. come Naruto let's go home".
Gaara said in a happily gruffed voice.

Naruto guffawed,"you all are such pitiful creatures.. all of this just to make us change.. completely knowing that this purpose isn't gonna be fulfilled".

Sasuke was seen at the tower entrance by this time "so our playmates are finally here, Naruto"..

"Yeh this is a little reunion happening Sasuke .. c'mon join us".. Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke approached and stood parallel to Naruto.

Gaara stepped closer to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto nobody wants a fight here, we intend on taking you back, that's the goal of our mission. We will take you back by force if need be. You are surrounded by The Sand and The Leaf shinobis... Please let's do this peacefully, we don't have another choice if you don't co-operate.. this is a genuine appeal of a genuine friend."

Naruto placed his hand on Gaara's ..across his shoulder and withdrew it. "It's just so funny how innocent you people always have been. Do you think locating us was so very easy with that unskilled Ninja force of yours.. Do you realise we made you locate us.. we wanted you to be here... Keeping apart that because of Hinata you people reached here sooner, else we had a little more time for making our arrangements". Naruto looked poised and serious.

What arrangements are you talking about?.. what is it?.. Kiba exclaimed with agitation.

"All you need to know is that your units are seiged. Our men are dispersed round this area behind were your units have surrounded us.... One little scratch on us and your entire battalion will suffer... So to cut it short.. you are under our watch.. under our control.. more simply our hostages" Sasuke declared with the air of a dictator.

Both of them gave out a roaring laugh while everyone was stunned at this sudden reversal of power and the turn of tables.