The next day Sasuke and Naruto were called to the Hokage office. They were getting a new mission, again with Shikamaru and Choji, but without Ino, because she was staying behind for Sakura's sake. As compensation, Asuma joined their team. 

After leaving the village, they set out at a decent speed. They stuck closer together than the last time they travelled, since they were missing two members and didn't want to be separated by a surprise attack. Sasuke led the group, Asuma and Shikamaru guarded the left and right flank and Choji followed to guard the back. That left Naruto in the middle, like he was being escorted. In a way, he was. After all, he was the target for the very group they were hunting down and it couldn't harm to safeguard the target of your target.

It was another hunt and kill mission,  just like before. The Akatsuki members this time were Hidan and Kazuku. There was little information on either of them, other than that they were dangerous and both had a place in the Bingo Book.

Without the girls, the travel felt a lot faster. They took less breaks and made good time to meet at the rendezvous place as indicated by the Hokage. The man they were supposed to meet, an old Shinobi that travelled around a lot but was still affiliated with the leaf, was waiting for them in a hotel near the border to Suna. 

The hotel was cozy and the little town it was situated in was rural and lively. It seemed like a perfect place for a long vacation if you weren't too bothered by sand and heat. The town was just big enough to be fun and entertaining and small enough to go mostly unnoticed. It also made it an ideal place to meet, since tourists weren't that unusual. The man they were meeting sat in front of the hotel on a small bench. He had a wok and cooking utensils on his back and just seemed generally happy to be where he was. 

When they approached, the man looked up, smiled and waved them to him. "You must be the people I'm supposed to meet. Come, sit with me and enjoy the day for a bit." He said cheerfully, gesturing to the table and chairs nearby. "My name is Maruboshi Kosuke. Nice to meet you."

After introducing themselves, Shikamaru leaned forward in his chair. "You know why we are here. Is there a better place to talk than out here in the open?"

The old man nodded a few times. "I'm guessing your travels were tiring. I suggest you take a few hours to explore the town and rest up before we share the information you seek." He said. "Don't worry, the information will be good for several days, if not the rest of the week. It's better to start a mission all rested instead of rushing ahead and, well, losing your head. Take your time. How about we meet again over dinner? There is a great barbecue restaurant at the end of the street with private rooms." Kosuke nodded again, and then stood up without waiting for an answer. "I'll be around until then. Probably going to find a nice spot for a nap. Have fun, kids." And with that, he was gone, disappeared from sight, leaving a group of travel-weary Shinobi to fill the time on their own.

"Let's check into the hotel. It seems like we'll be here a while." Asuma said, leading them into the hotel. The obvious division was made, placing Sasuke and Naruto in a room, Shikamaru and Choji in a second room and Asuma in a private room. 

Sasuke and Naruto went walking around town, sightseeing and shopping for souvenirs, killing time mostly. Shikamaru and Choji disappeared to the roof of the hotel together, cloud-watching to pass the time, leaving Asuma free to enjoy a drink and a smoke at the hotel bar. 

When it was time to meet at the barbecue restaurant, Sasuke and Naruto arrived first. Naruto had been completely docile all day, with his blue eye happily shining. He did as Sasuke told him to and was very relaxed all day. There was something about walking around town without withering stares and cold glares directed at him that made him feel relaxed without effort. 

Kosuke joined shortly after and sat next to Naruto. "You look familiar, kid. Who are you?"

Naruto grinned at him. "Uzumaki Naruto! My father was the Fourth!" 

Kosuke's eyes widened a little and then he smiled too. "Really? Now that you say it, you do look remarkably like him. I remember him getting named Hokage and he gave me some missions. From what I could tell, he was a great man. It's good to see his son is following in his footsteps as a Shinobi."

"I didn't know for a long time, but Jiraya-san kind of told me. Well, not directly. Now that I think about it, I guess nobody ever really told me? That's kind of sad, don't you think?" Naruto answered. "But it's okay! Because I met Cat and Dog, and Monkey, Mister Ino-chan and Torture-expert-sama!" He rattled on. "Torture-expert-sama is really nice! But I don't want to live with him again. It's too dark there. And a bit boring. I did get to play from time to time, so that was nice. I think I like the outside better, though, because that's where Sasuke is and I like Sasuke a lot." Kosuke listened and, even if he didn't quite follow the incoherent stories Naruto was telling, he was glad to listen to the boy just ramble on. It was like talking to a three-year-old, just with a bigger vocabulary. Kosuke was yet to decide whether that made the stories more or less easy to follow, but it didn't matter. He was usually alone, so it was a nice change to listen to enthusiastic rambling. Kosuke noticed the black-haired boy was listening as well, but he kept out of the conversation. The smile he showed from time to time told Kosuke he was still invested in the conversation. And entertained by it. He probably understood a lot more of what Naruto was saying and seemed content just listening.

Naruto continued to ramble on, even after the rest arrived and they started eating. Sasuke nudged him from time to time, reminding him that he needed to eat, and give Kosuke a chance to eat as well. By the time they were at the point to talk about the mission and the information Kosuke had, Naruto was yawning and slumping against Sasuke, who didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, he snaked an arm around the blond boy in support like it was a natural thing for them. Kosuke decided to ignore it and instead shifted his focus to Asuma and Shikamaru.

"So, the information you wanted. The two you are after are across the border in Suna. It seems they are hunting the youngest son of the Kazekage, named Gaara. There was another team dispatched for this a few years ago, but they failed at the first attempt. Gaara and his father were away at the time. The Akatsuki had been misinformed about Gaara's whereabouts and without the Kazekage and their Jinchuuriki to defend the village, this led to the partial destruction of Sunegakure. They have rebuild since then, stronger and bigger then before, but it did cost them the oldest son of the Kazekage. It did change Gaara for the better, or so I've been told." Kosuke said. "The team you're after right now is held up in a cave in a mountain to the north of the village. I don't know the exact location, but it is about a day and a half travel from the village. Show me your map, I'll mark the general area."

Asuma got the map out and Kosuke circled a rather large area. "I'm sorry I can't be more precise. I don't have a lot of access to information from across the border. I am, after all, just a Genin and mostly I don't get access to any important information..." He smirked and sat back, letting Asuma and Shikamaru look at the area marked on the map. 

"Why did you say we have a week?" Shikamaru asked. 

"It seems they are waiting in that hideout for reinforcements, or at the very least for the 'okay' to attack. There are rumours the Kazekage will be going on a trip within the next two weeks, without Gaara, leaving the village and Gaara more vulnerable than they have been in a long time. I think that's the moment they are waiting for. Either way, they shouldn't be moving too much until then."

"Hmm, we don't have any sensory Shinobi with us right now. Sasuke, your Sharingan might be a little useful, but I don't think that will be enough to locate two people held up inside the mountains... Maybe we should ask for team eight to join us in the search. If we have a week, we could maybe wait it out..." Shikamaru said, looking thoughtful as he placed his hands together with just the fingertips touching. 

"That wouldn't leave us with much time to rethink our plan if they are unavailable or not able to make it in time. Even if they are here within a week, that would leave them no time to search." Asuma said.

"We can plan and move as though they won't reach us in time, but still send the request. If anything, back-up is never a bad thing."  Choji added.

"Tsk, troublesome. I'll think on it tonight, make a plan. Sending a message tomorrow morning would still give us the time we need and that way I'll have time to really work this out." Shikamaru said, looking tired already.

"Well, it seems like you have some stuff to sort through. I'll be taking my leave then. I'm travelling East starting tomorrow morning. I wish you all a good night!" Kosuke said as he got up with a smile, made a small bow and left the restaurant. They finished eating and after that Sasuke and Naruto left. Shikamaru, Choji and Asuma were the last to leave and they found the bill a little higher than expected. It seemed like the Eternal Genin skipped on his bill...

Sasuke and Naruto made their way back to the hotel. Naruto was a little annoying because he was tired. Like a three-year-old he was whining about having to walk, about how his stomach was too full, that Sasuke wasn't paying enough attention to him, that he was thirsty and other stuff small stuff like that. Sasuke was all too glad when Naruto face-planted into the soft pillow on his bed. It didn't take long for Naruto to be out like a light, curled up in the blankets and snuggling the pillow he took from Sasuke's bed. Sasuke filled a little more time reading before he too went to sleep after searching the room for the extra pillow that was usually stuffed in a closer somewhere.

Naruto woke up before Sasuke the next morning. He woke up sitting in the corner of the room, his arms folded across his chest and his legs pulled up. He felt weird and groggy. He had muscle pains all over and he felt like he hadn't slept at all. He also didn't remember how he ended up in the corner of the room, sitting like a tight ball with cramped muscles. 

He unfurled himself and slammed a hand over his mouth to stop himself from yelling out. There was blood on his clothing. A lot of blood. His legs and shirt were soaked. So were his hands, which, once again, had enlarged nails. He felt himself shaking at the sight. He didn't mind the blood at all, but... he didn't remember doing anything to end up covered in it. 

His eyes snapped to Sasuke. A pit of fear in his stomach he might have done something to Sasuke, but Sasuke seemed fine. He was still quietly sleeping in a clean bed. Naruto's eyes scanned the room further and to his relief he found no other traces of blood anywhere. The only difference in the room compared to last night was the fact that the window was now all the way open, but even on the window sill there wasn't any blood. 

Naruto quietly got up, careful not to make a sound and wake Sasuke up. This situation was getting serious. He had the same pressing feeling in the back of his mind as the time in the Hokage's office. Did he do something bad? Was there something actually wrong in his mind? Other than the obvious issues he had, that is. 

He quickly looked out and around the open window, but found nothing to indicate where the blood had come from. 

Sasuke turned around in his sleep, sending Naruto's heart in overdrive. He didn't want Sasuke, or anyone, to see him like this! He needed to clean himself before he was seen! As quickly and quietly as possible he made his was to the bathroom. It only had a shower, toilet and sink, but it would have to do. 

He stepped in front of the mirror and saw a clear handprint over his mouth, which made him realise that the blood was still liquid. It had to be very fresh to still be liquid. That was both good and bad. Good, because it meant the blood would be a lot easier to clean than dried blood. Bad, because it meant he had done something only minutes ago and he really did not remember anything at all after hogging Sasuke's pillow and falling asleep. 

He needed to hide this. He didn't like hiding things, but there was no way anybody was going to know about this. After washing the clothing and himself, he sealed the clothing in a scroll so he could deal with it at home. He quietly left the bathroom again, got dressed and sat down on his bed to wait until Sasuke woke up.

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