Golden eyes flashed in the darkness of the night as the thick brush concealed the kunoichi's movements. Her heavy breathing didn't cease as she jumped from tree bough to tree bough, strands of her moonlight white hair ran with the wind as she landed only to take off once more. The woman's deep blue sleeves flapped in the breeze created as she ran.

"Damnit, the missing-nin in the Cloud Village are cruel. How did they retaliate so quickly? Father's captured and..."

She fought back tears as her whispers sank into her mind.

"Father's captured, the Raikage, he's been..."

Her mind suddenly came back to reality as two kunai knives embedded themselves in the flesh of her shoulder. A gasp of pain escaped her lips, even as she ran she pulled the knives out. She turned at her two pursuers.

"You won't catch me!" she cried tossing the kunai with an expert's aim as both fell to the ground below.

She grasped her shoulder, and pulled her hand to her sight. Even with the failing light of a cloudy crescent moon, she could see the crimson liquid that stained her feminine hand. Her destination was a five days run, if she made it with good time, possibly a little less and that included short cuts. She knew she would make it, unless the Missing-nin of her village continued to follow her, then it would be a long five days.

The Hokage of the Leaf Village read over reports to the jounin and chunnin off a scroll. Each of the jounin and chunnin, sat straight up listening, others were sitting straight, but their heads were bowed slightly as they slept. Kakashi sat next to Asuma, Kurenai on the other side of him. Asuma held his head up on his fist to keep his head up so that it seemed he was more awake. Kurenai and Kakashi sat straight up as they listened to the Hokage's news. However, one line, got the attention of even the slumbering ninjas.

"The Cloud Village was attacked four nights ago, the Raikage has been captured and held for ransom. The Cloud ninja are finding ways to get him back," the Hokage read out loud, "From what news I have gathered, the villagers in Cloud think that Orochimaru is behind this, due to his recent unusual interests in the Cloud Village. We have little relations with the Cloud Village, however, I will keep you up to date on these things. You are dismissed."

The jounin and chunnins got up, bowed, and then either disappeared in a quick flash or walked out the double doors of the Hokage's office.

Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma walked around the village streets. Asuma still in a daze from being abruptly woken up with the startling news that the Hokage had.

"Do you really think that Orochimaru would attack here?" Kurenai asked.

"He might," Kakashi said as he gazed at his book, "But he seems to be preoccupied with the Cloud Village."

"Kakashi-sama?" a woman's voice came, making all three of the jounins look up at the woman.

Her clothes were full of burrs and sticks from running in the forest, four nights straight, her eyes glazed with wear, the back of her clothes were bloody from the wound on her shoulder. Kakashi didn't recognize the woman that stood before him, but she obviously knew him. What got his attention was the cloud symbol on the headband she wore on her hips. Kakashi went up to her only to catch her as she passed out from exhaustion.

"Come on, we should take her to Hokage, her wounds aren't serious, we can treat them there.." Kurenai said.

Kakashi looked at the girl as she slept on a couch, the Hokage looked over at her. His eyes skimmed her body, before he smiled.

"If memory serves me right, this is Yamashita Amane, the daughter of the Raikage," he said, he brushed his fingers over the cloud symbol engraved in the metal piece of the headband.

"Amane?" Kakashi muttered softly, his memory now began to work with him as he looked at the young woman's face.

His memory allowed him to remember the more vibrant woman of Cloud. She helped to govern the village and always looked forward to coming to other countries to make solid relationships, unlike her father. She had come to the Leaf Village years ago, but only one was successful with the Hokage. She had her fellow follower to thank for that.

"Well I have work to do," the Hokage said as he retracted his hand from Amane's headband, "Watch over her for me Kakashi, alert me when she wakes up, we need to ask her some questions."

Kakashi nodded as he pulled up a chair and sat next to Amane's sleeping body. He sat there, staring at her for the first hour, and for the next eight hours he read his book. Amane's eyes fluttered open as she gazed up, she first so Kakashi, and then looked over at the clock. The hands on the face read a couple minutes after eight. She looked at the large windows that were in the back of the room and the sky sparkled with an evening glaze. Her head turned as she looked at Kakashi, who peered over his book.

"So, you've finally come to? Well, I'm not that disappointed I didn't have to deal with my students today then," Kakashi said.

Amane smiled, "You're still as lazy as ever."

"Well Amane, some people don't change even after eight years," Kakashi said as he patted her on the head and closed his book, placing it in his pocket.

He began to get up, when Amane grabbed his pant leg, "Where are you going?" she asked.

"The Hokage said to come and get him when you woke up, I don't think he knew it would be nine hours later," Kakashi said as he got up and went out the door.

Amane sat up and ran her fingers over the bandage on her shoulder where the stab wounds were. She looked at her blue Chinese dress to see that the burrs and twigs and such was pulled off. Her tight blue gloves that went up high on her arm and then her removable kimono sleeves were folded at the bottom of the couch. She grasped her shurriken holder at the end and opened the flap, it was filled with senbon and kunai knives still. She placed it back down as she heard someone begin to walk in.