(A/N): I just wanted to say that this chapter took me quite some time. I am a busy person, therefore, this chapter comes up four weeks later than expected. Sorry! Anyways, thanks to those who wasted their time to read this. Arigato!

Disclaimer: No own. Wish I do, though.


Kisame sighed for the millionth time as he looked back.

"Anosa, Itachi-san, why didn't you just kill him off right then and there? That way, not only would he be able to die totally pissed, but your troubles would lessen a lot, wouldn't they? Say, that clone you left there to fight him….once he finds out, no doubt he's going to be fucking pissed."

"Hn."

Kisame sighed once more and shook his head. At least he didn't have an annoying brother bent on killing him.

"We're almost there." Itachi said.

Man, this is going to be another boring mission. Kisame thought.


"Ne, Sakura-chan, are you free tomorrow?" Tenten asked, walking alongside the pink-haired medic. The boys walked in front of them, deep into their own conversation.

"Uh….let's see," Sakura held up an open hand, counting off the list of things she had for tomorrow, "first, Tsunade-shishou wants me to see to both her patients as well as my own. Afterwards, I need to train with Sai, Lee, and Neji. Then, I have to train Naruto. Afterwards…free."

"Right. Me, Hinata, and Ino are going to have a get-together at Hinata's. Care to join?" Tenten saw the flash in Sakura's eyes, and hastily added, "I mean, you've been on missions a lot lately, and we miss you. I know you don't want to waste your time for such… things…but…please? For Ino, then…Ino, your best friend. Or even..for Hinata! Hai! For Hinata! You can do that, can't you? Can't…you…?" Tenten's voice trailed off, eyes worried and sad.

Sakura pondered for a moment.

So….I've been distancing myself from them for too long, eh?

They miss me…

But do I miss them….?

Tenten saw the hardened jade eyes grow darker, and said, in a tentative whisper, "It's alright if you don't want to, Sakura-chan. No one said you needed to—"

"No, it's fine." Tenten stopped, blinking at Sakura's melodic and cheerful voice. "I'll be there."

Tenten smiled, but the worried look hadn't left her eyes.

"Ja, see you there, then." And with that, she gave Sakura a rough push, and giggled as the pink-haired girl landed on the four boys in front of her.

"Tenten!!" and Tenten's giggles grew into a full-blown laugh as Sakura shouted, face bright red.


Black feathers.

He clenched his fist, then unclenched it.

It had been a clone.

A clone.

FUCK that bastard!!

Did Itachi really think that he'd be that weak? So weak that he couldn't fight off a clone?!

Bullshit.

Sasuke didn't like it. He never liked it when people played with him, as if he were a toy...

Or a tool.

Memories flashed in his mind.

"You were too weak to kill……"

"I was testing my abilities…"

"Testing…?" Sasuke whispered to himself.

Leaping forwards, he chased after the real Itachi.

"I'm not your tool!!"


Closing her eyes, Sakura felt the calming breeze as it swept around her. It felt nice, to be free from missions for a while.

"Sakura-chan!"

Opening her eyes, she resisted a groan as she sat up from her lying position on the tree branch. Looking down, she saw a confused blond desperately searching for her.

Shaking her head with a sigh, she nimbly leaped from the tree branch and landed in front of Naruto.

"GAH! Oi, Sakura-chan, you don't have to scare me like that!!"

"It was amusing." She replied, an amused smirk on her face. Immediately, it disappeared as she noticed the sad look in Naruto's eyes.

"Don't do that." He said.

Blinking, she was about to ask him why when she realized that, with an amused smirk, she would've looked just like Sasuke.

"Oh."

There was a short silence between them, before Naruto straightened and said, in a cheerful voice, "Yosh! We'll start our training now or never, dattebayo!"


Knock, knock.

"Come in." Tsunade said, eyes closed, hands intertwined in a 'Sasuke brooding pose' style.

Shizune stepped in, an urgent look on her face.

"Nani, Shizune?"

Her assistant stopped, prepared herself for any type of outburst, and then let it out.

"Some guards say that they sense Akatsuki outside Konoha, closing in at an incredibly fast pace."

Tsunade's eyes shot open.

"What did you say?"


Sakura dodged another shadow clone, and went for Naruto's stomach. Hearing a grunt told her that her fist had connected with the exact strength, and she smiled. Bringing her leg up from behind her, she used his shoulder as a hook and flipped herself over him with her other foot. She tried hard to suppress the giddy feeling that came to her every time the world turned upside down. Once she was upright—foot still on Naruto's shoulder—she kicked off, sending Naruto flying a few feet forwards.

Turning around, she sighed at the sight of Naruto sprawled on the ground, twitching.

"Still too slow."

"Is that all you're going to say for the day? That's all you've been saying for the past few hours!!" her friend said as he stood up, a frustrated look on him, even though his eyes were laughing.

Crossing her arms, she said teasingly, "If you don't build up speed, I'm not the only one who can foretell that there would be a fated meeting between your face and the ground."

"Hey!"

Naruto smiled as he heard Sakura's laughter ring in the forest.


Itachi felt Kisame land on the branch only a split second after he did.

"She's there. With the kyuubi." He pointed out.

"Ha. Seems like they're training." Kisame grinned, squatting down to get a good look at the training taking place before them.

Both Akatsuki noted that the pink-haired girl wasn't taking the kyuubi seriously at all; she wasn't sweating, but the kyuubi seemed as if he had just been through a sandstorm—or rather—dirtstorm.

"So…that kunoichi's the one that Leader-sama wants, eh? Not bad," Kisame said to himself in a low whisper after a few minutes, "hasn't even worked up a sweat, that one. No wonder she's the second ANBU captain of Konoha."

Just then, their target flipped over the kyuubi and kicked him back a few twenty meters away.

"Still too slow."

Both Akatsuki blinked at the sound of her voice. That was the first time she spoke since her 'fight' with the kyuubi.

Itachi noted that her voice, melodic though it was, contained both an irritated tone and an amused tone. Was she amused that the kyuubi was weaker than her?

"Is that all you're going to say for the day? That's all you've been saying for the past few hours!!" the kyuubi complained, getting up from the ground.

A low whistle reached Itachi's ear.

"Did you hear that, Itachi-san? That puny kunoichi has been training with him for the past few hours. Now it makes more sense why she's an ANBU cap—"

Kisame was interrupted by the kunoichi.

"If you don't build up speed, I'm not the only one who can foretell that there would be a fated meeting between your face and the ground."

"—and she's got a nice sense of humor too!" the missing mist-nin ended, a full grin on his face as the kyuubi container's loud shout sounded in the background.

Itachi smirked as their target laughed, her voice ringing in the forest.

It was a nice sound.

"Should we get her now?" Kisame wanted to know.

"We wait." Was all the answer he got.


(A/N): How was it? Good? Bad? PLEAZ review! Otherwise I wouldn't know if you like it or not. Next chapter might come up earlier. I'll try to update faster.