While everyone rested and the men folk huddled around and started to plan their next move Uzu decided to go walk around a little bit and whispered to Sakura that she would be back soon and got up and walked off. She didn't go far. The others would come looking for her if they sensed her getting too far away from them. But that didn't stop her from walking to the farthest part of training ground seven and sitting down somewhere and just stared unblinking at the dark night sky, the mounatain with the faces carved into it, the tower, the glowing lights of the buildings.

God this was amazing. she had seen these things in her dreams for the last four years. Had longed to see her village in one piece, to see the mountain side, the glowing lights and everything else. I had almost forgotten what everything looked like. She thought sadly as tears welled up and slipped down her cheeks, leaving thin trails through the ashes and blood covering her face.

She had stopped crying for the village a long time ago, but her guilt over failing to save everyone dear to her had never really faded. She was a failure of epic preportions. And she hated herself for that. Because it meant that everything that everyone had once thought about her, called her, every cruel thing meant to hurt her had been right on the money. They were right about her. They had always been right about her.

And nothing would ever change that fact.

Nothing.

So she no longer cared about even bothering to try. If they were really back, like everyone was starting to believe they were...then she would do things differently this time. This time she would fail the test, get kicked out of the school and live her life as an ordinary person. The others would'nt like it, but after the hell that they had all been through the past few years she doubted that they would argue with her desicion.

Some of them might even join her. And that was fine.

She could live with that if it happend. But the fact remained that some things were going to change...

(***************************************************************************************************************************************************************)

Hinata caught up to the one hedged into Kakashi and grabbed his wrist and pulled him into an alley fourty feet from a certain bad tempered and murderous jounin and hissed at him. "Change to a kid! Hurry!"

Gaara didn't bother argueing with the Hyuga girl and did as she told him and used one of the jutsu that Uzu had taught him to change into a little kid about ten years old and hugged Hinata, he was just so happy to see her. Really he was. Out of all the rookies Uzu, Sakura Lee, Shikamaru and Hinata were the best friends he could have ever asked for.

They had stood by him through every little tragedy, every personal break down. Everything. And that was why he would do anything for them. He'd drink poison for them, kill for them, even die for them if they asked him too. He loved them so much. "I was worried about you." He said in Hinata's ear and she wrapped her arms around his slender body and hugged him back.

"We were worried about you too Gaara."

"Who all is with you?" Gaara asked as he pulled back a little bit. Hinata flashed him a quick silver grin and put a finger to her lips and peeked out of the alley as Sauske fell down, down, down. Screaming all the way, right towards a startled looking copy nin.

Kakashi had very little time to react to the screams of the young boy falling through the air towards him. He had a breif moment to think, What the fuck? Then took several running steps as the crowd around him suddenly realised that there was a small child falling towards the ground and started to part. Screams of horror and pointing happened simotaniously as Kakashi ran forward a few more steps without taking his eyes off of the boy and he took a flying leap into the air and snatched the boy in mid air and used the closest roof top to land on.

The boy cradled in his arms looking shaken and pale as the copy nin looked up at the sky and wondered just how the hell the kid had ened up falling from such a height. It was'nt like a little bird could have snatched the boy up and dropped him from some where over head. Not a normal bird anyways.

"Oi kid-" Kakashi said as he looked down and froze for a second when he realised just who the kid was. Oh fuck me. The Uchiha boy. Sauske looked up at his former sensei and stared at him, years of pain and regret stirring in his heart. He had missed Kakashi-sensei! He had missed him so much! He wanted to hug the man and think him...

For everything.

For all the years he had tried to teach him, and for all the years of pain and anguish when he and the others had'nt given up on him. But since Kakashi didn't know him at this point he opted for the lesser of the two evils and simply hugged the silver haired man as tightly as he could and muttered over and over again. "Thank you. Thank you. thank you. Thank you-"

Kakashi stiffened as the boy hugged him and felt his mind go blank as his arms lifted to wrap around the obviously frightened child and rubbed his back as the boy thanked him over and over again. "Okay. Alright. Your safe now kid." Kakashi said akwardly as he patted the boy's back.

Sauske smiled against Kakashi's vest but said nothing because he knew that Kakashi was right.

He was safe now.

Because he had finally come home.

Hinata looked at Gaara and grinned as Shino and Ino and Choji came running up, all of them also chibi's. "Gaara!" Ino cried and flung herself at the red head. Gaara blushed and staggered back and fell onto his butt as Ino's body slammed into him and knocked him back.

"H-Hello Ino." Gaara stuttered as she hugged him and giggled happily. Ah, it was nice to be missed. He mused as he patted the girl on the back until she pulled away and stood up. Shino held out a hand and helped the red head up as Ino bounced around like a hyper child in a candy store. Choji smiled at the Kazakage as Shino pulled him to his feet.

"Is Sauske okay?"

Hinata snorted and grinned at her old friend. "He's good. Kakashi caught him before he could splatter his brains all over the place."

"Sweet." Shino said in bemusment.

"Very. But Choji is going to die if Sauske gets his hands on him any time with in the next hour or so." Hina said warily. Choji shrugged his shoulders and looked unconcerned. If Sauske came after him, he'd knock the raven around like he had before they had woken up in the feild.

"Thats fine. Choji can take him. Gaara where did you come from? Was there anyone with you?" Shino asked curiously. Gaara nodded his head as his expression sobered.

"Training ground seven. Around the memeorial stone. I left everyone there so that I could do recon."

"Everyone? Everyone is there? Shika? Uzu? Neji? Lee? Kiba?" Gaara nodded his head.

"Sakura, Kona, and Asuma too."

"Holy shit." So everyone was there.

That was good to know. Sort of.