The sky rumbled and shook with the force of the worsening storm. Torrents of cold spring rain soaked the ground. A lone woman stood, black hair lashed by the unforgiving winds. "Ancestors hear our prayer," Shitzune whispered into the rain and wind, hoping her words reached the ancestors through the fury of the storm. "Please help Sakura."

I arrive at the camp during the heat of midday, when the sun is at it highest peak in the sky. Cresting a small hill that lead into the natural valley where the camp had been set up all I can see from the one end of the valley to the other are rows upon rows of white canvas tents. Most of the troops have already arrived but I can see other late soldiers trickling in with their mounts and equipment. I dismount Kan and lead him into the camp on foot, keeping my eyes peeled for any trace of the men from my town. There was an argument a few rows down and I turn a moment to see who had caused it. Sure enough, there are Lee and Kiba arguing while the others, Shikamaru, Neji, Choji, Gaara, Kankuro and Shino just sit and watch while sharpening their weapons. I look away, put my head down and hope they don't look my way and recognize Kan or me. If they see us, they would probably get me killed with those mouths of theirs. I follow the worn path deeper into the camp to an open space where the check in table is sitting under a canopy. There's already a line so I just stand behind a man who's three times my size. The line quickly shortens and before I know it, it's almost my turn. Nervousness overcomes me and my stomach clenches. For a moment, I think I'm going to get sick right there.

"Scroll," the man looks up at me with bored eyes hen I step forward, holding his hand out for the scroll that I took from my father. I hand it to him quickly, hiding my empty hand behind my back to keep him from seeing it shake. In my other hand, I tighten my grip on Kan's reins. "Haruno? I thought Jariya's son did years ago in the war," he looks back at me and I can feel the panic rising in my chest.

"He was my older brother," I manage to say, hoping he will believe me. If he doesn't I am so screwed.

"What's your name?" Oh crap. I stand there for a moment with my brain running circles around itself when a familiar voice interrupts us.

"Hey Riku, bout time you get here!" I turn around at the sound and Kan's head shoots up. He's always liked Naruto, mostly because Naruto always gave him sugar cubes but also because he is my friend. Sure enough, the blonde prince strides up with a smile and slings his arm over my shoulder like I've seen him do with some of his other guy friends. The check-in guy looks at me a moment before-

"Riku, was it?"

In my momentary shock, I just stand until there Naruto pinches my shoulder. "Y-yes sir."

"Riku here is one of my best friends so you had better treat him kindly," He adds with a little more pressure to my shoulders.

The man stands up and bows, "Sorry sir won't happen again."

"Good," Naruto nods, already escorting me away, "Come on Riku; I'll show you around camp." We walk away from the line to an area where there are not any people. When no one is looking, he pulls me inside one of the bigger tents; his judging by the mess and turns to face me, both hands on my shoulders gripping me as if I'm about to make a break for it. Kan sticks his head inside and I make the 'stay' hand motion.

His eyes meet mine and as we stand there looking at each other, I can see the barely suppressed panic turning the gears. I brace myself for the screaming.

His grip loosens and moves to my forearms, "Are you crazy?" He hisses. Crap, forget me dying by military law, Naruto is about to kill me himself. In a way, though, I should have seen this coming; there are only so many ways he can react to this. "You could get killed Sakura, what the hell are you doing here?" His voice rises with each word until he's almost screaming. I break out of his grip and my hands find their way to my hips automatically.

"Keep you voice down! Right now, you're the one who's going to get me caught! You know why I did this, Naruto; Papa is in no condition to travel here, let alone fight so it's not like I had a choice." I finish, giving him my best puppy-eyes look, as he likes to call it.

"Sakura, don't you dare-" he makes eye contact and melts like putty in my hands.

"Dang," he mutters, "….well then how are we going to hide it from everyone in your village?"

"I was planning on avoiding all of them," I smile, revealing my ingenious plan.

He just stares at me, "Yea that could work… except you're paired with people from your village in sleeping quarters."

Maybe I should have thought about this a little bit more.

"You didn't think this through that much, did you?" he smiles and moves back to lean against his desk, knocking some scrolls onto the already cluttered floor.

"Not particularly," I grumble as I bend to pick it up. By it's layout I can see it's a border report so I look around for a pile where they are all suppose to be.

"Geeze Sak, even I'm smarter than that… How are you going to hide from Ino and the other girls?" he talks as I move around the room, organizing and cleaning in a random pattern. I figure it is better to do this than just stand there and fidget.

"That shouldn't be too hard," I grumble as I lift a pile of bound bamboo records and drop them into a corner. "Seeing as they're all back in Konoha, I should have no trouble avoiding them."

I faintly wonder if he is all right as I set the records down and shift them into a neat pile, he's sure been asking some dumb questions today.

"Wrong again! They're here working as maids while the men train," I can tell he is smiling even with my back turned and I freeze for a moment as I wipe down the now organized desk.

He got me, I know as I finish and look around the mostly clean tent. I am in some serious crap, I admit, giving up on my attempts to distract myself and I face my oncoming panic attack.

Wait, do guys even have those?

"I suggest telling Ino before she blurts it out. We both know how she is," he walks over to the tent opening and pulls it open, stepping aside in a gesture that hinted at the fact that I needed to leave. As I walk out, he continues talking, "As for the guys, I don't know what to tell you. Ino and the others might be able to help with them." We stand there for a moment and I process the information. Having Ino and the girls here could work to my advantage. They could supply me with coals and other necessities. I am still thinking when some ranking official walks up and request a meeting with Naruto and the blonde gives me directions before he ducks inside his tent.

I walk through the camp with Kan trying to remember it's layout from the map I saw on Naruto's desk. It was roughly rectangular from the air, divided into four sections by main roads that split it down the middle either direction. Most the newer divisions were camped in section four and as divisions moved in and out, the numbers rotated depending on where the newest troops were staying. I stop at a section of dirty- looking tents and try not to notice the way the men around me were behaving. Judging from idle gossip a few passing soldiers were spouting, this is section three where some hot-blooded airheads are staying before being assigned to a patrol area. The medic tents where the girls would be at this time of day are in the middle if the second section. To get there faster I am going to have to cut across the rest of this section and the road but the deeper into this section I am getting the more I regret my actions. I can't help but noticed how grotesque the men are here, they make the men from my village seem like gentlemen. Of course, the fact that most of the men from my village were raised by women might have something to do with their behavior. Many fathers went off to war over the years and never came home. The men here are picking food out of their teeth with grubby fingernails, waging spitting contest and showing off unflattering tattoos. One man up ahead is even harassing a woman in a medic's dress. How disrespectful, I grumble, already walking over to the gathering crowd with Kan trailing behind me like a loyal dog.

"Please stop," the woman asks as the tries to grab her butt and I pause a moment in recognition. Hinata! I can see the purple hued hair and the eyes now.

"Come on," he sniggers "you're here to cater to our needs and I'm needy." His friends egg him so he reaches for her again and I feel something in my mind snap.

"I believe she asked you to stop!" I growl in the manliest voice I can manage and step in between Hinata and the guy who is looking at me like I just grew a third eye.

"Listen runt, go home and play with your wooden sword and leave this war to the men."

Runt. He just called me a runt. He laughs and turns back to grab Hinata again. I have had enough at this point. I snatch his hand before he can touch her again and forcefully twist it backward. He lets out a girly streak, his face twisting with pain and tears running down his cheeks.

"Listen here," I snarl, grabbing the front of his uniform and bringing him eye level with me, "you better be glad it's me who's stopping you and not her cousin. Neji Hyuuga doesn't take lightly to people harassing his cousin, so take this as a warning walk away now or I'll go get Neji and let him take care of you!" I pause for effect, listening to the sound of his bones popping out of place. Hinata's look of confusion is focused on me and I'm distracted for a moment until-

"Did you say Hyuuga?" one of the bastard's acquaintances inquires. I shove the man away, letting him clutch at his hand in agony and turn to focus a glare on the man who just spoke. The guy looks like he's about to pee his pants. He grabs his friend and makes a quick escape, heading in the direction of a medical tent. Turning back to Hinata, I speak in a quiet voice "We need to talk." The confusion immediately leaves her face as she starts putting pieces together. Very few people know of Neji being so protective of her and one of those few is Sakura Haruno who had not come with them to help the wounded. She opens her mouth but I interrupt her,

"Where are the girls, we need to talk now!" I put some urgency into my voice and she acts upon it, guiding me through the camp to the medic tent where the girls from Konoha are. Inside the tent Ino, Temari, and Tenten are setting up what looks to be a clinic and Ino's head shoots up when we make our presence known. "Hinata!" She puts her hands on her hips and looks me up and down. "No one is supposed to be in here yet!" Ino scolds. "Sorry sir you'll have to come back after we finish setting up the clinic…" She breaks her train of thought as she looks closer at me. "Do I know you?" Oh this is so typical.

"Dang pig can't even recognize your best friend. You should be ashamed." I knew she would be surprised, but I didn't expect her to scream. Hinata and I lunged forward to cover her moth at the same time before she could get loud enough for anyone outside the tent to hear her.

Well here's the edited version from Fox of the Last Temple! she's amazing isn't she!