I apologise for the delay, but here is the sixth chapter! Once again a big thank to Sukki18 for her review.

Warning: There will be a slight innuendo in this chapter, but it is very light so it shouldn't be shocking to anybody. This warning is just a precaution since I rated my fanfic T.

Please read, enjoy, and don't hesitate to review to tell me what you think of this chapter!

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Chapter six

First outing and missing nins

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"Your test results are getting better and better." Damaru smiled, looking up from the chart to Kimimaro's expectant face.

"Really?" the boy asked hopefully.

"Yep! In a few weeks you'll be able to get out of bed."

The white haired boy's smile could have rivalled with Naruto's.

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Damaru took a glance back toward Shin and Haku to see they were struggling to keep up with the pace Itachi had set.

"Itachi, Tazuki-chan!" she called "Let's walk a bit."

Tazuki looked back before glancing at Itachi.

The teenager nodded and everyone jumped down on the ground.

"Here." Damaru gently said, taking out her gourd of water before passing it to them "Drink."

"Thank you." Shin sighed, drinking a bit before passing the item to Haku.

"Sorry." The black haired twelve years old apologized once he finished drinking "We're slowing you down."

"We didn't expect you to maintain Itachi's pace for hours you know." Tazuki reassured "Heck even I am tired when evening comes. Though, I have to say you lasted much longer than I expected."

The two boys grinned proudly.

"Don't worry we'll just walk." Itachi said "It will take a little more time but it's nothing. Let's go now."

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'Why can't we go with otou-chan and okaa-chan!" Naruto protested, glaring up at Rin, trying to refrain a pout (because big boys just didn't pout).

"Because you're too young." The woman explained calmly "Don't be so hasty. In two little years you'll be able to go on missions with them. Only, of course, if you're strong enough to get Itachi and Damaru's approbation."

"I'll get their approbation!" Naruto swore "They'll even be impressed."

"If you want them to be impressed." Sai suggested, looking up from his work "I suggest you return to your training."

"Yeah come on Naruto." Sasuke smirked "You yet have to beat me."

"I'll show you!" The blond head exclaimed challengingly, leaping back into battle.

Rin chuckled, shaking her head before glancing at Gaara and Amaru who were training with kunais and shurikens.

"Need any help?" she asked.

"No thank you." Amaru smiled while Gaara simply shook his head.

Rin nodded and looked back at Kumori.

How did Kakashi and she come to that name for their son was still a mystery. But even if it was a little strange Rin liked it. It was a unique name just like her son was unique.

She had to admit that, at the beginning, she was afraid to have a child. She had seen the extension of Damaru's work to take care of the children she would take in and she hadn't been sure she could do the same.

But now looking at Kumori she was more than ready to do everything necessary to insure a good life for him.

She felt the baby steer and brushed away his dark locks.

Blue eyes opened and Kumori began crying.

"Is he okay?" Amaru asked, stopping her training.

"He just needs to be changed and fed." Rin reassured, getting up "I'm going. Don't cause trouble in my absence."

"Promise." Sai smiled.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Damaru swiftly evaded a punch from the bandit in front of her, leaving an opening for Yuki.

The lupine jumped onto the man in an instant, teeth out, and killed him in even less time.

Damaru threw a look to see that Shin and Haku were handling perfectly their own bandit, Shin fighting with his tanto and leaving openings for Haku to try to disable him with his needles.

Tazuki threw her own opponent away with her fans and Damaru silently asked for Yuki to drag the body of the man they took care of outside the road.

The wolf complied and Damaru checked once again to see if the children needed help.

But she didn't need to worry as she saw their opponent collapse on the ground.

"Seriously." Tazuki scoffed, walking to Damaru after getting rid of her own bandit "What were they thinking when they decided to attack us?"

"Probably nothing?" Damaru grumbled "Shin! Haku! Is anyone hurt?"

"No." Haku answered.

The white haired girl smiled in relief "Good."

Itachi chose this moment to appear, Gin at his side.

"Are you alright?" Damaru asked, Yuki nearing Gin to sniff him for any injuries.

"Don't worry we're alright." Itachi reassured, petting lightly Gin before looking to his right, his eyes bleeding red "But apparently we weren't the only ones wanting to kill them."

As if on cue a boy approximately Itachi's age busted through the bushes, cutting their way.

"You!" he yelled, pointing to Itachi who deactivated his eyes just in time "You killed my missing nin!"

Damaru noticed the Iwa symbol on his headband and moved discreetly to the children.

"Stay near me okay?" she whispered to them "And don't initiate anything unless I tell you."

The two boys nodded.

"Hey you three!" the Iwa nin yelled, glaring at Damaru "Don't go whispering behind my back!"

"How could we do something behind your back?" Tazuki smirked "You're facing us."

Her jab seemed to enrage the teenager.

"You bitch!" he yelled, sinking his hand into a side pocket before throwing white balls to the group.

Tazuki sent a wave of wind powerful enough to deviate the strange balls and knock forcefully the iwa nin back along with a few trees.

"Who is a bitch bastard!" The red head yelled, grey eyes narrowing on the boy who was struggling to regain his breath.

Tazuki was ready to finish him when Itachi held up his arm, stopping her.

"I'll deal with him." He said glancing back at the two girls "You two and the children go ahead. Gin and I will catch up to you."

"Alright." Damaru nodded "Let's go everyone. We'll take another route."

"I don't feel like this thing had enough." Tazuki snarled, glaring at the iwa nin who glared right back at her.

"Tazuki-chan." Damaru sighed, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder "Let's go."

Tazuki glanced at her friend before sighing and following.

Itachi followed them until they couldn't be seen anymore before turning back to the iwa nin, Gin tense and ready beside him.

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"Is he…alright?" An iwa nin asked, glancing at the boy on his teamate's back.

"I'm not a medic nin." The other replied "But I'd say post genjutsu trauma."

"But only a few are strong enough to cause that type of injuries."

"Look. When we found him after he foolishly ran off after our target. He was frozen, his centipede bomb tightly wrapped around him. So unless he was planning to do suicide, there's no other logical explanation."

"But who would be strong enough to make him almost kill himself?"

"I don't know, but Deidara had always been a bit weak in genjutsu."

"That's true."

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"Woah!" Haku exclaimed, looking up at the high ceiling.

"It's gigantic." Shin said.

"I'll show you the rooms where you can put down your things." Damaru smiled at their antics "Tonight we rest, and tomorrow we'll get to work."

"I'll go scout the area." Itachi said before disappearing with Gin.

"I'll go gather firewood." Tazuki announced before walking into the nearby woods with Yuki.

Damaru helped the boys settle down and showed them where the only working bathroom, and kitchen were.

"It seems clean enough." Haku noticed, looking around the area "What do we have to do still?"

"There are still trees that need to be re-planted in the training areas. The seal system isn't completely working yet. The rooms need to be furnished and we have to create means to give us food. We can't continue forever to depend from the money savings we have."

"So?" Shin asked "What are we going to do tomorrow."

"Tomorrow you'll help Tazuki prepare some field to cultivate our own food, and help Itachi to clean the remaining dirty grounds."

The children groaned and Damaru smiled before preparing camp.

She was interrupted when Itachi appeared before her.

"You should come and see." He said.

Damaru blinked, surprised, but nonetheless complied.

Itachi led her into the forest to a nearby clearing were Gin was waiting.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed "Is it?"

"I tried to near it but it almost killed me." Itachi said "It can use chakra."

"Weirdly enough that doesn't surprise me."

Damaru began to carefully walk toward the horse lying down on the grass, one of its hooves stuck in protubing roots.

Seeing her nearing it, the horse began to snort, chakra gathering in his front legs.

Immediately Damaru held up her hands, showing she was unarmed.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said soothingly "I just want to help you."

Slowly, very slowly, Damaru edged toward the roots holding the equine hostage.

When she took out a kunai, the horse tensed. But when it saw the white haired girl use it to cut the root, it relaxed slightly, still eyeing suspiciously Itachi and Gin.

Damaru finally freed the horse who tried to get up, only to stumble down.

The white haired girl went to kneel beside the animal, scanning its body.

"Please Itachi, go get Haku." She asked, her golden green eyes stopping on the hindquarters.

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"So it's a boy?" Shin asked, handing the horse a cube of sugar.

"Yep." Haku answered "When okaa-chan and otou-chan found him he was hurt very badly at his hips."

"He doesn't seem better." Shin observed, eyeing the bandages and the elaborated splint.

"He's much better than one week ago." Haku affirmed "But okaa-chan told me it would take some time before he can walk normally again."

Shin nodded before patting the horse on his neck.

"Don't worry." He said, smiling "We'll take good care of you."

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Damaru was walking down the corridor to her room when she heard coughing.

"Itachi?" she called, knocking before sliding the door open "Are you alright?"

"Yeah don't worry." Itachi smiled reassuringly "Just a little cough."

Damaru threw him a doubtful look but in the end relented.

"Alright." She sighed "Goodnight then."

"Wait."

Damaru stopped, throwing him a curious look.

"I'm a bit cold." The boy smirked "As our medic you should help me warm up."

Damaru blushed and gave him a false glare thtn only made him smirk wider.

"Well I guess so." The girl sighed, suddenly very aware that Itachi was shirtless.

The boy pushed away the covers and Damaru hesitantly crawled into the bed.

With a contented smile Itachi spooned her against himself, his arms surrounding her frame.

"You're worse than Naruto and Gaara when it comes to cuddling." Damaru giggled a bit.

"Hn" was her only reply as he nuzzled her neck, burrowing his face in her hair.

Damaru sighed but smiled nonetheless, relaxing in his hold before letting sleep claim her.

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"Itachi-kun!" yelled Tazuki, banging on the door "Damaru-chan! Time to wake up!"

Inside the room Damaru blinked her eyes open, rubbing them lazily with her hands before answering.

"We're coming Tazuki-chan."

Her friend walked away and Damaru turned to the boy behind her.

"Itachi-kun." She mumbled, shaking him a bit "We have to get up."

The boy emitted a sound between a groan and a growl, burrowing his nose in her hair and nuzzling her neck.

Damaru giggled. Who would have thought Itachi Uchiha was so lazy in the morning.

She felt Itachi smirk and the boy hugged her tighter against himself.

"Five more minutes." He mumbled.

"Now you sound like a child." Damaru chuckled.

"I am no child woman." Itachi growled, nibbling her earlobe.

"Itachi." Damaru blushed, biting back a gasp as his hand slipped underneath her shirt to trace tender circles on her stomach "Not now."

"Why not?" Itachi smirked before depositing butterfly kisses down her neck.

When he began sucking gently on her pulse, his hand moving to caress her sides, Damaru let out a little moan escape her lips.

Itachi smirked triumphantly before Damaru found the courage to push him away.

"Itachi." She scolded, flushed but serious "Not now."

The boy sighed but admitted defeat, kissing her lips briefly before letting her go.

He also got up, intend on finding some cold water.

This girl had no idea how much she was affecting him just by being there.

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"We should stop here for the night." Itachi decided, seeing the sun set.

The group stopped in the next clearing and began setting up camp.

"I'll patrol around the area." Tazuki warned before walking away.

"Be careful!" Damaru warned, receiving a wave before the red head disappeared completely.

"Okay." The white haired girl turned back to Haku and Shin "Show me how you two light a fire."

Tazuki jumped on branches, her senses in high alert.

She scanned the forest surrounding the camp before moving to the west side of their position, a dry patch of land littered with rocks.

She wove her path between them, trying to detect any enemies.

Her hands made a handsign and she replaced herself with a log which took the flurry of kunais in her place.

The missing nin swore before resuming his running. After all the little girl was far from being a threat and he had more urgent matters.

At least that's what he thought.

Proving him wrong, said little girl jumped suddenly in front of him, startling him.

Taking advantage of his surprise, Tazuki kicked him back where he came from.

The man crashed against a tree trunk, groaning in pain.

Tazuki got out her fans, ready to fight.

The missing nin crawled back up, glaring at the tiny girl who dared to cross his path and resist.

Tazuki didn't have time to react as a little white clay insect rested on the man's shoulder before exploding.

The missing nin was projected once again, but this time didn't get up.

Tazuki narrowed her eyes when the blond boy she remembered seeing once appeared beside the corpse (mostly because he insulted her and she wasn't able to plummet him into a bloody pulp).

This was probably why she glared fiercely at the boy.

For a moment Deidara tensed, thinking she was angry because she was a hunter nin after the same man as him. But seeing no headband, and noticing she was making no movement toward the body, he tried other hypothesises.

Finally he remembered where he had seen the girl and the bad memories he had made him angry (he still believed that the boy who defeated him had somehow cheated).

"Hey!" he called, pointing to her "I remember you! You're the ugly bitch who was with that bastard!"

This was definitively the wrong thing to say, and Deidara realised it quickly.

Tazuki froze for a few seconds before a killing intent Kisame would have been proud of rolled off her in waves.

She fixed the blond boy down with a glare rivalling with Itachi's before a creepy smile stretched her lips, making Deidara shudder involuntary.