Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto series nor the Shippuden series. No, I do not own the characters either. Masashi Kishimoto does. It's his Shonen manga and somehow, I feel disappointed at him in the current state.


Chapter 7 - Dear Mama

She didn't know how much time they had left; none of them did. They didn't know when Haru was going to strike but they knew it would be soon. It would be all over soon. They could feel it go under their skin. Especially Sakura, who had never been nervous about these kind of things before. Usually, she would be excited about facing a new opponent, discovering new jutsus and new kinds of people. People with their new, and sometimes twisted, reasons of living. But this time, she felt nervous. Why? Was it because their opponent had a necklace that could double her strength? She has excessive chakra and who knows what she could do with it. Or was it because of the jutsu they just practiced moments ago? Why did it bother her to be with Kakashi inside Naruto's jutsu? She never really felt awkward around him before the mission. Whether he would carry her bridal style during their previous missions when she was injured, whenever he grabs her by the waist to avoid the opponents' attacks, whenever they would eat lunch out together when Naruto was with his girlfriend, not once did she feel awkward around him. But now... Just by one look from him... It was all too much!

She had just finished taking a bath and entered the main room of their hotel unit, fully dressed with a towel slung over her shoulder. Naruto was still peacefully taking a nap on the bed and Kakashi... Well, he was no where in sight. And she thanked the heavens for that because if the sight of him acknowledging her entrance would be the one sight to greet her, she would surely not know what to say. Heck, she would go back in the bathroom in two seconds flat just to escape his gaze. But now, she was alone. She took the towel off of her shoulder and dried her hair off with it. She heard Naruto shuffle on the bed and found his eyes open when she turned to look at him.

"Good evening, Naruto." She greeted. She continued to dry her hair while the blond tried to get up. "Nice nap?" The blond only nodded in response, obviously still groggy from his nap. "Dream?" He 'mmhm'd' in response and made his way to the couch to sit and try to stir away his sleepiness. "Hinata again?" She marched to sit beside her teammate because he looked like he was ready to talk.

"Yeah. It was great." He grumbled lazily. "We were on a date and somewhere else and we were happily eating ramen and-" He was broken off by Sakura's light giggles. He lazily turned to look at her and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You know, I never really thought of you as... Sort of grumpy when you wake up. I always thought you'd be perky and cheerful... Especially from a good nap and a nice dream." She chuckled. Although, her seemingly endless chain of laughter had to end sometime.

"Well, I sometimes am. Especially when I'm really worn out." He stretched his hands upwards as a yawn escaped his lips. He scanned the room and saw there were no signs of the silver haired Jonin. "So, where's Kakashi-sensei?"

She shrugged. "Dunno. I stepped out of the bathroom, he wasn't there anymore. He probably went out for his walks or maybe met up with that Akiha-girl again. Who knows?" She said the other woman's name with an attitude and Naruto couldn't help but smirk at her. And since Sakura could see through his wicked smile easily, she could read what was on his mind. "I am not jealous, okay?"

Naruto shrugged. "Never pointed out you were." He was rewarded with a slap on his shoulder and instead of sobbing out, he rubbed his shoulder and laughed it all out. Soon his laughs faded and he faced her with nothing but a stern look on his face. A look that Sakura had recognized as the look he'd pulled off whenever he was to talk about something really important. "Seriously, you should go talk to him now that you know what he's keeping in that book."

"Why?"

"Aren't you in the least a bit curious why he has a picture of you stuck in that Icha Icha book." Sakura only looked at him with a disturbed expression. "I know it sounds wrong on so many levels... But get those thoughts off of your mind and look underneath the underneath."

"First of all, no, I'm not curious why." She lied. "Second, I wasn't thinking those thoughts you thought I was thinking. And third, there's nothing underneath the underneath in his case. Everything he shows us is real about him. Strong-willed, professional and comrade-caring. He can keep a picture of me if he wants." She stood up from the couch to put away her towel, leaving Naruto sitting alone on the couch.

It was so obvious to the world, if not only to him, that she was in complete denial. She and Kakashi were so compatible in ways that even he can't see. They both loved denying their feelings, they both loved to put the things that seem unnecessary to them behind them and they tried so hard to act professional, even though they don't know their acts were losing their touches. Being the one to hook up Shikamaru and Temari by seeing they obviously had feelings for each other, why didn't Sakura see that Kakashi was obviously head over heels for her. And why didn't Kakashi see that Sakura had already considered him entering an area in her heart which she had only opened once for the Uchiha? She already thought of the possiblity and she hasn't stopped ever since. She was starting to consider in thinking of him that way and even Naruto wasn't that dense. He could clearly see it by the way she'd look at him in between meals, when he walks away, she would watch his back... And Naruto could even image Sakura trying to get a glimpse of Kakashi while he was asleep. According to Shikamaru, Asuma had told him about how Kakashi set him up with Kurenai and ended up being lovers. Heck, even the old man could sense when people have feelings towards one another! And yet he couldn't see what was just under his masked nose.

He tried to find the right word to describe both of them and farsighted fit them perfectly. They could see how people from afar care about someone and yet they couldn't bring themselves to see what was right in front of them. They were farsighted, metaphorically speaking. And he just stirred up a plan to cure them...


His leg was dangling on the side of the building while his other leg was folded against his chest while his elbow rested on top. It was already dark. The Copy Nin was casually sitting on the rooftop of the hotel, his chakra completely masked to prevent from his companions from knowing he was near. He was thinking about what had happened earlier. About everything that had recently happened. About how Sakura tried to... complicate things, about how he had vented to her, about how Akiha told Sakura her she was beautiful... And that was just great. Even his former partner was trying to expose him.

He thought of how much she had grown throughout the years... How he had not seen this coming. Their first encounter was when Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke were still Genin. Back then, Sakura was still weak, naive, fragile and very much kept in her shell, trapped in her own world. But hell, if Sasuke didn't leave the village, she would never had come out of that shell to face the real world and she never would faced Tsunade and requested to be an apprentice. She never would be the woman she was right now- kind-hearted, smart, strong, open-minded, bold and much more beautiful than she could ever be. The fact that she was powerful enough to face Sasori of Akasuna, it still amazed him to no end.

He shook his head and erased the thought. He knew it was wrong. This was wrong. The way he thought of her was wrong. No doubt if she found out, everything would just confuse her. He wasn't even sure if she had looked at him that way. A sigh escaped his masked lips as he rubbed the back of his hung head with the hand that wasn't resting on his knee. If Asuma was here right now, he'd be giving him a lecture about how he should tell her and when all others oppose, he should fight for his rights to be attracted to a woman and about how he wasn't just a shinobi but he was also a man underneath his image. Behind that masked face was a real man with a real heart and real feelings. The most of their world knew of him as an emotionless highly-ranked ninja, a heartless professional and a jutsu thief. His face was in the Bingo book, listed as a dangerous killer... But something that no Bingo book could ever show was the real Kakashi. One that had feelings, one that had secrets to hide, one that had people to actually care about and one that could consider a woman much more important than his own life.

Why was he even thinking of these things? In a few hours or days, everything would be over. His life, he hoped, would be over so he wouldn't have to go through this much trouble. Honestly, Naruto's big mouth was much more of a burden to him than the mission itself. He was more worried about the awkwardness he knew Sakura had felt. Especially in that jutsu... Which flashed him back to that moment he had kissed her forehead. What got into his silver head that pushed him to do that? Was it because he could sense how frightened and nervous she was back then? Or was it because he got too caught up in the privacy and took advantage of Sakura's freaked out state? That was just great. Now he did start to think like a dirty old man.


Just the sound of the door opening made her stomach turn over. He was back from... Well, only God knew where he had gone off to. She didn't turn to look at him or acknowledge his presence. Instead, she continued doing what she was supposed to be doing, molding chakra. She should at least charge her chakra for the upcoming battle. While she sat quietly on the floor, facing the window, Naruto got out one of the magazines in the bathroom and decided to read them, not that he cared about what his eyes were running over, it was just to pass the time and kill boredom.

"Who's hungry?" Kakashi questioned.

"I am!" Naruto suddenly blurted out. "Are you going out for food, Kakashi-sensei?" He cheered wide-eyed-ly. However, in the back of his mind, he smirked. It was almost time to put his plan into action.

"Sure. You wanna come with me?" Naruto shook his head in response and gestured him to ask Sakura. Kakashi shook his head but Naruto gave him a warning glare. He sighed and gave in. "What about you?"

Sakura had been listening to their conversation. But then, when he sprang up the second question, she suddenly felt his gaze burning a hole through her back. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look at Kakashi. "I still have to work on my chakra, considering I've lost some when I healed Naruto when we got here." She looked at Naruto who was looking back at her with a smug look on his face. She knew he knew that she was declining the invitation because she avoided being alone with him. She glared at the blond and acted to keep him from thinking that way. "But then again, I am feeling a little hungry and bored... So.. Sure!" She immediately rose from her position and walked to the door and put her sandals on. She looked back at Kakashi and called him so they could buy the food.

Both of them made their way to the elevator while Naruto followed behind, acting like he was still unsure of what he wanted. One minute he craved for beef ramen, the next he says he misses the taste of chicken ramen. "But then again, pork ramen is always the best, no matter the establishment." He added. Sakura and Kakashi were so relieved the minute the elevator's doors shut close when Kakashi pushed the 'GF' button. They were supposed to be there in a few seconds but the estimated time seemed to stretch on forever... And with Naruto's devious plan, it would stretch longer. Back on the floor where Naruto still was, he pressed his hand against the elevator button and gathered his chakra and tried to mess with the elevator. And it worked! He chuckled to himself, knowing that the elevator would stop in a few seconds and made his way back into their room while whistling cheerfully.

The pink haired woman on one corner of the elevator with her back pressed on the wall soon found herself regretting that she had come with him to buy their meal since it was just the two of them inside the stuffy elevator. Kakashi, however, kept his cool and tried not to break an awkward conversation between them. Kakashi and Sakura felt the elevator shake a little and before they knew it, they were staring at nothing but black inside the elevator. The kunoichi fought the urge to whimper or scream out loud when the lights went out. She wasn't afraid of the dark but it did freak her out when the lights went out unexpectedly... Especially now, with Kakashi... All alone... In a stuffy elevator. This is bad, she thought to herself. It was silent and there were only two of them there. Someone had to break the silence sometime and the silver haired Jonin was the first to take the step.

"Hm..?" He folded his arms and shook his head in disapproval. "Naruto's messing around again." He released a sigh of annoyance after his statement.

"How do you know that?" She suddenly asked. He didn't really expect her to ask... In fact, he didn't even expect her to talk on their way to the cafeteria.

"I can smell Naruto's chakra on the electrical wirings of the elevator." He sighed and leaned back against the wall of the elevator and brought one foot crossed over the other. "Well, best thing to do is just wait until the technicians arrived." He moved his hitai-ate to cover both of his eyes. He didn't actually think of sleeping while waiting for the elevator to be fixed. He just wanted to organize his thoughts and think of a way to apologize for the kiss earlier.

"Oh..." She had to think of something to say in the least. "Kakashi... I just wanted to-"

"Sakura," He said, interrupting her. "I want to apologize for my actions earlier..." The pink haired woman's eyes snapped at his apology. She never expected him to say that. Not now that they were both trapped in a small, stuffy elevator. "I got too caught up in the moment to even catch myself. I am very much sorry."

Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes. So what? It was just one kiss? Did it bother him that much? "Kakashi, it's fine. I'm not mad at you for it. I was actually going to thank you for it... It was kind of sweet. You don't need to be sorry. And thank you..." She could feel her face heating up as the words escaped her mouth. If the lights weren't out, Kakashi would surely notice her Hinata-worthy blush right now.

Clearly, she didn't get the point. It wasn't like Kakashi wasn't relieved that she wasn't not bothered by it but he was apologizing for something much more than that. She was her student for crying out loud!

"No Sakura, it's not that." The Copy Nin had a hard time figuring out how to explain this to her but he had to. "Listen, we had a student-teacher relationship. It's not likely for me to do that since you were my student at one point. That's why I'm apologizing."

"Fine..." Sakura mumbled. "But that's exactly my point. We had a student-teacher relationship. Now, were teammates. And I'm sure even Kurenai kissed Kiba's forehead back then." Sakura laughed at the image that she had just painted in her mind.

"That was back then. Back when you were Genin, young..."

"How does now make a difference?" Sakura snapped. The silver haired Jonin couldn't find an answer to that question. She was right. How come he did seem to be bothered by it? How come she seemed so calm about what happened and all this time, that was what he was thinking about? "Kakashi, can't you just say it's sweet? Besides, if you didn't do it, we still wouldn't have finished the jutsu."

"Fine."

This was Sakura's chance and she wasn't going to blow it. "Now that you've apologized about something, I'm going to return the favor." She took a deep breath and sighed softly. "I'm sorry..." She said, almost whispering to herself.

"About what?"

"I..." She couldn't believe she was going to admit it but she had to. She gathered every bit of courage in her body and she knew it was't enough. "I peeked in your novel when you were in the bathroom last night..." She didn't hear Kakashi respond for quite sometime, obviously surprised. She took the chance to explain further. "It's not that I wanted to! It's just that Naruto told me to... And the other thing about jumping at you when you were at the door... I'm sorry. It's ju-"

Sakura heard a thud on either side of her head. She tried to make out what it was but it was too dark. That was until she heard a familiar voice right in front of her. "What did you see in the novel?" He had caged her in just like back at the room. Kakashi's voice was low, stern and very much frightening. He sounded annoyed and very much angry.

"I'm sorry, okay?" Clearly, they had a lot of serious things to talk about but the fact that they were in a stuffy elevator in this position wasn't exactly terminating the presence of the awkwardness. She brought her hands to her chest, one held in the other. She felt the body heat of the man in front of her. Although her body had been seeking for more, she had to restrain herself from moving closer to him and tried to continue with focus. "I'm not mad at you for having my picture in there... It's not like I want to take it from you. All I want to know is why... Why did you have my picture in there?"

Kakashi didn't want to answer that question. Why? Because he didn't have any answer other than 'because you're what makes me stop my bad habit... you're the one that can get me to stop when no one can.' He, to hell, would never tell her that. Yet. He was debating whether to or not to and the 'right' thing overruled his mind.

"I don't have an answer to that..." She felt his body heat increase and she guessed he moved forward. "Now let me ask you something." Her body shivered as Kakashi whispered the words in her earlobe. His hot breath against her ear made her too crazy to even push him away. She was addicted to the feeling already. Their bodies were only mere inches away from each other. In fact, his flack jacket was almost touching the hands on her chest that Sakura clasped in front of her earlier. "Sakura... What got into you when you jumped on me the night we got here?"

Just as Sakura expected, he still didn't forget it, to her dismay. Fortunately for her, the lights turned back on and they felt the elevator shake a little. There was a small sound of clanking metal above them and they both looked above both of them. There was a kunai stabbed on the ceiling of the elevator and it moved as if it was a can opener opening a can of sardines. A stern sardine and a relieved sardine. The cut was shaped 3/4 of a square and the cut part was lifted.

"Akiha, Naruto." Kakashi called out, hands in his pockets and trying to look casual like he's always been.

Sakura never got the chance to register the thought on how he backed away from her so quickly without her noticing for the couple crouching above them urgently dictated the situation outside.

"Haru attacked!" Naruto yelled. The kunoichi below them widened her eyes in shock while the other shinobi just remained calm.

He was expecting this. In fact, he thought it would happen earlier than he anticipated. It was only a few days but he didn't complain. The sooner the mission was over, the better. The three of them could go back to Konoha, live their normal lives-if they did come out of the battle alive. Heck, Kakashi could just die without a care in the world. Whether he chose to die immediately or live longer, he was still going to hell when he exited this world.

"She has no shame like her mother, wearing that necklace as if it was made for them..." Akiha snarled. "Let's go! Kintora already damaged a third of the village with his weapons in the last few minutes. Who knows what he could do if we let him be longer!" Akiha disappeared from Naruto's side with a poof of smoke.

"Come on, guys!" Naruto called out.

Sakura didn't bother to look at the Copy Nin who was still standing across her, mostly because she was feeling a little awkward, and agreed with Naruto and leaped through the hole and stood beside Naruto with crossed arms.

"I'll find Akiha and join her." Sakura stated before disappearing in the same manner as Akiha.

Naruto looked down on the silver-haired shinobi beneath him with a raised brow. Feeling eyes burning on the scalp of his head, he raised his head and narrowed down his eyes on the Kyuubi host. "You really have bad timing, Naruto."

"You were about to kiss her, weren't you?" Naruto kidded. Of course, as expected, Kakashi just continued glaring at the blond.

"Shut up. Let's get going and get this mission over with already." Kakashi grumbled beneath his mask.

Before Naruto knew it, he was tailing behind a stern and bloodshed-ready Copy Ninja, heading to the area Akiha told Naruto about: the road from the village's Northern gate up to somewhere near the village's Eastern gate. It was the place Kintora had already destroyed with his tools just moments ago, which meant he couldn't be that far from the said area.

As they moved closer, smoke started to welcome them and it grew thicker as they proceeded through. Halfway toward their destination, a set of clone kunais were thrown at their direction. Naruto effortlessly dodged them like Kakashi did as they increased their pace. He was here. Shimizu Kintora was close and Naruto could feel his gut flipping over several times. Finally, both shinobis came to a halt as they spotted a familiar silhouette from the thicker layer of smoke they were about to set foot in. It came closer. Closer. And at last, an evil-grinning blond stood in front of them, a scroll in one hand and weapons in the other.

"Uzumaki-kun. Hatake-kun. It's been some time." He greeted formally and smugly. The Copy Nin gruffed under his face mask while the other clicked his tongue and started his barks.

"What are do you plan on doing with the village?" Blurted Naruto directly to the point, wasting no time.

"I don't plan on doing anything with this pathetic village." He shrugged as he stated it in a as-a-matter-of-fact voice. "Ask my little sister. She's the one picking a fight with you. I'm only here to be the distraction under her orders."

Naruto growled and frowned at the sound of his voice. He looked at his sensei and asked him to go on. "I'll handle him myself." Naruto insisted. They didn't have time to argue about it so he just got back on track and raced away from them, bidding Naruto good luck. Naruto turned his focus back to the blond in front of him and his frown deepened. "Taking orders from your little sister?" Teased Naruto, his frown growing into a mocking smirk. "You're pathetic."

"I know, it's sickening." He agreed. He acted like Shikamaru. This blond in front of him acted lazy, like he wasn't even setting his mind into what he was doing. He, obviously, didn't second the idea of attacking the village since he looked so annoyed when the Kyuubi host mentioned the words little sister much like Shikamaru when someone mentioned the words paper work. "But then again, there's no other option." He shrugged.

Crouching down, Kintora set the wide scroll he held in front of him and threw the weapons in the other hand to Naruto. The Jinchuuriki thought fast and jumped into mid air to avoid the kunais and shurikens.

"Kai!" Grunted the man crouching down. Nothing came out of the scroll, which surprised Naruto. But he noticed the man's fingers move. The same way Kankuro did when he controlled his puppet.

If he wasn't summoning anything... Then-. His thoughts were trailed off when he looked behind him. The weapons that he just avoided turned back and chased after him. CRAP! Naruto gruffed under his breath. He made a clone and used it to shield himself from the weapons.

"There's more to me than using weapons, Uzumaki-kun!" Kintora chuckled.

Naruto wasn't trying to figure out how he did it but he did. It was easy to read through the way his fingers moved. He can control weapons through chakra strings. Naruto thought to himself. He landed a few feet in front of the blond weapon expert in a crouching position, catching his breath.

"You can do puppetry." Naruto regained his composure and smirked his opponent. "Only, not with a puppet. And you don't do it naturally. You need that scroll to gain the ability to do so."

Kintora returned the Jinchuuriki's smirk and shrugged as he replied. "Hm. Never really thought of you as very observant." He rose from his position and crossed his arms across his chest. "When we read your file, it simply stated you were a talkative and loud one. And you lose your temper easily. Nothing there said you were one to analyze and opponent." He said confidently.

"Looks like you were too confident and gave away your stunt's secret." He made several clones and some rushed into random directions, disappearing into the thick layer of smoke, while the others stayed with Naruto. "We're going to make you pay for destroying this village!"

As expected, Kintora thought to himself. He continued moving his fingers and the weapons whipped back to his side swiftly and gracefully. Naruto figured he was one like Deidara, seeing his jutsu as something beautiful and trying to make it look that way.


Kakashi was thrown back, landing on his side on the dusty road. He braced himself, trying to ignore the pain although it was still there. Fuyushi walked cautiously in front of him, right after he knocked the Copy Nin with his forearm. He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to get rid of the knots that were formed there. He didn't want to use it as an excuse if he lost this fight.

"Let me through, Fuyushi, and I promise you your safety and all your bones." Kakashi offered. The enormous man could only glare at his offer as he rushed forward, his fist glowing white with chakra.

"These are orders from Haru-sama." He indicated. Leaping backwards to avoid his attack, Kakashi didn't hesitate to listen to what the bigger had to say. "What she say goes for that is my purpose!"

"What purpose?" Interrogated Kakashi.

"To make sure what she says is done! To make sure her goals are accomplished! To make sure her lips are always curved into a smile!"

"Even if it means you have to turn your back on your own village? Your home?" Kakashi asked bluntly. He needn't to worry about his attacks as a reaction. He wanted to hear him talk.


"WHAT THE HELL?" Sakura exclaimed in hushed tones as she caught up with the sight in front of her. A pink haired woman was walking casually but with an aggressive expression towards the village's mansion... Glowing in chakra! As she walked, chakra dripped from her body, as if she just walked out of the shower and those were droplets of water.

"She must be going for the Daimyo!" Akiha assumed.

It was no surprise. It's only been a few years since the murder began. The Daimyo who ordered the assassination of Haru's mother must still be the Daimyo in the current date. Akiha and Sakura had their chakras masked while they hid in an alley across the mansion. Although, useless, since Haru had turned her head to their direction.

"You!" Yelled Haru as she looked at the brunette beside the pink haired kunoichi. Her voice cracked a little. Konoha's kunoichi could see the presence of tears in her eyes. "You were one of those people the Daimyo sent to kill my mama!"

Both hiding kunoichis were stunned to learn that their opponent had such a memory she'd remember someone who wasn't even worth to be remembered. Akiha was just at the assassination to escort the main assassin. Besides, she couldn't recall that young girl even look at her or acknowledge her that night. And yet, here she was, ready to kill her even though she wasn't the real murderer. Besides, the mission wasn't to kill her mother. It was to retireve the necklace. But her mother refused to hand it over to them and vowed that only death would make her return it. They had no choice. The mission's file stated that they had to get the necklace back, no matter the cost. Akiha had filled Sakura in with this information when the pink haired kunoichi caught up with her and as they ran to look for the main threat.

Sakura and Akiha both emerged from the darkness of the alley and warily and slowly paced toward her, trying not to scare her or tempt her into a fight. They only wanted the necklace back, it was the only way to avoid a fight. But before they could even dictate to her their intentions, Haru formed several seals and summoned an enormous rat. It was almost as big as the mansion.

"You will die!" Were her final words before she leaped on to the back of the rodent. Its giant tail lifted off of the ground and swayed back and forth before it to land on their position. With a crash, it landed onto its target spot. Only, unlike the way Haru ahd expected it to be.

The tail was trapped between Sakura's chakra-enhanced palms, which enabled her to stop the tail from crushing them. This was her chance. Her chance to show Haru was she was really made of. She increased the amount of chakra placed in her hands as she wrapped her arms on the tail and tugged on it. She made it look like it was easy enough to do but it wasn't. Akiha only observed her strategy because she knew there was nothing more she could do at that point. The gigantic creature went out of balance and fell to its side with a loud thud. Haru jumped to the nearest rooftop to prevent herself from getting caught in the creature's fall. With a poof, the rat disappeared before their very eyes, leaving behind a thin layer of white smoke.

Sakura growled to herself as her jaw clenched while she turned to look at their opponent. "You have to go through me before you can kill the Daimyo of this village!" She vowed. The way she had said reflected onto Naruto's determination when he protected someone. Although, she didn't ponder on that matter any longer. Turning her head to face the brunette, Sakura ordered her to stay back.

"But-" She was cut of by Sakura.

"This is our team's mission." She reminded her. "I'll call for you if I have any trouble. For now, just stay back." She ordered, positioning herself in a fighting stance. Haru jumped from the rooftop to the ground, a few feet away from her opponent. She also took in a fighting stance and cried out as she rushed to attack Sakura.


It has almost been an hour since Naruto was dodging Kintora's shurikens and kunais. To his surprise, the weapons moved much faster than he anticipated them to be. And from time to time, another weapon would be added to the batch that was chasing him. Both blonds exchanged glares and comebacks from time to time.

"How can you let someone order you around?" Naruto chuckled in a mocking tone as he dodged another set of weapons. "And of all people, you chose your younger sister!" He landed on his feet, sliding backwards a little. "Is she some sort of royalty?"

The veteran weapon user flinched at his question. He didn't respond immediately as he swung his arm back, tugging onto the strings of several weapons to go after Naruto. Again. And after a few tugs, he rested his arms a little and finally replied.

"To my father, she is." He said with a scowl.


Kakashi rested for a moment, sitting down on Fuyushi's back as the giant lay on the dusty road, flat on his stomach and his head turned to the side. He grunted at Kakashi's weight on his back. The Copy Nin covered his scarred eye and started a conversation.

"So you say you have worked for her mother when she was young?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes." Answered the giant briefly before further explaining. "She was very young and beautiful when we met. Akahana-sama was one of the kindest people who have hired me. And she offered a huge amount of money which was to be given to me monthly if I stayed with her and protected her forever. I was a newly ANBU-ranked ninja back then and I accepted the offer." He dramatically paused and looked to a distance, catching a glimpse of a burnt building somewhere across the town. "We lived peacefully in a small house here in this village."

"You felt something else for Akahana, didn't you?" The shinobi from Konoha interrupted. "Just by the way you talk about her, that is easily read."

Fuyushi didn't respond for a long time, he remained lying there while he stared at the burnt house. He continued later on. "I'm surprised someone like you can sense that." He didn't wait for the weight on his back reply and continued with his story. "We started an affair a few months later but found out she was already fixed in marriage with Hisashi. It was her parents' doing. They wanted her to marry Hisashi for the money and Hisashi wanted her for the same reason. When they got married, I returned to being a bodyguard to her but stayed loyal. A few months after the marriage, Akahana became pregnant. Although, at Kintora's birth, Hisashi became furious for the child didn't have his brown eyes nor his wife's gray eyes.

"To his dismay, he realized it was not his son. It had my blue eyes. He had hated me ever since, threatening me every time I went close to Akahana. Hisashi had also hated my son but Akahana told him that if he didn't treat her son right, she would file a divorce. Hisashi needed her money. But she got very angry because one day, she came home from the market, only to find her husband almost stabbing me with a knife while I napped off my fever.

"She wanted to set me free of our deal but I was worried. Who would protect her? She said she would enter Kintora in the Hidden Grass Academy to be a shinobi so he would be able to protect her. But I wasn't convinced. I told her that until my son has graduated, I would remain by her side. One morning, as I took breakfast, she rushed to the toilet and vomitted. Our affair had stopped ever since she married and I figured it was Hisashi's child this time. Several months passed and every time Kintora would come home from the academy, he would spend time with her mother first, telling her how he had done well in the academy. Finally, the day of Kintora's graduation came and it was also the day Akahana gave birth to Haru. I was torn. I was confused and didn't know what to do.

"Finally, I decided. It wasn't my child, anyways... So I went to Kintora's academy and watched him as he graduated. I could see the frustration in his face because the man he saw as his father wasn't there for him. A year or two later, Hisashi once again, had a reason to hate Kintora. He had a daughter now. His daughter. All of a sudden, Akahana snapped one day and swore to herself she would kill Hisashi. I offered to do the work but she refused. She wanted to do the dirty work herself and she wanted to do it herself. Brutally... Which drove her into stealing the Haru necklace. But she was killed when the village realized it was her. Kintora, Haru and I were the only people in that town house that night. Haru fainted due to overwhelmed emotions. Kintora and I were there the moment she passed away. She told us to do everything to keep her daughter happy... My son and I agreed to do it since she said that it would be the best and only favor she was asking us.

"Hisashi came back a few days later and discovered of the incident. Of course, Hisashi didn't know she did it to kill him so he carried a grudge against the village. Of course, he couldn't do anything about it. Hisashi blamed me because I didn't protect his wife. What could I do? I couldn't kill one of my fellow shinobis. He dealt with me, telling me that if we protected his daughter, he would let me and Kintora stay with him in that mansion in the woods and he told me it was one way for him to pardon me. Where else would we go if we didn't accept it? And then, I remembered... I promised Akahana I was going to keep her daughter happy. And so, I turned my back on the village to fulfill my duty. So that's it... Everything that had happened.

"Worst decision, agreeing to his deal. Regretted it the minute since we set foot in Hisashi's mansion. But I had to do it for Akahana, there was no other way. If I refused, Kintora and I would have nowhere else to go since the house was burned by the bastard, Hisashi. And if I took Kintora and fled off, Haru's father had the money to hire S-ranked shinobis and chase after us."

Kakashi was glad he started the conversation with him. He had just found out about something that was beyond this village's knowledge. He rose from his sitting position and offered his hand to his opponent... Or used to be.

"Will you help us stop Haru?" Fuyushi focused his eyes on the Copy Nin and smirked at his sudden change of aura, accepting his hand and getting to his feet.

"I will."


"What do you mean? How did Shimizu Hisashi get into this?" Naruto interrogated. The other clones that ran into the thick smoke earlier emerged by pairs with one Rasengan on each pair.

As he got out a scroll and spread it with one hand, making several seals with the other he answered tightly. "He's the reason I keep on following orders from that brat!" With a poof, a large, metallic barrier was summoned infront of him. It was twice his widht and a few feet taller. It was enough to protecet himself from Naruto's tactic. "And if only mother didn't die, then maybe someone was still thinking of me, caring about me!" His eyes stung and luckily, the barrier he had summoned prevented his enemy from seeing his tears roll down his cheek as he continued. "Do you know what it's like? HUH? Do you know how it feels to be taken away from a dream you've just reached? By someone like your own blood? When the only person who cares about you died, huh?" He continued his tirade, not knowing Naruto was dumb struck when he had realized his opponent related to him somehow. He, too, was alone.

"My mother was the only person who cared about me that much!" He resumed controlling the weapons, only this time, their movements lost every bit of grace there was in them and went for Naruto's direction in a wild, shaky throw. "My dad never cared! And when my sister was born, I was cursed! I knew from then he would never acknowledge me! I never knew why he always gave me the cold shoulder while he spoiled Haru! Though I did everything to please him, he never once turned and told me he was proud of me! And now, I was given a chance to prove myself by following his orders but he still sees me as a tool! A shinobi hired to defend his daughter and not as a son who protects his sister! They both stole my freedom! Mostly my sister!" He swore over and over while Naruto continued to listen.

"Mother..." He whispered to himself. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry but I just couldn't stop Haru... I'm sorry I disappointed you. I'm nothing but a useless son. I couldn't stop her from holding a grudge against our real home. I give up! There's nothing else I can do! I've failed you... I have to go with this."

"You don't have to give up." Naruto grumbled under his breath. It was loud enough for Kintora to hear. "There's always another way. You don't have to do this. You don't have to get so worked up with Haru." He stood several meters away from Kintora's summoned barrier and continued. "You don't have to follow your sister if you don't want to." He noticed the barriers sink into the ground, guessing they were going back to were they came from. "You don't like the idea of you and your sister attacking this village right?" Hearing faint sobs coming from his opponents direction answered the question itself. "Of course, you don't. Who would want to attack the village that gave them their power, that gave them the right to be called a shinobi. A shinobi's purpose is to protect his village." He remained standing there as he looked at Kintora from a distance who suddenly dropped to his kness, kneeling on the scroll he had set before him as his head hung.

Kintora continued to sob. "I don't want to do this. I don't want to destroy the village I was born in, the village my mama was born in. But what can I do? Everyone ignored me! I'm all alone since mama died! Nobody cares! And all I can do for my papa to acknowledge is-" He broke off his sentence as he felt a hand rest on his shoulders. He lifted his head to look at the Kyuubi host in astonishment. Nobody has ever done that to him but his mother. But his surprise soon came to an end. Naruto's fist met his cheek and his head turned instantly.

"So what if your dad didn't acknowledge you, huh?" Naruto growled. "Are you that desperate for attention?" He cried, moving his hand from his opponent's shoulder to fisting the collar of his shirt. "There are lots of people here in Hidden Grass who can acknowledge your abilities and you wouldn't have to do all of this! You wouldn't have to do anything against you will! All you have to do is protect this village that you love so much, as simple as that. In due time, you will be able to make friends and meet new ones. You don't have to be alone as you are now."

"You were never alone, Honda Kintora." A deep voice said. Naruto turned his head, surprised to see Fuyushi standing before them casually behind Kakashi. The giant was obviously the one who spoke since a voice that deep could not have come from the Copy Nin's voice box. But no one was much as surprised as the wide-eyed, sobbing blond. His eyes snapped as he heard her mother's surname before she married Shimizu Hisashi.

"Your father was always there with you, all along." Kakashi continued. "When you were born, your childhood, your graduation, your mother's death and afterward. He was there all along. Even though you were never acknowledged by Hisashi as the person you are, your father was always watching. You and your father could have left the mansion but you and your father had no other place to go. He had no choice but to let both of you live there. It was for your own good."

Kintora pushed Naruto out of the way, throwing and ran in front of Kakashi. "What are you talking about? You don't know the first thing about that Hisashi! I'll never see him as my father! I am never going to!"

"I wasn't talking about Shimizu Hisashi, boy." Shrugged the Copy Nin. He walked past the youngest of the both of them and walked towards Naruto. "He never was your father in the first place. Try to recall. Who was there all the time when Hisashi wasn't?" He asked loudly.

That was when everything flashed back to him. It was Fuyushi who had been practicing with him when he got home from the academy. It was him who watched his graduation ceremony from a distance. Fuyushi was the one who had told him everything was going to be alright when they entered Hisashi's mansion for the very first time.

"Sorry I never told you." Fuyushi uttered. "If I had sooner, you wouldn't be begging for Hisashi to acknowledge you as a son. You never would have went through all this trouble. You never would have suffered. And I'm sorry I don't have a last name, son. Your mother's maiden name should have to do for now."

Instead of bursting into tears or punching the silver-haired giant in the face, Kintora could simply throw his arms around his father's neck. He jumped and clung onto Fuyushi while the giant simply patted his back. All Kintora did was feel this man's warmth and think of it as a true father's love. Which it was.

"So Fuyushi's that guy's dad, huh?" Naruto whispered to Kakashi. The Copy Nin only gave a single nod, not even bothering to look at Naruto as he, too, was mesmerized by the sight. Naruto got to his feet and decided to end the heartwarming event himself. This would be a lot easier now, the blond thought. "So, are we going to stop Haru or what?" It didn't take long before their enemies turned allies let go of each other to face them.

"Let's do this thing, dad." Kintora said with a smirk.

"For mama?" Asked Fuyushi.

"For mama."


"Damn it all!" Haru cried out. She and Sakura had been battling through taijutsu the whole time since the giant rat disappeared. In the moment, Haru was currently embedded onto the wall of a building by Sakura's chakra-enhanced punches. A thick smoke now filled the space between the both of them. Soon, the dust disappeared altogether and Sakura could be seen standing several feet away from the building Haru was crashed into. She was panting, trying to catc her breath.

Crap! I spent to much time in the hospital, I hardly ever train in Konoha. Sakura thought. My stamina reduced and now it's catching up to me. Sakura put those thoughts at the back of her mind. She had no time to dwell on that. Haru pulled herself out from her attachment to the building and faced Sakura again.

"Heh, looks like you're exhausted!" Haru assumed.

"Not even close." Yes I am. "Why do you even want to kill the Daimyo, huh?"

"You must know about that by now, Haruno! I'm avenging my mama! She never did anything wrong! She just wanted the necklace so she could protect the family!" With those words, the black pendant of the necklace on her neck shined with gleaming rays of light. Sakura fixed her eyes on the unnatural sight then back to Haru. "Do you know what it's like to have the person you love the most die in front of you?"

Another avenger. Just like Sasuke, she realized. She hadn't been able to stop Sasuke from leaving the village back then, from going to Orochimaru to obtain the power for his revenge. Until now, she didn't know how to deal with this. Not when she didn't know the pain they were going through. This woman, in front of her, saw her mother die before her very eyes. Another common ground as Sasuke. She had to do this. She would defeat this woman with all she has.

The necklace stopped glowing, as Sakura noticed. But what surprised her the most was the fact that Haru's eyes gradually darkened its shade, soon turning to maroon, then to pitch black, the same color of the necklace. A gasp slip Sakura's lips at the sudden change.

"Now, I'm going to kill you and have your head wrapped in a towel and take it back home as a trophy for defeating the Slug-hime's apprentice!" She promised.

"Just try it."

This is for mama... Haru thought as she cried out to attack Sakura. The battle started. Sakura versus Haru. All Sakura could do was believe in her teammates but, mostly, herself. Sakura dodged the attack of Haru's fist glowing with chakra. Haru passed her and Sakura had to take the chance. She charged her fist with her chakra and it met Haru's back. The long haired woman was sent flying over for several meters and all Sakura could do in the moment was watch. She expected a loud crash from a distance but no luck. That was when she felt someone's presence behind her.

"That all you have," She mocked. "Sakura-chan?" She said in a playful voice. Sakura didn't respond, she stood still, trying to predict her next move. "Well then, my turn again!" She chuckled. She wrapped her forearm around Sakura's neck. Sakura's body tensed, knowing if she moved, Haru could use her forearm to strangle her hard enough to block the air passage in her throat. She wrapped her hand around Haru's wrist and tried to break it but Haru could had seen through her intention. "Nah-uh. One drop of chakra on your hand and I will strangle you."

"Alright, alright!" Sakura gave in. "But will you just hear me out?" Sakura yelled. Haru gasped at Sakura's sudden change of mood.

This was it. She would try and talk her out of it. If this didn't work, she would have to proceed to drastic measures and try to kill her. But what was the first thing to say to an avenger? She had to figure it out fast before she opened her mouth. She had to figure out what she had said wrong to Sasuke and avoid saying them to her. This was a big risk and she was going to take it.


I'm sorry there wasn't much KakaSaku here. And I'm sorry it was so long but you had to find out about the enemies, right? I mean, you've gotta love the twisted family story, as my cousin commented while she read this. I swear, the next one will have the KakaSaku moment. I promise you guys that! Reviews are appreciated.

Next Chapter! Sakura versus Haru. Who will win? But wait, where are Kakashi and the others? Will they have a chance to show off their new move? But what if Kakashi gets into the fight for a certain reason? Tune in to the next chapter: His Last Request.

...NiKO7t4.