Author's Note: This is where I start to twist the original plot. Some things will be changed, some minor others drastically. It'll be good and I hope you agree/enjoy the story as well.

This chapter is in 1st Person POV

I do not own Naruto or any Original Characters

Chapter 7 :

.:. .:.

- Six months later -

I smiled and stretched my limbs. Ever since I escaped the Akatsuki the second time I had been in peace. I found an abandoned cabin on the edge of Wind and Fire country and have been living in it ever since. The only problem was ninja from the Sand and Leaf used a route to get to each other that went right past me, so I kept a henge on. There were an abundance of herbs around here too; I would sell them to make money and repair the place.

The cabin wasn't large, but big enough for me. It had a large common room, a paper door to the right lead into the kitchen and down the right hallway were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. I allowed ninja to stay here in exchange for money or goods. There was also a room off of the kitchen I used as a medical space instead of a dining room. The kitchen was large enough that I bought a screen and put a table in there.

It was a nice place after I spruced it up.

I threw on my sandals and made my way outside. My henge was on, so I didn't run into anyone. I had black hair and the bright emerald eyes I've always wanted to have from my mom.
A blue tunic over a tight black, long-sleeved shirt. I kept the style of pants from all those months ago and changed from boots to sandals.
The sky was clear and warm as it was every day. I was so close to Wind Country it was always warm, but far enough away to get a little rain. The grass would go from full and lush to sandy, and it was just amazing to me.

I walked a little ways into Wind county until I found a cacti group. There were two different types of cactus here that I used often. I picked the flowers from some and cut branches off from others before heading back and retreating from the sandy desert. I stopped by a poppy plant and took some of the seeds. The seeds were placed in a small vial-like glass container.

"Ace!" I heard someone frantically call my fake name. After putting the vial in my pocket I raced most of the way back to my cabin in the trees; for appearance I jumped down and continued to run a bit slowly. When I made it back, there were a group of leaf and sand shinobi.

I recognized Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki quickly, but not the other five with them. Izumo ran to me and forced a smile. "We're sorry for coming unannounced."

.:.:.:.

"This is Sakura Haruno, Kiba Inuzuka, Ino Yamanaka and Shikamaru Nara from the Leaf as well as Temari from the Sand." Izumo introduced. I looked at the younger ninja; the ones from the Leaf looked barely sixteen while the girl, Temari, looked about a year younger than me team was beaten up slightly. Kiba and Kotetsu looked the worst. "I could heal them." Sakura offered when I brought tea. I set the tray infront of them and smiled to her. "Well-"

"Ace is the best medic around." Izumo praised. "I think she's even better than the Hokage!"

Ino smiled. "You must be really advanced."

"No-one is better than Shishou." Sakura snapped. The blonde Yamanaka laughed and sipped at her tea. "Don't get your panties in a wad Forehead. You don't have to bit the lady's head off just because she's better than you."

"That's funny coming from someone that can't even heal a migrain." The pink medic snarled.

"Please calm down." I laughed awkwardly. My gaze landed on Kiba and Kotetsu. Both had terrible lacerations and Kotetsu's leg was cut so deeply you could see bone. "Did either of you try to close up the wounds?" Ino shook her head. "It didn't help any. By the time we finished it was still bleeding."

"If they were poisoned I would have taken care of it." Sakura gave me a rude look that I raised my eyebrow at. I looked to Izumo. "Could you please bring them into my medical room?"

He nodded and got Shikamaru to carry Kiba. I lead them through the kitchen and into the room. Both men were laid on two of three cots in the large area. Ace smiled to Izumo and Shikamaru, the older man returning her smile while the younger left. "Thanks Ace. You know Kotetsu was the one that made us come here."

I laughed and shoo'ed him out. "I need to get to work. Help yourself to anything. You know I won't mind."

He nodded and left the room. I went over to the worst of them, Kotetsu and scanned him to find out exactly what was wrong. I heard the door open behind me. "Sakura treated everyone for cuts and Temari left to find Akamaru." I looked up to see Ino and Sakura in the doorway and smiled softly. "I don't know who that is."

"Oh!" Ino giggled. "Akamaru is Kiba's partner. He got split up with us."

"What happened to them?" I asked, rubbing a numbing liquid into Kotetsu's leg wound. The two walked over to me, standing at a distance. "You can watch if you want." I said, not takiing my eyes off of my task at hand. "I would just like to know how someone as tough as Kotetsu almost got his leg cut off." They both walked to the other side of the cot and watched my work. "Just rouge ninja. We were on our way to Wind Country." Ino informed me. "The Kazekage had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki."

I froze momentarily but continued my work. I took a pair of surgical scissors and started to cut the flesh that couldn't be saved from out of his leg. "I see. Well, I should be done soon. Just cutting and mending so its basically like sewing without stitches." The two girls' eyes widened when a blue chakra surrounded my hands. The muscle in Kotetsu's leg began to reform and mend until it was a light cut. I did this to all of his wounds and went back over the cuts with a soft green chakra. I smiled and moved to the other boy, Kiba.

"How did you learn to mend tissue like that?" Ino asked eagerly. "Even Forehead can't reconstruct muscle that quickly!" I looked up to see the pink haired medic giving me an angry frown. I straightened my back and looked down at her. I was at least three inches taller than her. "Don't be so quick to hate, Sakura. I've done nothing but help." When she looked back down to Kiba I smiled to the blonde kunoichi. "I had a sensei that taught me everything she knew for seven years. When I turned fifteen she apparently got a job somewhere and left."

"Who was she?" Ino asked.

"Her name was-"

The door burst open from Shikamaru. "Ino, Temari was attacked by another group of rouges. Mind coming to help?"

She nodded and smiled to me. "Be back soon."

Shikamaru and Ino took Izumo with them, leaving me and Sakura with the two wounded.

I looked to Sakura. "Are you always so guarded about your rank and strength?"

Her tight frown softened as her eyes did. I heard a light sigh escape her lips. "I was always the weak one on my team. I had no strength at all and coward behind my friends and superiors. After Shishou became Hokage she took me in as her own and taught me medical ninjutsu." Sakura clenched her fist. "Because of her I'm strong. I don't like it when someone claims to be stronger than her."

I left one wound on Kiba, it was deep but I had put a numbing oitment in the wound that would counter and kill bacteria. "I never claimed to be the strongest." My grey/blue eyes looked into her green ones. "I'm jealous of you actually."

A shocked expression ran over her face. "Why?"

"You have friends and family around you Sakura. Always. You don't have to be strong physically to protect them."

"In battle-"

I shook my head. "You need to be there emotionally and mentally. Yes, having power helps them- but if you don't tend to their emotional wounds first it could hurt them more than any physical wound can."
Pink hair bobbed as she nodded. I smiled and drug her hands over Kiba's wound. "Try to reconstruct the muscle."

"I'll take to long-"

I cut her off again. "I've already cut the tissue that can't be saved and added an anti-bacterial ointment. Now focus your chakra into the muscle." I instructed. "Feel the fibers of the tissue and use your chakra to multiply it." She nodded, hands glowing a soft green as they hovered over the wound. I smiled softly to myself.

'You're doing the right thing, Kage.'

'She'll need to learn now. I have a feeling something big is going to happen.'