AvaAnna: Just to let you know, anything that looks like a website doesn't show up on fanfic, so I can't see your email… Sorry. XP And your problem… It's fixed now, see? Thanks to yours truly. XD No, I'm just kidding. o.o I'll be sure to check out your fanfic as soon as I finish my homework. DX

SaTaN's LiTtLe DeViL: Be afraid… Be VERY afraid! XD And as for your question, it's all in this chapter. :) Thanks for reviewing. :D

berry smoothie: Awesome… That' my favorite word! XD Thanks for reviewing!

Shinobi of life: Mission: Accepted; completed by 4/12/07. New member found: My LiL SiS. XD Requesting codename for the little trainee. Also, email is not visible, due to fanfiction interference. But I know what it is! It comes with the email notifying me that you reviewed. :) And of course I'll look for you on myspace! XD I can always have more friends. Thanks for reviewing! XD

Chikako Natsuki-chan: Love the name. Is it okay if I use it sometime? XD And thanks for reviewing.

Silent-Serpent: Your compliments flatter me. XD As for the Ino-Shika-Cho alliance, I'll try my best to explain it: They are three separate kingdoms that are known for always sticking together. Their clans are intricately tied together in history, you can say. Shikamaru's kingdom is the one that wanted to enter the war in the first place, because Shikamaru deeply respects Naruto. Therefore, Chouji and Ino's kingdom have no other choice but to follow his lead. Also, for Konoha, Tsunade is still Sakura's teacher, as I wrote before. Therefore, although Sasuke and Naruto went to request her help in the war, she remains neutral. If it weren't for Sakura, however, she'd be on the Uchiha side, because of Naruto. He keeps the necklace she gives him in the anime and manga. :) Got it? As for Sunagakure… Well, everything will be revealed in time. Thanks for your great review. XD

Sakura Angel 4eva: Thanks for your review! I was kind of surprised this time because you guys reviewed so fast. XD

metrogurl803: Thanks! I was able to update so quick because of you guys:D

angel2559: Haha, you flatter me! XD Thanks for always showing support. It helps me a LOT. :)

Animelove101: YAY! I LOVE DRAGONS, TOO! XD Thanks for your ever so enthusiastic review. :D

jmj102: Guido…? Not really sure what that means, but thanks! I guess…? XD I wonder what it means… X3

9NightDragon: Haha, thanks for your wonderful review! XD It really encouraged me to update this chapter. X)

aka neko: OMG, THANKS! XD I'm kind of surprised someone from Brazil is actually reading MY story! I feel so special! (Wipes away tears.)

Gin-tono: To your first review: (cause you reviewed twice, thank you VERY much :) Do I really update when you leave the country? Damn, I feel like a stalker or something! XD I was considering Chouji's kingdom as the dwarves as well, because I was thinking Lord of the Rings, too, but I was like, naah… Then, I'd have to make them all have beards and stuff! XD And Ino a bear? What gave you that idea? o.O;; Thank you for taking your time to review chapter 8. As for your next review: I'm sorry to hear that you don't like Ino. XP I find her intriguing. :D And thanks. I really have been trying with the details. I tried to make it so that I don't go overboard and make you guys bored or something. (Fact: the names of the four servants have been taken from the wonderful authors of CLAMP. They're my ideal manga artists. Did you already know this:)

hushhushyou: You read everything in ONE night? Kyaa! You're my hero! XD Thank you so much for your review. It really made my day. :) I'm a little worried about the parts that you didn't understand, so please point them out to me if you review again. o.O;; And yes, I tried really hard to keep the characters in character. :) Anyways, thanks for reviewing my mediocre story. XD I had a blast reading your review.

SakuraDrops93: Hey, I am WAY better at handball than you are! I BEAT YOU FIVE FREAKING TIMES! XP And yeah, soon I'LL BEAT YOU AT FANFICTION, TOO! TAKE THAT, BROCCOLI! I SHALL TAKE OVER THE WORLD! MWAHAHAHAHA! BTW, Did you know that broccolis look like trees if you put them upright? YOUR NEW NAME IS NOW A TREE HUGGER! Not that there's anything really wrong with be one... HA, YOU'RE A TREE HUGGER!

Note to all: Thanks for your wonderful reviews! Soo-chan is very happy. :3 Read on! And sorry for the late update. The stupid document thingy wouldn't let my upload my chapter. -.-;;

"How are you doing back there?" Sakura asked, careful to keep her gaze forward incase someone saw her flying through the air. It wouldn't do them good if someone found out that she was carrying the missing princess aboard.

"I'm fine, Sakura-chan," she replied in a muffled voice. She was crouched down behind her, hidden under a blanket she had cloaked to make it look like the rest of their surroundings.

Sakura smiled, the excitement brewing in the pit of her stomach. "It won't be long, so hang in there, okay?"

"Aa," she answered, nodding in understanding. She tightened her arms around Sakura's waist, knowing that the creases in her shirt wouldn't be noticed by anybody. They'd have to brush it off as the wind.

It seemed like it was the right thing to do, for as soon as she was securely hanging onto Sakura, she urged her dragon to make a sudden dive. She was careful to keep her mouth closed, swatting away some stray insects as they entered a series of complicated twists and turns in the forest they entered.

She knew the darkness didn't affect her creature's line of sight, but she couldn't help but feel queasy as they soared through the difficult obstacles. They swerved in and out of thickets, eventually reaching a clearing at the very edge of the forest.

"We're here already?" she questioned her ride, looking down at him with a look of perplex.

He growled in response, keeping his gaze warily forward.

"What the-" she muttered, following his line of sight. She gasped at the people that met her. "You're the-…"

"Welcome to our humble abode, Haruno-san," greeted an elderly woman. She motioned her to come inside, but the girl hesitated.

"Are you Kasuga-san?" A nod. "The one that will be housing and taking care of Neji's entire troop?" Another nod.

"Do not let my looks deceive you, Haruno-san. I am quite capable of doing things you wouldn't find imaginable," she said amusedly with a twinkling laugh. Sakura smiled, but felt that it was best to wait for orders after all.

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, Kasuga-san," Sakura said politely. "What you're doing now is a great aid to the war." She was still sitting on her dragon.

A young girl next to the hostess shifted slightly, catching the attention of Sakura's sharp eyes. "Is this your daughter?" She spoke as if the girl was younger than herself.

"Yes. Her name is Yuna and she's the same age as you. I'm counting on you to take care of her, Haruno-san," the mother said good-naturedly.

The girl took a small step forward and made a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Haruno-san."

"Same here," Sakura replied with a small incline of her head. "I'm sure we'll become the best of friends," she added in a cheery voice, sent with a kind smile.

"I'm sure we will," she echoed, her eyes becoming distant and her voice dropping to a slightly crude tone. Sakura let it slide, however, seeing as a certain someone was getting a little tired behind her.

"Well, the rest of the army won't be here until half an hour at least, so I'll be scouting around. If you need anything," she said, throwing them a small Hyuuga-crested whistle, "don't hesitate to contact me."

With that, she took off into the sky, waving at the pair when they bid her farewell.

When she disappeared from sight, however, the two sighed in relief and turned to each other.

"Are you sure you can handle this, okaa-san?" the girl asked worriedly.

The lady wiped away a bead of perspiration and nodded. "Don't worry, dear. This is what I've been waiting for my whole life. I'm sure you'll be okay."

The girl's head bobbed up and down in understanding, although she couldn't do the same about the gut-wrenching feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Hey, Shikamaru!" greeted a hyper Naruto when the lazy genius entered the tent. He quickly spotted the two blondes at the small table and made his way over to the more feminine one.

"Is that you, Ino?" he asked, plopping down into the chair across from her.

The girl frowned sadly as she stopped her consumption of soup. "I'm afraid she is not back yet, Nara-sama."

"Which one are you?" he asked suspiciously.

"Satsuki, Your Highness."

He raised his eyebrow in disbelief. "She's been gone for four days?"

"Today would be the fifth. Ageha, Mokona, and Tsubaki are resting from lack of chakra," she answered.

"Does it matter what order they're in?" Naruto asked, taking a slurp of his ramen.

Shikamaru didn't reply. His eyes were closed as a servant placed his meal in front of him.

"Usually, Ageha is the first to take over if Ino-sama is gone for more than a day. She has the best chakra control and has more chakra than normal. Tsubaki and Mokona are next, accordingly, followed by me." Her cheeks burned with shame as she uttered her next words. "I'm afraid I'm the worst out of the lot."

Shikamaru silently dug into his meal, inserting bits of meat into his mouth before chewing it. Naruto ate his meal silently, too, until a question popped into his mind.

"Hey." The girl looked up to face him. "You're doing this to take care of Ino's body, right?" he asked. A nod was his given answer. "Then… instead of going through the trouble of taking care of Ino's body, why don't you take turns in entering the body of that Yuna girl?"

Satsuki sighed in disgrace. "Unfortunately, it cannot be that simple. Ino-sama's jutsu belongs only to her and a few of her close family members."

"Kekkei-genkai?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. That's why she must be the one to travel to the Hyuuga Kingdom. Since her jutsu has no time limit, however, she entrusts us four to take care of her body, be it bathing it, feeding it, or training it. It would be a disaster for her to simply lie on her bed for a time period of more than three days at the least. That's part of the reason why we came here in the first place."

Naruto gulped down some of the ramen soup before continuing, "Then why didn't you stay at her kingdom?"

"Because of Nara-sama," she answered simply before returning to her meal.

"Huh?"

She didn't elaborate, for she knew it would cause Shikamaru some troublesome things.

"Man, I have no idea what you're talking about!" Naruto whined, scratching his head in confusion. He pouted and finished off his meal when the girl giggled. Shikamaru smirked, his mind being put to ease by the troublesome idiot and the troublesome servant, as he called them.

"Naruto," he said, wiping his mouth clean after his meal, "You should prepare your troops. We'll start traveling again once Sasuke returns."

Slam!

"Nara-sama! Ino-sama has just made contact with us!" Mokona cried as she burst through the doors.

Apathetic as usual, Shikamaru calmly put his spoon down and looked up. "How is she?"

"She's requesting you on the other end, Nara-sama," Ageha stated calmly, making a subtle entrance.

The last of their little group also brought news, saying, "She says that the Hyuuga Kingdom has sent reinforcements to back up their front lines, as we expected."

"Good," Shikamaru said, taking action. "I want the four of you to come with me. Naruto, go tell the troops that we're moving out. We'll change our course. Going through the forest and surrounding them when they least expect it is the best way to go."

Naruto complained immediately. "But what about Sasuke?"

"He's only scouting," Shikamaru reasoned impatiently. "Have a servant pack his things for him and we'll meet him on the way there."

The young Uzumaki commander rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

He wasn't heard as the rest shuffled to make it to the girls' rooms.

"Yuna?"

"What?"

"How are you doing?"

"Why do you care?"

"…"

"Anyways, they're finally here. You'd better get here soon if you want to ambush them. They're expecting your attack to take about a week to initiate. Don't mess this up."

"I got it."

If there was one thing Sakura did not like, it was rich people who thought they were better than others. She was always told to mind her manners, but she still couldn't help it when a certain canine loving brunette just had to come along for the trip.

"Oh, so you're still here," he had said once, eyeing her distastefully. "I thought you'd be dead by now, Pinky."

She scowled with not a care in the world. "Yes, your horrible dog odor did almost kill me back then. Why don't you go take a bath; one without your little mutt?"

Not missing a beat, the Inuzuka heir growled and replied, "Then perhaps you'd like to join me? You know, to get that nasty little fungus off my back."

Her face scrunched up in utter disgust as she snapped, "Don't get so conceited, lover boy. I'd rather scrub your back when you're dead and decaying than when you're alive and kicking."

"Someone, stop them," Tenten groaned as she let her head fall onto the table.

An anguished Lee, who was excluded from Kiba and Sakura's bickering, sulked in a corner. He didn't mind the gloomy atmosphere around him, not to mention the mushroom and fungus growing at his feet, as he traced idle patterns in the dirt.

"Why are you here, anyways?" Sakura shouted exasperatedly. "Why couldn't you just stay in your perfect little kingdom with your perfect older sister and the rest of your perfect little family?"

The dog breeder was unusually quiet at her words.

Not liking the silence, Sakura was about to speak when the brunette finally spoke up. "It's because my kingdom isn't perfect."

He didn't elaborate. "What?" Sakura inquired incredulously.

He didn't reply and instead, walked away.

Turning around to see the sad look on the trio's face, she frowned and asked, "Was it something I said?"

Neji, the ever knowledgeable one, replied. "His father passed away recently, leaving his mother the throne…"

"However," Lee interrupted, intent on making things complicated to draw himself out of his dark corner, "his dad had a younger brother who wanted to claim the throne."

It was Tenten's turn. "Since the next in line would've been Kiba's older sister, his dad planned on passing the throne to Kiba."

Impatiently, Lee continued, already wrapped up in the tragic story. "But since his brother is still alive, the elders are considering the option of passing authority to Kiba's uncle! Also, since his uncle has two sons, the next generation would be set in stone, compared to that of Kiba and his older sister. You know how men are about women and power, even if the woman is obviously older than the boy."

This caused the pink-haired girl to roll her eyes. "Kingdoms… Why do they have to be so complicated?"

"Great things come with a great price," Neji quoted, recalling something one of his tutors taught him. "Nothing is gained without a sacrifice."

"But there's no sacrifice," Sakura pointed out, trying to find a flaw with Neji's choice of words, as always.

"There's plenty," he countered. "The kingdom is sacrificing a hassle-free lifestyle in order to set up a powerful government and an even more powerful nation. Kiba's sister is sacrificing her precious time to try and fend for her family and herself in the High Courts. Kiba is sacrificing some of his men to help us fight in this war and is possibly losing the votes of the elders. Shino is-"

He stopped abruptly when he spotted his hostess in the distance, carrying a bucket of water with her supposed daughter to a group of soldiers. His sharp eyes caught the younger female swatting away at something near her hair. Ignoring Tenten's murderous glare directed at the girl, he looked thoughtful for a moment before he continued again.

"Shino is sacrificing some of his best bugs to try to find out why that girl has such an abnormal amount of chakra."

Tenten sighed, toying with a kunai she had drawn from her pocket. "I don't see why we have to stay here of all places. Why can't we just get rid of that annoying nuisance of a girl? Her split personality's starting to seriously creep me out."

Lee shivered. "I see what you mean. One minute, she's clinging onto Neji, and the next, she's too busy helping her mother out with chores to lift a finger for us. I'd strike her as the kind of person with too much youth and too much time on their hands."

"In other words," Neji said bluntly, "she's an annoying fan-bitch."

"I don't give a shit about that girl," Sakura said even more bluntly. "What I want to know is when and where we'll meet the enemies," she sighed, getting apprehensive about Hinata's welfare. The longer they stayed on land, the more danger Hinata was exposed to, as well as the possibility of Neji finding her and sending her back to the castle.

Neji smirked. "Chill. What we need now is information, information,-"

"And information?" Sakura guessed exasperatedly.

"Correct."

"So we just wait?" Lee asked in distaste. "You know what that'll do to our youth, Neji."

The Hyuuga prodigy's eyes narrowed. "It shouldn't be long now, anyway. We just have to wait for a signal and we can avoid much bloodshed." His voice spoke volumes on what he was thinking. Don't question me any further if you don't want to hear things you wouldn't want to hear. Like how I can accuse you of committing treaty and torture you in the most disgusting way possible.

Lee's eyebrows arched down in worry as a shiver ran down his spine. "I understand Neji…"

They thought this was the end of the conversation, but Lee just had to ask this question.

"…but what's the signal?"

Neji growled in annoyance. Questions, questions, questions! Why couldn't he just open his big, fat mouth to comment on how lovely the weather is today?

"I'll know, so don't bother yourself with this issue anymore than necessary."

The three sighed in disappointment. It looked like it was going to be yet another long period of waiting around and doing nothing.

"That's the signal!" Neji shouted in disbelief.

Or maybe not… Things just got a whole lot more interesting.

The group jumped up to see a huge swarm of bugs heading towards them.

"Gee, Neji, how obvious can a signal get?" Tenten shouted in alarm. "If those things actually touch me, I swear-!"

"Hush, Tenten," he commanded. He quickly scanned the area they were in with his Byakuugan and raised his hand.

Apparently, it was a sign for, 'Clear!' for a certain bug-master stepped out of the swarm of living creatures.

"I trust you brought the scroll?" the commander greeted.

A nod.

"Then, should we proceed?"

Shino didn't budge. "I have confirmed your suspicions. We'll commence the capture immediately and bring her back to the castle."

This caused Sakura's eyes to widen. Did they know…?

"Good. Hiashi-sama will be pleased. Lee, Tenten, Sakura… I want you three to stay here and man the troops. Act as if nothing is happening, got it?"

"Yes, Neji," Tenten said with a droop of her shoulders. Finally some action and she was stuck handling the army!

"Wait, Neji-!"

She tried to stall.

She really did.

But it didn't work.

"No time, Sakura. Stay here," the prince stated firmly, giving her a stern, yet, somewhat confused and worried look. "And that's an order."

Her eyes rolled defiantly as the two sprinted off to the nearby house. "As if I ever listen," she whispered to herself.

"Sakura-!"

"Sakura-?"

"Where are you going?" Tenten shouted when she realized the girl wouldn't stop at her calls.

"Somewhere!" was the cryptic answer she received.

"Damn it!"

The young Chinese girl wrapped her fingers around Lee's collar in a strong grip. "Come on, we're going after her!"

"But Tenten-! Kkkkhh!" Lee tried to pry her fingers off, but to no avail. He was forced to choke until they reached the back entrance to the house.

"You told me you'd be here three days ago," Neji hissed as they sprinted across the large backyard.

The Aburame growled before answering, "There was a little miscalculation, Hyuuga. They gave me absolutely no indication as to who was here, so I had to dig up the information myself."

"So?" the Hyuuga asked as they stopped abruptly on either side of the backdoor. "How did you find out in the end?"

The bug manipulator withdrew a kunai, following the senior's lead before answering. "I sent a bug to their main troop a few weeks before this to do some other research. It took me a while to relocate it, but it contained the proof I needed to come to my conclusion."

"Smart," he sneered. Veins bulged on his temples, signifying that his Byakuugan was still activated. "Basing everything on luck now?"

"Don't push it, my prince," was the curt and mocking reply.

They silently opened the wooden door and sprinted back inside, bolting through the kitchen and heading straight for the flight of stairs located next to the kitchen doorway.

Creeping along the shadows, they ascended on tiptoes, breathing through their slightly parted mouths to make close to no noise at all.

Victory was finally within reach.

"Naruto, are the troops ready?" the lazy Nara genius inquired, walking briskly to the front gates of the Uchiha castle.

The sly fox grinned in reply, jogging lightly to keep up with Shikamaru's powerful strides.

"Of course they are, Shikamaru! My men are the best in everything, and that includes throwing everything they need in a bag and getting their butts here within five minute's notice."

"Good," the prince commended. "We'll head off once the girls are ready."

"Yes, Shikamaru," Naruto answered in a sing-song voice, bobbing his head from side to side with each enunciation he made.

A scowl was directed at him before he ran off to the giant entrance.

A candle flickered in a dimly lit room as a young girl brushed her hair in front of a mirror.

"I wonder what Shikamaru is thinking right now…?"

She sighed from her seat in front of the giant world of reflections, running the brush through her hair again agitatedly. She picked up one of the rubber bands from the desk in front of her and proceeded to tying her hair in a high ponytail. Just because the body wasn't hers, doesn't mean she shouldn't take care of it.

Having done everything there was to do around the house, she considered the option of returning to her own body. Surely Shikamaru has moved out the troops after the fourth day of her departure, it being the sign that the enemy had arrived. Now she just wondered when they were going to get here.

Her dulled eyes scanned her room for anything to keep her occupied throughout the rest of the day and spotted a lone cockroach on the floor across the room.

"Ew! Disgusting!" she screeched, leaping onto the chair feet and all. She stared at it warily for a moment before deciding that it wasn't going to do anything to her and that she was acting silly; much too silly for a princess.

She stood up slowly, eyes not drawn away from the inert insect, and tried to recompose herself. Smoothing out the wrinkles in her host's nightgown, she inched her way to the bed, in the process of avoiding the cockroach at all possible costs, when she felt some unfamiliar chakra somewhere near her.

"Huh?"

Her eyes snapped open when she realized who was standing right outside her door. The flimsy looking piece of wood was slammed to the side, allowing the intruders access to her room.

She cringed and went through her options in a flash. One of the girls was probably occupying her body, therefore she could not return to it yet. That would mean her spirit would get lost on the road of life, and she did not want that.

"Shino!" the more familiar one shouted.

Chakra surged in the pads of her foot as she bolted for the window, only to freeze when termites crawled out of them like an angry bee swarm. Seeing as she had no more options left, she brought her hands together in a familiar position.

"Ka-!"

She didn't get to finish when the Hyuuga prince, obviously the more energetic one, threw a scroll towards her. The end unraveled itself like a yo-yo, wrapping around her thin body and disabling her from moving her upper arms and down.

"What the-"

"You're under arrest, Kasuga, Yuna. We have the right to kill off all traitors upon meeting during this time of war, so don't make a commotion."

The girl scowled and bit back a nasty insult. Instead, she snarled and asked, "What are the charges?"

Neji sighed. "For being the host of Yamanaka, Ino, the slutty princess of our enemy's Yamanaka Kingdom," he sneered.

She was appalled. "Oh, you did not just-"

"Take her away, Shino."

"Yes, Sir Bossy."

The first thing Naruto heard from Shikamaru in the ten minutes of waiting for the girls, was a sigh.

"Damn it, where are they?" he muttered to himself, mounting his mare. He urged his steed steady before grunting, "Troublesome."

"They're probably fussing over their looks," Naruto assured. "You know how girls are."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Actually, I don't. Women are too troublesome for me to understand."

"Nara-sama!"

"See? Contrary to your assumption, the girls are anything but ready," he growled, eyeing Tsubaki as she ran to him as fast as she could in a kimono.

"Nara-sama!" she shouted again. She almost tripped over her feet, but one of his elves caught her gracefully. She thanked him over her shoulder as she hurried to Shikamaru's side.

"What is it now, troublesome woman?" he whined.

"It's Ino-sama!" she answered urgently.

He stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. He knew it would be something gut-wrenching.

"She's been captured!"

He couldn't help but throw up. This was one of the worst things that could happen during a war.

"Oh, shit," he vaguely heard Naruto mutter.