The story continues on in what I hope to be an exciting way for those who're actually reading this thing. For those who've come this far and like what you see: good job and thanks for reading my story! You've survived long enough to actually care about how this whole thing ends for the Naruto gang along with other things that may be in connection with them. Hope you like what you see here and what may be coming next oh and please review. I'm tired of sittin' here gettin' squat from everybody. I don't own Naruto in any shape or form but you can ask Kishimoto-sama if I can have Sasuke or somethin'. Enjoy!

"iii" speech

iii thoughts/telepathy

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iii spirit speech

Chapter 10: Which One First?: The Good Or The Bad News?

Sasuke greeted the next day silently and gloomier than ever, wanting to deny that Naruto might not be coming back from wherever he was at the moment. Even Candra's attempts at conversation were left unheard as he headed toward the shower, barely noticing the wolf's worried stare drilling into his back as he shut the door behind himself before turning on the water. He came out almost thirty minutes later, not really caring that his hair was still wet when he pulled one of his shirts on. Are you okay Sasuke-san? You're acting funny.

"Hn." Candra frowned as the newly dressed teen stood like a zombie in the middle of the room, watching the water from his shower soak his shirt.

At least dry your hair first!

"Hn." He still didn't move as her temper finally got the better of her.

Fine I'll do it! Just stay there, will you? She scolded, changing from animal to human as she watched Sasuke out of the corner of her eye.

"…. Hn."

She came out of the bathroom with a towel in her now human hands, her smooth face marring with disapproval. Maneuvering him to the bed, Candra made him sit down while going around to the other side in order to begin her task at drying his still soaking hair. Honestly Sasuke-san! You can't act like this forever and you know it! Naruto-san's goin' to come back. You'll see!

Still he said nothing in response, just letting the spirit dry his hair with a gentle rub all the while wanting to believe her words. Finally finding his voice, he spoke in a raspy whisper. "Candra…"

Hm? What is it?

"H-how well do you know Berna?" he sounded hesitant but still curious about the person he thought he knew pretty well from nearly a year before. Candra seemed to think on this before she finally responded.

Who the Ice Bear? Oh not as well as I wish I did. She's nice though and very considerate at times when I was living with her. But I was in that jar most of the time, sleeping and waiting on you! But other than that, she was really quiet and it was eerie when I tried to talk to her until I found out that she was mute. That and she always liked to leave for long periods of time. There were times when I couldn't even sense her in the city at all!

Sasuke remained quiet for a few seconds before speaking up again, even more curious now. "That so?"

Yup! That's Berna! Quiet and mysterious, as if there was more to her than meets they eye and it seemed like she had all of these secrets she wanted to keep to herself no matter what I asked of her. So much to where you'd think she was actually a living ghost!

"What about…. What about her spirit? Doesn't she have one?" he seemed hesitant, as if not wanting to ask such a thing.

This left the spirit girl almost speechless, the thought almost alien to her but started to truly contemplate the subject herself. Come to think of it… no, she doesn't. I think she's still looking for hers. Who knows where it could be! But I don't think that really bothers her. I think she cares more about those around her than anything.

"I see." Came the quiet response.

Any more questions, inquiries, requests or such as the like?

He shook his head weakly. "…. No. Not now."

Hmm. Maybe a talk with Kakashi or Iruka-san might help. Or you could talk to Itachi-san too! She said in the hopes of getting the teen out of his oddly gloom-filled demeanor and back to his normally emotionless one. The one she was used to seeing all the time. No such luck as he shook his head.

"No… I don't think that'll help me right now."

Frustrated and closing in on desperate, Candra quickly appeared right in front of the teen, looking him right in the eye. You listen to me and you listen well. I'm just trying to help you as I've been sworn to do. If you don't let me do that, then I'll do what I can so you do get better even if you curse me with all your might.

He tried to look away but one of her human hands came and forced him to turn back and look at her, her voice powerfully stern. Naruto-san wouldn't want you to act this way. He'd want you to hope that you'd meet him again if he truly is gone from the land of the living! Please Sasuke! At least try to feel better, if not for me … then please try for him. Please?

At first he didn't say anything, almost unsure of what to say to all that she'd just pointed out to him. Would Naruto want me to be hopeful? Is this how he felt when I left for Orochimaru and his training? How did you pull through? How did you cope with my decisions Naruto? As these thoughts circled around in his head, looking down at the floor in his silence, Sasuke could feel the tears falling again while all Candra could do was hug him as he cried, hoping her soothing words would be enough.

--Meanwhile, Downstairs--

The day had started out pretty much like any other, ninja and Guardians alike sitting in the dining room, each chatting with one another about what they'd be doing that day and other things they had in mind. Hardly any frowns were seen except for those shown from some kind of argument that came into existence here and there. That and the only indication that yesterday's battle ever occurred at all was when a young officer with a badger mask on would come into the place, going from table to table searching for certain people on his clipboard. Those he went to even asked if they were on his list but the answer always varied since he kept saying that another officer had the rest of the list with them and not him.

Tsunade sat at her own table where Anko and a few ANBU sat nearby, enjoying a great tasting breakfast. The blonde haired woman would sometimes glance at the glass flower sitting next to her plate, taking in its vibrant colors and as well as its lifelike design to where she could almost swear it was a real flower if it didn't reflect light like it did. The scraping of chair legs on the wooden floor brought her out of her thoughts as Gayle sat himself down with a small smile and a nod to the ANBU sitting some few feet away from them. "Sorry to intrude on your breakfast Hokage-sama."

"Uh no not at all! What can I do for you Gayle-san?"

"Well since the twins are missing and Chevy's been put in the infirmary for a while, I'm the highest ranking officer here that's capable of keeping things in line. Now I can assure you that we're doing what we can to find out what happened to Naruto-san but it may take a while to even figure out where he went and from where and why. And worse still, the Ice Bear has yet to come in and make her own report on how things went down out there." He said in an exhausted tone, using two fingers to rub the bridge of his nose, the bags under his eyes becoming apparent for her to see.

"I'm sure you're doing the best you can but a good question is: what about your New Year's festival? Surely our arrival and that battle yesterday didn't make things too out of phase for you to continue your tradition." Tsunade reasoned not only to him but herself, the thought of sending someone else's way of life into turmoil was something she wasn't sure she could forgive herself for.

But he just waved her worries away with a tired smile, his grey eyes seeming to soften at her considerate words. "No need to worry! We've dealt with this sort of problem many times before and even then it didn't stop us from having our fun. Besides! Lots of us would love to have some human participants for a change! It has been several hundred years since so many knew of our existence all at once you know."

"Is that so?" this piece of information surprised her. How can so many be unknown to humans for so long? She thought even as Gayle didn't seem to notice her curiosity in the matter.

"Well it was only a matter of time really. We're used to being in the shadows of man by now so there's no need to get too upset by it. Oh and I almost forgot!" he exclaimed a little after he'd gotten up to leave, coming back with a sheepish look on his face. "I forgot to tell you that your council needs to come to the meeting room this morning so we can discuss future matters. Let's just hope that the Ice Bear will also be attending as well. Bye!"

She barely had a chance to wave as he jogged out of the room and out the door to vanish into the street, leaving her to the thoughts that still refused to do the same. Where are you Naruto?

All of a sudden, in the calm of all activity, someone nearly took the door off its hinges in their rush to get inside before they crashed to the floor with a loud thud. People yelled or called out in surprise, quickly jumping away from the newcomer as they rolled across the floor and crash-landed into the opposite wall. Lying on the floor with his lower back resting against the wall and his legs in the air, a very dazed looking soldier blinked from behind his sparrow mask while trying to get his head back on the right track. After getting up from the floor, he was quick in helping clean up the mess he made some few seconds before. "I'm so terribly sorry! Let me help you with that. I'm so sorry! No, no I'll get that for you since this is all my fault. Oh so sorry! Sometimes I never really know how fast I'm going sometimes! Very, very sorry!"

Having finished in getting things cleaned up, the soldier began to look around the room before spotting Tsunade still at her table finishing her own breakfast. "Ah! Hokage-sama!"

"Hm?" looking up, she saw the soldier come her way, seeming to grin under his mask as he approached her table.

"I've been sent to inform you that your village's reconstruction is completed and that you and your people are free to head back when you're ready ma'am."

Tsunade was stunned. First Naruto went missing, I have a meeting to attend to and now this? What the hell's going on in this place? She thought as she struggled to find her voice. When she did get it back, her first words were these. "When did this happen exactly?"

"Oh when? Sometime yesterday but I don't like traveling at night that much so I'm sorry if I didn't get to you sooner than you'd hoped. Is that a problem?" he seemed almost afraid that his answer would offend her but he let out his held breath when she just shook her head instead.

"No, no." she mumbled almost to herself as the soldier moved to leave. Noticing this, she had to bring up her voice a bit to stop him. "Just a moment!"

The soldier stopped and turned, curious. "Yes Hokage-sama?"

"Did you see the Ice Bear by any chance? On your way in I mean?"

He looked a little confused by this question, his tone hesitant. "Oh her? Uh no, I didn't. But I'm sure that she'll show up eventually. She's more of a ghost than anything when you think about it. Coming and going without a word. It's strange but we're used to it. Why? Did you wish to speak to her?"

"Hm. Maybe later but thank you. You can go now."

With a bow and not another word, the soldier held back some of his agility on leaving the place, not wanting to cause another accidental crash like before. Finishing her meal and rising from her seat, Tsunade made her own way to the door and toward the infirmary. There was something she wanted to discuss with a certain scar-faced teen.

--At The Infirmary—

Sakura was having trouble even conceiving any thoughts of anything bad happening to someone like Chevy. But when they'd called her in to help with his present condition, she'd been stunned by the news of his falling unconscious in his own office. She wasn't the only one sent reeling by this: Kira, whom they'd found out not long ago was actually Chevy's missing sister Kiku, had been in the visitor's chair the whole time and had yet to say anything. A few of the nurses had already tried talking to the girl but couldn't get a single word out of her. "Haruno-san?"

The voice next to her made her jump, the pink-haired girl turning to find a nurse with a mouse mask strapped to his shoulder and a clipboard in his hand. "Haruno-san, would you care to look at his diagnosis?"

"Um yes, thank you."

"Of course." The man said with a smile, handing her the clipboard before turning to walk away. Looking it over, Sakura was actually surprised at what she found. Extreme over-fatigue caused by reported constant lack of proper sleeping hours as well as lacking extended sessions of natural unconsciousness. Anemia caused by lack of proper nutrients, possible anterograde amnesia due to recent mental trauma. Patient is to be kept under observation at all times due to likelihood of last symptom actually occurring some time after patient regains consciousness. Is…is this even possible? She thought to herself as the papers went on about other minute pieces of information that the girl just shrugged off for the moment. How can someone like him get so much like this? Doesn't the spirit prevent something like this?

Footsteps brought the pink haired ninja out of her thoughts, making her turn to see the Fifth Hokage Tsunade come marching down the hall in her direction. "Hokage-sama! What a surprise! What brings you here?"

"Hello Sakura. How is he?"

She couldn't help but sigh as she forked the clipboard over. "Not so good. I'm surprised he hasn't been admitted until yesterday. What I'm wondering most is why his partner Nerissa hasn't done anything to prevent this at all."

"Nerissa?"

"His spirit partner. Kinda like Candra with Sasuke-kun or Kyuubi with Naruto. People like Chevy all have one. Except for the Ice Bear. No one's sure why she hasn't found hers but… this is even more puzzling." Sakura pointed out, obviously trying not to confuse herself.

Tsunade nodded at this. "So you're saying that his should've done something by now?"

"Exactly. Which is why we need to find out what really happened out there to where he ended up like this. Or find out how this happened in the first place."

Good luck with that. A new voice drawled, making both women turn to find a young woman with brown hair, sharp eyes and a green outfit a little bit like Sakura's only it was embroidered with gold and silver leaves.

"Nerissa?"

The girl smirked and nodded. In the spiritual flesh but yeah it's me all right. The reason he's like this is because he sent me on mission somewhere and was too stubborn to notice that he was sick when he did. Sometimes men are too stupid to admit that they need help even when they don't see that they need it. I've already informed his doctors that I'll be helping in his recovery but… I want this to be a reminder to him that he doesn't always have to work so hard to get things done.

"This is sort've a harsh way to do it you know. Did you really have to make it turn out like this?"

Despite her sharp expression, it changed slightly as she looked in on the sleeping form inside the hospital room, completely unaware of anything around him at all. I know my method doesn't really agree with you but… some things need to be learned the hard way sometimes. I can still help him from the outside as well as the inside. I just… I just don't want him hurting himself anymore. When I met him, he was in a rut to where I was trying to convince him that what'd happened to his family wasn't actually all his fault. Now that we know that his sister's alive… maybe now he'll start to get better from here on out.

"I hope you're right." Tsunade warned, giving the spirit woman a mild glare, which only made her smirk back almost sadly.

So do I Hokage-sama, so do I.

Nodding to the two, Tsunade moved to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a council meeting to attend to."

"Bye Tsunade-sama!" Sakura called as the older woman started heading down the hall.

Until we meet again Hokage-sama.

Once Tsunade was gone, Nerissa spoke up again. It's time for me to also take my leave as well. My idiotic partner can't exactly heal himself right now. I hope to speak with you again later Haruno-san.

"Me too. Take care of him will you?"

How can I not? He's my house for cryin' out loud! She said with a rumbling chuckle, heading into the room where Kiku still sat in the visitor's chair. The spirit woman said something to her and the girl responded with a nod or a shake of the head, still refusing to speak to anyone. Sakura turned and slowly walked away. Those two need some alone time anyway. She thought as she moved on to another part of the hospital corridor.

--With Itachi—

He'd been staring out the window for almost twenty minutes while his wife Haruko made cooing noises at their baby son Makoto, who was staring happily back at his mother with his dark Uchiha eyes. "Itachi." She called, making him turn to look at his spouse with curiosity.

"Hai?"

She smiled kindly at him, a smile that made his heart float like a cloud. "What are you looking at?"

He turned back, obviously in thought. "At the people."

"The people?" she inquired, confused by this as she walked over to stand next to her husband whose eyes were focused on the shifting crowd below.

"Hai. The people who went out of their way to protect us and yet are still joyful in preparing for their holiday. I find it… strange that they're so human… but we all know just how different they really are from us." he mused even when Haruko smiled and gently bumped him with her shoulder, making him look at her.

"We're all different in our own way, even if their way is considered demonic to us. It only means that they've been misunderstood and want to show us how similar our peoples really are. Besides! Makoto-chan and me want to attend that festival of theirs! Isn't that right my little one?" she said smiling, rubbing her nose against her baby's, making the child smile and gurgle while it tried to understand what his mother was saying to his father.

Itachi couldn't help but smile at the sight of his family, wife and child both happy and alive before his eyes. He couldn't help but think how lucky he was to be free of the monster that'd stolen his face and killed his clan in his name. Wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulder and leaning her close, Itachi took in her scent as he stared into her delicate face. It wasn't long before they were joined in a long sweet kiss.

--With Sasuke—

Having completely freed his mind from his misery over Naruto's disappearance, the young Uchiha too his time in walking down the stairs toward the dining room in the hopes of getting some real food in his stomach since a day or so before. Candra had long since returned to… wherever spirits go when they're not needed (I seriously don't know how to explain that) and was now taking a nap after saying that giving him a lecture was tiring to the max. A part of him couldn't help but think that she'd been joking. Setting such thoughts aside for them moment, Sasuke was about to enter the dining room when something came flying into his view. And nearly sent him falling onto the floor in surprise.

"Ah! Sorry! So, so sorry! I'm so sorry Uchiha-san!" the thing cried, sounding like it was about to burst into tears in its misery. Now that it wasn't a blur anymore, Sasuke couldn't help but stare at what'd come flying at him: it was a small girl, most likely five or six years old sporting dark brown hair that came to her shoulders and eyes the color of summer grass, dressed in a pastel purple kimono with a indigo lily pattern and a pale yellow obi to match. Odd thing was, she was in the air, floating around with only a pair of large of wings that looked a whole lot like a dragonfly's only it had the colorful patterns of a butterfly's.

"Uh… it's… it's okay. You… you just startled me." He said softly, really hoping the poor girl would stop crying. Only when she did that he let out the breath he'd been holding for a few moments. The girl smiled in relief, her grass green eyes glittering in her happiness as she waved for him to follow.

"This way Uchiha-san! There should be a good table for you over here!" the girl said happily, pointing toward the far side of the room.

Hesitant about troubling the girl, even if he didn't exactly like girls anyway, Sasuke shook his head and tried to protest. "Uh thanks but I was going to--."

Unfortunately, she wasn't all that eager on giving up, smiling like before. "No, no! I insist! This way!"

Seeing no point in arguing, the young Uchiha finally caved. "Um… okay."

She smiled and quickly fluttered over the crowded tables, people ducking in case she couldn't go any higher while others called out orders or asked for refills. With each one she would either say 'thank you' or 'just a moment'. Finally reaching an empty table near one of the walls, she landed on the tabletop and waited for Sasuke to catch up with her. With yet another cheerful smile, the little girl pulled out a small notepad and an even smaller pencil from a pocket in her sleeve. "Would you like anything in particular Uchiha-san?"

He didn't take very long to think of something since he'd been mulling over what to order on his way over. "Some cereal with orange juice will be fine."

"Will that be all or do you want to wait on anything else?" the girl inquired, as happy as ever.

Sasuke shook his head. "Thanks but I'll let you know…" he hesitated, uncertain on what to call her. Thankfully she saved him the trouble.

"Anzu (1), my name's Anzu!" she chirped happily, her attitude throwing him off balance a little. But he nodded in recognition anyway.

"Right. I'll let you know about anything else Anzu-chan." He said softly, his calm demeanor unwavering.

The girl blushed with a nod and a smile before fluttering off to the other side of the room, taking more orders along the way before meeting Iruka and Kakashi at the door like she'd done with him. He could feel himself smirking at the poor chunin's surprise at the sight of a flying girl appearing out of nowhere, knowing for sure that the silver haired man was laughing his head off.

Anzu returned a few minutes later, toting a tray that was at least three times her size, making the people around her panic and rush to help. But she just smiled and set the large thing down on nearby table before fluttering up with each item in hand, delivering bowls, plates and glasses to those who'd asked for them. And with hardly any effort on her part at all. "Here you go!"

Her voice had come out of nowhere, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts as she landed with his food and drink in hand. The spoon was already in the cereal with some milk soaking the pieces at the bottom as she set them down on the table, pulling out a few napkins from the small apron she had on. "Oh. Thank you."

Her gaze intensified curiously, her face marred by an expression of worry. "Is something the matter Uchiha-san?"

Sasuke seemed to jump at the question, having spaced out again. "Huh? Oh… it's… it's nothing."

The girl just left it at that and nodded, her face clearing up to her normally happy one. "Enjoy your meal then! Call if you need anything!"

"R-right. Thanks." He said softly, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

Anzu gave him another smile before she flew off again, moving to greet a few more people who'd entered and saying goodbye to another group that was leaving. Sasuke stirred his cereal almost absently for a few seconds, his thoughts still revolving around a familiar tanned face with blonde hair before he decided to eat what was in front of him. For the first time in almost a day, Sasuke got some food into his system.

--Meanwhile, At The Gate—

A large group of people stepped into the untouched snow, a number of them gaping at the buildings around them in awe and understandable amazement. However, the leader wasn't in the mood for such nonsense and gave a nasty look at their guide. But their escort wasn't all that disturbed by the look as most would be. "Calm down sir, it's just a simple walk from here."

"You'd better be right." The red head growled with his light green eyes. The guide didn't seem uneasy in the slightest.

"I know sir, I know." The man said with an amused smirk.

"Hey what was your name again?" a sand haired woman asked curiously.

"Taizo (2) ma'am. I'm Taizo or the Brown Bear of the West to those who actually care in my division. I assure you that we'll be there soon." The man said coolly, a smirk playing on his face as he lightly boasted about his position.

The woman just smirked back. "Well then Taizo, lead on."

Taizo's smirk became a knowing smile as he moved to walk on. "Of course Temari-sama. This way Kazekage-dono, Kankuro-sama."

And so Gaara, Kankuro and Temari of the Sand, followed by several Sand shinobi, followed their rather tall and unmasked escort through the empty streets of the city toward where many were secretly gathered.

--Almost An Hour Later—

Gaara, normally unemotional and detached, nearly felt his eyes fall out of his head at the sight of all the people that were gathered in the streets. Not only Konoha's missing shinobi and villagers, but possibly a countless number of other people he didn't remember seeing before at all. Taizo, who was still standing nearby, just chuckled at the teen's reaction. "No need for surprise Kazekage-dono! You're lucky to come at this time to see so many at all!"

Not wanting to sound too out of date, Gaara had to ask. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know? It's almost New Year's here! And it's about time we had a festival so… here it is!" Taizo exclaimed with a smile and a sweep of the arm at the crowd bustling around in front of them.

Temari, on the other hand, was still very confused. "Yeah but… where'd they all come from?"

"Around the state of course! This country's bigger than you think! These are just the people who were able to get here ahead of time! Everyone else most likely went to his or her own sectors to join in the fun. C'mon! I'm betting you haven't eaten yet. Ms. Loni should still be serving breakfast right about now." The big man said cheerfully in his deep voice, careful to step lightly so as to avoid children and others a bit shorter than him.

Reluctant and unsure, the group of Sand shinobi followed the large man, surprised to see that people actually moved out of their way. A number gave the normal shinobi uncertain glances but then ignored them but it was the Sand siblings that got the most of the attention. "Hello Kazekage-dono! Good to see you here!" a few random people called at the teen, smiling happily and waving in his direction, surprising him further.

"Temari-sama! I might have some good fabrics that would work greatly for you festival kimono!" a woman called from a clothing stall, easily recognizable as Toki (3) before she had to turn her attention to a customer who'd just walked up.

"Hey Kankuro-sama! Why don't you play a few rounds of cards with us sometime? We'll give you a good run for your money!" a few soldiers called over the din of it all, surprising the teen greatly. Before he could respond, they'd already disappeared into the crowd.

Finally reaching the inn's front door, Taizo opened it up and let them pass through first only to find the place alive with people and sound, more of the Guardians sending the Sand Siblings even more polite and cheerful greetings. But it wasn't until a few moments later that they got the surprise of the day. "Taizo-kun!!" a cheerful voice called happily as a blur came right at the large man, nearly making him step back as it practically slammed into him at full speed.

The large man couldn't help but smile and laugh as he held the small girl at arms length so as to get better look at her. "Hahaha! Ohiyo Anzu-chan! They having you do tables again?"

Anzu's smile would've rivaled the sun if it could. "Hai! Since Chevy-san's not available I'm filling in for now. Would you like a table?"

"Thanks but no thanks. I have to head out now that my job's done." Taizo said in an apologetic tone but his words made the girl in his hands perk up.

"Job?" curious now, Anzu did the one thing none of the Sand shinobi were expecting at all: she literally flew out of the man's grip to maneuver her way around him to see them standing in shock, staring right at her. Upon seeing them did the girl's face light up like a bulb. "Oh! Guests! Are you hungry? There should be a few tables open by now!"

Taizo could only smile as he said. "Well I'll leave you to it Anzu-chan but I'll try and drop by some time okay?"

"Okay! Take care!" the girl called, waving happily as the man left before turning back to the stunned ninja standing in front of her floating form. "Now then! Would you like to go sit down now?"

"Um sure. I am a little hungry. Kankuro?" Temari inquired, trying to understand the 'little flying girl' concept.

"Huh? Oh yeah! I could really use somethin' to eat right about now. What say you Gaara?" the black-garbed teen asked almost nervously, hoping that he hadn't pissed Gaara off in any way.

The red head remained silent for another moment before almost absently saying. "What a strange little girl."

"Oh I see! I get that a lot sometimes! You see I'm flying!" she said cheerfully, making a few of them sweat drop.

"We see that but how?" Kankuro demanded, but got a nasty look from Temari due to his apparently harsh tone. Anzu, however, didn't seem to notice.

"Pardon me! Could you help me explain to them please?" the girl asked sweetly to a random man sitting at a nearby table, catching him completely by surprise.

"Huh? Oh sure Anzu-chan!" the man said with a smile as he turned a little more toward the shinobi at the door. "You see lady and gentleman, that little Anzu-chan here has her spirit wings coming from her back. Such is the case with those who're air-type or have flying capabilities. With Anzu-chan here, these wings have been around since birth and have quite rarely been seen absent."

"Since birth?" a shinobi asked, sounding almost horrified. But the man just waved away their fears as he continued.

"It's been known to happen. I've seen weirder things like this one kid who somehow ended up with horse legs instead of normal human ones. His case was pretty serious but not Anzu-chan! Her oddity isn't life threatening or harmful to her or to others but we keep an eye out just in case something should go wrong." The man added, watching with amusement as a number of them let out a sigh of relief. Anzu turned back around, her happy smile still in place.

"Thanks Jarvis (4)!" she chirped cheerfully.

The man now dubbed as Jarvis smiled back at her with a nod as he rose from his seat and pushed his own chair in. "You're most welcome Anzu-chan! I'll be back in time for lunch. Bye."

"Bye!" Anzu said with a happy wave as the man left the room and out into the streets. Turning back to the group of shinobi, Anzu widened her smile. "Now then! Shall we get you seated?"

Gaara could only smirk and nod at the little girl before them, making her take flight once again to float above the crowd that was already there. He didn't hesitate in following her across the room.

--In The Council Meeting Room—

Gayle had been sorting papers almost all morning, his eyes stinging from looking at black and white countless times as he vaguely noticed someone new enter the room while a few of the other members continued their small discussions amidst themselves on various things that applied to them, and only them. My god Chevy! Is this what you deal with all the time? No fuckin' wonder you always skip out! The dragon-masked teen thought as he put a few more files in order of date and team code number. Much to his relief, a voice brought him out of his paper filled hell. "Gayle-san?"

A bit startled, sea blue eyes looked up to find a rather tall man looking down on him in question. "Hm? Oh Jarvis. What can I do for you?"

"Nothing much sir. I'm only here to report that Kazekage-dono and his party have arrived from the shinobi world." Jarvis said casually to his tired looking commanding officer.

Understandably, Gayle looked surprised at this new piece of information. "What? When?"

"Some few minutes ago sir. I escorted them myself." The man said in a matter-of-fact tone, Gayle nodding at this thoughtfully.

"I see. Where are they now?"

Jarvis didn't need to be asked twice. "They're at Ms. Loni's, probably getting the first bite to each in hours."

"Thank you lieutenant. Is that all?" Gayle inquired, sounding exhausted but managed to hold back a yawn or two that threatened to make themselves known.

"Yes sir." He said with a nod.

"Right then. Dismissed." The dragon masked teen said as he turned back to the never-ending sea of black ink on blindingly white paper.

Lieutenant Jarvis saluted quickly before exiting the room again, leaving those present to their own affairs. Getting ready to take on another stack of files, Gayle couldn't help but rub his chin in thought. So… the ally of the Leaf has arrived to lend aid that's a bit too late. Can't blame them… they weren't exactly able to get the heads' up in time to do anything about their brothers and sisters in arms. If I'm right about what happened out there with the general and Naruto-san… then things just might get ugly. Real ugly.

Already scanning through the first couple of pages, Gayle didn't have to think any further on the matter. "Sentinel!" he barked suddenly.

A soldier near the door jumped to attention and briskly walked over, saluting accordingly before speaking. "Yes sir?"

"Send a message to the Hokage and the Kazekage. It seems that we need to have them both present for this meeting." Gayle grumbled as he straightened a stack of papers, not looking up at the man who'd responded to his command.

"Yes sir." The soldier said almost mechanically.

"Oh and be sure to have the staff put a few more chairs in here. We might need them." Gayle added musingly, having glanced around the room to find that they no longer had the required amount of chairs to accommodate their meeting at all.

"Right away sir." Came the immediate answer, mechanical and honest.

"Dismissed." He said shortly, his eyes sticking to the papers in his hands.

The soldier in question quickly rushed out of the room and off to complete his new task, already barking orders at some poor private about not moving fast enough for his tastes. Ignoring the new ruckus in the hallway, Gayle resigned himself to mission reports and medical files, sorting them like before in the hopes of being able to see straight later on in the day. I'm starting to think that a promotion might be a bad idea after all. He thought absently but let it pass as he started a new page.

--At The Inn—

People had almost panicked like before when Anzu came floating overhead with a tray of drinks over her own head. The Sand Siblings were surprised when a number of those in the crowd actually ducked out of the way in case her flight path wasn't high enough or a little shaky. They seemed to know she could handle such a load on her own but it wasn't until she brought out food on her second pass that the crowd really seemed to sweat. But so as to ensure the tray didn't tip on her, the occasional person would use a finger or their entire hand to steady it as she passed.

Such a thing was understandable, considering the girl's limited size and strength as well as her age. When she reached their table, her smile had remained the same as before. "Yatta! Here you go!" she said cheerfully as she used the table as her version of the floor, setting the dishes down in front of the each person one by one.

She only paused in her work when Gaara suddenly asked. "Anzu… where's Chevy and the twins? Why haven't we seen them?"

Anzu blinked in confusion at the red head. "Chevy nii-san? Ozzy and Evan nii-san?"

"Yes. Can you tell us where we can find them?" he inquired in a soft voice. Her innocent answer caught them completely off guard.

"Chevy nii-san's in the hospital." She said with a sad tone, even though she continued to smile as before.

"N-nani?" Temari stammered in her surprise, her eyes widening in shock.

"Yup! And no one's seen Ozzy or Evan nii-san since yesterday." The little girl said matter-of-factly, picking up the empty tray on the tabletop.

"I-I see." Was all Temari could say.

"Will that be all?" Anzu inquired, oblivious to the heavy weight of the air wafting around them.

Kankuro spoke for his stunned siblings. "Y-yes. Thank you."

"Okay! Call if you need anything else." Anzu chirped as she turned to leave.

None could say a word as the small girl fluttered away happily, unaware of the shock that'd come over the three siblings. But this shock was interrupted when another masked soldier came up, wearing a monkey mask, almost hesitant as he spoke. "Um… pardon me Kazekage-sama?"

"Hm? What is it?" the red head asked in his soft voice, pale green eyes turning on the man who'd suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

The man in question started at the sudden response but managed to stammer on anyway. "Oh! Um sorry to intrude but I was told to inform you that there's going to be a council meeting today and if you and your party would like to attend, there will be chairs set out for you."

Gaara mulled this over before nodding solemnly. "Hm. I see. We will attend."

"Very good sir! Would you like a courier to be sent to guide you to the council room?" the man asked, some of his nervousness gone.

"That would be helpful." Gaara said again softly, nodding to this as well.

"Understood. Pardon me." He said with a respectful bow in their direction. It wasn't long before the man was gone and the silence continued. Seeing no point in just sitting there, Temari was the first to actually move to eat her food, Kankuro having the sense to do the same a few seconds later.

--Almost An Hour Later—

"Come again!" Anzu was saying as cheerfully as before as she waved goodbye while the Sand Siblings left for the much-awaited Council meeting. The three siblings followed the masked girl who'd come for them, her squirrel mask looking way too serious regardless of the strangely bouncy walk she did. She didn't bother saying anything to them, almost as if she knew better than to talk to those who didn't want to hear her chatter and chat the whole way.

The only thing she said upon reaching a familiar building was. "Here we are! Do you need help finding the room?"

"No." Gaara said in a tone that sounded like he was irritated about something. The girl didn't seem affected by this at all.

"Alright then! Bye!" she chirped before vanishing into the crowd, leaving the Sand shinobi to fend for themselves, Gaara leading them into the building they'd stopped in front of. It didn't take very long for them to find the room but were understandably surprised to find more than just the Guardian Council members in it: there were Konoha members all over the place. Hell even Tsunade was already there, having been dragged in by Shizune some time beforehand. All of the people he'd seen before from last year's meeting were there, one or two of them wearing something different while the others didn't seem to have changed into anything else at all. (Consult chapter 5: Return of the Ice Bear for further references).

Gayle, sitting in the chair that Chevy had the year before, finally seemed to notice that someone new had entered and gave the red head a tired smile. "Gaara-san! Welcome! Please have a seat. We'll be starting in a few more minutes as soon as we know we have all of our members."

"Hn." Was all Gaara said in response as he moved to a few open chairs, a guard pulling out Temari's chair out of politeness before moving off elsewhere to assist getting a few other members seated. As time went on, a few more people filled the empty seats, taking up small, quiet conversations with each other, but seeming to avoid all the shinobi members except with nods of acknowledgment and small hellos along with other kinds of polite greetings.

Just when they thought that Gayle would stand and say that they could then get the meeting started, a powerful and oppressive weight in the air suddenly came falling down on them. Haskel, the education administrator, was already having trouble breathing as the once closed double doors to the room opened to reveal a face that not even Gaara thought he'd see that day.

Calm as ever, Berna stepped into the room, her smooth features lacking emotion as her ice blue eyes scanned the room. As she liked what she saw, a ghost of a smirk played on her almost invisible lips, the heavy weight in the room seeming to vanish as a echoing voice thundered softly through their heads. My sincerest apologies my good councilmen if I'm tardy to this occasion. I am hoping I've arrived on time for this activity so that my participation will be at its peak.

"Um… yes General-sama… you're just in time. I was about to begin when you walked in. would you like to lead us after you've familiarized yourself with the materials?" Gayle asked, quickly rising from his seat, speaking almost nervously towards his obvious superior.

Berna seemed to accept this offer, nodding with the ghostly smirk still in place on her oddly but naturally pale. Yes. That would be most convenient. That is… if it doesn't delay this meeting further.

"No, no! Of course not! It's only been a few minutes since some of the members have arrived but I don't think that your catching up will cause all that much of a fuss. You can sit and just listen in if you feel that'd be more convenient but it that course of action is to your liking, I'm fairly sure we can spare a few more minutes at your expense."

The girl seemed to think this over before nodding rather grimly. I see. I will take the head chair then.

Gayle could only nod before bowing in her direction. "As you command General-dono."

It didn't take him very long to make room for her, handing her the papers he'd been going through some time before. Only she seemed to go through them faster than he had, sometimes even skipping entire files or sections just to get complete it all. Having seen all that she needed, Berna restacked the manila folders accordingly before facing the rest of the room with a grim look on her face.

Right then. I, Berna, the Ice Bear of the Guardian Armies, now bid this meeting to be in session until its formal conclusion through the closing act of business to be done in this room by its members. With that, she rested her elbows on the tabletop, looking to be a bit irritated at she rested her chin on her folded hands. Now then… what's been going on in my city?

Geez this took forever! I'm serious! It's been what? Almost a two months or something since I last posted something? That has to tell you that either I'm gettin' lazy or my ability to come up with good stuff for chapters is startin' to come up a bit short for anyone's liking. Even my own! But this is just a sweet cliff hanger. I gotta sit here a minute and bask in its glorious mystery. But until then, I got notes to deal with. Here they are then:

Anzu: this name was hard to pick since I had one or two others in mind but this one seemed to fit due to her oriental attire. I've been meanin' to sketch the girl out lately but my hands don't want to comply. Doesn't that suck? I know it does. Anyway, her name means 'apricot' in Japanese. Known to be an emblem of women and according to western lore, this little fruit symbolizes timid love.

Taizo: yet another random creation. He's not all that special other than being a real good friend of Anzu's. One of those gentle giants that everyone can't help but not hate rather than fear. Kinda like Grog, only smaller. Way smaller. Well his name means 'third-born son' in Japanese and I couldn't decide what else to call the guy so… there he is.

Toki: haha. I like her. I find her character to be fairly amusing whenever she does indeed show up. Let's all be glad that Tadashi isn't goin' around causin' trouble. For more info, go ahead and backtrack to chapter 4: Seeking the Spirit Race

Jarvis: another example of random character creation. I'm thinking of having him as one of the field medics that come to help every now and again. Makes me think I should've named him Jason, which is Greek for 'a healer.' But that's too biblical so I stuck with Jarvis instead, Old German for 'keen with a spear' or 'a leader in war'. Can also be spelled as Jervis.

Now that that's over, maybe now I can move on to other things like… gee I don't know…. Sleep? I'm serious. It's like 12:30 in the morning and I'm still up. Crazy right? Tell me about it. Anyway. There's no real need for me to keep ranting on about nothing I'm sure no one cares about right now. So, on with it then:

Next chapter:

Chapter 11: The Meeting: Naruto's Mysterious Fate

Berna's finally arrived and she's ready to do some dirty work of her own! How will the Sand Siblings react to her sudden arrival on the scene? And just how badly will they react when they find that Naruto just might be out of the picture for good? Another question is: how do the twins come into play in it all? Will Konoha ever see their blonde sunlight again? Or am I just gonna keep messin' with your heads? More like the latter! So read what's here, review (willing to take flames by now) and await what could be one hell of a heart attack in:

Chapter 11: The Meeting: Naruto's Mysterious Fate!!!