Greetings.

Now the story is getting somewhere. Probably not where you all thought it would head, but it is heading in the right direction against what you all think afterwards. Please do not censor what you think about this turn of evens, I like hearing from you all.

So anyways, this is the new chapter and I hope you can enjoy it.

Enjoy

Hummingbird

Chapter 10

Returning to the Birth Land

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto

Sakura stared at the gate. It was kind of bizarre, crossing through the large gates of the place she once left. She was with Itachi too, but this time, she was not crossing them on his back, she was crossing them on her own two feet.

Deidara let out a sigh in Itachi's arms. He was so glad that they were there, she could tell. So was his kitten. It was strange that Kakazu got him a cat of all things, but knowing Kakazu, the cat was something very expensive and rare, so she wondered what it was. It was just a kitten right now, but perhaps one day it would become something grand.

No one was at the gate to patrol it, just like the night Itachi and she had left Konoha with no intention of returning. It felt a little alarming. She had left four years ago. Her birthday was in March and it was currently February. She walked along side her brother figure, walking down the familiar streets to the familiar village she had been raised in.

"It's strange…" Sakura said, "It feels as if time hasn't changed this place at all."

"Indeed it does," Itachi said with a nod.

"You're from here Sakura-hime?" Deidara questioned, this was the first he ever heard of it.

"Yes," Sakura nodded, "I left when Itachi left. I have been with Akatsuki ever since I was eight."

"That is a name you two should not mention, nor should you show your rings or coats. Hide them well, but they are yours to have. Pein is already fashioning two new ones to take the place of yours." Itachi said as they walked down the street.

Sakura could feel it when he placed the genjutsu on them.

She glanced over to see Deidara staring at her intently. It was obvious that he was puzzled why she never spoke of coming from Konoha.

"So, where are we going to live Aniki? I don't have any family here, neither does Deidara." Sakura said, answering Deidara's unspoken question with her own question.

"The Hokage will be given a large amount of money for you two to live on. Kisame and I already purchased a plot of land with a house on it. It is run down, but he figured it would give you something to do over the summer." Itachi said, they were nearing the middle of town.

"It really hasn't changed," Sakura noticed before asking another important question, "I am the only person I know with pink hair. It's something that is hard to forget. What should I say if someone recognizes me?"

"You had been adopted," Itachi started, "And taken to another village, but the village went under siege and they thought it safer here for you."

"And Deidara?"

"Another refugee that has been your friend since forever. He was taken, but then freed from the dungeons." Itachi said, "That's why he's jumpy."

"I see. Thank you Aniki." Sakura said.

"I'm not that pathetic," Deidara grumbled, "I… I mean… they weren't…"

"Now is not the time to have a breakdown, Deidara," Itachi warned him, "I know what happened, you don't have to explain it to me. It's just an alibi."

"Yeah…" Deidara nodded, taking a deep breath before closing his right eye and snuggling the cat, "I… forgot…"

Sakura patted his good leg as she walked next to Itachi, "It's okay Dei. Maybe when you're better I'll take you to my parents grave. I should visit them after being gone so long."

Deidara gave her a weak smile and nodded.

The rest of the way to the office all three were quiet. It was painful in a way. Sakura felt as if they were parting the three siblings. All of them were still young in the organization. It was sad to be pulling away from Akatsuki and have Itachi all alone in the organization without anyone in his age group, but then again, he was better at being alone then Sakura or Deidara. The two of them had come to hate it.

Itachi led them inside, leading them into the lower part of the tower and into the closed off library below. Deidara and Sakura were almost drooling at the mass amounts of scrolls down here. There, sitting at a table with only a few candles lit, was an old man in a white garb, reading. He looked up to see the three of them. Itachi dropped the jutsu.

"Aw, Itachi-chan," the old man said with a smile, "I was wondering what happened to the little girl that went missing. People said that you must have killed her. The orphanage, of course, had no record of her at all, but the children there said they had seen her there. I take it these two are who you were referring to?"

"Yes." Itachi nodded.

Sakura noticed that he held his tongue, only speaking what he had to. He hadn't done this since they first entered Akatsuki and he knew little of his surroundings.

"I see," he smiled, turning his attention to Sakura.

His face softened as he looked at her. She fumed inside when she realized that he thought her a meek little thing with no training whatsoever. Itachi had told them to keep their hite-ites put away and well hidden, but she was trained darn it!

"So what's your name, ko-chan?"

Deidara started to snigger quietly when the old man had said the 'k' word.

"I am Haruno Sakura, holder of the void ring in Akatsuki. Who the hell are you calling Ko-chan? I might be small, but I am eleven- twelve in a month." Sakura said with a huge glare on her face.

The man chuckled as he stood up, "That is quiet impressive. Now tell me, who gave you your ring then?"

"Orochimaru was cheated of it by her," Itachi replied in her stead, "Hokage-sama, I have little time to spend here with ideal chitchat."

Sakura was surprised when she looked at the man. This was the Hokage?! He looked equally shocked as he looked down at her.

"Yes, of course," he composed himself, "Let's be off to my office, but tell me, Sakura-chan, how did you cheat a Sannin out of his own possession."

Sakura looked at him smugly before turning around and peering over her shoulder, "Vanity and pride are his weaknesses."

"She stroked his ego, placed a genjutsu on another ring and switched them, then she squealed on him. He was out of there before he even knew she swapped them, yeah." Deidara said with a smug look, "She's just trying to be impressive."

"Baka!" Sakura waved her fists around, "He called me ko-chan and you tell him that!"

"Hime, you are a child," Deidara shot back.

"You are just as mature as I am!" Sakura shot back, "So if you are calling me a child then you are definitely a child!"

"I am almost fifteen," Deidara frowned, "How am I a child, yeah?"

"Child!!!" Sakura shot back.

From there, the two of them began to argue back and forth, but Itachi was use to it. This was normal. Though they were the perfect partners and best of friends, they liked to fight and argue. Deidara was a relentless tease and Sakura took everything he said with little to no tolerance. But he knew that they were just being them.

"Sakura," Itachi interrupted in a warning tone, "I have to get going. I need to finish this."

Both stopped.

"Sorry Aniki," Sakura said with a embarrassed smile.

"I'm not, yeah," Deidara stated as he lifted his hands and stuck out all three tongues.

The Hokage looked shocked, "He has a kekkei genkai?"

"Yes," Itachi said after glaring at Deidara, "But he wants to keep it quiet. He doesn't like attention and will not be using them around others, only Sakura and his team."

"I see," the Hokage nodded, pausing for a second as he realized something, "Forgive me little ones, but I forgot to introduce myself. I must be getting old. I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage. You may call me Hokage or Jiji if you prefer."

"Deidara."

"Sakura."

Both said, allowing him only their names and not a nickname. He smiled, walking past them, beckoning them to follow. Itachi did it wordlessly, Sakura following after. She could feel the genjutsu being placed on them again. He led them upstairs to his office and pulled out a couple papers from a large stack. Itachi set Deidara down on the couch that was hidden next to the door. He had been carrying him for so long Sakura could tell he was glad to put the blonde down. Deidara was not light. He was heavy with muscle and all the weapons and clay he kept on him, not to mention the bandages.

"Here we are," Sarutobi said as he handed Sakura a couple papers as well as Deidara.

"This will allow anyone titled Hokage as your legal guardian until the age of eighteen. We handle your finances until Deidara hits the age of eighteen. You will have free access to it, but will be monitored in your spending until then. This is also the paperwork to entering the Academy next semester."

"WHAT!?" both Deidara and Sakura yelled as they looked at him panicked.

"But we are already ninja!" Sakura protested, "Why do we have to go to the Academy when we've been shinobi for over two years! I've been one since I was nine!"

"I was one at eleven!" Deidara added his two cents in too.

"I'm sorry, but you will have to participate. It is good for you two to have friends and allies in your age group."

"I'm not going if I have to be with a bunch of preteen brats, yeah," Deidara pouted, "I'll be fifteen by then! Everyone usually graduates at the age of twelve or thirteen!"

"I have worked with people of higher brain functions for four years now," Sakura complained, "You're sending me back to the stupid farm!?"

"You're both going to join," Itachi said with a tone of finality, "It will be best if you foster friendships and have allies. If it is ever discovered that you two were once with us, you will need people to back you up."

There was no arguing with Itachi, both of them knew that. His authority was higher than theirs in the organization. Hidan was the only one they didn't really listen to. The idiot.

They filled out the paperwork and handed it back. Sandaime looked over them before nodding and filing them away.

"Alright, you two are officially under the care of Konoha as citizens, welcome to Konoha." He said with a kind grandfatherly grin, "Itachi, you may go, I will take them to the place you have purchased for them."

"Hai," Itachi nodded, looking one last time at the two before nodding at them and disappearing in a swirl of ash, such was his way of doing things.

Sakura couldn't help but feel a little sad that he was gone. She could tell by their connection that Deidara was sad to see him go to. It made everything feel more…

Final.

"Well," Sarutobi said as he gently approached Deidara, pretending not to notice him flinch as he picked the blonde up, "It's late and I am guessing you want to see your new home."

"Yes, please," Sakura nodded, staring at the spot that Itachi had been standing in before turning towards the Sandaime, "We just want to go to bed."

The old man nodded, he could tell both were tried and the little kitten that was wiggling in Deidara's hold was restless to be set down. He must have been holding the cat the whole trip other then when it needed to use the litter box. He led her to the house. It was more like a large run down apartment building that only had one neighboring building adjacent to it.

"Over there is the apartment building that two of your future classmates live in. One had used his funds to purchase the deed and he and the other are the only ones that live there." Sarutobi explained, "They are orphans, so they might get a little curious about the new occupants of this place."

Neither of them said anything, so he continued on, walking to the door and pulling out a key, unlocking the door.

"The house is worn down and the furniture needs to be replaced, but they said that you two were innovative and it would be a welcomed challenge." He explained.

He was right. The place looked run down. The house itself was still sturdy, just battered. With a little TLC, they could have it looking nice again.

He set Deidara down on the couch.

"I'll be going if there is nothing else I can do for you," he paused. Neither of them said anything.

Sakura was holding the bag that Itachi had been carrying and Deidara finally set the poor kitten down and it was now scampering about the house, exploring and hoping to find a mouse or rat to kill.

He tried not to look as awkward as he felt. These children were just staring at him, ready for him to leave them alone.

"I will check up on you at the end of week. My men will be keeping an eye on you, but other then that, enjoy your residence here." He bowed out and shut the door, leaving the key on the broken table near the door.

Both waited before anything was said.

"This bites." Deidara sighed, "I would rather be back with everyone else."

"I know this stinks, but you are in no condition to be a wanted criminal… and Madara must be dangerous if they don't want him getting his hand on us."

"You're right, yeah. But it still feels as if they are trying to get rid of us."

"Deidara." Sakura stated as she looked at him with a sad look, "They did get rid of us."

"But for the right reasons," he agreed.

"But it still hurts," she whispered.

"I know… Let's get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and I for one am ready to get up," Deidara told her, grunting as he pulled himself up, "Being held has made me stiff, yeah."

Sakura didn't jump up and tell him to lay back down. He was recovered enough during the trip to start walking again, but he couldn't overdo it, which was why Itachi had still carried him. It was nice to see him up on his own again. He hobbled towards her, snagging the bag and taking it further into the room to begin unpacking what he needed for the night.

A large futon with his sheets, two sets of pjs, and two really comfortable pillows, and their gifted blankets later, the two were sleeping lightly with the cat curled between them.

Sakura still woke and soothed Deidara with his nightmares, but he had finally stopped emptying his stomach on the more terrible dreams. The cat would also wake and stroke his master with his tail before drifting off again.

Sakura sighed as she closed her eyes again. She really didn't want to be here. She felt almost like she was abandoned, but she knew it was for the best. Pein and the others would only worry if they remained there and it would hinder them. They knew the two were capable and would be able to handle themselves, but Sakura couldn't help but feel lonely.

Sakura wiped her face as she looked up from her rag. She had just finished washing the walls down in the first apartment flat. The house had been an apartment building with a least eight basic flats. This one was the master flat where the richest renter would live. Deidara was already preparing to blow some walls down and was designing a stair case to the next story and the third floor as well so they didn't have to go outside for everything. The top room was a just one flat, where the owners would live no doubt.

"Deidara, how are you holding up?" She called over to the room he was.

She heard him grumbling loud, angry curses as he came into the room, limping on his bad leg. It was still in a cast, it would be coming off in another week.

"It's fine. I think we should find the support beams and break down the rest of the walls and rebuild from there." Deidara grumbled, "Unless you want to be repetitive and have eight kitchens, eight bathrooms, and eight living rooms, yeah."

"Draw up some designs and I'll hire some carpenters to build it so." Sakura said as she wrung the rag over the bucket tightly, "Until then, we need a place to stay, so this area works fine."

"Why are you wearing that?" Deidara questioned her.

She wasn't wearing her normal dresses. She was wearing an old pair of hand-me-downs that he had gotten from Itachi, rolling up the bottoms and wearing suspenders to hold them up on her thin frame. Her shirt was one of his ratty button up shirts and she even had a black ribbon in her hair pulling her fringes into one of those bumps on top of her head.

"I don't want to get my dresses dirty," was her reply, but he knew better then to believe her.

She was avoiding eye contact, so it meant she wasn't willing to talk about it yet.

The grey black kitten came running into the room with a mouse in its jaws, dropping it at Deidara's feet before barreling out of the room again.

Deidara sighed as he picked up the mouse with his good hand, "At least he can kill the pests, yeah."

"What do we call him?" Sakura questioned, looking at the mouse without any fear, actually she took it and sealed it away from practice later.

"He's a quiet one. Fidgets like crazy but he's as quiet as a whisper, yeah." Deidara said as he stared at the door he assumed the cat was in.

"Then Teisei?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah. Teisei is a good name for that cat. He is a whisper." Deidara nodded before laying on the futon they had left in the middle of the room, "What a curious cat, yeah…"

With that, he was out. Sakura didn't blame him. He was pushing himself. He was still recovering and needed more time. He was good with her because of how much time she spent with him and he was good with the cat if only because he had carried him the whole time and became at ease with the fuzzy thing.

Sakura continued to scrub, she needed something to do and she wasn't ready to venture out into Konoha during broad daylight. She wasn't ready to be recognized just yet. So she would only venture out when she had to.

The Sandaime looked at the blueprints with a surprised expression. They were drawn beautifully and looked professional.

"So you want to hire carpenters to turn it into this?" Sarutobi asked, making sure that he had gotten it correct.

"Yes," Sakura nodded, "we don't need eight doors into one house and we don't need eight kitchens either. We have all the details written down so just get them to make it just so."

"Alright," Sarutobi nodded, rolling up the scroll, "I will have a team on it in the morning. Until then, how is everything? Have you met your neighbors yet?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed. She and Deidara had been there for one week now, a hellish week at that, but they hadn't bothered to make it seem as though they lived there yet. They could make it seem that it was still unoccupied and did so without hesitation. They weren't ready for other people yet.

Deidara had stayed behind in the house. He didn't like other people too much at the moment and couldn't take the crowds that would carelessly bump and toss him about. He was currently taking up a no touching rule. Everyone other than Sakura and his cat, Teisei, made him flinch.

"No, but after the carpenters do their job there will be no question about it," Sakura said with a shrug.

"What are you going to do while you are waiting for the construction to be done, they won't let you stay there most likely if they are working on it." Sarutobi said, lifting an eyebrow.

"We'll find refuge somewhere," Sakura shrugged, "We aren't tenderfoots, we can find a place to stay for a while. It is nothing too exciting."

"You may stay at my estate," Sarutobi offered, "My wife would love to have some children about the house again. There are few people there and Deidara can walk about without having prying eyes on him."

Sakura cursed inside. The old man knew more than she had originally thought, but, she mused gratefully, he knew when to keep his mouth shut and not mention such things as unhealed wounds.

"How much do you know?" A single brow rose as she looked at him with a sharp questioning glare.

"He was tortured by Iwa. It is a hard thing to get over some of their techniques, but I know it is possible with time and patience, but he also must work for that goal. He will need to slowly reenter society and it would be best with peers of his age."

"Dei-kun doesn't handle people his age too well, never had anyone around that age to play with."

"And you had people too old to play surround you," Sarutobi countered, "So both of you need to learn to be around your peers."

Sakura sighed, so that was why they had to go to the Academy. He wanted them to be able to act properly with others.

"Itachi didn't have to," She pouted, trying her last ditch effort to get out of this.

"I failed Itachi," the Sandaime shook his head, "I will not fail another child again. Never. You are going to the Academy when it opens for next semester."

"Fine," Sakura bit out.

"So shall I expect you two for early breakfast?"

"Yeah," Sakura sighed, turning and walking away, vanishing into the night even with her pink locks of hair and white shirt.

Sarutobi had been curious about her outfit since he was told that she only wore dresses and kimonos. She had been wearing slacks several sizes too big and suspenders. Something must have stirred within her whenever she wore her dresses, so she was avoiding it.

These kids needed help and he was going to have to keep a close eye on them to make sure they got it.

The next couple of months went in a flash. Sakura and Deidara both had their birthdays come and gone. The two of them had gotten use to the idea of living in Konoha. The Hokage had given them refuge while their home was being repaired. In his opinion, it had helped him foster a friendship with the two children. They were more willing to be open with him than before, when they tiptoed around him like stray cats that had just found a master.

Sakura had opened up greatly once he showed her the library. She would spend her time on the floor reading as the scrolls sprawled out all around her. She would allow him after that to hold conversations with her to see how smart of a child she was. She was extremely sweet when she felt closer to him.

But, imagine his shocking surprise when he looked over her shoulder to see her working on a very complex thesis about the human heart. What scared him more was that she was writing it.

She would get up and go through a routine each day, part of it was checking on Deidara and making sure he was eating and handling things well.

Deidara was the more skittish one. He didn't like venturing too far from her, but he was also one for reading in the library. He always had his fringes covering his left eye, making the older man wonder what he hid under it. Sarutobi was much more cautious when approaching the blonde at first, but Deidara eventually became use to the old man that was trying to befriend him.

Sakura had taken off his cast and bandages during their stay and he began to slowly pick up his training schedule. By the end of their stay, he was working on some of the most brutal training conditions that Sarutobi had ever seen for a child his age. He was very dedicated for a teen, getting up at the crack of dawn and going through a schedule that would make most genin shiver in fear. He would always be doing something, whether training physically or mentally. There was only one day that he would take a break, resting his mind and body and then return to his work. His cat never left his side much.

Deidara, as Sarutobi observed, would teach the cat on his off days. It was a marvelous little thing with silver metallic eyes, it observing everything with a keen eye. He responded well to Deidara's words. Teisei, what he learned was the cat's name, also gave Sakura all of the rodents that were on the Sarutobi estate.

His wife thought both of them as darlings, spoiling both of them as often as she could. He could tell it did them well to have her affection, since Deidara easily opened up to her as well as Sakura, who seemed shy of most females. He figured there was either one or no other females in Akatsuki because of her shy behavior towards his wife.

"Those two are the sweetest little cherubim I have ever met," she had told him after Sakura and Deidara thanked her warmly for her cookies.

Sarutobi never mentioned how they always inspected the food first before eating it though. It wouldn't do to get his wife upset over them being suspicious about her actions.

He was sad to see them go, though. When the building was done, they had returned to their own household. He had grown use to having children in his estate again. Three weeks had gone by when it was officially completed, so he had grown attached to them. He knew he couldn't play favorites, just like he couldn't favor Naruto or Sasuke, but he really wished to take care of them.

Sakura was an amazing little girl. He almost wished Tsunade would come back just so she could met her and take her under her wing, but then, he would lose the little pink cherry blossom's affections to his own student. He wanted to keep that if only a bit longer.

He blessed whatever spirit was on his side when Sakura and Deidara came for visits. It was always an all day event, since Sakura refused to be out and about when others were up and Deidara got terribly ill if he was jostled by crowds, having mini flashbacks to his torture. He was recovering well, but he wasn't expected to get over it in a night. He had been manhandled by the crowds on the street only once, but he had to lie down of most of the visit.

His wife had given him some ginger ale and Sakura petted his hair as he rested in her lap, waiting for his stomach to settle and his nerves to relax.

It was during one of their visits that Sarutobi finally had an opportunity to introduce the two to the other orphans that lived across the way to them.

It wasn't the way he would have had it, but it worked nonetheless. Sarutobi had been working at his office that day, trying to finish quickly so that he could foster his friendship with the two ex-Akatsuki members when his ANBU came in and informed him that Sasuke and Naruto had been in a fight yet again.

The Sandaime sighed as he nodded. He was almost about to leave and now he had to deal with the two.

"They took quite a beating," Cat said with a sad tone to her voice, "Perhaps you should get them to a medic. Naruto's arm looked disfigured and Sasuke seems to have his nose busted. It won't clot."

A sudden idea came to Sarutobi's mind, "Send them to my estate, I should be there by then and I'll see what I can do for them."

Now Naruto had been use to getting in trouble, hell, trouble was probably his middle name- that or trickster. He use to be alone until he met Sasuke. Sasuke had his back ever since four years ago shortly after his brother had killed everyone in his family. He wasn't the greatest of best friends- having a whole lot of problems himself- but the two of them had stuck together.

Sasuke had purchased the run down apartment building Naruto lived in and together, along with some help from the Third, they had gotten the place looking nice. It wasn't an apartment building anymore, but was more of a house.

Naruto and Sasuke were the extreme neat freaks since they felt need of control over something. Naruto was much pickier then Sasuke about things though since he had been on his own longer. Sasuke cooked better than Naruto, but neither could make anything better then a really basic meal.

Sasuke was stoic, quiet, dark looking with an air of mystery that made all the girls squeal, but Naruto knew he was really kind and considerate in his own way once he dragged the guy away from the crowds. He only looked arrogant in front of people that were not Naruto. He dropped his guard around his friends- which currently Naruto was the only real one he had.

"Man, we are in trouble now," Naruto muttered over to him as they were being taken to the estate, "Jiji never makes us go to his estate unless we really mess up. This is all your fault teme."

He still called him the name he had dubbed him when they were eight, but he said it in a kinder, brotherly manner.

"Shut up, dobe, I'll try to get us out of it, just give me time to think." Sasuke told him under his breath.

"How? You're nose won't stop bleeding and no one is going to take you seriously with your hand over your nose like that, dattebayo."

"Hn."

"Now I know we are screwed." Naruto sighed, "The Uchiha has the speech abilities of a rock!"

Sasuke would have fought back, but they were interrupted by the Hokage, who cleared his throat. He was standing on his estate's front porch.

"Boys," He said with a shake of his head, "I would ask you how you got the way you did, but my ANBU already informed me. Come along, let's see if we can't get you two patched up and fed."

Sasuke looked at Naruto who exchanged with him a bewildered look. The blonde would have kept his seriously surprised look, but Sasuke looked silly holding his nose to keep it from bleeding. Sasuke glared at him as he laughed.

"Come on boys," Sarutobi said again, opening the door and waiting for them to enter, "I need to go get that assistance for you two."

Naruto and Sasuke nodded, entering the building and following the old man to the kitchen to see his sweet wife cooking up something that smelt divine (to Naruto anyway, Sasuke had a nose full of blood) .

"Oh, boys!" She said when she turned around and saw them, "What in heaven's name happened?"

They had no time to tell her before she told them to sit and left the room with haste.

"I don't see why you are asking me, yeah," the two heard a moment later, "I'm not about to get blood all over me."

"Please have a look at them till I find her, I know you have some training, I've seen you. Now I will be back as soon as I can."

The heard an audible sigh before a blonde, that was clearly older and taller than them, come into the room.

"What I won't do for her cookies," he groaned to himself as he looked at the two.

He instantly recognized the brotherly similarity that Sasuke had with Itachi.

"Great, an Uchiha."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted at him.

"Great," the blonde muttered to himself, "He has the same vocabulary too, yeah."

Naruto had heard it, but he knew that Sasuke hadn't. His ears were more sensitive then most.

"Who are you?" Naruto asked once the blonde got closer.

He gave Naruto a small glare with only one eye visible in that mass amount of silky hair he had. Naruto could tell it was a boy because of his voice and slightly more angular features.

"Deidara, now which one of you is worse off."

"Naruto." Sasuke said pointing at the blond next to him.

"Alright, then I'll see what I can do for you." Deidara said as he inspected Sasuke's nose for a second.

"You broke it, yeah." He said.

Naruto could see him hesitate before he reached up and with a sickening crack put Sasuke's nose back where it should have been. Sasuke had reared back and let out a pained yelp of surprise when the older blonde had done so.

"What did you do that for!" Sasuke yelled, his eyes burning with anger.

"Did you want to lose all your blood through your nose?" Deidara asked, raising a brow, "It was either I fixed it now or hime come fix it when they find her. No doubt she's hiding and forcing me to do a butcher job when she can do it better, yeah."

Naruto or Sasuke was about to ask, but Sarutobi-baa came back happily with a little girl around their age in her grasps.

"She was somewhere in the library," She exclaimed happily.

The girl didn't look to happy. She had familiar pink hair. Her bangs tied on top of her head with a ribbon and puffed up a bit with criss-cross bobby pins pulling the loose hairs out of her face. She was wearing a knee high black skirt with suspenders, black leg warmers, and a button up white blouse.

"What's up that I was needed. I was in the middle of writing the last segment of my thesis." She said in a low tone, glaring at the blonde, "Couldn't you handle this Dei?"

"He's got a mangled arm and I just popped his nose back in place. No. I can't handle it as well as you can. I was taught how to fix a scratch or stop the bleeding or hemorrhaging, not how to fix arms or broken noses, yeah."

The girl rolled her emerald eyes before approaching the two boys. She didn't talk to them, she just looked at Sasuke, quickly fixed the rest of his nose, scanned him for any other major wounds, then turned to Naruto and pulled his bone fragments where they should be and mended them back together without saying a word. His other wounds, to her surprise, had already mended themselves and were almost finished healing.

"I'll be in the library," She said before turning around and walking away.

Not once did she talk to the two dumbfounded boys who just stared at the little girl who had healed with wounds.

"I'll be grabbing those cookies, then I will be off too, yeah." Deidara said before getting up, washing his hands of any blood, then snagging a couple cookies and walking out too.

"Those two," the Sandaime sighed, "they are so unsocial."

"Give them time, they will warm up," His wife encouraged him, "Plus, they are staying for dinner, that means that they will have to be pleasant. It is in their nature to be social like at dinner time."

With that, she herded Sasuke and Naruto to a bathroom to clean up so they could help her make dinner. Neither boy dared say no to the only woman who even the Hokage didn't even dare cross.

Ages at the end of the chapter:

Sakura-11 (Almost 12)

Deidara-14 (Almost 15)

Naruto- 11 (12 in October)

Sasuke- 11 (12 in the summer)

I mentioned all their ages in the stories, but, well, just incase you couldn't remember.

I know that I just changed the tide of the story. Yes, they are going to Konoha. Yes, they are going to stay there. Yes, there is a reason. It will be sad, but the other Akatsuki members won't be appearing for a while... but just think...

Yeah. I know I didn't do the greatest job elating Sasuke's new behavior, but it will be explained later in the story. Basically, he took his brother's words to heart. The way Itachi had left him, he just couldn't learn to hate his brother (Remember, he put him under a genjutsu that replayed all the memories that Itachi had of him and Sasuke. and the whole Eyes unclouded by hate thing too. He's still quiet and darker than Naruto, but not hateful. Kinda like all those non-massacre stories. Same Sasuke before he went crazy with revenge!)

Thankies! -bows- Please take care of this story!

Ja Ne

Volleys-chan