A/N: Ohayo ... sorry it took so long. I got stuck Lol Thanks for the patience though. And sorry if they seem a bit OOC or I miss some fact or something. I also may have got some words wrong so a warning for that too lol

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters within this fanfiction belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Snakes, Scrolls & Samurai

Previously…

'When we got back this morning, Shizune-san told us we were to go on the mission but before she could tell us who else was on it Tsunade-sama was calling for her,' Tenten answered as she looked up from her menu.

'Yeah, it didn't sound like they were finishing any time soon,' Sakura muttered.

Anko could only grin in response. Her grin widened when she saw her ramen coming her way. It didn't beat dango, but it tasted good all the same. So she was to go on a mission with Sakura and Tenten for a few days. There was nothing wrong with that, right?

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A couple of hours later, Anko, Tenten and Sakura were well on their way to the River Country with the eldest kunoichi leading the way. Back straight, chin held high and marching on towards the sunrise enthusiastically, Tenten's eyes would open in shock and fear and Anko would hear the younger girls whispering to each other.

'Sakuraaaaa! Anko-san reminds me of Gai-sensei and Lee too much.'

Anko whipped around with a grin, impersonating their pose with flawless perfection.

'Gai-kun is one stylish shinobi!'

She reveled in the fear in both their expressions and the way Tenten seemed to fall to the ground in despair. Her pose changed into one of innocent wonder as she continued on.

'You know, if Gai's green suit would fit me I would have worn it years ago. But it just doesn't seem to get me right,' Anko went on artlessly. Looking back at them, Anko found herself raising a brow as the two squatted beside each other, backs facing her as they whispered to each other, before they began rocking back and forth.

'Strange people these days,' she muttered before she turned and continued down the road, her cheery grin and mischievous spark returning once more. The sigh and sound of moving feet would alert her of their movements that followed.

A sigh.

'Anko-san's like Naruto and Gai-sensei?'

'But they do both have some very nice qualities.'

'True. Hopefully Anko-san doesn't start going on about the – '

'Ossu! We are in the springtime of our youth! Let's run into the horizon together until the sun sets! We'll get to the village well before then!'

Anko's interruption was soon enough followed by her running down the path, arms spread, as she ran towards the horizon, screaming out to the world about youth and passion, and when she was far enough, bursting into laughter.

Ahh she could see their faces now. Pupil-less eyes and disbelief clearly written everywhere. Frozen in step and mouths hanging open, before they burst into tears or faint. Yes, that's what it probably looked like. Anko wouldn't know, of course, because by now they were well out of sight.

Sighing, she looked back, wondering where they could possibly be. She did want to make it to the River Country as soon as possible, of course. She wanted to fight some baddies! She knew they wouldn't get there by the end of the day, though. Taking a seat on a nearby rock, Anko waited somewhat patiently for Sakura and Tenten to catch up. They would eventually.

Greeting their fearful, desperate faces with her own grin, she walked on without letting them take a break. Their day trip wasn't that interesting really. They walked for around hours, having left not too long before noon, Sakura and Tenten discussing their previous mission every now and then and the gossip that was going around as well.

Anko would listen in every now and then but tuned out for the most part. They traveled well into the night, at Anko's insistence with her 'I know this area anyway, keep walking' attitude. When Anko declared they were only an hour or so's walk from the village, they made camp, with Sakura and Tenten muttering in annoyance.

'If we're an hour away now why don't we just continue?' Tenten asked curiously.

'Because it's late. This way, we can leave in the morning and get there at a decent hour and have the rest of the day to fight off whoever the feudal lord wants us to,' Anko answered simply as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

'We are going to be eating inbetween, right?' Sakura had asked.

Anko was horrified. 'Of course we're going to eat! Another reason to make camp now and leave in the morning. We'll get to the feudal lord's by lunch time and they may prepare quiet a meal for us!' Anko answered with a grin, causing Sakura and Tenten to share a look that questioned their group leader's … ways. Needless to say, they had to listen and each parted to find some firewood anyway.

After a few splinters and curses from gathering what they could¸ fire was underway and the gossiping resumed.

Anko kept a sharp ear out for any talk about Temari but none came. They'd seem to stop mid-sentence at times, before moving on to another subject after a small delay in which there was time to share a glance or two. The special jounin wondered if they were talking about something they didn't want her to hear, voices of paranoia telling her it was about Temari.

She could have asked, of course, but that would mean her bringing it up and showing interest in the matter. She'd rather it be the other way. She could manipulate them? That was always a possibility. She could even eavesdrop when they thought she wasn't looking. When she looked at it like that there were plenty of possibilities for her to find out the gossip of that group. She was older and border, why not try it sometime?

In an hour or so, they would all be sitting around a fire beneath Artemis' sky, finishing their meals. Anko looked up at the dark sapphire above them and watched the stars once more. They really were beautiful.

She and Temari had run into each other atop the cliffs a few more times after their first meeting there before Temari had told her about the stars and her earliest memory with her mother. She'd listened, of course, as sand sibling told her about the different constellations and pointed them out as well, not that she could really see them at first.

But at times like the present when Anko found herself at camp and bored, she'd sometimes look just to see if she could see any. She felt like she was some place else when she'd look up at the endless amount of space; space and opportunity. And it gave her hope and reminded her of the opportunity to change things that would come her way.

Their friendship was hard to describe and explain. When Temari cried Anko hadn't embraced her like friends do when they're upset, nor did they confess every other pain within themselves after the tears had passed. Anko never swore to Temari that they'd be 'best friends forever' and Temari never asked for such a promise. No, there would be a time when Temari would turn to look out over Konoha once more, making no effort to hide her tear-streaked cheeks from the kunoichi beside her and they would sit in silence and understanding. When Temari turned Anko would firmly squeeze her shoulder once more before she'd let go and look out over her village as well. They'd sit together without another word until Anko would state that it was time to go.

'Temari, we should go back to the village. You'll regret it if you fall asleep on the cliffs; dirt and droppings everywhere,' Anko told her with a small smile. Temari looked back at her and smile all the same.

'Talking from experience Mitarashi-san?'

'Anko. And yeah. Damned things,' Anko responded, standing up and brushing herself off before she offered a hand down to Temari to help her up. The latter took one more look out from the cliff-side before she'd take Anko's hand with a smile.

'Thank you,' she said gently. And Anko knew it was more than the offer to help her stand from her place, it was also for helping her stand after she'd gracefully fallen.

'You're welcome.'

They walked back to the village together, with Anko asking about Temari's thoughts on her duties as the liaison and they'd share a friendly conversation until they parted ways. With a knowing smile and an understanding nod, they'd know they weren't alone, and that there was someone else they could trust and depend on.

Anko exhaled, seeing nothing but sparkling lights in the ebony sky, but loving it all the same.

'Anko-san?'

She looked over to see Sakura and Tenten looking at her curiously and somewhat timidly. Cocking a brow, she waited for them to continue. The girls shared a glance before taking a seat opposite their group leader.

'You and Temari-san are friends, ne?'

Anko nodded without a thought, but her eyes and ears were sharpened, waiting to make sense of whatever they would say. They looked at each other once more and Anko's impatience got the better of her.

'What is it already?'

Sharing another fleeting glance, much to Anko's annoyance, they took another second before Sakura answered.

'Have you spoken to her lately?'

'I saw her yesterday,' Anko answered casually. Sakura and Tenten looked at each other. Again.

'Is she ok?'

'She's fine,' Anko said, resisting the urge to snap at them, partially for Temari and partially for the looks they kept giving each other. She could see them after all; they weren't the least obvious things.

'What is it exactly you want to say, Sakura? Tenten?' Anko asked, words sharp and serious.

'Uh – '

'And don't look at each other before you answer,' Anko added. She waited somewhat patiently for them to decide whether or not they wanted to tell her the truth, tapping her fingers on her knees all the while; it was only somewhat patience after all.

'We just thought it was strange that none of us have seen her since she was at my place, and she left really quickly,' Tenten answered.

Anko scratched her head before she sighed.

'Temari's been busy with things. I only saw her yesterday and the last time I saw her before that was before she went to your little get together.'

'How was she then?'

Anko didn't answer straight away but she knew that if she took too long to answer they'd gather something was up. What was she meant to do? Share Temari's fears with the very people she tried to conceal it from? Pfft. As if.

'The same as always, we even got into a bar fight,' Anko said with a grin. Sakura and Tenten looked rather sad more than anything and Anko held herself back before she sighed or rolled her eyes once more.

'Is she mad at us, Anko-san?' Sakura asked.

'What does she have to be mad at you for?' Anko shot back quickly yet calmly.

'We don't know,' Sakura answered as Tenten nodded sadly.

'It feels like we've upset her or something,' the latter added.

Anko looked away. Temari would beat her if she said anything to them or even implied anything, but she did that regardless of whether or not Anko did anything anyway.

'Temari's a good friend of mine,' Anko said softly and sincerely, turning her attention to the sky, 'even if it doesn't look like it. She's different from a lot of the people I've met but we understand each other.'

Anko made herself comfortable on the dirt, staring at the sky with her back on the ground.

'And I'm asking you here, which I don't do often, but please don't gossip about Temari. She's not the kind of person to care much whether or not you do but she doesn't deserve it. She's an honourable shinobi and a compassionate person.'

'We're not gossiping,' Sakura argued immediately. Anko smirked, taking a moment before she turned her head to give Sakura a knowing look.

'Sakura, I'm not deaf. You and Tenten have been gossiping for half our trip,' she told them. An embarrassed smile crossed the younger kunoichis' faces and Anko shrugged and looked away in response. Anko watched the heavens once more; one of the clusters of stars seemed to look like … a bunch of shining dots. She sighed. She didn't seem to be able to see any pictures in the stars tonight.

'Ne, Anko-san? '

'Hmm?'

'Are you going to see Temari-san any time soon after we finish this mission?' Tenten asked curiously.

Anko shook her head, rubbing her hair further into the dirt.

'Nope. Unless she's back in Konoha or we end up going to Suna for some reason,' she answered.

Silence greeted her but before she could turn to see why, the pink-haired of the younger ones spoke.

'Temari-san's not in Konoha anymore?'

Oh. So she hadn't told them of her leave. Whoops. Oh well. No point trying to think of a lie now.

'She went home yesterday.'

'Oh. Why'd she go so soon? I thought she had a couple of weeks off,' Tenten commented.

The purple-haired special jounin thought for a moment before she shrugged, hazelnut-coloured coat darkening in the dirt.

'I don't know. She wanted to.'

'But you're her friend,' Sakura retorted.

'So are you,' Anko replied childishly.

'You know her better than we do,' Tenten paraphrased.

'You still know her.'

'But you know her better than we do!' Tenten repeated in aggravation.

'And?'

'Anko-san!'

Anko inwardly grinned to herself. She'd succeeded in annoying another person. Or rather, two. Ah how fun it was at times. It was times like these she cherished her life; when she could lie back, relax and annoy the hell out of the people who were too tense.

'She didn't give me a specific reason for going home, not that she has to. Sakura, Tsunade-sama's your mentor, no? Why not ask her,' Anko said before she got up and dusted herself off, brushing the dirt off her back and shoulders before she stretched and yawned.

'Tsunade-sama would tell me it's not really any of my business and that if I wanted to find out anything I'd have to use my own "initiative",' Sakura grumbled.

'Well there you go.'

'Of course I could always bribe her with sake,' Sakura said, turning her attention to Tenten, seriously considering the idea. Anko shook her head¸ but not disregarding the possibility of the truth in her words. It could work. And it wasn't like Temari's whereabouts was a highly important fact that was top secret … it wouldn't jeopardise anyone, really. So bribing was most definitely a possibility.

Taking out her sleeping bag and rolling it out in front of her, Anko sat on it as she turned her attention back to Sakura and Tenten.

'… yeah but Naruto said there was nothing to worry about so I should trust him. He's matured a lot over the years, even if he still goofs off,' Sakura was saying. What Naruto was talking about Anko didn't know but oh well.

'You and Naruto are still close then, Sakura-chan?' Tenten responded with a suggestive wink, causing the girl in question to roll her eyes at her.

'You know it's nothing more than that, Tenten, stop being stupid.'

Tenten waved a hand in front of her, shaking her head, refusing to agree. Although a smile a few seconds later showed an end to the joke.

'Hai, hai, I know,' Tenten responded, 'strange how Sasuke-kun leaving all those years ago brought you two closer,' she commented. Sakura shrugged but nodded.

'We both had a similar goal in wanting to bring him back. Not to mention, all that time I spent with Naruto on missions helped.'

Tenten nodded hurriedly, wanting Sakura to hurry up and finish the thought so they could move on.

'Members of a team usually become really good friends though,' Sakura continued with a smile. Tenten laughed lightly before nodding. 'I mean, look at Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji's parents.'

'Yeah, that's true. Lee may be a goofball sometimes too but despite his strange unrealistic goals, like making it to Suna in anything less than three days, he is a close friend of mine. What else could you expect?'

Sakura winked at her. 'And Neji? What's he to you?'

In response, Tenten picked up the nearest stick and threw it at the laughing kunoichi before her, her reputation for 100 per cent accuracy never failing her. Sakura cursed her in response before she went about healing the small wound her friend inflicted.

The younger generation wasn't any different to any other generation, Anko mused to herself. Still, it was amusing to watch them. It's not like she and the older shinobi hadn't placed bets on Sakura's group; who liked who, who'd end up with who, who'd win in a fight, who was most likely to become the next Orochimaru. Of course, they'd decided to keep a close eye on their top candidates for the last award. This could be a time for Anko to learn about this particular group and get ahead on the betting. As long as she didn't tell them why she wanted to know, she wasn't breaking any rules. The major rule in their betting scheme was that none of the younger generations they were betting on were allowed to know they were betting on them. So far so good.

'Mind if I join your conversation? Or listen?' Anko asked with a grin.

They merely smiled and nodded in response and Anko found herself waiting intently for them to continue. Apparently not. They'd seemed to stop momentarily while Sakura healed herself.

'I didn't mean to eavesdrop,' Anko started, 'but there was nothing else to listen to so I did but you do spend an awful lot of time with that Hyuuga guy,' Anko said to Tenten. Sakura smirked whilst Tenten glowered and reddened.

'I help him train! I spend a lot of time with Lee too,' she retorted.

Anko pondered as she nodded. 'The miniature-Gai guy? I guess so. So there really is nothing going on? Coz word around the village says otherwise.'

Tenten shook her head confidently but Sakura leant over to mutter to Anko's ear.

'Not officially. When it is she'll openly admit it,' Sakura explained.

Oh. So that was it. The weapons mistress was waiting for an official … thing.

'Any idea how long that'll take?' Anko whispered back.

Sakura shook her head in response. 'It's been years. We've got a bet going around to see how long though. Don't tell her,' Sakura said with a smile, with Anko grinning in response.

'Oy, what are you whispering about?!' Tenten demanded when they still refused to speak in anything but low voices.

'Word around the village also says that you and Lee have been spending more time together,' Anko said to Sakura, Tenten immediately dropping her demands as she faced Sakura with an innocent smile.

'Anything you'd like to share, Sakura?' she asked sweetly.

Holding her head up high, Sakura shook her head before she shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

'I don't know, actually. Lee-san's really nice and I do enjoy myself when I'm with him,' she said gently, lost in her own thoughts.

'Wait, wait, wait,' Anko interrupted, raising her hands up between Sakura and Tenten.

'I thought you had a thing for that Uchiha kid,' she said, pointing a finger at the medical ninja, who in turn gave her an odd look.

'Does everyone know that?

'Yeah,' Anko answered without thinking.

'Sasuke-kun's … I don't know.'

'You get that with any Uchiha,' Anko said with a grin and a shrug.

Interesting. I may have to change some of my bets.

After extracting every little piece of information she could from the younger kunoichi that would affect her betting, Anko decided to head off to bed, ordering them to do the same.

'Honestly! We could be fighting some tough people tomorrow and you two are up chatting.' She clicked her tongue at them before turning over in her sleeping bag and falling asleep. Sakura and Tenten sweatdropped before they shared comments about their strange but amusing group leader.

At the break of dawn, they were fast asleep. At around 9 o'clock, they were still asleep. About thirty minutes later there was a little animal crawling over Anko's sleeping form and she shot up, knocking the creature away in the process. Yawning, she opened her bleary eyes to take a look at the still blurry images before her. The fire was out, and from the position of the sun it wasn't noon just yet. Sakura and Tenten were still asleep as well. Ha. Not for long.

'If I have to be up, so should they,' Anko muttered as she stood up and stretched, walking over to shake Sakura and Tenten awake before she put away her sleeping bag. Deciding to miss breakfast, they took the hour-long walk to the village, talking about the kinds of food they hoped to encounter.

'Dango dango dango!' Anko had chanted for the latter part of the journey; the half she was more awake for. Arriving at the residence of the feudal lord, they were fed – 'YES! Dango! Oh and dumplings!' – before being escorted to the area in which the rogue ninja were thought to dwell.

'Is it wise for us to walk into enemy territory,' Sakura wondered aloud.

'We'd have surprise on our side,' Tenten commented.

'Wise or not, we'll be fine!' Anko said cheerfully as she finished yet another stick of dango; on the way out of the village she'd purchased some 'for the journey' as she'd told their disbelieving stares.

Anko's grin would be wiped away soon enough by a kunai that she would have easily dodged, had it not been for the dango in her hands that she wanted to protect. Sakura and Tenten instantly went into battle mode as Tenten made to run in the direction in which the kunai came from and Sakura punched the ground, causing a crack in the earth to appear and extend several hundred metres in the direction Tenten was running in. Tenten and Anko automatically leapt into the air and out of the way, Tenten opening her scroll to release some kunai in the nearby bushes as Anko threw some shuriken at the shadow that barely escaped, cutting his shoulder and right calf muscle.

Unfortunately for this scouting ninja, however, Sakura had caused yet another earthquake, large enough to envelop him yet small enough to hold him in place. The three Konoha kunoichi slowly made their way to the squirming man, the escorts following suit.

Anko kicked off his straw coolie hat to reveal his fearful yet arrogant and stubborn expression. Anko grinned at him, licking her lips like a snake hissing before its prey.

'Hey stranger. What ya doin' out here?' she asked, eyes sparkling dangerously. The man showed no manner of answering so Anko squatted before him, taking out a kunai in the process. Her eyes locked with his and she smirked before she licked the blade of the kunai and brought the point to the rogue ninja's cheek. Pressing it hard enough his cheek so that her made her point quite clearly, she questioned him again.

'What are you doing here? Where are you from?' she asked sternly, grin fading. Behind her, Sakura bawled her fists once more, the material of her gloves echoing in the wind, as Tenten gripped her scroll once more.

The ninja before them held her gaze, pupils darting between the three kunoichi as he supposedly gathered his thoughts. Anko pressed her kunai harder into his cheek, blood dripping down the side of his face.

'Answer me,' she demanded.

'Scouting,' he spat in a gruff voice.

'Aw is that all you want to share with me?' Anko asked him, digging the kunai further into cheek. After gaining no other responses, the Konoha shinobi shared a few glances before they gagged him and walked off.

'So the plan's a lure-the-enemy-out-with-bait-and-then-attack kind of thing?' one of the escorts asked, with the kunoichi nodding in turn. Waiting in strategic points around the area, bored for some parts, it was several hours before another two ninja appeared looking for their comrade. Seeing the gagged figure, Anko watched as their posture changed and they became aware and alert.

'Much too late though,' Anko muttered under her breath, as Tenten and Sakura attacked from opposite sides wounding the enemy ninja with a touch of mercy. Tenten's weapons struck the non-vital parts of their body whilst Sakura aimed to break a few bones; enough damage so that they couldn't move, fight back or escape, but not enough that they'd kill them straight away. Leaving the gagged rogues tied together by their earth-eaten comrade, the kunoichi and escorts headed in the direction the latest rogues had come from.

After about ten minutes of travelling, however, they became wary of an ambush. Shadows would pass and whilst many others may think nothing of it, Sakura and Tenten had spent enough time with Ino who spent time with Shikamaru and his shadows that they knew what was natural and what meant movement. They pressed on, however, taking note of the slightest sounds or possible sounds, never letting their guard down.

When they were finally attacked, which Tenten greeted with a rather loud 'about time', they easily dodged the attacks with little cuts, if any, before they pursued and rounded up their attackers.

Their sharp ears had picked up on the faint sound of voices and stance change, Anko immediately calling out 'Sen'eijashu' as the snakes appeared and knocked the kunai and shuriken away from the travelling group. Anko and Sakura, each noticing different shinobi made to attack them, both taking out kunai and shuriken and hurtling it at the enemy, before Tenten's Sōshōryū came crashing down on them, once again aiming to seriously injure.

Anko cursed under her breath for the lack of spilled blood she caused but tied up the shinobi all the same with Sakura. As the pink-haired kunoichi reeled them in, Anko had another look around to make sure they hadn't missed anyone, happily strangling one they'd missed with her snakes.

Returning with a grin, she led the way back to the feudal lord's residence, the rogue ninja in tow. Sakura had tended to their wounds so that they wouldn't die, despite Anko's arguments against it.

'But their the enemy!'

'Hai, Anko-san but we weren't told to kill them or anything! The feudal lord just wants them away from the village. I don't feel like burying people right now,' Sakura retorted.

Tenten nodded.

'I'm with Sakura on this, Anko-san. It's easier just to tow them in if you think about it. More time for food,' she added with a grin.

Anko considered their argument before shrugging and continuing on back into the village. Deciding to finish the day off in the village, Anko walked off on her own while Tenten and Sakura ventured off in another direction, agreeing to meet back for the dinner the feudal lord had invited them to.

'We're going to wander aroudn town, Anko-san,' Tenten had told her. 'Do you want to come along?'

Anko shook her head in response. 'I'll catch up with you later. I'll just send a letter with a brief report.'

And with that said, Anko disappeared into the crowd.

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A/N:

Sen'eijashu - Hidden Shadow Snake Hand
Sōshōryū - Twin Rising Dragons

Hmm well sorry if it's not that great haha I'm just happy I got to writing something. Like the title? No? Lol Snakes is for Anko, Scrolls for Tenten, and Samurai for Sakura LOL i know it sounds off but: 'sakura blossoms have historically been associated with samurai' says Wikipedia.

I wanted to source the sites I got this information from but it doesn't seem to be working lol So yeah the title of their attacks aren't from the top of my head.

I'm going away from Dec 2nd to 9th too. But hopefully I'll be able to update again this week before then. Ack if there's anything else I've missed that I was meant to say here I'm sorry. Also, next chapter ... I'm not saying anything right now lol

jm