Nizumi's POV

I hadn't really felt the presence of the zero tails since Jiraiya repaired my seal. So, why did the zero tails decide to fight now?

"Nizumi. Finally you understand. You're the monster. Not me."

"No you're wrong!" I retorted back fighting back.

"Who are you lying to Nizumi? Your own father thought of you as the monster that killed the woman he loved. He was forced to take care of you. Think of the torture you put him through, having to look at you and remember his lovers horrible cries. You. You did it."

"No!"

My mind was a blurr of two colors. Purple and blue.

The purple was over whelming.

"Don't fight it."

"You're not a monster Nizumi! You're a leaf shinobi! My team mate!" I heard Naruto yell at me.

Naruto…he was someone who I hated, who I cared for and someone who I wanted to know. He was like me, and then he wasn't. How could he choose to fight for me after he suffered so much on his own already?

"That's it Nizumi. Surrender." The force behind the zero tails chakra was tremendous, but the zero tails voice didn't seem to be strained at all. It seemed to be sadistic if anything.

I wanted to give in.

"NIZUMI!"

However, Naruto's voice seemed much nicer to listen to.

"Zero-Tails, get this through that thick skull of yours. I have fought every moment of my life. My mother fought to save me, my dad fought to protect me and I will fight to protect the one thing that ties them to this world. My heart! Their lives will not be in vein! I will not give in to you, or anyone who threatens that! Now shut the hell up, you're in my body and you will do as I say!"

I put forth all of my strength to push against the burning seal on my chest, to push back the Zero tails. Then I didn't feel under it's control anymore. My seal felt different. It didn't weigh down on my heart. If anything it made my heart feel weightless.

I snapped out of it and saw Naruto pulling me up to him. Then Temari and Sakura helped carry me off to solid ground.

"Naruto." I said as Sakura laid me down and begun to heal my wounds. "Is that what you really think of me as? Your team mate?" He smiled.

"I told you I'd have your back no matter what."

Naruto…

"I'm sorry I yelled at you."

I saw Kakashi come up behind Naruto. "Now that you two are done blowing off steam, we should hit the road."

I sat up and was about to stand but Naruto picked me up and made me lay on his back. He held my legs so I could lean against him.

"Naruto, you don't need to-"

"Its fine. After all, I started it."

True. I felt really tired and Naruto's body heat held off the cold of the night air so I leaned my head against his back and decided that as long as he wanted to he could carry me. It would make up for him punching me in the face. We jumped off into the trees and I fell asleep while Naruto carried me.


The next morning I woke up and we were still moving. Only I could see sand starting to appear in the passing grass. The sun seemed to be up quite a bit so that means I've been asleep for a long time.

"Naruto?" he looked back at me.

"You're up?" He said cheerily.

"Yes, you don't have to keep carrying me. I can run now."

"Your sure?"

Is he offering to carry me more? I'm not heavy but damn, he must be tired.

"Yes." I smiled and he stopped. Kakashi saw that we stopped and motioned for the other two to hold up. Once I stood I stretched my legs and back then we were on our way.

"So what happened last night?" Sakura asked curious.

"I'm not exactly sure myself, all I know is that I have control of my beast, At least enough to hold it off now." I looked at Naruto beside me who was looking at me in wonder. I smiled at him. "I'm not the monster sealed inside me. I'm a shinobi."

He smiled back and I looked at Temari.

"Now, let's go save your brother Temari."

"Yeah, and we made great time. We should be in the Sand village in a few hours. This knucklehead insisted that we didn't stop as often as we should have." Kakashi stated motioning to Naruto.

"I've never been to the Sand village. What's it like?" I asked Temari.

"It's got great architecture, inspired by the beetles that overrun the desert. And rich culture." Temari noted while thinking to herself.

The only other village I've been to other then my own would be the leaf village. So it's kind of exciting to see different parts of the world. "Look the edge of the forest!" Sakura exclaimed. We looked ahead and saw the light shining off the sand. Once we made it to the edge we all stopped at Temari's signal.

"Wait" she looked at the patterns and direction the wind was blowing. "We need to move fast or we wont make it before a sandstorm that's coming." We followed Temari because she knew the surroundings. I thought i saw something move far off, but wrote it off as a mirage.

I ran beside Naruto and stayed quiet for a while, still thinking about last night. "Naruto?"

"Hu?"

"About last night." I pulled my fathers head band out of my belt. "This is my dad's."

"When did he die?"

"About two weeks before you found me."

He looked at me then down. "I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am Naruto, it WAS my fault he died, no matter how much I tell myself it wasn't." But I smiled at Naruto. "But that doesn't mean I shouldn't fight and give up. If anything it should make me want to kill the bastard that gave the final blow."

"who was it?" Naruto asked. I clenched my fists.

"An Akatuski member in an orange mask, with one eye showing." I put the headband back in my bag. "Naruto, you were right. I did think of myself as only a vessel. My village, my team, maybe even my dad thought so too. I'm sorry I took my anger out on you."

"Its okay." He smiled. "I'm sorry for hitting you with my shuriken."

"They didn't hit me. I caught them." I chuckled.

"Why?"

"To distract you." He studied me for a second. "Never assume anything in battle."

"Look there's the outer wall!" Sakura said pointing. The wall was huge. Large ledges surrounded the village. The mere size left me awe struck.

"Lady Temari!" One of the Sand shinobi yelled as he came out of the thin passage to the sand. "We've been waiting for you. Please, right this way!" We were lead into the village and the man continued.

"First, Lord Kazekage was taken then Lord Kankuro and was recovered. However, we could not stop Lady Kasai this morning. She has not returned. We fear the worst"

Temari looked at her subordinate in shock. "What?!"

"Yes" he confirmed. "And further more, Konkuro was poisoned but we cant identify it for an antidote."

"Kasai?!" Naruto looked at Temari then the Sand Ninja. "I didn't know she even left the leaf village."

"She's been living here for the past two years. Her and Gaara have become extremely close. How come you didn't stop her?"

Her subordinate jumped. "She was too fast for us, even though she was injured she refused to stay."

"Damn! How is Konkuro's condition?"

"The medical ninja working on him say he only has one day left."

Sakura came up behind Temari and looked at her. "Hurry, Temari ill examine him."

"Okay!"

It only took us a few minuets to get to the hospital and up to the room that Temari's team mate was.
Sakura and Temari wasted no time getting to Kankuro's side. Suddenly, the old woman who was in the room glared past Naruto and I, strait at Kakashi.

"The white fang of Konoha!" She launched herself at him. Naruto and I reacted and blocked the woman from attacking. Naruto blocked her upper right fist and I her lower left.

"Why are you attacking master Kakashi?! You shriveled up old prune!"

Shes fast, her appearance definitely doesn't reflect her skills.

"That day, how dare you! Despicable white fang of Konoha! Finally, today I shall collect vengeance for my son!"
Kakashi put his hands up in defiance.

"Oh! Wait I'm not-"

"Silence!" She yelled. A man that seemed to be around her age stepped in front of her and blocked her from moving.

"Look closely, sis. The resemblance is strong but he isn't the white fang of Konoha."

The woman looked at Kakashi carefully for a second then started laughing. "Silly me!"

Geez! Kill someone you don't mean to why don't ya!?

A cry of pain came from the bed, and the boys hand went to his throat. Sakura quickly tied her hair back.

"Let me take a look!"

"Please do." Temari said extremely worried. Sakura looked back at us.

"I need space, please stand back."

We all stood back and Naruto seemed lost in thought as he stared at Konkuro. I put my hand on Naruto's shoulder and he snapped out of it. "Got it."

"Nizumi, please stay in here to keep Temari company."

I nodded and stood next to Temari, she was shaking. Sakura opened his right eye then his left, carefully inspecting everything. She took out a small flash light from her pack and pointed it in his eyes. Then she pulled Konkuro's forehead back and his chin down, opening his mouth to her. Carefully she stuck her fingers in his mouth and moved them around methodically. He gagged and he coughed.

I'd imagine that doesn't feel that nice…poor guy.

The medical ninja in the room looked at her. "Hey- what are you-"

"I'm a leaf medical ninja. I know what I'm doing." Then she laid her head down on his chest and listened to his heart beat, narrowing her eyes in concentration. "They seemed to have used a heavy metal based toxin. This type works on the muscles by destroying cells."

"Just from that brief examination?..." One of the Sand medical ninja said in awe.

"Can I see the record?" Sakura said holding out her hand to the sand medical ninja. Quickly he handed it to her and she looked it over.

"There is also a list of the toxic indigence, there are blank spaces here and there but.."

"I can predict the general out come." She stated going over the record. After looking over it a few more moments she read off her conclusion. "the cardiac muscles could be destroyed so at any time his heart could stop. So, its tough to say if we can prepare an antidote in time."

"You don't mean that!" Temari said horrified. "Isn't there anything we can do?"

Sakura looked at the medical ninja. "Please assemble the items I request immediately. It'll be quite a crude treatment but it's the only option we have."

Quickly she wrote down what she needed and the medical ninja were on their way. Temari walked over to her teammate and held his hand. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took her free hand to wipe a cool cloth over his sweating head.

"He'll be fine. We have to believe that, Temari." I walked beside Temari and looked her in the eyes.

She sighed and nodded. Konkuro was breathing hard and from the look of it, seemed really weak. Of course I'd never seen him before so it was hard to determine his condition on my own.

"I hope Sakura can save Konkuro. Having one of my brothers gone doesn't help, and having Konkuro in danger is almost more then I can bear."

It didn't take long for Sakura to put together an antidote. She placed a bowl of a thick green liquid on the table beside Konkuro.

"I'll need him held down firmly." The medical ninja in the room came up to the table and held his limbs. I came up behind his shoulders and placed my hand on his cold clammy skin.

Slowly Sakura concentrated her chakra on her hand and when she raised her hand the liquid came with it. As she placed her hand above his heart the green liquid seemed to be seeping into his skin. Konkuro immidietly began to thrash around. It took all of us to hold him in place. Sakura held the liquid in his chest for a moment then began to pull it out. Thick purple blotches of something where coming out, and a lot by the looks of it.

"That's the toxin?" Temari asked.

"Yes." Sakura confirmed. "the antidote I prepared would make the toxin surface to the surface of the muscles so I could collect it." She placed the polluted liquid back into the bucket and looked at the medical ninja. "Next!" she ordered. Another medical ninja replaced the polluted liquid with another clean one, it held clean green liquid.

This is disgusting! I cant believe Sakura can do this without gagging. Oh.. I don't feel so good…

Sakura looked at Temari. "Take Nizumi's place."

"Sakur-" Temari smiled and placed her hands where mine were. "okay."

I walked out into the hall and saw Kakashi, Naruto and the two old siblings sitting on the bench waiting. Naruto stood up "So what's happening?"

"Sakura is extracting the toxin. So this'll take a while."

Naruto sank back into his sitting position, and Kakashi sensei read his book. We all waited.