Hehehe! Fun Tsunade, protective Jiraiya! :D Enjoy!

Hiashi Hyuga sat up, resolving not to freak out so vocally for the sake of his pounding head. He pressed his hand to his throbbing skull and gave Jiraiya the famous Byakugan glare that Neji loved to employ in his Genin days when he was still cold and cruel. Jiraiya just grinned. Tsunade seemed quite passive but no doubt she instigated this.

He settled in the chair and looked up at her. 'What is your decision, Lady Tsunade? About this girl… Hitomi.' He asked, taking a moment for his aching head to remember her name.

'She will be protected here. But I am interested to hear what your decision is.' Tsunade said, folding her hands on the table.

'What do you mean?' He asked, unclear as to what she was talking about.

'She has Byakugan yet you cannot seal her because she's not a Hyuga. She knows some of your fighting styles already so you have a choice. Have your clan abandon her as she's not a Hyuga or protect her and teach her so that she may effectively protect your clan's kekkei genkai.' Tsunade said calmly, laying down the options for the Hyuga clan leader. It's true that they couldn't seal her, even if they tried Kakashi would massacre half their clan. 'Be reminded, the Uchiha clan went with the first choice when Kakashi's case came up and he turned out fine but you know very well the Byakugan doesn't work the same way.'

Hiashi thought more for a while before nodding. The girl was just a child; she did not choose to have the Byakugan implanted within her. 'I will train her personally and see to it that she is protected.'

Tsunade nodded in approval. 'Go inform the council and if they don't like it, tell them to suck it up.'

'Pleasure.' Hiashi answered wryly, knowing the woman's fiery attitude.

The newly formed squad, inclusive of senseis, the Konoha 11 (minus a few) and a bunch of ANBU traveled quickly through the forest. Temari was with them having insisted that she would not be left behind like some helpless little girl while her host went on a mission. Shikamaru being his usual lazy self didn't even bother to argue. All they knew of the mission was to bring back Kakashi's team safely and only harm Orochimaru's men.

They travelled even at night, all the way back past Suna. Temari said it was best not to involve Gaara and Kankuro in case they were going to go up against Orochimaru himself; it would put the Kazekage in too much danger. Since they didn't fight and had gotten sleep the last night, Team two was fine and ready to go. They travelled well into the night and when it was nearing dawn, they were halfway from Suna and Akane's home when Hinata's eyes came across the camp. She wondered what they were doing out here when they were supposed to be waiting for reinforcements.

Akane, Sakura and Hitomi were asleep inside the cage of large roots of a tree that stuck out from the ground and surrounding the root cage shelter were Sasuke, Kakashi and Neji, worn and tired almost dead on their feet. Surrounding them were sound ninjas, lots of them, preparing for an ambush. It was clear who was going to lose. Hinata inform the entire squad and Shikamaru immediately went into his thinking position.

Ten minutes later, he relayed the near full proof plan to the squad. They split up into teams and started approaching the sound ninjas from four points while one team climbed up high and jumped onto the tree where Team one was trying their best to fend off any incoming attacks. They stayed hidden, waiting for the signal. Gai struck his nice guy pose, initiating a series of attacks on the unsuspecting sound ninjas. They tried to knock down Kakashi and Sasuke first but the other team had come out of hiding and moved to protect them, dropping down in front of them.

'Thank God.' Neji breathed fervently. The fight was over fast and the ANBU turned to inspect the women inside. Even he had to hide his surprise when he saw what seemed to be the female child version of Kakashi. Sakura and Akane were up, exhausted but in defensive positions. Hitomi just lay on the ground. The ANBU moved to the little girl, earning a swift kunai that was point to his throat threateningly by a jumpy Akane.

'I won't hurt her.' The ANBU assured her bending down slowly to examine the girl. The senbon wound was swollen and wrapped up and most of Hitomi was turning pale and yellow with tinges of blue. The ANBU picked her up, the other shinobi looking on in shock and worry.

'She's dying, we have to get her to Tsunade-sensei.' Sakura said, stumbling. Sasuke caught her tight, struggling on his feet himself. Soon enough both fell to their knees. 'Take her and hurry.'

The ANBUs nodded but the remaining members went and picked up the tired and wounded kunoichi. Kakashi got a piggyback from Gai and Lee and Tenten each took one of Neji's arms. Naruto and Shikamaru heaved up a reluctant Sasuke. They travelled back the way they came, everyone asking who the hell were these foreign faces. They ran all the way back to Konoha without a stop anywhere but it was still nightfall when they got there and Hitomi started stuttering in her breathing.

Even in her tired state, Akane looked up fearfully from the ANBU's arms. 'What's happening to my baby girl?' She demanded in concern.

'She doesn't have much longer. I'm surprised she made it this far. She's a fighter. We better hope Lady Tsunade is ready.' The ANBU said seriously, looking down upon the face of the suffering child.

And she was, the moment they entered the hospital, Tsunade was there. She stared hard at her pupil and the other shinobi being carried, immediately ordering nurses around. It wasn't until Kakashi gestured panicked at his daughter that she took one look at Hitomi and yelled for her elder student. Without another word, Hitomi was wheeled away on a gurney into the operating room.

Nurses started giving orders to the ANBU and uninjured shinobi, directing them to different rooms while they were being pumped with sedatives. Two members of the ANBU stationed themselves outside Sasuke's room. Shikamaru and Naruto were discussing what would happen next. Hinata was telling Temari about Hitomi's origins and gifts so that she could write a letter to Gaara informing him as promised.

'I don't think Sasuke-teme is gonna leave even if he wakes up.' Naruto said, staring at his best friend's room door.

'Probably not, he's fallen way too hard for that troublesome woman.' Shikamaru agreed, arms crossed in front of his chest.

'Sakura? Yeah probably. He's kinda close to Hitomi too, being cousins and all. But what about Itachi?' The container of the nine-tailed demon fox yawned as he posed the problem.

'Maybe he can get over it.' Shikamaru waved off, feeling tired himself. He could come back in the morning and check on things then. That was for another day.

He peeked a look at the troublesome woman he knew and loved more than anyone; she was obviously exhausted. Shikamaru sighed and offered Temari his arm to lean on like a proper gentleman should. He couldn't help it; it's how he was raised. Temari took it with a smile and said a sleepy goodnight before being lead out by the genius of Konoha.