"We're back!"

"Kaya? Sasuke? Is that you!?"

I watched as Mikoto ran into the room to see us, we nodded and she hugged us both. "I'm so glad to see that you're okay!"

"It's good to be back," I smiled.

"Hey, so you are still alive."

I turned and looked at Itachi smiling at us, I grinned and nodded. "So it looks like you'll just have to put up with us."

"You should go upstairs and unpack," Mikoto said. "Rest up for a bit."

Sasuke and I nodded. "Where's father?" Sasuke asked.

"Out on a mission," Itachi replied. "Things have been pretty hard for the past few days. More and more B and A-rank missions have been assigned to our village."

I blinked at him, but then he went back to what he had been doing and Sasuke and I went to go unpack our things.

I put my bag on the floor, I'd unpack it tomorrow. I decided to jump out my window and go for a walk. I walked pretty slowly and looked around the village, it was still the same as I left it, no big problems seemed to have come to the village.

BANG!

I fell back and looked up. "Sorry- Oh!" I jumped up. "Hi, Ebiki!"

"Kaya? It's been a long time since I heard you sound so cheerful!" said the Jonin ninja I ran into.

"I'm different now," I smiled. "And my Squad and I just got back from the Land of Waves mission we were assigned to do."

Ebiki smiled and I looked at the scars on his face, they would never heal, not after the damage that had been caused. And under his bandanna, there was worse injuries than just scars.

Ebiki Morino, I thought. An old friend of my father. I haven't seen him in ages.

I felt someone staring at me and I turned to look at two men passing Ebiki and I. Their eyes were trained on me and I felt uneasy, what was their problem?

I watched them walk straight passed us and continue on their way towards the Hokage's building. I had never seen them before, so they must have been here to request a mission. Still, their eyes were still in my head, they looked desperate.

I shook my head to clear it.

"So, you're finally a ninja now," Ebiki said.

I looked up at him again. "Yep. And Kakashi-sensei said I was already at Jonin level!"

"Really? Well what can you expect, you are Yukio's kid after all. It's in your blood to be strong."

I smiled. "Thanks. So how have you been? Any hard missions lately?"

"Nope, not really. But the missions seem to be getting harder and harder each day."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not so sure myself," Ebiki shrugged. "But all I can really do is complete as many missions as possible."

"Well when I'm a lot stronger, I bet I could help you with some of the missions," I smiled. "After all, they'd have to let me handle B or A-rank missions because my strength is at Jonin level, so it shouldn't matter if I'm a Genin. Right?"

"Maybe," Ebiki laughed. "You'll find out sooner or later. But I must go. I have things to do."

I nodded and watched Ebiki walk around me. "See ya later, kid."

"Bye," I waved as he ran off.

I felt eyes trained on me again and I looked around, but my eyes didn't see anyone staring at me. I shrugged. "Oh well," I sighed. "I'm going to check out the lake. Haven't been there in a while."

I tore through the village with my Lightning Speed, kicking up dirt as I ran and dodging through large crowds easily. I wonder what my next mission is going to be, I thought. Hopefully something challenging like the one I just came back from.

"Kaya, wake up already!"

I mumbled something and turned over, trying to get back to sleep.

"Wake up, you lazy ninja!" it was Sasuke. "Or I'll pour cold water all over you!"

"Go ahead, I dare you," I muttered and curled up. "You wouldn't."

I heard footsteps getting faint, and then after a few moments, they got louder and louder and louder until......

SPLASH!!!!!

"SASUKE! That's it!" I jumped up out of bed and tackled Sasuke to the ground, knocking the bucket out of his hands and letting the water drip onto him as well.

"You asked for it!" Sasuke laughed. "You should see what you look like! You're completely soaked!"

I growled and stood up, letting him help himself up. I walked over to my mirror and looked at myself, I was soaked. I sighed. "Why did you even wake me up?"

"We have to go to the Hokage's building for our next mission. According to Sakura it's another important one and the Hokage needs to see us urgently."

"Fine. I'll be downstairs in a minute."

Sasuke nodded and left my room, closing my door behind him.

I got changed into my normal everyday clothes and brushed my hair, shaking more water from it and ringing it out, letting it drip onto the floor. It would dry up eventually.

I brushed the rest of the knots out of my hair and put my headband up against my forehead, tying it up behind my hair.

I went downstairs and met up with Sasuke. "See ya later, mum!" Sasuke called and we walked out of the house.

We ran through the village together and my hair was drying off a little more, but I was bored as I had to keep pace with Sasuke, he was so slow.

After a bit of running, Sakura and Naruto joined us and the four of us were running through the village towards the Hokage's building.

"So, Sakura, why did the Hokage say it was important?" I asked the pink-haired girl.

"Not sure," Sakura replied. "But we'll find out when we get there."

I growled. "Can't you guys run any faster?"

"Stop whining!" Naruto grumbled. "We're not as fast as you are."

"I know," I smile to take the sting out of it. "I was kidding. Running normally isn't actually that bad every once in a while."

The others smiled too and soon enough, we were at the Hokage's building.

"I wonder when Kakashi-sensei will get here," Naruto said. "He's late."

"Let's just go in without him," Sasuke said and we walked in to the room where we would be given our mission.

"Good morning you four," the Third Hokage greeted us. "Ready for your next mission?"

"Yep," Naruto smiled.

I watched as the Hokage pulled out a scroll for B-ranked missions. "Hold on, you're giving us a B-ranked mission!?"

"Yes, and it could become an A-ranked mission if you run into trouble," the Hokage looked worried, he was worried.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because this is very important," the Hokage said. "Our neighbors, the Land of Tea, are having their grand festival where runners race each other, and the Wasabi family have requested a ninja Squad with the fastest ninja we have. And you, Kaya, are the fastest ninja in the world that we have ever come across. You know that."

I blinked. "The Land of Tea?" I wasn't taking in the compliment, I was taking in the name of the country. "What do they use as weapons? Plants, stalks, tea leaves?" I was close to laughing.

"Do not mock the Land of Tea," the Hokage growled. "This is a very serious matter."

"Why do they need Kaya?" Sasuke asked.

"They need me?" I echoed. "For what?"

"Weren't you listening?" Iruka asked.

"Um.... nope."

Iruka sighed. "The Land of Tea is having their festival, and the two families that are competing in it for power over the country, need two runners each. The Wagarashi family have two people, and they want to do anything to win and gain control over the country for another four years. The Wasabi family unfortunately, have only one fast runner, and they have requested the fastest runner we have in our village."

"So they need me to run for them?" I looked at the ground.

"Yes," the Hokage said. "But you will also have to be guarding the other runner during the race and before the race, in case the Wagarashi family want to get rid of their competition."

"This is so cool!" I smiled. "I'll wipe the floor with those Wagarashi people! Just leave it to me!"

"Of course you will need your comrades on this mission to help you if you run into trouble," the Hokage said. "But your sensei will not be accompanying you."

"Why not?" Sakura asked.

"He has other things to do," Iruka explained. "So you will need to handle this one on your own."

"Okay," Sasuke said. "We can do this."

"Go now and meet up with Lord Girocho in the Land of Tea," the Hokage said. "You should be there by nightfall."

"Got it," Naruto said. "Let's go, guys."

We turned and we left the building. "We'll need to pack again," Sakura sighed.

"That's alright," I smiled. "I didn't unpack from the last mission so I'm all set."

"Okay then, we'll meet back up at the South Gates when we're ready," Sasuke said.

We all nodded and went separate ways, me and Sasuke went to go grab our things.

"Let's go."

"Take this," Mikoto said and I looked at the small bottle.

"What are they?" I asked, my friends were already walking away from the village.

"They're elixirs, you might need them," Mikoto smiled and I took the bottle. "Take care now."

"We will," I smiled back and put the bottle away. "See ya!"

I ran after my friends and I was walking beside Naruto in an instant.

"I can't wait until we get there," Naruto smiled. "I want to know who we're guarding."

"Whoever it is, Kaya will be racing with them," Sakura said. "Can you believe it, Kaya? You're going to be racing for a family you don't even know, in the grand festival that only happens once every four years."

"So, you're saying this festival thing is really important?" Naruto mumbled.

"Yes," Sakura smiled. "It was once just a game, but then two families sought power over the Land of Tea, so now, every four years, two people representing each of the two families, runs against each other. The family that wins, gains control over the country for four more years until the next race."

"How do you know so much about it?" Sasuke asked.

"The Land of Tea is our neighbors, I did my studying."

"What a surprise," I rolled my eyes. "You always will be the smartest of the four of us."

We had been walking for a while and I spotted a tea house up ahead.

"Hey, are you guys hungry?" Naruto murmured.

"A little," Sakura replied.

"Well then let's go eat at the tea house," Naruto smiled.

We stopped at the tea house and went inside, sitting down at a table, waiting for the waitress.

"I wonder how much further the Land of Tea is," I murmured, sitting beside Sasuke.

"Hopefully not much further," Sakura said. "I'm getting tired."

"We'll manage it," Sasuke smiled.

"Yeah, Kaya would already be there by now if it was just her, knowing how fast she is," Naruto added.

The waitress came around with four menus, handing them to us. "Is there anything you would like?" she asked.

"I'll have bean soup!" Naruto smiled.

"Some sweet dumplings would be nice," Sakura added.

"Rice will be all, thanks," Sasuke said.

"I'll just have rice too, please miss," I murmured.

"Of course, I'll just be a minute," she smiled and went to the kitchen.

"Hah! Ninja. You don't look all that fast for a ninja, stuffing your face with bean soup, you don't even look fit!"

Naruto looked up at a boy with black, scruffy hair in a ponytail and a gentle face, but the newcomer was pretty rude.

"What did you say!?" Naruto growled.

"Oh, of course I didn't mean you," the boy turned to me and leaned his arm on the table, smiling at me. "Why don't you give up on the ninja stuff, beautiful princess and we can start thinking about our future?"

Naruto clenched his fists and stood up. "Are you gonna punch this guy out, Kaya, or do you want me to!?"

I didn't answer, my eyes were focused on nothing, purposely.

"Well, what do you say, sweet thing?" the boy winked.

"What?!" I looked up at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you because there was this jerk trying to flirt with me. What were you saying?"

Naruto and Sasuke suddenly had to cover their mouths to stop themselves from laughing.

"You're a bit of a smart alec," the boy smiled. "Why don't you leave all this ninja business and run away with me?"

I spat on the ground in front of him. "I'd rather run away from you!" my eyes flashed with anger. "Now take a hike."

"Yeah, leave her alone, jerk!" Naruto growled.

"Geez, I was only joking," the boy said. "Get over yourself."

Naruto and the boy growled at each other for a little bit.

"Naruto, forget this guy," Sasuke said and I looked at him, he was right, this kid wasn't worth it.

"But," Naruto sat back down. He turned back to the boy but he was gone. "That was quick. Where'd he go!?"

"He's gone?" I murmured and turned to see for myself, the boy was gone.

The lady gave us our food and our bill, but she gave us two.

"Why do we have two bills?" Sakura asked.

"The young man that just left told me you were paying for his meal," the lady said.

"That's it!" Naruto growled. "I'm taking him out!"

I pulled out enough money for both meals and gave them to the lady, we then got up and ran out of the tea house, leaving our food behind.

"We'll catch him. Stupid punk!" I growled. "Let's go."

We ran through the forest, I kept pace with my friends. Soon enough, we jumped into the trees and jumped from branch to branch.

After a short while, we stopped in a branch and looked down at the boy, he had fallen over.

"I might be fast, but tripping over everything won't make me any faster!" the boy complained to himself.

"He may be fast," I whispered to Sasuke, who was standing beside me, Naruto and Sakura were on another branch at the next tree. "But he's not as fast as me."

"We've finally caught you!" Naruto said and we all jumped down in front of the boy, he stood up quickly.

"If this is about the bill, I'm sorry!" he fell to his knees again and he bowed down. "It's just that I have no money. I was robbed! I'm sorry."

"Well if that was the case, why didn't you just say so?" Naruto mumbled.

The guy stood up and walked through our line, then he turned and face us again as we turned around. He took the black things off his legs and he had white leg warmers underneath. He held the black things out. "Ready, set..."

I figured out what they were.

"GO!" he dropped them and they hit the ground hard, forcing dirt and dust up into the air.

"Leg weights!?" Sasuke growled and when the dust cleared, we saw him running away.

"Little rat!" I growled. "Liar!"

We ran after him again, I was eager to catch up to him and teach him not to mess with a ninja, let alone four!

"He's faster than before!" Naruto said. "We'll never catch him!"

We stopped at a cliff and at the other side, we saw him running downhill. "See ya later, losers!" he called. "You'll never catch me!"

I looked up the path, it would take a while to reach the bridge. I growled and made hand-signs. Hitsuji, Tora, Saru, Inu, I, Mi! "You guys can catch up with me later. I'm taking this guy out once and for all! He's not getting away this time! Bird Transformation Jutsu!"

I transformed into a little black and red bird and flew over the ridge, landing on the other side. I transformed back into myself and tore after the kid using my Lightning Speed, I'd had enough of having to keep pace with the others. It might be good once in a while to run normally, but this time I didn't care about running normally, I was gonna catch this kid and teach him a lesson!

I saw him up ahead as a blur, but my mind took it all in and I saw him clearly. I ran a little bit faster, my feet beating the ground 50 times a second. I ran passed him and pulled to a sudden stop, kicking dirt up in front of me. I turned to the side and held my arm out.

The boy tried to stop but my arm caught his neck and I forced him to the ground, my arm still against his neck and my right knee on his stomach. "Okay, talk!" I growled. "Why did you make us pay that bill, and why did you insult us?"

"I told you, I have no money!" he was a little shocked.

"Lying little rat!" I was getting angrier. "If that was the case, why try running from us?!"

"How did you catch me so fast?" the boy asked. "I was running at my fastest speed!"

"I'm faster than you, I'll tell you that much," I growled. "But answer my question before I decide to pound you into the ground!"

"You're nothing more than a Genin!" he spat.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm told I have the power of a Jonin, kid," I had an evil grin on my face and I lifted my right fist, clenching it and getting ready to punch him in the face. "Wanna find out personally how much power I have?"

"You wouldn't hurt me!" I knew he was scared and trying to act brave, but it wouldn't work for him, not now.

I threw my fist down and the boy cried out with fear. Before I could hit him, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. "Kaya, that's enough. We need to get to where we're going. Don't waste your time on this guy," Sasuke said, letting go of my arm.

"Fine," I growled and looked at the boy. "You got a lucky break this time, kid, but mess with me again and I'll flatten you!"

"Come on," Naruto said.

"Yeah, leave him," Sakura added.

It took me a few seconds to drag my angry gaze away from the boy, but then I jumped into the trees after my friends.

"Finally, we're here!" Naruto sighed. "Now let's go see Lord Girocho."

We asked around the village in the Land of Tea and we were eventually pointed in the right direction to a large house that looked like a mansion.

We walked around the side of the house to the front door, they were paper doors.

"Come in," came a males voice and I opened the door, walking in first.

We all walked into the room and saw an elderly-ish man sitting down. "Hello. You must be the ninja from the Leaf Village. Which one of you is the Haruta child?"

I knelt down on one knee and bowed my head. "That would be me, sir. My name is Kaya."

"Ah yes, you look just like your father," the man smiled. "I am so glad you have come to help us in this race. My name is Girocho Wasabi."

"No problem," I lifted my head and my friends sat down behind me, I sat down properly too. "May I ask who I'm running with?"

"Of course," Girocho nodded. "Idate!"

I heard the door open and a boy came in, he had black, scruffy hair in a ponytail and a gentle-looking face. "Yes, Boss Girocho?"

"This is Kaya, she will be running with you at the race," Girocho said and I looked up at the boy, he looked back at me.

"THAT'S WHO I'M RUNNING WITH!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" the two of us yelled, pointing at one another.

Girocho smiled, not realizing the hostility between us. "I see you already know each other, that's great."

Idate was the boy I nearly demolished! I glared at him and he glared back at me.

"Boss Girocho, please tell me this is a joke," Idate growled, looking at the old man. "I'm running with a girl?"

"Idate, do you even know who she is?" Girocho said. "This is Kaya Haruta, and she's the fastest person in the world!"

Idate's gaze snapped back to me. "The fastest person in the world!?"

"That's right," I growled. "If you don't believe me, let's race."

"Of course I don't believe you," Idate smiled. "Okay, we'll race, see who's faster-"

"Oh really? What do ya say now?" I was standing right in front of him from my spot two metres away. I had gotten there in the blink of an eye. "It would have taken you a few seconds to have gotten from where I was sitting to here, wouldn't it?"

Idate's eyes were wide with shock.

"Still up for that race?" I growled. "Are you still going to say I'm slower than you and insult my Clan?"

"I still say your Clan is slow," Idate said. "How fast can you run?"

"As fast as Lightning," I replied. "That's why we call it Lightning Speed."

"No one can run as fast as Lightning," Idate smirked. "That's a lie."

"Well, you would know all about lying, now wouldn't you?" I replied, a snarl to my tone. I grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer to me, my face inches from his. "Insult my Clan one more time, and I'll end this mission and kill you, got it!?"

"You wouldn't!" Idate was a little bit scared, trying to call my bluff, but I wasn't bluffing.

"Ah, yeah, she would," Sakura said. "I insulted her Clan, and if it wasn't for Itachi, I'd be dead."

Idate was freaking out as he looked into my serious gaze. "I don't like you, kid, but I have a mission to do, and that's to run this race with you and protect you from being killed by others. And if I have to save you, it won't be because I like you even the slightest bit." I brought my voice down to an evil whisper. "I hate you!"

"Okay, okay, Kaya calm down," Sasuke said.

"Why don't you guys go for a walk," Girocho suggested. "Get to know the village a little better."

"Gladly," I growled and let go of Idate. I walked around him and left the house, Sasuke ran after me.

Idate blinked, trying to make the fear leave his eyes. "Has she killed anyone before?" he asked Naruto and Sakura.

"She's come close, numerous times," Sakura said.

"Why is she so touchy about her Clan?" Idate asked. "Why does she threaten to kill everybody that bad mouths her Clan, what are they, really special ninja? Why can't Yukio keep her in her place?" In his eyes it showed he knew more than he was letting on.

"Actually," Naruto looked at the ground and everyone in the room heard the sadness and pain in his voice. "Her entire Clan was destroyed eight years ago, she was only five. Even Yukio. Yukio died right in front of her."

Idate's eyes blinked and Sakura saw a sudden sadness in his voice. "So they're all gone, huh?"

"Yeah, that's why she's so touchy about her Clan," Naruto mumbled. "Because she's the only one left to carry the Haruta name. And she has only one goal, and her mind is set on completing it before she dies."

"And what would that goal be?" Idate asked.

"To kill the ninja that destroyed her life, that shattered her heart," Naruto's eyes were still fixed on the ground. "It was not only painful for her, but it was painful for us as well. Ever since that day, she had always been quiet, she never cared about anything. We tried to involve her in our fun and games but she just walked away and sat by herself. Her eyes were always so cold and dark, and full of pain. In her eyes, you could almost see the scene replaying over and over again. No matter what we did, we couldn't break her away from her haunted memory. And of course Sakura insulted her Clan and Kaya tried to kill her. It was probably only a week or two ago that she broke out of the grip that held her and she started laughing and having fun again. But she has her moments when she's angry and accidentally takes it out on others, as you may have already found out for yourself."

Idate nodded and looked at the front door. "Does she ever calm down?"

"After a while," Sakura murmured. "Don't worry, Sasuke will calm her down. Apart from Naruto, he's her best friend, his family took her in after her Clan was wiped out. Sasuke probably knows her a little better than Naruto does. If anyone can calm her down, it's Sasuke."

"Anyway, let's go for a walk and see this village properly," Naruto said and stood up.

"I still don't trust you ninja" Idate said. "And I never will."

"That's fine by me," Naruto growled and walked passed Idate. "I don't trust you either."

Sakura sighed and got up to follow Idate and Naruto.

"That little creep is gonna pay some day! I can't believe I have to run with him in this stupid race!"

"Kaya, settle down before you accidentally break something around here!" Sasuke growled at me. "And if you do that, people are gonna be really mad at you."

"I don't give a damn!" I growled, kicking my feet as I walked through the village, but I put my hands in my pockets to make sure I didn't go smashing anything.

Sasuke put a hand on my shoulder. "Please settle down, Kaya. Idate is a brat, even I know that. You don't have to like him and he doesn't have to like you. I don't even like the kid. And whether or not he says anything about your Clan doesn't mean you should go threatening him. If you keep on threatening him Boss Girocho might end the mission and find another runner for the race."

"He won't," I sighed. "I'm the fastest person he can get to run in this race. But okay, I guess you're right. I'm sorry, Sasuke. I shouldn't have gotten worked up."

Sasuke smiled. "That's better. Now let's go have a look at some shops."

I nodded and walked beside Sasuke through the village.

At least I stopped her from smashing anything this time, Sasuke thought. If she had of done that, I'd probably end up paying for the damage.

We walked through the village and we reached a shop for tourists. We walked in and I had a look at everything, but the prices were very high. "Whoa..."

"I know what you're thinking," said a voice and I turned my head to look at the shop owner. "The prices are very high, but that is because of the Wagarashi, they set it that high. If the Wasabi family wins the race this year, we will have better prices and everything will be better."

Is that why they need the fastest runner in the world? I thought. Is that why they need me?

I smiled and nodded.

SMASH!!!!!

I turned my head to look at a broken cart with a man lying on the ground, and standing above him was three other men, who looked angry. "We take what we want when we want, you hear? The Wagarashi family granted us that."

"But you have to pay for what you want," the poor man said.

"Looks like we have to teach you a lesson," one of the men smiled and cracked his knuckles, he picked the man up off the ground and threw a punch at him.

His punch was blocked by Sasuke's hand as the young ninja stepped in between them to help out.

"Stay out of our way, kid or we'll beat you up as well," the man growled.

Sasuke didn't move an inch, not even a blink.

"Alright, you asked for it!"

"Oh no!" the woman that owned the tourist shop was scared. "He's going to get hurt."

"No, he'll be fine," I murmured. "Just watch and see what happens."

"No, those are the Wagarashi men, that young boy will get hurt!" the woman covered her eyes and I watched as the fighting started.

After a few punches and kicks, the woman opened her eyes to see Sasuke standing normally, with the three men knocked to the ground in front of him. The men got up and ran off. "We'll get you next time!" one of them called.

"Nice work, Sasuke," I said.

Sasuke turned around and smiled at me. "Piece of cake."

"Let's keep going and find the others," I murmured.

Sasuke and I left the shop, after Sasuke helped the man get up, and we walked around the village, looking for the others.

"Hey guys!" I heard Naruto's voice and I looked down a road to see him with Sakura and Idate.

"Hiya, Naruto!" Sasuke called back. "I just smashed three guys in a few hits!"

"Wicked!" Naruto ran over and stood in front of Sasuke. "What happened?! Why did you get into a fight?! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Sasuke explained what happened and I was only half paying attention, I was aware that Idate was watching me. I looked at him. "What the hell are you staring at!?" I growled.

He looked away from me. "Nothing. Forget it."

I growled and looked away from him. "So when does this race thing start?"

"Tonight."

"And so then, I punched one of em- TONIGHT!?!?!?!?!?!" Sasuke and Naruto blinked at Idate.

"Yes, tonight the festival starts and when the sun rises, that's when the race begins."

"And where are we running to?" I asked. I needed to know what we were doing for the race, otherwise there would be no point in racing.

"We have to get to Nagi Island and run to the first shrine to collect the treasure," Idate explained. "That's for the slowest of the two to do. And then the fastest takes the treasure and runs the rest of the way to the finish line."

"So, seeing as I'm most likely to use my Lightning Speed to get me to the finish line, I don't have to have you with me when I get there, right? You can catch up later?"

Idate nodded. "But I have to come five minutes after you or we'll be disqualified."

"Great," I rolled my eyes. "As soon as I get the treasure it will only take me five minutes to get from there to the finish line. It will take you longer than five minutes to catch up with me."

"Well then you'll have to slow down," Idate said.

"Well I'll have to, because I'm not carrying you on my back!" I growled. "And I'm not dragging you the whole way like I would for Sasuke or Naruto."

"It wouldn't take you five minutes to reach the finish line anyway!" Idate challenged me.

"Close enough," I growled. "It would take me a shorter time than you anyway!"

"You're a joke!" Idate smirked. "How do I know you weren't just playing ninja tricks before to get over to me that fast?"

"Oh, so you want to race do ya?" I challenged him.

"Sure," Idate smiled.

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura exchanged a glance with tiny smirks and mocking expressions.

Idate has no idea what he's getting himself into, Naruto thought. But he'll soon figure out how fast she really is. Haha, sucker!

"Where to?" I asked.

"First one to the ocean wins," Idate smiled, determination in his eyes.

Idiot, I thought. I've proved my speed twice, but he's too much of a hothead, he's worse than me! "Which way is that?" I asked.

"North," he replied and I turned to the right direction.

"Okay, let's do this," I smirked. "Naruto, if you would be so kind as to set us off."

Naruto nodded and stood in front of Idate and I. Idate knelt down, preparing to run at his fastest speed, I just stood up straight, looking down at him as if he was a weirdo.

"Don't you know how to start a race?" Idate said. "You're supposed to crouch down like I am so you get a better start. At this rate, I'll beat you for sure!"

"Don't get cocky," I told him. "I don't need to start off a race like you do."

"Your loss," Idate was confident, I could feel it coming off him in waves. Unlucky for this kid, he hasn't really heard of the Haruta Clan and their special ability of speed. He'd be stupid to think I'm slow after this.

"Okay, get ready," Naruto said and I looked at Idate and then at the track in front of us; large crowds down the long isle of the village paths, easy to dodge. And then I saw the ocean in front of us, at least two kilometers away. I could clear the crowds and reach the ocean in a matter of seconds. Idate on the other hand........

"Get set!"

Idate tensed up and I breathed out of my nose in a gesture of rudeness, he looked up over his shoulder at me. "I'll give you a head start," I whispered.

"You are so gonna lose," Idate whispered back.

"Show this guy who owns the track, Kaya!" Sakura cheered. "No one is as fast as you or faster!"

"GO!" Naruto said and Idate was off, leaving small puffs of smoke where he had been moments before.

My friends looked at me. "Aren't you gonna run, Kaya?" Sasuke asked.

"When he gets half a kilometer away," I sighed and watched him run down the hill and have to slow down to get through the crowds.

Then, before anyone had time to blink, I was gone. Blurs flashed passed me and I cleared the first crowd no problem. I caught up to Idate easily and I slowed down to his speed. "Hi," I smiled.

"What the!?" Idate exclaimed and ran a tiny bit faster.

We were coming up to a huge crowd and I smiled. "Sorry, gotta fly." I put it back into Lightning Speed mode and I ran through the crowd without having to slow down one bit and the rest of the way was simple. I reached the ocean soon enough and I stopped at the gates to look out at the shining water.

I turned around to see where Idate was, still a kilometer away. I sighed, not even tired.

"Sayuri, come on, hurry up!"

"Look out!"

Suddenly, someone ran into me and the both of us fell to the ground.

"OW!" I complained and pushed the person off of me. "You really need to be more careful."

Another person ran over and stopped, standing over us. "You're so clumsy!"

I blinked at her. "Sayuri?" I looked at the girl I pushed off of me and my eyes widened. "Katana?"

Katana and I jumped to our feet. "What are you doing here!?" we growled at one another.

"We were told the races in the Land of Tea were on so we wanted to come to see the festival," Katana said. "What about you?"

"I have to run in this race or the Wasabi family," I answered. "And the rest of my team have to help me protect the other runner I have to run with."

"Why do you have to run?" Katana asked. "Surely they can find another person to run."

"I'm the fastest person in the world," I replied. "They wanted me, they even sent in a request for the fastest runner in the Leaf Village. It's a B-rank mission, possibly an A-rank, but they needed me and the Hokage trust me and my team to do our job."

"Oh yeah, I forgot you were from the Haruta Clan," Sayuri said. "But how do you know you're the fastest person in the world?"

"Her famous 'Lightning Speed'," Katana said rudely. "She can run as fast as Lightning, or faster. Big deal, I could beat you easily with my Super Strength!"

"Yeah right!" I growled. "If I used my Lightning Speed against your Super Strength, I could quickly dodge your attacks! I could run circles around you and you wouldn't know where I was!"

"What if I stuck my foot out?" Katana asked, still sounding rude.

"My mind would pick it up and I could pull to a sudden stop and go another way," I smirked. "There's no way you could beat me!"

Katana growled. "Okay then, let's put it to the test, here and now!"

"You're on!" I growled back and we both got ready to fight.

"Okay, calm down!" Sayuri said, sounding nervous. "You can't fight here!"

"Why not?" I asked with a growl, staring into Katana's eyes.

"It's right in the middle of the village-"

"Stay out of this, Sayuri!" Katana snapped. "I'll take her out, no problem! And I'll do it quickly."

"Try it!" I growled at her, she was getting angrier and angrier.

Katana growled at me and threw a punch at me, putting in all her strength.

"Katana, stop!" Sayuri said and grabbed her arm. Big mistake.

I dodged out of the way and Katana's fist flew passed me, accidentally throwing Sayuri away.

"Sayuri!" Katana cried.

I used my Lightning Speed to run after the flying girl and catch her before she hit the ground. I ran back to Katana and put the startled kunoichi back on her feet.

"I'm so sorry!" Katana exclaimed and hugged her. "I'm supposed to be protecting you, not trying to kill you!"

"It's alright," Sayuri said. "And you know how strong I am, I can take care of myself."

"Um, is everything alright?"

I turned and looked at Idate, he was out of breath. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"What are the two of you doing here?" Sasuke asked as the rest of my team showed up.

"We came to see the festival," Katana said. "The Hokage said we could."

"Well, why don't you guys run with us and help us protect Idate," Sakura suggested. "Then you can be part of the race like us."

"Yeah, Kaya's already told us she's racing," Sayuri said. "Hey, Katana. What do you think? Wanna run with them?"
Katana glared at me, I knew she was thinking that it meant running with me, and she didn't like that idea. After a few moments of glaring at me while I just blinked back at her, she sighed. "Fine, may as well do something while we're here."

"Great, more ninja to 'protect' me," Idate rolled his eyes.

"What do you have against ninja!?" Katana growled.

"I don't trust them!" Idate growled back.

"Shut your mouth, Idate before she decides to clobber you," I murmured. "Come on, let's go back to Boss Girocho's house and rest the rest of the afternoon before the race."

"Sounds good," Naruto smiled and we all turned and walked off, Sayuri and Katana following.

"Wow, this festival is awesome!"

"Naruto, save your energy for the race," Sasuke laughed.

"Sorry," Naruto smiled.

"Well he's right, because I'm not slowing down for you guys because you're tired," Idate said.

"Gees, don't be so snappy!" Katana growled. "We'll keep up easily. We are ninja after all!"

Idate rolled his eyes.

Those eyes....

"Kaya?" Sasuke said and left the group, walking over to me, standing alone, looking at something that he was trying to figure out. "Are you worried about the race?"

It took me a few seconds to notice him. "Huh? Oh, no, of course I'm not worried!" I dragged my eyes away from the golden, snake-like eyes that I thought I had seen before.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I glanced in the direction of the eyes again and looked back at Sasuke. "I'm fine."

"I don't believe you," he crossed his arms. "You can tell me you know."

I sighed. "I was just looking at something strange," I whispered, glancing at my friends.

"Like what?" Sasuke whispered, glancing at them too.

"I saw a pair of eyes that looked really creepy," I told him. "They were golden, and there was a black slit down the side. I know I've seen those eyes before, but I can't remember where..."

Sasuke was thinking, and he tensed up.

"Do you know where those eyes are from?" I asked him.

"No......" Sasuke replied, but I knew he was lying. "But they sound pretty creepy."

I wasn't going to bug him for answers, I was just trying to think of where I last saw those eyes.

The night dragged on and I was still thinking, even the others were beginning to think there was something wrong with me.

"Not chickening out are you?" Idate asked me.

"Of course not!" I growled.

"See her?"

"Yeah, who is she? Wait, isn't she the second runner for the Wasabi family?"

"Yes, Aoi, she's Kaya Haruta, from the legendary Haruta Clan."

"But, they were wiped out, weren't they?"

"Yes, but she survived somehow. And she also has the Triple-Tailed Tiger inside of her. She has inherited the Clan's Lightning Speed, which means there's no doubt she could win the race for the Wasabi family."

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"Aoi, your target is no longer Idate, he is no longer a threat. Your new target is the Haruta girl. And be careful, she is very skilled and has the strength of a Jonin. But make sure she doesn't make it to the finish line. Kill her if you have to."

"Of course, master."

"Okay everyone, this is the moment you've all been waiting for!" came a voice on a megaphone. "It's time for the race to begin!"

Idate and the others got ready to run, I stood beside Sasuke, looking around for the other competitors.

"Running for the Wasabi family is Idate Morino, and........ Kaya."

"You didn't give them your last name?" Idate asked me. I shook my head.

"It's better people don't know my last name, it could come as a disadvantage to the competitors at the very end," I smiled.

Idate nodded. "That was actually a good idea."

Idate Morino? I thought. Where have I heard that last name before?

"And running for the Wagarashi family is Fokusuke Wagarashi and Chitose Wagarashi."

I looked at the people we were up against, they looked well-muscled. One looked at me and winked, I rolled my eyes and rudely turned away.

"Each team will make their way to the port where they will get on a boat and sail to Nagi island. There they will run to the shrine and the faster of the runners will collect the jewel and run the rest of the way to the finish line. But remember, the first runner must reach the finish line five minutes after the second or else the team is disqualified."

"So, you don't wanna go too fast, Kaya," Katana told me with a sneer. "Wouldn't wanna make the Wasabi family disappointed by getting disqualified."

I growled at her and Sayuri stepped in between us. "Chill out. I'm sure Kaya knows that. Idate would have already told her!"

"I could walk faster than those losers can run!" I growled. Not really.

Katana rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"When the sun rises, you can start!" the megaphone person announced and Idate and the other two runners crouched down, prepared to start, my team of ninja just tensed up.

I looked at the horizon and I could see the sun beginning to appear.

"Okay, GO!"

Idate ran on and so did the other two competitors, I kept up with normal speed and my friends followed.

We headed for the boats, but then Idate changed course. "Idate, what are you doing!?" I growled as I stopped and watched him and the others run up a path, heading away from the boats.

"Come on or I'll leave you behind!" Idate called, leading the others.

I growled. What is that idiot doing!? I watched as the two competitors got in the boat and headed off. I sighed and used my Lightning Speed to catch up, leaving dust behind.

I ran ahead of the group and beside Idate. "Why are we going this way? We're supposed to be on the boat!"

"Just shut up and let me lead!" Idate said. "I know what I'm doing!"

"I hope so," I growled and slowed down a bit to run beside Sasuke and Naruto.

"What's he doing?" Naruto asked. "Why are we going this way?"

"He didn't say," I told him. "But I guess we'll just have to trust him and follow him. Our job is to protect him at all costs anyway."

"And your job is to help him win the race," Sasuke reminded me.

I nodded and we continued to run through the forest.

"See how fast she is?"

"Yeah. Let's take her out, now!"

"No! Wait a while. Until they get on the boat to Nagi Island. Then we'll attack."

"Fine."