Author's Corner: Flappy Bird more like Fappy Bird cuz that game can go FUCK itself.

Disclaimer: All rights to Masashi Kishimoto

"Sakura-chan, are you sure nothing happened on that mission? You seem kind of...I dunno, off I guess, 'ttebayo," Naruto said between slurps of ramen. Sakura swirled her ramen absentmindedly with her chopsticks. Naruto snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"What? Oh, you were saying?" Sakura said. Naruto frowned and went back to his ramen.

"I was saying that you seemed a little off." He grumbled. Sakura laughed and took a bite of her ramen.

"Ne, ne, it's nothing Naruto, I've just had a lot on my mind. Um, Inner problems, you know?" she laughed nervously. Naruto blinked and waved his hand for another bowl of ramen.

"Oh. Why's she acting up all the sudden? Did something happen on that mission to the Land of Iron?" he asked. Suddenly, Sakura clenched her fist, snapping her chopsticks.

"I'm acting up because I can't stand that little twit Hidan!" she snapped, turning to glare at Naruto. He stiffened when he saw her eyes. Her pupils were gone and her scleras were black. Suddenly, her eyes returned to normal and she gasped.

"Oh gods, did that really just happen?" She said miserably, covering her mouth. Naruto swallowed.

"I'm guessing something did happen on that mission, hmm?" He said. Sakura glared at him. Naruto withered and then shrugged hurriedly. "I-it's no problem, Sakura-chan," he said cheerfully. Sakura held her head in her hands, gripping her pink and black hair tightly. Naruto patted her on the back.

"Well, the Konoha Festival is coming up in a week, are you gonna go?" he said, trying to divert the topic. Sakura huffed dryly and raised her head and turned back to her ramen, refusing to look Naruto in the eyes.

"Probably not. I'd be the only one without a date," she said. Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut. Sakura didn't notice, so she didn't ask.

"Hm, it would be nice if you did. Hinata-chan is coming with me, and I think the Sand Siblings are coming too," he said, scratching his cheek thoughtfully. Sakura devoured her ramen in an attempt to distract herself. Naruto sighed and stood up. He paid for his ramen and left. Sakura watched him go, her eyes narrowed suspiciously. He only had four bowls...

"SAKURA! FOREHEAD! GET YOUR ASS HERE! DON'T TELL ME YOU FORGOT ABOUT THE FESTIVAL!" Ino banged on Sakura's door. She heard footsteps and stepped back, preparing to rip her best friend a new one.

"Yeah, I thought we were-" For once, Ino's voice failed her. Instead of Sakura's short figure, Ino had to look up to meet the eyes of Hidan. He had a mildly irritated look on his face and was squinting against the sunlight.

"Um, I'm sorry, I thought Sakura was here," she mumbled. Hidan rubbed his eyes as he leaned against the door frame. Ino noticed the the house was mostly dark behind the door. He might have been taking a nap. Or sleeping in, it depends.

"No, said something about shopping," he grumbled, stifling a yawn. Ino blinked.

"You talked..." she said. Hidan cocked an eyebrow. Ino narrowed her eyes.

"I thought you said you were mute," she prodded. Hidan rolled his eyes and scratched his head.

"Now, a mute couldn't exactly say that, could he?" He said, smirking a little. Ino flushed and turned her head to the side. "There's a difference between mute and an unwillingness to speak," he continued, once he realized he was intimidating her on accident. Ino crossed her arms, quickly regaining her snappy attitude.

"Touché. Anyways, I better go find her. Um...bye," she said, whirling around and hurrying away. Hidan went to close the door and go back to bed when he paused.

"Eh... Blondie. Ino, was it?" He called out. Ino froze, going stiff. She plastered on a fake smile and turned around.

"Y-Yeah," she stuttered. Hidan averted his eyes and his shoulders slumped a little.

"I never got to thank you for saving my ass a while ago. When Shikamaru was uh... you know, when he lost his temper," he said. "Frankly, you scare the hell out of me." He said, a crooked smile briefly twitching at the corners of his lips. He glanced up to see Ino facing him with wide eyes.

"Ah... You're welcome? I guess. Shika can be kind of an asshole sometimes," she said, laughing sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "See you at the festival?" She asked. Hidan was honestly surprised she did. He shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Come on Gaara, the Konoha Festival only happens once every three years! Please, please, please can I go?" Kankuro whined. Gaara didn't reply as he dipped his brush in the inkwell again. Kankuro shifted his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably. Temari mimicked his movements beside him.

"I know."

"Well, is that a yes? I bet Naruto would be excited if you came too. You can take off work for a week, Baki-sensei wouldn't have a problem managing for that long." Temari added. Gaara finally slid his teal eyes up to meet theirs.

"And what would the point of that be?" He said. Kankuro blinked and was at a loss for words. Fortunately, Temari had prepared for this and had a quick retort ready for him.

"It could strengthen the bond between the Leaf and the Sand." She offered. Gaara's expression didn't change, but Temari could tell he was thinking about it.

"And Matsuri said she wanted to go too," Kankuro blurted. Gaara paused mid-character, his brush hovering over the paper. Temari fought down a grin.

"So close..." she thought. Finally, Gaara let out a long sigh. A wide grin nearly split Kankuro's face in two.

"Fine. We'll leave in two days." He relented. Kankuro's fist shot into the air victoriously.

"YES!"

"Hidan? Where- OW, dammit. Why's it so dark in here? Hidan!" Sakura righted herself after crashing into the coffee table. She stumbled over the the light switch.

"Don't turn it on."

Sakura paused. She squinted in the dark, and could make out Hidan's form on the couch. She was tempted to turn the light on anyways, but something told her not to.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she cautiously made her way over to the couch. Hidan was sprawled on the couch with his arm draped over his eyes, even though it was dark and the shades were drawn.

"Head hurts." He mumbled. Sakura puffed a stray hair out of her face in irritation. She tossed his feet off the couch and sat down.

"Is that it?" She asked. She heard Hidan chuckle wryly.

"Well, it feels like I'm having a brain aneurysm." He said. Sakura frowned and leaned over. She tapped Hidan's arm and he moved it. She placed a hand on his forehead and a light green glow illuminated the room. She pulled back after several silent minutes.

"Your brain feels like it's... polluted almost. I've never seen anything like it," she said, a troubled look crossing her face. Hidan reached up and grabbed her wrist weakly. He removed her hand from his forehead, but didn't let go, and gave her a soft grin.

"Probably because you've never dealt with a Jashinist. Er, former one." He corrected. He shook his head a little and winced. "I don't think it has anything to do with my head. It might have been the exposure to all those Jashinists. After all, I'm still connected to them even though I don't do the rituals anymore." He said wearily. Sakura pulled her hand from his grip. She was just glad that it was too dark to see the the blush on her face.

"What do you mean?" She asked. Hidan sucked in a breath and let it out slowly.

"Well, you know everyone has an aura. It's how sensor-nin track people. Jashinists are different. Their aura's are just...bleck." He said. Sakura muffled a giggle.

"Bleck?"

"Bleck." Hidan confirmed. "When I was an active Jashinist, it didn't affect me much, because mine was the most powerful. But now it has watered down and all of those aura's are making me sick." Sakura sighed. She stood up and scratched her head.

"Sit up," she said. Hidan's eyes moved to meet hers blearily.

"Huh?" He said. Sakura snorted and moved around to where Hidan's head was resting on the the armrest.

"I think I can rid of the headache. If it's an overload of negative energy, I can sort it out. Just...sit up, idiot," she muttered. Hidan smirked wryly, and slowly forced himself into a sitting position. Sakura sat down, her legs tucked underneath her. She patted her lap.

"Lay down," she said. Hidan laughed softly, and rubbed his eyes.

"Sit up, lay down, make up your mind woman. This is killing my head," he said. Sakura rolled her eyes and poked him in the back of his head.

"Just do it, it's easier like this," she said. Hidan muttered something before he relaxed, his head resting on her lap. Her couch was rather large, so there was plenty of room for the both of them. She rested her fingers on his temples and his eyes fell shut as her chakra cast the room in a cool green glow.

Sakura closed her eyes and worked her way into his head, "seeing" with her chakra. Hidan fell asleep after a few minutes, his breaths growing slower and deeper. Sakura opened her eyes and studied him.

"He looks so peaceful..." she thought. She removed one hand from his temple and brushed a lock of silver hair from his face. Hidan sighed through his nose, and Sakura tensed, waiting for him to wake up. But he didn't. Sakura watched with surprise as Hidan's lips curled up the corners into a soft smile. Sakura felt the headache release it's hold from her mind. Sakura gently worked her chakra from his brain and the glow faded.

"I still don't get why you love him so much," Sakura flinched slightly as Inner popped into her thoughts.

"It's not love, he's just my friend," she replied. An involuntary blush crept across her cheeks at the thought.

"Sakura, I live inside your head, I know exactly what you think every second of the day. You're falling for Hidan, don't deny it." Sakura clamped down on her thoughts, blocking Inner once again. But why did the word love still echo so pleasantly through her mind?

"Is everything set?" A low voice purred. The man was sitting upon a throne-like chair and his face was swathed in shadows, rendering him unrecognizable. Another man was kneeling in front of him.

"Yes, my Lord." He said, head bowed. The a slow, sinister grin crossed the mans face.

"Good. I think it's time we collect our sacrifice. After all, raising Jashin-sama from Hell requires a hefty toll. And he needs somewhere to go once he's here." The kneeling man swallowed thickly.

"Yes, my Lord." He said. His voice quivered slightly. The man on the throne frowned, lips curving down delicately.

"Do I detect fear, Amane? Our Master would not be please if he found you betraying the faith..." He said. His voice was smooth, cold, deadly, and yet sounded like a knife dragging across stone.

"N-not at all my Lord. It's...excitement. I feel blessed to be able to witness the rising of Jashin-sama," he said, still not raising his head. The man laughed. A cold, cruel laugh that sent shivers up Amane's spine.

"Indeed, Amane, indeed. We shall raze this country, one village at a time. It has become weak, a blight in the world of shinobi and we're going to wipe it out. Jashin-sama shall rise and aid us in the destruction of this world. We shall rebuild it as a world where everyone knows and fears the name Jashin. They shall worship Him, and He shall have endless sacrifices in His name!" The volume of the man's voice raised until the cavern shook with the sound waves. Amane gulped.

"Go, Amane. Put together a team. We have a traitor to capture."

Author's Corner: This chapter was more of a filler chapter, I guess. You could call it a build-up, but you would be fooling yourself.

GAH! HEADACHE! KILL ME NOW! Kidding, but thank goodness I finished this.

-Kaya Kazaki