"Whenever you are confronted with an opponent. Conquer him with love." Mahatma Gandhi

Chapter 21: The Iwa ninja

Completely flustered, I took off my kimono with fast moves. The rough material was showing signs of weariness under my fingers. I stayed a little thoughtful before the clan embroidery in my collar. Did it really have a signification now that everyone was gone?

I thought about Itachi-Sama. Apart from our brief encounter, we hadn't seen each other for four years. He had been there when I had been down. I couldn't tell if I resented or thanked him for his presence. The thing is that he was always trying to reach me with his warmth and I had never felt it. I just wanted to get the feelings Father was gone with, I just wanted to get close to Brother. Itachi-Sama had never been in that equation.

I looked at my hands. I had done a silly promise the day he asked about my trust. Pinkie promise. That and all the reflection that came with it. It opened something in me. Something I hadn't been aware of. Something that tied me to the man who destroyed my clan. Or did he? Blind trust and doubts. That's what he left me.

Because he left. And I still trusted him.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

"You're an idiot." I said my reflection, and I was aware at that moment of my resemblance with Sasuke.

Same hair and eye colour, same silhouette but taller in my case. But I also looked like Brother and Father. I looked at the red pendant between my breasts. Father had offered it to Mother… no my mother, I accepted the fact that she was dead. So Father had offered it to my mother when she became his fiancée, sometime after his first wife died. Once, when he had been calm enough after a good smoke, he told me he didn't love his first wife. Like most of the marriages in the clan, his first bride had been chosen with the right lineage. It was only after she died during a mission that he courted and married the woman he loved.

He resented me for killing the woman he loved. Kami exchanged my life with hers, and Father thought he was fooled. This garnet around my neck was the proof of their love. Wearing it gave me a false feeling of being loved by them.

"Not only are you an idiot, but a despicable girl with that." I spat to my reflection.

Then I silently folded my clothes in a locker and wrapped a towel against my naked body. There were samples of white soap near the sliding door. I picked one and entered the bath. White fog welcomed me. I was alone in the room. Great, I could leave the towel for later. I scrubbed my skin hard just to forget how deep I disliked myself, how weak I was to let my hormones best me, how screwed my life was. I threw a full bucket of cold water on my head to clear my mind and shivered.

Then I soaked myself in the hot water. Everything smelled like cheap soap: clean and somewhat irritating. My hands were playing with the golden chain around my neck.

So now where was I? Neji-San was acting weirdly around me, worse than ordinary. Now Lee-San wanted to be my rival as well. Maybe I shouldn't have played the game that old man had wanted me to. Speaking of him, I still couldn't place it. I didn't like Jiraya-Sama because of his foolish tendencies, but his other activities as a spy made him a dangerous man (he told me that himself, why? Did it have a link with our conversation about my relationship with Itachi-Sama?). Kakashi-San was working with me in order to find who was or were responsible for the massacre of my clan. There was also Danzô who was apparently protecting the village (I had no idea why he thought that), wanted me in his ranks and had fooled Itachi-Sama with fake pictures of myself.

So Danzô fooled Itachi-Sama with fake pictures of me, making him believe I was at another place and injured. The pictures were sent to my cousin by a certain path and a certain purpose. So did Itachi-Sama looked for them, or were they send to him by someone? All together or one by one? At what time? If they had been sent one by one, why didn't he came to see the fake sooner? Was he injured, or too busy? But if they had been sent at the same time, it explained why he didn't come sooner. Then if he learned I was alive, why did he send Jiraya-Sama to observe me?

If I recalled well, Jiraya-Sama arrived a few days before I switched my mind with Ino's. Which left a few days before her body was abducted. I'm not sure about that, but I think the pictures came first. So Itachi-Sama looked for her, believing she was me. That meant she wasn't in the village. That meant he had been driven there (or away from somewhere else maybe?), which implied a trap.

If Danzô had organised all that, what was his purpose? He hadn't been in contact with me before, so I might not be his primary target. He may have acted that late against me because of the protection of the Hokage, but that was improbable since he could go against the Hokage orders how he liked.

Damn. That was even thicker than I had thought!

The door slid opened and I looked up. There was someone here. Someone who was bleeding. Long blond hair around the person's head prevented me from seeing if it was a boy or a girl.

"Hey… I didn't think there was someone here, mmh…" they rasped. "Well since you're here, mind giving me a hand?"

Blood was mixing with the water on the tiles. The liquid ran in the grooves, tracing red squares all around them. They were pressing their hands against their leg. I saw a kunai handle between their fingers. I couldn't see clearly from there, but if it was a clean wound, I should be able to stitch it back. But how come that person was injured in such a fashion? Civilians usually don't walk around ninja traps, or they die from it. They were either a very lucky civilian, or a shinobi.

"Are you a ninja?" I asked.

"Why do you ask? Just hurry and help me, mmh!" they yelled.

The look in my direction made me clearly see to things: his male face, and his Iwa headband.

"You're from Iwa. There's no point in helping you." I said.

"What? Do you know who you're talking to? I'm the Tsuchikage apprentice! Do not help me, and your pitiful village will suffer the consequences. Iwa is the strongest country!"

His threat created a thrill in me. Right here, right now I had the life of a seemingly important person from Iwa between my hands. I could let him die. Or I could let him live. I felt powerful. But if he did die, there would be an investigation of some sort. Even if he wasn't the student of the Tsuchikage like he pretended, this could result into another war between Konoha and Iwa. I didn't need that. I didn't want to be the cause of this. It didn't felt right.

"I'll help you." I said. "But only because your death could cause lots of problems between our villages. I don't know much about foreign policies, but I don't think our countries are especially friends."

He looked at me suspiciously. I sarcastically grinned at him.

"Don't tell me… You're with that Konoha group I avoided, right? Don't nod with that smug face. By the way, know that your smile is creepy, mmh. Now get me some help before I bleed to death."

"Could you close your eyes while I go out of the water?"

"You're that shy? Before someone about to die? Damn it's spinning around me now… urgh!"

He closed his eyes out of dizziness. I immediately stepped out and wrapped the towel around me. I formed a Bunshin who ran upstairs. My Jutsu made him open his eyes once again. They were of a deep grey, very clear. I felt like hated by them, as if he would throw himself at me had he been at the top of his form.

"Aah, it's not that you're shy, you're a chick. Couldn't tell from afar." he muttered as I walked near him. "Hey! Where are you going? Don't leave me, mmh."

I went past him to take a yukata from the inn. A simple vibration of the chakra on my skin made the water evaporate. My skin felt itchy. I had put too much energy in that one. Next time I'll get burned. I tied the obi loosely around my hips and took a few other towels. I threw one near him to sponge the blood before I kneeled near him. Gently I moved his leg.

I heard people running from upstairs.

"Here they come… You can stop holding the wound."

"You know what you're doing, right?"

"… probably." I offered.

"Probably?" he scoffed. "I left my hand between a stupid bi…"

"End that word, loose the tongue." A cold voice said near me.

Neji-San had arrived in the scene. He handed me a small leather pouch that I recognized immediately.

"I got your needles and some thread like your clone asked. The others are behind me."

"Are you okay Yanagi?" Lee-San asked.

"Lee-San, you hold his shoulders down, Neji-San you hold the leg."

"Hey! What are you.."

"Shut up and bit on that towel."

The injured ninja's answer was lost in a cry of pain as I took the kunai out. The wound was clean, even though it went through his right calf. I felt my teammates struggling against him. His leg jerked, spilling blood on my face. Neji-San grabbed behind the ankle and the knee to immobilize it. I cut the leg of his trousers with a pair of scissors and put both the utensil and the drenched material away. Sensei and Jiraya-Sama were there too. One of them handed me a needle ready to suture the wound. A pair of hands thought of cleaning the wound with water and soap, so I got a clear view.

The boy struggled, grunting with the gag in his mouth. I focused on his injury. Far from me was everything else. Somewhere there was Jiraya-Sama discussing with the tenants.

"I'm no medic, so it won't be pretty." I warned him before making the first point.

I had stitched back some of my own wounds pretty well before, but I had always gone to the hospital right after. He would need to see a real doctor after I was done with him, but it should do for a few days. We had received some teaching about emergency treatment, but it wasn't enough at all.

He bore with my operation. I was given bandages, and I wrapped them tightly around his muscle. He had lost a lot of blood. I hadn't noticed it before, but there was pools of red in the corridor before the baths.

"It should do for now." I said.

"Good job, youthful student of mine!"

The boy grunted under us.

"We should let him rest and give him something to eat. He won't be ready for interrogation for now." I said.

"Did he say anything to you?" Gai-Sensei asked.

"He said he was the Tsuchikage student, but that's all."

"I'll help you clean this place up." Neji-San said showing the room. "You might… want to clean up again later."

"So should the two of you. We're covered with blood." I remarked.

"Yes! We are covered with the blood of an enemy ninja! That sounds so heroic and youthful!"

"I just think it's dirty." I said to Lee-San. "Grab him under his arms, I'll get his legs. We'll put him upstairs."

We lifted him up without too much problems. Weights training had been really effective.

"Put him in my room, so we can take turns to watch him tonight." Jiraya-Sama said.

We carried him with difficulty to the room. Then I went to the sink to clean my hands and my face and wear proper clothes. I hadn't taken the time to put underwear on earlier. The water looked like a sick shade of grenadine. I put my cold hands on my face.

I should sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day.

And here we were, all of us cramped in the same room, all sleeping on futon mats. I agreed to take the last watch since I woke up early. Yet I was unable to sleep through the night. I was thinking about this mess that implied me, Itachi-Sama, Danzô and Jiraya-Sama. What were the links? Danzô had used a fake me against Itachi-Sama. Why? Why not use the real me? I would have been a fine hostage as I was. But I would have been in Konoha. Maybe they didn't want Itachi-Sama in Konoha. Or they wanted Itachi-Sama at that place where he found the fake girl.

Did he kill her? He didn't tell. Maybe he did.

And what about me? Now they wanted to send me to the next Chuunin exam in Kiri. Was there a purpose in that as well? Would Danzô gain something in that? What was special about Kiri? We were enemies back at the Third Ninja War, until they stabbed their ally Iwa in the back. They also hated Kekkei Genkai, but I would have been more worried if the exam had happened in Kumo for that matter.

Also I couldn't sleep because of Jiraya-Sama drunken snores and the Iwa-nin moans of pain. I think he was having a fever. So instead I crossed my arms behind my head and looked at the ceiling.

Since I went out of the Academy, everything changed. I don't understand. Was that how we grow in a ninja world? It just felt sick.

"You're not sleeping." Neji-San muttered.

"No. And I won't if you're talking to me." I groaned in answer.

I couldn't find a comfortable position. Actually I didn't feel like sleeping at all. As if I was aware there was something wrong in the room. Not exactly like the chakra feeling I was in Ino's body, but close. As if I had something telling me I should be prepared for anything. I wasn't scared or angry. I was just lying awake. Waiting.

I sighed. This was unnerving. I turned on my side, coincidentally facing my teammate's direction. In the darkness his eyes shone a bit.

"You're watching me sleeping again." I said. "I had wondered about that for a while."

"Does it… bother you?"

I thought about it. I supposed someone caring for you was nice. It was supposed to be, right?

"I don't know." I said while shrugging.

He moved to sit closer. Sensei moved in his sleep. Neji-San interrupted his move. Everything seemed back to normal. He sat down right beside my head. I just had to look up at him. He moved a curled lock from my brow, slowly. I tapped his hand away from me. What didn't he understand with me not liking to be touched?

"Sorry." He said.

We remained silent. The lock was still in my face. It moved when I breathed. I moved it away myself.

"You dislike me touching you?" he asked after a while.

I wanted to say it wasn't just him, that it was everything. I had too much on my plate. But instead I just nodded. He crossed his arms. I saw the tension in that move. He was angry. I didn't understand that guy. He was always so cold and calm, except when we had these moments together. Yet it didn't feel special to me. I didn't cherish them.

Somehow it made me think of Itachi-Sama's warmth.

"It's not against you."

He didn't budge. In the dim light, I felt like confiding in him.

"It's not against you." I repeated.

"You've always been like that. Distant. Untouchable. Strong also. I thought you were just like me. I thought… It doesn't matter what I thought…"

"Did it hurt you? My behaviour, I mean?"

"You used to be cheerier before. Even if I felt it was fake. Because even then I couldn't reach you. It looked like nothing could. You've always been so far away. You still are, sometimes. When you're lost in your thoughts, it's like you're somewhere you won't return from. And when you do, you almost look like you're sad."

I listened to him. I listened, and his words made sense for once. I mindlessly played with my red pendant while he was speaking. Thoughts about Father and my mother went to my mind. I nibbled my lower lip. I had lost the flow of his words.

"Yes, just like that. It looks like I can't reach you when you're like this."

"I was just thinking about Father." I muttered.

"You like him a lot. You go see their tombs every day when we're in the village."

"Yeah…"

"Do you miss them that much?"

"It's not… them, yet it is… I don't know how to explain this. When Father went away, then Brother, I…"

Unable to find my words I turned away from him. He put his hand on my shoulder in a soothing gesture. I jerked away from it. He crossed his arms in anger again. Anyway what was the point? I couldn't feel his warmth either.

"There's no use in being compassionate now, Neji-San." I muttered. "There's just no use at all."

"Then what do you want me to do?" he furiously whispered.

"I want nothing. It's just like you said. I can't be reached."

"I just want to help."

"Here comes Neji the white night." I said sarcastically. "Find yourself another damsel in distress, because I'm not one to be saved."

His hand was fast when he flattened me on my back. I stared at him incredulously. He was containing his anger. What was that for?

"Why don't you want to accept my help? I've been trying so hard!" he huffed.

"Other have tried. They didn't succeed."

"Oh yeah? Then what about Tenten? Or Ino? How are they different from me?"

"They have boobs?" I offered.

"Don't joke around!"

Jiraya-Sama sat up, groaning.

"Take your lover's quarrel outside." He grunted. "And let everyone else sleep."

"Good idea." I said. "I've been wanting some fresh air."

I walked away. Neji-San followed.

"Alone." I added, glaring at him.

"No. You won't make me leave."

"Oh yeah?" I asked raising my brows. "And what will you do? Shower me with praises and hugs? You know I'm not that type for warming parties."

"No, I'm gonna do this."

At the moment he stepped towards me, there was a cushion thrown from the room.

"I said outside!"

I moved away to avoid it. In his move to follow me, Neji-San was hit. I couldn't help but snickering. He glared at me, and his eyes were cold, so cold. There was no point in me staying there. As my teammate threw the pillow back in the room, I shunshined away, using Brother's technique.

I wanted to be alone.

I landed on the roof. As soon as my feet touched the hard tiles, I felt wobbly. I balanced my arms, nearly falling off. I suffered from vertigo slightly, my stomach churning inside of me. I really should train more with that technique. I wasn't good enough at it. It was a speed boost made with chakra, it made you go so fast it looked like you were teleporting to somewhere else.

I sat down heavily, huffing a little. I wasn't used to my body anymore. I should probably train without my weights more often. Which meant I would have the opportunity to choose between heavy but slow punches, or quick but light ones. I had no idea what I should do.

Neji-San's behaviour wasn't changing one bit. Maybe it was because I couldn't properly handle the feelings he was hurling at me. I wouldn't consider him as my rival, because we weren't that close as friends, and I wasn't envious of him. I thought these two conditions had to be met for us to be rivals. We had shared a bit in the darkness, though. I had been willing to share some stuff with him, probably because I trusted him more than I used to.

And then suddenly it had been about Father…

A cold breeze went through my bangs. I ignored it, merely increasing the heat around my body. I had plenty of chakra anyway, I could afford to waste a bit of it. The moon was shining bright. I felt uneasy under its gaze. Suddenly I felt the cold, I felt the fear. It was seeping inside of me. It felt like cold finders digging through the scar in my chest. I couldn't breathe properly.

I remembered the katana slicing though my flesh with ease, the blade so sharp my body didn't resist a bit. I remembered the woozy respiration I had when I was pinned to the tree and my eyes were driven to this weird Sharingan. I remembered all that, and the feeling of blood pooling inside of me, soaking through my yukata, obstructing my throat…

Someone threw me back inside.

"Calm down Uchiha girl." Jiraya-Sama said. "You'll wake even more people if you keep sending chakra waves everywhere like a damn fool."

"Y… Yes…" I gurgled.

He made me stand ad breathe, one hand on my belly, the other on my back. He had large hands, rough hands I felt though the fabric of my clothes. I breathed in. Breathed out. Tried that meditative respiration I knew. Breathe in, two, three, four. Stop the diaphragm, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Breathe out, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Do it all again. And again. And again. And breathe normally.

I felt calm now.

Jiraya-Sama nodded at me.

"Good girl." He said. "Never thought lover's quarrel would put someone like you in that state?"

"What quarrel? With Neji-San?"

"Who else? You've been angry at someone else beside him the past hour?"

I shook my head negatively. Or maybe at myself, but it was something I was used to.

"Come downstairs with me. You look like you need to sort things out."

I followed him. My scar itched me, I had a hard time not scratching it. I found myself seated in front of the man, sharing a cup of black tea with him.

"So what's wrong with you. I doubt it's a story between you and that Hyuuga boy, even if it looks like you're piling things up."

"Well, Neji-San is… I don't know how to put it… It's like he's obsessed with me or what."

"Isn't that common between lovebirds like you two?"

"Lovebirds? You mean the colourful parrots that are always sticking together? Oh no, Neji-San and I aren't like that. I wouldn't have enough patience to stay close to him, I think."

"Is that me or you're totally not getting the point?"

"About what?"

"About him? I spotted him right away, he just can't keep being close to you."

The corner of my mouth twisted. I sipped my tea a bit.

"It's annoying, but I guess it's his way of observing my skills. He's been willing to be my rival for so long…"

"Are you doing it on purpose or are you really oblivious?"

"What are you talking about?" I frowned.

"Were you living out of the society for years or what? The kid's just mad about you!"

"You mean he's even more obsessive than I thought with this rivalry thing?"

Jiraya-Sama facepalmed while sighing theatrically.

"You… You're really innocent, are you?"

I cocked my head to the side. Didn't Kakashi say the same thing about myself? Right after that he pinned me on my kitchen floor and proved me I was too cocky. He showed that to me in a very unpleasant way. I felt like I had bitten something sour, and I drank the rest of my tea in one go. Jiraya-Sama was observing my face with a peculiar look.

"I don't understand you. I'm telling you you're innocent and now you're blushing. You're really sure you didn't get what I was talking about?"

"I was just remembering someone telling me the exact same words, about me being innocent. I still don't get what he was talking about, but after he lend me the books you've written and told me to read them. He pretended they were valuable teaching material, and that my future boy friends should thank him for it. I have some friends who are boys, but I don't see why your books will be useful in that matter…"

"Someone made you read my books and you're still acting that way? Are you sure you really read them? What was the story about?"

"It was about your life, your struggles with love, your battles even though the hero was a bit different. Some sort of graphic action/romance."

"I don't know if I should be embarrassed someone gives my books to read to a teenager, or happy to meet one of my readers. Yanagi, you're aware there are lots of sex scene in my books."

"Yes, I read them. I had no idea people could be that flexible."

"You read explicit content, and that's all you think of telling me?"

He was baffled. I reddened. Of course I had been excited by these texts, I wasn't insensitive. I bit my lips, trying to control the reactions of my body when I recalled the words written on these pages. Jiraya-Sama sighed again.

"I thought you were some kind of incredible and asexual being."

"Is there a problem in being asexual? It would be very practical in missions, wouldn't it? No distractions."

"So you are understanding what happens between a man and a woman. Now if you apply this reasoning to your Hyuuga teammate, you'd see the similarities."

"I see what you mean. Rivalry is such a strong feeling between two people."

"Are you for real?" he deadpanned. "I understand the desperate attempts of the boy now."

Seriously, these adults had heavy reactions sometimes.

A moonbeam lightened the room briefly, and I unconsciously tensed. Jiraya-Sama raised a brow at that.

"What now? You're afraid of the moon?" he teased.

"Not especially, it just brings bad stuff in my mind."

He opened his mouth to ask something but I quickly added:

"I have no wish to share this with you."

"Now I see what the Hyuuga boy meant when he says you don't want to be helped. I feel like I have a second Itachi with me. Though he wasn't as difficult as you were."

Despite my spike of interest in his words, I wasn't foolish enough to answer him. Speaking now would obviously lead to a long conversation. I felt like these words should be only spoken with my family members; when they will be open-minded enough in Sasuke's case.

"Go back to sleep when you're ready. We have a long day ahead of us."

I nodded at him and he left. What did he really want from me. I couldn't understand that man. I went back to sleep, waving at Gai-Sensei who was taking his turn to watch the blonde boy. Jiraya-Sama wasn't asleep yet. His face went grim as I went past him. Our "prisoner" wasn't asleep either. He was staring at me with attention. I wondered if he wanted to flee and was checking when I would be asleep. Or maybe was he curious about the conversation between Neji-San and I earlier.

I put a hand on his brow. He was burning with fever. In the darkness, his broad jaw made me think of Sasuke. I pulled a handkerchief from my pack and wet it before putting it on his forehead. His lips quirked up briefly. I went to sleep after that.

Lee-San shook me by the shoulder when the sun started shining outside. I immediately went on my feet. I shook my head in the blonde's direction. Lee-San's thumb went up and he beamed at me. Good. I sat near the boy, checking his temperature once again. It had come down. As soon as my hand touched his brow, his own clasped around my wrist. I looked at him, unimpressed.

"Water…" he muttered.

I looked around. Of course everyone would have been asleep at that moment. Well I just had to ask Lee-San… no he was snoring happily. That's why I hated being alone with the prisoner. If I left him alone, he might do something wrong, and I couldn't make corporeal clones yet. Given the strength in his hands, he might have recovered enough to fly away. Suddenly there was something wet on my skin and violently jerked away. It felt like…

"A tongue?" I wondered out loud and someone groaned in its sleep.

The boy had a panicked look in his eyes, and I felt the tension in his body. I tensed as well, ready to push him down if he made a dangerous move. My knuckles creaked when I curled my hands into fists. He stopped whatever move he had been doing. He would be impaired by his injury if he tried anything. We stayed unmoving for a while, until he gave up.

He sighed, and his muscles relaxed. I did the same, though I was sure we were both looking for the right opportunities. If I left an opening he might try to attack me, probably will take me as a hostage to prevent the others from hurting him. And then what? He wouldn't stand a chance against me in his state. He would have to knock me down, or incapacitate me in one go, and we hadn't left anything dangerous on him.

Still he was apparently the Tsuchikage's apprentice. I ought to be wary of him.

I stretched, both my shoulders creaked. The boy cringed at the sound. I neatly see two mouths opening on his palms, sticking out their tongues in distaste. He glared at me, daring me to do a single mocking gesture. Actually I was more intrigued than anything else. I took one of his hands on mine, and prodded the mouth gently, with curiosity. The ninja had an unsure look about him. I stopped.

"Sorry, you might think I'm being pretty rude…" I muttered.

"It's okay, I guess… You might be the first to do such a thing… I…"

I wasn't listening anymore, back at my observation. It looked like a Kekkei Genkai. I noticed that the inside of his hand was really smooth. It hadn't the scars or calluses one should have by throwing kunai, shuriken and such. It was really strange. Even his nails were very neatly trimmed. Mine were as well, but more because if they were too long it would disturb me when I move my katana around.

"You're not listening to me." He pouted.

"Sorry." I muttered mechanically.

"You don't sound like you are."

"Hn." I grunted.

I found myself taking my camera out of my bag, and angling his arm in the light. The polaroid came out neatly, and I waved it in the air. I was rather satisfied by the result. I nodded to him as a thanking gesture. He was frowning at me with an unsure air around him. I looked at the picture again Then at his hand. So it was real, a real Kekkei Genkai with hands on their palms.

"You're weird, kunoïchi."

"Hn."

I put my things back inside my bag. It seemed like the boy was willing to talk. He might close himself if I said anything else. So I kept prodding his hand, with the polaroid on my knee. Did they really have neat square teeth?

"Seriously you're fucking weird. You and your boyfriend look like porcelain dolls, I swear. Are all Konoha ninjas like that? And what's with you? You look like you're sixteen or seventeen, so why ae you hanging out with Genin kids? Still didn't make it to the Chuunin exams?"

My eyes roamed on him, showing only boringness.

"You're still a Genin as well. Is Iwa dumb enough to let Genin go all alone in a foreign country?"

He gritted his teeth.

"Iwa is Iwa."

"Then Konoha is Konoha. What's your point?"

"You sure you're a ninja? You look like an aristocrat in these clothes, with that behaviour. You're a noble they are accompanying back to your lands, aren't you? They are letting you guard me? How incompetent are Konoha ninjas?"

He was trying to rile me up. For what reasons? Did he want me to hit him so he would say his kinsmen how poorly he was treated by us? Did he want me to lose my means so he could best me? Well even if he tried to take me hostage, I would best him. So he was definitely waiting for something.

My eyes widened. Of course he wouldn't have come alone.

"Neji." I called.

He was immediately up.

"You didn't use the suffix this morning. Does that mean…"

"Shut up and look around. This guy's team might be lurking around. And I'm sure all of you are awake by now, so let's get moving."

"Of course I am, my youthful students!"

"Shhhh! I'm trying to concentrate!"

I had to expand my sensing abilities to the maximum. It was really hard because I never did that by my own, and I was just used to sense only my family members. It had seemed so easy in Ino-San's body… I focused and focused again until I could brush against the energy of the people in the room.

Someone shook me by the shoulder.

"There's no use, kid." Jiraya-Sama said. "You're not a sensor. Don't strain yourself now and get dressed while we but this guy elsewhere. We've all been imprudent. I assumed he was a Chuunin since he was alone and claimed to be the Tsuchikage's apprentice. I should have known better."

"Yes, sir."

"Things might be a little trickier with another ninja team here." Gai-Sensei muttered.

"We could negotiate." I said, taking my ninja clothes out of the bag. "We have an injured teammate of theirs, and treated him. It might count to them."

"Leave that to me." Jiraya-Sensei said. "I'll take the girl and the Iwa nin with me. The others will guard the place."

"Understood."

I stepped in the bathroom and quickly bandaged my chest. Then I tied my short kimono and flattened my hair the best I could under my headband. As soon as I was ready, I forced the ninja on his feet. He was smaller than I was, so it wasn't easy to get him up, unless I grabbed him roughly by his leather belt. He smelled of sweat and blood. I'll check his bandages when Jiraya-Sama will order us to stop.

"What are you? A titan?" he groaned ad I was dragging him out of the room.

"Can you walk?" I asked.

"As if I'd make things easier for you." He snarled.

"Wrong answer."

"What the…"

I punched him hard in the diaphragm, efficiently shutting his air ways for a while. He doubled up. In a smooth move, I crouched before him and placed my shoulder right above his hips. I stood up, holding him like a sack of potatoes. My centre of balance wasn't right, but it would do. In a few steps I was in the room Jiraya-Sama had chosen for us, with only one access to it so the team would only come from one way. If they didn't, Neji-San was connected by the radio and watched the area with his Byakugan. Lee-San and Gai-Sensei were posted all around.

The enemies would come quickly.

I let the teenager down. My back would suffer if I kept carrying so much around.

"You really are a giant woman" he wheezed.

"Hn" I said as I crouched near him again and changed the bandages.

Only a mix of lymph and blood had seeped through. The boy cringed when I had to tear some on the sticky bandages. It didn't look swollen. Then he hissed when I disinfected both sides of the wound. It looked rather good. I was proud of my work on him.

The radio crackled.

"They are coming." Neji-San said.

I was ready.

I hope you liked this week chapter :) I'm now looking at all their ways of fighting to see how to arrange that (of course with Jiraya and Gai with the Konoha's team...)

fuchsdeifeswuid: What mental image? Gai-Sensei in fundoshi XD? Yeah, I thought it would be fun...

Guest: Hehe... Hehe... You shouldn't have asked me about clueless Yanagi and Jiraya learning she has read her books. Loook at what you've made me write XD

See ya!