--Author's note--I must apologize to all my readers. This chapter WILL be relatively longer than normal chapters in recompense for the forgotten missions and it skips back to before chapter 19, as I forgot to add a few missions. At this point, Sen is back from Otogakure and not dating anyone. She still does not remember who Shino is.

Haruno Sakura...

A few weeks after Sasuke left, Sakura, Naruto, and I were asked to go on a mission with someone named "Jiraiya." From the way I'd heard people speak about Master Jiraiya, he was one of the Sanin, like Lady Tsunade, and very strong. I looked forward to going on the mission. The bad part: Sakura was going with.

Now, really, I don't mind Sakura. I really actually feel bad for her: I mean, after all she did for Sasuke, he still left her. I can imagine she might be depressed. But...it's her that minds me. I don't know what it is that seems to make her hate me so much, but she does. I hardly spoke with her, and yet she gives me death-glares!

Sakura and I followed Naruto to where we would be meeting with Master Jiraiya to begin our mission. "Naruto, where's Master Jiraiya?" Sakura asked after a while.

I added, "Yeah, we don't wanna be late. If Master Jiraiya's a Sanin, he might be angry at our being late."

Naruto moaned. "What did I tell you guys?! You're both gonna regret calling him 'Master.'"

I stuck my tongue at him, but he didn't see it. Sakura giggled. "We can call him Master Jiraiya if we want, Naruto," she said, "After all, it would be impolite not to respect a Sanin."

"Eh, that old man doesn't need any respect." I wondered what Master Jiraiya might think of Naruto speaking about him like that. He wouldn't be very happy.

Eventually, Naruto stopped. We waited there for a while, before Naruto began to get excited. He started complaining about Master Jiraiya being late. He even sat down and started drawing in the dirt. Sakura just stood there idly and I made use of my time by using a nearby tree stump as target practice. There was a large boulder near the stump, and occasionally, a senbon would bounce off the rock and land near Sakura or Naruto.

"Jiraiya is here!" I heard a deep voice say. With one shuriken clutched between my fingers, I turned my head to one side, looking awkwardly over my own shoulder. A man stood on top of a taller stone. He had white hair that looked a little long. Red marks down his face looked like he was crying blood and a large scroll was strapped to his back. He had one hand out in a stance semi-similar to Lee kun's signature stance, but...different.

He jumped down from the top of the stone. Naruto said, "Oh, you're finally here, huh? It's about time. This is Sakura and Sen. Uh, hey, Pervy Sage? What's this mission for anyways?"

"Naruto!" Master Jiraiya clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth. He turned to Sakura and I and smiled. "Eh heh, hello, ladies. Just ignore my little buddy here, and let's get to our mission, shall we?" He whisper-yelled in Naruto's ear, "Naruto! Don't call me that! Especially in front of young women."

Then Master Jiraiya took a second look at me. His jaw dropped, in fear almost. He pointed at me. "Y-you! You're that girl that was with the Onbaa five years ago!"

A puzzled look spread across my face.

He shook his head. "Nevermind. Long story. Let's go!" He started walking with a large, idiotic grin spread across his face. Naruto grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Pervy Sage! What's this mission for?!" He asked Master Jiraiya again, angrily this time.

"I told you not to call me that, Naruto!"

"Master Jiraiya, we really should know before we start." Sakura's voice was unnaturally kind.

My eyes thinned and I spoke softly and menacingly. "I'm not going anywhere until I know where it is that I'm going. Got it?"

Master Jiraiya acquired a frightened expression, but calmed down. He beckoned all three of us to come within whispering distance. "Alright, I want you kids to keep this on the low, OK?"

"Why are you whispering?" Naruto yelled at the top of his lungs, just to be difficult.

"The trees have ears." I said. Literally, they do, I thought, thinking of my brother.

Master Jiraiya shuddered before continuing. "This mission is an S-ranked mission," all our jaws dropped, even mine, "and the mission is...to either retrieve Sasuke himself or retrieve information on Orochimaru," his name was said with poison, "and his hideout. Knowing Orochimaru, that old snake, he hid underground. I'm guessing it'll be booby-trapped. I hope you all came prepared." With that, he turned away and began to walk. We all stood behind him, no one moving, no one flinching. Master Jiraiya stopped without turning around and I could see that his fist was clenched. "Well...Are you coming or what?"

I was the first to run after him, then signalled for Naruto and Sakura to follow. I walked right beside Master Jiraiya, while the other two walked behind him. Master Jiraiya eventually stopped and asked, "Can anyone here summon anything?" I was the only one to raise my hand. "Good. What can you summon?"

"I can summon a baby tiger, some normal-sized tigers, a really big tiger, a baby panda, a really big panda, a really big bat, a few armies worth of little bats, or however many little bats are needed." I looked up at Master Jiraiya, hopeful my services were needed.

"We'll be needing those bats." Then Naruto raised his hand. Master Jiraiya sighed. "Yes, Naruto, what can you summon?"

"I can summon a tadpole!" He grinned. Master Jiraiya sighed again and continued walking.

I started asking him questions. I tried not to say Lord Orochimaru when I spoke. "Master Jiraiya, how do you know Orochimaru? I mean, other than the way everyone else knows him, as the one who tried to destroy Konoha."

Surprisingly, Master Jiraiya was open to me. "Orochimaru, Tsunade, and I are the Three Sanin of Konohagakure. We trained together under the Third Hokage."

"Oh...Um...Why did Orochimaru leave Konoha and what happened after that? Do you know?"

"Orochimaru was conceited. He wanted to live forever and he had an incredible lust for Jutsu. He used other peoples' bodies to sustain his own life. He did that through a Jutsu that transported his soul into a different body. Orochimaru killed many people for his own, selfish wants. Then, he tried to become Hokage. After being rejected, Orochimaru left The Village Hidden In The Leaves to continue his murderous habits. He joined an evil organization called the Akatsuki. Have you ever heard of them?" I shook my head, lying. "Anyway...he was eventually kicked out of the Akatsuki, too. I think it was because he tried to become leader of the Akatsuki, but I could be wrong. He started his own village and it was unannounced to us that he was the leader of such village until they attacked. His village is called Otogakure, or The Village Hidden In The Sound. That's where we're going."

"Otogakure," I feigned I had never heard that before. "Is that why he took Sasuke?" I asked suddenly, a real question forming on my lips. "I mean, to use his body? Is he going to become Sasuke?"

"He enticed Sasuke with fake promises of power. Yes, in three years, he's going to extract his soul from his current body and put himself into Sasuke's body."

"What's going to happen to Sasuke?"

"His hopes, dreams, mentality, personality, and everything but his body will cease to exist. It'll be like he never existed."

I think Sakura and I both had the same expression of horror. "What about...what about his Cursed Mark? Why did Orochimaru give him his Cursed Mark?" I hoped mine was concealed. If Master Jiraiya were to just look down at me, he might see it, he might know that most of my questions were for sake of liable noise.

"He gave him his Cursed Mark to entice him further. To seem to justify those claims of power. Also, to mark him. So Orochimaru wouldn't forget. You wanna known something?" I nodded. "Do you know Anko Mitarashi?" I smiled and nodded again. Anko was one of my friends, since the Chunin Exams. "She has a Cursed Mark, too. She trained under Orochimaru, and he gave her a Cursed Mark. You know...I think I heard that there was another girl who has a Cursed Mark in Konoha...I think she went to Orochimaru and came back. Was she from Kusagakure...? Hey, do you-"

"What about Hokages?" I asked suddenly, to prevent him from knowing who I was. "How many have there been? Who were they? What happened to them?"

Master Jiraiya smiled and looked up at the sky. He seemed to be remembering something pleasant. "You ask a whole lotta questions, don't'cha, kid? Reminds me of someone else...But...anyway, all of the Hokages have been related in some way. There was the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, who died in battle. When that happened, his younger brother, Tobirama Senju, became the Second Hokage. He died in a battle, too, and passed on title of Third Hokages to his student, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who trained Tsunade, Orochimaru, and I. It should have been one of us who became Fourth Hokage, but instead, it was...someone else. One of my students. He died when the Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed. Then Sarutobi sensei took control again and, after he died, Tsunade."

"Hashirama, Tobirama, Hiruzen, and Tsunade...What was the Fourth Hokage's name?"

Master Jiraiya seemed frightened by my innocent-enough question. "I...uh, I...can't tell you that. Uh, hey! I've never been to the Hidden Grass, why don't you tell me some of their history?" He grinned, trying to look innocent. I ignored the fact that he was prevaricating.

"Well, about three years before I was born, the people of my village decided we needed a leader of peace, so they chose the First Raimeikage. He's our unofficial leader and he's responsible for keeping peace in the village. Otherwise, we have our official leader, which is our Daimyo. Did you know that we're the smallest Shinobi Village and the only one whose leader is a Daimyo?"

"No, I didn't actually." Master Jiraiya's prevaricating had actually taught him something!

Naruto moaned, "Are you two ever going to shut up?! If I didn't know better, I'd say you two are long-lost-lovers or somethin'."

Master Jiraiya turned around, furious. "Naruto! I'm not that bad!"

"Oh, shut up, Pervy Sage! Yes, you are!"

I looked at Naruto and smiled. "Naruto san, 'shut' doesn't go up." He gave me an irritated, shocked look and moaned in complaint. He folded his arms and looked away. Sakura smiled faintly.

After a while, we stopped to rest. Sakura sat away from Naruto and Master Jiraiya as they argued, bickered, and yelled at one another. I walked over to her. Through the darkness of an early evening, I could barely make out the shape of her face lined by her pink hair. I could tell she was crying, though, and she looked up at me.

She tried to talk tough. "What do you want?" Her voice betrayed her and she only sounded more scared and more upset.

I smiled at her. "Haruno Sakura, I know you hate me, and I know that we won't ever be best friends. But, on this mission, we share a common interest: Bringing Sasuke home. So now, I must ask if you would mind calling a truce with me," I held my hand out to her, "for Sasuke?" I tried to smile as pleasantly as I could.

She looked up at me, almost in awe. Her tears dried quickly and she smiled. Grabbing on to my hand, she said, "For Sasuke. But this won't last forever, I promise. I think I'll say when we don't need a truce any more."

"Understood. I-"

"Hey, are you two gonna come eat or are you just going to stay over there and whisper your heads off?" Master Jiraiya asked. He was illuminated from the light of a fire that he had Naruto had painstakingly made, through many, many arguements. I looked at Sakura again and smiled before I began to walk back to Master Jiraiya and Naruto. The only thing Master Jiraiya had brought for us to eat were rice cakes (which I must say, eating bark was better than that) and water. I ate very little, but I did find some herbs to make a tea out of. My taste buds craved blood, but I couldn't have any. I certainly wasn't about to hurt Sakura, Naruto, or Master Jiraiya just for blood. I thought about sneaking off later and getting blood out of one of the wounds under my bandages.

No one spoke for the rest of the night. Everyone fell asleep but me. I stayed up keep watch. Who knows what my brother might do if he found me on this mission.

--

"Naruto, Master Jiraiya, you two will have to leave. Sen, you're a girl. You can stay here." Sakura said. We were in a strange, empty building. Naruto had rescued a girl. She had orange hair, which reminded me oddly of Leader, only it was longer.

"What?!" Naruto protested, oblivious. "Why do I have to leave and she gets to stay?!"

"Just go,Naruto!" Sakura shouted. With some mumbling and under-his-breath-complaints, Naruto left the small building and sat outside on the steps. I helped Sakura to tend to the girl's wounds. "I wonder what her name is?"

"I wonder what she was doing fighting those three big guys. A girl like her doesn't look like she could take on one of them. They look like they would need Lady Tsunade to take themdown." I helped Sakura get bandages on her. Then, Sakura looked toward the door.

Suddenly, Sakura threw her fist through the door and the wood split open. I heard Naruto cry out in pain and there were thumping noises, as though he were falling down the stairs. "That'll do." Sakura said as she continued her job.

Then I heard Naruto shouting something about spiders (then I couldn't help but think of Kidomaru) and the three men. Wanting Sakura to dress the girl's wounds as quickly as possible, I rushed to the door was horrified to see that, yes, the three men were attacking us. "Sakura," I said, turning to her, "Hurry and dress her wounds. They're here. I'll fight, but you hurry, OK? We don't need a possible ally dead."

She nodded. "Got it." With that, I went out the door.

I shouted at Naruto, "Where the hell's Master Jiraiya?!"

"How should I know?! Do I look like his maid?!"

Spiders were falling on us rapidly. Naruto tried his best to keep them away with a kunai. I bit my thumb to draw blood (savoring the taste in my mouth) and pressed it into the ground. "Summoning Jutsu! I hope you're hungry, Shin'en!" I heard screeching noises and the sound of wings flapping. Despite the ranks of the Shin'en, they were only able to slightly thin out the crowd. There were still too many for them, and Naruto and I had to fight many of them back. Finally, Master Jiraiya appeared and helped us fight. One of the men turned out to actually be a woman. She left with her fallen comrades. We then went back into the old building.

To my surprise, the girl was sitting up. She looked very sad. Master Jiraiya and Naruto closed the door behind them. The poor girl seemed frightened by Master Jiraiya when he asked, "Alright, first question: Who are you and what are you doing here?"

I bit my bottom lip and looked at Master Jiraiya. "Um...Master Jiraiya, I don't think that's the way to do it."

"OK, how would you do it?" He crossed his arms. I knelt down in front of the orange-haired girl and smiled another fake smile.

"Hello, my name is Sen. These are my friends, Sakura and Naruto. That's Master Jiraiya. What's your name?"

She seemed to relax when I spoke to her. "My name is Sasame Fuma."

I smiled again. "That's a pretty name. But what were you doing fighting those three Ninja? They looked like awfully skilled Shinobi, even compared to Master Jiraiya." That wasn't true, but I was trying to make her feel better. I certainly hope it worked.

And so Sasame told us about the Fuma clan, about her cousin Arashi and what Lord Orochimaru had done to him. Apparently, Lord Orochimaru had given him the ability to absorb his fallen comrades in order to make him stronger. He was the leader of the Fuma clan and the most talented. Sasame also told us about the three Shinobi she was fighting. She said their names were Jigumo Fuma (the one who could control spiders), Kamikiri Fuma (the one with the big scissor-blade), and Kagero Fuma (the woman).

--

"Sen, can you summon those bats now?"

"How many, Master Jiraiya?"

"Eh, three or four." Master Jiraiya shrugged. I summoned three of the Shin'en and Master Jiraiya summoned something, too. It was a little orange toad.

The toad waved a webbed foot and said, "Hiya! I'm Gamakichi!" Sakura screamed and hid behind Naruto.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" I asked.

"I...hate...toads! They give me the creeps..." She shivered. I laughed and picked up the toad - Gamakichi. It was so cute!

"Yo, Jiraiya! Give me a hand here," it said, "This girl scares me!" I made a face and put the toad down. Master Jiraiya just laughed. He told us that Naruto, Sakura, and I would be going together, and he alone. And so we went. Gamakichi came with the three of us and my Shin'en led the way. Several times, Naruto fell into traps that were undetected by the Shin'en and Sakura and I thought he was dead. We eventually came to a room, a familiar room. There were several pillars inside the room and the only light was a faint red glow. This was the room in which Lord Orochimaru would watch Sakon and I train if it was too cold outside. Despite the fact of how much this room had provided a sense of safety and security from being alone with Sakon, there was danger in this room, and it was closer than I thought.

"Well, well, Sen...I never thought I'd be seeing you again after you left. Do you know how much Sakon misses you?" Naruto and I turned at the same time to see a figure stepping out of the shadows.

In unison, Naruto and I shouted, "Kabuto, you traitorous filth!" We each had different reasons for calling him 'traitorous filth,' but as far as Naruto knew, I wasn't calling him a traitor for betraying the Akatsuki.

Kabuto chuckled, his glasses glinting in the faint light. "Wow...Now I know I've got friends...I can feel the love circulating in this room." Kabuto's dry sarcasm and faceitious jokes always irritated me. We ended up having to fight Kabuto.

He was laying against the wall. Using a MedicNin technique, he reached into his own chest and pulled out his heart. The Chakra threads around it pulsated sickly in tune with his heart. The worst part: the Chakra threads ran from Kabuto's heart all the way into Naruto's chest and around his heart. "All I have to do," Kabuto coughed blood, "is give this a gentle squeeze, and we both die, Naruto...Let's count down together," he coughed once more, "shall we? Ten, nine, eight..." Sakura tried in vain to cut the threads. "Seven, six..."

Sasame (when had she come?) told Sakura to put a seal around her kunai. "Five, four," Sakura sawed at the threads, "three, two, one," snap. The threads broke right when Kabuto squeezed his heart. Naruto fell limp to the ground. Then, Kabuto wasn't Kabuto. Kabuto was Kagero. Kagero had transformed herself into Kabuto! Sasame raced to her, screaming and crying.

Sakura and I were a little more preoccupied with Naruto. Both of us crying, we shook him, poked him, and tried in vain to wake him up. Nothing worked. Finally, we inaduibly declared him dead. We folded our arms over his chest, sobbing.

And then came the irritating voice.

"Ah, nothin' like the touch of two beautiful women to really get the life flowin' through you..." Sakura and I sat up, and saw Naruto blushing bright red. We both began yelling at him.

"Naruto, you scum! How dare you!" Sakura yelled.

"Naruto, we were scared! That's not funny! We thought you were dead!" I looked at him, half angry, half glad he was still alive.

"Sasame," I heard Kagero whisper, "Beware of your cousin...Arashi has changed." With that, she breathed her last. Then, we had to fight Arashi. He was strong, and I mean strong. Sasame ended the battle by hugging him, and the beast he had been changed back to the calm man he had been before. Arashi told Sasame that he had to stay there or he would die. He smiled, his bravery obvious. We had to literally drag Sasame out. Arashi was simply smiling, waving goodbye to his cousin.

We still don't know if he died, but we didn't see him after that part of the lair collapsed.

Konan's Wish

Zetsu sighed. "Why the hell are you looking at me like that, with those huge eyes?" I shrugged and looked away. "You want something don't you?" I looked at my brother. He sighed again. "What? What the hell do you want?"

"Um...well..."

"Out with it!"

"Yes, Brother...You see, I know that you have told me I should not have friends other than Yurei and Kaarayomiihi but..." Zetsu's eyes thinned. I rubbed my arm nervously. "There is this girl, in Konohagakure, and...well...I promise, I do not count her as a friend, persay, but more like...an ally, if you will? I would like for her to come...to the Akatsuki lair, just to see where I live, who I live with?" Despite the warm fire in the Akatsuki living room, the room suddenly grew very cold.

"Damn it, girl! What is it I've told you? No more friends! Fine, she can come, but I don't want to see her damn face or she won't have one when she leaves, got it?" I smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Brother."

"Go to the library or your room or something. You make me sick."

--

A few weeks later, I had Amaya come to the real Akatsuki lair. I had chosen that particular time because Zetsu was on a mission then, and he couldn't hurt her when he wasn't there.

Amaya and I sat in my room. "Do you like my room? I decorated it myself." She nodded awkwardly. Mice squeaked in their cages and I heard one of the snakes hissing. I couldn't help but wonder what Amaya's reaction was to seeing all of the animals in cages on shelves all over the walls.

"Yeah...it's...nice." I smiled.

"Would you like to see Ame?"

"Who?"

"Ame. Oh, she's so pretty! Here, let me get her out." I opened the cage nearest my bed and clicked my tongue. I blocked the cage so Amaya couldn't see when the ice-blue snake slithered away from the warmth of the light. I pulled her out lightly, watching her red eyes dart around the room. Her blue skin sparkled in the light and her dark blue tongue flitted out between her fangs.

Amaya screamed and I frowned. "What's wrong?" I asked as Ame curiously curled herself around my neck and into my hair.

"It's...a snake!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?"

"I don't like snakes!"

"Oh...here, I'll put her up." I kissed Ame on the top of the head. Her only reaction was blinking and sticking her tongue out. I placed her back in the cage and then heard Konan's voice calling my name.

I put the lid back on Ame's cage tightly and raced to the large stone door, and strained to open. Konan smiled. "Sen, can I speak with your friend for a moment?"

"Oh, sure, Konan..." I whispered to her, "Just don't kill her or, if my brother comes back, don't let him see her."

I told Amaya that Konan wanted to talk to her and let them go out into the hall. I closed the door behind them. Sitting on my bed, I began to wonder...What was Konan saying? I snuck over to the door and pressed my ear against it. The words were faint and hardly audible, but I caught Konan right in the middle of a sentence.

"...help her, please. Teach her wrong from right. I'm afraid none of us can do that. She's just an angel with broken wings...and I'm afraid we can't fix that. None of these things that happen are her fault. Yurei's version of 'wrong from right' is that you can kill someone if you don't like them, you can kill someone if you do like them, and you can still kill someone if you don't care about them. She has incredible skills, but I'm afraid that only the patience and kindness of a Leaf Shinobi can bring those out of her. If you were to help her, guide her, she will show you what she can do, the things she's capable of...please, just, please, make Sen understand that she is not an evil person, that's not who she is supposed to be. Can you promise me that?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'll try my best."

"Oh, thank you so much."

Then a third voice came louder, "Sen, it's time for your friend to leave! Zetsu will be back soon!" That voice was Kisame's, or as I called him, Otosan. Otosan meant 'father,' and Kisame was very much a father figure to me. He was one of members that treated me kindly, one of the few.

And so, I said my goodbyes to Amaya, and she seemed glad to leave.

Where Natsushiboshi is Sang

"This jerk's an enemey - he tried to attack me!" Naruto shouted.

Smiling, I turned to the person behind me. He was still wearing his gas-mask. "Are you OK, Sumaru?" Lee kun, Ten Ten, and Neji stood beside me, all of us in front of Sumaru. Sumaru removed his mask. I couldn't help but think what pretty red eyes he had. His black hair was tied back in his customary braid.

"So...you're from the Village Hidden In The Leaves, huh?" Naruto asked Sumaru if he was from the Hidden Star, despite the Star headband that adorned his forehead.

"No, Naruto," I said rudely, "he's from the Leaf, too!" Naruto glared at me.

"Who asked you?"

"Nobody! So I thought I'd insert myself into the conversation!" I folded my arms and looked at Naruto.

He retorted, "You didn't have to!"

I smirked. "You're not even supposed to be on this mission!"

"Yeah, so?! What's that got to do with anything!?"

"You should be grateful that Sumaru saved you!"

"Saved me!? How the heck did he save me?! He attacked me!"

"No, he didn't!"

"Then why did he shoot arrows at me?!"

"To stop you from going into the canyon!"

"What's so wrong about the-"

"Naruto, look there," Neji said, pointing to a bird flying overhead the canyon. It dipped and faltered in its flight pattern. Then, it fell into the yellow gas, dead. Naruto's eye twitched.

Lee kun said, "Look, Naruto! Sumaru truly saved your life! It looks like this is the beginning of a beautiful alliance between Leaf and Star!" He laughed at his own joke. I mustered up a smile to make him feel better. Sumaru said that he could've let him go into the fog and watched him die. I think Sumaru just had a soft spot for other Shinobi!

"So, Sumaru," I turned to him. He was slightly taller than me, but Lee kun was taller than him. He smield at me. "Why did you come?"

"I've been ordered by the Hoshikage himself to escort a group of four from the Leaf Village. I guess it's changed to five." We followed Sumaru back to the Village Hidden Among the Stars and straight to the Hoshikage's office. There, the Hoshikage explained to us about the Hoshikage's role and why they had a kage, even though they were not one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries. He told us that they were going to eventually be a Great Country, too, The Sixth Great Shinobi Country. Maybe Kusa might end up the Seventh? He told Sumaru return to his training. Naruto followed him.

A moment or so later, I stood up. "Please, excuse me, sir." I followed the two boys, barefoot, up one of the paths. I tried not to make a noise so that they wouldn't hear me. I listened to their conversations of kages and falling stars. Finally, the two of them stopped where the path made a sharp ramp up. I stood behind a tree that was perhaps a little too close.

"You know," I heard Sumaru say to Naruto, "You're pretty weird."

I heard Naruto laughing. "Yep, you got that right! But if you think I'm weird, you should see Sen!"

"Actually, I think she's pretty-"

Then I caught what Naruto had said. "Naruto Uzumaki!" I turned and shouted without thinking. Realizing what I had done, I turned back, attempting to hide once more, with my hand over my mouth. Then, Sumaru peeked around the tree, his face a literal half-inch away from mine. I'm sure I looked liek Hinata around Naruto at that point. I blushed bright red and I could hear Naruto laughing.

Then, I followed the boys, not sneaking as they knew I was there, to the Star Village training facility. Naruto asked to see the star, and Sumaru strongly rejected. But then, we saw someone running away from the facility, the star in tow. I was going to follow Naruto, but I heard someone say my name. I turned, and saw a familar shape coming out of the ground. My brother.

"We need to go. You can finish this mission later or make an excuse. Pein wants us back for an update, and I'm sure as hell not going to keep him waiting. Let's go."

"Yes, Brother." I said quietly. I hope Sumaru, Lee kun, Ten Ten, Neji, and Naruto wouldn't be mad at me for leaving. My brother and I left hastily, and while we ran, I had to tell him everything that had been going on in the past few days.

Eventually, I found out that Sumaru's mother and father weren't dead, but, infact, it was his mother who had stolen the star. The Hoshikage was the bad person. Sumaru's mother used to sing him the same lullaby that my foster father, Kei, had sung to me: Natsushiboshi. Tsume then made a point about remembering Kei telling me that Natsushiboshi had been sung in other villages than just by him. I really wish I had been able to continue my mission with my team, Naruto, and Sumaru, but I had other things happening. I did, however, get to say goodbye to Sumaru before the mission was over. I wasn't able to battle anyone.

There had also been a mission in which my team went on and, as they told me, they met an old woman who made something called the "Curry of Life" which had almost killed Neji, but Lee kun loved it. They had run into a little boy with purple hair named "Ranmaru." Ranmaru had a Kekkei Genkai that allowed him to see through walls, confuse the human phsyche, and even cause problems with Neji's Byakugan. Ranmaru was paralyzed and could not move his legs. He ate the Curry of Life and gained the ability to walk. He was apprenticed into the Curry Shop, but was adopted by Kaede (and Gaara - as the two were then dating). I figured I would meet him sooner or later.

Help From Forsaken Allies

I was sitting at the edge of the Forest of Death, yet still inside the village. I watched idly as people hustled and bustled back and forth. Shichi slept beside me, occasionally moaning and kicking me. The bench I was sitting on was old. Then I heard a voice even more irritating than Naruto's voice.

"Hey, you! You're that girl who broke up with Sasuke sama, aren't you?" I looked aup and saw three girls my age. They were not Shinobi, and they looked very irritated. The one that had spoken was wearing an orange shirt with a pink hoodie and blue shorts. I couldn't help but wonder if she was colorblind. She had bright orange hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose. Another was wearing a pale purple dress that went down to her knees and she had black hair. The other was wearing a white shirt with a red skirt and she had blonde hair. The one I figured was colorblind had her arms crossed and was looking at me smugly.

"Um...yes...why?"

"I'll bet you're the reason he left! I heard you cheated on him! Poor Sasuke sama...if he had been going out with me, I wouldn't have cheated on him. He'd still be here." She smiled as though she had accomplished something, the popped her knuckles. "I don't like what you did to Sasuke sama. I'm gonna make sure you never do that again." She advanced slowly, cracking her knuckles the whole way.

"Enough." I heard a voice say as the girl raised her fist to hit me. I turned around and saw someone familiar standing on the high branch of a tree. Oh, darn it! Every time I saw him, I never did remember his name! He was wearing a blue-ish grey jacket with a higher collar and black glasses. His hands were stuffed in his pockets.

"I'll bet you're the one that she cheated on Sasuke sama with!" She pointed to the boy. Aburame...Aburame something. Oh, dear, why could I never remember this?! "I'll hurt both of you, to teach you a lesson!"

"You think you can go up against two Shinobi? Think again." His voice was a low moan, and he was obviously irritated. "Leave, now."

"Or what?!" She challenged him.

"Or this. Parasitic Insects, attack." He held his hand out towards the girl, and thousands of tiny black beetles flew out of his sleeve and swarmed around all three of them. They began screaming and swatting at the Insects.

"Never mind!" The girl shouted. "Let's get out of here!" She and her cohorts ran, swatting and screaming even after the Insects had returned to the sleeve of his jacket.

"Are you OK?" He jumped down from the tree and walked towards me. I blushed.

"Um...yeah...I'll be fine...Th-thanks for...h-helping me...That was..r-really nice of you."

"Sure, why not? I don't like girls like that anyway. They get irritating."

I giggled half way. "Heh, yeah...they do..."