Crimson Shuriken

By Ginta and Hakakku Fangirl

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: Sorry for the delay; finals did their best to kill me.

XXXXXX

Okay, first off I just want to thank Ukitsu43 for pointing out an error to me. My computer has been, this entire time, "spell-checking" my words and changing the name of Itachi's mother (and child) from "Mikoto" to "Mitoko," something that now has me very annoyed with my Word program. But I fixed it before I started writing this chapter, and I may or may not go back over this fic and fix it in every chapter.

Thanks again, Ukitsu43!!!!! ^_|

XXXXXXX

Previously:

"Yo, Itachi! Kyoko!"

Looking down, Kyoko laughed as she saw the familiar purple face paint

xx

The four ninja trudged on, anxious to reach a place where it would be warmer—Deidara had travelled this way before and knew of an empty cave that was very sheltered from the wind and had a perfect pit for a fire. Snow and sleet had begun to fall, clinging to their hair.

XXXXXXX

Chapter Twenty-Five: Arrivals Part One

Kankuro grinned up at Itachi and Kyoko.

"I thought Gaara-kun would have sent a whole fleet of ANBU," Kyoko laughed as she and Itachi hit the ground.

"Nah," Kankuro said. "The Jounin Council wanted to, knowing that Akatsuki wants you guys, but Gaara said I'd be enough. Temari was going to come, but she's helping Baki train some new students."

Kyoko nodded.

"C'mon," Kankuro said. "Temari's been crazy these past couple days, knowing that Mikoto was gonna be here."

XXX

Sakura sighed happily as she sat between Kakashi and Sai. They were finally out of the wind. It wasn't nearly so cold as it had been—at only a day away from the ocean, it was steadily becoming warmer, though nowhere near as warm as it would have been in the summer. But it was warmer. The wind was what made it seem so cold.

Deidara leaned against the wall.

"Are we walking or running tomorrow?" he asked, eyes closed as he attempted to untangle his hair.

"Walking," Kakashi said. "Too suspicious to run. I've already got tickets for the ferry from the Hokage, it would be strange if we arrived any more than an hour early."

Deidara nodded, finally unknotting the last lock of his hair with a disgusted expression on his face; Sakura giggled.

XXX

The next day proved to be as windy as the first. Deidara had given up and braided his hair instead of merely tying it into a pony tail.

Before setting out, they had all changed from their usual clothes. Kakashi and Deidara both wore black pants and plain shirts; Sai had grudgingly put his katana and paintbrushes away in a scroll. Sakura, however, had planned ahead. Tsunade had advised her to accessorize with black, advice Sakura had taken to heart. Her black shoes held hidden shuriken in the heels and the black velvet, fingerless gloves in her coat pocket her really chakra gloves. She had also followed Kyoko's example with hidden weapons by hiding a shuriken in a pendant around her neck, the ribbon wrapped around a thin chain, kunai inside her shoes, a ring that contained poison in the gem, and had brought quite a few senbon that could be hidden in various places: they were the spines of a silk fan; she had many that were painted and could be used to catch up her hair, and even a tiny pair that dangled from earrings.

Glancing over at Kakashi, she nodded. They were only five minutes from reaching the sea port town. It was time to go their separate ways.

"We'll be on the radio twenty-four seven," Kakashi said. "We'll contact you if we need you. You do the same."

"Right."

"Contact us the moment you finish your mission," Kakashi said. "If everything has gone according to plan, we'll meet up at the ferry."

"How likely do you think it is that nothing will go wrong?" Sakura asked quietly.

Kakashi sighed.

"Not likely at all," he murmured. "I think Deidara, Sai, and I will run into Stone Shinobi within a few days."

"Is that why your using a jutsu to make your hair black?" Sakura asked; Kakashi nodded.

"Sai and I both have dark eyes; we can pass as cousins if need be."

"Will you—"

"I will not be taking off my mask," Kakashi said, interrupting Deidara.

"Damn."

"And Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, trying to get back to the main subject.

"If we run into Stone shinobi and they recognize me or Deidara even with our hair…We'll likely run into Team Hawk," Kakashi said, gazing towards the sky as though he could see the entire scene playing out. "If we do, the first thing we'll do is radio you. At only a mile away, you should be able to get to us before anything too damaging happens."

Sakura nodded.

"We'll take this path," Kakashi said, indicating a trail through the woods. "You take the main road. We'll arrive at about the same time."

"Right." Sakura frowned. This would be so much easier if it were a two-man mission, or at least if they had a female teammate. Then they wouldn't have to separate like this. But Konoha was still short on Ninja—Kunoichi in particular—so it couldn't be helped.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Hey all! Okay, short, only five pages. But I'm working on it, so don't worry.

Okay, all those who have been going to my simpage or have requested something and not gotten it yet…There's a problem with the website. It sucks. But I can't even upload anything, but I am working on it!

Okay, see you in the next chapter!

-Fangirl