Chapter Twenty-Five

Strange Company

Sakura was trying desperately not to think about the Suna ninjas that she had just left behind. She felt like the worst kind of ninja that Kakashi had always preached against: a ninja that abandoned her comrades. A coward. Worse then scum.

She was so busy trying to herd the Suna civilians, it was actually rather like herding cats in fact. They did not know how to run in a forest, and kept tripping over roots and things, and making the more noise then a herd of buffalo. Sakura had never heard anything so loud. They kept wandering off in odd directions, mostly because to their eyes everything looked the same. The leaves on the trees kept them from seeing the sun, which for many of them was the only way they had ever used to find out where they were. So, basically they were running every which way at first, and Sakura had to spend several minutes getting them to get on the path to Konoha.

And it did not help matters that her guilty, guilty mind was literally giving her a slideshow of the faces of the people she had lost. Poor Lee, who had always been so kind and bright and determined, left behind in Suna. Shikamaru, the calm leader, the man who looked so irreparably and goofyly in love when he looked at Temari, also trapped in Suna. Neji, gone with a werewolf to a unknown land with unknown dangers. And Naruto, the one that hurt the most. Naruto, who she was always so mean to, but who still for some strange reason seemed to love her. Naruto who was the most loyal person she had ever meet. Naruto had gone to find and bring back the brother of a friend without a second thought. What if he was caught or killed by the Smoke?

She had lost Sasuke to the darkness inside his personality. Now she might have lost Naruto to the kindness and generosity within his soul.

That hurt worst of all.

Her guilty musings were interrupted when she sensed a large amount of chakra heading towards them. It had to be Leaf ninja...

But what if it was not?

She had been running away from crazy technologically advanced maniacs with a desire to kill her for a while. She had just abandoned a group of ninja to die. She had just lost everyone important to her.

Sakura was sure that these people coming towards her were allies...but what if they were not?

It did not hurt to make sure.

"Halt! Get down." she ordered the refugees. A few of the smarter ones took cover in various bushes and behind logs. Most of them just kind of milled about.

For good sakes...

Sakura concentrated, ready to unleash on the large chakra heading towards her. She build up her power, ready in case it was something dangerous.

The bushes rustled, and something green and tall and incredibly loud bust into the clearing with a shout. Startled and ready for a fight, Sakura screamed and unleashed a chakra charged punch at the thing, with slammed into tree with a force of about Mach Two.

It was Guy.

"Oh...oops..." Sakura said.

The Suna refugees gaped at her in astonishment.

While Guy stumbled around for a bit, trying to get his head to stop pounding, the rest of his hastily formed team burst on the scene.

"Wow...remind me never to get her mad." Tenten muttered. She had never seen her sensei taken down quite that fast before. Okay, ever. "Sakura, what happened, where are Neji and Lee?"

"And Shikamaru?" Choji asked, looking around for his friend.

Sakura stared at her fellow ninja. She should have been relived. The Sunaians were safe now...

But the cost...

With a straggled cry she burst into tears and fell to the ground "Gone! They're all gone!"

The Leafs stared at her, astounded.

Baki thought that it would not be a good idea to just throw the Kazekage at his Iifernati relatives to quickly. The poor boy was looking decidedly annoyed, and Baki could read his moods enough to know that Gaara in this state was not inclined to be political. In fact, Gaara was not that political at all. That was what they had Temari and Kankuro for. Temari to handle the Shinobi nations and Kankuro to handle the tribes.

It was amazing how the two had complimented each other. Temari had never paid much attention to their Iifernati heritage. It was no that she was unaware of it, she just was emotionally detached from it. She knew the legends, but did not care about them. She knew the traditions, but dismissed them as superstition. Probably it was due to the attitude that many Iifernati had about women. Many of them, particularly the Shadow Owls, were still stick in a primitive state of mind that excluded women. Swooping Eagles, Serpents Teeth and Bloodied Dragons did not hold with that nonsense, but that did not stop Temari from being less then pleased towards Iifernati attitudes. Kankuro, on the other hand, practically absorbed his ancient heritage like a little sponge. He loved the stories and traditions and ways of his people. Not that Kankuro was a chauvinist, it was impossible for one to grow up with Temari and turn out chauvinistic. He had a healthy respect for kunoichi, brought on by the fact that Temari had a tendency to whack with her fan when Kankuro frustrated her.

This had actually developed in a useful way, with Kankuro being a kind of ambassador to the Iifernati and Temari taking care of modern day politics. The two had served as a nice buffer between their blunt brother and the shark filled mire that was politics. Now that buffer was gone, and Baki was scared. Gaara had the best interests of the Sand at heart, but years of using the "crush the enemy until he is dead" method had made Gaara less the subtle.

Baki was not to concerned about the Eagles. To their leader Gaara was family, and Baki knew Jhimey would make the Eagles follow Gaara even if the tribal leader had to prod them into doing it. Baki was not so sure about the Bloodied Dragons. Yes, it was true that the Dragons were allies, but there was a problem there. The Bloodied Dragons had been such good friends with the Swooping Eagles that the two tribes had actually been involved in the invasion of Konoha years ago. While there had not been to many casualties on the Leaf side, there had been a bit more on the Sand side. Worse, a few of the casualties were Iifernati, who had not been quite as prepared as they should have been when facing ninja.

And then there was the matter of the girl, but Baki was not going to think about that. It was true that technically the Bloodied Dragons did not believe in vengeance, but still...

So, Baki made sure that he was the one that approached the Iifernati first. Swooping Eagles and Bloodied Dragons were standing side by side, but Baki could tell the difference. He had not been away so long to forget the basics.

Baki walked over to the two tribal leaders, who were standign there looking rather smug. Jhimey noticed him and grinned like a wolf.

"Hail Baki! I have not seen you for a long time! How are you?" Jhimey said.

"Hail, Huur Jhimey." Baki bowed at the man who was just as much his leader as Gaara, using the Iifernati word for a tribal leader. He then turned to the other man, the Bloodied Dragon leader and bowed again "Huur Iren of the Blooded Dragons, thank for your aid to my tribe and my ninja brothers."

Iren smiled "These Smoke bastards are no friends of the Sand, and the Dragons have always been friends of the Eagles. That will not change as long as I live."

"And...Maira?" Baki was hesitant to ask, but the girl had been a kunochi under his command, and what happened to her had partly been his fault. He had been in overall comand of the Sand side of the invasion, after all. Maira had not been his student, but she had been his subordinte.

"Maira is a Dragon, and no Dragon bears a grudge to anyone, you know that Baki." Iren said with mild look. "And besides, she convinced me to come herself. You know that she is my second now, correct?"

Baki was surprised. "Your second? But she-"

"Is brave and intelligent, despite what happened. The tribe agrees, no one would be better to take my place but her." Iren tapped his left leg. "Nothing holds that girl or her brother Arch down, Baki! I think that, as a ninja your kind helped her spirit. I owe you for that."

Baki smiled "Thank you for that. Are you coming with us to Konoha?"

"We have both decided, we are coming. Our tribes will stand with your ninja, and if we stand we stand all the way." Jhimey said.

By this time Gaara had gained control of his ruffled emotions and had obtianed the facial expressions of a clear lake. The fact that he was raging inside to see an uncle of his could not be seen on his face.

Gaara walked over and bowed to the two Iifernati leaders "Thank you, you have my gratitude for coming to the aid of my people."

Iren bowed as well, but Jhimey gave Gaara a slightly surprised look. Even amongst leaders this was not the way an Iifernati nephew greeted his uncle. Not at all. Iifernati were not formal when it came to family, and even the stuffiest of Shadow Owls would have understood a friendly encounter between family even in the most strict of political settings. This was just...odd. But, Jhimey remembered that the boy had spend all of his youth with city squatters. He just did not know better. This was not his fault.

Jhimey looked around, there was something else wrong here "Where are Kankuro and Temari?" it had been to long since he had seen Temari.

At the mention of his siblings Gaara's spine grew even stiffer.

Baki sighed. "Kankuro and Temari are gone. Kankuro left the country and Temari was left in the village."

Gaara stared at Baki "What happened to her?"

Baki explained. Only a friend who knew Gaara could have seen the grief and pain flickering in his eyes as he was told that his siblings were gone.

Jhimey, however, was not as composed as Gaara. He actually sat down on the sand like he had been punched, tears in his eyes.

Gaara noticed this, unable to understand. He did not know why this strange other uncle was doing this. Was this some kind of trick? Gaara wanted to believe that Jhimey was honest, but even though Jhimey did not look like Yasamaru every time Gaara looked at him he heard that voice telling him to please die. Saw that bloody and mournful face.

Gaara could not help but wonder if he would have to kill another uncle soon.

But then, as he often did, Naruto came to turn the awkward silence into...well more awkwardness, but less silence.

"Hey, who are you people anyway? And where did Sakura go?"

Baki was glad that at least he could give some good news. "I told her to escort the rest of the civilians to your village, where I sincerely hope that the Hokage will not turn them away."

Naruto snorted.. "Aww, if I know Grandma she'll welcome them!"

Jhimey stared at Naruto. "Who in the blasted hell are you?"

"Hey, that's what I asked you! As for me, I'm Naruto Uzamaki! The next Hokage!"

Iren muttered to Baki "He's the Leaf leader's second?"

Baki groaned "He might as well be."

Naruto, however, was continuing "Why are you on the ground! It's sandy down there!"

Jhimey looked at the bizarre ninja in front of him in puzzlement. To his experience ninja were calm and reserved, not bouncy and loud. "I'm mourning my niece and nephew, you clod!" he bellowed, way to emotional to check his words.

Oh boy. Baki thought. The leader of an Iifernati tribe just called the future Hokage a clod. This is going to be an...interesting time.

Meanwhile, back in the forest, Ino and Tenten, the only female ninja in range, had descended upon Sakura and where trying to comfort her. Guy was rubbing the huge lump on his head. Choji was standing there, wondering what to do. The refugees just stared at them, wondering what in the world was with these bizarre Leaf people, and did all of them act like this?

A familiar bouncy chakra started to...bounce towards them, and all of a sudden Naruto was there, followed by the remaining Sand ninja and the Iifernati, who were having a devil of a time getting their horses through the brush.

"Hey! Sakura! What happened? Are you okay?"

Sakura stared at him. He was alive! Alive!

The jerk! He scared her to death!

Sakura grabbed him by the neck and started to throttle the boy who, just minutes before, she was mourning.

"YOU! YOU! BLOCKHEAD! WHAT WERE YOU DOING RUNNING OFF LIKE THAT WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT! DO YOU RELIZE HOW SCARED I WAS!"

"Ow! Ow! Sorry! Sorry! Let go, Sakura!"

"Ah, young love." Katsu said with a grin "Reminds me of our wedding night, eh husband?"

"Only without the pliers." Jhimey nodded.

"...pliers?" Gaara muttered at Maro, whom was the closet to him who knew his relatives.

"Don't ask." Maro muttered back.

"Oh, don't worry so, Gaara." Jhimey grinned at his nephew. "Remember, all you have to do make up with your wife is to just stick your-"

"Ah, ah, ah!" Katsu pulled her husband's ear. "There are children about. Don't corrupt them."

Gaara started to edge away from the two lunatics. He ended up beside Baki.

"Are you sure I was not adopted?" he muttered at his old teacher.

"I am sure Gaara."

"Were they?"

"No."

"Damn it." the only conclusion that Gaara could draw was that his relatives were completely and utterly insane.

Meanwhile, Guy had reajusted his head and was approaching them. Great, now Gaara would have to tell another person that his loves ones were gone.

Guy, of course, begain by askign the million dollar question, were where his students?

"I am sorry, Guy." Gaara said "I assigned Neji to guard my brother, and when Knakuro left to find a solution for his werewolf condition Neji went with him."

Guy stared at Gaara, then burst into what he belvied were manly tears "Neji! Brave, brave boy! He was always one for duty! No, I am not surprised that he would go to protect your brother!"

Gaara sighed. This was not making this any easier. "Lee was left in Suna, with Shikamaru and Temari."

To this news Guys tears changed from proud to just plain pathetic. He started to moan and cry aobut his youthful boys and other such things that frankly made poor Gaara's ears hurt.

Unfortunaly, everyone heard them, including Tenten and Ino. Tenten's face grew pale. "Neji and Lee are really gone?" she asked in a whisper. No, it could not be! Lee and Neji were the strongest people that Tenten knew! Surly they could not be gone. Instinctively knowing her sensei, Tenten gave Guy a gentle hug and patted his back "There there, sensei, you know that Lee and Neji will be alright!"

While Tenten was comforting Guy, Ino was going into a rage. "Why that little bimbo!" she was talking about Temari "That little four pony tailed bitch! Who does she think she is, taking Shikamaru away like that!"

I thought she liked Sasuke. Sakura thought.

In truth Ino did not really know who she liked. She had been infatuated with Sasuke, as had every female in the village. But, she had been a part of Shikamaru's team for a long time. And, she just plain did not like Temari that much. She found herself getting unintentionally angry with the women every time she saw Temari, ever since the mission when it became obvious how well Temari and Shikamaru worked together. Ino knew that Shikamaru only saw her as a friend, and for some reason that hurt.

However, her rant did not get to far, for Katsu had heard her. With a strange growl the Horse Mistress moved forwards and pinned Ino to a tree. Katsu's eyes, already very Hyugaish, had explained to the Byakugan sight, and the veins on the sides of her eyes had swelled, just like Neji's and Hinata's when they used their bloodline limit.

"Do not insult my niece in my hearing, girly." Katsu said in a pissed off tone "You hear me?"

Normally, Ino would have gladly gotten into a fight, but Gaara stepped in and placed a hand on his aunt's and spoke gently.

"Let's not get into a fight. We are all on the same side, and we need to work together. I don't like what she said about Temari either, but that does not mean we should pick fights."

Katsu growled. "Hmmp, very well." to Gaara's surprise, the strange woman let go of Ino and walked away, as if nothing had happened. Her eyes returned to normal.

Guy had noticed the eye thing, he ahd just about finished this round of mourning his students at this point, and turned to Katsu "You have the Byakugan?"

"Nope, not in the least." Katsu said with a grin.

"but I just saw your eyes." Guy replied.

"Oh, yes. Well, that is a long story." Katsu shrugged. "Our ancestor, Toshi, was a branch Hyuga. He fled to the Sand after his child was murdered by the main ones. He had children of the Swooping Eagles, but he could never teach them how to use their bloodline. He died before eh could try, and the secrets of course are supposed to be eliminated after death because of that cursed seal. With no one to teach us my line had never learned how to use the eyes."

"I see, that is a shame." Guy said. "But I am sure that you can learn it once we get to Konoha! The Hyuga there-"

Katsu laughed like a crazy woman. "I am sooooo sure the mains will want to give their most treasured secretes to their free cousins! I would sooner expect the sun eagle to fly down and give me his golden nectar!"

Baki sighed and looked up at the sky. He could barely see the sun through the branches, but he knew that it was getting late "We should probably get going." before something else happens. He thought.

And so, with no more interesting conversations, the refugees were on their way again.

To an unsuspecting Konoha.

Poor, poor Konoha.