A/N: It would seem that more people are reading my fanfic! Woo-hoo! (Insert dorky grin here. LMFAO!) I feel honored that so many actually like my writing. Maybe I should think of becoming a professional author? LOL.

Anyhow, I'd like to thank all of my loyal fans, and all the new ones too. Thanks to the ones who put me on their fave's list, and to those who have alerts for me too. And a special thank you to those of you who actually take the time to post reviews.

Oh, and just so nobody gets confused-Kakashi is Japanese for "scarecrow". I tell you this because in this chapter I refer to him (Kakashi) as a/the scarecrow. Hope that info helps!

Assessing the enemy before him, Kakashi noted that one was wielding a katana twice the size of a normal one. (Like the one Sephiroth uses in Final Fantasy VII.)While it was an excellent example of craftsmanship, it posed little challenge to him.

The other man appeared to be blind, as he wore his headband over both eyes. Kakashi had a feeling this would prove to be an interesting battle indeed. However, just as he was about to attack the guards from behind, the blind man sensed him.

"Hey, Ken, do you feel that?" the blind guard asked his friend, turning around towards Kakashi as the silver-haired Jounin jumped out of site.

Ken turned towards the direction the other man had noted. "What's wrong Kami?" he inquired, readying himself should an enemy attack.

"I thought felt some strange chakra." Kami stated, grimacing menacingly as he searched the room.

Calm, and yet a little scared, the scarecrow watched his prey in slight amusement. It was oddly entertaining to watch these two as they searched for him, oblivious to what fate had in store for them.

What he found most entertaining though, was how the blind man moved. It was as though, despite his inability to see, he was somehow able to visualize his surroundings by sensing the individual chakra levels of everything in the room.

Waiting until the two were under him, Kakashi pounced upon the unsuspecting guards from his hiding place in the rafters above.

Kami however, sensed the attack a split second before Kakashi hit him. So as Ken was sent flying into the stone floor, Kami dodged the Copy-cat Ninja's attack.

"It would appear that I was right, Ken." Kami smirked, turning towards his comrade. "Konoha did send someone after the whore after all. I believe you owe me 500 yen."

Picking himself up, Ken dusted off his clothing as he reached for his sword. "Yeah, yeah." he grimmaced. Upon unsheathing his katana, he then charged head-on towards Kakashi.

Dodging the attack with ease, Kakashi was slightly shocked when Kami grabbed him from behind. Pinning the Leaf Jounin against the wall, Kami twisted Kakashi's right hand back behind his head while holding his left against the wall firmly.

"You don't know what you've gotten yourself into." Kami smirked.

Kakashi chuckled. "I'm afraid it's you who doesn't know anything."

Furious, Kami jerked Kakashi from the wall and threw him at Ken. An evil glair in his eye, Ken plunged his sword into the scarecrow's stomach. At which time a puff of smoke appeared to revile a small, red mushroom with white spots (not unlike those Shippo from Inuyasha uses.) where Kakashi should've been.

Just then about half a dozen shadow-clones o Kakashi appeared and attacked the two guards.

Jab, block, upper kick, wrist block, palm-heel strike, chokehold, uppercut to the nose, elbow blow to the stomach, roundhouse kick to jaw, ect. Blow for blow, block for block, and all while avoiding Ken's cutting thrusts (of his sword), the shadow clones (and the real Kakashi) fought vigorously.

As for Gai, he'd managed to sneak himself far into the building with little resistance.

'I don't like this. Everything seems too easy.' he thought. 'Maybe it's a trap! It would be like these low-life cowards to something that underhanded and sneaky! First they imprison Chii, now this!'

Gai was furious. 'I'll show these losers a thing or two! Yeah! They don't know who their messing with! I'm the great and powerful Gai! Ladies love me, men fear me!' he smiled at these thoughts as he stopped outside a heavily guarded room.

'I take it that's the room their hiding Chii in. And it would appear that I'm the first one to find it! That's one more victory for me, Kakashi!' Gai smiled triumphantly.

Meanwhile, Iruka had stealthily crawled through the virtual maze that was the ventilation system. A bit parched, and perspirating slightly, he now found himself above the vent in the room where Chii was being held captive.

In the room he noticed were three guards. Two standing watch at the door, while the other two implemented inhumane torture techniques on his friend in an attempt to pry information from her.

Back in Konoha…

"I don't know about this, Sakura." Emiri whined as she emerged from the bathroom in a pink kimono.

"Nonsense!" Sakura smiled. "Pink is SO your color!"

Emiri grimaced. "But I don't really like pink."

"What's wrong with pink?" Sakura grouched.

"Nothing!" Emiri stated, giving a weak smile. "But don't you think black would be better? You know, to help slim me down a little?"

Sakura gave her a disappointed look. "Will you just shut up already? I told you before, and I mean it, you look gorgeous! Why can't you see that, Emiri?"

Emiri shook her head. "Because you're my friend, so your judgment is impaired."

"Oh for the love of…MOM!" Sakura yelled.

"Yes, dear?" Mrs. Haruno asked, popping her head into the doorway.

"Will you please tell Emiri that, contrary to her disillusions, she does in fact look good-especially in the kimono I picked out for her!" Sakura half whined, half demanded.

Mrs. Haruno smiled as she stepped into her daughter's room (where the two girls were changing). "You look like absolutely perfect, especially in that kimono." she beamed.

"See!" Sakura stated in an 'I told you so' voice.

"Yeah well, she's just as delusional as you are." Emiri said, sounding slightly cocky.

'She's more annoying then Naruto!' Sakura thought to herself.

Groaning heavily, Sakura flung her hands into the air in defeat. "I give up!" she yelled. "Go ahead and lie to yourself about just how beautiful you are! See if I care! But one of these days you're gunna find the man of your dreams and you're gunna let him slip right by you because of your stupid depression and low self-esteem!" Sakura growled, waving a disappointed finger in Emiri's face for emphasis.

"Jeeze, looks like someone's PMS-ing!" Emiri huffed, watching Sakura as she stormed out of the room.

"Oh, don't mind her." Mrs. Haruno smiled. "Sakura's just a little nervous about asking her little boyfriend Sasuke out to the fair tonight."

"MOTHER!" Sakura bellowed from the bottom of the stairs.

"What? You are." her mother smiled devilishly as she walked out of the room and to the top of the stairs.

"Well that doesn't mean you have to go around telling everyone!"

"Like it's a secret?" Emiri smirked, walking into the hall.

Descending down the steps, Mrs. Haruno nodded in agreement. "See, even Emiri knows about it, and she's only been her for a week or two."

"Really? It's that obvious?" Sakura asked, doing an emotional 180.

Mrs. Haruno smiled as Emiri nodded her head. "Yup." she stated.

Sakura looked disappointed. "Oh." she sighed.

"But don't worry dear, any boy would be a fool not to like you." Sakura's mother smiled, hugging her daughter. "And Uchiha's aren't known for being foolish. He's probably just too nervous."

"You think so?" Sakura asked, glancing up hopefully.

Mrs. Haruno nodded.

"And if not, you still have Lee and Naruto to fall back on." Emiri chuckled.

Mrs. Haruno dead-panned as Sakura turned red with fury.

"That's NOT funny!" Sakura yelled, running after Emiri as she (Emiri) ran in fearful laughter.

A/N: So this chapter didn't have the greatest, or the biggest fight scene. Sorry, I tried. But I hope that you guys enjoyed it none the less. The next chapter should have more fighting in it as well-I think.

Seeing as I've yet to read about, or see her, I wasn't sure how Sakura's mom should/would act. Is she even mentioned in the manga/anime? For that matter, are any parents mentioned, or shown, in it? (Makes one wonder, huh?)

So I tried my best to think-If I were Sakura's mom, what would I be like? To tell the truth I didn't know. So I just basically thought about my mom, as well as all the TV moms I like (Mrs. Cunningham, Mrs. Foreman, Reba, and even Sophia from the Golden Girls and Grandma Winslow, ect.) and basically mixed them all together.

I hope you guys liked her character, and that she was believable. If not I'm open to any suggestions, for her and/or other parents, should I use/mention them again. (I think I might mention all of them, even Kakashi's, but I'm not 100 percent sure.)

Oh, and I wanted to know what everybody thought of Kami-the blind guard. I thought it'd be kind cool to have a blind ninja. I've never seen or heard about one before, so I thought I'd try something different out. He (Kami) kinda reminds me of Dare Devil in that sense.