Yes, I am back! Shocking, isn't it? The plot was undergoing a major overhaul, and many kinks were being worked out. You guys should say thanks to Suicidal-Despair for getting me to write (I know I said I would update quickly, but I got stuck), and Minty Goodness for alleviating my writer's block with our intense discussions of zombies. Don't know why that worked—it just did.

Disclaimer: …Somehow, I ended up with three cats, since my sister's two cats detest her very existence. I should've named one of them Naruto. But I didn't, so I still have to say that I don't own Naruto.

A.R.T.!!

Nico_Luver: Thank you! I'm glad that you think so!

Random Viewer of Naruto Stuff: Your reviews made me smile. I'm sorry that your vote didn't count towards the pairings, but I'm planning another Naruto fanfic so I'll make those the pairings for that one. Since I like those pairings, too. A LOT.

--

The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me—Ayn Rand

--

Shaking off her premonition that something wrong was going to happen, the lavender-haired Akatsuki member decided to continue as if nothing had happened. Having put on a fake face that she despised, Lilith proceeded to dazzle the three Konoha kunoichi with a bright smile. "Alright! I have just the technique for you, Ino!" Still grinning, she drew out three kunai from a pouch and placed them in between her fingers on her right hand. The girls could clearly see the exploding tags dangling ominously from the hilts. This effectively erased all thoughts of that strange echo of…something that they felt earlier.

Ino nodded, stepping out of Tobi's barrier to take Sakura's place. Settling into a fighting stance, she kept her eyes on Lilith's kunai. Pulling a single kunai of her own out, she calculated her best move if Lilith threw the exploding kunai straight at her.

Suddenly, she felt a blow to her cheek and saw the ground rushing up at her. Hitting hard, she quickly rolled away from a punch that hit where she had been.

Using her left fist as a lever, Lilith flipped over back onto her feet and whirled around to face Ino once more. "Just because I have a projectile, does not mean that I'll use it," Lilith advised, waiting for Ino to stand. "Ready?" Without waiting for an answer, the Akatsuki member darted forward again, switching two kunai to her left hand and slashing with the remaining one.

Blocking with her kunai, Ino dug her heels into the rocky ground. Holding Lilith's kunai in place with her own, her feet skidded backwards until her efforts made them stop.

The two were at a temporary impasse while they tried to force the other into defending. Lilith broke the stalemate by thrusting her left fist forward, kunai included. Twisting, Ino dodged and Lilith stumbled when Ino's kunai moved.

Taking advantage of the situation, Ino used her momentum to try and drive her foot into Lilith's back. However, the other woman had anticipated this and dove forward and left, escaping. Rolling a few feet away, she rocked back onto her feet in a crouching position, only to topple backwards to dodge another kick aimed at her chin.

Hissing, Lilith flashed out of Ino's range and threw one of her exploding kunai.

Eyes widening, Ino quickly jumped away from the explosion.

Only to find that she had landed in another.

The explosion cleared. She stood still, huffing, the minor burns all over her body aching for coolness. Her legs shaking, she summoned forth her limited amount of healing abilities to soothe her burns. Counting herself lucky that her hair hadn't caught fire, she tried to calm down in order to assess the situation better.

She knew that this test had to do with either ninjutsu or taijutsu. Judging by how Lilith had fought thus far, she had to assume that it was taijutsu. Dodging a kick from Lilith, she continued to try to heal herself, think, and stay intact at the same time. She knew that Lilith had only thrown one exploding kunai—she had seen it. So why were there two explosions, and, moreover, why did they occur at the same time?!

Her burns stopped hurting too much and started itching instead. Taking that as a sign that she could stop healing them, she did so. Now that her burns had stopped hurting, her mind cleared somewhat.

And then it clicked.

Operating on a hunch, and the knowledge of how Sakura was tricked earlier, Ino withdrew an exploding tag of her own. Attaching it to her kunai, which she had managed to keep a grip on the whole time, she eyed Lilith's movements and waited for the right time.

Spotting an opening, Ino dashed forward, underneath one of Lilith's swings. Throwing her kunai to a spot on the empty ground before her, Ino stayed out of range of the explosion. And, sure enough, it did what she expected it to.

It caused an explosion not only where the kunai hit, but also in the same spot in the other two quadrants of the room. Lilith was caught in one of those explosions, just as Ino had earlier. This proves it, Ino thought. In reality, the fact that the walls expanded was a genjutsu as well. I don't know what actually happened, but anything that happens in one section is mirrored in the others. It isn't taijutsu, specifically, but rather it had something to do with physics.

Lilith crawled out of the settling dust, looking a little charred but uninjured. Ino couldn't understand how the woman had escaped being burned, but decided that the question could wait for later.

Coughing a little, and wiping some char off her cloak, Lilith gave the girls a thumbs-up. "Congratulations, Ino. Next time though, could we NOT imitate Deidara in all things? Thank you." Something hard hit her head. "Oi! Ino, not cool! I'm the only one allowed to throw shoes at people!" She paused for a second. "Okay, Kasumi's allowed to throw shoes as well—because I usually deserve it—but that's it!"

Ino laughed. "So, mind explaining why that was possible?"

"Sure thing," Lilith replied, standing up. "The tremors you all felt at the start were a part of the genjutsu falling apart, since I hurt myself. That's why I was able to retain my balance while hopping on one foot while the tremors were in effect. The walls did not actually expand, or else the hallways on the other side of the rock walls would have collapsed and probably brought the whole hideout down. In reality, that little machine there created a loop in space." She pointed towards Tobi. "That's why that section has to be protected, since it's the original." Pausing, she looked a little uneasy. "And if the machine broke the whole space would collapse on us and it. . . Well, let's just say that it wouldn't be pretty for the others to clean up."

Everyone shuddered a little at the thought.

"Why would…you even…use such a dangerous thing, then?" Hinata asked, hesitant as ever. "It might not be…wise to use such a method if…you could die from it."

Lilith gave the girl—no, young woman, she reminded herself—a small, slightly regretful smile. "Hinata-chan, if that was the case, being a shinobi—much less a kunoichi—wouldn't be possible. All ninja must take risks. The more you get used to, the clearer your decisions under nasty conditions will be."

Hinata nodded carefully. "Yes, they taught us that in the Academy. However…that can't be the only way to go about conquering the kinds of fears one encounters as a ninja. That's what you were referring to…right…?" The last part was said with a fearful look in her pale eyes. "At least…that's what I believe," she added a little more strongly, a small glimmer of strength materializing behind the fear as she realized she didn't need this criminal's approval at all.

She knew that she was a Konoha kunoichi, and the former heiress to a great clan. No matter how much she wanted approval from the lavender-haired Akatsuki, she didn't actually need it.

Her smile falling, Lilith was hard put to answer the woman. "Is that…your dream?" It was her turn to be hesitant.

Not expecting this kind of answer, Hinata closed her eyes for a moment and thought hard. "Yes," she finally answered, opening her eyes again, determination having replaced all other emotions in them. "That is one of my dreams. Young children should not have to be put through too terrible things, just so that they can withstand more terrible things later!"

Sakura and Ino exchanged glances, both thinking the same thing: that they had missed something important when they were children. Hinata sounded as if she was talking from personal experience. They had known that the Hyuuga clan was harsh on its young ones, but neither had been able to comprehend the depth of it. They had simply been too young to pay it any mind.

And as they grew older…well, they were ashamed to admit to themselves that they had never truly tried to understand their friend. In fact, in a deep corner of their minds, they wondered if they had the right to call Hinata a friend when they knew so little of her circumstances.

Noticing all three's body language, Lilith debated the correct thing to say. This was something she had never been good at. She was much better at saying the wrong thing and getting predictable reactions from her extended family. She hadn't dealt with painful things, and had instead avoided them until they became huge five years ago. And even then, she was still on somewhat uneasy terms with Sasori and especially Itachi, which hurt her heart.

It sucked being able to read people's deepest, darkest secrets, and being unable to do anything about them. She thought she understood how Datenshi, Kasumi, and Cean felt, since they were able to draw out the dark in people in their own ways.

But there were three people waiting for an answer to Hinata's question, and she was fairly sure that Madara made a fourth (even if she couldn't tell whether it was him in control right now or Tobi). So, she said the only thing she could. "I hope your dream comes true, Hinata. I haven't thought about the issue before, so I don't know how that could happen. But I really want that wish to be realized." She paused for a second. "And, there are many people here you could talk to on the subject. After all, most of us here in Akatsuki had nasty childhoods and would be able to give thoughtful answers. I would suggest talking to Konan, for now, and maybe Kasumi and your partners later.

"But right now, I think we should finish what we came here to do. Hinata, you're next."

--

Tsunade was trembling like a leaf on a tall tree in a nasty storm. Funny, that analogy, she decided. Konoha=leaf, tall tree=Hokage Tower, and the nasty storm…

Well, she actually didn't want to think about that one too much. She felt that she would anger something else particularly nasty if she did. Obeying a gut instinct was usually the right thing to do in a situation where you were blind. It tended to keep one alive longer.

There was a knock on her door, and she called out a wavering, "Enter." Shizune strode in, with Shikamaru and Kakashi hot on her heels. Tonton trotted in as if he were an afterthought.

"You wanted to see us?" Kakashi asked, eye crinkling a little. He had to have been aware that the situation wasn't normal, because there was also a small hint of worry in his masked features.

"Yes. Please, close the door." Shizune did so and then went to her teacher's side—scooping Tonton into her arms as well. "Thank you. I'm going to get straight to the point. How many demons do you think exist?"

Shikamaru frowned. "So troublesome…there are only nine tailed demons, right?"

As Tsunade was about to correct Shikamaru on his mistake, she realized that Kakashi had stiffened considerably. "Kakashi?" she asked, feeling the colour drain from her face, "You know, don't you? About that…thing. That creature."

He nodded. "My old teammate and I…we did something very, very foolish." Shikamaru and Shizune merely looked confused since they weren't able to follow along at all, but Tsunade…she understood exactly what the man meant.

She turned to her tactical advisor and her assistant. "Unfortunately, Kakashi's words have just made our situation much worse. Yes, Shikamaru, to the extent of our knowledge there are only nine Bijuu. However, they are not the only demons. To be specific, I have met another demon before—long ago. Twenty-one years, to be exact. But I would recognize that monster's energy anywhere."

"I too, have met this demon," Kakashi continued.

Shikamaru suddenly looked alert. "You two…something bad happened...didn't it?"

Tsunade nodded gravely. "I made a deal with that monster. Or, rather, I had a wish granted by it." She held up a hand to keep the others from asking any questions. "I don't regret it. Not for a second. However, I now owe that demon something."

"What is it?" Shizune whispered, unable to quite believe what she was hearing. Tsunade? Making a deal with a monster? It just didn't seem like anything she would do. She was too…too strong to fall that far.

"I believe that my exact words were—" And here the Hokage paused for a couple of moments. "Perhaps," she continued, "I should just tell you everything from the beginning. If you are going to be able to accomplish your task, you will need to know everything that I do."

Kakashi and Shikamaru exchanged a look. They still weren't too quite sure what to make of the situation. "Just what is it you want us to do?" Kakashi asked.

"Shizune and I felt that monster's presence in Konoha not once, but twice today. Did you feel something…strange a little while ago?" The others nodded. "Then that…might be…very, very bad…" she trailed off, thinking hard. "That demon is plotting something, and is probably coming to collect what it is owed. I thought it would just be from me, but…what exactly did you and your teammate promise the demon, Kakashi?"

The man closed his visible eye in weariness. "…Anything it felt was fair and equal. We couldn't think of anything worth…" Even though his eye was still closed, he turned his head away, seemingly unwilling to speak more about the subject.

But Tsunade pressed anyway. "Did it tell you its price?"

"Yeah." Kakashi's hands curled into fists. "We were to never see the person we saved, ever again." He turned to face his Hokage once more, and opened his eye. "We thought that was alright, as long as he was alive."

Tsunade had to think for a moment as to whom Kakashi was referring. It had to be his former teammate, the Uchiha-Who-Was-Much-Too-Hyper, Obito. After all, it couldn't have been his teacher since Rin was already dead by the time the Fourth Hokage died as well.

She was certain that Shizune and Shikamaru didn't know who the gray-haired man was talking about. Which was probably for the better. "Then it can't collect on you. It already has. Now, here is what I want everyone to do."

The Hokage looked at the son of the White Fang. "Kakashi, you know the bingo book like the back of your hand. Make me a list of those who you think left their villages under strange circumstances. Pay special attention to those who appeared to have no real reason to leave beforehand, those for whom their crimes would have been the last things they would ever have thought about doing before, and people who went missing under strange circumstances."

She then turned to Shikamaru. "You know the people here in Konoha very well. Try to think of anyone with a desire powerful enough to interest a demon. Also try to think of those who have suddenly stopped desiring whatever it was with no good reason."

Last of all, she looked at Shizune. "I need hospital records of people who escaped unscathed while the rest of their team perished. If they didn't have a satisfactory answer for why that happened, mark their names in red. Also, look for people besides Naruto who had amazing self-healing gifts, or strange attributes not attributed to a bloodline trait."

Facing everyone, she cleared her throat. "I will work on whatever Shizune brings me. This demon, for some reason, doesn't make many movements during the daylight hours. Come back here just before sunset, and I will tell you everything I have discovered from your findings as well as what happened when I met the demon. Go now."

She smiled broadly at them. "We're going to find a pattern. And we'll be able to use it to outwit the creature at its own game!"

--

Cean dodged yet another devastating kick from Lee, not able to do much against his lightning-quick attacks. She disliked moving around much—even though her speed was spectacular—and as such disliked fighting hand-to-hand.

However, she still wanted to win, so she was going to have to do more than dodge endlessly.

The next kick aimed at her head was her perfect opportunity, and she snatched it. Ducking below, she punched upward, connecting her fist with the back of Lee's calf on the leg doing the kicking. Putting a great amount of force into the blow, she was able to lift Lee's leg even higher, causing the young man to lose his balance and fall on his back.

Apparently, it had knocked the wind out of him because it took a moment for him to get back up. Cean, on the other hand, wasn't paying any attention to this fact. She was flexing her fingers quite a bit and rotating her wrist.

She stared at Lee. "You're wearing weights?" she asked incredulously. The Akatsuki member felt extremely embarrassed that she hadn't noticed earlier. This kid was…unbelievable. He could still move that fast?

Lee nodded, peering at her in confusion. "How could you tell?"

"I hit metal with my fist. You broke my hand," she remarked, staring at him. "Specifically, you broke three of my fingers, four of my metacarpals, and sprained my wrist." Now Cean looked a little irritated, wiping her bleeding knuckles on her trench coat.

The others stared at her in return, all thinking, 'Why the hell were you flexing your fingers and wrist like that then?! Shouldn't that have hurt like hell?!'

"Take off your weights," Cean demanded, pulling out a bandage from a pocket and sloppily wrapping her hand. "I despise handicaps."

"Even though the youthful Yamashi-san has one of her own?"

"I don't care. Take them off so I don't break my other hand." She glowered.

"Yes, ma'am," Lee squeaked, hurrying to do as the scary (but still youthful) lady told him.

(Staring) OH MY GOD IT'S A GODDAMN LINE!!

My friend Airheaded Kitty Luver…has just now shown me how to make a line. Which she herself found out on accident. NOT FAIR. I threw a temper tantrum with much swearing once I was able to make this line. Not fair at all…

Regardless, I made an extra long chapter for you guys! More than 3,000 words, it's the longest one so far! So please review for it! Your other choice would be to become Deidara's newest piece of art. Or, Sasori's, if you would prefer that.