A/N: Ahh, it feels good to post! Well then, time for the fight. Sorry if it seems jumpy, and a little confusing at times. That would be my attempt at sudden events... -_-' Short chappie, but I really wanted to put something up. Anyway, enjoy!


Chapter 27: The Window


I wish you the very best of luck on your mission. Please give my regards to Kurenai-san if WHEN you see her next. :-)

Hinata blinked a few times as her sleepy brain processed the words on the little card she held. She looked down at the bouquet of flowers that she cradled in her arms. Only Naruto-kun would bother crossing off the 'if'. I wonder how he knew. I guess Kiba-kun told him. Smiling softly, she stepped into her room and searched for a vase. When she located one, decorated with an orange fox that she had painted herself, she filled it with water and gently placed the flowers into their new home. Hinata picked up her pack for the upcoming mission and headed for the door. One foot outside, she turned and glanced at the flowers that had miraculously appeared on her doorstep that morning. With a smile and a song on her lips, she waltzed happily out the door and towards Konoha's massive gates. When the gates were within sight, she noticed an abnormally large gathering of people. Well, abnormally large for pre-dawn time at least. A chorus of 'Hey, Hinata-chan' was quietly muttered due to the speakers' drowsiness. "Gooood morning, everyone!" she exclaimed in reply. It really was a good morning.

"It's not morning yet," Shikamaru pointed out. "Sun's not up."

The Hyuuga shrugged distractedly. "Why are you guys up so early?" she asked, addressing the groggy Team Asuma.

"We're going on an escort mission with Kakashi-sensei. Apparently, he wanted an assassination mission, but the target's bodyguards are on high alert because Iwa's shinobi botched their mission," Shikamaru said lazily, yawning wide.

"Well, good luck on your mission, Shikamaru-kun," she said cheerily.

Suddenly, a blur of a person sped between them, leaving footprints in the snow and Hinata's raven hair billowing in the wind current. "Hey! Kurotsuki, what's the deal?" Kiba called after her.

Kurotsuki just kept running, not even granting her temporary team a glance over her shoulder.

"I take it that we are to follow," Shino said, hurrying after her. Kiba jumped of Akamaru's back and followed suit. Hinata murmured a few hurried goodbyes and took up the rear.

"Hey, Kurotsuki, what's going on?" Kiba demanded, having caught up to her.

I refuse to run into Kakashi. "We've got no time to spare. Besides, we'll just call this endurance training," she answered curtly. She refused to let up on the pace until they all stopped for breakfast. "Hinata, try to get a lock on Kurenai-san's position. We know the general area where they were found last time but they may have lied to us and moved her."

The Hyuuga nodded and closed her eyes, focusing her chakra to her eyes. "They're still there. Both of them. No footprints in the snow, no one's been there recently. But I don't see Kurenai-sensei..."

"Shit," Shino contributed.

"Well either way, we're going to get something done for Konoha," Kurotsuki put in. "Let's get going."


"Oho, back again, little rats?" Kakuzu chuckled.

"We don't want you," Shikamaru stated bluntly. His habitually lazy gaze had been dropped in favor of a hateful glare, the full force of which he turned on Hidan.

"For me? Aww, you little bastards are way too nice," he drawled with a condescending voice.

"Hidan, you take this cell. There's another one coming and I don't want your battle getting in the way of mine."

"Fuck off, Kakuzu. I'll do whatever the fuck I want. Besides, there's no fucking room in here." He tilted his head left, then right, the cave ringing with the echo of his poping vertebrae. "Bring it on." He leapt over the heads of Team Asuma and Kakashi, crashing through the waterfall in a spray of winter-frigid water.

Shikamaru was the first to turn and follow, his teammates quickly following suit. This is for you, Asuma-sensei.

No more than a minute after they left, Kurotsuki burst into the cave with her team. Immediately, they took an offensive stance, exactly how they had trained for the past week. "Kurotsuki, not joining in?" Kiba asked, noting that the woman hadn't taken her position in the rear.

"It's your battle, not mine."

With an understanding nod, Team Kurenai closed the gap in the formation and shifted their weight to their toes. Kurotsuki disappeared underground and began a search for Kurenai, leaving the trio to their devices. Tentacles rose from the floor and raced towards their targets. The battle had begun.


"Well, looks like Kakuzu has started. I guess I should too," Hidan murmured to himself. He reached into his cloak pocket, pulling out a section of what appeared to be armor, stolen from the corpse of the Jinchuuriki that had just been done in by the Akatsuki. He attached the leather ties at the back of his neck, over the black stitches that marked the grievous injury Asuma had inflicted during his final battle. Can't have that happening again, especially while the jutsu's wearing out. He zipped up the front of his cloak, hiding the metal from view.

Team Asuma stood before him atop the pristine snow, weapons drawn. Kakashi had purposely gotten lost somewhere between the cave and the round-ish field where they now stood, having told them 'It's your battle' in the way of explanation. "Bring it on, right?" Shikamaru asked, charging.

"Stupid like your sensei, boy," Hidan replied, swinging his scythe. On impact, Shikamaru exploded in a cloud of smoke. "You can't beat me with Bunshins!" he laughed. Out of the smoke, Ino and Chouji came running, hurling their kunai. The Akatsuki dodged, clobbering both of the remaining shinobi in a single attack. "Is that all you've got?" he yelled.

The other members of Team Asuma exploded in smoke. "Nah, we've got more than that," came Shikamaru's voice from the cloud.

Hidan heard the crunching of snow underneath his feet and looked down. His feet were moving despite his will, and a thin black shadow had attached to his own. "Oh, a one trick pony, aren't you?"

"Well, the Bunshins' task is complete. Their sole purpose was to explode and extend my reach." The smoke dissipated, leaving Shikamaru in plain sight. But his teammates were nowhere to be seen. "And you won't be needing that," the genius murmured, slowly unclenching his right hand.

With a muffled woosh, Hidan's scythe dropped through the still air and landed heavily on the snow. "Bastard." The Akatsuki struggled against the shadow's pull, straining towards his prized weapon.

"Hang on." Shikamaru pulled Asuma's battered silver lighter and a fresh pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He casually tore the plastic covering, flicking the package to dispense a stick-o-lung-cancer. He brought the cigarette to his lips, lighting it. Shikamaru blinked a few times, trying to get used to the smoke in his eyes. "I think Asuma-sensei should get to watch this." He tilted his chin up, blowing a stream of smoke into the crisp winter air. And consequently forcing Hidan to admire the wispy clouds that drifted slowly across the sky.

"If he hits me, you'll go flying too, idiot!" Hidan cackled. "Don't think that just because I can't see that fat tub of lard, I can't hear him."

"What a bother, you noticed," Shikamaru replied coolly, still blowing smoke into the air. He glanced at Chouji out of the corner of his eye. His teammate was curled into a kunai-spiked destructive ball, doing a few rounds of a circle to gather speed. "I had hoped we could just run you into the ground and be done with it, but looks like that's not happening," he murmured quietly, not really caring if his opponent's straining ears picked up the mockery of his strength.

"Hey! Fat one! If you run into me, your one-trick friend here is gonna go flying too!" Hidan yelled at the sky, unable to direct his voice in any other direction.

Discreetly, the line of shadow attached to Hidan began to thin, slowly fading away. Well, I've been looking up long enough. Any longer and he'll think I'm trying something. Shikamaru lowered his head and stared the Akatsuki in the eye. He's looking left. He's trying to recall something...

Without warning, Chouji broke out of his circular track, heading straight for his opponent. He dashed across the field, churning up snow, leaving a trail of frozen ground in his wake. But just as he was about to land a crushing blow, Hidan leapt out of the way.

"Hah! I knew you'd let me go, bastard! There's no way you'd let your own fat tank hit both of us," Hidan sneered.

"Who. Did. You. Call. Fat?" Chouji raged.

"No! Wait! Chouji, not now!"

The Akimichi paid no heed to his teammate's words, rolling into a ball again and barrelling towards Hidan. His opponent jumped nimbly out of the way and landed near the edge of the clearing.

Got you! 3 Shintenshin no jutsu! Hidden in the tree, the final member of Team Asuma did her part.

What the fuck? Who are you? Get the fuck out, you little bitch! With a genjutsu, Hidan expelled Ino's spirit, casting it off somewhere in the air.

Shikamaru looked expectantly at Hidan. "Ino? Did it work?"

So he's expecting the bitch's spirit... In that case... "Phew. Yeah. Had to fight for it though. Man, this guy is-" Too late, he realized he had been trapped by Shikamaru. Again. "What the fuck! How did you know?"

"Wrong words. If Ino really did take over, she would have said 'Ichiraku ramen'."

Chouji barrelled towards Hidan again. The Akatsuki smiled. "You're going to have to let me go, bastard. Or else you'll get hurt too."

Shikamaru turned and spread his arms, making his opponent the perfect target for his rolling kunai-spiked teammate.

Hidan watched the shadow attached to his own, waiting for it to detach and return his freedom of movement.

But it never happened. Chouji smashed into him, driving his mostly-immortal body into the earth and kunai slashing open cuts on his skin. Fuck damn, that hurts. He heard Shikamaru grunt as his body slammed into the ground as well, the impact breaking his trademark shadow jutsu. The instant Chouji passed, he leapt up and charged towards his red scythe. "Hah, fuckers. You're all fucking screwed!" He quickly dashed towards the edge of the clearing, out of Chouji's way. (The Akimichi was still furious over the use of 'fat' and had gone on an anger-fuelled rampage.) He swung his scythe into the tree behind him, drawing a puzzled look from Shikamaru.

And that look changed to horror. "Ino!"

Hidan drew his scythe back towards himself, dragging the girl out of the tree.

She had a shallow cut on her cheek. And her blood was on his scythe.

Shikamaru made a detour, dashing around the Akatsuki to reach her. "Ino. Ino, hey! Can you hear me?" He crouched protectively in front of her. He reached over and tapped her shoulder, breaking the genjutsu. Still, she didn't wake. What a pain, her spirit isn't back yet. Oh, crap. Hidan swung his scythe towards the blonde, having deduced that she was still unresponsive. Shikamaru quickly brought up a kunai, blocking the attack.

"What the fuck?!" The muscles of his arm were twitching uncontrollably, nearly forcing him to drop his scythe. "Raiton bastard, charging your fucking kunai. Well, I don't need her anymore." He jumped, dodging another one of Chouji's attacks. He looked around the field and snorted. Wherever the Akimichi had passed, the snow and dirt had been churned up. And that was mostly the whole field, save for one lucky patch of snow. "Your fat friend is a shitty shinobi. Tell him to get fucking anger management!" Hidan laughed, dashing over to the last pristine patch of snow. He slashed open his wrist, letting the blood drip onto the snow. "Remember this?" With practiced movements, he spread the red fluid with his foot, drawing the Jashin symbol on the ground.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in horror. "No..." His opponent's skin darkened, turning white and black like it had the last time they fought. With a devilish smile, Hidan licked Ino's blood off his scythe.

With a roar, the booby trap went off. An explosion of fire rocked the ground where the Akatsuki stood, burning the majority of his clothes.

Shikamaru's head snapped around at the cry of pain; Ino had returned to her body just in time for the Akatsuki's curse to take effect. Burns appeared all over the pale, flawless skin that she treasured so much. A horrible déjà vu flashed before his eyes. Asuma-sensei.

Another bang went off behind him; the light bomb he had set up prior to the fight. His shadow darkened and extended, attaching itself securely to Hidan's.

"Fuck you!"

Shikamaru relaxed his hands, once again letting the scythe drop. Chouji came up behind him, handing him the end of a wire and then turning to look after their injured teammate. "This is it for you." He walked, bringing them closer and closer together, dragging Hidan out of his Jashin curse circle. "Chouji wasn't on a mindless rampage. He was corralling you. Where you're standing is the one spot of flat ground left. The spot we booby trapped with a delayed bomb. That bomb set of the light bomb behind me. It extended my shadow and now I've got you."

He laughed. "I can't die!"

"Yes, you can," Shikamaru countered. "Do you think I'm stupid? There's a reason you stole armor from a dead Jinchuuriki and put it on yourself." He reached up and tore an imaginary piece of metal off his neck, leaving Hidan to do the same – with the real thing. "You needed it. For some reason, you can die if you're attacked in the right place. When Chouji was charging from behind, you were trying to remember if anyone killed you by crushing your spine. And I know that Asuma-sensei already killed you once by slicing off your head. And I'll do the same. So, you'll die. For real this time."

"Fuck."

Shikamaru pulled the wire, sending kunai shooting out from the trees that ringed the clearing. They sliced through Hidan's unprotected flesh, the tips meeting with a muffled clang in the center. His black-and-white head, cocky smile still in place, slid off his neck and fell to the ground. Soon after, his body followed. The pool of blood slowly grew. "Show's over, sensei." Shikamaru grabbed the butt of the cigarette he had been smoking throughout the fight and flicked it. With a little hiss, it went out in the puddle of blood at his feet.


"This is getting to be ridiculous," Kisame complained. "You're telling me that Hidan and Kakuzu got taken out by Chunnin runts?"

"Yup," Zetsu replied.

Kisame ground his triangular teeth. "That was rhetorical."

"Yes, I know."

"Then why did you answer?"

"Kisame, you talk too much," Itachi interjected quietly.

"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he demanded.

"Trivial matters such as this should not require the taking of sides," the Uchiha replied calmly.

"Be quiet," Pein ordered. "Zetsu, it has taken quite some time for you to obtain the Rokubi," their leader commented, eyeing the thin man lying on the rocky floor.

The plant nodded curtly. Trying to blame the delay on transporting the corpse all the way to the Land of Rocks would only further invoke Pein's quiet anger. In silence, they began the sealing process again, preparing themselves for a long wait. And with cold, uncaring eyes, they watched the life drain out of their latest victim.


They had done it. They had killed Kakuzu. They had found their sensei. And now Team Kurenai was going home, complete once more.

Kurotsuki had found her in a small cave not far from where their battle had taken place. The trio of shinobi spent a good amount of time fussing over Kurenai, not letting her get a word in edgewise. But when she did, in a quiet, shaky voice, she asked the question they had all been dreading.

"Where's Asuma?"

Her team didn't reply. And that was answer enough.

Kurenai bowed her head and felt the tears begin to fall. A small sob escaped, despite her best attempts to stay silent. Her hands rose to cover her mouth. I've had so many nightmares of this moment. I always dreaded this. I prepared myself for this. It was inevitable. I thought I prepared myself for this.

Hinata was the first to fall to her knees and wrap her arms around her. Kiba and Shino wordlessly joined. Even Akamaru leant his warm, furry side against Kurenai's trembling shoulders.

From the outside, looking in... Kurotsuki shook her head. She picked up the rose that Asuma had left at the end of his last stand, handing it to Kurenai.

She cupped it gently in her hands and brought it to her heart. She knew. Asuma...

The silver-haired woman turned and stepped out of the cave. This was their moment, and she had no place in their heart-wrenching tableau. She looked up at the full moon. No time tonight. I'll make it back to Konoha in the morning. She leapt through the trees, traveling a little further from her destination. No one would think to look for her in the opposite direction of the village. That is, if they thought to look for her at all. Well then, shall we begin?


Kakashi woke slowly, drifting into wakefulness. Team Asuma had come back the night before, quite exhausted from their mission. In a summoning scroll, they carried the severed black-and-white head that belonged to Hidan. While Tsunade had been pleased that Konoha had one less enemy, it did absolutely nothing to withhold her wrath. Do not, ever, go behind Tsunade-sama's back on a revenge mission. He swore his ears were still ringing from her lecture. Ino had been the only one to be spared the Hokage's wrath. But then again, she was in the hospital, being treated for severe burns, so he assumed it couldn't be much better for the poor girl.

"Hey, Kakashi-san..." Kotetsu said nervously.

Oh, right. That's why I'm waking up on a couch. Forgot I was staying over here. "Mm?"

"About you staying here..." he trailed off. He had reason not to finish his sentence. People that pissed off Hatake Kakashi did not tend to live long nor happy lives.

Well, I guess Kurotsuki would have given up looking for me by now. "Yup, no problem. Moving out today. Sorry for the inconvenience." He rose and gathered the items that he'd brought with him for his little stint away from home. A glint of metal caught his eye. Black kunai. Kurotsuki's black kunai. "Want me to return those for you?" he said, gesturing casually. I really should check up on her.

"Yeah, thanks," Kotetsu answered, handing him the weapons.

With a casual wave, Kakashi left, heading for his own apartment. He opened the window to his room and stared in disbelief. She had destroyed his wall. There was a scroll with money on the bedside table as repayment, but his wall, or lack thereof, interested him more. Everything had gotten a little dusty during his three weeks of absence, but it looked like no one had been by. No footprints, nothing. Huh, I'd expected her to come looking for me. He frowned. Some brownish substance had been smeared on his wall before she had torn it down. Puzzled, he grabbed the chunk of plaster and set it on the floor before him. He chose a few others at random and flipped them over. They too had brown markings. He took a particularly large one and turned it over. Letters. The markings were letters. It didn't take him long to piece together the jigsaw puzzle of his own bedroom wall and he sat back when he was finished. His eye widened. Oh shit. He grabbed the black kunai and rushed out the window, heading for Kurotsuki's apartment.

Within seconds, he was standing before the building, frozen. Maybe I shouldn't do this. The message she had written flashed again before him. No, I owe her that much... Taking a deep breath, he leapt up to her window. Here we go.


Kurotsuki was curled up under the covers in her pyjamas when he showed up. Her chakra net was gone, but she knew who it was. Her hands moved painfully and began to form seals. As her hands met in the first tiger seal, she stopped. He doesn't even care anymore. There's no point in hiding it. That's right. Don't fight it, sweetheart. She had long since succumbed to her whisperings. Pain had been running rampant for the past weeks, slowly chewing at her unprotected heart. She hid her tearstained face under the blankets. She heard the lock click open and she felt the rush of cold air that the open window let in. His familiar scent filled her nostrils and his velvety voice reached her ears. "Kotetsu-san asked me to give you these," Kakashi said tensely. The clinking of kunai sounded as he held them up; despite the fact she couldn't see them.

"Just throw them on the dresser," Kurotsuki muttered hoarsely in reply. Deception never failed her; always keeping her voice steady (as much as her parched throat would allow), her face smiling. Her ears picked up his footsteps as he walked around the foot of her bed and dropped the set of kunai on the wood. He walked back around and balanced on the windowsill. Looking over his shoulder, he glanced at the bedroom one more time, steeled himself, and made his decision.

She heard Kakashi slam the window shut with such force that the glass rattled in its frame.


A/N: O.O Yes, here we go. The best thing to describe the next little while is DRAMA-RAMA! All the way; I am pulling out all the stops. Thanks for reading and please review! ^_^ Speculations are always welcome (and fun to read), as are reactions to certain character's actions *Kakashi* (and likewise, fun to read). (Oh yeah, and did I mention that I hope to update again sometime within the year? XD)