Chapter 36: Naruto and Sakura's desicion

Konoha: Administration Building

"What!" Naurto yelled standing in front of Tsunade desk. "What do you mean she left?"

"Why would she not take us?" Sakura asked bothered by Tori's judgment.

Tsunade digs her finger in her ear of their high pitch tone of voice in the morning. "Please calm down. She did this because she didn't want you two caught in her affairs and the protection of her village."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asked.

"If I told them that Tori weren't coming back, her father would have thought it was kidnapping and would have put our treaty between us in jeopardy. As a shinobi of the Forest Village, her people come first even if it's against her own wishes." Tsunade explained her actions.

'Damn it.' Naruto clenched his fist not understanding the meaning of her refusing to return to her village, but he gets a gut feeling that he must protect her.

Kakashi eyes Naruto sensing his frustration of her leaving. "So what do you purpose we do then?" He asked calmly.

Naruto and Sakura gave him a bewildered look.

Tsunade smiled at him. "Ah, you know me to well Kakashi. But I want another person on this mission too. From his abilities to the situation we are in, it's perfect."

"Another person?" Naruto asked.

Walking outside the main doors of Konoha, Tori's clothing has changed with a camouflage black and white long jacket on as she took off her flak jacket of just wearing grey pants and black short-sleeve top underneath it. The way her clothing was it made her perfect for night time fighting which made the Jishin shinobis hard to find at night. She had a black backpack on that held her normal clothing and other things as well.

Nezumi was holding Tori's hand, feeling sad she had to leave Konoha so soon and not saying good-bye to Naruto and Sakura. She knew not to ask Tori of the situation because it hurt her leaving as well, but her older sister would never admit it to anybody.

Temari was walking beside them of being in charge of the escort mission, which was going to be a long week without Tori talking to her from accepting the job from her father. Temari was wearing her normal clothing as her fan was on her back. She eyes them both out the corner of her eye, hating to be the enemy on this mission towards Tori but she had her reasons.

"Are you really not going to talk to me the whole trip?" Temari asked.

"What do you want to talk about?" Tori said eyes forward with a straight face.

Temari sighed of annoyance from Tori suppressing her emotions as she always does. "Don't put me as the bad guy. I'm here because I care for your safety as well as Gaara. If he didn't have to stay at the village he would have been here but he sent me instead. When your father told us the mission of the Akatuski and Orochimaru going after you, Gaara reacted quickly by sending me. Gaara doesn't want what happen to him, be done to you. If the Akatuski take Okami away from you, you will die and..."

Temari was about to say something else but Tori cuts her off. "I know the situation and I don't actually care what Akatuski wants. Okami will never leave me no matter what jutsu they perform. Okami is more powerful then any Bijuu out there. They can never harness her powers for whatever intentions they have in mind. If they try to fuse with her powers she will destroy them. I am her only Jinchuuriki remember that. So stop worrying about me Temari."

"Hmph," Temari smiled at her as Tori eyes her. "No wonder why I like you," Tori face started to turn red of her saying that which made her feel uncomfortable. Temari saw this of her getting the wrong idea. "Hey get your head out of the gutter I mean as a friend."

Tori snapped out of it. "I-I knew that."

"Your cute...," Temari wrapped her arm around her neck. "But not that cute." She smiled at her.

Tori gave her a little smirk of always liking Temari's personality.

When they both finished going up a hill they stopped seeing four shinobis standing in front of them with backpacks on, as if going on a trip. Tori and Temari eyes widen as Temari took her arm off of Tori.

"Why are you guys here? This doesn't concern you anymore." Temari stated.

Tori eyes them surprised, shock and at a lost of words of them smiling at her. But she eyes the boy in the middle the most with his arms folded with a smirk on his face.

"Ha, like I can careless. You still own us a month of training."

"N-Naurto," Tori finally spoke surprised to see Sakura, Kakashi and... "Lee?"

Lee gives her his signature smile and a thumbs up. "Hello Tori-sama."

"Don't try to change our minds because we won't listen to you and will run for days just for disobeying you because...that's what friends do." Sakura said smiling at her.

"What's with these guys?" Temari said always seeing the Konoha shinobis odd but looked at Tori and was shocked. 'She smiling.'

"I suggest we get this trip going." Naruto said grinning.

Tori was smiling of feeling happy for them to come with her which made her call them her friends. 'Thank you. Now I feel much better obeying my father's wishes.' "I guess it can't be helped. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Heh Heh, then will have to prove it to you then," said Naruto joyfully. He turned around and pointed to the direction of where the Forest Village was. "Then let's go!"

"Actually it's that way." Temari said pointing in the east direction.

"T-That's what I meant." Naruto said feeling embarrassed.

"Only you Naruto." Sakura said shaking her head.

Kai observed from a distance in a tree watching them, as being the bodyguard scout with the other shinobis of the outer perimeter, making sure of no surprise attacks. He eyes Tori expression of smiling, of her never putting up a smile for him. He then eyes Naruto. He balls his fist, angered of Naruto presences of already taking Tori away from him. He punched the tree making a dent, as it turned into harden ice.