Now, this chapter is going to be a little weird at first, but keep in mind that Akito and Hiro got held back a year so that they could be put on Ciara's team. That means that they've got a year on their peers (though, in all honesty, the two of them could have graduated a couple of years early, but they didn't want to make the effort). Not to mention that Akito already helps out in the interrogation department, and I'm planning on eventually sending Hiro back to the academy as a teaching assistant (until he's old enough to actually teach the brats). So in an emergency, this kind of behavior is only to be expected.

Also, I'll be adding Sakura's P.O.V., finally. Though, it's mostly for the sake of impact and visual description than anything else.

Warning...very long chapter ahead.


As the feathers continue to fall, something strikes me as odd. What...wait...is this a genjutsu? I may not have seen a lot of genjutsu before, but if it is one, that would explain why nothing is happening to me. But that said...what exactly is going on here? Why place a genjutsu over the entire crowd?

I can feel the genjutsu continuing to fall all around me, but nothing in front of me changes. Not the sights, the smells, or the sounds. Well, except that it's going rather quiet. Too quiet for an arena full of excited spectators, who seem to have collectively fallen asleep. Who is powerful enough to place such a widespread genjutsu? I've never seen anything like this before. Though, to be fair, I haven't come up against much genjutsu.

Chick, be on your guard. Whoever is casting this genjutsu wants no witnesses to their plan. Find your teammates, quickly.

Without even questioning how he knows what's going on, I race through the arena, seeking out Hiro and Akito's chakra signatures. Everything is very muddled by the sheer number of them, and without what seems to be my complete immunity to genjutsu, there's no way they'll still be awake by now. And inactive or slumbering chakra signatures are even harder to find in this mess.

I grit my teeth as I search for my missing teammates. Plan...what plan? Then it occurs to me. Is this what they were talking about? Temari and Kankuro...is this part of their plan!? But...if that's so, then who is out there helping them?

As I pass through my third set of bleachers, I spot two rather familiar shapes leaning slumped against the railing. Found them! I jump over several rows of seats, being careful not to hit any unconscious spectators in the head. The last thing I need is to have to explain why people who came here to watch our matches somehow have mysterious concussions.

I land next to the railing and gather chakra in my fingers. I press my fingers to Akito's temples and close my eyes, preparing to overstimulate his synapses. "Release." The chakra shoots into his body, jolting him from unconsciousness.

He groans and raises a hand to his eyes. "What's going on? The last thing I saw...Sasuke and that Gaara guy were tearing into each other."

"I'll explain in a minute." I move on to Hiro, gathering a little more chakra in my fingers as I press them to his head to repeat the process. "Release." And just like Akito, Hiro wakes up. Unlike, Akito, he does it much less gracefully, and he smacks the back of his head on the concrete floor.

"Ow..." He rolls onto his side and rubs the back of his head. "What the hell happened? We were just trying to find Yuki-Sensei, but..."

"Genjutsu." I look down into the arena, and neither Sasuke or Gaara are anywhere to be seen. "We've got an enemy in our midst, and they've cast a widespread genjutsu over the entire crowd." Which is about all I can really figure right now.

Akito nods slowly. "And you didn't fall asleep because of it, right? Genjutsu doesn't work right on you."

"Exactly." I look out over the crowd and notice movement. Many of the moving figures are in green flak jackets, but some aren't. "Clearly, we're under attack. But I have no idea by whom, or how many there are."

"So that's what's going on..." Hiro rubs his head a little more, before he looks around, eyes sharpening as his demeanor becomes serious. "If we're under attack, then we can't just sit here and do nothing. Exams be damned, if the village is under attack."

"Agreed." Akito rises to his feet and pulls Hiro up with him. "We need to assess the situation quickly, then move out, even if that means splitting up."

"And...that means that we'll probably end up splitting up anyway." I grip the railing and try to get a feel for how many there are out there. But something feels wrong, because there are chakra spikes far past the arena. "Uh...I think we have a problem."

Akito sighs. "Let me guess...chakra signatures out past the arena. There's a lot of them, and it seems like they're coming from all directions?" I nod tersely. "Great..."

"Well, then I guess that means that the situation is clear." Hiro grits his teeth. "The village is under a large-scale attack. And that means that we need every ninja we've got to fight, gather intelligence, or conduct evacuations of the civilians."

"It sounds like the three of you already know what you need to do." An ANBU touches down on the railing right next to us. And very much against protocol, he removes his mask, revealing a face that I haven't seen since I was little. "Hello, Ciara."

"Uncle..." It's my aunt Shiho's husband, Konohamaru's father, and a member of the Sarutobi Clan. "Do you know what's going on?"

He nods. "The village is under attack by the Sand and Sound, though we haven't yet received word of any other allies they might have. There is a giant three-headed snake running rampant throughout the village, and Lord Hokage is currently trapped in a barrier and engaged in battle with Orochimaru, a former student of his." He's reporting it as befits an ANBU captain, though he certainly has no obligation to tell me anything. "Also, you should know that your friend, Naruto Uzumaki, is currently with a squad that is pursuing Sasuke Uchiha, who in turn, is in pursuit of the Sand ninja, Gaara of the Desert."

"Thank you." Now, I know what's going on. Which means that now, we can make a plan. I turn to my teammates, who stare back at me, just as determined to do this. "I think that since you both saw what happened earlier, I should give you at least a short explanation, with the promise of a longer one later. Though I tell you this is confidence that you will not reveal it to others." I close my eyes and take a deep breath, opening them once more when they turn red, orange, and gold. "You've seen this power once before, and trusted me to use it to protect you. But Gaara and Naruto both have power similar to mine. It's dangerous and volatile, and I fear for anyone who fights against it without any knowledge of it. Which means that if Sasuke, and whoever Naruto brought with him are going to survive, I need to go in pursuit of them, myself."

Akito smiles confidently. "Alright, then we'll leave their reinforcements to you. Meanwhile, I'll find some high ground and scope out the situation, then, I'll report in to the intelligence department and see what I can do to help Ibiki."

"Alright, then while the two of you do that, I'll head to the academy and make sure that all the students have gotten out, before then heading out into the village to help evacuate the civilians." Hiro punches his fist into his palm. "We'll attack this problem on three fronts, and see where we go from there. If things start to go south, we'll meet back in the village center in three hours."

I smile at their eagerness to get to work, and I hold my fist in the air. "Then let's do this."

"Yeah!" Akito and Hiro bump their fists against mine, and the two of them race to the railing, before hopping over it and dropping to the ground, turning into nothing but blurs as they escape the arena.

My uncle, having stayed to watch our meeting, puts his mask back in place, though I can almost seen the smile behind it. "I see that I will have several things to report to your proctors later. The exams may have been interrupted, but I think there is something to be said for three genin being able to keep their cool and come up with such a well thought out plan so quickly. Now..." He points off towards the border of the village. "Your targets have headed out in that direction. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up with them before anything unfortunate happens. I must return to Lord Hokage." With that warning, he disappears, likely to go and command a couple of ANBU teams.

With a simple nod between the three of us, we split up and race off in three different directions. And I don't even glance back as I race up the wall, trusting them to do what they have to. I make it to the top and survey the area, looking out at the buildings that I'll have to use as stepping stones in order to follow behind Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara.

Well, no time like the present. I leap from the top of the wall, falling about thirty feet, and hit the roof of the adjacent building running. I barely pay attention to the people in the streets, pointing up at me with confusion. I'm on a mission, and I have to make sure that I carry it out. The lives of people that I care about are hanging in the balance, and that's not something that's going to fly.

The wind catches at my long blue sleeves and whispers over my bare shoulders and upper back as I nearly fly through the air. I jump so far with every stride that I only ever place one foot on any given roof. But even from here, heading in the opposite direction of the battle, I can see the gigantic snake wreaking havoc over on the other side of the village.

I turn my head, forcing myself to ignore the destruction. My job right now is not to fly to their rescue, but to fly to the rescue of those that I'm pretty sure are in way over their heads. Damn it, Naruto...why couldn't you just wait for me?

There's no use grumbling about it now, though. I just have to go a little bit faster and get within range of Naruto's chakra. No doubt, he's got something helping him to home in on Sasuke, so all I have to do is follow along, and make sure to arrive in time to stop anyone from getting themselves killed.

Thankfully, it doesn't take me too long to get out of the urban areas of the village and into the trees. I have a lot more maneuverability here, and it's far easier to fight in here without getting any of the civilians involved. My foot hits a tree branch, and I leap off of it, nearly shattering the limb with the amount of chakra that I'm pumping into my feet to keep up this pace.

For a couple of minutes, it feels like I'm getting closer to Naruto, until his signature takes off in another direction. But as I start to get closer, another signature approaches me from behind.

Ready for an attack, I hit a tree branch hard and turn around, mustering chakra in my hands to unleash on my pursuer, before a figure lands on another branch and holds up their hands in surrender. "Hold on, it's just me!"

I recognize that voice. "You're..." I get a good look at his face and relax a little. "Asuma Sarutobi..." He's my uncle's younger brother.

He smirks at me lightly. "Good to see you, kid."

"Yeah..." I look behind me, where Naruto's chakra signature is getting away from me. "I'd love to stay and get to know you, Uncle, but I'm kind of in the middle of chasing down Naruto so that no one gets themselves killed."

"Yeah, I know." Of course he would know... He grins easily. "I'm here for Shikamaru. Seems like he and Naruto have split up."

My eyes widen in alarm. "They've split up!?" Ugh, who the hell is making the plans!? Oh wait... "Okay, you take care of Shikamaru. He's probably the one getting himself into trouble."

Asuma nods. "Yeah, probably. Now, you go and find your friends."

"Yeah." I turn away and glance back over my shoulder. "Make sure that Shikamaru makes it out of this alive. It would put a real damper on our classmates spirits if one of us were to kick the bucket." I point off in a slightly different direction. "I'm headed that way."

"Alright, stay safe out there." It seems like even if he barely knows me, just by my late aunt's association with him, he worries a little.

I laugh quietly. "Yeah, I'll be alright. I'll come back with Naruto and the others." Hopefully in one piece...

I leap from branch to branch, gaining distance from Asuma, and closing the distance between me and my targets. While it makes me feel better to be catching up to Naruto and Sasuke, the fact that I can hear explosions from up ahead does not reassure me. Please...please don't let me be too late.

Chick, if you wish to move quickly enough to catch up to your friends...you may use my wings.

I nearly freeze at his suggestion, and I have to stop at the end of my jump in order to take a breath. Use...your wings? But...then they'll-

Yes, they will see. But I fear that if you continue at this pace, even by riding the wind, you may not make it in time. They have a lead of several minutes on you already. If you wish to save them...

Then I'll need to trust them... I sigh slightly, and I mull over the decision. On the one hand, if I accept Suzaku's help in this instance, I will certainly catch up to them in time to save them. On the other hand, if I do that, then not only Naruto, but Sasuke, and the Sand ninja will all see me like that, along with anyone else accompanying Naruto.

I don't like the idea of showing that to anyone, but realistically speaking, I don't know how long I could expect to be able to keep my abilities secret. Well, it's not like I need to keep it a secret for the Chunin Exams... Chances are, they're not going to be resuming after this. so that leaves the downside being that anyone who sees me is going to hate me. Well, anyone but Naruto. I doubt that he could hate me, even if I turned myself into a giant bird.

Okay...but if we're doing this, then we might as well go all out.

What did you have in mind, chick?

Well, Gaara is Shukaku's vessel, right? I doubt that he's going to be down for long. And when he gets back up, he's going to go after Sasuke and Naruto. So in that case, I'm going to need a lot more than just a pair of wings when it comes down to stopping him. Especially if it comes down to a physical confrontation.

Suzaku is silent for a moment, before power starts welling up inside of me. I will give you what your body can handle. But be careful, your body is still immature and fragile. You will not be able to use this form for long. Your strength will far beyond what you could ever have imagined. But you will likely collapse when all is said and done. Be prepared for that outcome.

I know. No power comes without a price. I take a deep breath, close my eyes, and let the power flow through my chakra pathways. Heat gathers in my back, as well as in my eyes, licking across my cheeks and forehead, and gathering just in front of my ears. Please...help me!

The heat solidifies, and wings burst from my back. I open my eyes to find that my eyesight has sharpened, just like earlier. "It's time to go."

My feet break the thick branch as I kick off of it. But I don't land on the next branch, no, I take to the air, flapping my new wings around me as I pick up speed, dodging through the trees at twice the speed I had while jumping. The feeling of the wind across my skin is incredible, and it makes me feel completely free.


Sakura's P.O.V.

Naruto goes right ahead and kicks the monster lunging at Sasuke, and I land on the tree branch next to him. Sasuke looks terrible, and the curse mark is starting to show up on his skin again. "S-Sasuke!" I touch him gingerly, trying not to aggravate the pain he's clearly in.

Sasuke tries to get up, turning his head towards Naruto. "W-what are you doing here?"

But the angle he's at gives me a perfect view of how far the curse mark has gotten. He's losing control again, just like before. His cries remind me of the Forest of Death, and that's not a good thing. "Sasuke, hold on!" I curse silently. Kakashi-Sensei said that bruise was nothing to worry about.

"Hey, uh Sakura. Earth to Sakura!" Naruto's voice needles its way into my brain.

"What do you want!?" Where are his priorities!? Sasuke is hurt!

Naruto points on ahead at the monster in front of us. "Uh, this guy over here...who the heck is he?"

"His outward appearance might be different..." Pakkun hops onto the branch and peers at the monster. "But he's the one you know as Gaara."

My fists clench tightly as I notice the resemblance. He did this...to Sasuke.

"Hey, little girl." Pakkun wags his butt in front of me. "I guess now would be the time to tell you that I'm not the fighting type."

He says that like I hadn't figured it out by the fact that he's only a foot along! "I can see that by looking at you!" But then, Sasuke starts to cry out in pain again, and calls my attention to him. In any case, we have to get out of here and get Sasuke back to Kakashi-Sensei.

"What do you want?" Gaara growls like some kind of animal, a feral grin on his face.

But Sasuke tries to get back up, despite the fact that he clearly needs help. And I try to keep him down. "Sasuke..." I watch as he clutches at his shoulder, helpless to do anything to help him.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, something moves, and Naruto shouts. "Guys, get up! We have to move, now!"

"Die, Sasuke Uchiha!" But as Gaara comes flying at us, I move to defend him. Though I suppose that it's rather stupid to be fighting a monster with just one kunai.

"I don't think so!" A huge red and blue blur flies past us, meeting Gaara in the air, and hurling him backwards so hard that he smashes right through half a dozen trees.

Between him on the ground, and us up in the tree, stands a small figure with huge reddish wings coming out of their back, stretching out nearly twenty feet in both directions, colored like a beautiful sunset. A handful of red feathers sweep back from near the front of brown hair that trails down to just past their shoulderblades. And when this newcomer turns around, I see fiery red markings shaped like small flames on her forehead and cheeks, licking back towards her crown and temples, half hidden by sideswept brown bangs, and framing eyes that transition from gold, to orange, to scarlet in spikes around her pupils.

...Ciara...?


Ciara's P.O.V.

I breathe a little heavily, but it looks like I made it just in time. Well, not just in time, since it looks like Sasuke has largely been put out of commission. But I'm definitely in time to make sure that no one has died. I take in a deep breath, then sweep my eyes over the three of them, plus the dog. "I take it that you four are alright?"

Sakura nods weakly, not even bothering to disguise the way that she's staring at me. It's actually kind of amusing. I'm not used to stunning people into silence. But feeling amusement at that is going to have to wait for later, because right now, we've got a bigger problem.

Gaara took the hit well, and he's climbing back up into the trees already. And judging by the way he's growling, my sudden appearance has managed to royally piss him off. Naruto growls back at him, though I doubt that he even realizes that he's doing it. "Ciara, Sasuke's hurt. Get him and Sakura out of here and-"

A mass of sand shoots past us, taking on the form of a giant demonic arm, and slams right into Sakura. pinning her to a nearby tree. I grit my teeth and turn my eyes on Gaara. I wasn't expecting him to recover so quickly, and I let my guard down for just an instant, and that's all it took for him to launch a sneak attack. Then, he withdraws most of the arm, leaving a layer of it there to keep Sakura immobilized against the tree. And from the looks of it, the impact has knocked her unconscious as well.

"Damn it." I crack my knuckles, flexing them menacingly. Gaara seems to be having another of those mental breakdowns right in front of me, once again holding his head in pain. Okay, what do I do now? Do I go to help Sakura, stay here to protect Sasuke, or make a move against Gaara? I have to weigh the odds and take into account what we've got. Sakura is unconscious, Sasuke is in no shape to battle, and there's me and Naruto here to fight Gaara.

Okay... I take a deep breath and consider the situation. If Naruto can summon up the power, then I'm sure that he can take on Gaara. But if I have to do it, then that leaves no one here to heal Sasuke and Sakura. If I stay here to tend to them, then that means that Naruto will be out there fighting Gaara on his own. But, if both of us go to fight Gaara, then that leaves Sakura and Sasuke without protection. That's not an option. We also can't run away. There's no way I would be able to carry all of them fast enough to outrun Gaara. So...how badly do we want a victory...?

Gaara growls at us from the opposite tree branch. "What's the matter? Weren't you going to make a run for it?"

Sakura groans quietly against the tree. "Sasuke...Naruto..." She's calling out for her teammates.

"Who are these two...?" Gaara starts to growl again, glaring with half of his face transformed at Naruto. "Who are they to you!?"

"Huh? Who are they to me!?" Judging by the way that Naruto gets to his feet, and the look on his face, he's growing himself a backbone, despite his fear. "They're my friends is who they are! You try laying so much as another finger on the two of them, and I will pulverize you!"

The sand that Gaara laid around Sakura starts to constrict, and she cries out in pain. "Well, I would consider that to be a bit more than a finger..." My own voice is something of a growl, though much more melodic than the feral sounds coming out of Gaara's mouth.

"What's the matter!?" Gaara stares at Naruto challengingly. "Weren't you going to pulverize me? Well, come on then."

It would seem that my decision has been made for me. "I've got these two, go on!" I give Naruto a push to the back, and he takes it.

"You're on!" Using the extra momentum I've given him, he leaps towards Gaara.

"Now..." I turn away from Naruto, putting my faith in his abilities for now, because Sasuke needs me more. "Jeez...you've really messed yourself up..." I can see dark marks all over his body, and I can sense that same malevolent power from during his match in the preliminaries. So...this is what that power was... Before I can even start tending to Sasuke, Naruto gets thrown back by Gaara's demonic sand arm. I sigh irritably. "You know, that's not what I had in mind for handling Gaara..."

"Oh...shut up." Naruto struggles to get back up. "This guy..." He shakes his head. "Just focus on healing Sasuke and getting Sakura out of that sand."

Gaara starts laughing at our exchange. "And that's exactly why you can't win. As long as you fight for the sake of others, you'll never advance beyond this level. Only one can remain undefeated. And only he can feel what it's like to truly exist! Forget your friends and fight for yourself!"

Naruto clenches his fists tightly. "You're insane. Forget my friends?"

"Let trivial feelings like friendship and loyalty cloud your focus and you'll die." Gaara's feral nature is peeking out even more now. And so are his psychopathic tendencies.

Naruto is undeterred. "Yeah, yeah, keep talkin' while you can. Cause I'm about to shut you up once and for all! I'm takin' you down!" Naruto flies through the air, a kunai in hand, but Gaara just swats him out of the air with his tail.

That said, I take a deep breath and focus chakra into my hands. And this time, as I press my hands to Sasuke's back, my chakra glows a reddish orange, with bright little sparks leaping through it. Come on... I pass my hands over his many bumps, bruises, and bleeding cuts. A few of them, like the ones from his match, are already scabbed over. But the fresher once are still bleeding, and that can't be allowed to continue.

"Sakura!" I turn my head at the sound of Naruto's voice to see that the life is being squeezed out of her by the constricting sand. "Let her go!" But when Gaara doesn't move, Naruto does. "Summoning Jutsu!"

But instead of Gamabunta, the Chief Toad, that I'm sure that Naruto was aiming for, all I see on the branch in front of him is a small orange toad with a navy blue jacket. I resist the urge to slap my palm to my face, since that would disrupt my ability to heal Sasuke. And I certainly don't feel like listening to Naruto argue with the tiny toad.

Gaara, on the other hand, demands my attention, as he starts transforming further. "Only by attacking and defeating me can you free her." And he's offered Naruto an ultimatum. Why do people offer ultimatums like that. Half the time, it backfires on you! "But you should hurry. With each passing second, the sand will harden, until it crushes her to death." Then, he raises his arms and launches an attack into the air. "Sand Shuriken!"

As the projectiles come closer, I turn my back to him and fold my wings together, letting the feathers lock together to make a shield. Four of the projectiles smash against my wings, but they do about as much damage as if he'd thrown a few rocks at me. Not pleasant, but I'm hardly going to die. If my wings could bruise, they would.

Naruto, on the other hand, gets thrown back as he tries to keep the little toad protected in his arms. And as I look over at my best friend, I can see the look on his face. And it's clear that his emotions are sinking. No...Naruto... Maybe I should have made him run. I should have stayed behind. I'm less sensitive about this demon topic than he is. Fighting Gaara can't be good for him, especially with all of his growling about hatred and power.

Or maybe...

The expression on Naruto's face changes, his face hardening into hard lines of determination. And then, there's three dozen Naruto clones in the air. But it takes only a moment for Gaara to blow them away. Then, Gaara blows Naruto away.

In the split second that it take for Naruto to fly towards a huge tree trunk, my hands flash together, and I take in a deep breath, forgetting about Sasuke for a moment. "Wind Style: Air Cushion!" I blow all of the air out, catching Naruto just before he hits the tree. And it drops him onto the branch gently, preventing what would have probably been the knock-out punch.

But as I turn to look at Gaara, anger shoots through me. Hey, Suzaku...can I make a shadow clone like this?

...I would not advise it.

Why?

He's silent for a moment. Because if you do, the effects of my chakra on your body will double. You will not be able to hold it long, and the damage to your body will be devastating. In the future, perhaps, but not now.

Oh... If he'd said yes, then I could be helping Naruto right now, rather than tending to his teammate who seems to have thought that depleting his chakra and getting thrown around by a Jinchuuriki would be fun.

"What is this...you come at me and that's all you've got!?" Gaara advances on Naruto, his Jinchuuriki form now progressed to where his entire body above the knees is covered by sand that forms itself into the shape of a demon. "All that effort...and you couldn't even touch me. What a joke!"

Naruto pants a little, and I notice him rolling an explosive tag around a kunai. "I don't know how much damage I can do, but it doesn't matter. I just have to give it my best shot." He starts making clones, and they fly down at Gaara, yelling all sorts of nonsense as they multiply over and over again.

And I'm almost impressed...until he shoves the kunai straight into Gaara's butt, calling it something like a thousand years of death. I don't see how shoving something up a demon's ass qualifies as death, or could last a thousand years, but...I'm not the one who named the technique, so I'm not going to comment.

Though, seconds after Gaara swats Naruto away, the kunai explodes point blank, shoved almost up Gaara's behind. And Sasuke, the idiot, seems to have decided that I've healed him enough, because he gets up and sprints along the branch, leaping over towards the tree that Naruto is hurtling towards. He flings himself between Naruto and the tree, breaking Naruto's fall.

Though, the one good thing to be said about that whole mess is that Naruto's stunt worked somewhat. Most of Gaara's sand has fallen off. But, seeing as it looks like Sasuke is going to try and get back in this fight, I'm going to have to put my foot down.

"I...can hold him here a little longer." Sasuke winces a little as he gets to his feet. "If it ends here, then that just means that this was as far as I was meant to go." He breathes hard, and I can hear the pain laced in his voice. "I lost everything once. I don't ever want to have to see that again. My trusted comrades falling...right in front of me." It's a noble sentiment, but in his condition, there's no way that he can see it through.

I land on the branch they're on, only to see Naruto getting up as well. "I get it now. Of course...he's no different than I am...going through life with the exact same sadness and loneliness that I had to carry. He fought only for himself, never relying on anyone." Naruto clenches his fists once more. "And because of that, I thought that he possessed strength. I really did."

Resisting the urge to laugh, I shake my head. "Did you learn your lesson?"

"I don't know." Naruto sighs a bit. "I guess I should have known better. That's not what real strength is. If you never fight for anybody but yourself, you'll never be strong, no matter what you do." He looks back at me with a smile. "You said in the hospital...that your reason to exist was to protect others."

I nod slowly. "To protect others is one of my most basic and powerful instincts. And I know that it's why I was born." Even if I couldn't protect the people I loved most, I can do something to protect the people around me now. "And that's what I'll do right now!" I look over at Sakura with a fire in my soul. "Naruto, you handle Gaara. I'll pry the sand off of Sakura and get these two to a safe distance." I shoot him a meaningful look. "Don't hold back. Give him hell!"

"Yeah!" He slams his hands together, and focuses hard, bringing forth a massive amount of chakra.

I grab hold of Sasuke and pull him out of range as Naruto summons up a thousand clones. "I know that you want to argue, or squirm, or complain, but don't." I look down at him as I drop him gently on a large branch, a safe distance away from what's about to be a battlefield. "That's not something you want to be in the middle of right now."

"But...how did he...?" Sasuke looks like someone's shocked him with a lightning bolt.

I smile slightly at his reaction. "Maybe you don't know your teammate as well as you think you do." Then, I look at Naruto proudly. "But I know my best friend, and this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"...Ciara...?" I look down at him to see that he looks utterly astonished.

I raise a curious eyebrow. "What, did you only just figure that out?" Then, I glance back at my wings and shrug. "Well, I guess I can forgive it. I do look a bit different now, after all."

"But..." He looks me up and down, as though not understanding what he's seeing. "What...are you?"

He's asked the million dollar question. "Well..." I take a deep breath and look him in the eye. "I suppose you could say that I'm like Gaara...just not totally psychotic. Though, I'm not the only one like him..." I cast my eyes on Naruto, thought I hardly expect Sasuke to know what I'm talking about.

"That's not an answer." His gaze hardens as he watches me.

I shrug lightly. "I know. But it's the best I'm going to give you. Just..." I bite my lip a bit and hold in a slightly panicked breath. "Just trust me, at least until we're all safe again."

He seems to bit his tongue on the topic, but that doesn't stop him from talking. "Then...what about Naruto? How did he-"

"Effort." The answer is rather simple as the two of us watch Naruto pummel Gaara from a distance. "He worked hard, never gave up, and used that weird brain of his to come up with the most improvisational and unexpected strategies." Then, Gaara's energy starts pulsing, and the clones start to disappear. "Crap, we have to move!"

I grab hold of Sasuke once more, this time, relocating to the branch that Sakura has been imprisoned on. Sasuke looks up at the sand uncertainly. "How are we supposed to get through that? My Chidori..."

"It's fine." I crack my knuckles as I look off into the distance, spotting a gigantic version of Gaara's earlier form. Naruto...you had better con that Fox into giving you some chakra, because we need that huge toad summon of yours right about now. I turn back to Sakura and grab hold of the sand. "We leave the big stuff to Naruto, and down here..." I dig my fingers deep into the sand. "We tear this off!"

With the extra strength granted by Suzaku, I tear off the sand piece by piece, releasing the pressure on Sakura bit by bit. Even this sand is no match for a furious Jinchuuriki. And I'm definitely not falling into the calm category right about now.

Sasuke, on the other hand, seems a little dazed by the sight above us. "What...is that?"

I roll my eyes as I continue to tear away the sand. "That would be the monster you tried to fight. So no matter how much you want to end your battle with Gaara, just stay put and stay out of it." I look up and refuse to shake. "Leave it to Naruto. He still has a couple of tricks up his sleeve." Namely a giant fox and a giant toad...

And as though reading my mind, Naruto's voice cries out. "Summoning Jutsu!" And over near the giant sand demon, appears a giant red toad. Gamabunta.

"How did he...?" Sasuke, once again, seems to be at a loss for words.

So, I yank away the last of the sand and allow Sakura to fall into my arms. "That's what Naruto spent this last month working on. While you worked on Chidori, he worked on learning how to summon toads. He went through hell to learn it, though."

The ground soon starts shaking with the force of Gamabunta's jumps. It's a battle between titans, and it's not a good idea for us to stick around. So, I grab Sakura under one arm, and yank Sasuke onto my back. It's a bit awkward, since he's half a foot taller than me, but in this form, I'm a lot stronger than usual.

Sasuke squirms a little as I take off. "Hey! Put me down!"

"Are you insane!?" I look back at the raging battle. "What could you possibly do in this situation!?" And then, of course, it just has to rain on us. "Ugh...great..." I flap my wings hard in order to keep us airborne, but have to touch down again before long in order to shake the water from them.

Sasuke looks back, his arms now firmly clasped around my neck. "What kind of battle is this turning into?"

My frustration gets the better of me, and I nearly growl at him. "One between a demon and a giant toad! What else!?" The two sides are going at each other with the force of natural disasters. Then, Naruto pulls the stupidest move I've ever seen. He uses a transformation jutsu on Gamabunta to turn the two of them into the Fox.

Sasuke's eyes widen. "That's the-"

"Nine-Tailed Fox." I nod quickly. Jeez...Naruto. I know that this is a battle between Jinchuuriki, but that doesn't mean that you have to follow Gaara's example and literally turn yourself into your inner demon! "Forget about it, it's just a transformation! We need to focus on not getting crushed!" I stop on a branch close to Kakashi's dog summon. "Hey, hop on!"

Without any protest, he hops onto my shoulder, clawing into my clothes and hanging on for dear life. "Are you sure that you know what you're-"

I take off from the branch, keeping pace with the battle, since I get the feeling that Naruto is going to need help in a couple of minutes, but I stay far enough away to keep my quarries safe. Though with a battle of this intensity, it's no surprise that we nearly get blown away a few times.

For the next couple of minutes, as shockwaves rock the area, I keep us under the cover of the trees. Then, the battle slows down. That is, until my chakra starts to pulse again, a reaction to the Fox's chakra within Naruto. And with a final shockwave ripping across the battlefield, I stop moving, and everything relaxes somewhat, growing steadily quieter.

Sasuke slides off of my back as we wait for the results. "Did...did he win?"

I reach out, looking for chakra coming from either of them. And luckily, all I really sense is Naruto, though not much of that. Gaara's feel is faint, but steady. Which means... "Yeah...Naruto won..." And best of all, he did it without killing anyone.

Gamabunta disappears, but despite my earlier assertion, it looks like those two just want to get in one last damn brawl. And it's a move that sends both of them falling to the ground. And from the looks of our perch, it would appear that neither of them are able to move.

With a sigh, I hand Sakura to Sasuke. "Stay here. I'll be back as soon as I'm done with those two morons..." While I'm relieved that the battle is over, I can't help feeling sad. Because it almost feels like this was inevitable.

I drop to the ground and walk slowly over to where Naruto is crawling towards Gaara. "Naruto..." I look at the wounds on him and shake my head. Then I see similar wounds on Gaara. Don't tell me...that he actually had to headbutt some sense into him? But the look in Gaara's eyes is different now. There's fear, rather than rage. And maybe...just maybe...that might be a good thing. I sigh slightly. "Sit still..."

Naruto obediently stops moving, and allows me to turn him over so that I can tend to him. And since he's only inches from Gaara, I take some pity on him as well. But I wouldn't, if it weren't for the fact that I can no longer feel any bloodlust or malice from him at all. So, I pass a glowing hand over him, and look down at him with no anger or hatred or even disapproval in my gaze. No. I can feel his turbulent emotions, and it makes me sad, makes me sympathize. Because thanks to Naruto, I got a front row seat to that kind of pain as a kid, and recently, things have begun to change for me too. And not for the better.

He looks up into my eyes, his aqua gaze boring into me. "Why...why would you help me after I-"

"Shut up and stay still." I click my tongue at him irritably. "If you don't, you'll just reopen your wounds." I pay special attention to the wounds on his forehead and shoulder.

"But..."

I huff impatiently and lean over him so that I can look him right in the eye, with nothing to interfere. "Are you planning on attacking the village again? Knowing that you'll get your butt kicked again?" He blinks slowly, then shakes his head. I nod approvingly. "Good. In that case, there's no reason for me not to tend to your injuries.

But just as I say that, Temari and Kankuro come rushing over, glaring supiciously at me. "What are you doing to Gaara!?"

I raise my hand slightly. "Healing him. Duh."

They both blink bemusedly, and Temari recovers first. "But...we're your enemies."

"Perhaps..." I lower my voice a little as Sasuke jumps down with Sakura draped over him. "But...he is also kin..."

Naruto and Gaara look up at me with astonished expressions as my wings flutter gently. But our moment is broken by Sasuke's approach. "Naruto, it's over. Sakura's going to be alright." He motions to the unconscious girl on his back. "Ciara tore the sand away." He looks over at me and takes a deep breath. "It's time to go."

"Yeah..." I grab hold of Naruto in one arm, strength still flowing through me. And then, I watch as Temari and Kankuro collect Gaara. "You two...take care of him..." I look down to those blank blue eyes and let a gentle smile crawl across my face. "And...try to have a team outing when you get home. Hang out, or something like that." The two of them watch me blankly, like they have no idea what I just said. But instead of repeating myself, I just leave it there to sink in as they take Gaara away.. I nod to Sasuke, who hands me Sakura. "Alright, now get on."

Sasuke shoots me a sour look. "I can get back on my own."

"I'm sure you could." But I'm in no mood for arguing. "But in your condition, it'll take you until nightfall. So just get on, and I'll fly us back."

Sasuke looks like he wants to keep arguing, but I glare at him again, and he relents, climbing slowly onto my back, and securing his arms around my neck, before I take off into the sky. It's a pretty heavy load, carrying three people, but there's no way that I'm going to drop them, no matter what.

I flap my wings as fast as I can, and zoom above the treeline, rather than wasting time dodging through the forest. I make a beeline straight towards the arena, since that's a fairly central location, as well as where most of the sensei are likely to show up. And Gramps might still be there.

So, after about ten minutes of very painful flying, not that I ever expressed such a thing out loud, I start to lose altitude on the approach to the arena. Sasuke breathes heavily in my ear. "You should land before we fall out of the sky. You're exhausted."

"I know..." I take a deep breath and will the world to stop spinning. "But I can make it, just watch." I tilt us towards the roof, where several of the jounin are gathered.

Much less gracefully than I'd like, the four of us tumble onto the roof, though I do my best to take the brunt of the impact with my legs, keeping my balance, despite my screaming muscles. Sasuke quickly slides off my back, and takes Sakura from my grip. I place Naruto down gently on the tiled roof, before collapsing to my knees.

Breathing hard, I barely notice that Akito and Hiro are rushing towards me. But now that the fighting is over, the heat recedes from my body, and my wings retract, leaving my upper back bare. The heat faces from my head as well, and I know that my eyes are retaking their usual color, while those mysterious feather from earlier are disappearing.

"Ciara! Ciara!" Akito shakes me a little, trying to get me to focus. "Ciara! Stay awake!"

But despite their best efforts, everything goes black.