Hello! I hope you'll like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 21

Naruto, Sasuke: 16

Shisui: 25

Kakashi: 30

"With what we know, we are almost sure that it is Akasuna No Sasori and his new partner the culprits for Haku's abduction," Tsunade-san told us, at the gate of the village. "Which is why Shisui is the team leader." I shot Shisui a look.

He was skilled, it should be…

It should be…

"I'll let him brief you exactly on the way. Akane, Sakura, Naruto, you three and Shisui are a team. Sasuke, Juugo," she said, turning to them, "the part you will play will be obvious once you meet up with Kiri."

"Why aren't Kakashi-sensei or Yamato-taicho here?"

"I sent Yamato and Sai on a reckoning mission in the Land of Earth." They were checking on the other jinchuriki is guess. "Kakashi is with them, but he used his sharingan a lot during his previous mission."

We came back from it last night. It was very early in the morning. Basically, Sasuke, Juugo and I were not in top shape.

I knew I had crossed a new line when I decided to put stasis seals on my wounds instead of going to a medic. Sasuke had been nice, even if he had to make it believable, so I had mostly bruises and a bad cut on my forehead. I knew I suffered some damage in my right arm, but I ignored it and as nobody saw me during my fight against Guren, nobody knew I had frozen my arm.

"The goal is simple: retrieve Haku from the Akatsuki and keep the Sanbi from being stolen. Once the mission over, you are going to Kiri to report there first and foremost. Akane." I looked up at her.

I was leaning against the side of the gates, waiting to leave.

"You'll be able to teleport there?" I nodded wordlessly. "Then you can leave."

We were off, Shisui in front of us.

"From what we received, the abduction happened on an island of the Land of Water. Akane, Sasuke, you'll be our guides."

"Got it," Sasuke replied and I simply nodded.

"Any information about their mission so that we can localize them?"

"Something to do with the Daimyo." I frowned.

"He still asks for skilled shinobi to go errand shopping." Shisui looked at me. "I think I know what they were doing. If I'm right, then I hope for you these cloaks are warm enough." We all had Konoha traveling cloaks.

Good for the Land of Fire.

But the Daimyo kept asking Kiri shinobi to pick up some frost flowers for his little cocktail parties, seriously. The flower had some serious cooling particularities and was found only in the north of the Land of Water, on the island where it was snowing almost all year long. Apparently it gave a heavenly taste to his cocktails.

I had to go flower hunting several times in the past because I can handle the cold.

"Akane, do you think you could get us closer? If we have to travel on water it will take too long."

"I can, but I'd rather be on the coast first to avoid wasting chakra." He nodded and turned his face toward the rest of the group. Naruto was silent, his face grim yet an angry glint was in his eyes.

"You heard her, let's speed up."

We reached the coast after a day. The closest marker to that island I could reach...yeah, that's what I thought. I made a clone who grabbed Juugo's and Sakura's hand. I did the same with Shisui and Naruto.

"Sasuke, you're going first." He nodded and vanished. We joined him a second later and Sakura groaned, a hand on her head. "Sorry, Hiraishin can make you real dizzy at first."

"It's fine..." she mumbled.

"Where are we?" Juugo wondered, looking around.

"Hey that's..."

"Your old hideout!" Naruto exclaimed, recognizing the Resistance Hideout.

"Yeah, it's been abandoned since the battle, but we make sure nobody steals it for...emotional value."

It was not that different than before, except that now it was just empty. Before, even if I was alone, I could sense the others around, working to take our village back.

Now it was just filled with memories.

Memories and ghosts.

"Let's not linger here," Shisui stated. I led them to the exit, where Sasuke was waiting for us. The mist was heavy. I naturally took the lead, Sasuke at the end of the group as he was the only one apart from me who would not get lost.

I had to stay relatively slow in order for everyone to follow. Instead of taking the path leading to the village, we headed north. The mist slowly disappeared as we entered the forest near Kiribukai. We went around it to reach a harbor.

"We need to reach Juhyou Island," I informed them, although they wouldn't really know what it was.

It was where the shrine of the Yuki clan I went to with my team was located. Unconsciously I raised a hand to my left eye. I could still feel the burn behind it, and my father's fingers around my eyeball.

"Sasuke, didn't you have a mission around here?" He nodded.

"Some bandits with a few shinobi we had to deal with."

"Can you get us a boat or a ride?" Shisui asked him.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Sakura, go with him. Akane mentioned it would be cold, get us cloaks or coats to protect ourselves from the weather." She nodded and left with Sasuke, but not before I threw the Uchiha my Kiri forehead protector. "Juugo, I need to talk to you to have a better idea of your skills and make several strategies."

"Understood." I walked away toward the sea.

The smell of salt hit my nose and I greeted the wind of the seaside. It was November, there wasn't much people outside but the few there were all had thick attires to protect themselves from the wind and the cold it brought along.

"What does it look like that island?" I shot Naruto a gaze. He was next to me, staring with determination at the sea.

"It's covered in snow almost all year long. It's called Juhyou Island because of the frost-covered trees. Any fauna and flora you can find in a cold weather, you're likely to find there. However, it's mostly inhabited by now, there's only a harbor that's connected to this one for collecting."

"No one lives here?"

"It's a ghost island due to the Purges." I could feel him tensing next to me. My tone was completely detached. "The Yuki Clan, the clan Haku and I are a part of, came from this island. There is still a shrine standing to this day, but the villages around it are destroyed, they're proof and vestiges of what the Bloody Mist did for years in the country." I smiled faintly. "It is quite ironic. The Yuki Clan was one of the first allies Kiri and the first Mizukage had and then they moved to the village. This island is a sad reminder of what happened."

"Haku said he came from a place where it was always snowing," Naruto muttered. I calculated quickly in my mind. Three years younger than I was, I left Kiri when I was one in the midst of the civil wars...it matched.

Haku never mentioned it though.

"Is it really that cold nee-chan?" I smirked slightly.

"I said it snowed almost always, didn't I? I doubt the temperature ever goes beyond 3°C." He shivered visibly and I grabbed my right arm. The cold might trigger some pain.

Not that the pain I might feel mattered right now.

I didn't know what kind of power 'Tobi' had, so I didn't know if they just teleported to a hideout to extract Isobu or had to go there by foot.

"Hey you two," Shisui said from behind us. He was approaching with Juugo and pointed at him with his thumb. "Our buddy here can talk to animals apparently, so he'll be able to be our guide in a way." I nodded, already knowing this piece of information.

Taka was a great tracking team.

"Wow, you seriously can talk to animals dattebayo?" Naruto exclaimed in shock. Juugo nodded. "That's so cool!"

"Mainly useful."

"Shisui," I said suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"I forgot, Yagura once sent me and my team on a mission because there were jashinists located there. The same religion that this Hidan was practicing." Naruto visibly tensed. "I don't know if it was true or just a way to get me out of the village for a while but..."

"I get it, we need to take that into account as well."

Sasuke had gotten us a ride and Sakura gave us the necessary to protect ourselves from the cold. Once we were ready, we were off. It was barely two hours away anyway and we left the boat at the harbor, some people shooting us weird looks. Shisui briefly greeted them before we left.

How could it have possibly gone so wrong? It was a simple mission for the Daimyo and he had asked for skilled shinobi. That was why she was sent along Suigetsu and Chōjurō. Haku had been added at the last minute because of the particular weather on the island.

How could the Akatsuki have known where they were going?

How come these two were not affected in the slightest by the weather?

"Sasori-senpai, Tobi found your target!"

"Shut up," his teammate growled in a deep voice. "Which one is the jinchuriki again?"

"Heh...I think it's the one with a bun senpai." Haku frowned as Suigetsu and Chōjurō both took their swords.

"I'm taking care of him, handle the three ot..." He couldn't finish his sentence that the Kubikiribocho was thrown at Tobi.

Suigetsu had thrown it in the air. Chōjurō use Hiramekarei and shaped it in a hammer to hit the handle of Suigetsu's blade, sending it at very high speed toward the masked man. He flailed around but the blade just went right through him.

"What the..." Suigetsu started.

Karin grabbed a scroll and opened in on the ground, slamming her foot on the water kanji on it. Water quickly covered the snowy ground, some of it freezing.

"What are you planning to do with water? There's snow already!" However, Suigetsu was already behind him and about to slice him with his sword.

Tobi stopped him with his right arm. The four shinobi widened their eyes.

"Arara, I thought you'd be better!" Quickly, Chōjurō was about to strike him as well at his abdomen. "Damn!" The blade went right through him. "Kidding!"

"Tobi, be serious."

"Yes Sasori-senpai!" Sasori threw poisoned darts at Haku. They were blocked by a tail.

"Haku!"

"Stay back Karin."

"O...okay..."

"Hyōton: Demonic Mirror Ice Crystal."

Uzu had been clear.

If men wearing black coats with red clouds on them were to appear before him and attack him, he couldn't waste time being nice and not trying to seriously killing them. They wanted the bijuus, so him, but Utakata as well, Naruto as well. Who knew what would happen after.

In any case, it was not good.

He entered Version 2 and went in a mirror.

"Yuki Clan huh..." Sasori stated, not impressed. He summoned a few puppets but Haku was already making a Bijuu Bomb.

Combining his speed, his technique and the Bijuu Bomb, he bombed Sasori and all of the puppets he kept summoning. Eventually, the amount of attacks made the inside of the dome blow up and Haku left his mirror before they exploded as well, landing further away.

When the smoke disappeared, black sand just fell on the ground, unveiling a red-haired man.

"I'm tired of you Kiri-nin destroying my puppets all the time," he drawled, yet Haku noted some frustration.

"Sasori-senpai, Tobi was scared for a second!" Haku shot the man a look.

He was playing with his teammates.

Until he wasn't and blood splattered from Chōjurō's chest. Haku briefly caught a glimpse of red in the hole of the orange mask and froze.

It...could it be…

Uzu said she fought an Uchiha when they fought for Kiri, the Akatsuki was there as well...could it be…?

Then if he became serious, they would all…

"Isobu."

"I know Haku." Haku opened his eyes in front of the turtle.

"I'm sorry. I promised you that..."

"You're a great friend Haku!" Isobu interrupted him. "I've had a lot of fun!"

"But..."

"I still don't really understand humans you know, but I know you're not all mean. Red-chan, Yagura and you are all nice! My host before the girl was too! I'm glad I've had such friends!" Haku gritted his teeth painfully.

"And I am honored to be your friend as well." He slapped his hand against Isobu's nail. "We're going to put them to safety and then we'll fight the best we can against them." Isobu nodded but Haku smiled sadly at the fear in his eye. "That man with the orange mask...it's him, isn't it?"

"...yes..." was the quiet, scared reply he got.

"I'll save you. If I survive, I promise I'll save you."

When he was back in reality, he made a mirror behind Suigetsu. He jumped out of it, grabbed his teammates and joined Karin.

"Karin, you're going to do as I say and not look back," Haku whispered to her harshly.

"Wh…"

"Man, what are you planning?" Suigetsu asked him with wide eyes.

Haku breathed in and blew out mist.

"Illusionary Mist." He turned to his team. "Let's go." Suigetsu put Chōjurō's arm on his shoulders. "Go to the shrine, I'll stay back."

"Wh..."

"We can't win, Isobu just confirmed to me that man with the mask is the same Uzu-nee fought in Kiri. He is the Fourth Mizukage." Karin and Suigetsu shivered in fright. "We can't win."

"But then Haku you'll..."

"Then find me." He smiled warmly at Karin. "We're friends, right? So you'll find me, I know you will." She bit her cheek, keeping her tears from escaping. Haku gave her a paper tag. "Use it, it should allow you in the shrine as if you were a member of the clan. Send a message." On this, he turned around and disappeared in the mist.

So they did.

They hid. Karin healed Chōjurō but he was still exhausted. Suigetsu sent a summon to the village and suggested to go back, but the response saying Konoha was coming was enough to make them stay. It would be easier to have a lead. Suigetsu had been trying to keep tracks of them, but the second time, when he came back, he was deadly pale.

Poison.

The same way Mangetsu died, because it spread to his whole body faster than normal due to their metabolism. She shot Chōjurō a look, sleeping and no wounds anymore, then put her hands over Suigetsu. A green glow surrounded her hands and she widened her eyes in terror when she realized the poison had already progressed a lot. Her chakra control was not good enough to extract poison directly, it was even more true if the poisoned one was a Hozuki.

"KARIN!" Karin raised her head. They were deep in the Yuki shrine, but the voice came from inside.

"Uzu-nee?" the red-head whispered before sensing.

Yes. The warm chakra with so much coldness laying in it was hers.

"UZU-NEE!" The chakra got closer and closer to them until the door was opened. Akane took in the scene in front of her and made a clone who teleported away. It came back with Sakura, who rushed to Suigetsu's side.

"I'll take over," she told her. "Please stop your healing." Karin blinked and looked at her hands, still glowing green. She was shaking as well.

"Karin," Akane told her, kneeling next to her. She grabbed her wrists and moved them away. "It's okay, Sakura will handle it, take some rest." Karin gulped and nodded, leaning against the wall.

They were in a room which used to be use as a closet of some sort.

"Karin, what happened? How long has Suigetsu been like that?"

"I don't...he came back not that long ago I think...it was cloudy outside an..." Akane exchanged a look with Sakura, who nodded.

"It matches," the pink-haired girl confirmed.

"What?"

"Karin, it's nighttime already, you've been there for hours." She blinked.

"What? No I..."

"You've kept them alive Karin, it's all that matters." She looked at Sakura. "Can I leave them with you? I need to make sure the others can get in."

"No problem," was the sharp reply she got.

After a few hand signs, the paper tags on the palm of their hands shone blue.

"What's that?"

"It's a clan shrine Naruto, and a clan whose specialty is ice. You get inside without being from the clan, you freeze to death." He paled. I looked at the sky. The moon was high now, the few clouds there were barely moving. The stars were shining bright. "Get inside, Karin is the only one who can brief us on the situation."

"What she said," Shisui added. The youngest entered the shrine and Shisui glared at me. "You had to fly solo?"

"I felt something wrong in Suigetsu's chakra, and it's not as if I didn't come back."

"What if the Akatsuki had been here, ready to..." He stopped himself, swallowing harshly. "No, I'm not getting in a fight with you right now. But I'm the leader Akane, so you obey me, got it?" I pursed my lips. "Akane!"

"Fine!" I replied, a little too loud because Sasuke looked at us above his shoulder. "Sasuke, go ask Sakura if she needs help." He nodded and caught the scroll of medical seals I had on me.

Shisui shut the door behind us and we joined Karin in the middle of the room. Naruto was trying to warm her up and Juugo had sit down against the wall.

"Karin, can you tell us what happened?" Her bottom lip was shaking but she bit it. With a deep breath, she calmed down.

"We were sent by the Daimyo to pick up some flower but I noticed two foreign chakra. They were the Akatsuki, one is named Sasori, the other Tobi." My heart missed a beat. "Suigetsu and Chojuro attacked Tobi, but attacks just went right through him or...he stopped Kubukiribocho with just his arm. Haku took care of Sasori and eventually, he showed us his real body but Haku...he saw something." She shot me a look. "The Sharingan, he saw the Sharingan." Shisui shot me a quick look as I did my best to keep my fists from shaking. "He said that Isobu had confirmed to him that it was the man who controlled him and the Yondaime for years. Haku..." Her voice broke and she took a pause. "He told us to go and hide. That he'd...that he would..."

"Haku sacrificed himself in order for you to live and pass on the little information you guys collected," Shisui finished grimly. She nodded weakly.

"But...but I thought that every jinchuriki knew to avoid the Akatsuki..." Naruto whispered harshly. "Yet Haku he..." He looked at Karin and gritted his teeth. "Did he say anything else?"

"To find him." I blinked, taken back. "He said we were his friends and that he knew we would find him."

"You're damn right dattebayo!"

"Suigetsu and Chōjurō are hurt though," I whispered to myself.

"I'll go ask Sakura how they're doing. We're going to spend the night here and make a plan of action tomorrow."

"We're staying here tonight?" I asked him coldly. "We're wasting time."

"And if we go after them right now, we'll be on the losing side because we haven't rested for a while," Shisui shot back with a poker face. "Sealing a bijuu requires a few days anyway. We need to find them. They need to go to a particular location for the sealing, right?"

"True but..."

"Then it's settled," he stated, walking away.

I ignored the anger toward Shisui's decisions and thought about Haku's decision. He had only been living for Zabuza-san before, but then he died. He truly sparked back to life when Mei told him she was expecting Zabuza-san's child. He had been more lively than ever as he had his Master's child and dream to protect.

He called them his friends too. He sacrificed himself to protect his friend, counting on us to save him.

I clenched my fists.

I couldn't fail him.

"Call me when Suigetsu's awake," I told Naruto as I walked back outside.

I plopped down on the step and stretched out my right hand. Immediately, I made an ice sculpture. It was not detailed, just a snowflake. Haku and I used to challenge each other on who could make the most beautiful one. Haku would win most of the time.

The ice melted and I clenched my fist on cold water.

I would go and save him.

"Nee-chan?" I looked at my right. Naruto was there, sitting next to me but looking straight in front of him.

Quietly, he put his arm around me and pressed me against his side.

"We'll save Haku, I promise." I pursed my lips and relaxed a little in his warmth, my hand grabbing the back of his jacket weakly.

"We have to," I whispered, my head on his shoulder. He nodded firmly.

"Of course dattebayo, he's our brother!" His nails dug in my shoulder. "And nobody's gonna take my family away."

When Naruto got too cold we went back inside. Shisui was there with Sasuke.

"Suigetsu is out of danger," the oldest Uchiha announced and I sighed in relief. "Once he's awake I'll ask him what happened. I think it would be safer if him and Chōjurō were teleported back in Kiri."

"Suigetsu may be useful to track them down." Shisui pursed his lips in thoughts. "And depending on what he saw..."

"I get it." He sighed and sat down. "We'll wait for him to wake up."

The night was excruciatingly long, Suigetsu sometimes whimpering in pain loud enough for us to hear. I knew Sakura was with him but...the one time I went to see how it was going, Sakura was still deeply focused, her eyes set on the seal on Suigetsu. The seal displayed information I didn't understand about Suigetsu and how he was doing, and from Sakura's focus, she was clearly afraid something might show up at some point.

Eventually, the sun pierced through the night. Sakura ran from the room she stayed in, dark bags under her eyes.

"He's awake!" she told us. I was on my feet in a second and Shisui was right behind me.

"Stay here," he told the rest of the team. He close the door and I was already kneeling by Suigetsu's side, who was sitting, his back against the wall. He was still pale but was drinking water already. "How are you feeling?"

"Pinky said to drink water to flush my system entirely," he drawled back. I could see he was frustrated by how his purple eyes were glaring at the floor.

"Can you tell us what happ..."

"Obviously," my student almost spat. "I found a lead, tracked them down from afar and saw them dragging Haku. The one with the mask noticed me, I lost and got poisoned like my brother!" He clenched his hand around his canteen and looked at me. "It was their doing, wasn't it?" I nodded quietly.

"Sasori is an expert in poison." He gritted his teeth, a dark look in his eyes.

"It was too fast for me to understand what was happening though."

"Wood..." We all looked toward Chōjurō and I immediately went by his side. He still seemed pretty weak. "That man...used wood."

"Mokuton?" Shisui whispered in disbelief. "I've never heard of an Uchiha able to use Mokuton, it was the Shodai's..."

"Body modifications," I interrupted him coldly. I looked at him above my shoulders. "A lot can be done with the good work material. Suigetsu, that lead?"

"Doronko." I blinked, taken back. "They mentioned they didn't like so much mud."

"I see." Doronko Island it was then.

"Is it far?"

"I have a marker there." Shisui nodded and folded his arms.

"One of you two are going back to Kiri to inform the Mizukage in person." They both widened their eyes and Chōjurō tried to sit up, only for me to support him when he winded in pain.

"Haku's out teammate, you can't tell us that..."

"You were both wounded, I'm not risking the whole mission because you want to save your teammate," Shisui interrupted Suigetsu. He sighed deeply. "I understand, I really do, but you both almost died." Shisui gazed at me, silently asking me to help.

"He's right," I told them.

"Senpai!" Chōjurō protested strongly.

"And Chōjurō, I think you should be the one to go back." The blue-haired teen...no, he was nineteen, so man, widened his eyes even more.

"Why?"

"Suigetsu can track people down with water, it will be more useful." I put my hand on Chōjurō's shoulder, who grasped his pants. "I'm sorry, I know it's frustrating, but I'll teleport you straight to Dai's office and you'll inform sensei of what we're doing." He didn't pip up a word. "Chō..."

"Understood."

Shisui explained the plan and once I made sure Chōjurō would handle the journey, I teleported him to Kiri.

Now off we were to save Haku.

Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter! Thanks to Raylis for the review!

Bye!