The red-haired beauty stared at the fire intensely, lost in thought. She had been sitting there for almost two hours, completely stolid. Shisui was currently being transported back to the village with a private squad of ANBU from Team Ro, sworn to secrecy to not inform any other members in the ANBU division of what happened. The Uchiha was still sedated, which would be ensured by Itachi who accompanied them back.

She felt alone and disgraced. Tsunade would never forgive her for letting her guard down, especially around a Uchiha. Her grandmother would scold her, I told you those Uchiha's were no good, you never listen to me! Not to mention her father, who was very against her joining the ANBU ranks to begin with, he would be…smug. This event would prove she wasn't ready for the promotion, yet alone the reasonability of manning the medic squad on her own. The medic squad which now knew of her incompetence. She put her entire team in danger. As medicine evolved throughout the wars, a new issue emerged with pain control and addiction. Many warriors and survivors often became addicted to the medic's chakra source and would go through withdrawal symptoms. There was new heightened concern on the issue, with medics ensuring they healed only for injuries and allowed pain relief when deemed necessary. However, in war, the injured didn't get the chance to fully heal on their own due to ongoing battles, leading to complications and further damage- which required continuous healing. It was a "double-edged sword" kind of issue. The solutions weren't concrete, and the need for operational soldiers on the battle field outweighed the risks.

"Princess Amaya." The voice jolted her from her thoughts. A thin boy stood before her, he had large dark eyes framed by a face guard and unkempt hair.

"Yes?" She asked clearing her throat.

"My names Yamato I'm part of Team Ro, and I've been sent here to personally guard you back to the Leaf Village." The boy's face remained serious. Amaya couldn't help herself but laugh, looking at the scrawny boy before her.

"Let me guess, my father sent the order?" She mussed laughing more. Knowing for sure this was her punishment for making such a crucial mistake. The Senju prided themselves on competence and power, hence why most of the village leadership hailed for their clan. Her father was strict, especially on the females. Being a kunoichi was even harder, males tended to look down upon the females and viewed them as "weaker." It took many years, and many very brave women to prove them wrong. Females were just recently allowed into Special Ops a little less than ten years ago. Her mother, known well for her political status in the village, fought hard for her title. During the preliminaries and initial voting, many people voiced concern about her not having the "stomach" to make hard decisions because of her gender. Due to this, her father ensured that her and Tsunade were the best of the best when it came to combat, but was also cautious to ensure they wouldn't stain the reputation of kunoichi. She could only imagine the lecture she was going to receive from him, how dare you disgrace our family name, I've pulled so many strings to make sure you had the best training in all of the five countries! You should know better!

"No, the Hokage." Amaya turned wide eyed; she was speechless. Now she knew she was in trouble. Lord Fourth worked closely with her father, this wasn't good.

"Lord Fourth request you back immediately. You are needed, there have been countless Uchiha who have returned from missions injured from the same poison that inflicted Shisui." Yamato explained, holding a small messenger scroll out for her to read. Minato had been promoted a few years ago, his image alone on a battle field could swift the tide of victory.

This had to be bad news. Being requested back to the village to heal and not get scolded at meant it was serious.

"W-what about Tsunade?" She was the best. The best in medicine. The best in combat. The best in politics. Her voice alone is the reason medics exist in ANBU and on missions. She's the reason her fiancé Dan is alive, yet alone her entire team.

"…We have yet to hear back from her. Lord Orochimaru and Jiraiya haven't been heard from either." That was her entire squad. Tsunade always reported back. This wasn't good.

"Shizune has already left with her unit back to the village. We need to leave now."

The two traveled in silence. Yamato was a man of few words around her. They both wore their mask, concealing their identities as they moved swiftly though enemy territory. They would be about a day's travel behind Shisui's squad.

"Ma'am if you don't mind may I ask you a question?" She nodded her head in agreeance, swinging off a branch.

"What is so special about your chakra?" The wood user asked.

Amaya laughed, summer salting from tree to tree. "It's not that my chakra is special, it's that I know how to make it special." She smiled, seeing his head tilt in confusion. His expressions blocked by his falcon mask.

"You see, us medical shinobi know how to manipulate our chakra to help others. Most shinobi's chakra is usually summoned to inflict damage. So, our body's get used to that concept, because we usually only ever experience pain when dealing with another's force." She explained.

"If you don't mind may I ask another question?" Yamato inquired, his tone a little bit more serious.

"I can't stop you from speaking your mind you know, you are a part of Team Ro. You do outrank me." Amaya sighed, knowing her 'Princess' status often made others act differently towards her. She remembered when she was growing up, her clan only allowed her to leave Senju Grounds if she was accompanied by personal guards. More times than not, her mother made her wear formal kimonos when in public. Her hair always styled and adorned with expensive jewelry. She hated it. It made people look at her differently, especially when she joined the academy.

Yamato paused, knowing full well his question could land him in the depths of Kohona's prison, "Is it true that your clan can-"

Kakashi grunted, blocking an onslaught of kunai's. "Go, I'll hold them off!" He yelled, protecting his squad and the unconscious Shisui. His sharingan spun, anticipating the enemies attacks perfectly. He moved swiftly, perfectly dodging every poison tinged weapon that came his way.

Bear boar ram dog dragon

"Wind style, wind shuriken!"

Air swirled around the Wolf's hand, moving at incredible speeds until it formed into a visible mass, representing the sharp of a large shuriken. He paused a second, jumping high into the air with chakra infused soles, he locked onto to his masked enemy.

3…2..1..

"ha!" He yelled, sending his powerful jutsu in the direction his sharingan predicted. His masked opponent tried dodging, only to end up getting side swiped by the fierce wind. The enemy feel to the ground, grasping his side. His entire right arm amputated, and a few ribs dislodged.

"Kohona scum." He shouted, drawing more poison infused kunai from his pouch.

Kakashi landed on the ground, already preparing his next move.

"Itachi I said move it!" He yelled over his shoulder, watching Itachi take down two other masked men while the rest of their team disappeared into the woods with Shisui.

Itachi gave one look to the silver haired man. Their eyes locked. "Are you sure." Itachi asked, drawing his katana.

Kakashi nodded, knowing full well what his decision would intend.

The raven-haired man frowned but nodded obeying his captain's command. Kakashi was the reason they found Shisui before he hurt Amaya, he sensed the genjutsu casted on the civilian medic that requested her to his tent. With Kakashis discovery, Itachi knew to track his cousin down before it got serious.

"Now…GO!" Kakashi yelled, throwing down a smoke bomb to mask Itachi's exit. He knew Itachi would be the only person able to defend Shisui against any other attacks, especially with them being over 4 day's journeys from village. He had enough solider pills to last himself, he had to be the person to stay and hold them off.

Itachi huffed, easily catching up to medic squad transporting Shisui. He was unconscious on their stretcher, which was held by two of them, with the third medic by his side monitoring his health status. With the war with the Rock Nation coming to an end, Kohona started dispatching regular medic nin from the hospital to aid with the troops. He knew these three wouldn't last a chance against the foes they were dealing with.

"When was the last time you guys were in combat?" Itachi asked, his sharingan already activated and surveilling their surroundings. If it came down to a fight for their lives, he had to be sure they could get Shisui to safety, and more importantly back to the village.

"Water style, Water Dragon!"

Masked men jumped, trying to avoid the onslaught of water. Few of them getting swept away in its monstrous waves.

"How is that possible! He summoned water with no actual source around!" One of them screamed, jumping higher in the tree branches to avoid the rising tides of the Wolf's jutsu.

"Stay on course with the plan!" Another shouted, retrieving a summoning scroll.

The remaining foes gathered together on a nearby tree, each summoning scrolls that bore symbols of the elements. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, drawing his sword into a defensive position, his famous lightening affinity already encasing the metal blade.

He watched them move their hands in union, each performing the same hand signs.

Kakashi gasped, jumping to the side as fast as he could, crashing into a nearby tree. The force alone from his movements cause the tree to break and crash. He fumbled, jumping high into the air as fast as he could again, barely having time to catch his breath. He landed on another tree branch, staring down at the spot he was just mere seconds its. It was engulfed in an onslaught of acid and venom. The entire area was destroyed. He huffed in annoyance, readying his sword once again. The large snake summon hovering over him.

The same venom that he just dodged match the poison-soaked kunai that laid on the battle field. Thick, hot, black liquid. He would recognize that and the gruesome smell anywhere. The snake didn't appear to be a normal summon animal, its body was stitched together in odd formations. It bore scales from different snakes, same spot purple, some green, and so on. Its eyes moved in a mechanical like pattern.

It was obvious this snake was some type of test trial, its aim-while good- was not nearly sufficient enough to be used on a battle field of more than two foes. If this seemed to be what he thought, they were using this as a test run to see how this creature does, and how to better use it again in the future. Which meant he had no other choice but to destroy them all.

"Give me your best shoot." Kakashi shouted, his entire arm engulfed with lightening.

Everything was quiet. Too quiet for the Uchiha. Itachi and his medic squad were making good time throughout the forest, which meant Kakashi was doing what he promised.

"Medic, can you see where Kakashi is?" Itachi asked, knowing the medics byakugan would be vital in seeing where the enemy was.

The medic nodded in agreement, his kekkei genkai activating. The trees swirled around him and moved at incredible speeds. He could see further than anyone else in the platoon, even further that the famous sharingan bearer.

"I-I can see four figures! It's blurry, they're so far away, sir! But it looks like Captain Hatake is still putting up a fight!"

"Not on my watch! Summoning Jutsu!"

Kakashi sighed in relief, the familiar site of a red-haired princess and his wood user friend bringing him comfort. The remaining masked enemy were currently laying trapped under her Slug Summon animal, which was sending its own version of projectile acid at the large Frankenstein snake.

He managed to take down most of the masked men, leaving one to control the snake. He knew he would be able to win this fight; however, he was starting to tire and slow down. The snake was doing a good job at keeping him on his toes, its aim could use improvement but the vast amount of venom it produced made up for that weakness.

"Wood style, wood coffin!" The trees around him moved at the speed of lights, wrapping around the snake and man immediately. Yamato concentrated, suffocating the snake as best as he could while trying to keep the masked man alive for integration. Amaya closed in on the two, her sword at hand. With a swift movement and use of her wind style element jutsu, she was able to behead the large snake. Which feel to ground and emitted foul steam. It's insides appearing to me a combination of numerous animals in one. The red head wrinkled her nose in disgust, before grabbing the mask off of the man and crushing it in her hand with ease. The wood around him tightening.

"Who are you!" Amaya yelled at the unmasked man. Her petite hand filled with mal-intent chakra. The man had small dark eyes, and blonde hair. He looked at her with disgust. Baring his sharp teeth at her.

"We know who you are Senju Princess." The man smirked, the sound of his ribs cracking under the wood jutsu echoing around the tree place.

"My master would love to meet you." He hissed, his eyes narrowing, his smirk growing. Amaya frowned, her chakra changing in color to a light blue. With a quick movement, her chakra scalpel cut though the wood and into the enemies chest.

"Amaya!" Her Kohona comrades yelled, surprised at her abrasive action.

"One more time, who are you." She asked, her small hand grasping his heart. The man coughed, blood tinge sputum staining his chin. Amaya was determined to figure out the cause of the poison at any cost, especially when it came down to protecting her friends. She was blinded by anger thinking of the harm that the man caused to Kakashi and Shisui. She remembered how she felt the moment Kakashi came with his team to her camp. She knew something was ominous about his visit, his team never joined others- it was a way to ensure the upmost secrecy of the Hokage and his orders. When he admitted he was harmed with the poison, she wanted to leave that night on her own to find the men that did this. Her anger grew more as she thought of Shisui, and amount of pain he was experiencing from them. She stayed up most nights fussing over him, trying to find a way to best heal him. Her chakra flared more, her anger growing as faces of those she held close to her flashed through her memories.

"Gosh, you are very pretty. My master can't wait to play with you." The man hissed, his smirk evil. "He can't wait to feel you chakra the way I do now." He said, almost aroused.

"Tell me who he is." Amaya growled back.

The man looked at her, his eyes widening. He started laughing sinisterly. His laugh grew louder and louder every second. "You are such a fool, to think he would allow such a thing to happen." He coughed. Amaya looked at him, she could feel another chakra signature grow inside his body. She withdrew her hand fast, his blood turning boiling hot. The man continued laughing as the foreign chakra engulfed his body. "Fools!" He yelled as his body moved in gruesome ways, the cracking of his spine loud. His tongue began to swell, preventing him from speaking any further nor breathe.

"Amaya watch out!" Kakashi yelled, grabbing her and Yamato by the waist and jumping high into the air, avoiding the acid hot explosion of their enemy, his blood burning everything it touched. The grass and ground around him charred from the heat alone.

The Wolf finally relaxed, the enemy was dealt with. Yamato stood on the tree branch they were currently on, trying to take in the entire battle scene- the dead snake, the dead men of no village, and especially taking notice to how his Captain kept a strong hold onto Amaya's waist. Her hand rested on his chest, in a way that seemed more than friendly.

Yamato knew Amaya before she knew of him. Her name alone was one that was often mentioned in passing. She had her clans famous name to thank for that. Also, every Senju was well known, hailed for their genius abilities. She was the talk of his generation however. Excelled in the academy, top of her class. She climbed the ranks fast, making herself a fearsome and well-respected name. Even before she was granted ANBU status, she was in the Bingo book as a high priority shinobi. It wasn't uncommon for foreign nations to attempt kidnapping the youth of powerful clans. As a child she was heavily guarded within her family's clan walls which continued through adulthood, he remembered once doing guard duty for the villages annual Gala. At the time Amaya was a Jounin and was present with her family. She wore a stunning kimono, her hair at the time cascaded down her back in waves, stopping at her hips. Every bachelor in the village wanted to dance with her that night. Including his famous Captain. He smiled, remembering how on 'edge' Kakashi was in the shadows. Forced to be on guard duty as well, but also forced to keep his presence unknown. He tensed every time another male approached her. Yamato knew she was talented that night, and not just because of her clan status. Later on, in the evening she managed to sneak up on them, keeping her presence completely sealed. He remembered her giggle, making the two of them jump and draw kunai. "May I have a moment alone with your Captain?" She asked him, her voice sounding musical. He nodded dumbfoundingly, his cheeks must have been five shades of red. As he left them in private, he turned back and noticed how they started to slow dance together. The smile on Kakashi's face evident even behind his mask.

"We should go." Kakashi sighed, knowing the attacks would only worsen the further away from the village they were. Amaya nodded, helping him into a standing position. He was exhausted, and most of his chakra stores depleted. The princess agreed she would help Kakashi travel back to the village and to allow Yamato the lead. Yamato watched as the princess rested her forehead against Kakashi's, whispering something he couldn't hear. Her words made his captain smile, his one visible eye filling with happiness as it stared at her.

Shisui tossed and turned on the stretcher, making his transport difficult. Numerous times the medics almost lost control and dropped him while being hundreds of feet in the air, jumping from tree to tree. Itachi did his best to subdue him, however, he had a strong will and a very strong sharingan himself.

"Heal me, heal me." He muttered in his sleep, his face drenched with sweat, teeth clenched. Detoxing wasn't a pretty thing.

Itachi made the motion to the rest of the squad, signaling for them to reach ground and rest. It was almost dark, and they had been traveling all day. They would need their rest if they wished to make it the village in record time, especially if they were to encounter another enemy attack.

The medics quickly fell asleep, leaving Itachi and a restless Shisui. Itachi sighed, he knew what he had to do. He kneeled next to his best friends' body and forced one of his eyelids open. His surroundings spun until he was in Shisui's subconscious mind, where all of his memories were stored...

Large green eye stared back him, plump lips formed into a smile. "Shisui, Shisui, what are you doing?" Her soft voice asked, soothing all of his anxieties. Red hair covered her face, the wind blowing it in all directions. Her laugh was light, and her hands were soft- which wrapped around his.

"Get up, silly." She giggled again, helping him into a standing position.

"That poisons really is really messing with my speed." He mussed, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

Amaya smiled, looking back at him. "Are you sure it's the poison, or am I better than you?" She hinted, sticking her tongue out in victory. A deep laugh erupted from him, he might have purposely let her win. He didn't know why he did to be honest, but he felt the need to. Maybe it was so she would spend more time with him, maybe not.

"I need to know something." He asked nervously. The Senju stared back him amused, nodding her head waiting. She walked next to him, the two returning back to the camp for lunch after their sparring session.

"Is it true that the Senju's chakra is special?" He asked, hands in his pocket, cheeks red.

Amaya bust out in laughter, so loud it startled the birds in the nearby woods. She clenched her stomach in pain, tears in her eyes, still laughing. Shisui raised an eyebrow at her, "W-what!" He asked franticly confused by the reaction.

"If I told you, I would have to kill you." She winked, pinching his arm.

"What?!" He asked in confusion again, holding his arm where she just inflicted the hardest pinch of his life.

She giggled again, this time getting closer to him, her hands resting on his chest, her lips close to his. His face turned hot, very hot. Her breathe was warm, and he could feel it in his ear, her other hand cupped his cheek. "I don't think you're ready to know." Her voice sounding like velvet. His cheeks growing hotter.

In the blink of an eye she was gone, at the tree line a few yards ahead, laughing loud, "Catch me if you can Uchiha, and maybe than I'll tell you! Or maybe I'll have to kill you! Who knows!"

Itachi breathed, his surroundings returning to normal again. Shisui was starting to calm down, his breathing was coming with more ease, ad he seemed to stop struggling in the restraints tying him to the stretcher. Itachi rested by a tree, watching his entire squad.

He stayed up most of the night, thinking about events in the past. He remembered once being a part of a highly classified meeting a few years ago, he was on guard duty for the Hokage. The leader of the Senju clan was present, as well other village officials. They wanted to create a village protective barrier and wanted Senju chakra to do it with. The meeting lasted hours, and went over all the logistics and possibilities. The third Hokage, a Senju decent himself, discussed how valuable their reserves would be. And how special their energies were. Their chakras were different than other clans, he could even tell simply by sparring with members of Team Ro that descended for that family tree.

If their chakra was as special as it seemed that would make sense of their high security clearness, and constant guards. The Senju Clan lived near the center of the village, they owned a lot of property and had a large family. Most of the family lived within the clan walls, which were high and adorned with gold. The houses inside the walls were expensive and looked like they belonged to a noble family. He remembered doing numerous nights of guard duty. Their clan definitely had their secretes, only ANBU and guards of their bloodline were allowed duty within the walls, all others provided service outside of the wall. He knew Amaya since he was a child from the academy, and often times noted the light in her room remained on throughout the nighttime hours while on guard duty. She worked hard and practiced even harder. She spent most of her days training within the wall, he caught glimpse of her powers once- which was by accident. Most training were held where other could not see- this way their famous jutsu couldn't be stolen or observed for weakness. Amaya was always kind, she often visited the outside guards and provided them with snacks and drinks. Her visits were more frequent whenever Kakashi was on duty, he was one the few 'outsiders' allowed in the walls. Most of the time he casually strolled in and was greeted very friendly by all the members. The Hokage spent plenty of his free time in their main house, enjoying dinner with the head of the clan and his family. Amaya took after her cousin, and always spoke her mind. He would often see her engage in conversation that was deemed 'political' or 'taboo' within the wall- especially when it came to female rights and questions regarding the Uchiha. The distaste for his clan was evident amongst them, when he first started guard duty, he received many…interesting remarks.

Yamato, Kakashi, and Amaya travelled in silence. All three of them worn from battle. Amaya bit her lip in anxiety, having spent the past three hours thinking about the group of masked men they had dealt with.

"Hey…" She spoke softly, eyebrows turned upwards in worry. Kakashi peered sideways at her, and Yamato turned his head slightly, both waiting for her to continue.

"That man back there, her mentioned how his master 'knew me,' maybe that's a bad thing." She voiced. Thinking about why her name would be such. Well known topic with a group of enemies that were targeting the Uchiha.

"You are a Princess." Yamato said, not sure where she was going with this conversation.

"You're right. I think I'm just overthinking everything." She smiled softly, Kakashi crinkled his eye at her, his way of telling her everything was going to be okay.

Kakashi couldn't blame her for being lost in thought, he spent the past few hours thinking about certain topics as well- also overthinking them. He was hoping this war would be coming to an end, and that Team Ro would be reassigned to normal Hokage guard duty. Which meant Amaya would be back on hospital duty. He was hoping to spend more time with her, times were changing, ninjas were starting to enjoy everyday life now. Families, children, marriage, buying a house- all feasible now. His father's generation spent most of their time in war, only view got married. He wouldn't mind being able to go home after duty, and by home, he means an actual place that brings him joy. He was getting tired, in fact a lot of the ANBU were getting tired of this non-stop fighting. He remembered when Amaya first got promoted to ANBU, a referral made by himself however chosen by the Hokage and his council. She was ecstatic…

"Welcome!" An older woman shouted, embracing Kakashi in a tight hug.

"Hello Mrs. Senju, how are you?" He asked, straightening his ANBU gear. She clasped her hands together in glee and escorted him into the house where they were all celebrating Amaya's promotion. He had just returned from a mission but made it priority to get back to the village in time to attend her celebration. Many village officials were present, including the third Hokage himself. Amaya was in the center of the room, she was wearing a purple silk dress, and her hair was styled in a beautiful up do. It was the first time he saw so many of the ANBU without their mask on.

"Kakashi, I'm glad to see someone who isn't apart of this country club of a clan!" A loud voice boomed, the famous Jiraiya making his way towards him. An angry Tsunade following- muttering how she'd 'punch him into next week with a comment like that', and an unamused Orochimaru who sipped his drink quietly.

"I assume you got a gift that's proper enough for my little cousin, Hatake?" Tsunade asked, nose in the air, crossing her arms at the Wolf. To her, only the best was good enough for her little cousin. The two of them were very close, and she would protect her with her life.

"Kakashi!" Amaya exclaimed from across the room, making her way towards him. Jiraiya raised his eyebrows, hinting towards the silver haired man in a perverted way- causing Tsunade to actually punch him and forcibly escort him away from holding very tightly onto his ear. The Snake Prince rolled his eyes, congratulated Amaya, and walked back to his 'foolish friends.'

Amaya smiled embracing Kakashi in a tight hug. Her eyes were bright. "Uhm- I got this for you." He said sheepishly, handing her the small gift bag he brought. She opened it fast, excited to see what he got her. His face turned red as he noticed a few people in the room observe the two of them, one of them being her father who muttered something to her mother, both seemly to give 'approval' of the interaction. A few of his fellow ANBU looked at him with jealously, making comments about how lucky he was.

"It's beautiful." She whispered, holding up a delicate necklace. It held a small, hand carved crystal.

Kakashi cleared his throat, noticing Tsunade visible pointing at him from the drink table, "While on my mission, I was hiding out in a nearby cave of my objective and noticed the crystals that adorned the walls. I decided to carve you a piece of it." He explained, trying to keep his cool in front of her entire family. She put it on immediately, admiring its beauty.

She was about to thank him when she was pulled to the center of the room, her mother insisting on her making a speech. Everybody clapped and cheered, urging her to do so. People raised glasses and shouted in excitement.

The sound of a throat clearing grabbed Kakashi's attention, it was her Father. He signaled for him to meet him outside. The two of them slipped away without anyone's notice.

"Very clever Hatake. You still amaze me till this day with your ideas." He spoke evenly, lightening a cigarette.

"Yes sir. I made sure to follow your orders. I figured a necklace would be the best way to ensure maximal security whilst going unnoticed." The Wolf explained.

Her father nodded in approval, "And you will be able to find her no matter what?" Kakashi nodded. "Hai."

"Her chakra is very special Hatake. I've seen the way you've looked after her all these years, as well as how she trust you-" He poured a drink for the two of them, "-you are the perfect candidate. My wife and I have decided, along with the Hokage."

Kakashi stood straight and bowed his head. "Sir, if I may ask, when will you inform Princess Amaya?

"When the time is right solider, now return to your duty."

"Hai!"