A/N: Here's the next chapter!


Chapter 21: Flight to Konoha


At four in the morning, just before dawn, the first kunai was thrown.

Pein narrowed his eyes at the trees, motioning to Konan. "The Copycat is here."

"So soon?" She sighed, reaching for her pouch. "Fugaku cannot be serious."

Just then, another kunai came whistling by, and had Pein not moved away at the last second, his cheek would've been impaled.

"When it comes to war, I think we've found that Fugaku is very, very serious," he replied, closing his eyes as several shinobi jumped out of the trees.


Meanwhile, Karin had warned the villagers, and the surviving head of each family - some being sons, others being fathers, and many more being mothers or children - gathered their families together into the safe basement they'd stayed in. She and four other attendants went back and forth, getting water, some getting food reserves from anywhere and anywhere they were stashed at, others taking care of injuries, and one who dedicated himself to watching over the small children as their parents, grandparents, or siblings worked.

Karin took a moment to glance back at him. A fresh-faced teenage recruit, only fifteen, Hideki was cheerful and kind, especially to the children of each village they sought refuge in. He'd confided in her one day that, before he defected, it was his dream to have children of his own to love. Unfortunately, the day his father died caused him and his mother to have to try and survive alone, and only a couple of months later, his mother killed herself out of grief.

The poor boy had been through so much, but he'd told her that he made it his mission to try and find the best in any situation he was forced into. On a more emotional note, the necklace made of thin rope and a crudely-cut emerald had been his father's, he'd claimed. He'd given it to Hideki's mother when he proposed, and Hideki's mother had given it to him the day before she died. He cried every time he told the story, still, even six months later, but even then he never stopped smiling.

As of now, he was content to sit in a corner with the children, some of the younger ones sitting on his knees, one of them holding the necklace in their hand. He was talking animatedly, probably telling a story - and if Karin knew him as well as she thought, he was probably telling them the story of the three Sannin - one he claimed was his favorite story to tell.

She cracked a tiny smile upon seeing him chuckle at one of the children cutting in. "His dreams aren't ill-fit; he would make a perfect father."

Turning away, she focused on the task at hand. She was still holding a silently-crying woman's arm as her colleague wrapped it again. She'd broken it during the pillaging and was still healing.

"We got any more clean bandages?" Another called out.

"There should be some in my pack over there," Karin replied, pointing towards their supplies. "It's the one with the berry stain on the front."

Now subconsciously distracted from her task, she found herself listening in to Hideki's story.

"And then Jiraiya-sama defeated the last villain with his greatest technique!" His voice was exaggeratedly dramatic. "After the battle, he took his friends Tsunade-sama and Orochimaru-sama out for a celebratory dinner at the village they saved."

The same soft smile creeped back. "At least one of us is having fun."


Hinata kept glancing back behind them as they ran, just not being able to shake off the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

"You good?" Shikamaru asked, eyes darting to hers for a second.

"No," she admitted. "Something feels... wrong. It feels like we're being followed."

He nodded briskly. "Traitors."

She nearly missed a step in surprise, stuttering, "T- Traitors?!"

"Of their side," he explained casually. "I spent the night talking with them after I found them near camp. Fresh-faces."

He sighed, shaking his head. "They didn't want to kill. Typical of newcomers."

"Bu- b- but- what if they're spies again?" She gasped. "We cannot afford to be revealed again!"

"I had Ino search his and his friend's minds." He shrugged. "Clean."

Still, the unease remained. "If you say so, Nara-san."

"Please, call me Shikamaru." He looked between her and the trees for a moment before frowning at her. "We're well past the point where I became unworthy of the name Nara."


Half an hour later, the sun had begun to peek over the forest when they neared the capital. The city's trademark towering gates loomed close, and they could almost see the guards stationed at its entrance.

"We'll have to wait until later," Tsunade observed with a frown. "For now, we need to rest."

The group broke into either mumbled agreements or tired nodding heads, and they found a hidden nook in the trees and fell asleep in the shadows.

Tsunade was one of the only ones still awake when Noh came to sit beside her, rubbing at her eye.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" The blonde chuckled, watching the brightening sky.

"Damned if I do, damned if I don't," Noh replied with a yawn. "I mean, what else are we going to do besides set up camp and wait?"

"Touche."

The cool, damp morning air made her shiver a bit, but when two more soldiers appeared Tsunade rose to greet them.

"Any stragglers?" She asked.

"No, Iris-sama. A few enemy soldiers tried to follow, but were quickly deterred by the Akatsuki." One of them stated.

"Excellent." She gave them a smile, pointing her thumb at the rest of the camp. "Go rest up, men. We'll need you for watch later this afternoon."

They both saluted her and walked off towards where the rest were sleeping. It didn't take them long to curl up at the base of a tree and fall fast asleep.

"Shikamaru is a genius," Noh observed. "Who better to persuade than a couple of fresh-faces? How old are they? Nineteen? Twenty?"

"Both eighteen, friends since childhood." Tsunade shook her head in slight disgust. "In this profession? Practically newborn babes. Though I can't say we're any better..."

"At the very least, it's their choice to join us or not." Noh began to argue calmly, gesturing to the group. "The younger ones are sent to me for training in medical, remember? No one under eighteen becomes a soldier until they're of age."

"But we're still recruiting young teenagers," Tsunade said simply. Her eyes darted toward where Sakura was sleeping for a moment before raising her eyebrows at the brunette. "She was freshly thirteen when she joined, remember?"

Noh didn't say anything for a few moments, only giving her a loose shrug.

Then, "You were always much more gentle with her than any other young recruit. I don't think I ever got the true reason why."

Tsunade paused for a moment, looking her over before sitting down with a sigh. "You already know why. To make such a mature decision at such a young age is impressive. The way she toughened up so quickly after losing her family? After abandoning her home? It's like she was born for this. Not this life, but for the shinobi way."

"But you wouldn't let her become a soldier even if we were in peace, would you?" Noh deadpanned.

Shaking her head, the blonde replied, "If the roles were different and I took one look at her wanting to join the army, I'd reject her so fast she'd be halfway out the door before her father even realized. Hell, I wouldn't have taken her even now."

"So why then?" The younger woman persisted. After a moment, her voice dropped to a softer, more sympathetic tone, "... does it have to do with Dan?"

"Surprisingly, no." Tsunade's voice was almost reverent as she spoke of him. "I... I really don't remember exactly why I decided to take her under my wing. Perhaps it was the shock of being in charge of such a young girl, perhaps something about her reminded me of Nawaki. Or maybe... maybe perhaps, she reminded me of, well, me."

"She is quite a spitfire," Noh acknowledged with a fond glance over at the girl. "She's your spitting image. Just, well, pink."

"And strong," Tsunade added, the faintest of smiles crossing her lips. "Only a few weeks, and she had such a determined spirit again. It's almost like she felt she owed me for taking her in. Always asking about what else she could do, trying so desperately to do her share and much over... honestly, sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself at nineteen, a hardened soldier, rather than being random girl from Konoha that cracked under the pressure."

Both chuckled quietly to themselves for a moment at the irony.

"If I'm being honest, when I first met her, I really thought that you had a secret daughter that you'd never mentioned before." She shook her head in amusement. "Imagine my surprise when she reveals to us that she wants to be a part of Riot. This scrawny, pale little twelve, then thirteen-year-old girl who looks like a gentle breeze could knock her over wanting to be a fighter? I have to admit, I was pretty stunned."

"I was rather... horrified, to say the least, that she wanted to join, too." Tsunade agreed. "Honestly, at the time, I was so bitter and angry at the king for the people he was hurting, I felt like it would be some kind of revenge against him for robbing so many of their lives. For a minute, I really felt like it would be some kind of 'take that' at him for taking away this girl's childhood. Well, that was before the kid grew on me.

"After a while, I realized just how selfish I was for taking her away from her family, but at that point, I couldn't imagine a day without her looking up at me with those big, green eyes, eagerly asking me about what she could do to help. So, well, I just embraced it. Better to be a mother, as ill-fitted as I am to be one, rather than some kind of cold boss that just wants you around for cannon fodder, right?"

"But 'motherhood' fits you so well, Tsunade." Noh's eyes shone with admiration, and although she looked a little hurt inside, she masked it well. "You've brought her up to be such a wonderful person. Not everyone can handle teenage angst, you know."

Tsunade laughed a little at that. "Believe me, it wasn't much of a teenage angstfest when everyone was keeping her so busy. That, and she told me a lot of how grateful she was to be out of Konoha."

She hesitated a moment before looking over at the direction of Konoha's gates. "... She's hiding it well, but... being this close to home is taking a toll on her."

"Is it?"

"She'll never come right out and say it, of course, but Konoha holds a lot of dear memories for her. Some positive, a lot negative, but it's all the same in the end." Tsunade shook her head, a grim frown overtaking her face. "I'm surprised she's keeping so calm. Whenever we have to relocate near here, it puts her in a solemn mood for at least a good week after we leave."

"Really." Noh blinked at her, wide-eyed. "I guess it seems obvious, but hearing it it still surprising."

"She tries to hide the hurt it brings her, but even talking about her past is very damaging." The blonde sighed heavily once more. "I know of at least one time when she's come to me and begged me to consider someone else as a spy, but... honestly, out of everyone, she'd probably be the most fit for the job. I mean, I can't send Karin in again; she'd be executed on sight. The kicker is that no one would expect such a sweet face to be a double-agent. That, and we can only imagine how the prince would react to her working in the castle."

"She may look different, but she's the same soul," Noh slowly replied. "Indeed. I just can't imagine sending her in, though. She's still so young."

"You were twenty when you ran away," Tsunade pointed out with a sagely smile. "As much as I don't want to face it, she's not a little girl anymore. I have faith that she'll be able to complete the mission."

As she turned to gaze at the girl, she drank in the sight. She was curled into Hinata, her cotton candy hair draped across her face. Her expression was one of content, almost as if there was no war in Fire. "She is our trump card for a peaceful resolution."


A/N: Things will begin picking up again, and soon we'll be able to see some 'Team 7' interaction!

Tell me what you thought, and I'll see you next week!