The forest was ominously quiet now. The twisting and flitting of leaves in the wind were almost muted and even the sound of everyone's footsteps seemed to be muffled. As Akira and Sasuke stopped before the three Sand ninjas, Akira was transfixed by the myriad of fluttering leaves dancing in the high branches. It reminded her of the genjutsu from earlier, but it was calming now. She needed it. The mounting anxiety from the threat from the demon inside Gaara, Sasuke's unpredictability and Orochimaru's potential presence were worrying Akira.

She was a little taken aback when Temari jumped right at her and Sasuke. She launched three kunai from each hand, which Akira and Sasuke dodged easily. Akira couldn't help but frown. Temari was good—great even—but her attack was weak and ill-placed. As she kept coming forward, Kankuro picked up Gaara and dashed off. Sasuke and Akira shared a look.

"I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight," Akira said, worried.
"Akira," Sasuke sighed. "We need to divide and conquer. You know that's our best option."
"I know but—"
"I've got no clue what Kakashi told you, or why the hell you're not supposed to disappoint him, but I'm good."
"Sasuke—"
"Go after the painted idiot and the crazy guy," Sasuke said. "I'll draw out the girl and we'll regroup when I'm done with her."

Akira didn't have time to agree or disagree. Sasuke split off from Akira and drew Temari away without issue, which made her frown again. It was still far too easy.

But Sasuke was right, Akira thought despite herself. Gaara was currently the real threat, and as he was headed in the opposite direction that Sasuke was headed in, Akira had to convince herself that he'd be fine for now. With a long sigh and a harsh groan, Akira went after Gaara and Kankuro. She pulled out her katana, cutting small branches out of her way to maintain speed and visual contact.

It didn't take long for Kankuro to start slowing down, no doubt from the exhaustion of running through the trees whilst carrying a teenage boy on his shoulders. Akira pushed herself to increase her speed—there was no way she was going to let them out of her sight, and catching up to them meant she'd be able to get back to Sasuke faster. Eventually, it became clear that Kankuro couldn't maintain his speed at all. Swiftly, Akira managed to get ahead of him, and she pointed a katana at his head just as he came to an abrupt stop.

"I can't let you go any further, Kankuro," Akira said. "Shame, really, you were starting to grow on me."
"Yeah, same here," Kakuro said, almost sighing. He glanced at the blade pointed to his head. "But if I have to be your opponent, so be it."
"Honestly, I don't really want to fight you."

Akira looked to Gaara hanging limply over Kankuro's shoulder. A saddened look crossed her features for a split second before the stern, cold look in her eyes returned.

"I don't want to fight him, either."
"You're nice to him," Kakuro said, frowning.
"I'm not."
"Gaara said you were. Told us you talked him down. How?"

A frown twitched at Akira's eyebrows for a moment. As much as she wanted to explore what Kankuro had just said, its implications and how exactly she'd managed to do it, Akira's eyes became hard again. She readjusted the grip on her blades and stared down its length and at Kankuro. For a moment, Kankuro was afraid of her.

"You've threatened the village I've vowed to protect with my life, Kankuro."
"Come on—"
"If you want to have a heart to heart, find someone who gives a crap."
"I think you do give a crap," Kankuro challenged.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't trained that way."
"I'll say."

Relief washed over Akira when she heard Sasuke's voice. She glanced over to him. Other than a few scuff marks, he seemed to be all right.

"You're an ass sometimes," he continued. "Wonder who taught you that? Kakashi certainly didn't."

Akira gave Sasuke a side-eye glare. This wasn't the time to get into that topic.

"Where's Temari?"
"Here."

As Temari landed beside Kankuro, Akira saw that she was in far worse shape than Sasuke. However, she was still conscious. It irked her that that was her first thought since it was a very Orochimaru sort of thing, but it wasn't wrong. Gaara may have been out cold now, but he could wake up at any moment, and to take all three of them on at the same time would be a pain in the ass.

"I see you went easy on her."
"Hey, you're the one who insisted we couldn't be separated," Sasuke retorted. "I figured I'd get back before you came looking for me and I had to listen to you whine."
"Yeah, and now I have to listen to you whine."

Sasuke glared at Akira and she could have sworn a wash of confusion went over his face. However, she paid it no mind and Sasuke turned back to the three Sand ninjas. Rage filled his eyes, similar to the fury that Akira had seen in his eyes in the Forest of Death. It was strange. Looking between them, Temari and Kankuro couldn't understand how someone trained by someone so aloof could turn out so wrathful—nothing of Kakashi's could be seen in Sasuke's demeanour. On the other hand, despite being trained by something so hateful, Akira was so very poised. In reality, however, Orochimaru's cold and arrogant determination was swimming through her veins, and Akira suspected that Sasuke could tell.

Akira's eyes shifted to Kankuro as he stepped forward. The bandage-wrapped puppet on his back came off and he placed it in front of him, putting something between him and the blade that Akira had never lowered.

"Temari, take Gaara and go on ahead," Kankuro said sternly. "You're at your limit and I don't need a hindrance."
"Sasuke, you've got Kankuro," Akira said, as Temari left with Gaara.
"No!"

Everyone turned towards the sound of the voice. It was Shino Aburame, the insect tamer that was meant to fight Kankuro during the final rounds of the Chūnin exams.

"Your opponent is me!"
"What do you want?" Kankuro asked Shino, looking very much confused.
"I've got unfinished business with you because our match never even started." Shino turned to Akira and Sasuke. "Go, leave him to me."
"Well, all right then, if you're sure you're okay," Sasuke said with a smirk.
"Don't worry. In ten minutes I'll be coming after you two to make sure you're okay."

Akira nodded to Shino and she pulled Sasuke away to pursue Temari and Gaara. She was faster than Kankuro, which made the Uchiha siblings pick up their speed almost as soon as they'd left, but Temari soon came to a halt as well. Akira could tell why. The evil aura in the air became suffocating all at once and, from a distance, Akira could see the vile look in Gaara's eyes. In a split second, a giant tendril of sand rushed out at Temari and pummelled her to the ground below.

Akira came to a stop and held out her arm in front of Sasuke. He turned to look at her, and the determined look on her face confused him. Akira, however, was far too focused on her own thoughts to notice. As per Kakashi's instructions, she had to keep Sasuke safe at any cost, but that would be hard to do while also trying to keep Gaara safe as well. Akira knew that the Sand siblings had threatened her village, but she truly didn't want to fight any of them. They were children used by grown men to carry out their dirty deeds, and the threat that Gaara specifically posed to Konoha wasn't his fault at all. His father had shoved the demon inside him at birth and consciously didn't seal it. Expecting a child to control it was madness and it was a miracle that Gaara had managed to survive this long.

If push came to shove, Akira wouldn't have a choice. Her commitment to Kakashi, Sasuke, and Konoha took precedence over controlling Gaara and keeping him safe. However, Akira wouldn't put the idea aside until she had to. At the back of her mind, Akira knew she could pull Gaara from the demon's clutches. She hadn't the faintest idea how to accomplish that, and she had no idea how she'd managed to do it in the past, but somehow Akira knew she could do it again.

"I have no idea what kind of scheme you Sand Village clowns are trying to pull, but I'll stop it no matter what it is!" Sasuke called, suddenly getting agitated. "Besides, I'm dying to see what you really are."
"Sasuke... I need to ask a favour."

Sasuke glanced at his sister, eyebrows furrowed. She was staring at Gaara's face, watching as his sand armour across his skin was starting to crack. She looked almost worried.

"Don't use lethal force unless you have to."
"What!? Akira—"
"Don't argue with me," Akira snapped. "I've brought him back before and I'm going to do it again."
"He could kill you!"
"If I'm on the verge of death, then you do whatever you want. Until then..."

Akira jumped a few branches ahead instead of finishing her sentence. Sasuke watched worriedly, as she was definitely within reach of one of Gaara's sand tendrils now, but Akira wasn't scared. Sasuke knew this. Her posture was straight, her stance was strong, and there wasn't a single shake of her limbs that indicated fear or nervousness.

Gaara shouted loudly. He clutched his head in pain again, screaming. Akira could tell that he was beginning to lose control over himself.

"Gaara!"

The boy's head whipped upwards and his panicked sea-green eyes landed on Akira. Temari had regained consciousness by then, and she was standing in the tree beside them. When Akira went to approach Gaara some more, Temari pulled out a few kunai and tossed them at her, forcing her to stop.

"Don't you dare get any closer!" Temari shouted, looking at Akira. "Remember our mission, Gaara!"
"Look at him, Temari!" Akira shouted, breaking eye contact with Gaara. "He's in no state to do anything, let alone whatever mission you all had planned! Look at him!"

Temari tentatively looked over to Gaara.

"Look what your father did to him! He's barely holding together! If he isn't calmed down, he's going to die!"

Gaara began yelling again, the heartbreaking shouts echoing throughout the forest. His head in his hands, he fell to his knees. Akira went to move towards him, but Temari shot another kunai at her. Sand began to creep across his body, seemingly coming out of nowhere, and the sand arm that had formed earlier clung to his skin and solidified over his arms. Deep blue markings appeared on the appendage and they crept up to his face. The sand followed, spreading like a disease, and the eye that had become covered by the sand went from aqua to a murky yellow colour with his sclera turned black.

The dangerous mix of demon and boy was starting to take form and it was clear that Gaara was no longer in control. Sasuke looked at Akira as if expecting her to give him the all-clear for a full assault, but she didn't. Her eyes were focused on Gaara's and the demon's, watching for a sign that he was going to move.

"Back!"

As Akira shouted, the demon arm attached to Gaara stretched forward and attempted to claw at the Uchiha siblings. They stepped back and out of the way, though at the very last second, and landed behind a tree as the clawed arm destroyed the branch where they once stood. Sasuke looked over at Akira.

"Is he human or monster!?" he asked, annoyed.
"He's like Naruto," Akira explained, far more calmly than she should have been. "Unlike Naruto, however, the Kazekage didn't give his son the benefit of a seal."
"So that thing can just rampage whenever it wants!? How the hell do you know this?"
"I guessed, Sasuke. Used my big Uchiha brain. I mean—" Akira waved in Gaara's general direction—"look at him."
"And how'd you manage to calm that down?"
"I didn't," Akira grumbled. "I just talked him down last time, but he wasn't this far gone last time. I don't think a simple heart-to-heart will suffice this time."
"Why do you hide Uchiha!?" the demon taunted. "Do I frighten you!?"
"Case and point."

Akira glanced over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of Gaara and Temari from behind the tree. From what she could see, Temari was terrified. Tears were falling from her eyes and her hands were covering her ears as if to block out any temptation or threat that the demon could make against her. It wasn't surprising that she could barely look Gaara in the eye earlier.

"Are you shocked by my true form!? Come out, come out, Uchiha!"

Impatient as usual, Sasuke let out an annoyed huff and performed a substitution jutsu. He jumped out at Gaara and the clawed arm darted for him immediately. It hit the substitute straight in the stomach and Sasuke vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a log with a huge chunk pitted out.

Sasuke appeared behind Gaara, six kunai in hand. Annoyed, Akira let out a rough sigh and dashed out from her hiding place. She came between Sasuke and Gaara, deflecting the kunai that he'd thrown, and as she landed, she grabbed Sasuke by the arm. With a good swing, Akira threw Sasuke out of the way, intent on keeping him safe and out of the fight, but her brother had other ideas. As Akira threw him, Sasuke grabbed hold of her wrist and tried to toss her aside instead. However, this only angered Akira even more and she used the momentum he was gaining to spin him around and throw him back to their hiding spot.

"You stay," Akira said sternly, pointing to Sasuke. "Kakashi's orders."

Finally, Akira landed steadily on a branch, only a few feet away from Gaara. She sighed quietly and kept an eye on the appendage that took a chunk out of the fake Sasuke as she put away her katana. Her gaze went from Shukaku's yellow eye to Gaara's sea-green eye.

"Gaara," Akira began tentatively, "I have no idea how I did this last time, but I'm begging you—you need to calm down. I know that you think you want to do this, but you told me—Shukaku is the one who wants this. Shukaku is the one that wants to kill, not you. Doing what Shukaku wants won't bring you anything!"

Akira was screaming by then. Her voice cracked on the last final words, throat raw from shouting.

"Killing me or Sasuke won't bring you the answers you want and it won't bring you any peace! It'll bring nothing, Gaara! Nothing! You need to calm Shukaku, and I know you can do it because you've been doing it for years! You're strong, Gaara—prove it to me!"

The eye that still belonged to Gaara seemed to calm for a split second. For a moment, there was a boy behind all that rage. But it was gone as quickly as it came. The fury resurged and it took only a split second for Akira to be tossed aside by the clawed arm attached to Gaara. However, unlike the substituted Sasuke earlier, Shukaku hadn't hit her nearly as hard. The pain radiated across her torso, but the claws hadn't touched her, almost as if the demon was only trying to get her out of the way.

Disoriented and with a loud ringing in her ears, Akira stood up again and turned to Sasuke. He'd gone forward again, throwing kunai at Gaara and the arm that had just hit his sister. They sank into the sand and then shot back Sasuke, flaming like sharp fireballs. Still a little hazy, Akira launched herself towards Sasuke and spun in midair, deflecting the kunai with her katana. One of them still managed to get through, however, and it hit Akira straight in the shoulder. She winced and fell back, but Sasuke caught her and he dragged her behind a tree trunk and out of sight.

"Stop protecting me, idiot!" Sasuke growled, holding his sister at arm's length.
"Nope. Kakashi asked me to keep you safe and that's what I'm going to do," Akira said through clenched teeth. She pulled the kunai from her shoulder and tossed it to the ground. "It was an order and I'm not in the habit of disobeying orders."
"What's wrong Sasuke Uchiha? Why do you run and hide behind your little sister?" the demon taunted. "Why do you let her shield you, stop your attacks, stunt your hatred?"
"God, he's such a freak!" Sasuke whispered harshly.
"He's not a freak, Sasuke," Akira said sternly. "This isn't Gaara talking."

A sudden crash caught Sasuke's and Akira's attention again. Trees that were there just moments ago were now gone, cut in half or ripped out of the ground. A loud growl made its way through the forest and Gaara jumped towards Akira and Sasuke. Akira didn't move an inch as he made his way towards her, but Sasuke jumped out of the way immediately. The Sharingan was focused on the yellow eye belonging to Shukaku and Akira stared it down.

"Akira, what the hell are you doing!?" Sasuke shouted.
"Trying something," Akira muttered.

She raised her chin and stood her ground. Instead of ploughing straight through her, Gaara came to an abrupt stop only a few feet from Akira, almost as if he were commanded to do so. The yellow eye squinted and stared, and Akira had a feeling that the demon was confused.

"It's clear that Gaara is no longer in control," Akira began. "So, who are you?"
"You know my name," the low demon growl said. "You've always known my name, don't play the fool!"

Akira rose an eyebrow, determined not to let her confusion show. She'd learned Shukaku's name from Gaara only a few days ago. There was no way that she could have always known the demon's name.

"Refresh my memory, then. It's only fair since you know who I am."

The gourd on Gaara's back turned to sand and fell down to the tree branch he was standing on. Blue markings appeared in the sand again and it attached itself to Gaara's lower back, forming one giant spiked tail.

"I am your first—Shukaku, the One-Tailed beast."

Akira couldn't hide her confusion this time. However, a nearly blinding flash of blue light pulled her from her thoughts. Sasuke tackled Shukaku's clawed arm, completely destroying it with the Chidori he'd clearly learned from Kakashi. Gaara was sent flying from the impact and violently landed on a thick branch of another tree.

A deep maniacal laugh rose from Shukaku. He stood and glared at Sasuke, but Akira got in between them again. She glanced at Sasuke over her shoulder and then back ahead. With an annoyed sigh, Akira gently rose her left arm and a spiral of water followed out of the gourd on her back. Sasuke watched, wide-eyed, as the water darted straight for Gaara, finally bearing witness to Akira's unique ability. The stream of water quickly spread into a cocoon of water that trapped Gaara inside, and moments later the buzzing sound of Akira's Inazuma filled the forest. However, somehow, the normally yellow jutsu sparked across her blade in pure white.

For a moment, Sasuke was taken aback by the change, watching the electricity surround the cocoon of water and shock Gaara to the core, but the familiar flamelike markings of Orochimaru's curse mark caught his eye. They freely spread over Akira's neck and shoulders, glowing bright orange, unimpeded by the seal that restricted his cursed seal. Sasuke watched his sister's face. It was calm and determined, not a single sign that the curse mark overcoming her skin was causing her pain, which made his eyes narrow.

There was only one way this could have happened and it was a clear explanation as to why there was no way Akira was going to disobey Kakashi's orders. After having the mark unsealed, she had learned this, practised this—even with everything Kakashi and Sakura had said.

"Sasuke—together!"

The look of anger on Sasuke's face disappeared the second Akira gave the all-clear to attack Gaara. He charged his second Chidori and, moments later, the buzzing sound of Akira's Inazuma joined the chirping of thousands of birds. She pointed her katana at Gaara, keeping her left hand raised to maintain the cocoon of water that was trapping him, and then Akira and Sasuke dashed forward together.

Akira glanced sideways at her brother, nervous, as the flamelike markings that spread controlled over her skin spread uncontrollably over his. However, Akira didn't have the luxury of being worried for too long. The Chidori and Inazuma cracked the water sphere the second it made contact, which sent Akira, Sasuke and Gaara flying in opposite directions. Akira skidded to a halt and the curse mark receded, but Sasuke had fallen limp on a nearby branch. The curse mark wasn't receding and with the very little amount of chakra left in his body, Sasuke was paralysed.

The girl cursed loudly and she turned to Gaara again. He stood, barely conscious, and the sand that had been obliterated spread across his arm once more. For a moment, Shukaku's yellow eye lingered on Akira, but it quickly turned to look at Sasuke. Akira frowned. Again, it was as if Shukaku was doing everything in his power to avoid getting into a confrontation with her—if Akira didn't know any better, she'd have said the demon was being soft.

As she was distracted by her own thoughts, it took a moment for Akira to realise that Gaara was sprinting for the unconscious Sasuke. She swore loudly. Even with her Sharingan awakened, Akira's body wasn't fast enough to react. Thankfully, the group that had been following them arrived at that moment. Naruto came down on Gaara with a strong kick and Akira sighed, relieved. However, despite the relief she felt upon seeing Naruto, Sakura and Pakkun, Shikamaru was missing. For a moment, Akira allowed herself to worry. She was certain that he'd stayed behind to deal with Kankuro alongside Shino, but she was worried.

"Akira..."

The Uchiha turned to look at Sakura, who'd spoken. Her eyes were wide with panic, which didn't surprise Akira, but her fear was directed at her and the stable, black flame-like markings that sat on her skin.

"I've got it under control, don't worry," Akira said flatly, casting her gaze sideways for a moment.
"Don't worry?" Sakura scoffed. "You having it under control is just as worrisome as it taking over, Akira. It means you had it unsealed."
"And Ino says you're dumb..."
"Akira—"
"You don't want to know who, Sakura," Akira interrupted. She glanced down at Sasuke. "Don't let him fight. Keep him safe. Kakashi's orders."

Sakura frowned, worried and scared, but she went over to Sasuke immediately. Akira turned her focus back to Gaara and Naruto. They weren't moving, simply glaring at each other. It was clear that the demon had recognised Naruto, or at least the demon inside him, but Naruto was having trouble understanding what was going on with Gaara.

"It's Gaara, Naruto," Akira said, coming to stand beside her teammate. "The One-Tailed beast Shukaku has taken over his mind and parts of his body."

Naruto glanced at her, scared and surprised. The information she'd just given, mixed with the tattoo-like flame markings spread across her skin were too much for Naruto to take all at once, and the struggle going on behind them with the now conscious Sasuke wasn't helping either.

"Let me fight!" he shouted, struggling against Sakura.
"Two is your limit, Sasuke," Akira said, bored. "If you use any more chakra, the curse mark will take over and kill you."
"WHAT GIVES YOU THE—"
"Now, if that doesn't kill you, you'll just run out of chakra and die anyway," Akira continued airily. "Either way, you're dead. Do you want to be a dead man, Sasuke?"
"BUT YOU'RE USING IT!"
"Yeah, and I sold my soul to do it."

Sasuke glared at Akira but he fell back down, defeated. Akira sighed, pushing her cheek out with her tongue, then turned back to Gaara. She took a deep breath and as she did so, the black markings on her skin receded back into the seal on her neck. Naruto watched in awe as it happened, but the fascination was short-lived.

Gaara launched himself at Sasuke again, but Akira sent a tendril of water flew out at the demon, whose sand appendages fell to the ground, heavy and useless. Annoyed, Akira rushed over to stand between him and Sasuke, and just as the demon got close to Akira, it retreated, clutching its head in its hands.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
"No," Akira said sternly. "I'm not going to do that."
"YOU'RE NOT THE BOSS OF ME ANYMORE!"

Akira was caught off-guard. Shukaku tossed her aside with the tail he'd grown from Gaara's gourd and held her against a tree, arms stuck to her side and unable to move or produce any jutsu. After a short while, the pressure on her chest began to restrict her airflow and the corners of her vision began to darken.

"What's the matter, Naruto? You aren't running away?" Shukaku mocked.
"I won't! Because you three are my friends!" Naruto shouted. "Try laying so much as another finger on them and I'll clobber you!"

The tail that held Akira in place constricted, crushing the girl even more. She coughed, gasping for breath. Everything became fuzzy as the Sharingan left her eyes.

"So... what's the matter?" Shukaku said slowly. "Weren't you going to clobber me? Then hurry up and come get me!"

Naruto initially hesitated, but he ended up charging at the possessed Gaara. As he pulled out a single kunai, the sand tail removed itself from Akira and flung down at Naruto without effort at all. Air rushed back into Akira's lungs and her blurred vision began returning to normal. The tail went back to hit her again and Akira fumbled to get up, but Naruto rushed in and lifted her out of the way.

When they landed, Akira took a second to catch her breath. As soon as her vision had returned to normal, the Sharingan returned, six tomoe focusing on the demon like a high definition camera.

Akira pulled out her katana again and sliced at the demon's arm of sand, forcing it to retract. Angry, the demon went to lunge at her for the first time, but Akira was ready. With a wave of her own arm, she intercepted the sand tail, trapping it in water, which gave Naruto the time to perform his own jutsu. Unfortunately, it seemed as though Master Jiraya hadn't managed to hammer the summoning jutsu into Naruto's brain. Instead of the large toads Naruto was hoping for, a dog-sized toad appeared. He groaned and started arguing with it.

"That's a good idea, Naruto," Akira said. "Shukaku is going to be too big for us soon."
"Yeah, but Pervy Sage's jutsu is hard! I can't even summon the right guy!"

Akira sighed and rolled her head back. Naruto looked at her. There was an irritated look on her face and when Akira rolled her head back into its normal position, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I'll help. Just know that this goes against my better judgement."

Akira aggressively put her katana back into its holster and then bit her thumb to draw some blood. She performed a few hand signs and then slammed her hand onto the thick branch she was standing on.

A large puff of smoke obscured everyone's view. Akira felt something underfoot and, moments later, she was rising through the air, passing the cloud of smoke that had appeared. Unaware of the stares she was getting from Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura, Akira's eyes focused on the sand gathering over the rest of Gaara's body. With each passing second, Shukaku was mutating and taking full control over him. As Shiro reached his full height, so had Shukaku. Two enormous spiked arms had formed, the tail had gotten bigger, and Gaara's face disappeared behind Shukaku's demonic sand-face.

"What is this?" Shiro hissed, disgusted.
"A demon, dear friend," Akira sighed.
"Oh, wonderful..."