It's snowing outside and I've got two days before classes resume. I'll probably get more of this written once I start getting bored in them. ^^;; But for now, Kizuko-chan yells at me to write more.

Mwahaha! It continues!! However, I do believe it's time we took a look into the enemy base. ^_^ 

Oh yes, spoilers for chapter 199 of the manga now.

I'm going to assume that when His Snakiness took that poor bastard's body in that chapter he changed it to look like his own and can now use his hands again.

********

The waiting area was empty, except for them. So why was this taking so long? He had caught the nurses giving him some dirty looks but surely…Kizuko whimpered in her sleep. That was it.

Naruto approached the desk, his wounded kitling carefully held in his arms. "Excuse me…"

The middle aged nurse on duty behind the desk gave him a look that could only be described as…venomous. "Yes?"

"Look, we've been waiting about 20 minutes and my daughter is badly injured, please can we see a doctor?"

The nurse's eyes dropped from one whiskered face to another, her lips pursed out farther. "I told you, Mr. Uzumaki. There are no available doctors. Besides, I'm sure your demo…daughter will be fine if it…she doesn't receive medical attention right awa…" Whatever else the old bat was going to say was immediately cut off along with her air supply as sand formed a tight circle around her throat and began spinning tighter and tighter. Gaara walked up next to his blondes and gave the choking woman a bored look. "The quality of Konoha medical care has obviously fallen. Now, you will find us a doctor for the child. And you will do it quickly."

The woman's eyes were bulging out, but she quickly hit a button on the desk.

The reaction was immediately. Footsteps quickly sounded down the hallway. Upon observing the scene, a gentle voice called out. "What's going on here?"

Gaara called back the sand and left the woman gasping at her post. Naruto turned towards the doctor and blinked. "Hinata?"

Pale eyes also blinked in shock. "Naruto-kun?" She then saw the wounded child in his arms and gasped. "My goodness! How long has she been like that? Why wasn't I called for immediately?" She gave the still gasping nurse a nasty look and then turned back to her patient. "Come, follow me and we'll get the little one patched up in no time." With that she turned quickly back down the corridor motioning for Naruto to follow her. Gaara walked behind them, pausing to give the woman at the desk a rather feral smirk before disappearing down the hallway.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kizuko was sleeping peacefully in a hospital bed within an hour. Abrasions and lacerations all bandaged and no sign of internal bleeding. Apparently the wounds had all looked worse than they actually were, according to Hinata. Naruto has his suspicions otherwise, but was grateful for a doctor's help. "How's her chakra level look to you?" he asked after she finished bandaging the last cut. Hinata had taken a step back and studied the little one on the bed in front of her for a moment. She was using the Byakkugan to study the chakra of a wounded person. Huh. Innovative use for it. No wonder she was a medical nin now. "It…you do know she has two different types of chakra forming to make one, don't you?"

He nodded. "Yeah. That's normal for her."

Hinata smiled in relief. "Well, it's very odd but if it's normal for her, then I suppose she's at normal level then. Although, I'd like to keep her here overnight. Just for observation."

"Can we stay with her?"

"Of course. You are her father, after all."

"That's good." He leaned over and kissed the sleeping girl gently on the forehead. Hinata stepped out of the room for a moment and he followed, giving Gaara  a 'I'll be right back' look.  The redhead remained stoic as ever.

"So, you're a doctor now? That's great. You were always good at making those herbal medicines." Naruto leaned against the wall and looked at the woman the shy girl he remembered had grown into. Her hair was longer now, almost as long as he remembered Neji's being, and she had traded in the bulky coat for a medical nin uniform. But she still blushed when he complimented her. It was kind of weird.

"Hai. I…Tsunade-sama trained me herself later on, after you…" She trailed off, then shook her head and smiled brightly. "You should come over for dinner one night, Naruto-kun. All three of you. I'm sure Kiba would love to see you and Kizuko-chan could play with the puppies we just had. And I could invite Neji-Niisan over and…"

Naruto blinked. "Whoa…whao…slow down. Kiba? Puppies?"

Hinata blushed deeply, looking at the floor, and held up her right hand to show a simple gold band. "I…I had a hard time after you left and Kiba was a good friend to me…and….well, the Inuzukas aren't on the same level as the Hyuugas but…"

"Better than an Uzumaki, huh?"

Her head shot up, sadness in those pupil-less eyes. "No! Father may have felt that way but I never did. Naruto-kun, you were better than anyone else in the village to me. You made me believe in myself when everyone else told me I was a failure. I…I…" She dropped her gaze back down to the floor again. "I cried for weeks after you were exiled. I liked you. Really liked you. It took me several years to get over you…"

Naruto looked at her sadly. "I really liked you too, Hinata. And I really wish things had been different…but, I'm alright now. I wasn't for a long time but now, I've got people who love me and I love them. And you've got Kiba, now. So we're both happy as we are."

"You were always so kind. And yes, I'm very happy with Kiba."

"So, um…puppies? I always knew Kiba as really a dog."

She laughed. "No, no. One of the dogs, Mei, just had a litter. Me having a litter of puppies! Really! Why I'd be happy if I could…" She got serious for a moment.

 "You really are very lucky, Naruto-kun. She's an adorable little girl. I wish I could have one."

The blonde blinked very quickly in a clueless manner. Hinata smiled sadly. "I…we…I can't have children. That's the major reason why Father passed me over and gave leadership of the clan to my little sister."

"Ack! Hinata, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories or topics or anything…" He patted her awkwardly on the shoulder.

She placed her own smaller hand over his, and shook her head. "No, no. It's quite alright…" Her eyes went wide. "Err…Naruto-kun…are you aware you have sand swirling around you?"

"Huh?" He looked down and saw quite a bit of sand swirling possessively around his body. "Excuse me a moment." He walked back into the room and glared at Gaara who looked rather innocent. Well, as innocent as Gaara can look.

"You know…as cute as the jealousy act can be, you don't need to go as far as the sand barrier to prove I'm taken."

"If I wanted to prove that you were taken, I'd rip off your clothes and ravish you there in front of her. And I am not jealous." He kept his eyes firmly on wall across from him while saying all of this.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Would it help if I started wearing the hitae around my neck and got a tattoo stating 'Property of Gaara of the Desert' on my forehead?"

Silence.

"Well?"

"Hush. I'm thinking about it."

"That's it! I'm going to go finish my conversation with Hinata, unmolested by sand, thank you very much." And the blonde walked through the door muttering the whole way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Sound base was dark, as usual. Kaede had spent the entire trip back in her father's arms as silent and still as she could possibly make herself. She had failed him yet again and he had to come rescue her. As he stalked down the familiar corridors she could feel the prickling sensation behind her eyes start up, but she forced it back.  She was an Uchiha. Uchihas don't cry.

He entered the infirmary and placed her on an examination table. "Kabuto-san," he called to the room's other occupant. She tried not to wince. He still wasn't acknowledging her presence. Kabuto-san came to stand next to her father, sparing her the most trifling of glances. "Sasuke-kun, what can I do for you? As if I really need to ask."

Sasuke's dark head nodded briefly in her direction and then she watched as his form retreated and left the room. She turned her attention back to Kabuto-san who was already busy bandaging her left shoulder. "Well, you certainly got into quite a skirmish, Kaede-chan. I'm sure the other person looks much worse though."

Kaede bit her lip and resolutely remained silent. She stared at the door across from her as Kabuto-san went about, bandaging this, using a healing jitsu there, until he proclaimed her as fit to return to her room. She turned to bow to him as much as possible in her current state, after all Okaasan had taught her to be polite. "Thank you, Kabuto-san."

He waved at her with one hand while adjusting his glasses with the other. "No problem, Kaede-chan. Just don't be so reckless next time; I'm sure it pains Sasuke-kun to see his daughter in such a state."

She smiled sadly and limped out the door. If only, if only…

Much to her surprise, he was waiting for her on the other side. Leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and head bowed, with one foot braced up against it. Would he still ignore her? Well, she had to try. "Otousama…"

He lifted his head to look at her and pushed off against the wall to stand in front of her. Dark eyes did a quick tally of all of her injuries being attended to and then he nodded to himself once.

"Otousama…I…"

Quicker than she could see, a hand lashed out and slapped her so hard she cried out and was forced a step back. Wide emerald eyes looked up, filled with unshed tears as she held a hand to her stinging cheek. He was mad at her. Very very mad. He was frowning and his dark eyes were stormy. "Kaede, please explain to me what the hell you thought you were doing out there."

"I…Otousama…He has a daughter!! I overheard the villagers when I was on reconnaissance and I saw her. I thought…I thought that if I could go ahead and get rid of the little one that would be one less for us to worry about later on. I wanted to help you." She prayed her voice didn't truly sound as whiney as it did in her own ears.

He was very quiet for a moment, simply just looking down upon her. And then, "You thought you would help back taking out the younger before she could become a problem? Did you ever stop to think how Naruto would react when he found out you killed his daughter?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but he continued onwards, ignoring her. "No, of course, you didn't. That would be too much for me to hope for. I was supposed to be attempting to convince him to join us or to kill him, and now thanks to your stupidity, he will most definitely be not and is still most definitely alive. And I now have to go report Orochimaru-sama why. You're an Uchiha. Start acting like one."

She bowed deeply, letting her bangs cover her eyes. "Hai, Otousama. Gomen nasai." She remained bowing until he walked past her.

Somehow, she managed to hold off the tears until she limped back to the little room that had been assigned to her. Still holding them back, she locked the door behind her and walked over to the bed. Which she promptly threw herself on and cried until she could cry no more. Then, carefully taking off the kerchief that held back her raven hair, she took of her most precious possession and held it close to her.

It was old, and the blue cloth was faded, but to her it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Her mother's hitae. She traced the symbolized leaf in the metal band with a trembling finger. If she held the blue cloth to the face she could still faintly smell her mother's scent of cherry blossoms. Otousama didn't know she had this. No one knew she had it. It was hers, her only link to her mother.

"Okaasan…I don't know what do to…I try so hard…why can't I ever please him?"

Kaede remembered her mother. Her mother was sweet and full of light, a total contrast to her father. Her mother taught her to always be polite and that she was Uchiha, which was something to always be proud of. Okaasan had loved her more than anything, except perhaps Otousama. She had been happy, and she knew Otousama had too, even if he never really said or expressed it. But…her mother was dead now. She had been caught by the Konoha hunter nin five years ago along with Kaede's newly born little brother, Nobutada.

She remembered catching Otousama gripping Okaasan's hitae so tightly that the corners of the metal plate cut into his hand and caused blood to drip to the floor. She remembered hearing him whisper "Why Sakura? Why Nobutada?" over and over until he finally screamed in rage and hurled the hapless object into a dark corner of the room. Later, she had snuck in and collected the hitae. No one knew she had it. There had still been a few precious strands of pink hair on it and she had collected those and stored them in a little box that was hidden in her room. She wore it just like Okaasan use to, but beneath her kerchief so it would stay hidden. It was her treasure and Okaasan always watched over her with it.  So why?

"What should I do, Okaasan? How can I make him proud of me?"

The only answer she got was the same as she always got. A faint scent of cherry blossoms drifting through the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"So, you're saying the Kyuubi brat isn't dead. Nor is he joining us." The man on the throne folded his hands together as the younger shinobi below him reported.

"My daughter foolishly disrupted the mission in her own misguided attempts to help us by killing Naruto's daughter, Orochimaru-sama." Sasuke kept his eyes firmly on the ground in front of him.

"I…see. I trust the little one is dead then?"

"I can not say for sure. Uzumakis are notoriously hard to kill."

"As well I know. I assume your misguided child has been set straight, Sasuke-kun?"

"Hai. I've seen to her myself." His seal throbbed but he did not move a muscle. Any movement could well mean death for Kaede.

"Hmmm…I was hoping to get rid of the Kyuubi before we move. I suppose I'll have to do it myself then. Although, this body really isn't as useful as it used to be. It certainly will not be able to journey to Konoha and take on the Nine Tail's vessel.... Sasuke-kun, look at me."

Sasuke raised his head to his master. The man on the throne looked old. He didn't remember Orochimaru-sama's current body looking so aged. This was not a good sign. The snake studied him intently.

"Yessssss. You've grown quite powerful over the years, Sasuke-kun. I do believe it's time to repay me for the power I've given you."

Something cold grabbed Sasuke's heart. This was it then. His fated day had finally come. He wished to run, to scream out, but this was as his master wished so what could he do other than obey?

"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama."

"Go find Kabuto and make the preparations."

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama."

Neither noticed the small shadow disappear from where it had been watching in front of the crack in the doors.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh, no…Oh no…Okaasan, what do I do? Orochimaru-sama is going to take Otousama's body because I screwed up when he was trying to kill the kyuubi. This is my fault…What can I…."

Kaede paced back and forth in her room, muttering to herself. She then stopped. "Wait…Orochimaru-sama said he couldn't journey to Konoha and take on the nine tails both…but maybe if I can bring the kyuubi to him…Maybe then he'll spare Otousama." Determination filled her eyes, and she ran out the door and down the hallway.

"Kabuto-san." She called upon entering the infirmary. He adjusted a few wicked looking medical instruments and then turned to her. "Yes, Kaede-chan, how can I help you?"

She tried to look as adult as possible. "Kabuto-san, I need some wards. As powerful as possible on short notice and lots of them."

The medical nin looked rather surprised. "Wards? What are you going to do with wards, Kaede-chan?"

She looked up at him, Sharingan eyes glowing crimson, and smiled viciously.

"I'm going to go fox hunting."

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Lalalala….I suck at writing Orochimaru….Lalalala….I suck at writing Hinata….lalalala….and that end really didn't turn out how I wanted it. Sigh. Oh well.

Hmmm….too much Kaede in this part I think, but it was kinda needed. I mean, hey, now you know what's going on and how she feels about all it…right? (Oh dear god, please please please don't let me be falling into the Mary Sue trap….please, please, please….)

And, what happened to Sakura revealed! Or so I'll let you all think. Hehehehe. I named their son Nobutada after my favorite character in The Last Samurai. Which is a kick ass film that I highly recommend, btw. ^^;;