Disclaimer: (cry) I don't own naruto...

Original Characters: Jin, Mai, Asuka, Athena, Shinji...

there's one more but i haven't thought of a name yet haha!

(lol they do sound like tekken and eva chracters...lol prolly because i was playing tekken 5 and i watched eva before i wrote that chapter...AHAHA!)

Lady RIne: Thanks again for your reviews (grin)

As promised here is the next chapter I hope you guys like it.


Act 16: Mission Escort (Part 4)- It's a Warning.

"We should arrive in about a day… I'd say tomorrow morning." Jin explained to the group. It was bright and early.

The sun was just rising over the horizon and Naruto and Sasuke had just finished packing up their camp with the exception of the bigger tent because Sakura and Mai were getting dressed inside. Naruto had told Jin to scout ahead and give an estimate of how much longer their journey would be.

"Tomorrow morning eh…" Naruto repeated. He wanted to get this mission over with and get back to Konoha ASAP! After all, he had a wedding to plan, his own.

"That's if we keep the pace we had yesterday. If we move a little faster, maybe we cold get there late night… but that also means no sleep." Jin mentioned.

"Is that a wise idea? Remember we have a brat with us." Sasuke said. He liked the idea of getting this mission finished, but he didn't want to hear Mai complain of tiredness, nor did he feel like giving any piggy backs anytime soon.

"I'm NOT A BRAT!" Mai screamed. The young Ambassador came out in a white and pink sakura patterned kimono; her dark hair was up in neat loops.

"pfft…" Sasuke shrugged.

"Anosa! Anosa! Mai-chan, why are you dressed like that?" Naruto asked.

"I wanted to look nice for when I see daddy again!" Mai said gleaming with joy.

"She doesn't mind pulling an all-night-er." Sakura stated coming out dressed in her clan clothing, but it was different this time…

It was a sleek one-piece fitted black dress that showed off her curves. Sleeveless, exposing her well toned arms, with a diamond shape cut out over her chest, showing just a little cleavage. The skirt itself cut off about 6½ inches above her knee, showing off her long slender legs. It was a turtleneck but its collar came up to cover the lower part of her face, like Kakashi's mask. And of course, to complete the ensemble, the Haruno family symbol on her back in white and her favorite knee-high kick ass black stiletto boots. She pulled on her mask and tied up her hair into a tight but messy bun and topped it off by wrapping a black cloth around her pastel hair to conceal it from enemies.

"We should get going." She said, buckling a utility belt around her hips loading it with senbons, kunais, sherukens, and of course genjitsu scrolls and her trusty katana.

The rest of the team started to arm themselves as well. Holsters on thighs and belts, scrolls, swords, nun chucks, weapons of a large variety, the team had everything they could possibly need.

It was a good 3 hours now that they were walking. Naruto thought this was a good time to stop and take a short break for water because the little ambassador looked like she was getting tired, even though she dared not to say it.

He held up his hand bringing his companions to a stop. "We'll take a short break… Mai, here, have something to drink." The blonde captain pulled out a water canister and handed it to her.

"Thanks" She replied smiling and took the canister taking small sips at a time from it.

"Jin, Sakura, go have a peek around." Naruto told them. The both of them nodded and headed off in different directions.

Crackle "Naruto?" Crackle

"Hai?"

Crackle "North-East is clear… nothing suspicious following us… I'm going to check North end and then head back." Crackle

"Ok Sakura, be careful ok?"

Crackle "Aren't I always?"Crackle Naruto could see the Konouchi smirking at the other end of the radio in his mind. Crackle "Be back soon, Haruno out." Crackle

Mai didn't know why, but she all of a sudden felt vulnerable. "Neh, Naru-kun…"

But she was interrupted by the buzzing of Naruto's radio. It was Jin…

Crackle "Clear… muffle… NO! muffle… approaching… enemies… I'll… muffle… hold…back… muffle… AHH!" Crackle

"JIN!" Naruto yelled into his mic. "JIN!"

No answer.

Mai tensed up. It was then that she understood her paranoia… someone was coming, and she's in trouble.

"Oi Sasuke-bastard." Naruto started.

"I got it…" Sasuke darted off in the direction Jin had headed earlier.

He hadn't been running long before he encountered Jin and a gang of assassins.

"Sasuke-san!" Jin looked relieved. He was strong yes… but he was out numbered… 5 against one seemed too much for the shinobi to take on his own.

They were all dressed in black. Two of them were fighting against Jin, the others seemed to just sit back and relax. Sasuke wondered why they were here… looking for the brat no doubt. He mentally scolded himself in his head for asking a question which had such and obvious answer. Naruto arrived shortly after, without Mai, obviously he had told the brat to take cover somewhere far but close by so that if the assassins did find her, Naruto and his team were right there to protect her.

"Oi… Assassin morons… Does it really take 2 of you to take down a dick-head Nin like that guy?" Sasuke smirked gesturing towards Jin. "Are you really that weak?" He sounded rather cocky. That didn't go over too well with the assassins.

Jin and Naruto cringed at Sasuke's words… huge s-drop on Jin and Naruto.

"Baka! Stupid Sasuke-bastard. He's going to get us all killed… and he says I'M the loud mouth… BAKA!" Naruto thought to himself as the started counting the number of assassins… "One… to my left and above on that cliff… two fighting Jin, two in front of Sasuke on separate tree branches…"

"I can sense 4 behind us…" Sasuke thought… he was surveying his surroundings.

What and appropriate spot for and assault. Where Jin was fighting, there was a clearing… they were surrounded by trees and there was a cliff north-west of them. It wasn't too high; he could probably jump up to the top in one leap. He and Naruto were on the east side of the clearing. There were rocks sticking out everywhere on half of the clearing… at the foot of the cliff.

An odd man with a crow on his shoulder appeared a top of the cliff… Their leader no doubt the nin-team concluded. The man gave a nod and before they knew it, they were entirely surrounded by assassins. The currently 3-man nin-team was currently out numbered.

The sun was high in the sky. It was afternoon and it was hot. A brief gust of wind blew past as Naruto looked up at the assassins surrounding him. A slight flash from the sun hit his eyes and he looked away quickly.

"Sasuke…there must be---" Sasuke cut Naruto off.

"A hundred and twenty…" He said, his eyes glowed red and black commas started to swirl. "We can take them… what do you think dobe?"

"Bet I can take down more than you can." Naruto smirked.

"I doubt that."

"Nani! What did you say! I won't lose to you Sasuke-Bastard!" Naruto scolded channeling an overwhelmingly powerful red chakra through his body.

Sasuke did the same, channeling purplish chakra though his limbs.

"You're on dobe!" Sasuke smirked at his friend.

"An Uchiha… the last Uchiha… and the Blonde one must be the Kyuubi's container… that is two…" The dark master muttered to his crow. He peered down at the three nins below him. "A noob too, but one's missing… and so is the brat."

"Master… we can defeat them…" Said an assassin with flaming red hair. He stood next to the dark master. His hands were replaced with blades… uncommon for an assassin of his ranks. And under his black cloth mask he grinned, orange eyes scanning the clearing for the brat and the missing nin.

"Find the kid, then kill her… no one else…" The master replied and then he vanished.

"Hai…" The red-haired assassin whispered to the breeze his master left behind.

"10 minutes Sasuke-Bastard?" Naruto grinned, eyeing the assassin on the cliff top with the faming hair with his ocean blue eyes. "Winner gets to kill the red head."

"10 minutes? That's 2 more than I need." Sasuke assured before speeding off to encounter his first victim.

"OI! No fair! You didn't say start! BAKA CHEATER!" Naruto cried darting off behind him.

Thus the battle commenced.

Naruto pulled out his ever so favorite kage bushin no jitsu, creating only about twenty clones. "U-ZU-MA-KI, NA-RU-TO, COMBO!" the Naruto's chimed together knocking out yet another assassin. "Hey Sasuke! That's 10!" He cried grinning.

Sasuke thrust his palm upwards on an assassin's jaw; he smirked when he heard the sound of the assassin's jaw breaking. He then jumped up and swung around landing a drop kick on his opponent's head, shattering his spine vertically. "17"

Sensing another one behind him, Sasuke turned firing fireballs at his opponent concealing sherukens within them. They struck his opponent and he fell down dead. "18"

"Kuso! It's only been 2 minutes!" Naruto cursed as he flung towards a group of assassins. Knocking them out with a graceful flow of kicks punches and the throwing of random pointy objects and occasionally random recently deceased assassins.

From behind a near-by bush, Mai watched on in awe… She had never really seen any shinobi in action. Her father pretty much kept her in-doors. She moved around, doing her best not to make any noise and trying to get a good view of the fight. She could see a few figures flying around, and Sasuke, Naruto and even Jin darting back and fourth around the clearing. She was curious of how they could move so fast so easily, in fact she was even intrigued.

The red-haired assassin watched on with amusement. A rustling in the bushes near the eastern side of the clearing caught his eye. A tiny black head top hovered over a white kimono. "It's the girl" he thought and dived down to meet her. Before Mai knew it, the red-haired assassin had her by the throat and she was gasping for air. He covered her mouth to muffle her screams.

"HELP ME!" Mai cried… no use. Her screams were masked by an unknown hand. Tears flowed from her eyes landing on his arms. She stared into his orange eyes. He stared back into her fear-filled orbs eager for her demise. "This is the end…" Mai said to herself… she stopped struggling… it only tightened his grip on her. Her eyes started to close slowly… it was getting harder to breathe, and she suddenly felt sleepy.

The three Konoha shinobi realized that they had left her unguarded for too long.

"MAI!" Eyes widened.

"MAI-CHAN!" Jaws dropped.

"MAI-SAN!" Cries echoed.

They knew they couldn't reach her in time…

Their eyes widened more in disbelief. They've failed their mission. They let her be found. They let her suffer…

They were letting her die…

"help me…"

Was it over?

"I don't want to die…"

Is it over?

"onegai… someone… save me…"

No.

"onee-san…"

CRASH!

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" an angry voice called.

A strong fist landed against the red-assassin's jaw… it was so forceful that he had flown backwards and collided into the cliff creating a huge crater. A good 70 feet fly from where he had been standing.

Mai's fragile body fell to the ground, and she gasped for air. Holding her throat, Mai pushed herself up to see her savior. Back turned… a white "O" on the back of a slender fitted black dress… underneath a black cloth she saw a loose stand of… "PINK!" She thought.

"SAKURA-ONEE-SAN!"

The Konouchi did not turn to face her; her jade orbs were fixated on her surroundings.

"Mai! Are you ok?"

Mai simply nodded, she felt weak, and sleepy. Her eyes closed and she plopped onto the ground.

"MAI-SAN!" Jin punched and assassin out of the way and ran towards her taking the Ambassador into his arms.

"She just passed out…" Sakura said, her eyes were now closed and she was listening to the pattern of the battle around her. "Take her somewhere safe."

"Demo… Sakura…" Jin protested.

"DO IT!" She scolded. And Jin held Mai closer to him and darted out of the clearing.

Sakura pulled out a scroll, eyes still closed. "Sasuke-kun, Naruto!"

"Hai?" Naruto responded.

"Aa…" Sasuke acknowledged.

They did not stop combat as she spoke.

"Close your eyes on the count of three…"

They did not protest… they trusted her.

Sakura made a few seals. "One…" Channeling chakra, Sakura flung open the scroll and it floated around her.

Naruto knocked out another assassin, cracking his neck. The then took cover behind a tree on the eastern boarder.

Sakura made more seals "Two…" She had started to glow… a pale pink aura became evident around her body. Her chakra built up around her.

Sasuke had thrust a kunai into an assassin's head. Blood spurting out of him as Sasuke too took cover behind a tree on the western boarder.

Sakura made a few more seals before coming to a stop. "Three!" She cried. Her pink chakra aura exploded as her jaded eyes opened wide.

Sasuke and Naruto covered their heads and clamped their eyes shut as tight as they could go.

Bright lights enveloped the entire area. The cries of the blinded assassins echoed though the clearing. Explosions erupted underneath each standing assassin…

She killed them all in one blow…

Haruno Sakura…

Master of genjitsu.

--

After 3 minutes the light started to fade and Sasuke and Naruto came out from the trees. They joined Sakura where she stood.

"Neh, Sasuke-Bastard."

"What?"

"Sakura won, she killed the most."

Naruto grinned.

Sakura had no reaction.

Sasuke smirked… the three of them looked at the damage done by the Konouchi…

The entire clearing… the rocks… the cliff… they were now flat.

--

"Why do you think they attacked us?" Jin asked.

They were by the river again. Sakura had tended to her teammates' wounds, having none herself she tended to the young Ambassador who has fainted due to exhaustion.

"They were after Mai obviously…" Sasuke bluntly stated.

"Why attack in broad daylight? Don't assassins usually come a night?" Jin furrowed his brows in deep thought.

"Jin is right… if they wanted an easy getaway they would have come in the evening, not at 2 in the afternoon. It's strange…" Naruto too was confused by this.

Silence… the Konoha shinobi did not know what to think.

"It was a warning."

"EH?" Naruto looked surprised.

"What do you mean Sakura?" Jin asked.

Sasuke was silent… he understood.

The males looked upon the Konouchi who wrung a cold-water-soaked wash cloth and placed it neatly folded on Mai's forehead.

"It was a warning. Plain and simple. They'll be coming back." She replied standing up from a kneeling position.

"Then the red-head…" Sasuke started.

Sakura looked up at them. Her eyes were hardened with anger. She clenched her fists and the hilt of her katana. "Asshole got away."


Chapter 17 is ALMOST! finished... not quite... so i'll try to get that one up ASAP.

Luv ya! bye bye!

-Lady Rine