Tsunade had over-taxed herself with the attack on the village. Mostly there were tents about, housing people and being used as our newest Hokage mansion where due to Jiraiya's pushing, the high-rank shinobi were delegating tasks to everyone in Tsunade's place. Naruto was running around using his shadow clones to help rebuild the village while his real form was setting back thinking. I could see his thoughts going through his mind. I myself am able to move around freely, my energy now humming through my veins again so I had decided to follow Naruto's lead. Against Sasuke's wishes, and had my own Shadow clones helping his. I couldn't stop Pein's attack from decimating the village and it was leaving me wondering if there was really much of anything I can stop with the storyline. So far most of my attempts have been thwarted. I've only been able to save a couple of people from dying.

So I had decided to tell Kakashi about where the Zetsus are. In hopes that he can have something done about them. With the way, everything has continued to follow the storyline I knew that there was going to be a Kage summit but this time since Danzo is dead, it will be Kakashi who goes. So I had pulled him into a vacant tent and sat down with him. Telling him everything that I can remember. I didn't want to leave out any details but since Sasuke is in the village and not working for the Akatsuki I really didn't know how much will change. Though when I got up and sat beside him he had stood to finish our conversation. Leaving me utterly stumped about the deliberate distance. It wasn't like I was flirting with him or anything so the fact that Sasuke had kissed me in front of everyone shouldn't have been a problem.

When things fell silent between us, I watched as he gently put a hand on my shoulder before moving towards the door of the tent. "Kakashi." My voice left me quietly causing him to stop. The words I wanted to say running through my mind even though I couldn't describe it very well. I refused to tell Sasuke anything that was now at the tip of my tongue and Itachi has been keeping his distance since Sasuke's bold kiss. He gives a grunt acknowledging I had said his name. But I was still trying to put my words together. It was then he sighed and knelt in front of me, his soft gaze watching me. "There's something wrong." I spoke watching the confusion in his gaze settle in. I bring my right foot up onto the edge of the bench I am sitting on and place my forehead on my knee. The weight of what I am about to tell him pushing on my shoulders. "Ever since I woke up after Sasuke and Itachi had given me their blood." I all but whisper. "There's something in me that shouldn't be. It's not like there is a piece of Pein's metal or anything, but something else. I can feel it."

"Kira." Kakashi breathes before I feel his hand on my shoulder again causing me to lift my head and look back to him. "Sakura checked you over, remember? If there was something she would have found it." Looking away from him I sigh with a frown. "Maybe it's not something she can fix." I mutter to him. "But I know there is something there. Something wrong. I wish I could describe it better, but I can't." Kakashi then sighs and stands up as he slips his hands into his pocket. "I'll ask Aphrodite, see if she can think of anything it might be." He speaks up causing me to look up to him again. Aphrodite? He's right but.. "Kakashi, since when..." I begin before my eyes widen remembering the scent that had been on Aphrodite the day she had hugged me when it was her team that Tsunade had sent to meet up with us. "You and Aphro?" I nearly cringe at the distaste lacing my words. But it was still confusing. Kakashi sighs heavily as he unpockets his right hand and rubs the back of his neck. "Off and on over the last few years." He more mutters almost as if he hadn't really wanted to tell me that. "Oh." That is all I could say as I look away from him. I had chosen Sasuke. This shouldn't bother me right? But why Aphrodite? "Congrats." I speak again and stand up moving to the door of the tent away from Kakashi. "Kira.." He sighs and I just shake my head pausing with my hand on the opening.

"I'm serious Kakashi, congrats. It's just... don't trust her okay... I'm her cousin and she has no qualms about the things she does to me. I don't want her to hurt you too." As I spoke, each word left me quietly, before I walk out of the tent. Now knowing about Aphrodite and Kakashi I'm regretting telling him what I had. I trust Kakashi. I keep telling myself that, he earned my trust and he hasn't broken it. However, Aphrodite, I trusted her and paid the price already. Now, knowing that my feeling isn't human medically relevant and he's going to go to her for her help, I'm not certain if I am alright with it. I trust Kakashi. Right? Actually, last I knew he was kissing me whenever we were alone and even had... intimate relations... Has she sunk her claws into him enough that... he was using me? No, that's not Kakashi... But that is Aphrodite. Sighing I shake my head and move up to the pile of wood boards Naruto is currently laying on. Jumping onto them I sit down before laying back as well.

Naruto gives a small sound of confusion before he turns his head and glances in my direction. I close my eyes and sigh. So far with all of this boyfriend drama, I could actually use a friend that wasn't chasing my affection. Naruto has never acted like that. So his distance.. is comforting. Remembering the look on his face as we set on his roof outside of his window had me smiling. However, ever since he found out that I had actually returned to the village and was still a member of the Akatsuki, that I was just keeping an eye on him... He's been, different. I wonder if we'll ever get back to that point again like we were on his roof. Just talking like friends. I know he doesn't hate me. When I woke up he crushed me with how happy he was. So what's the deal?

Well, there's one way I know that can break the ice. Turning my head I look towards him. His blue eyes shining in the sunlight as he looks up at the sky. "Naruto." I speak gently trying not to upset him or anything. "Hmm?" He questions as I see his eyes glance towards me before moving back up to the sky. "I want to thank you." With this, his face turns in my direction as I now have his full attention. "You reached Nagato, right?" At the use of his name his eyes widen. "Wait, you knew?!" I couldn't help but giggle at his sudden outburst. "Yeah, I did. This whole time." I roll my eyes as I laugh lightly. "But again.. thank you. When I fought his Pein, I tried to get him to listen to me. I wanted him to stop and realize there was another way to achieve the peace he dreamed of. But... I couldn't reach him." As I talk I found myself frowning and looking up to the sky again. Nagato is dead, I couldn't stop it. "I know." His usual hyper high pitch was missing as he spoke gently to me. "He told me, you were friends." This time it was my turn to look at him with my eyes widening. Not once did I think Nagato saw me like that. Yeah, we'd talk but... He then laughs. "He also said you creeped him out a lot!" With this I found myself laughing too thinking about what we were talking about. "Yes, I could see that... It was fun."

"So you did it on purpose?!" With that thought, his cheeks puff out before he loses himself to his laughter again. This time he rolls around a bit clutching his stomach. "Yup." I answer popping my P before I laugh with him. Suddenly my laughing stops and I set up closing my eyes at a sudden thought that came to mind. "Huh?" Naruto questions as I raise my right hand over my right eye as I think. Remembering the bits and pieces of the anime I put together. "Naruto.. when you were watching over the Uchiha hideout. Did you run into Kabuto?"

"Huh?" He questions as he makes a grunt while thinking. "Well, yeah. I mean he gave us information on the Akatsuki then he took off." He recalls and I nearly sigh. "Did he have any changes to his body?" I ask again. Naruto makes a confused sound as he thinks about the confrontation. "Well, I dunno what you're talking about. I mean he was normal." My eyes widen at this bit of information. So not only did I keep Sasuke from killing Itachi, gaining his eyes and working with the Akatsuki, and eventually being used by Obito to gain the rinnegan but I also prevented Orochimaru's snake form from being used by Kabuto in order for Kabuto to gain Orochimaru's powers. Therefore he won't be able to reanimate so many bodies of the Akatsuki to help Zetsu. However... "Naruto." I find myself speaking quietly not having noticed he had set up as well. "Yamato needs to be protected. He's the only one I know of that can use the wood release jutsu. I just... I can't really explain it right now, but he needs to be kept out of Kabuto's hands alright?" With that I jump off of the woodpile and raise my hands, canceling my shadow clone jutsu. Of course, there would be a chance he could use the late Hokage's remains to do it if Orochimaru hadn't of already used the reanimation jutsu when he killed the third. No, there is no other way for Zetsu to use wood release. Kabuto must use Yamato. For that, I am about 70% certain.

Smiling to myself I close my eyes as I walk away from a highly confused Naruto. It seems even though I haven't been fighting to remain ahead of the anime I can remember, my actions have indeed caused an impact. A tremendous one. Kabuto is technically jonin level with his abilities until he experimented with Orochimaru's snake cells. That boosted his power greatly to make him more S class but I had destroyed Orochimaru's body and Orochimaru himself never took on his snake form. Sasuke and Itachi are in the village so Itachi never died and Sasuke never got Susano. Without Sasuke, Obito cannot give him the rinnegan plus without Susanoo, Sasuke wouldn't be able to fully utilize it anyway. I found my steps pausing as I think. Biting my bottom lip I look up at the sky. I've been looking at it as Obito pretending to be Madara but really Obito would have been too young to even start the Akatsuki. So was it really Madara after all? If it was.. what am I forgetting? If I add Madara into the equation since I can remember seeing Madara in the anime that I may have ignorantly passed off as Kabuto using the reanimation jutsu on him. I could be wrong about a lot of things. Either way, factoring in Madara would explain a lot of things that had confused me greatly and I couldn't understand why the pieces weren't adding together. "There's no other way to look at it." I smile and shake my head. "I was fooled."

"No other way to look at what?" Sasuke's voice comes up behind me causing me to turn and look at him. "Madara is alive." With those words, Sasuke's eyes widen in shock. "I haven't quite figured out how yet but I will." Turning back around I start walking again. Hearing Sasuke behind me I nearly smile as I make my way back into the forest to look for my canteen again. "Why would you say Madara is still alive?" He asks once we are away from the village and I nearly stiffen. Why did I forget his uncanny ability to ask questions?

"Well, I had thought it was Obito that started the Akatsuki under the guise of being Madara. But when I thought about it. The Akatsuki started at a time where Obito was still young. He is the same age as Kakashi. So someone else had to of done it instead. Also, there would have been no way Obito could get off of underneath the boulder that crushed his right side without help. Plus he gave Kakashi his uncrushed eye so how can he use Sharingan? It's clear he had to of had help. He's human. Plus, I put it down to Obito traveling the nations to look for a way to cast Tsukuyomi on the world. However, no one but the Uchiha would have records of anything like that. He knows far too much. If you think that Madara told him, it makes it easier to believe. So I'm guessing Obito is being used by Madara when he thinks he's working alongside him. I also thought that Obito created Zetsu but really he has no idea about how to do that. Now am I supposed to believe Madara is the one who created him or what? Either way, Obito's been playing us for fools, even me."

I sigh and reach up sifting the fingers of my right hand into my bangs as I think. "Adding Madara into the equation does make more sense but that also means the only way we can get to the army of Zetsus would be to go against Madara himself. Obito we can handle but Madara has been alive for so long. When he was last known alive he was extremely powerful anyway." I shake my head and drop my hand as I go back to looking over the forest floor. "If that is the case then why even bother trying to prevent the thousands of Zetsu's from being released. We could just fight and kill them anyway though more will die doing it."

"You're right, it would be easier." Sasuke finally speaks when I finish. Though his tone of voice isn't quite what I have become used to. Turning I look towards him seeing the dark onyx eyes that have been softening every time they look at me now cold and emotionless even maybe, calculating much like when I had seen him in Orochimaru's chambers. The signature smirk is nowhere to be seen. I see, so he can separate himself like I can. Or is it he's excited hearing about monsters he can kill? Tilting my head at my thought our gazes not breaking from the other. "I see, so Orochimaru made you taint your hands before I got there." I more state rather than ask him. "Yeah." He says in response now a smirk gracing his features. His eyes... if they were brown would look even more like Light's now. Finally smirking I step up to him. Placing my hands against his chest before I move up and press my lips against his in a kiss. He grips onto my sides and pulls me flush against him making me smile in our kiss.