I~~~~I

Sakura leaned closer, her lips brushing against Lee's hair as she spoke slowly.

"I have chakra. Follow along. Tag, tree, seals chakra. Will activate. Keep busy."

Sakura's words were swiftly registered by her fellow Konoha Shinobi, the Senior Genin inwardly cheering at the smarts of his comrade.

I~~~~I

Naru felt pain surrounding her, icy cool tendrils dragging against her skin as she gasped. The seal had spread across her body, sapping at the negative chakra in her coils belonging to the Kyuubi. It was an odd feeling, what with the chakra being replaced with the icy cool chakra that no doubt belonged to the man she had attacked earlier, the real Sealmaster.

Yin, if Naru remembered correctly. Orochimaru had called the man Yin. The name was strange, but then again it might not have been for the Uzumaki, who strangely believed in balance over power. It was the reason seals had rules and boundaries, and why certain techniques like the Flying Thunder God had limits. Without limits, the seals did not have a balance, and that was the gravest mistake an Uzumaki, or any seal master, could make.

A moment of blanket thoughts had Naru turning her attention to the structure of the ice seal, her mind cataloging what its purpose was. Her mind was fogging, no doubt a counter affect from the seal, and she felt strangely heavy. Her senses were enhanced, but her emotions dulled.

Peace spread through her as she breathed out mist, her eyes focusing on the area above her.

For a moment, she thought it was strange that the sewer now not only had bark and twisting vines, but a male raven dressed in bandages and gray camo leaning over her.

Her emotions were strangely mute, no longer pressing at her mind insistently.

The odd occurrence was discarded as Naru remembered the male Ninja holding a Kunai, straddling her waist. Something snapped and Naru's mind kicked into gear.

Swiftly, Naru's hand outstretched and slammed into the nose of her attacker as her chakra twisted. Wind swirled inside her palms as she blew outward, wordlessly summoning a thin but powerful gale that slammed the male into the wall of the area the Jinchuuriki found herself inside.

Her eyes shifted around, ignoring the groaning body before her as she spotted the area beside her where another unconscious person had obviously been.

Corrosive chakra burned at her senses like a supernova, her eyes dilating as she took in the contaminated presence of Sasuke's chakra.

Naru felt rage bubble deep inside of her chest, but the emotion was swiftly dampened. A cool feeling took over and left Naru with the ability to think clearer, her body rising as she pushed for the entrance to her little abode.

Behind her, she could hear shuffling, the male who she had attacked trying to rise. The Uzumaki paid no head to the man and instead gazed at the carnage laid out before her.

A familiar brunette crouched beside a pinkette, one with strangely short hair and a very tattered appearance. They were both looking at the rising malevolence that had most of Naru's attention in the next moment.

Maroon eyes sparkled like a fine wine, the depth in them hiding Akihane's emotions as she rushed toward the raven currently slamming his foot into a woman's back.

"S-Sasuke, stop!"

A shout spurred Naru to move faster, her figure blurring as her hand shot out to grab the pale, thin wrist of her longtime friend. The Uzumaki barely stopped the kunai in Sasuke's grasp from bringing harm to the girl below him. Her gaze met the Uchiha's in a blur of white.

Sasuke's face was half covered in black tribal-like markings that had a purple tint to them. Rage, anger, sadness, and pain seemed to leak out of the glowing marks.

Naru forced herself to take a shuddering breath as she gripped tighter to Sasuke's wrist, the two of them silently conversing through their eyes alone. The area around them dropped to mute silence. The seal on Naru's stomach pulsed slightly and the sudden action had her gut sinking as the markings decorating Sasuke's body began to pull toward her.

Sasuke remained frozen, his glazed eyes gaining back their normal hue as he stared at her. Shock replaced the cruel shine in his eye, along with deeply rooted worry. Both emotions showed as he tried to speak and stop her from taking in the emotions.

Naru smiled gently at Sasuke, already knowing that she wouldn't be awake too much longer.

Her gaze shifted to the two boys helping up her other team member, Sakura.

Shikamaru and Lee, two people whom she now felt she could trust.

Her head inclined to them, a breathless gasp leaving her lips as she felt the seal pull at her chakra along with the emotions now flowing in purple markings up her arm.

"T-Thank you…T-Take care…Of them please…"

Akihane gave the three a gentle and sad smile as the chakra she had recovered was promptly dragged along with her back under the control of the seal.

Cold ice-like seals twisted over her body and caged the other markings. Naru's legs gave out from beneath her, sending her face-first to the ground.

Sasuke remained standing as she slipped past him, shaking as he remembered the look of utter peace crossing Naru's face as she simply accepted the darkness he had embraced, not showing an ounce of the pain he had felt when accepting it.

I~~~~I

Shikamaru cursed as he dropped into the battle, moving his hand to his kunai pouch just in time to bring it around and block a blow aimed at a familiar pink haired Kunoichi.

"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath, enjoying the shock that had flashed over the face of his enemy; Sound Nin.

Of course, it had to be the weird village that he would end up helping them against. Shikamaru supposed that not getting attacked by the Suna Team was still a good deal, but all in all, he wished that this hadn't had to happen period.

"S-Shikamaru!"

Sakura shouted, just as surprised by his sudden appearance as the enemy. Shikamaru's lips twitched, his eyes flitting back as he tried to locate Akihane and Sasuke.

"Sakura, where's the others?"

Shikamaru called out, figuring that all three Sound Nin must already know and it wouldn't hurt to get more info.

"Naru is out and so is Sasuke…" Sakura answered the Nara, straightening as her hand gripped a kunai.

"YOSH! We shall both defend Sakura-San and Akihane-San!"

A sudden proclamation came from above, the three shinobi scattering as a leg landed beside Shikamaru, kicking up a bit of dust.

Shikamaru raised a brow at the arrival of Lee, wondering how long he had been there.

"I arrived just a bit ago…Sakura-San and I have kept the three of them away from Akihane-San and Sasuke while they rested."

Shikamaru received a reply to his unspoken question, a mutter leaving his lips again as Lee straightened into a stance.

"I see…Alright, let's get this over with then, Troublesome."

I~~~~I

Shikamaru shot forward, managing to grab Akihane before she hit the ground, Lee reaching to grab Sasuke as he dropped right after her.

The boy's eyes had remained open even after the strange purple chakra had left his body. Naru's own body lolled against Nara's side.

Shikamaru paused to look down at the girl he had grown attached to after everything that had happened, shaking his head while pulling her closer.

Despite her small stature, Shikamaru doubted that Akihane was supposed to be this slim, weighing less than a training dummy. Ivory blades of hair caressed his arm while small hands pressed at his chest lightly.

"You are far too troublesome Akihane…"

Shikamaru murmured to the silent blonde, ignoring the twinge in his chest when he didn't get a now familiar reply of 'I suppose', 'So you believe' or the rarer, 'Tch.'

"Is she okay?"

A quiet voice spoke to Shikamaru from behind, redirecting his gaze to the girl who's short locks hung over her shoulders in choppy lengths.

Shikamaru took in the gentle breathing leaving Naru's lips, as well as the bitter smile on her face, before replying with, "She'll be okay. I bet she finally exhausted herself."

Sakura smiled gently at the inside joke, knowing how surprised everyone had been when Akihane had managed to stay standing against the other Jonin longer than them all, despite using higher ranking jutsu and having more enemies. Akihane was not so much better than them, but her, Sasuke, and Hinata all excelled where everyone else was just beginning.

To think that for once, Naru was out before the others. Such an occurrence was but laughable and worrying, but Sakura settled on simply smiling as she watched Shikamaru gaze at Akihane, keeping track of her vitals and her body language to keep her comfortable.

Off to the side, diverting Sakura's attention, Lee was walking over with Sasuke leaning on his shoulder, the male blinking at them, his eyes diverting sharply to Naru.

Shikamaru took note of the guilt building in the Uchiha's gaze, accompanied by a loathing for himself.

"She's fine Uchiha. You didn't hurt her."

Sasuke turned to Shikamaru, his teeth grinding as he glared at the Nara.

No reply was given to the comment, Shikamaru taking it as acceptable as he blew out against several of his spiky bangs.

"Let's move from here before you both pass out. Lee, are you okay with helping me get them situated?"

Shikamaru took charge, directing the question to the large browed boy who grinned and held his hand out in a thumbs up at the Nara Heir.

"Yosh! I promised Gai-Sensei to be there when the other teams were in need!"

Shikamaru nodded at the eccentric Genin, glancing to Sakura to make sure the short haired pinkette was following.

Her unevenly cut locks reminded him of the struggle from before.

I~~~~I

Sakura ducked under a volley of Kunai, her body twisting as she flipped over another array and landed on her heels.

Off to the side, Shikamaru and Lee were fighting the apparent leader, leaving the Kunoichi to fight Sakura while the idiot had apparently taken off to attack Sasuke.

Sakura glanced toward the tree behind Kin Tsuchi, the Kunoichi of Otogakure that she was facing, her fingers twitching as she grasped more kunai.

Sakura only needed to get close enough to throw a kunai right beside her first one, the wire attached to it than allowing her to use it as a chakra current.

Actually getting a hit in when the stupid Kunoichi seemed bound and determined to keep her far away was quite hard, however.

"Sakura-San!"

A call from Lee came several meters away, warning Sakura in time to block a blow from behind dealt by the idiot of the Oto Team.

The Idiot grinned at her with malice, shoving her backward and off her feet.

A brutal strike from behind sent the Konoha Kunoichi to her knees, a hand reaching out to tug sharply at her long hair.

Sakura's grass green eyes opened wide while she screamed outward, a sick chuckle resonating from the raven behind her who had finally caught her.

"What do you know…"

Kin Tsuchi leaned closer to Sakura's ear as the girl struggled to be released, her hands dropping after a few seconds of the futile effort.

"You truly are just a worthless sack of shit."

Shikamaru could clearly see the events, but the head of the group, Dosu, kept him from helping out his fellow Nin.

The Nara watched as Kin's comments struck deeply into Sakura's mind, forcing her to bow her head and close in on herself.

The Brunette remembered Akihane telling him that Sakura needed to be pushed, and only when she was would she truly realize her potential. It was only after Sakura was broken, Akihane had said, that the Haruno would be able to get stronger.

Shikamaru still didn't believe that the words stabbing at the young girl were the right way for such a thing to happen. The girl had tried, even if it wasn't enough, she had worked through her weaknesses and protected her fellow nin.

Should Shikamaru get a crack at that Oto Kunoichi, he would make her pay.

Of course, that line of thought continued, even after Sakura's hand whipped around, kunai in hand, slicing through her pink locks. Kin had let go in shock, backing away as Sakura narrowed her gaze on her, hatred bearing down on the foolish woman.

Lee managed to Ax Kick Dosu, allowing Shikamaru to run toward Sakura.

It was then that true anger spread over them all, purple lighting up the sky.

I~~~~I

Shikamaru gazed at the sleeping females of Team Seven, one of them curled tightly into herself, the other resting peacefully still.

Naru was quite the sight when she was asleep, her hair splayed out when not confined to its tail, her cheeks puffed slightly. Now that the girl didn't have that healthy waking flush on her features, Shikamaru could easily define the whisker marks etched into the skin. The scars, as Shikamaru could only offer that up as an explanation when Naru seemed to have flawless skin, looked very light, almost faded, upon her cheeks.

The first time the Nara had seen them was back when Akihane had visited Rikumaru, but recently he had seen them more often. The marks were nothing more than small white lines when Naur was younger, blending with her lighter complexion fairly well. Ever since the Wave Mission, however, Shikamaru found the marks had darkened considerably. If they continued, sooner or later others would take notice of Naru's strange but rather exotic features.

Already, Akihane had the features of an albino, as well as her mood-changing eyes and her super healing abilities coupled with her insane stamina. The Heir found Naru to be the definition of an odd but equally amazing mystery.

"Shikamaru."

Said ninja turned his gaze to the other Genin crouched at Naru's side, his hand tangled with the curled Uzumaki's.

Onyx met rich brown, the two staring in silence before Sasuke continued to speak, his eyes drifting back down to Akihane.

"You've been spending a lot of time with Akihane."

The accusation had an undertone, one that normally would frighten Shikamaru if it weren't for the fact he had already gotten worse threats from Kakashi over his closeness with Naru.

"Honestly the Troublesome Uzumaki had dragged me along with her. She enjoys her visits with the deer at our compound and she also enjoys sparring and cloud watching with me."

Sasuke's lips twisted into a scowl, his eyes darkening as he took in the information he hadn't wanted to hear.

"Why though…Why with you? She has Hyuuga and I. What happened to make you two get so close?"

An accusatory gaze was shot at Shikamaru by the Uchiha, drawing a heavy sigh from the target.

"I don't know. I guess we just started talking after our joint mission. Asuma-Sensei had us pair up a lot and I went to get her after she ran off…"

Shikamaru paused when he thought about finding Naru that day. The Uzumaki had been crouched before a grave with the Nidaime's name carved into it, along with another grave beside his with the name "Namikaze Michiki" inscribed on the front.

The girl had looked so lost as she gazed at the graves, at the name Shikamaru swore was a lie and the other that gave him a sinking feeling.

Namikaze, the last name of the Yondaime, Senju Tobirama, the name of the Nidaime; Akihane had seen the same thing he did, and when he tried to question her she begged him, even if it was a simple question her tone was that of a willing person, to say nothing, before she told the Sandaime.

Shikamaru gathered that Akihane's rather relieved yet still quite shaken take throughout the exams spoke of her telling the Sandaime.

Sasuke watched Shikamaru as he went through his thoughts, trying to catch something that would tell him why Naru had been drifting to someone else for help despite him and even that damned Hyuuga being there for her.

"What is it Nara?"

Sasuke demanded of his fellow Genin Heir, earning himself another sigh.

Shikamaru replied with, "It's not my place to tell you, Uchiha. If Akihane wants to tell you she can."

Sasuke's sharp retort shocked Shikamaru soon after he spoke. "I already know she found the Nidaime's grave. I know about her relation to him and to the Yondaime. You know no more than I do."

Their eyes met, Brown narrowed at the sharpened black.

I~~~~I

Gentle warmth pressed at Naru's cheek, a soft breeze passing over her head as her bangs floated across her forehead protector.

The Uzumaki felt hands at her thighs, gripping gently while her arms were wrapped around something.

Harsh tones broke her peace, drawing her lavender gaze to the waking world.

Blonde hair caught the Uzumaki's gaze first, before red hair and black mingled.

Choji, Ino, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Sasuke, Sakura, and a silver-haired Genin stood around Naru and the person carrying her.

"Shh, you're gonna wake Akihane-"

Sakura tried to quiet down a rather angry Ino who was ranting at Shikamaru, the male holding Akihane.

Aki sighed, gently tapping Shikamaru's shoulder as she regained control of her limbs. "Too late, Sakura." Shikamaru-San, could you let me down?"

Shikamaru sighed at the Uzumaki, helping her off his back while ignoring the stunned Ino that was pointing at them with an accusatory finger.

"W-Why did you help them!? I mean Sasuke-Kun and Forehead I can kinda get…But Naru too?!"

Akihane glanced to the side at Ino as she took in those around her.

The silver haired male was an older Konoha Nin it seemed, while the others were some of the Rookie Teams. Sasuke stood beside Sakura and Hinata, Kiba and Shino standing beside the worried Hyuuga Heiress while Choji remained behind Ino.

"Hinata-Hime, when did you arrive?"

Akihane's head tilted to the side as she walked passed Ino, ignoring her fellow blonde in favor of greeting the other Genin.

Hinata rushed forward from beside Sasuke, reaching and dragging a shocked Uzumaki Heiress into her grasp while a relieved Uchiha stepped beside them, standing close.

"Why must you worry me like that Naru-Chan!? W-When we got there Shikamaru h-had you slung over his shoulder and S-Sasuke was limping against Lee-San…"

Akihane gazed at her worried friend as the lavender female continued to question her, silently berating herself for making the girl worry as her arms tugged the Heiress close.

"Sorry Hinata…" Akihane leaned down to whisper quietly into Hinata's ear, closing her eyes as she accepted the hug.

One hand reached around Hinata, grasping at Sasuke's sleeve as the Uchiha turned away.

A faint flicker of chakra, one that Naru was surprised to feel, showed that Sasuke hadn't expected her to include him.

"W-What the hell! Don't just-"

Shikamaru grabbed Ino's shoulder as the blonde was about to rant once more, shaking his head when she looked back at him.

Once more, Wave seemed to repeat itself. Silence descended, the scene watched carefully by the silver-haired elder that had taken to helping the rookies sometime prior to the whole ordeal.

Once the rest of Team Ten had arrived, Team Eight appearing before he had, while Lee had left when Team Eight arrived, the whole convoy had stopped to catch the others up. Akihane waking up had stopped a lot of arguing, and for that the Silver Genin was glad, if not surprised.

Adjusting his glasses, Yakushi Kabuto stared at the Genin tightly crowded together, a smirk flickering over his lips.

'Orochimaru-Sama will be pleased to hear about this.'

I~~~~I

Teams Seven, Ten, and Eight all arrived at the middle building at the same time. Upon arrival they split into different groups, leaving Team Seven alone.

"I forgot to ask earlier…but when did you guys get the Heaven Scroll?"

Akihane glanced over to her two teammates, Sasuke sighing and looking to the side.

"Well we had an extra because the Oto Nin gave us their Earth Scroll, so when Lee left after finding that out, he gave us his extra Heaven and took our Earth."

Akihane glanced at Sakura after she had spoken, nodding in approval.

"Well done. I'm glad. I doubt I can do too much in the ways of helping…We have only two more days left and I want to spend them resting and getting back up to speed after that battle, you guys should too."

Sakura blushed a bit at the praise, sighing at the next few words as she nodded in agreement.

Sasuke only grunted in reply as the three stepped forward.

On the front of their section read the number Twelve.

All three Genin shared oks, before Sakura and Akihane stepped up onto the podium from each of Sasuke's sides.

Sasuke watched them place the scrolls down, watching them just before they opened them up.

Both Kunoichi jumped back to their positions beside the Uchiha, each holding Kunai just in case.

Smoke rose up, Naru's brows furrowing as she felt a bit of a jumble of signatures.

Finally, two people became noticeable, one sporting obnoxious silver spikes and the other sporting ruffled brown hair torn from it's normal ponytail.

"Iruka-Sensei!"

Akihane spoke up in shock, her eyes widening. At Iruka's side, Kakashi waved at them.

"Yo, my cute little Genin."

The Jonin gave the three an eye smile, only to sweat drop when Akihane bolted past him and slammed right into Iruka.

The Chunin gasped in surprise, shocked at the outright show of affection as he took note of the pale haired Genin taking him in with a shuddering breath.

"S-Sorry Sensei…j-just didn't know if I'd see you or t-the others again…"

Akihane murmured softly to the Chunin Instructor, causing him to go still.

For Akihane to believe she might not see Raidou, Genma, Iwashi, the others and himself again meant something had indeed happened to them all. Worry settled in Iruka's chest, but he pushed it aside in favor of tugging the girl hugging him closer.

"You made it thought Aki…Also you have no idea how long it took for me to get in the position to tag along and greet you guys. They nearly beat me just to see you after hearing about the battle."

Akihane glanced up at Iruka and smiled softly at the thought of her 'brothers' fighting to see her after the Hokage informed each one about Orochimaru's attack on the forest.

"Yes, I bet it was hard."

The other three watched the two awkwardly, Kakashi's eyes narrowing slightly at the mention of 'them' and 'they'. Akihane was quite vague when she wanted to be, but she seemed even more so when mentioning these mysterious people who cared for her, Iruka apparently being part of the little group.

Sasuke stepped forward suddenly, looking to Iruka and his friend. "Can we head in? Akihane was out for two and a half days, and she still hasn't recovered completely. Sakura also needs medical attention, she-" Sasuke cut himself off, freewxing as he thought of the horrifying moment when Sakura was falling, so close to the ground, not going to make it.

Akihane pulled away from Iruka, her hand resting on Sasuke's shoulder while Sakura placed a hand at the male's back.

Sasuke took in a shuddering breath, Sakura glancing to the two elder nin.

"I cracked my ribs. Sasuke-Kun was also out for about half a day and needs a checkup. Akihane is mostly healed but she was hit by the enemy with this weird jutsu…Same with Sasuke."

Kakashi's head swiveled between the Uchiha and Uzumaki, his stance straightening as he became serious.

"What happened?"

The authoritative tone drew words from Akihane's lips before she could stop them. "Orochimaru of the Sannin attacked us under the guise of a Kusagakure Genin. He separated me from the other two, before engaging them. I managed to escape the summons he sent after me and intervened when Sakura was about to die. We all ganged up on Orochimaru, but he evaded us a used his summons of Sakura and Sasuke-San while attacking me. In doing so…In doing so he had me using my second chakra and I managed to hold him back long enough for someone else to appear. The man…He sealed my second chakra, and then he aided in Orochimaru's escape."

Akihane met Kakashi's lone black eye, before she reached and unzipped her jacket.

Her torn shirt remained on her person, the teams having had no time to stop to allow her to get out of the clothes.

Sakura looked away as the black lines she had seen before appeared along with the glowing blue, Sasuke biting down on his lip as he saw the elegant script.

Iruka swallowed back a gasp, trying not to think about how Akihane had just revealed such a secret to those beside her. No doubt, they had already known.

I~~~~I

Kakashi watched Akihane placed seals across the walls of the bedroom she would be staying in while Team Seven waited for the Second Exam to end.

The Jonin had already showed Sakura and Sasuke to their rooms, leaving him and Akihane to talk alone about what had happened to her.

The blonde finished her work, sighing as she pulled away from the large door.

Her fingers brushed across the seals, chakra flowing into them as she whispered softly under her breath. The Uzumaki finished, turning to face her Sensei in silence.

Kakashi allowed the silence to grow, before he gestured for the girl to rest on the bed supplied.

Akihane did as asked, sitting cross legged as she gazed at Kakashi.

The Jonin walked over, dropping down into a crouch before the girl. Akihane quickly removed her jacket, allowing him access to the seal on her stomach through her torn shirt.

"The seal I placed on?"

Kakashi questioned Akihane, the girl replying with, "Broken."

The Hatake nodded, his left hand pulling up his headband to reveal his sharingan. One single red eye swirled lazily, its intense gaze starling the Uzumaki enough to make her draw in a breath before looking away. Kakashi glanced up at his student, before continuing to survey her chakra networks and the chakra around her seal.

His eyebrow furrowed in confusion when he saw multicolored swirls decorating the focal point of both seals, blue chakra dancing over the skin Naru's newest seal occupied. The intricate twists and turns as well as the bonds made the Genius' head pulse while he tried to figure it out.

A sharp knock at the door surprised them both, Kakashi standing swiftly before stalking over in order to answer the door.

Akihane flinched but sighed and relaxed, glancing over as her shoulders shifted, slumping slightly. She hated the calculating look Kakashi had given her, as well as the way he seemed to dissect her seal. Such a thing felt incredibly foreign and rather like he was looking at something personal of hers. Naru had to bet it dealt with her chakra being so sensitive to the outside, and what with the seal on her stomach screwing with her control, she couldn't keep her sensory abilities under such tight wraps anymore.

Her senses stretched out, no longer shying away without that keen gaze on them, resulting in her sensing those at the door before Kakashi had even turned to knob.

"Shit-"

Akihane hissed, just as Kakashi was forced back by the door being pushed open, two males rushing inside.

"Akihane!"

They both shouted, their heads swiveling before landing on her.

Akihane sighed heavily, glancing to the shocked Jonin standing behind two equally worried Jonin.

Genma turned sharply to her and rushed over, Hayate following soon after.

The Uzumaki kept her gaze on Kakashi as Genma's arms wrapped around her, Hayate breathing out in relief while gazing down at her. The sickly Jonin was the first to notice her mind being elsewhere, his body swiveling in time to meet the dark look Hatake Kakashi was directing at them both.

"Genma." Hayate spoke up, directing the Jonin's worried gaze over his shoulder at the other occupant.

Genma's eyes narrowed on Kakashi, taking in the Sensei, before pausing on the Sharingan that was revealed.

Kakashi caught his gaze, reaching to tug down his headband.

The Tokubetsu Jonin all shared looks, Hayate speaking first.

"Akihane, go put on another shirt. Also, go get some food, we seem to need to have a talk with your sensei."

Akihane opened her mouth to object respectfully, only to get a once over by Genma as well as a closed-teeth growl from the same Jonin.

"Aki…Yugau wanted us to fetch you for the Hokage. He wanted you to get some food before you head over first, so just listen, okay?"

Naru gazed at her two brothers, biting down on her lip, before she sighed heavily and stood.

"Call if you need anything, Genma, Hayate…"

The Uzumaki trailed off tiredly, walking from the room like a scolded child. The door shut behind her, sealing as it did. The Uzumaki closed her eyes, feeling tension wrack her shoulders.

'No, please don't take them…Don't take them-'

The tension slipped, Naru's eyes snapping open as she felt the blue seal on her stomach growl, the foreign chakra she identified as Yin's encasing her in a comforting manner.

The emotions threatening to slip over her fragile control were tugged back, drawn into the cool chakra.

Shaking her head, Akihane started walking toward the cafeteria, knowing that Genma and Hayate could work through the ordeal, even if they had to lie or allow Kakashi in on their secret. No one was going to take her family from her, Akihane wouldn't allow it.

I~~~~I

"Before you start on a tirade-"

Genma began, Kakashi shutting and clenching his jaw as the Jonin leveled a sharp glare in his direction. Even if Kakashi wanted to demand answers, he knew better than to antagonize the two before him. Safety in numbers and also the fact that if Kakashi screwed up he could end up with more than a two angry Jonin and a depressed Genin.

"-Good, but anyways before you say anything or start planning retribution, just known that Hokage-Sama knows."

Genma finished quickly, his voice edging very faintly while his gaze shifted toward Hayate. The sickly Jonin nodded to show that the Hokage knew about him caring for Akihane as well as Genma, even if Kakashi was very dubious.

The Hatake narrowed his eyes on them, assessing if they were telling the truth or not. While the action annoyed Genma the Tokujo understood Kakashi's reasoning since he wouldn't trust a friend after something as big as being in contact with your dead Sensei's daughter came up.

The annoyance crept up into Genma's hazel gaze, turning the brown into liquid bronze. A heavy sigh sounded from behind Genma, leading him to look toward Hayate. A gentle smile was directed back at him, the man coughing into his right fist while he turned toward Kakashi. Both men waited for their comrade to catch his breath after his fit ended. It took a few seconds, but after wards Hayate began to speak.

"Akihane has known us since before the Uchiha Massacre…It was actually the massacre that caused Hokage-Sama to let her remain in contact with us and meet the others. We were assigned as a second protection unit for her when she was inside the village, even if we have to keep it on the down low." Hayate's voice grew hoarse by the end of his statement, another cough tearing itself out of the Nin's throat. Genma muttered under his breath in agitation, before he reached forward and rubbed his friend's back.

Genma then turned his gaze toward the stoic Hatake standing in front of them, a smirk working its way over his worried features. The coughing fit did not take nearly as long to work through this time, which left Hayate to cast his friend a grateful look. Once that was finished Genma once more addressed Kakashi. "We've been teaching Naru in secret to prepare her…We have had to evade Danzo and the council in order to make this happen. Even then some of the upper Jonin do know, such as Shukaku-San, Asuma, Inoichi-San, Ibiki-San, and even Anko…"

Both sets of eyes stared into Kakashi's lone grey orb, the Jonin feeling cornered despite the door at his back and the weapons at his sides. The two Jonin were both older and more experienced than he was, not to mention there was nothing Kakashi could do if the Hokage truly did know. The way that both men casually told him about the Hokage's role in their little meetings with his student only solidified their claims in the Scarecrow's eyes. With a heavy sigh, Kakashi turned toward the door, his hand twisting the nob as he gave in to both Jonin.

"I'll be asking Akihane about this…As well as having her show me exactly what she'd been hiding." Kakashi called over his shoulder at the Jonin, earning two calculating gazes.

Genma and Hayate twitched at his mention of getting Akihane to reveal her abilities, before they both turned to each other and nodded in an almost unnoticeable manner. When the two turned toward Kakashi, Genma was the one to comment on his earlier statement with, "Just be ready to deal with it all…Some things are rather shocking. Others you should expect but don't."

Kakashi nodded at the two, his body slipping out of the door and away from the tension-ridden room. The Hatake turned toward the hall, intent on finding his student before she wandered off again. Instead, Kakashi as confronted by the shocked faces of two scarred Nin he knew in passing. The first was dark haired with a scar slashing across his nose in an upside down v formation. The other was a lighter haired male with a crow's claw scar crossing his left cheek diagonally (1). Both were Konoha Nin and each wore the standard uniform, their headbands strapped around their foreheads.

Umino Iruka was the first Nin, while the second Kakashi took a second to recognize. The other Jonin was one by the name of Namiashi Raidou, the oldest member of the former Hokage Guard Platoon. Seeing either of the men was a bit shocking, and the awkward silence that had descended when they spotted him leaving Akihane's room made it harder for Kakashi to respond.

Of course, at that moment someone must have been looking out for him because a voice called out from the sidelines. "Raidou-San."

The voice was soft and yet still everyone in the hall heard it. The Konoha Shinobi all looked to the source, finding a slightly out-of-breath Hyuuga looking to them with a worried gaze. Hinata's lavender braids swung over her shoulders as she rushed toward the group, only stopping when she was in front of Raidou.

"H-Have you seen Naru-Chan? S-She said she would get back with me over her seal after Kakashi-Sensei had a look, but I still want to make sure…" Hinata said to the Jonin she had addressed earlier. The Kunoichi's eyes had settled into a much darker purple than they normally were, showcasing her determination to locate her wayward friend.

"Wait, Aki's seal was damaged? Hokage-Sama said she had a run in with Orochimaru but still…" Raidou hissed out under his breath, his voice deep and edging on emotional while remaining professional in the face of the circumstances. Kakashi was on edge over the rather casual manner Hinata had just revealed such information, and the fact that the girl had known about Naru's seal being messed with in general.

I~~~~I

Akihane arrived at the Hokage's position rather quickly, eager to get out of the range of any foul chakra or emotionally affected chakra. The Uzumaki wasn't sure how her senses would be affected by the outside interferences, and she didn't fancy finding out with her guardians stuck in firing range.

Naru trusted that Genma would explain things to Kakashi enough that the man didn't alert those the Hokage wanted in the dark on the manner, which would ruin all of their hard thought out plans. The Hokage had been working on giving Naru a standing in the political world ever since she realized she was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and ever since Hiruzen had revealed her heritage to her, she had upped her training.

Alliances and bonds had to be formed now, with the future heirs of Konoha's powerhouse clans and its future clients. The other villages had to see that she wasn't some pushover and that should they target her she wouldn't go down easily. Other Nin needed to understand that her upbringing would lead to a change in the Shinobi world.

Hiruzen had used her, yes, but Akihane could see that her Grandfather figure had used her for her sake. Unlike her father, the Old Man put her over the village, even if it was just once. Aki respected Sarutobi and loved him all the more for this one action.

"Stuck in your thoughts again, Akihane?" Sarutobi's grandfatherly voice called to the blonde, drawing her closer to where he stood over a balcony observing the forest.

The stars were out, dancing along the night sky slowly, tangled just enough to depict the stories of old in their webs. If Akihane remembered her lessons with Iruka-Sensei, and she never forgot a word the man said, then those webs were actually called constellations. Hinata and Sasuke had both taught her a few, including one known as the Biju, while was ten dots surrounding a circle, the Sharingan, Byakugan, and also another both of them called the Kage Star, the brightest one in the sky.

Naru turned toward her grandfather figure, smiling softly as she stepped beside the older man. Almost instantly Hiruzen had wrapped her up in a gentle and warm hug, keeping her close as he chuckled under his breath, her arms shooting about his torso in an effort to make them stay that way.

The fear from her earlier battle pressed at her mind, the overwhelming urge to protect her comrades and to hurt, injure, kill. The Kyuubi's influence was horribly present in that situation, controlling her despite her rather impressive resistance in situations prior. The older Ninja's killer intent had fueled her rage while also drowning it out; leaving her exhausted and unable to do much other than rebel against attacks sent her way.

All that was tightly bundled by cool chakra, the waves of comfort from the strangely homey energy making Naru relax further into Hiruzen's embrace. The aged Hokage noticed but said nothing, simply gazing down at the one he believed would bring change. If a lightly murmured Genjutsu sent the child to sleep against him, than no one needed to mention it. The Sandaime surely wouldn't speak of his actions with Akihane when she woke later, knowing the girl would be upset he had made her take care of herself instead of letting her go off and do Kami knows what before getting her well-deserved rest.

"Oh Akihane…you worry me." Hiruzen whispered softly to the child as he turned to look toward the dark forest, basking in the cool and rather dry breeze.

Nothing more was said, even when Genma arrived and gently carted the young Uzumaki to her room, if not before mentioning a silver haired Jonin to his leader.

I~~~~I

Oh hey…I did finish this. So yeah again this took way too long. I had up until Akihane's little bonding with Genma and Hayate along with the others was discovered and only finished the rest tonight. Anyways, I'm calling it to a close, so if it's night sleep well, if not…eh still applies. I have till May 24th for Summer Break to begin, though we just got slammed so who knows I could get a few days off pretty soon.

(1)Descriptions of Characters-I always describe them using their right or left, not when you are facing them or anything. In simpler terms imagine you are them and then think on the description

Just a note, I'm only updating so soon because I'm gonna be gone next week and I don't want to miss my deadline. Hopefully, this will be good until the next update!

Drabble-Thought So

Akihane glanced at the male standing in front of took in his bright yellow hair, trimmed quite short, as well as his flaring white and red cloak.

She took in his bright yellow hair, trimmed quite short, as well as his flaring white and red cloak.

"I can't believe you're me..."

The Uzumaki muttered as she stared down her dimensional counterpart.

Beside her Sasuke stood with a brow raised to his own 'twin', Shikamaru doing the same from Naru's other side.

Hinata was simply smirking as she watched the ordeal, her eyes withholding a vicious glee that Naru never wanted to admit beign the source of.

"At least you aren't all pansy ass. I mean seriously, he has long hair!"

Aki's Sasuke hissed at her, earning him a deadpanned glare.

"I'm the Hokage, Sasuke-San, the Hokage. How does that even happen?"

Akihane muttered, earning her a confused glance from her counterpart.

"Wait, you aren't the Hokage?!"

'Naruto' shouted at her, earning himself a rare 'Tch'.

"That's-"

Akihane started, Sasuke and Hinata finishing. "The Hyuuga." , "Me."

Those in the room turned to Hinata as she stepped forward.

Akihane had to fight a fond smile as both Shikamaru's muttered a 'troublesome' in time with one another.

"Extremely Troublesome..."

Aki's Nara offered once he had matched his 'twin'.

His gaze met Naru's, garnering a look bordering on smug.

"I told you reversing the seals wouldn't send us home, Shikamaru-San."

Shikamaru had to fight a groan at the accusing glances cast in his direction.

It wasn't his fault that Naru had actually listened to him for once.