Akihane had not expected this when the Elders had asked her to deal with one more issue before she left with Jiraiya to hunt down Tsunade.

Sitting in a single cell before she was one shinobi. His eyes, downcast and settled stubbornly on a wet spot on the floor of his cell, were a deep seafoam green that had at one point unsettled her.

"Gaara." Akihane allowed, her voice creeping along the cold air in a whispered hush.

The boy looked up to meet her gaze, his eyes refocusing on her as he blinked away the haze he had been under. For the past week or so the boy had been struggling to manage his position in Konoha's Cells. He no longer had any contact with his prisoner and he also had no insight as to what was going on. The absence of a voice of influence such as the Bijuu within him, Shukaku, was bound to leave him either on edge or wandering in the fog below.

"Uzumaki," Gaara spoke quizzically. He sounded as though he hadn't spoken in awhile, his voice both hoarse and odd. Akihane figured the boy didn't even know what to think when it came to other people, much less the girl that had placed a seal on his stomach.

Relaxing at the reply, Akihane knelt before Gaara and reached out.

Behind her, the kunoichi knew that the two ANBU escorts were tensed and ready to fight. Nara Shikaku, Ibiki Morino, and Jiraiya were all waiting for her to act and were all prepped to step between her and the Subaku boy if anything went wrong.

Gaara eyed her hand warily, having been on the receiving end to an attack from the albino already. He understood the girl was going slow to show him she meant no harm, however, even if he wanted nothing more than to push her away.

Those actions were beyond him right now. Seals worked their way up his arms and restricted his movements to the barest of twitches of his fingers or the tilting and turning of his neck. Without the key to the seals, he was unable to move his body or attack anyone near him.

Akihane placed her hand on his chest, gently resting the tips of her fingers over the bindings at his heart.

"You're a Jinchuuriki." She told him.

Gaara stiffened and narrowed his shadowed eyes at her, a deep and unsure sound leaving the back of his throat.

Akihane smiled at him and leaned in so that her head rested on his shoulder.

Gaara was unable to say or do anything as the girl's arms slowly slid around him and she pulled him into a tight hug. For a moment, Gaara thought he heard the sound of shuffling, only to realize that the girl holding him was crying.

Uzumaki Akihane was crying on him, for him, without any incentive and without motive. She was simply crying over him in a way that Gaara had only ever seen with Temari.

He didn't know what to do.

"You're so strong Gaara, pulling through this entire time. You…You managed to push past all of your afflictions and wield them as your shield. You took being a Jinchuuriki and turned it into a way you could survive. I can only ever applaud you for that. No matter your methods, I find the very fact you managed that alone to be outstanding." The Uzumaki let out in a single breath.

Pulling away, Gaara was struck with how gentle Akihane looked with tears at the edges of her soft eyes.

"From one Jinchuuriki to another…I'm glad that you survived Gaara. I'm glad I get to meet you and tell you all that I can."

Gaara fell forward as a jolt of chakra released the seals around his heart, binding his limbs in place. In a shocking display of care, Akihane caught him and drew him back into a hug.

"It's good to meet you Gaara-San. My name is Uzumaki Akihane Naru and I am a Jinchuuriki just like you."

I~~~~I

"That was reckless Aki," Jiraiya spoke up once Gaara had been reunited with his siblings. The Subaku children had bee held by Konoha as insurance that Suna would not try to attack them once more, though this had mostly been through Gaara. At first, all three siblings had been in custody, however, after a day Temari was released to discuss what would follow with Konoha and Suna's treaties.

From there Kankuro had been released only two days after. He had brought up the cost Konoha would require from Suna over damage repairs and the fracturing of their alliance. Orochimaru's deception or not, Suna had still broken the carefully constructed accords it had established with Konoha in a matter of two months. There had been much to fix and amend after that.

Gaara had been the final catalyst. Konoha had to choose whether or not to keep the same weapon Suna had tried to use on them as leverage against his home.

In the end, the decision had fallen on Akihane's shoulders to make. She hadn't been sure what she would choose until she saw Gaara bound in that cell like an animal. She feared being locked up and only seen as a weapon for the village. She feared being used and controlled like Orochimaru had controlled Suna.

Akihane chose to hand Gaara back to his family on the condition that Jiraiya be allowed to fix his seal and that Suna allows Konoha to go into its workforce and do what was needed to put them back on their feet. As it stood Konoha could not afford to lose an ally, and Suna was more profitable as it's only separate entity in the long run for the village.

"I know," Akihane replied he gaze soft on the boy who looked so shocked to be hugged by his siblings.

Recovery would take a long time for Gaara without Shukaku whispering threats into his ear. He would not be able to fall back on the secondary power, even if he still had full control of his sand.

"It had to be done though. Konoha cannot continue to grow by simply being more powerful. Kindness goes a long way, and even if it did not benefit the village it benefited Gaara. To be a Jinchuuriki…You never rid yourself of the fears that come with it. They creep at the edge of your mind like a ticking bomb just waiting to go off." Akihane told Jiraiya, clenching her hand at her stomach.

She closed her eyes and thought about her talk with the Kyuubi, the one where she had found out how her parents had really died.

"Soon Gaara will have to face the Bijuu within him and ask him important questions. For now, Shukaku will not have control of Gaara's thoughts or actions and that is enough. He will learn in time how to deal with more emotions than anger and hate. He will grow to understand what it is he is tasked with…and why." She finished off by turning away.

Her steps were neither rushed or wary. She walked with calm confidence away from the Sand Sibling she had seen to the gates of her village, heading toward the Hokage's Tower.

Jiraiya paused at her words and watched her step into the streets of her village. People whispered and pointed, glares and insults directed at the Uzumaki's back. Despite this, Akihane marched onward and never faltered in her path.

"Just how much of that applies to you as well, Akihane?" Jiraiya questioned the girl, even as the words were blown away by a gust of wind.

Akihane's hair danced in the breeze, the bright white locks let down. With her dark blue jacket and the black pants and metal plates decorating not only her arms but her legs, the girl formed an imposing figure. In fact, Jiraiya would go as far as to say that she looked almost exactly like the man whom her swords belonged to.

She truly was the child of lost legacies.

I~~~~I

Her eyes rested on the faces before her. She did not expect many people to see the two of them off, though Akihane was often surprised when it came to the number of people who cared for her.

All of her brothers were taking time from their day to see her off, while all of the Rookies and their Sensei's had wished her well. Iruka and Kakashi had come to argue about how safe she should be, while Anko and Yugau handed her more supplies to ensure she was not empty-handed. Konohamaru had brought several of his friends to tell Akihane goodbye, while Sakura took her time to lecture Akihane about proper edicate and saving money for things other than sealing supplies and weapons.

Sasuke and Hinata stood together with amused looks decorating their faces in different ways. Sasuke's lips had twitched up while Hinata's eyes were alight with a spark that had only grown since the Chunin Exams.

There was only one other person who did not quite fit the picture, though he tried his hardest.

Zabuza stood next to his apprentice. The young man was packed and ready for a trip, though he would not be joining his master. Instead, Haku would be joining Jiraiya and Naru on their little exertion so that Akihane could 'keep an eye on him'. Since he was still technically under the Uzumaki Head's watch.

"Take care," Zabuza ordered his apprentice. Haku chuckled at his master.

"Don't die while I'm away," Haku told his master, earning an unamused grunt as the Nin hit the boy over his head.

"Gaki. Don't get cocky with me. I can survive without you."

Haku laughed at that, and soon he was joined in by Akihane and then the rest of the Rookies. The Jonin huffed at them and glared in a menacing manner at them all. Despite trying to appear intimidating, he only managed to look like a disgruntled and overgrown child.

"Alright, come on. Let's get going." Jiraiya called out to his two tag-a-longs."

Akihane nodded and waved goodbye at the others before turning to step beside her godfather.

Haku moved to follow, only to find two Shinobi standing in front of him. Both Hinata and Sasuke had stopped the Ice-User with less than hospitable looks on their features.

Hinata was surprisingly the first to speak, her words short, to the point, and rather haunting. "If you hurt Akihane or try to make a move on her I will end you."

Sasuke followed closely behind.

"Touch her and you die, Yuki." The Uchiha warned with a glare.

Haku blinked at the two innocently, tilting his head to the side as though he were confused.

"I have no idea what you mean. Akihane-San is my host and I would never do anything she didn't want. She's far too nice and pretty to deal with that." Smiling brightly and in a 'reassuring' manner at the two Ninja, Haku stepped passed them.

"You have nothing to worry about. After all, I'm only going to be mostly alone with Akihane-San for several days, if not weeks, with only the perverted Sannin as a buffer. I mean it isn't like he's a cheap man and will force us to share a room so he can get data for his research. That won't happen." Haku told them, his lip twitching up at the corner as he backed up and turned around swiftly to go match the pace of his traveling companions,

"He's good," Hinata muttered under her breath begrudgingly.

"He's suicidal." Sasuke hissed with narrowed eyes.

"He troublesome." Someone spoke from behind them, turning Sasuke's and Hinata's bloodthirsty gazes to the annoyed male watching Haku settle up beside Akihane.

For once, the two were in agreement with their Nara contester.

I~~~~I

Akihane had to withhold her laughter until they had gone far enough from the village for the shaking of her shoulders to not be noticed.

Haku smirked down at her as she laughed breathlessly, Jiraiya watching her with vague amusement.

"I-I can't believe that you did that!" Akihane wheezed, a smile spreading across her lips as Haku shrugged.

"They made it so easy." He offered.

Jiraiya shook his head as Akihane calmed her laughter and settled for leaning on Haku's shoulder. The habit, while odd, had been one she had developed while conversing with the young male about Iryo Ninjutsu and cooking. The action not only unsettled the girl's brothers, but also her Hyuuga and Uchiha 'guards'.

Jiraiya had to admit that his goddaughter was skilled to get those two kids to work together so well, especially when both of them had such obvious crushes on her. The Uchiha was more obvious than the Hyuuga, though Jiraiya still wasn't sure if the crush the girl had was hero-worship or something more.

Just thinking about the topic had Jiraiya itching for a pen and paper. He wanted to write these ideas down for later when he was able to work on his manuscript. Perhaps the next town over.

"So, what are we going to do while we look for Tsunade-Sama?" Akihane questioned him.

Pausing, Jiraiya turned around to face his goddaughter. He grinned brightly and dropped a hand into the pouch of his haori.

"Well, dear grasshopper, we're going to pop some balloons."

I~~~~I

Akihane sighed and rested her back against the tree she and Haku had taken residence at.

Her hands were cold and tense, the veins on them more pronounced beneath her pale skin. Water droplets fell from her fingers over the ground below her, turning the Earth a darker shade of brown.

"Are you alright, Akihane-San?" Haku questioned the Uzumaki, leaning his head on her shoulder as he glanced over at her.

The Uzumaki nodded and looked down at the remnants of her water balloon in annoyance. For the past two days that they had been traveling, Akihane had gone through several buckets of water balloons striving to get the last step of her father's jutsu down. The Rasengan, while appearing easy, was anything but. Achieving a balance of rotation and power wasn't easy to do, especially when one was so used to overpowering everything they did.

Akihane closed her eyes and her head made a faint sound as she leaned back against the trunk of her tree. She had the basic concept down and the theory behind it, she just couldn't apply it. Her control would fluctuate and the chakra condensing in the balloon would explode outward.

The first step hadn't been hard. Bursting the balloon with rotation was a lot like adding chakra into seals in order to overload them. She had that step down her first time.

Next came the rubber ball, a step that she succeeded at by the end of that first day of travel. She had only to add force and intent and then she exploded the poor ball in her grasp. Compared to those two steps, this last one came as a struggle to her. Combing the two steps wasn't easy when it came down to it.

"Perhaps you should take a break. How about you try some sensory exercises?" Haku suggested from her shoulder. His soft eyes met her gaze and the feminine features he bore were accented by the fading sunlight.

Akihane took a deep breath and nodded, slowly rising to her feet while Haku watched her. The Uzumaki gathered herself and pulled at her chakra until the force was flowing around her.

Haku's keen eyes took in the tiniest of movements from his companion. He had watched her struggled with this last step multiple times and he had also witnessed her training in other fields during his time at her side. The Uzumaki trained constantly when she was at home, whether through small chakra exercises while she studied or through her morning routine of push-ups, planks, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and the laps she did around the village.

This exercise had been one she practiced daily, even on the days she was supposed to rest. Akihane's chakra would spread out in the air around her, filtering through her surroundings and stretching out as far as the girl could reach.

The control exercise was meant to extend not only her sensory range but also her level of detail intake. So far, Akihane could stand in the middle of the village and stretch her senses past the gates. She also was able to narrow her senses down to the individual strands of hair on someone's head, though not for long.

The air grew warm as Akihane's chakra spread from her body and swept through the undergrowth. Her chakra brushed past the leaves on every branch of the trees surrounding them. The energy brushed past the roads and into the village they had stopped at, extending past the shops and houses in the thriving town. Akihane could see the cropped hillsides and the farming fields they had walked past, as well as the people heading away from their current place.

All around her the world moved and changed. Seen or unseen, the world continued to work. People laughed and glared, children ran and played. Emotions were broadcast over the chakra within, leaving Akihane breathless as she felt it all.

She still felt uncomfortable when exposed to the information, though she was slowly learning how to deal with the sensory overload. Where once she may have passed out after releasing her chakra to the open air, she now only trembled before straightening her stance. Almost two months had passed since her last experience in the catacomb tunnels from the Second Exam, and already she was making headway. With the help of not only the Shodaime but also the Nidaime, Akihane was improving.

The Kage proved to be invaluable when it came down to their knowledge and techniques. They had already helped her when making decisions as the standing Hokage, and Tobirama had ensured she knew how to properly train her sensor abilities. Akihane was growing stronger with each passing day.

"Wow…" Haku whispered under his breath as her chakra cloaked him. Akihane's presence lingered over him for an instant and then it faded abruptly. The girl was still continuing the exercise, however, her chakra had masked itself against Haku's skin.

The smell of salty broth mixed with the forest at night drifted past Haku's nose and he had to withhold a gentle sigh.

Akihane's chakra was intoxicating. Haku would even go as far as to call her chakra a drug does to its hypnotic tendencies. The warm always left someone feeling relaxed, while the mere presence of it removed any insecurities. Her chakra was nothing like anyone else and it made Haku feel lightheaded.

Closing his eyes from where he sat, Haku felt his head dip while his limbs simply melted. The hum of a song, that he attributed to a siren, thrummed in his ears. He had missed the pulse of Akihane's chakra at his throat after the girl had been assigned her new duties. She would no longer perform her exercises in the comfort of their shared home and instead chose to practice it in the comfort of her tower.

"Haku-San?" Akihane suddenly questioned him, earning a startled hum as the boy opened his eyes.

The chakra's warmth had faded entirely, though the air still hummed with power despite the faded presence of her energy.

Akihane had completed the exercise, which meant she was now back to her normal, natural, pulses of chakra that would sense around her like normal.

Haku waved off the Kunoichi's concern, smiling gently as he rose from his relaxed position. "I'm fine Akihane-San. Now, since you are done with training, how about we grab a bite to eat? My treat."

Haku couldn't pass the opportunity to mess with the Uchiha and Hyuuga again. They would no doubt learn of his and Akihane's impromptu 'date' from Jiraiya, which would annoy and anger them. In fact, the ice user was certain that the two would be livid if they heard he had taken their darling Uzumaki out for a bite to eat.

If he was able to talk with Akihane alone as a consequence of his prank, then all the better for him in the end. It was a win-win situation that had little to no arguments against him.

Akihane blinked at him and shook her head with a faint smile before she took Haku's offered hand.

"Very well, Haku-San. I'll go to lunch with you."

Haku smiled and held her as they walked away from their training area and began the trek back to the village they had been staying at.

"So, are you going to try and complete the Rasengan tonight, or are you going to wait until tomorrow?" Haku asked idly as they walked.

Akihane sighed and stared ahead as she answered him.

"I'll try again tonight. Perhaps if I tried incorporating some more chakra-control exercises I might be able to get the jutsu down. For now, I'll just have to figure it out."

"Maybe if you tried to get the balance of power correct, and then added rotation?" Haku suggested.

"Tried that already. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to balance this correctly." Akihane said.

The two grew silent as they stepped into the crowded market area and started toward a Tea House. Several heads turned in their direction as they walked, their appearances serving as beacons. Akihane's light hair and red eyes were odd enough without being combined with Haku's ornate dress or his rather feminine features.

Neither of them paid those that stared much mind. Instead, the two of them took seats at the Tea House.

The waiter near them set menus down next to them as said that she would be back to take their order in a few minutes.

Both Shinobi looked over their options and quietly scrolled through the meals and drinks offered.

"Perhaps some Green Tea?" Akihane suggested.

Haku hummed and countered.

"Or chai tea. I hear it's good."

"Jasmine might also be nice." Akihane offered.

They glanced up at one another and traded soft grins before Akihane folded her menu closed on the table. Haku did the same, leaning forward while performing a mockery of the Uchiha's famous pose.

His chin rested on his oddly folded hands as he asked Akihane questions about her training and what they would be doing following their lunch.

Soon the waitress came back, filling their orders for a bowl of Tsoba and a plate of danger with a pot of Jasmine tea.

Haku had just started asking Akihane about her promotion when the Waitress returned again. The girl was acting oddly, and soon she accidentally tripped.

The tea kettle tipped and Haku moved quickly, catching the girl while Akihane grabbed the tray of food and the tea kettle. The girl started apologizing, only to notice that Haku now had tea spilled over his nice kimono.

"O-Oh my! I'm so sorry! Here, please, let me clean you up!" The girl sputtered, blushing as she waved her hands frantically.

"It's fine. Are you alright?" Haku asked the waitress as Akihane set their food and tea down, her eyes shifting over the girl in confusion.

The girl hadn't shown signs of fatigue or dizziness before she had come back to their table. Had Haku made her nervous? Pretty faces tended to do that to some people.

"No, I insist. Please let me get you cleaned up." The girl persisted.

Haku looked at her and Akihane waved him off with a small smile.

"I'll wait." She told him, earning her a nod as the boy was dragged off toward the back by the embarrassed waitress.

Shaking her head at the odd occurrence, Akihane slipped back into her seat and glanced toward the streets beyond the curtained entrance of the tea house.

A faint sound alerted him to someone walking toward her.

Turning her head, Akihane prepared to tell the person walking up that the seat before he was taken, only for the words to die in her throat.

Black eyes met her own and the whispy and thin strands of black hair hidden under a large straw hat swayed slightly. The man was young, though he held aged features she didn't normally associate with young adults. Even so, the man held himself well and had an air of power that radiated from him.

He was also far too familiar with a face for Akihane to ever forget.

"I-Itachi." She whispered under her breath, her eyes wide and her knees weak. Had she not been sitting down Akihane did not doubt that she would have fallen to the floor.

The Uchiha looked in the direction Haku had gone, raising his hand up to take Akihane's. His grip was warm and left her feeling fuzzy all over, while his gaze turned to captivate her again.

"Come with me, Akihane," Itachi told her, his smooth voice bringing her to her feet.

The door Haku had entered earlier creaked open, the smiling boy thanking the embarrassed waitress again before he turned toward Akihane.

His features hardened when he saw Akihane staring at a man he knew to be an S-Rank criminal, her arm gripped by the man's while her eyes remained trained on the man.

The man turned to Haku, features hardening momentarily before he tugged the shocked albino he had in his grasp toward him.

Haku reached out with a shout, stepping forward just as the two vanished in a blur of crows.

I~~~~I

Ahh, I'm quite evil, no? Perhaps its all the Dresden Files I've been reading, but I felt that the dramatics were needed here. After all, Itachi deserves only the grandest of entrances. Hope you all enjoyed and thanks for reading!

And here is the new update. I messed up the chapters earlier, so if you haven't already, check out the Thirty-Seventh and Eigth again since I messed up the order and compeltely forgot a dang chapter.

Drabble- The Damned.

He hadn't seen her in years.

From that night of blood to this moment, standing before her, Itachi did not know how much Akihane had grown.

Sasuke had taken care of the girl and she had improved.

Word had it she was already a Chunin, though she did not wear the vest.

Word also had it that she was leading Konoha, thought the majority weren't privy to this news.

Akihane had grown and matured.

She was a young woman with battles behind her, the edge of her eyes dipped in sorrow and loss.

She understood the pains he had gone through and now stared at him as though she feared he makes her do it again.

Itachi had indeed not seen Akihane since she was a small girl grieving over the loss of Shisui, but that did not mean he did not know of her.

Akihane had grown up.

He wasn't sure how he felt about that fact.

Itachi wasn't certain he wanted the girl to mature and turn into a kunoichi feared by the nations.

He wasn't sure how he felt about her falling in line with her Mother and Father.

Itachi didn't know what to think about the Akihane he now saw.