Akihane woke to the sound of birds and the drawn breaths of others around her. She looked around to see Kakashi and Jiraiya lounging on the couches to the side of her. Tenzo was slumped against her chair, completing the trio of mentors.

Gazing at her Senseis all clustered together, Akihane had to pause. She had never seen the three together all at once and seeing them like this now was a little odd. They were not your typical group of shinobi they were just different enough to fit in as her teachers.

Her eyes trailed across the living room, seeing the house she should have grown up in.

Slowly, she sat up. Her senses stretched out as she took in a shaky breath and rose to her feet. She paused and then continued, heading toward the rooms.

She could feel the chakra in the walls, could see the seals that pulsed along the surface of the floor and walls. Her hands trailed each groove, each line that spread out and feathered into multiple swirls and sharp cuts.

Akihane took it all in as she followed the seals to the last door she hadn't gone into last night. She funneled her chakra into the seals and watched as the door slid away. She went inside, walking down a flight of stairs before she arrived in a workshop.

There were more seals here, powerful and thriving. They pulsed as she entered, greeting her like a lost friend. She took in the chakra and funneled it right back, walking around the worktable in front of her.

She saw her father's handwriting, recognizing it from the documents she had read on his changes as Hokage. She trailed his scrawling signature seals, dancing her chakra across the mess carefully.

She finally came to a stop as she saw the depictions of the Rasengan followed by a detailed explanation of its creation and use.

Taking a deep breath Akihane settled in, reading the papers as she felt her father speaking through her. Notes from long ago, ones that Tobirama and Hashirama recognized, littered the messy ensemble.

There were notes on the Clone Technique, on the works of the Hokage, on the Flying Thunder God Technique, and her mother's seals. Her mother's sharp but neat handwriting looped into her father's often, interjecting on his ramblings in a precise manner that brought his ramblings into focus.

It was almost as if Kushina was used to waiting until Minato was done with his rants on paper so that she could interject with her ideas or with her expertise. She always wrote down her points in a way that Minato couldn't miss, catching his attention just enough before he was set into a feverish haze.

Or, at least, that was the feeling that Akihane got when viewing the notes.

Akihane carefully organized the papers, shifting them around as she let herself get lost in the story of her father's strengths and weaknesses, and the projects that drove him near madness because he just didn't understand how to fix them.

She also found more personal things.

The notes of a Hokage, harmless in passing unless you knew more of the stories that Minato occasionally scribbled to the side, the passing leaks of information that would do nothing more than confuse someone who didn't know the bigger picture.

Minato had noticed the separation in the village, the way that the Uchiha were often just a step behind the other clans or the way the Elders kept pushing for him to add more restrictions on the Academy.

He noticed the children that never returned.

Minato was hardly the dunce so many people thought him to be, and Aki understood that more than ever as she read through his passage on how Kushina was pregnant, and how Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, was due any day.

He was working on the Shinigami Reaper Death Seal at the time.

Taking a deep breath Akihane pulled herself from those papers to instead focus on the Flying Thunder God.

She understood the premise because of her brothers but had never really had a full look at how her father had developed the jutsu. Now, seeing his thoughts and his recalculations, she could see why he settled on his current version.

He had found that the seals he developed had to be tailored to him, they couldn't be the same ones that Tobirama had used. Looking at it now, Akihane understood why the Hokage Guard Platoon had such a hard time using the technique. The seals weren't tailored to their chakra like they were to Minato's.

Pondering this over, Akihane decided to ask Tobirama about the matter. It was all the better to redo her understanding of the technique with the original creator right there with her.

"I can see your reasoning. The seal that I used was indeed a seal to represent myself. It would make sense, seeing as you are calling on the seal to summon yourself to it. The seals used to summon animals are tailored to those animals as well." Tobirama agreed.

Humming softly Akihane trailed her hand along with the Flying Thunder God Seal. She thought about the blades and the last few weeks.

The Rasengan had helped, but she had nearly died. Sasuke…Sasuke and Hinata had both nearly died. After all, she was not strong enough, because she had nearly given in to an enemy.

The man, the one with white hair that Shikaku hadn't liked, had been far too powerful. When Akihane had explained the encounter to Shikaku he hadn't been happy and had told her and Tsunade that the man was named Omega Shiro. He was an enemy of the Nara clan, a wanted Nin from Yugakure, and that he bent Yang chakra the same way that the Nara Clan bent Yin.

The shadow jutsu were different from average Kekei-Genkai after all. One could learn the jutsu if they had an affinity for it, but most outside of the Nara Clan never did because they alone knew how to bend Yin chakra into such shapes with their Chakra.

As for Omega…Shikaku had informed her that the Nin was incredibly resistant to Yang Chakra, but Yin chakra was his downfall.

Thinking about that, Akihane could see why Hinata was able to fight that man's odd jutsu so well. The Hyuuga were closer to Yang energy than Yin, and Hinata, in particular, had such strong control over it. It imbalanced her Byuakugan, but when she got the hang of it, she was able to do more damage than even Neji.

Thinking it over again, falling back into the pattern of growing stronger, Akihane weighed the pros of learning her father's technique. She had a lot of skill in seals as an Uzumaki, and with her training in Mokuton, she would be able to control Natural Chakra more easily as well. Her sensory abilities were coming along, and Kakashi was pushing her Ninjutsu more and more every day.

That wasn't enough though. She needed more, needed to break herself to the point where she couldn't anymore just so that she could protect the people she loved. Sasuke and Hinata were one thing, but the others, Shikamaru, Haku, Sakura, Kakashi, her brothers-

Akihane needed all she could get.

Taking another deep breath Akihane pulled out the sheets detailing the Flying Thunder God, and she set to work with Tobirama on what would be her newest obsession.

I~~~~I

Akihane was taken from the house for the induction of Tsunade as Hokage. She stood beside Sasuke and Sakura as the crowds cheered around her. She watched as the civilians cheered for their newest leader, watching as the Jonin appraised their leader and as Tsunade's Chakra spread across the village like a storm.

It was different, to experience the induction of a Kage after the death of one. None of the Rookie Genin had ever seen such a thing.

Akihane found the parade and the celebration to be a bit overkill, but being able to spend time with the Rookies was a god plus. Especially when they went for food.

Sasuke wasn't about the leave her side after she kept vanishing from his sights. He had even told her not to leave the restaurant without him, which wasn't a surprise.

Akihane was used to Sasuke being protective.

Maybe not this protective though.

Akihane was enjoying talking with Ino and Tenten about weapons versus Mind Jutsu, a topic the two girls had stumbled into after Akihane had mentioned Ibiki to the two over a debate on the scariest Jonin.

"No way, I could wipe the floor with you! Eventually, you will run out of weapons, but my mind jutsu is with me forever!" Ino argued as she leaned over the table to get into Tenten's face.

Tenten grinned savagely at the blonde as she too pressed over the table. "Yeah, but I don't have to worry about passing out just because I can't handle a jutsu!"

Sakura was trying to get between the two, to stop the arguing.

She wasn't succeeding.

"Hey, come on, you both have really good techniques and they are effective!" Sakura placated.

Tenten huffed at Sakura, a hint of jealousy in her eyes.

"Well, at least we think about our techniques. You just jump in like Lee and hope for the best!" Tenten bit back.

Sakura's temper flared and she ended up joining in on the argument.

Akihane turned to Hinata in amusement, watching as Hinata shook her head and sipped her tea quietly.

Sasuke nudged her side, turning her attention to the Uchiha.

His eyes met hers, annoyance for the yelling kunoichi clear.

"You alright?" He asked.

Aki sighed, her smile fading away as she grabbed her tea to drink.

"Fine Sasuke-San." She spoke, and Sasuke frowned, his eyes shading over at her address of him. He went to ask her something else when Kiba dragged him, literally, over to the group of boys.

"Like this guy! He always likes to run into problems too. Is your team all like that Sasuke?!" Kiba shouted, laughing as Sasuke shoved the Inuzuka away.

Haku only smirked as he met the Uchiha's gaze across the table where he sat between an awkward Neji and Shino.

"They do tend to jump into fights. Sakura-Chan is about the only sensible person among their team. Aki tends to be a little more prone to thinking…but she isn't the best at it either." Haku intoned with a sly smile directed at the Uchiha.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed on the pretty boy.

"I don't run into fights, at least not when I don't have to clean up after other people Yukk." He said pointedly at Haku.

Shikamaru huffed beside Choji, who sat across from Neji on the rectangular table.

"Troublesome…Team Seven is just Troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled.

Haku laughed along with Kiba, the two both leering over at Sasuke to varying degrees.

Glancing over his shoulder Sasuke could see Akihane had now joined the argument and was shooting down everyone with the playful use of seals as the most effective element in combat.

At least until Hinata crushed everyone with her calm argument that being well balanced as a kunoichi, or shinobi in general, was the best way to tackle any form of combat.

"Oi, Sasuke, just how did you get two cute girls on your team, huh?" Kiba suddenly spoke up, earning a sharp glare from the Uchiha.

"What do you mean Inuzuka?" Sasuke let out in a thinly veiled tone of anger.

Kiba smirked at him and leaned forward, his dog Akamaru peering up over the table beside him as he pointed across the table to the girl's side of the room in the BBQ restaurant.

"I mean you have Akihane, who is just shocking, and then you have Sakura, who while she wouldn't have been my first choice at the academy, has filled out. She was able to fight against Hinata for a bit even." Kiba grinned with teeth, and Sasuke was about to tell him to shut up when Neji hummed beside Haku.

"Haruno…has improved. She joins Tenten and Lee in sparring." The Hyuuga comments and drinks some of his tea when the others turn to him.

It was still odd to see the boy so subdued after he had been such an asshat before. Hinata had been trying to knock some sense into him after all, and following her takedown her father had stopped to talk to the boy.

It had helped, even if Sasuke didn't like the boy.

"YOSH! Sakura-Chan is the best! She pushes herself as much as Gai-Sensei and I!"

Lee shouted across the table where he sat beside Choji, his face lighting up with joy.

Sasuke had known that Sakura was trying to better herself, was pushing herself in training more than ever, but he hadn't thought she would go so far as to join Gai's group of nutcases.

Now that he thought about it, her taijutsu had improved leaps and bounds. And her kicks hurt.

"Haruno-San has indeed improved, but so have we. The Academy is a long way away." Shino speaks next, earning everyone's attention.

Sasuke frowned as he eyed the boy, mulling his words over as his anger faded.

Thinking back to then, to when Aki and he had sat on the roof talking to Kakashi…Well, he could understand Shino's point.

Too much had happened to them for the Genin to be remotely like what they had been in the Academy. Too much had changed.

"Yeah, some of us are even Chunin." Choji offered up, munching on some of his chips as he waited for their food to arrive.

The Uchiha had to let out a sigh as he thought about that. He looked down at himself, taking in the odd and out-of-place Chunin Vest he now wore. This dinner wasn't just for Tsunade being Hokage after all.

He looked over to the other side of the table, to where Shikamaru was now looking at him. The boy wore his vest as well.

If they were to look to Aki and Hinata they would see the same vest.

All four of them had been promoted to Chunin, something none of them had expected to happen. Sure, they had done a lot in the Exams, but it never made them think of a promotion. Tsunade had explained Sarutobi's reasoning for the promotion well enough, but it was still odd.

"Don't think you are so much better than us just because of that, we'll still beat you!" Kiba boasted, and Sasuke took pleasure in the boy's yelp of pain when his Sensei came up from behind him and smacked him over the head.

"Kiba, being a Chunin isn't about winning or being better than others. You weren't promoted because you can't get that thought out of your head." Kurenai said, earning herself a grumble of 'Yes Sensei.'

Kurenai smiled, appeased, and turned to look at Sasuke.

"I needed to talk to you for a moment Sasuke," Kurenai spoke up. She garnered some odd looks, but Sasuke stood up to follow her as the others whispered.

When they had left the room of Rookies, Kurenai turned to him and handed him a piece of folded paper. Sasuke to the paper, frowning as he looked at the seal.

A-Rank.

"This is from Hokage-Sama. She requests your presence tonight to discuss the details." Kurenai said, before turning and heading into the separate room where Sasuke knew the other Sensei were.

He looked at the scroll, taking a deep breath before vanishing in a Shuinshin. He would have to read the scroll in private and see what the Old Hag wanted.

I~~~~I

Akihane sighed as she settled into the grass outside of Team Seven's Training ground.

She was looking up at the clouds as she relaxed her sore muscles.

Collapsed beside her was a tried Sakura, breathing heavily with a tinge of laughter in each breath.

Her breathing was labored enough that she would struggle to speak clearly.

Sakura let out another sharp laugh as she stretched out beside her teammate. Their training sessions had only grown more intense with Sakura's renewed interest as a Shinobi. She was astonishingly skilled when it came to grasping inner control of her chakra, leading to an increase in her speed and power. If Aki were to get hit by her teammate's strike…well, she would be in pain.

Sparring with Lee made you move quickly, which meant that now Akihane had someone pushing to beat her speed. Honestly, Aki would put Sakura's skill on par with Sasuke's in Taijutsu now.

Sitting up, Akihane stretched out her limbs and felt the pain in her side increase before it dulled. Her back popped and her vision swam momentarily.

"Are you going to train under Tsunade?" Sakura suddenly asked her.

Aki paused to look at her teammate, finding the girl gazing at her with a tired smile.

Akihane shook her head with a sigh.

"Healing isn't my strength. Neither is Chakra Control. I got some tips from her on how to increase my control...but I can only do the basics right now. What about you?" Akihane asked the girl.

Sakura sighed and sat up with a wince.

"I'm going to ask her to take me as her apprentice. The Strength of a Hundred Technique is suited to my style and I have good Chakra Control. If she doesn't take me I will ask Lady Shimura." Sakura said firmly.

Akihane let out a low laugh and nodded to her teammate.

"Yeah, I can see that. I doubt Tsuna-Hime won't take you." Akihane said and let out a heavy sigh as she looked up.

"I'll be training under Jiraiya. He…He says we will probably leave the village." She revealed.

Sakura turned to her sharply, observing her friend's body language as her expression grew sad.

"You haven't told anyone else, huh?" She asked.

Aki shook her head.

"Not even Sasuke-San." She confirmed.

Sakura frowned and stood up sharply, shocking Akihane.

"You should call him Sasuke." She suddenly said, earning a confused look.

"You two are so close, you should call Sasuke just Sasuke." Sakura elaborated, gazing at Akihane with a firm gaze.

Akihane opened her mouth, but Sakura cut her off with a sigh.

"Look, I don't know why you still call him 'San', but it's just…It's odd. I get Hinata, I get Tsunade-Sama and whatnot, but Sasuke is our teammate. It's weird you all him San." Sakura spoke up.

Akihane felt her body tense and then she let out a shaky breath.

"You don't…It's complicated." She said finally, standing abruptly.

Sakura turned to her with a frown.

"It makes him uneasy. Sasuke…He said he doesn't understand why you still do it." She revealed.

Aki turned away from her and hastily started to gather up her things.

"Just…Leave it Sakura. It's fine." She muttered quietly, walking away.

Akihane didn't want to think about it.

I~~~~I

Akihane took a moment to breathe. For the first time since returning with Tsunade, her team had been called in for a mission. Her team wasn't the only one either. Standing next to them was Shikamaru, the impromptu leader of their group.

Tsunade had yet to arrive, but based on their surroundings, Akihane already had an inkling of what was going on. Sakura, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and herself all stood in a line together, with Shikamaru taking the lead. Sakura was still icy with her after their training sessions, making the atmosphere more tense than usual.

If Shikamaru was here with their team, then that meant that Kakashi more than likely wasn't in the village right now and they required a different leader. Either that or Tsunade felt that they needed more than just a Genin and two Chunin.

Ahead of them, Tsunade had finally arrived. She walked through the back entrance and looked up at the Shinobi gathered before her.

Akihane inclined her head respectfully to the woman. "Good Morning, Tsunade-Sama."

The Shinobi greeted their Hokage, earning a soft sigh from the woman.

"Good morning. You must be wondering why I called you in to see me?" She asked the four, earning nods.

Tsunade smiled softly at the young Shinobi as she stood in front of her desk and addressed them. "As you may have noticed, Kakashi hasn't joined us, nor will he. He has his mission and right now you are the only people who I can assign this mission to. Team Seven, I have put Shikamaru in charge of you all. He will be the mission leader and you will treat him as such. Now, on to the mission."

Tsunade gained a serious look as she closed her eyes.

"Just this morning a group of messengers was attacked outside of our walls. They were carrying a missive from the Land of Tea. You see, in the Land of Tea, there is a competition held every four years. This competition is between the two ruling clans, the Wasabi and the Wagarashi family, to decide who will become the reigning clan during the next four years. The last time this happened the Wagarashi family hired shinobi and they won the event. The Wasabi family does not want this to happen again, so they have sought out our help. My old friend, Jirocho-Dono, has requested shinobi to back up his runner this time."

Tsunade finished, and as she did, Akihane inclined her head as though asking if she could speak. Tsunade nodded to her. Akihane then glanced to her teammates.

"You mean Jirocho-Dono as in the one we met a few weeks ago?" She asked, earning another nod. Akihane nodded and her brows furrowed as she raised a hand to her chin.

"So, who is the runner? I'm guessing we are supposed to escort them, but you said nothing about them being out of commission from the attack earlier this morning. Were they not present?" Akihane asked Tsunade.

"The runner's identity was not disclosed to me, though you will get to meet him after you arrive in the Land of Tea. They were not present when the group was attacked, and they have not shown up in Konoha." Tsunade answered Akihane. She took a moment to sigh and look down.

"It's frustrating but that's all the information I can give you right now. For now, you four will head to the Land of Tea to go talk with my old friend. This mission is marked as a B-Rank, but it can easily turn into an A-Rank. Do any of you have any more questions?" Tsunade looked over the Shinobi as she asked this, watching the way they all gained serious expressions. She nodded and handed over the mission scroll to Shikamaru. The Nara sighed, muttering a troublesome under his breath as he looked over the fine details.

"Alright, meet at the gates in an hour. Pack for a few weeks, three at max. Akihane, pack extra seals and make sure you are stocked on extra supplies encase we need to hand moreover. Sakura doesn't forget your medical supplies and see about getting us basic medkits for the trip." Shikamaru ordered, his eyes finishing glancing of the scroll. He turned and tossed the scroll back to Tsunade before nodding to his team.

In a burst of chakra, Sasuke and Akihane vanished, leaving Sakura to address Tsunade and leave.

Shikamaru sighed and looked ahead at Tsunade as she sat down and folded her hands under her chin.

"So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about, Tsunade-Sama?" Shikamaru questioned the woman, a pit forming in his stomach. Tsunade took a deep breath and then grabbed a file, pushing it forward.

Shikamaru walked to her desk and picked up the file, frowning as he opened it up. Inside was a Shinobi profile. Underneath the affiliation was a scratched mark over his former leaf allegiance. The man, Aoi Rakusho, was a Nuke Nin. He didn't look like much to Shikamaru, but that didn't mean anything. The man had blue hair in weighed down spikes, bright yellow eyes, and soft features that most Shinobi didn't have. Under his specialties, Shikamaru noted his preference for Senbon and lightning Jutsu, and how he was in the possession of the Nidaime's-

"Is this the Shinobi that they hired?" Shikamaru questioned Tsunade immediately, frowning as he narrowed his eyes on the file of the weapon Aoi had stolen from Konoha. The Flying Thunder God Sword, one of Konoha's relics and a powerful weapon that helped on channel lightning with little-to-no effort. It was a famed weapon known throughout the nations, and this Chunin had taken it from Konoha years ago.

"Yes. As you can see his name is Rakusho Aoi, and he is a Chunin Nuke Nin. Years ago, he stole the Flying Thunder God Sword out from under us by using a Genin known as Morino Idate. He is a wanted Ninja and if Jirocho-Dono was correct in his intel and that the other side has indeed hired him…I want you to either end him or bring him in." Tsunade narrowed her eyes and the firmness of her voice made Shikamaru straighten.

"Why not tell the others? Are you worried that Akihane's attachment to the Nidaime will cause problems when we run into him?" Shikamaru asked the woman, wondering what angle she was playing.

Tsunade paused and stared at him. Shikamaru paused and then realized that Tsunade might know that he knew about Akihane's relations, but after a moment the woman seemed to shove the information aside.

"I will leave this information to your discretion. If you believe it will help, then you may tell them. There is no guarantee that the Shinobi they hired is Aoi, but if he is, then I am counting on you to take care of him. He has been left to wander for too long unchecked, and this is our chance to take him out without repercussions."

Shikamaru nodded and handed back the file after glancing over it again. "I'll tell the others. It's better to have information like this in case we are separated." He told her, sighing as he scratched the back of his head.

"If we run into him though, I'll try not to let Akihane be alone with him…She has control, but if he says or does the right thing he could trigger her anger." Shikamaru told Tsunade and looked up. He met Tsunade's approving smile and sighed again. He was in for it if Aoi was on the opposing side. Akihane had told him she wanted to get back the relics of her family, and this man had taken one of them. She wouldn't let him live, and more than likely, she would make sure he knew just how bad his decision to take from Konoha was. Troublesome Uzumaki.

I~~~~I

"So, who exactly is this Jirocho-Dono?" Sakura questioned Akihane. The four had been traveling at a steady pace for the better half of the day now and we're nearing the end of their journey. They had decided to stop and rest in a Tea House near the border of the Land of Tea after they had arrived, and they were now conversing quietly.

"He's an old friend of Tsunade-Sama's. He met up with us on our trip back and cleared up a misunderstanding that two loan sharks had about her. He was very kind and offered us a place to stay anytime we were in his area." Akihane told the pink-haired girl between sips of her tea. She paused to glance at Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded at her explanation as he drank his tea. He was looking off into the distance as he remembered their time together back then. Akihane had grown accustomed to them again, but the weight on her shoulders over the death of her Grandfather was still there. There was also the slight tension between his two teammates, but it seemed they had set that aside for the mission.

Shikamaru hummed and leaned forward, gesturing for the others to lean in as well.

"I didn't tell you this earlier, but I figured it could wait. Tsunade-Sama has an inkling as for who our enemy shinobi is. The Shinobi is known as Rakusho Aoi, a B-Rank, nearly A-Rank, Nuke Nin who is in possession of stolen goods from Konoha. I want you all to stick together and make sure we never leave the client or a teammate alone, alright?" Shikamaru told the others, earning nods.

Sasuke sighed and glanced over to the Nara. "So, what did he steal? It'd have to be pretty bad." He mentions, thinking about just how the system regarding Nuke Nin worked. Most A-Rank criminals weren't marked because of their power, but rather the damage they dealt against the village when they defected. There was a reason that that man was S-Rank.

Shikamaru paused, glancing toward Akihane as he debated on telling the others.

Akihane wasn't paying him any mind, however, and had tilted her head to the side with a considering look on her face. Glancing in the direction of her attention, Shikamaru found her fixation.

Across the Tea House sat another patron, his hand loosely grasping his cup as his eyes darted across them. A straw hat was tilted down to cover his face and a gray cloak covered his body. The arm sticking out the cloak was sleeved in a white shirt. From their distance, none of the Shinobi could spot identifying marks on the boy.

The boy stood, setting down his cup as he walked over. The others tensed and looked to the boy as he paused to set a hand down beside Akihane's side of the table, leaning down to meet her eyes.

"Well hello beautiful, I haven't seen someone like you around here before." The boy started, a smirk forming on his lips as he smiled at Akihane.

In true Uzumaki fashion, the girl merely raised a single brow at the boy. Behind her, Sakura was warily watching the male, and Sasuke looked ready to jump and murder the kid. Shikamaru felt his instincts stir, annoyance at the male creeping upon him. He found the emotion to be foreign, especially since he normally didn't care too much about other people. The way that the boy spoke and looked at Akihane though…it made his eye twitch.

"Can we help you?" Akihane asked the boy softly, and at the sound of her voice, the boy's eyes widened.

"With that voice, angel, yes you can." The boy spoke and leaned down further, offering his other hand to her.

"How about you ditch these friends of yours and come hang out with me for a bit? I can show you around." The boy said.

"Look, we mean no harm but my friend isn't interested," Sakura spoke up first, cutting off the murderous glare Sasuke was sending the male as she stood and stepped in front of Akihane.

The boy turned to her and his smile only widened. "Well, I must have died and gone to heaven, because there are two beautiful angels right in front of me." He said in a wistful and flirtatious tone.

Shikamaru stiffened and narrowed his gaze on the boy.

"I'm not interested, just as my friend said. You can go." Akihane was forced to speak, Sakura having turned bright red at the compliment. Akihane tilted her head as she looked up at the boy, something flashing in her eyes.

The boy paused, and his eyes drifted from Akihane's face to the headband she was wearing. He froze, and his eyes widened again. "O-Oh, my bad." The boy said sheepishly and backed off quickly.

Akihane reached forward and grabbed the boy's arm, standing abruptly. Her eyes were narrowed still, and she was stiff.

The boy's eyes narrowed sharply on her as she raised his arm.

"It's not nice to steal." She spoke coldly, and the boy let out a shocked sound as her grip made him drop the money that Shikamaru had set on the table as a tip. Immediately the others were up in arms.

"O-oops…" The boy said and shrugged. He then grinned and Shikamaru lunged for him as he suddenly blurred out of their sight. Akihane turned sharply and flickered out, dust rising behind the two as they vanished out the shop.

Groaning, Shikamaru cursed and looked to Sasuke.

"Sasuke, catch up to them! Get Akihane to stop. Sakura, come on, we'll follow more sedately." Shikamaru ordered, and without a word, the Uchiha vanished from their view. Sakura stood and the two took off after their wayward teammates.

Ahead they could barely see the trails of dust that Akihane and the boy had formed, though a giant cloud rose sharply upward and forced the second trail to stop.

Shikamaru cursed and pushed himself to go faster, figuring that the boy had done something to Akihane to get her to stop. She was hard to lose when she locked on, and for her to let the boy go…It wasn't like her.

He and Sakura both arrived, dropping down beside Sasuke as he helped up an annoyed-looking Akihane.

"He used weights, and I didn't feel it was worth it to waste chakra on him when he took off." The girl muttered, glancing over to the trail of dust that spawned from where the male had traveled.

Shikamaru huffed out a sigh of relief, walking over to the girl. "Well, you shouldn't have sprung after him like that in the first place. Come on, we've wasted enough time. Let's hurry up and head to Jirocho-Dono's place already." Shikamaru grumbled, narrowing his eyes on the Uzumaki. She was far too troublesome for her good.

I~~~~I

"Thank you for coming. I'm glad that Tsunade sent you, and I hope you will be able to help us in our plight."

Akihane nodded from her spot beside her teammates. They had all arrived in the Wasabi Family compound and had been redirected to Jirocho's room so that they could discuss business. The man had taken on a formal approach, leaving Shikamaru to address him in the same manner.

"Hai, I'm glad we could help Jirocho-San. Tsunade-Sama sends her regards. We would like to get an outline of what will be happening if you don't mind, and I'll also need a few things before we begin. When does the race start, and who is our runner?" Shikamaru said, cutting right to the point. None of them liked the formal setting and they didn't want to deal with it, but they had no choice.

Jirocho seemed to understand that they did not feel comfortable and nodded at Shikamaru. "Very well. You will be helping my runner go from here to the shrine before the time is up. I want you to watch him carefully and protect him at all costs. Idate!"

Jirocho called out, and almost as if he had known he would be summoned, the boy showed himself. The sliding door beside Jirocho opened and all of the Konoha Ninja tensed as they watched a boy from behind bow his head.

"Hai, Jirocho-Dono." The boy called out, his head rising to look over the people in the room. He froze abruptly when his eyes met those of the Leaf Ninja. Akihane tensed and her eyes narrowed on the boy.

It was the very same boy that they had met at the tea house, the same one that had tried to scam them out of their money.

Akihane turned away from the boy to face Jirocho instead, her eyes falling shut before she opened them again.

"We will protect him with our lives. Now, there is something else I wanted to ask you about Jirocho-Dno, in private if I may." She spoke. The rest of her teammates turned their shock to her, Shikamaru meeting Sasuke's eyes as they questioned what the Uzumaki was doing.

"W-Wait, Jirocho-Dono, why are you-?!" Idate shouted, only to be silenced as Jirocho's hand rose. He met the boy's eyes, and Idate quieted and lowered his head.

"I would be fine with that Akihane-San. Your friends can head to their rooms or the dining hall for food. We will discuss more in the morning." Jirocho said in dismissal, standing along with Akihane as he gestured to a side panel.

Akihane looked back and gestured to Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru-San, if you would join us I would appreciate it." She told the Nara, leaving soon after.

Shikamaru frowned as he rose, telling the Uchiha and Haruno to head to their rooms while he figured out what was going on here.

The moment that the others left, Akihane settled back down. Jirocho settled into his spot as well, the atmosphere dissolving away the tension left behind. Shikamaru let out a tight sigh and sat beside his teammate. He was readying to ask her what she wanted to discuss when she spoke up.

"Is it true to believe the enemy shinobi, the one the Wagarashi family hired to be Rakusho Aoi?" Akihane cut to the chase, her eyes meeting Jirocho's.

Jirocho let out a heavy sigh as he gazed at her.

"Yes. It's not just a belief. Idate…Ran into him. He knew him right away and informed me promptly." Jirocho told them.

Akihane nodded and then reached for one of her scrolls. She unsealed it, and Shikamaru was shocked at the drawing that lay in front of her.

It looked like the drawings of the Thunder God Blade.

Akihane gestured to the piece and then to Jirocho.

"Did he happen to have anything similar to this on him?" She asked.

Jirocho's eyes narrowed momentarily before he nodded.

"Yes, Idate explained a blade similar to that to me. May I ask about your interest?" He questioned.

Akihane sealed the drawing away again as she looked to Shikamaru.

Akihane knew what Aoi stole.

Great, just great.

"He took something from Konoha. We plan on ensuring he won't keep it much longer." She said sharply, darkly.

Her pupils flashed into slits momentarily, sending chills down Shikamaru's back.

Akihane was dangerous when angry. He would just have to keep a keen eye on her.

I~~~~I

Hope you enjoyed, thank you to those that reviewed on the last few chapters.

Minor addresses some of the comments.

As for the pairing, I'm not sure where I'm going to take it. I originally was thinking about Shikamaru, but right now it is going to go wherever it goes. Though I will say the chance of SasuNaru is incredibly unlikely because of the dynamic they currently have to go. There are still a lot of chapters ahead though, so maybe. Also, though it would be funny and I thought about it, there is no HinaSasu. I don't see the two of them coming to an agreement of that type at any point. Especially with their differing goals and their binding point being Akihane.

As you can see, tying into the relationship between Sasuke and Naru, I decided to address Akihane's use of -San after Sasuke's name. That plays an important role in the next few chapters.

Now on to Akihane's description, I use blonde as a way to depict her. Blonde has always been a reference to light-haired people where I grew up (Many people even called my mother, a redhead, blonde on occasions) Sorry if that was confusing to some people.

Also, I am going to cut a bit back on my other characters, such as Shiro and Yin, so that I can focus on the canonical characters and their growths leading into Shippuden.

Thank you so very much for reading, feel free to ask questions, but don't expect straight forward answers to some of them.