Her head was pounding. The world around her was a blur of varying shades of red. Akihane wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and just succumb to the darkness again, but she couldn't. Instead, she took a deep breath as she pushed past the painful pulses in her head. She took another deep breath and gripped the ground below her as she rose to sit up fully. Her eyes took in the scenery. A cave, lit with only the thin blaze of a dying fire. The embers were crackling faintly and outside the cave Akihane could head the pattering of rain.

She shifted again, wincing as she felt something tinge in her shoulder. Her eyes shifted to check on it, taking in the hastily bandaged wound. She tried to remember what happened, but things were still fuzzy. She was dragged from her thoughts when footsteps started to sound at the mouth of the cave. They drew her attention as they grew louder. "Finally awake, Akihane?" A familiar drawl echoed in the enclosed space.

Akihane relaxed as Shikamaru settled down next to her. He was careful as he looked her over and checked on her wound. His warm breaths fanned the loose hairs hanging around her face. She closed her eyes momentarily, taking another deep breath. The pain was starting to fade away. She could think properly now.

"What…What happened?" She asked, coughing as her dry throat cracked. Shikamaru drew his water skin, offering it to her. She drank slowly and settled against the wall as Shikamaru orientated her. He slipped into the spot next to her and sighed.

"Well, that depends. If you mean how we got here, then that's because you're stunt with Yagura separated us from the group. If you mean your wound, its because you landed us in the middle of an encampment. We barely made it out." Shikamaru told her calmly. He observed her to make sure she wasn't hiding any pain from him, and when he noted she was freely wincing he felt a surge of incompetence. He'd kill for Sakura to be with them right now.

Akihane glanced to him, the events funneling back. Oh. She remembered now. The haze, the chakra that pulsed and the anger she had felt toward Yagura. The past year of fighting boiling down to those few seconds as Jiraya stepped between her and him.

She closed her eyes tightly and felt water brim at the edges. "Damnit…Damnit!" She snapped, only Shikamaru's quick movements keeping her from slamming her head back as he wrestled her to the ground. She was too weak to protest as he pinned her back into the makeshift bedding. It didn't stop her from writhing and crying out in anger. She had trained so hard, only for the mess to have dissolved into a damn blood bath. Jiraiya had di-

She choked up, the energy draining out of her.

She wanted to sleep. She wanted to forget everything as the rain poured around them, as Shikamaru tugged her into a tight hug. He pressed her face into his shoulder as he moved them back to leaning on the wall. His eyes shifted over the white locks obscuring his vision. This past year had been hell, and everything had come to a close with the last few days playing out like some twisted story. He took another deep breath as he thought of only a week ago when he had been planning the end of this nightmare with the very girl in his arms. He'd give anything to go back to that.

I~~~~I

Akihane shifted as her eyes splayed over the table in front of her. She was reading the battlefield, debating over their next move. It had nearly hit the year mark of her being out on the warfront with Kiri and they were drawing to a close. They had just recaptured the last of the outlying villages around Kirigakure, leaving only the main one left. This would be the hardest fight though, what with Yagura being at the center of things. Before, Akihane had only ever caught glimpses or heard whispers of the man. Now, she'd have to confront him herself.

She glanced across the table, to the familiar figure she had grown close to. Shikamaru was also assessing the board, though he was discussing his tactis with the older guard of the Head of the Resistance, Ao. The older shinobi was adept at these sorts of things and enjoyed his work with the Nara.

Akihane didn't get along too well with the man after she had learned about what he kept under his eye patch. She never really mentioned it to the man though and didn't challenge him on it since it wasn't her place. That would be up to Hinata, if the girl ever met the man in a formal or even less formal circumstance.

"Akihane, what do you think would be best?" Shikamaru looked up and asked her. Akihane glanced over and sighed. She started to point out the groups that Shikamaru had been suggesting they send in as a first wave before backing them up with a second and heavier force when Yagura showed his face. "I think the strategy is sound, but we also need enough of an intriguing force to drag Yagura out. So far he has only shown his face when either Terumi-San is present or Ero-Senin is around." Akihane offered, glancing up to meet Shikamaru's eyes. He nodded at her, catching her gaze as his lip twitched. He then turned to Ao as they continued to ponder the strategy.

The tent they were in rustled as the front flaps opened. Akihane's attention was turned to it as Jiraiya stepped in with Shizune and Terumi in tow. Bowing to Terumi, Akihane walked to her Godfather. He grinned at her and placed his hand on her shoulder as he glanced at the war map. "Helping out are we?" He asked her, though Akihane knew he was only trying to make conversation. Her lips quirked, used to the man and his ways after spending a year practically glued to his side.

"Sort of. Shikamaru has been handling most of it with Ao-San. I'm merely adding my own opinion." Akihane told the man. Jiraiya nodded and then turned to glance at the other two. They had stopped conversing to greet the new members of the war party. Ao in particular had shifted form Shikamaru's side to be next to Terumi. Terumi was looking over the board with Shizune, her fingers tapping on the edge.

Akihane took in the red-haired woman. Even after first meeting her, Akihane had been surprised by the woman's appearance and her showing of the Uzumaki blood. The woman was indeed a relative, though one a few generations over. She also had an incredibly interesting Kekai Genkai that Akihane loved to spar against. It made for interesting combat options when paired with her Mokuton. It also helped Akihane strengthen her already strong Water Affinity.

The woman hummed and then smirked. She shifted their pieces away from the debated place, pushing them to the opposite side of the board where a canyon stood between them and their objective. "Here, we are attacking from here." She stated. Akihane's eyes went wide as she walked over to the board, gazing at the new placement. She felt Jiraiya take up her right side as he chuckled.

"We just received word from the second company. Haku and Zabuza were successful in their attempts to retrieve the other members of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. Fu has also sent us a letter, one I think you should read Aki-Hime." Jiraiya spoke up. Akihane turned sharply at the mention of her newest acquaintance. The Taki kunoichi had been someone that Akihane had befriended almost instantly after they had met on a mission only three months ago. Their friendship had helped secure aid and approval from Taki for Terumi's fight against Yagura.

Receiving letters from the kunoichi wasn't unheard of, but Akihane rarely was the second to hear about it. She glared at Jiraiya as she snatched the parcel from the man, knowing he had read it without her permission. She supposed she could forgive the grievance since it had been related to the war effort, but it still didn't help her annoyance with the nosy man. Ever since he had caught her sending letters to Team Overkill in Iwa along with her normal letters back home he had been hovering around her, threatening to give her the "talk". It was as if he had forgotten that she was a damn kunoichi.

Turning away from the man Akihane started to read the letter. Her lips twitched up again as she read over the enthusiastic script that was most definitely Fu's. There were little phrases mixed in the scroll to act as code, allowing Akihane to funnel her chakra in with the appropriately mentioned signs so that she could unravel the hidden message. There, now highlighted against the page, was the true purpose of Fu's rather long-winded exploration of the past week since Akihane had last seen her.

"She managed to contact the Rokubi!" Akihane called out, her eyes going wide. She looked up sharply to Jiraiya as the man grinned. Akihane turned back to reading, her eyes skimming over the details as she felt a thrumming in her veins. This was it. This was what they needed, what they had been waiting for. While using Jinchuuriki in wars was essentially a death wish these days, having two as leverage over Yagura could only help when the man was a Jinchuuriki himself. He was also in control of his tailed beast, something that Akihane still couldn't quite do but was working on. Having the Rokubi Jinchuuriki, Utakata as Fu called him, would most certainly help them finish the last stretch of the war.

Akihane finished, rolling up the scroll and carefully sealing it away for later. She turned over to Terumi as the woman met her gaze. "She wants me to meet with her and Utakata sometime soon. She recommended within the week, since we wanted to make the push by the end of it." The Uzumaki told her relative. Terumi nodded and hummed. She brought her fingers up to tap on her chin.

"I think that will work. Send word back for two days from now. We can meet in the usual spot that you go with Fu, and from there we can plan our last move. I already vaguely discussed the tactic with Genma and he is currently surveying the area so we can be prepared." Terumi informed Akihane.

Aki nodded, bowing as she took that as a sign that she was dismissed. Jiraiya nodded to her when she looked at him to see if he was going to be joining her. The two of them filed out, leaving a pensive Shikamaru to finish up the planning with the Heads of the Rebellion. As the fabric of the tent flaps fell over Akihane's shoulders, she felt the elation inside of her grow. She could feel the stirring in her mind at her happiness, the edges of Tobirama and Hashirama prickling her senses as they registered the newest development.

Jiraiya reached out, ruffling Aki's hair. The girl turned sharply to swat his hand away, failing to hide her pout. Her normally blank features took on more emotions as she settled into the comfortable pattern of the last year she had spent with the Godfather. The start had been incredibly rough and there were many times where Akihane had isolated herself to just talk with the Kage in her head and vent a little. Those times were slowly broken though as Jiraiya integrated himself next to her, treating her the way she had once dreamed when she was younger. The man was till a pervert and she would never stop telling him that for as long as he lived.

Glancing up at the man now though, Akihane no longer saw any reason to hide herself from him. The small smiles, growing both in radiance and in number, were something that they both shared freely. The reasons for those emotions were also shared, whether they were a letter from Sasuke and Hinata, or one from Fu, or a new move she has mastered under the tutelage of Tenzo and Hashirama. Still, some things, like the Kage dwelling in Naru's head, were still hidden.

"You are excited to meet him, aren't you?" Jiraiya asked Akihane, earning a sharp nod as the girl gracefully spun around so they could walk to the barracks. They had some nightly training and prepping to do before they retired though. Akihane focused ahead of her as the pulsing in her veins calmed down. She funneled it outward, checking over the camp with her sensory abilities. "Yes. I've only met three other Jinchuuriki at this point, so I'm interested. He could go many different routes, though Fu told me he is rather calm for his age and well kept. At the very least, he isn't like Roshi." Akihane mumbled near the end, another habit she had picked up while living amongst a bunch of gosspiping shinobi.

Jiraiya nodded, grimacing as he remembered meeting the infamous Yonbi Jinchuuriki. His hair still hadn't fully grown back after taking the man's lava up close and personal. His demon students had found it hilarious as they crowded and vied for Akihane's attention. That whole trip had been eventful, from the greeting at the gate to the unusual reception of Akihane's heritage and the old man Oniki's future invite for the girl to return. It was all just…odd.

Jiraiya looked back to his student as she started to ponder. Her hand found it's way to her chin, as was now her habit, as she mulled over the coming days. She paused in her walk though, her brow furrowing. "Jiraiya, what happens when we finish?" She asked suddenly. The after mentioned shinobi froze as he registered the way he was rarely addressed as well as the question. Humming, Jiraiya turned away from the girl so he could instead take in the busy camp around them

He had to think for a moment before he started to walk again. Her glanced back at the white-haired girl he had come to care for as though she were his own blood in the past year. "After this, after this war is finished you and I start a new mission. We train until we find the answers you want, then we go back to Konoha." Jiraiya told her. Her red eyes widened, before they fell closed. She nodded sharply and then sped up to get back to his side. Her expression was firm now, unwavering.

Jiraiya could only admire her persistence. She was as stubborn as both her mother and father, maybe even as stubborn as Jiraiya at this point. It was both enduring and infuriating, depending on the time and place. Still, it made Jiraiya treasure the girl all the more. He wouldn't have Naru any other way then she was.

They went about their nightly routine following their talk, the two checking on their area of camp before heading to train with Tenzo. The man was exhausted after a day of work with the barrier squads, but he was able to put up enough of a fight for Akihane to try out some of her new techniques. They went to bed soon after, preparing for the day ahead.

The next day went much the same, though this time it was also spent waiting for the reply from Fu and Utakata. When the reply did arrive shortly after lunch, Akihane was quick to deliver the news to Terumi and Jiraiya. From there they set out the plan for Akihane to go with Jiraiya like she normally did to visit Fu while Terumi moved the encampment closer to the designated choke point. The night didn't come fast enough for Akihane as she practiced her forms to the beats of both of the Kage in her head telling her what she needed to do.

She was without Tenzo for this night, mostly due to the fact that he was needed at the Choke Point to help set it up so it was ready for the raid at the end of the week. Jiraiya was also focusing on his own duties, leaving Akihane to the company of her grandfather and uncle. They were still a calming presence after the last year, though now they were more of a constant lull than the previous break in her normal thoughts. They worked well together, like any other team. Akihane wasn't sure how much she would have improved without their keen guidance.

Around Akihane she had spread out her senses while her natura chakra wove into the soil and brought forth the focusing pillars. Tenzo had only recently taught Akihane how to form the pillars in an effort to help her control the natural chakra that was imbued in them. While it was easier than before with the pillars, it was still difficult due to the over encompassing and consuming nature of nature chakra. It had only been Akihane's full insistence for Tenzo to not tell Jiraiya what she was doing.

Akihane closed her eyes as she settled down between the pillars. She gently allowed the natural chakra to twine around her as she listened intently to Hashirama's explanations. He was trying to help her tap into that skill she had unlocked back on the mission with the Thudner God Blade. Only now was she seeing improvements as she tapped into the chakra enough to form in her hands along with her nature chakra. She could allow Hashirama to guide her, but that was tricky and dangerous since his interference with her chakra had resulted in a backlash effect the last time. They had only discovered it after Hashirama had tried to do it again and ended up giving Akihane chakra burns. That had been interesting to explain to Shizune.

The swirling green haze sharpened as it layered over her hands. It melded into every crevice of her skin, making the area around her hum with warmth and energy. Typically she would be practicing on something to heal it, but tonight she wasn't taking any chances of people stopping in. She wanted to keep this skill under wraps for as long as she could.

Hashirama's hands guided her, his words helping as she focused on the chakra that was steadily growing. She kept the consumption of chakra down to match the absorption, trying to keep the two in balance. Tobirama was there to help her finick the technique until it stabilized enough for either of the Kage to be happy with it. The ivory teen let the chakra hang in her hands, pulsing with green light as she held the state for as long as she could in a stable state. It was getting much better the more she continued.

The chakra shifted, growing rapidly and Akihane quickly dispelled the chakra as she let out a harsh sigh. She must have let too much energy out, disrupting the flow. Her eyes gazed down at her hands, taking in the slightly hardened skin at her finger tips. She pulsed her chakra out, forcing it to the edges of her nails as she elongated them. She retracted it as the chakra forced the remaining natural chakra out of her system, allowing her fingers to return from the slightly petrified state to normal.

Akihane looked up,taking in the totems she had summonded earlier and the faces along them. Ting buds of flowers had grown out of them after her last round of tapping into natural chakra. It was interesting, to say the least. Naru took her time rising to her feet. She knew that it wasn't wise to push it so soon after working with natural chakra. She could cause it to surge into her like one of the first times she had been excited to do the technique. That had nearly ended in disaster, and only Tenzo being around to bail her out of the mess had saved her from spending her life in stone. If Sasuke or Hinata ever found out about that, well Akihane feared the two would lose it.

The chill in the air pressed against Akihane, prompting her to grab her jacket from where she had folded it on the wooden porch of the barracks near her training grounds. She shifted it onto her shoulders to block out the edge of the cold. Normally she wasn't bothered by the chill, but with the rain coming down almost every night and the mist failing to fully dissipate around them, the temperature had failed to get much warmer than freezing.

"Still training?" A voice called, drawing Akihane's attention to the edge of the porch where two familiar figures stood. Maroon eyes lit up as Akihane padded to the two. She was enveloped into a friendly hug by the younger of the two, while the older merely shook his head.

Haku grinned at her, his eyes shutting as he brushed some of Akihane's hair behind her ears. It was left to hang free and cut through the space above her head, the soft spikes more choppy than usual after the last go Naru had with them and her kunai. It had been something that she had fought with herself over quite a bit, wanting to still grow it out but knowing it really was inconvenient in war and in Kiri. Haku normally helped her neaten it up, but he had been out on a mission with Zabuza to retrieve the rest of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Their mission had apparently been a success though, so Naru wasn't too annoyed that she hadn't had someone to fix the mess of spikes on her head.

Haku gazed at the hair fondly, turning his gaze down to meet Naru's. His own hair was still long, though not nearly as long as it had been when they had first met. It was pulled behind his head in a pony tail so it was more manageable and less likely to act as an aid for his enemies. Zabuza huffed from next to the two, turning away as he tried to ignore the mushy scene. "If you are going to flirt, do it where I can see it Gaki." Zabuza told Haku sharply.

Haku merely grinned at Zabuza cheerily as he took Akihane's hand in his own, ignoring the way the girl just shook her head a the swordsmen. "Oh, well then how about the next time you get the hots for a swordsmen you can go get a room alone with them Zabuza-Sama." Haku spoke up, referencing not too long ago when the man had tried to challenge Yugao to a fight and had been turned down immediately.

"Or maybe the next time Anko-San looks your way, Ill tell her you aren't interested, fighting or otherwise." Haku warned, his tone never veering from the overly-cheerful tone that could very well skewer you where you stood. The boy was proficient enough with senbon and poisons to do so too after his extended tutelage under Genma and Anko. At his words Zabuza blanched, turning sharply and telling his to cut it out before he grumbled and stalked away, probably to find one of the after mentioned swordswomen to get a duel.

Akihane had to hide a laugh behind her hand, chuckling softly as she crept around Haku to watch the flustered swordsman stalk away. "That was rather well-put Haku. Perhaps you should have just mentioned Anko-San though, rather than Yugau-Nee?" Aki asked the boy. Haku shook his head and sighed. "He would be just as back if it was Hayate-San." Haku told her, smiling at her devilishly.

The two shinobi relaxed into a fit of light laughter before they joined arms and started to walk deeper into camp. "Come on, let's get some dinner before we call it a night." Haku offered her and Akihane found no reason to refuse. She joined the boy without a second thought, wanting to talk to him more about what he had been up to. They easily slipped into a soft conversation as the two walked. "So, how has your training with Mokuton been lately?" Haku asked her as they neared the cantina.

Akihane answered readily as she was herded into a back corner so the two could sit in relative peace. "Decently enough. I recently mastered the next set of jutsu that Yamato-Sensei showed me, though now I am working on the wood clone and the sealing jutsu." Akihane told her friend. Following Yamato coming with Akihane to Kiri, the secrecy of her abilities was lifted enough that she could practice and train on the warfront without worrying about revealing too much. Tsunade had fought tooth and nail for her to be able to show her abilities and use them for the good of the war efforts, especially when Yagura was dragged into the equation. As such all of the current Konoha company and most of the higher-ranking officials in the Civil War were aware that she could use Mokuton. The general population had pieced some things together over time, though most of them merely focused on her skills in Elemental Manipulation and the fact she was a student of Jiraiya of the Sanin.

Haku grabbed food for them both before they settled into their corner, offering some chopsticks to Aki before he dug in. "I see. I've also been practicing more of what Zabuza-Sama has been teaching me. I mastered the last medical technique that Shizune-Sama told me about, though I am having some trouble on the poison that Genma-San wanted me to synthesize." Haku told her between bites. Naru nodded as she pondered over the information. As always, Haku was everywhere at once. The boy was incredibly skilled with espionage and had learned as much as he could from both Shizune and Genma on the topic before branching out to others of a similar field to expand his repertoire. As far as Akihane was concerned, Haku was the next best infiltration specialist in their group behind Genma.

Akihane took a deep breath as she swallowed, the warmth of the broth spreading through her limbs as she settled her chakra around them. She could feel the buzzing of the camp against her senses, dulled by the warmth that also radiated from her companion. It made her feel at ease to have Haku so close again. Akihane could feel all of her companions now, their chakra bright and brushing close to her own as she spread her range out over the whole camp. For once, the only person that was missing from the mix was Fu. This wasn't nearly as uncommon as so many of the original Konoha Support Team being at hand all at once though.

Haku closed his eyes, basking in the gentle brush of the ivory-haired teen's chakra as it passed over him. He relished the way it made him feel alive, opening his eyes as it continued to spread. Unlike back on the Tsunade Retrieval mission, Naru was able to hold her sensory technique for much longer. It could expand to the distance of Konoha by now, though she would struggle with that much information. Here in a camp of a few hundred Shinobi instead of the thousand or so in Konoha, it was much easier. She had grown a lot stronger in the past year and it made Haku feel a sense of deep pride over the Uzumaki. Haku hummed and finished his food, raising his chin up with the palm of his hand as he gazed at the girl adoringly. "You truly are amazing Akihane-Hime." Haku murmured, watching as the girl flushed at his words. Her chakra slowly filtered back in as she looked up at him with her surprised maroon orbs.

Haku chuckled and reached out, brushing back more of the unruly locks that fell over Akihane's face. He paused when he brushed over the skin of her cheek. His eyes lingered there, on the marks that had appeared sometime in the past year.

He wasn't sure when, but at some point Akihane had gone and gotten clan tattoos on her cheeks and chin. The thin red lines decorated her skin, highlighting her features and giving her a look reminiscent of the Nidaime. It often made Haku wonder, especially since the girl was already known to be the daughter of the Yondaime Hokage.

"You're chakra control is exceptional Akihane-Hime. I wonder how much more you'll improve before I can no longer keep up." Haku murmured and smiled teasingly at his friend. The girl was still flustered, though she made an effort to drag herself under control as she glanced to his hand. Haku slid his fingers away against his better judgment, turning his head away to allow the Uzumaki to collect herself. His gaze shifted through the thralls of Shinobi and Kunoichi that decorated the cantina. "We are going to make our final move soon, aren't we?" He asked her instead, dragging the conversation to grounds that would be more comfortable for the Uzumaki. The girl nodded, following his gaze as she softened up again. She was assessing them, debating and weighing their next moves.

"We are coming to the end of this fight. I only hope that we come out on top." Akihane murmured as she took in a deep breath. Haku heard her clearly, his eyes narrowing. "We will. We have fought too long to let it end there. Yagura will fall, the Civil War will finish and Terumi Mei will stand as the new Mizukage. There is no other path we can take after this long and bloody war." Haku told Akihane, his eyes shading over. It wasn't often that he was reminded of his home before this war, of his family and his clan. The Kekai Genkai that flowed through his blood was evidence enough without being in his home country, but even so Haku had other things to focus on than his past. Now though, with Akihane drawing his attention to the war efforts and their purposes, he couldn't help but thing of the blood that spilt onto the ground. He thought of how Zabuza had saved him from the very hands of Shinobi who had sworn to protect him. It made his blood boil to think of letting those ruthless murderers continue to get away with their crimes any longer than they already had.

Haku would be ruthless if it meant winning this war. He would throw away every last shread of his humanity to ensure they came out on top and that Terumi took the title of Mizukage. There was no other path worth considering, no other plan.

Glancing over to the stunned, but also straightening kunoichi at his side, Haku was certain the girl understood. She too had sacrificed enough in the recent efforts of the war. Akihane had tried her best to minimize casualties and had certainly saved more lives than they would have been able to without her, but she wasn't invincible. Haku remembered the nights she came back with a haunted gaze, far too quiet. Those were the nights that Jiraiya and the Nara boy failed to leave her side. The two always stood next to her, guiding her through the ghosts that haunted her.

Now, the girl clenched her hands tightly around themselves as she stood up. She took in all of the shinobi around them as they laughed and joked together. They were packing as much joy into themselves as they could before the real fight started. Haku could see Akihane catalouging each face, each chakra signature and assigning it to memory. This fight was personal for her, more so because of who was involved rather than what it was for like Haku. She saw every Shinobi here as someone to care for, to protect and ensure that they returned home.

It dawned on Haku that this aspect of Akihane's character was probably the very reason that the girl had been drafted into being the stand in Hokage back then. She was very much of the same mindset that was needed, though Haku was sure that the girl would deny it at every turn. She was a bleeding heart, someone who only wanted to give their best to ensure the happiness of others. She hid it well enough behind her dark looks and her emotionless façade, but Haku knew better.

They both started to leave, Haku a step behind Akihane as he observed her. She greeted the Shinobi that called out to them from the crowd, her eyes shifted over everyone as she smirked and chuckled. She was enigmatic, drawing everyone in. Haku wondered how much it would take before she was drowning in the see of everyone's demands for her attention and her affection. Haku was guilty of adding to that weight though, so he couldn't judge those who vied for her too harshly. Still, it made him wonder as he observed the ivory kunoichi walking among her fellow shinobi.

In a few minutes they arrived back at the barracks. Haku calmly stepped around Akihane to wish her a good night. Haku stepped close enough to push some of the stray strands of hair behind Akihane's ear. Her face flushed as she met his gaze, his smile quacking up. He opened his mouth, wanting to finish off their outing on a good note. As he did, the shogi door shifted and opened. The old building, repurposed into the living quarters of the heads of the resistance, had very little lighting around it. Even so, Haku couldn't miss the figure of his Sensei and Akihane's older brother, Genma.

Shiranui Genma glanced between them, his lips twitching into a cheery and deadly smile and made Haku's insides sink. He already figured he would have to deal with some of the girl's protective siblings and other figures when he started to show more interest in the kunoichi. Dealing with Genma was an entirely different beast compared to dealing with the Nara or even with the Hyuuga or Uchiha. It was something that Haku never wanted to do. Genma was far more terrifying than anyone else.

"Ah, Haku. Thank you for returning Akihane back to us. Akihane, how about you head inside? I have to talk to Haku about our training." Genma told the girl, gently tugging her inside and away from Haku's outstretched hand. The kunoichi glanced back and smiled softly at Haku. "Goodnight then, Haku." She said, turning and ducking under the arm of her brother as he closed the door behind her.

Haku hummed and met Genma's eyes as the man looked down at him, his eyes turning sharp as his smile faded away. Haku knew this was a dangerous game, but honestly…Akihane was worth it to him. He nodded to Genma, waiting for the man to tell him what was next. Genma took a moment to look him over before he sighed. "You will meet me at the training ground tomorrow. I need to check on your progress before we start the final battle. Terumi-Sama has ordered the two of us to handle the background of the encounter." Genma told the boy, turning to head back inside as he waved at Haku, dismissing him. Haku only relaxed when Genma had closed the door behind him, sighing and turning away.

Genma listened to the boy as he left. He shook his head and chuckled. The boy was getting ahead of himself. Genma couldn't fully blame the boy though. A year spent around the Uzumaki was enough to have Genma fending off more than a few would-be suitors. Haku was one of the few to make it through the initial check, allowing him to press further and test the waters with Akihane herself.

Brown eyes shifted across the small space, resting on the figure of Akihane as she conversed with Jiriaya. She was leaning over the Sannin's shoulder, her hair as unruly as ever as her eyes shifted over the words that Jiraiya was writing down. Genma smiled at the familiar sight as he leaned against the wall of their shared quarters. Jiraiya was muttering at the girl, telling her to behave as she teased him about the wording on the page. A quick glance told Genma that the man was working on his manuscript for his next novel. Helpful as always, Akihane was offering her own opinions on the writing as his unofficial editor. She had been doing the same thing for the past few months after one too many days spent lounging while the man wrote.

"Alright, you better get to bed Akihane. You still have to meet the Rokubi Jinchuuriki tomorrow." Genma called out. Shifting away from her godfather, the girl nodded at him. She was smiling with an edge of cheekiness now, something that Genma was very familiar with. She looked so much like her mother with that devious glint in her eyes and it made something pang in Genma's chest as the girl shot up and walked over to her futon. Jiraiya shooed her away as a smirk shifted over his face. Genma quietly walked over to his own table, getting ready to finish his mission report. His eyes shifted to the kunoichi that had laid down finally as he grabbed his brush. She had pulled off her coat, folding and setting it beside her as she tucked under the covers. Her hands were wrapped around the dog tags she hardly ever took off, clutching them as she shut her eyes for the night.

Taking a deep breath, Genma dove back into his mission reports, filing them in the silence that was only broken by soft breathing and the swipes of brushes against paper. The night went by in the same manner, and only toward the early morning did Genma finally retire alongside his fellow shinobi. All around them the world slumbered, slipping into peaceful sleep that would only be broken the next morning when all hell broke loose.

I~~~~I

Hello there, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I wasn't sure where to start with Shippuden, so I decided to go for the mid-ground. I am also trying to fix my writing style and keep it more consistent instead of jumping around like I tend to. Let me know how you guys feel about this, since it's mostly just trial and error. I also have been debating on rewriting the start of the story because of wanting to keep this sort of style, though it would take some time out of the update schedule. Thank you for your insight!