NO I don't own any of the Naruto characters. I own Kasumi, Ayane, and Azn-Ryu only. Perhaps your momma 2. Just kidding! I'm sorry the beginning chapters are so short. I promise after chapter five they will expand with length. So. To all you people reading this, leave me a review if you have any comments of suggestions. It would be greatly appreciated and thanks so much for reading so far.

Chapter Seven: The Shadow's Heart Tough Training! By: edlovergirl

Kasumi walked out of the kitchen with Ryu trailing behind her and frowned at them. She turned towards Gaara and Ayame with a sigh and shook her head. She brushed a hand through her hair and Ryu put a hand on her shoulder. After Ryu whispered something in her ear, she nodded and with a sigh began to speak.

"All right you guys! Enough of your mopping around and all that. We're a team now and we better get used to it." she said staring at Gaara as she finished her sentence, "Whether we like them or not, their a part of us now. We have to learn to work as one."

"After lunch we will begin our training. So eat up and meet us at the forest. If your more than ten minutes late, don't bother showing up." said Ryu following Kasumi out the door.

Kasumi and Ryu sat on a log in the middle of the lush green forest eating some ramen. She had a blissful smile on her face and kept laughing as Ryu talked about all his adventures. Only around Ryu could she feel safe enough to let part of her leak out, it wasn't much of her, but it made Ryu happy to see her opening up again. No one should be left so alone like that. If they are, someone needs to come along and help them out of the hole they just keep digging and getting themselves deeper in. That's when someone should come with another and start helping them bury that hole they were in. So that they can leave it in the past and only have slight memories of it to disappear and fade into the earth.

Kasumi finished laughing as Naruto came out into the clearing and was caught off guard by her smile. She was really pretty before, but when she smiled it seemed like everything changed with her happiness. Naruto didn't have much time to continue staring in awe before she turned and instantly stopped smiling. Sakura came around the other tree and walked over to Naruto. Standing with him defenselessly, as if she could be blown down with anything if he wasn't there to help her up. Kasumi finished the ramen and stood up with her usual sly smile and laughed.

" Well then, Sakura. I guess your part of our team now?" she said a bit hurtfully.

It must've hurt her because she flinched, but it didn't bother Kasumi to know that. She had other worries than some poor girls broken heart feelings. She waited as Ayane and Gaara came around the corner with smiles and Gaara also seemed to close himself up with a scowling glance at the group. Kasumi sighed at the sight of so many people that were all her responsibility now. This was probably the most pain in the ass job she ever had to deal with that didn't pay as high as others had before. The only reason she was doing this was so she could retire and hunt down her nii-san. She had to do it and soon, before she disappeared into the earth.

" All right then. You guys sure do look pitiful. Standing there with your arms crossed and scowls on your faces." Said Ryu trying to change the mood.

Kasumi jumped in quickly, ready to ruin the mood he was changing. " Start with thirty push-ups!" she yelled with a smile as she got down and began to do the same.

" What! Thirty push-ups? What kind of training is that?" Said Naruto as Ryu made a sign to shut up.

" All right, let's make that three hundred shall we!" Said Kasumi still doing push-ups, " Get going, Sakura."

Sakura blushed and with a nod got down. Part of her old self was coming back. She realized no one had been treating her like before, not since Sasuke left. But Kasumi didn't care and somehow that was making her a little stronger.

After finished three hundred push-ups everyone groaned as they stretched and glared at Kasumi who looked like she was just getting started. They did some jumping jacks that most of them had never heard of, ran laps around the forest, and even practiced their aim at trees with signs on them. It was getting dark now. The darkness set in and everyone shivered as the wind picked up a bit sending chills up everyone's spines. Kasumi smiled wide and her laugh echoed through the trees.

" Now that we're warmed up --" she began saying before Naruto cut her off.

" Just warmed up?" said Naruto more like amazed than asking, " That was tough training right there!"

" Naruto-kun! Shut up before you get us in trouble." Ayane hissed thinking about the push-ups.

" Alright, Alright!" he said back angrily.

" I wanted to warm you up before we began this exercise. It's to test your stamina, strength, and most importantly your survival skills." She said with a smile spreading across her face.

" Kasumi-Chan! It's to early to do something this drastic. I don't think they can take it!" Ryu said looking at Kasumi amazed.

" We can take it!" Everyone said at the same time.

Kasumi smiled as she preformed the clone jutsu and formed eight of herself, as Ryu did the same. She nodded to Ryu as all of her clones pulled out kunai and smirked. Ryu's pulled out scrolls in one hand and Kenai's in the other hand. Kasumi sent her clones out into the forest and Ryu did the same. The real Kasumi and Ryu stood there with smile on their face, though Ryu had a worried one.

" Alright! You have to work as a team to defeat all eight of my full-body clones! Since I am extremely challenging and especially for your age group, Ryu is there to help. He has scrolls that will teach you new Justus and help you perform working attacks. He will also give you kunai if you happen to run out. The goal is to survive and work as a team." she said with a laugh and jumped out into the forest.

" Eh! I don't like this! It sounds so hard." Said Sakura.

" I can do this, believe it!" Yelled Naruto excited.

" I wish you two luck." Said Ryu as he stepped into the forest and disappeared.

" This sounds challenging. I like it." said Gaara as a smirk swept across his face.

They stood together and began to try to form a plan in the darkness of the forest. They hoped their eyes adjusted before the first ninja strike happened. They hoped Kasumi wasn't as tough as she looked and prayed that their skills were good enough. With adrenaline pumping fast into their veins and their heartbeats racing they pulled out their kunai and prepared for the first blow.

Authors notes:

Kasumi- "Here's a sneak preview at what's coming in the next chapter! "

Kasumi-...

Azn-Ryu- " You have to tell them, Kasumi-chan..."

Kasumi-" Oh! Here's Ryu-kun to tell you!" Kasumi slowly leaves with a smirk.

Azn-Ryu- " Ugh!" Turns to the readers and clears his throat.

Azn-Ryu-" In the next chapter... Naruto, Sakura, Gaara, and Ayane must face a difficult training. Though Gaara and Naruto are being difficult, they don't want to work as a team. Sakura and Ayane can't handle the fighting and soon their attacked! Can they stand together and fight? Can they beat such tought training and prove their worth to Kasumi?"

Naruto- " Believe it!" " Oh! Don't forget to post a review, you guys! Stop being lazy bums and just post one! Even if it says hi!

Sasuke- " IF your a true fan of me... please keep reading."

Me-" Tee Hee! I got Sasuke and Naruto to try to persuade you. Thanks for reading and everything! Buh bye!"