AN: Because of some problems with the system, the chapter notifications for the last two chapters did not go out. Please ensure you have read all previous chapters or you will be lost.
When the blinding light dissipates Iruka is nowhere to be seen. Itachi takes stock of the situation. They are now faced with a potentially five way battle. Four Mist shinobi, a team of Rain ninja, one rogue shinobi from the Sand, one rogue shinobi from the Waterfall and the three of them from the Leaf. If the Mist and Rain team start working together as they have been known to do then things will start to look pretty bad, despite the seal preventing anything except kenjutsu and taijutsu. As unlikely as it is that the two rogue nins will be working together, Itachi decides not to rule that possibility out.
But one thing is certain: all the other shinobi are looking right at Itachi's team. They know who let off the trap seal and they are not happy.
"What are the chances they won't all gang up on us?" whispers Hana.
"The Rain and Mist might," whispers Itachi. "And the two rogues might, but I doubt they will all work together."
"Do you know who the two rogues are?" asks Gai, his voice startlingly quiet for Gai.
"The tall one with the briefcase is Kakuzu of the Hidden Waterfall," whispers Itachi. "The one that looks like a giant turtle is Sasori of the Red Sand. Without their ninjutsu, it is impossible to know what they will do, since both rely heavily on it when fighting."
"So, what do you know about the Mist and Rain teams?" whispers Hana, signalling her dogs to keep out of sight.
"I think I've seen some of them in the Bingo book," whispers Itachi. "But they didn't seem like anything special, so I don't remember much about them."
"So long as they aren't great at Taijutsu, we have a chance," whispers Hana.
"Hey! Leaf Ninjas!" calls Kakuzu. "Do any of you have bounties?"
Hana, Gai and Itachi all exchange glances, shrug to each other, shake their heads and generally agree that none of them have bounties as of yet. Of course, Itachi's ANBU identity is wanted all over, but it would compromise her security to mention that.
"Hey, what about us?" demands one of the Mist ninjas. "I for one have a 500,000 yen bounty!"
"Aw," one of the Rain ninjas droops. "Mine's only 20,000!"
"Pah, is that all?" boasts one of the other Mist ninjas. "Mine's 85 million!"
"They're treating this like a dick measuring contest," Hana whispers to Itachi, who giggles behind her hand.
"You kids are so proud of your pathetic bounties," says Kakuzu. "But since you're all worth something, I'm going to have to collect on those bounties. Are you wanted dead or alive?"
The three wanted ninjas all take steps backwards. They exchange glances and all say, "Alive!"
"Liars," says Itachi. "Twenty thousand is wanted alive, but you two are wanted dead."
"I thought you said you didn't remember much about them," says Gai confused.
"Exactly," nods Itachi. "The only things I remember about them from the Bingo Book are their bounties and whether they are wanted dead or alive." She shrugs. "The important things."
Kakuzu waves his briefcase at Itachi. "You I like. You get to live," he says.
"Somehow that does not make me feel any better," says Itachi, reaching for her katana.
"Well, well, well," says Mei smiling. "Iruka. Long time no see."
"How did you get in here?" asks Iruka, about two seconds away from freaking out. "Only people with Uzumaki or Umino blood can get in here."
"Oh, I used Uzumaki blood," grins Mei.
"Where did you get it?" asks Iruka suspiciously.
"From the same Uzumaki who put the seal on that envelope I gave you," Mei tells him. "And speaking of which; I don't see you for two years and you go from looking like a twelve year old to...well…" she gives him a rather pointed look.
"What?" snaps Iruka, wondering how she is going to insult him this time.
"You turned into a total hunk."
"Um, what?" Iruka is so taken aback he nearly falls over backwards.
Mei saunters over to Iruka and walks around him, apparently checking him out. Iruka is unnerved by this - she is his enemy after all.
Simultaneously trying to keep his cool and not blush because of Mei's close proximity to him, Iruka asks, "Who sent you here? And Why?"
"My employer wants the scroll," replies Mei, who is still standing behind Iruka. Iruka tenses up, ready for fight or flight, when Mei drapes her arms over his shoulders. "Why are you here?" she whispers, directly into his ear.
Iruka is glad Mei cannot see his face, because he is sure he is turning bright red. "I came for the Sacred Scroll."
"So you do know what it is," Mei says, patting his chest. "Most people are just here for the Whirlpool relic factor." She hums contently and adds thoughtfully, "But then again, you could be considered a Whirlpool relic, eh?"
"Uh, I guess," Iruka is not entirely sure what has gotten into Mei. Usually by now she would have decided it is high time she did some ass kicking and attacked him. So why is she cuddling him?
Mei makes that humming sound again, leans forward and kisses Iruka on the cheek.
"What are you doing?" Iruka asks, turning around and taking a step away from Mei.
Mei grins at him and crosses her arms. The look she is giving him can only be described as 'bedroom eyes'. "Oh, I think you know," she says, taking a step forward and kissing Iruka.
Iruka backs away, even though he wants exactly the same thing she does right now. Instead he says, "I'm underage."
Looking mildly surprised, Mei says, "You're younger than I thought. Your eyes always seemed so much older than your body."
"We're ninjas," says Iruka. "We all have old eyes."
"True that," says Mei. "So how old are you?"
"17," replies Iruka.
"So what I'm hearing is; you'll be 18 before a year is up?" Mei takes a step towards Iruka, getting in very close.
"I'll be 18 in less than a year," confirms Iruka, wondering what the chances are of anyone finding them in the Temple. Quite low, he realizes.
"Less than a year...close enough." Mei kisses Iruka again, this time putting her arms around his waist as well.
Iruka breaks the kiss long enough to say, "Yeah, close enough." But inside he is screaming 'Senpai noticed me!'
Kakuzu turns on the three shinobi with bounties. The two with higher bounties go down in five seconds. Without her sharingan, Itachi finds it comparatively difficult to keep up with the fight. However, it looks as if Kakuzu simply beat the pair up with his briefcase. Just how powerful is he? And just how heavy is that briefcase? Kakuzu then proceeds to simply throw both shinobi over his shoulder and disappears with them.
In the time it took Kakuzu to grab the two with the higher bounties, Sasori had engaged the one with the lowest bounty, unofficially claiming that one as his.
"We won't need to do much at this rate," says Hana.
"You little kids should go home and let the grown ups handle this," sneers the last remaining Mist ninja. "Our team leader already has the scroll by now, and these rogue ninjas are only here looking for shinobi with bounties. You kids might as well go home."
"Our team leader is also able to get into the temple," says Itachi. "In fact, unless your team leader is of Whirlpool decent, there is no way he is inside."
"She got into the temple, trust me on that," grins the Mist ninja. "There are many left from the Hidden Whirlpool after all."
What does the Mist ninja mean? Itachi wonders. Is his team leader a descendant of the Uzumaki clan?
The Mist ninja launches an attack on the three young Leaf ninjas.
Might Gai leaps into action with a battle cry of "YOUTH!" and roundhouse kicks the Mist ninja into a broken wall, further breaking the wall.
"Think we should join in the fray?" asks Hana.
"Nah, let the boys get dirty," says Itachi. "That Sasori is handling the Rain ninjas and Gai's got the Mist dude totally outmatched." She pauses then asks, "Do you have any popcorn?"
Hana thinks about this and replies, "No. But I do have some dango."
"Can I have some?" asks Itachi, clasping her hands together. "Please?"
"Woah, someone likes dango," grin Hana and pulls out a paper bag with a couple of sticks of dango in it. She hands one to Itachi and the two girls sit on a broken wall, munch their dango and watch the boys fight.
Sasori busts out a metal tail and stabs all of the Rain ninjas except the one with the bounty. That one gets hit hard over the head and knocked unconscious. Judging by the way the other Rain ninjas turned blue and coughed up their insides before their eyes rolled up into their heads and they died, Itachi reasons the tail was poisoned.
Once Gai is finished using the Mist ninja as a projectile to break ruined buildings with, Sasori has carried off his prize to cash it in for 20,000 yen and Itachi and Hana have finished their dango, Gai's punching bag gives up and runs for his life. He is probably going to be the sole survivor out of the Mist and Rain nins who took part in the skirmish.
"I guess now we just wait for Iruka to get back, huh?" says Itachi, feeling content with the dango she just ate.
"Hey, what's this?" asks Hana, uncovering a photograph of a small family. The three Leaf nins crowd around to get a look at the framed picture. Hana wipes some of the dirt off the broken glass. A man with a mustache smiles out at them. Beside him a woman with long dark hair is having her hair pulled by the chubby baby in her arms. "Do you think Iruka will know who they are?"
"Hey maybe that baby is Iruka," suggests Gai.
"Oh, be realistic," says Hana. "What are the chances we were sitting on his old house the whole time?"