This chapter has been revised.
Once again, Mayu yawned loudly, not bothering to cover her mouth. Beside her, both Kakashi and Naruto glanced her way. That had been the seventh time she had yawned since they met up. They understood that the newly employed kunoichi had to wake up earlier because her status needed to be recorded, but she shouldn't appear this haggard. They had waited awhile before the process was done. Now, the three were currently making their way to the room within the Ninja Academy where they would be assigned their first mission. Mayu stood in the middle of the two shinobi. Finally, Naruto could take the not knowing, and so he asked.
"Couldn't get any sleep, Mayu?"
"Something like that," she answered, and then covered the next yawn. "I guess I was just too excited about today."
"Yeah, I know what you mean!" Naruto exclaimed, grinning. Kakashi remained silent, but he did raise an eyebrow at Mayu's response. "It's been so long since I went on a mission! I'm psyched!"
"Now, now—don't get too excited. Since the two of you are merely genin, most likely we'll be getting C-rank or below," Kakashi remarked.
"I don't care as long as I get money for it," Mayu smiled. "Then I can start paying Hinata-chan back for taking care of me this whole time."
"Either way, I won't complain!" Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets. "Although I'm hoping for S-rank, I'm too excited to complain!"
"That's doubtful," Mayu muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Mayu…" Kakashi got the girl's attention. She looked his way. "Do you now know the techniques of your clan?"
"Sure," she answered with a shrug. "Honestly, there could be more for me to learn."
"I heard members are taught at quite the young age."
"Probably."
"You're so vague, Mayu!" Naruto muttered.
"Shut up—I'm sleepy."
The kunoichi opened the door and walked in, her teammates following behind her. Upon entering, she noticed Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka, as well as a few others, sitting at the mission assignment desk. Respectfully, she bowed to the Hokage. The blond woman smiled and nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I take it things are settled, Mayu?" she asked. The dark-haired girl gave a tired grin. "Well then, are you ready to hear your mission?" Naruto enthusiastically nodded his head. "It's a convoy transport mission."
For a moment, all was quiet. Mayu took a glance at her blond teammate. It was really a wonder why he hadn't started shouting yet. After all, this transportation mission sounded less than C-rank—definitely not S-rank. Naruto merely stared at the Fifth with a blank look on his face. Perhaps his maturity really had improved. "WHAT?!" On second thought… "A convoy transport?!"
"What?!" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "You got a problem with that?" It was clear to everyone in the room that the leader of the Leaf village was quickly becoming irritated. Everyone except for Naruto, it appeared. He crossed his arms and huffed out.
"It's only a stupid chore! I'm going to have to say 'no thank you' to that mission!" The blond shinobi was determined not to get handed that mission. He even turned his annoyed eyes to his female teammate. "That mission sucks, doesn't it, Mayu?"
"Hey! Don't pull me into your punishment!" she thought, chuckling nervously. "As long as I'm getting paid, I really don't care." Tsunade further narrowed her eyes, causing Mayu to believe that she had said the wrong thing. "Anyway, anyway," she continued. "Didn't you say you weren't going to complain?" Naruto only grunted with a scowl on his face.
"Naruto! You haven't matured at all!" Iruka muttered, shaking his head. Now that it was said out loud, Mayu couldn't help but think this situation was familiar somehow. An enlightened look crossed her face. She remembered. On the show, it was Naruto's complaining that led the team to going on that dangerous mission in the Land of Waves. Mayu scratched her cheek. She had been a part of that mission, hadn't she?
So, are we continuing the mission, Kakashi-sensei?
Yes, we are!
Alright…! Isn't this great, Sasuke? Now I can show you some more of my skills!
Your mad skills...? Yeah, whatever.
Man, you are a walking Popsicle!
Stop that!
Eyes widening, her lips parted just a bit. Was that a faded memory? It had to be. The Sakura she knew would never hit Uchiha Sasuke. It must have been her as the pink-haired girl. The memory had, indeed, showed a Sakura with dark hair. Briefly, she wondered if remembering things from the show would trigger her faded memories. After all, she didn't have amnesia in the case of Haruno Sakura. She had merely forgotten over time, truly believing that it had all been a dream.
"Naruto, I assigned you a simpler mission because you haven't been in action for a while. This is also Ishikari Mayu's first mission. I'm trying to let you guys ease into this lifestyle," Tsunade stated, breaking through Mayu's thoughts.
"That's bull! We don't need you to go easy on us!" Naruto protested. The leader's eyebrows furrowed.
"The details of the mission, that I'm giving you, are written here," the Hokage nearly growled out, placing her hand on a piece of paper. Kakashi, moved forward, nodding his head. Naruto pouted and muttered something about the Third being more understanding. "Did you say something?!" Tsunade asked rather loudly. Like a scolded teen, Naruto rolled his eyes and looked away. "That's what I thought."
Suddenly, the door to the room slammed opened, drawing everyone's attention. There, panting in the doorway, was a teenager. She appeared no older than Mayu. She wore knee-high dark heeled ninja boots on her feet, fishnet stockings, a dark skirt, and a loose long-sleeved red shirt, which hid her hands. Her short hair was pinned back by a black hair clip. Despite the new look, this girl was obviously Haruno Sakura. The green eyes and pink hair were a distinct giveaway. "Hokage-sama! There's an emergency!" she exclaimed.
"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto sounded surprised. Her green eyes focused on the blond. She murmured his name. Clearly, she was surprised to see him, too. Then her gaze settled on Mayu. Eyes wide, she only stared. The dark-haired kunoichi shifted awkwardly under that fierce gaze.
"Yo… You…" Sakura muttered.
"Sup…?" Mayu returned, uneasily.
"Sakura, what's the emergency?" Shizune questioned.
The pink-haired teen shook her head a bit, and then hurriedly walked over to the assignment desk. Quickly, she handed the Hokage a message. "I was talking to Yurika-san when this message was sent for her to decode. After she decoded the message, she told me and ordered that I come see you right away. It's huge. From the Sand village!" Sakura explained as Tsunade's eyes scanned over the paper.
"What?!" The leader's face took on a look of horror. Kakashi walked back over to his team as Iruka and Shizune looked over the message as well. Both sounded and looked like the Hokage. Naruto and Mayu couldn't help but furrow their eyebrows, trying to figure out what was going on. Finally, the blond shinobi asked what was up. "The Sand village's Kazekage has been kidnapped by Akatsuki," she answered.
"No way…!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Gaara-kun…?!" Mayu muttered in disbelief.
"We have more information pertaining to Akatsuki than they do," Tsunade continued. "That's why they requested assistance from us."
"Tsunade-sama! Don't tell me you're sending Team Kakashi!" Shizune turned her attention towards the Fifth.
"This is an emergency! We don't have time to be picky!" The blond leader closed her eyes. "Besides, Hatake has fought against Akatsuki before." Once again, Shizune tried to protest, but Tsunade wasn't hearing it. "Team Kakashi! I'm assigning you a new mission! You are to go to the Sand, find out more about the situation, and send a report back to the Leaf. You will also follow any of their orders and back them up!"
"Yes!" The three members of Team Kakashi responded in unison.
"Also, my student, Yamanaka Ino, is traveling back to our village as we speak. If you see her, tell her that she is to follow you back to the Sand. This mission will apply to her as well," Tsunade stated, lacing her fingers together. "Failure is not an option!" Once again, the team acknowledged their leader in unison. For a moment, there was silence. Then Naruto spoke.
"Ah, hey, Granny," he said. An eyebrow belonging to the Fifth twitched, but she did not say anything in response to his rude term of endearment. "This sounds really serious, being that it's about the Kazekage and all. Just so we're clear… This is a S-rank mission, right?"
"Huh?!" The annoyance clearly showed on Tsunade's face.
"Ah! He's right! Are we getting paid for this?" Mayu questioned. "I hear the money for S-rank is huge! Or does it divide between members of the team that goes?"
"Who cares? It's probably over a million ryo!" Naruto grinned. "You know how much ramen I can by with that?"
"I could pay Hinata back in one go!"
"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!" Tsunade shouted.
0-0
"Okay! We're off!" Naruto exclaimed. Team Kakashi, as well as Tsunade and Iruka were gathered at the front gates of the village. The team had been given only fifteen minutes to gather what they felt was necessary for the mission. After all, this mission was of the upmost importance. The chuunin among the group frowned a bit. Seeing Naruto off to a dangerous mission like this right after he had just gotten back—it was a bit uneasy to do so. Still, Iruka put on a front for the sake of the blond shinobi.
"Good luck, Naruto," he told his former pupil. Blue eyes glanced back at the scarred man. Naruto grinned as he adjusted his backpack.
"You got it!"
The team began to walk away from the village. However, another Sannin appeared before them. Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, greeted Naruto. "Going on a mission?" he asked. The blond excitedly nodded his head. "Oh right…" The older ninja walked pass the team and headed over to his former teammate. "Tsunade-hime, I have information for you. The Sand's Kazekage has been-"
"Yes, I know!" she interrupted. The blond woman wanted to the team. "I'm sending them off right now." Jiraiya turned towards the group of three, most likely noting the way Naruto proudly nodded his head. The expression on his face was utter disbelief. Quickly, he turned his attention back to Tsunade and began whispering in her ear. Mayu watched the exchange, trying hard to keep the squeal within her. She loved the Jiraiya and Tsunade pairing almost as much as she loved the Naruto and Hinata pairing. Instead of squealing at the sight, she sighed dreamily, causing Kakashi to look her way, blinking in confusion. Jiraiya walked back over to the team, only to tell Naruto to follow him.
Mayu shrugged a bit, and then turned in the direction that they were headed. She narrowed her eyes and frowned as her thoughts turned to the organization that had captured Gaara. "Akatsuki…" she thought. Admittedly, she knew little to nothing about the band of people, but she did know of Uchiha Itachi and his partner Hoshigaki Kisame. Those two had tried to take Naruto before. According to Hinata, she had encountered those two, which had ultimately caused them both to be comatose until the Fifth had healed them. Those two had failed with Naruto, so now they were going after Gaara. Was it because of the beasts within them? That was the major thing Naruto and Gaara had in common, after all. "Looks like they made a mistake this time around…" Her frown deepened. "They chose the wrong person to kidnap."
"Kakashi-sensei! Mayu!" Naruto enthused voice brought the kunoichi from her thoughts. He had gotten ahead of her already. "Let's get moving!"
"Yeah!" Mayu quickly matched the blonde's pace. Kakashi nodded his head and moved to walk between the two genin.
"All together now," he told them. The three of them jumped from the ground and headed to the trees. Apparently, jumping through the forest was much faster than going on the open road.
"Gaara-kun… I'm going to find you, and when I do, Akatsuki will know hell!" Mayu thought.
0-0
"Oi! Naruto!" Mayu glanced at her side where the blond currently was. The team had been traveling for more than a few hours already. Bored is what Mayu became. She thought she would have gotten tired before the boredom set in. However, that was not the case. When blue eyes turned her way, the kunoichi continued. "I meant to ask before about something you said, but it slipped my mind," she began. Naruto blinked twice. "Seeing Sakura when we were assigned the mission made me remember. You told me that you hoped we'd be on the same team because you had no teammates. I know about Sasuke, but what happened with Sakura?" For a few moments, Naruto didn't reply. "Naruto…?"
"Ah… Sakura-chan… decided that she didn't want to be a ninja anymore," he finally murmured. "Soon after our mission to retrieve Sasuke ended in failure, she suddenly came to me and Kakashi-sensei and told us that she had quit the team."
"What? Why?"
"Hm… 'I'm going to start following my own path,' is what she said," Kakashi stated. "Soon after, she became the student of Shizune-san. Technically, she is a ninja. Only, she doesn't go on missions like normal ninja."
"Eh…" For a moment, Mayu closed her eyes. Obviously, she didn't continue watching the show. However, she was certain that Sakura had become the student of the Hokage—not her assistant's student. Perhaps her presence had something to do with Sakura's decision. The pink-haired girl did recognize her without prompt. But Mayu couldn't read the girl's expression at that time. She had no idea what Haruno Sakura had been thinking at that moment. Mayu sighed as she opened her eyes. Jeez—just how many people knew of her, and how did it affect the original story line? She wished she could just remember everything already.
"There's Temari," Kakashi stated. The trio jumped down to the road where the Sand kunoichi was located. She turned just as the three landed in front of her. Furrowing her brow, she asked why they were looking for her. Kakashi quickly gave the rundown about the current situation. Expectedly, the Sand kunoichi was horrified by the news. "It'll take us two days to get to the Sand village," Kakashi continued. "On a side note, we should be meeting up with Ino soon. Let's move-"
"Hm—sooner than you think," Temari replied, nodding her head. Without explanation for her statement, the older kunoichi turned her back to the three. She raised a brow. "Well, if it isn't the pig of the Leaf village." Team Kakashi peeked out from behind Temari to see a female standing a few meters away from them. Her hair was long and blond, tied in a high ponytail. Her long band covered her right eye. Her visible light blue eye was narrowed into a glare. She appeared to be in Naruto and Mayu's age group. She wore a short purple sleeveless blouse, which showed off her toned stomach. She also wore an open apron skirt over a shorter black skirt. Mesh material was worn on her elbows and knees. Although older, the person was Yamanaka Ino, student of the Fifth Hokage.
"Ino!" Naruto exclaimed. He was ignored. The blond kunoichi seemed entirely focused on Temari.
"Sand wench! I've got you right where I want you!" The kunoichi from the Leaf ran towards Temari, fist at the ready. The older kunoichi merely rolled her eyes, and then removed her giant fan from her back. Once in range, Ino was blown away by the unnatural gust that came when Temari swung her weapon. The blond screamed until her back hit a tree. Team Kakashi could only stare at the exchange highly confused, and mildly amused. Ino stood up, rubbing the back of her head, appearing a bit shaken.
"She gonna be alright?" Mayu asked, pointing a finger.
"She's fine," Temari answered, putting her weapon back into place. "We do this all the time." The nonchalance in her voice caused Mayu to uneasily grin.
"One of these days, Sand wench…!" Ino pointed a finger at the indifferent blond. "I'm going to beat you!"
"Don't count on it, pig," Temari muttered, rolling her eyes again.
"You-"
"Yamanaka Ino!" Kakashi finally raised his voice. He effectively caused the ranting to end and made Ino start paying attention. Her eyes widened at seeing who else was present. "We currently have orders from the Hokage that apply to you as well. All of us will go to the Sand for this important and dangerous mission." Once more, the jounin told the details of the mission.
"What?! Gaara-"
"Yes, which is why we can't afford to waste any more time!" Mayu interrupted Ino. The blonde's light blue eyes focused on the dark-haired kunoichi. "The most important thing right now is saving Gaara-kun! Let's go, Ino!"
"Y-Yes!"
Once again, the group was off, heading towards the Sand village.
0-0
As it turned out, Mayu had barely gotten two hours of sleep. It had turned from day to night. The group of ninja had no choice but to rest. Everyone was still sleeping now. The sun would rise soon, judging from the sky's slowly changing colors. Mayu sighed lightly, gazing aimlessly down at the ground below her. Whilst everyone was sleeping on the forest floor, she was sitting, legs hanging over the tree's branch. Soon the owls' hooting would be replaced by the chirping of morning birds.
The reason she couldn't sleep was because her mind was on the red head. Hinata had told her that she had been willing to fight for Gaara when the Sand had attacked their village, along with the Sound. In the end, Gaara had not transformed. The situation had never escalated to the point where he had to. Hinata had even stated that Mayu had kissed Gaara. The kunoichi bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Before, I thought nothing of it, but… Gaara-kun… Are you my precious friend?" she thought.
That was when the kunoichi felt added weight to the branch she was sitting on. She opened her eyes and looked to her right out of the corner of her eyes. Ino was moving to sit beside her. For more than a moment, the two kunoichi merely sat there in silence. Then Ino cleared her throat. "Hey…" she began. Mayu turned her head. "You're Ishikari Mayu, aren't you?" The dark-haired girl almost rolled her eyes. Introductions had been taken care of hours ago. "Are you same Mayu that is friends with Hyuga Hinata? The one from the chuunin exam? The one that Gaara—I mean, the Kazekage claims to be his first friend?"
Mayu's eyebrows knitted together. Gaara—he considered her his first friend? She didn't know. But she supposed it made sense. She had loved him as a fangirl, but apparently her feelings for him went beyond that. Again, the dark-haired girl pondered if the red head was her precious friend. "Ah, I guess so…" Mayu finally answered. She turned her gaze away from the blond. "How long were you in the Sand? You seem close with Temari… and Gaara-kun." Mayu didn't see it, but Ino pursed her lips in a thin line and averted her stare.
"Master Tsunade gave me the mission of going to the Sand village two months ago to help them in the medical department," the purple-clad kunoichi muttered. "I spent most of my relaxation time with them… Kankuro, too." Ino sighed heavily. "Things were just fine when I had left. I still can't believe this happened."
"So, you found out about me through Gaara-kun?" Mayu asked, changing the subject.
"That's right. He… talks about you sometimes," Ino answered. "Temari told me a few things, too. Despite the demon inside him… you treated him with friendship. He admires you, Mayu."
"Damn…" she thought. Now more than anything, she wished she could remember everything. She wanted to remember and feel that impactful moment when Gaara had become someone precious to her. "Anyway… Ino, I wanted to ask you this."
"Hm?"
"Why did you become the Hokage's student? Is there a special reason?" Mayu continued. Ino looked up in thought.
"I… made the decision right after the mission to retrieve Sasuke ended in failure," she stated. "My teammates came back hurt. All I could think of is what if Master Tsunade wasn't there? Chouji could have died." The girl lowered her eyelids as the memories rushed to her mind. "I wanted to make sure my teammates were never in life-threatening situations ever again. That's the initial reason I sought her out. She's the best medical ninja the world's ever known. To be the best, I wanted to be trained by the best."
"I see…" Mayu blinked. Ino sounded like she really cared for her teammates. She raised a brow. Wait a minute. She had only mentioned one of her teammates. Could it be…? "Ne, Ino…" Light blue eyes shifted in Mayu's direction again. "Do you like Chouji?" It was an innocent question. Many people liked to pair the two teammates up as much as they liked to pair her with Nara Shikamaru. Personally, Mayu was partial to the Shikamaru and Temari pairing.
"WHAT?!" Ino didn't seem to think it was an innocent question. Her screech caused the others to groan and turn in their sleep. "Absolutely not!" she hissed in a quieter voice. "There's no way! Chouji is like-like my brother! Besides, I already have someone I like!"
"Hey, you're going to wake someone up, you know," Mayu muttered, digging a pinky in her ear.
"Too late, we already heard the pig's squeal," Temari's voice made the two younger kunoichi turned. The Sand ninja was already standing while the others were yawning or stretching.
"Shut up, Sand wench!" Ino growled out. She hopped up and turned. She was about to jump, but Mayu next question caused her to halt.
"So… You gonna tell me who you do like?" she asked. To Mayu's surprise, the blond nearly fell out of the tree. "Oh wow, your boyfriend must be impressive for you to be acting like this."
"He's not my boy-boyfriend!" Ino stammered out. Mayu blinked in confusion. This was new behavior. Hinata didn't even stutter anymore. "But… I'm working on it." Her cheeks flushed. "It's a little difficult is all."
"You're completely over Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Pfft…! He's so last season!" Ino stated, crossing her arms. "So bland to look at. He's a stick in the mud, too! I don't know what I was thinking liking him in the first place! I like nice and polite guys now who can make me feel safe!"
"Fufufu…! Ino, who could this other man be?" Mayu asked, raising her eyebrows. "I'm seriously curious right now!"
"Like I'm going to tell!" Ino scoffed before jumping from the branch.
"I wonder if she's talking about her other teammate," Mayu thought. "Haah… I suppose it's none of my business, but this is new information, too."
"Okay, break time's over," Kakashi stated called up.
"Yes! We only have one more day until we reach the Sand. Let's hurry!" Mayu exclaimed.
0-0
Team Kakashi, as well as Temari and Ino, quickly ran forward. The entrance to the Sand village was so close. The group would have been there sooner. However, the sandstorm had postponed their travels. Finally, the village was within sight. With clenched teeth, the three kunoichi of the group stopped in front of the two guards. Behind them, Naruto and Kakashi came to a stop a second later. "We've been waiting for you!" one of the guards spoke.
"Temari-san and Ino-san were with you?" the other questioned.
"Please, this way!" The first one quickly turned and headed into the village, causing the others to follow him. They ran through the streets of the Sand village, listening to the guides explained the situation.
"What?! They got Kankuro, too?!" Temari repeated.
"Yes. After Kazekage-sama was abducted, Kankuro-dono went after him."
"It's just like that idiot to do something so stupid!" Ino remarked, almost snarling. Still, it sounded as though she was more than a little worried. "Where is he now?"
"He was poisoned by the enemy, and we don't know how to remove the poison!"
"Everything will be fine! I'm back, and I'll take care of it!" Ino stated.
They had reached the hospital in minutes. It had taken even less time to find Kankuro's room. "Kankuro!" Temari shouted as she and Ino rushed into the room. Ino threw her bag on the floor as she made her way over to the bed. Before Kakashi, Naruto, and Mayu could enter, an old lady spotted them and prepared her attack, shouting out curses. Naruto immediately went into defense mode. He created a clone and tried to attack her. As it turns out, his defense mode was really his attack mode. The elderly woman's fist hit Naruto's hand while his clone tried to punch. The woman merely kicked out, destroying the clone. The other clone launched forward, preparing to punch, but the old woman jumped back.
"OG…?" Mayu murmured.
"Why the hell are you attacking Kakashi-sensei, you wrinkly old bitch?!" Naruto hollered, offended on Kakashi's behalf.
"Naruto! Don't be so rude to your elders!" Mayu scolded.
"The Leaf village's White Fang! How dare you, you wretched scum?! How I've longed to avenge my son! This is for him!"
"Yup," Mayu said to herself. "Definitely an original gangsta."
Before she could attack again, another elderly person placed his hand on her shoulder. "Take a closer look, sister," he said. He does resemble the White Fang, but that's not him."
"Where the hell are his eyes…?" Mayu thought.
"Besides, the White Fang died a long time ago," the old man continued. The elderly woman looked slightly disappointed. "Remember? When you heard, you got really angry and started screaming about how you hadn't avenged your son yet. Isn't that right, sister?" The entire room was silent after the old man finished talking.
"Just kidding! I was just pretending to be senile!" The elderly woman began laughing nervously.
"You've got to be kidding…" Mayu rolled her eyes.
Kankuro suddenly shouted, bringing everyone else out of their stupor. Ino immediately went to work. "Leave everything to me!" she exclaimed. "I'll take care of this."
"We're counting on you… Ino," Temari said. The younger blond slowly nodded her head.
"Alright! Everyone, I need you to stand back!" she ordered. As demanded, most of the people left the room. From the hallway's benches, the others watched the kunoichi work. She placed her head on Kankuro's chest. Only after a short moment, she lifted her head. "The poison that was used on him was refined from heavy metals," she stated. "It's the type that gets into the muscles and annihilates the cells." Someone whispered how her quick examination of the patient was amazing. "Where's the medical chart?"
"Right here." One medic passed the chart to Ino. "Also, this shows the poison's composition, though it's a few blank spots." Her light blue eyes scanned over the paper.
"I'll fill those in," Ino replied. "His heart muscles are being destroyed right now, so it could stop working at any moment. Even if I do create an antidote, it might not stop the damage in time."
"No way! You can help him, can't you?" Temari desperately asked.
"Temari, Kankuro's an important person to me. I won't let anything happen to him," Ino responded with a determined look in her eyes. The older blond bit her lip before curtly nodding. "Gather the items I tell you to right now!" Ino commanded the others in the room.
"Yes, ma'am!" two medics replied in unison.
0-0
An entire hour had passed. Mayu could barely keep her eyes open. She was regretting not taking that break time when the group had been traveling to the Sand village. But before sleep could completely take the kunoichi, Ino's loud proclamation caused her eyes to shoot open. Apparently, the blond Leaf ninja had done something most impressive. Mayu rubbed at her eye and looked around. She stood up and walked into Kankuro's room. Naruto followed behind. "I've gotten most of the poison out. Kankuro's life isn't in danger anymore."
"That is quite amazing, Ino," Kakashi remarked, halting by Naruto's side. The blond kunoichi grinned.
"What can I say? Master Tsunade taught me well!" Her light blue eyes turned back to Kankuro's body. "But we can't rest yet. He still needs an antidote."
"Understood. If there's anything you need just say the word," Baki said. Immediately, Ino began giving orders like she ran the place. Surprisingly, her demands were being met with no complaints. Then again, the blond kunoichi had spent months in the Sand village, helping to cultivate their medical division.
"I'm so glad!" Mayu thought, sighing heavily. Kankuro got hurt after trying to save his brother. According to his comrades, he had seemed desperate to bring back his sibling. That led Mayu to believe that the two brothers had become really close since the Invasion of the Sand and Sound. The Leaf kunoichi walked back out of the room, following Kakashi and Baki. She sat down just as a messager walked up, saying that a reply had come from the Leaf. Baki took the message and stated that it was from the Hokage. No shit.
"What did Granny Tsunade say?" Naruto questioned.
"She sent Gai's team here as reinforcements," Kakashi answered.
"Fuzzy-brow's…?"
"Naruto! His name's Lee-kun!" Mayu hissed at her teammate. The blond merely stuck his tongue out at her.
"I bet everyone's gotten stronger. I heard Neji reached jounin status," Naruto continued, ignoring Mayu's attempts at strangling him. Kakashi held her back, of course.
"Just because I don't hit him regularly, he's become comfortable!" Mayu thought. She frowned, calming down in Kakashi's arms. He would learn sooner or later not to mess with her when exhausted. Scoffing, she shrugged the jounin off. Kakashi sighed, and then turned his attention to Baki.
"If I may ask," he began. "How are you tracking Akatsuki?" Baki averted his gaze for a moment before explaining. "So, you've completely lost track of them?" Kakashi, indifferently, summarized the main point. The Sand ninja begrudgingly agreed. Then a man's shout caught the attention of the ninja in the hallway. Apparently, Kankuro had regained consciousness. The group entered the room and surrounded the bed.
"Kankuro… Are you alright?" Temari asked.
"You're back already, Temari?" The groggy reply caused the Sand kunoichi to chuckle lightly. The two siblings continued to chit-chat while the others looked on. Finally, Kakashi asked to be taken to the place where Kankuro fight. However, the puppet ninja sat up. "Don't bother," Kankuro muttered. "All my puppets were recovered, right?" This question was directed to another. One medic nodded and rushed off to get them. He came back, laying the giant bundle near the bed. "There were two enemies. One of them took Gaara," he continued. "Track Gaara's scent and you'll find him. And in case they split up, I can give you the other guy's scent…" He pointed to one of his destroyed puppets. The hand of the puppet opened, revealing a dark piece of cloth. "I had Karasu's hand take a piece of his mask.
Kakashi picked the torn cloth from the puppet's hand. "You still put up a fight even when you're down," he remarked. "Nothing less from a Sand shinobi." Kankuro smirked at the compliment before doubling over in pain. Temari fretted over her injured brother, but he was more concerned with the other Leaf ninja in the room.
"You…" For a moment, his eyes squeezed shut. "Your dark skin… and blue eyes… Gaara mentioned you."
"Hm." Mayu nodded. "Pleasure to meet you in my flesh." For her comment, the kunoichi was looked at as though she had grown an extra eyeball. "I'm glad to see the Sand siblings are obviously siblings now."
"Kankuro…" the crazy old woman from before finally spoke again. "Are you sure—absolutely sure that one of the two Akatsuki you followed was Sasori?"
"Chiyo-sama! Ebizou-sama!" The Sand shinobi seemed awfully surprised to see the two. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure. He said so himself. Sasori of the Red Sand."
"Sasori of the Red Sand?" Kakashi repeated. "Could we hear more about Akatsuki? I'm counting on you."
"This guy… Was he the one to take Gaara-kun? This Sandy Red guy?" Mayu questioned. Before she could be answered, Ino's loud proclamation rang through everyone's ears. She had done it again, apparently. The blond had disappeared previously. Now she had returned, bearing an antidote. As Ino was giving the medicine to Kankuro, Mayu turned her eyes to the window. He had become late. The sky was dark now.
"That stuff was nasty!" Kankuro's voice coughed out, which caused Mayu to begin paying attention again. Ino smirked.
"What were you expecting—the taste of hamburger steak? Get real, Kankuro," she quipped, adding a snicker. Then her face softened, and a smile appeared. "Never mind that, though… You should feel better soon. Stay in bed until the trembling stops. This is an order!" Kankuro almost glared.
"Bossy-ass girl," he muttered. Ino looked as though she might hit him, but Baki interrupted by commenting on how late it was. He then told the group that rooms have been prepared for them.
"We're going to have some difficult battles tomorrow. It'd be best to get some sleep before then," Kakashi nodded his head in agreement.
"We can eat, too, right? Does the Sand village have ramen?" Naruto asked. He, as well as the rest of Team Kakashi, began to head for the door.
"Ishikari… Mayu…" Kankuro called out. The dark-haired kunoichi turned. Her gaze landed on the puppet ninja. "Like before…" His teeth clenched for a moment before continued. "Like before… please save my brother!" Temari and Ino seemed shocked by his words. Mayu merely stared at him.
"Who do you think I am?" she asked. Then she grinned. "I'll find Gaara-kun and bring him home. There's no need to plead me to do that. After all, he is my precious friend." Mayu shifted the weight of her bag to her shoulder. "Besides, it'd be great to have a Kage owe me a favor, ne?"
"You have some serious money issues, Mayu," Naruto commented.
He was immediately hit upside the head for his insolence.
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