This chapter has been somewhat revised.

The first thing she felt was the wind, hitting her face. Gradually, Mayu opened her eyes. Beside her, the forest went by in a blur. She hastily lifted her head to see that her teammate was carrying her on his back. Feeling the shift in weight, Naruto turned his head to glance back at her. "Finally awake back there?" he asked. He then grinned. The kunoichi turned her head, taking in her surroundings. Kakashi, Chiyo, and Ino were moving along with them. Blinking, Mayu asked what had happened. "You fainted when Granny Chiyo mentioned that… Jinchuuriki die once their Bijuu are extracted," Naruto explained in a soft voice.

"Gaara-kun…! Even… Even you, Naruto?"

"Don't worry, don't worry! I won't get caught by Akatsuki!" the blond reassured. "Anyway, what's with you girls and fainting, anyway?"

"Huh…?"

"Ino fainted, too."

"No way!"

"Shut up! It was just surprising to hear, that's all!" Ino insisted.

Mayu ignored the shouting. She closed her eyes again, and then wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. He stiffened at the sudden contact, but relaxed soon after. "Naruto… I… I won't let that happen," she told him. "Not to my future Hokage. Never." Naruto pressed his lips together. He felt himself blushing. Even without her memories, Mayu still cared about him—cared about his dream. She still believed in him. Naruto found himself smiling. That was good. If only she felt the same about Sasuke.

"Ahh, I see you're awake now, Mayu!" Kakashi's voice caused the kunoichi to glance in his direction. "You're quite the sensitive person…"

"Not really," she replied with a shrug. The jounin gave the dark-haired girl a flat look. Then he jumped to the ground, telling everyone to stop. His squad did as they were told, looking at him in confusion. Naruto asked if something was wrong. Kakashi merely shook his head, telling them that he thought it was a good idea to stop for the night. "WHAT?!" Mayu and Ino shouted in unison.

"Now, now…" Kakashi tried to calm the two girls down. Luckily, Naruto was still carrying Mayu, so he didn't really have to worry about her attacking.

"It's a wise decision," Chiyo agreed with a nod of her head. Ino didn't agree at all.

"Why? You just said we didn't have time!" she exclaimed. Mayu jumped from Naruto's back and walked over to her sensei.

"If you're worried about me, I'm fine! If we take a break, Gaara-"

"Our pace has slowed considerably since our fight with the fake Itachi," Kakashi interrupted. "Naruto is out of breath, and I'm not too good myself. Resting up now will allow us to reach our goal more quickly. Tomorrow, we have to fight the guys who kidnapped the Kazekage." Mayu crossed her arms in a pout, realizing that Kakashi was right. Things shouldn't be taken lightly. "We all need to be at a hundred percent."

"I agree with Kakashi-sensei," Naruto stated. "I know you're worried, but heading out in a weakened state could get one of us killed."

"Ah, right…" Ino muttered.

"Well, I guess… I'll get firewood," Mayu volunteered.

"I'll go with you," Naruto offered. He turned towards the others. "We'll be back in a few minutes!" With that said, the two teens walked away from the group. After minutes of silently collecting twigs and sticks, Naruto turned his entire focus on Mayu. She was currently adding a stick to her bundle. The blond frowned as he continued to watch her. His teammate had yet to mention anything about what happened to her during the fight with Itachi. "Hey, Mayu…" he began, catching her attention. She didn't look up from counting the bundle in her arms, but she did make a noise, indicating that she was listening. "About what happened…?"

"What about it?" she asked.

"Uh… That guy, Itachi… he said that you—well, you were screaming pretty loud," Naruto stated. "It must have been really big." Mayu sharply turned his way, eyes wide. For a brief moment, she merely stared at him. Then, unceremoniously, began laughing. The sticks dropped in favor of holding her stomach. "What?! What's so funny?!"

"Tha-That's… That's-" She pointed a finger. "That's what she said! Hahahahahaha!"

"What? That isn't-" Then he realized what he had said. A snicker slipped from his lips. Then came the full blown out laughter. The two teens had to hold onto each other to keep from falling over. Eventually, their laughter subsided, leaving behind aching sides. "Heh… But seriously, Mayu… Itachi said that you had regained your memories."

"Yeah…" The kunoichi lowered her body to pick up the dropped firewood. "Sorry to disappoint you, though. The memories I got back was from a time I did not know you." Her fingers hesitated, touching a fallen twig. "Rather… it was the memories of my real family. The memories were from my early childhood not from my time as Hinata's alter ego."

"Oh…" He was rather disappointed about that, but he was still curious. "Say, why did you suddenly regain your memories, anyway?"

"Trigger word," Mayu answered.

"Trigger word…?"

"Yes, the transportation jutsu of my clan is considered forbidden due to the detrimental effects of it," Mayu began. "One, the person is sent away. Two, the memories of that person are erased. Only the knowledge of their name is left."

"Why would your clan create something like that?"

"How should I know? It's not like I was there," she shrugged. Naruto flatly stared. "Anyway, I guess it's a last resort. There is a way to regain the memories lost, and that's the trigger word. Whether its spoken out loud or written down, if the person without memories comes across the word, the memories—all of the memories lost—will come back at once."

"So the trigger word for you was… Nana?" Naruto asked.

"That's it."

"But what makes that word so special? Who is Nana?"

"Nana is my feline partner—a summoning. And to answer your first question: nothing."

"You serious?"

"Well…" Mayu closed her eyes and rubbed her chin in thought. "The word has to be insignificantly significant."

"You totally just lost me," Naruto commented.

"Hm, I don't know if I can explain this properly, especially to you," Mayu muttered. She ignored his indignant protest. "I guess I should explain using Nana. See, Nana-chan is actually a black leopard I can summon. As she is my life partner, she's pretty much a big deal. However, at the same time, since she's a summon, she's not really a big deal. Get it?"

"No."

"Didn't think so," Mayu responded, sighing. "Anyway, since you and Hinata are close with me, it's only a matter of time before one of you says the word necessary for me to regain the other memories I've lost."

"Close to you…? Then that means Itachi was someone close to you before?" Naruto questioned.

"… Yeah, he was. I even thought of him as a brother," Mayu averted her eyes for a moment. "But that's over now." She put on a smile. "Anyway, should we head back now? I think we've gathered enough for two fires." Slowly, Naruto nodded in agreement. He followed the kunoichi back to camp. His eyelids lowered as he stared at her back. She had a lot more in common with Sasuke than anyone had realized. Naruto could not help wondering if she wanted revenge on Itachi like Sasuke did now that her memories of him returned.

"But Mayu's not really like Sasuke, right?" he thought. Honestly, Naruto had no idea what Mayu was thinking sometimes. And not just because she was a girl. It was as though she subconsciously closed herself off from others. More than likely, Mayu wouldn't bring up her relationship with Itachi again. She appeared indifferent about him. But did she stop considering him a brother because he had killed most of his clan—or was there something more? "Whatever it is, that guy must have done something horrible for Mayu to be screaming and crying like that." After all, Mayu wasn't the type to cry and scream. That had been the first time he had seen it. Naruto internally sighed, turning his eyes away from his teammate. She and Ino were preparing the fire. "Does it make me a coward to not want to see it again?"

"Naruto…?" Ino's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah? Hm?"

"The firewood—give it up," Ino ordered.

"Oh, right, sorry," Naruto replied, handing the bundle over.

The night went on relatively quiet. Only the crackling of fire and the chirping of crickets were heard. Naruto's snoring was surprisingly drowned out by the sounds of nature. Mayu took a glance at him from the corner of her eye. The blond had been unnaturally quiet since before the group had eaten. It didn't take a genius to figure out why. He wanted answers. Blue eyes shifted back to the fading fire. "Answers I'm not willing to give at the moment," Mayu thought.

She closed her eyes and frowned. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get that man out of her head. Uchiha Itachi. Wow. Things had been so much simpler before he had uttered that trigger word. Itachi—her first precious friend—did such an inexcusable thing. How could she ever forgive the man who killed her father—killed her family? "Shit…!" Her eyes squeezed shut. The memories were fresh in her mind, as if all of it happened only yesterday. The things that had happened—she didn't want to remember that. The kunoichi hurriedly rubbed at her forehead. His blood had spattered against her and her mother's skin. Right in front of them. Right in front of her. Heartless, completely heartless. It was no wonder her mother had sent her away, erasing these memories. She must have known that if her daughter survived with those memories, her daughter would cease to existence and in her place would stand… an avenger. Thinking only of the day when her father's murderer could be brought to down before her… Ishikari Mayuka did not want that of her child.

"But what am I supposed to do now?" Mayu thought, opening her eyes. Her eyelids lowered as she stared into the fire. "Ignore him and what he did? Not likely…"

"Come here…"

Mayu's eyes expanded. That voice… The kunoichi lifted her head and surveyed the area. Everyone was sleeping by now. Even the copy ninja, Kakashi, was fast asleep in the tree he was in; one leg left to dangle over the branch. The voice came again, repeating the command. Mayu stood up slowly. Taking one glance back, she slipped away from the group. Once she was out of hearing range of her squad, the kunoichi halted. "Is it you again?"

"So you've reached that conclusion already?" The voice seemed to come from all around her.

"Well, duh… Kakashi-sensei wouldn't fall asleep when it's his turn to be on lookout," Mayu replied. "Stop hiding and show me your face."

"I am only your subconscious, trying to make you remember the person most important to you," the voice said. "In your dream, you cannot see me."

"Well, isn't that monkey nuts?" Mayu muttered. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Arms wrapped around her and her eyes closed. She was getting really irritated that she couldn't see who was being so intimate with her. "Most important…?" she repeated. "At least tell me my relationship with you."

"That is… something for you to decide," he answered. Mayu sighed heavily. She almost despised vagueness. "But maybe I can help now." The unknown teenager forced her body to turn. She almost didn't like that action. Mayu tensed as his fingers trailed up her spine. Without warning, she was pulled forward. He snickered. "Don't be so dramatic about it this time," he told her, placing his palm on her cheek.

"Huh? Dramati-"

Mayu's muffled squeak of surprise was ignored by the teen. His lips pressed harder against hers. The level of intimacy he had shown before—honestly, she had thought nothing of it. But now… This was something beyond friendship. This guy… could he literally be the man of her dreams? He pulled back, yet stayed close. His hand slipped from her cheek and rested on the left side of her chest. "Your heart is racing, Mayu." She hadn't even noticed. There it was. The drumming of her heartbeat sounded so close to her ears now. He grabbed her wrist and made her hand touch his chest. It was the same. "Just like mine."

"Co-Could you be-?"

"Could I be?" was his coy response. Then he kissed her again. Like the last one, it was sweet, innocent, playful, yet longer. Mayu found herself becoming lost. Her body reacted without her mind telling it to. Returning the kiss seemed like the appropriate response. No. This wasn't right. She pulled away, yet the stranger only followed. "You're going to act like this now, huh?" Again, he kissed her. This time, Mayu scurried away from him until her back hit the bark of a tree.

"Yo-You…! This isn't right!" she exclaimed. "I wasn't sure at first, but you're definitely from the time where I shared a body with Hinata. So, at that age, I wouldn't… like someone in that way! Thirteen is much too young for me to start crushing on someone!" He actually laughed at her. The jerk. "What the hell's so funny?!"

"Our ages don't mean anything," he said. "Besides, you like me enough."

"What? What's that mean?"

"That is… something for you to decide."

"You're an asshole, aren't you?"

He only laughed again.

0-0

Five ninja dropped down on the water's surface. Ahead, stood another team composed of jounin and chuunin. Maito Gai, Hyuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. In addition, accompanying them was Kakashi's dog, Pakkun. Apparently, the small dog had been the squad's guide here. They had arrived moments before. Just ahead of Team Gai, there was a giant boulder blocking the way to where the rescue squads would find their objective. "You're late, Kakashi," the squad's leader commented. Gai still had the same look as he always did. The mini clone beside him, otherwise known as Lee, hadn't changed much either except for the chuunin vest, of course. The other two teammates wore different clothing than the last time Mayu had seen them. Well, that was to be expected since they had gotten older.

"Well, we ran into some trouble on the way here," Kakashi stated. Ever the enthusiast, Lee greeted those that he knew with a loud exclamation. When his eyes turned to Mayu, however, he became dazed. Tenten was also scrutinizing her as well. Neji, though, seemed calm about the unknown addition. He stepped closer to her, causing Mayu to raise a brow.

"You've returned, Ishikari Mayu-san," he stated.

"Neji, you knew?" Naruto asked.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" The Hyuga turned his pale eyes to the blond ninja. "I wouldn't forget the person from that mission. And the strange circumstance surrounding her." His focus returned to Mayu. "Are you in possession of another's body?"

"… Nope," she answered with a shrug. "This is me. Pleasure to work with you again." The Hyuga smirked and closed his eyes before turning his back on her.

"Let's hope you've decided not to dance in triumph if you manage to land a hit this time," he remarked. Mayu flushed lightly. She didn't know what he was talking about, but it sounded like something she would have done in the past. Hell, it sounds like something she would do now.

"H-Hey! I've turned into a respectable ninja now! Don't underestimate me!"

"It seems you guys were here before us," Ino stated, stepping forward. Tenten then asked who the older person was. "This is the Sand's senior advisor, Chiyo-sama." The elderly kunoichi struck a pose and greeted Team Gai. "Now that intros are outta the way, let's get down to business. The Kazekage needs us right now." The others nodded in agreement.

"Now then, shall we do this, Kakashi?" Gai asked. Again, the silver-haired jounin nodded his head. "Neji!" Immediately, the Hyuga of the group activated his bloodline. For a few moments, Neji merely observed whatever was behind the boulder. He told the group that the inside was rather wide and spacious. There were people inside as well. However, he couldn't get a very good image of what was going on. He could not tell if Gaara was one of the people inside. Then he made a startling exclamation. Still, he could not really describe what he saw.

"Which means we have to see it for ourselves, doesn't it?" Lee asked. His mentor placed a hand on his shoulder.

"In which case, I'll keep it short," Gai said, smirking. The flamboyant man performed a few back flips on the water's surface. He then rushed forward, drawing back his arm. As he became closer to the huge boulder, he launched his fist forward. "Take that!" His shout was accompanied by the punch making contact with the huge obstacle. After such a performance, only a few stray rocks fell. Surprisingly not groaning in pain, Gai walked back over to the team. "It appears as though it's a barrier. We have to remove that first."

"But what type of barrier is it?" Tenten asked. Most eyes lifted to the paper stuck to the boulder. The symbol was the sign for forbidden.

"Looks like a Five-seal barrier," Kakashi murmured. Chiyo nodded her head in agreement. Naruto asked what type of barrier that was. The silver-haired jounin began the explanation. He even told the team how to dismantle such a barrier. After finished his explanation, Kakashi turned to Neji. The Hyuga understood before the order was given. Once again, he activated the Byakugan. It was only a moment later that he found the locations.

"One's on top of a boulder, about 500 meters northeast of here," Neji stated. "The second one is on a tree trunk in a gorge, 350 meters south-southeast. The third one is on a cliff side, 600 meters to the northwest. And the last one is in a forest almost 800 meters southwest of here."

"So… they're pretty far away then," Ino commented. "What's the signal going to be?"

"That won't be a problem," Gai stated, removing his backpack. He pulled devices out. "These wireless radios can cover those distances." He handed the devices to his team, and they quickly put them on. "We will remove the four seals surrounding the area. If this is a race against the clock, then my team's the quickest." He was clearly proud of the speed of his team overall. The man even showed off his nice guy pose. Naruto returned the pose, only without the blinding smile. Mayu let a snicker slip.

"We're counting on you, Gai-sensei!" Mayu announced. The man grinned. He then began giving orders to his squad members. Kakashi was given a device as well. He asked for the frequency. After being told, the silver-haired jounin fixed his radio.

"Everyone, can you hear me?!" Lee shouted. It was louder to the people, wearing the radios. Tenten and Neji clutched their ears while Gai and Kakashi appeared as though they were going to fall over.

"Lee! You have your mic turned on too high!" Tenten hissed. The cute chuunin gasped, and then looked apologetic. He expressed his apology aloud, but again in a loud voice. Mayu would have laugh if the situation wasn't so grave. On second thought, this was Mayu in question. Naruto had to whack her shoulder to get her to stop giggling.

"Okay! Team Gai…" The spandex-wearing man held his hand out, and then began grunting. Lee looked confused for a moment before understanding his mentor's bizarre behavior. Tenten looked disgusted, but she gave in due to the man's grunts increasing. She, too, placed her hand on the pile. The last member of the team looked absolutely annoyed by the gesture. Neji's aura screamed that he did not want to participate in this strange behavior. The two, Gai and Neji, stared each other down as if they were about to do battle. This wasn't as funny as the last scene. Mayu's eyebrow twitched.

"… Oi… Neji… Get on with it!" she muttered. "You're wasting time!"

"Fine," the Hyuga almost growled. He put his hand on Tenten's. Gai laughed in triumph.

"Fight with the full power of youth!" he exclaimed. He continued being pumped up while Neji glared at Mayu, mouthing the words 'you own me' to her. The kunoichi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Team Gai then leapt away to find the separated seals.

"That's great! It's great that they're so pumped up!" Naruto exclaimed. "Hey, how about we do it, too?"

"I'd rather be buried alive!" Ino declared.

"Yeah," Kakashi said.

"Fool," Chiyo called him.

"Sorry, Naruto, two people wouldn't be enough," Mayu told him.

"You guys sucks," Naruto muttered, looking very disappointed.

"Well, it's about time for me to go," Pakkun finally spoke up. "There's no point in be being here if I'm just going to get in the way." Kakashi praised his loyal partner for a job well done and waved him off. The dog nodded, and then disappeared in a small cloud of smoke.

"Ino-san, since you've trained with Hokage-sama, you should know her strength, right?" Kakashi questioned the blond kunoichi. She nodded in confirmation. "Good. When I tear off the barrier, you will punch through, got it?" Again, the kunoichi nodded. "Okay. The rest of us will go in and retrieve the Kazekage."

"Right!" Mayu clenched her fist. It was almost time. She could feel her heart racing. The jounin ran up the boulder and positioned himself above the seal. Ino walked backwards until she was a reasonable distance from the boulder. She sank into an offensive stance, ready to strike at a moment's notice. As Kakashi stated previously, the wait had taken only a few minutes. He ripped the seal from the boulder, shouting for Ino to make her move.

"GOT IT!" The blond kunoichi raced towards the huge boulder, springing her fist forward. The exact moment her fist made contact, Kakashi jumped away. Ino moved to the right where Mayu was to avoid the falling destruction she had created. The group waited until the silver-haired jounin gave the signal. Inside, the cave was dark. It took some time for their eyes to adjust. When they did adjust, the reaction was immediate. Most gasped in surprise at what they were seeing. Not only did Gaara, the Kazekage, lay motionless on the ground, but his body was currently being disrespected by the enemy. Two members of Akatsuki were sitting on him. Mayu's heart pumped blood into her veins at a rapid pace. She clenched her fists, barely being able to contain her bubbling anger.

"So…" the blond one began in a tone of nonchalance. "I wonder which one is the Jinchuuriki." That was it. That tone of his as he sat on her precious person—it was too much.

"ASSHOLES! WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE SITTING?!" Mayu shouted.

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Ino, too, could not control her anger anymore. Both kunoichi were clearly livid.

"Eh?" the blonde continued. "I thought the Jinchuuriki was a boy. I guess Itachi didn't know him quite well… un."

"You-!" The dark-haired kunoichi stepped forward.

"Mayu, control yourself!" Kakashi ordered. She scowled, and yet remained in position. "You should already know…"

"That's right. You get it, don't you?" The blond continued. "He's been dead for a while now." He had the nerve to slap Gaara's cheek. Both Ino and Mayu went ballistic. If not for Kakashi and Naruto holding them back, they would have attacked. Again, Kakashi ordered them to calm down.

"Gaara-kun! Get the hell off him!" Mayu hissed. Her eyes locked in on the blond enemy. "I'll fucking destroy you." The man merely smirked.

"If you charge in without thinking, we're all dead!" Kakashi stated. Finally, the two girls calmed down enough to make their comrades release them. Their bodies still trembled from barely constrained rage, though. The large enemy turned towards his comrade.

"What's wrong, Master Sasori?" the blond questioned.

"Despite the lack of information from Itachi, we know that the Jinchuuriki is a young blond shinobi," Sasori stated. "I'll take him, Deidara."

"I'd like to see you try!" Naruto yelled, pointing a finger. "Bring it on!"

"Master… You might get pissed at me for saying this, but… I'm going to fight the Jinchuuriki."

"Each of us gets our own," Sasori stated. "Don't get cocky."

"He's the one…?" Mayu thought, nearly snarling. Unbeknownst to her, Ino was thinking along the same thoughts.

"With art, you must constantly seek greater and greater stimulation," Deidara said. "Or your ability to appreciate it will become dull. I've heard rumors that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is pretty powerful. He'll be perfect for my art… un."

"What? You call those explosions art? Art is something that endures the test of time, beautifully and gracefully. True art is eternal beauty." The two enemies began to banter back and forth about the meaning of art. Finally, the blond stood up, exclaiming his proclamation and opinion on art. Apparently, it was a bang. He threw a miniature clay bird on the ground. He grew bigger, and then transformed into a bigger version. The clay bird picked up Gaara in its mouth. Clearly, Sasori didn't like what his comrade was saying because he tried to strike the blond with his tail. However, Deidara dodged by jumping on his giant creation.

"Later, Master!" he waved. The giant bird swallowed Gaara until there was nothing showing except his leg. He was taunting them. He flew from the cave, giving the group a smug look. Mayu could no longer take it.

"COME BACK HERE, YOU MALE INO!" she shouted, running after the clay bird.

"I DON'T LOOK LIKE THAT FREAK!" Ino, right beside her, yelled. Her blazing blue eyes focused on the enemy however. The two kunoichi jumped up, landing on top of the large red shrine gate. Deidara, above them, made circles in the sky. "I'll fucking murder him for taking him!"

"He has one arm," Mayu stated, glaring up at the blond ninja.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to show pity."

"I think I'm going to like you, Ino," Mayu smirked. "Let's show him how big of mistake he made when he took Gaara-kun."

"I'm right there with you, Mayu."

"Should you really be fighting me… un?" Deidara questioned. "Just for the record, Master Sasori is stronger than me. Probably, un. You should probably go help your band of comrades before they die. Instead, send out the Jinchuuriki."

"Over my dead body!" Mayu replied

"That can be arranged, un."

"I'm getting really sick of this guy's speech impediment—worse than Hinata's used to be!" Ino growled.

"What?" Although Deidara didn't know who the female Hyuga was, he didn't appreciate having his way of talking being insulted.

"Seriously, what's with all the grunting for, un?" Mayu mocked.

"Yeah, he sounds like an idiot… un!" Ino joined in.

"The constant grunting is ridiculous, un."

"Hey, quit it… un!" Deidara pointed an angry finger. "No one can do it but me! Who do you think you are—that damn girl, Yasmine?!"

"UN!" Both kunoichi grunted loudly in unison. Deidara nearly stomped his foot down in frustration.

"That's it! You brats are gonna become a part of my art!" he shouted.

"Jeez… Someone can't take a joke…" Mayu muttered, rolling her eyes.

"It's time to get serious!" Ino stated. Her fellow kunoichi nodded her head in agreement. "This guy… He's going to pay!"

0-0