It felt serene. Normally, the feeling of falling struck horror in her heart. However, surrounded by a void of dark blue, white wisps, and the gentle wind against her skin, it was nice. Mayu suddenly gasped. She could now hear her heartbeat. Her body moved so that she no longer descended headfirst. Rather, her body now floated down. Her knees softly hit a hard surface. She blinked once, and then looked around. Nothing was different. But she did notice her attire. She had never worn a kimono before. It felt almost strange on her body. Light blue was the color with a darker shade of blue floral pattern near the hem. The sash around her was a vibrant red color. "Where am I?" Her thoughts echoed. Wait. That had been familiar. Thoughts weren't a secret—she had experienced that previously. However, she couldn't quite place where it had happened.

"You can hear me, right?" Mayu turned her head. The new voice seemed to come from all around her. "So, you can."

"But I can't see you."

"That's because your eyes haven't been completely opened yet," he returned. Before his meaning could be questioned, a beam of white light shot towards her. Mayu could only gap as the beam overwhelmed her. Her brain felt as though it was bouncing around in her skull. Grimacing, she rubbed her forehead with the palm of her hand and squeezed her eyes shut. Once the ache subsided, she opened her eyes again. She was mildly confused by the change in scenery. Despite the sudden happenings, Mayu still felt as calm as she had when she had been falling. She didn't even feel annoyed by not knowing what was going on. Standing, she noted the tatami floors. Alone, she stood in a traditional room. "You're more beautiful than I thought you'd be in that." The voice came again. Male, yet not as deep as a full-grown man. Arms encircled her from behind. Having not had sensed him, she clenched her teeth. "Mayu," his voice whispered in her ear. His touch was familiar to her. Unfortunately, she couldn't bring herself to turn to face him. She had felt oddly motionless. Even her eyes wouldn't-

"Aw—what?!" An exasperated huff came from her mouth before she could stop it. This seemed to only amuse her mysterious visitor for he snickered. "I thought you said last time was the last time!"

"Yes, well, I didn't think you'd be so slow at trying to figure out who I am."

"Oh, you motherfu-" The girl was suddenly turned in his arms. Before she knew it, his lips were pressed against hers. Softly. Lovingly. His hands slid down, cupping her behind and pressing her firmly against his body. At her sides, her fists uncurled. This felt wrong. He reared back only to kiss down her neck. This felt so right. Smiling against her skin, he pulled her down, and then pushed her back against the floor. His hands gripped the collar and slowly pulled the material from her shoulder. A closed mouth moan sounded when his lips met a rather sensitive part of her skin above her breast. "Ahh!" His warm wet tongue slid against her skin.

"Let me indulge myself for the time being." His leg moved in between hers. "Until I can do this for real." His mouth was on hers again. This time, he had slipped in his tongue. It was petrifying. It was invigorating. It was intoxicating. It was… too much. So, she pushed him again. He grunted, probably annoyed. "You can't resist this forever, Mayu." The way her name fell from his lips caused a chill to run up her spine. "So, open your eyes already."

Mayu did open her eyes. However, she was no longer in a dream. She stared up at her ceiling, panting heavily. The sweat had been enough to dampen her hair. Finally, after a few moments, her breathing evened out. Still, she didn't move. After holding her breath for a few seconds, she released a sigh. "… The fuck?" Mayu sat up, knees raised. "What was that?" Though she questioned it, she knew exactly what it was. A dream brought on by her developing hormones—her surrogate mother had explained changes to her sometime after her fourteenth birthday. The kunoichi figured these changes were beginning to happen. "Whose mind was that, though? His? Mine?" She let out another heavy sigh. "How can I have these types of dreams about someone who is a complete mystery to me? It'd make more sense if the target of these types of dreams was somebody I actually know!" Removing the covers from her body, Mayu decided that she would take a shower. She yawned, and then glanced at the open window. The sun was shining brightly. Should it have been so bright this early? The girl yawned again, and then froze. A startled look came over her face as she looked back at the window again.

Monkey nuts—she was late!

0-0

Late, so utterly late.

With her hands behind her back, Mayu had averted her gaze to a rather interesting anthill to the right on her blond teammate. All her teammates had been waiting at the front gate for her arrival. Apparently, it had been twenty-two minutes, according to Sai. Naruto had teasingly asked if she was turning into Kakashi. Speaking of the copycat ninja, he had already been assigned a solo mission whilst Naruto had been in the hospital. This would be the team's—minus Kakashi—first mission since he fully recovered. And she had been late to the mission's briefing. Hell, she had missed the briefing entirely. Tsunade had told her that her team already waited at the front gate, and then she had scolded her on her tardiness. How embarrassing. She hadn't felt this way since the last time she had been hit in the forehead with chalk, courtesy of Kamijou-sensei. The Hokage then said something weird, though. Despite the details of this mission, it is still a mission… Do not let your emotions get the better of you, she had ordered. She hadn't explained these details to her, only told her that her team would inform her of the mission.

"Oi…! I already apologized. Let it go!" Mayu demanded, which caused the teasing to cease. Naruto still wore playful grin on his face, though. That silly expression on the blonde's face was enough to cause her irritation to falter. Uzumaki Naruto—he was good at getting on someone's good side. Her eyes slid over to Sasuke. He had not turned to greet her upon her arrival or give a snarky comment. In the little time she had known him—without her memories, of course—Mayu realized that he was prone to irritation, though he rarely showed it outwardly. However, if he was comfortable enough with the people who surrounded him, then he would let them know of his irritation with their antics. He was shy. When she had discovered such a fact, Mayu almost couldn't keep the giggles to herself. Uchiha Sasuke being shy seemed to be as outlandish as Hyuga Hinata dominating Naruto. Then again… that could happen one day. If she were lucky.

The point was Sasuke would have commented on her tardiness, yet he hadn't. He also would have greeted her. Now that she thought about it, his behavior seemed strange to her. Perhaps something heavy was on his mind now. Mayu looked over at Sai. He had been the one to tell her how late she had been, but his eyes hadn't strayed from the book in his hand. First Impressions was the title. As of late, the pale ninja had been reading books on sociology, wanting to become better in his interactions with others. It wasn't strange to find him passing time by reading things pertaining to social interactions. He had a long way to go, after all. Just last week, he had referred to Tenten as 'Hot Buns' as a nickname. Mayu had explained that the term of endearment could be considered sexual harassment. The older kunoichi, though, didn't seem to mind… after she tried to impale Sai with shuriken, of course.

"We've got a retrieval mission! Granny said that you will be the team leader," Naruto announced loudly, most likely to get rid of the silence. "We're going back to the Land of Waves."

"Back to…?" Mayu repeated. She tapped her cheek before scratching it. "I was there for that mission, right? As Sakura?" She knew it, but those memories were foggy… like a dream. Ultimately, she wouldn't clearly remember what had happened while she went by the name Haruno Sakura. It was disheartening, but there was nothing she could do about it. Unlike her other memories, those times in her life hadn't been locked away due to a jutsu. They had only faded with time. After all, she had only thought it was a vivid dream of childhood.

"Yup!" Naruto crossed his arms, appearing pensive. "Only Sasuke knew about you then."

"Sasuke…?" Again, her gaze drifted to the silent Uchiha. She hadn't really made a point in asking him, or anyone for that matter about her adventures as Sakura. Since he knew of her back then, maybe he could jog her memory of that time. Until then, personal matters should be pushed behind. Right now, she had to focus on her mission. "So, then we have to retrieve something?" Mayu inquired, switching her attention back to Naruto.

"Not something exactly." His turned had suddenly turned serious. "Someone. Granny said this guy is a missing ninja of the Leaf. He was seen in the Land of Waves just yesterday."

"Isn't finding missing ninja assigned to special ninja?"

"The Hokage stated that this man has been tracking Akatsuki for years," Sasuke finally spoke up. "He has discovered numerous bases of theirs. Since her original plan for sending out a task force to find members of the organization is on hold for a while, she assigned us this mission to bring him in. Also…" He turned, dark eyes settling on her form. Mayu felt her body tense at such an extreme stare. "The personal connection is the reason why this team is assigned this mission."

"Akatsuki could be looking for him, too," Naruto pointed out. "We have to find him first."

"Who is it?" Mayu questioned. A missing ninja of the Leaf…? With a personal connection…? Since it was related to Akatsuki, perhaps Sasuke meant himself. His brother was a part of that organization, right? Then there was… The kunoichi bit her lower lip as an image of the foreigner crossed her mind. Only Sasuke—and to an extent, Naruto—knew how she felt about that girl. Tsunade couldn't have possibly known, though.

"He is-"

"Your uncle," Sai felt no shame in interrupting. His book snapped close. He smiled lightly in Mayu's direction. "Ishikari Morino is the man we are looking for. Could this be a rare chance to meet my friend's relative?"

Mayu didn't answer him. She was in a state of shock—perhaps slight panic. This whole time, she hadn't thought of her last next of kin. She had forgotten that there was still someone out there that shared her name, her past, her blood. "Uncle Mori… is a missing ninja?" She shook her head a bit. "How? Why?"

"He returned to the village and learned of his clan's fate," Sai explained. "Without a word, he left and hasn't been back since. According to the Hokage."

"So then… he's looking for revenge against Itachi," Mayu thought. "He most likely thinks I'm dead as well." The kunoichi cleared her throat, gaining her teammates' full attention. "So, what are we waiting for?" she asked. Placing a hand on her hip, she smirked. "Let's plan a family reunion."

0-0

The Land of Waves had been a relatively isolated island. Small, yet prosperous. Then Gato had set his sights on it. He had crushed the people's will and monopolized the import/export trade, which was vital for the economy. Team 7's first dangerous mission had happened in this small nation. The team had witnessed the fall of Gato's reign. Mayu knew the important points of the canon world. She had known what had happened. The small details weren't clear to her, but basically, she knew the cause and effect of what happened. However, she just couldn't bring herself to agree with what she was currently seeing. Naruto's smug expression wasn't helping either.

"This is totally unfair!" Mayu shouted. Her finger was pointed, in a dramatic way, at the completed bridge, which connected the small island to the mainland. The name it had been given was The Great Naruto Bridge. It had taken the team about half a day to get here, and the name of the bridge had greeted them. "Weren't we there, too?! I don't remember, but I'm absolutely positive that I wouldn't have just stood there! Why is Naruto's name the only one up there?!"

"Maybe I'm just that awesome?" The blond laughed loudly, missing the glare Mayu gave him. Sasuke merely rolled his eyes. "I inspired people at a young age, you know!"

"Naruto-kun…!" An almost excited voice distracted the team of four. Fortunately, the voice caused Mayu to stop thinking of backhanding her obnoxious teammate. Eyes trained on the bridge, the group saw a person running towards them, arm stretched up and waving. With long black hair, pale skin, dark brown eyes, and a slender frame, it was hard to distinguish whether the person was a male or female. It was only when the person stopped in front of them did most of them figure out the gender. Male. He seemed to be in the team's age group as well. "It's good to see you again." He smiled at the blond before looking Sasuke's way. "You as well, Sasuke-san."

"Ah," the Uchiha replied, nodding his head in acknowledgement. "So, you've returned here?"

"Mm," the male agreed. The rest of the team looked on in confusion. Then an enlightened look crossed Naruto's face. He pointed a finger.

"Haku?!" he exclaimed.

"Haku?!" Mayu sounded way more surprised. And with good reason. If this was the same Haku from Naruto, then shouldn't he be buried? The result of the conflict in the Land of Waves had been the deaths of both Zabuza and Haku. She knew this for sure. Kakashi had dealt the finishing blow to Haku while Zabuza had died of blood loss due to injuries brought upon him by Gato's henchmen. "Could my being there, as Sakura, changed their fates that much?" she thought. "Still… he hasn't changed a bit." Haku hadn't grown into his masculine features quite yet.

"Whoa! Haku, I can't believe you came back here!" Naruto blinked, and then grinned. "How did you know we were coming?"

"I received the message from your village two days ago," Haku explained. "I will be housing you for your mission. It is my favor to you for that day on the bridge." He turned to Sai and Mayu and politely bowed. "Excuse me for not introducing myself properly. My name is Momochi Haku. It is a pleasure to meet you." The two bowed in return.

"Please take care of us," Mayu replied. "I am Ishikari Mayu. I am the acting team leader for this mission."

"I am called Sai."

"Please, follow me," Haku requested. "I have already prepared your rooms." The team nodded, and then proceeded to follow the young man. As she walked, Mayu couldn't help but take in her surroundings. This was familiar to her. In the back of her mind, this was all familiar to her. She was vaguely aware of the déjà vu as she walked on this completed bridge. Her gaze lowered to the ground in front of her. She had dreamt of this place on several occasions in that world as well as this one. The dreams had stopped soon after she had reunited with Hyuga Hinata. She supposed that those dreams were her last moments as the pink-haired kunoichi of Team 7. She sighed inaudibly as to not alert her teammates of her pondering state. She didn't want them to worry about her over trivial things.

The group of five arrived at Haku's home. It was a small place, but Haku assured them it was bigger on the inside. "How is this to be arranged? I only have two free rooms for you," he announced once he entered his home. Turning he faced the ninja, whom were in the process of removing their shoes. "Two and two? Or perhaps three and one?"

"It should be-"

"I call Sai-chan!" Mayu interrupted Sasuke. She hooked her arm around the pale ninja's, ignoring the perplexed look from her teammate. He shrugged, though, and nodded. The Uchiha looked far from pleased. He had wanted to room with Mayu. "Thanks again, Haku-san, for doing this for our team." She smiled, not knowing the sour mood she had put Sasuke in. "I would like to get started now. Is there any place we can set up?"

"Yes, of course," Haku answered. He gestured further into his house. "You can discuss your mission behind the first door. The stairs leading to your rooms are right next to the door, so you should have no trouble finding them. I will prepare tea for my visitors." With that being said, the young man walked away, heading towards the kitchen. The team hurriedly moved through the door. There, they found a square table. Each member had taken each side. After getting a bit comfortable, Sai removed his backpack and pulled out a rolled map. He spread it out across the table so that his teammates could get a good look at it. It was a map of the entire island. The pale ninja had apparently picked it up at the entrance to the bridge while Naruto and Mayu had been bickering.

"Great! I hadn't thought of a map," Naruto said. "So, what's the plan?" His eyes naturally drifted to the kunoichi of the team. "Do we split up and search the entire island?"

"This island is pretty small," Mayu remarked. "But I don't really want to waste time for searching the whole island. Besides, I don't want us splitting with this much distance to cover. My uncle is not to be taken lightly."

"Well, neither are we!"

"True dat…" Mayu grinned. Naruto grinned in return. "Still. My uncle does not know you three. I would rather him not attack you at all."

"Tsunade-sama stated that he has found and destroyed Akatsuki bases all over," Sai reported. "However, he hasn't managed to kill anyone in his… rampages. I do not believe that your uncle knows of Akatsuki's true strength. It could get dangerous if he's doing this by himself."

"What about his behavior towards the Leaf village?" Mayu questioned. "I'm sure people have been assigned to track him down in the past."

"Yes," Sasuke stated. "He avoids fighting until he has no other choice. Even then, he never kills. Afterwards, he disappears without a trace."

"Well, if he no longer cared for his home, he would have disposed of his trackers on a more… permanent basis," the kunoichi mumbled. "He has no intention of returning home until he finishes his task. He's stubborn like that."

"Must run in the family," Naruto snickered.

"Oi! Determination and stubbornness are two different things!"

"It just so happens that you're on the stubborn side."

"Shut up, Naruto!" She sharply turned away from the grinning blond and instead glared at the table. "Anyway, I wonder what his motivation for coming here is. I'm guessing he's keeping a low profile and just resting." Mayu sighed. "If only there was a big event where everyone in the village had to attend, it'd be easier. I'd much rather find a needle in a haystack than a certain ant in a colony."

"Actually, a needle in a haystack would be easier to find as it would stand out from the hay."

"Don't you come at me with your facts, Sai-chan." She playfully stuck her tongue out. The pale ninja merely blinked, and then returned the childish gesture. Mayu giggled before turning her focus on Sasuke. He had yet to give his opinion on a plan of action. "Sasuke, what do you think?" She didn't get an answer. "Sasuke…?"

Truthfully, the Uchiha had been thinking quite a bit about Ishikari Morino. Ever since he heard the name from the Hokage, he had been thinking of the time he and Mayu had ventured into the Ishikari residence, so unaware of the connection before. He had already known the second surviving member of the clan. This was a chance to find out more about Uchiha and Ishikari relations. Originally, he had believed that Ishikari Morino had helped his brother eradicate the Uchiha. Only recently had that theory been proven wrong. He had been outside the village when both clans perished. Still, this man knew Itachi. He must have had information on his brother—vital information that might help in battle. Not only that, but this guy was Mayu's last living relative. He needed to make a good first impression. He may or may not have already daydreamed about asking for Mayu's hand.

"SASUKE!" Naruto's overly loud voice finally snapped him out of said daydream. The Uchiha flinched before fixing a glare on the blond shinobi. "You're freaking us out!" Sasuke coughed lightly, noticing three—no, four pairs of eyes on him. Haku had entered the room at some point, carrying a tray of drinks. He blinked slowly. "Are you okay? You were making a face like-" Naruto proceeded to try to imitate Sasuke's facial expression, but that could not be right. Naruto looked as though he was experiencing irritable bowels but had just discovered the secret to why ramen tasted so good.

"No, no—it was that bad," Mayu told him as if she had read his thoughts. "Something you want to tell us?"

"No. It's nothing." He quickly slid his tongue over his front teeth. "Don't worry about it."

"Freak," Naruto muttered.

"Shut up."

"Excuse me," Haku said after clearing his throat. He began to pass out the cups. For that, Sasuke was grateful. "I couldn't help but overhear. I believe I should let you know a bit of information." The older teenager sat down next to Naruto once he finished handing out the tea. He held the serving tray close to his body. "As it turns out, there is a social gathering. The whole village will be in attendance."

"Really…? How very convenient," Mayu commented.

"Yes. Every year, the villagers celebrate the end of Gato's supremacy. Every person in the village will be there. Besides the children, who have their own little festival, the adults hold a party in Gato's former home."

"Isn't that a little harsh? That's like dancing on his grave or something."

"The villagers really hated him."

"Ah—seems legit," Mayu shrugged, accepting the answer. "This is actually good news. Uncle Mori will have no choice but to attend even if he doesn't want to. It'd be so much easier to find him at a party."

"Awesome! We've got this mission in the bag!" Naruto exclaimed. "All we have to do is find him. Mayu can talk to him, since they're related, and we won't even have to fight!" He crossed his arms. "That seems boring, though…" Haku smiled. He stood up, drawing attention.

"Naruto-kun, would you like to help me with something?"

"What is it?"

"Something that won't be so boring, of course."

"Like what?" Mayu raised a curious brow.

"Oh… just gathering formal wear. The party is a formal one, after all."

"That sounds just as boring," Naruto complained. "What's so good about dress clothes?"

"I'll show you when we get there."

"Okay, okay."

Suspicious eyes watched Haku and Naruto leave the room.

0-0

A lone figure stood at the entrance of the Great Naruto Bridge. He stared at the name of the bridge for a moment. He could have sworn he heard that name somewhere before… The man grunted, and then shrugged. It didn't matter. It was just a stupid bridge. The man began the long walk across the bridge. He noticed that there were no guards or anything like that. Perhaps the reason was because this small place wasn't worth sneaking into. The man smirked as he continued to walk. "After I'm finished with this mission, they'll definitely tighten up security around here."

You don't have to blow up the entire area. Just kill him and then leave. Do not cause a commotion.

"Sorry, that wouldn't be much fun… un…" the man said.

The smirk grew.

0-0

Closing his eyes, Sasuke let the wind play with his hair. He leaned back, pressing his back against the bark of the tree he sat on. The ominous feeling had left this place since the last time he had been here. It had become quaint. Perhaps Ishikari Morino felt the same. Stopping here felt like leaving the troubles of the world at the entrance to the bridge. "Ishikari Morino… it appears that we're a bit of the same," he thought. The wind shifted. Sasuke slowly opened his eyes. Though he did not show it, he was quite surprised to find Mayu in front of him on her hands and knees. Her grin faltered somewhat at being discovered, but she still projected a smug-like aura as she sat on her bottom, legs dangling over the sides of the branch. "Do you enjoy doing that?" Sasuke questioned, averting his gaze to the body of water in the distance.

"Believe me, it's much more fun doing it to Naruto," Mayu admitted. "He screams like a little bitch." Had he dreamed of this before? Sasuke was sure this girl had said something like that in a dream. Then again, he knew her well. It would not be strange to dream of things she could say. Chortling, the kunoichi scooted a bit closer to him. She rested a hand on his raised knee. This caused Sasuke to return his entire focus back to her. He swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. Mayu's physical contact was always welcomed, yet nerve-racking. "Anyway, if its relaxation you wanted, then you could come back to the house. Naruto and Haku-san are still gone. Sai decided to draw something somewhere, so you don't have to be outside."

"Just because you're afraid of bee attacks doesn't mean I am," Sasuke responded, failing to suppress his smirk. Mayu clicked her tongue, dropping her hand from his knee. Looking partly annoyed, she moved to jump from the tree. She got as far as swinging her leg over the branch near the other one before Sasuke caught her right forearm. "Calm down. You don't have to leave… I'll save you from any bee attacks."

"You're effin' hilarious," Mayu retorted. She did not try to leave again, though, prompting Sasuke to release her. She shifted her gaze to the forest floor below. "So, it looks like you're being all nostalgic by yourself up here. I wanna do it, too." The Uchiha raised a brow and stated that she could not even remember. "Well, I want to. Naruto told me that you're the only one who knew me back then. And since I followed you-" She decided to ignore his reprimand of 'I didn't take you for a stalker' and continued. "-I've had this weird déjà vu feeling."

"Honestly, I found out only days before you left," Sasuke corrected.

"And here I thought you were smart."

"Funny. I was thinking the same thing."

"Huh? What's that supposed to—gah!" He had unceremoniously shoved her, causing her to fall over the edge. "Oh, you piece of crap!" Sasuke stood up, and then hopped down beside his teammate. She had landed on her feet and hands. Glaring up at him did not make him feel any less guilty about pushing her for her insolence.

"Now that you've mentioned it," Sasuke began, taking in his surroundings. "This is the place… where we first bonded." His statement brought Mayu back from her anger-induced ranting. She stood up, blinked, and then mouthed echoed him. He found himself nodding. "Back then, I didn't know your real name yet. But I… I felt a connection towards you here. You showed your tears in front of me, and then you admitted to wanting someone dead. You were the first person I had met that felt something akin to what I had felt, and so I opened myself to you. I told you about my family. You were also the only person who did not say or think my revenge was wrong. You said that revenge could be necessary, but it shouldn't consume a person." Finally, he turned to Mayu. She was giving him such a look of amazement that he felt unnerved by it. "What?"

"I… cried in front of you? Why?"

"I overpowered you… You didn't like the thought of being weak."

"Oh… wow…" And then she laughed. Sasuke could only stare in confusion. One moment she appeared baffled, and then she looks as though she could not stop herself from guffawing. "I was such a brat!" Her laughter subsided to mere giggles. She reached out, lightly touching his cheek. "But I'm glad things turned out this way due to my former self." Without any sort of explanation, Mayu dropped her arm and turned her back to him. "I can't believe it…" she thought.

Judging from Sasuke's account of what happened, he had 'defeated' her so easily. At that age, Mayu had to admit that she had been just as prideful as Sasuke. Honestly, she still felt pride in herself. Her pride must have been ruined, and so she had cried, most likely blurting out things about Orochimaru. What could she say? She hadn't been a fan of the snake bastard. She had probably ranted about Sasuke to Sasuke. Knowing that, Mayu couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Such a childish mentality she had. The kunoichi snorted. Then again, it did help her bond with the normally aloof Uchiha. In this way, Sasuke's mentality had somewhat changed at a crucial time. Because of her. Selfish as it sounded, it made her happy.

"Oi…" His voice brought her out of her thoughts. "To make you remember, I want to bring up our memories more often. The trigger word lies in the past."

"I agree, but-" Mayu faced him. "-let's not force my memories to appear while we are on an important mission. The last time it happened, our enemy was Akatsuki. I do not want that to happen again. Others won't be as polite as your brother."

"Polite? Him?" He scoffed and crossed his arms.

"Well, he did stand idly by whilst my memories returned. How sweet of him," she remarked while grinning. She grinned because the agitation slowly creeped on her teammate's face. Admittedly, she liked to see him riled up. When his veins bulged like that, it was… Mmmm. Generally, his expression was so damn neutral that she couldn't help but to try to cause a crack in his expressionless mask. It was though the gods themselves had requested that she break his detached nature.

"There's nothing sweet about him."

"Except his sweet ass."

"Except his sweet a-" He stopped, red-faced, realizing what he was just about to repeat. "Mayu!" The kunoichi only chuckled, nudging him with her elbow. She told him to stop being such a hard ass and laugh at her awesome joke. "It wasn't awesome. It was stupid." Mayu only stuck out her tongue in response.

0-0

A party was defined as a social gathering. The purpose of such an event was for celebration or recreation. It could have religious, cultural, or seasonal insinuations. There were, of course, various types of parties. Traditional parties are social gatherings within a formal atmosphere. Celebrating an event or an occurrence was considered a traditional party. Sai looked up from his book. His dark eyes scanned the inhabitants of the large room. All the people were dancing, laughing, or smiling. Sai's eyes looked down at the page. "Various types of parties…" he thought. He flipped the page. On the next page, it listed several types of parties. His eyes widen in fascination. Who knew there were so many categories? "Everyone…" Sai whispered into his wireless radio, concealed from the naked eye by a genjutsu. "Did you know that there were several varieties of social gatherings?" he asked, eyes still reading. "They don't exactly go into detail about what happens at these different types, but—what's a sex party?"

A snort, giggle, and embarrassed cough came into his ears.

"Sai…! This is no time to be asking such things!" Naruto's embarrassed voice almost hissed. "You're supposed to be looking for Uncle Mori!"

"My apologies…" Sai replied. He closed his book and tucked it under his arm.

"Since when did he become your uncle?" Sasuke's voice asked.

"… Sh-Shut up, Sasuke…!"

"Now, now, children…" Mayu's voice soothed. "We've got a mission to carry out. You can argue later. Anyway, Naruto, any luck in the bathrooms?"

"Nope… He hasn't come in yet," Naruto answered.

"Sasuke…?"

"No, he's not—stop fucking with me!"

"What the hell was that?" Mayu's voice asked, sounding a bit ticked off.

"Some girls won't leave me alone," Sasuke answered. "Anyway, Sai, what about you…?"

"There's no sign of Ishikari-san," Sai answered. "Are we what you call a dysfunctional family…?" he mused in thought.

"I don't see him in here, either…" Mayu muttered. "And it's been two hours since the party has started…"

"Maybe he didn't come…?" Naruto suggested.

"Haku would have told us by now," Sasuke stated.

"Alright, keep your eyes open and alert," Mayu said.

"Yes…!"

Sai focused his attention on the crowd around him again. Everyone was dressed in western styled clothing. Apparently, it was another form of celebrating the end of Gato's monopolizing over the imports. Sai, himself, wore a black tuxedo without the tie. The other two males of his team wore the same tuxedo. Of course, there were variations. Naruto had a lime green dress shirt underneath his black jacket with a matching tie. Sasuke chose a white dress shirt, but he had no bow or tie. Mayu had taken the liberty of unfastening several buttons of his shirt to show his chest. She had winked and told him how cool he looked. Sasuke rolled his eyes but his cheeks had turned red. Sai had watched the interaction, mildly fascinated. He could have sworn he had heard Mayu make a peculiar sound. 'Mmmm,' she made that sound as he eyes glazed over. But it had been so quick, he had not been sure. Neither Sasuke nor Naruto had taken note of it.

Sai didn't understand why his teammate reacted in that way, so he kept it in mind to ask them about it later. When Mayu had walked away to begin surveillance, Sai had heard Naruto whisper to Sasuke that Mayu was a little pretty. Sasuke replied by hitting Naruto on the head, saying 'She's my eye candy. Get your own.' Naruto had sputtered indignantly. Sai hadn't understood this. It was Mayu, after all. She only wore different clothing. Sure, she had her hair styled in curls. Sure, she put on mascara and eyeliner to enhance the blue in her eyes. Sure, she had a simple, yet elegant, strapless, satin sky-blue dress. And yes, maybe she did smell a little better than normal—okay, a lot better, but… it was still Ishikari Mayu, complaining about how the clothes she wore were 'itchy as hell!' and how the 'damned shoes!' were 'killing' her.

Sai shrugged as he continued to glance around the room, occasionally waving to females who winked at him. It caused them to giggle and turn away, red faced, so Sai thought this action was okay. He thought back to his three teammates and mentally sighed. Would he ever understand them…? "This weird dysfunctional family of mine…" he thought.

Perhaps he should study relationships a little more…

0-0

Naruto adjusted the volume of his wireless radio to a minimum. He sighed. Why exactly had he been assigned bathroom? Sai and Mayu had gotten the two rooms full of people. Sasuke had gotten the entrance of the huge building. And Haku, who decided to help with the mission, searched the village. The older male would be here soon. He would help Naruto with searching the upstairs of the building.

It was relatively quiet upstairs than downstairs, so it would be likely that the shy Ishikari Morino was up here somewhere. Naruto almost scoffed. It was a little hard to believe that anyone in the Ishikari family was shy, but that assumption was based on Mayu. Still, he had to go on what his teammate told him, not what he thought. Naruto exited the bathroom, tightening his tie a little. He had checked about five bathrooms and there was still no sign of the target. And that's another thing… Why the hell was there so many bathrooms?! Judging from the information Haku had told them, there were still several other bathrooms to check! Luckily, the bathrooms were divided up for male and females. So really, those several bathrooms were cut in half.

"But this is incredibly boring!" Naruto thought with a heavy sigh. Then he grinned. He covered the wide grin with his fingers. That did little to suppress his snicker of glee. Haku had shown and told him something not so boring, though. The sooner the mission ended, the sooner he would have his entertainment. And maybe… just maybe… Sasuke wouldn't hit him for it. After all, this entertainment was for his best friend's benefit. Naruto and Haku were so nice to do this, really. Saving those thoughts for later, the blond shinobi walked down the corridor, hands shoved in his pockets. The bathroom at the end of the hall was in his sights.

He had just been about to check the bathroom further down, but a noise caught his attention. Naruto shook his head and frowned. To his left, the sound came from behind a door. Before he knew it, his curiosity got the better of him. His hand gripped the doorknob. "Maybe Uncle Mori's not in one of the bathrooms," he thought. He turned the knob. "Maybe he's just hiding out in a bedroom!" The blond shinobi forgot the fact that many of the rooms were off limits to the public and were locked. However, this door wasn't locked like the others. Slowly and carefully, Naruto opened the door.

What he saw made him pause. There was a person, standing near the window without a shirt. Naruto couldn't help the gasp that escaped his throat. Not only was the person disfigured. Honestly, it looked as though his discolored arms had been sewed on. But he had just walked in on a woman changing! He knew from experience that this was a terrible thing to be caught doing. His gasp alerted the woman with the long blond hair to flinch, and then turn. Naruto's brain screamed for him to move, runaway screaming apologize, but his body remained rooted to the spot. The woman stared for a moment before appearing miffed. Her blue eyes glared in his direction. "Do you mind?!" Faster than he had ever moved before, Naruto's hands shot up, covering his eyes and reddened cheeks.

"I didn't see anything!" he proclaimed. It was a lie. He saw everything. "But it shouldn't matter since you don't have much, right?!" When he was scared, stupid things usually spewed from his mouth. He couldn't help it really. Experience, and the beatings that occurred because of it, had flashed through his mind in under a second. Most often, he had been on the receiving end of Sakura's fists. The woman narrowed her eyes further—a look of perplexity crossed her features.

"What the hell are you talking about? Hey, wait! I know you!" she exclaimed. Naruto peeked by moving one of his fingers. The woman had not attempted to cover herself, so he hurriedly moved his finger back. "You're that—what the hell are you doing, un?!" An offended sputter erupted from the woman's mouth. "You think I'm a woman, don't you?!"

"Y-You're not?!" Naruto's hands flew from his face. "You're not just a really flat-chest woman?"

"FUCK YOU!" she screamed. But now that he had gotten a closer look, the blond woman did have a few masculine features. Shit. "But lucky me! I get to kill two birds with one stone, un." Wait a minute. That nasal grunt sounded slightly familiar to him. Then he got it. He pointed a finger.

"You're that male Ino!"

"I'm going to enjoy this far more than I should!" He lifted his hand, palm upturned, revealing the tongue.

… This was not going to end well.

0-0

Sasuke crossed his arms, back resting against the wall of the building. "This is so boring," he thought. All the villagers had filed into the giant mansion. Sasuke was mildly surprised that the place did not burst because of being packed so full. But then again, it was probably much bigger on the inside. The Uchiha had not been inside yet. He would rather be inside, possibly dancing with Mayu. Their last dance had been enticingly fun. He would not mind doing it again. Sasuke sighed. No one arriving any longer, and yet he remained outside. It was not cold. It was quite humid. He really wanted to take off his jacket, but he could not because of the concealed weapons he brought. Sure, this mission was important and all, but… "Damn…" he murmured, adjusting the jacket. "It's too hot." Shrugging, he slipped the jacket from his body before slinging it over his shoulder.

"You, too, huh…?" a deep voice caused Sasuke to look up. He had not heard the man come out. Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes. He had not sensed his presence at all. It reminded him greatly of Mayu's ability. The stranger walked to the railing, and he rested his arms on it. His head looked up to the night sky. "I don't like crowded places either… especially if it's clammy like this."

"He looks… familiar…" Sasuke thought, watching as the man lit up a cigarette. This man seemed tall, looking to be over one-hundred and ninety centimeters. Brown skin, blue eyes, and spiky brown hair lead Sasuke to believe that this was the man the team had been looking for. Ishikari Morino. Mayu's uncle. The picture the Hokage had given them had been a few years old, but the resemblance had been too uncanny. There could not be many people walking around with these features. The man blew out toxic smoke. "You shouldn't smoke… It'll kill you," Sasuke muttered.

"… Kid…" The Uchiha was surprised that he responded. "This is one of the last pleasures I have left in this world." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, thinking that he should alert the rest of the team. However, he suddenly felt hesitant. The young Uchiha bit his lip before slowly walking towards the man. He stood next to him, turning his gaze upward.

"One of the few pleasures you have left, huh?" he murmured. "I used to think that way…"

"Oh really…?" the man said, though he sounded bored.

"Yeah… That pleasure would have sent me down a path of destruction," Sasuke continued. His dark eyes shifted down at the ground below. "Most likely, there would be no turning back for me."

"Che… I have no one left in this world," the man stated. "Who would care what I do now?"

"What if there was? Would you stop?" Sasuke asked. His dark eyes glanced in the man's direction. He noticed the faint mustache under his nose. There was also a small mole near his left eye. "For a long time, I believe that I had no one else in this world. It's because I refused to let anyone else in. My pleasure would have ended up killing me and those who care about me."

The man frowned. He dropped his cigarette, and then stepped on it. "We're not talking about smoking, are we?" he asked. He narrowed his eyes. "It sounds like we're talking about revenge. Like you know me."

"I don't know you" Sasuke replied. "But I know the look—the way you carry yourself. It's almost like staring at a mirror."

"What's a kid like you know about that?"

"A lot."

"… Who the hell are you?"

"I was just like you a few years back," Sasuke continued, purposely not answering his question. "I used to believe that avenging my clan was everything. Constantly getting stronger to kill a man was all I ever thought about, that is… until I met her… She told me strength was not everything. Retribution does not have to consume you completely. Stare into the dark but do not let it consume you. There are always other things in this world. My mind is no longer on a one-way track." He finally faced the now glaring man. The older Ishikari took a step back.

"Are you Akatsuki or are you from the Leaf village?"

"What would you do if you did have someone you could hurt with your selfish desires?" Sasuke asked. "Would you stop?"

"Listen, kid, I asked a question! It's appropriate to answer your elders!"

Sasuke suppressed his smirk. Mayu had brought up age differences in their arguments in the past. So, they weren't only similar in appearances, were they? "What if I told you that there was someone still alive from your deceased clan?" His eyes expanded. His mouth dropped open, but no words came out. Sasuke had left him speechless. "Would you continue this little mission of yours, or return back to the village, your home, and own up to your responsibilities as a ninja of the Leaf?"

"… Wh-Why—who is-" The sound of breaking glass interrupted him. Sasuke quickly turned to see his comrade jumping from a window, glass all around him. He saw him land on the ground with a thud. Luckily, the glass had not pierced his skin. The blond shinobi took off, away from the building. Seconds later an explosion sounded, catching Sasuke's attention He turned back to the window, furrowing his brow. Flames and smoke practically shot out of the room.

"Damn it, Naruto! What the hell did you just do?!" Sasuke nearly growled. Mostly, he was annoyed that his talk with Mayu's uncle had been interrupted.

"COME BACK HERE, SO I CAN KILL YOU, UN!" a male's voice shouted. Out of the fiery room came a man on a large clay bird. With long blond hair and fierce blue eyes, Sasuke did not recognize the man. But why was he not wearing a shirt? The Uchiha sighed heavily. Something told him that the hard way was the only option. The clearly irate male made a throwing motion with his hand in the direction that Naruto had gone.

BOOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

"What the hell is going on up there…?!" Mayu's voice came into Sasuke's ears.

"The people are panicking," Sai's voice also came into his ears. The Uchiha touched the small button on his radio, and then spoke.

"I just saw Naruto… being chased by a naked man," he answered. There was a long pause, and then laughter.

"Sasuke, stop playing…!" Mayu laughed. "You're actually pretty funny, you know? But this is a mission! What's really going on?"

"I'm not joking, Mayu," Sasuke said, saying her name loudly. More explosions filled the quiet of the night. "Some guy, using a clay bird and explosives went after our idiot."

"Could it be… Deidara…? It's Akatsuki…!"

"… The people are running towards the entrance now," Sai commented. "I suggest you move Tori-suke."

"Ooh, ooh! I like that one, Sai," Mayu praised. "That's a good nickname for Sasuke."

"You think so? I am only trying it out. 'Chuckles' is another one I am thinking about."

"So, you're going for the ironic route? Since he doesn't do it often?"

"Yes. I have learned that nicknames can be ironic as well."

"…" Sasuke chose not to contribute to the ridiculous conversation. Naruto, though, felt the need to remind them of the situation.

"WOULD YOU BASTARDS COME HELP ME?!"

Sasuke winced. This was the reason Naruto did not need equipment like this. He did not know how to control the volume of his voice. He turned his eyes back to the man, only he had left. The young Uchiha sighed. "I guess the mission is a failure," he muttered. He hopped onto the railing, and then jumped down to the ground. He touched the button again. "We better go help him."

"I agree…" Sai said.

"… I suppose we should," came Mayu's hesitant voice. "Alright…! Everyone, follow the giant flying cock!"

"… Mayu, stop it," Sasuke chided.

0-0

Naruto ran. The explosions were close behind him. "Damn…" he muttered as he ran. The dense forest made it hard to attack his opponent. And yet the blond chasing after him couldn't wait to detonate his bombs. If only there was a clearing… "Yes…!" Naruto exclaimed, seeing a flat piece of land up ahead. In other words, there were no trees preventing his attacks from reaching his enemy. When he reached the middle of the clearing, he stopped. A moment later, the giant clay bird flew into view. The blond man was still on its back. A sadistic smirk was on the man's face as he looked down at his prey. Naruto almost rolled his eyes at the threats. Honestly, did all enemies feel the need to monologue? But this enemy had been seen previously. He had been the one to kidnap the Kazekage. Mayu and Ino had gone after him, but he had escaped. Now he appeared in front of him again. What had been his name? Hadn't Mayu said it? Naruto couldn't remember that.

The Akatsuki member suddenly made a tossing motion with his hand. Naruto quickly formed hands signs. "Shadow Clone Jutsu…!" One clone came into existence, and then quickly picked up Naruto and launched him upward towards the blond enemy. Bomb and shinobi glided past one another just as the enemy formed a hand sign.

"KATSU…!" The blast lifted Naruto higher. His feet touched down on the clay bird. He reared his fist back, intending to strike "What the hell…?!" That had been all he could say before Naruto's clenched fist rammed into his cheek. Blood spurted from his mouth as he fell off his own creation. Just as he was about to celebrate his hit, the massive clay bird rumbled, and then began its crash course with the ground.

"Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap!" Naruto leapt from the bird, but now he was free falling.

"Naruto!" The familiar voice of his teammate calling out to him caught his attention. Arms held above her, Mayu flew past—thanks to Sai's large ink phoenix—and grabbed him. The phoenix flew higher to avoid the large explosion that came with the clay bird's crash with the ground. With the added weight, the kunoichi fell to her knees. But Naruto was safe. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Took you guys long enough!"

"Oh. We thought you could handle it, Mr. Big Shot," Mayu retorted, narrowing her eyes. "So, we took our sweet time getting here."

"We had tea," Sai smiled, going along with his teammate's sarcasm.

"You guys are real assholes," Naruto glowered. He set his sights on the enemy below them. "That guy's crazy! I'm glad I ran here instead of where the kid's festival was."

"Oi!" Deidara shouted up at them. "You look just like the guy I was sent to kill! You're related aren't you, un?"

"Bah! You don't stand a chance against Uncle Mori! Idiot!" Mayu called back down.

"You little…!" Deidara shoved his hands into his pockets, pulling out a bit of clay. "I'll kill you all, un!" Before he could make good on this threat, he was stabbed from behind. The ninja above him could only stare in surprise at what they were witnessing. A dark cloaked form had appeared behind the Akatsuki member in a blink and impaled him with the sharp end of a kunai. The person stood to his full height, which towered over Deidara's height of, roughly, one-hundred and sixty. With a swift turn, the person decapitated the blond enemy, and then raised a foot and kicked the enemy in the back. The brutality of it all made Naruto gasp. His teammates, however, continued to stare, almost impassively. The body fell forward before turning into clay.

"Eh… Who is that?" Mayu murmured. The person suddenly removed the hood of his cloak and looked up. "Wah!" Paying no heed to her teammates' shouts, she jumped overboard. Arms outstretched, she descended. The person quickly moved, reaching his arms out towards the falling kunoichi. She would have taken him down had he not spun around to maintain balance. "UNCLE MORI!" Mayu almost screamed.

"Mayu-chan…" The man returned the fierce hug as he left her feet touch the ground. "Mayu-chan!"

The phoenix hovered lower to the ground before returning to ink. Three pairs of feet touched the ground, and yet the two Ishikari clan members did not separate. "So…" Naruto narrowed his eyes, watching his teammate cry over the reunion. "That's Uncle Mori…?" He cleared his throat. "Ishikari Morino?"

"That's appears to be the case," Sai said. "I have never seen Queen in this state before. Crying and smiling at the same time. Is this a phenomenon?"

"You've got some more required reading to do, Sai," Naruto muttered.

"You shouldn't talk, Naruto."

"Up yours, Sasuke!"

Meanwhile, behind the cover of the forest, Deidara of Akatsuki glared at the one responsible for his current injury. It hurt like a bitch. His hand pressed against his bleeding skin. That had been excessively close for comfort. That man was not a joke. Any second later, and Deidara knew his life would have been over. His clay clone had saved him again. In order to kill the Ishikari, he would definitely need distance. "Shit…" He grimaced as he backed away, keeping his eyes on the group of Leaf ninja. Trying to complete his mission now would only get himself killed. For now, he had to focus on recuperating. It wasn't like Kakuzu was still alive to sew him back together like last time. He needed to be cautious this time around. "But it won't be the last time they see me, un." Deidara disappeared by use of a transportation jutsu.

Ishikari Morino finally released his niece, faint smile gracing his features. "I thought you were gone," he murmured.

"I was," Mayu replied. "Mother sent me away with the forbidden jutsu. I have only recently returned and gained my memories. But we can talk about this later. For now, we should head back to…" Sasuke had stopped listening at this point. He touched a button on his headset, intending to let Haku in on the situation. Actually, he would not be surprised if the older teen already knew. The explosions had been quite loud, and on an island as small as this, they probably shook the entire area.

"I understand," Haku said after the explanation was giving. "I will inform the villagers. You can return to my home, but I will continue to search for Akatsuki. I do not want a dangerous person in such a peaceful village."

"Got it. Someone will help you search later. Our mission is only half-way complete."

"Then Naruto-kun and I will start ours."

"What?"

"Nothing!" Naruto blurted out, waving a hand in Sasuke's face to distract his teammate. "Haku's just being silly. Don't listen to him!" The protest only made the Uchiha suspicious. "Seriously, it's nothing! He's probably talking about… sh-shopping or something."

"Right…"

0-0