AN: I AM SO SORRY THIS IS REALLY LATE! Two weeks ago, I got hit by a truck on my dominant side, so my right arm hurt for a while, thus delay. Then I had to study for Final exams which I had last week. And then this week I've been job hunting. But through all that, I was able to finish this! So here it is! And I wanna thank all of you guys for 7,400+ views! And over 150 reviews! You guys are awesome!

Also, I had to change two character names. Instead of Winnifred and Ronni Burke, it's Winnifred and Ronni Butler. Ronni's name was too close to a guy that did something really bad a couple years back that I had forgotten until my parents reminded me and forced me to change it. Sorry for any confusion.

And to Thomas Drovin, No, I don't think they will. They might, but they don't know who he is, so they'll just glare at him. And I always ignore the flamers. Unless they give me a decent one. The ones I've gotten aren't even that harsh.

And to GrimSpeck18, when were you thinking of calling me? .

And to anonymous (because you didn't leave a name), Thank you so much. Actually, my sis wrote the whole critic thing because my Mom wanted to write it, but she doesn't have a profile. I'll tell her you said so. ^.^ Anyway, Yes, my sister did do that. I would have beaten her to a pulp if I wasn't busy being sick and laughing at her screaming when I wasn't. Don't beat your sister with a shoe. She probably does it on purpose to get a raise out of you. Instead, just do it back to her just to mess with her head. ^.^ And yes, I would like nothing better than to do that to Sasuke, but hey, my bestie will kill me when I see her in a couple weeks if I did, and I rather like my life. ^.^

And to Azura Soul Reaver, Yes, he really is. But he does have his reasons … which we'll find out a lot later!

And to Dantesfreezer, Yes, this is an all-time low for Sasuke. He will have more, don't worry. He is the king of Emoland. ^.^

And to NarutardKerry, haha! Yes, still love Sauce-gay! I shall add more Fred, but I'm not sure how exactly to pull more Ronni and Kiba in. Ronni's kind of an out there person, and Kiba's not in the show that much either. Oh, well, I'll try and get them in more!

And to PyroRoxas, I'm glad it was worth it! And alas, it was poor Sasuke. He made a fatal mistake. Ah, He needs more than a Gibb's smack. He needs a Ziva torture and beat down. Haha, and thanks for recommending my story. The more readers, the merrier! ^.^

And to Melbookgrl, here it is! ENJOY! ^.^

And we have newbie fave-ers/alerters!Melbookgrl, BadLuckoftheIrish, Storylover213, and PyroRoxas. Thank you guys, and welcome to the family!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters etc. You know the drill. Oh, and Kirigi, Saito, Mi, and Ryuu belong to Thomas Drovin, which I'm very grateful he's letting me use. Although, I did take some creative liberties with Saito and Ryuu, Thomas. Thanks a bunch!

Chapter Thirteen: The Last Day in Konoha

"YOU!" Cordi snarled, pointing an accusing finger at the youngest Uchiha. She and Rox had found him waiting outside of the Hokage building, probably for his teammate to come out. He slowly turned around, shooting them an indifferent glare. "Yeah, you! I've got a bone to pick with you!" she spat, stomping up to him. As soon as she got in arms length of him, she swiped at him and snatched him by the collar.

Rox stayed silent, glaring into his empty charcoal eyes. To tell the truth, just seeing him now, standing in a smug stance, just pissed the Turner sisters off to no end. He glared back at the both of them. He could notice the rims of their eyes changing colors, but he figured it was a trick of the light.

"What the fuck do you two want?" he snapped back, not dropping his gaze, which was just as heated as Cordi's and Rox's glares.

Cordi quickly threw a left hook at him, landing it squarely on his jaw. He quickly recovered, shooting another heated glare at her before slapping away her hand. "I thought the whore told you not to hit me," he remarked.

"She's a bit preoccupied at the moment, ass-wipe!" Rox spat as she disappeared and reappeared behind him, snatching his shadow sword away from him and hitting him where his neck met his shoulder with the butt of the sword. A sudden jolt went through his body from the pressure point she hit. Rox quickly tossed the sword aside, too far from his reach, only to be caught by one of Cordi's fire clones.

Sasuke's eyes quickly scanned the area, trying to figure out a plan. The sisters didn't give him any time though. Rox quickly sent a swift kick to the side of his head. He ducked, dodging the blow, grabbing her ankle in mid-air. With a simple fluid motion, he swung Rox toward her charging sister. Rox disappeared again, letting Cordi run in, looking as if she were about to land another punch to the face, but feinting and landing it instead into his diaphragm. He let out a cough at the harsh contact, losing his breath for a bit. She pulled away, seeing him collapse onto all fours, clutching his stomach with one hand while the other grasped at the cobblestone, trying to grasp onto it for some reason. Rox walked up behind him, snagging his jet black hair and snapping his head up, and forcing his body into a kneeling position. Cordi walked up to him, her eyes full of hatred and disgust. She snatched him by the throat, cutting off some of his breathing.

She saw his eyes changing until they reached their Amaterasu pattern. She knew that he rarely used this now because soon enough he'd need glasses. It wasn't much of a secret. She felt the beginning burns of Amaterasu on her shoulder. She smirked, lifting her free hand and pulling the black flame off her shoulder and holding it in a nice fire ball in front of her. His eyes widened seeing this.

"Oh, you're surprised," Cordi scoffed. "In case you forgot, I control fire." She squeezed his throat a little tighter, his eyes widening. He noticed her eyes. They were changing color from their usual brown to an orangish red, slowly drifting toward her pupils, giving her an eerie ethereal look. "And Amaterasu is just that. Fire," she continued. A vengeful expression flashed across her face. "Maybe you'd like to experience it for yourself," she snarled, about to push the fireball onto his chest.

She was stopped by a tendril of sand wrapping itself around her wrist, holding her hand back. Nobody had to look to know it was Gaara. Naruto appeared beside them, grasping both Roxanne's wrist and Cordi's other wrist, pulling them away from the Uchiha. The clatter of Sasuke's shadow sword sounded out as Cordi's fire clone was dispelled. Sasuke gasped, gently caressing his freed neck.

"As much as he deserves it," Naruto stated, looking to both girls, "I cannot permit you to kill him." He looked down at his former best friend, disappointment etched into his face.

"Nor can I," Gaara added, walking up to them. "You got them, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah," the lazy Nara sighed, a frown ever present on his face. He slowly walked over to the side, forcing the girls to walk with him as Gaara and Naruto let go of the girls' wrists. Shikamaru did a double take seeing their eyes. Rox had a light purple ringing her iris and Cordi a fiery orange, but the colors quickly faded as he saw them calm down. The moment he noticed they were calmed down enough, he released his shadow jutsu, freeing them.

They could hear the quick patter of footsteps as Lynne, Fred, Ronni, Kankuro, and Kiba came running into view. Lynne was the first to stop, eyeing the scene warily. Sasuke was still kneeling on the ground, lightly clutching his abdomen. Lynne slowly walked up to him, pity for his feeble form nowhere in her eyes, hate growing in her for the man in front of her. She did want him to hurt, that thought still pressed on her mind. Silently the group watched her approach him as she knelt down to his level. His pitiful appearance sent a flare of anger through her. She let her hand fly out, striking him across the cheek with a loud smack. Suddenly a sinister smile crawled onto her face and she asked, "You want to hear something funny?" He didn't reply, so she continued, slowly standing over him, "I honestly wish you'd died instead of your brother. At least then there'd be some honor still left in your clan name! I wish these babies were his instead. At least then they'd have a father worthy of the Uchiha name and idolization!

"I thought your clan was all about honor and righteousness! What honor? What righteousness? You're a fool! Weren't you the one who ran like an idiot towards power like a hungry whore? Who's the REAL whore? If you're so set on power, then think of this: a set of Uchiha twins with the Sharingan AND telepathy. Maybe even the power to raise the dead! And you, you've given it all up: the power, the prestige, the honor, the love, the family, your clan, and most of all, any respect I had for you! I wish I could have Itachi instead!" A tear silently slid down her cheek as she added, "I wish I never came to this place! Just go and DIE! Die like you wanted my babies to! I hate you! I HATE YOU! .YOU!" Tears were flowing freely down her face as she clutched her abdomen. Cordi quickly rushed over to her side, wrapping her arms around her best friend. Lynne brushed her off, stating, "I'm not finished," as she wiped the tears away from her eyes.

"These babies are mine," she growled dangerously at him. She pointed to herself and reiterated, "Mine." He slowly looked up into her furious, but hurt eyes. "You will not tell me what to do with them," she ordered, holding back a sob. "And you SURE AS HELL don't have any say in how I handle my pregnancy. And you will not come within fifty feet of them, unless you wish to die by my hands. Understand?" He glared at her. She glared back, taking his expression as a yes, and turned on her heel. She walked away, all of her strength and willpower to follow through with her threats radiating off her presence with every stride. Fred, Ronni, Rox, and Cordi followed her off the road toward the center of town. Everyone except Sasuke followed them out, who just kneeled there, looking at the ground, realizing he had lost all of his friends … again.

He slowly looked up, seeing Naruto was lagging behind. "Naruto?" he asked. Naruto didn't say anything as they shared a glance. Naruto looked down, shaking his head at his old friend, before silently walking away, leaving Sasuke by himself.

"I'm a little confused," Shikamaru sighed, eyeing the girls sitting on the other side of the small living room. Naruto suggested to everyone that to calm down from everything, they should have some tea. He invited them all over to his place, saying Hinata most likely wouldn't mind. She didn't. As soon as they got there, she quickly ran to the kitchen and started preparing the tea after inviting everyone into the living room.

"What about?" Ronni asked, grasping a stick of chocolate pocky that Kiba had offered her. Rox had already eaten five sticks and was moving onto her seventh, which Shikamaru rolled his eyes at, but otherwise ignored it.

"Well, what you said about Itachi," Shikamaru stated, gesturing to Lynne.

Lynne slowly blinked at him, realized everyone's eyes except her friends were on her. "Y-you guys don't know?" she asked.

"Know what?" Naruto asked, eyeing her suspiciously, leaning forward in his seat. Even Kiba and Kankuro leaned, curious of what little fact they were missing from the story. Even Gaara leaned his head forward from the wall, interested in what she had to say.

"Why Itachi killed the Uchiha clan in the first place," Lynne stated, eyeing them oddly. This was their world, shouldn't they know what had happened already?

"Yeah, it was because he was crazy," Kankuro stated, as if the answer were obvious.

Lynne let out a small laugh and shook her head. "No, that wasn't it at all," she stated. The men's brows furrowed simultaneously, surprised to hear everything they were taught about the previous mass murdering Akatsuki member was wrong. "Ever since the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, there were suspicions that the Uchiha were behind it, because the sharingan is the only jutsu that can control it. It caused tensions between the Uchiha clan and the rest of Konoha, to the point where the Uchiha clan was planning to take over. At the time, Itachi was in Anbu as a double agent for the Uchihas and the village. It was inevitable that the people in charge, as in the Third Hokage, Danzo, and the two village elders, were going to ask Itachi to turn on his clan to prevent the Uchiha's hostile take-over. Konoha to Itachi was way more precious to him than his clan. To him, the only thing more precious than the village was Sasuke. And the rest is history," Lynne explained. Naruto, Kiba, and Kankuro looked the most confused of the group. Shikamaru was obviously processing the information, but it looked as if things were starting to make sense. Gaara just slowly nodded, fitting that piece into the puzzle that was Konoha history.

"But wait, wait," Naruto sighed, holding up a hand. "If Itachi was a good guy, why did he join Akatsuki, and how come we never heard that side of the story?"

"Because," Ronni sputtered through her pocky-filled mouth, "he asked the four people who ordered him to do it not to say it was on orders, otherwise no one would trust those four again." She quickly swallowed her food before adding, "It's kind of like the Fourth Hokage passed a law right before he died that no one was to talk about you holding the Kyuubi, so you could lead as normal a life as possible." Naruto just blinked at her. "He also wanted Sasuke to lead a normal life, and the best way to do that was to keep the Uchiha name noble and not tainted with an entire clan's treachery."

"And he joined Akatsuki to keep tabs on Madara," Fred added. "I mean, seriously, name one person Itachi murdered while he was in Akatsuki."

"Me," Gaara stated, no emotion present in his voice. Silence filled the room. Gaara heard Cordi mutter under her breath though, "Way to kill the conversation." He shot her a short glared, but looked back.

"Well … yeah," Fred struggled, trying to find a way out of the ditch she just dug for herself. "But the Akatsuki were killing off all the jinchuuriki. So if he wanted to keep tabs on Madara, killing you was a necessary evil …" Gaara's eye twitched at her, telling her that she was just digging herself further. "Someone please shut me up."

"Hey, Hinata, how's the tea coming," Naruto asked, not so subtly changing the subject.

"I'm gonna go help her with that," Fred muttered, quickly jumping out of her seat and nearly running into the kitchen. Gaara's annoyed glare followed her out.

"Gaara," Cordi sighed, pulling his gaze away from the doorway. "Itachi was doing the same thing Kirigi was. Both of them had to prove themselves to Madara to keep a place open for them in Akatsuki to stop him," Cordi reminded. Gaara frowned, but nodded his head. At least some things were clearer now.

"Anyway," Ronni sighed, grabbing another piece of pocky at the same time as Rox, "what are we going to do now? Are we still planning on the sunset thing?"

"What sunset thing?" Kiba asked, eyeing her slowly.

"Well, we thought it'd be a good idea to spend the last day we're all together watching the sunset from the Hokage Mountain," Rox explained around another stick of pocky. "I mean … that is if you guys are up for it …"

"I think that would be a very nice idea," Hinata added, walking in with a tray of steaming hot tea and a small sugar canister, Fred following close behind with a tray of china cups. Hinata and Fred quickly set the trays down on the coffee table and grabbed seats. Hinata perched herself on the armrest of Naruto's chair, while Fred took her previous seat, avoiding Gaara's peeved stare. Fred silently passed out the cups, poured herself some tea, and spooned some sugar into it. She silently sipped her tea, innocently eyeing the room, which was also quiet.

"S-so," Fred stuttered, setting her tea on the coffee table. She turned to her sister and Kiba and asked, "When are you two thinking of sealing the deal?"

The guys shot her a confused look as Ronni lifted her left hand and fiddled with the diamond ring on her finger. "W-well we only got engaged last night. We haven't discussed it yet," Ronni muttered shyly.

"Oh, you guys got engaged?" Hinata gushed. She quickly jumped up and asked, "Can I see?" Ronni nodded, holding out her left hand for Hinata to examine. "Wow, what a ring," she laughed. "How could you afford a ring like that?"

Kiba blushed, muttering, "It was my mother's." The guys shot him a strange look, which he avoided. Shikamaru pursed his lips, most likely thinking if he asked his mom for her engagement ring, she'd probably murder him.

Hinata dropped Ronni's hand and returned to her seat. "It's beautiful."

"Thanks," Ronni smiled.

"So, when should we meet tonight?" Kankuro asked, changing the subject again.

"Just before six o'clock …" Rox answered as she reached for the last piece of pocky. As she did, Ronni reached too, bumping her hand with Rox's. Rox looked down, her gaze following Ronni's arm up to her face quickly. Ronni gave her and innocent smile, to which Rox glared. "You want to lose a finger?" Rox asked dangerously. Ronni blinked innocently at her, quietly swiping the pocky stick from the platter.

Rox's eye twitched as Ronni lifted the chocolate covered stick to her lips. Rox slapped it out of her hand, knocking it into the air. As if in slow motion, Rox and Ronni watched it whirl through the air, rasping, "Nooo." They reached after it, trying to grab it before the other. Cordi quickly snatched it from the air, out of Rox's and Ronni's reach. She looked at both of them silently, disappointment and annoyance obvious in her glare. She held the stick in front of her face with both hands, by her thumbs and index fingers. She eyed both of them and then quickly snapped the stick in half. Both Rox's and Ronni's faces shattered, to Cordi's delight, their lips starting to jut out in a pout. Cordi silently handed them each a half ignoring their glares of betrayal.

Shikamaru just silently shook his head and muttered, "How troublesome."

Six o'clock rolled quickly around and they hadn't parted yet, so they decided to go together. Although, Shikamaru said he had to pick something up and would meet up with them later. He parted ways with them and quickly ran back to his house as others continued to the Hokage Mountain. As soon as he got to the Nara complex, he ran to his room, passing his mother and father having dinner. Yoshino Nara shot him a questioning glare as he ran past the dining room without so much as a "Hello."

"Where are you going?" she snapped after him. He quickly snatched something off his nightstand and ran back down the hallway. "Shikamaru!"

"I'm going out," Shikamaru sighed, as if answering her was too troublesome for him.

He didn't even look at her and ran out the door, before she could ask, "Where?" The door shut without an answer from Shikamaru, leaving Yoshino glaring at the door from her seat at the dining room table. Shikaku just pursed his lips and shook his head as he spun his chopsticks in the plate of noodles in front of him, getting a good size bite. "I swear," Yoshino growled, "that boy …"

"Just let him have his fun," Shikaku sighed, lifting the bite to his mouth.

Yoshino turned her glare to her husband and growled, "I did. I've let him have his fun with his foreign girlfriend, but I think he should have grown up a little by now. It's not going to last." Shikaku again just pursed his lips and stayed silent.

It didn't take too long for Shikamaru to catch up with the group. Luckily, he had gotten there before the sun started to set. He hadn't realized that it wasn't going to be just them. Cherokee sat with Kankuro and Fred on the first Hokage's head. Cordi and Gaara were sitting with Aleera on the second Hokage's head. Gryffin and Rox were on the third Hokage, waiting for him. Saryu was on the fourth Hokage's head with Lynne, Naruto, and Hinata. And Ronni and Kiba were with Nessie on Tsunade's head. Shikamaru quickly climbed up, joining Rox and Gryffin.

She smiled to him and commented, "You're just in time." He looked up and noticed the colors of the sky were just now beginning to change from blue to a fiery orange and red. The sun was going from its usual blinding yellow to a calmer pinkish orange. Rox smiled at him, enjoying the sight of him admiring the colors of the sky reflecting on his face. He sat down, clasping her hand in his, gently stroking her hand with his thumb, a nervous habit he'd had for years. His other hand reached into his pocket, fingering the small box.

Cordi looked over and noticed this. She nudged Gaara, who silently shot her a questioning look. She nudged her head over towards her sister, and they watched Shikamaru slowly prepare himself for his question.

"What do you think she'll say?" Gaara asked silently. Cordi shot him a look that asked "Are you stupid?" He let out a small sigh, and continued to watch.

The sun slowly disappeared over the horizon, and Shikamaru knew it was time. "Rox?" She turned to him, eyeing him curiously. Suddenly, his words seemed slightly lost to him. "Uhm," he struggled, his mind trying to fight back for his little speech. "Through the weeks that we have been together, we have gone through more than most couples ever go through. You've seen me at my weakest point, … and I'm pretty sure I've seen yours too." He paused. He couldn't believe it. When he was thinking up what he would say earlier, it sounded flawless, but now, he sounded like he was bumbling through a small lecture with no point. She just blinked at him, wondering what else he wanted to say. He sighed, "A-and, even with our years apart, I felt that those years made us grow closer than we were before, and I know that sounds crazy. But every day you were gone, I missed you more and more, and every day I hoped to see your face again." Oh, God, I sound really cheesy. How troublesome. Rox's face had turned from curious to admiration. Just get it out. Just finish it, Shikamaru resolved. "S-so, through all of this, we've stuck together. S-so I figured I should ask you …" He started, trying to pull the small box from his pocket. He tugged again, but the box seemed to be caught on something. He looked down and felt around the box. The hinge was snagged onto hem of his pocket. What the hell? He cursed, frowning at his pocket. "I-I wanted to ask you if …" He tugged again on the box, hoping it would come unhooked. "… if you would be interested in …" Finally he got it unhooked, and he was able to slide it out. He let out a small sigh. "… be interested in marr—."

Rox launched herself onto him before he could finish asking his question, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his, tears flowing freely down her face. "Yes. Yes! Of course! Yes," she gasped between kisses.

He smiled, pulling her against him. He kissed her back lightly. He then pushed her away, sliding his hand down to her left hand, lifting it up. A smile drifted across her features and a small giggle escaped her lips as he pulled out the ring that was hidden in his pocket. It held a medium sized diamond with small amethysts on each side. He gingerly slid it onto her ring finger, squeezing her hand a little in excitement. As soon as the ring was securely in place, she called, "Cordi!" When she saw her sister looking over, she quickly held up her hand to show her the ring. Cordi, who was watching the entire proposal transpire along with Gaara, had a huge grin on her face and two thumbs up at her sister. Gaara's expression just held a smug smirk in place. Suddenly, something crossed Rox's mind, and she turned to Shikamaru, seriousness etched into her face. "When do you want to tell your family?" Rox asked. She knew his father would be happy; it was his mom she was worried about.

He pursed his lips, thinking of a good time to tell them. He hadn't even told them he was planning on proposing. And he was pretty sure telling them at the moment wasn't going to turn out well. His mother still hated Rox, and his father wasn't about to stand up for Rox against his wife. Yes, his father thought Rox was a great girl, but they both knew that if Yoshino wasn't happy, neither of them would be either.

"Give me some time," Shikamaru requested, drumming his fingers in the air. She eyed him curiously, until he reasoned, "I didn't tell my parents what I was planning, and I'd rather not throw this at them like a paper bomb and have it explode in my face. I want to ease them into it."

"So why ask me now?" Rox asked suspiciously.

"Because I wanted to get Cordi's approval, seeing as she's the only family you have here, before she left for Suna," Shikamaru stated.

Rox looked confused for a bit, till she remembered Shikamaru, Cordi, and Gaara staying behind a little after the exams. "So that's what you guys were talking about," she mused. Shikamaru nodded.

"It's cheesy if you ask me," Gryffin mumbled. It surprised Shikamaru. Since the last time he heard Gryffin speak, his voice had gotten a lot deeper and more gravelly.

"Nobody did," Rox stated, snuggling up closer to Shikamaru, ignoring Gryffin rolling his eyes at the couple.

"Ryuu," Madara called out, walking towards the end of the hall. He peered through the last chamber to see the silver-haired man look up towards the door from his clay sculpting. Madara didn't need to look to know it was a dragon. Ryuu had a fascination of dragons, Madara wasn't entirely sure why, but he'd figure that out later.

"Yes, sir?" he asked, standing up and setting his clay figurine down gently so as not to disrupt the construction of it. He wrapped a barely damp towel around it and let it sit.

"I know you've been curious about my actions concerning Kirigi's and Saito's escape," Madara stated, eyeing him suspiciously.

Ryuu's eerily green eyes dropped as a small irritated glare came over his face. "Mi won't stop bugging me about it," he spat. He looked up to judge Madara's expression, only to be reminded of the pumpkin-like mask in the way. He heard Madara chuckle from behind it, so he figured his expression held a smile. "I don't see what's so funny about it," Ryuu growled at Madara.

"Well, you are young …" Ryuu sent Madara a glare that told him he knew better. "… well, young looking," Madara corrected. Ryuu couldn't argue with that. Despite his age, his pale skin held no wrinkles, his body was very fit, even though it was hidden underneath clothes that showed he came from nobility, which was a black long-sleeved yukata and black formal, but flexible, pants. His silvery white hair was long and wavy, down to just past his shoulder blades. Only his eyes dared to betray his age. Each decade, they grew a deeper, more phosphorescent green. "And Mi," Madara continued, "Well, Mi is Mi. I'm not sure how else I can explain that."

"Well, Saito leaving is rather unfortunate for me," Ryuu stated. "Without him to perplex Mi's – tendencies, she's moved onto me. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stand her incessant flirting without killing her."

Madara just shrugged. "Don't think Mi is a push over," he warned.

"Well, that's fairly obvious," Ryuu stated, scowling at Madara, "otherwise she wouldn't be allowed in here." They were silent for a bit before Ryuu stated, "Discussing Mi isn't why you were here, though." He turned to face Madara, a skeptical frown on his face. "Why didn't you have Shada go after them? Now our enemies will know exactly what they're facing."

"You mistake me for a fool," Madara sighed. "I knew Kirigi was a spy. It was obvious since his first test of loyalty to the Akatsuki, when we found Katsumi. He was obviously unsettled by taking an unstable young girl in our ranks. A true Akatsuki member wouldn't care." He paused dramatically so this information would sink in. Ryuu, a rarely confused man, looked utterly lost for a bit until the last pieces fell into place. Then Madara continued, "I only let Kirigi be privy to information I didn't mind our enemies knowing."

"Like Saito," Ryuu muttered.

"Precisely," Madara stated.

"But, that means the enemy will know how to get around the genjutsu you plan to use," Ryuu reasoned.

"I did put a genjutsu on Saito, but there are some things that need to be fixed about it. It's too – penetrable," Madara explained. "When Katsumi got back, she needed to have her genjutsu on her other half fixed. Aneko kept breaking through small cracks in the original seal. Kirigi didn't know, but Aneko is my real test subject. That's why Katsumi was only happy to join."

"So then, why put a genjutsu on Saito?" Ryuu questioned, not entirely understanding Madara's intellect.

"Saito was hard to reason with," Madara explained. "Even though his sensei, Shada Takeshi joined us willingly, Saito couldn't be convinced Akatsuki was the right choice. Shada would not join without his student, so I put the original version of the genjutsu on Saito to get them both."

Ryuu was about to say something when they both heard "THERE YOU ARE RYUU!" in a high pitched, girly squeal that only Mi could master.

Ryuu pursed his lips then muttered to Madara, "If you'll excuse me." Madara nodded, watching Ryuu swiftly sidestep down another corridor and disappear into the darkness.

"RYUU! WHERE'RE YOU GOING! OH! ARE WE PLAYING HIDE AND SEEK! I LOVE HIDE AND SEEK FOREPLAY!" Mi squealed, rushing past Madara and down the dark corridor. Madara could barely contain the laugh that escaped his lips as he walked off.

AN: So, you guys like? yes? Tell me in the form of a review! I love hearing what you guys have to say!