"I think my patience is running thin," Mayu thought as she exited another inn. This town was full of temporary housing. She had lost count of the inns she had checked already. Perhaps it would have been more productive to play 'I Spy' as she darted here and there in search of the right inn. Catching Jiraiya earlier might be beneficial, after all. However, it would take time to convince him of the danger. Especially if that woman in the small blue dress was hanging all over him. The old pervert would not be distracted so easily by a stranger—a little girl at that. No, it would best to find the inn. She knew that her former teammate had been left to his own devices in this episode. Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame had targeted him so easily.

Mayu scratched at her cheek. Both ninja were dangerous. Mere genin, even Naruto and Sasuke, would not stand a chance against them. Even Kakashi had not been able to stand the might of Uchiha Itachi's prowess. At home, watching it for the first time, Mayu had been stunned at the difference. Before she knew better, she had believed Kakashi to be one of the strongest ninja in Konoha. Having a stranger take him out so easily had left her feeling daunted. As the episodes continued, Mayu had realized the true danger. And it had nothing to do with his strength.

Narrowing her eyes, the girl continued her search. The true danger lied with the man's effect on Sasuke. With his presence and a few words, Itachi had shoved his little brother down a darker path. A path that had led to Orochimaru. Tainted power. Severed bonds. Disconnection. Itachi caused that. All that strife. A respected and talented fighter had been transformed into the enemy. A traitor to his village. Uchiha Sasuke had nearly become the man he wanted to kill. Was that irony? Or just plain blindness. Either way, Mayu had stopped respecting Sasuke after that. A traitor did not deserve to be looked at with admiration. But that had not happened yet. Not this time.

Mayu hoped she could reach the correct inn before Sasuke. She did not know what she would do just yet, but if she could somehow stop the two brothers from meeting so soon, maybe… The girl clenched her teeth. Maybe this was just wishful thinking on her part. After all, if she had not befriended Sasuke in the first place, she would not think to change anything—allow the show to run its course in the same direction. All characters needed to take the same path. Kishimoto had a plan in the end, right? Who was she to interfere?

"That's right…" Mayu thought. "I'm just a girl that accidently came to this place." Truthfully, she should not care so much about these characters. Truthfully, events that had transpired—and would transpire—had nothing to do with her. She should not feel so strongly towards this fictitious world. Sasuke. Naruto. Hinata. Gaara. The friendships she forged should not matter. "But they do. They mean so much to me!" Swallowing hard, Mayu entered yet another inn. Despite logic, this girl from another world would intervene the best she could. She could not simply walk away from this—or any—situation without trying her best to alter things. Even if was just a little, she would rather spare her friends of suffering.

Determined, Mayu breathed in deeply. She then headed over to the desk where a single person operated the station. The man visibly stood up as she approached. If she had to guess, Mayu would say he was around the same age as her father. "Hello, what can I do for you?" he questioned, politely.

"I am looking for a boy around my age," Mayu told him, as she had done for numerous other receptionists. "He is a ninja with a bright orange jumpsuit. He has blond hair and blue eyes. Is he perhaps staying here? Or have you seen him pass by?" The man hummed lightly, closing his eyes in thought.

"Well, actually, I've only just begun my shift," he admitted. "What is this boy's name? Maybe he is on the guest list."

"Probably not his name," Mayu said. Would Jiraiya list his own name? She could not be sure, but it did not hurt to try. The girl opened her mouth, hoping that a last name was not required, but before she could utter a word, a familiar sound entered her ears. The crown twitched before she sharply turned her head towards a corridor that led towards stairs. To the floor above. Admittedly, it took more than a few seconds to comprehend. Mayu's eyes widened. "Evacuate the building," she said, eyes still focused on the staircase.

"Th-They're only two on this floor," the man said. "There's no one on the next floor, according to the guest list."

"Good. Get them and leave now!"

"Wh-"

Before he could question the demand, a righteous shout—a battle cry—rang out. Mayu cut her eyes to the man, noting he finally seemed to sense a disturbance. "Leave now!" she shouted, startling the man enough for him to flinch. He opened his mouth again, shifting his position. However, explosion following the shout interrupted, shaking the foundation of the building. "Damn it!" Mayu took off towards the stairs. "Send Konoha the bill for the damages!" she threw behind her as she dashed up the stairs. Sounds of flabbergast followed, but she was now focused solely on what came next. "Stealth don't fail me now!" she thought, moving quickly down the hallway. They should be just around the corner.

Mayu reached the corner. She pressed her back against the wall, holding her breath. Her heart thrashed a bit wildly within her chest, but she could do nothing about it. Just around the corner, two powerful ninja threatened her friends. She had to intervene. She had to. Right? She could not let this stand. Mayu shuddered lightly, realizing that she was stalling. But going out there without some type of plan-

All thought fled her mind when she heard screams of pain. Like a bolt hit her square in the chest, Mayu flinched violently. That was enough to jumpstart her courage, plan be damned. She peered around the corner. Sasuke, grunting and panting on the ground, held his wrist. Itachi stood above him, looking down. Stoic. So uncaring that he had snapped his brother's wrist. Mayu remembered how unfeeling he had been. Watching it happen, she had never felt so uncomfortable about someone before. Her senses had reeled. Seeing it so close now almost felt personal. Without a doubt, Uchiha Itachi was a villain. Blue eyes glanced at his companion. The blue-skin of Hoshigaki Kisame was easily recognized. He stood closer to Naruto, clearly amused by the scene he watched. Her former teammate stood rooted to the spot, it appeared. None of them had noticed her presence. It was time to correct that.

"Shh, shh, quiet…! Hurry up and get in the closet. Don't you make a sound, or some shit is going down!" The melody of her voice traveled down the hallway. Three pairs of eyes turned to her. Naruto, Kisame, and Itachi watched as she slowly stepped forward. Sasuke remained on the floor, appearing to struggle to pick himself up. The lyrics chosen had come from catching her mother as she sang while moving through the house and cleaning. Her mother had told her that she absolutely abhorred the man who created the song, but she could not deny the concept had been entertaining. Apparently, there were twenty-two parts, and her mother knew all the words. Mayu, herself, only knew a bit. Translating into her native language had been tough, but she had managed to make it sound the same. With nearly all eyes on her, the girl continued. "Why don't I just go out the window?" she sang. "Yes, except one thing—we're on the fifth floor. Shit, think. Shit, think. Shit—quick put me in the closet. And now I'm in this darkest closet, trying to figure out… just how I'm gonna get my crazy-ass up out this house."

"Y-You…!" Naruto greeted, seemingly stunned by her arrival. "Why are you here?"

"Naruto, don't interrupt my performance!" Mayu scolded him. In the back of her mind, she hoped to hell that Sasuke understood her method. All this was a diversion. She hoped he would use it effectively. Logically, instead of allowing his emotions get the better of him. It had already led him to a broken wrist, so he must realize that he had to do something different. "Now, as I was saying…" She dramatically cleared her throat, holding a closed fist to her lips, miming a microphone. "He walks back to the room! Right now, I'm sweating like hell! Checks under the bed! Then opens the dresser! He looks at the closet! I pulled out my Beretta! He walks up to the closet! Getting closer to the closet! Now, he's at the closet! Did I mention the closet? Closet… closet… closet…"

She echoed herself until her voice faded. Mayu had to stop herself from grinning widely. Kisame stared at her, eyebrows raised and mouth slightly ajar. He was so blown away by the singing that he could not help but stare in awe. Of course, Itachi remained impassive to the beautiful singing, but his Sharingan focused on her person. "Come on, Sasuke—take the hint!" Mayu thought. As though reading her mind, the younger Uchiha hurriedly—yet wearily—lifted himself from the floor. She would have breathed a sigh of relief if Sasuke had not run towards her, full-on glare on his face.

"Are you an idiot?!" he raised his voice. Mayu nearly rolled her eyes. Apparently, he had chosen the route of both logic and emotion. Fortunately, his spike of anger at her overrode the intense need to attack Itachi again. Despite the yelling, Mayu breathed a little easier now that he was further away from his brother. "Hey-!" Without looking away from the enemy, she silenced the beginnings of a rant by pressing her index finger against Sasuke's lips. They were all still in danger, but Naruto remained blocked off by the two adults. Somehow, she had to get him to safety. Or keep befuddling the Akatsuki members until Jiraiya showed up. Surely, he heard the noise from Sasuke's attack, and was already on his way.

"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame…" Mayu began. She narrowed her eyes. "You two… have turned your backs against the heavenly truth by sullying your hands with evil! Watch as your instruments of destruction break before my justice!" She pointed a dramatic finger at the pair. Unabashed with her own behavior, Mayu stood strong, never once faltering in her fearless dignity. The two in question did not react to her shenanigans. Even Naruto managed to remain frozen, much too bewildered to react. Good. If they were that taken aback, then they could not think of harming Naruto.

"What is this? So many brats keep popping up," Kisame remarked. "Who might this be, I wonder? To so boldly approach—I can't tell if it's bravery or stupidity."

"Both."

"I'm glad you asked," Mayu said, ignoring the smart-ass remark from the shinobi beside her. She grinned, lowering her finger. "I am the purveyor or justice. My hammer strikes foes where they dare stand before me. I am the light where there is dark. I am the honey in your tea. I am the alpha and the omega. I am the strength of the weak. I am fire. I am death. Both cleansing and destructive. Ishikari Mayu is my name. Kicking the bad guy's beep is my game!" Yep. She had censored herself and she did not care. "How about it? Ready to have my hammer of justice wreak havoc upon your pitiful lives?" Again, they were stunned speechless. Admittedly, Mayu was also surprised at the speech that had spewed from her mouth. Of course, Sasuke had no problem speaking.

"I'm going to make sure you die in front of me!" he nearly growled as he roughly grabbed her shoulder and forced her around to face him. Drama queen. Mayu almost rolled her eyes. She settled for pouting. Sasuke only glared.

"Why you gotta be so rude? Don't you know I'm human, too?" Mayu serenaded. Sasuke hand-chopped the top of her head. "Ow! Okay, fine, that was fair…" She gingerly rubbed her head, further poking out her lip. "But I did good, right? I think I was born for theater!"

"Yeah, maybe in a place where talent's not needed!" Sasuke retorted.

"You're so mean to someone who's older than you!"

"Ishikari… Mayu…" Itachi's voice drifted down to them before Sasuke could yell. Mayu flinched, diverting her attention to the older Uchiha. The way he had said her name sent chills throughout her body. "With your dark skin and blue eyes—dominant traits of the clan—you claim such a name." Clan…? Dominant traits…? What the hell was Itachi going on about? "Do you know of what you speak? Or are you using that name as a ruse?"

"Do I have need to lie to you, weasel?" Mayu raised her voice, offended. "A ruse…?! Hardly! I am proud of my name!" She placed a hand on her chest. "And who I am! Ain't nobody got time to be using a ruse with just name! So, you can just shove that accusation right up you-" A hand covered her mouth before she could finish the insult. Sasuke glared at her again, silently telling her to shut up. Maybe she had gotten a little too riled up, but she could not help it. Itachi had thrown her for a loop. This world did not have anyone that shared her surname. Why would he mention a clan?

"… Weasel…" Itachi repeated. "So it would seem…"

His words confused her quite a bit. Maybe if he would use inflections, she would not have this problem of trying to understand. The girl swatted Sasuke's hand away from her mouth. "Dramatics aside, I don't want my friends to get hurt here. Leave without getting what you came here for."

"What a bold little girl," Kisame remarked, a malevolent grin spreading across his face. "Ordering us around like that. Are you going to allow her a deal as well like that one's sister, Itachi-san?" The older Uchiha did not response to his partner's words. Mayu, however, frowned. Deal? Kisame laughed outright. "How amusing. You know our names, but remain fearless. I'd be more than happy to put fear in you." His fingers gripped the hilt of his large weapon. Damn it. She had provoked him too much.

"Kisame," Itachi said. To Mayu's surprise, the grip on the hilt loosened. The blue-skinned man scoffed lightly. The older Uchiha turned, fully facing Mayu and Sasuke. Mayu flinched, suddenly feeling a crushing pressure across her shoulders. Then Itachi disappeared from sight. Eyes widening, she could not comprehend his speed. With no other warning, she could do little to stop Sasuke from being kicked down the hallway behind her. A strong hand dropped to her left shoulder, fingers curling to keep her in place. She remained frozen regardless of that hand. Itachi stood behind her now, and he could so whatever he pleased. In less than a second, the missing-nin had separated them. Now, he had another hostage. Damn it. It was not as though Mayu had underestimated him, but his skills still came as a shock. He had been exceptionally faster than Haku. She doubted that the Sharingan could keep up with him.

"This body you possess," Itachi whispered in her ear. Mayu tensed so much that she believed she could snap at any moment. "It is Hyuga, is it not?" How in the world did he know about this strange body possession circumstance? Could it be-? Before she could ponder further, Itachi used his other hand to tilt her head up. His Sharingan eyes stared down at her blue Hyuga eyes. Mayu whimpered a bit, wondering if this is how she died. Looking into the eyes of the most dangerous ninja.

"… I yell all y'all asses crazy—let me up out this door. Cuz this is way more than I bargained for." Despite the circumstance taking a sharp left—and her life now being on the line—Mayu nervously sang out. She was panicking under pressure. Staring directly at Itachi's face, she noticed the slight narrowing of his eyes. However, she also noticed the twitch of his lips. She could not begin to understand that. Itachi's grip on her chin increased somewhat, causing Mayu to wince and shut one eye. She was so close to this dangerous missing-nin. Was that his heartbeat? Or hers? No, it was definitely hers. Hammering at her ribcage like that, it could only be hers. What should she do? What could she do? This situation had drastically changed to a no-win.

Then Naruto decided to make his move. Yelling out, the blond effectively captured Mayu's attention. She tilted her head down, and Itachi, surprisingly, allowed the motion. Naruto was in the midst of gather his chakra. Not just any chakra. Mayu could sense the difference. Pushing a bit of chakra into her eyes, she confirmed the orange hue that enveloped Naruto's form. He performed hand seals, properly molding that chakra. "Too slow!" Kisame exclaimed, swiping his large sword at Naruto. The wrapped weapon did not touch him, but the orange chakra completely disappeared from around him. Mayu's eyes widened in shock, realizing that the sword's capabilities. "Sorry, kid," Kisame continued, hefting the large on his shoulder. "My blade, Samehada, cuts through and devours chakra."

"Devours…?! As in it's alive?!" Mayu blurted out.

"That's right," Kisame answered. He lifted the weapon again. "Forget the legs. Maybe I ought to start off with those arms of his."

"What'd you say?! How dare you?!" Mayu screamed. "That's the future Hokage you're talking about! If you maim him, I'll kick your ass!"

"I-It… It really is… you," Naruto murmured.

"You're wasting your time." Kisame, however, ignored the threat. He swung his sword straight down, intending to cut Naruto in half Panicked, Mayu lurched forward despite knowing she could do nothing to save him. Besides, the grip on her shoulder increased, holding her in place.

"No! Let me go!" Mayu shouted. The grip on her shoulder became like steel, and her knees buckled beneath her. She squeezed her eyes shut, wincing through clenched teeth. However, instead of the horrid sound of flesh tearing, a loud clank was heard. "Huh…?" The girl opened her eyes to see smoke had obscured Naruto's body. It slowly dissipated, revealing a rather large from with iron arm guards. The orange amphibian—with blue markings on its body—held off the sword, protecting Naruto from harm. Mayu let out a shuddering breath. "Finally…" she thought.

A cloud of smoke appeared directly behind Naruto. "You two don't know me very well, do you?" a man questioned. "Should have done your homework." The smoke faded, revealing Jiraiya. The Sannin had an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder. "Jiraiya, the man that is better at winning a girl… then to be seduced by one. I wouldn't let a woman seduce me with her beauty. When you become as great as me, women will go crazy over your own beauty!"

Mayu rolled her eyes. Sure, she was relieved to see the man, but she could have done without the theatrics. Although, she had done the same thing… Just this once, she would not say anything because of that. Naruto did not have that sort of mindset though. He whirled around, pointing a finger at his mentor. "Yeah right! You were excited over a simple wink from that woman!" he shouted. "I don't think you should be showing off like that right now, Pervy Sage!"

"C-Come on, ow! Don't call me that in front of people," Jiraiya reprimanded, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Shut up! I can't believe you left me here!" Naruto retorted. "Can't you see the situation?! Sasuke and Mayu are-!"

Naruto's shouts were interrupted by Kisame laughing. He then began to converse with Jiraiya. Itachi joined the conversation as well. Mayu rolled her eyes again, wondering if she could nap at a time like this. A pointless conversation, as far as she was concerned. Blah, blah, blah—insert thinly veiled insult here—blah, blah—something about the Kyuubi. If there were not such a dangerous ninja, holding her captive, Mayu would have fallen asleep. Still, anything might be better than this boredom. Maybe she should interject. Before she could decide to do that, the large frog disappeared, popping out of existence like a shadow clone.

"I'm not handing over the boy," Jiraiya said, firmly.

"We'll see about that," Itachi responded, evenly.

Great. They finally finished their conversation, and appeared to be set on battling now. "Actually, this is all pretty convenient," Jiraiya said. False alarm. Yay. "I'll eliminate you both at the same time." She was about to unleash the most exaggerated sigh, but a snarling voice interrupted.

"I-I won't let th-that happen…!" Sasuke said. Mayu shifted, and Itachi did the same, in order to look at the struggling shinobi. It appeared he had finally recovered a bit from the earlier strike. He stood on shaking legs, but his dark eyes glared fiercely. "The only one who will eliminate him… is me!" It looked like it took most of his strength just to say that. Sasuke now panted heavily, seemingly exhausted already. "I'll kill you… and no one will interfere."

"… Go away," Itachi replied. "You don't interest me at the moment."

Believe it or not, Mayu had to hold in a laugh. That casual rebuttal had been amusing somehow. It was like a verbal version of holding back a short person while that short person hopelessly swung at the taller person. Swallowing her mirth, Mayu focused on Sasuke. Obviously not amused in the least, being the short person in that scenario, he balled up his fist. He shifted his feet, clearly about to make a move. Mayu frowned deeply. He was going to keep coming. He was going to keep being struck down. Just like in the show. Itachi would be merciless before finally using that powerful genjutsu. Could she… allow that to happen this time?

"Well, get interested!" Sasuke hollered, and then raced towards them. His movements were sluggish and loud—so unlike how he generally moved in battle. This was not confidence or arrogance. This was straight up a blind rage. He was not relying on skill. He was relying on emotion against a mountain. At this rate, nothing would change. Sasuke would be... Mayu grit her teeth, suddenly annoyed.

"Stand the hell down!" she shouted. The outburst effectively halted Sasuke in his tracks. He stared at her, eyes wide as if he had only just realized her presence. Blind. So goddamn blind. In this moment, Mayu was ashamed of him. Embarrassed that this was the boy she had gained respect for. "The hell do you think you're doing right now, Sauske?! You're just a pebble facing a mountain! Everyone knows what this guy's capable of, and you think you can defeat right now?! You are not strong enough yet! Today is not the day you are going to avenge your clan! So back off now!" For a moment, or two, all was silent. Sasuke shut his eyes, visibly clenching his teeth. Mayu breathed in, hoping to calm herself. "… I just mean-"

"Shut the hell up!" Sasuke cut in, snapping his eyes open. Bloodline triggered, his expression hardened even further than before. "A pebble…? You know nothing of my power! So get the hell outta my way! People like you are only a distraction!" Mayu swallowed hard, pressing her lips together. Admittedly, it took some time for his words to hit. When they did, the calm completely left her. It was outrageous, but she could no longer think clearly and objectively. It had… hurt. Him speaking that way to her hurt. After all they had been through together, he believed her to be a distraction.

"… Fine…" Mayu mumbled. Then she glared right back. "Continue living in such an unsightly way. And perish before the god of death is ready for you. I don't care anymore!" Sasuke seemed taken aback by her callous words. The nerve of his birdbrain knew no bounds. How else would she have reacted to him? "People like you… are the worst and deserves every single painful moment coming."

"Interesting," Itachi spoke. Mayu shuddered. She had nearly forgotten about him. She was still his captive. "Tell me something… Ishikari Mayu." Again, he tilted her head back, causing her to look directly in his eyes. The Sharingan seemingly glowed. Mayu was vaguely aware of Jiraiya calling out to her, saying not to look, but his voice sounded far away. Too far away. "Do you wish to provide his next painful moment?" Mayu's lips parted, but she did not respond to the question. The tomoe in his eyes began to swirl around his pupil. Ah. She realized what this was now. Everything around her faded to black. All she could see was the glowing Sharingan. Fine.

"Let it be," Mayu thought as Itachi's Sharingan faded from view. "Now, I'm in the closet… Now, I'm in the closet, too~!"

0-0

For some reason, this was a doozy of a chapter to switch from 1st person to 3rd. I don't believe there are any more 1st person chapters after this, so yay! Faster updates. Maybe. I'm not promising anything. ;D