Chapter 16

Akari followed after Shikamaru and Hidan. She smiled to herself as she saw the woods coming up ahead. Akari swerved through the trees, keeping the two men in sight. Sure she could speed up and catch them in no time, but that would defeat the purpose. Shikamura would need a little more time.

"Where are you taking me? Are you trying to separate me from Kakuzu?" Hidan yelled.

She rolled her eyes. Hidan was truly an idiot. You would think that an immortal would grow wiser over the years.

"HISAKO! HURRY THE FUCK UP!"

Up ahead she noticed Shikamaru finally come to a stop. Hidan could only watch as the boy threw kunai from tree to tree. Each one connected to a string with explosive tags tied to them. Shikamaru surrounded the area with them. Akari stopped a few feet away and stared down at the scene.

"I'm not getting away right? That's what you think! Hisako! Break his technique!" Hidan ordered.

Well here goes nothing. She landed in between the boy and man. Shikamaru stepped back with a look of surprise. She charged at him and he was forced to step back even further. The two of them exchanged blows one right after the other. Losing his concentration, Shikamaru's hold on Hidan was broken. She could hear Hidan laughing as his body was released. Then Akari landed a hard kick on the boy's stomach sending him crashing into a tree.

"Move Hisako! I'm going to finish him." Hidan cackled.

"Wow. Not even a thank you?" She glared at him.

The man ignored her and pulled out his spear. She leapt out of the way and sat amongst the tree branches. She watched as Shikamaru struggled to pull himself up. Hidan laughed maniacally as he rushed at the fallen boy. Shikamaru barely had time to protect himself. She saw blood splatter as the man landed a cut on the boy's cheek. Hidan smiled as he brought his spear to his lips. Slowly his skin turned black and white. She cringed as he stabbed himself in the hand drawing his own blood. He let it drip on the ground and used his feet to create his symbol.

"DIE!"

Akari stared at Shikamaru as Hidan brought his spear up and plunged it into his own heart. The boy's face was in total shock. Beads of sweats dripping from his forehead. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. As soon as the spear was in Hidan's heart, Shikamaru's hand gripped his own chest.

"What do you think? The pain is glorious isn't it?" Hidan sneered.

The boy didn't answer. His face was contorted in pain as he fell to the ground. Akari didn't take her eyes off his fallen body. She nearly burst out in laughter from it all. It was a little much wasn't it?

"What a waste. Lord Jashin must be disappointed. Anyway, Kakuzu should be done by now. Let us go Hisako! I am done here!" He waved at her from below.

She dropped to the ground beside Shikamaru and stared down at him curiously. Hidan's skin went back to normal and he turned away from her.

"Are you sure?" She asked.

Nobody noticed the young woman leaning casually against a dead tree. Her eyes focused on the fight in front of her. Nobody noticed because to them she was invisible. Only one man had seen her but he didn't acknowledge her. He merely continued his battle with the strange man covered in stitches. The blonde girl had woken up and stood off to the side with the rather large boy, watching it all without a single glance in her direction.

Akari smiled at Kakashi sensei as he dodged yet another of Kakuzu's dangerous attacks. Well not the real Akari anyway. Her clone had stayed behind to keep an eye on everyone while the real one helped Shikamaru. The fight at the moment was leaning more towards Kakuzu. All Kakashi could do was keep out of reach. He was doing a pretty good job at it too. At least until kakuzu caught him off guard and wrapped his tendrils around him. Kakashi fell to the ground with Kakuzu hovering over him.

The clone rose an eyebrow at the scene. Then her eyes turned towards the direction Shikamaru had taken. She wondered if the plan had worked or not. If it hadn't, things weren't going to end well for Kakashi. She prepared herself to intervene if it looked as if Shikamaru had failed.

There was no need. A grin spread across her face as she saw Kakuzu hesitate. His hand was clutching his heart, pain clear across his face. She let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the tree once more.

"What do you mean am I sure? Get your ass moving and let's go!" Hidan glared at her.

Akari shook her head no and took a few steps back. Hidan stepped towards her clearly annoyed. He meant to say something but was cut off as a knife sliced across his throat. The man fell back clutching his bleeding neck. The surprise on his face was priceless as he stared at shikamaru standing before him.

"Not deep enough." The boy muttered.

Shikamaru pulled back and immediately used his Shadow technique. It wrapped itself around Hidan, keeping him from moving. Akari leaned back against a tree, smiling to herself.

"You little prick! Why the fuck are you still alive?" Hidan growled.

"I was just playing possum."

"Great acting skills by the way." Akari chuckled.

"I thought I did okay." Shikamaru smirked.

"Hisako! You bitch! You knew this whole time!" Hidan glared.

"Maybe." She yawned.

"I'll get you after this you brat! But you! I had your blood!" He turned back to shikamaru.

"The blood on your spike isn't mine. It's your partner's."

"How did you manage…?"

"We had some help. What was it you called her? Ummm…Hisako was it?"

Shikamaru turned to her with a small smile on his lips. She nodded and gave him a wink.

"Hisako? WHAT THE FUCK!" Hidan screeched at her.

"Did you really think I was that clumsy? Please." She rolled her eyes.

"You're with them? Since when!" Hidan said through gritted teeth.

"Since the beginning. Got to say, tricking you guys wasn't as hard as I thought it would be."

"You stupid bitch! I'm going to get out of this! And when I do I am going to make sure you die painfully slow! You understand!"

"That's if you get out of this. Which you won't."

Shikamaru took a step towards Hidan. The man couldn't hide the worry in his face.

Akari's clone watched as Kakashi sat up. Kakuzu's body dead on the ground beside him. He began to pull at the tendrils that had dug their way into his chest. Ino kneeled by his side offering to heal him. They didn't have the time. The three masked creatures were rushing towards them fast. Choji grew large and squashed them with his hands in an attempt to stop them. Finding it useless, he pulled back. Kakashi and Ino had to retreat as flames were shot towards them, leaving Kakuzu's body open.

She watched as one of the masks entered the dead body. Kakuzu rose once more, having absorbed another heart. Then the remaining masks dug into his back as well. Tendrils burst from the man's body, a few from his mouth.

"You destroyed two of my hearts. It's been ages since anybody has done that…."

The clone grimaced at the scene before her. Even if Hidan was defeated, they still had Kakuzu to worry about.

The real Akari stayed out of the way as Shikamaru approached Hidan. She couldn't stop smiling.

"Even a thickhead like me knows what's going on." Hidan smirked.

Shikamaru stopped. Akari stared at the man curiously.

"It's been like a thousand times at this point. Hell, any dumbass could figure out your technique after seeing it so often. Your shadow ain't as strong as it was before. Five minutes is your limit. I can move again."

Sure enough, Hidan was able to lift his hand. Using it, he pulled out his spear. Then he slowly began to rise, Shikamaru unable to stop him. Hidan started to walk again, towards Shikamaru.

Things weren't going so well on the clone's end. She bit her lip as tendrils burst from the ground, wrapping themselves around the three shinobi. Kakashi, Ino and choji couldn't move. Two of Kakuzu's masks reappeared, each ready to use another attack. They only had seconds before it was over.

"Wind Style! Rasengan!"

"Water style! Crashing Rapids!"

"Water Typhoon Vortex Technique!" Two voices yelled out.

Akari held on to the tree as the powerful techniques collided. She was able to see the bright colors of red and blue, then nothing but smoke. In the smoke, she could make out four new figures.

"Sorry we're late." One of them spoke.

She couldn't stop the large smile that spread across her face. Team 7 had finally arrived. They stood defensively in front of the three other shinobi. She could see the determination in Naruto's face from where she stood.

"Perfect timing." Kakashi sighed.

"I've never seen you so beat up, Senpai." Yamato muttered.

"Well, excuse me." Kakashi said.

"I see we've got another comedian. You already look worn out." Kakuzu commented.

He was staring at Naruto. She couldn't take her eyes off the blonde boy either. Kakuzu was right. Naruto looked pretty worn out. A couple of bruises and scratches still prominent on his body. She heard him ask for Shikamaru, and choji answered.

"Two of you go help out Shikamaru. One long-range fighter and one medical ninja." Kakashi told them.

Then he summoned Pakkun.

"All right! Sai, Sakura, follow Pakkun and help Shikamaru!" Yamato ordered.

She hoped that they wouldn't see anything they weren't supposed to. She didn't want them finding out her secret. Biting her lip she continued to watch in silence.

"What do you think your reinforcements will do for you? Now I have a wider variety of new hearts to choose from." Kakuzu smirked.

"I can handle him." Naruto stepped forward.

Pakkun disappeared followed by Sakura and Sai.

Akari pulled out her katana ready to defend Shikamaru. Hidan continued to inch his way closer to the boy. He pulled his arm back ready to strike…only for it to stop mid-air. Shikamaru held out his arm.

"Shadow summoning technique!" The boy muttered.

Akari sheathed her katana as strands of shadows spread out. They entwined with the many strings surrounding them, pulling them until they were wrapped around Hidan. In seconds, the man was covered in paper bombs.

"You son of a bitch!" Hidan cried out.

Shikamaru didn't waste time. He flung a knife towards a small symbol on the ground. As soon as he did, the earth crumbled. A large gaping hole appeared under Hidan, the man was held up by the strings wrapped around his body. His feet dangling below him. Akari stepped closer and peered over the edge. Her eyes wide in surprise.

"Damn. That's deeper than I thought it would be." She whistled.

"What the hell's going on? When did you set this up?" Hidan growled.

"I had all this prepared before we came out here." The boy explained.

Akari smirked as she saw understanding cross Hidan's face. Guess he didn't realize that this was all planned beforehand.

"That hole is your grave." Shikamaru muttered. He pulled out Asuma's lighter.

"I'll never die! Even if you destroy my body, and I'm left with nothing but my head, Ill escape somehow, and when I do, I'll find you and bite your fuckin' throat out!" Hidan yelled.

"Yeah, Hisako told me as much. Good thing she's on my side. Her information was very useful."

Shikamaru flipped open the lighter. Hidan turned to Akari. His face contorted with anger. She gave him a small wave and then motioned into the forest with her thumb. His eyes widened at the sight. Deer surrounded them from every side.

"This forest is a special part of the Fire Country. Only people from my clan are permitted to enter. No one else ever comes here. My clan will keep you trapped here forever."

Shikamaru's thumb rubbed against the lighter. A small flame appeared.

"Asuma let you borrow it huh." Akari peered at the fire over his shoulder.

"Yep, seeing as how he couldn't be here, this was his way of helping." He smiled at her.

"Damn you!" Hidan struggled against the strings binding him.

"Do you mind if…?" Akari pointed at Hidan.

"Hmmm? Oh no, go ahead. We have some time." Shikamaru said.

Akari walked to the edge of the hole. She stood directly in front of Hidan. Her eyes boring into his. The man growled at her still trying to break free. She dug inside her cloak and pulled out her broken mask. The man's eyes widened in surprise.

"What is this?"

"This is my mask. Does it ring a bell?"

"You! All this time! It was you!" He yelled.

"Of course. And you were never the wiser."

"Why! Why do you keep appearing in my path?"

"Maybe Jashin wanted me to be here when you die." She glared.

"You should've died! I should've killed you all those years ago!

"But you didn't. And I survived. Do you want to see how?"

She didn't let him answer. Instead she pulled down the black fabric from her face. She let him see what she looked like. Who she really was. He blinked. His eyes taking in her face.

"You…you look nothing like her." He muttered.

"That's right. I don't. Mangekyo Sharingan."

Her eyes turned blood red. Black pinwheels in each one. Hidan could only stutter. His eyes couldn't pull away.

"Tsukuyomi." She whispered.

Hidan's perception of time was distorted. The world turned red and he found himself still hanging by threads in the sky. Below him was a familiar scene. He watched himself chase after three young children. Kakuzu was nowhere to be seen. The three kids were stopped in their tracks as he blocked their path. Blood dripped from his arms creating a very large Jashin Symbol at his feet. This was wrong. This wasn't how it happened.

He saw as his duplicate pulled out his spear. He stabbed himself repeatedly in the chest. But nothing happened. The kids watched him curiously. Even the girl who he had killed seemed perfectly healthy. She was able to stand on her own. And the other one wasn't wearing her mask. She could see the young face of Hisako, still soft and free of the scar on her cheek. The boy had a grin on his face.

He watched as they stepped closer. He saw that his duplicate was struggling to leave the center of his symbol. He couldn't move. The children stopped and pulled out spears of their own. Then one by one, they stabbed themselves. Over and over again. In the chest, the arms, the legs, the neck, and shoulders. But they didn't flinch. They didn't even blink. Because they felt nothing. The duplicate felt everything. He screamed in agony, no longer relishing in the pain. Blood pouring from his body. It was unbearable. Unbearable because he could feel it too. Every ounce of pain. And he no longer enjoyed it. So he screamed. And screamed. And screamed. For what seemed like eternity.

"What is he screaming about?" Shikamaru asked.

Akari turned away from Hidan and stared at her friend. He seemed to recoil slightly from her gaze. She didn't blame him. Her sharingan took a lot of getting used to.

"He's regretting his past mistakes. Why don't you go ahead and light him up."

He gave her a nod. Then with a flick of his wrist, he flung the lighter at the screaming man. His voice was drowned out by the large explosion that followed. The two of them stood side by side watching the bright red flames. With her sharingan, she could see the man's body tear apart piece by piece. And she smiled.

The clone let out a small gasp. She felt it. The explosion. The plan had worked. She could also feel the tears trailing down her cheeks. She hadn't even noticed she was crying. Wiping them away she smiled up at the sky. Unbelievably happy.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

She turned her attention back to Naruto. All three of them.

"Mass shadow clones. I see. You're the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki." Kakuzu muttered.

She heard Kakashi explaining the situation to Yamato. Giving him all the details on their opponent. Then Naruto charged. His two clones were immediately apprehended. The original stood back, with a contemplating look.

"He used his shadow clones to gain knowledge on how to fight Kakuzu. This is new." She muttered to herself.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

Now there were four. Three of them began to form a Rasengan. Three? He usually used only two? Come to think of it the chakra emitting from the bright blue orb felt different. Stronger. A loud screeching noise resonated from it. Wind swirled strongly around him as he raised his arm into the air. Akari's eyes widened at the white shape spiraling in his hand.

"Rasen-Shuriken!" Naruto yelled.

"Unbelievable." She gasped.

She could feel the power surging from the technique. She had never seen or felt anything like it. Even Kakuzu seemed caught off guard by it. He looked extremely nervous.

"This is it for you!" Naruto growled.

All four Naruto's charged towards Kakuzu. The original held the newly formed technique in his hand. She noticed how Choji tried to back him up only to be stopped by yamato.

"Stay away from Naruto or you'll get caught in the blast." He advised.

Akari's mouth hung wide open in disbelief. This technique, it was incredible. She could sense just how powerful it was. And what surprised her the most was that it came from Naruto's chakra, and Naruto's alone. There was no trace of the Nine-tails at all. He had managed to learn such an amazing Jutsu without any help from the fox demon. Closing her mouth, she smiled. Naruto had come a long way.

She watched him as his clones ran forward and distracted Kakuzu. One leaped in the air only to be stabbed through with Kakuzu's threads. Another snuck up from behind while the last attack head on. All three were eliminated by the man's masks. Kakuzu didn't noticed that the real one was quickly approaching. She held her breath as Naruto caught him off guard and thrust his hand forward. The Rasen-shuriken shining brightly in his palm. He almost had him. Then the technique just disappeared. He had lost it.

Suddenly Kakuzu wrapped him up in his tendrils. Kakashi rushed to help with Yamato as back up. Using his chidori, he severed the threads and pulled Naruto away. Leaving Yamato to attack with his wood technique. Kakuzu managed to evade it.

"Hey! If I'd hit him there'd be nothing left!" Naruto argued.

Akari decided to risk getting a little closer. She wanted to be sure she didn't miss anything. She had to be ready in case she needed to protect her friends. Hopefully Kakuzu had forgotten she even existed. As she approached she heard them talking about Naruto new technique.

"Yes, it's called the Rasen-Shuriken, but it only works as a point-blank attack. That's why its use relies on shadow clones for a diversion." Yamato explained.

So the jutsu had its drawbacks. That's to be expected. Akari could now see Naruto's face clearly. And it was evident that he wasn't liking the conversation. He kept looking back and forth between Kakashi and Yamato. She could see the irritation in his face.

"He still hasn't had enough training time. If it had just lasted a couple more seconds…" Kakashi muttered.

"Exactly."

"It won't work now. Not against someone like him." Choji said.

Naruto stood.

"Let me try one more time. Ill finish him with my new technique."

"No. It's too big a risk. He will know that you are trying to distract him and dodge again. We will all fight together. Five against one." Kakashi told him.

"Kakashi sensei. Do you remember what you told me? "The only shinobi who can surpass the Fourth Hokage is you. That's what I believe." I know that teamwork is important. And I know that this is a dangerous bridge to cross. But even so, I want to cross it alone. If I can't make it to the other side, I'll never be able to grow up."

Akari's gripped the tree she hid behind firmly. Her lip between her teeth. Naruto. He was different. Changed. But not like Sasuke. He was his own person. His change was for the better. Akari could sense it just as easily as she could see it. And she was happy. So happy for her friend.

"What do you think, Yamato?" Kakashi asked.

"You still haven't noticed, huh? This is a completely new Naruto." The man replied.

"That settles it then."

Akari's cloak swayed lightly against the breeze. Her mask clenched tightly in her hand. She stood on the edge of the pit with Shikamaru by her side. She knew her Mangekyo was still active but she didn't bother to release it. Instead, she stared down at the hole before her with a cold and hardened expression. Below them, scattered at the bottom of the pit, were Hidans blown up body parts. She hadn't torn her eyes away from his head since the explosion. Shikamaru watched her warily, as if he was nervous being around her. She didn't blame him. Suddenly, Hidan's eyes flashed open. His cackle echoed against the walls of his grave.

"Man, this is ridiculous! You really messed me up…hahaha!" He laughed.

The two of them stared down at the dying helpless man. With no ounce of pity or remorse. The expressions on their faces must have freaked him out because he was no longer laughing. Fear flashed across his face.

"LORD JASHIN WILL PUNSIH YOU FOR THIS! HE'LL BRING HIS GREAT VENGEANCE DOWN UPON YOU, LIKE IN THE SCRIPTURES!" He cried out.

"Your bullshit doesn't scare us." Shikamaru muttered.

He pulled out a kunai from his holster. Attached to it was a string with various explosive tags tied to it.

"See, we have very different beliefs. I believe in the Will of Fire. And will do anything to protect it. Akari here, believes that her purpose is to rid the world of you and save her loved ones. She believes in her mission."

Akari blinked in surprise. She released her Mangekyo and turned to her friend. He smiled and her eyes softened. The boy offered her the kunai. She stared at for a moment before grasping it firmly in her hand. Then they glared down at the pit once more. Akari continued Shikamaru's speech.

"And that pathetic Lord Jashin or whatever isn't you God anymore. I am. The only one bringing down vengeance is me." She told him.

She glanced at her broken cheetah mask for a moment. The same one she wore that fateful day. For three years she had worn it. And now…she had no use for it. She needed a new one. Akari dropped it into the hole. Then, with one last look at Hidan's worried face, she threw the weapon. It pierced the wall of the pit and the tag exploded. Rocks and debris rained down on the fallen Akatsuki.

"REMEMBER WHAT I SAID! THE JASHIN SCRIPTURE SAYS HE WILL SMITE YOU! GOT IT?! AND I'LL CARRY OUT HIS JUDGEMENT! MY TEETH ARE ENOUGH TO TAKE YOU ON! ILL BITE YOU TO DEATH, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

Hidan's laugh was cut off. The world grew silent. The two of them didn't move. They merely stood side by side staring at the freshly covered pit. A deer approached quietly and dug at the ground with his hoof. Shikamaru smiled as Asuma's lighter came into view. As he went to pick it up, Akari sat herself down on ground. She noticed the deer staring at her, and she realized they wouldn't allow her much time in their sacred forest. She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes. She sensed Shikamaru taking a seat beside her.

"Looks like Asuma will be getting his lighter back. The man really should quit. I don't think Kurenai sensei would want him smoking around the baby." He sighed.

She opened her eyes and saw him laying back with his arms behind his head. She stared at him for a moment.

"Shikamaru."

"Hmmm."

"Do you mind if I cry." She whispered.

The boy didn't even twitch. As if her question was expected. Then he closed his eyes.

"I've been waiting for you to. Figured I'd be here when you did even if it's a total drag."

She gave the boy a small smile. Then her lips began to quiver. Her eyes began to water. And the dam broke. Tears flooded down her cheeks and she sobbed. She bawled and blubbered hysterically. She wasn't sure what noises were coming from her mouth but she didn't care. For once she didn't care. It had been ages since she had cried this way in front of anyone. It had always been in private, only to herself. She had never trusted anyone to see her this way. To see her broken. Because that's what she was. She was broken. All her pent up emotions rushed out. Mizuko. Sasuke. Itachi. Having to spend months with the bastards who killed her sister, acting like everything was okay. Pretending and being someone else all this time. Lie after lie. What she has done and what she has yet to do.

Shikamaru didn't say anything. He didn't try to comfort her. To hold her. He didn't want to disturb her in anyway. Even though crying usually made him uncomfortable, he didn't mind. He was relieved actually. Seeing her like this, proved that Akari wasn't void of emotion. It proved that she was still as human as the rest of them. She was still Akari.

Akari's loud sobs turned to quiet sniffles. She had cried so much that she gotten the hiccups. Finally she wiped away the tears…and laughed. Shikamaru opened his eyes, startled by the sound.

"I'm sorry…I just…that felt so good! Who knew crying could actually help." She chuckled.

"Well, when you hold it in for so long, it's a huge relief when you finally release it." He told her.

"Thank you Shikamaru. For everything." She said sincerely.

"Yeah whatever. That's what friends are for right? Let's head back to the others now."

She agreed and allowed him to help her to her feet. She pulled the black fabric over her nose and mouth again. A deer led the way, accompanying them out of the forest. Up ahead, in a small clearing they could make out two familiar figures. Akari immediately used her transparency technique. She kept close to the trees so she wouldn't give herself away. Shikamaru approached the two new arrivals.

"You're my backup, huh? You're a few minutes too late." He told them.

"Wh...What? Shikamaru! Don't tell me you took out an Akatsuki all by yourself?" Sakaru asked.

"You're much more capable than I assumed." Sai muttered.

"I guess." Shikamaru sighed. "This was one of those things I had to do myself, no matter what. I promised a friend."

Akari grinned from where she hid. Shikamaru really was something. She was glad she had trusted him with her secret.

"How's it going with the others?" He asked.

"We came here right away, so…" Sakura answered.

"Let's hurry and rejoin them." Sai said.

She watched them run off for a moment. Until a certain deer grew very impatient. It had no problem seeing her it seemed. It started to beat the ground with its hoof and nudged her with its head.

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm leaving now!" She rolled her eyes.

Her clone stared intently at her friend. Naruto tightened his headband and approached Kakuzu once more. The man exploded as threads burst from his body. The tendrils slithered menacingly around him.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

Naruto formed his new technique yet again. His three clones charged at the man. Kakuzu leapt into the air and seemed to soar through the air. He passed over the clones and attacked the original instead. The one holding the Rasen-shuriken. His tendrils pierced the ground where the boy stood. Dirt and dust created a cloud surrounding the area where Naruto once stood. They couldn't see a thing and Akari's face fell. When the smoke cleared she wished it hadn't. The boy lay unconscious with gray threads stabbing into his body. Naruto.

He turned to smoke. Akari's eyes widened.

"What! It was a shadow clone!" She heard Kakuzu yell.

"EAT THIS!" A voice rang out.

From up above, Naruto and two of his clones came crashing down. The Rasen-shuriken in his palm. This time it met its mark. It hit Kakuzu square in the back. The blast that followed was intense. A blue sphere of light surrounded the Akatsuki. His body was completely torn apart. Everyone turned to Naruto who was sprawled out on the ground. Completely worn out. Choji and Ino rushed towards him and helped him sit up. She watched as Ino began to heal him. Then she heard a familiar chirping sound. She turned to the crater where Kakuzu lay. The man was dead.

"Hey."

She turned to face…herself.

"How did it go?" Akari asked.

"Fine." The clone shrugged.

The real Akari took in the scene before her. She watched as Kakashi walked away from the crater a few feet away. Then she saw Shikamaru, Sakura, and Sai join their friends. Sakura took over for Ino and finished healing Naruto. She was glad to see them all safe. Yamato stood back a bit. She didn't noticed his arm.

Her clone was suddenly snatched up and held high above the Leaf Ninja. Yamato's wood technique was wrapped around her body, preventing any means of escape. The girl in the Akatsuki cloak was now clearly visible. Her eyes staring down at the ninja below her in disbelief. Akari cursed under her breath.

"What the hell! Another one!" Naruto yelled.

"That's the bitch who knocked me out! I thought she had gone after Shikamaru!" Ino growled.

"Yamato…maybe you should…"Shikamaru started nervously.

"Yamato. Be careful with her. Not so rough." Kakashi said.

"Kakashi…"

Yamato didn't seem sure as to why Kakashi would ask this of him, but he complied. He eased her hold on the girl. As soon as he did, Akari released the clone. It went up in smoke. All that the clone had seen and heard, rushed into Akari. She smiled at how Kakuzu had met his end.

"A Shadow clone!" Sakura gasped.

"Yeah. Couldn't have you catching the real me. That wouldn't have been a good outcome."

She stepped out from behind the tree. Kakashi and Shikamaru gave her a warning look. They didn't have to. She would be careful. Akari walked over to Kakuzu's body. The guy was seriously mangled.

"Step away from there." Choji growled.

"No worries. There is no coming back for this guy. I wouldn't want him to anyways. He was a pain to have around. The other one too."

"Shikamaru. Was she there? When you killed the immortal?" Ino asked.

"Yes. She got away though. I figured she was smart enough to leave while she had the chance." The boy stated.

Akari scoffed. Okay maybe she should've just disappeared but she couldn't help herself. So she had come back to make sure everything had turned out okay. In retrospect, it probably would've been best if she had left.

"I just wanted to make sure that he was really dead. I have to report to my higher ups you know?" She told them.

"You won't be reporting anything. You will die alongside your friends." Sakura growled.

Suddenly the pink-haired girl launched herself at Akari. She leapt out of the way and was slightly unnerved to find a huge crater where she once stood. Sakura was a force to be reckoned with. She didn't let up and rushed at Akari yet again. Akari had no choice but to block her blows and fight back. She made sure to keep out reach from Sakura's fist. One hit, and she'd be knocked out for days. Luckily the others didn't join in. They were okay with letting Sakura handle things.

"Okay this is ridiculous!" She cried out.

Producing two clones, she knocked the girl back. Then, while she was caught off guard, the three of them threw Shuriken. They wrapped around Sakura's body and were then caught once again by the three Akari's. The trio pulled and watched as Sakura was left immobile. Thin sharp strings, barely visible, held the girl tightly in place. Streaks of blood appeared where the strings met skin. It wouldn't be realistic is she didn't draw at least a bit of blood right?

Akari flung the shuriken at the nearby trees. They embedded into the trunks and kept Sakura tied up. The girl struggled against the ties but that only caused more cuts on her body. Akari turned to face the others and saw that they all had weapons in hand. Even Naruto had managed to stand and glared at her menacingly. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared. It was time to leave.

"Okay, well it was nice meeting all of you. You have done me a great service in getting rid of those two idiots! Better get back to the boss and let him know what went down!"

Before anybody could move, she used her transparency jutsu and disappeared. Like literally disappeared. One second she was standing there in front of them, the next she was leagues away. It was the first time she had tried it out, and boy was it a doozy. Panting loudly, she fell to the ground and lay on her back with her limbs sprawled out.

"Stu…stupid….kamui…so…fuckin….tiring…." She weezed.

Kakashi had taught her the basics of it, but Itachi had helped her perfect it. She was now able to use it to send herself to another dimension. Then back to wherever it was she wanted to go. She was still testing it out, so she hadn't been able to travel far. If she was correct, she was only a few miles away from where the others were.

Her body was spent. She had needed to activate her Mangekyo so she had to go invisible before using it. So….she had used the transparency justsu, then activated her Mangekyo, then used the Kamui. No wonder she was worn out! It would probably be a few days before she could risk using the Kamui again.

"Oh well, at least I didn't accidently cut off a limb in the process. That would've been bad." She muttered to herself.

Akari lay there for a few hours. She stared up at the sky and watched the clouds drift by. Eventually she fell asleep. When she woke up, she found someone sitting beside her. The man smiled down at her. She sat up and was pleased to find that she could move again.

"Nice nap?" Itachi asked.

"Perfect. Where's the tuna?" She looked around.

"I told him to go on ahead. That I would wait for you to wake. Did things go as planned?"

"Yes. Yes they did."

"I'm glad. Are you ready to head back?"

"Yep. Time to go tell the other's that those bastards are dead. Finally dead."

He smiled at her as she chuckled lightly to herself. She shook her head in disbelief. She had gotten what she wanted. And if felt great. Taking Itachi's hand, the two of them started their journey back to the Hidden Rain.