Hope the wait was worth it. I also started a new fic called The Exorcism of Sarada Uchiha (inspired by the horror classic The Exorcist). :)

Based on a couple reviews, whom I thank very much, I came to a good final decision without spoiling the surprise.

Chapter Five

Friends and Enemies

I hope Sai isn't going to die if Danzo figures everything out.

He ought to be living and breathing if he's survived that insane geezer for this long.

There was going to be no more stops; they had arrived in Wind Country. The sand dunes and rocky mountains were in vision range. The moon was quarter full and shining down on them as well as the landscape. This sure brought back the memories, when she and co. went to save Gaara - from this guy on the bird and Sasori whom Sakura owned like the hellcat she was.

Although this was different. And she still hated Deidara for last time, but now she could see him in a new light. If Gaara didn't like this anymore than she did - how the hell did Itachi convince him, anyway? Oh, hell, he'll tell me when I get there - then she was rolling, knowing they were all not that bad...but that left one more. The red-eyed demon himself.

If he had something to say - especially about that night - then he wanted to talk in private. Part of Naru was worried that chance would be deprived. If Gaara could let them stay, hidden from plain sight that was, she could try and get herself and Itachi alone so she could make him open his mouth.

Kisame and Deidara first...Itachi must have not had a choice.

Kurama chortled. Figuring it out now, are you, runt? Without anyone's help.

She still didn't understand how those damned ANBU worked, but she was sure that back in Granny's day as well as old man Third and on, the Black Ops were nothing like the way Danzo had his function. The Root came at you with intent to kill, and to think SAI had been like that made her skin crawl and her heart freeze.

It had been fun to let loose the Sexy Jutsu, and to see the guys' reactions made her night.

Itachi hadn't looked at her much, but he made it clear that he was impressed with her development. Something she NEVER got from his brother...he had acknowledged her, just like everyone else...

Suddenly, it was clear to her that she liked his approval more than she could have asked from Sasuke.

But that changes nothing as long as I don't know anything else.

"Whoa, we've made it!" Deidara announced just as the raised compound of Sunagakure itself. The windstorms were getting into play, which meant they had to hurry up before it got worse - and that was when she saw THEM as soon as she entered Sage Mode just to detect. "Well, we will be off and back tomorrow. Got some scouting to do and then be back to let you know what's new," he added when he brought the bird down for her to jump off. Now that she was off, Naru had no idea if she could deal with the boys being gone, after spending a short time getting to know them except one.

"Naru, there you are!" There was Temari, who didn't look like she changed much except for the outfit, and there was also Kankuro. "And I thought these guys wouldn't keep their promise." Of course, and I wouldn't have blamed you.

"She was doom and gloom," Kankuro said with a curt nod and a smirk tugging one corner of his mouth. He glanced at the three men on the great bird. "What are you going to do now that you held your end of the deal?"

"We're going back out," Itachi replied. "Gather more intel and to keep her safe from Danzo and his spies. Which is left to you. We were affronted before arrival."

All attention was on her now. "Y-yeah, a friend of mine was sent after me, but he wasn't going to give it away. Though five more came after, and I did a good jutsu to send them bleeding through their noses on the ground," she said with a wink that caused everyone but Gaara to be dumbfounded. "It's a surprise you men shouldn't get worked up about. It spoils the fun."

Gaara blinked then and there. "I won't pretend I don't know which one that is," he said finally. He cleared his throat. "Well, I thank you for bringing her. Naru, I'm pleased you're safe. Although I wish you all could stay for the night after all that's happened. But I assume the Hokage will eventually call for action, such as a summit..."

Naru felt her spine crawl beneath her skin. A summit...?

Itachi closed his eyes. "I assumed. Which is why we will leave Naru for now until it gets worse."

"Keep us updated," Gaara replied with a single nod, which Itachi returned, and then the bird was off, not before she got shouts down from each Akatsuki she suddenly missed.

"You had better take care of yourself, kid!" That was Kisame, making her laugh a little.

"Un, and when you see us again, there's hell to explode!" Deidara crowed.

Last of all, the man himself: "Naru, swear you will stay here and not leave for any reason unless you are in peril. We cannot risk Danzo coming after you again, and this time instead of imprisonment will be far worse."

"Then take care, all of you," she said, putting her hand over her chest and feeling how it was beating faster than usual. On instinct, she closed it and grasped at her torn orange vest because she had no idea how to think about this feeling...this feeling of extreme care...

The bird was gone and taking off into the shining moon, or at least that was what it looked like. She turned to look back at Gaara and his siblings. The Kazekage extended his hand in the opposite direction to go first, to take the steps down from this compound entrance. "I'll do the job of showing her to where she'll be," Temari said with a gleam. "How do you feel about rooming with ME?"

It feels so good to be back here. Nice and cool, if it looks rough sometimes.

"Roomie, is it?" she teased the other blonde as soon as they were inside. Yawning, she hadn't realized how exhausted she really was.

"I've already done that, so why don't you go clean yourself up and I can bring you something to eat?"

"Thanks, but me and the guys had ramen on a mountain stand before we got here," Naru answered. "Just want to sleep."

Temari laughed, shrugging off her gear. "Tomorrow there will be more ramen since Gaara made sure of it. When it's just us, he goes on about sharing a drink and ramen with you. 'When she becomes Hokage, I want to ask her to go for a drink with me', he said." She burst out laughing heartily that Naru joined in. It was such a great relief after all this trash that happened to her. Freedom was awesome!

But while she was here, the innocent people of Konoha, her friends and all the Jounin were suffering and fighting to hold on. She wasn't going to be here forever. Right now she was going to take it easy. "I'll be sure to tell him the answer is yes," Naru stated proudly, unzipping her vest and then pushing off her pants. They really needed a fixing up, which Temari noticed and walked over to take from her.

"We have a great seamstress to handle this. You'll have it back at the end of tomorrow." The teal-eyed woman then nodded to the wardrobe she had which was surprisingly made of wood, one of the few elements that survived this land of heat and dust. "I got a dress for you."

This thing she held up, still in her undershorts and fishnet shirt, was nothing she'd worn herself before. It was white, the bust lined to accommodate her chest, and the skirt having a slit to show enough leg if not ALL. "Uh...thanks?" she said uncertainly.

Temari laughed and took it from her to hold in front of her. "Yeah, more for you than me after all. Take it from me!" she said cheerfully.

Naru took it from her and made way for the section behind the shoji screen, which was none other than the bathing spot. Water systems were limited because it was a mass of desert, obviously. Plant life was preserved for medicinal and food purposes, and there were only two great water sources available for the people living near them. That meant she couldn't use too much or linger too long. But she flinched when she smelled how bad she was.

"You're going to need all you can, then," Temari told her when she showed her what was there, and it was more than Naru could have imagined for herself. This was all paradise before her eyes. "We're still trying to make things better for this village, and it's sad that those at the bottom don't always get something sweet as this." And by that, she meant those who got the best were her, her brothers and their advisors. Basically anyone important.

A few things were the candles which smelled of creamy vanilla along with exotic sandalwood - and holy cow, it was the best thing she smelled when they were all lit up!

Not all: there was a bathing gel, soap bar as well as hair essentials to go with. All smelled of APPLES. "Just for the woman who simply enjoys relaxation and nothing else," she said to no one in particular as she laid back, hair washed out and until the cool water became lukewarm. Naru closed her eyes and laid back to enjoy paradise.

She never knew anything like THIS, not even the kind from the hot springs she visited with her friends and Pervy Sage, at least not bathing wise. Did they have anything like that in public here in Sand? If only the boys were here and then they would have had their share.

Her nipples unexpectedly grew hard when a pair of red eyes came to mind, but they belonged to an Uchiha who didn't call her a loser and tried to actually kill her multiple times.

Because now that she thought of it, if Itachi really wanted her dead, he would have done what his brother did to her and Sakura.

~o~

"You found her, but she and the Akatsuki got away. And the others have informed me of a...scandalous jutsu that caused two of them to bleed through the noses." And the rest as well as Sai's clone were cut off for a retreat. Now they had no idea where the Jinchuuriki and her captors had gone now.

Or did his supposed most trusted know and wasn't going to divulge, even after all these years?

"Yes, and like I said, I was cut off," the boy repeated calmly, "so I wish I could send out more ink beasts to track them, but Deidara of the Akatsuki is often untraceable. No one even knows where their new base is."

"Indeed," Danzo agreed, irritated internally. "Or perhaps you yourself should have gone in person like I told you to."

The youth bowed his head and said nothing. You young fool, your feelings for the Jinchuuriki are warping you - just as the other girl has. "I'm willing to give you a second chance, my loyal subordinate, although...I find myself rather suspicious, but it's nothing you don't expect of me." And by that, he referred to the fact that he was certain Sai was keeping something from him, just as he had been from the time he let the boy be on Team Seven when Sasuke Uchiha deserted the village. So that he could eliminate that traitor without getting Itachi to betray him as he threatened that night...

Now he had the Nine-Tails girl in his grasp. Both of them had to be eliminated once and for all, after one served his purpose.

Back to the present: "Perhaps this can convince you." With that, he snapped his fingers, and out brought was none other than the Yamanaka girl - and that provoked the shocked look from his subordinate, making him smirk to one corner of his mouth.

He allowed Sai to freely roam the village as long as he was still trustworthy as ever - although it came to Torune reporting back to his master that the boy would join atop the mountains by chance with Inoichi's daughter that the perfect leverage in the event of betrayal presented itself. And the time had come now. "Lord Danzo!" Sai said, at a loss for words.

"I honestly thought I drilled you better than this, Sai, but it seems I had misgivings after all. Likely you are telling the truth, but then again, you are protecting her and therefore jeopardizing this village. Thus until I find out, I'm going to keep you both under lockdown so that it would serve as an example to keep the other Shinobi in line."

What transpired was something he never expected to hear, but perhaps from the girl. "You just wait and see," she spat, bright eyes brimming with hatred. "You tore this village apart, and Naru is going to see it's restored to glory."

"Yes, because you erase all individuality and refuse to move on from the ghosts of the past," Sai said, voice cold as ice to match his entire face. That spark of emotion he thought he erased for good...

"Enough of this," Danzo hissed. "Take them both away."

The pair was dragged away, taken to be sealed and placed together if comfort for each other was all that would keep them from lashing apart. It was then that the messenger bat returned to him - with the little scroll attached to one of its legs. He took it and opened it for his eye only.

The message was coded, but it was nothing that couldn't be cracked by another who wouldn't dare to deceive him like this one had done. About time.

~o~

What he found was nothing short of vile and gruesome, making him want his former superior's blood all the more. He threatened Sai, he threatened his potential lover - and what was worse: they were both imprisoned until they talked about where Naru was.

Itachi lost so much sleep waiting for his crows, but it was worth it by morning when they came back and reported to him. The couple - friends of his brother's best friend who had been there for her the most - were going to die without divulging her whereabouts, when one of them did NOT know a thing. Or did Sai tell her in confidence?

Either way, they had three weeks, but at least Kakashi and the others knew and hadn't yet been discovered.

He sat atop a rock whereas Kisame and Deidara were at the bottom, when the dawn colors were deep and rich at best, the wind soft and brushing his bangs over his eyes; yawned behind his sleeve, with no one catching him - except one. "Oh, lost sleep again? Not that it's necessary, because what Shinobi needs is full time rest?" "Yeah, at this rate, you're going to die before your time, Itachi."

"Zetsu," he answered, craning his neck and stretching the muscles. "You're right, but if it happens, then it happens."

It was like White Zetsu to continue wagging his tongue. "Happen before you and the Nine-Tails hit it?"

He gritted his teeth. "Don't presume that I'll stoop to a level like that. She's not deserving of that base, just as she deserved none of the treatment she's had her entire life. She doesn't deserve someone like me either," he stated sternly.

"What do we know about these things? But look at what I am seeing of you: protector from the shadows. That's what you've always been in our eyes. Madara knew all along when the others hadn't. You're still doing a hell of a good job even now...but when are you gonna tell HER?"

"Whenever the time is right," Itachi answered coldly, turning his attention back to the scenic view: the vast collection of mountainous rock between golden sand and then lush green life. White Zetsu giggled excitedly.

"Good luck when you do!"

The Uchiha sighed harshly through his nose. "You really talk too much, the both of you."

"That's why I'm called 'wagging tongue' and this one is 'wicked tongue'!" "Oh, you heard the man."

Itachi stood up and slid down the rock. "I want you to go back to the Sand Village and give the news to the Kazekage, and when we have his response, we will all return."

~o~

Refreshed, smelling of apples and incense, and wearing the dress Temari lent her, she was walking side by side with her friend down the cool corridors, and her hair was cut much shorter than before. She felt like a...whole new woman. She felt like she stood out amongst the Suna Shinobi in their beige garments and dark flak jackets, heads and necks wrapped in cloth to protect against the brutal weather.

The morning light turned to pale blue, the winds blowing but warm. "Later this afternoon, there is going to be a celebration," Temari said. "The first day of our Kitakaze Festival."

"What's its significance?" Naru asked.

Temari grinned. "Because the day the Third Great War ended, the winds from the north blew - but then it didn't last," she said, face becoming somber. "Long story short: we took so much more losses of funding than your village that my father, the Fourth Kazekage, sold his gold dust to try and make up for the lack of major assignments, but it wasn't enough. That was when he decided to do something about Shukaku and Gaara before he was born..."

Naru tried not to snarl as she thought of that time he told her, when he thirsted for her blood as well as her team's. When it was all that Orochimaru's doing, taking advantage of their fragile, desperate position for himself. The Yondaime Kazekage sounded like a good man, but even he had to make a worse sacrifice than her own father had done. He had way too many flaws than Minato, even though she never knew the man all her life other than from the ones who knew him, enough as she'd been told.

Shinobi from this desperate place believed that mission accomplishments dominated them even today, and as a result, that was why they pursued triumph even if failure was on their horizon. They continued to persist, so she did admire them for that.

"Have I ever asked if you guys are from a specific clan?" Naru asked suddenly, earning a twinkle of the eyes.

"You'll be surprised that here in Sunakagure, there are different families instead of clans."

No clans, no expectations...but families. There's a huge difference.

She wanted to know more, but they arrived at the main conference room where Gaara, Kankuro and the High Council members were all waiting for her. Head high, Naru stepped in, aware that she looked like a regular citizen, but she felt assured she could make them take her seriously with how her reputation made her.

Kitakaze means "north wind". You'll see the event in the next chapter.

I don't have to say it, but review. :D