A.N. *Sees it's ten minutes to midnight...* Still Friday! I'm not late!

NOW:

Tsukiko sat on the floor, one leg out while the other was bent, a hand resting on her knee as she studied Midori's healing technique with interest. The needles were invisible from this far away, but she could see where they should be by the way the medicine moved around them.

'Impressive. She's not far off from jounin rank either. Just a little more practice on developing her mastery of Fire ninjutsu and she's at the level. Masuko can work with her while I put Chiyo through her paces with Water. Maybe she feels unsure in her abilities and that's why she turned down the promotion.'

Kakashi sat on the bench beside her, re-reading Jiraiya-Sensei's newest book. How he could read that in public with a straight face was beyond her. Next to him, Naruto was leaning forward, curiosity evident as he watched the Medics work.

"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei?" He asked softly, not looking away from the girls.

"Hmm?" The jounin didn't glance up from his book.

Naruto pointed to the Sand elders sitting beside him. "Who the heck is this White Fang of the Leaf guy that made the old lady so angry? Got any ideas?" His voice was unusually soft, respectful of the hospital.

Tsukiko glanced up at her senior, biting her lip. 'That used to be a touchy subject.'

The elderly woman perked up as well.

"Uh, that's a tricky one." To his credit, the older man's voice was gentle, but also clearly reluctant. He looked to his student, closing his book with a faint thud. "How to put it?" Looking upward as if for guidance, Kakashi's voice became sorrowful. "He was...well, in a word—he was my father."

Tsukiko blinked at the sudden aura of hostility in the hallway, leaning forward slightly. She appeared relaxed, but the leg she had been leaning on was tensed, ready to push her up and throw her into a potential fight.

The Sand elders appeared more surprised than anything, though, the woman holding up a shaking finger. "Y-You there, you're the son of the White Fang?" Her voice was incredulous.

Rubbing the nape of his neck uncomfortably, Kakashi nodded. "Yeah."

"So that's it," the elderly man said aloud, a sudden air of focus about him. "That explains why you look like him."

Wanting to help her nervously laughing friend, Tsukiko stood, stretching. "The girls have moved to his stomach now. It won't be long."

She deactivated her Gensogan, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Despite what she'd told Masuko, Tsukiko was starting to feel the effects of her constant traveling and little reprieve. Though she hadn't exactly pushed herself to make the journey from the Shrine to the Leaf with any great haste, the kunoichi had neglected to really rest. Akihiro's death was still hanging over her, and running had been her way to manage the ache, expecting that she could collapse in her bed and allow her emotionally exhausted mind time to heal.

There was a faint gasp from the old man, who nudged his sister. "Look sis! That girl is an Amaya! I thought the Gensogan users had all died out after the First Great Ninja War."

Both elders turned to her with interest, and the Leaf woman bowed respectfully. "I am the only surviving Amaya and the last Gensogan user, though I am glad to know that my heritage still precedes me." Overly formal, Tsukiko was hoping to avoid questions she'd have to refuse answering, if only to protect the Leaf Village's secrets.

Cocking her head, the old woman looked puzzled. "But then why would the Leaf send you? Why risk such an important asset?" There was no insult to her tone, just simple bewilderment.

"The Sand is our ally," Chiyo said defensively, standing from her position on the floor. "Of course we would send our best when the Kazekage has been taken."

"And who are you, child, to speak so boldly of alliances?" The old woman mused, tone nearly sarcastic.

"I'm a chunin with the Leaf ambassadors to the Sand," she responded, a hint of pride in her tired voice. "Chiyo Mitsuru."

Eyebrow raised, a loud cackle escaped the Sand Elder. "Mitsuru, eh? I remember an Isamu Mitsuru on an ambassadorial mission here around sixteen years ago. Your father?"

"Uncle." The word sounded dirty in her mouth. "He works as an overseer for all Village correspondence now." A puffed up mailman too keen on power. That's what had killed her cousin.

"Hmph, well, that's interesting. I worked with him briefly, and he mentioned something about crossing village lines and trying to blend cultures. Is that why you have my name, child?"

The surprised Leaf chunin was saved from having to answer with the sound of Midori sighing.

Trance seemingly broken, the young medic lowered her numb hands, a slight trembling the only indication of her fatigue. And no wonder. It would've been unacceptable to reuse her needles once tainted with poison, so she'd been forced to conjure physical chakra only to continuously throw it away.

"We've removed most of the poison," she confirmed, smiling at Sakura, who was disposing of the last of the used solution.

"That should put him out of immediate danger," Sakura told Temari, her gentle expression comforting to the older girl.

A sigh of relief swept through the room as Tsukiko and the others reentered, Temari sliding down the wall as whimpers and muffled sobs came from her still form.

"Way to go, Sakura! Midori!" Naruto cheered.

Chiyo took her friend's trembling hands into her own, smiling at the blond girl. "Thank you so much, Midori. That must've taken a lot out of you."

Pride seemed to swell up in Midori's chest, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "It's my job to help heal the wounded," she said simply, squeezing her friend's hands.

Turning to the group, Midori placed her hand on Kankuro's forehead, checking the temperature. "But he's not completely out of the woods yet. I did what I could, but this next bit is up to Sakura."

The pink-haired girl nodded. "I have to quickly put together an antidote for the traces of toxin still remaining in his body."

Baki nodded, relief shining in his visible eye. "I see. Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Sakura held up a hand, counting down tasks on her fingers. "Well, first I'll need a list of all the medicinal herbs that you have in this village."

"Yes, at once." Sand medics scurried to follow her instructions.

"And we should change these bandages for new ones."

"Yes ma'am."

"I'll need an IV drip set up, stat," Midori chimed in, hand still on Kankuro's forehead. "He needs fluids in his body."

"Got it!"

"Oh, and be sure to set aside a small amount of the toxin Midori extracted," Sakura continued. "I'll be needing it later."

Now with a minute to breathe, both girls let their hair down, accepting bottles of water from Masuko gratefully.

"Nice job out there, you two!" She grinned, nodding at Temari, still recovering her nerves. Chiyo was crouching next to her, holding her hand and saying something with a gentle expression. "General good and alliance aside, Chiyo has gotten very attached to this lot. I'm very impressed with the professional and cool way you both handled a serious situation." Masuko was talking to the both of them, but her gaze was on Midori, some unspoken praise passing from her proud expression.

The elderly Sand woman huffed, studying the two young women with almost a reluctant kind of respect. "You remind me of that old Slug Queen, Tsunade. Especially you." She nodded at Sakura, suspicion creeping into her tone. "Isn't it strange, you turning up in our village like this?"

Sakura and Midori exchanged confused glances. "Well, after all, Lady Tsunade is my teacher," the pink-haired girl explained.

"And my medical mentor," Midori added, glancing back at Tsukiko with a shy smile.

A rush of affection for the blond girl made Tsukiko's lips turn up, nodding back at her with gratitude. Kami knows she didn't earn it, but both of her students still saw her as their sensei.

"And it was by her order that we personally came here," Sakura finished. "All of us."

The old woman inclined her head, frown deepening.

"Here's that list of medicinal herbs."

Sakura took the page from the man, holding it so that Midori could see. "Good, thank you very much." The two began discussing in hushed tones, Midori describing the symptoms she had sensed while Sakura pointed to different items.

"Keep in mind, sister," the old man began, stepping forward. "That the river of time keeps flowing right by us."

Her lips lifted in a small smile.

"Lord Baki!" A messenger called from the hall. "A reply from the Leaf Village!"

The Leaf jounin and Naruto followed, leaving the girls in the room.

"Thank you." The man opened the scroll, visible eye moving swiftly across the page. "It's from your Hokage," he said, passing the paper to Kakashi.

"From Grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked, trying to peek over his sensei's shoulder. "What'd she say?"

Kakashi lifted his head with a serious expression. "She said that Team Guy is on its way here to back us up."

"Bushy Brow Sensei's squad?" Naruto repeated, chuckling as he took the scroll. "I can't wait to see how much they've all changed. I hear even Neji's been made a jounin." His grip on the paper tightened, tone almost casual. "Well, all right! No sense waiting around for them to get here!"

Tsukiko frowned, seeing identical expressions on Masuko's and Kakashi's faces. 'Three squads? I suppose a kidnapped Kazekage does demand immediate and decisive action, but the Leaf Village is still in the late stages of recovery. And Team Guy has two additional jounin. Did Tsunade-Sensei get a bad feeling?'

This didn't seem to bother the orange-clad boy. "Let's go after the Akatsuki right now!" Scroll in hand, he began running down the hall.

Until Kakashi's half teasing, half admonishing voice stopped him cold. "Okay, but which way are you going? Do you even know where they are?"

"Uh, no." Shoulders slumping, Naruto turned back with a red face.

Masuko shook her head, a hand on her hip. "Still, I like the energy." Raising her voice, Masuko called out to the girls. "Backup's on its way. Bowl-Cut and crew will be here in a few days."

Midori visibly perked up, cheeks darkening. "Neji's coming?"

"Yes, and you can fill your boyfriend in on your excellent surgical skills," Masuko teased, fang wickedly gleaming as her student spluttered and hid her face behind the sheets of medicinal herbs.

"Don't be too mean," Tsukiko said dutifully, her words undercut by her grin. "Your teasing can get relentless sometimes."

Snorting, the purple-haired woman reached out to lightly tug on her friend's low ponytail, noticing that the band was placed close to her neck. "You haven't seen my teasing, yet. Speaking of which, I have to know how you of all people burned your hair. Details, as soon as this mission is over."

Grimacing at the evil grin of the taller woman, Tsukiko brushed her bangs away nervously. "You know what? Maybe you aren't being so harsh on the girls. They can take a little ribbing now and again."

Masuko let out a bark of laughter as Kakashi turned to Baki.

"If you don't mind my asking, what have been the results so far of your attempts to pursue the Akatsuki?"

Chiyo's head snapped up, and the playful atmosphere died instantly, all of the Leaf ninja tense.

Baki sighed, turning his head to look into the hospital room. "First, Kankuro went after them by himself. And you see what happened to him." Clenching his fists, the man continued. "Then we launched a tracking unit in pursuit. But as of yet, we haven't heard back from them. And there's another problem." He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We believe that—well, it appears that Captain Yura, one of our council of advisors has gone missing. We don't even know if he's alive."

Kakashi cut right to the heart of the matter. "So you're saying you've completely lost track of the Akatsuki."

"Yes." The Sand jounin sounded defeated. "We have."

Tsukiko frowned, trying to think of a solution. Worst case, they'd head in the direction of the retrieval team and Kankuro's attack and she'd push her dome out in front of her to its upper limit. In one direction, she could extend about three miles, but even that number seemed pitiful when considering the vastness of the desert. And that excluded the possibility that the Akatsuki had changed course at some point. No, they'd have to get lucky that way.

'And more disappointing, Itachi won't be at the end of this journey.' There was no way in hell that the Akatsuki would be stupid enough to meet up all in person, and it didn't seem like Itachi was the one who'd taken Gaara.

She'd come to this conclusion as soon as she'd seen Kankuro. Firstly, Itachi didn't use poison. Why would he, when he could break his opponent's mind in less than a second? And in the one in a million chance he did use poison, it wouldn't be something this complex. No, the Akatsuki member who'd done this was a specialist, which also excluded Kisame Hoshigaki. He seemed like the up close and personal type, his sword eating chakra, not poisoning. From the information Eri and Jiraiya had gathered, partners didn't usually switch up.

That made sense, as the pairings were based on skills and weaknesses. Giving Itachi's mid-to-long range to Kisame's short range was the same sort of dynamic between her and Masuko. So, the obvious conclusion was that this was a different pair: one that was capable of fighting in the air, and a poison specialist. But just because they weren't her primary target didn't mean she wasn't going to kill them.

'As Sakura so aptly put it, each fight with them brings me closer to my real goal.' And each death would send a very clear message.

"Lord Baki!" One of the medics waved at him joyfully. "Kankuro has regained consciousness!"

"Kankuro, are you alright?" Temari asked anxiously, Chiyo at her side.

The older boy was blinking, as if his vision was fuzzy, before focusing in on her. "Temari, you're back already?" His gaze slid slightly. "And you brought Chiyo?" It sounded as if sandpaper lined his throat, just hearing him speak painful to listen to.

"I heard the Village was in trouble," she replied. "Chiyo filled me in. She was sent by the Leaf."

Kankuro groaned with pain, his already raspy voice even softer. "I'm sorry to be such a bother."

"Shut up." Temari's rebuttal was instant, Chiyo nodding firmly, her jaw clenched. "Don't be ridiculous."

Kakashi turned to Baki. "Can you lead me to where Kankuro's fight with the Akatsuki took place?" At the Sand nin's confusion, he continued. "I'm known for having a pretty good nose for tracking. If even the slightest trace of their scent remains on the scene—"

"There's no need for that," Kankuro interrupted, forcing himself to sit up.

"Careful!" Chiyo was quick to move around the bed and support him with her shoulder. "You're no good to us if you pass out!"

The Sand boy continued, mind only on one thing. "Where are my puppets? I assume that my puppets were recovered, right?"

"We'll bring them right away!" A Sand medic ran off.

Sakura moved to the door and Midori waved to catch her senseis' attention. "While you hear what he has to say, we're going to start the antidote."

Tsukiko nodded her understanding as they left, a hope burning in her chest. It had been days since the fight, and with the ever-churning sand, picking up a scent would be extremely difficult. But Kankuro had something else in mind?

Swiftly, a blue tarp with the broken pieces of a brown humanoid puppet inside was set on the ground next to the bed.

"Oh no, Crow!" Chiyo exclaimed, eyes widening. "What happened?"

"One fought with me, while the other carried Gaara away," Kankuro explained. "You might be able to follow Gaara's scent. But you can also definitely track the one I fought. I made sure of it." Even with Chiyo and Temari propping him up, the boy hissed with pain as he moved to point at his puppet.

"You see, I've got his scent right here." With a single chakra thread, he directed the closed fist to open. The pinky of the hand fell off, but all attention was on the square of black cloth in its palm. "The last thing I did was make sure I got a scrap of his clothing."

That hope erupted into a fierce fire in Tsukiko's chest, a type of pride in her fellow shinobi.

Kakashi clearly felt the same, respect in his voice as he picked up the black material. "Even in defeat, you went down fighting. Just what I'd expect from a Sand Shinobi."

A tired smirk made its way onto the boy's face, but was erased by a sudden pain in his chest. He doubled over, groaning.

"Kankuro, what is it?!" Temari asked frantically.

The agony seemed to pass, leaving Kankuro's expression blank as he looked up, gaze halting on Naruto.

"Yes, he came all the way from the Leaf Village to help us," Temari answered, understanding his unspoken confusion.

"Is that...Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Hey there," the blond responded, a smile present on his features.

Kankuro's eyes closed. "I see." When they opened, he turned to Chiyo. "And you brought your squad as well. Thank you."

"Of course," she said fiercely, hand gripping her hourglass. "And I'm going to bring Gaara back."

Both siblings' eyes were drawn to the slowly moving sand. "That means he's still alive," the boy sighed, his tense body relaxing slightly. "There's hope."

"And thanks to you, a fighting chance," Tsukiko added, dark eyes on Kakashi as he executed a series of hand signs.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With a puff of smoke, there were suddenly several more creatures in the room.

"At your service." Pakkun, Kakashi's primary dog, spoke from his perch on the head of a large bulldog. "Eight ninja hounds."

"Hey, Pakkun!" Naruto greeted excitedly.

"Is that you, Naruto?" The dog asked with slight disbelief. "Long time, no see."

"Whoa, look at you! You haven't changed a bit!"

"You haven't either," the ninja dog commented dryly.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Naruto held his hand up to his head horizontally. "I'm a lot taller, for one thing!"

"All right, all right, let's skip the reunion," Kakashi said briskly, well aware of Pakkun's ability for small talk. "I need you guys to get on this right away."

"Hmm?" Suddenly at attention, Pakkun and the other dogs all carefully inhaled the scent of the Akatsuki member, circling around the piece of cloth in their master's hand.

"Find out which way he went, okay?" Pausing for one last second, the grey-haired jounin gave the order. "Go on!"

Seven of the hounds vanished, their Body Flicker technique helped by using four paws over two legs. Only Pakkun remained.

"We'll let you know when we find something." Then he was gone too.

Naruto stared at the spot where the dogs vanished. "They won't let us down."

Tsukiko nodded. "We just need to get close. I can use my dome and pinpoint the location if I have something to guide me."

Masuko cracked her knuckles. "And I have chakra to spare, so let's pump your range up a bit, shall we?"

Clenching his fists, Naruto quivered with excitement. "Okay, we move out as soon as Pakkun and his posse get back! So I say we start getting ready!" He began stretching his arms.

"Not so fast, Naruto," his sensei cautioned.

"Hmm?"

His uncovered eye was on the approaching Sand elders.

"Kankuro," the old woman greeted.

The brown-haired boy's eyes widened. "Lady Chiyo? And Lord Ebizo? You're here?"

Chiyo's expression betrayed her surprise as she took in the woman with sudden interest. When the woman mentioned her name, she had guessed. But this was the famous Chiyo of the Sand? The one her uncle insisted she be named after, as some sort of grand gesture?

Internally, she snorted. 'Yeah, like my uncle gave a damn. He was probably trying to kiss up to the Ambassador Corps and get promoted.' The fact that the name "Chiyo" meant "one thousand generations" probably appealed to his vanity as well. Isamu didn't have a daughter, so his niece was the next best person to foist the name off on.

"There's something we must know and only you can tell us," Lady Chiyo continued, pulling the girl back to the conversation. "Am I correct in thinking that one of your opponents, the one you fought with, was Sasori?"

Looking away, the Sand ninja hesitated, expression downcast.

"Well, speak up, Kankuro," Lord Ebizo urged, voice grim.

"Yes." The confirmation was spoken with a mix of pain, anger, and slight awe. "Sasori of the Red Sand. He told me so himself."

Tsukiko nodded, crossing her arms. The name was familiar from the Bingo Book. An S-rank rogue nin from the Sand. It actually made far too much sense. Just as they would send a former Leaf shinobi to the Leaf, so too would the Akatsuki send a Sand rogue back home. Sasori would know the layout, have a vague idea of the guards, and perhaps even have a spy or two still in the village.

"Sasori of the Red Sand, huh?" Kakashi turned to the Sand elders. "I get the feeling you know something about these Akatsuki." His intelligent gaze narrowed slightly. "Will you tell us?"

2 ½ Years Ago:

"I see," Akihiro said heavily, regarding the exhausted woman before him with pity.

Her tea cold now, and voice strained and raw from the amount she'd been talking, Tsukiko furiously blinked back tears. Her head was lowered, staring at the whorls in the table as she desperately tried to think of something else to say. A beaten and well-worn Leaf headband sat on the wood between them, a long jagged scratch through the emblem on the forehead protector.

The old man set his own cup down, hands disappearing into the sleeves of his robe as he thought. If he was honest with himself, he was disappointed, but unsurprised. The ambition of the Uchiha was truly something to fear, and there had been an uneasiness in his chest when Tsukiko had left.

Not to say that he had suspected these exact events, but there had been a suspicion that the boy would choose easy power over the commitment and hard work that would come with the patience of honing skills in the proper manner.

And now the last of his bloodline sat before him, broken by betrayal after betrayal. The familiar anger against that cursed clan rose once more in his mind. Just when he had been willing to forgive…

But that wasn't important now. What truly mattered was how he was going to help Tsukiko heal. Time was not on their side and there was much for her to learn, but power with a broken heart was only a threat. She had told him of her explosive outburst, of the damage she had done to herself and the surrounding forest. Imagining that, but with her wielding white or even black fire, the man inwardly shivered. No, he'd have to train her heart first, help her understand and center her emotions before they progressed.

"Get up, Tsukiko," Akihiro ordered, voice firm but not unkind. "We have work to do and nothing will be accomplished wallowing in misery. We begin your training now."

NOW:

Tsukiko watched anxiously as Sakura held the cup up to Kankuro's mouth, encouraging the young man to drink all of the antidote.

Night had fallen before Sakura and Midori returned, antidote finally ready. From the face he was making, Kankuro didn't find the taste very agreeable, but he took large gulps anyway. With a large gasp and cough, he finished, wincing at the remaining pain in his chest.

"There." The pink-haired ninja set the cup down. "You should be alright now. Just lie back and rest."

Midori nodded. "Don't move around until the numbness passes," she advised.

Baki turned to the Leaf jounin. "All of you are going to need rest as well, after your journey. We've prepared rooms for you."

Tsukiko's grateful smile faded as Naruto spoke up. "But! But we've got to go after Gaara!"

'The dogs haven't returned, so where would we go?' And her time sitting on the floor couldn't be called comfortable by any stretch of imagination. In fact, the lack of movement had made her fatigue grow, no longer fueled by adrenaline and a set mission. With nothing to do, her body was reminding her that she hadn't exactly been at her best form when they left the Leaf, let alone now.

"Thanks, we'll take you up on your offer," Kakashi cut in, shutting Naruto down with a stern look. "We may have to travel far and fast tomorrow."

After a long moment, Naruto looked away. "Okay, you win."

"That goes for you too, Chiyo," Masuko added. "We need rest."

The girl in question looked up, her gaze having been once more focused on her hourglass. The look on her face said it all. "I don't want to. I have to go, now!" But training and common sense won out and she nodded dully.

Tsukiko frowned, knowing that her student was unlikely to actually rest. "Actually, Chiyo, do you mind if I borrow that hourglass of yours?"

Panic flashed across her face, grip tightening around the item. "What for?"

'So you won't drive yourself to madness staring at it all night.'

"I want to familiarize myself with Gaara's chakra. That way, when I use my dome, I'll be able to lock on to his energy."

Chiyo bit her lip, loathe to part with her only connection to Gaara. But if it would help them find him…

Reluctantly, she allowed the chain to slip from her fingers, into her sensei's hand. Seeing Gaara's lifeline being tucked away brought a new wave of agony to her chest, but she refused to break down. Not when her friends needed her to be strong.

She didn't realize that her fist was clenched, nails piercing the skin of her palms until Kankuro took her hand. Startled, Chiyo looked up at him with wide eyes.

"I trust you," he said solemnly. "And I'm asking you this as a friend. Please, save Gaara." Kankuro turned to pierce Naruto with the same desperate look, emotions bare for the blond boy to see. "Please, save my little brother."

Naruto was the first to recover, his grip on his bag tightening. "Don't worry. I will." With a grin, he continued. "After all, I'm going to be the Hokage someday. And for now, the Kazekage can just owe me one."

Chiyo squeezed Kankuro's hand, her voice just as firm. "We'll bring him home, Kankuro. Whatever it takes, I swear, I'll bring him back."

Tsukiko kept her hand in her pocket, twisting the chain around her finger thoughtfully, watching the scene play out from the back of the hospital room. 'Love is such a strange thing. It makes us strong and weak at the same time. It makes us hopeful and despairing, determined and vengeful. To love someone is to hate anything that would hurt them, and it changes you in ways you cannot imagine. I just wonder…' She looked up at the window, a tired reflection looking back at her with fiery eyes. 'Have I been broken, or made whole?'

The sun rose slowly, gentle rays warming the Sand Village in what promised to be a beautiful day, despite the circumstances. The damage to the buildings were minimal, most of the destruction focused on the main gate. But one could be forgiven for making the mistake that all was peaceful in the Sand, the normal bustle of daily life continuing, despite the sobering news of their Kazekage.

Tsukiko woke up with the dawn, the light coming in through her window. After days of non-stop traveling, she had fallen asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow of the soft bed given to her. It had been heavenly to take the time to shower and finally clean the grime away. After changing into a different set of her jounin clothes, the exhaustion set in and she had barely made it to the green bed.

All of this was to great amusement of Masuko, who was sharpening her blade while sitting on the ground at the foot of her bed. The two were sharing a room and bathroom, the older woman allowing Tsukiko to use the amenities first.

But with the new day came new energy, and Tsukiko felt fully restored as she sat up with a content stretch. Her sleep had been peaceful and dreamless, even her mind too tired to conjure up anything.

The first thing she did was glance over at the hourglass sitting on the desk between her bed and Masuko's. The sand inside didn't seem all that different to her, but there might've been a few less grains floating, the pile below growing ominously.

Reassured in her decision to confiscate the item, Tsukiko brushed her thick hair and pulled it into a ponytail, tightened at the base of her neck. Smoothing the hair that framed her face, she adjusted her headband, the Leaf symbol shining proudly.

As Masuko began to stir, Tsukiko sat cross-legged on the bed and studied the top of the hourglass, seeing a tiny hinge near the Sand symbol.

Carefully pressing her nail into the crack where wood met glass, she opened the top smoothly. Tsukiko slid her finger inside, barely touching the moving sand. It brushed against the pad of her finger before continuing the lazy figure eight. But more importantly, the sand was full of Gaara's chakra.

Each chakra had its own signature, something that made it stand out. She had learned this from her time overseeing the Chunin Exams and had further developed it. Gaara's energy was...cold. Frigid and dry like his homeland at night, the young Kazekage's chakra exuded loneliness. There was more to it, a menacing nature likely from his connection to the One-Tail, and...something else. Something light, that she couldn't quite grasp.

"I thought that was just an excuse to take it from Chiyo, but you really are studying his chakra, huh?"

Her eyes snapped open, gold orbs regarding her friend with surprise.

Masuko was fully dressed, her sword in her lap as she watched with fascination. Tsukiko hadn't seemed aware of time passing, or what her own chakra was doing. It had been pulsing, somewhat reminiscent of sonar, and steadily pushing out into that dome of hers.

Blinking at the time, as at least thirty minutes having passed, according to the position of the sun, Tsukiko snapped the hourglass shut. "It was, partly. I did think it would be useful to familiarize myself with it, but the main reason was so Chiyo could rest."

The purple-haired woman grinned. "She would've stared at that thing all night. Glad to see the sand is still moving."

"Yeah." Holding it up, the young jounin frowned. "This sand is full of chakra, but it's weakening slowly. I had hoped that it had been a while since the hourglass was refilled and the slowing was more about distance away from Gaara rather than his own strength failing. But the chakra isn't lessening, it's just...fading."

With a heavy sigh, Masuko stood. "Then we'd better get moving. A messenger told me that Kakashi wants us to meet at the village entrance before the hour is up. He must have some news."

"Good." Putting the hourglass in her pocket, Tsukiko moved to strap her kunai to her leg. "Hey, Masuko...have you noticed that Chiyo—"

"Yeah," she replied, grin seeming a little strained. "She's happy here. Even with everything going on, she's a lot more relaxed in the Sand than back at home."

The two women nodded, both content to leave it at that. But Tsukiko also felt resolve coil in her chest. 'Chiyo and I need to have a little heart to heart.'

Catching up to Kakashi and his team took only a moment, Chiyo and Midori already present. No doubt the dark-haired chunin had hurried her friend along as soon as news of Gaara's whereabouts had arrived.

Silently, Tsukiko passed the hourglass to her worried teammate, smiling gently at the sigh of relief Chiyo gave at the sight of the still-moving sand.

"Now that everyone's here, let's go over the plan," Kakashi said. "Seems we'll be working in conjunction with a squad from the Sand Village. As soon as they're here, we'll head out."

"Sorry to keep you waiting." As soon as the words left Kakashi's lips, Temari and four other shinobi arrived.

"Temari!" Sakura waved a greeting.

Chiyo smiled at the older girl, holding up her hourglass and nodding.

"Okay, if that's everybody…" Kakashi looked to the Sand entrance.

"Okay!" Naruto stretched, full of energy. "There's no time to waste so let's get this show on the road!"

"Wait!" Baki dropped down from a rooftop, expression grim. He turned to the Sand shinobi. "Temari, you and your group are to stay here. Patrol the perimeter."

The blond girl clenched her fists. "Are you kidding me or what?" She spat, incensed.

"Orders from above," Baki explained, crossing his arms. At Temari's shock, he continued. "If word gets out that the Kazekage is missing, our enemies may use it as an opportunity to launch an attack on the Village."

"Come on!" A kunoichi scoffed.

"Don't you get it?!" Temari glared at her former sensei. "That's all the more reason we have to get him back as quickly as we can!" She gestured to Kakashi and the others. "Look at these Leaf ninja! They left their village and came all the way here just to help us rescue Gaara! And Gaara's not even their leader. He's our Kazekage!" Her voice was passionate, bordering on desperate. "The Sand shinobi should be the ones to save him!"

Baki clenched his fists, looking away. "I'm sorry," he said, clearly pained.

"Well, I'm going!" An elderly voice announced.

Tsukiko looked up, raising an eyebrow.

Lady Chiyo stood at the top of a tall building, her figure surprisingly intimidating. "If a Sand shinobi is needed, then I'm the one to go!"

"Granny Chiyo?" Temari questioned.

Baki shook his head in disbelief. "But, you're so—"

Her smirk cut him off, the smile dangerous. "I'm retired, yes," she acquiesced, a kind of snide victory in her tone. "Which means, of course, that I'm free to do whatever I want."

The female Sand ninja tried to interject. "Yes, but—the journey will be very difficult!"

"Bah! Don't treat me like a fossil!" The old woman jumped from the building, landing with speed and grace in front of a freaked out Naruto and Sakura.

Kakashi's shoulders slumped. "Well then…"

The elder kunoichi's smile didn't reach her eyes. "After all, its been awhile since I've doted on my adorable grandchild."

Tsukiko nodded thoughtfully. "If anyone were to get around his puppets, then it would have to be someone who knows his fighting style. I say we accept her help with gratitude."

Masuko shrugged. "Alright with me. I just want to get going."

"About that…" Midori raised her hand hesitantly. "If both Lady Chiyo and Sakura are going, then I should stay here."

At the many surprised faces, she shrugged ruefully. "Well, if any of you were to be poisoned or seriously injured, Sakura would be enough to handle it. Two medical ninja are not really necessary, even in such a large squad. And the Sand is already struggling to keep up with their wounded. They need medics."

"Are you sure?" Tsukiko asked, tilting her head.

"Neji will be with us, you know," Masuko whispered, grinning at the blond girl's red cheeks.

"I'm sure." Midori took a deep breath. "To be honest, there's another reason. I wouldn't be much use in this fight."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms.

"Well, at least one of our opponents is a puppet master," she explained. "My attacks are all using chakra threads, the exact same as him. Going up against an opponent with that much experience in my own field is reckless, and that's not what you need now. I want to be where I can be of the most use."

Looking at her determined expression, Tsukiko nodded. "Alright then. You stay here, and we'll take Lady Chiyo in your place." The girl wasn't hesitating out of fear, but simply using her head and utilizing her skills in the best possible way.

Relieved that her reasoning had been taken into account, Midori nodded. "I'll work hard to get everyone healed!"

"Alright." Kakashi nodded at the Sand nin and Midori. "We'll head out on our own, then."

"Thank you," Baki said gratefully. "I'll try to convince the counsel to change their mind."

"Don't worry," Temari added, painfully bright. "We'll catch up with you."

Chiyo and Sakura nodded, but Naruto snorted. "Ha! By the time you catch up with us, we'll have already rescued Gaara!"

"He means, we'll see you soon!" Sakura corrected as the group turned and began running into the hot desert.

Already, the morning sun was beating down on them with extreme intensity, the heat oppressive. Thankfully, the Akatsuki had gone back towards the Land of Fire and the forests, probably hoping to throw off the Sand shinobi. The destination Pakkun had pointed to was the Land of Rivers, a little independent strip of land between the Leaf and Sand.

"Alright, so let's discuss our plans," Masuko prompted. "Kakashi, you mentioned that Pakkun is telling Guy and his group where to meet us?"

"Yes," the grey-haired man nodded. "When we reach the forest, one or two of us should break off and follow one of my dogs to join them. I'd rather our groups be relatively even in case of traps or an ambush. And that way, we can attack the hideout more effectively if we arrive at around the same time."

"I will go, then," Masuko said immediately. "Bowl-Cut and I don't work too badly together, and need to get some of this extra energy out." Her fang glinted as she spoke, hand dropping to the hilt of her sword.

"Sounds good."

"I would like to know more about the Akatsuki." Sakura suddenly spoke up. "How long have they been after Naruto?"

"I don't know," the blond boy admitted, jaw clenching.

'Back to fishing, Sakura?' Aloud, Tsukiko answered the girl's question, cautious of giving information to the old woman watching with interest. "Two members of the Akatsuki came to the Leaf looking for Naruto three years ago. We haven't heard or seen anything concrete since then."

"Why do you think they waited so long to make another move?" Sakura pressed.

"It could be they wanted to act before this," Kakashi mused. "But for some reason they couldn't. Maybe because Master Jiraiya was around and they didn't want to face him…"

'But Jiraiya-Sensei's presence didn't exactly deter them before.'

"That's not it." Lady Chiyo's voice had an air of finality. "From what I've learned, there was an entirely different reason they had to wait this long."

Tsukiko glanced back, intrigued. "What reason?" So the old woman was willing to offer up information of her own accord?

"If you're going to try and draw out the Tailed Beast that dwells within, a great deal of preparation is involved. They just needed some more time."

'If that's true, then why did Itachi come to the Leaf? Why try and steal the Nine-Tails if they weren't ready?' More and more questions about that man were piling up by the day, and weighing down her heart. Why? That seemed to be the ever-present question with regards to Itachi Uchiha.

'Why? And where?'

"What are you talking about?" Sakura's eyes narrowed. "What Tailed Beast?"

'They don't know.' Of course they didn't. Tailed Beasts had been basically taboo when Tsukiko was a kid too. If not for Lord Fugaku's scrolls, she'd be in the dark as well.

"My, my," Lady Chiyo mocked. "You're a student of that old Slug Queen Tsunade and you don't even know that." A glance at Naruto. "When the Leaf itself is host to the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Surprise, surprise. The old woman knew that much. Though she probably didn't know Naruto was the jinchuriki, she might've guessed from how they were talking.

"The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit is not something we talk about," Kakashi said warningly. "It's considered top secret."

'More like a bad taste in everyone's mouths that we ignore to make ourselves feel better.'

"Really?" Lady Chiyo shrugged. "Well, not surprising, I guess." Her tone changed to someone giving a lecture. "Tailed Beasts are demon spirits with one or more tails. The Sand have had the One-Tail since long ago. That's the Shukaku sealed within Gaara."

'It's name is Shukaku, that's right. What is the name of the Nine-Tails, I wonder…?'

Biting her lip, Chiyo looked back at her namesake with interest. "That's what Gaara told me."

"So there's more of these demon spirits?" Sakura queried.

Looking irritated that the Kazekage had given up information to the Leaf, Lady Chiyo nodded. "Oh, yes. There are a total of nine of them in the world, each with distinct characteristics, and each with a different number of tails. The demon beast of the Sand, with its single tail, a two-tailed spirit, three-tailed, and so on, all the way up to that Nine-Tailed Fox of the Leaf."

"The more tails, the stronger they are," Tsukiko added, catching Naruto's eye.

"The Beasts are huge concentrations of Chakra," the Sand elder agreed. "And during the Great War, every nation competed for control of them for military purposes."

All the younger ninja looked back in horror or shame, the older ones merely rolling their shoulders as if shaking off a nightmare. The First Great Ninja was before their time, but the concepts being discussed certainly weren't. Tsukiko, for one, had had enough experience with the effects a Tailed Beast could have, let alone accusations of controlling one.

"They fought relentlessly over them. But the Tailed Beasts' powers were beyond human imagining. No one could control them." Lady Chiyo paused, sighing. "I don't know the intentions of the Akatsuki. But that kind of power is far too dangerous for anyone to get ahold of. Eventually, with the coming of peace the Tailed Beasts were forgotten. But nevertheless, they still exist, all nine of them scattered over the world."

There was silence for several minutes, each group member lost in their thoughts as sand turned to grass.

"I'm heading out now," Masuko announced, her energy unfolding like a wave. Tailed Beasts this, Tailed Beasts that, all of it was annoying. The Mist has been caught up in that nonsense about power, and look what happened. No, at the end of the day, all that mattered were how hard you trained and how well you did your job. And Masuko was about to show off. "Point me in the direction and I might just beat Pakkun, Kakashi."

A ninja hound appeared at her side. "Let's go, then. I'm the fastest of all of us. Keep up, human."

With a growl of satisfaction, the two disappeared, racing away.

"Kakashi, I'm going to put my dome up now," Tsukiko said. "We're out of the open land and back where our enemies can hide."

"Do it."

She kept it minimal, a few hundred feet around them, and moved to the front of the group. There was a chance that someone with real sensory talent would feel her dome and their surprise attack would be lost. And since this was the Akatsuki, you could never be too careful.

It was an odd sensation, this jutsu. Almost like being himself and a clone at the same time.

Most of him was sitting on a rock near the outskirts of the Land of Fire, but part of him, and most of his attention, was in a sealed cave in the Land of Rivers.

It was hard to see anything in the dark, other than the red chakra being pulled from the jinchuuriki and the outline of the rock. He was a shadow standing on the finger of a large statue, pumping chakra into the jutsu draining the boy Kazekage of his Beast and his life.

Itachi hated every moment of this mission, the raspy groan of the dying child often the only sound for hours at a time. The boy was Sasuke's age…

But that Itachi, the one who had the ability, the right to be disgusted, was buried deep, deep down. It was easier to be cold and merciless, to crush all emotion behind the mission. His mission. The only thing that mattered in the end.

'Protect the Leaf, save Sasuke, forget Tsukiko.' It had almost become a mantra over the last three years, something he repeated to himself time and time again. The first two were a given, and on some days, he could actually believe the third possible.

Today was one such day. Even bringing thoughts of her into this place was forbidden, a taboo he would not allow. He deserved to listen to the boy he was killing, to relive every life he'd taken, every future he'd ended. This was not a place he would bring happy memories to, an escape from his own atrocities. No, this was a time of penance and punishment.

The eyes of the Gedo Statue were nearly open, all of them showing white, while some showed pupils. It would not be long now.

"Our location has been discovered." The gravelly, growling voice of Black Zetsu broke the silence. "The enemy approaches."

Deidara glanced up, irritated. "Which enemy is that?" He demanded.

"A very skilled and dangerous one," the creature responded. "His name is Might Guy."

Their leader spoke, ringed eyes narrowed. "Might Guy?" He repeated. "Who is he?"

"An elite Leaf shinobi, a master of Taijutsu," Itachi explained, the beginnings of a headache forming. The absolute last thing they needed was the Leaf getting involved. "Don't underestimate him."

"Ah!" His partner chuckled. "That strange beast again!" The jovial attitude did a poor job of hiding his bloodlust, a predator with prey in sight.

"Very well," their leader nodded. "We'll use that jutsu against him."

"I'll go!" Predictably, it was Hidan who spoke first, his strange fuchsia eyes lit up at the chance to kill a strong opponent. "Let me take care of him. It'll give me a chance to make up for failing to find a jinchuriki host."

"No, leave him to me," Kisame said, grin wide even in shadow form. "I'm the closest, and I know him, you see. I have a personal score to settle with him."

"Yes," the leader nodded. "As you have the most chakra of any of the Akatsuki, you're probably the most suitable to employ that jutsu. Very well, Kisame."

"Excellent."

"But I'll still require thirty percent of your chakra here."

The shark-like rogue nodded, pulling his consciousness away, but leaving his chakra flowing. "Well, well, then." His grin darkened. "I've been waiting to pay him back for that kick he gave me."

"Kisame, there's more." Itachi's tone was as cold as ever, but now there was something else hiding there.

"What?" Kisame closes his eyes once more, just in time to hear Black Zetsu.

"-nother strong fighter just joined him. A woman with purple hair. She used to be from the Mist, I believe. Masuko Arashi."

'Shit.' So that was why Itachi's voice was slightly off. Concern. Not for him or about Masuko, but for that pretty Leaf girl who was all buddy-buddy with the purple-haired woman nowadays. If one was around, there was a good chance that the other was close by. It didn't take a genius to figure out that there was a lot of baggage there, but it wasn't like he couldn't say the same.

"Kisame, do you know her?"

"Yeah." His enthusiasm dampened, he shrugged. "She's also very capable, especially if she has a sword in her hands. But I can handle it."

"Good." Ringed-eyes stared at him intensely. "Now go."

Grumbling to himself, Kisame readied the jutsu that would create a flesh and blood clone of himself by sacrificing one of Sasori's little minions. He maxed out giving it thirty percent, already knowing that this wasn't going to be an easy fight. Probably not even a fun one.

The actual clash would still be the adrenaline rush he was seeking, that much was promised. But it was hard to face Masuko after their last meeting, the betrayal and hurt in her eyes unexpectedly painful. Why couldn't he just cut his ties to that damnable woman like he'd done to everyone else?

When his mind supplied the answer, he immediately shut that train of thought down and activated the jutsu.

"So Kakashi thinks we'll run into trouble?" Guy asked as they raced through the desert, Pakkun leading them on the most direct path to the Land of Rivers.

"Better safe than sorry," Masuko grinned. "I volunteered since I had the most chakra to spare, except maybe that Naruto kid, and Kakashi is keeping him on a tight leash right now. He and Chiyo would be racing ahead if they could."

Neji shook his head. "It sounds as though he hadn't changed much."

The woman shrugged. "He's matured in the important ways, but kept that earnestness. Not necessarily a bad thing. Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "Speaking of earnest, Midori says hi. She stayed back at the Sand to help the wounded. Not too many got hurt, but those who did are in bad shape or in body bags. She was disappointed to miss you, but really stepped up. That Kankuro kid already owes his life to her."

"Of course," the Hyuga didn't look away from the path ahead, but there was a slight pink to his cheeks. "She's an excellent medic."

Grinning wickedly at the new bit to tease Midori with, the woman was still paying attention to her surroundings. Enough to see Pakkun sniff the air and stiffen.

Guy noticed as well. "What is it, Pakkun?" He called out.

"Someone's coming!"

"Byakugan!" Neji instantly activated his kekkei genkai, quickly spotting the movement. Something underground. "It's behind us!"

The group stopped, Masuko's position at the rear now the front as they turned. Her eyes quickly picked out the white shape sticking up out of the ground, cutting through the earth and racing toward them like the fin of a—

"Yeeeees," Masuko hissed, a snarling smile on her face as she widened her stance and pulled her blade free. "Oh, fu—"

"Find cover!" Tenten warned, her and her team diving away as the thing slammed into the rock behind them and destroyed it.

Masuko leapt back, but kept her stance and her grin locked onto the figure in the smoke.

There he was, stolen sword hefted over his shoulder and the same grin that had made her heart flutter hundreds of times. Before he'd pointed his weapon at a child, that is.

"Kisame," she greeted.

"Huh?" Guy squinted at the Akatsuki member. "Wait a minute…"

"You know this person, Guy-Sensei?" Lee asked, large eyes narrowing.

A bead of sweat fell down the older jounin's face. "Who are you?"

Masuko's head practically snapped around. "What? What did you just ask, Bowl-Cut?"

Chakra thickening, the grin slipped from Kisame's face.

"Something wrong, Tsukiko?" Kakashi asked.

"Maybe," she answered, looking back. "I thought I felt something, just for a second. A foreign chakra enter my space. It's gone now, and I don't know how it vanished so quickly."

"Maybe you imagined it?" Naruto suggested, nearly hitting a tree as he ran backwards, squinting at the forest behind them.

"Maybe," she agreed. "Let's just keep our guard up."

Once the chakra-sensing dome was safely passed, Zetsu emerged from the trunk of a tree, eyes narrowing.

Itachi could feel his partner's anger in his chakra, how it rocked and waved like a storming ocean. He didn't even need to look at the shadow or the physical presence by his side.

Over the years, he and the older man had grown...well, not close, but as close as possible for two murdering rogues to be. There was a set of rules, a code Kisame lived by, and Itachi could respect that. Just as the older man could respect his secrecy and silence. Sometimes, though, it almost felt like Kisame could see through him, sensing a double agent.

All this to say, he felt a growing concern for both Kisame and for the Leaf members he was fighting. On one hand, a pissed off Kisame was more than a severe threat to the life of his opponents, but on the other, it was a thirty percent substitute, and that woman had been able to keep up with him normally.

Another concern was that Masuko Arashi was near Might Guy at all. She had her own team, and unless there had been some kind of personnel switch-up at the Leaf, that meant—

"More intruders," Black Zetsu announced flatly.

A spark of panic now. He'd been unable to meet with his informant lately, but Tsukiko was still at her family shrine, right?

"One of them nearly sensed me," the plant-like humanoid growled.

An admonishing gaze of rings turned to the two members physically in the cave. "You didn't cover your tracks very well, did you Deidara?"

Nervous under that unblinking stare, the young man shuffled awkwardly. "Well, as I said, the jinchuuriki host proved more powerful than we thought," he said defensively, his voice tic more prominent. "Hmm."

"You're a bumbler and a fool," Sasori growled in the deep voice of his puppet. "Your methods are too crude for any sort of secret operation."

"Crude?!" A familiar argument began once more. "Hah! Those clumsy traps of yours were hardly subtle, my friend. Hmm."

"Why you—!"

"Stop bickering amongst yourselves," the spiky-haired shadow of their leader ordered. "Focus on the jutsu." Attention back to Zetsu, he questioned the plant-man. "Is this group also a threat?"

"Very much so," Zetsu growled. "The one who almost caught me was an Amaya. I could feel her strange chakra and I saw her eyes change when she looked back at me. And Kakashi Hatake is with this group as well."

A quiet groan of defeat very nearly left Itachi's body. 'Oh, Tsukiko. Of course.' Once more, he was to cause her pain and heartbreak.

"An Amaya?!" Hidan was practically bouncing. "Send me! This time, it must be me. Someone so rare must be sacr—"

The air temperature seemed to suddenly drop several degrees, a feeling of danger washing over the pink-eyed man. He pulled back to his physical body to look around, wondering how an immortal could suddenly feel so threatened. 'Is Jashin mad?'

"This time, a Leaf shinobi should go," Zetsu suggested, ignoring the tension in the air. "Seeing as they are the ones hunting us."

Itachi's nod was curt. As much as this would pain him, there was no way he would allow any of these murderers anywhere near Tsukiko.

"Very well then." Those ringed eyes dismissed Itachi. "It's decided."

The only warning Tsukiko received was a sudden flash of fiery chakra at the edge of her dome. And just like that, every nerve in her body, every instinct was alive.

"Everyone, STOP!" Her multi-voiced shout echoed, startling the group to a halt behind her wide arms, shielding the others.

Her breath left in sharp puffs, adrenaline slowing everything down for her to analyze. Truthfully, she hadn't expected to run into him like this, her imaginings more along the lines of a prepared sneak attack.

Itachi Uchiha was suddenly standing before her, expressionless and disdainful.

"Who's that?" Sakura asked darkly, the voice of someone who already knows the answer to her question.

"I know you," Naruto growled. "Itachi Uchiha."

The man didn't move, his gaze solely on the woman before him.

"Tsukiko," he greeted, a slight incline of his head. "You've changed." He was obviously referring to her making direct eye contact with him, a boast and a challenge at once in those void-like eyes. The last time they'd appeared, his wrist had been badly fractured. Such mistakes would have to be avoided.

'He's mocking me!' Rage was climbing up her throat, threatening to make her leap into suicidal action. But...something was wrong.

There was always...a moment, a little thing that happened whenever Tsukiko saw the man she loved. A slight flutter in her heart beat, a second where the memory of his lips against hers took hold of her mind. Even when she thought of killing him and freeing Sasuke, those emotions were still present.

But those things didn't happen. No change in her heart, no images of happy times, no feeling of wanting to throw her arms around him and never let go. Nothing.

'Perhaps I've finally moved on?' The thought crossed her mind and died in the same instant. She knew herself better than anyone. One of the immutable facts of her world was this: Tsukiko Amaya loved Itachi Uchiha.

It had taken Akihiro well over six months to help her get past this hang up by acknowledging it. Yes, she loved him, and of course that was okay. Fighting against her feelings was only a distraction that could get her killed. It was better to accept, and then separate.

Tsukiko Amaya was in love with Itachi Uchiha

Tsukiko Amaya was still in love with Itachi Uchiha

Tsukiko Amaya was going to kill Itachi Uchiha.

But with nothing coming to her mind except the adrenaline of an oncoming fight, she knew the truth. Just as she always knew, even when they were kids playing games with clones.

"You're not really Itachi Uchiha."

But that wouldn't change the outcome of this fight.

A.N. I am an evil, evil person... Oh well, see you all in two weeks! Please review!