Guess what? I ended up writing this chapter before updating HP :x Well, I guess it's fair, because I updated two chapters of HP last time ;x I haven't started on the next one yet, but I doubt it'll take long!

Thaaank you MitsukiCHANandNarutoKUN for reviewing *o* and.. OMG DID YOU JUST REVIEW IN JAPANESE? *faints* that's so perfect. I wish I could speak Japanese ~ Arigato! Aishteru! *o* ~ Yeah, that's about it... Well except for the obvious: "suna"; "kaze"; "naruto" ... ok, you get my point :p

So let's get reading \o ~ Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

Team Kakashi reluctantly rested for a few hours before heading out after Gaara. Kakashi had made good use of the time to get Pakkun to track them down. He waited patiently for his nin-dog to return, meanwhile, Naruto snored away. He was quite glad when he spotted Pakkun jumping in through the window. The dog quickly showed Kakashi the quickest route to find Gaara. Luckily enough, they weren't too far away. They might actually make it in good time, of course, not counting the possible trouble they might find along the way. They were dealing with the Akatsuki after all.
"I have one last favour to ask you." Kakashi sighed.

Temari lightly knocked on the door. Kakashi had kindly asked her to wake up the two girls, though she wasn't sure just how grumpy they were when they were sleepy. To her surprise, a very cheerful Uchiha opened to the door.
"Please tell me we're heading out." She almost pleaded.
"Yeah... Kakashi asked me to come get you. Someone called Pakkun's found the Akatsuki." Temari said, her voice shaking slightly.
"Don't sweat it, ok? We'll bring Gaara back." Ami smiled.

Team Kakashi were just about ready to head out. Temari had originally planned on going along with them, but Baki had insisted they needed her Squad in the village, in case of an attack. Their real surprise came with the old woman, who attacked Kakashi earlier, joined their conversation.
"I'll go along with the Konoha shinobi." She smiled.
"Granny Chiyo? You can't possibly be serious." Temari said, failing to hide her shock.
"Of course I am, child. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen my adorable grandson."
Ami, Naruto and Sakura exchanged confused looks for a slight second, before turning their attention back to the old woman. Ami silently hoped she wouldn't delay them in any way.
"Alright... Let's go." Kakashi ordered.

x.x

Ami and Kakashi both successfully memorized the easy route. Ami used her now well trained Sharingan to keep an eye out for any trouble. Chiyo observed the three teenagers carefully. They all seemed to be extremely focused on the mission at hand. It made her smile slightly; it was nice to see such young children, so well determined.
"It's been almost three years since the Akatsuki tried to capture you, Naruto. I'm not sure why they've waited so long though." Kakashi said, eventually.
"Maybe it's because he was with Jiraiya. Who would want to try to capture him with one of the Legendary Sennin around?" Ami said, not taking her eyes off the path ahead.
"From what I heard, there was an entirely different reason they had to wait this long." Chiyo said, suddenly.
"What reason?" Naruto asked.
"If you're going to try to draw out a Bijuu, a great deal of preparation is needed." Chiyo said, simply.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.
"You're a student of the slug princess, yet you know nothing about Bijuu? Especially since Konoha owns the Kyuubi." Chiyo smirked.
"Just so you know, nobody owns the Jinchuuriki. He isn't a weapon." Ami spat, angrily.
"The Kyuubi isn't something we talk about. It's considered top secret." Kakashi stated.
"Oh really? Not surprising I guess." Chiyo shrugged. "Bijuu's are demon spirits, with one or more tails. The sand owns the Shukaku, sealed within our current Kazekage."
"So... There are more of these demon spirits?" Sakura asked, worriedly.
"Oh yes-"
"There are nine of them." Ami said, staring back at Chiyo, her Sharingan flaring.
"Each with a different number of tails." Chiyo continued. "The Shukaku has only one tail. There is the two-tailed, three-tailed, and so on. All the way up to the Kyuubi... The nine-tailed fox of Konoha. The beasts are huge concentrations of chakra, and during the war, every nation attempted to control them for military purposes. They fought relentlessly over them, but the tailed-beast's powers were beyond human imagination. No one could control them."
"Of course they couldn't. I already told you, he isn't a weapon." Ami said, gritting her teeth and clenching her fists.

Naruto stared at her curiously. It made him feel good to know that she would stand up for him like that. Though, he hoped she wouldn't suddenly turn around and punch the old lady. He was supposed to be the stubborn hot-headed one of the group, not her.

"Eventually, with the coming of peace, the demons were forgotten. But they remain, scattered all over the world." Chiyo didn't mind the young girl expressing her opinions. Perhaps she was very close to Konoha's Jinchuuriki.

Chiyo settled on keeping quiet for a while. She continued to silently observe the team. Kakashi was one to allow them to express themselves, which was rather interesting. Back in her day, the team leader was the team leader. He had the right to shut everyone up whenever he felt like it. Instead, Kakashi continued to focus on the path ahead while everyone else talked. Sakura still seemed to be processing the information. Chiyo's mind came back to the real world when she noticed Ami slowing down.
"Ami! What's wrong?" Kakashi called out, not too far behind the young Uchiha.

Ami had decided to ignore those behind her, keeping herself from physically settling her differences with the old lady. She had to accept that the woman was ancient, just like her ways of thinking. There was no way she could know how the woman was brought up. Perhaps back in her day, things were different. She almost apologized for being so rude, but she caught sight of a strange chakra source, not too far ahead. She began focusing on that, slowing down her pace so she wouldn't run into a trap. He heard Kakashi call out to her, they'd obviously realised her sudden reaction. She continued to focus on the chakra, hoping to at least figure out some information. And that's when she saw him.

Uchiha Itachi.

"That's the child who wiped out his entire clan, isn't it?" Chiyo whispered. Sakura's eyes widened instantly.
"Ami, Kakashi, Naruto... It's been a while." Itachi muttered.
"Whatever you do, don't look him in the eyes." Kakashi ordered.
Ami was ready to pounce on him as soon she'd spotted him. She would've done so, if only Kakashi hadn't grabbed hold of her arm. He still hadn't let go, even though he'd successfully stepped in front of her. He wouldn't risk another student running out on him.
"How are we supposed to fight him without looking him in the eye?" Sakura whispered, nervously.
"That's the tricky part-" Kakashi started.
"Follow my lead." Ami said suddenly. "I can look at him because he has no effect on me... Not with the-"
"No." Kakashi said sternly. Chiyo stared curiously at them. "You're not using it until I'm absolutely certain you're ready."
"There are ways to fight against a visual jutsu." Chiyo said, quietly. "Seeing as there are five of us, I suggest two stay put and distract him, while three back off, waiting for the perfect chance to strike."
"That sounds like a plan." Naruto smirked.
"Wait... Just so you know, your methods work perfectly well with normal genjutsu. However, Itachi uses the Mangekyou Sharingan. It's much more powerful than a normal Sharingan. It only takes a second, but if he hits you with his jutsu, it'll be the longest second you've ever lived. I know this because I've lived it. It's not something that can be broken so easily." Kakashi said.
"Quite troublesome, this child." Chiyo smirked.
"I see you've learnt quite a lot from my Tsukuyomi." Itachi said.
"Not only that, Itachi. There's a price to pay whenever a Mangekyou is used. It exhausted you, didn't it? That's why you had to leave before the battle was over. In addition to using up a lot of chakra, you risk permanent damage to your eye, every time it's used." Kakashi said. Ami's mouth hung open slightly. "It's why I don't allow you to use it, Ami."
"So you've actually managed to do it, little one. I had expected you to wait... But it seems like you're fully determined to take me on, someday." Itachi stated.
"You have no idea." She said gritting her teeth.
"You three stand back. Naruto and I will deal with him for a while." Kakashi ordered, ignoring Ami's glare.

Sakura pulled Ami back, despite her resistance. The three watched Kakashi and Naruto fight.
"I can't wait to get my hands on him." Ami exhaled.
"I get the feeling Kakashi wants to take him alone." Sakura said, worriedly.
"I don't care what Kakashi wants! Itachi is my problem, not his." Ami said, stubbornly.
"You know... Back in my day, we'd be in so much trouble if we said something like that to our leader. You should show more respect towards Hatake Kakashi." Chiyo stated.
"I'm sorry, but if you're so upset by the way we think, then please head back to Suna." Ami smiled, sarcastically. "At least then I won't have to listen to you talk about people as if they were nothing but mere tools."
"I did not mean to offend you with that." Chiyo said.
"So... It's true that Konoha has a Jinchuuriki?" Sakura wondered.
"I'm surprised at how little you know." Chiyo smirked.
Ami ignored the old lady's ranting about Sakura's lack of knowledge and focused on Itachi. Kakashi was taking him full on, one attack after the other, but Naruto seemed out of it.
"He's going to need help, Sakura." Ami stated. Sakura nodded and headed towards Naruto.

Naruto watched as the shadow clone transformed from Itachi to Ami. He froze slightly. He knew he was stuck in a genjutsu, but nothing would make him attack.
"What's wrong, Naruto? Don't be scared... I'll make it nice and quick." She smirked, making a cold shiver run down his spine.
"This isn't real." He muttered to himself. He continued to chant as he saw the young Uchiha run towards him, kunai in hand.
"Naruto! Are you alright?" Kakashi called out.
Naruto's eyes were wide. He'd half expected to be dead by now, but he wasn't. He was fine and finally back to the real world.

"Sorry, Sensei, but there's no way I'm letting you fight him alone." Ami smirked.
"I was wondering when you'd show up." Itachi sighed. "Fire release: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
"Stay clear!" Kakashi shouted as he quickly dodged the medium-sized fireballs that came in his direction.
"Fire release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Itachi shouted and an overly large fireball heading towards the team.
Ami stepped in front of Naruto, Sakura and Chiyo, quickly forming hand seals.
"Fire release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" She shouted. Her fireball quickly collided with Itachi's causing a slight explosion.
Kakashi was ready for his next attack. He quickly charged towards Itachi, aiming at his chest:
"Raikiri!" He called out. Itachi almost got hit.
Naruto wasn't far behind his Sensei. Just seconds after Kakashi hit Itachi, he'd spotted the blond running towards him. He held onto a small ball of chakra.
"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, managing to hit the Uchiha square in the chest. Unfortunately for him, Itachi disappeared before he hit the ground. Naruto growled as the smoke faded.

Itachi's next move was to use mist.
"He has the upper hand if we can't see, doesn't he?" Sakura said, worriedly.
Kakashi appeared before Itachi and threw a few kunai in his direction. Itachi dodged them and sent yet another fireball. He watched as the fireball covered Kakashi's body. With the explosion, the mist cleared. Kakashi escaped the explosion by heading underground. He then reappeared just below Itachi and shot up with a punch. Itachi grabbed hold of his arm instantly.
"No! Kakashi Sensei's caught in his jutsu!" Sakura said, suddenly.

"Ami... Hit him while I get ready." Naruto said, urgently.

Ami pulled out her twin daggers from her right hand side. Holding one in each hand, she focused her chakra onto them. Naruto curiously watched as her chakra soon grew into lightning. She smirked and dashed towards her older brother. Kakashi leapt backwards once he spotted the girl making her way towards them. The lightning focused on her daggers grew stronger as she got closer. She barely managed to control herself enough to not allow her Sharingan to change form.
"Chidori!" She shouted. She managed to stab him in the shoulder and scratch his forearms. Though, that was enough to send the lightning natured chakra down to him, making him wince slightly with the sudden contact. Kakashi disappeared with smoke, revealing to be a shadow clone.

Naruto dashed after Itachi while he was still wincing. Ami backed away slightly and simply observed Naruto charge her brother.
"Giant Rasengan!" Naruto shouted, hitting Itachi once again.
"Naruto! Did you hit him?" Ami asked, anxiously.
"He... He was smirking?" Naruto said to himself.

Kakashi quickly ran towards where Itachi's body lay motionless. He bent down and examined it. The others soon followed.
"What happened?" Naruto asked, confused.
"When we were fighting, I figured something was off... I guess this explains it." Kakashi sighed.
"That man..." Chiyo said, her voice shaking slightly.
Ami cautiously made her way towards the body. A part of her felt relieved that she didn't see Itachi lying dead before her eyes, though, she wasn't sure why. Instead, Ami saw someone she recalled seeing during her chunnin exams. He was a shinobi.
"Lady Chiyo... Do you know who this man is?" Kakashi asked, curiously.
"Yes. His name is Yuura and he is a jounin from Suna."

x.x

Team Kakashi continued their way to where the Akatsuki were keeping Gaara. Naruto was slightly out of breath, due to not being used to the Giant Rasengan just yet. Kakashi noticed this and part of him wanted to stop to rest. But they were on a very tight schedule now. Chiyo had told them that if the Akatsuki succeeded in retrieving the Bijuu from Gaara, the young Kazekage would die. This, of course, only made both Naruto and Ami move faster than they were used to. Gai would've been proud.

It was sunset when Kakashi sighed to himself and halted his tracks. He could feel everyone around him getting too tired. It wouldn't be wise to take on Akatsuki with no energy. Naruto, Sakura and Chiyo were behind him, so they stopped instantly. Ami, however, was in front, using her Sharingan to keep track of things. She only stopped when she sensed Kakashi's chakra gaining an unwanted distance. He patiently waited for the young Uchiha to return.
"We're heading in the right direction, Sensei. There's no need to stop and check." Ami stated, still in the trees.
"We're stopping here for a short break." He sighed.
"That's a very wise decision." Chiyo smiled.
"What? You can't be serious! You were the one saying we can't waste any more time!" Naruto whined. "If we stop now, by the time we reach Gaara he could be-"
"Naruto! Our pace has slowed. If we take a break now, we'll get there faster." Kakashi said. "Besides, we're likely to encounter the ones who kidnapped Gaara. We're going to need all our energy."
"Shouldn't someone continue on though? I'm fine! I can go on all night and-"
"Ami, we're stopping and that's final." Kakashi ordered, resting his body against a tree.

Kakashi smirked when he realised the two who'd complained were the first ones to fall asleep. He couldn't really rest himself, but sitting against a tree was good enough. Ami had asked to stay up and keep watch, but was denied by both Kakashi and Chiyo. She didn't really like the old woman butting into things, but she wasn't about to argue. Kakashi was left alone with his thoughts. They'd grown... All three of them. He was slightly curious to know what it'd be like the next time they met Sasuke. He was curious to know how Sasuke would react. Though, he felt scared that it'd be worse than their last encounter. He sighed. How he ever got into this whole mess, he'd never know. Then again, he could always blame Gai for not allowing him to back out from the start. He wouldn't do that, though. All he knew was that he wouldn't make the same mistakes again. He wouldn't lose anyone else. He'd protect his team with his life. He promised himself this.
"Alright... We should get going." Kakashi called out, after he'd granted everyone a couple of hours sleep. Chiyo hadn't slept at all; she'd kept watch, just like Kakashi. Sakura was the first to wake up, grumbling and muttering inaudible words. Ami sat up just a second later, though, she still looked half asleep. Naruto was normally the toughest one to wake up, but he was fully energized when Kakashi reminded him about Gaara.

Soon enough, they were back in formation and getting closer to Gaara. Kakashi took the lead this time, seeing as Ami wasn't awake enough to concentrate. He remembered she'd left with them the same day she got back from Suna, so he wasn't aware of how much sleep she'd had. At some point, Naruto managed to gain the lead. He felt angry and scared. He had to make sure he got to Gaara before he died.
"Naruto! Don't go so fast!" Sakura called out. She then sighed when he completely ignored her.
However, Kakashi didn't order for him to slow down, which Chiyo noticed easily. By now, Ami was also gaining speed. She also wanted to get to Gaara fast, but she wanted to make sure Naruto was close at all times. There's no doubt the Akatsuki would take the chance to capture him too and she wasn't going to allow it.
"Why is that boy so determined to save Gaara? They're not even from the same village." Chiyo wondered.
"Naruto is Konoha's Jinchuuriki." Kakashi sighed. "He understands Gaara and knows what he's been through, because it was basically the same for him."

"Naruto! We're not too far. Slow down so you don't waste energy." Ami called out.
"Not a chance, Ami. I'm not going to risk it at this point. I have enough energy to take down anyone who steps in our way." Naruto growled.
Ami sighed. It was useless to get him to comply. She could already sense a familiar chakra not too far ahead. They were finally there!

x.x

Team Kakashi casually made their way towards Team Gai. Rock Lee looked ready to smash through the boulder that was blocking their entrance.
"Late as usual, Kakashi." Gai smirked.
"Who's the lady?" Tenten asked, curiously.
"This is Lady Chiyo! She's an advisor from Suna." Sakura grinned.
"Pleased to meet you!" Chiyo chirped, throwing in a peace sign. Tenten and Ami exchanged looks before shrugging to each other.
"They're definitely in there?" Lee asked.
"I can figure that out." Neji smirked. He quickly activated his Byakugan and the others patiently waited for his answer. "It looks like there's a large cavern but..."
"But what?" Lee asked.
"I... I can't quite make out what's going on in there... I see several people..."
"What about Gaara? Is he one of the people you see?" Naruto anxiously shook the Hyuuga.
"Back off, would you? I'm trying to locate him now..."
"Neji!" Naruto shouted and shook him again, after Neji spent a few seconds in silence.
"Wait! I... I don't... What is that thing?"
"Neji... You seriously need to learn how to describe things." Ami said, rolling her eyes.
"What did you see?" Naruto whined.
"It's... Hard to describe with words." Neji sighed.
Gai chuckled and ran into the boulder. Ami winced as the man wearing the ridiculous green jumpsuit punched the barrier. Unsurprisingly, the barrier didn't budge.
"No offence, Gai Sensei, but I highly doubt it would've been that easy." Tenten sighed.

It took them only a few minutes to figure out what type of barrier it was. Ami smirked when she saw Chiyo and Kakashi putting their thoughts and opinions together to come up with the solution. It ended up being a five seal barrier, in which, the boulder was being held in by five seals. These five seals had to be removed simultaneously otherwise it wouldn't work. Neji, being quick minded, activated his Byakugan once again to find the remaining seals.
"There's one on a boulder five-hundred metres, North East; the second is on a tree trunk, beside a riverbank, three-hundred and fifty metres South East; the third you'll find six-hundred and fifty metres, North West, on a cliff; and the last one is in the woods, less than eight-hundred metres, South West."
"But how would we signal each other if they're that far apart?" Sakura asked.
"With these!" Gai exclaimed, pulling out wireless radios from his backpack. "Ok, we'll stay in constant communication and follow Neji's directions."

Team Gai prepared to head out, seeing as they were the faster team. Gai seemed a little too excited about getting into action and it was rubbing off on Ami. She was ready to pounce on whoever was inside. She silently hoped it would be her brother. She would go all out on him, without a doubt.
"Alright... Lee, you head South West, into the woods; Neji will take the North East; Tenten will get South East; and I'll take care of the one on the North West cliff. That's the one in the trickiest location and should be the hardest to eliminate. Kakashi, the frequency is 174." Gai ordered.
"Copy that." Kakashi said.
"TESTING! DO YOU READ ME?"
Ami, Naruto, Sakura and Chiyo startled when Lee talked into his microphone, making the others wince in pain.
"Lee... You're microphones too loud!" Tenten said, struggling with her earpiece.
"MY APOLOGIES!" Everyone winced in pain once again.

"I totally hate to break up the party, guys, but you should really get going." Ami said, feeling impatient enough.
"Alright! Team Gai!" Gai shouted, putting his hand out in front of him.
"Oh, right!" Lee said, once he'd realised where his Sensei was getting at. He placed his hand on top of Gai's and grinned. Gai then faced Tenten.
"Ok..." She sighed.
Neji didn't seem amused by the situation. He was even less when Gai stared at him. Gai was practically growling at Neji. Ami groaned. The Hyuuga eventually gave in and placed his hand on top of everyone else's.
"Onward with the power of youth! Attack! Attack! Attack! Attack! And one more for good luck: attack!" Gai shouted eagerly. Lee would shout 'yeah' in between. "Scatter!"

Ami silently processed what she'd just witnessed. It would definitely come back to haunt her.

x.x

It took everyone around ten minutes to get into position. Ami felt as though it had been the longest ten minutes of her life. She paced around anxiously waiting for Akatsuki to appear. She grinned when she heard Kakashi speak.
"Ready when you are!"
Ami activated her Sharingan as soon as Kakashi removed his seal and Sakura punched through the boulder. Team Kakashi and Chiyo ran inside quickly.

They were met by two figures. One had long blond hair and the other was hunched and strange. Ami soon realised they were sitting on Gaara's body. She clenched her fists angrily. It wasn't her brother, but she would hurt them either way.
"Finally" The blond sighed. "Now, which one of you would be the Jinchuuriki?"
Ami's eyes widened slightly when she felt Naruto getting angry. She knew she had to hold back her urges and keep an eye on him. They wouldn't get their hands on him, not while she was around to do something about it.
"You bastards! I'll kill both of you!" Naruto shouted angrily. His eyes quickly shading into a blood red colour.
"The one who bursts in and starts barking. That would be him, I guess. What do you suppose, Deidara?" The other man said.
"Sasori, my man, I think you're correct." Deidara smirked.

yeeeeeeeey, this mission concludes in the next chapter and that means we're one step closer to finally getting Captain Yamato in the story *o* Officially in the story and not as Cat or Tenzo, I mean :p Anyone else simply love Yamato? *o* He's freakishly awesome *o* And I'm still sending positive vibes towards the character - because Kishimoto simply CANNOT kill him -.-

Until next time! XOXO