woooohooo! I haven't updated this story in ages :o but I've written this chapter up a while ago :X so sorry! I should get started on the next one soon. ^^

So we're back to the present time okay? Cue Yamato and Sai! \o Enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

Kakashi knew Tsunade meant business when she walked into his Hospital room. He was pretty certain it was about the information Sakura had gathered from Sasori. He wasn't exactly happy about his team heading out without him, but he didn't really have much of a choice, and he knew they could handle themselves for a while.
"The elders have agreed with the mission. Naruto will be going along as initially planned. I am allowed to choose someone I find suitable to take your place as Captain. Unfortunately, they want someone from Root to take up Sasuke's place."
"The elder's are well aware that Ami officially took his place after he left." Kakashi murmured. He attempted to sit up against the bed frame but his body was still too weak.
"I know. Danzo's interfering... I'm absolutely certain he's up to something. He even suggested an ANBU as Captain." Tsunade frowned slightly.
"You do realise she won't take this lightly, right?" Kakashi asked, turning his head towards Tsunade.
"She'll be going. The new Captain will only have to be willing to handle four teenagers, instead of three." Tsunade grinned evily. "Besides, I made it very clear that it would be a great disadvantage to the team if they didn't have a pair of Sharingan eyes with them."
"Or a great advantage to the enemy." Kakashi frowned under the covers.
"It will always be a risk to send both her and Naruto out on missions. But you and I both know we can't keep them, especially Naruto, cooped up in the village."

x.x

Ami got tired of waiting for Naruto to come back with food and ate a selection of fruit from her fruit bowl. She was beginning to consider taking a nap, seeing as she hadn't had a proper night's sleep since after the Chunnin Exams, when she heard a knock on her door. Reluctantly, she went to open it.
"We're heading out soon." Sakura said.
"Already?" Ami asked, surprised.
"We've got a time limit to get to the rendezvous point." Sakura shrugged. "Lady Hokage said we're getting a new Team leader, because Kakashi's still in Hospital. We need to go meet up with him now."
"Great." Ami mumbled, as she grabbed her black hoodie from the hook.

Naruto was already waiting for them, when they arrived at the location to meet their new Team leader. He sat on the curb, fidgeting with the zipper on his bright orange jacket. He looked up and grinned when he saw the two girls approaching.
"Sorry I didn't head back, I got caught up with a few things." He said.
"It's okay." Ami shrugged.
"You sure this is the place? I've been here for ten minutes already and nothing." Naruto whined.
"I'm sure." Sakura nodded. "We might need to head out tonight so only grab the essentials."
"Great, another sleepless night." Ami groaned, taking a seat next to Naruto.

Naruto looked up curiously. How long had she gone with just a few naps during missions? It definitely would explain her visible exhaustion. Although, he wasn't sure if it was lack of proper sleep or those strange eyes of hers. He couldn't exactly remember what had happened on their previous mission, but he still had this strange sensation when his eyes connected with Ami's. There was something extremely captivating about them, and it felt as if his stomach was doing summersaults. His attention, however, suddenly turned towards the two new chakras present among them. Ami also noticed, lazily turning her head sideways to see who was approaching them.
"You?" Naruto glared at a dark haired boy, with a ridiculous smile plastered on his face. Naruto was quickly on his feet and ready to prance on the newcomer.
"You two know each other?" Sakura asked.
"This asshole attacked me, Shikamaru and Chouji earlier." Naruto growled, clenching his fists tightly.
"I was merely seeing what you were like." The dark haired boy said.
"Well... It's nice to meet all of you." Another man spoke up. He had dark brown hair and dark eyes. "I'm Yamato and I'll be taking Kakashi's place from now on. This here, is Sai, he's supposedly replacing Sasuke-"
"That's my spot." Ami was now also on her feet and glaring at Sai.
"Those are our orders." Yamato said, rubbing the back of his head and giving them a shy smile.
"But Ami's still going, right?" Sakura asked, worriedly.
"I believe so, yes. Otherwise she wouldn't even be here." Yamato said. "Let's meet at the gates in one hour."
"There's no way that bastard's going along with us!" Naruto shouted, menacingly making his way towards Sai.
"Naruto! Calm down, would you?" Sakura ordered firmly. "Look, Sai, it wasn't nice what you did. How about you both just apologize to each other so we can get going?"
"Alright, sorry." Sai smiled. "There's really nothing to worry about. I will try to get along with everyone. I don't even mind having to work with ugly girls."

Yamato glared at the dark haired boy as soon he heard it. Next thing he knew, he was holding back two extremely angry teenage girls. Naruto was standing next to him, with a huge and satisfied grin plastered on his face. Of course it was pointless to ask him for help, he was definitely hoping Yamato would eventually lose his grip and Sai would get pummelled. Luckily, Yamato managed to get all three original Team Kakashi members to calm down, and Sai to quietly stand by them. He stared at them for a while, thinking about what he could say, without causing havoc.
"How about you all introduce yourselves properly?" Yamato suggested, tapping his chin.
"Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto mumbled, glaring evilly at Sai.
"Haruno Sakura." Sakura muttered, still clenching her fists and teeth.
"Uchiha Ami." Ami spat, activating her Sharingan. "And if you ever call me ugly ever again, I'll make sure you never leave my genjutsu prison."
Sai tensed, though Yamato was the only was capable of noticing.

"Okay, that takes care of that... Please allow your eyes to get back to normal so I can look at you." Yamato said, looking at the ground. He knew he was in for trouble. An easily angered, younger version of Tsunade; an ANBU root, most likely undercover to gather information for Danzo; an easily angered Uchiha, with a set of fully activated Sharingan's; and last, but definitely not least, Konoha's Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Yes, he was in for the rush of his life.

x.x

"Well, you look like hell." Jiraiya chuckled, as he climbed through the window. Kakashi stared at him for a while before deciding to try to get up again. He groaned loudly when he felt the surge of pain rush through his body. Jiraiya was by his side, instantly. "Don't push yourself. What the hell kind of example are you setting anyway?"
"Hopefully an effective one." Kakashi mumbled.
"I hope so too... You really should've thought all this through, Kakashi.
"Yeah, I know." Kakashi sighed. "I've still got hope though. She might actually realise how bad this all is and-"
"You know that's not going to work. It'll only make her want to work on it more. Seriously, even I know her better than you do." Jiraiya smirked.

Kakashi was almost half way into the book Jiraiya had handed him when Tsunade entered the room, followed by a very familiar face.
"Cat?" Kakashi raised an eyebrow, curiously.
"My codename is Yamato for this mission." He nodded.
"Sorry we're late; it seems none of them are getting along quite well." Tsunade sighed. "But let's not waste any more time. I chose Yamato because I'm aware that you two have worked together in the past, and I also know you seem to trust him quite well."
"Don't say that while he's around. He'll get cocky." Kakashi smirked behind his mask.
"I also want Yamato to know exactly what he'll be dealing with. So get talking." Tsunade said, glancing towards both Kakashi and Jiraiya. Jiraiya was the first to pronounce himself, with quite a dramatic sigh.
"You already know that Naruto has the Kyuubi. There are times where its chakra will leak out of Naruto's body and take on the fox spirit's form. We've been referring to it as the Kyuubi cloak." Jiraiya said.
"My God... How long has this been happening to him?" Yamato asked, worriedly.
"As recently as our last mission." Kakashi said. "When he's overcome by his emotions, the fox spirit's chakra begins to surface. I managed to use the seal Jiraiya gave me just before the second tail formed."
"I'm surprised you managed to get close." Yamato breathed out. He didn't realise, until that moment, that he'd been holding his breath.
"I believe that's an entirely different story, and most likely something else you'll need to keep an eye on." Tsunade frowned.
"Uchiha Ami... I'm not exactly sure how she did it, in fact, I'm not sure she knows she can do it. It was almost like she had him in a trance. I only managed to get close to him because he was too busy focused on her eyes." Kakashi said, lightly rubbing his – Obito's – irritated eye.
"The Mangekyou Sharingan is extremely powerful. It's very rare to find two pairs alike. Hers must perform some sort of mind control, not necessarily specific for the Kyuubi." Jiraiya said.
"She also did something to Deidara, one of the Akatsuki members. She was already out of it when he found us, but he looked a total wreck. He was mumbling something about lightning." Kakashi said, scratching his head slightly, trying to remember the exact situation.
"Is there a seal for that too?" Yamato wondered.
"Not exactly, but I believe if you suppress her chakra, the Mangekyou will be unable to take form. You are to do that if needed, otherwise she'll damage her eyes." Tsunade sighed.
"Right... Is there anything else or can I head out? There are still a few things I need to gather before meeting them." Yamato asked, turning to face Tsunade only.
"You may go. Good luck." Tsunade said, Jiraiya and Kakashi nodded simultaneously.

x.x

They managed to head out ten minutes earlier than anticipated. Ami walked alongside Sakura, behind the others. Sakura had promised Lady Tsunade she'd keep an eye on Naruto's behaviour, though she wasn't exactly willing to intervene if a fight broke out. Ami wasn't too excited about having to deal with Sai during an entire mission, but she knew she would have to find a way around it and make it work. She also wasn't too keen on their new captain. There was something about the man that was just too creepy. The eyes perhaps? She knew there was a strong possibility that she was simply being judgemental, upset by the fact that her Sensei wasn't with them. She was used to working with Kakashi and it always ended up well. She couldn't simply do things normally with a new captain, he'd have no idea how to work with them. Sai, especially, wouldn't know a thing.

"If you keep staring at me, I'm going to have to hit you." Sai eventually said. Yamato sighed, loudly. Both Ami and Sakura were disrupted from their thoughts and now looking towards the two teenage boys.
"What the heck do you mean by that?" Naruto spat, angrily.
"Oh... I was simply trying out a personality." Sai smiled.
"I'm definitely confused." Ami frowned.

Naruto was already growling like an untamed beast. He was ready to prance on Sai and eat him alive. He would've, if only he had the chance, but Yamato wasn't going to allow them to kill each other. They still had a mission to get done and it was top priority.
"You guys seriously need to sort things out and get along. It is essential that we work as team." Yamato stared intensely at Naruto, Ami and Sakura. "You three are students of the great Hatake Kakashi. Surely you know all too well about teamwork."
"This guy will never be a part of Team Kakashi!" Naruto bellowed, his fists clenching tightly. "Our only other member is Uchiha Sasuke. He's simply here, filling the empty space."
"If that's the case then I'm glad you feel this way. I'm glad that you don't want be in your team. I'd be even better if I didn't have to fill his space at all. I'm nothing like him. I would never betray my village, my home, my family... I'm not a traitorous cockroach." Sai said. His voice held no emotion whatsoever. Naruto was visibly shaking with anger by now and Yamato slightly worried he'd have to kick into action sooner than expected.
"That's it. Nobody talks about my brother like that." Ami would've have charged, Sharingan fully activated and a small, but affective, fireball in hand, and Sai would've been knocked out easily, if only Sakura hadn't stopped her instantly.
"We have to remember what's important here. It's teamwork." She said, sternly. She held out her arm in front of Ami, blocking her. "Sai, Naruto was out of line... But it's just because he doesn't know you well enough, yet. I'm sorry. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him."
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Ami groaned, loudly, earning a slight glare from Yamato. If only he knew that glare's did nothing to her. She was the queen of glaring herself, after all.
"Don't worry, he doesn't bother me in the least." Sai smiled.
"Good, that's a relief." Sakura smiled. Ami groaned even louder, slightly joined by Naruto this time.

Nobody expected to see Sakura punch Sai, seconds later. Ami suppressed the urge to cheer, figuring Yamato might actually bite her head off if that happened. Sai was sent flying and was almost knocked unconscious. He looked up, seconds later, rather dazed by what had just happened.
"I don't care one bit if you forgive me." Sakura spat, venomously.
"You fooled me quite well. That smile of yours looked so sincere." Sai said, in a very emotionless and uninterested tone.
"You don't know a thing about Sasuke, and I won't allow you to talk about him as if you do." Sakura clenched her fists by her side.
"I do have a very interesting genjutsu I could use on him, just as a warning." Ami smirked.
"Alright, that's enough!" Yamato formed a few hand signs before clasping both hands together. "Four Column Prison jutsu!"
What seemed to be an overly large wooden box, suddenly appeared behind Captain Yamato. The four students stared at it, curiously. Surely their Captain wasn't thinking about locking them inside, was he?
"Wow." Ami said, mostly to herself.

"I'm warning you, I will toss you all inside if you insist on fighting with each other. Look... We don't have much time if we're going to make it to the Tenchi Bridge, but that being said, we have just enough time to sort this out once and for all. As the peacemaker, I'm offering you two choices: spend the rest of the day, inside a wooden box, reacquainting yourselves... Or enjoy the night in a relaxing hot spring. Which do you choose? You all don't know me that well either. I prefer a much kinder approach, but believe me; I can use more draconian methods."
The four slightly flinched at the sight. Ami was definitely certain there was something wrong with that man. She'd keep a close eye on him and remember to ask Kakashi for as much information on him as possible, as soon as they head back.
"Are you serious about the hot spring?" Naruto wondered.
"He better be... Otherwise that would've been a very cruel trick." Ami said.
"I am most certainly serious. Have you made up your minds?"

x.x

Ami sat crossed legged on the floor and worked through her weapons. Captain Yamato had gone through their mission on their way towards the hot spring, which was surprisingly uneventful. The boys were all out in the tubs, relaxing, and Sakura had gone for a massage. She'd asked Ami to join her, but the young Uchiha had preferred to stay behind, alone. She was also hoping to give the maid a head start on cleaning. The room was reasonably dusty for her liking. However, all that would have to wait. She was in desperate need of a decent night's sleep and the small cot was practically calling her name. Neatly setting all her weapons on the table, she proceeded to change into more comfortable clothes.

The corridors were dark and endless. Ami was certain she could hear hissing within the walls. She was starting to panic. She had to get to Sasuke before it was too late. Before he did something. Before she lost him forever. She had to get him home. The hissing grew into a soft laughter as she continued running. She was getting closer. There was a dim light at the end, shimmering slightly behind her tears. When had she started crying? Why was she crying? Shinobi mustn't show their emotions, she knew this. Why was she doing exactly that? The laughter was loud now, maniacal. It sent shivers down her spine. She finally stopped before a large door, practically camouflaged with the wall, where she could hear muffled groans of pain. Without hesitation, she opened the door and ran inside. She froze instantly when she was met with cold, evil, amber eyes. The pupils were slits, making it look snake-like. The man belonging to those eyes was pale, with long waist length hair. He approached Ami with a menacing look. He held out a very long and thick needle.
"Have you come willingly to me? Such a precious little girl, with precious eyes. A magnificent little treat you are." He hissed.
A rough, warm cloth covered her eyes before she could process anything. She felt someone behind her, violently grabbing hold of her and restraining her arms. She struggled to break free but it was becoming useless.
"Master Orochimaru, perhaps you should be quick about this. We can't afford to allow her to break free from here." The person restraining her spoke up. It was a man's voice. One of his arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her head back towards him.
"Release her right arm, Kabuto." Ami screamed when she felt the needle press against her skin. The liquid felt cold in her veins, but her insides felt as if they were on fire. Slowly, ever so slowly, she felt her body going numb. Her legs were the first to give out, and she would've fallen to the floor if the other man hadn't been holding onto her still. The arm was no longer around her neck, but now tightly wrapped around her waist, holding her body against his.
"She'll be useless for the next forty-eight hours, Kabuto. Until then, you may have your way with her." Orochimaru chuckled.
"It shall be my pleasure." Kabuto smirked.
He managed, somehow, to press their bodies together even more. He buried his face into her dark hair and took in her fresh smell. Ami was barely feeling or hearing anything anymore. Even though her eyes were still covered, she felt as if the room around her was spinning. The darkness was inviting and she was about to enter, willingly. She could barely make out a terrified scream in the background. It was a hoarse voice, much like Sasuke's. Was it him? Was he here? Was he safe? She'd take on any pain to keep him safe.
"Don't be reckless, Kabuto, and make sure you don't damage her too much." Orochimaru hissed evilly.
"What about Sasuke, Master?" Kabuto asked.
"I shall have my fun with him in here." Kabuto nodded and effortlessly dragged Ami out of the room. She finally accepted the darkness, erasing any trace of a voice yelling back at her.

x.x

Yamato entered the room he'd rented and breathed in the smell of cleaning products. He soon spotted a bucket, a mop and broom leaning against the wall, closest to the bathroom door. He was quite certain he hadn't asked for someone to come in and clean at this hour, just as he was certain his team wouldn't order anything without consulting him first. He headed further into the room, only to find a mass amount of weapons laid out on the table. He wondered who they belonged to as he picked up a sharp silver dagger. He caught a glimpse of what seemed to be an Uchiha symbol carved into it.
"Interesting set." He mumbled to himself.
He also noticed there were a few scrolls lying around. He felt curious, though he wouldn't admit it, but surely it couldn't be important if they had been left there for all eyes to see. He set it back down once again when he heard the door open. Sai entered the room, sceptically, and headed towards his bag.
"Who do they belong to?" Sai asked, nodding towards the weapons.
"I'm presuming, Ami. I don't know where she is though." Yamato said.
"Are the scrolls hers too?" He asked, this time not bothering to look over.
"I believe so, yes. I wouldn't touch them if I were you. She might not like it."
"Perhaps I should say the same to you." He looked up and smiled. "You wouldn't want to get tortured."
Their attention was turned towards the sound of something crashing to the floor in the bathroom. Yamato quickly ran to toward the door and knocked, resisting the urge to burst in. He could hear whatever had hit the floor being scrambled together and set back in its proper place.
"Is everything alright in there?" He asked, knocking once again.
"Fine." Ami called out, hoping her quivering voice wouldn't give her away.

Ami mentally cursed for having knocked over the glass cup. She would have to replace it later, not to mention clean up the mess. She'd only managed to nap for two hours, and it had been a rather disturbing sleep. She'd woken with a start and decided to keep busy. She'd cleaned the entire room twice, and was now working on the toilet. It had been decently cleaned before, but by someone else. She preferred to get it done herself, at least then she'd know what had been used. The maid didn't hesitate to lend her the cleaning products. The woman had even joked, saying she was welcome to clean the other rooms too. Ami was highly considering it, though, with her team heading back to the room, it would be harder to get out. She gathered up the pieces of glass and threw it away. She then turned her attention back to the bathtub, which she had been scrubbing clean for the past twenty minutes. She needed to keep her mind occupied. She didn't want to think about the madness of her subconscious.

Yamato had decided not to disturb Ami from whatever she was doing. Instead, he decided to gather up her things and place them on her bed. He just hoped he wouldn't get yelled at for doing so, but he did need to get things ready for their dinner. Sakura and Naruto entered the room together; it wasn't hard to tell they were talking about how much they wished Kakashi was with them. Yamato didn't take it personally though; he knew quite well that his Senpai was the popular one. Everyone wanted him in the team.
"Dinner should be up within the hour." Yamato smiled.
"How much to we owe you?" Sakura asked.
"It's on me this time, so don't worry." Yamato nodded. Naruto carelessly headed towards his sleeping bag and threw his things down.
"Why are Ami's things out here?" Naruto wondered, as he picked up one of her daggers. He smiled as her remembered the day she bought them.
"Don't know... She's in there." Yamato said, tilting his head backwards, towards the bathroom door.
"Doing what?" Naruto asked, curiously.
"Probably taking a shower, Naruto." Sakura rolled her eyes. Yamato shook his head knowingly.
"No, I think she's cleaning. There are cleaning products everywhere."
Naruto frowned instantly. They were supposed to be relaxing and preparing for their upcoming mission. Not only that, but they had people who took care of the cleaning.

Twenty minutes had past and Ami was still cooped up inside the bathroom. Sakura contemplated entering a few times but Naruto stopped her. Sai didn't acknowledge anyone's presence and focused on organising his things. Yamato had cleared away the cleaning products and taken a fifteen minute nap. Naruto was still impatiently waiting for a solution to drop from the sky, or at least an explanation. He knew his friend was obsessed with cleaning, but never like this. He waited for another five minutes and gave up. Sakura glared at him as he walked past her and headed towards the bathroom door. He leaned against it, listening in to make sure she wasn't in the shower. Sighing deeply, he opened the door. She was on her hands and knees, inside the sparkling bathtub, scrubbing madly.
"Ami, it's clean." He said, approaching cautiously. She muttered a few words, which he didn't catch. "Ami... Come on, the food's almost here and we all need to get something to eat."
"I'm busy." She said, irritably.
"Yeah, I can see that, but it's clean. Everything's perfectly clean."
"Nothing's clean." She shook her head angrily. She continued scrubbing the exact same spot, only slightly harder than before. Naruto crouched down, so they were at the same level, and placed his hands on hers. She froze suddenly, unsure what to do.
"I'll help you clean after dinner, if you want." He said.
"I need to-"
"Was it a nightmare?" He asked. He gently pushed her hair back, allowing himself to look into her large black orbs. There was a flicker of panic in them, but it was gone in an instant. "Was it about Sasuke?"
"Y-yeah." She replied, her voice hushed and quivering.
"Come." He said, his voice soft yet demanding. He held out a hand for her and, after slight hesitation, she took it. He carefully helped her out of the bathtub and cleared everything away. She averted her eyes from his and fumbled with a towel that was hanging from a hook.

"You should wash up, but don't take too long, otherwise I'll come back in. Okay?" He said, raising an eyebrow slightly. She slowly nodded as he exited the bathroom. Naruto decided he'd try to get her to talk another time. It had been a while since she had a nightmare, but usually they involved Itachi and the fateful night that took her family from her. No matter what she'd dreamed, it had scared her. Even if she didn't admit it out loud. Within time, Naruto had learned to distinguish her expressions. It was getting easier to notice when she forced back a certain emotion, like fear.

Yamato had ordered them a large amount of food. Ami was actually quite grateful to finally be able to eat until she was too exhausted to continue. He was definitely a keeper and Kakashi would have to step up his game if he wanted to win the race. Yamato told them they would do a simulation of their mission, first thing in the morning, to familiarize themselves with each other's abilities. Sakura had given them all a very detailed description on her fight with Sasori. Ami felt slightly saddened when she mentioned Lady Chiyo.

"Let's all get a decent night's sleep tonight. We'll leave in the morning." Yamato told them, before tucking himself in. He spared a cautious look towards Ami, silently wondering if they'd all have to wake up during the night.
"Good night people!" Naruto shouted eagerly, before dropping his head onto the pillow. He looked up at Ami and smiled. "I'll be right here."
"Good night." She returned him a small, cautious smile. She accepted the hand Naruto held out of her and dropped down. His eyes were already closed and she knew he'd be out, lightly snoring, in just a matter of minutes.

Yippieee... I'm pretty sure we get Naruto going all kyuubi in the next one... Sasuke should be appearing soon *o* can't wait to write that part. I'll hopefully update faster this time! xoxo