Beforehand: BWAHAHAHA!! It's time for the next chapter! And in this one, we find out more about the deadly assassin sent to kill Tayuya. We find out about my host's day with his mate, and we find out if I get any closer to clawing their eyes out! AHAHAHAHAHA!!! Well, enjoy the chapter. And don't forget to review you fools!

Chapter 4

There was nothing more exciting than the thrill of the hunt. Sometimes the fight isn't nearly as intense as the hunt. And Oruchimaru's assassin knew it. He also knew that Konoha Village was home to a few very powerful ninja. The copycat ninja Kakashi, for example. The old bitch Tsunade, masquerading as a young woman, and, of course, the Uchiha clan. Well, formerly. There was not a Uchiha left in the village. The people would never see a Sharingan again. It was really too bad. If the mission didn't have to be carried out in secret, he would show them all. That he too could use Sharingan. Combined with his many other techniques, he could quite literally turn the town upside down.

Naruto and Tayuya walked outside. The girl had transformed into a blonde slightly resembling Naruto in his Sexy Jutsu form so as to avoid the eye of the Hokage if she were casually glance over or anyone who may recognize her. The two had agreed to go for a walk around the village then come back for lunch at Naruto's favorite ramen restaurant.

"So Tayuya," Naruto said. "What was it like growing up in the Sound Village?"

Tayuya looked up into the sky. "Well, since the country was pretty small, it was kinda lonely. There weren't many people to talk to. My parents died when I was young, but before my mother died, she gave me my first flute. She taught me how to play. I was fascinated by the melodies it could emit. I practiced every day when she was alive until I could play a few short songs. After she died, I was sent to live with…" Tayuya stopped there. Naruto could tell by the way her face scrunched up that she was remembering a particularly bad memory.

"You don't have to tell me everything if you don't want to," Naruto said. The redhead/blonde gave him a funny look.

"It's alright, I'm way over what happened. Anyways, I was sent to live with a particularly abusive family. They sent me to the small ninja academy just to get rid of me. Often times when they were in a foul mood, they would beat me. But somehow, I managed to keep my sanity living there. I graduated with four others at the top of the class, and we were all assigned to a ninja by the name of Oruchimaru. We became the Sound Five. We trained hard to bring out the best of our abilities. We completed many missions together. And that about brings you up to speed with my life.

Naruto nodded. He was pretty sure he could guess what happened next. Then, the kunoichi asked a question that Naruto dreaded she would eventually ask, and he still hadn't worked out an answer.

"So Naruto, how about you? How was life growing up in Konoha?"

Naruto felt his palms get sweaty. He couldn't think up a good lie to tell. So he was going to have to reveal the truth. Why he didn't live with parents. Why he was alone. He could warp his story to sound like Tayuya's but he'd have to hammer out the details as she asked.

"Well…before I was born, there was-" Naruto was interrupted by the sound of his name being called. He looked down the road to see Sakura running up to him.

"Naruto, hi!" she said. "Who's your friend?" Naruto looked over at Tayuya, who gave him a 'make something up' look. Naruto thought for a second, then spoke.

"This is a friend of mine from another village. Her name is…Tayami. She's visiting on a vacation from her training." The look on Sakura's face showed that she was satisfied with the response.

"Hi there! Nice to meet you!" Tayami said extending her hand. Sakura shook it and smiled.

"Likewise. I'm Haruno Sakura. Naruto and me go all the way back to the academy. Hope you enjoy your stay in the village."

"I'm sure I will," Tayami responded. "It has been pleasant so far, and I hope to meet more of Naruto-kun's friends." Tayuya blushed slightly when she realized that she had added the –Kun suffix at the end of Naruto's name. Luckily, Sakura didn't seem to notice. She waved them off and continued on her route. Naruto smiled at Tayuya.

"You called me 'Naruto-kun,'" Naruto said. Tayuya blushed a deeper shade of pink and looked away.

"Well even I can forget that you're nobody to be respected. And that pink-haired shit can take her good morning greetings and shove 'em up her ass." Naruto laughed at Tayuya's frustration. Tayuya insisted that it wasn't funny until she realized that she would have to whack Naruto to get him to stop.

They talked about different things and laughed until it was lunchtime. They were served free ramen, and the couple had to force the restaurant owners to see that they were just friends and not on a date. They continued their 'not date' until evening, when they sat together on a bench. They talked about ninja techniques and which one would work better on Gaara, then they joked that Shukaku was from the planet Shukakon where there were millions of different Shukaku, each of them with their own personalities. They laughed at the absurd idea, and then went quiet. The wind got chilly and Tayuya shivered. Naruto removed his jacket and wrapped it around Tayuya, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Naruto tilted his head so that his check touched the top of her head. This was nice. It was fun having a relationship with someone on this level. An experience that both of them would savor.

The Hidden Village of the Leaf was quiet around now. The assassin leaped from tree to tree. He could smell the smell of Tayuya. Although it was very faint. However, there was another scent closely mixed with hers. It must have been the orange ninja. They would both have to die on this cold night. And by the time the villagers realized they were dead, he would be long gone.

'And she will be free, and together, we can leave Oruchimaru's grip. I can only pray that the departure is permanent.'

At last, the hunt was over. It wasn't very thrilling. When the prey is experienced, it knows when danger is around. Oh well. Maybe the fools would try to run. He could get a second shot at the hunt. He could see them both, sitting together on the bench. It sickened him. Tayuya was actually allowing that maggot ninja touch her. He drew a single kunai and prepared to strike. It would be a clean kill. One shot. The fools would never know what hit them. And if the orange ninja was smart, he wouldn't question it.

Naruto's eyes fluttered open. He still felt Tayuya's warm hair against his check. He must have dozed off in the moment. He never wanted the moment to end. But he knew that all good things must come to an end, and in two days tops, Tayuya would be leaving. He really didn't want her to leave. It would really suck.

Tayuya felt the warmth of Naruto's body against her cheek. She had bonded with Naruto as a friend today. They shared a lot in common. She wondered if this was what it was like to love. She wasn't afraid of the word anymore. She assumed that she would be dead in a matter of time anyways, so why fear? She moved her head and looked into Naruto's clear blue eyes. They were perfect. She wanted to stare at him until she died. He was looking back into hers. Her heart pounded. She wondered how he felt about her. It was now or never. She wanted to know how much Naruto liked her. If their bonding had affected him as much as it had her.

Naruto's heart beat fiercely. He looked deeply into Tayuya's eyes. Some force was drawing him towards her. He wasn't sure what it was, but he remembered the feeling from when he had posed as Sasuke and was very close to kissing Sakura. Was it…could his demon have been right. He was falling for Tayuya. And he didn't want to stop. He wanted to be with her. He didn't know why. Maybe it had been in their day of bonding his view of her had changed as he learned that she had quite a bit in common with her. And now, their bodies were slowly sliding together, their faces now only a couple of inches apart. Naruto closed his eyes. Tayuya did the same. It was going to be the perfect moment.

Going to be. Suddenly, they both sensed danger. Their faces flew apart just as a kunai whizzed to the spot where Tayuya's head had been. Snips of her hair had been cut, but she hadn't been harmed. In the excitement, she had dropped her disguise and she was revealed. The two looked up into the trees and saw a figure dart from them.

"Hey! Get back here!" Naruto and Tayuya yelled together. Their mystery assailant sped off into the darkness, but was going slow enough for them to follow. He made his way to the outside of Konoha, closely tailed by the two young ninjas. They followed him out to a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Naruto looked around. It was too dark to tell where exactly he was, and they had lost the attacker. But his voice from somewhere told him that he hadn't lost him.

"You sure are foolish for ninjas. You feel right into my trap."

Naruto looked around. "Are you trying to bluff us? There aren't any traps around here!" Tayuya seemed to think differently. She knew exactly what the ninja meant.

"Naruto, can you see anything?" Tayuya asked. When Naruto shook his head, she continued. "But whoever this is, he sure can. That's why it's a trap. We can't see, but he can."

Naruto clenched his teeth. How could he have fallen into this trap? He was a sitting duck waiting to be picked off. He heard the laughter of the evil ninja who then spoke again.

"Nothing personal. This is the only way that Orochimaru will comply with my request. It's going to be too easy since you were trapped so quickly." There was a silence, then all the trees around them seemed to shake. The enemy was all around them. The best part was, there was nobody to hear them scream.