A/N: Wow...I'm surprised at my speed in updating stuff nowadays...maybe it has something to do with the number of insanely long breaks in your college freshman year...XD

Anyway, I think for some readers (at least, those who really know their anime), it's pretty obvious which two I've combined for this fic... So...enjoy!

Disclaimer - Mei: Aki-kun isn't here to do it, so...Kari-chan doesn't own any of the anime depicted here, but she owns to OCs and the plot!

Chapter 4: The Truth

The six members of Team BBA, and Yuriko were seated on the porch, not far from where Kai and his friends had watched the auburn-haired teen exterminate an opponent. Everyone was silent as they waited for her to begin her explanation.

"First of all, I am not related in any way to my grandmother; I bear her name, but I am not of their bloodline."

"So you're adopted?" Max asked, leaning forward to hear better. Yuriko nodded.

"I don't even know my true family name. Neither am I from this world, at least directly. My birth parents' home is located somewhere in a land I know only as 'the Country of Fire' or 'the Fire Nation'."

"I am the last surviving member of a clan that was wiped out years ago by the members of the Shikino. They are the only clan of their kind, using mainly dark chakra for their techniques."

"What's 'chakra'?" Kyouju asked, pushing his glasses upward.

"A spiritual force found deep inside. It's thought to be pure myth, but where I come from, chakra is more than a myth. You can use it to attack others using techniques – jutsu – to move objects, and others things, even to heal injuries. Anyway, my clansmen were known to have the ability to control the five principle elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Lightning. The Shikino were jealous of this ability; they planned to obliterate my family, leaving them without question the most powerful clan in that country."

Rei leaned forward. "Then what happened?"

"The answer is right here, Rei-san." Yuriko smiled sadly at the amber-eyed teen. "They killed my whole family – my parents, my grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, everyone. Except for me. My nursemaid risked her life to spirit me away from out ancestral home, and brought me here, via a portal. She then brought me to my adoptive parents and explained everything to them and my grandmother."

"And these Shikino guys found out that they had missed one clan member, which is why they're after you." Takao finished, leaning against the wall.

"Not just me. They also succeeded in killing my adoptive parents."

Kyouju's eyes widened, and he sat forward. "What? Why?"

"They wanted information on my whereabouts. My nursemaid had warned Mom and Dad that this might happen, and they didn't spill anything. As a result, they were murdered, and my enemies drove their car over a cliff to make death look accidental. I was only five then, and my grandmother has raised me ever since."

"So who taught you those techniques you used a while ago?" Kai asked; he was still seated in his usual position, his eyes closed. "Especially the one where you summoned Dranzer."

"When I was around six, I was visited by several strangely-dressed people. They said that they knew who I was and why I was here. Then they introduced themselves as my personal trainers in the arts of taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu."

"What do taijutsu and genjutsu mean? I know that ninjutsu is the ancient art of the ninja…"

Yuriko nodded. "Yes. Ninja. Meaning that I was one, too. Genjutsu is the art of illusion, while taijutsu is hand-to-hand combat."

"Then what happened?" Max asked. He leaned against one of the wooden posts of the porch. "And where are your teachers or trainers or whatever?"

"Well, like they said, they trained me in those three…disciplines, especially in ninjutsu, because in there lay my inherent abilities' strongest aspects. And then, when I was around thirteen or fourteen, they said that they had to take care of some important business back in their – our homeland, and since then I haven't seen them very often, only once every three months or so. Still, I kept up with my training whether they were there to supervise me or not. And then, around a year ago, these strange people started going after me. Hatake-sensei-"

"Who?" Hiromi interrupted. She still held a grudge against the amethyst-eyed teen for 'stealing' Kai from her, but admittedly, her story was interesting.

"One of my teachers."

"Oh. Okay."

"Anyway, Hatake-sensei said that they were members of the Shikino, bent on carrying out their plan of obliteration."

"So that guy you were fighting a few minutes ago was-" Rei looked thoughtful.

"Hai. A Shikino clansman."

"So basically, almost your entire life has been about training and making yourself stronger so you could fight off these bad guys who keep trying to kill you, just because of your 'special' abilities?" Takao took off his trademark red-and-blue baseball cap and ran a hand through his hair. "Man! I don't know how you managed not to break down!"

Yuriko broke into a small grin. "There were many times when I wanted to just give up and let the Shikino win, but in those times, I remembered my biological parents, my whole family, and how they sacrificed their lives to protect me, the youngest at that time; and also my adoptive family, who died protecting my whereabouts. Just thinking about them and how much they loved me gives me enough strength to go on."

"'Love clouds the mind and weakens the knees, but how much strength lies behind this weakness.'" Kai said quietly.

"Huh?" Takao whirled around to face his captain, who hadn't said a word before now. "What did you say, Kai?"

"I was just quoting something I heard, Takao; I forgot where I heard it. Basically, love may make someone 'weak', but it can also provide great strength where there was none."

"Kai, you're scaring me."

"Whatever." Kai stood up quickly. "Now, come on. Let's begin training before the entire day is wasted."

"Hang on…" Max stood up and glanced around. "Where's Hiromi?"

"Eh? Hiromi-san?" Yuriko stood up as well. "She was here a few moments ago…"

"The girl is here." A deep voice answered. Everyone gathered on the porch turned to face the source, and gasped.

Standing on a branch of a nearby tree stood a man almost identical in appearance to the one Yuriko had fought. And he was holding Hiromi captive.

"Hey! What's the big idea? Let her go!" Takao lunged forward, but Kai stopped him.

"Takao, don't do anything rash! We don't know who we're dealing with."

"And apparently, how many we're dealing with." Yuriko looked concerned. She glanced furtively around, as though searching for something. Then, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, her arms resting at her sides.

She stayed still for a few seconds, and then, suddenly, she jumped off the porch and into the tree next to the one where Hiromi's captor was.

"Yuriko-san!" Rei called after. "Hiromi's-"

Suddenly, there was a scream of pain, and another black-clad man fell out of the tree Yuriko had landed in.

"Oh."

A small, black object came whizzing out of the tree and seemed to disappear deep in the center of the fallen man's chest; the assassin jerked, and then lay still.

"Oh, my-" Max groaned, shaking his head. "I did not see that…I did not see that…" he repeated to himself, as though doing so would make him forget that he had just watched a man die, however bloodless it had been.

"Yuriko, how many more are there?" Kai called. He reached a hand up towards the scarf at his neck and clutched the upper part, ready to pull it up on his face.

The auburn-haired teen turned back towards her companions, a worried look on her face. "I can only sense two more; those, I can handle, if they choose to show themselves. But I can't say for sure that there aren't more. Also, for some strange reason, I can't tell where those two are."

"Guys! Help!" Kyouju yelped, alerting Max and Rei; Kai and Takao still had their eyes trained on the tree where Hiromi was captive. The blonde and the neko-jin whipped around to see another man, this time clad in dark gray, holding the bespectacled researcher's hands pinned behind him.

"Kyouju!"

Well, that's one less hidden ninja...From her vantage point, Yuriko surveyed the scene before her: in the tree next to hers, Hiromi was being held captive, while below, Kyouju was in the same predicament. While her companions were no doubt skilled in some hand-to-hand combat, she knew that she alone had enough training to handle these assassins. However – she smiled when she realized it – she had one advantage.

She knew what these men were planning.

She jumped back down to the porch and faced Kyouju's captor, a kunai in one hand.

"Let him go." She demanded, her voice full of quiet anger.

"Take one more step, girl, and your friend here will be looking at a one-way trip to the Underworld."

Yuriko smirked. She was right. They had planned to take two or more of her new friends captive; they would only release them if she – Yuriko – gave herself up.

"And what makes you think that will happen?" she asked angrily

"Haven't you forgotten, Yuriko?" his companion – the one who had Hiromi – asked mockingly. "Your clan may possess control of the five elements, but they don't have the power to heal, do they?" he chuckled. "I would advise you to stay where you are if you don't want anything to happen to your friends…"

"Like any of us will let that happen!" A familiar voice joined in the conversation. Yuriko started as someone leapt from the porch and into the tree she had just vacated. She turned her head slightly so she could see better, and gasped.

Kai stood on one of the tree's branches, within reach of Hiromi and her captor. Yuriko had forgotten Kai's position of team captain for a moment, and also his other 'duties' in the process; one of them, she was sure – one he had placed upon himself – was to protect all the team members should they fall into danger. Yet, his jumping into action wasn't what was so shocking; it was his appearance.

He hadn't changed his outfit, of course, but part of the scarf he wore around his neck had been pulled upwards, covering the lower half of his face and giving the impression that he was a ninja – even when he really wasn't.

Hiromi's captor was also surprised. "What the-? Another ninja?"

Kai smirked, even though it wasn't obvious because of his 'mask'. "Isn't it obvious? And you – AAAH!"

"Kai!" Takao shouted as he saw his friend being knocked down by another of their adversaries. Apparently, he had remained hidden in the branches higher up, and had waited for the opportune moment.

Oh, no! Yuriko thought as she watched Kai and his attacker tumble towards the ground. She longed to help, but if she did, then it would mean that she could have endangered the captive researcher. As she did there, pondering what to do, Kai seemed to make the decision for her.

"Let…GO!" Kai exclaimed as he kicked the guy off in mid-air, twisting around at the same time so that he landed safely on his feet. His opponent fell with a dull thud.

"Wow. I never knew you could do that, Kai…" Yuriko said, taking her eyes off Kyouju and his captor for a moment.

"Baka!" The gray-clad ninja released Kyouju and grabbed the distracted girl. "Have you learned nothing? On the field of combat, never let your eyes wander!"

Crimson orbs widened momentarily, and then narrowed; Kai pondered the various plans of action. On the one hand, he could return to Hiromi and her captor and free the girl, leaving Yuriko to deal with the man on the porch; after all, she had proved herself more than capable. On the other hand, he could help Yuriko – he could reach her within seconds – but then, who would rescue Hiromi? He wasn't entirely sure he could count on his teammates; all of them, save Rei, were rather mediocre in the physical combat department.

All was silent; none of the teens dared to move for fear of jeopardizing the others. Suddenly…

"Keitaro!"

Hiromi's captor glanced towards the porch, where he was sure his comrade was. "Nani?"

The man in gray stepped off the porch, bringing Yuriko with him – taking her farther from her companions in the process; he smirked. "Our mission is finally accomplished!"

"What are you-" Yuriko began, only to fall silent. Before her flashed the lethal metallic gray of the kunai.

"Don't you dare-" Kai growled menacingly. He made to lunge at the amethyst-haired teen's captor, and then stopped short, appalled.

It happened all too quickly. One second, the fatal blade hovered threateningly; the next, there was a spurt of bright red, and Yuriko slumped in her captor's arms. There hadn't even been time for a pained scream.

The man called Keitaro smirked as well. "Well done, Eiji."

Unceremoniously, Eiji dropped Yuriko onto the grass, which was slowly stained scarlet where the limp girl lay. In the tree, Keitaro got ready to jump down and rejoin his companion.

"Don't get too excited just yet, Keitaro…"

Hiromi's captor turned around and nearly dropped his captive. "You?"

Takao glanced at his friends. "What does he mean by 'you'?"

Max and Rei shrugged; Kyouju was silent, still shocked at what had happened to Yuriko.

Just then, Keitaro fell screaming towards the ground, landing with a sickening crunch.

"Did he just…fall?" Rei peered up at the branches.

Without warning, another Yuriko jumped down from the tree, a shocked Hiromi in tow.

"What the-?" Max started but was cut off; the other Yuriko had gently thrown Hiromi into his arms. He glanced up at the auburn-haired teen. "What are you-? Didn't you just-"

Yuriko smiled grimly. "What you saw being killed was not the real me, Max-san, but a copy."

"A…copy?"

"One of the many techniques I was taught. Now, if you-" Amethyst orbs grew wide, and the girl stopped short.

"Abunai! Kai!"

Before he could even turn around, Kai felt himself being knocked to the ground.

"Kai o hanase!" He heard Yuriko's voice ring out, and he knew that he had been tackled by Eiji, Keitaro, or one of their other companions.

"You seem to be rather fond of this young man, Yuriko…" Kai's attacker chuckled.

"I said, let go of him!"

There was a sound of rushing air, the crackle of electricity, and then a scream – the assassin's – and a collective gasp from their companions. Suddenly, Kai found he could sit up; had his attacker let go of him?

His question was answered when he stood up and followed everyone else's gaze; there, on the ground, lay a smoking corpse, its facial features disfigured because of the heat generated by the electric attack Yuriko must have created. He turned towards the amethyst-eyed girl.

"Arigatou, Yuriko-san," he said softly, not wanting anyone to hear; he still had a reputation to protect, after all. Yuriko smiled a small smile, merely nodding in reply. Then, in a flash, she was gone from Kai's side. The crimson-eyed teen blinked, shocked.

"Where-" Kyouju began, taking off his glasses and cleaning them before putting them back on. Was he dreaming?

"Look! Over there!" Hiromi exclaimed, pointing. On the other side of the garden, Yuriko was once more engaged in battle, this time with Eiji and Keitaro, and they were battling in the trees.

"How many more of your clansmen have you brought with you, Eiji?" Yuriko was saying when the six teens arrived. "I know the Keitaro Kai-san seemed to have killed was a copy, and thatthere's at least one other Shikino assassin, but where are the rest?"

"What makes you think I'll answer your question, Yuriko?" Eiji replied, shooting a bolt of dark energy at the girl, who parried with a fireball. Behind her, Keitaro was aiming an attack of his own at the unsuspecting teen.

Kai saw this and frowned. Time to return the favor… he thought, putting his scarf up as a mask once again (it had fallen when the now-dead assassin knocked him down). Thinking quickly, he leapt into the nearest tree's branches, and then at the black-clad ninja, knocking him down and causing him to miss his target. The attack went into the tree branches above where Yuriko stood; there was a shout of pain, and another ninja fell towards the ground. Apparently, he had been dead as he fell, for he did nothing to correct his position in order to land safely, as ninjas were wont to do.

Keitaro turned to face the slate-haired teen, his face contorted with anger. "So…Konoha sends another guardian for their 'special student'…"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kai replied indignantly. "I know nothing about this 'Konoha'; I did what I did to protect a friend."

"Well, then, you are a fool, child!" Keitaro smirked, producing a kunai and thrusting it at Kai. The slate-haired teen stepped quickly to the side and aimed a well-placed punch to the ribs, making the ninja cry out.

And then, there was another loud cry, followed by a horrified scream from Hiromi; Kai glanced up.

Yuriko landed a few feet away from Kai; for a few moments, she swayed unsteadily on her feet, then fell to her knees. The flame-eyed teen turned his attention away from Keitaro and ran towards her.

"Yuriko-san!" he exclaimed as he caught the girl before she could hit the ground. He allowed his gaze to roam over her body, noting with concern the knife blade protruding from the upper left section of her stomach. He glared up at Eiji and was about to speak when he was knocked to the side by Keitaro, who had taken advantage of the teen's shift in attention.

"Weren't you listening when Eiji told your friend never to let your eyes wander while in combat?" he asked, smirking, as he grappled with the crimson-eyed teen. Kai glared, and then kicked his attacker off of him, earning another cry of pain as the older man hit a tree trunk.

"Aaah! Rei, be careful!"

Kai turned towards Kyouju – who had been the one to shout the warning – and the others. His eyes widened when he saw that Rei was doing battle with a fifth ninja.

Yuriko-san was right…he thought as he rushed over to help. There were more than four ninjas…

Then Keitaro stepped in front of him.

"Don't think I will be so easily defeated, young ninja," he said, panting a bit; he'd hit the tree much harder than he thought. Without warning, he thrust his kunai at the slate-haired teen once more. Kai dodged, but it wasn't fast enough; the edge of the blade connected with upper arm, and he bit back a cry of pain. Who knew that this ancient weapon could be so sharp?

"And do you think that such a small injury will hinder me?" he returned in an attempt to hide his surprise and pain. "I think not…"

With that, the Hiwatari heir jumped up and did a graceful back flip through the air, landing on a tree branch a few feet away. He braced himself only momentarily against the wood, and then launched himself at his adversary, reaching into his pocket and taking out his switchblade. He'd never actually used the small weapon on anyone, but thought the situation called for it. If anything, it would even the odds a little.

"Is that all you got?" Rei asked his opponent, grinning. "You haven't even landed a single blow on me!"

It was true. The neko-jin was relatively unscathed, while the ninja he was fighting – a brown-haired man by the name of Shun – was breathing hard and already bruises were starting to show. Despite this, Shun smirked.

"Oh? Then explain to me why you can't move now…"

Rei started, and then frowned; it had to be a trick. He made to lunge at the russet-haired man, but then found to his dismay that he indeed couldn't move.

"What-? How did-"

Shun chuckled darkly. "Each time you dealt me a blow, I attached chakra strings to you one at a time. Now you can't move of your own free will!"

Rei glared at the man, knowing he was right. Also, had Shun used real strings, the amber-eyed teen might have been able to cut them at some point, but he had no idea how to combat this 'spiritual energy' Yuriko had mentioned.

What now?

"Ungh…" Yuriko groaned as she pushed herself to her feet. She knew vaguely that someone had caught her before she hit the ground and injured herself further. She turned to face Eiji. "You managed to injure me…Eiji…congratulations." She said, smirking slightly.

"More than you think, dear Yuriko…" Eiji returned, an evil grin contorting his features.

"What do you-" The auburn-haired teen began, and then suddenly dropped to her knees, gasping for breath. And then she knew. "P-poison…" she coughed weakly.

Eiji's smirk grew wider. "Precisely. The kunai I threw at you was laced with poison, though I won't reveal its effects just yet. I'd prefer you found out firsthand."

Yuriko coughed again, and then forced herself to stand. She could tell it was one of the slow-acting poisons, because if it had been a typical or a fast-acting one, she would have been feeling dizzy. Still, she knew she had to act fast and defeat her opponent so she could somehow contact her trainers and let them know of her predicament. She focused on Eiji and then performed several seals.

"Doton! Doryuuga!"

The ground beneath them trembled, and then a brownish dragon rose up from the earth and headed towards Eiji, its mouth open, ready to receive the enemy ninja.

Unfortunately, Eiji performed several seals, calling forth a wall of dark energy that repelled – and dispersed - said dragon.

"Tch!" Yuriko muttered, quickly performing her chosen seals before he could notice and perform another counter. This time, lightning shot across the ground in multiple streaks. Though the dark ninja managed to avoid some, he still got hit with the other lightning bolts he hadn't watched out for. Seeing this, the amethyst-eyed teen tried to follow up with another attack, but stopped suddenly as her eyesight blurred and she lost sight of him. "Wha-" And then she slumped sideways, but caught herself before she could fall flat on her stomach – which would have forced the poisoned kunai deeper into her stomach cavity.

As she struggled to focus on her opponent, a shadow suddenly loomed in front of her, blocking her view. She glanced up, unable to make out any features.

"Who-?"

"Agh!" Kai cried as he slammed into the tree trunk, much like Keitaro had earlier. Damn it…he thought, seething. He picked up his pocketknife, which lay beside him and stood up, holding it the way he'd seen Yuriko hold it. And not a moment too soon; Keitaro had thrown another kunai his way, and Kai moved his hand quickly to block it. Sure enough, the deadly weapon deflected off the blade and bounced to the side; Kai quickly caught it and smirked. Now he held two weapons, one in each hand. Quickly, before his enemy could see the action and react, he flicked first one knife, then the other, towards the dark-clad man.

Unfortunately, neither hit the target, for Keitaro had unleashed a technique of his own.

Within seconds, Kai spotted the whirling vortex of darkness as it came for him, and leapt out of the way. Just as unfortunately, the attack hit the tree he'd been standing in front of, and, as the slate-haired teen landed, said tree began to lean to the side, and then to fall towards him.

Kai had just straightened up when he noticed the shadow and turned to face the falling tree. Crimson eyes widened; he wouldn't be able to get away in time!

He stood frozen to the spot with uncertainty, and just when he thought he'd feel the excruciating pain of being crushed to death, he felt something wrap itself around his waist and seize him away from his impending doom.

He opened his eyes and found himself unscathed.

"Huh?"

"Darn…it…" Rei muttered, gritting his teeth as he struggled against the invisible strings that now bound his body, rendering him immobile. A good distance away, Shun smirked and made the neko-jin move closer.

"Rei!" Hiromi was frantic now. If there was a sixth ninja, they were dead. None of them – Kyouju, Max, Takao, and herself – were well versed in close combat. Suddenly, a dark blur landed in front of the foursome, and, in an instant, had gone. It's silhouette, though, landed quite close to Rei's foe. There was a slicing sound, and Shun stiffened then fell over.

"Thank goodness…" Rei muttered, stretching his arms and legs, then his body to make sure they hadn't been permanently immobilized; the chakra strings were gone. The amber-eyed teen smiled and then looked up at his 'rescuer'. "Thanks, sir, I – WHOA!" he exclaimed suddenly as Keitaro came flying towards him; fortunately, he jumped out of the way just in time. A few feet away, Keitaro slammed into the wooden fence and slid to the ground, groaning.

"Sorry about that…" came a voice to Rei's left. The raven-haired teen turned to face the speaker. Approaching him and the man who'd helped him was another man, rather tall and lean though quite muscled and wearing green body suit, and he had what looked to be bowl-shaped haircut. "I got a little carried away," the man added, flashing a thumbs-up and grinning, showing a set of astonishingly white teeth.

The man in front of Rei – the one who'd helped the neko-jin with Shun – smiled and waved his companion's apology away. This man, too, was tall, and he had what seemed to be dark blue or black hair, which he wore spiked up. Rei noted that this man and the guy with the bowl haircut wore similar olive-greenjackets.

"Nah, that's okay. No one got hurt." The spiky-haired man replied, and then he stepped back as Takao, Max, Hiromi and Kyouju ran up to their friend.

"Rei! Are you all right?" Max asked as soon as they had surrounded the Chinese boy.

"Not to worry; your friend is just fine." The man, who seemed to be smoking an unlit cigarette reassured them, and then he turned, still smiling, to Rei and said, "I'm quite impressed, though, with your prowess at close-hand combat; you handled yourself pretty well…"

"Not to mention one of your companions was able to pull off looking like a ninja, and I noted that he nearly defeated one, too…" Another voice joined the conversation. Everyone turned to see who it was. Kai was approaching them, too, and a few feet behind him was another man - carrying Yuriko, who looked as though she were asleep. This man had rather floppy silvery-gray hair, and a dark mask covered the lower part of his face.

"So…are you guys ninjas?" Takao asked suddenly, a puzzled look spreading across his face.

The man with the bowl haircut nodded, and then suddenly went into the opening stance for the crane style of kung fu. "Of course we are!" he said as he then assumed a series of martial arts poses. "We're three of the best ninjas of our generation!"

"Yuriko!" Hiromi hurried over to the silver-haired man; she'd only really noticed her friend's state at that moment. Where she had felt loathing towards this girl, inexplicably, it had vanished, and now she was worried for her well-being – the auburn-haired teen had helped rescue her earlier, after all. She gazed up at the silver-haired man. "Is she going to be okay?" she asked.

The older man smiled – or rather, seemed to smile, – and nodded his head. "Hai. I've already administered the proper antidote. She should come around in a few minutes."

"The poison won't have any ill long-term effects, will it?" Kai came closer, adding a question of his own. This time, the masked man shook his head, though he was still smiling.

"None at all. It was a slow-acting poison, and thankfully, it hadn't been in her bloodstream for very long." And then he suddenly turned serious, for his gaze had turned grim. "However, we have to take her – and the six of you – back with us. We might need to monitor her, just in case, and also, if all of you remain here, we can't guarantee your safety."

The dark-haired man took the cigarette out of his mouth. "We know that Yuriko revealed her secret to you moments before the assault took place. And the enemy knows it, too; the six of you are in danger because of what you know."

There was silence, and then Max spoke up. "Hang on…how do you know Yuriko-san?"

At that moment, Yuriko murmured something unintelligible, stirred, and then opened her eyes. She blinked once, twice as light invaded, and then her vision cleared. "Uhhh…Hatake-sensei?" she asked, recognizing the one who carried her.

"Glad to see you're awake, Yuriko," the man called Hatake-sensei replied, "but didn't I already say that I'm uncomfortable with that name. Attach the honorific if you must, but, please, call me by my first name."

"I'm sorry, Ha – Kakashi-sensei," Yuriko said, correcting herself. "I'm not used to calling my teachers by their first names…"

"Yuriko?"

The auburn-haired teen turned her head when she heard her name being called, and saw that it was Takao who had spoken. "Hai?"

"These guys are your teachers?"

Yuriko nodded, smiling. She nodded to 'Kakashi-sensei' and the man, sensing her meaning, put her down. Slowly, she got to her feet, and to her delight, the weakness she'd felt earlier had left her completely. She mouthed a 'thank you', and then walked over to where her friends stood. Then she turned to face the three men.

"Kakashi-sensei, Gai-sensei, Asuma-sensei, I'd like you to meet my friends Hiwatari Kai, Tachibana Hiromi, Rei Kon, Mizuhara Max, Kinomiya Takao, and Kyouju." As she said their names, she gestured towards them in turn. "And guys, these are just three of my trainers. This is Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, and Sarutobi Asuma." When indicated, each of the three ninjas inclined their heads – an informal bow, but a sign of respect just the same – and the six teens, save Yuriko, returned it in kind.

"Well, now that we've all been acquainted," Kakashi began, a smile on his face again. "As we said earlier, we'll have to take you back to Konoha with us; it isn't safe here for any of you until the Shikino are defeated."

"Wait. Is this 'Konoha' your hometown?" Kai asked. He recalled that Keitaro had mentioned that during their battle.

Asuma nodded. "Yes, it is." To Yuriko, he said, "This will be your first time to return there since the massacre?"

"Hai, and I can't wait!" Yuriko replied excitedly. "I'll finally see the land of my birth! It's been far too long."

"Then let's go; Kurenai is still waiting for us at the meeting place," Kakashi piped up. He stood still for a few moments, and then suddenly he was gone, as were his two companions.

Then Takao noticed that the ninjas Kai, Rei, and Yuriko had been fighting a while ago were gone, too. "Hey! Those dark ninja people! Where'd they go?" he asked, looking around him furtively.

"Eiji's taken his companions back with him to their clan compound," Yuriko replied, poising herself to jump, too. "However, we have to hurry now; Kakashi-sensei and the others are moving quite fast, and I'm quickly losing their chakra signatures."

"'Chakra signatures'?" Kyouju asked.

"Each person has a different chakra rotational pattern and resonance. This is his of her chakra signature." The amethyst-eyed teen explained. "By sensing it, I'm able to tell the difference between an approaching comrade and an ambushing enemy. Now, come on! We have to go! There already several miles due south!" With that, she jumped up onto the garden wall, and then dropped down to the other side. The others raced to the gate as quickly as they could. Thankfully, they could still see Yuriko; the auburn-haired teen was just about to disappear into the forest located near Takao's house.

"Just don't go so fast!" Kyouju yelled, struggling to keep up with his more athletic companions. "Some of us aren't cut out for running, y'know!"

Yuriko peeked out from the branches of a tree. "Sorry 'bout that," she said as she hung upside down. "I don't want to lose track of Hata – sorry, Kakashi-sensei."

"It's okay, Yuriko, please remember that not all of us were trained to be ninjas like you…" Rei said, smiling. The auburn-haired girl grinned sheepishly, and then hopped to the ground.

"This way," she said, gesturing towards an overgrown path, and then she began running at a rather fast pace, but it was slower than her pace a few minutes ago. The six teens shrugged, and then followed suit.

A/N: Okay, that's Chapter 4! So now Team BBA goes to Konoha! Oh, this is such a mix-up!

Mei: Yeah! What will happen if Takao and the others decide to train with their blades, and then they call out their beasts? Is that still a summon, in Naruto terms?

Me: ...Yeah, good question, Mei...Anyways, R&R, minna! Dewa mata! Peace out and God bless!