Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto or any of the characters seen in this anime, If I did I would be rich. However any and all original characters are and will forever be mine.

Quick note- This is my first fan-fiction so please no flames. Helpful criticism is appreciated however.

Ayumi watched the sunset fall over the land with rapt attention, it didn't matter how many times she had seen it the magic of the sunlit snow never ceased to amaze her. Turning her head slightly she frowned, the reason for her sudden change in mood was a certain dark-haired shinobi who was currently walking out of the village. This particular shinobi had once been her partner, back when they had been on the same team. Of course now he was the captain of the Village-hidden-in-the-snow's ambu and she was just a Chuunin.

It wasn't like she couldn't be anything higher; she just hadn't taken the tests. Ayumi was a person that prided herself on her abilities rather than if she was a high ranked ninja, in fact her rare ability had been the reason her team had come home successful many times. Ayumi was the proud owner of a powerful kaki genki that allowed her control the weather and environment around her, but this gift came with a price and she was often left drained after just one or two attacks.

Gripping the windowsill the irritated kunoichi leapt from the window and landed in the soft know beneath it with a very cat-like grace. Sprinting she let out a sigh of relief upon finally catching up to the shinobi she was perusing. It wasn't as if he had been traveling fast, he hadn't even bothered to cover his tracks yet confident that the snow would cover them effectively. Putting her hands on her hips the blue-haired girl glared at her former team-mate angrily. "Seraphim you promised you would let me come with you the next time you got a mission, you know how cramped it is here" she whined, not even caring if her voice sounded immature at the moment.

Raising an eyebrow the dark-haired ninja glanced up at the tree behind the kunoichi. "Isao come out I know you have been following Ayumi, its useless to hide from me" he stated in a smooth voice that left no room for disobedience, grumbling about unfair ambu abilities the Blonde-haired boy in question nimbly jumped from his position in the tree. Turning to glower at him Isao walked closer so that he was standing beside his blue-haired friend. "We are coming with you Seraphim and that's final, besides I couldn't resist getting a chance to meet some foreign women now could I?" the blonde said wiggling his eyebrows, and it was with a forced calm that Seraphim responded "Well the village leader did ask me to bring along two others, I had ordinarily planned on going alone but It seems I have no choice now."

Smiling in a triumphant way Isao winked at the girl next to him, a moment later there came a resounding smack and a yell of "hentai!" Glaring at the boy beside her who was currently rubbing his red cheek Ayumi turned toward Seraphim "Why do we need to bring him again?" she said before shooting another glare in the blonde's direction. Giving her a look similar to the one someone would give one who was slow he spoke "Despite his wandering hands Isao proves to be a good ally in battle, and besides I enjoy watching him torture you and every other woman he meets". "Why you!" the irate kunoichi exclaimed before giving the black-haired shinobi a friendly punch, letting out a sigh and barely hiding a smile Seraphim nodded in the direction of the sun "If he intend to leave sometime before dark I suggest we do so now". Giving her own nod the blue-haired teen followed her friend and current squad leader.

Ayumi Miyuki was currently 15 and happy with her place in life, it had been three nearly four years since she had graduated the academy and she was already a Chuunin. Sure she wasn't a prodigy like Seraphim or a fast learner like Isao who was already a Jonin but she was proud to say she was a pretty decent medical ninja. Her decision to be a medic ninja had been nearly two years since her graduation from the academy and a few months after her Chuunin exams, her new training was the main reason she had abandoned moving up in the ranks. She suspected she had gotten her kaki genki from her mother's clan since her father didn't posses anything like it.

Drawing alongside Seraphim she yelled to be heard over the howling wind "So what is this mission we are on?", glancing over at the kunoichi he responded "We are being sent to guard a princess in the land of fire, they have already sent for some ninja from their own village but fear that they may not be enough to stop the people after her" nodding her head Ayumi grinned "Must be some assassin then huh?" glancing over at her he shrugged his shoulders as if bored by the idea. Isao simply smiled "I would love the idea of fighting worthy opponents again" Ayumi knew the blonde was only interjecting his own comments so he wouldn't be left out. Rolling her eyes at her former teammates love of fighting she let herself have a secret smile, she liked traveling this way. It made her feel as if she was once again part of a team and it made her feel good to know that others had her back.

The next few hours passed in silence until Seraphim gave the order to stop, Isao had been whining about how hungry and tired he was for the past hour and even their leader got tired of it after awhile. Ayumi bit her lip, even she had to admit she was tired and food didn't sound half bad right now either. As Seraphim set up camp in the shelter of some nearby trees she pulled out come instant roman, and as predicted Isao bounded over to her with his traditional puppy dog face. It was no secret that Isao loved roman, if it was his decision she figured he would try and live off of the stuff.

As the food cooked Ayumi spread out her sleeping bag and laid on top of it, she had forgotten how a long day of traveling felt. It was worse when you had an ambu captain for your mission leader; it seemed as if he didn't know the meaning of the word rest. She was just lucky that Isao whined so much, if it wasn't for him they might still be traveling. Speaking of Isao she groaned as he began diving up the cups of roman "Ok that's one for Ayumi, one for Seraphim, and that leaves four for me". Rising from her short lived rest Ayumi grabbed her bowl, she really didn't have it in her to fight with the blonde-haired boy today apparently neither did Seraphim for a moment later he to grab his bowl and simply watched as Isao shoveled it down his throat.

Isao was the son of the village leader although he didn't act like it; he was also one of the most powerful shinobi in the village. It was often his enemy's misperception of them that got them, if fact when he was serious Isao could even match Seraphim in strength. That was the key word though ifIsao was very rarely serious and that was why he didn't make the cut for ambu, not that he wanted it anyway. No her blonde friend was more of a womanizer than a shinobi; she pitied any woman that crossed his path including herself. She doubted that he even knew the meaning of the word subtle.

Seraphim on the other hand was almost the exact opposite of her pervy friend, he was always serious and didn't know the meaning of the word fun. He was the son of the infamous Orochimaru and a woman of her village, and although he had been suspected of being like his father the dark-haired boy had proven them wrong. Although she was his former teammate and considered herself his friend she frowned when she realized just how little she knew him. Maybe this mission would bring them all together, the way they had once been back when they were the snow ninja three. No the still were the snow ninja three, she had to remember that.

Blinking up at the moon she was slightly startled when she felt a presence beside her, turning to her left the kunoichi was surprised to find that it was Isao who was at her side. Smiling as the girl took notice of him at last the blonde boy cleared his throat "So what are you doing Ayumi?" "I'm just looking at the moon and…." But before she could properly finish her train of thought the blue-haired teen felt a hand clamp down on her butt. "And just what do you think you are doing?!" she growled at Isao all of her silent rage compressed into that one sentence "Oh I was just admiring your lovely arse lady Ayumi" the boy responded cheekily. Eye twitching she punched him in the gut her glare so intense it startled the blonde for a moment "Are all blondes so pervy and brainless?" she snapped before spinning on one heal and marching angrily away.

Seraphim smirked from his position in the shadow of a nearby tree. When would they admit their feelings for one another? Shaking his head at the foolishness of his former teammates the Dark-haired youth returned to the campsite leaving a very miffed blonde to sort out where he had gone wrong.

The next two days were passed in relative silence, Seraphim didn't talk much and Ayumi was still fuming over the incident in the trees. Why did Isao have to ruin every friendly moment she attempted? Although the girl still frowned upon her friend's outlook on women it was not in her nature to be angry for long. Blinking in surprise she barely had time to stop as Seraphim suddenly halted, motioning for them to come to the branch he was currently residing on the ambu captain gestured in the direction north of their position. "The castle is only a half day distance from here, I would rather we arrive in daylight. We shall make camp here and head out at dawn". Nodding her agreement Ayumi began unpacking their supplies, whatever faced them the next day she would be ready for it.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Yura regarded the city before them with mild interest, but despite her lazy composure the blond kunoichi was on alert. Like her father she hated being caught by surprise, especially by the enemy. The assassins must not have arrived yet however for there was nothing out of place, nothing to suggest anything out of the ordinary. Looking over at her brother she noticed the worry that clearly stood out on his features, the red-head had never been good at hiding his emotions. A fact that made many doubt his efficiency as a shinobi, but his skill in battle made up for it and the Hokage had decided that although he would never be an assassin or an ambu member he was still a valuable ninja.

Glancing to her right at her brother's sudden nudge she stared in awe at the palace before them. It was large and seemed to be made completely of silver, and the red banners sporting the symbol of the land of fire stood out sharply. She then decided that if my some chance she has ever made into a princess and had to live in a castle it would be one similar to this one, not that she had been to many castles though. Another glance to her right showed that both Ino and Dai were starring at the palace with expressions similar to her own.

As they approached the front gate a muscular looking guard in a bright red and white uniform strode up to them. "You must be the ninja from the village hidden in the leaves, the fair princess is waiting for you in her chambers", and as the guard motioned to a servant to escort them Yura had the impulse to point to her headband and say "Oh really...I just thought this leaf symbol here was for decoration". She quickly squashed this notion however, since when did she become the impulsive and sarcastic one? It seemed as though her pink-haired friend had gotten to her she reasoned.

"Come on Yura your going to get left behind if you don't come back to earth and follow us" Dai said becoming his sister on as the servant lead them deeper into the palace. Shooting a small glare in the red-head's directing Yura sprinted after her family; honestly did could it hurt for her brother to be a little more considerate?

The young kunoichi was soon brought out of her silent rant by a soft voice saying "enter", Yura frowned she hadn't even noticed they had come to their destination. As they entered her attention was darn to a large four poster bed and the girl seated in its center. The princess was the definition of beauty, her pale bluish-silver hair fell to her shoulders and Yura could see that it curled at the end. But there was something sad in the young woman's eyes, for the princess only appeared to be around 19 years old. To young in her opinion to be running an entire country, one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations no less, and although she knew very little about politics she did know that in order to become queen the young woman would have to marry.

A small shudder ran through her at the thought, it would most likely be an arranged marriage. After all that was commonly the destiny for royalty, as if suddenly realizing her internal ramblings Yura shook her head. Now was not the time to be contemplating the girl's love life, no she had been hired to get rid of assassins not meddle in the princess's affairs.

Clearing her throat the silver-haired princess spoke "I'm afraid I have not been entirely truthful, these assassins are far more advanced than I previously told you" She took a deep breath before continuing "You see I had to make it seem as if this mission was an A rank one, I had to hire several ninja and paying both villages for an S rank would have been devastating for our treasury." The princess was interrupted at that point by Dai who exclaimed "Who exactly are these other ninja and why did you need more than one team?" And although she didn't approve of the manner in which he asked her Yura had to admit that her brother was voicing some of the questions she herself found herself wanting to ask.

The princess simply sighed "They are ninja from the village hidden in the snow and will most likely be arriving tomorrow, and as to why I hired to many ninja I'm getting to that." The woman's reassurance seemed to have satisfied her brother for he settled back resignedly to listen. "Have any of you heard of the five great shinobi swords?" she said seriously and when the three ninjas shook their heads in puzzlement she continued "Long ago when this land was new the lords fought over the lands and this as you know is why shinobi villages were first created" at this the three Naras nodded. "The god Amatsu soon grew to favor the Earth Country whose leaders followed him faithfully and provided him with sacrifices and provided him a sword of unimaginable power and with it he soon began to conquer the neighboring lands. The other gods soon became concerned, with this godly power in the hands of one man he would surely take over the world, and so they gave a sword to each of the great shinobi nations to help bring balance to the chaotic world" pausing to let it sink in she finished "The real reason you are here is to protect the sword of fire from the ones who would use it for evil.

Yura's eyes widened, she certainly hadn't expected that! Although it now made since, the reason the princess had claimed this to be an S ranked mission and why she had also hired the snow ninja. "So there are other swords beside the one of fire…all the great nations have one?" Yura asked curiously, "You are correct, I believe the one behind this attack is Hideki the ruler of the Earth country and master of the Tsuchik blade". Nodding slowly in thought the blonde grimaced "If this man if after the swords, which I believe he is, does this mean that he will go after the other Kages?" frowning the silver-haired girl sighed "He most likely will, however it is in our best interest to focus on the problem at hand don't you think?".

Sighing in defeat Yura nodded slightly "Yes I suppose for now we will concentrate on protecting the land of fire's sword princess". Smiling good-naturedly the girl across from her waved a hand dismissively "I would prefer it if you could call me by my name Hisoka". Nodding her head in understanding Yura replied "Very well Hisoka I will honor your wishes" and meeting the princess's grey-green eyes Yura watched as another brief smile passed over her face before the girl was still once more. "I believe that the others will be arriving tomorrow so I will have a servant show you to your rooms" rising Yura and the others followed the servant in question as she led them to their rooms. And when all three ninja were settled they were served dinner and the blonde couldn't help but laugh at Dai exclamation of "Wow even if we are underpaid at least the food is great!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

Saki was jolted awake by the sound of thunder; she had never liked storms and now was not an exception. Only before she could always go to her friends for comfort, now she was miles away and a prisoner of the akatsuki. Yes things couldn't get much worse; her dream had been surprisingly pleasant. She had simply imagined herself back at the academy with her friends, a place she would much rather be now that she thought about it. Letting out a yawn the pink-haired kunoichi noticed the bed opposite hers was empty, not only was it vacant but it was neatly made indicating that he had left some time before she had wakened. How had Haruki gotten up without her noticing? She must have been more exhausted than she realized, though imprisonment could do that to anyone.

Now that she looked at it however she really didn't feel like a prisoner, sure she couldn't leave the building but it wasn't as if she was being kept in a cell or anything. Frowning slightly she considered the offer she had received the day before, so they wanted her to join them. That was a surprise in itself; it still puzzled her why the best ninjas in the world would want a weak little medic such as herself in their mist. Grimacing she came to a realization, she would have to join in order to escape. They would never let her go if she remained here, but if she was on some mission with only Haruki to guard her she would have a much better chance at escape. It seemed as though she would have to gain their trust and then dart away when their grip had slackened.

Where was Haruki anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be guarding her? Or was it that he was so confident in his abilities that he didn't think he needed to be next to her to stop her. Well that would work in her favor as well, if he underestimated her it would only work to her advantage. Stepping into the bathroom the kunoichi went through her normal morning routine of bathing and brushing her teeth, she really did need new clothes. Maybe Sora would give them to her she mused, the female akatsuki seemed like a decent sort of person. In fact she might as well look for the girl now; after all talking to some one was a far better way to spend her time than to mope around in her room.

Opening the door she glanced down the hallway in both directions, now where was the dining room again? Thinking back she remembered turning left, and so following her memory the pink-haired girl continued down the hall to her left. Her memory was found to be correct as she spotted the double doors that led to where the akatsuki ate their meals. Apparently it was not yet time for lunch, she figured she had slept through breakfast and dinner was later in the day. She could only hope that the red-head was in the kitchens for she had no idea where her room was located.

As she pulled open the heavy door she let out a sigh of relief as she heard the tell-tale sound of two pots clanging together. It seemed that the red-haired girl was making lunch. Striding up to the bar she glanced curiously into the kitchen to see what she was cooking, it seemed as though roast duck was on the menu for she could see the bird in question laying on the counter to her right. The cook herself straitened with the fallen pot in one hand, though when she caught sight of the other girl her face stretched into a grin. "Hey Saki mind helping me out with lunch?" she asked and shaking her head Saki stepped around the counter to stand by the older girl "So what do you want me to do?" she asked curiously. "Well I assumed you came to talk and we can talk as long as you help me with this duck" she responded with a smile "All you have to do is put in this stuffing then slide it in the oven when your done" she said simply before handing Saki the bowl of stuffing.

Nodding her head the pink-haired teen began placing the stuff inside the duck, as she did so the kunoichi looked back at Sora who was busy making a jello-like desert of some kind. "So what village did you come from?" she asked since she didn't recognize the symbol on the young woman's headband "Well I come from the village hidden in the mist, as you know we…were forced to do some rather rough training and rather than see my friends killed by my hand I fled my village" she said quietly. For a moment Saki was stunned, this woman had fled her village so she wouldn't have to kill her friends.

"That was very noble of you" Saki replied a smile on her face "I'm not done, its about time I got to tell my life story to some one who cares" she teased before continuing "I was found by the akatsuki a short time later, after all my works of art were famed". Puzzled Saki looked up at the red-haired girl in confusion "What do you mean?" Smiling in a knowing was Sora shook her head "To tell you would be to reveal my secret technique" she said with a small grin. "Would you be so quick to share your secrets with me?" and as Saki reluctantly shook her head Sora nodded her reasoning justified.

"Oh Sora where is your room?" Sora raised an eyebrow as Saki continued "I mean I want to know where I can find you when you aren't cooking" she added. Sora smiled "To get to y room take a right after you exit the dining room and it is three doors down". Nodding gratefully Saki put this new information away for later use. Looking down at the duck she turned once more to the other kunoichi "So why the fancy dinner?" she asked, the older girl placed one hand behind her head and shifted nervously "Well leader-sama has decided to eat with us and well I want to impress him" she said quickly. Saki gave a knowing smile "I don't see how you could but I know you like him, it's so obvious in the way you speak" she said. It was true she didn't see how some one like Sora could like some one like Daiki; she guessed it was true when people said that opposites attract.

Picking up the duck she slid I into the oven, Sora was still standing in a stiff manner that showed she was embarrassed. Looking at the older girl thoughtfully she tried to remember what little she knew about the leader of the akatsuki, from her memory she conjured a tall pale blond man with dark green eyes. Even if their personalities clashed Saki had to admit the two akatsuki members did look good together, and then she realized what she was doing and smirked. How was it that she became the akatsuki matchmaker? Shaking her head in silent mirth the returned her attention to her friend, the red-head was looking at her strangely. It seemed as though she had been doing all of it out loud, oh well too late now she mused.

She was surprised however when the older girl laughed, a tinkling sound that bounced off the walls. "I guess you must be thinking that it would be a very unlikely match" she said with a smile, frowning Saki nodded "Well what you understand is that Daiki has to be strong and commanding with the others, it's the only was to get respect but he is quite different with me" the last part Saki noted was said in a dreamy manner. Yes the red-haired cook definitely liked the akatsuki leader.

"Don't tell me you don't have some one you like back at that village of yours" Sora said playfully before frowning when Saki shook her head. "Come on there has to be some one" she persisted but was once again rewarded with a shake of the head. "So you're this great medic ninja, but your romantically stunted?" raising an eyebrow at Sora's choice of words the pink-haired kunoichi shrugged "I don't really have time for romance, and besides my forehead and pink hair would drive off any man I would even consider" she added almost as an after thought. "Your foreheads not that big" Sora protested "And besides at least your hair color is unique, I get so tired of all the blondes and brunettes out there".

Smiling slightly at her friend's comment Saki sighed, it seemed they had been talking longer than she had expected because a moment later the timer went off signaling that the duck was finished. Crossing to the oven Sora pulled out the steaming duck and handed Saki a knife "You go ahead and slice it into pieces and I will go get everyone". Nodding her head the kunoichi began to cut the duck as she thought over her past few days in silence. Why had she once called her life boring? Now that it wasn't she found herself craving the clam and uneventful days in the village.

Looking down at the finished duck she carefully removed the bones and threw them away before turning to see Sora making her way back across the room. "You should get you plate of food ready, Ill join you once everyone is served" she said before handing the pink-haired girl a plate. "You had best hurry" she warned "The men take a lot of food, you know how they are". Nodding her head Saki filled her plate before sitting down at the same table she had the day before, it was only a moment later that the room filled with akatsuki members from all parts of the base.

It was then that she noticed Haruki standing next to the tall blonde man she recognized at Daiki. Studying the man further she was able to guess that he was in his early twenties, which would put him only a few years older than Sora. For some reason she had found herself believing him to be almost thirty.

Looking up she was startled to find Sora sliding into a seat beside her, flashing a smile at Saki she placed her food in front of her "Your so lucky Saki, I heard Daiki and Haruki talking…It looks like you will be getting your first mission soon". Frowning lightly Saki slowly chewed her duck, what could this assignment be? She hoped it wasn't an assassination; she hated to kill innocent people.

Author's Note -

I would like to dedicate this chapter to the wonderful Sauskekun03

This was a very long chapter, much longer in fact than the normal ones.

I would like to also add that the Snow Village Ninja are all based on people that I know, you know who you are.

Awww look at that little green button, its just begging you to review. Click on it. You know you want to.