Chapter 10

Due to some current circumstances that has not allowed me to dedicate the time I wanted to fixing everything in my story (particularly the small parts) I decided to reupload the old chapter ten and keep moving forward with my story while slowly fixing the and tying the old chapters together as I get the time to do so. Other than that Chapter 11 will be up very soon xD

The figure stood over the frightened girls, her eyes full of tears, a sword through her womb and blood spewing from the piercing. Yet...she was smiling, the first time this woman had smiled for years, a happy feeling that had eluded her through her journey and finally she was putting an end to that torture, that torture that had torn her heart asunder and her will to live from her chest. Now however..."I will protect you...just as he did..."

The little blonde haired girl, pushed her brown haired friend out of the way. "Who are you? why did you protect us! Why did you throw your life away!"

The brown haired girl drew an arrow and aimed her bow at the ninja that had stabbed the woman, as she pulled her sword out of the victim and fell back to the tree behind her. "Damnit! Don't move!" The brown haired girl was clearly agitated by the situation, they were facing a Jounin that had just gotten the better of the mysterious woman that had protected them. "Gina! Get it together we're in trouble!"

The blonde haired girl named Gina, was wide-eyed and frightened, "Why...?" she began to cry.

The wounded woman fell to her knees and wiped the tears away from the girls' cheeks. "Because...that is my duty as a ninja..."

"Your lying!"

"Am I?"

"Great Toad Sage?"

The old geezer opened his eyes slowly and greeted the small yet wise Fukasaku with a smile and a small nod. "I have been given a vision" Fukasaku furrowed his brow and cocked his head in question. "Bring before me, our Naruto, for he must know...his past will soon be repeated..."

"Of course Great Sage" Fukasaku hopped out of the room and met a messenger toad in the hall. "Gamekose, go to Gamakichi and have him summon Naruto" The toad bowed and took off as Fukasaku began thinking aloud. "His past will soon be repeated..."

Leiko sat in the booth as she nibbled frustratingly at her plate of food. "So...we have a mission...they're both late...and they're still not talking are they?"

Hiroshi grabbed his glass and took a drink of his water. "Nope"

She slammed her fist on the table causing a piece of meat on Raidon's plate to flip off and hit him square in the nose, earning a glare from her agitated teammate. "It's been two weeks! And they're supposed to be teaching us! Not fighting each other...I swear they're more childish than ten year old's."

"You can say that again" Hiroshi took another drink.

"They're more childish-"

"He didn't mean that literally you idiot!"

Leiko stuck her tongue out at Raidon. "You're the idiot!"

Gina sighed and picked at her food. Leiko was right, Naruto-sensei and Sakura-sensei were supposed to be in love, or at least that was what the journal indicated, and yet they acted like they were lifelong enemies. It was more Naruto than Sakura who was acting immaturely. She didn't know why they were fighting, but she was certain it had something to do with that strange behavior Aika and Naruto had shown. It was almost like they were burning alive and becoming...monstrous in a way, but neither would tell the student's what had happened.

"Without his worth, we would be hurt

though he was a dope, he gave us hope,

and though he passed, he fought to his last,

The Great and Gallant Jiraiya"

"How much longer is he going to sing...it's getting annoying" Raidon complained.

"It's a pretty song I think, besides he's singing it to his daughter."

"Tch, whatever"

The sound of someone entering the house was heard loud and clear as footsteps quickly ascended the stairwell. Meanwhile Naruto stood up and took the toddler to her crib, setting her gently down upon the pillow soft material. The door of the room opened quickly to see an out of breath Sakura standing at the doorway, her current physical condition caused a smart-ass reply from her old friend. "Looks like you've been too busy worrying about worthless things than keeping yourself in shape."

She became flustered and upset that he would so callously call her out. "Your tricks won't work with me, you should know that by now"

The student's quickly became confused and felt out of place as their two sensei began arguing. "Tricks? Since when I have used any tricks?"

"I know your game you idiot, and I'm not playing, as for trickery? I don't have to mention anything, what I want to know is how could you be so stupid! I came here thinking you were actually coming to your senses, but the first thing you do is insult me? Well it's not going to work!"

Naruto turned around, his face sullen and in the eyes of a trained ninja, very conflicted. "Because of my idiocy, it is why you should believe what you call my trickery."

She clenched her fists in anger. "Why can't you just understand..." Her eyes were clenched as she fought off tears. "Why do you..." She turned and looked at the genin who were sitting there looking lost and confused. "Uhm..."

Naruto looked over at them. "You guys have work to do, why don't you go and do what you were doing before"

"No, no" Leiko spoke up. "Please continue, we're curious as to why you're making Sakura-sensei cry"

"You four have a job a to do, now go do it or I'm going to put you through hellish training!" Raidon and Hiroshi stood up, grabbing hold of the resisting Leiko, ignoring her taunts and arguments against their sensei, they quickly left the room. Gina was quick to follow, but not before turning around and looking him straight in the eyes, she had seen eyes like that before, angry and yet...they were the eyes of a sad person, one who was lying not only to the people around him, but to himself as well. Her father would often have those eyes when he spoke about her mother...her father never kept any pictures around, from at least what she could see, and so she never knew what her mother's face looked like, but from all the stories he had told her, she had the face of an angel.

Naruto stood atop the Yondaime's face as he looked over the village, the wind flapping his cloak behind him. He enjoyed this view of his beloved leaf, it always gave him a calm feeling to see the peacefulness his village possessed, especially after all the violence and destruction he had seen the past ten years. He had a gut feeling though, that a storm was coming perhaps another war and more death.

"I figured I would find you up here"

The sage didn't need to turn around to greet his new visitor, after all he had heard her voice virtually every day for sixteen years. "Sakura" his voice was not as cold as it had been these first couple weeks, a sign that his own seclusion was getting to him. He may have been able to fool most people, but she had known him too long and could pick up the waves in his voice.

"I..."

"Don't worry about it, we both know it's my fault, so you've nothing to worry about after all" She was startled by his nonchalant attitude, why did he have such a radical change in his behavior after avoiding her for the last two weeks?

"Why are you so approachable?" She eyed him suspiciously as she walked leisurely past him, her hands cupped behind her back, and towards the ledge overlooking the village. "You've wanted nothing to do with me and yet all of a sudden you're the friendliest person in the world, what gives?"

His look remained serious as he gazed over the village. "I have a bad feeling and I am not sure why, signs are pointing to big trouble coming but, when and where? I don't know"

"What do you mean?"

"Konohamaru has been missing for two weeks and nobody's heard from him, there's a mysterious person checking in with the Hokage every once in awhile and this person has a chakra I do not recognize, although I want to say I've felt it before. Also my informants haven't been reporting anything from the north in several weeks. Things are way too quiet"

Sakura looked over her shoulder, her brows furrowed in question before turning her focus back to the view. "It's always been beautiful up here" She bent over, resting her hands on her knees, and looked at the villagers walking below. "I like to look at everyone walking by and sometimes you can even make out somebody you know."

Naruto, his look of seriousness still gracing his face, turned over to where she was looking and immediately forgot what he was doing as his eyes rested on her bottom, as she scanned the village for their friends. "Yea.." he stuttered "it's always got a nice view"

"Tch, you're not even looking over here are you?" She paused for a second before realizing the tone of his voice, she stood up and and quickly turned around catching his flushed face and wandering eyes in the act. "You pervert!" she screeched before getting up and stomping up to him, getting within inches of his face. "Here we're having a nice, a nice! Tender moment and you have to go and be a pervert! You can't just come over here and put your arm around me and say 'yes Sakura, it's beautiful, as beautiful as you'" She growled in frustration.

Naruto raised a brow in question. "But, I did say you were beautiful" he countered "it just so happened that I was looking at your butt when I said it, but clearly I meant you as a whole are beautiful" her face glowed red with both embarrassment and frustration. "Besides I don't get why you're getting so flustered about it, I've seen you naked after all and may I say that, that is always a nice view"

She balled her hand in a fist as her face turned as red as blood before finally reaching down, and with a controlled amount of great strength, gripped his groin. "How does that feel? Huh? That's the accumulation of my embarrassment! You just don't talk about things like that, just like that!"

His face turned purple with pain as he struggled in her grip. "Sakura...ow, ow, ow, please let go" he whimpered painfully. In that split second a puff of smoke surrounded the two before quickly bringing them to Myobokuzan.

"Oh you want me to let go? Isn't this rather embarrassing? Imagine if we were in the middle of a crowd!"

"Ahem...am I interrupting something?" Sakura slowly turned her head to see the toad Gamakichi with a grin on his face and a winking eye. "Hi there" confused at what he meant, she paused for a few seconds until he coughed in an, excuse me, manner and pointed down at her hands. She turned to looked and realized she still had her grip on Naruto and immediately let go much to a very relieved Naruto who slowly fell to the ground in pain.

"Gamakichi...what are you doing here? There's no way Naruto summoned you, did he?"

"Nope it was a reverse summons"

"Reverse summons...then that means" She looked up and looked in awe and shock at all the toad statues...and the toads, the many many toads.

"Welcome to Myobokuzan!"

She screamed and immediately fled behind Naruto who was slowly falling in love with sweet, sweet ground that wouldn't intentionally harm him. "There's toads everywhere! Slimy, slimy toads!"

"And this coming from the student of the Slug princess..." Gamakichi muttered before realizing the strange predicament. "Come to think of it, how did you get here? I summoned Naruto and even if you did have a 'grip' on him" he laughed at the blonde ninja's predicament." there is no way you should have been able to get here..."

"Gama...I don't think she's listening" Naruto muttered.

"Toads...there are so many! Ew! Ew! Ew!"

"I think I can explain" Master Fukasaku and Lady Shima approached the two ninja. "It is a one in a million occurrence, but I detected our young lady was using a reasonable amount of chakra when she arrived and must have been touching Naruto, when you summoned them it picked up on her chakra and pulled her through, however I am surprised she came uninjured and in no way was disfigured."

Sakura stopped freaking out after hearing the Toad masters' words. "Disfigured?"

"Correct, normally when something like this happens and you have no 'contract' with us, it is believed you would either die, become horribly injured, or even a risk of your hand, wherever you were touching Naruto with chakra, could have become permanently attached."

She looked down at her hand as Gamakichi started laughing uncontrollably and even Naruto, who had shrugged off enough of his pain to rest on his knee, started chuckling. "Ew! Ew! Why me..." She slid to her knees so as to catch her breath and understand everything she was just told and the risks of what had just happened. "I really want to go back to Konoha..." She sighed before noticing something near her face; she looked up to see a smiling Naruto, a rare sight for her eyes these past years, holding out his hand to help her up, which she hesitantly, yet graciously took.

"Don't worry Sakura, Shima and Fukasaku can get you back safely when we're ready to go." He let go of her hand as she reached her feet and dusted herself off. He then turned around to face the two Great Sage Toads. "So do you have something important for me? It's been awhile since you summoned me here on such short notice."

They both nodded as Shima spoke up. "The Great Toad Sage has had a vision and requested you to come"

Sakura looked on curiously, she had heard of the toad sage before and how he was the one who sent Jiraiya on his life journey and predicted the fate of Naruto and Nagato. She was eager to meet this all knowing and all powerful toad...why didn't that sound weird in her head?

Hana adjusted her disguise to fit comfortably as she scouted the village. Being Hitoku had its advantages and disadvantages, one of those disadvantages was the fact that she was a woman wearing mans clothing and they got generally uncomfortable, although she was mostly used to it by now. She quietly observed the surroundings, it was definitely a well hidden place and it felt as though she had been purposely redirected several times over the past couple of weeks, as if some unknown force was forcing her to turn away when she got close, even now she felt those same gut wrenching feelings, was it a barrier perhaps? If it was, it certainly was a strong one. Night had fallen on this small village and for the past two days, she had been watching and timing when the night guards did their rounds, after all she had a secondary objective and that was to find out if Konohamaru Sarutobi was here or not and she was determined not to fail her Hokage. She jumped down from the tree and moved quietly up to the nearest building, judging from the smell resonating from it, it had to either be the kitchen or the home of the cook.

She jumped and reached for roof's ledge, pulling herself up gently. There was a time when she and her sister would climb the rocks of there old village and their father would watch and encourage them, yet now she was trying to find her sister, to kill her. This woman had tried to not only kill Hana, but she killed her family. Walking silently along the rooftops she spotted a small window with iron bars and a hole that would allow very little oxygen into that basement, she was certain that if Konohamaru was being held anywhere, it would be here. Stopping at the roof's edge, she waited for the night guard to do his round before finally jumping down and sneaking to the window. The room was pitch black, but she could make several figures standing in the room.

"Tell me how much you know!" The voice of an old man sounded throughout the cell as did the sound of fighting. "I'm losing my patience with you Sarutobi!"

Konohamaru struggled on the ground, drained of chakra and strength, as he took the continued abuse from the guards. "I'm not telling you bastards anything!"

"I said tell me what you know!" The old man again had his lackeys pick up the exhausted ninja and punched him again.

"Heh, you think I would tell you anything even if I knew what you were talking about? I am a leaf ninja and a comrade of Naruto Uzumaki! I'll die before I tell you anything!"

"As if that name should mean something?"

"What a fool you are Hayato." Hana's heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice. "You should be afraid if that ninja comes here, for he is the Kyuubi child and the sire of the Fourth Hokage. This boy spouts his name knowing that he merely speaks the truth, as a comrade the Kyuubi child will try to find him and bring him home." She listened intently as Akira continued speaking. "My lord desires the Sarutobi to be healthy for his later experimentation, therefore he is to be fed more often and on a regular basis."

Mr. Hayato turned around and confronted Akira. "Ridiculous! We have a shortage of food as it is, we cannot feed a prisoner valuable rations meant for our people. They are already starving!"

Akira turned away from the old man. "I didn't say the issue was up for discussion, just get it done or you won't like the consequences." She turned around and headed for the door. "I have been given a mission to ensure the fox brat is taken care of, while I am gone I trust that your loyalty will keep things running smoothly here."

Through gritting teeth Hayato responded. "Of course Lady Akira"

"This is your last chance Hayato, my master's patience grows thin." She shut the door loudly as the sound ricocheted off the prison walls.

The sound of laughter slowly filled the dark, damp room. "Look at you Kensei" The old man turned viciously towards Kenjin. "Was this your grand scheme brother? To be subjugated and used as nothing more than a stepping stone?" Kensei looked over his shoulder and snarled at Kenjin. "Let's go, I've had enough of this place. Know this brother, soon I will destroy destroy the leaf and your last hope for salvation will be gone."

"Then why not kill me now?"

Kensei turned away, the look on his face was distorted by the darkness. "I have my reasons brother."

Hana listened as several footsteps ascended the stairs and waited for the door to shut. She greatly desired to chase her sister, but she knew that revenge was a trivial thing and could not come before the lives of her comrade. She sighed, as trivial a thing as it was, she couldn't shake the anger and hatred in her heart from having everything taken away from her. "I will not ruin this chance!" She quietly climbed back onto the rooftop and crawled over to the ledge overlooking the door. Two ninja stood watch, and one of them most likely had the key. Her mind raced with thoughts of what action to take, as the last thing she wanted to do was alert anyone to her presence before she was ready. She reached into her pouch and slowly pulled out two kunai, grasping one in each hand, she positioned herself out over the edge and stabilized herself using only the muscles in her lower back. One of the guards looked down to the ground and noticed the looming shadow, alarmed he quickly looked up and was immediately cut down along with his fellow.

She turned over the body of one of the guards and pulled the keys from her belt. Scanning her surroundings she saw no immediate threat and quickly opened the large wooden door and then grabbed the bodies and dragging them into the cell. She formed a seal and quickly made two shadow clones resembling the dead guards. "You know what to do" They nodded and positioned themselves outside the cell, shutting the door behind them. Hana sighed in relief, it was a good thing she hadn't alerted anyone to her presence or this was going to be one very short and deadly rescue attempt. She undid the vest on one of the sound ninjas and rolled it up tightly; she then used a fire jutsu, lighting it up as a makeshift torch, however the material was designed not to be flammable and the best she could get was a very small flicker and disgusting burnt smell. She then descended the stairs and made her way to the cells.

"Lord Sarutobi" She whispered forcefully. "Where are you?"

"Who goes?" She recognized his voice, though it was much deeper than the last time she had seen him with his grandfather.

"I am called Hitoku and I was sent here by Lady Tsunade to get you out"

There was a pause of silence before she heard him speak again. "You lie, no one knows of this place save for my grandfather, now tell me who you really are."

"My lord I do not lie to you, I came here searching for a traitor and was told that you may have come to some sort of trouble in this region and was asked to look for you. The guard is thin this night and to our luck I can get you out."

"I have no strength to fight and my chakra has been drained constantly for the last two weeks, there is no way we can get out of here alive and I made a promise to Master Kenjin over here." He motioned to his left. "I will get him and his granddaughter out of here and safely to Konoha."

Hana looked over to the old man and stared at him. "My orders are to return you safely"

"I am not leaving without them!"

"My Lord it is too risky to leave you at the hands of the enemy, they could learn our village's weaknesses!"

"Then you had better come up with a plan that will suffice or you will be leaving me here." Hana stared intently at the young ninja, he was definitely the grandchild of the Third.

"Fine, I will let you out and create a distraction for you and the old man to run."

Konohamaru nodded and stood up. "Alright, open the door and get these damn cuffs off me."

The room was dark as Gaara sat alone, the door shut and his head resting upon his desk. His position was getting more and more uncomfortable as almost half of every major mission he assigned was impeded in some manner, whether an unexpected delay caused the client to be late, or some strange occurrence caused someone to get hurt and put them out of commission for short duration. Things were getting frustrating, someone was openly mocking him and causing his people to openly question his authority, someone was planning something and he only wished he could act on his instincts.

"You do not look well my lord."

He sat up and propped his elbows onto his desk, resting his jaw upon them for support. "You worry not enough of yourself." He did not move from his position, choosing only to star at the door, waiting for the next report on some mission gone wrong. "Yuka, you need not hide yourself."

The Anbu appeared before his desk, bowing in apology. "Forgive my impudence."

Gaara sighed and looked directly into the eyes of his old friend. "Enough of your apologies and your formality." He stood up and turned around, choosing to look at the night sky that sat calmly above his office window. "Take off your mask, I tire of seeing the soullessness of it."

Yuka hesitated as she stood at attention. "If my lord would not mind, I would rather keep the mask on." She stood firm on her position, though if one took an even closer look, they would notice she was anything but calm.

Gaara looked over his shoulder at her shadowy silhouette. "One who never disobeys, one who admirably stays by my side for fear of my life, recklessly follows my orders to even the smallest thread...why is it you fear the world to see your face? There was a time when were teammates, that your smiling face kept our little group together."

She was afraid, if anyone knew she was the Kazekage's bodyguard, there is no telling what advantages someone could gain on her. "Gaara..."

A small smile graced his face. "You said my name, it has been a long time since you felt daring enough to speak to me without the use of my title."

She felt her body freeze and cast a downwards glance to the floor. "Forgive my-"

"Enough!" He barked angrily at her. "You do not understand what things must be taken seriously and what must be considered lax." She looked up and saw his green eyes piercing her defense, scolding her for whatever misdeed she did against him. "You are too devoted to my protection Yuka, you are troubling yourself with subjects and situations that are not yours to bear, you are missing out on living your life and wasting away your youth and happiness by constantly-"

"I AM NOT GAARA!" The Kazekage stopped speaking as she started to rant, forgetting to whom she was ranting to. "You lecture me like I am some little girl with a sick devotion to an idol, clinging to him as though he were the stickiest pile of glue! YOU SEEM TO FORGET THAT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE I DO THIS BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SEE THE MAN I...the..." Realizing what she was doing and what she had just about said, she quickly hushed herself in embarrassment as she continued to feel the piercing gaze of Gaara.

Gaara knew she was waiting for him to yell at her, discipline her to house arrest or some form of penalty for speaking out against him, even though she knew that he did no such thing against anyone without good cause. "Ever since that first mission, you have had a strange respect for me, a devotion that was very unlike you when I first met you." He started chuckling loudly, much to her embarrassment. "You were no one's plaything, you were not some object to be toyed with despite Kenji's constant advances and Jiro's remarks about your body. Indeed you were a beauty beyond your years those six years ago, still are to." She again thanked herself for keeping her mask on as she blushed furiously with both embarrassment and fear. "You took charge when needed, and Touma made sure your skills were recognized after that first mission, earning you your jounin status."

When she opened her mouth, she realized just how embarrassed she was as she struggled to form sentences. "I-I didn't de-deserve that and you know it!" She wished he would berate her, this was embarrassing for a member of the black ops, to have this queasy, silly behavior. "You had to save my life that day, and again in the explosion afterward...an explosion that should not have even happened if I hadn't been reckless and careless, getting myself caught...and then you saved me...and...and" She was slowly entering a nostalgic mindset as she remembered that day, all the horror, all the fear, and the relief and happiness she had felt when he saved her. "and you gave me your robe to cover up after my clothes were wrecked in the explosion." She hadn't noticed that Gaara had started walking towards her and continued to remember. "And if it wasn't for Touma and Jiro...we would have never gotten out of there...all because I cau-caused you to use all your chakra"

"Yuka" He said nothing else as he approached her, resting his hands on her shoulders, causing her to jump from the surprise and finally notice he had walked up to her.

"Ga-Gaara..."

"Lord Kazekage!" The door slammed open as a jounin ran into the office, it was obvious that he had been running as he was out of breath.

"Touma, what is it?"

"There's been another accident, only one of the team made it back from the mission alive and he's in critical condition."

Gaara slammed his fist on his desk, causing a section of it to cave underneath and splinter one of the legs. "Did you learn anything from the survivor?"

Touma shook his head. "No my lord, he's unconscious, he barely made the gates as it is." Touma cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Yuka, I know you're here." Gaara turned away to look out the window, those words alone confirmed it for him, the minute Touma had mentioned the mission, he was afraid that it was his. "Yuka now is no time for your games."

She appeared in front of her old Captain and bowed respectfully. "What is it?"

Touma looked over her shoulder to see Gaara had turned away in frustration. "I'm sorry...it was your brother's team." Her body remained rigid, void of any and all ticks or emotions that would give away what she thinking, but there wasn't any doubt in either Gaara or Touma, she was devastated. "He's the one who's in the hospital, but they don't expect him to make the night..."

She struggled to speak as she opened her mouth, her mask still hiding her face. "I-I-I mu-must gu-guard the Kazekage until h-he or-or-orders me down..." It was clear to both of them, that for the first time, she wanted to abandon her post.

"Well then." Yuka turned and gasped as she looked at Gaara. "If you can't abandon your post, you'll just have to follow me to the hospital, let's go."

"The most important thing you must remember Yukio, is that whether you are starting or completing a mission, you are always representing your village and yourself." Chouji lectured his prize student as they headed back towards Konoha. "As you saw, that village knew us by the emblem on our bands, it is reasons such as these that we must always do our best to set a good example as they treat all leaf ninja based on our interactions with them."

"I understand sensei" Yukio walked in stride as he listened intently. "So these extra supplies we received were because of a leaf ninja's past actions?"

"Of course and not just any ninja, but Naruto saved this village on his first mission." Chouji stopped and motioned for his students to recognize the sign that sat high above the bridge's entryway.

"The Great Naruto Bridge...wow" The students marveled at the great bridge.

"This village was poor and oppressed, Naruto helped fight off the villains by rallying the villagers and along with Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Haruno, they drove the corrupt businessman and his associates out of the region."

Yukio mused over the words his sensei spoke, something seemed odd to him, something... "Sensei? You said Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-sensei, was there any reason they didn't have a fourth member in the group?"

Chouji stopped and tensed his shoulders, a move not unnoticed by his genius student. "Perceptive as always Yukio." His students watched him closely as he clenched a fist, then releasing and repeating the same act several times over.

"Sasuke is a member of Konoha, if he gets beyond that border, we won't be able to stop them." Chouji refused to take his eyes of Jiroubou. "If we lose track of him now, then we are exactly what he says...worthless"

"Chouji..."

"I'll give my life to protect my comrade's and don't worry Shikamaru, I still have that trump card after all."

Yukio was somewhat startled by his sensei's sudden silence, ever since their group was assigned to him, he had been a never ending form of conversation and teaching and most of it seemed to be experience.

"Sensei?" Oichi was the first one to speak and break the silence. She had never seen their sensei so...serious.

Exhaling, Chouji turned around and smiled brightly to his students, an act which confused them even further. "You'll learn in due time just how much teammates and friends mean to you, and you will learn that tragedy follows everyone."

"Tragedy sensei?"

"Enough of this, let's go and get some food, we have a long way back to Konoha after all and I want to reward you all for doing such a good job."

Zen, who had been unusually quiet, followed zealously as if nothing had happened. Oichi walked up next to Yukio and they shared a similar look, there was something sensei was hiding and it had something to do with that mysterious fourth teammate or reason that there was no fourth member. Chouji shut his eyes and smiled quietly to himself.

"Asuma said that?"

"Yea, it was a few days before he died. He told me that you and I are just like he and Chiriku were, best friends and teammates no matter what." Shikamaru held out a fist and smiled proudly.

"Yea indeed we are." Chouji hit him with his own fist and smiled.

"I wonder what you're doing now, eh Shikamaru?"

"This is stupid! Why do we have to do such a trivial task? This is beneath Suna ninja like ourselves!" Kisho bent over and picked up the wood he had just cut up and began carrying it over to the log pile near the frame of the barn. "I don't care what this stupid Shikamaru says, he is no sensei of mine!"

Shikamaru sighed and looked up from the wood he was whittling. "You know I'm right here right?" The boy turned around and stuck his tongue out at the older ninja. Shaking his head, he observed his angry and clearly frustrated student. His build was magnificent for a boy his age, but having studied many books on medicine and the body growing up, he saw something that bothered him. He put his hand on his chin and gazed at the boy's upper body. "He's had an unusual amount of fractures and broken bones...his shoulders, his ribs...just how bad did this kid have it?"

"Hey! What the hell are you looking at?" Shikamaru sighed as the boy yelled obscenities at him and made gestures that would make someone like Kiba or Naruto attack the boy out of frustration. Ignoring the provocations he went back to his whittling. Observing his work he could only hope it helped this kid overcome his discerning personality.

"Tch, can you believe him Hikaru? Look at him watching us like we're prisoners!" Hikaru crossed his eyes in anger and looked over his shoulder at his friend, noticing this Kisho graced his face with a puzzled look. "What?"

"We've been at this for a week, and been having to do this every single day because you weren't willing to just help Kameko and Ame cut down the last part of that stupid tree!"

"They're supposed to be ninja, not weaklings" He replied snidely

"Yea until you found out we were supposed to helped them as part of our test...it's all about the damn teamwork, ever since the academy you never listened to what the instructors said and always dragged us down because you wouldn't just swallow your pride and do what you were told!"

Kisho smiled and put his arm around his buddy's shoulder. "That's why you're around good buddy! You keep me on the right track" Hikaru growled and turned his heady away. "Aww come on, you want me to listen? Then tell me what to do and we'll get it done"

"No!" his frustration was spilling off his face. "I want you to listen to Shikamaru-sensei, or Temari-sensei or at the very least listen to what Kameko and Ame suggest before blowing it off as a stupid idea!"

"They're Konoha ninja Hikaru, they are meant to be treated of a lesser quality than us."

"No they're not! We're expected to treat them equally, because they are our allies!"

"Ally is a word with no true meaning, it signifies false hope and teaches you nothing. The word is nothing more than trust and trust is what causes villages to fall and people to die."

Hikaru's face was red, boiled full with anger. "You sound just like your dad!"

Shikamaru felt a strange power as Kisho's eyes grew cold and loathsome. "My father has instilled in me the ways of the ninja and taught me how this world works. Alliances and friends are nothing more than a fantasy, a fairy tale we are lead to believe and lead to accept as though it is the proper way of doing things." He didn't like this at all, Kisho's behavior had become more serious and felt even more deadly. Who was this Rikku Shonji? and just what had he been teaching this boy?

Hikaru did not flinch, he knew the true Kisho, the Kisho who was his best friend, the one who always helped him, defended him. This, this was the product of his father, this attitude, this power, his own father loved Kisho like a second son and had warned Hikaru that Rikku had always been a ruthless person with good intentions. "I am the son of Tenjo Miki, an ANBU and soldier under the Kazekage and I know that you recognize that Kisho and I know that you don't actually believe half the crap you're spouting!"

Kisho grunted and immediately took a stance with his right foot positioned behind him and his hands stretched out at his sides. "Do I show you, what it means to be a member of the Shonji family!"

"Kisho, you know what you must do, respect your allies, represent Suna proudly and always remain vigilant. If you're ever in trouble, remember that as your Kazekage, I will protect you."

"Gaara has a plan up his sleeve, I believe that he intends to do something with you while I am out on my next 'mission'."

"Father?"

"You know your part in all this, do not forget!"

Hikaru always had shown a small of amount of emotion, whether it be happiness or fear. In the face of his friend however, he would show no fear, because as his father taught him, never be afraid of those you call friend or risk showing them that you do not believe in them. "Kisho..." His father has never trusted Rikku Shonji and Hikaru was beginning to guess why. "Stop it you dumbass."

Shikamaru watched intently as Kisho slowly came out of his stupor and back to his senses. That boy...he has a serious killing intent. "There's no way I can let him out of my sight."

This Chapter is a little bit shorter than previous ones, but instead of forcing something else, I feel I covered everything I wanted to in this chapter. Please Read and Review.