Naoki, Terra, Mei
Naoki, Terra and Mei were walking, leading the group of shinobi outside of Konoha.
Kiba walked up to Terra and poked her in her side.
The latter jumped up slightly and turned to smile at her friend, "Hey."
"How've ya been?"
Terra stretched her arms above her head, "Training. The past 3 years have been nothing but intense training for me, Mei and Naoki."
Kiba shrugged, "Same for me. I'm finally a chuunin though."
"That's good. I never got to take the test again after the invasion. I just jumped up to E-rank."
"E-rank?"
"It means elite."
"Oh. I don't think we have that in Konoha. I never heard of it until today either."
"It's a confidential thing, I guess." Terra eyed him, "Not that many people get in it."
Kiba looked at her.
Terra looked back, "What?"
"That word you used to say with almost every sentence…"
"Oh! You mean the 'yo' I used to add. I dropped it awhile back."
"Why?"
"It was annoying." Terra shrugged.
"I didn't think so." Kiba mumbled.
"Yeah. Well, everyone else did. Especially my teachers."
A few feet behind, Mei was glaring at the back of her comrade and the guy she was talking to, "Three years ago! Three years ago and this is still going on!"
"Oh calm down, Mei." Talia smiled, "I think it's cute.
"What's cute?"
Talia turned to Shinryo, "Terra and that guy she's talking to."
"Inuzuka." Mei pointed out.
"Right, Inuzuka." Talia corrected.
Shinryo looked ahead and chuckled, looking elsewhere.
Talia rolled her eyes then turned to the spot Mei was at, noticing she was missing; she looked around and spotted her glaring at the Hyuuga boy.
"Glaring won't do anything, Mei…" Kai laughed while Mei balled her fist.
Mei turned around and looked at him, "Shut up." She then stuck her foot out and Neji tripped over it, but caught his balance.
Mei smiled evilly at him, "You should watch where you're going next time, hm?"
"That's wrong." Naoki sighed, shaking her head.
"I don't care." Mei retorted.
"What happened to your feelings for him?" Terra slowed her pace and started to walk next to Mei.
"Must've gone away while I was training."
"Yeah right." Terra snorted, "That's a lie right there."
Mei gritted her teeth, "No. It. Isn't."
Terra looked at Neji before cracking a smile, "Hey Hyuuga."
The said person turned around slightly, "What?"
"What are you wearing?" Terra asked, squinting her eyes at him, taking in his appearance, "Is that a skirt?"
Mei covered her mouth to stop her from laughing.
Neji stopped walking and faced Terra fully, "I have you know, these are some of the Hyuuga main house clothes." he replied before he started to walk again.
"Really now?" Terra asked before mumbling, "The last I checked, you weren't in the main branch."
No longer able to hold her laugh in, Mei moved her hands and started to burst out in a laughing fit.
Naoki looked at Terra, "That was so mean."
"But it's true!" Terra defended herself.
Mei's laughter soon calmed down, "That was just..." she started to laugh again but more softly.
Naoki shook her head in shame, "You guys are just... I don't even know."
Turning around and giving a thumbs up at Naoki, Terra smiled, "Good to know!"
Finally reaching Lightning, Naoki, Terra, and Mei started to lead the way. They stopped walking and faced a giant fenced area of trees and rocks.
"Beyond this point this is the Forest of Happiness!" Naoki smiled.
As on cue a giant monstrous roar came from inside the forest.
"Uhm, define your meaning of 'happiness'?" Shikamaru asked, looking into the forest.
"You die." Mei replied calmly.
Everyone started to fidget in their spots.
"Don't worry, we won't let you die." Terra assured.
"Maybe." Mei added, glaring at Neji.
"So!" Terra clasped her hands together, "Are we ready?"
The gate suddenly opened with a loud eerie creek.
"Are we seriously gonna go in th-there?" Naruto stammered.
"No, we're just gonna skip around and sing songs..." Mei sarcasticly added.
Rock Lee jumped up, "No challenge will hold me back!"
"Thats the spirit..." Naoki smirked, as Lee ran into the forest.
Naruto balled his fist, "I'm with bushy brows on this one!"
10 Days Later
"Well." Mei dusted her hands off, "You guys did a lot better than I thought."
"And our expectations were pretty low..." Naoki added, mumbling.
"Trainings over already?" a voice behind all of them asked.
"Oh. You guys..." Kiba glanced over his shoulder.
"Hey Taka. Toran." Terra waved her hand at them.
"You guys got through the training ok..." Toran commented, looking at all of them with cuts, scars and patches of dried blood on them.
"You tell us..." Shikamaru shot back, rubbing the back of his neck.
"But onto other things; we need Hyuuga, Lee and Naruto to come with us though." Taka looked at Terra, "Immediately."
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, stepping forward.
"It seems... the Kazekage has been kidnapped by Akatsuki." Toran explained, "Your teams are waiting with the Tezukage."
Naruto jumped up, "Gaara!"
"The gourd guy?" Mei asked, trying to remember.
"You'd be right, Mei." Terra nodded.
Naoki rolled her eyes, "Of course you'd remember."
Terra glared back, "Shut up."
"Another eye candy?" Shinryo glanced at Taka.
The latter chuckled, "One of many..."
"If you would follow us now..." Toran turned around and started to walk.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto ran inside the room, "Sakura-chan..."
The said girl turned and smiled at him.
"Kashi-ku- cough Kakashi." Naoki nodded to him.
"Ooh... smooth." Mei laughed.
Kakashi turned and smiled behind his mask, "Its so nice to see you Naoki. Terra and Mei too."
"WHERE IS MY YOKOOOOOO?" Gai's voice suddenly interrupted them crawling on his knees drastically.
"She was a traitor..." Naoki looked at him.
"My bea-beautiful Yoko?"
"`Fraid so..." Mei nodded.
Gai then fell to the floor and began to sob, Lee crouched over him; his tears threatening to fall.
"It is ok, Gai-sensei." Lee nodded his head vigorously.
"Thank you Lee." Gai wiped his eyes.
"Anyways!" Mei looked at the Tezukage.
"Right." he coughed, "As Toran mentioned to you all earlier, the Kazekage, or Gaara as you all know him, has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki. I want Team Kakashi to go to Suna and find out what's the status there and Team Gai for back-up."
"What about the rest of us?" Kiba asked.
"You mean you and Nara?" Mei corrected.
"You can go back to Konoha if you want."
Shikamaru grunted, "Sounds good to me. I don't wanna be a part of this anyways. Too troublesome."
"I also want Naoki, Terra, and Mei to go with Team Gai."
Terra nodded, "It's a 3 day trip."
"Then I'll go as well." Taka stepped forward.
The Tezukage gave a curt nod, "Thats fine with me. I want everyone else to stay here until further orders."
"Hai!"
"I still don't see why we have to go..." Mei grumbled.
Terra gave her a side glance while adjusting the long cloak around her neck, "Oh please, you know you wanted to."
"Isn't that Temari?" Naruto asked looking down.
"Temari-san!" Sakura yelled out.
"Did you hear?" Terra asked jumping off Taka to stand by Naruto.
Temari gave her a questioning look, "About what?"
"Akatsuki has your brother!" Naruto exclaimed.
"WHAT?" Temari gasped, "Gaara..."
"Don't worry." Lee comforted, "We will get him back."
"Of course." Mei snorted, "You have us with you."
Neji glared at her.
"I'm kidding; give me a break... sheesh..."
Naoki looked down, "We should get going; the sooner we get there the sooner we can save him."
Kakashi looked at Naruto and Sakura, "She's right."
Naruto gritted his teeth before he jumped off and left everybody behind him.
"Whoa!" Mei yelled.
"Naruto don't leave the team." Kakashi yelled to him.
Terra frowned, "It'll be our fault if we lose him."
"None of you know, do you?" Naruto asked.
"Know what?" Sakura looked at him.
"Inside me... is the demon Kyuubi fox."
"Stop."
Taka glanced up before he landed on a branch.
Terra jumped off his back and ran to catch up with Naruto. Once she finally reached him she glanced over, "You aren't the only one."
Naruto looked back at her.
"You're not the only one that holds a demon." Terra replied, "They're after me too. They want me the most. Trust me, I know."
Taka looked at her, "Terra..."
"You don't need to tell them." Naoki warned.
"Please." Terra scoffed, "Like it matters, Naoki."
"You guys don't know me. The real me. I don't know why, but for some reason my clan wanted to test an experiment. They jumped right on it and decided to use me. I don't know whose bright idea it was, but it obviously wasn't bright. I have the 13 tails in me."
"13? I thought there were only 9..." Sakura mumbled.
"The Utaka Clan decided otherwise." Terra replied bitterly, she turned around and stalked back to Taka, "Let's get going now." She jumped onto his back and flipped the hood of her cloak over her head and mouth.
Mei heaved a sigh, "You guys got her all upset now..."
"She's been through a lot, hasn't she?" Tenten asked.
Naoki kept running, "You wouldn't even know the beginning of it."
"She hasn't really told us much of anything, either." Mei replied.
"We turn here and then go East." Kakashi instructed, "We're almost there."
"After the Kazekage was abducted, Kankurou persued them, but he was also injured."
"What? They got Kankurou too?" Temari screeched.
"Let's get going." Sakura spoke, "I want to see him."
"We'll let Sakura handle it. We'll go investigate." Naoki ordered.
Mei shrugged, "Sounds good to me."
Kakashi nodded to Naoki before the group split in half.
"They're going to catch up with Pakkun and the others?" Naruto asked.
"They will later; let's get going." Kakashi turned around before leaping onto another branch.