Ninja Clash! Of Nightmares and Daydreams

.;:Chapter Eight: Tea, Traitor, and The Journey:;.

Part Three: The Journey

Anna Suzuhara stared at herself in the mirror. Impassive, half-lidded blue eyes gazed back at her. Her hair was collar length and straw colored, pretty against the blood red scarf she had tied around her head. The scarf was so long it traveled past her backside, swinging behind her with every step. It was the last remnant of her people besides herself and her eyes…her famous eyes.

She averted her gaze to the distant figure in the mirror. Behind her, sitting by a high window, the princess sang a soft melody. Her voice was gentle on the almost eerie silence, it blended with it well creating something of a lullaby.

Yoruken had most of the male guards moved away from the girl's room. They all were tempted to free her and couldn't explain why afterwards, "I…I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving her there…my princess." They'd say, right before Yoruken would either kill them or send them away. The women called her princess and lady, beamed when the Tsukuyomi witch so much as smiled at them. The ones who didn't experience this call, acted on their own, getting her so far as the second floor before they were snuffed out. Those little incidents sent the girl to tears, and that, of course, sent Anna a very gracious smile.

Yoruken trusted no one but Anna with the task of keeping her. She did not find her soft beauty entrancing, nor did she find her sweet songs freeing. To her, every sound, every move, every breath the girl took stabbed into Anna's soul. It scratched and rubbed against her very brain. And any dream she had of the girl ended in her swift death.

It took everything Anna had not to drive a knife right down her throat and silence that sweet little song bird forever.

The princess ended on a high note and turned her head towards Anna, catching her eye, "Am I disturbing you?" she asked, her voice warm, sweet despite her surroundings. Anna's lips pressed into a thin line.

"This is your room…isn't it?"

Kaori stood to her feet and slowly made her way to Anna, holding her gaze, "No. It isn't. For now, I am a guest. My room is very, very far from here. My sister is coming to take me back to it."

Kaori's eyes were determined silver-blue, her pink hair swayed with its own wind. Anna could understand why so many would lose their lives for her. She was a vision of an angel—but a wolf in sheep's clothes. Anna could not be so easily fooled.

Anna stepped toward the girl's face, their heights identical. She never had to try very hard to intimidate. People were naturally afraid of Anna, it was all in the way she spoke. Cold. Precise. It was her eyes too, eyes that chilled you to the bone they said. They wouldn't be half so scary if her family hadn't been slaughtered before her eyes, crushed by the Tsukuyomi—the jewel of Lightning Country. It wasn't a day that passed that her gaze didn't reflect her horrors, her hatred.

"Tell me, Kaori…" Anna said, "do you love your people?"

"Of course, I do!" her voice went up an octave, all that bravado dropping away to show concern, longing.

"Good. And your sister, do you love her?"

This response took even less time than the first, "With everything that I am."

"Huh," Anna said coolly, "Well, that's good to hear."

Suddenly the girl stood frozen, her lip trembling as her eyes widened. Anna could tell that she wanted to scream, to shout but no sound came. Her body shook but her feet remained trapped, unable to move away. Tears began to stream down her face, like a dam that's just been broken. Anna didn't shift her eyes away, didn't blink.

"Anna, dear…" Yoruken's voice came from the door, "I believe that'll be enough."

Kaori fell to her knees, finally able to speak, hardly able to even catch her breath. "Why? Why are you doing this?" her voice was choked with sobs.

Anna's eyes narrowed, "You'll answer for your crimes."

Kaori's voice broke, flooded with pure disbelief, "I didn't do this…The Tsukuyomi didn't do this!" pure silver stared up at Anna, "My family is not capable of this…I can't believe anyone is capable of this…" she began to cry now, the images, undoubtedly rolling through her mind.

Save me Anna! I didn't do it! I didn't—

Anna snapped her head away, stopping the memory before it churned back to life.

Anna ignored her and walked from the room, fighting back the snake that had crawled into her stomach, the weakness. I know a liar when I see one, Anna thought, why am I hesitating…

No. She's a witch. A liar. All of it is an act. Yoruken showed me.

Yoruken folded his arms, the light dancing off of his rich dark skin, "What did you show her?"

Anna didn't so much as pause, "Her future."

Akari's breath caught in her throat. Her face burned, body trembled with an unsettling fear and…pity?

"Hey, Akari?" Naruto's voice startled her. "You okay?"

She nodded. Kaori…Revie…what are they doing to you?

Akari leaned against the tea house they had stopped to rest at. To its left was a small pond, with little ducks waddling around in it, chasing after their mother. Two ducks near the back clung close to one another. When one would drift, the other would keep it in check—keep it safe.

The symbolism was not lost on her.

Yorimaru for the most part of this trip had carried Hitenzo on his back. Now, he lay down in the grass, his huge head resting against Akari's feet. "You're doing great, boy. Just a while longer." She knew he had to be tired, Yorimaru loved to prowl around, going wherever he pleased. This was a strain. She reached down and ran her hands through his fur. "Thank you, for everything."

Inside the tea house, Naruto laughed loudly and Sakura chided him. Takamaru laughed as well, taking a shine to Naruto. Kakashi, Akari could hear sighing. Both Hitenzo and Sasuke of course were silent. Akari had scarfed down a bit of food Hitenzo had given her and walked back outside. There was no door to the tea house, so she was basically outside already but something about it felt too small, too closed in. Plus, she couldn't stand the looks everyone had begun giving her. They all pitied her, even Naruto and somehow…that hurt the most.

"Poor girl," she imagined she could hear it now, "lost her mother, brother, sister and fell in love with the guy that murdered her own brother…how sad." Still, she didn't remember it and if she tried she was thrown into a whirlwind of pain. Kakashi said Itachi did that so he could continue to stay close to her, bide his time. She didn't want to believe it. None of it. She didn't want to dwell on it, but thinking of Revie was worse. Itachi was the lesser of two evils, always.

Akari looked up from the pond and peered into the distance.

After passing through a copse of trees, Akari could make out three figures. One, in particular, sprinted ahead of the other two wearing bright green. One followed a bit behind with her hands on her hips, undoubtedly telling the other to slow down. The last figure walked at a nonchalant pace, not bothering to move any faster than he wanted to. They all, of course, wore headbands.

Finally.

Akari turned and poked her head into the tea house, lifting the bright majenta flaps, "Let's get a move on, the cavalry has arrived."

"Well, it's about time!" Naruto said, voicing Akari's sentiments exactly, "What took you guys so long?"

As the group came to a stop, a girl with two buns glared at her sensei in exasperation, "Guy-sensei, over here couldn't bear to part with Lee! Neji and I had to pry him off!" she inclined her head to the boy behind her who said nothing.

"Is he doing better?" Kakashi asked.

"Lee's a trooper," This Guy said, "I'm sure once Tsunade's through with him he'll be right as rain in no time." He flashed Kakashi a sparkling smile and gave him the thumbs up, which even seemed to have its own sound effect.

Akari raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"So," Guy said, "Fill us in."

"First," Kakashi singled both Akari and Hitenzo out, "Let me introduce you to Mr. Hitenzo, the one who hired us for this mission…"

"How do you do?" Hitenzo puffed out his chest and Akari couldn't help but smile at him.

"And this is our princess Akari Tsukuyomi." Kakashi continued.

"Tsukuyomi, eh?" Guy glanced down at Akari with a look of interest. "Things must be pretty bad then."

Akari narrowed her eyes at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You wouldn't believe me…but they are." Kakashi replied, a hand behind his head sheepishly.

"Literally right here," Akari said, glaring between the two jonin.

"Hey!" Naruto said happily, "Bushy-Brow sensei got Akari to speak!"

Akari turned to Naruto, barely suppressing her look of annoyance.

"She hasn't spoken at all?" the bun girl asked, peeking around her sensei to get a good look at Akari.

"Not all day," Naruto said and glanced over at Akari, "We were getting worried."

"Is something wrong?" Guy asked turning his attention to Akari—just like everyone else. Akari rolled her eyes and turned her head away, embarrassment written all over her face.

Kakashi seemed to sense her getting uncomfortable because he immediately said, "Its nothing. She'll be joining us on this mission. Her skills will make getting into this castle a lot easier."

Akari surged with pride, feeling bigger than she was a moment ago. And this time, when they looked at her, she didn't turn her head.

"A civilian?" the Neji boy from the back said, his voice low and cold, but not quite condescending.

It was Naruto that ran to her rescue, "She's basically a ninja. She was telling us how she trained with the Raikage and everything. She's pretty cool."

Thanks Naruto.

Naruto laughed, "You can ask Sasuke!"

Annddd he ruins it, Akari thought, "It's nice to meet all of you. No need to call me princess. It's rather annoying among friends."

"Lady Akari!" Hitenzo exclaimed his voice filled with despair.

"It is!" she replied. "It's makes conversation so much longer with all of those titles. Besides, these guys don't call me princess." She pointed at team 7.

"You asked us not to," Sakura said.

"And I thank you for it." She turned to the new team. "Can I get your names?"

She was excited to meet them, true but she was more excited to be surrounded by people that didn't look at her like a wounded dog. She stepped toward the man first, "You're Guy, right?"

He nodded and gave her a kilowatt smile. "Might Guy!"

"Cool," she said shaking his hand.

The girl stepped forward, "My name is Tenten, nice to meet you!"

"You too," Akari shook her hand and stepped toward to boy. He was taller than her, with the prettiest hair she'd seen on a boy since Itachi—

She stuck her hand out, ridding herself of those thoughts. "Neji…right?"

"Lady Akari," he said all properly, earning himself an eye roll.

"Please don't."

He stared back at her like her presence or opinion didn't so much as phase him. He's a fun guy.

His milky lavender eyes were surprisingly deep, sort of endless in this weird way. She blinked.

Finally, he reached forward. Their hands barely touched before… Akari yanked her hand away. Her hand was tingling with some strange sensation. The tips of her fingers, however, could still feel the imprint of when his hand touched hers.

She flipped her hand over and stared at it. The world around her hand swirled.

The green blended with yellow and the pink from flowers. It swirled until it enveloped her sight and blackened. An image at whatever end of the tunnel she was standing rushed toward her. She could see Neji—an older him. He leaned up against someone. A boy with bright blonde hair and an orange and black jumpsuit. On his forehead, he wore this strange symbol and his beautiful hair flew with the wind, blood slipping from his lips.

She closed her palm and was yanked away from whatever dream she had wandered into. What was that? Neji stared back at her, a strange expression on his face but no sign of recognition at all. So, she thought, he hadn't seen.

"What the?" Naruto was standing in front of her, he spun and pointed at Neji, "what did you do?"

"I did nothing, you fool," Neji glared at Naruto and shifted his incredulous gaze over to Akari, "We barely touched."

She wanted to ask if he felt that thing. That lurch that she felt, that tingling sensation, but no…it was probably just her ability. But how?

Akari took a step toward him, her eyes wandering over his face. She raised a hand and left it there. His narrowed gaze slowly relaxed, and his hand twitched at his side. He began to lift it.

Akari stopped, shook her hand and stepped away. She'd done a similar thing with Itachi and saw something she didn't want to see. He was young in that image, talking to some girl. It made Akari uncomfortable just thinking about it. It still did.

Smiling, she laughed, "That wasn't me coming on to you by the way. I just…felt something. Do you ever get those urges?"

Neji quirked an eyebrow. "No." he said flatly.

Naruto was pouting on her left, "Yeah, that doesn't sound like a come on at all." He said sarcastically.

"It's not!" she said, poking him in the chest, "I just met this guy."

"Yeah, okay," he muttered, "jeez you and Sakura have the worst taste in men—"

"What was that?" Sakura yelled.

"Oh, nothing," Naruto pleaded, half paralyzed with fear, "please don't hit me."

"That's what I thought!" she hit him anyway, sending him flying into the pond.

Akari laughed again, and peeked over her shoulder at the boy with the long hair. He shook his head at Naruto's spectacle and glanced up in time to catch her watching him. He frowned slightly but didn't seem to be angry. It was like they were in a staring contest. She didn't look away, and smiled brightly despite his inquisitive expression.

Takamaru walked out of the tea house and stood by Akari. Finally, she dropped her gaze.

"The cavalry?" Takamaru asked, trying to joke.

She glanced back up at him. Akari wanted to hate him for what he did, betraying her like that. Takamaru thought he was right. She had to give him that, but they were friends. Friends kept each other's secrets. It still ate at her, but she wasn't good at holding grudges, not really. He was one of her best friends, basically her brother. She pictured him marrying her sister, mostly because Revie had had a crush on him and everyone fell in love with her eventually. "Yeah," she smiled, "they're here."

As they began again, Akari walked beside Naruto and Takamaru. They kept the conversation both constant and hilarious. The more she laughed, the less time she had to think. Sasuke didn't speak to her, but when Sakura said something to him, he'd answer. She seemed to be the only one he wouldn't try to insult. To be fair, Akari had said nothing else to Sasuke either. He was right, what more did he want?

"Let's do that hand thing," Naruto said. Holding up his right hand, "let's go!"

"What hand thing?" Takamaru asked, peering over curiously.

"This hand thing Akari did with Neji. When you guys touched hands, his eyes widened like this and returned to their normal glare." Naruto demonstrated, bulging out his eyes only to return to a pompous stare in the imitation of Neji. "I wonder what will happen to me."

"Huh," Takamaru examined his hands with a curious look. "I'll do it too."

Akari gapped at them both, "I'm not an amusement park, you doofuses."

"Oh, come on," Naruto urged again, "I'll never ask you for anything else ever again, believe it!"

Groaning, she lifted her hand, "It's has to be quiet though, like we're the only ones alive."

"That's how it was?" Takamaru asked, elbowing her in the ribs.
"Yes." She said with a shrug, "What's weird about that?"

He stared blankly at her, "Nothing, apparently."

"Anyway…here," she reached out slowly, and Naruto copied her, his eyes determined. Their fingertips collided and then their hands. They held them there and she felt…nothing. "Huh, I guess we need to stay still."

Both of them came to a stop.

Kakashi called back to them, "What are you two doing?"

"We're trying to feel something!" Naruto yelled back.

Takamaru laughed into his hands, disbelieving the two of them. They were young after all.

"Well, make it quick."

"It's not working!" Naruto stomped his feet and put his hands behind his head, "Maybe I'm not doing it right. Hey, Neji!"

Naruto jogged back to talk to the boy, Akari watching on.

"What did you do?"

Neji glared over at the blonde, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"How did you feel that thing—"

"Go away." He said coldly.

"Come on!"

"Are you deaf?"

"Did you even feel anything?" Naruto said exasperated, "at least give me that."

Neji just stared at him, "That wouldn't concern you, now, would it?"

"You're worse than Sasuke!" he replied stomping back to his comrades.

"Finally," Neji said. Now if only this one could stop staring. She was only making it worse.

He clenched his hands. It was strange being so blatantly stared at, under normal circumstances he wouldn't have given it a second thought. But something about her gaze was unsettling, made him uncomfortable. Perhaps it's all a part of her power, he 'd know soon enough.

"Rest up," Kakashi said, "This is the last stop before the castle."

Akari set up her tent, Hitenzo sat on a mat in the grass beside her. "You should really let the ninja do that." She kneeled beside him and handed him water. He drank deeply, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief.

"It's fine, Hitenzo." Akari said, ignoring his worrying eyes.

After a while he reached up and cupped her cheek, "I'm sorry I failed you, Akari."

"You didn't fail me." With a smile she cupped his hand.

"I'm sorry it came to this."

"It's not your fault."

"I wish," he stopped, glancing at the other ninja milling about, "I wish you could find happiness."

Akari laughed awkwardly, "I am happy!"

Hitenzo shook his head, his frown deepening, "No. You're not."

Akari swallowed the pressure in her throat.

"After your mother passed you have been looking for her everywhere…finding her in people you probably shouldn't…" Hitenzo turned back to her, his eyes watery—tired.

"He's a nice boy…I'll protect him."

Mom. Akari edged away from him.

"I know what she meant to you and I also know that I cannot begin to understand your pain, however," he took a deep breath, "putting trust in people you don't know isn't the way."

Akari stilled, numbness spread through her body, "You mean like we're doing right now?"

"I—"

"Aren't we trusting these Leaf ninja with our lives? Kaori's life?"

"Lady Akari, that is different."

"It is the same," she said icily, "I won't be talked to like a child who doesn't understand. I know me better than anyone—I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't need you to tell me, believe me."

Akari rose to her feet, "Before you attempt to tell me how to live, remember that you were the one that pushed me away. I trust others because I could not trust you. I could not depend on you, O great protector. Don't you dare forget that."

As the anger rose in her face, his expression fell, his eyes becoming larger. He looked both older and younger than she had ever seen him. To say that the look stung was an understatement, it rattled her to her core. Akari regretted her words immediately, that didn't make them any less true.

With a sigh, she sunk back down, "You should rest, Hitenzo. You'll need your strength."

Sakura sat beside Sasuke who was just as silent as Akari. She felt the tension in him wound tight. His anger scared her, and she wanted nothing more than to take it from him. She wanted to take anything, anything at all, that caused him such pain.

She glanced across the camp. Akari, Naruto and Takamaru were trading jests, laughing the loudest, in fact they were the only ones who were laughing. Sakura smiled.

Akari smiled…but it seemed tight. Forced. She couldn't imagine what the girl was feeling, but she didn't dare ask. She glanced over to Sasuke. "Sasuke?" she asked cheerily, "Do you want some more water?"

She held out the canteen. He glanced over at her and nodded. She answered with a bright smile. She wished this was easier, but she couldn't imagine him being any other way which was fine by her as long as they could stay like this forever. Sakura supposed that their relationship mirrored Akari and Kazune. She, of course, was Kazune, the obvious one. And he was Akari, the one who came alive when you least expected it. Sasuke was like that, he came alive in rare moments, was kind when you didn't expect him to be. She was constant like Kazune. Sakura was both caring and loving, nurturing. Were they really so impossible? If Akari and Kazune were not meant to be…are we?

"Sakura?"

Sakura jumped, startled by Sasuke's voice, "Oh, hey Sasuke." She blushed furiously, feeling silly for being so easily flustered.

He looked back at her expressionless, his eyes barely registering any concern. You had to look hard, but it was there. "You okay?"

"Yeah!" she said quickly, "Just thinking. Don't worry about me! I'm just fine…really!"

"Hn." He took a sip of water, not looking at her, "I'm fine."

"Huh?"

"You don't have to worry about me." He replied lowly, "there's no point."

"Right," she replied, her voice falling. "Sorry, I do that a lot, don't I?"

"Sakura." Sasuke sighed.

She fidgeted with her fingers, fumbling. "I guess it's sort of annoying, isn't it…?"

"Sakura."

"I know. I'm trying not to hover but you've just been so off lately I—"

"Sakura."

Meekly, she glanced up at him, her eyes wide.

"You're babbling." He said in his usual monotone, the corner of his lip turned up with a smirk.

Her eyes locked on that smirk of his and lit up, saving it for later to turn over in her mind. She laughed, "Sorry."

Out of the corner of her eye, Akari watched Sakura interact with Sasuke. Did no one else notice how undeniably cute they were? He didn't scowl, not once. Did she notice? Did anyone? Probably Kakashi, Akari imagined that he caught a lot of things he didn't tell people about.

Akari sighed, and slipped into her tent. The image she saw when she touched Neji's hand plagued her mind. She wondered why that was, why it came to her. She glared at her hand, his touch still a ghost on her fingertips.

Where are you Akari?

Kaori floated back to her, tortured her. She wouldn't get any sleep. If she dreamed, she would dream about Kaori. If she didn't she would think about Itachi…and his betrayal. She needed a distraction.

Akari waited until everyone else had gone to their respective tents before bounding over to his. "Hey!" she whispered, rapping on his tent flap. "Can I come in?"

Neji appeared at the opening. She smiled and tried to move past him into his tent.

He burned bright red, grabbed her arms and pushed her back, "What do you think you're doing, Lady Akari?"

She crossed her arms, "What does it look like?"

He dropped his eyes, and turned red again. He said nothing, only deepened his scowl.

Akari stepped forward but he blocked her. "Look," she held up her hands, "I just want to talk."

"If you don't mind me saying, Lady Akari, I don't believe we have anything to discuss. Besides, coming into my tent in the dead of night is not something a lady of your standing should do. It's not appropriate."

Finally, understanding hit her and she reeled back, "Oh please! I wasn't thinking like that at all." She said, her staring at him all day probably didn't help. "I was thinking you could help me."

Neji sighed, "And you don't think it would be better if we stayed out here in the open? You don't know me after all."

"You won't hurt me," she took another step, warily holding out her hands, "Besides, I don't want to be interrupted."

He stared at her blankly, "You are a strange girl. Do you realize that this isn't the behavior of a princess?"

"I'll take that as a complement."

"It wasn't."

She glanced around, with an aggravated sigh, "Can I come in now?"

Adamant, he didn't move.

She looked up at him, "I'll just let you know right now, that you're going to give in eventually. You might as well move."

He scoffed, "I'm guessing you do this often."

"More often than I should, let Hitenzo tell it." She stepped around him, and he didn't fight her as she slipped into the little black tent. It was smaller than hers, his neat little pallet was in the middle of the floor. His bag snug against the wall. There was space for the two of them to sit cross legged in front of each other. Neji, when he came in, kept a large of a distance as he could manage between them. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke had such boundaries. It's not like she had cooties or anything.

"You can touch me, you know? I won't give you a disease." She reached forward and he grabbed her wrist. His eyes burning with a glare. "Okay, okay. Look, I'll keep over here. Princess' honor."

He looked her over, "You're way too trusting for your own good."

Akari tapped her hands on her knees, was she really? She'd always thought of herself as the careful one, but has she been naïve this whole time?

"But what you do and when you do it, is hardly any of my concern." Neji replied, his arms crossed. "Now, what did you want?"

Akari held out her hand to him and he glared at it. "Not this again."

"Come on," Akari begged, "It won't hurt you, I just need to see something."

"And what is it exactly, do you intend to see?"

"Your past," she said, and his eyes snapped open, "…or your future. I'm not sure which."

His eyes narrowed, "So before?"

She nodded eagerly, he was finally getting it, "I saw something from you. You looked older, but it also could have been someone who looked exactly like you too. I don't know."

"I don't have any siblings."

"Your father, do you look much like him?"

"Similar." He was taciturn again, undoubtedly a sore subject.

"An uncle?"

He said nothing, only shook his head.

"Here," she reached out to him palm first. "Let's see if we can make sense of this…my power isn't supposed to be able to do this but…I guess there are still things I don't know."

"I don't think this is a good idea." Neji replied, closing his eyes, "I don't know you, you have no reason to know anything more about me."

"But I do." Akari wiggled her fingers, "We shook hands remember? We're friends now."

"That's idiotic." He opened his eyes with a smirk. "And childish."

"It's true." Her eyes bore into his, "didn't you feel it?"

Neji scowled until he lost it. He looked from her hand and back to her face. "You're incorrigible."

"I know." Akari waited for him to raise his hand. Slowly, but surely he raised his hand, and muttered, "This is ridiculous."

After a while, he allowed her to reach forward and touch his finger tips to her. She felt that thing again, the sudden warmth that rolled down her hands, that spark. This time she didn't pull away, and when he began to, she wrapped her fingers around his, fascinated by the feel of it. She turned their hands over.

When she looked up, he had veins running on the sides of his face, his eyes hyper focused on their union, "This chakra…"

It was his turn to pull this time, flexing his fingers. "What's happening?"

"It's hard to explain. The chakra is acting like a doorway. If you focus, you can see it. The charka is spiraling outward from a steadily widening center. Whatever you saw acted on both of our chakras. Amazing." he flipped their hands around again, "the color."

She was disappointed to say the least. She wasn't anymore closer than she had been. Akari loosened her grip and he released their hands. "This is pointl—"

The roomed swayed. The white pallet beneath them blurred into a spiraling vortex until it vanished altogether opening it up into darkness. Again, at the end of this darkness was a scene, a picture that raced toward her. She knew this picture. As she watched it approach, she panicked and tried to turn away from it only to see Neji standing on her left with his Byakugan activated.

She tried to scream, to turn away but it rushed toward them anyway.

In the scene, she saw herself and Itachi of course. She was standing on the rock with her arms thrown around the eldest Uchiha. Her head was pressed into his back, his hair hid his expression but Akari's eyes were closed. Her expression was clear, it was longing, it was content…it was naïve.

Finally, after a night's rest and an hour more of walking the group arrived in a small town. Out past the buildings, along the horizon, Akari could see the water. It was bright and sparkling, a little darker than the sky. White sails dotted the water, and children danced happily throughout the streets. It was rather well off, undoubtedly a fishing town.

"I've already arranged for a boat to take us out," Kakashi said. "Let's head out!"

And just like that, he disappeared in a blur. The group followed, scaling the nearest building to avoid the crowded, go-lucky street below. They moved in groups of two. Before they left camp, Akari had sealed Yorimaru away in a scroll which left Hitenzo to Takamaru who volunteered immediately to carry the man. Now, Hitenzo clung fast to the boy, clenching his eyes shut. And every time Takamaru would touch down, the old man would squeal, but he'd given up on complaining. They were getting close now, even he could feel the new tension that stretched over the group. Not even Naruto had cracked one joke since their morning departure.

Akari settled her gaze on the horizon. They had only three buildings left, three, that separated them from the marina.

As they all prepared to drop down from the last building, they spotted a heavy set man on a wooden boat. He wore a bushy, dark grey beard and mustache combo with a large straw hat. With one hand on his hips and the other shielding his eyes, the man flashed the ninja a great smile, his stomach shaking slightly. Akari smiled back and waved, his presence easing some of the tension that had pulled her tight. She moved forward—

"Stop right there." Kakashi had his arm extended to halt the group's advance. Akari's eyes immediately searched the distance. One boat of the many on the water was sedentary. The rest was either moving toward them or falling further away.

That's…

Then Akari saw her. Up in the air, suspended by some force, stood a girl with a blood red scarf tied around her hair. The scarf itself whirled around her, billowing in the wind. She wore nothing on her arms but long, thick, pale yellow gloves pinned down with black straps. Her sleeveless top was black, stopping midway down her thighs. The girl's legs were covered with grey and black patterned leggings. She couldn't have been more than Akari's age, thirteen—maybe even twelve. From this distance, she couldn't quite be sure. She looked so…lonely standing up there.

It was strange but something about the girl stirred a memory—a name. But Akari didn't know this girl. There was something about her though, something alive. It was hard to explain.

Suddenly, the girl gestured with her arm.

Guy shouted, "Move!"

Akari shot out of the way as projectiles bombared the place they were just standing, hitting down so hard the force cracked the roof of the building. Smoke billowed out as the barrage ended. Akari was the only one still standing on the building. She had moved slightly to the left while everyone else had completed disappeared. She looked through the clouds of dust, searching for white hair. And then, the white building began to tremble. Akari could feel it travel from her knees all the way through to her spine. I need to move.

She lept to the edge of the building.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto! Get everyone out of the building behind this one. If it comes down its crashing right through!" Akari heard Kakashi's voice call out. She couldn't see him but—

The building's quaking worsened but this time it the very building began to move.

She sliced through the top half of the building!

It came back slowly, but still.

She leapt onto the next roof and dropped to the ground.

"Mommy!" beside the door of the newly sliced building, a little girl looked up to a window that happened to be in the upper half of the divide. Akari scaled the side of the building and leapt in through the window. Everything was vibrating with the force of the move. Pictures toppled from the wall, and the glass windows shattered with a sickening crunch. A book case had fallen from the wall and landed on top of a woman with bright red hair.

Akari darted across the room, threw the shelf away and dived out of the window with the woman in tow. Once she reached the ground, she picked up the little girl and sprinted with them to a medical group who had just show up on the scene.

The streets were more insane now than ever. People were moving in only two directions: away from the fiasco and right toward it. Again, Akari decided the roofs were her best bet.

"Akari!"

Takamaru!

She looked left and settled on a building, quite a way down from the commotion, stood Takamaru who had just settled Hitenzo onto the roof. "Akari!"

"Takamaru, are you two okay?"

"Yeah," he said quickly, wiping a streak of blood away from his forehead. "It's only a scratch, if I had moved a second later that girl would've gone right through my head. Team Guy is heading her group off now. Last I saw, Guy had gotten pulled underwater by some guy. Neji and that Tenten girl took on the scarf girl."

"Where are the others, still evacuating?" Akari said, terror seizing her all over. Who could pull Guy of all people underwater?

"Yeah—"

Akari started forward, "Stay with Hitenzo! I'll be right back!"

"Be careful!" he called after her, tending to the shaken man before him.

Akari sprinted ahead. In the distance she could see the scarf girl. She hadn't moved an inch, even as Tenten launched kunai after kunai at her. Her little projectiles, deflected them with ease, she barely even had to move. Akari's eyes followed them, keeping count. One hundred and eighty.

"Fall back Tenten!" Neji said, as he dodged the projectiles that were launched at him, "Her defenses are too strong and long distance is not to our advantage—"

Akari's hands weaved together, quickly forming hands signs. She threw herself from the roof after multiplying her senbon tenfold.

Wind Style: Dancing Claws!

A wall of senbon, rotating clockwise barreled toward the girl with the red scarf. She turned her head sharply in Akari's direction, her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Her projectiles, zipped around her moving every bit as fast as Akari's senbon if not faster. But Akari was moving again, this time she made five hundred senbon.

The senbon came upon her faster and instead of just barely moving the girl gestured furiously with her hands, directing the projectiles to come to her defense. Her half-annoyed expression was gone, replaced with fury at being tricked.

Akari put on a burst of speed and vanished from view. She appeared again on the girl's back left. She swung her leg down hard with a enough force to put her through the ground. Akari heard the girl let out a smug laugh. Just as Akari moved, a projectile shot up toward her face. Quickly, Akari threw herself back to dodge it and jumped away to land back on the building.

Close. Too close. And to think, Akari watched the girl warily, she's doing this with beads.

Akari took a deep breath. She'd kept some of the beads back then. Akari should of known she wouldn't be using all of them. It was risk though she was willing to take. Akari was confident in her ability to dodge, she had trained with Raikage after all. She was fast. But to stop these things she had to use chakra, but even then would they only cancel each other out?

The girl took a step forward and Akari called out to her, "Hey! What's your name?"

"What?" Tenten screamed from the sidelines, "Does that actually matter right now?"

The scarf girl paused, looking Akari over, "You're the other one. The extra."

Why does it matter to you so much?

Neij's words floated back to her. After he saw the vision, he listened to her explain, calmly, rationally.

"I see," he'd said with his arms folded, his eyes closed. "So, you have a death wish."

"I don't!" Akari exclaimed, running the thought over in her mind. "I like living."

"But you care nothing about your own existence. You throw yourself into situations and at people because you mean nothing to your own family."

"I…"

"You're free, aren't you? You serve no one, not even your sister. You're freer than you would be had you been born into my clan. This way, you can be whoever you want to be," Neji replied, "You're more fortunate than your sister."

"Oh," Akari looked down at her hands, "I never thought of it that way."

"That much is obvious." Neji replied all snark, "Now, if you could please get out."

"Oh, I think I'll stay," Akari said happily, flopping down on his pallet. "I'm so comfortable!"

Neji glared daggers at her. "I insist, Lady Akari."

"Hey, now! No pushing! I was just joking!"

Smiling, Akari did a little bow, and gestured wildly with her hands, "The one and only."

"It's a shame," the girl replied, "You'd make a stronger leader."

Akari shrugged, "That's not my destiny."

"You don't know how right you are, Tsukuyomi." The girl said, the politeness in her voice seemed light but Akari could see the menace in her eyes. "Your destiny is upon you."

It happened so fast. The girl with no name inclined her head to the left and her beads flew away in streaks of light, down to the docks piercing right through the boat.

Naruto turned as he and team 7, removed the rest of the people to safety. In the distance he caught a glimpse of Akari. "Akari!"

With the girl in view he took off toward the dock, team 7 close behind him.

"I want that one!" a high-pitched voice squealed, "She's pretty!"

"I'm sure she'll taste good too," a deeper voice bellowed, as a figure jumped into the street sending shockwaves throughout the ground, ripping it up. Naruto jumped back and leapt over the over turned earth, heading straight for the docks. But a creature jumped down in front of him. It had a head of purple hair, pointy yellowed teeth poking out over red thin lips. His eyes were beady, and small, strange on his angular face. Naruto also noticed the man-thing was missing eyebrows. The thing cackled, shrilly, "Where do you think you're going blondie?"

His arms were longer than his legs, bony and claw like, hair sprouted from his tan—almost orange—forearms. He wore nothing but black, save for a red crescent moon on his left shoulder. The thing leaned forward on his arms, taking a position like a cat with its butt high in the air. His tongue flicked out from its mouth, long and dripping with saliva. As the saliva fell from its tongue, you could hear it sizzle and burn into the ground, smoking. He cocked his head to the left, "I don't think I want to play with you," he looked past Naruto to Sakura right behind him, "Hello, there."

The beads pelted down again over and over until, the man on the boat was screaming out.

As the beads ripped through the boat, the man flailed about as the boat slowly began to sink. Akari dived from the roof and ran across the boardwalk before catching the fisherman before he fell in. She jumped to the boardwalk right before the boat sank into the sea and looked up to the sky.

"Die," the scarf girl said dismissively as she proceeded to direct her beads to the rest of the seven boats in the harbor. The noise sounded like shattering glass. The beads zipped through the air, tearing the boats to pieces within moments. As they began to sink, the girl spoke again, directing her expressionless gaze to Akari, "Goodbye."

The beads zipped down into Akari's direction. Akari gripped the fisherman and was prepared to run when suddenly someone appeared in front of her. The figure began to spin extremely fast, exuding chakra like a force, knocking the beads away with ease. It was like a dome. Amazing.

The figure slowed down until Akari could finally make it out. Neji.

"Thank you," Akari said just as two figures burst from the water. Guy landed lightly beside, Akari, breathing heavily and drenched in water but otherwise unharmed. The second figure flapped on the boardwalk, clutching his arm, screaming, "He broke it! He broke it! That green bastard broke it!"

The scarf girl flicked her wrist and two beads zoomed away from her, but she paid them no mind.

"Anna!" the stranger said, he had navy hair, wavy too, no more than three years or so older than Akari. He wore tattoos on his face as well, purple reverse pyramids right beneath his eyes. "Anna, I'm hurt!"

Scarf girl or Anna, as she was so named, looked at him impassively before turning away from him, "We're done here."

Neji leaned forward, Byakugan activated, "She's using the beads to levitate." Neji said answering the question I've been asking myself for the past five minutes.

Anna began floating away toward the ship in the distance.

"Hey!" Akari yelled, standing to her feet, "I'm not done yet!"

"Yes you are," Neji said sharply. "This isn't the place for this. There would be too many casualties, too many innocents in the way. Let her go, we'll meet her again later. Right now, we need to make a plan."

"I thought we had a plan." Akari said, still trying to get around Neji. That was a cheap shot, going for that old man like that. That Anna needed to be taught a lesson.

He rolled his eyes, "A new plan then."

Just as he said that, two figures darted from in between the buildings, shooting past them. The guy with the broken arm weaved a few signs and jumped into the water. The two figures followed after them. Soon, however, the little trio was riding the head of a water dragon racing after Anna.

Team 7 wasn't far behind, they stopped when they spotted Team Guy and Akari.

Akari's eyes immediately zoomed in on Sakura whose right sleeve was completely shredded. "Are you okay, Sakura?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Sakura said frowning, "That freak just tried to take a bite out of me. How are you?"

Pissed. "Fine." Akari looked over team 7. "Where's Takamaru with—"

"Here!" Takamaru walked toward them with Hitenzo in tow.

"Okay!" Akari pushed her fist into the air. "Let's go after them!"

"Right behind you!" Naruto yelled, starting forward.

"No." Kakashi said evenly.

"What?" Naruto spun on his sensei, "What do you mean 'no'? Isn't this what we came for?"

"I mean that we didn't come for a fight, but to secure the princess. A fight is unavoidable, true, but that doesn't mean we run in guns blazing. We have to think about this, and rest while we're at it."

"We've been resting, since we started," Akari said, "If you don't mind me saying so. We haven't done anything for days! The longer we sit here the longer they get to torture my—"

Akari stopped herself, fighting for that calm. "Please. We have to keep going."

"And we will," Guy spoke up, "But we need a boat and a plan of action. Takamaru gave us a basic outline of the castle. We can't just walk in."

Akari knew that, she did, but she also wanted to hurry this along. She had been patient this whole time had she not?

"That encounter shook us up a bit. We hadn't really had any obstacles since we began this journey. That little display wasn't meant to hurt us, but to show us what we'd be facing, give us a reason to fear them—their power." Kakashi added, "I can only imagine that there are more ninja like these on that island and perhaps even stronger than these were. We'd have no real way of knowing."

"And we still need a boat," Guy said, "Walking all that way on the open sea is suicide."

"You have a boat," the old fisherman said, dusting himself off. "I have one over there, on the other side of the marina."

"But…" Akari gasped in surprise, "You're still willing to take us?"

"Of course!" he laughed, standing to his feet, shaking off the hand that Guy offered him, "You saved my life, didn't you?"

Akari nodded eagerly.

"That's settled then." The man said, "Follow me."

Unable to help herself, Akari threw her hands around the man and squeezed. "Thank you."

Hold on, Revie. I'm almost there.

Author's note: The end of the last chapter felt so depressing and dramatic so I thought I'd add in a little more fun this chapter. It's a bit difficult juggling so many characters. In the beginning I should have just stuck with one POV but now that I've started I can't just stop. Oh, well. Four more chapters left. See you in two weeks!