Naruto kept running. The rain continued to come down but he kept running, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, following her. He finally caught up with her in front of an old abandoned house. She didn't face him. He tried to catch his breath. Normally running like that wouldn't have tired him out but he was still weak from whatever it was that was bothering the fox. He had been in Tsunade's office when she'd gotten a call from someone claiming to have seen a figure on a roof across from their house. Since Naruto had been the only shinobi around at the time he had been sent to see what was going on. Tsunade hadn't thought it anything serious which in that case she had been wrong. It was very serious.

"Why do you chase me?" The woman finally asked. She wore her hair in a bun and a light blue kimono with long sleeves that touched the ground. Naruto hadn't seen her face but he guessed she wore a mask like Sakura had described.

"Why did you run?" He answered. She didn't say anything "Who are you? And why are you killing innocent people?"

"Innocent?!" She gave a quiet laugh "Boy you don't understand so don't interfere"

"You were gonna kill someone tonight if I hadn't showed up". She turned around

"You couldn't stop me if you tried" She said in a dangerously low voice. Though he couldn't see her face he could tell that she was getting angry so he continued

"Well if you're so great why are you talking to me then? You could've been gone" Before he had time to breath, a strong wind came then began to flow around him lifting him slightly off the ground. He wasn't expecting that. He didn't know what to do. The woman walked slowly over to him.

"You have no idea of what you're getting into but since you're so curious then go look closer at my 'victims'". She snapped her fingers. The wind disappeared, dropping Naruto on his butt. When he looked up she was gone.

The next morning found Naruto banging on a certain pink haired young woman's door. A sleepy looking Sakura opened it then yawned

"Naruto its Friday and I have no missions so why are you here this early?"

"Early? Its eight"

"My point exactly"

"Sorry" He gave a genuine smile "I just wanted to know if you'd come with me somewhere" She raised an eyebrow "I want to check a few things out. I'll explain on the way" She sighed then opened the door further, allowing him to come in.

"Did you ask Sai too?"

"I knocked but he didn't answer so I went through the window and almost got my throat cut"

"Naruto you know he's not a morning person"

"Yeah, guess I forgot. He said to come back in an hour"

"This is great, instead of spending my weekend relaxing I'm going with you to who knows where" She threw her arms up in exasperation then walked down the hall to get dressed.

They had just picked up Sai who still looked half sleep and were now sitting at the ramen stand.

"I don't do ramen for breakfast" Sai mumbled then rested his head on the counter

"I wanted to explain everything before we started" Naruto had ordered a bowl

"That would be nice" Sakura yawned again

"You know those people who were killed by that woman?"

"Yeah"

"I want to look deeper into their backgrounds"

"What? Why?"

"I saw her last night" His ramen was set in front of him

"You saw her? She's here?!" . Naruto nodded

"I chased her across the village, she laughed when I said her victims were innocent then said to look closer at them"

"Naruto…did you tell Master Tsunade?" He nodded again. "She thinks it's a trick but she wasn't there last night" He paused then said "And she's able to control the wind"

"Where did that come from?"

"She used the wind to lift me off the ground then snapped her fingers for it to drop me"

"It was probably some type of jutsu" Sai mumbled

"No, she didn't make any hand signs"

"This gets weirder and weirder, what exactly do you want to do?"

"The guy who lived closest to here came from a village only a couple of hours away. We can be back by tonight. That other guy who was found outside Konoha was from further away" He said through a mouth full of food

"Alright, fine. Sai?"

"Whatever"

"Ok we leave after you finish. And where's Hikari? You could've asked her to do this. You've been living with her for a few weeks now"

"Avoiding Neji or any of his family". Sakura laughed

"I cant believe they have to get married"

"Not funny" Hikari popped up next to her and took a seat.

"Awwww, can I be in the wedding?" she kept laughing

"Go ahead and get it out but I AM NOT marrying him!"

"Why don't you just say no" Sai finally sat up but still had a sleepy look to him.

"I would if I could smart ass" Hikari growled. Naruto almost choked by how much she looked like Sasuke when she was pissed. Of course he was the only one who knew they were cousins so he kept the comment to himself

"They're trying to make me into a perfect wife. Like right now for instance I'm supposed to be learning how to sew and cook from Mrs. Hyuga. All her husband did was get on the phone and call my grandmother who said I was to listen as well as respect them"

"You don't have to" Sai answered

"Ha! Yes I do. When my grandmother says to do something you do it even if its to jump off a bridge"

"She has that much authority?" Sakura asked "What about your parents?"

"They listen to what she says even if they don't like it" She groaned then dropped her head on the counter

"Sucks for you then" Sai had changed his mind and was preparing to eat a bowl of ramen. Hikari gave him another cold look that Naruto thought was classic Sasuke then without another word she got up walked past him to Sai, picked up his bowl then dumped it on his head. She smiled then walked away leaving the three friends shocked until Sakura and Naruto started laughing.

"Shizune you have to read this!" Tsunade exclaimed. The two had managed to escape the office and were sitting at a small tea shop. Tsunade had brought the book she'd been reading with her.

"You know the stuff in there has never been proven" Shizune sipped her tea

"I'm not stupid but its so interesting. For instance, theres a part in here that talks about the beginnings of those demons. It says they were created to wage war. And there are many ancient clans that have some kind of animal as its symbol. It says that these clans make sure the demons don't become too powerful. They monitor them" Tsunade continued to read

"That's nice and all but Hokage the existence of these clans has never been proven"

"Yes but have you ever noticed that when someone tries to prove it something happens. Remember that group who went to find that clan whose symbol was the tiger? They never made it half way because something attacked them in the night"

"Who could forget that, they swore they were followed by tigers. They were the laughingstock of the whole village" Shizune smiled at the memory

"Followed by tigers…followed by wolves" Tsunade looked up suddenly

"What is it?"

"That team I sent out claimed to be followed by wolves, so did Yamato's" Shizune raised an eyebrow "But it was only in a certain area, the same as that other group. They saw the tigers when they got to a certain area"

"Coincidence"

"I've been around too long to think that. Gaara I'm sure knows what's going on"

"He'd never say. The Wind Country is very secretive when it comes to certain things"

"Exactly. One of these legendary clans could possibly live there and he's hiding it"

"This seems so ridiculous" Shizune shook her head "Lady Tsunade maybe we both need more sleep"

"I'm going to send a team to Suna, not to necessarily find out anything but to observe"

"Naruto would love that trip"

"I know but he needs to rest so I'm going to send Guy's team along with Hikari"

"What? Why her? Shouldn't she be with Naruto since we still cant find Master Jiraiya?"

"She knows Gaara and will be able to tell if something's wrong with him" Tsunade saw the expression on Shizune's face so without waiting for the question to come out she said "Gaara's sister trained under Hikari's mother"

"Temari?"

"Who else?" She rolled her eyes "Anyway go get me Guy's team. Tell them to be in my office in one hour"

"Alright Hokage" Shizune finished her tea then got up leaving Tsunade to read her book

Hikari couldn't believe her day. Besides having to do sewing and cooking lessons she was now being forced to go to Suna. They had been traveling for only fifteen miutes yet she could sense that TenTen didn't like her. Hikari guessed it had something to do with her marrying Neji. The two of them were walking pretty close. She adjusted the bag on her back. Lee and Guy were wrapped up in their own conversation while TenTen and Neji walked together. She trailed behind the group deciding if she should trip TenTen for every snotty glance she gave her And Miya thinks I'm immature…she's always saying I don't act my age. She smirked when she remembered Naruto finally figuring out she wasn't twenty-five but only a few months older than him. She had lied because she didn't want anyone to figure out whose relative she was, especially the older people who actually remembered her family. A woman had come up to her once and asked if she was distantly related to the Uchiha's by chance. When Hikari had said no the woman apologized and said she had mistaken her for someone else and mentioned Hikari was too old to be the person anyway when she found out her 'age'. Hikari ran into Neji who had stopped suddenly.

"Whats wrong?" TenTen asked. He didn't answer. Guy was also silent so Hikari tried to figure out what the big deal was when someone came behind and pushed her. She would've fallen over if Neji hadn't been in front of her. He caught her and helped her stay balanced. Hikari turned around to see the person she hated most, Akane Tora. The said young woman stood with her hands on her hips and a big smile on her face. She was a few inches taller than Hikari with long dark hair that had reddish orange highlights. She was pale and wore a short, brown yukata with heels that showed off her legs.

"Well, well, well if it isn't Hikari Okami. How are you by the way?" She had plenty of confidence. Hikari returned the smile

"I'm ok, how are you? You look great, which must mean you didn't get the poisonous apples I sent you" The two stared each other down.

"No I didn't. You look well for someone who fell off a cliff"

"It wasn't high enough" They'd never gotten along. Akane was one of Hikari's major tormentors when she was growing up. Neji glanced from both girls. Akane's family was rich and powerful and very respected. He didn't want to cause any trouble. For the first time he noticed the shinobi that surrounded her. There were five of them.

" Hikari you're being rude. You didn't introduce me to your friends"

"I am Rock Lee" He was too caught up in how beautiful Akane was. Guy introduced himself then the other two

"So you're Neji? I've heard about you" She grinned. TenTen's eyebrow twitched "When you're ready to get with a real woman don't be afraid to stop by my home. I have one in Konoha". Neji blushed slightly.

"You finished yet?" Hikari crossed her arms and tapped her foot

"I suppose. Though if you're headed home you should tell that wonderful mother of yours…"

"Shut up" Hikari growled

"That I hope she feels better" She gave a short laugh

"I said shut up!" In an instant Hikari had grabbed a kunai from TenTen and held it at Akane's throat. Akane had also moved fast and held a long knife to Hikari's . There was silence as the tension grew.

"Ladies, you should both calm down" Guy was about to move when a hand on his shoulder stopped him. The ninja shook his head

"They are two of the best fighters I've ever seen. You cant stop them"

"Hikari? A great fighter?" The sarcasm in TenTen's voice was apparent

"You don't have to believe me, you've never seen them fight". The silence hung for several more minutes then the two slowly backed away, withdrawing their weapons

"Seriously, though I cant stand you I wouldn't wish anything bad on your family" Akane's face softened for only a second. A look of understanding passed between them but as quickly as it appeared it was gone. "Lets go" She and her ninjas disappeared.

"Ummm…what was that about?" TenTen asked. Hikari ignored the question; she picked up her bag and continued walking. Neji caught up with her. They walked in silence for a few minutes then he said

"Do you usually run into her like that?"

"Depends. She likes to train a lot. I'm guessing that's what she was doing". Seeing TenTen getting ready to ask a question, Neji shook his head but she didn't notice or acted like she hadnt. For some reason he got the feeling that she didn't really like Hikari

"Why'd that comment about your mother make you so mad? Did something bad happen to her like twisting her ankle?" She asked sarcasm evident once again. One minute TenTen was walking, the next she was being held by her throat against a tree. Hikari dripped with anger. Her hand closed around her target's throat.

"Stop!" Lee shouted "She did not mean it Hikari! Let her go!". Guy gave Neji a look who nodded. He wrapped his hand around Hikari's wrist and said

"Let…her…go". Though he said it quietly, Hikari could sense the warning in his voice. She dropped TenTen. Lee ran over to her, kneeling down to make sure she was ok. Hikari took a few steps back. She mumbled

"Sorry" Then ran off into the forest.

"Neji go after her. Lee and I will take care of TenTen. She will be after all your wife" Guy said. His student sighed then disappeared.

Meanwhile Naruto and his friends had arrived at the small village where one of the victim's came from. It was small and quiet. As they walked they passed by a farm and a few smaller houses. They stopped in what seemed to be the middle of town.

"Where do we start?" Sakura looked around the area, taking in her surroundings.

"I have no idea" Naruto answered

"What?!" Sakura hit him on the head "You drag us all the way here with no plan?!" Her screaming got the attention of the few villagers who were milling about.

"Well I was gonna think of one on the way but I started thinking about ramen because I'm hungry" He gave one of his sheepish grins. Sai rolled his eyes. Sakura continued to scream at Naruto. While this was going on an older woman using a cane walked up to Sai

"Excuse me young man but I noticed the three of you are visitors here and you seem lost. Is there anything I can help you with?".

"I don't think so. My dumb friend over there…" He pointed to Naruto who was being hit by a raging Sakura "Woke up myself and the girl early to help him with something. We finally get here and he has no idea of where to start".

"Well why did you come here? There's not much to do in my village?". Now Naruto was arguing with Sakura which was only making her madder.

"I don't know, he kept babbling about this woman who kills people" . The older woman stood silent at this

"What do you want with her?" she finally asked

"Like I said, I have no clue. One of her victims was from here. My friend wanted to find out more". The woman grew angry

"You leave her alone! You're just like that brat and his team who tried to protect Kaito!"
"Who's that?" Sai asked

"One of the 'victims'. Another team came through here that night. He ran to them for help but they couldn't protect him and I hear that their leader was that Uchiha brat!" That got Naruto and Sakura's attention "Get out of our village!" She walked as fast as she possibly could. Sakura noticed the other villagers had disappeared too

"Sai what did you say to make her so mad?" . He shrugged.

"No one's gonna talk now, we should go" Naruto ran a hand through his hair wondering what Sasuke was doing here that night.

Hikari sat with her back against a tree, her knees pulled up and arms around them. Her bag was a few feet away. Neji dropped his next to hers then walked over. He didn't sit but stood above her

"You could've killed TenTen". She didn't answer "Your silence isn't going to make me go away"

"Then next time make sure your girlfriend watches her mouth" She growled. He couldn't place it but the way she was acting reminded him of someone.

"Yes she could've been more careful but you still didn't have to choke her". There was another pause before she said

"My mother is dying"

"I'm sorry"

"Yeah everyone is" She rolled her eyes. Neji sat down, also leaning against the tree "Dont get comfortable, I'm not saying anything else about it"

"You don't have to. When Akane said it…"

"She didn't mean it. Believe me, she can be a bitch at times but she's never taken shots at my family nor have I done that to her. Shouldn't you be going to check on Miss Sarcastic?" She asked referring to TenTen

"She's fine" They sat in more silence "If it matters I think you'll make a good wife"

"Yeah, well I pretty much was just gonna make your life a living hell. At least that was the plan before"

"Now?" He smiled

"I'll go easier on you" She rested her head on her knees "She was poisoned by an assassin. Instead of killing her within an hour or two however its been in her system for a year. It cuts off her charka flow and is slowly destroying her organs" She held back a tear "I left to find someone for her before she…you know…dies". Neji grabbed her hand "I don't want sympathy or pity"

"Fine" He still held it

"Neji, Hikari!" Lee ran up to them. Hikari quickly pulled her hand away "The Hokage sent us a message. She wants us back!"

Naruto, Sakura and Sai walked slowly out of the village, confused. None understood the old woman's reaction nor the reason for it. Naruto turned his head up to watch the clouds as he walked.

"What do you think her problem was?" Sakura finally asked

"Probably crazy" Sai answered since Naruto seemed to not want to talk

"And I wonder why he was there" She didn't need to say his name. She didn't want to. All three contemplated this when they heard what sounded like a whisper. They stopped, suspecting a trap. Instead out of a bush on the side popped a young boy who didn't appear older than twelve.

"You guys are real shinobi, aren't you?" They exchanged glances then Sakura answered

"Yes"

"Wow!" His eyes got big "I've always wanted to meet one, now I've met three" He grinned. They relaxed

"What do you want?" Sai asked

"I was gonna invite you to my house, it's only a few more minutes from here" He pointed inside the village. Naruto frowned

"We're not wanted in there"

"Don't worry about old lady Keiko. She scares all the visitors" He gave another grin then motioned for them to follow . After a slight hesitation Naruto started walking. The others trailed after him. After walking past a few houses the boy stopped in front of a small, brown one. He opened the door then waited for them to walk in. After entering they took in the house. It was small and old. The room that they stood in had a small couch and table but nothing else. The boy didn't seem to care. Taking off his shoes he invited them to sit down then ran down a hall. Sakura and Sai sat on the couch. Naruto leaned against the wall. The boy returned with some sweets which Sakura gladly accepted. He brought another chair into the room then sat across from the couch.

"So whats your name?" Sakura asked

"Akio, whats yours?" He swung his legs back and forth

"Im Sakura, the one next to me is Sai and the one next to us on the wall is Naruto"

"You live here by yourself?" Sai asked

"I don't really live here. My parents are farmers. They send me up here with veggies and stuff to sell during the day then I go home. I stay here during that time" Sai nodded "That old lady usually doesn't get mad like that, what did you guys say to her?"

"Nosy aren't we" Naruto mumbled. Sakura threw him a mean glance then said

"We only wanted to know about that woman who wears a mask. One of the people she killed was from here". The boy paled. His legs stopped swinging.

"You guys are after her" It was more a statement then a question. Sakura sensed the anger that was creeping in him.

"Hey don't start getting angry. She's a murderer. There have been three that we know of. Who knows how many more she's killed"

"SHES NOT A MURDERER! SHE"S A HERO! "Akio shouted, standing up

"No shes not. How do you call someone a hero who kills like that?" Naruto straightened up. He sensed there was something the boy knew that they didn't.

"SHUT UP!" Tears started to come down his face "You don't know what she did for me, for my family!"

"Then explain because I'm getting sick of being left in the dark"

"Naruto!" Sakura snapped

"I'm right. If she's so great why does she run? Why cant our Hokage at least be let in on whats going on? Whats she got to hide?" Naruto had walked up to the boy. He had no intention of making him cry but for some reason he sensed he'd never get the answer he was looking for if he didn't push a few buttons, he didn't have any compassion for a woman who killed like she did. Tsunade had explained to him that the poisons she used were designed to work slowly, causing the victims to die a slow, painful death. He knelt down in front of the boy.

"Akio whats going on?". He rubbed his tears away.

"She's protecting us" He said softly

"What do you mean?"

"That man ,Kaito, was harassing my parents about a debt they owed" he stopped crying but didn't look at Naruto "My Dad tried to explain. He asked for a little more time but Kaito wouldn't. He came to our home several times with big guys who were supposed to scare us. My Mom is really pretty, so he decided that he'd forgive the debt if my Mom stayed with him for a night" Sakura clenched her fists "That night she was supposed to go she put on a brave face, tried to make me feel better but it didn't work. My Dad pleaded with her to stay home and that he'd come up with another way but all of us knew there was no other way. So she went. She same back the next day not the same. Kaito wasn't satisfied with one night, he wanted more. Dad knew my Mom couldn't go through one more hour with him. He tried but in the end it didn't matter. Those men beat my Dad up bad. Mom left. I followed this time, thinking that maybe I could come up with a plan. We were on the outskirts of the village when She showed up" He smiled "She said that she had warned Kaito and because he'd ignored her warning he was going to pay. He screamed like a girl then ran. His men had been paralyzed by something so they couldn't move. She told my Mom to go home and take her son with her. She knew I'd been there the whole time. She gave my Mom a small bag which turned out to be filled with money then went after Kaito. That's why Ms. Keiko and me got so mad. She saved my family" He locked eyes with Naruto "That's why she's not a murderer. She's a hero, my hero".

"Lady Tsunade why'd you call them back?" Shizune asked. The two were walking through Konoha. It had been a fairly easy day which was rare for Tsunade. A gentle breeze blew. Tsunande heard birds chirping. She saw the smiling faces of the villagers she was to protect

"Aktsuki is mobilizing" That simple statement sent chills down Shizune's spine. For almost a year they had heard nothing of the group. They had been able to obtain all the tailed demons except one, the fox.

"How do you know?"

"Jiraiya, seems he hasn't fallen off the face off the earth after all. He sent me a message. Akatsuki is finally ready to move. He said an attack should be expected and prepared for. I need every shinobi available"

"Did he mention anything about Naruto?"

"He said he had other things to attend to but Hikari should be able to handle it"

"Wow, that's interesting" Shizune wondered what could be more important than sealing completely the fox.

"Yes it is considering I never told him about her" Shizune's mouth dropped open slightly

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I have no clue of what he's up to but it better be good"