AN

Dragonrider666: YAY, you can say more than 'More'- I was getting worried there- j/k, and thanks for the props

DarkRavie: well, with finals almost out of the way I'll have winter break to add more- (oddly finals haven't stopped me from posting thus far- but thanksgiving did- oh well, we'll see whathappens)

IsabelCortez: should I be scared? And which plot twist- either PM me or hunt my Arse down if I haven't gotten to you before I post this… Edit: Heh, figures, I was already thinking in that direction- check the reply to Serenity Below

Serenity Maxwell: I haven't honestly decided for sure if I want to have Sakura fall for Itachi or have them realize it's more of a replacement for Sasuke thing, but either way, it should be cute- if it turns into the latter, it could get violent- xD. And yes, kind of a step for Gaara, the bigger one is below…

Ai Megami Murasaki: Yay, another new reader!

GAH! Sorry, finals and writer's block are murder!

End AN

Gaara sat back with Matsuri sleeping against him. He still wasn't sure how to take this. He defiantly considered her one of his important people, possibly become one of his most important persons- 'she's carrying my child- I mean, of course she's important.' Gaara wondered if he shouldn't try to do something to express how he felt…

Itachi was resting, his eyes shut, and his mind completely in meditation. When he started to come to he opened his eyes to see Sakura leap back-

"I- You were asleep, I just…" Sakura tried to find the words to explain her actions.

Itachi tilted his head slightly giving her a moment to collect her thoughts. Although to Sakura it looked like he was pressing for an answer…

"Well, I wasn't sure, I wanted to be- sure, that you were asleep," she explained at last.

Itachi lifted his head upright again and tried to smiled in as non-creepy a way as possible to re-assure her. Sakura saw the attempted smile and returned an equally awkward smile. Sakura then went over to the last chair and sat down, resting her head on the armrest. Within moments she was asleep. Naruto's snoring was the only sound in the room, as Shirei had presumably gone off into her own bedroom.

Itachi turned his head and realized someone was coming…

klKLklKLkl

It was morning, time to clean up the mess. Whoever won wouldn't have long to celebrate- of course he doubted either itachi or Shirei were the kind to celebrate. It had been worth putting up with that creepy smirk all these years to be able to accomplish so much with so little effort, the last of two clans in one 24-hour period- well, who could ask for more.

Klein entered the main room, spotting Itachi- and more. He expected Kisame perhaps, but figured the brute would get caught between them, he never expected what might have been a small army- no wonder Shirei was not to be seen. Still, at the very least one quick move-

Klein move into action, plunging his sword through Itachi's still body- the entire chair burst into flames with a small burst of chakara- and yet the smoke to rise from the chair wasn't the smolder and ash of a charred corpse- but the release of a clone jutsu. Klein looked around immediately as he removed his greatsword from the chair. Itachi came down swiftly and connected his foot to the top of Klien's head. Itachi stood over Klein momentarily, still pressing his now smashed face into the ground.

"So Klein, long time no see," he said calming, waiting for an explanation. Sakura and Matsuri had both awoke to this and all eyes but Naruto's were on Itachi, and even Naruto began to stir as well as Shirei who was rushing into the room half-dressed-

"What's going on!- Klein!" Shirei was about to rush forward, but remembered her state of dress and held her Yukuta shut, "what's going on?"

"Good question Klein, care to answer, I have my suspicions due to the nature of your test, but I'd like to hear it from you."

"GOD DAMN YOU Itachi! You and all your kind, vile things, cursed! All of you, and then you go and give monsters like you a real monster inside!" he spat. "My clan- all but wiped out! You ruined my revenge!"

"It was a setup, I wondered if you cared if I won or lost- but no matter who won, you were going to do this weren't you," Shirei accused.

Klein glared venom, "You most of all should know- I wasn't the last of my clan until your sister and her brat!"

Shirei glared back equally venomous now, as she walked over, grabbed Klein by the collar, pulling him out from under Itachi's foot- painfully, and held him up so she could stare him in the face, "After what happened to my sister- you DARE blame them for the mess!?"

"You're monsters, all of you," he accused, but without the same venomous punch as before.

"Your brother set up a LYNCH MOB!"

Shirei's chakara was shaping around her, her eyes had become feline almond and her ears her pulling back and up, reaching in points for the top of her head. Her chakara was pouring out visibly and blue. The first of her demons tails was trying to sprout-

"Shirei!" Naruto called out. Shirei growled one last time but forced herself to calm down. She put him down and took a step back, "You want to see a real monster, look in the mirror."

"Mirror- I'm in a ROOM of monsters," he said, regaining his confidence. Just as he was about to say more, Itachi took his shoulder firmly, Klein looked over his shoulder at Itachi and strait into swirling eyes…

Klein collapsed from Itachi's genjutsu. Shirei looked up at him, then over to Naruto, then Gaara. Her chakara was no longer manifesting, and her features had returned to normal, except her teeth, which always looked razor sharp. Putting on a brave face she spoke, "Well, at least I know why he wasn't afraid of me."

"He was though, afraid of you," Gaara spoke up, "his hatred of you sprang from fear and pain."

Matsuri turned and looked up at Gaara, everyone was standing now because of Klein, almost everyone with clenched fists, even Sakura looked livid. Matsuri stood on tip toes and kissed Gaara's forehead where he had 'Ai' carved into his forehead. Gaara loosened his clenched fists and relaxed his posture. Suddenly the whole room seemed more relaxed as well.

"I had thought, there were no more people holding grudges from the wars over Kekki Genkai in Mist," Shirei explained, "I guess, they all still did… I'll go with all of you, because apparently, I'll have to work even harder to be accepted than just as the village's strongest potential weapon."

Naruto smiled at this, and moved dramatically towards the door. Itachi knelt down and took Klein's sword, examining it closing, "Wouldn't want this falling into Suigetsu's hands," he said after a moment.

"Take it, he won't be needing it," Shirei sneered as she gave one last look at her collapsed Sensei, "He's dead to me, and if he comes near me again, I'll make it true for the rest of the world."

Itachi nodded, and slipped the sword into his belt. They all headed back towards the boats. Itachi took the rope for the first boat, and as he tugged it, the water leaking into it finally was enough that it sunk…

"That bastard," Sakura cursed, "He slashed the boats!" She pushed at the second one and it drifted downwards as well.

"We'll take his then," Shirei smirked. She led them to a second dock with a larger boat. "Where to then?"

"To the main land, then Rain village."

"You're not going to have much time for Rain village," Gaara pointed out.

"No, I guess not, but we should be able to find what we're looking for."

"Which is," Shirei asked.

"A small underground movement in Rain, one The Leader has yet to find and extinguish- since I've been hiding it from him," Itachi smirked, Naruto shuddered as usual. "They currently have the three tail imprisoned. Since I'm no longer within the organization, I'll be unable to shield them any further, I hope to convince them to entrust the demon to me, and leave Rain village."

klKLklKLkl

Klein regained consciousness some time later. He cursed lividly at his defeat, and again when he realized Itachi had taken his sword, and still more when the full weight of what happened began to sink. In outrage he destroyed the bulk of his small cabin.

Klein still had one last option; though he was loathe to use it. Farther in on the island was a cave; incased in ice was just the forbidden weapon he needed to have a second chance…

Inside the cave there was ice all around. Klein pressed on into the deepest caverns in it, where hidden inside, lay the one thing sure to be strong enough to beat them both. The ice was jagged and tore into him as he went, seeming to leap out at him in places. By the time he reached his goal, he was bloody and tattered. He stepped in to see what looked like a mirror as a centerpiece of the room. But instead of his reflection there was someone else already in there, standing in place. Looking closely he saw the eyes follow him as he crossed the room. Even though the rest of the face was frozen in a look of contempt, his eyes seemed to be smiling. All over the room were scrolls warning off people just like him, telling him to beware of the man sealed inside, for he was as powerful and cruel as any demon. Only after he heard of Shirei, before she had acquired the tiger-demon, did he understand who this man really was- what he was.

"Katon!" Klein went through various seals with his hands, but when he was through, fire coursed from all around his body and spiraled around the cavern. Glowing seals all around the ice appeared and vanished just as quickly within the fire, yet the ice itself was thoroughly unaffected…

At first Klein though the seal might have been too powerful for him. But at last the figure within the mirror of ice moved, stepping out of his mirror and onto solid ground.

"I'm grateful to you who release me-" and then he stopped- "Well not really," he smiled such that Klein managed to be chilled further than anything the caves temperatures had accomplished. "But I am feeling a bit generous for some reason, I may even give you to the count of ten."

Klein looked physically struck- "But- I released you! You should at least owe me a favor!"

He started to laugh, "Really now, and is that why you released me- to do you a service you are incapable of- and then what- you find people who are capable of sealing me back in," he turned and glared at Klein…

"Actually- I hadn't thought that far ahead yet, but now that you mention it, yes" Klein admitted.

He laughed a little more pleasantly at that. Upon holding out his hand, vapor from Klein's breath pulled together with the rest of the remaining water vapor in the air. The ice on the cavern walls stretched out towards the man, and pulled itself around him, forming a hellish looking armor, and a wicked, curved blade.

"I like your honesty, but really now, I've given you far more than ample time to escape." As he said this he came up to Klein blade first and thrust his ice blade strait into Klein's heart. He pushed a little deeper until he felt the last gasp of life escaping from Klein's body.

"What is it with today's Shinobi, thinking they could use me and put me back in like some genie?"

zoZOzoZOzo

Zorn finally found what he was looking for; he'd been looking for her ever since her last escape. His wretched brother at least was no longer around to shield her from him, it was only a matter of time. 'Chasing rumors after all these years had better pay off,' he thought privately. Zorn reached the massive doors to one of Oorachimaru's bases, only to find both doors torn off the hinges, and all signs of abandonment.

As he search other bases his sources told him to be Oorachimaru's he found them to be in similar states. When at last he found a body- Oorachimaru's body…

He scowled, and was about to leave when he saw the ring on Oorachimaru's finger, his rumors told him little of Akatsuki, but they told him enough…

Taking the ring he allowed himself a small smile and thought aloud, "Perhaps it wasn't a waste of time after all, an organization like this would suit me well for the time being, protect my assets and allow for more focus in finding my little pet project…"