Zero Strikes Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; however I do own Akemi, Yukiko and Rukia. And the Shīringu is mine and mine alone!

Summary: "When I died and came into the Naruto universe, I didn't think that I would be able to change much. I also thought that if I told anyone that they wouldn't believe me and I definitely didn't think that I could get a Kekkei Genkai either. But I was wrong on all accounts and I could not be happier." SEQUEL!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

The next day around noon, there was a knock on the door. In our apartment it was just me and Haku. Haku was preparing to go out on a mission. He looked up at the door and then at me. "Are you expecting someone?" Haku asks walking over to the door.

I was sitting on the living room at the time going over the purple scroll. "No, are you?" Naruto and Sasuke were training, they offered me to come with them but I turned it down. I wanted to use the time to revise my techniques.

Haku shakes his head and opens the door. His eyes widen when he sees who is at the door. "Tsunade-sama."

I look up, Haku had stepped aside and let Tsunade come into our apartment. She walks in and sees me, without my Chunin vest on. She gives me a glare.

I groan. "Even inside our house?!"

Tsunade smirks when I stomp off and get my Chunin Vest which I had discarded on the floor. Putting it on over my clothes I head back. I see Tsunade sitting on the sofa with Haku offering her a drink.

"Is there something you wanted?" I ask sitting down opposite Tsunade.

Haku scolds me slightly. "Akemi…"

Tsunade smiles and waves it off. "She's right, I do need something."

Haku looks confused. "What do you need?"

Tsunade looks to Haku. "If it's alright could you give me and Akemi some privacy?"

Haku looks to me. He may respect Tsunade since she is the Hokage, but he wanted to know if I was alright to be left alone with her.

I nod my head and smile at him.

Haku kisses the top me of head and gives me hug. Before he leaves though, he sends me a warning glance to be on my best behaviour. When he was gone, Tsunade performed a silencing Jutsu so no one could listen in.

"If you needed to speak with me we could have just spoken in your office." I comment with my head tilted.

Tsunade grumbles. "I needed to get away from paperwork."

I chuckle. The burden of being Hokage wasn't fighting people who wanted you dead, it was the paper work, no wonder she drank a lot.

But she turns serious. "A war is going to take place, isn't it?"

I stop laughing and I turn serious. I lean forward, my face set with a frown. "Yes."

Tsunade sighs deeply. "I was afraid of that." Tsunade looks at me. "We do not have enough people who know Medical Jutsu."

"What about the hospital?" I ask.

Tsunade shakes her head. "They're overworked and there aren't many of them. I spend most my time training up new nurses but it never seems to be enough." Tsunade stands up and paces. "There also aren't many Ninja on the field who know Medical Ninjutsu. Jonin and ANBU know basic Medical Ninjutsu but not enough to save anyone else."

I place my hand on my chin and think. "Does Ino Yamanaka know any Medical Ninjutsu?"

Tsunade looks at me confused. "No, she doesn't."

Strange, after Ino saw Sakura healing and how well she did, Ino wanted to become a healer. Maybe she hasn't had the right motivation yet.

"I've been thinking of a training programme to teach young students how to perform Medical Jutsu." Tsunade says sitting back down.

"And let me guess, the council said no." I say.

Tsunade nods her with a displeased look. "They say it's a waste of time."

"Which is stupid." I comment.

Tsunade grins. "Which is why I've been doing it in secret."

My eyes widen slightly and I look to her. "Really?"

Tsunade nods her head. A smirk on her face, she didn't like the Elders to begin with, she thought they were nosy and ignorant. They didn't realise that with more Medics more lives would be saved.

"That's excellent!" I say, a grin forming.

Tsunade shares my grin. "I've been trying to make it a law that at least one member of a team needs to know Medical Ninjutsu and be competent at is."

"One of the reasons Sakura was transferred." I comment.

Tsunade nods. "But I'm having difficulty teaching the class. Shizune helps out but it is almost overwhelming." Tsunade sighs and looks to the floor.

"What about Yukiko?" I ask.

Tsunade grins and laughs. "I think you've already gathered that she's not that great of a teacher." Tsunade knew her friend well, and she was not a good teacher. In all the years she knew Yukiko, she always got frustrated with children, if they couldn't do something the first time she got annoyed.

Unfortunately, Tsunade was right. Yukiko could teach, but it was her personality that was the problem. She was very standoffish when she was training me. If she taught these people I don't think she would be very good at it. The only reason I managed with her was because I did things my own way and found out how to do it, I also did have Haku helping me. Yukiko guided me, but she didn't like how I went away from her teachings.

"Good point." I say.

"I was hoping that you would be able to help me." Tsunade asks.

I bit my lip. "I don't know if I'd be a good teacher though."

Tsunade smirks. "If you do it you won't have to wear the Chunin Vest for the rest of the month. The only time you would wear it is when you are on missions."

"Deal." I answer immediately. I take the Vest off and put it beside me feeling a whole lot better. I couldn't wait to gloat to Naruto and Sasuke that I didn't have to wear it anymore. Naruto loved wearing it, he was showing it off to everyone. But Sasuke was starting to dislike it after some time.

"Is there anyone from the Rookie Ten you're looking to recruit?" I ask her.

Tsunade nods her head. "Hinata Hyuuga looks promising. Ino Yamanaka too. I was also thinking about getting Tenten involved."

"What? No guys?" I question arching a brow.

Tsunade smirks. "It's been proven that woman have a gentler touch. Men tend to be too rough when using Medical Ninjutsu."

My thoughts went to Kabuto, he definitely didn't have that 'gentle' touch. In fact it was the opposite, he was quite brutal and his movements were very forced. I would know this more than anyone seeing as I fought him in the Chunin Exams three years ago.

Tsunade breaks me from my thoughts by talking. "If a war truly is going to break out, then we are going to need as many healers as possible."

I nod my head.

"Which brings me to the next topic that I came here for." Tsunade says.

I don't say anything, just tilted my head.

"Akemi, do you know the four clauses that Medical Ninja's have to follow?" Tsunade asks me with a serious face. Her tone sharp, like she was talking to someone in her ANBU.

I nod my head. "First clause: 'No medic ninja shall ever stop medical treatment until the lives of their party members have come to an end.' The Second clause: 'No medic ninja shall ever stand on the front lines.' Third clause: 'No medic ninja shall ever die until they are the last of their platoon.'… but I forgot the last one." I admit with a guilty grin.

Tsunade didn't seem to mind, in fact she looked rather impressed. "The Fourth Clause isn't known to many people because I invented it. The Fourth clause: 'Only those medic ninja who have mastered the Strength of a Hundred Technique of the ninja art Creation Rebirth are permitted to discard the other clauses.'"

I slowly nod my head taking in her words. "But, what does that have to do with me?" I ask curious.

"I want to teach you how to use this." Tsunade points to the purple rhombus in the middle of her forehead.

My eyes widen. "What?!"

"You're more than likely going to fight in the war and I want to make sure you are prepared." Tsunade says.

"B-but you're meant to teach that to Sakura!" I exclaim.

Tsunade makes a face. "Unfortunately she isn't as focused as I would have liked her to be." Without Sasuke leaving, it didn't give her any motivation to get stronger. Tsunade tried her hardest with the girl, she only kept training her because of what I said.

"B-but surely…"

"Is it true that you healed Haku when you were twelve years old when he had a Chidori wound?" Tsunade shoots at me.

"Yes." I answer.

Tsunade smiles. "Chidori wounds are very hard to heal. I know experienced Medics who have trouble with it now."

"I just wanted him to live." I whisper looking to the floor. I don't know how she got that information, Kakashi never put that in the report, I asked him not to. It would have given me too much attention. Tsunade more than likely asked Haku, Naruto or even Kakashi.

"Is it true that you learnt how to heal from books alone?" Tsunade questions.

I nod my head.

"There aren't many people I know who can do that." Tsunade says, a proud glint on her eyes. "If I teach you this, you'll be able to save so many more lives."

"Why don't you teach Sakura the jutsu?" I ask her.

"She isn't ready," Tsunade answers immediately. "Her Chakra control isn't perfect yet. But yours nearly is."

My eyes widen slightly.

Tsunade smiles and looks out the window. Light was streaming in from the sun outside. "I'll be honest with you Akemi. When I first met you I didn't like you. I thought you knew too much and that you could betray us at any time. But Jiraya and the Third Hokage trusted you, so I kept my mouth shut."

Tsunade looks at me. "But then I got to know you little by little. I saw how loyal you were to this village and how you were so ready to sacrifice yourself to Orochimaru. You pushed yourself to try and save everyone, and I saw you break down when you couldn't save everyone."

I close my eyes, the image of Kimimaro came to me. It still hurt knowing I couldn't save him.

"I learned that in fact you were one of the people I could trust the most." Tsunade continues. "You've always put others before yourself, even risking Danzo's rage to bring the Uchiha's back together. That is why I would like to teach you my move."

I had to stop the tears gathering at my tear. What she had said really touched me. I take a few deep breathes and sigh. "Okay."

Tsunade grins. "Just remember that this will not be easy."

"I think I can handle it." I smirk at Tsunade, loving the feeling of a challenge.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

Two weeks had passed by pretty quickly, but it has been exhausting. I've had to split my time, in the mornings I would teach a class on how to heal. Turns out Hinata and Tenten said yes to the Healing Programme. Even Moegi appeared at the lessons. I saw them every morning and we hung out afterwards. Ino however never came, she had turned down the programme which was disappointing. In the afternoons I would head to Tsunade's office where she would go over Medical Ninjutsu with me to make sure it was perfect. Under her guidance my chakra control has improved and my healing much better than it used to be. I still hadn't got used to the Byakugō no In. Sometimes I would nearly get it and then I would lose concentration, apparently the rhombus appeared briefly on my forehead before disappearing.

Naruto and Sasuke demanded to know what I was up to since I hadn't really seen them much in two weeks. Even Haku was getting suspicious and he only just got back from a mission three days ago. Of course they had to be told, they wouldn't leave me alone any other wise. It wasn't surprising that Itachi already knew.

I had been called to the Hokage's office, I quickly ran from the training grounds and made it there rather quickly. Once being given permission, I entered the room. Just by taking one step, I could tell that the atmosphere was tense.

In the office was Haku, Itachi and Tsunade, who all looked grim.

"What's happened?" I ask.

Tsunade gives Haku a signal to speak. Haku looks to me. "I was sent on a mission with Itachi because of a worrying report that has been made."

Itachi takes over. "We have received complaints of a scythe wielding maniac in Akatsuki clothing killing people."

"Scythe wielding maniac?" I repeat slowly. I shake my head. "There's no way it could be Hidan, his head is buried and his body is in a scroll."

"Are you sure?" Tsunade questions.

I nod and look through my pouch. I pulled out a larger scroll and activated my Shīringu. With my Shīringu I accessed the scroll and pulled out another scroll. After opening that scroll I search for Hidan body's scroll.

It wasn't there.

"It's gone." I whisper in shock. There's no way that the scroll could be gone, I've had it with me this whole time. I check again to make sure I hadn't just missed it. I had Kakuza's, Sasori's and Deidara's. But I didn't have Hidan's.

Tsunade cursed. "How could this have happened?!"

"I don't know!" I exclaim.

"Are you sure it hasn't been misplaced?" Itachi asks.

I shake my head. "This scroll hasn't left me. No one can access this scroll." How could a scroll that I heavily guard get broken into? And why was only one scroll taken, why not the rest?

"Have you checked to see if the head is still in the Nara Forest?" I ask.

Haku nods his head. "It came back that the head was missing this morning, we were hoping that in fact it wasn't Hidan but a fan who has taken things to the extreme."

"We've sent a team out there to investigate further." Tsunade adds in.

"Who's team?" I ask.

"Asuma and his team." Itachi says looking at Tsunade to give to him permission. My hand drops back to my side and my knees go weak. No, they couldn't have sent him, no. In the anime Hidan is the one that kills Asuma and Kurenai is left to raise a child on her own.

"No…" I whisper, my eyes wide.

Haku looks at me worried. "What's wrong?"

"Asuma dies fighting Hidan!" I shout getting my bearings back. Itachi curses, Haku inhales sharply and Tsunade grits her teeth.

Realisation dawned to me. This had to be Zero's doing. He said that he was going to undo everything I've done. He's going to make sure that Asuma dies.

"Zero." I whisper.

Haku looks at me. "What did you say?"

"Zero," I say his name louder and look up. "This is his doing. He's going to make sure Asuma dies because that's what happens in what we both know."

Itachi looks to Tsunade. "How long ago did they leave?"

"A few hours ago." Tsunade answers with a grim look. She looks to me, "Gather Naruto and Sasuke and get to the Fire Temple as fast as you can."

"Hai!" I run out the door.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

Gathering Sasuke and Naruto was easy, they were at the training grounds. After quickly explaining the situation we quickly ran out of the village in a hurry. We needed to get there in time to save Asuma, he could not die.

Upon arriving onto the scene I nearly screamed. There was Hidan in his circle. Hidan has medium-length grey hair that was slicked back and distinctive purple eyes. His Akatsuki cloak was being half worn. Around his neck he wore Yugakure forehead protector around his neck and Jashin amulet. He also wore dark green nail polish and his orange Akatsuki ring on his left index finger. Hidan had his Triple-Bladed Scythe on his back and a black sharp weapon in his hand. His skin was black and white, he looked like a skeleton under the Jashin ritual. Around his neck was stitches, he had been put back together.

Asuma was on the floor a couple of feet away, laying in his own pool of blood. Shikamaru, Ino and Choji were trying to get to their teacher, but Tobi stopped them every time. Shikamaru was exhausted from using the Shadow Manipulation Jutsu and Ino and Chouji didn't look much better.

"I need to help Asuma, you take care of Hidan!" I shout to my teammates running over to Asuma, the mission was to save him. On the way here I had informed them on how to beat Hidan. Get him out of the Jashin ritual circle and he wouldn't be able to hurt Asuma, then you can kill him but only if you chop off his head. It won't kill him but at least we could recapture him.

I hear Hidan yell crude profanity in my direction, but I ignore him.

Checking Asuma with a diagnostics Jutsu I knew he was in critical condition. Most of his right side was burnt, there was a stab wound on his leg and he had three gapping wounds in his stomach. He had lost a lot of blood too. I heal the gapping wounds on his stomach first, that was the main priority.

A shadow hovers over me. I turn to look and see Ino looking at Asuma with horror written on her face.

"Ino!" I yell while healing Asuma. I was trying to get her attention, however she was too much in shock.

"INO!"

Ino jumps and looks at me. "I need you to give me as much chakra as you can, his wounds are extensive. Can you do that?" I ask quickly. I couldn't have her going into shock on me, I needed to focus on Asuma. I didn't actually need her Chakra but I needed her to be focused. Having her focused would reduce the likelihood of her going into shock.

Ino nods wordlessly and puts her hands on my shoulders, giving me chakra.

"You're doing great." I say smiling at her, I look back to Asuma and continue healing. Minutes went by and Asuma's stomach wounds had been healed. With the wounds on his stomach closed, he was finally out of critical condition, but he was still severely injured. I move onto the stab wound on his leg. I look to Ino. "You can stop if you want." Her chakra reserves where low, she needed to stop.

Ino looks uncertain. "Is that okay?"

I nod. "I'll be fine." I go back to healing Asuma, luckily his leg wound wasn't that serious. Everything was going fine, it looked like Asuma was going to live. But that was until Asuma cried out, blood spilling from his mouth.

"No, no, no, NO!" I panic, sparing a glance at Hidan, Sasuke and Naruto. Hidan was back in his circle and had stabbed himself in the chest, right in the heart.

I immediately place a hand over Asuma's heart and try to heal the damage that Hidan had dealt. I grit my teeth at the damage that had been done. Hidan hadn't just stabbed his heart, he tried to tear it to pieces by moving the staff around to make the wound worse. And he had succeeded in making it worse.

"Is he going to be okay?! Akemi!" Ino shouts at me looking at her teacher in worry.

"I don't know!" I shout back in frustration.

I look back at Asuma. "Come on big guy, you have a family to go back to."

Asuma opens his eyes, making me sigh in relief. He coughs up more blood. "T-tell K-Kurenai…"

I shush him. "Conserve your strength."

Asuma weakly shakes his head. "N-no I-I n-need…"

I continue to heal him. I lean down and whisper in his ear so Ino couldn't her. "Kurenai is pregnant, you don't want to leave your child fatherless do you?"

Asuma looks at me, a weak smile on his face. "S-she's p-pregnant?"

I nod my head.

"B-boy o-or g-girl?" Asuma weakly asks coughing up blood.

"You'll find out for yourself." I say with a weak grin. He wouldn't, his wounds were too extensive, he had been stabbed in the heart, the heart itself was torn to pieces and he had internal bleeding.

Asuma grabs my arm. "P-please."

I bit my lip and give in to him. "A girl, you're having a girl. She'll be called Mirai."

Asuma smiles. "M-Mirai… h-how c-cute."

"How would you have known that I knew?" I whisper to him, being cautious of Ino.

Asuma grins slightly, blood trailing from his chin. "K-Kakashi c-can't h-handle a-alcohol a-as we-well a-as h-he s-says h-he c-can…"

I was going to kill him when I got my hands on him.

Asuma's heart began slowing down.

"NO!" I cry, pumping more chakra into him. Ino jumped when I shout and panics.

Ino goes to Asuma's other side and holds his hand. "Please Asuma-sensei!"

Asuma closes his eyes, and his heartbeat stops. I cry out when it does stop beating. Asuma was dead and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. Even after healing his extensive wounds, I couldn't heal a stabbed heart. If I had another healer here, he could have been saved. I feel a hand on my shoulder, I look up with tears streaming down my face. Naruto and Sasuke stood there, saddened looks on their faces. I take their hands and stand up, wiping away my tears. I look around, Hidan and Tobi were gone, probably going to seal away the Two-Tails.

Shikamaru runs over. "Is he okay?!" Shikamaru grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me.

I shake my head. "I'm sorry."

Shikamaru cries out and goes to his teacher. He tries to hear a heartbeat, feel a pulse, but nothing. He could feel nothing. Choji joins them, tears falling from his eyes.

"Why didn't you save him?!" Shikamaru shouts, turning to me. His gaze full of anger.

Naruto steps forward. "Leave it Shikamaru."

Shikamaru ignores Naruto and takes a step towards me, but he couldn't get close. Naruto and Sasuke blocked him. "Why didn't you save him?!" Shikamaru shouts again.

"I tried!" I shout back.

"Well you didn't try hard enough!" Shikamaru shouts.

I recoil.

Ino places a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder. "She did try…"

"Then why is he dead?!" Shikamaru shouts, tears falling from his face at a fast pace.

"I could have saved him if there was another medic." I say breaking the silence.

Ino's eyes widen and guilt soon fills her blue eyes.

"But there wasn't another." I whisper looking at the floor.

A silence enveloped them all. No one said anything. Shikamaru was too angry, caught up in his grief. Ino looked shocked, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open. Choji was still looking at his dead sensei with an anguished look. Naruto and Sasuke looked blank, like someone had just wiped their emotions away.

A thud was heard. We all look and see Itachi with a few ANBU. Itachi looks at me. I shake my head, the mission had been a failure. Hidan was back and Asuma was dead. I couldn't save him and now Kurenai and her daughter won't have Asuma in their lives.

The ANBU pick up Asuma's body and carry it back to the village. Shikamaru, Ino and Choji leave with the ANBU. Naruto and Sasuke look to me.

"Akemi-chan?" Naruto says with a question in his voice.

I look up, both were looking at me as though I was going to break. I smile at them weakly. "Just give me a moment alone, please?"

Naruto and Sasuke nod, leaving me on my own. They headed back to the village. When they were gone, I sobbed quietly.

"Aw look at the baby cry."

My head shoots up and I throw a kunai at the noise. I knew that voice, an obnoxious voice I didn't want to hear right now.

Zero sidesteps my kunai, an arrogant look on his face. "You weren't able to save him,"

"That's because you stole Hidan's scroll." I glare at Zero with hatred on my face.

Zero laughs. "Oh I didn't steal it, but I did steal Hidan's head."

"What do you want?" I ask with gritted teeth.

The smirk was back. "Many things."

I attacked Zero, jumping at him with a kunai in hand, but before I could touch him, he was gone. His voice echoing in the wind. "You can't stop me Akemi-chan, I will undo everything you've done."

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

I didn't tell anyone of Zero's visit, there was no need to panic them. Asuma's funeral had been the next day. It was a quiet affair, the only sound was Konohamaru crying. Everyone was looking down to the ground. Kurenai had placed flowers on his grave, but I never saw Shikamaru. After the funeral, I headed back to mine and Haku's apartment. Haku was hanging around Kakashi and Itachi. Haku had known Asuma well, just as he knew Kurenai well.

I was laying on the couch staring at the ceiling feeling numb.

A knock at the door echoed through the apartment. Slowly I got up and opened the door. My eyes widen, it was Shikamaru in his funeral clothes. When he sees me he scratches the back of his neck.

"I didn't think you'd want to see me for a while." I comment stepping aside letting him into the apartment.

Shikamaru shakes his head. "No, I'm not staying long." He takes a deep breathe. "I just came by to say that I'm sorry."

I smile at him weakly. "It's fine."

Shikamaru shakes his head. "No it isn't. I blamed you when it wasn't your fault. You tried to help him."

"I already knew he was going to die anyway." I whisper, not having the energy.

Shikamaru gives me a confused look.

"Come inside." I say stepping aside. This time, he does come inside. After we were both seated I started to talk. "I don't come from here, I come from another world, were all your lives have panned out before me,"

Shikamaru looks at me as though I was crazy but he waits until I'm finished.

"Asuma also died in the version I saw." Shikamaru flinches at what I say. "That's why I tried to save him by having Hidan killed."

"But he's alive." Shikamaru comments.

I take a scroll from my pouch. "The Akatsuki that have been killed are in these scrolls. Hidan was in here and his head buried in the Nara Forest which your family was meant to protect. However Hidan's scroll was stolen. Someone else has come into this world claiming that they will undo everything that I've done. I was trying to make sure Asuma didn't die, but that person made sure he did." I place the scroll back in my pouch making sure that it was safe.

Shikamaru stands up. "I'm not listening to this." He walks over to the front door and opens it. He was about to walk out, but my next words stop him.

"Kurenai's pregnant isn't she?"

Shikamaru stops and closes the door softly. "How do you know?" He whispers. Kurenai had confided in him after he had told her Asuma was dead. She was hysterical and needed someone to talk to. The only people that were meant to know where Tsunade and himself. Kurenai didn't want to tell anyone yet, she was waiting to tell Asuma before she told anyone else, but she would never get the chance.

I smile sadly. "She'll have a girl and call her Mirai."

Shikamaru turns around, "How do you know?" This time his voice was more forceful.

"Because it happens in what I saw." I answer.

"Don't lie! Stop messing with me!" Shikamaru shouts.

I look at him with a blank look.

Shikamaru looks at me, analysing me, trying to figure out if I'm lying. But he couldn't find a lie and shakily comes to sit down. "No way…"

"I told Asuma." I say.

Shikamaru looks up at me. "What?"

"I told him about Kurenai being pregnant, that he was going to have a little girl." I say with a sad smile.

Shikamaru visibly deflates. "Was he happy?" Shikamaru asks softly.

I nod.

He sighs and leans back. "That's why you were always a head of us, it was like you were always three steps ahead of us." He remembers back in the Academy how she was always smarter than most. He was a genius so he had an excuse, but she was different. It was like she knew what was going to happen. She always seemed to have this knowing smile on her face which annoyed him and a lot of people sometimes.

Shikamaru looks at me. "Do you know who stole the scroll?"

I shake my head. "I have no idea." Zero claimed that he hadn't taken it and I didn't know whether or not to believe him.

"We will find him, and we will kill him next time." Shikamaru vows seriously.

I smile sadly. "I have no doubt in my mind."

Shikamaru looks at me with a look of uncertainty. "What happened after Asuma's death in what you know?"

"He made you promise him something." I tell Shikamaru with a saddened look. Asuma hadn't got the chance to ask Shikamaru because I was tending to him.

Shikamaru leans forward. "What was it?"

"He asked you to look after Kurenai and to protect the king." I say.

Shikamaru inhales sharply. He calms down and smiles at me. "Thank you, I will."

We sat in silence for a while. Shikamaru was taking in my words and I was happy for the quiet. I was happy that Shikamaru wasn't angry with me anymore.

"So," Shikamaru asks leaning forward with a grin. "What else have you changed?"

I grin and precede to tell Shikamaru about my little adventures. I was happy that he didn't shun me or call me crazy.

A few hours later and Shikamaru was gone. He found the stories I told him fascinating. He asked questions about Hidan, like how to kill him. I told Shikamaru how to kill him so that he was prepared in the future. It would be useful having Shikamaru in on the truth, that way if I tell him something he won't question it, he will understand and trust my judgment. I made Shikamaru swear that he couldn't tell anyone either. However, I did tell him about the people who do know and he can talk to them about it but no one else.

I hear a knock on the door again. I almost thought that it was Shikamaru, but the knocking was too soft to have been his. I would have missed the sound if it wasn't for the fact I have very good hearing.

Opening the door I was met with a surprise. "Ino, what are you doing here?" I ask looking at her with furrowed brows after the shock wore off.

Ino looks nervous. "M-may I came in?"

I silently nod my head. I sidestep and let her through. I offered her a drink, which she accepted, I got her water and we sat down in the living room on opposite couches.

"So, what is it?" I ask again.

Ino takes a deep breathe. "You said back… before that we needed another Medic and if we had…"

"Asuma would have lived." I finished. Ino flinches but nods her head.

"That's right." I confirm.

"I was offered to learn Medical Ninjutsu by Tsunade-sama," Ino whispers, "but I turned it down."

"Why did you turn it down?" I ask her.

Ino swallows. "I thought I couldn't do it, I didn't think I would be any good at it."

I smile at her. Even with all her confidence, Ino was actually quite insecure. "I think you'd be great at it."

Ino looks at me. "Really?"

"Yeah and if Tsunade approached you, she must have thought that too." I smile at her encouragingly.

Ino returns the smile, but it soon turns into a frown. "How do you do it?"

I look at her confused. "Do what?"

"You just saw someone die in front of you, yet you act so pulled together?!" Ino exclaims standing up. She was frustrated and angry.

I smile at Ino sadly. "Being a Medical Ninja isn't easy. Sometimes you may need to decide whose life you can save and whose life you can't save. You can try but sometimes your efforts will be in vain. I learnt that years ago that you can't save everyone."

Tears gather in her eyes. "That sounds horrible!" Ino sits back down and holds her head in her hands.

I agree with her. "It can be yes, but it can also be very rewarding. Seeing teams and families back together because you've managed to save their lives." I thought of Haku, I saved him and we became a family. The thought itself warmed my heart.

Ino raises her head and was silent, mulling over my words.

"I could have saved Asuma-sensei…" Ino whispers mainly to herself. I look at Ino, tears were flowing freely from her eyes.

"No you couldn't have." I say shaking my head.

Ino sends me a glare. "But you just said-!"

"I would have needed an experienced healer." I cut in, "His wounds were extensive, and having a beginner would have made it worse. I would have had to guide you and myself and that definitely wouldn't have saved his life."

Ino bows her head in defeat.

"If you learn, you can make sure it doesn't happen again to anyone else." I say. Like Tsunade said, we needed more Medical Ninjas.

Ino stands up, "I'll think about it." She walks over to the door and opens it. She looks at me, "Thank you." She says before leaving me alone.

I sigh and lean back into the couch. I needed fresh air.

Leaving the apartment, I noticed that it was raining slightly, but it wasn't too heavy. I had grabbed a large black umbrella so my black funeral clothes would be safe. Walking in the rain was actually refreshing, hearing it hit my umbrella and seeing it was very soothing. I hadn't realised where I was going until I saw the cemetery.

I sigh and walk further into the cemetery. I decide to go visit Kimimaro who was buried here. Not many people knew that he was here and I hadn't visited much due to guilt. His grave was further away from everyone else's and was at the back. It gave me a chance to survey the area. There weren't many people here today, they didn't want to face the weather. But I noticed someone near the front.

It was Kurenai.

She was kneeling before Asuma's grave, soaked to the bone.

I walk over to her after paying my respects to Kimimaro. Walking closer I could hear that she was actually talking to Asuma's grave. I stayed back, feeling like I was invading on an intimate moment, but even I knew that this wouldn't be great for the baby.

"Kurenai." I call out.

Kurenai jumps and turns her head. Her tear stained face looks puffy and the whites of her eyes looked red. Dark circles under her eyes, her hair matted to her head with the rain. Her clothes soaked and her knees were muddy.

"Akemi…" She whispers.

I walk towards her and put my umbrella over her, I knew there was no point now, she was already soaked but I did it regardless. I hold my hand out, she looks at it for a moment before taking it. I help her up. "Let's get you home." I say gently, walking her into the direction of her house. When she was teaching me, she would sometimes make me come to her house, either to train or to try her cooking.

Once inside her house, I hunt for towels to dry her off with. I found them and handed her one wordlessly.

"You were there, weren't you?" Kurenai asks me, her question cutting the silence like a knife.

I sit down opposite her. I nod my head. "I was yes."

"Was it a quick death?"

No, he bled out and was in so much pain. He had a stab wound on his leg, three gaping holes in his abdomen and half his body was severely burnt. He then suffered internal bleeding, then he was stabbed in the heart and that was torn to pieces.

"Yes, he didn't feel a thing." I answer her. Sometimes it was best to lie to people, especially in the state she was in now. Maybe she could accept the truth in months or years to come, but for now, no she couldn't. So I lie and hope that she believes me.

Kurenai nods her head, seeming to believe me. Maybe she wanted to believe me, that's why she so readily accepted my answer. She rubbed her stomach absentmindedly.

"Have you eaten?" I ask looking at her stomach.

She catches me looking and sighs. "You know."

I nod.

Kurenai wipes her eyes before the tears could escape. "He didn't even get to know…"

He did and he was happy. This was what I wanted to tell her, but I couldn't. I couldn't tell her. She was too fragile at the moment, she wouldn't be able to handle it. I held myself back and look to the floor so she couldn't see the guilty look on my face.

But obviously I didn't hide it that well. "I don't blame you Akemi." Kurenai tells me softly.

I look at her.

"I know you would have tried your hardest." Kurenai smiles sadly at me. Tears leaking from her eyes.

The guilt was too much for me to handle. I stand up and leave. I run as quickly as I could back to my apartment. But not before telling Shikamaru to help Kurenai, she needed someone at the moment.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

The next day, around eight in the morning I was teaching the class how to heal, we had already been here for about an hour. Hinata, Tenten and Moegi sat near the front. There weren't many people in this class but it was a good number. There weren't too many so if anyone went wrong I could help them.

"Now what is the rule that you need to remember when healing?" I ask them. A few put their hands up, but someone not sitting in front of me answers the question.

"That you can't save everyone."

I turn my head to where the voice came from. Ino stood by the door looking rather shy. So she had decided to come learn.

I smile at her proudly. "Correct."

Ino slowly returns the smile and goes to sit by Hinata, Tenten and Moegi.

I was about to continue teaching but an ANBU appeared. He bows to me and speaks. "Tsunade-sama requests your presence at Training Grounds Seven."

Sighing, I nodded to the ANBU who disappeared in a cloud of smoke after he was done. I look to the class who were looking surprised.

"Lessons will be cancelled today." I tell them, letting them all go early. I found this situation odd, Tsunade never once interrupted my lessons. These lessons were a priority since we needed more people to learn Medical Ninjutsu, so I wonder why she interrupted them.

I quickly make my way to Training Grounds Seven. Once there I see Sasuke, Naruto and Tsunade standing there. Tsunade's face looked grim, while Sasuke and Naruto were looking at her questioningly.

"What's wrong?" I ask standing next to Naruto and Sasuke.

"She wouldn't tell us until you got here." Naruto tells me.

Sasuke sighs. "So slow."

I glare at him, but then I turn to Tsunade. "What's happened?"

Tsunade takes a deep breathe. "Gaara… is dead."

The world stops. If was like time had stopped itself. The birds that were chirping immediately stopped and a strong wind blew past us. Shock hit me quickly, my eyes widen and my jaw drops slightly. My shoulders droop and I slump forward.

"B-but we were just there!" Naruto shouts out.

"How?" Sasuke demands.

Tsunade shakes her head. "They have no idea. Everyone claims that no one saw him get kidnapped. Just today they found his body outside the gates of Suna."

"But it takes days for the Tailed Beast to be extracted, how can someone not notice?" I ask quietly. It takes three days, for three days no one knew that Gaara was missing. No one bloody noticed. Zero did it, he got the One Tails that we worked so hard to make sure he didn't get. Did we waste our time?

"It was reported that people saw him in his office doing paperwork, but then his body appeared on the gates of Suna." Tsunade says looking at us sadly. The news was also shocking to her, she had just received a message from a bird from Suna. Temari had sent the letter telling them the fate of her little brother.

Naruto started to shake.

"Naruto-kun…" I place a hand on his shoulder, but it was roughly pushed off.

"Naruto-kun?" I look at him and gasp, his eyes were red and the whiskers on his face feral. He was letting the Kurama give him power.

I reach for my pouch were I keep the Talismans that Sarutobi had showed me how to make. But before I could reach it, Naruto roared in our direction, a red Chakra coat appearing an inch above his skin. The roar sent me, Sasuke and Tsunade back.

"Tsunade, get away from here, we'll deal with Naruto!" I shout over to her.

Tsunade looked like she was going to protest, but ANBU appeared by her side and took her away.

With her gone, Sasuke looks at me. "Now what?"

"We can either use your Sharingan or my Talismans." I say giving Sasuke the options. Neither were great but they were effective. Sasuke would need to get close and have good eye contact while I would need to get close enough to apply the Talisman.

Sasuke nods and activates his Sharingan, he ran forward and tried to get Naruto to look at him. All he needed was to look into his eyes and it would work. But Naruto never looked into his eyes, he roared and went on all fours, a tail made of chakra appeared. That one tail sent Sasuke back, his back making an impact on a tree.

I run forward, Talisman in hand, I tried to get close to him, but the sheer force of his hit sent me back. He hadn't even made contact yet I could feel a force push me back. If we couldn't get him back to normal soon, the second tail would come out.

Why was Kurama letting this happen?

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

Tsunade was pacing in her office. If word got out that Naruto's Tailed Beast had gained control the elders would become suspicious of him. The Village was getting better with Naruto, they were recognising that he was strong and that he wasn't the beast they thought he was. That would change if they found out. The Elders would have Naruto segregated.

Tsunade's thoughts were interrupted when a messenger burst through the doors. "Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade glares at the person. "What is it?"

"A message from Suna!" The person says giving the scroll to Tsunade.

Tsunade takes it, and the messenger leaves. Reading the scroll, her eyes widen. Naruto needed to hear this, maybe it would calm him down.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

We were stuck. We couldn't even get close to Naruto without him sending us back flying. His anger and grief of losing a friend had transformed him into a demon. Naruto had reached second tail and now didn't know friend from foe. He was attacking us and all we could do is dodge and hope we don't get hit.

Sasuke was trying to get close while I was in a tree trying to think of something. Anything would do, we just needed to distract Naruto long enough for either me to place a Talisman on him or having him look at Sasuke in the eyes. We just needed one chance.

I nearly jumped out of the tree in surprise when an ANBU member landed next to me.

"Tsunade-sama asked me to give this to you." The ANBU says before disappearing. I look at the scroll and open it up.

Reading it quickly, I grin. It was great news and even better it was going to be the distraction they needed.

Jumping out of the tree I land not too far away from Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke was on the floor and Naruto was going to strike him.

"Gaara's alive!" I shout to Naruto hoping to get his attention.

It works, Naruto's head jerks to me in surprise. Sasuke takes the chance to spring free from Naruto and jump into his line of sight. His Sharingan swirling as he looked into Naruto's red eyes. Slowly, the red disappears and the blue eyes come back. The red cloak of chakra disappears and his whiskers go back to being normal.

He looks around and sees that he's caused quite a bit of damage to the wild life. But he doesn't care at this point, he looks to me again. "He's alive?" Naruto whispers.

I nod my head. "Chiyo brought him back." I didn't say that she gave her life in return. I didn't want to risk another episode.

Naruto grins and sighs in relief. "Thank goodness."

Naruto looks to Sasuke, guilt shinning in his eyes. "I'm sorry… to both of you." He looks at me too.

I wave it off. "I expect a favour in return."

Sasuke shrugs, acting not to care.

Naruto grins happily. He was glad to have friends that understood and didn't shun him, even if he did just nearly turn into a monster. One thing was for sure though, he didn't plan to use the Nine Tail's Chakra again. He could have hurt his friends. Haku and Itachi would have killed him if anything happened to Sasuke or Akemi, luckily they were on a mission at the moment. However, the Nine Tails acted weird, usually he gives him grief, but this time he seemed almost… nicer?

"How about we go get some ramen?" I suggest.

Naruto cheers and runs of. Sasuke sighs and runs after Naruto, mumbling the word 'dobe'. I laugh and is about to join them, until something stops me.

"Aw, I was hoping for more of a fight."

I turn around and there stood Zero.

"Why are you here?" I ask him, schooling my facial expression.

Zero grins. "Coming to check if Naruto's destroyed the village yet. But I can see that you stopped that."

"Your point?" I ask with an uninterested look.

"My point is that I'm winning." Zero says, that permanent smirk on his face annoying the hell out of me.

He was right, just like in the anime, Gaara's Tailed Beast was extracted from him and Chiyo gave her life to save his. Gaara is now alive without the Tailed Beast. He even made sure that Asuma died. I hate to admit it, but yes, he was undoing everything I tried to fix.

However, I grin at him, which unnerved him by the twitch in his eye. "You claim to undoing everything I've done yet you haven't come after me? Are you scared?" He tried to get Sora to do his dirty work, but that didn't work.

Zero glares at me. "Not even in the slightest."

"Then why don't you fight me?" I challenge.

Zero grins. "I will, in due time."

"Chicken."

Zero growls at me, I grin at him. Taunting him was fun, I needed to show him that he wasn't getting to me. That would mean he had won, and I wasn't going to let him win. Asuma's death showed me that the things I've done can go astray, but I shouldn't give up. I just need to try harder and keep the things I hold dearest to me closer.

"I still have everything. I have my family and my team, and what do you have?" I ask with a smirk on my face.

Zero's glare was filled him venom, pure hatred shinning in his blue eyes. "Mark my words, you will lose everything."

"Bring it." I step forward challenging him.

It was like he wasn't even there. After blinking once, he was gone.

"Hey! You coming Akemi-chan?!" Naruto shouts from across the field.

"Yeah!" I shout back running to catch up with them.

I caught up quickly feeling very happy with myself. Zero is so cocky it felt so good to pull him down a peg or two. He was always so confident, but he wasn't this time. I didn't tell the boys about Zero popping up again, there was no point. It would only worry them and I didn't need one of them telling Haku, who would be like a mother hen and wouldn't let me leave his side.

We ordered our ramen, pork for me, and beef for Sasuke and chicken for Naruto. We were waiting for our orders and chatting amongst ourselves when I saw pink out of the corner of my eye.

"Hey guys!" Sakura says with a smile on her face. She blushes when Sasuke looks in her direction. Behind her was one person who I recognised. It was Sai. He were looking at us with a blank expression.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto greets back enthusiastically. I smile and wave at her while Sasuke doesn't acknowledge her.

Sakura looks saddened for a moment before she smiles again. "I'd like you to meet my teammate, Sai."

"Long time no see Sai." I smile in his direction.

Sai nods his head but doesn't say anything.

Sakura looks between us confused. "You've met?"

"Once." I answer with a knowing smirk. Naruto chuckles while Sasuke glares at Sai. Sakura looks at us with a confused look. She doesn't know that Sai was the ROOT member that tried to kill me. Sai and Sakura join us, which Sasuke didn't look to happy about but he didn't say anything.

"So how's being on the same team as Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks curious.

Sai flashes a fake smile. "It's great."

Sakura smiles brightly, she couldn't tell that his smile was fake. Sasuke saw right through it and glares at Sai even more.

Sakura spots someone near the ramen shop. "I'll be back in a second!" She says before running off to speak to someone.

"You can stop." Sasuke says blankly.

Sai looks at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"Fake smiling." Naruto cuts in.

Genuine surprise flashes in Sai's eyes. He had never been caught before so this was new to him. He thought his act was flawless, it had fooled Sakura after all.

"I know it's hard for you being out of ROOT." I whisper to him so people couldn't listen in. "But just try and relax. You'll get the hang of it."

Sai slowly nods his head.

When our order were done and handed to us, we all tucked straight in.

Sakura comes back smiling brightly. She looks a little disappointed that Sasuke didn't notice that she was gone, but she hid it.

"You know, Sai was trying to think of nick names?" Sakura says suddenly.

I stop eating for a moment. "Oh? And what's your nick name for Sakura?" I ask Sai with a knowing grin.

Sai considers this for a moment. He got into a thinking pose. "Ugly."

Cue eye twitch for Sakura.

Naruto burst out laughing, with me joining him. Sasuke coughs into his hand, which I knew was to cover up a laugh. He even placed a hand over his mouth and looked away from all of us. Sai however was not laughing. He had a red mark on his face where Sakura hit him, and boy did she hit him hard. Sakura was grumbling under her breathe sending Naruto and I death glares.

After calming down I ask Sai. "Can you think of any for us?" I was probably going to regret asking but I couldn't help myself. I wonder if he's called Ino gorgeous yet. That would piss Sakura off big time.

Sai studies us. He look at Naruto first. "Dickless."

I sniggered while Sasuke smirked. Naruto looked ready to hit Sai and give him a matching red mark of the other cheek. Sakura looked embarrassed of the nickname with the way her checks flushed.

Sai looks to Sasuke. "Duck but."

I laugh loudly. "I haven't heard that in ages!"

Sasuke grumbles under his breathe giving Sai the worst glare I've ever seen him give. Naruto was still slightly miffed over his nick name but after hearing Sasuke's he was grinning slightly. Sakura looked absolutely livid, she looked ready to punch Sai again.

Sai looks to me. "Dummy."

I look at Sai with a blank look. Naruto looked slightly nervous of my reaction and Sasuke was sending Sai a scathing look. Sakura looked slightly smug and was snickering to herself.

"Whatever." I shrug my shoulders getting back to my food.

"B-but Akemi-chan he just called you a dummy!" Naruto shouts confused.

I place my bowl down. "His words aren't important enough to matter." I say sending Sai a cold look.

Sai shivers and looks away from me.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

After having our ramen, we decided to head back to mine and Haku's apartment. As we were walking, I felt Jiraya's chakra signature just up a head. Naruto is the first who sees his teacher. "Ero-sensei, what are you doing here?" Naruto asks looking confused. He hadn't seen his teacher much since he got back.

Jiraya glares at Naruto at the nickname and sighs. "I came here to talk to Akemi."

Naruto and Sasuke look at me. I shrug. "Go back to mine, I'll catch up in a bit."

Naruto nods his head enthusiastically while Sasuke calmly follows behind him. Sasuke sent me one last glance before walking away. Once they were gone and I couldn't sense their chakra, I look to the Sanin. "What do you need?" I ask tilting my head slightly.

"I've got intel on where Pain is." Jiraya answers me.

My eyes widen. "You can't go!"

Jiraya looks to me. "Why not?"

I step closer to him. "Pain attacks you, that's where you die." My voice was urgent, Jiraya couldn't go. Naruto needs him. If Jiraiya went there was a big possibility that he wouldn't come back, Zero would make sure of it. We just lost Asuma, we couldn't lose Jiraya too.

"I've been ordered by the Elders to go." Jiraya says shaking his head. The Elders had demanded that he go and refused to take no for an answer. This is why he didn't usually stay long in Konoha, the Elders bugged him.

I snort. "The Elders aren't exactly the wisest of people."

Jiraya grins but he frowns quickly. "Will I really die?"

I nod.

Jiraya sighs. "I'll be more careful."

"You shouldn't be going at all! Think of Naruto-kun!" I exclaim, I was pleading with him not to go.

Jiraya pats my head and ruffles my hair. "He'll have you guys."

I could see that I wasn't going to change his mind. He was like Sarutobi like that. I just hope that he wouldn't share the same fate as him too. But the feeling in my stomach didn't help either, it was telling me that something was going to happen, that Jiraya wasn't going to come back.

"J-just say goodbye to Naruto-kun before you go please." I ask him quietly.

Jiraya nods and walks away. As he walked away, the feeling of dread grew.

Sighing, I turn back around to catch up with my teammates.