Aftermath of Betrayal

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; however I do own Akemi, Yukiko, Zero 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!

I am not dead!

I've been busy with moving to university and I've had to deal with this whole fraud situation. Someone had hacked my email account from bloody Kansas, USA and I had to switch EVERYTHING that was set up to my old email to the new one I've made. They also tried to take my money but luckily it was caught. Remember kids, if you get an email from the App Store, DO NOT PUT YOUR DETAILS IN. I made that mistake, I should have known better and luckily everything has been sorted.

Sorry for the wait!

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

Betrayal stung, badly. The pain of a physical wound will disappear but the bitter sting of betrayal left behind deep wounds that seemed like it would never heal. Konoha had suffered with the great betrayal of Yukiko. People who were close to Yukiko were the most shaken: Tsunade and nurses at the hospital and not to mention myself. There were people that expected the spy to be her, like Naruto, Sasuke, Itachi and Haku. All of them held hatred for the woman which had only grew tenfold and I don't blame them.

In no sense at all was Yukiko was mother figure to me. I had a mother in my old world and if anyone where to take that place it would be Tsunade. But Yukiko was a dear friend, almost like that Aunty that was always bitter.

However, Yukiko's betrayal stung deeply and made me question everything. I had been used, she had been planning on using me and she nearly succeeded. If her daughter, Chieko wanted to take my soul I had a feeling she could have. I'm just glad Chieko took more after her father than her mother. But most of all, the fourth stage of the Shīringu scared me. Would I become like that? Would I turn out to be like Yukiko? I don't even know the full extent of the Shīringu, only Yukiko does and I have a feeling that not even Yukiko knew the full extent of her powers.

Over the next seven days after Yukiko's betrayal, I had thrown myself into my training. I was even more determined to master Tsunade's Jutsu. I just needed something to keep my mind occupied and not think about Yukiko.

I knocked on Tsunade's door and opened it when she gave me permission. It was time for our lesson. Every time I tried it I was getting closer and this time I was able to the hold the purple rhombus on my forehead for a minute. I needed to master this Jutsu before the war, if not Tsunade would more than likely stick me on the medic team which I didn't want. I wanted to be on the field fighting, and if I learned that Jutsu, it just may become possible.

The minute I walked into Tsunade's office, she spoke, "You not be having a lesson today." Tsunade says standing up and walking around her desk.

"Huh?" I say with a confused look.

Tsunade sighs. "We need to go and interrogate someone."

My brows furrow together. "Who?"

Tsunade's lip set into a firm line. "Rukia."

There was a dull ache in my chest. Yet another person that had betrayed me. Had she only trained me because Yukiko instructed her to? When she nearly destroyed my chakra paths did she do it on purpose? I was about to turn away to walk away and leave, but Tsunade's voice stopped me.

"And I want you to come with me." Tsunade says making me stop walking.

I turn my head and look at her. "Why?"

Tsunade's eyes gleamed sadly. "She seemed genuinely sorry about what happened and was worried about you. Maybe if she sees you she'll be more likely to open up." Ever since Itachi had taken Rukia in and given her to Ibiki, she had refused to talk. She gave some bits away to stop the torture but she resisted most of the questions. Ibiki was enjoying himself though. He hadn't met someone who he could interrogate so mercilessly and still withhold information. To say Ibiki was enjoying himself and slightly impressed with Rukia said it all.

I snarl. "Or she could be lying."

Tsunade looks at me with a kind and unjudging look. "You don't need to be so bitter."

I frown. She was right, I didn't need to be bitter but I wanted to be. I wanted to hit something, yell, scream; anything to stop me feeling the sting of betrayal. I know that Haku has been worried about me the past week. I hadn't been sleeping much or eating and I was constantly working. I was constantly taking shifts at the hospital so I didn't have time to think. If I stopped to think, I knew that my thoughts would trail to Yukiko's betrayal and how I didn't notice. The guilt was eating me up inside. Maybe if we had caught Yukiko earlier then maybe we could have stopped Zero and some deaths could have been prevented.

Tsunade places a hand on my shoulder making me look at her. "I know what it's like." Tsunade tells me gently.

I look to her, despair in my eyes.

Tsunade smiles reminiscently. "When Orochimaru betrayed us, it hurt deeply. He was like a brother to us. Jiraiya and I were so confused; how hadn't we noticed his downwards spiral? We were sent to hunt him down, myself and Jiraiya and yet we couldn't do it. We still saw our brother. Even to this day we still feel the guilt." Tsunade says, her voice wavering at times. The emotion thick in her throat.

I look to the ground.

Tsunade sighs deeply. "Maybe if I and Jiraiya had killed him, Sarutobi-sensei may have still been alive today."

I shake my head. "You can't blame yourself for that. You didn't know he was a man mad." Orochimaru was secretive, manipulative and insane but he also happened to be a very good lair.

Just like Yukiko.

Tsunade looks me in the eyes. "And you couldn't have possibly known about Yukiko either." She smiles at the end and pats me on the head.

I couldn't help but smile slightly at her. Tsunade was right, I know she is. I could give great advice to other people, but when it came to myself I was absolutely rubbish and could never follow it. It was still too raw.

Maybe over time I would come to accept it.

"Now come on, we have someone to talk to." Tsunade says, walking around me and out of her office.

Sighing deeply to myself, I follow Tsunade.

I and Tsunade walk in silence until we came to the interrogation unit and walked in. After walking down a few hallways and turning a few corners; we came to the deepest part of the building where only the most dangerous of ninja go. Rukia was here because of her connection to Yukiko, she was put here because it was the most heavily guarded part of the building. Tsunade and I walked into the room with a two-way mirror on the wall. Through the two-way mirror, I could see Rukia tied to a chair and chakra cuffs on her wrists. She looked completely helpless. Her skin pale and sickly, her eyes sunken and red from crying. She looked thinner and her hair fell limp and stuck to her forehead with her sweat. It looked like she had lost a bit of weight and her eyes looked dead. Seeing Rukia however made me feel angry, an anger I couldn't explain.

Ibiki turned around; he had been watching Rukia very closely. "She's still refusing to talk." Ibiki says, a smirk on his face. He had plans for that woman, things that he hadn't been allowed to try on others because they had seen as excessive.

"If she doesn't talk soon then we are going to have to get rid of her." Tsunade says with a neutral expression. Keeping Rukia alive was too risky, especially if she wouldn't give any answers away. In latent terms she was a burden to keep alive. It was thought that maybe they could use Rukia as a bargaining chip but Yukiko didn't want Rukia back and hadn't even attempted to get her back. Yukiko had abandoned her sister, whose soul rested in Rukia's body.

Ibiki looks directly to me. "She's asked for you specifically brat."

I send an accusing glare at Tsunade, she hadn't mentioned this.

Tsunade waves me off. "You might not have come if I told you that."

I sigh, Tsunade was right. If I was told that Rukia wanted to see me then I wouldn't have come. I didn't want to see Rukia again and the fact she requested to see me seemed to sting more than I expected.

I went to walk into the room when Ibiki spoke. "Remember to keep your cool brat." Ibiki warned me with a severe look.

I nod at him and walk into the room, the door closing shut behind me. Rukia never once looked up, even when I sat down in a chair opposite her. I got a good look at her; she was also chained to the floor so she couldn't lunge at me. Rukia looked like a mess; her usually well-kept hair now unkempt and a complete mess. She had wounds all over her and her eyes looked dull. She looked completely different from when she was teaching me about chakra shields.

"You wanted to see me." I say, trying to keep calm. All I wanted to do was shake her and ask her why, maybe punch her once or twice.

Hearing my voice, Rukia slowly raises her head. "I'm so sorry." Her voice was hoarse and cracked with emotion.

"Yet you did it anyway." I snap back, the bitterness coming through.

I could practically feel Ibiki and Tsunade's disapproving stares looking at me through the two-way mirror. I take a deep breath and bury my bitterness and resentment. In an interrogation you shouldn't let your emotions cloud your judgment; I know that yet I couldn't help myself.

Rukia's eyes shine with unshed tears. "You don't understand Akemi. Yukiko could control me, she can control the souls she brings back and make them do things they would never normally do." Rukia's voice was scratchy, she sounded like a heavy chain-smoker.

I stayed quiet and observed.

Rukia was eyeing the pitch of water on the table with hungry eyes. No doubt it was one of Ibiki's mental games to make her break. She had been trapped in here for a week; I wonder how long she's been in here without water.

I stand up and pour her a glass of water, an idea popping into my head as my sadistic side was coming out to play.

Rukia was watching my every move with hunger and thirst in her eyes.

"What is she planning?" I ask her. I place the jug down back on the table, just out of Rukia's reach so she couldn't grab it.

Rukia looked confused for a moment. "Who?"

I grit my teeth. "Yukiko." Her name on my tongue was bitter, it took a lot to not bit my own tongue. Even speaking her name hurt.

Rukia frowns but doesn't say anything. I pick up the now full glass of water and hold it to Rukia's face; close but not so close that she could reach and take a drink.

"Tell me." I order.

Rukia still refused to say anything, but the thirst in her eyes spoke volumes. Rukia was close to cracking.

Sighing, I take a drink of the water. I see despair in Rukia's eyes as she licks her dry lips. After draining the glass, I pour another glass and the hunger in her eyes grew.

"If you aren't going to speak, why would you request that I come here?" I ask nonchalantly with a passive look on my face.

Rukia bit her lip.

I arched my brow and drank from the cup again until it was empty. Rukia whimpered and shifted in her seat, staring at the glass. I poured another class, draining the pitch of water empty; this was the last cup of water.

I look at Rukia again, and the hunger was still there. But why wasn't she giving in? Surely she would be at her limit.

"Is Yukiko controlling you to not speak?" I ask, a thought suddenly coming to mind. What if the reason why Rukia wasn't spilling her guts was down to the fact she couldn't. No one could withstand this much torture from Ibiki, especially not someone from my world. We weren't trained for this sort of thing; Ibiki would break us within days at most.

Rukia's lip quivered.

"Blink once of yes and twice for no." I instructed her.

Rukia blinked once.

I look over to the two-way mirror to where Tsunade and Ibiki were standing. I knew that they would have caught this action, nothing escaped Ibiki's notice. A thought came to mind and I activated my own Shīringu; my hazel eyes now purple. I look Rukia directly in the eyes. "Yukiko is controlling you, yes or no?" I ask in a commanding tone.

"Y-yes." Rukia stutters out, seeming to be in shock that she could speak freely.

I nod my head. Rukia had been fighting Yukiko's control and that's how she was able to give some information, but obviously Yukiko's control was too strong. I guess spending so much time with the woman, Yukiko must have found a way to get her hooks into Rukia.

"What is she planning now?" I ask her, my Shīringu eyes looking at her.

Rukia bit her chapped lip. "War, she's planning to join Madara and Obito in this war. She will follow Madara to the fiery pits of hell if she had to." Rukia answers me hoarsely.

My shoulders slumped slightly at this. Yukiko was devoted to Madara, which means there was no way she would ever come back. I had felt a bit hopeful that maybe Madara had manipulated Yukiko into joining the Akatsuki but now I had my doubts. If she was hopelessly in love with Madara, she would do anything he asked.

Still looking Rukia in the eyes, I continue with the interrogation. "Does she know the Edo Tensei Jutsu?" I ask her.

"Yes." Rukia answers me.

My lip curl inwards, if Yukiko was going to do what I think she might, it could be disastrous. This war may not end in our favour this time. I thought that getting rid of Kabuto would eliminate that threat, but obviously not.

I relax slightly and ask. "Were you using me as well?" I couldn't help myself but ask this, I needed to know if Rukia had been using me too.

Rukia slumped in her seat more. "No." She says shaking her head before looking up to me. "When I first met you, I didn't know who you were and what Kekkei Genkai you possessed. It was only when you showed me did I know. I was surprised but didn't think anything of it. I just put it down to coincidence. In all honesty, you reminded of me Yukiko when she was younger and hadn't went crazy." Rukia smiles slightly as though she was trying to make a joke, something I didn't find funny.

"And afterwards?" I demand, my tone tightening. I didn't know whether or not to feel offended; to be compared to that mad woman in any aspect of her life was insulting.

Rukia swallowed. "Yukiko came to me when she first came back to Konoha. She was angry about meeting you. Somehow she had come to the conclusion that you stole her daughter's place. She wanted you dead after that. Then she soon concocted this plan to use you. I was against it immediately, but I could never speak out against her." Rukia smiles but sadly, there was a deep sadness and despair in her eyes.

That hurt, I felt my heart lurch. I had been used by Yukiko since the very beginning.

"Yukiko said she tried to switch her daughter's soul back sixteen years ago, but I only came into this world five years ago." I say, remembering what Yukiko said to me when she had me tied up in that cave.

Rukia looks me directly in the eyes. "Ask Nora for the truth."

My eyebrows furrow together. "What?"

Rukia smiles sadly. "You're death wasn't an accident, neither was Yukiko's or anyone else that ends up in another world."

I spare a glance in Ibiki's direction. If he didn't already know I wasn't born in this world he certainly did now. I could just image Tsunade briefing him on the details. I wonder what his reaction would be.

I turn my attention back to Rukia and stare at her. I didn't know whether or not to believe her. What could she mean by that? Nora told me that when I died it was completely unexpected and wasn't meant to happen, so what was she talking about?

"How did you die?" I ask her, almost wincing with how blunt I sounded.

Rukia smiles ruefully. "I was only young, around nineteen when I died. An earthquake shook the town I was living in and I got caught up in the mess. I ended up being crushed by a broken building." Her tone became bitter towards the end.

Rukia's posture suddenly went stiff. Yukiko's control was slipping back into place. I had only been able to disable her control for a short while before Yukiko found a way to get past me. She had longer the master the Shīringu therefore she was more superior to me in that retrospect.

I deactivate my Shīringu and push the glass of water towards Rukia's face. Her eyes lit up as she drank the water greedily, not stopping to breath at all. Once the glass was drained, Rukia seemed a bit happier. I place the glass on the table and go to walk out the room, I was done here.

"Akemi."

I stop and turn my head sideways to look at her. Rukia seemed to be struggling, she was fighting for control. "Y-Yukiko truly… intends to kill y-you… so p-please be c-careful." Rukia grits out, sweat dripping from her forehead in concentration.

I stare at her for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Rukia looks me in the eyes. "A-and I… truly am… s-sorry."

I look away and leave the room, not answering her. It brought me a little comfort that Rukia didn't want to betray me, that much was very clear in her eyes. The regret almost made me feel guilty for hating her.

When I was out of the room, Ibiki looks at me. "You have potential brat." He says with a smirk. He seemed to be pretty calm about knowing the truth about me. In fact, he didn't seem the least bothered.

I roll my eyes at him in good nature. I look to Tsunade, "We need to talk." I say to her, my expression neutral.

Tsunade nods her head and leaves the room. I follow her, seeing Ibiki rub his hands together as he was going to begin the torture session against Rukia. While watching me talk to Rukia, he had already come up with multiple ideas on how to get past Yukiko's control to get Rukia talking. But none of them were going to pleasant.

Now I did feel slightly sorry for Rukia.

When we got back to Tsunade's office, she sat down in her chair and I stood in front of her. She leans back in her chair. "What is it that you need to speak with me about?" Tsunade asks me, getting straight to the point.

"As you heard Yukiko knows the Edo Tensei Jutsu. That was used in the old time line to bring back all the dead members to the Akatsuki to fight in the war. They were on Madara's side along with other deceased ninja." I tell Tsunade. It didn't surprise me that Yukiko knew this Jutsu and I wouldn't put it past her to use it. Since Kabuto was dead, he couldn't bring them back so Yukiko could easily replace him.

Tsunade leans forward, leaning on her arms that were resting on the desk. "And you have a suggestion?" Tsunade says, a brow arched at me.

I wet my lips, not knowing how Tsunade would take this suggestion. "Well, why don't we use the Akatsuki for ourselves?" I suggest.

"What?!" Tsunade shouts at me, her eyes wide in surprise and shock. Calming down, Tsunade sighs deeply and rubs her temple. "You certainly know how to surprise me."

I grin at her guilty.

"You know all the pain we went through to get these Akatsuki members." Tsunade says, an annoyed look in her eyes.

I nod my head. "I know, trust me I understand. But we'd be wasting an opportunity if we didn't." If we had the Akatsuki on our side it could tip the balance and could very well win us this war. We won in the anime but they didn't have Zero whispering battle plans in their ear or Yukiko spying and giving information away.

"Do you know how many people would oppose to this?" Tsunade questions me with serious look.

I frown. "A few." One in particular would be Shikamaru. If he saw Hidan walking around alive then he would freak and flip out. It was bad enough that he didn't actually get to kill Hidan – which was a low blow for the Nara – but then to see him alive and fighting on our side of the war. I think even Shikamaru wouldn't be able to keep his cool. Then let's not forget the family or team mates of the fallen ANBU. If they saw their friend's killer alive, they would flip and go mental.

Tsunade shakes her head. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow this. Not only is it dangerous but it also makes our pursuit for the Akatsuki redundant. If any of the other Kages were learn of this, my position as head would be taken away instantly. And what would the people's reaction be if they saw a supposedly dead member of the Akatsuki alive?"

"What about just one?" I ask her.

Tsunade stills for a moment. "Which one?" Tsunade asks with caution in her tone. There was also a silent warning not to push this too much.

"There are only two members that are actually still alive in the scroll: Hidan and Sasori." I say. Hidan was technically immortal and so was Sasori as long as his core wasn't destroyed. Hidan's head was severed from his body and they were put in separate scrolls but they could be sewn back into place.

Tsunade glares at me. "You aren't thinking of-"

"I wouldn't bring back Hidan." I reassure her. Hidan had been too much trouble and we certainly wouldn't be able to control Hidan or keep him under wraps. Hidan was the one that would cause too much controversy so he wasn't the smart choice.

Her glare lessened. "Then Sasori?"

I nod my head. "Out of the two, Sasori is the most sensible choice. He is rational and intelligent, I believe that he could help us."

Tsunade didn't look convinced.

"They aren't safe in the scrolls anymore. Yukiko already got past me and stole Hidan's body from it without me even noticing and it was always on my person. What if she got hold of all of them? We'd be screwed." I tell her hastily. I was lucky that Yukiko hadn't stolen any of the scrolls or any of the bodies. I don't know if she didn't have time or she didn't want them but I was lucky in that aspect.

Tsunade still didn't look too happy.

I add in. "If we let Yukiko bring back the Akatsuki members, Zero may have already told them our strategies against them and it could end badly."

Tsunade sighs and leans back into her chair. "You believe he will co-operate?" She asks.

I pull a face, "Well I hope." At the end of the day, Sasori was still an S-Rank criminal and I didn't know if he would comply fully.

Tsunade looks to me. "And who would perform this Jutsu if it was agreed to bring the Akatsuki members back?"

"I would. Summoning Justus are my speciality and unfortunately Yukiko's too." I say. The Jutsu wasn't perfect until Kabuto got his hands on it but I'm sure I could work my magic on the Jutsu. I just needed time and to practice.

Tsunade rubs her temple, she needed sake badly to deal with this. "If it was anyone else suggesting this, I would tell them no and throw them out the window." She says pointing to the window in her office.

"But?" I say, hoping that there would be.

"There is no but, my answer is no." Tsunade warns me with a severe look. She was telling me not to argue with her and not to push my luck.

However, I couldn't help myself. "If Itachi can join us I'm sure Sasori can to." Out of all the Akatsuki members, Sasori was one of the most sensible members along with Itachi. I hoped that Sasori would join us and help us, his puppetry would be very useful, especially the hundred puppet army which had been known to take down a small Village.

Tsunade looks me in the eyes. "My answer is still no. The Kage's know about Itachi and have accepted this, but if we were to add another Akatsuki member into our ranks, it won't be pleasant."

"Sasori's the one who warned me about Zero first. If there's anyone I can trust I believe that it would be him." I say trying to convince her.

Tsunade sends me a glare. "I said no. Do not ask me again." Tsunade warns me with a serious look.

I sigh in defeat. "Okay."

Tsunade waves her hand. "Dismissed."

I turn around and walk away.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

I got back to mine, Haku and Naruto's house. As I walked through the door, I see Haku, Naruto and Sasuke sitting at the table and Itachi serving the food. I felt kind of relieved that Haku wasn't cooking, he had been insistent the past couple of days that he should cook but Itachi and Naruto had managed to keep Haku out of the kitchen with success.

Haku's lit up when he saw me. "Imouto! Good timing, Itachi was just plating up."

On cue, Itachi walks into the room with food in hand. When Itachi sees me, he nods his head acknowledgment.

"Where have you been all day Akemi-chan?" Naruto asks.

I smile at them. "I've been speaking to Tsunade." I say sitting down in my usual spot next to Haku. I didn't want to mention Rukia right now, I needed time to get my head around what she said. And I don't want to worry anyone, especially not Haku; he was worried about me enough as it is.

Sasuke looks at me. "What for?"

I tensed slightly, of course Sasuke would see past my vague excuse.

Itachi saved me by placing our meal in front of us. "Food first, then we can talk." Itachi says sitting down in his spot at the table.

We all tuck into our food quite happily. Sasuke, as always had tomatoes with every meal and Naruto and Haku's portion was always bigger. Mine and Itachi's food was usually always more spicy than the others, we loved our spices. Itachi was actually a really good cook, Naruto especially thought this as he was making noises as he ate and Haku looked happy. All throughout the meal I was stealing glances at the older Uchiha.

When we were all nearly done with our meal, I spoke up to get the older Uchiha's attention. "Itachi." I say.

Itachi looks up at me, I had his attention along with everyone else's.

"What was Sasori like in the Akatsuki?" I ask him. If any of us would know this it would be Itachi, I knew things from the anime but I didn't actually work with him.

Itachi puts his chopsticks down. "Why do you ask?" He asks, his brow arched.

Naruto looks up from inhaling his food. "Yeah Akemi-chan?" He says with his head tilted at me appearing innocent.

"I was thinking of getting him onto our side so he can help with the war." I tell them honestly seeing no point in lying about this. Tsunade might have said no now, but later on when the war was in full swing maybe she might change her mind.

Naruto's chopsticks clatter onto his plate. "What?!" Naruto yells, standing up in shock. Every pair of eyes was on me. Haku was half-way to putting his chopsticks in his mouth, his eye wide in shock. Sasuke was staring at me with an unreadable look and Itachi mirrored that expression.

Sasuke regains his composure. "Sit down dobe." Sasuke says with a scowl.

Naruto growled at him but did as he asked.

"What… what do you mean by that Imouto?" Haku asks me with a curious expression.

Sighing, I lean back into the chair. "To ensure that we do win the war, we need an ace. For all we know Zero could have blabbed about the battle plans in the war and that could cost us greatly. However, if we have something they wouldn't expect then maybe that could give us an edge." I explain to them.

There was an understanding in all their eyes. "It's still very risky." Haku comments with an unsure look on his face.

Sasuke nods. "There's no telling if Sasori would even say yes."

I look to Itachi. "That's why I need to know what he's like. Maybe I can appeal to him somehow." I say.

Itachi pursed his lips together. "Sasori was quite reserved, as we all were. However, he was quite mature and he isn't the worse choice you could have made."

"What has Tsunade-Obaa-san said about this?" Naruto asks.

"She said no." I tell them with a sigh in my tone.

Sasuke arches a brow. "Then why are you perusing this?"

"It's not for now, Tsunade already said no. I'm just looking into it now for later." I tell them. I wasn't stupid enough to go against Tsunade's orders but that doesn't mean that I've let go of the idea, I've just got to bide my time.

Itachi stares at me for a moment, making me feel nervous.

"Don't do something stupid." Itachi says before getting back to hid food. With that said, everyone goes back to their food and the atmosphere becomes light again.

Relaxing slightly, I go back to my food.

After dinner, I went to go back into my room. I needed to do some reading on the Edo Tensei Jutsu and make it perfect much like Kabuto did. Without Kabuto in the picture, I had a feeling that Yukiko could easily take his place. Lucky for me though, I never told Yukiko about this Jutsu needing perfecting. The aim I have for the moment is where I can do this Jutsu without wasting next to no chakra while Yukiko wastes a lot, giving us an advantage.

However, if Tsunade were to learn of what I was actually doing, she would throttle me. I had no doubt in my mind that she would demote me back to Genin or punish me severely considering that this is a forbidden Jutsu. One thing was sure though; I could kiss my ninja career goodbye if she found out.

Just as I was about to go into my room, a hand grabbed my arm, stopping me. I look back and see Sasuke was standing behind me with a blank expression.

"Yes?" I say with a curious look.

"What are you planning?" Sasuke asks immediately.

I stilled and look at Sasuke silently. How had he noticed that something was wrong? Was it because I didn't say anything at dinner after that conversation? Haku had looked at me after it but he hadn't followed me up like Sasuke had.

Sasuke shakes his head. "Akemi, I'm not a fool. You're planning on bringing them back, aren't you."

I bit my lip but don't say anything. Maybe if I stayed silent he would leave the situation alone. I was unfortunate though because my team mate was very stubborn.

Sasuke exhales roughly. "Do you even know how dangerous this is?" He hisses at me with a glare.

"I know the risks involved." I say finally. There was no point in staying silent, he knew me too well and I knew him well enough that he wasn't going to leave this alone.

"This makes the whole journey redundant. We have spent months; years trying to get rid of them." Sasuke says with a look of frustration on his face.

I turn my head away from him. "I know."

Sasuke's glare intensifies. "Then why are you doing this?"

I turn around so I was facing the younger Uchiha fully, his hand still holding onto my arm. "I don't want people to die. I don't want us to lose this war and I think we just might." I say to him, confiding in him. I know that I could trust Sasuke to keep this a secret, he has never let me down before.

"And you believe we will unless we use them." Sasuke says.

I sigh lightly. "Sasuke, when I first came to this world, I saw you guys like characters and not actual people. I could predict your moves, what you were going to say and how you would react. Back then I didn't realise that you all were real and that you didn't follow a script. It took me a while to get my head around it. When I first came to this world, I promised myself that I wasn't going to let myself become too emotionally involved but I have."

Sasuke stays silent, letting me vent.

I smile fondly as I reminisced about the past. "But all that went out the window I met you guys. Meeting you guys made me realise that I couldn't help but feel attached. Meeting Haku and Naruto made me feel protective of them, being as close to siblings as we can be without blood. Meeting Itachi made me want to help you and him come back together. And meeting you…" I say, but my voice drifts off as I spoke.

Sasuke squeezes my arm, inching for me to keep talking.

I look up to Sasuke. "Meeting you made me want to help you. I wanted you to be happy, no matter how angry and arrogant you were." I laugh slightly remembering how angry I got when he snubbed me multiple times.

Sasuke eyes soften as he looks at me. "And you have helped me." His tone was almost a whisper that I nearly didn't hear it.

I wet my lips. "You guys all have futures; families. I want to make sure all you guys have that."

The younger Uchiha stares at me. "What about you?" Sasuke asks.

I send him a confused look. "What do you mean?" I ask.

"You want everyone to have a future; what about you? What about your future? Don't you want a family?" Sasuke asks me, his features softening as he spoke. His brows were furrowed together and he was looking at me in slight concern.

I look to the ground and I laugh bitterly. "In all honesty, I didn't imagine I would live this long. I thought I would end up dying and not come back."

Sasuke's grip on my arm tightened slightly.

"I promised myself years ago that I wouldn't get romantically involved with anyone. I said that it was a distraction, weakness." I say looking at the ground.

Hurt flashes in Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke let's go of my arm. "Loving someone isn't a weakness."

I look up and see Sasuke staring at me with something in his eyes that I couldn't detect. "Loving someone can also give you strength." Sasuke says before walking away.

My jaw drops slightly as I watched him walk away back to the living room. I hear Naruto greet him loudly and Sasuke give back a snarky reply. However, I just stood there in shock, my body frozen in place.

Was Sasuke… implying something?

But why did my face feel warm? And why was my heart beating faster?

I place a hand over where my heart was and shook my head. I turn around to go into my room, trying to calm my racing heart and warm face. I don't know what just happened, but why did I feel warm all of a sudden?

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

The next day, I was sitting in the Ichiraku stand looking at my steaming hot bowl of spicy chicken ramen. I had ordered it but now I wasn't so hungry. That morning, I had went to Tsunade's office for our usual lesson. The class that I usually taught in the morning had be cancelled because of the war meeting that was going on, which was why my personal lesson with Tsunade had also been cancelled. Everyone who was a Jonin and above was to attend, that's why I wasn't with Itachi or Haku, because they were there. Sasuke was off training and I don't know where Naruto was.

I thought that maybe I could be allowed into the meeting but I wasn't.

And that bummed me out.

Lately, Tsunade had been distancing herself from me. Usually, when she would train me, she would be really fun and make me enjoy the lessons. Tsunade would be like the mentor I would have liked Yukiko to be, but now she didn't even smile when training me. Yesterday was an example of how she would treat me usually, but that seemed to be a one off for her now.

It felt like I had been pushed aside.

Sighing, I look at my ramen again, still not feeling hungry even though it smelt and looked heavenly. I knew that Naruto would be cursing me for wasting a perfectly good bowl of ramen.

"Akemi-chan?" I hear Naruto's voice at my side. I turn my head and see Naruto standing beside me with a concerned look.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asks me sitting down on the stool next to me.

I purse my lip together. "Not really." I admit, seeing no point in lying to him. Naruto could usually tell when I was lying, sometimes he would buy my lies though. It was always Sasuke that could tell when I was lying and I don't know how. Actually, I couldn't lie to Itachi either, maybe Uchiha's are just good at detecting liars. Haku knew me too well for me to lie to him, except when it came to his cooking of course.

Naruto ordered his ramen quickly before turning back to me. "What's the matter?" He asks, concern in his blue eyes.

"Tsunade's… been distant." I tell him.

Naruto's brows furrow. "What do you mean?"

I slump in my seat and look up to the ceiling. "She's stopped telling me stuff, she isn't letting me get involved much anymore. It's like everything is a secret."

"Maybe she's just stressed about the war." Naruto suggests with a thoughtful look.

I nod my head. "I thought so too."

Naruto's ramen was quickly served to him making the Uzumaki grin. Naruto grabbed some chopsticks and broke them apart. I smile at him, Naruto certainly loved his ramen. He was just about to dig into his ramen when he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

I blink a few times in bewilderment and look around; Naruto was no were to be seen. All was left was the chopsticks and the bowl of ramen that he never got to eat out of. I felt a little worried at first, people don't just disappear like that so suddenly. Also, Naruto would never leave his ramen uneaten.

It took me a few minutes to remember why he just suddenly disappeared. Naruto had been reversed summoned Mount Myōboku to speak with Gamamaru, the Great Toad Sage, and then would gain all of Kurama's chakra. There was just one issue, the reason Naruto was brought to Mount Myōboku was because Jiraiya had died, but he was very much alive. Had Jiraiya asked for this to happen now? Before going on the three year training gap, I told Jiraiya not to try tamper with the seal at all and sending Naruto into a frenzy. He had taken my advice because he believed that Naruto wasn't ready yet. Does Jiraiya think that Naruto is ready now? Feeling calmer than before, I look at my own bowl of ramen feeling slightly hungry and pick up some chopsticks decided to eat my ramen.

The next thing I know, my vision is clouded and I feel like I'm flying. I open my eyes, having closed them in shock and I see I am in an unfamiliar place. I look around and see Naruto along with Shima and Fukasaku.

My eyes widen, I was in Mount Myōboku!

Naruto didn't seem to have realised that he was eating something that definitely wasn't ramen. When his taste buds kicked in, he stopped and look down at what he was eating. A hue of green appeared on Naruto's face as he made wrenching sounds.

Shima yells at him. "Don't you dare throw up here!"

"It was vile!" Naruto yells back, his face full of disgust. He was holding his throat, as though what he just ate was poison.

Fukasaku sighs at the two and shakes his head.

"Urm… why am I here?" I ask, getting their attention.

Naruto looks at me. "Akemi-chan? How are you here?"

I shrug my shoulders. "Beats me." I thought that only certain humans were allow here. The humans I know that have definitely been here are: Jiraiya, Minato and Naruto. It was incredibly hard to find unless you know the secret route which I did not.

Shima clears her throat. "Gamamaru would like to see you, both of you. He wants to give you your predictions." She says, looking at both myself and Naruto.

Naruto and I share a look.

I was utterly confused. I knew that Naruto got a prediction, but it had been about Sasuke in the anime. I wonder what his would be now, but why was I getting one?

We followed Fukasaku and Shima from the hut and began walking towards the chamber of Gamamaru. As we walked, I took the chance to have a look around. Everything looked so bright and peaceful. Just being here made me feel lighter and happier. Naruto seemed at ease too, though he had already been here before.

Seeing Gamamaru was something I would never forget. He is one of the largest inhabitants of Mount Myōboku. Gamamaru is brown in colour, with a white belly, is much wrinkled and had a squint in his eyes. He wears a professor's hat with tassels and an orb on top of it. He also wears a necklace with the toad's village symbol on it. Gamamaru was sitting in a shallow pool of water which has the kanji for "sage" inscribed on it.

Near Gamamaru stood another toad, this one was Gerotora. He is a black and orange toad with dark markings around his eyes, mouth and a circular mark just below his mouth. I knew that he was a scroll toad, his abdomen can extend to reveal a scroll which is concealed. It kind of gives him the appearance of wearing an obi. He was the one who had the key to the Eight Trigrams Seal located in his scroll-abdomen.

When we were close enough, Fukasaku announces. "I've brought them forth."

Naruto grins. "Sup! It's been a while, Giant Grampa Sage!"

Gamamaru laughs. "Ho Ho! It was I who called you two forth." His eyes squinted at us again, "Urm… who are you again?"

Naruto's eye twitches. "Uzumaki Naruto! Can you give me a break and at least remember my name, Giant Grampa Sage?" He pouts towards the end, showing he wasn't that offended.

"Ho Ho! That's right, I remember you!" Gamamaru says, laughter in his tone. He then looks to me, "And you?"

I swallow, feeling slightly nervous. "Nakahara Akemi." I tell him.

Gamamaru makes a noise of acknowledgment. "Ah yes, our little dimension hopper!"

Fukasaku sighed to himself and shook his head.

"Naruto! I have seen your future." Gamamaru announces.

Naruto relaxes slightly. "That's fine, I'm ready for it."

At this, Gamamaru opens his eyes. "In that case, calm your heart and listen. You will soon meet and octopus."

Naruto looked confused for a moment, but then he saw my smile. Gamamaru was referring to Killer B, who would help Naruto with Kurama. Naruto looks back to the Toad Sage and nods his head. "Understood."

"And then you will be involved in a great battle with a man wielding power in his eyes." Gamamaru tells him.

I purse my lips. That could be talking about anyway: Madara or Obito, it could mean either of them. At least this time it wasn't referring to Sasuke, and that was because Sasuke was on our side and not with Madara or Obito.

Naruto's face turned serious. "I understand."

Fukasaku looks to the Uzumaki. "What d'ya mean ya understand?"

"You know who the man is wielding power in his eyes?" Gamamaru asks.

Naruto nods. "I have an idea and I am prepared for it." We were all preparing for the war. Sasuke and Naruto were constantly training and so was I. We were all working on fighting together and our team work and I can say that we were pretty good. A day hadn't gone by that we weren't training or making strategies.

Gamamaru turns to me. "And now for your prediction."

I tense slightly.

"Akemi, you have many paths you can follow. Your future is forever changing. However, two situations keep replaying in my vision, either one will decide your future." Gamamaru announces, his old voice echoing in the hall we were in.

I grab Naruto's hand for reassurance.

"There is a woman, who had the same power as you but at the same time different. You two will fight and only one will come out alive." Gamamaru tells me.

Naruto's grasp on my hand tightens.

I look to the ground. The woman he was referring to could be none other than Yukiko. She was the only person who had the Shīringu other than me. But how were they different? The part that sent shivers down my spine though was the second part.

Gamamaru looks to Gerotora beside him. "Gerotora! I have foreseen your transfer into Naruto as well."

Gerotora seems shocked. "W-what did you say?!"

"Hand over the Fourth's seal to him." Gamamaru tells him.

Gerotora still didn't look to happy about this. "If you say so, Great Elder. I don't care anymore." When he was finished speaking, he rose and began to stretch to his full height, showing his stripped middle that was a scroll. The scroll unwrapped revealing the key to Naruto's seal.

Naruto's eyes widen when he sees the scroll. "This is…"

I activate my Shīringu and nearly gasped. The complexity of this was amazing, beyond anything I could have ever imagined. There were thousands upon thousands of little components in this scroll that made up the seal. It truly was amazing.

"This is the key to the Fourth Hokage's seal that he left on your stomach." Gerotora says. "With this, if you think it is right, ya could release the Kyuubi completely."

Naruto stared at the scroll.

I look around. "Why am I here?" That had been bothering me. Naruto could have given me my prediction, I didn't really need to be here yet I was.

Gerotora look to me. "Jiraiya wanted you here to help in case anything does go wrong. He's mentioned how you have a skill for sealing."

I nod my head, now understanding why I was here. Nothing did go wrong in the anime, but at least now there was a safety net in case it did.

"Press your hand on the square area." Gerotora instructs Naruto.

Naruto nods his head and looks at his hand, looking a little apprehensive.

"This is your chance to perfect the technique that Jiraiya spoke of." Gerotora says.

"This is the key to releasing the Kyuubi." Naruto mutters, mainly to himself.

I grab his hand, making him look at me. "You can do this Naruto-kun." I say with an encouraging smile on my face.

Naruto slowly returns the smile and looks back to the scroll. The tips of his right fingers begin to glow with chakra and he walks forward. Once close enough, he stretches his arm out and places his hand on the square space.

Gerotora nods his head. "The contract is made. We'll do the storage."

Naruto takes his hand away. "So, how do you do this storage?"

I place a hand over my mouth, knowing what was coming next. To say Naruto wasn't going to like this was an understatement.

Gerotora wraps the scroll up and goes back to normal size. "You don't have to do anything. You just have to open your mouth."

"My mouth?" Naruto repeats, confused.

"Yes, say ah." Gerotora says.

Naruto opens his mouth slightly.

"Open wider!" Gerotora shouts.

Naruto shoots him an annoyed look before opening his mouth all it could go.

"Here we go! Storage!" Gerotora yells as he launches himself towards Naruto and into his mouth, getting caught halfway.

I look away to snigger to myself.

Naruto begins to make wrenching sounds like he was going to throw up. Tears were rolling down his eyes and his hands were twitching. All he wanted to do was get Gerotora away from and to wash his mouth out thoroughly.

Fukasaku kicks Naruto, the surprise making the Uzumaki swallow Gerotora whole. A disturbed look was on Naruto's face, his eyes were wide and his skin pale. Naruto fell to his knees and began to cough.

"Storage successful." Fukasaku says.

I snigger just a bit too loudly making Naruto look over to me. "You knew this was going to happen?!" He shouts at me.

I burst out laughing. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun!"

"How could you do this to me Akemi-chan?!" Naruto yells at me, tears streaming down his face at the betrayal.

Fukasaku grins at the exchange. "Now it time to take ya back to Konoha and then you can search for the octopus."

Naruto looks up, no longer kidding around. "That's right, the premonition was that I'll meet and octopus. Any hints?" He asks, still glaring at me slightly for what he went through.

"It's on an island. A place were humans do not go near. It is a paradise for all living creatures." Gamamaru says. "I think it would make a nice resort for me."

Naruto grins at the image of an exotic island.

"The octopus should help you there." Gamamaru says. "There you will have your guidance."

Naruto salutes. "Yes, sir!"

Activating my Shīringu, I check Naruto over and everything seemed to be fine. I sigh in relief, nothing went wrong and Kurama didn't get out. Just like in the anime, it went smoothly. I deactivate my Shīringu, no longer needing it.

Fukasaku claps his hands together. "Right, I'll send ya back to the Konoha."

As Fukasaku was making the necessary hand seals, Gamamaru gets my attention. "Nakahara Akemi,"

I look up to the large Toad Sage.

"If you die, there will be no coming back for you." Gamamaru tell me.

I frown and nod my head solemnly. I already knew this, Nora had warned me beforehand. I didn't get another chance at life, I had to fight hard to get another chance when I was going through the trial. The Angels certainly didn't made it easy, and if it wasn't for Michael slipping up I wouldn't be here right now.

The next thing I knew, a cloud of smoke blocked my vision and I felt like I was flying. When that feeling stopped, I opened my eyes and saw I was back in the Ichiraku ramen stand and not on Mount Myōboku.

Teuchi was standing there, looking at me and Naruto in shock. "H-how?!"

Naruto grins. "Sup!"

Teuchi sighs and slumps slightly. "You two just disappeared and appeared again out of nowhere. What happened?"

I laugh slightly. "Well, it's a bit of a funny story."

I was about to start the tale, but I was cut off when I heard a rather shrill sound. I turn my head and so did Naruto to see a black crow circling over Ichiraku ramen. Narrowing my eyes, I noticed that it looked different to any crows that I had seen before.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and Naruto, making us look in their direction.

Itachi was stood there with his arms crossed. His obsidian eyes glaring at both I and Naruto with annoyance shining in his eyes. Beside him was Sasuke, who looked equally as annoyed as his older brother but had a harder time hiding it.

"Where have you two been?" Itachi demands.

Naruto grins at him sheepishly, feeling the obvious tension. "Ah, it… a funny story really…"

"Tsunade has everyone looking for you two." Sasuke cuts in, a scowl on his face.

My brows furrow together. Naruto, I could understand, but why was I included in this?

Itachi grabs Naruto by the scruff of his collar and drags him away. Sasuke in turn grabs my arm and pulls me slightly more gently than Itachi did to Naruto.

"You'll be the death of me woman." Sasuke mutters under his breathe.

I grin at him. "At least it'll be a fin death then."

The glare I received from the younger Uchiha sent me into a fit of giggles. It also made my heart beat jump a little, which I chose to ignore.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN

Sasuke practically dragged me to Tsunade's office and Itachi with Naruto. It turned out the crow was Itachi's summoning, his name being Kuro. This was the bird that had Shisui's eye. Once in Tsunade's office, I and Naruto were greeted with glares. Tsunade was sat at her desk with Jiraiya standing right beside her looking just as cross. Haku was standing in the corner along with Kakashi. When Haku saw me, he sighed in relief and seemed to relax more, but he still looked serious.

"Has something happened?" I ask, feeling the tension in the room.

Tsunade sighs. "Where were you two?"

Naruto frowns, not understand why it was so tense. "We both got reversed summoned to Mount Myōboku."

Tsunade's gaze flew to Jiraiya, along with everyone else in the room. A sheepish grin made its way to his face. "Oops." Jiraiya says guilty, rubbing the back of his head at the mistake.

"Has something happened?" I ask.

"We were worried that Naruto had been kidnapped by the Akatsuki." Kakashi tells me.

Haku speaks up, his serious look matching everyone else's in the room. "There was a trail of bodies leading to Konoha found by Anko and her team. We feared that the person who left the trail of bodies may have snuck into the village and taken Naruto."

Itachi looked to me. "And then no one could find you."

"We all feared that you may have been captured too." Sasuke says, sending me an accusing glare.

I roll my eyes at him.

Tsunade sends me a withering look. "Akemi, you need to be more sensible."

"Why?" I ask, there was something that she was trying to tell me but I wasn't picking up on it. Had something happened in the war meeting with the Elders?

Jiraiya spoke up. "The Elders are becoming suspicious of people after Yukiko's betrayal." He says, sending me a pointed glance.

Sasuke's eyes widen slightly when he realised what was being implied. "They think that Akemi is a traitor." Sasuke mutters lowly.

"What?!" I shout along with Naruto. I couldn't help but feel offended, they thought that I was a traitor?!

I was met with silence though, indicating that it was true.

"Why is Akemi-chan under suspicion?" Naruto demands fiercely.

I take in a shaky breath. "It's because Yukiko was my teacher, wasn't it?" I ask, even though I knew the answer.

Tsunade grimly nods her head.

Something clicked in my head. That's why Tsunade had been acting so distant, she'd been trying to get the Elders off my back. Tsunade was teaching me but they didn't know that. I was under direct scrutiny because of Yukiko, they thought that I was a spy for her. So when I disappeared along with Naruto, they must have assumed the worst.

"That's a load of crap." Sasuke says.

"I know." Tsunade says before looking to me, "Just try and be careful in the future."

I nod my head. "I'll try."

Jiraiya looked to Naruto. "So what happened?"

Naruto frowns. "I was given a premonition by the Toad Sage. It said I was to go to an island and meet an octopus."

"Huh?" Haku says, looking completely baffled.

Jiraiya looks to me. "Do you have any idea?"

I nod my head. "Naruto-kun is to go to an island to meet Killer B, the Jinchuuriki for the Eight Tails, which happens to be like an octopus. It's there that he will help you." I tell them, looking at Naruto as I said this.

Naruto slowly nods his head, understanding what I was saying. "He also said I was going to be fighting someone with power in his eyes." Naruto says.

"But could mean Obito or Madara." I say.

The room was silent for a moment, taking in what was said.

Jiraiya was the one to break it though. "Did you receive a premonition Akemi?" He asks looking at me directly.

I nod my head.

"What was it?" Itachi asks.

I look at the ground, I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out. I did this a few times, but no matter how hard I tried, the words would come out the way I wanted them to. Naruto saw that I was struggling and decided to help me out. "She was told that she would fight with Yukiko and only one of them would come out alive." Naruto says looking at me with a worried expression.

Tsunade inhaled sharply and Jiraiya had a pained look on his face.

"So that means…" Haku mutters.

"That either I have to kill Yukiko… or she'll kill me." I say, finishing what Haku began saying.