Behind the Mask
Rated: T for language and violence
Disclaimer: Naruto characters (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Summary: We all wear masks. But that only makes it harder to tell the difference between truth and lies.

Note:Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Sorry this chapter is so late.

4 reviews till next time

024: 生命
(l i f e)

It was no Genjutsu this time and he wished desperately with all his soul that it was. He squeezed his eyes shut and began to pray to whatever gods were out there. He even performed a Genjutsu release just in case. Yet none of this changed the fact that when he opened his eyes, she was still lying there on the ground, as lifeless as when he first looked at her. He raced over, widely calling her name, not caring if anyone else in the forest could hear him.

The blood was pounding loudly in his ears, drowning out any of the noise around him. Her eyelids were closed, almost as peacefully as if she were sleeping. He dove to the ground beside her and grabbed her hand that was lying listlessly by her side. It was cold to the touch.

"Oh gods no…" He cried helplessly.

There was no blood anywhere, but she looked worn and tired. Purplish bruises tinted the skin underneath her eyes. Her skin was a deathly pale color. His hands fluttered over her helplessly. He gathered her frail body into his arms, and pressed her tightly into his chest, his face burying itself in her hair.

"SAKURA!"

The satisfying sound of a blade slicing through rope rang through the quiet morning air and Temari immediately brought her wrists to her face, studying them. There were a few angry red marks encircling her wrists, due to her pulling at her binds, but they were otherwise unharmed. The masked shinobi sheathed the large blade that he had been sharpening yesterday and then sat down on a large rock.

Temari got up, numbly trying to stretch out her limbs. "So you finally cut my binds a full day after you agreed to train me. Thanks." Spat Temari.

"That will have to go." The man replied stoically without looking at her.

"What?" Temari snapped as she turned toward him.

"That mouth. It has go if you expect me to train you." He repeated.

Temari stared at him, her mouth agape, leaving her looking very much like a fish out of water. The man turned toward her and motioned with his hand for her to shut her mouth which she promptly did, but not without a scowl. "If you want me to train you," He continued, "You'll need to show me some respect. I know that might be hard for you, considering your background. Hell, you were even a brat when I last saw you…"

Temari's eyes widened with each accusation he made against her. How dare he call her a brat!

"Nevertheless," Said the man, acting as if he didn't see her infuriated look, "What I am here to teach you is discipline. And to start learning that, all backtalk is prohibited." The man finished, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Temari narrowed her eyes and decided to test her limits. "And what happens if I do?"

The man turned to face her and Temari could swear she saw the glint of his eyes behind his mask. "I regret to say, Feng Temari, I will not be as lenient as your previous instructors."

"I don't do well with veiled threats. Maybe you could make that clearer for me." Temari responded.

Slowly, the man put down his blade. Temari stood facing him, her arms lightly by her side. She was egging him to respond, waiting to gauge his reaction. What type of shinobi was this man? She couldn't ever recall seeing him, although he apparently knew her. Would he react with a temper? If so, then he was not the person that should be preaching to her about 'discipline'. The air suddenly became heavy with tension and Temari became unsure of her actions. Why hadn't he responded? When she was about to open her mouth, the man just vanished from the rock in front of her.

Temari's eyes widened and she took a surprised step back. That had definitely been unexpected – Temari neither saw nor heard him move a muscle. There was a rustle in the wind and Temari moved to take a step forward when a hand shot out, grabbing at her neck and pushing it forward. Temari couldn't help but release a sharp gasp.

"Do not bait me, Feng-xiaojie." The man said, "I won't hesitate to break you, no matter who your father is. Is that clear enough?"

Temari shivered as she felt his fingers scuttle over her neck once more before disappearing. The man re-appeared in his seat on the rock, almost as if he had never vanished to begin with. "Do we understand each other?" He asked, his voice casual.

Temari took a deep breath, as she tried to calm her nerves. Although she would never admit it to herself, let alone him, the previous encounter had actually scared Temari. "I understand."

Naruto was never good at waiting…for anything. As a kid, he had always been hyperactive, giving him the nickname the Number One Hyperactive Shinobi. All in all, his patience was thin, and it was even thinner when he was anxious. And right now, Uzumaki Naruto was anxious. Naruto had his scarf bundled in his hands and he had been wrapping and unwrapping it from his hand for the past hour as he paced anxiously in front of the door where Tsunade was currently checking over Sakura.

Beside him, Kakashi was sitting cross legged on the ground, his back resting against the wall. He held his favorite orange book in his hands, but he made no attempt to read it. He listened to the constant creek of Naruto's feet pacing over the wooden floor and Kakashi found rather than annoy him, he found the sound comforting. He didn't bother to tell Naruto to 'sit down' because Sakura 'would be fine'. Kakashi knew Naruto too well that those sort of false, superficial comments would do nothing to ease the boy's anxiousness and worry.

Plus, Kakashi wasn't the sort to make a comment that could very well end up not coming true.

Hours seemed to past by in Naruto view as he waited and waited in vain for Tsuande to come out and give him the news of Sakura's condition. Would she be ok? Would she not be ok? Was she… Naruto didn't want to think the possibility, but his subconscious shouted it out for him: dead. He frisked a hand through his blond hair. What could she have possibly gotten herself into that she had gotten so hurt? Sometimes, Sakura's irrationality really irked him. He was the one that was supposed to do stupid and impulsive things and she was the one who was supposed to yell at him for doing it, not the other way around.

He would yell at her when he finally saw her. He would yell at her until he was blue in the face to make sure that she understood just how drastic her actions had been and just how stupid she had been to do them. Then he would claim he forgave her and they would hug and everything would be right in his universe again. That was considering she did wake up, but Naruto would like to think she would. Positive thinking was supposed to be…well, positive wasn't it?

Naruto angrily flung himself down on the floor, his head snapping back and hitting the wall. He dropped the scarf and his hands curled into fists as he slammed his head back against the wall once more. Kakashi's eye slid over to Naruto's prone form. He considered speaking to him, but Kakashi decided against it and the moment passed.

More hours moved by at the pace of a snail and Naruto tinkered with a kunai, cutting rivets in Tsunade's hard wood floor. Tsunade would no doubt have his ass for it later, but little else mattered in Naruto's mind other than Sakura. His hands and his feet were shaking slightly from so much bottled up energy and anxiousness. Naruto realized it probably wasn't healthy or normal.

Finally, the door opened and Naruto snapped up to greet Tsunade and Shizune like a spring. Tsuande, however, only closed the door behind her, barring Naruto's attempts to steal inside. Kakashi got up rather lethargically and stuffed the small book back in his vest. He had not opened it the entire time.

"Well…?" Naruto demanded impatiently.

Tsuande only gave the boy a tired look. A single tear ran down Tsunade's cheek and Naruto blanched at the sight. Even Kakashi paled a bit. Tsunade had lost many people dear to her in her lifetime and she was no doubt accustomed to the pain. For Tsunade to cry again… it didn't exactly spell out anything happy in Naruto's mind. Naruto's heart was pounding in his chest and in his ears. He was an emotional wreck and he knew the others could sense it.

"She's not dying." Tsunade said finally.

And like a punctured balloon, all the air deflated from Naruto and he felt he could finally breathe.

"But…" Ah, the infamous but. "She is in a coma." Finished Tsunade.

"Hm." Said Kakashi, his eyes cast to the ground.

"In a coma?" Naruto screeched, louder than intended. "What does that mean?" He thundered. Of course he knew what it meant to be in a coma. He wasn't as stupid as many intended him to be. But he wanted to know what that spelled out for Sakura in the whole scheme of life and death.

Tsunade sighed wearily. She was very tired. "She's exhausted to say the least. Her chakra levels were dangerously low. I saw she already consumed five soldier pills just to maintain the energy needed to fight whoever she was fighting which can be risky business in its own right. But…none of this is what put her in a coma."

"What did?" Asked Kakashi quietly.

"Someone with a lot of experience in Medical Ninjutsu put her in a forced coma. The Shosen Jutsu, as you know, is a simple medical technique that is used to heal. However, when used with dangerously high chakra levels, the user can force an unhealthy amount of chakra into a victim's body which can in turn, overload the victim's circuitry and trap them in a comatose state. It's going to take both time and patience to slowly pull Sakura back. I'll need you to be patient Naruto." At this, Tsunade looked directly at him.

Instead of the outburst that Tsunade expected, Naruto remained rather docile. "Can I see her?" He asked.

Tsunade considered for a moment before obliging. Quietly, Naruto slipped around Tsunade and into the room, closing the door lightly behind him.

Kakashi watched him go, his eyes weary. "Is that it, Sifu Tsunade?"

"No."

Kakashi's head snapped up, an almost surprised look on his face. He motioned for her to continue.

"The chakra circuits in her right leg are totally shot. Surgery is needed to open them back up, but I want Sakura to wake up before I perform it. The only problem is, if they are closed for too long…they could seal permanently and she'll never be able to gather chakra in her right leg again."

Kakashi closed his eye soundlessly. Of all the people for these things to happen to…

Glossary:
Sifu - Master

Naruto shut the door behind him, the room going pitch black around him. Only the dull evening moonlight shining through the window cast any sort of light in the room. Naruto pulled the blanket Sakura was tucked under back and quietly shifted onto the bed next to her, pulling the covers tight around them. He slowly wrapped his arms around her and tucked her into his chest.

Delicately, he stoked her hair and noted that her breathing was a whole lot more stable than when he first found her. That fact gave Naruto comfort. They used to do this a lot over the years – share a bed. It wasn't anything sexual, although perhaps the thought had crossed Naruto's mind a few times. It was usually after a particularly taxing mission. One where someone had to be killed, or an innocent had died in the process. It became common practice that one of them ended up at the others house, late at night.

It was hard to sleep after something like that, and it was like they needed someone else to prove their existence, to prove that they didn't mean nothing in this world. Shinobi were taught to have no emotions. In fact, it was something that Kakashi had drilled into their heads the moment he and Sakura started to train under him. It wasn't that Kakashi wanted them to be emotionless; it was more that children didn't and couldn't understand the emotional maturity needed to be a shinobi. Kakashi was trying to preserve their innocence in a way; by teaching them that emotions were a hindrance on the battlefield.

Later, he and Sakura learned how to balance on the fine line between the emotionless state required to be a shinobi and the emotional state needed to be a human being. Naruto finally understood why Kakashi used to go away on ANBU missions cold and aloof and come back to Naruto, sweeping him into his arms the moment he walked in the door. He understood why Kakashi would yell and berate Naruto to no end on the battle and training field as if he didn't care for him and then cook him yuntun mian afterwards without a care in the world.

Being a shinobi was a profession. You checked your emotions at the door when you went to work. But it was also ironic that in order to survive their profession in the long run and keep from going crazy, emotions were your key to existence.

But sometimes, where Sakura was concerned, the line became blurred. He worried about her on the battlefield. If something were to happen to her, then how was he to survive? But if he cared too much, it could be a distraction and he could end up getting them both killed.

"You idiot." Naruto murmured into her hair. "Who the hell were you fighting that you got so beat up?"

He listened to the sound of her breathing for a few minutes before bending down to briefly rest his lips against her forehead.

"I'll always love you, you know that?"

He left the question unanswered and closed his eyes, finally drifting into a peaceful sleep.

Glossary:
Yuntun mian - Noodle soup with wonton

Sakura swiveled her head soundlessly and her hands reached out to touch the surrounding area. Yet when she reached out, she felt nothing, nothing but the velvety darkness that was surrounding her, suffocating her. She tried to call out. Where was she? How did she get here? But when she opened her mouth, no words came out, not even a squeak of words tying to be spoken. Even her feet clattered soundlessly as she moved toward her destination, yet where that destination was, Sakura had no clue. Was she even moving at all, or was her walking just a repetitive cycle that would yield no results?

Just as suddenly as Sakura found herself in the strange dark void, she had emerged somewhere else, or rather the background had suddenly shifted behind her. The sunlight was blinding, almost too intense for Sakura' eyes. She immediately brought her hand up to shield them from the intense rays and found with surprise that she recognized her surroundings.

"Konoha." She murmured and then her hand flew to her throat in surprise that the words and sounds had actually emerged.

It was Konoha indeed, but a Konoha that was hazy and bright, with certain elements moving simultaneously in and out of focus. It reminded Sakura of an old photograph and then, with her acute mind, Sakura realized exactly where she was. Although this Konoha seemed real and felt real, it was in fact, a memory. Sakura silently marveled at this fact as she took a deep breath, inhaling the soft and sweet air around her. Perhaps it was a bit sweeter than the air usually was, but Sakura chalked it up to it being a memory. Everything was always better in a memory right?

A warm wind blew past Sakura and she could almost feel it. The sun was still high in the sky and its warmth tickled her skin. She poked her head around the tree she was standing by and was almost surprised to see herself sitting there – her five year old self that is. Sakura grimaced as she stared at her younger self, sitting in the grass, her arms wrapped around legs that were pressed into her chest, her chin resting on her knees. Sakura recognized that pose. It was what she did whenever she wanted to disappear, to sink into nothingness.

Five hadn't been an easy age for Sakura. Her mother had given her a hideous boyish hair cut that that she claimed was practical for a girl so young. Sakura, however, deemed it ugly and it didn't help that the rest of the kids her age thought so as well. Sakura hesitantly bent down beside herself and fingered the pink locks that had been unceremoniously hacked off. She sighed and sat down on the grass, pulling herself into the same pose as her five year old counterpart.

It was almost depressing when Sakura realized this was her childhood. She had done so well pushing these memories into the deepest corners of her mind over the years, never to be touched again. The days when she had been a nobody, and maybe aptly so. Her parents were nobodies, so what did that make her? Her father had come from a long line of mediocre shinobi, nothing that would ever be comparable to the great clans of Konoha. Her mother had been brought into the family through an arranged civilian marriage. Probably the greatest shining moment in her own family history was when her mother decided to become a shinobi, even at her advanced age. She would have been good too; maybe the most promising non-shinobi born to ever serve Konoha, except it was dampened and killed by the fact that she had become pregnant with Sakura.

Sakura looked ahead of her and saw a few children playing in the distance. They were particularly clear, which gave Sakura insight that they must have been the focus of her memory. She could hear their squeals of delight and precocious laughter that was so common for children of that age. They were playing a rather intense game of jacks where instead of a ball being thrown up, it was a kunai knife. It was clear who all the players were: the Yamanaka, the Aburame, the Nara, the Akimichi and the Inuzuka. A gathering of Konoha's most prominent clans and they were still but children. It stung Sakura with the knowledge that she would never be one of them.

Sakura stood up abruptly, more than ready to flee the memory when the scenery shifted just as quickly as Sakura had stood up. She was standing on the Konoha bridge, the rush of the waterfall keen to her ears. She found her younger self sitting with her legs freely dangling over the bridge, her arms limp by her side. Fresh tears were spilling from her jade green eyes and her nose was puffy and red like a tomato. Unlike before, another girl sat cheerily beside Sakura, her pale hand patting Sakura's back with reassurance.

"Ino." Sakura muttered, her voice empty and unforgiving.

While older Sakura seemed at most annoyed by the blond girl's presence, younger Sakura seemed to enjoying her company, or at least found comfort in it. Yamanaka Ino was one of the most promising young shinobi in Sakura's generation. She would one day be heir to the Yamanaka Clan and already, at the age of five, had a good grasp of the most basic of her family's mind jutsus. Plus, she was beautiful. Her face was fresh with youthful girlishness, of unbroken promises and confidence, coupled with clearest blue eyes that Sakura had ever seen until she met Naruto. Her pretty blond hair was pulled up into a long graceful ponytail which gave Sakura reason enough to envy her already.

"Boys are stupid." Ino was telling younger Sakura. "They only say those things to girls because they have nothing better to do." Even her voice was graceful, filled with a musical quality that Sakura knew she woefully lacked. Ino was probably capable of singing beautiful ballads with that voice while Sakura could barely carry a note.

Younger Sakura sniffled and it was an unpleasant sound. Older Sakura grimaced. "B-But they pick on m-me because m-my f-forehead is b-big." Younger Sakura sobbed. New tears fell from her eyes and fell to the water down below. Older Sakura subconsciously put a hand to her forehead.

Ino followed the tears with her eyes and didn't say anything. Younger Sakura continued to quietly sob as Older Sakura crossed her arms in front of chest, scrutinizing the scene before her. It amazed Sakura how it had never occurred to her before why exactly was Ino doing this. Why would she slum to Sakura's level? Certainly there was nothing to gain. Of course, Sakura also realized that to a child, they would never assume a potential enemy in someone, especially since they had not been hardened by the shinobi world just yet. Younger Sakura was desperately seeking comfort and of course she would accept it from the beautiful Ino.

"I know!" Exclaimed Ino brightly, her eyes lighting up. Younger Sakura looked up, dazed by the intense and dazzling look in the blonde's eyes. Would her eyes ever be that beautiful? Naruto would of course claim later that they were more beautiful than Ino's.

"W-What?" Hiccuped Sakura. She quickly put an embarrassed hand to her mouth.

"Become a shinobi!" Proclaimed Ino. "Like me!" She puffed her chest out proudly.

"A shinobi?" Younger Sakura's eyes widened at the idea. "Oh I couldn't…" She said demurely, pulling her eyes away from the shining Ino. It was ironic that in this memory-like state, Ino did in fact seem to be glowing.

"Why not?" Asked Ino confused. "You live in Konoha don't you? You parents are shinobi…right?" Younger Sakura didn't pick up on the hesitance in Ino's voice.

"They were…" Said Younger Sakura, wiping the tears from her eyes with her forefinger.

"Perfect!" Exclaimed Ino once more. "Then, you can show those no good boys just how strong you are. I bet if you become a strong kunoichi, no one will make fun of your forehead anymore!"

"R-Really?" Younger Sakura asked. Older Sakura could hear the hope in her voice. Begrudgingly, Older Sakura had to admit that Ino was right. Becoming a shinobi really was the only way she could gain the recognition needed to make the other kids stop making fun of her. Younger Sakura couldn't bring herself to tell Ino that her parents had been planning to groom her into an heiress as well – heiress to the family's bakery shop. Younger Sakura had overheard her parents discussing it one night, claiming that it would be a much safer occupation for Sakura. Younger Sakura burned with embarrassment at the thought of telling Ino that. No doubt the Yamanaka heiress would laugh to her hearts content at her. Being a shinobi would surely be fun, wouldn't it?

Ino smiled and it was a smile that brightened Sakura's entire world.

'Bitch.' Thought Older Sakura as the environment shifted around her once again. It was safe to say that Ino and Sakura were no longer friends. After their first encounter on the bridge, Ino had been elevated to an idol in young Sakura's mind. And why shouldn't she be? She was everything Sakura wasn't, including beautiful, confident and already a promising young shinobi. And Ino had remained a good friend to young Sakura, giving her encouragement when needed, defending her when other kids in the village teased her. In time, however, like all good things, it came to an end and Sakura didn't quite know why.

Was it because the blossoming young Sakura suddenly became more promising than the young Yamanaka? Because she, in time, grew out of Ino's lengthy shadow and developed into her own person? Because in time, Sakura's hair grew out once more and she attracted a few village boys of her own? Or perhaps it was because her teammate was one Uzumaki Naruto who developed quite nicely in his preteen years and managed to capture many rebelling females' hearts of his own. Sakura couldn't quite be sure. One moment, she and Ino were bonding over ice cream and the next they were glaring at each other across the street.

The scenery hadn't changed much. In fact, they were still standing on the bridge, only replacing five year-old Sakura and Ino was a six year-old Sakura and her mother, Sakura's hair finally growing past her ears, accompanied by none other than Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto. Older Sakura noted the way her mother's eyes, usually so warm and kind, were narrowed and harsh as she looked at Naruto.

"Laoshi," Said Mrs. Haruno, formally addressing Kakashi. "What is this about?"

"Haruno-taitai, Sakura." Said Kakashi nodded his head toward each of them. "I would like to introduce Uzumaki Naruto."

Older Sakura watched as Naruto hesitantly peeked out from behind Kakashi's leg to look at Sakura and her mother. She marveled at how unguarded his eyes were, how wide they were with innocence. Older Sakura smiled wistfully, wishing they could have stayed like that forever. Unfortunately, it seemed it was never within a shinobi's right to remain that innocent forever. Kakashi guided Naruto out from behind him, but that action only made Mrs. Haruno quickly pull Younger Sakura away.

"We know who he is." Mrs. Haruno snapped. "Why have you brought that…boy within the presence of my daughter?"

Older Sakura shook her head. Like the other villagers, her mother viewed Naruto with disdain and fear that come from not completely understanding Naruto's situation. It was almost sad that the Fourth Hokage's last heroic deed to the village would end up becoming outcast in the village he had helped to save. Like the other children, Younger Sakura had been taught to hate Naruto, but never understood the reason why.

"Please, let's all be civil." Kakashi suggested lightly, but Older Sakura noted the careful restraint in his voice.

Mrs. Haruno pursed her lips but didn't deign to respond.

"I have considered your offer to teach Sakura in the shinobi arts." Said Kakashi.

After her talk with Ino, young Sakura had actively pursued the career of a shinobi, much to her parent's dismay. Her mother and father had wanted her to remain bright little innocent Haruno Sakura forever, but this also meant she would remain bullied, friendless and lonely Haruno Sakura forever. Although her parents were adamant in their decision, Sakura was bright for her age and reminded her parents that they were once shinobi and it was within her familial right to become one. After that, her parents, knowing that Sakura was at a great disadvantage in becoming a shinobi, actively pursued Hatake Kakashi, who although young, had an excellent resume and reputation. Plus, he had just recently put in a request to become a Jounin instructor.

"I would be honored to accept your offer under one condition." Kakashi continued. "And that is if you allow Uzumaki Naruto to train alongside your daughter."

Older Sakura watched with a bemused expression as her mother threw a fit before her eyes. "So close minded." Older Sakura murmured to herself.

"Why don't we let Sakura decide?" Suggested Kakashi, interrupting her mother's tirade. "She is to be the one training alongside Naruto after all." Older Sakura had to commend Kakashi. He was only seventeen years-old but already willing to face the wrath of her full grown mother.

"Sakura, no." Mrs. Haruno said furiously as she stared down at her daughter. "Your father and I could never allow such a thing."

She watched as her younger self studied Naruto before hesitantly accepting Kakashi's offer. Older Sakura beamed with inner pride at her younger self and couldn't retain the excited yell that escaped her lips and her fist that pumped in the air. Who cared anyway? It was her memory and no one could hear her. And it warmed her heart anyway to see the exuberant smile that Naruto gave her before her mother angrily pulled her younger self away.

After that incident, Sakura's parents had been so infuriated with her, they almost refused to send her back to Kakashi. Sakura, however reasoned with their practical side that one did not just stand up the great Hatake Kakashi. And Sakura really couldn't see what the big deal was anyway. Uzumaki Naruto seemed like a nice, sweet boy. She had heard, through local town gossip that he was an orphan. To someone from such a low family such as Sakura's, why shouldn't she give him a chance? In fact, she felt that he was almost lucky, because he had nothing to lose. He had no family name to live up to or live down. He would be paving his own road and Sakura admired him for it.

The world suddenly turned warm around Sakura and she looked around, trying to find the source of the change. It was a comfortable warmth, the type of warmth she felt when she was in Naruto's arms. A brief smile flashed over Sakura's lips as the scene changed around her again. She planned on going back to Naruto, back to his sunshine smiles and his warm embrace. The only question was, how was she supposed to get there?

Glossary:
Laoshi - Teacher
Taitai - Refers to someone's wife, or Mrs.

"What happened?" Orochimaru's snarl ripped through the room and Kabuto flinched, his eyelid twitching in annoyance despite his fear.

"As I explained, Sifu, he encountered a Konoha shinobi. None other than the one who was befriending Temari-xiaojie." Kabuto explained, pushing his glasses back up on his nose with his finger.

Orochimaru angrily tapped his long white fingers against the windowsill. "Well, then how long will it take to have him fully healed then?" He asked, his voice exasperated.

"I'm not sure…" Said Kabuto trailing off experimentally. "The girl really did do a number on him…"

"And you're supposed to be the best at Medical Ninjutsu!" Orochimaru yelled. His hand transformed into a snake and it quickly wrapped itself around Kabuto's neck, lifting the white haired man off the ground. Curse Kakashi's student! No doubt she picked up her super strength skills from none other than Tsunade herself. Damn Tsunade.

Kabuto gasped for air as his hands uselessly tried to pry the snake off. It was times like this he really wished he could make Orochimaru pay. Kabuto made a decision that he better be repaid handsomely for telling such a white lie to Orochimaru.

"Ugh." Orochimaru cast Kabuto away with a flick and stalked back to the window. Kabuto lay sprawled on the ground, his glasses askew and his hands massaging his neck. "You just changed bodies not that long ago, you aren't due for another quite yet, Sifu Orochimaru." Kabuto said quietly.

"I suppose you're right." Orochimaru said. "But I want his shoulder fixed as soon as possible. I can't train him until he's one hundred percent. Do you understand Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked.

Kabuto bowed his head. "Yes. I'll do my best."

"I'm going to go check on him." Said Orochimaru passing Kabuto. "And don't heal your neck. I need all your reserves focused on Sasuke." He said as he left.

Kabuto sneered and his gingerly pressed a glowing green hand to his neck. Snake bastard.

Glossary:
Xiaojie - Chinese honorific, equivalent of Miss
Sifu - Master

"Good Gods. Did you see the rack on that one?"

Itachi slowly closed his eyes. Although it had been relevant for a long time now, Itachi realized with finality that concepts like 'subtlety' and 'discreetness' were completely lost on his blue haired companion and might as well have been foreign words. He let out an almost indiscernible scowl and proceeded to pinch his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose.

"Don't you have anything better to do than ogle the entire female population?" He asked, his voice calm and collected despite his irritation, although to the trained ear, you could hear the strain in his voice.

They had left from Peking that morning and were now both traveling by foot. Itachi was still irked concerning his brother's disappearance, yet he hid it well under the calm, cool and collected facade that he usually wore as a mask. He had reasoned with himself that there was nothing he could yet do for his brother until he was aware of Orochimaru's location. Time was just a luxury that Itachi could not afford which meant he couldn't go stomping around trying to locate his missing brother. Nor did he exactly want to 'stomp'.

Having already reached a small town outside of Peking, both Itachi and Kisame were bedecked in disguises that would be necessary for them to tread softly without attracting attention. And a large blue man would definitely attract attention. Unfortunately, this also meant that it gave Kisame a chance to glare lecherously at every attractive woman he saw without them running away frightened.

Kisame gave Itachi and incredulous look. "I'm sorry, but have you seen who I have for company?" He asked mockingly. Itachi gave Kisame a glare as his chakra spiked around him for a minuscule second. He reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the taller man before his Sharingan could react. It was tempting to just stun Kisame into a daze and leave his sleeping form on the side of the road, but Itachi realized the consequences of that were just too great.

"Your jokes are appreciated." Itachi said dryly.

"Lighten up!" Said Kisame, playfully hitting Itachi on the back. "It won't hurt to check out some of the pretty ladies around here." He replied as he stared at another woman who passed by. He smirked at her and waggled his fingers. "I bet you could get tons of women if you put some effort into it." Continued Kisame, "Hell, I bet you could get tons even if you put no effort into it. I regret saying that you're a good looking kid." Smirked Kisame.

Itachi rolled his eyes and let out a breath. Honestly, women were probably the farthest from his mind. He had too many other more important things to focus on. Not to mention the fact that most women he encountered were shallow. Back in Peking, he hadn't failed to notice that women did to him exactly what Kisame was doing now – ogle him. Only they happened to be more discreet than his partner was. Itachi hadn't failed to notice their eyes watching him, following him, the way they battered their eyelashes and giggled incessantly around him. It was…annoying, and to make matters worse, it happened with every single, available woman in Peking.

Itachi noted that women were obsessive and petty and for the most part…well, fan girls for lack of better term. It happened around Sasuke too, although to a lesser extent since Sasuke had rapidly become less approachable in the years following the massacre of their clan. Itachi remained cordial and polite even if the fan girls had annoyed him to no end.

"Have you ever even been with a girl?"

Itahi snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to stare into Kisame's curious blue eyes. The humor and mocking on his face had been replaced with general curiosity.

"I believe that's my business." Replied Itachi curtly. In truth, he was about as inexperienced physically with woman as a child was. But…he would never admit that.

"Today is your lucky day then." Said Kisame grinning wildly. "Take it from me. I've had my fair share of…romantic encounters with the opposite sex." He said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"I believe the correct term is rape." Itachi muttered.

Kisame's face soured instantly into a cross between a pout and a deathly glare. "Punk ass kid. I should teach you nothing for that remark…which is totally false, by the way."

"I would prefer not to be taught, thank you." Replied Itachi coolly. Itachi did a quick intake of his surroundings and adjusted the pack on his shoulder. He looked at his partner, who was not so subtly sulking. "But perhaps you would like to be reminded on how to properly perform the Henge no Jutsu." Said Itachi, irritation coloring his voice. "Your skin still has a blue tinge to it." He hissed.

Kisame shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "What can I say? Transformation was never my forte. I'm more of a…physical person, if you get my drift." Grinned Kisame.

Itachi blew out a sigh as he picked up on, and didn't particularly enjoy, Kisame's subtle innuendo.

"But what's with you anyway?" Kisame continued, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You comment on my transformation whereas yours is hardly a disguise."

"First off…" Said Itachi. "My skin isn't blue. Secondly, I need to conserve my chakra. I had to leave a Kage Bunshin behind, remember? I couldn't exactly pick up and leave. It would have been suspicious."

"Right…" Murmured Kisame thinking back. "How'd you learn how to do the Kage Bunshin anyway? I thought that was like an A-ranked jutsu within your shinobi village. How'd you manage to learn something so top secret?" Kisame asked, generally intrigued.

At this, Itachi smirked, the corner of his mouth pulling up. "I suppose we all have our little secrets, don't we Kisame?"

Kisame's reply was a grumble.

He knew that he was being presented with a unique opportunity.

In fact, he had been told as much by the man standing before him. Peculiar, this man was, but then again, so was he. He had been…wary at first. Initially, they had seemed like a bunch of ultranationalists – the type who did things so they could claim it was for the good of their country – and honesty, he wasn't all that fond established institutions or governments. But, as he had learned, life was but a fleeting moment and you had to make the most out of it while you could.

As it was, he was getting nowhere by serving his countrymen. Every day, it had felt like he was suffocating, drowning in a sea in which he could find no way to escape. Art was his passion, the sole purpose in his life and without it, he had been reduced to a life of monotony in which there was no purpose, no reason for him to live, yet no way for him to escape.

It almost reminded him of the time in his life before he found his calling. When he had listened far too much to what others said, to what others had expected of him. That he was too slender for a boy, that he shouldn't let his hair grow so long, that he should either find a real job or go to school instead of just playing with clay all day long. But he had cared what others said back then and he had been eager to please and almost a little too eager to fall in line. He decided to attend University, because that was what was expected of a boy his age.

But when he attended, he never expected to find his true calling, the one passion that he would hold forever in his heart. He had learned that action had no permanence, but inside the fleeting moments – that was where one found true art. And there was no art that could be more fleeting than art that could explode.

The man that was talking to him, he was saying something about 'peace'. It was a little strange, this whole situation. How the man appeared to be talking, but wasn't until a few seconds later that he actually heard the words. Whether he was actually hearing them or they were just inside his head, he supposed he didn't really care. He had wanted to explain to this man that there was no such thing as peace. Peace was a concept that was supposed to last forever, but there was no forever. All things came to an end.

But the man sounded so passionate in his speech that he really couldn't say a word otherwise. He had learned that other forms of art needed to be respected as well. And as long as someone found passion in something, well there really couldn't be anything wrong with that. Besides, he wasn't sure that even if he did speak, that the man wouldn't understand him anyway.

"Prove your worth to me." The man said.

He wasn't actually sure that he had anything that could be deemed worthy. But he was a showman by nature and he could give the man a spectacular show.

Jutsu:
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- Shadow Clone Technique
Henge no Jutsu-Transformation Technique

Character Corner

Name: Eguchi Asuka
Shinobi Name: Shan Deng Ling
Age: 26
Height: '5-8"
Affiliation: Iwagakure
Specializes: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Kyujutsu
Asuka is the only daughter of the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure and a shinobi mother. After Asuka's mother left, her father sent Asuka away to a private academic school in the capital where she excelled. Upon returning at the age of 10 from school one summer, he found that Asuka possessed good leadership skills and had also become a good athlete. In particular, she held impressive skills in archery. Her father pulled her out of the private school to enroll her in the Iwa shinobi academy. She graduated only 2 years later at the age of 12 and obtained a private Jounin instructor who taught her. Asuka continued to become better and better as a shinobi and was promoted to Chunin at age 13. As Asuka had finally proved her worth to her father, he began thinking of ways where her skills could be of use to him. At age 15, Asuka was promoted to Jounin and her father made her a war general. Members of the counsel looked down upon promoting a child. It angered them that a girl child should be in such a high position but she quickly won them over.

Asuka has a fiery personality and is a quick thinker on her feet. She never took advantage of having a Kage as a father. She never blamed her father for her mother leaving and instead thought it was lucky that he decided to enroll her in such a good school and later felt special that he enrolled her in the shinobi academy. It wasn't until she was promoted to Jounin and war general that she felt her father was using her. Still, she didn't waver from his decisions. Her personal relationship with her father has deteriorated and she no longer really looks up to him. Asuka is an ace archer and easily the best in the country. Her shinobi name means Mountain Gazelle.