A/N: Hello all...despite problems with another user, I am still posting and writing. I will continue until I can no longer do it or until I just don't want to (which isn't going to happen anytime soon) Props to Kishimoto-san for an excellent anime.

CH. 25: Discoveries

Gaara could hear what the teacher was saying, but he wasn't really paying attention to anything except the woman near him. Her scent was driving him crazy, fueling his desire for her. Unbeknownst to the young lady, he was fantasizing about her, imagining all the things he would do to her when the opportunity arouse.

In the weeks following the youngest member's fourteenth birthday they had no time for each other except when they were training together. Sakura had emphasized the need to prepare for when The Center struck again. Everyone from Hatori Corp was on edge because The Center had seemed to cease all activity for the month. There were no reported kidnappings, break-ins, nothing.

Nevertheless, Sakura had kept her team fit, even going as far as picking fights with him to keep them on their toes. She always apologized to him later when she picked a fight with him, claiming it was to sharpen the reaction time of the others.

Gaara glared down at the front of the classroom where their teacher was blabbering mundanely about something. He felt eyes on him and drug himself out of his thoughts to see their Biology teacher Jiraya, who was incidentally Sakura's brother-in-law, arching a brow up at him and waiting, like he was expecting the youth to answer something.

Gaara arched one non brow in a haughty way that said 'I was paying attention, I'm just not going to answer you' and Jiraya sighed, asking another student the same question. He gave a mental sigh at having escaped being ragged on by his group. Unfortunately for Gaara, Sakura wasn't fooled. She had taught all the new people how to erect mental shields against any psychic that could, or even would, scan their minds for information.

Gaara had very strong barriers now and he kept them in place for the last few days constantly, much to Sakura's chagrin. But Gaara knew that his thoughts would have made the female jinchuriki blush, as most of them revolved around him, her, and a bed (and every other place they could have sex at, on, or in). Gaara also knew that these sudden fantasies were triggered by her pheromones. She was coming into heat and it was driving him mad.

Naruto had separated himself from Sakura, only coming around her in dire emergencies, and he stayed in Hinata's company constantly. Sakura gave him a look that said 'I can't put my finger on it but something is going on' and he just smirked at her. His smile disappeared when their white haired teacher walked up to him and looked at his closed Anatomy book. "Mr. Sabaku…since you are so attentive, what are the fimbria?" he asked and smiled almost evilly at the red head.

The red head blushed as red as his hair. He knew what those where, and where they were located, but there was no way he was saying it out loud. He growled and flicked the teacher off, glaring death at the man. Feeling he'd made his point, Jiraya directed the question at Gaara's female counterpart, his own gimai- Sakura.

Sakura gave him a bored look and rattled off which gender it was on, where it was located, and what its function was. All the guys knew then why Gaara had turned red and refused to answer. Some of the guys even turned a sickly green upon discovering its location and purpose, though the female reproductive system made a few guys horny.

Sakura was thumbing through the pages when Hime popped her head out of Sakura's messenger bag with a vibrating silver pager in her mouth. She jumped on Sakura's desk with it and got the girl's attention. Jiraya noticed Sakura's pale face when she looked at the pager and nodded in understanding. Sakura quietly gathered all her operatives and they all disappeared.

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Tsunade was in her office when Sakura and company flashed in there. Sakura's face was bleak and she looked really worried. "What's wrong joji?" the blonde asked, looking at the others, who looked just as confused.

"There's been another kidnapping…and it's close to home…Lydia, mine and Karin's cousin, was reported missing twenty minutes ago by her mother. Inez is American and she lives with Lydia in the northern part of Kagure, away from Hetumi, Lydia's father. Hetumi is really messed up…it's rumored he killed his own twin sister because he hates females that much. It's probable that Hetumi hired some Center thugs to kidnap Lydia. We have to go after her." Sakura saw Karin sobbing against Kankuro and her heart clinched. Suddenly, her eyes turned very cold.

"Kankuro, take Karin, Choji, and Michi, along with squads one, three and five. Have Karin show you the way to our country home in Southern Kagure. She knows the way by heart. I want Shikamaru and Temari on squad four for this. Michi, you take care of our Obaa-chan. She'd been poisoned for a while before I cured her, and I want you to make sure she is healthy. Gaara, Sai, Shino, Shika, Temari and myself will retrieve Lydia." She hurried everyone out and they went back to prepare for either the mission or the overnight stay with Hatori's widow. Karin clung to Kankuro for support. The brunette did not like the little blonde being so upset. Sakura heard him coo to her as he took her out of the office to prepare for the trip home.

Sakura turned to Tsunade with something almost inhuman in her eyes. Tsunade could feel the guilt radiating off her little sister and she stood, circled her desk, and wrapped her arms around the black haired youth. "Joji…do not blame yourself for this…you could not have known that this would happen. Even with our gifts we don't know everything. Just get her back and ensure her safety, if you have to destroy that hell hole once and for all.

Sakura looked up at her older sister and there was a sadness in the younger girl's eyes that alarmed her. "Nee-san…when we retrieve Lydia…we are going in for her body. Hetumi already killed her…he's trying to test a resurrection jutsu. By the time we get in and are safe enough to try and revive her with Heaven's Gate, her soul will have been gone far too long for me to save her." there were tears in the girl's eyes and it drove Tsunade mad to think of what these monsters have done.

Before Tsunade could say anything, an alarm went off on her desk. She gasped and ran to it. She turned on a screen and saw a black clad figure sneaking around her private residence. Konohamaru and Moegi were home sick. Tsunade panicked. "They're canvassing my house…they're after my kids!" she panicked and looked up at Sakura. The normally emerald eyed youth had blazing silver eyes and power clung to her. She was furious.

Sakura disappeared only to reappear with two small children in her arms. Konohamaru looked like he was going to scream and Moegi was crying. Both were beating at her until they heard a choked sob and saw their 'mother'. "MOMMY!!" Moegi screamed and held her arms out to the older woman. Konohamaru had become silent at the look on his mother's face and the fury from the woman who held them. He also noticed how much alike the two females looked.

"Are…are you, our obasan?" the little boy pulled at a piece of her hair. She looked down at him and something flashed in her eyes that made the kid stiffen. She then gave him a sad smile and put both the kids on their feet, then knelt to their eye level. She put her hands on their heads and healed the fever that raged through both of them.

"Why did you not just heal their fever nee-san? I know it's simple for you." her voice was quiet, but she also knew why her sister hadn't healed them.

"I won't put them in danger by using my powers. Someone could tell those bastards at The Center how both my kids miraculously healed and then they would be in danger." Tsunade's voice was infinitely quiet. Sakura looked up at her older sister and saw the concern. She looked back at the kids and smiled warmly.

"How would you guys like to spend a few days with your great grandma? I'm sure she'd love to see you. Your Okaa-san didn't know she was still alive, because she's been so sick, but I will let you guys stay with her until your okaa-san and daifu-san get off work. What do ya say? You guys willing to keep an old lady company?" Sakura smirked at the grimace on Konohamaru's face while Moegi's face glowed with excitement.

Sakura got a conspiratorial smirk and leaned over to whisper in Konohamaru's ear. "Obaa-chan is a very important woman in Kagure. There have been people trying to kill her lately. Someone poisoned her food a few months back. I need all the strong and smart people I can to protect her. That's why I brought you in Konohamaru. Moegi is going to keep her company while you help protect her. Think you can handle that?" there was a look of disbelief, then awe when he looked at his mom and she confirmed.

"You can count of me obasan!" he stood straight and saluted her, which she found cute, and saluted him back, then ruffled his hair. Suddenly her gaze turned lethal and she looked back at Tsunade.

"Now to see who is threatening my family." Before Tsunade even got a word in edgewise, the girl was gone again. Konohamaru gasped in awe and Moegi 'oooohhhh' and 'ahhhhh'd' when she saw this. Tsunade turned to the shadows and sighed in resignation.

"I know you want to go after her Sabaku, so just get going and make sure she doesn't do something we will all regret…like kill our only lead to The Center. She's rather irrational when it comes to kids, especially mine." Tsunade looked over at her children and sighed when the tanuki jinchuriki disappeared without another word.

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Sakura was in hunting mode. Her eyes were dilated like a cats and she was on all fours, crawling up the side of her sister's house, carefully following the intruder. The masked intruder tore through the house looking for something. When the intruder came across Tsunade's bedroom, he stopped to burglarize just a little, to make it seem plausible. Sakura saw him take out the carved necklace their mother had given Tsunade for her eighteenth birthday from the large jewelry box in the closet.

It was a circular red stone from their home world with a white circular pattern inlaid with small white stones. It was the Haruno clan symbol. He shoved it in his pocket and looked around for something else to take. He spotted the jeweled dagger that hung above an alter with pictures of a man and woman sitting there. Scattered around the two large pictures were several smaller pictures of their siblings. The man's footsteps faltered when he saw the large memorial. Sakura could feel sadness radiating off the intruder. He kneeled at the alter and sent up a small prayer.

Sakura watched him, confused. She couldn't feel any ill intention coming from him, but she could feel determination. Sakura decided it was time to surprise the intruder and she slipped into the bathroom, opening the window soundlessly. She slipped into the shadows and waited for him to come near her. While she was waiting, she felt her form change.

She felt her nails turn to claws and her canine's lengthen. Her vision became much better and she could feel her ears reshaping and moving. She was glad she was wearing a skirt, because a tail dropped down with a heavy thud, startling the intruder. He turned as she rushed him and barely got his arms up to block her claws. She felt her claws rake something and she felt heat as a result. He was wearing some type of armor.

The intruder took out a katana and got into a ready stance. Sakura was still mostly hidden by shadows, but he could see long legs and combat boots. Something twitched on the floor behind his attacker and when he looked at it she struck again, using his distraction to her advantage. He was sure it was a female, cross dressers weren't prevalent in the town.

"Put back that necklace or I'll have to take your hands little thief." A voice hissed, quite literally. He looked at the source a little closely and tightened his stance. Suddenly, he couldn't move. Something was holding him still. He looked down to see sand. He gasped and looked back up in time to see his assailant attack. He dodged by bending backwards, but it cost him as the sand traveled up his legs and held him that way.

The female made a pouting noise and he saw her looking in one corner of the bedroom. He looked over and saw…nothing. Suddenly, he was catapulted to the floor in front of the female, a mass of limbs. His sword was gone, thankfully, as he might have landed on it had it been with him. He looked in front of him to see a tall, black haired woman with reddish pink streaks every so often. But what really got him were the cat ears on her head and the eyes that glared at him.

With a sudden burst of energy, he lunged at her, but his fist was quickly stopped by one of her fingers. She gave him a bored look and pushed, sending him flying into the wall. A grunt from the opposite wall drew his attention. He looked up into the cool jade eyes of death. He gritted his teeth and launched another attack.

This time, the female hissed and sent out a wave of energy, knocking him back into the wall. He looked up to see her crouched over on all fours, one hand raised as if to take a step. Her tail was curled around the stranger's waist and her body touched the red head's in a way that made all the males in the room blush.

"Mine…you'll not touch my mate, human." she hissed and punched the floor. Rocks moved with the force of her punch but it stopped just short of his groin. The intruder gulped and looked up, nodding his agreement he'd not touch the red head again.

"What are you doing in my mate's sister's home?" the red head asked coldly. This drew a confused look from the masked man. He carefully pulled himself up until his feet were under him.

"What are you talking about? Is this not the home of Haruno Sakura?" he asked while glaring at the two. The red head's eyes narrowed on him and he felt chills run up his spine. Perhaps that had not been the right thing to say…

Sakura's tail twitched and she stood up on two legs. She glared at the intruder and hissed. She disappeared for a second, only to reappear right in front of him. Soft, yet forceful hands grabbed his face, two fingers on each temple. He screamed as he felt something being ripped from him. He looked up and saw the female's eyes glowing.

He struggled until sand wrapped around him and held him still. "It will hurt worse if you struggle with her. She won't release you until she is sure you are no threat to her sister and family." The red head sounded almost bored with this and watched the neko woman between them. the intruder finally decided to settle down and found the red head was right…it hurt far less now that he wasn't fighting.

He felt the female release him and she turned her back on him. "What do you want with me Raidu. I have nothing you can possibly want, you are nothing but an outcast from The Center. They thought you'd die without them to teach you to shield yourself, but obviously you're still here. What has brought you to me?" she looked over her shoulder at him and he found her eyes were a brilliant shade of green, not the glowing cat eyes any longer. Her appearance was human once more, but the feeling of danger still clung to her.

"If you know all that, then why didn't you just pick my purpose out of my mind…you seem to have had your fill of my memories." he seethed. It was one thing to know what had happened to him, it was another to have this…this, THING voice his own thoughts. He heard her chuckle and look at him again. Her eyes were silver once more, but not shaped like a cats.

"Careful little man…I can hear everything you say… and think." she turned around and looked at the alter that was still completely intact, thanks to a shield she'd erected. She walked over to it and took out a few sticks of incense and breathed on them, causing them to ignite.

Raidu's eyes turned to saucer plates at what she'd just done. "That's just not natural…" he muttered and sat in his place, his hands clenched on top of his feet. He looked very irritated.

Cold emerald eyes turned to him as she set the incense in the sand tray and said a small prayer. "Define natural in a world where The Center turns mere children into emotionless killing machines. Where humans are experimented on to 'further science'. Where families are broken and hopeless to find their loved ones." She looked back at the pictures scattered over the alter.

"I've already lost my entire clan, save one sister, to the madness of one like this Madara character. He slaughtered my older and younger siblings right in front of me, made me watch. He murdered my father and my pregnant mother, all the while smiling, like he was stepping on cockroaches. I refuse to let other feel the pain I have suffered since I was a child. I refuse to allow that bastard to win." she looked back over at Raidu, who looked at the alter once more and then it struck him.

"This…this is your sister's house…for real?" he looked at her, then the red head. The man nodded in affirmation and then walked over to the female.

"My sister's children were home when you broke in…considering the fact that The Center has be quiet for so long, we thought you were going after her kids…that I could not allow. You better give me a good fucking reason not to kill you, Raidu. I can't allow a threat so close to my family…you won't leave here alive, unless I know they will be safe." Raidu saw she was deathly serious, but he had a mission to complete. He stood up and glared at her with as much hatred as he could manage.

"WHERE IS SAI!? What have you done with my little brother?" he screamed, his fists clenched and his eyes just as cold as hers. He heard her gasp and look at him like he'd lost his mind. Her eyes then turned even colder, if possible.

"Sai has no family…I made sure he didn't have anyone when I hacked into The Center's database. I would have tracked down any family and returned him had I found any. Don't think I'll lead you to him…I won't put him in that danger." She took up a stance and the red head backed up, his eyes panicked at the way she was responding to this. Raidu felt the energy in the room congregate to the female.

"Sai is all I have left…I couldn't protect him when they came for us…they thought we were friends, but we were both orphans. Our mother made me swear to take care of him before she died. I failed, but I won't fail again. So I'll ask you once more…WHERE…IS…MY…BROTHER." his voice was low and dangerous. Something wasn't right here, Sakura could feel something was wrong.

She glared at him and her eyes took up the catlike appearance. "I won't let you anywhere near my koneko…I will die to protect my cub." This made Raidu falter. He stood there, stunned.

"What are you talking about? Sai is at least seventeen, maybe eighteen years old…there's no way he would look to you as a mother figure…" Raidu looked genuinely confused and this make Sakura wonder for a second.

"You don't know what they did to him do you?" She looked shocked, then suspicious. "If you're his brother, then how can you not know what they did to him? How is it that you don't know they stripped him of his memories and emotions!?" her growling was back and this time louder. Sakura was shocked to feel a burst of pure agony radiate from the young man in front of her.

"THEY WHAT!?" he yelled and electricity erupted from around his form. Every light bulb in the room blew and singe marks appeared where ever the bolts touched. She could hear his weeping and then a roar erupted from the electrical youth. "THEY LIED! THEY PROMISED TO SPARE HIM IF I DID WHAT THEY ASKED! I WILL KILL THEM ALL!!!" the roar was so filled with pain that it affected Sakura greatly. She went to her knees and screamed, clutching her head.

Suddenly, the light show was over. Sakura looked up to see Raidu staring at something kneeling at her side. She looked over to see wide black eyes, fear filled eyes. She instantly took the youth into her arms and patted his back.

"It's alright, koneko…I'm fine…everything will be alright, my joji." She felt him clutch at her, his fear and anger at her being in such pain radiating all through him. She smiled down at him as she cuddled his head to her chest. She felt his hot tears soak through her shirt.

"It was not my pain that drew you koneko…it was someone else's. You know that as an empath I feel what others feel." She looked up at Raidu, who had tears rushing down his face. He reached out a hand and one word left his mouth.

"Ototo…" he managed to whisper and then he fell flat on his face. Sai's head snapped up and looked at the youth that looked so much like himself. He looked back at Sakura in question. She gave him a weak smile and stroked his hair.

"Okaa-san…who is that? Why did he call me 'little brother'?" he looked so confused and the tears on his lashes broke her heart.

"He is an escapee from The Center…seems that their security is slipping with whatever new project they are working on. He came here on the grounds of finding me…and you, koneko. He claims to be your older brother, though there is no evidence in The Center's main computer of this being true. Still…the pain that went through him when he found out what they'd done to you…THAT was real enough…that's what brought you to me, koneko…this boy's pain was more intense than anything I've ever felt." She looked at the youth that looked so much like Sai that she was starting to believe it was true.

She felt Sai huddle closer to her and looked down at him staring at the dark haired youth like he would wake up and bite him. Sakura chuckled and then looked up at Gaara. She smiled at him and noticed him blush. She gave him a coy smile and blew him a kiss.

"Oh, Panda-chan…think you can carry the Lord of Thunder over there for me?" she asked in a seductive tone. She looked at him until he finally gave in and agreed. She gave him a big smile and looked back down at the shaken Sai. She cooed at him and nuzzled the top of his head.

"Come on, koneko…we need to get our guest to safety and inform Tsunade that she will have to live in a safe house until I destroy The Center." She stood up and helped the dark haired artist up. She walked over to the boy claiming to be Sai's older brother and dug around in his pocket, taking Tsunade's necklace and putting it in her own pocket. She held Sai's hand as Gaara picked up the older boy and threw him over his shoulder. They all disappeared after that.

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"She took the bait, sir." said a voice from the shadows. A black haired man with red eyes looked in that direction. He smiled sinisterly and dismissed the messenger. He turned back to the subject he was observing. She was young, beautiful, and deadly…just like his mortal enemy, Haruno Sakura.

"Test her pain resistance." he said into a microphone and the man on the other side nodded. The girl stood as still and straight as a proud warrior.

The man walked up to her and took her arm in an iron grip. He chanted something and the flesh on her arms started to smoke, then burst into flame. She didn't flinch and nothing registered in her eyes. She felt…nothing…and that was what was in her eyes. She had no emotions, no fears, no free will. She just stared ahead of her at the man that was her master.

"That's enough…heal it and then send her to the neural center. I want to make sure there is NOTHING in there but loyalty to me. If Hetumi or Minotsu ask, she is getting behavioral modification to take orders better." He looked down the corridor at the hundreds of tubes that contained human specimens.

"Very soon, Sakura-hime…I will have my revenge on you, and everyone you love…" he turned around and his red eyes flashed with a snakelike appearance for a second before returning to normal. He walked out of the room and right into the face of the man he hated almost as much as Sakura.

"Hello Minotsu…what is it that you want with me?" he asked, a fake smile on his face and fake civility to his words. Minotsu seemed to not notice.

"I can't find my daughter, nor my mother, Madara. What's more, Sakura's base of operations has changed. Is Lotus ready to send out, or does she need more training?" Minotsu was blind to the other man's hatred, so concerned about his pet project to see the trap being laid for him.

"With a few more sessions of behavioral modification and a little more training she'll be ready in no time." Madara was not liking having to hold the fake smile. He wanted desperately to act normal, but that would throw everything off. He needed Minotsu's funding or Project Lotus would be another failure, just like Project Crystal.

"Very well, Madara. Keep me posted on Lotus' progress, as well as my brother. He fancies her, you know. Sees a lot of Lydia in her…I wonder where she got off to anyway. Inez isn't the type to lose track of the girl." he looked at Madara, then turned away, embarrassed about talking about family business to the insane doctor. "Sorry, Madara. I'll just be on my way…" he walked of and Madara's smile instantly faded. He looked down a small corridor that was hidden from Minotsu's line of vision. In one of the tubes was the form of a young woman, her eyes closed and her breathing ceased.

"She's just another failed experiment, my dear Minotsu…" Madara walked away without looking back at the tank containing the young woman.

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Karin was still crying when they reached the Hatori country house. The others just stared…this 'house' was a mansion with hundreds of acres of forest around it. Karin inserted the key and soon had an entire squad of armed men cornered them. The SHINOBI squads formed a protective circle around the children as well as Karin.

"What are you doing here? No one is allowed here without-" He was sent flying by a tiny, yet very upset blonde. Her eyes were glowing like a demon's and her hair was floating around her. The necklace around her neck was resonating, calling to its other owner. The other men took a step back from her as she gritted her teeth and growled at them. Only one other female had ever done that and she was the one that paid their bills.

"My Nee-san sent us here to protect my Obaa-san from the same bastards that took my cousin. You stand in my way, or the way of her operatives, and I will mow you down like the insects you are, understand?" she hissed at the men. Their guns began to tremble and suddenly flew out of their hands, compressing into a giant ball of spare parts in front of a gangly looking boy with dark hair.

"Eto…dispose of those appropriately. I do not want my Obaa-san knowing these bakas had guns around her. Ever since Jii-chan was murdered she has had a fear of guns. Leave no trace behind." the blonde's growling voice intimidated some of them men, but there were a few too stupid to put the pieces together.

One took out a stun gun and inched closer to the blonde. Suddenly the stun gun fell out of his limp hand. A small girl with ruddy hair was holding something in her hands and when he looked down there were several in his arm. He looked up at her with horror. "You try and stun gun obasan's sister, and she's going to be very irate with you guys…" the small girl said, giggling at them. A woman with a long red braid emerged from the group. All of them instantly recognized her.

"Lacey…who are these people…why are they here? Why are YOU here for that matter?" the so called 'leader' of the group demanded, looking at several of his incapacitated men. Lacey smirked at him and looked at the people behind her.

"Nice to see you too Ray. See, the little blonde that sent you for a tumble is Sakura-sama's little sister, Hatori Karin. The kid that just made a cast of the world wit your guns is Hetumi-teme's son, while the little girl who made your partner's arms limp noodles is the younger sister of one of Sakura-sama's personal operatives. You are looking at most of Sakura-sama's SHINOBI operatives…the elite group of Hatori Corp's Private Investigators." as she named everyone off, 'Ray' seemed to gulp more and his eyes got bigger and bigger.

"The little ones in the middle belong to Sakura-sama's sister, they are Sakura-sama's niece and nephew. We were instructed to bring them, and Karin-sama, here to stay with Hatori-uido while Sakura-sama retrieves Hatori Lydia from her kidnappers. I'm sure that Sakura-sama told you about Lydia-san being kidnapped. She also sent us as backup…in case the same group tries after Hatori-uido." Lacey's eyes turned to Karin, whose eyes were still glowing and tears were leaking out, no matter how hard she tried to hide them.

"Lydia-chan…" came her strangled cry, then she passed out in Kankuro's arms. The men looked at each other, then at the little blonde. Some looked interested in her title and beauty, but one looked at her with an expression that Kankuro did NOT like.

"I catch you near her, I'll kill you." the words floated on the breeze to the weasel looking man. Kankuro's eyes had an evil sheen to them and the guy looked away. Kankuro cradled her to him and took her inside, leaving the others to follow. When they were all in, Lacey slammed the door in Ray's face. Lee gave her a questioning look.

"Ray never could stand that I'm stronger, faster, and overall better at my job than him. He told the entire department that I was genetically engineered and I mutated into a behemoth woman. I don't really care what he has to say…but when he told everyone that I was a halfbreed…that Ibiki crossed the lines and mated with a mutt…I lost it. I beat the hell out of him and seventeen of his buddies. I was kicked out of the department and then Hetoshi-sama took me in. He'd seen what I did to eighteen guys, all bigger than me and better trained, and thought I'd been the perfect body guard for Karin-chan. He was right…I served him for most of Karin's teenage life, even though I was only about her age." Lacey acted like it didn't matter, but Lee could still see the anger in her face. He walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. She gave him a confused look and he just smiled at her.

"Even dolphins turn vicious when defending something important to it. He had no right to say those things about Ibiki-san, and I plan to have a little…talk…with him on that matter. I assure you, he will not bother you anymore…ever." The last word was a whisper as the black haired man disappeared. She arched a brow at his odd words.

Cheela noticed her confused expression and walked over to her. "What's wrong Lacey-neesan?" the younger teen asked, looking into the unusual eyes of the older girl.

"Bushy brows just said that 'even dolphins turn vicious when defending something important to it'…but why the hell is he comparing me to a fish? I'm a fucking wolf for Kami-sama's sake!" There was steam coming out of the red headed female's ears and Cheela just giggled.

"First off, dolphins are mammals. Second, dolphins are naturally gentle and kind, Lee-san was saying that because you are just like the dolphins. You lash out when something or someone you love is in danger…you are not naturally cruel like some people. He was giving you a compliment Lacey-neesan." she smiled and skipped over to Eto, grabbing onto his arm once more. He sighed in resignation, but Lacey could see the faint smile and happiness in the boy's face when he looked down at the girl.

Lacey thought about what Lee had said, then about Cheela's explanation. She blushed and smiled, walking further in with the others.

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Enzeru was sitting in her comfy chair when a small contingent of people came in. Most bowed to her, including the one holding her other granddaughter. Enzeru took all of this in and motioned for them to be seated.

"What has happened to Karin? She seems…distraught." Enzeru looked at the brunette who had her in his arms. He tightened his grip and glared towards the door, where her normal bodyguards stood, looking annoyed.

"Your guards could learn a few manners, Hatori-sama. They were going to attack your own grandchild without thinking twice about it, even though everyone knows who she is. Hard to miss her when she's been on the news for months before this." came a growl from the brunette. She caught sight of a shimmering blue string and then one of her guards yelped. The man slumped over, holding himself.

"I told you to keep your smarmy eyes off her, dickhead." he hissed, then turned back to Enzeru like nothing had happened. The Hatori widow noticed the threads were gone.

"So you are a puppet master, ne? Hetoshi was fascinated by puppets…couldn't understand how people could control them without getting the strings tangled." her tired, old eyes gleamed with fond memories. Kankuro bowed his head and looked at Karin. He slid his shirt off carefully and put it over her, then shifted her in his arms so that her head was cradled against his chest.

"Hai, Hatori-sama. My best friend, Sasori, taught me how to weild my puppets before he was kidnapped and killed. He was a good man that made some wrong choices. I keep his puppets to keep his memory alive." the old woman saw the sadness in his eyes, but it ignited a bad memory in two other people's eyes. A small girl with ruddy hair clutched a heavy set man with the same color ruddy hair.

"I take it you were the recipients of one of these 'bad choices' young one?" she asked the little girl, who nodded and hid behind the larger youth. Enzeru chuckled and looked at the other three children. Two were looking at her with wide eyes. "What's the matter, little ones? You seem troubled by something?" she asked softly. The one with orange-red hair walked up to her, her fingertip in her mouth.

"Sakura-obasan said that you were our great grandma…is it alright if I hug you?" she asked shyly and looked at the floor. Enzeru was a little confused until she remembered about Sakura's older sister. These must be her children.

"But of course you can hug me. You can do anything you wish…all of you can. Sakura is more like my daughter than my grandchild, so you may call me Obaa-san if it makes you feel better." she said kindly to the little kids. She saw the boy edge closer and finally look at her closely.

"Obasan was right…you don't look well. Okaa-san should look at you soon. I think you are still being poisoned. Michi-san…Obasan told you to look after our Obaa-san, so I suggest you come take a look." the young boy seemed very astute for his age. He looked over at Eto and crooked one finger at the older boy. Eto walked over to him and bent so the youth could whisper to him.

"Okaa-san told me to never tell…but I can see certain things about people…just like my real Jii-chan could. Baba-san is still very sick…someone in that squad of goons is poisoning her. From what I can see…it's the one that Kankuro attacked. He has strange green fumes emitting from him. He's got a kekkei genkai and he's using it to poison Baba-san. Tell someone without tipping him off or he'll run like a snotty nose in winter time." the young boy grinned and the look in his eyes told the older boy to burst into laughter.

Right on cue Eto burst into laughter and everyone looked at him. He shrugged and sniggered the whole way back to the others. He got as close to Neji as possible and relayed the message, claiming he had a 'joke' to tell him. Neji gave him an annoyed look, but there was something in the bending youth's eyes that alarmed him. He sighed and bent down to the youth.

"You have to act like this is a joke…Konohamaru can see other people's kekkei genkais like you can see chakra when using your Byakugan. He can also tell that Hatori-sama is slowly being poisoned by the guard Kankuro attacked. Said the guy was emitting green fumes…that's how he knows it's a kekkei genkai. You have to do something to get him alone and take him out without the others being suspicious…there may be more than one mole in the unit. I'll leave everything to you, but we have to act fast." The boy pulled away and his eyes told Neji to have some kind of reaction. Neji pulled off a small smirk without it looking like he was too much out of character.

"That's not a half bad joke kid…I'll keep that in mind for when I want to make Tenten-chan smile." he said it lightly, making Tenten blush. The brunette gave him a scowl and his smirk grew a bit.

"Well, since we are here, we might as well set up for the night. Sakura-san told us to stay here until she came for us, so we might as well get settled in. Hatori-sama…would you like for me to escort you to your room? I wish to discuss our stay here and request rooms for my companions." Neji bowed slightly to the older woman and she saw the hint of something in his eyes.

"That would be lovely. I would also like my grandchildren to come with me…and the sweet little nurse can give me my monthly checkup since Sakura's not here to do it." She smiled sweetly and gathered the kids to her. She took all four of them, plus Neji, who grabbed Tenten's hand, and Michi, who asked Choji to stay, having caught on that something was wrong.

"Hatori-sama…I don't think that's a good idea…you need to rest…" Ray said, looking nervous. It was then that Neji knew that there were at least two traitors in the house. The one with the kekkei genkai, and the leader. He looked over at Ray with a haughty look. The man backed down and stared at the floor. Neji grunted and walked the aging woman to her rooms, leaving the others with the squad of traitors.

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Choji knew that something wasn't right if Michi asked him to stay with the others. He looked over at the squad and saw at least three of them squirming. Several just looked nervous at having such…unique…people in their presence. But there were two that caught his attention. One was the leader, who had questioned Neji, which was odd in and of itself. The other was the one Kankuro had sent his puppet after for staring at Karin.

He heard Karin making little whimpering noises as she clutched at Kankuro. She screamed and sat up so fast that her head collided with Kankuro's. Kankuro's eyes slammed shut as he held his head. "ITAI!!" they both hissed. Kankuro looked down at her trembling figure. She was looking around her with fear and it made him angry.

"What's wrong kokoro?" he asked in a whisper. She shook her head violently and ran into the hall bathroom. Everyone heard her throwing up and Kankuro ran to her side. He held her hair while she puked over and over. When she was done, she leaned back against him.

"Kankuro…I had…a nightmare. I saw…this girl. She looked…like Sakura-neesan, only…her eyes were blank…emotionless. She was made the…same way…I was. And Lydia…hell…Lydia wasn't breathing…" the blonde stammered. Kankuro felt someone approaching, and knew they had an eavesdropper. He motioned her to be quiet. he sent out a small pulse to see who it was and found the guy he'd attacked earlier.

"Stupid fucker just won't learn…" he growled and then took out Kuroari. He had the puppet sneak up behind the eavesdropper and lock him in the barrel chest cavity of the puppet. Thankfully, it was also soundproof. "Let's just hope that the vision you had don't come true." he said and then hoisted her into his arms. He walked out and followed down the hall he'd seen the others disappear down.

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I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. I want to propose something while I'm at it. If you think I should do sequels to my other stories (I.E. not this one or N,K,T, OH MY) then let me know. I've had several requests, but I dont want to mess upgood stories if people aren't going to read the sequels.

ch. glossary:

gikei--> brother in law

-uido--> widow (refers to Enzeru, Hetoshi's widow)