Author's Note : Hey guys! Oneesan-Silver here! Sorry for such the long wait, but Crillix and I have been going through some rough stuff! Heehee. Well, here's another chapter!
.
.
"You know what I just noticed?" Kotetsu smiled childishly.
Kiba's eyebrow perked slightly from curiosity. He was sitting on Akamaru's back, petting him behind the ears. "What would that be?"
He stopped to turn to the older two. The large dog shook his head to gain Kiba's attention again. The young jounin then continued behind the other ear, still focused mainly on the others.
"All of our names start with K." He snickered.
Kage looked at him dumbfounded and wide-eyed while Kiba glared at him suspiciously. "I've never seen you act like this before Kotetsu, and what do you mean all of our names start with K?" He said, disbelief laced in his voice. Kotetsu usually fooled around a little when he was on gate duty back in Konoha, but never this much.
Finally he caught on. "Well, I meant the guys. Half of us are K, the other half is A!" He chuckled sheepishly.
"There's Temari." Kage tried re-directing the conversation.
Kiba looked back. As said, Temari was coming in at a fast pace with four others following behind. Kiba tensed, making Akamaru do the same. Only for a second was the blonde girl with them, when she used the wall to push off. "Let's go!" The four others followed her lead, not missing a beat as the passed the other four.
Akamaru barked and followed suit, Kiba holding on tightly onto his fur and lowing his body against the canine's to lessen the air resistance.
"That seems to be her catchphrase." Kage smiled weakly. Kotetsu nodded to her and took off after them.
'I have a terrible feeling.' Tomiko's deep voice rumbled.
Kotetsu looked to the younger girl. "What do you mean?"
"I feel it to." Kage clenched her fists.
The youngest of them all from Temari's group looked back at them and slightly slowed down. She really wasn't that young, but was in fact the youngest; looking about 15 or 16. "Hey Matsuri." Kotetsu smiled.
"What were you talking about with that other girl, the outsider?" She brushed off the fact Kage was running right next to them, which made her fake green eyes sharpen slightly.
He smiled. "This is Ace, she volunteered to help."
"She just looked like a villager." Matsuri snipped.
Kotetsu gave the much younger brunette a nervous smile. "Well-"
"I might not be from a hidden village, but that doesn't mean I can't help. At least I have manners and don't act like I'm high and mighty." Kage growled.
Matsuri threw her head in the direction of the fake, black-haired female. "I'm a genin of Suna. You, an outsider, should show more respect to me, a member of an elite squad of Suna."
"I will fucking kill her." Kage's veil began to fade and disperse as her anger waved and thrashed throughout her body. Her chakra grew violently, eyes beginning to fade into the normal blue/grey they were meant to be, as blonde streaks threatened to overcome the black in her hair. Kotetsu looked at his friend with worry. "Calm down Ace." He mustered as quietly as possible. The young genin looked back at the older woman, getting a glimps of her eyes before the green returned.
"Matsuri," Kotetsu frowned. "You're making Suna look bad. Ace is a wonderful medic and as you can she, she's keeping up with the group."
"Whatever."
- .
"Kankuro!" Temari called for her younger brother.
Everyone was scouting the area that was said to have been the route Gaara was taken and Kankuro had followed.
"Temari!" A male's voice called from the east. It sounded struggled and hoarse.
The wind-ninja followed the voice at a fast pace, Kage right behind her and the others off a bit. They entered a small clearing that was covered in upturned dirt and bits of rock. A man struggled to meet the group. "Our team was attacked and Kankuro is in really bad shape." He himself didn't look well, and it was noticeable that he was using the last bit of his consciousness and strength to speak. We followed the Akatsuki and he was poisoned by the little fat guy."
"Where is he?" She demanded with worry.
The man pointed to a large, fallen tree. "Over." He panted. "Over there." One of Temari's teammates rushed over to the weak Suna shinobi. Not two seconds later did the fall from exhaustion into strong, warm arms.
Temari ran to where Kankuro was declared to be. A boot poked out from under the trunk; not crushed but trapped. "Kankuro!" She struggled to move the tree. Her hands moved to her fan when it didn't budge, but Kage held her fan back. "What do you think you're doing?" The blonde screamed. "We need to get my brother out!"
Her teammates, Kotetsu and Kiba all held an injured person. Matsuri stood alone by a tree, watching the scene and smirking at the fact Kage was getting yelled at.
"Maybe we can cut the tree off of him." She fed into Temari's want.
"If you cut it, the pieces will fall onto his body and crush them." Kage said, looking around the tree. "His entire body is under it."
Temari bit her lip. "We should have brought Sakura. She could have lifted it easily." Tears threatened to flow from her eyes.
The dark-haired woman looked to the blonde. "Matsuri can help bring those who need help back and Kotestu can help us."
"I'm staying." Maturi snapped.
Temari looked at the younger girl, slight anger evident in her bright eyes. When did the shy, sweet girl she first met turn into a rude, snobby brat? "No, Ace is right." The blonde turned to her team. "Everyone return to the village with the wounded beside you," She then turned to Kotetsu and the largest man in her group. "You two stay here."
Everyone nodded and took off after Matsuri was handed a wounded woman. The girl looked at Kage with hate gleaming in her eyes and followed the others. Temari looked at the only other girl there. "I'm sorry for her behavior Ace. I don't know when she changed so drastically."
"Don't worry about it." Kage smiled. "Let's focus on getting your brother out of there and all patched up."
Kotetsu grinned at them and patted the large man. "He can pick up one side and I'll wedge my mace under the other, and lift it while you two slide Kankuro out."
Temari smiled and nodded. The buff man moved to the farthest side of the trunk and waited. The Leaf ninja grabbed a scroll from his pack and unrolled it. A giant, purple conch shell with spikes on a chain appeared in his hands after performing a series of hand signs. His grin grew wide as he stuffed the mace under the other side.
"Okay." Temari gave the motion for them to lift.
Both men struggled with the thick tree, but picked it up slowly. 'I'm sorry, Kotetsu. This would be easy if I would use my ninjutsu.'
Kotetsu nodded to himself. They were using Tamiko's telepathy to communicate secretly with another.
'It's okay Kage. You need to keep your identity hidden for as long as possible. If you use your ninjutsu they would question it.'
Kage grabbed one of Kankuro's shoulders and Temari the other. They both yanked his body out with one quick and carefull motion.
The two males dropped the tree, Kotetsu's conch dispersed back into the scroll. Temari crouched and shook her brother softly, trying to keep her own composure. "Kankuro."
Kage knelt beside him and felt his pulse. "He's still alive." Her hands hovered over the ripped clothing on his chest, a soft green glow emitting from them. "The poison that other man spoke about is eating away at his organs and dissolving them into liquid. You need to get him to a hospital."
"Can't you help him?" Temari asked frantically. "You're good at this kind of stuff, right?"
Kage smiled weakly. "I don't have the materials necessary to pull the poison out. Please hurry and take him to Sakura." Her hands glowed a soft red for a moment and then moved away from the body. The blonde seemed to be thinking deeply; her stare going right through her younger sibling's body.
"Alright." She finally said, standing. The older female stood as well. "I'll look around for your other brother."
Temari nodded. "Hane will search with you." Kotetsu propped Kankuro up on his arm, while his sister took the other side. "Come back as soon as you get information, that's an order."
"Yes Temari-San!"
"Thanks Ace." Temari looked to Kotetsu and nodded. "You ready?"
The older man had a look of discomfort on his face, possibly due to the fact Kage was going off on her own and possibly against S-rank ninja.
'Stop worrying, she'll be fine. Kage can take care of herself.' Tamiko growled.
He forced a smile to his face. "Don't give him to much trouble Ace."
"I won't."
With that, the two of them headed off towards Suna.