Welcome back friends! Looks like I'm keeping on track with my updates, hoorah! Hope you all are having a lovely weekend, and I hope you enjoy the next installment of SoA!

:)

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Pursuit

I once had friends and kin,

A loving wife by my side;

Now all I have are memories of war,

And exile on the mountainside.

~The Book Of Akash, Verse XVI

Naruto slammed his hands down on the desk. "I want ever single ANBU agent out looking for that girl!"

Shino bowed. "Hokage-sama?"

"What!" Naruto bellowed.

"Shouldn't we leave some agents...to guard the village...?"

"Don't worry about the village. I'll take care of it as if it were my own..." Naruto was about to say, as if it were my own child, but he let those bitter words trail off like the smoke of a snuffed candle. "I'll take care of it, damn it! Now go!"

"Yes sir," Shino buzzed before dissolving into a cloud of insects.

Once he was gone, Naruto began pummeling his desk with his fists. "Damn it! Gods damn it!"

"Naruto?" Sakura whispered as she entered the office, looking pale and stricken.

Naruto paused mid-punch and slumped into his chair with groan. "I swear to Kami, we'll bring Yuki back! Sakura!"

Sakura shook her head and gestured to the doorway, where Sasuke and Saki stood, the latter looking even more sallow than her mother. "Saki, you'd better tell the Hokage what happened," Sakura whispered.

Saki stepped forward, and Naruto swore he had never seen the brash girl look so forsaken.

"Saki, what happened?" Naruto demanded, but Saki closed her eyes and remained silent. Naruto decided to take a gentler approach. He leapt over his desk and put a reassuring hand on Saki's trembling shoulders. "Whatever it is, Saki-chan. You can tell me; I'm your Hokage, after all..."

Saki bit her lower lip until it bled, and with effort, she snapped her eyes open. Naruto gasped. Instead of green irises, so similar to Sakura's eyes, he was faced with two black commas dancing on a field of red.

"She's gone," Saki whispered. "She's gone—and it's my fault. I wasn't strong enough! I'm sorry!" Saki sank down to her knees and wept. Naruto's questioning gaze snapped up to Sasuke and Sakura, who only shook their heads in silence.

Naruto took a deep breath and a steady hand on Saki's back. "Saki, try and calm down. If you want to help your sister, you need to take a deep breath and tell me everything."

Saki sniffled. "Okay. I'll try."

Sasuke and Sakura leaned on each other for support as Saki's story unfolded, swaying like hunched willow trees.

Sasuke activated his doujutsu and surveyed the surrounding forest, but still found no trace of Yuki. He hissed. What good were these purple eyes if he couldn't find his own daughter? He pressed the walkie talkie button impatiently.

"Sakura?"

"Kchh. Any sign on your end, Sasuke?"

"Negative. I'm assuming, by your question, that you haven't found anything either?"

"Kchh. We'll find her Sasuke..."

Sasuke wasn't so sure. From Saki's fragmented story, it seemed that Akemi was taking Yuki somewhere for Yuki's own "protection"; furthermore, their supposedly civilian grandmother could perform jutsu. Sasuke didn't want to believe that Akemi was an outside agent, but all signs pointed to it. For how long had Akemi worked for some unknown, underground syndicate? How long had she been plotting Yuki's abduction?

"Kchh. Sasuke, stop brooding and start looking."

"I am looking," Sasuke snarled into the walkie talkie.

Sakura replied over line, more softly, "Kchh. I'm sure Akemi-baachan has a good explanation for what she's doing."

Sasuke muttered, "I hope you're right, Sakura."

"Kchh. Sasuke, this is baachan. The little old lady who made us our wedding rings, who conspired to get us together; who baked us cookies when we got engaged, and bought our kids birthday presents every year, without fail. Baachan, Sasuke."

Sasuke grimaced; he knew all too well what people were capable of, beloved family members or not. After all, Itachi had loved him, too. "I'm going to concentrate on my search now. Buzz me right away if you find anything."

"Kchh. Okay. Over and out."

It wasn't long before Sasuke was accosted by one of Naruto's clones.

"Yo! Sasuke! Over here!"

Sasuke nearly jumped out of his skin at Naruto's brash entrance. "Any news?" he snapped.

"Well, I've dispatched every single member of the ANBU..."

"I know that, idiot."

"Anyway, yeah, I'm sure we'll find her tracks soon!" Naruto replied with false cheer.

"So...we have zero leads."

"Ummm...we're working hard and covering a lot of ground."

"Naruto?"

"Yes?"
"Take your 'glass is half full' optimism and shove it. Okay?"

Naruto sighed. "I'm only a clone, you know."

"Yes, and you are every bit as annoying as the real thing," Sasuke muttered. "If you don't have anything important to tell me, go do something useful."

With that, the clone petulantly poofed out of existence, leaving Sasuke to search on his own.

Damn these eyes... Sure, Sasuke had some kind of supped up version of the sharingan, but damn it, something like the byakugan would be much more useful at a time like this. Of course, Sasuke couldn't complain about the lack of byakugan users on their search team. In addition to the entire ANBU division, roughly half of the Hyuga clan was out looking for his wayward child, including Hiashi-sama himself.

But it was getting dark, and there were still no signs of Yuki, just some well placed traps and false leads that Yuki had laid in her wake. Seriously—half of Konoha's elite forces were stumped trying to find a ten year old girl, a little old lady, and a cat. It was enough to make the former Hokages roll over in their graves—if the majority of them hadn't had their souls sealed into the Death God's gastrointestinal system.

Saki had described Akemi's genjutsu abilities, and had had her head probed by Ino, but this intel did not aid Konoha in the slightest. It seemed that no one had any idea how this particular jutsu operated—least of all how to see through it. All the byakugan users in the world were going to be of no use if they couldn't see through this kind of genjutsu.

Sasuke clenched his fists in frustration and punched a nearby tree, leaving a sizable dent in its bark.

Yuki—where the hell are you?

"Akemi-baachan, are you all right?" Yuki asked. They had been traveling the whole night and most of the morning without a substantial break, and Akemi was looking wan. "We should take a break."

Tobias slowed until he came to a stop, and Akemi slid off his back with a grateful smile. "We shouldn't rest long, child. We only have half a day's lead on the village..."

Yuki nodded. "I formed a clone a while back and had her set up some traps and false tracks. It should buy us some more time..."

Akemi shook her head. "Akash is at least a day and a half journey, even for seasoned ninja. If we push ahead—"

"Then you are going to collapse from exhaustion," Yuki interjected. "We're resting for an hour. Please get some sleep, baachan, and then we'll continue our journey."

Akemi exhaled sharply. "Okay."

Yuki smiled and put her hand on the old woman's shoulders. "Rest. We'll be fine. I'll hold up the genjutsu while you sleep."

Akemi nodded and laid down on a bed of pine needles, but before she dozed off, Yuki asked her, "Baachan? Do you think I can summon Tama now?"

Akemi bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure. The chakra might activate your hiraishin seal and give away our presence... It's best to wait until we're closer to our destination."

Yuki nodded. "Understood."

Akemi fell into a fitful slumber, while Yuki scanned the woods for any danger.

She woke Akemi in an hour, and the trio began traveling once more, Yuki insisting on breaks when Akemi looked like she was about to fall off of Tobias' back. They traveled until evening, when, weary, they made camp for the night. Yuki had never traveled for so long with so little sleep, and she was exhausted.

"Tobias and I will take turns with the watch baachan; you just rest," Yuki murmured as she passed out their dinner rations.

Akemi nodded. "I'd argue with you, but I will be needing the sleep. I am a centenarian, after all..."

"I'll take the first watch," Tobias offered around a mouth full of tuna jerky. "I am not weary."

Yuki was about to protest, but instead, she yawned. Akemi laughed at that.

But about an hour later, Yuki lay flat on her bedroll, staring up at the stars, unable to sleep despite her exhaustion. Sighing, she rose and padded her way over to where Tobias was keeping watch.

"Child?"

"I'm not a child, Tobias. I'm a genin."

The nin cat laughed, but not unkindly. "Excuse me then. Having trouble sleeping?"

"Hn." Yuki perched down next to the cat, resting her chin on a balled fist. "Tobias-san?"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever...said something really mean? Like, really, really mean? That you didn't really mean, but you meant at the time...?"

Tobias chuckled again. "That was a bit complex, but I think I catch your drift. What did you say?"

Yuki began pulling grass out of the ground. "I sort of—told my dad I hated him. But he deserved it. But..." Yuki trailed off, at a loss for words.

"But you don't really hate him, do you?"

Yuki bit her lower lip. "I do hate him...but...maybe not one hundred percent. Does that make sense?" She sighed and layed down on her back, observing the stars. "I mean, he's a pretty okay dad, but I found out some kind of disturbing things about him. It got me thinking... You think you know someone, you know?" Yuki was silent for a moment, regarding the stars while ripping out the grass. "I just... I always thought otousan was perfect, but it turns out he's a murderer—he betrayed his own village...and…"

Tobias eyed her askance. "When did you find all that out?"

"When I broke the seals at the library."

"I see." They were quiet for a while, listening to the sounds of the crickets and the high pitched squeals of the bats. Finally, Tobias murmured, "It is hard, isn't it? When we learn that our parents are mere mortals, with flaws and imperfections like the rest of us."

Yuki chewed her lower lip. "Hm. I used to watch the stars, a lot, with my father..."

Tobias mewed quitely before shifting his weight onto his back paws. "He must love you very much."

Yuki exhaled hotly. After a while, Tobias realized the girl had fallen asleep and he smiled. Perhaps he would take a longer watch and allow Yuki to sleep.

"The graduation will proceed as planned!" Tsunade barked, hitting the Hokage's desk with a balled fist.

Iruka gulped and took a step back. "Of course, Tsunade-sama!"

"Because we're going to need every man and woman on deck! I know it's only a formality, but it is necessary. Do you understand me, Iruka? I want you to graduate those children NOW!"

"Yes—yes of course, Tsunade-sama!" Iruka yelped. "Just one question: your plans for Team Five?"

Tsunade bit her lip; Team Five was Yuki's team. "We'll proceed with our plans to disband and reform Team Five. Tadashi and Yuki paired together was just a disaster..." Tsunade sighed and plopped herself down in her chair before continuing in a quieter tone, "At this point, I have no doubt that Yuki will return. Relay that to Cho and to her new teammates, Nara Hayato and Uzumaki Hoshiko."

Iruka nodded, relieved at the Tsunade's change in tone. "Of course. But…I thought we were going to revoke Yuki's genin's status? And as for Saki's request, are we going to deny it, or...?"

Tsunade sighed again and placed her elbows on the desk, leaning forward and looking at the sheet in front of her intently. "Yes, of course, please excuse me. I'm too old and senile to do this job." Tsunade shook her head bitterly and continued, "Make Team Five a four man cell for now: Akimichi Cho, Uzumaki Hoshiko, Nara Hayato, and Uchiha Saki. Yes, yes, that would work. Anyway, when Yuki returns, her genin status will be temporarily revoked. I want her to do some solo work with Kakashi and Sasuke, and anyway, I think she needs a break from regular teamwork in light of...recent events."

Iruka nodded. "Excellent choice, Hokage— Excuse me, I mean Tsunade-sama. One last thing. Are you sure you want to hold Tadashi back? His parents, Neji and Tenten, will be displeased."

"The boy is too immature!" Tsunade barked. "If he's officially placed on a team now, it will only lead to more impulsive behavior! Tadashi, like Yuki, is going to be taking a break from teamwork and will be doing private lessons until further notice. Now go prepare for the ceremony. I need a moment to work on my commencement speech!"

Iruka bowed and backed away as quickly as he could. "Of course, Tsunade-sama! Right away!"

Once Iruka left the office, Tsunade turned to the portrait of the previous Hokages and sighed. "I'm too fucking old to do this job..." Tsunade shook her head and regarded the painting of the Third. "Now I know how you must have felt, old man. There's nothing worse than handing over this job to the future, only to have to fill in when death and tragedy hit..."

She turned away from the watchful eyes of her predecessors, and procured a flask of sake from her robes. Perhaps, if she had been a better Hokage, she could have given Naruto a peaceful Konoha as her legacy. Instead, she watched his child perish, and then stood by, helpless, as another young genin was taken from the village.

Tsunade shook her head and grabbed a pen from her desk, which promptly broke from her grasp. "I need to think of positive things to say! Commencement speech, commencement speech..."

Yuki forced her eyelids to stay open. The first fingers of dawn were drawing across the sky; she would wait until the deep blue bled into ocher before she would awaken her companions.

Yuki was nervous. Hell, that was an understatement. She felt like she had a rabid pack of butterflies in her stomach that were trying to eat their way out of her guts. She tried to think herself out of her growing panic, but it didn't work; with only the pale colors of early morning to keep her company, her mind had begun to go haywire from the lack of sleep and from stress.

For one thing, they hadn't been able to maintain their genjutsu barrier all night. They were all exhausted, and had needed to replenish their chakra. But the absence of the silver barrier made Yuki feel naked. She was sure the ANBU were already hot on their tracks.

Did she have what it took to defeat a squad of elite jonin ninja? Probably not. Granted, she had the freaky mangekyo sharingan, but she hardly knew how to use it. She could probably whip out a good facsimile of tsukuyomi if push came to shove, but maybe it would be better to just put the barrier up again?

She formed a few hand-signs, but before she could activate the jutsu, a paw landed on top of her hands. "There's no need to cast the illusion until we start moving. I've already done a large sweep of the perimeter. There's no one around for miles."

"Thanks, Tobias-san." Yuki breathed a huge sigh of relief and rose, stretching her aching muscles.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. They ate their dry rations in silence, then they hit the road.

"How much farther is it, baachan?" Yuki asked as she strode alongside Tobias.

"If all goes well, we should reach Akash by the end of the day."

Yuki nodded. That didn't seem impossible. If they kept up the grueling pace from the day before and made it to safety by nightfall, then all would be well. She wanted to ask her baachan more questions, but the old woman was weary from just holding on to Tobias while casting the genjutsu, so Yuki remained silent.

By mid afternoon, the summer sun was beating down on their heads, and Yuki insisted they take a rest by a cool stream in the shade. The genin took off her sweaty sandals and with a grateful sigh, stuck her feet into the freezing water. Tobias, his fur slick with sweat, did the same. Yuki didn't blame him; she didn't know how he could sport a fur coat in hot weather like this. She spared a glance for baachan, who was breathing heavily.

"Baachan? Are you all right?"

Akemi nodded weakly. "Yes, but, ah, I think I'll need you to take over the genjutsu from here on out."

"Of course! I was waiting for you to ask! I'm so careless, I should have offered to begin hours ago." Weary but determined,Yuki made the hand-signs; Akemi released her jutsu and Yuki cast hers.

"Oh no!" Akemi cried.

Yuki's eyes widened. "What?"

Tobias instantly flew towards the two kunoichi and scooped them up onto his back, then picked up their packs in his mouth, tossing them up to his two riders as he sped off.

"Baachan?"

"Hush. We're being followed."

Yuki covered her mouth with her hand. How? It must have been when they switched the genjutsu—their pursuers had had a split second to observe the transfer. Yuki could have slapped herself if she wasn't holding on to Tobias' fur for dear life. Damn. This is all my fault!

Tobias ran swiftly, but Yuki could tell that the nin cat was already tired from yesterday's journey. She knew their pursuers were closing in.

"Tobias-san, please take Akemi baachan to safety. I'll deal with the ANBU."

"No, child. You can't face a whole squad of jonin by yourself," Tobias replied flatly.

"Listen. If they catch you, they might kill you. But if they just capture me...they won't harm me."

The companions traveled on in silence, but Yuki could hear the subtle sounds of the shinobi behind them in hot pursuit. Sighing, Yuki dropped her jutsu; the illusion was useless if there was even the slightest break in the barrier. Yuki leapt off of Tobias' back and cried, "Go!"

No sooner had her friends left, then she was surrounded by a four man squad. But Yuki's sharingan was already active, and with her enhanced sight, she could tell exactly who her hunters were, despite their ANBU masks: Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, and Temari.

Shit.

a/n Thanks for reading! Please review;)