A.N.

Bless all of those who have reviewed, faved, and followed my story. I really, truly appreciate it!

If you have not kept up with the manga from here on out there may be spoilers.

Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.

Sayuri and any characters that have not and will not appear in the manga and/or anime are completely original.

Please Review!

"You have five minutes to get to the gate." Moriyo said as she came up behind her and tugged at the girls' sleeves readjusting them.

"Diachi and Hajime will accompany you to the gate." Kenji said as he stood up arms crossed over his chest. "Be careful, Sayuri." The girl nodded before the three ninja went on their way.

The three ANBU walked toward the gate in silence, both boys stealing sideways glances at the brunette frowning at the strange worried look in her eyes. This girl had been their teammate since the Chunin exams. She had trained with them and grown with them. It had been their duty from the start to protect her. But now, they felt helpless. Something inside of them was screaming not to let her out of their sight.

"Do you have your seals?" Hajime finally asked.

She looked up at Hajime surprised. "Yes."

"How's your chakra?" It was Diachi's turn.

Sayuri pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. "It's almost up to normal."

"Good." He placed a hand on top of her head. "Don't let your guard down around them…understand?"

Sayuri looked at her teammates surprised. It had been a long time since she'd seen both of them that serious. She smiled before swatting Diachi's hand off her head. "Yeah, yeah…" she moved past them before looking over her shoulder. "I got it."

The two ROOT stood by the entrance as they waited for the teen to show. "Ready?" One of them stepped forward.

"Ah." She nodded and allowed herself to be picked up.

"Let's go." The three disappeared into Konoha's forest.

Conflict

War…war…how am I supposed to stop a war?

Leaves and branches flashed by as they made their way to the summit. What could she say to the clans and to the Kages to keep them from going to war against Sasuke? Of course once everyone at the meeting heard about what exactly was going on with the Uchiha they would all agree. Sayuri would simply be one person against an entire group of angry individuals.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt the man carrying her shift to a lower branch. Brown eyes watched their steady descend unto a small clearing, a small lake off to the side. Sayuri looked at the two ROOT questioningly as she was set on to the ground.

"We will take a small break." Said the ninja that had been carrying her.

She nodded as she eyed them suspiciously. Don't let your guard down! She reminded herself as she walked off to the side and attempted to stretch as much as she could while wearing the stuffy kimono. They had been traveling for an entire day. Sure she had changed at the Inn they had stayed at the night before but this kimono had extra layers to it.

Ugh...Irritated she pulled at the collar, the damn thing was hot. "Hey where are we—" Sayuri turned around to find one of the two ninja missing. Eyes widening she took a step back. "Where's the other one?" she asked trying to mask her nervousness.

"Don't worry about that Lady Sayuri."

The brunette bit her lip as she folded her arms over her chest. She was pretty sure they knew of what she had done to three of their teammates when she ran away. There was no way Danzo had kept that to himself. And now one of them was gone, she was in the middle of who knows where while wearing several layers of a formal kimono. If they decided to attack now she would be in huge trouble.

"Would you like a drink?" the ninja offered his canteen but she shook her head. "Very well then…" The ninja shifted his mask before taking a sip.

"It would seem…" The second ninja appeared just behind the one that had stayed behind, making Sayuri jump from his sudden appearance. "…That Lord Danzo had experienced some trouble yesterday." Sayuri narrowed her eyes at the two men. "We should keep moving, we would not want to be late now, would we Lady Sayuri?" He said as he approached her.

"No…of course not." She warily took the hand the man offered before she was swept up once more as they went on their way.

In a matter of minutes the temperature began to drop until suddenly she felt something cold and wet hit her nose. She glanced up at the darkened sky and noticed as small specks of white fell all around them. Suddenly she was glad for all the layers; Moriyo must have known of the weather in the land of Iron.

"We're almost there." Said the ninja that was a bit ahead of her. "When we arrive, Lord Danzo and his guards will keep an eye on you, we will be taking our leave then."

"Ah…" she nodded distracted by the large amount of snow that surrounded them. Suddenly three large mountains caught her attention as they were closing in on them. "What is that?"

The one holding her glanced down before answering in the routine detached tone. "The Three Wolves, that's where the Land of Iron's village is located."

"I see." She whispered as they arrived to a bridge. She was immediately set down, the two ninja standing on either side of her as she sighed and straightened up.

All right! You can do this! She thought as she began to cross the structure. Sayuri clenched her hands underneath the sleeves of the kimono in an attempt to keep calm. In actuality all of this made her nervous. She didn't have anyone that had her back in this place. Danzo had made sure of that.

He took her sense of security. Her guards were no longer with her. They were two days away while she was here with some very hostile Kages and their clan heads. She didn't even have a proper nights rest considering who was with her. Either one of the two ninja beside her could kill her in an instant…that was if she was willing to let them.

"Lady Sayuri." One of the guards bowed as she struggled to keep herself from staring at their unusual attire. She had heard that the Land of Iron was protected by samurai instead of ninja; she just never expected their getup to be so…unusual. "Please allow me to escort you to the meeting room." He turned to the two ninja behind her. "You two cannot enter."

"Understood." The two said in unison.

"This way Lady Sayuri."

"Oh! Right…" she turned to the guard and offered a small smile before allowing him to lead to the way.

The guard and she arrived at a large double door that opened as soon as they were within a foot of it. "You may go in." The samurai bowed and she returned the gesture. She stepped forward and found a round table with five seats and five flags bearing the symbol of the five respective clans.

"Ah, Lady Sayuri…" her attention was drawn to her left where a tall sandy blonde haired man and bright silver eyes stared down at her a small smile in place. "You came after all. We were all starting to think that you wouldn't show."

It was then that she realized that everyone were already seated and waiting for her. She felt heat rise to her face as she made a quick bow. "I apologize for the delay."

"It's no problem at all." Answered man beside her. "We all just got here as well."

"Please take a seat so we can get this over with." Grumbled an aged male with light brown hair who sat on the right side of the room.

Quietly the remaining two leaders sat in their respective seats. She found herself in the middle of the table with two clans on each side of her. As she sat down she saw that directly across from her was an empty seat.

Noticing her gaze the sandy blonde haired man explained. "That seat is reserved for Lord Mifune. He's the leader of the village here. Once he's done with the Kage and they've reached a decision he will come here and raise their proposition. From then on we will discuss whether or not we will support or reject their decision."

"Oh…" Sayuri nodded as she directed a small smile at him.

The man tilted his head, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "You don't remember who I am, do you?"

The brunette's eyes widened as a pretty pink dusted her cheeks. "I…I…" she sighed dejected as she tugged at the sleeve of her kimono. "No I don't."

"Don't worry it gives us something do while we wait." He said in a cheerful manner. "I am Arashi Uindo, the leader of the Uindo clan of the Hidden Sand."

"I…" Mismatched brown eyes turned to Arashi's right where a dark purple haired man sat, donning an intricate purple and blue kimono. His mint blue eyes, however, were what caught her attention the most. "…Am Hideo leader of the Enkai, of the Hidden Mist."

To her left someone cleared their throat. Her brown eyes met the older man's light green. His hands were crossed over his torso, the frown on his face only made the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth more prominent. "My name is Koji of the Senkou…from the Hidden Cloud."

She turned to the man that had ordered her to take a seat. "I am Ryu of the Kusaki clan, from the Hidden Rock." He grumbled.

All eyes turned to her and she stiffened un-accustomed to the attention. "Oh! Um…I'm Sayuri, heir to the Marihasha of the Hidden Leaf." The grip on her sleeve tightened as the men in the room continued to stare.

"She looks like her father." Grumbled Ryu as his purple eyes looked the girl up and down.

"Her demeanor is that of her mothers, though." Hideo added with a tilt of the head, mint blue eyes on her face.

"Hmph!" Ryu crossed his arms. "All Marihasha are the same." Sayuri turned to the man curious as he directed his gaze to hers. "They're all a bunch of hot heads, who don't know how to respect their elders and carry out their own selfish agendas!"

Sayuri gaped at the man as she clenched her fists. Who the hell does he think he is?!

"You forget," Hideo interrupted. "She has Mizuchi blood in her."

"Ah, yes…" Ryu leaned forward. "…Because the Mizuchi clan was so calm and collected." The two clan heads locked gazes.

Narrowing her eyes at the leader from the Hidden Rock, Sayuri decided that enough was enough. "My clan may have been filled with 'hot heads' as you so kindly put it, but at least you knew where you stood with them." Light purple eyes turned to the young heiress. "They made their opinions about you known; they didn't hide behind sarcasm and false courtesies." She unclenched her fists and sat straighter. "For example I think you're full of yourself Lord Ryu."

Sayuri watched with delight at the indignant look on Ryu's aged face. Beside her Arashi hid a smile behind his laced fingers as he leaned forward, while Hideo smirked. Koji raised a brow before turning his gaze toward the leader of the Kusaki as his faces was turning red.

"I see your parent's forgot to instill in you some manners before the passed from this world, Lady Sayuri."

Sayuri gave the old man a condescending smile. "Oh, believe me I have manners. But I believe that you must earn someone's respect in order to be respected, so far you have yet to earn my respect, Lord Ryu." The old man gaped at her completely taken aback.

"Bright girl." Arashi smiled at the older man's glare. "And here I thought I'd have to babysit you like I did when you were four." The sandy blonde haired man leaned back in his seat. "At the time I was nineteen and a jounin when your parents would hold meetings with mine, and I was always stuck on baby duty with you."

Sayuri blinked at the man to her right. "You babysat me?"

He nodded. "For a three year old little girl you got in to trouble a lot."

"Enough with the reminiscence!" Koji interrupted. "We should concentrate on the matter at hand."

Hideo raised a purple brow. "What matter? We have no matters. The Kages are still in their meeting." He answered with a bored tone as he supported his head on one hand.

"I don't understand why we even have to wait. We all know that it's all going to come down to war." Koji sighed as he picked at the sleeve to his golden kimono with detached interest.

"Hn." Ryu straightened. "Might as well. The Akatsuki must be stopped, and the Uchiha brat…didn't he attack one of your ninja?" he turned his gaze to the blonde man.

"He attacked B, one of our hosts, under the orders of the Akatsuki." Sayuri stiffened.

"Well then, I suppose that means we'll be waging war against him too. About time too, those Sharingan users should have all died in the massacre."

Sayuri glared at the man. "And why would you say that?"

Ryu turned to her and leaned forward, locking eyes with the girl. "Because the Uchiha were monsters. During times of war they were mercenaries hired to kill others…they lived for war, carnage, and chaos. In all sincerity I'm amazed that Konoha wasn't destroyed while they were still alive. And with the brat's actions it would seem that, after all these years, they are all one of the same."

"That's not true!" Sayuri responded as Itachi came to mind. "They're not all the same!"

"Are you sure that you're not letting your emotions cloud your judgment, Lady Sayuri?" Koji frowned as he regarded the young teen.

"What are you talking about?" she snapped.

The blond man raised a brow. "I was told that you used to be his teammate." Sayuri frowned. "It's only natural for you to become attached to—"

"That was a long time ago." Sayuri retorted. "In any case, my feelings don't matter. I'm stating a fact!" she turned back to the leader of the Kusaki. "Not all of them are the same. If the circumstances had been different, Sasuke would have never abandoned Konoha and we probably would not be holding this meeting."

"Care to elaborate?" Hideo's attention turned to the girl. Sayuri glanced at him questioningly. "You said 'if the circumstances had been different' do you know something we don't?"

Sayuri looked down at her hands on her lap as they gripped the soft fabric tightly. Could she tell them the truth? Should she tell them that Itachi had murdered his clan because it was a direct order from the village elders? Her knuckles were turning white from the strong grip she had on the material.

Itachi didn't want it to be known…that had been clear to her the day he told her about what really happened seven years ago. The Uchiha bared the guilt of killing his own family in order to protect the village, in order for others to continue to think that Konoha was a peaceful and just village…for them not to suspect that behind the scenes the elders were a bunch of corrupt power hungry individuals, ready to destroy anything and anyone that stood in their way. That much had been evident when Danzo murdered her family.

Sayuri took a deep breath before deciding to speak. "Itachi—"

Just then a samurai stalked into the room, his helmet adorned with two horns to symbolize his rank. He was followed by three others already in their gear. The five leaders glanced at each other puzzled by the guard's sudden appearance.

"I was told by General Mifune to make sure no one leaves or enters this room. We have just found that Danzo had been manipulating General Mifune during the meeting." The leader spoke as two guards moved to stand by the door.

"Danzo was manipulating Mifune?!" Asked Ryu as he stood his full height. Upon receiving an affirmative from the samurai he turned his angry glare at Sayuri. "Did you know about this?!"

"Of course not!" Sayuri responded completely outraged. "I never wanted him as Hokage in the first place, why on earth would I help him?!"

Arashi turned to Sayuri and studied her for a second. "If you didn't want Danzo to become Hokage then why was he nominated? I thought the Marihasha had a strong influence on the daimyo."

"He nominated himself and when I tried to convince the daimyo otherwise it was like he…" Sayuri trailed off, her brown eyes widening. Abruptly she turned to the leader of the group of men. "I need to speak with Danzo!"

The samurai scoffed. "Didn't you hear me? No one goes in or out of this room."

Sayuri gritted her teeth and stood from her seat. "I need to speak with him now!"

"General Mifune said that no one is allowed to leave this room." He repeated slowly as if talking to a two year old.

The brunette glared and stalked over to the man. Standing directly in front of him she tilted her chin up and narrowed her eyes. "Give me one good reason as to why I'm not allowed to leave?"

The man sighed. "We've received reports that Sasuke Uchiha is in the building. We are here for your protection."

"Sasuke…?" Sayuri breathed as she drew a fist to her chest.

"The Uchiha?" She heard Koji ask. "What is he doing here?"

What was he doing here? What could have drawn the Uchiha to the Land of Iron of all places? Especially now!

"He attacked B, one of our hosts, under the orders of the Akatsuki."

Akatsuki! He had joined the Akatsuki! The same organization that Itachi had been in and Sasuke had joined of his own freewill, and now he was attacking the Land of Iron where all the Kages were meeting. More specifically where Danzo was…the man that had started it all.

"Step aside." Sayuri ordered.

"Lady Sayuri," Hideo began. "What part of 'they are here for our own protection' do you not understand?"

Sayuri turned the older man then. "We are the heads to the most powerful clans in our villages! We don't need to be protected!" Turning back to the group of samurai she squared her shoulders. "I'll ask once more. Step aside or I'll do it for you."

The four men before her tensed, one of them took a step back and unsheathed his sword. In a matter of seconds the man found himself pinned to the wall, his hand twisted behind him. She took his wakizashi and pushed him aside.

Pointing the short blade at the other three men, Sayuri spoke. "Just because I'm wearing a ridiculous kimono doesn't mean I can't fight." She then turned to the clan leaders and tilted her head. "Anyone else still think I need protection?" When no one responded she turned to the samurai. "Good."

The man on ground began to stand, wary of the girl that suddenly threw his sword at him without looking back. Barely managing to catch it he looked back at the heiress. "You'll take me to the kages." She walked toward the door and stopped when she realized that the samurai was still in his spot. "Now!"

The man jumped, tuned to his leader who shrugged and jerked his head in direction of the girl. "Go on." Quickly he made his way to Sayuri who had already stepped into the hallway.

"Hmph!" Ryu crossed his arms over his dark green kimono. "What did I tell you, the Marihasha have no respect!" Arashi glanced at the old man and smirked.

XXX

"Will you quit pacing around?!" Kenji jerked Moriyo's arm to bring her to a stop. "It's giving me a headache!"

"Sorry." She mumbled and walked over to the opening of the tent, taking a look outside. "I'm just a little worried. What if Danzo tries something? She has no one with her."

Kenji sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. He had to admit, he couldn't sleep last night knowing that Sayuri was under the careful watch of the Root. Yet he couldn't let it get to him. He had to have faith in her.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much." Moriyo turned to him in surprise. "You trained her after all." He smiled. "Who you should be worrying about is your boyfriend."

Moriyo's brows dipped as confusion took her face. "Boyfriend?" she echoed.

Kenji smirked. "Kakashi…don't think I didn't see you two holding hands back then." The ANBU watched with amusement at how her face turned scarlet.

"Kakashi and I are not together, you idiot!" she snapped at him.

The ninja raised his arms in a pacifying manner and smirked. "All right, all right! Calm down, I was just teasing!" Moriyo huffed and looked away. "I am curious though, why were the two of you holding hands?"

Orange eyes darted to him for a second before they focused on the tent opening. "He thought I died…And I thought he died…" She closed her eyes and shook her head. "And we did, for a few moments we were dead. When I came back and he didn't I-I began to panic. When he finally woke up and we were walking over to the entrance he just took my hand and wouldn't let go." She frowned. "It wasn't my fault…" she grumbled crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's understandable." Moriyo blinked up at her companion. "You both lost people close to you. He lost Obito, Rin, and the fourth. You lost your mother, and elder sister. The two of you also lost Kaminari…who was important to you both."

"Where are you getting at?" She asked impatiently.

"I mean that the two of you are close on a certain level, you understand each other. That means that loosing the person that understands you the most would greatly hurt the other." He smiled. "He was looking for some sort of reassurance. That's why he held your hand."

Moriyo tilted her head. "You mean, like a way to make sure I was really alive?"

Kenji gave her a firm nod, only to after a second shrug. "Or it could be for some completely different reason and I would just be making this up." He smirked as she glared and took hold of his cheek and pulled it causing him to cry out.

"You know, you're a real piece of work!"

XXX

"This way…" Sayuri and the Samurai turned left, at the same moment several samurai ran past them. Puzzled, she looked over her shoulder as the men followed the long hallway. "In there." She turned to see double doors, similar to the ones she had not so long ago just exited.

"Follow me." She ordered as she reached to push the doors open.

"Quit whispering over there! I already know they—" Sayuri watched as a blue haired man stopped talking and stood in front of a red haired woman in blue.

She must be the Mizukage…Sayuri thought as she watched a young boy no older than thirteen take a defensive stance in front of the woman. She stepped toward the center of the room and looked down a bit startled at the white man that lay on the ground before her.

"Lady Sayuri," She turned to an older man with long gray hair. "I ordered for you and the rest of the clan heads to stay where you were."

The samurai stood at attention and began to explain. "I apologize Lord Mifune, it's just—"

"I forced my way out; he escorted me to this room."

"So you're the little Marihasha heiress!" said an elderly man who just barely reached the top of the table.

"Yes." She bowed. "If you'll forgive me, I need to have a word with Danzo." She turned to the man and glared, his guards immediately taking a defensive stance in front of their leader. "Did you manipulate the daimyo into letting you become Hokage?"

The man smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know."

"Tell me!" she was losing her patience with the man.

"Temper, Lady Sayuri." Danzo admonished. "Imagine what your father would think."

Brown eyes looked between his two guards and the aged man. How difficult would it be for her to get her hands on him? She wondered. "My father is dead, thanks to a certain someone." She watched as Danzo narrowed his one eye at her. "Did you or did you not manipulate the Daimyo?!"

"Not in the same way as with Mifune." He said calmly as if he were discussing the whether.

Sayuri gritted her teeth and took a step forward. "You—" Sayuri stopped as the Fire banner behind the old man fell to the ground.

"They're here!" The blue haired man stated. Immediately the samurai behind her moved to her side.

"Up above." Said the blonde man that stood beside Danzo.

What…?! Sayuri and the rest looked to see Sasuke standing on the wall with his Kusanagi drawn.

Sasuke looked at Danzo and glared, until something caught his attention. His Sharingan gaze shifted and locked with mismatched brown eyes.

Sayuri?! His eyes widened. No! Madara told me she was dead…She has to be an imposter! He watched the fake carefully as her brown eyes widened, her chakra flow fluctuating just then.

Sharingan eyes narrowed. There was no way anyone could imitate her steady flow of her chakra. His eyes watched the girl's energy move about her, imitating the movement of water, and every once in a while spiking up at random intervals imitating a gentle flame.

He lied…Sasuke realized. Madara had lied to him.

A.N.

Please review! I love reading your comments and it'll cheer me up.

Thank you :)