Disclaimer: I own the OCs in this fic, the rest is Masashi Kishomoto's. Sorry for any spelling mistakes or any OCCness.

Character age:

Akane, Itachi: 20

Naruto, Sasuke: 15

Shisui: 24

Kakashi: 29

"You understand?" I dodged his kunai. "Come on Sasuke!"

"Take back what you said about nii-san." I grinned at him.

"I don't think it and you know it. But you understand why I want you to use the Shadow Clones Technique now?" He grumbled a 'yes' and I went back to Fū. "Anything weird with your seal?"

"Nothing out of ordinary!" I nodded in satisfaction and sat down.

Hiraishin...make it universal for anything…

We were interrupted by a jounin asking us to go to Shibuki's. When we arrived, he was pacing nervously in his office. He was startled when we arrived and sent us a troubled smile.

"Hi everyone, please sit!" We did and I was handed a letter. I frowned and accepted it when I saw Konoha emblem. My eyes scanned it quickly and I was left speechless for a second, before looking at Shibuki. "It is authentic."

"I know, it's just..." I trailed off, folding the paper when I felt Sasuke's curious eyes. "We will leave tomorrow then."

"Fū," Shibuki started and the teenager looked at him with curious eyes, "tomorrow, you will leave with Uzumaki-san and Sasuke-san, they will escort you to a meeting point with shinobi from Konoha who will bring you over there until the threat of the Akatsuki is over." She blinked in confusion at him.

"But, Shibuki-sama, I live here." He sighed.

"Please understand this, it's for your own safety." She lowered her eyes and clenched her jaws.

"Of course Shibuki-sama." Without another word, she got up and left. With a sign of the head, I told Sasuke to follow her, which he did with a roll of his eyes.

"You do realize what's happening, right?" I asked him rather rudely with a frown. He kept staring at the door and sighed.

"I do, some of my advisers are against it. Taki having a jinchuriki placed the village in a position where it was taken seriously by the big nations." I stopped being on my knees as it was uncomfortable and sat cross-legged instead.

"I understand where you're coming from, she will probably be more protected in Konoha than in Taki but...but there's no way she'll come back here. The higher-ups in Konoha won't allow it." Old geezers who should die, thank God Danzou was dead. "Did you get money out of her?" He glared daggers at me and I sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm stepping over the line here."

"Please make sure she reaches Konoha and protect her."

"We will do our best," I said before getting up. "Was it all?"

"Yes."

The next day, Sasuke and I waited in front of Taki while Fū was saying her goodbyes. For the first time in the three weeks I had known her, she was dead silent.

"Here's the plan. The meeting point is at the limit of Konoha territory, one of these towers surrounding the village in the forest around it. We'll meet a team at the South Tower in five days, at noon. Knowing we have time, I thought we could stop by the capital city of the Land of Fire."

"What do you want to do in Kikou of all places?"

"Well, some tourism maybe? It's been a while since I've really been in the Land of Fire and usually I just go straight to Konoha. Anyway, after we'll be heading to the Land of Lightning." I seriously needed to prepare what I was going to say to the Raikage.

Not that...he was the one raising my bounty. He was the one who tried to kidnap me after the Chuunin Exams because he saw my potential. I had no idea if he wanted me dead or just among his shinobi, but in any case, if I had managed to catch his eyes when I was twelve, me coming willingly to his village with a special delivery should interest him, right?

Plan B would be flirting with Darui. I went on a date with him before and to be fair, I had a great time so maybe my youthful charms would get to him?

We walked in silence until a small village near a river in the Land of Fire. What was it now, end of January? My birthday was in what, three months now? I would turn twenty-one/forty-five.

"Fū, are you okay?" I asked as we were taking a break, Sasuke training his Chidori Nagashi whereas his clone was working on his Thunder Prison.

He never used more than two clones at once.

"Yeah, yes I'm fine!" she answered quickly with a fake smile. "I'm just wondering how Konoha will be! I'll make friends, right?" I smiled.

"Well, Neji and his team, you met them when you and Gaara were in a bad situation." She stared at me and her smile became real. She jumped on her feet.

"Really!? That's awesome! We'll eat yakiniku together!"

"Su..." I was interrupted by a man yelling. We all turned around to the dirt road behind us.

"I'm innocent! I would never try to assassinate our Daimyo!"

"You'll tell that to the witnesses then," the man holding the man's hands in his back replied. I gaped at him as they walked without seeing us, my eyes never leaving them.

They stopped and the man controlling the other one turned around and looked at us with a frown marred on his face. He stared for a long while, in which I stopped gaping and just waited for his brain to under…

"Akane!" I chuckled and got up and to join.

"It took you a while Shisui," I replied with a smile. I casually placed an Immobility Seal on his victim and hugged my friend. He hugged me back after a second.

"I wasn't expecting to see you so I needed a minute to understand." I moved back and he smiled at me, then at Sasuke who was approaching us with Fū. "Hey Sasuke, you grew up!"

"Yeah...what's that?" I raised a brow at Sasuke pointing Shisui's hip with his finger, and widened my eyes at the symbol of the Twelve Guardian Ninja.

"I thought it was not a thing anymore."

"It wasn't until recently. This guy tried to kill the Daimyo so I tracked him down. To answer you Sasuke, I've been a part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja for half a year now. We're basically the Daimyo's bodyguards." Then, his eyes found Fū. "I don't know you." Fū slid between us to stop in front of Shisui and grabbed his hands in hers before shaking them vigorously.

"My name is Fū and my dream is to make a lot of friends! Do you want to be my friend?" I chuckled behind my hand at Shisui's panic and Sasuke smirked.

"Sure?" He noticed her hitai-ate. "Taki? Thinking of it, you don't wear your forehead protectors you two?"

"You don't know," Sasuke stated flatly. "We're traveling."

"When was it...four months ago, sensei relieved me of my functions to give me the same status as Jiraya-san and I was given a mission as a Seal Master. Sasuke is with me as my apprentice."

"I see. Where are you heading then?"

"Oh, the last destination: the Land of Lightning." He gawked like an idiot. "Relax, we're stopping by Kikou before, we have to drop Fū at a meeting point with Konoha."

"I feel like there is an explanation behind all this but it's not the place nor time for that. So you're not here because of the meeting?"

"What meeting?" I inquired with a raised brow.

"Between the Daimyo of this country and the one from your country Akane."

"Uryu-sama moved his ass out of Kiribukai?" It attracted me funny looks. "I mean...my dear Daimyo deigned come all the way from Kiribukai?" The oldest Uchiha laughed as he grabbed his victim.

"Pretty much, with his daughter and an escort including two Swordsmen."

"Well, that's interesting."

"A lot of things have happened, that's for sure," Shisui commented idly, a spoon of ice cream in his mouth. "Here I thought I had been busy."

"The Twelve Guardian Ninja is a big thing. Although, I was surprised when Kakashi told me you left Konoha for a long-term mission, with Itachi and his condition." Shisui sighed, his cheek in his palm.

"I made sure he would be okay before accepting, I needed to get out too." I looked down at the crumbs of the strawberry pastry, now in my stomach, in my plate. "Still, you encountered the Akatsuki way too many times in these past few months whereas they're still keeping a low profile."

"Tell me about it..." I sighed deeply. "Still, I enjoy traveling."

"I'm sure you do, but...Akane, where did Sasuke get that scar?" The scar Taiga gave him wasn't thick, but much whiter than the rest of his skin, and long too.

Wait, Taiga. I paled, which Shisui noticed immediately.

"It's...It's..."

"Don't tell me if it's painful to remember," he interrupted me with worried eyes.

How could I tell him his brother turned into a crazy murderer and I actually died by Sasuke's hands because of him? How could I tell him we had his remaining eye and he could get the Eternal Mangekyou in only one of his eyes? How could I tell him Taiga was locked up for the rest of his life on another continent I wasn't even allowed to talk about?

"Can I at least know why you decided to tell him?" I took a deep breath, my eyes finding Sasuke and Fū outside.

"I was stuck in a position where he wouldn't let it go. But, I mean...he can handle it."

"Hum...if there is one thing I've noticed is that he seems...not as confused as before." I raised my brows at him. "I mean, Sasuke tended to have that look in his eyes when nobody looked at him and his achievements, almost as if he didn't see the point in improving if it wasn't the please the eyes." I chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing, I've pretty much told him this very thing when I was taking him back to the Resistance three years and half ago. Apart from your mission, how have you been?"

"Me? Hum...well...I'm seeing someone..." I deadpanned at him.

"Aren't you always?" He looked scandalized.

"Hey! When you say it like this you're making me sound like someone unable to keep a relati...whatever," he mumbled under my stare. "I think it's serious this time."

"Don't you always?" I muttered flatly.

"I mean it this time! She's...she's different and I think less of you!" I flushed at how loud he was, and he did the same, ducking his head at the stares he was receiving. "It's so embarrassing..."

"Well, if you're moving on, it's good," I managed to say, my face going back to normal. "Just...be careful of who you choose." He smiled softly, but his eyes were staring at his cup of coffee.

"Yeah...don't worry about it." Shisui's smiles had always been beautiful but...this one was for this new girl in his life whereas…

It used to be for me.

Now I felt a little bit stupid. I asked him to move on, he said he would, it was normal. I just...I thought it would take longer. It had been almost two years since the Resistance but…

Damn, was I playing the jealous ex-girlfriend when we never dated because I said 'no'? Because it wouldn't do, I had no right to do that.

"Hey." I raised my head to Sasuke, now next to our table. "There are people getting excited it town. I think they arrived."

"Oh rea..."

"Shisui-kun!" I looked at the man walking casually to us, his demeanor screaming self-confidence. My eyes were mesmerized by the golden threads on the collar of his red kimono, forming irises, the flower themselves being of a deep purple. "My, my, I understand a pretty lady cannot resist the charm of a shinobi but you have a duty."

"My apologies Akihito-sama, Akane is an old friend of mine and I didn't realize how late it was." 'sama'?

This Akihito gave me a long stare and ended up sending me a charming smile.

"Oh I see, it's good to have friends. Akane-chan, right? Are you from Konoha too?"

"Akihito-sama," Shisui called him sternly and the guy pouted. "I am sure your father..."

"I know! But you could at least introduce me!"

"Akane, this is Akihito-sama, the son of the Daimyo." He had assurance, sure, but his hair was a dark brown, long and braided on his shoulder, his bangs parted on the right, and his eyes were small and of a very deep blue. He was cute, but other than that… "And she is not from Konoha or this country."

"My, oh my," he purred, delicately grabbing my right hand to kiss my knuckles, "I shall make sure our relations with our neighbors are good once I am the Daimyo, if they hide such pretty ladies..." He winked and I couldn't help but blushing at the overflow of attention. "On this, we have to go. Sorry Akane-chan, but your friend loves bossing me around."

"It's not bossing you around if your father asked for it," Shisui muttered and they left. Fū sat on Shisui's chair and Sasuke brought back one.

"Should I worry about the political future of my country?" Sasuke asked to no one in particular.

I didn't respond. Meeting with Shisui was unexpected...getting hit on by the prince of the Land of Fire even more.

"Akane!" the brat screamed when I was authorized in their suite. Kasumi, the Daimyo's only daughter, and child, still had these two long and thick blond pigtails on her head and big hazelnut eyes. Where there used to be disdain was now...respect?

"Yo Uzu!" Suigetsu greeted me with a grin, Chōjūrō next to him. "What are you doing here?"

"It's a coincidence, we just happen to stop by a village nearby, saw Shisui and we came here. We leave in a few days and then, en route for the Land of Lightning." Suigetsu gaped and Chōjūrō stared in shock.

"Wait, seriously!? Didn't you piss off the Raikage after your Chuunin Exams!?" I scratched my cheek with an ashamed smile.

"He must have forgotten it by now..." I noticed Kasumi staring at my club. "Is there something wrong Kasumi-sama?"

"It was Yagura's," she stated firmly. "Why do you have it now?" My left eye barely twitched.

"Kasumi," the voice of the Daimyo, Uryuu-sama, resonated in the room when he entered it. Except for his daughter, we all bowed to him.

"Uryuu-sama." He told us to straighten up and shot me a disinterested look.

"I do hope your trip is enjoyable, because it sure can get hectic back home." I smiled politely at him.

"It is indeed." I followed him to the living-room, where I sat in front of him and was poured a cup of expensive Oolong tea with a tint of lemon in it, specialty of the Land of Water. "If it is not indiscreet," I started as Kasumi sat next to her father, "are you here to sign a commercial agreement?"

"I am. Signing an agreement with the Land of Fire is advantageous, but could also open discussions about treaties with the Land of Wind too." I nodded, sipping quietly on my tea, my back straight as a ramrod. I listened with attention, giving my opinion when I was asked for it.

Unlike what Dai might say to be annoying, I knew how to act accordingly to the situation. I was just trying to avoid situations where I had to stay quiet because I was a woman as much as I could.

Although, the Daimyo had to take women seriously now.

After a nice conversation, where he was implicitly asking me how the countries I visited were politically speaking, I was allowed to leave. I did, with a bow, and told my ex-students goodbye. I was a few meters away from their suit when the fourteen-year old blond stopped me by grabbing my arm.

"Kasumi-sama?"

"Father said yes, you have to find a place and train me in self-defense again!" I sweat dropped. She had not changed that much after all, still giving orders at people.

We ended up near a lake in the woods next to the city. It was calm for a dozen of minutes until an obnoxious voice called me. I rolled my eyes and gazed at...what was his name again, Akihito?

"What are you ladies doing here on your own?" he asked us with a grin.

"Just some self-defense Akihito-sama." He raised his brows and shot a look at Kasumi. His grin disappeared just as Kasumi cleared her throat discreetly.

"Kasumi-dono."

"Akihito-dono." My eyes went back and forth between the two. The atmosphere...was tensed.

"So, Akihito-sama," He turned his eyes to me, "what brings you here?"

"Oh, I was just walking around. There is so much political talks at my palace it got suffocating."

"Don't bother us," my 'charge' hissed. Akihito narrowed his eyes. I stepped away a little when he replied something snarky and looked around.

Huh…

I had a bad feeling.

It was confirmed when my eyes caught the flash of a kunai in the air. I grabbed one and threw it to deflect it. The two heirs stopped their nonsense. Funny enough, as much as Akihito-sama was by now clearly scared, Kasumi-sama was more...calm and in a defensive position.

"Akane, that's..." I made two clones.

"Assassination attempt." I summoned Nuibari and followed the chakra I was feeling.

It was not hard to find. The fight was so easy it was not even worth mentioning in details. I immobilized the culprit, summoned Seihistsu and he carried the man as we walked back to the two heirs.

There was a man down, but Shisui was the one to hold him down.

"I'm not here to do your job Shisui," I reminded him sternly as he spotted us.

"Sorry, unlike their strength in a fight they were smart enough to trick us." He got up. "You haven't been hurt?" I scoffed.

"Are you trying to wound my pride?" He rolled his eyes and a faint smile on his lips.

"Of course not." He looked at Akihito. "What were thinking, going out like this on your own?"

"I hate being watched and followed like a brat." Yet, this kind of behavior was one of a brat. I looked down at Kasumi who was trying to pry Nuibari from my hand.

"No. Touching." She sighed, deflated.

I didn't really understand, or care for that matter, of what was happening. Shisui asked us to follow them, which we did, and during the walk back to the city, I gazed at Akihito.

Thinking about it…

The Daimyo of the Land of Fire before...didn't have a son.

Hopefully, I'd be able to leave quickly.

I knew technically, having saved someone's life, it wasn't a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time but...to me it was for sure.

"Although I thank you dearly for saving Kasumi's life, you have gotten yourself in quite a situation Akane-kun." I blinked in confusion as Kasumi's eyes sparkled at the sight of Sasuke. Fū was introducing herself to my students.

"I...I'm sorry?" He sighed deeply.

"I still remember the Mizukage's reaction when Konoha asked you to serve them, I fear she might explode this time around." I sat in front of him. "The Daimyo's son, Akihito, somehow was impressed by your skills and deduced you were important from your presence with my daughter. Hence, his father asked me information about you."

"Will I like where this is going?"

"I doubt it, he wants you to marry his son." I choked on nothing but air.

"W...what!? But...I was protecting Kasumi-sama, he just happened to be there!"

"I'm fully aware of that, but it is not something I can just say to them in our situation. To be honest, I'm afraid they might require your hand to accept this very important agreement."

"That guy is just as his reputation describes him," Kasumi-sama hissed, Sasuke finally putting some safety distance between them. She smiled sweetly at him for a second, not offended but finding this amusing instead. Then, she joined us. "He's the kind of man to check out women for their physic and then see if they have a 'princess' value. By this, I mean shutting up and staying in his shadow. He did that with at least three other women, I bet he will start commanding you the second it is signed."

"I don't even want to know how you know this," he father signed. "Akane-kun, you understand, more than anyone else, this accord has to be signed."

"Of course but...I mean…"

"Father, you can't be serious!" his daughter cried out, jumping on her feet. "Aka-chi is more than just a baby factory!" The nickname was new.

"There is too much at risks."

"There must be another way for that stupid face to..."

"Consider yourself lucky it was not you," Uryuu-sama scolded her coldly.

As they started to argue, I left the room to get some air. The worst was, if the Daimyo agreed, I didn't have a word to say, I was to obey, end of the story.

I mean...I...I couldn't get married! It...It was…

"Akane-chan!" I turned around and shot that stupid Akihito my darkest glare. He laughed it off as if it was nothing. "I'm guessing you have been told of the proposal?"

"Why...just...why me!?"

"Well, I personally find your gorgeous, even if these two teeth you have filed will need some correction." I instinctively placed my hand on my mouth. "You're strong too, efficient much like Shisui-kun, and from what I learned about you, you know your fair share about politics." He grinned maliciously at me, the grin someone who knew perfectly well how to get what he wanted would sport.

"You know how important this accord is and you made sure Uryuu-sama wouldn't say 'no'."

"After the 'Bloody Mist' and how desperate he is for putting his country back on track, you could say that. See, smart too!" I glared harder at him, on the verge of baring my teeth at him. "And, I've heard how feisty women from the Uzumaki clan can be. I'm sure you're a good lay." I widened my eyes at how inappropriate he was, how casual he was when saying this. It was not as if I hadn't heard this before, or worse even, but he...he was supposed to be…

"That's enough," Shisui said, grabbing his wrist as he was about to take a strand of my hair. I took a step back, moving closer to Shisui who actually came out of nowhere.

"Heh...Shisui-kun, it's really none of your business."

"I'm sorry Akihito-sama, I obey your father first and foremost. Implying such things is out of the line."

"Is that jealousy animating your actions?" I shot a look at Shisui. I knew him well, so I noticed immediately when a nerve was hit. I wrapped my fingers around his arm and made him let go of Akihito. He rubbed his wrist. "Well, I think I'm not welcomed here anymore. I'll see you later Akane-chan!" He turned around and left. I sighed.

"You're not gonna be in trouble right?" Shisui just kept staring at the empty spot where Akihito used to stand. "Hey Shisui, he's gone now." He lowered his head and looked at me.

"He didn't do more than just talking, did he?" he asked me hoarsely. I shook my head and he pulled me against his chest abruptly. I hugged him back tightly. "You're not the first, he proposed to three other women and called it off because they were not amusing enough. He...he's not a bad guy, or even mean, he's the biggest macho you'll ever meet though, he really takes women for entertainment."

"Everything I love in a man." Burying his face in the crook of my neck, I shivered when I felt his breath against my collarbone as he chuckled. After a couple of seconds, he moved back and our eyes locked in each others. I smiled faintly and he took a deep breath.

Of course, it didn't last as Sasuke called us. It was good though, because he had someone so...no ambiguous moments would be appreciated.

Sasuke eyed us suspiciously.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Nothing, what did you want?" Shisui replied quickly. The younger Uchiha stared at him for a solid second before looking at me.

"You can't get married, you're taken already moron." I raised my brows and widened my eyes when I understood the implication. It disappeared though, because Sasuke…

"How do you know about that!?" He shrugged.

"Father's seals aren't all that great." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose.

"What am I missing?" I grinned at Shisui, ready to ask him to marry him for the sake of getting out of Akihito's radar, but I refrained myself from doing so. He...he was with another girl Akane, stop...stop treating him as if he was at your disposal!

"I...remember that time when Fugaku-san came to my house?"

"Yeah?"

"I accepted an engagement to your clan to calm down your elders." Sasuke rolled his eyes, muttering an 'idiot' under his breath as Shisui stared blankly at me.

Very slowly, he gaped at me and grabbed me by the shoulders to shake me.

"Are you insane!? This is stupid, you can't do that for us! It's too much you idiot! You've done enough, don't you realize that!?"

"Shisui, I do now," I grumbled and slapped his hands away. "At the time...it was the last thing to do to ensure some stability between you guys and the village." His eyes were still conflicted.

"Akane...you shouldn't have done that. You're not an Uchiha and you're not from Konoha, it's...it's just turning you into a pawn for the two." I looked down.

"Yeah, I know." However, it was not as if I would give the babies they wanted me to give them.

"Anyway, it may be the one case where her mistake will be of some use." Shisui and I raised our brows at Sasuke, who smirked at me. "Akane, marry me."

We could have heard a pin drop.

Hey! Thanks for reading and leave a review to tell me what you thought about this chapter! Thanks to nevvy and realfan16 for their reviews.

Bye!