Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or anything other than my OCs.

Neji stared blankly through the fog, the memory of what had just happened was playing over and over in his head. Kai and Toshizo had approached the enemy blindly through the thick mist, they were fending the opponents off just fine and then it had happened. A stray bolt of lightning rushing into his sister's small frame, knocking her off her feet. Toshizo's useless plea for Kori to move somehow and dodge the attack.

"She lives." The leader of the blind fighters seemed displeased by the unexpected turn of events, her cards shuffling back and forth in her hands, "It was not in her fate to die today. But it seems like I won't be able to take her today either. Fate has saved you. You have reinforcements? No perhaps someone is just on their way back to the village and happened upon our battle? Either way, congratulations. Fate has spoken."

"Don't let her escape!" Touga growled, his blade drawn.

"Silence!" The girl hissed, turning her back to the ANBU to speak to Kori, "I know you can hear me so listen carefully. I am a member of the Akatsuki now but before this I was a shinobi from your village as well. My name is Hyuga Chiharu. I know a lot about you but what I want most is those powerful eyes of yours. A person with enough power to resist the Main Branch's curse seal… You are the only one. I want what you have."

With those final words, the group turned and disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared. There was no hesitation in Kai's movement as he rushed forward on wobbly legs to collapse beside the fallen Hyuga, "Kori! Open your eyes, give me a sign here! Are you alright?!"

"That's exactly why I told you not to move." Touga did not hold back the angry scolding, "I ordered you not to move because you would only be in our way - in her way! Without proper vision, there's no way you could have seen that she was in the line of fire from your technique and that she was not in any situation to dodge if you missed."

"If you knew you should have told me! You should have stopped me!" The jonin was on the verge of tears as he turned and grabbed Touga by the throat, "And how in the world can you see what's going on?!"

"I was as blind as you." Touga's voice betrayed no emotions, "That's why I didn't move beyond my range of vision. In that situation, the ones with the highest chances of victory were the Hyuga siblings. I wasn't saying it out of spite nor was I telling you to stay away for your own sake. I was saying it for the sake of victory. Our mission is not complete until we return home with information on our victory over the criminal we were hunting in the first place. Any obstacles must be defeated before we can return home. Thanks to your actions we have unnecessary casualties."

"This isn't the time for that!" Toshizo snapped, "We need a medic! We have to-!"

The arrival of the very team that had caused the group of blind Akatsuki members to flee silenced the entire group.

"What's going on here?" Kakashi's voice was a steady and calm tone, his group falling in behind him. His single eye swept the silent and almost ashamed group of shinobi and stopped at the fallen body of Hyuga Kori. After a small period of shock his eyes continued onto Yui's injured form, "It doesn't seem wrong for me to say you've fought a battle that was too much for you to handle. Sakura, treat them."

"Of course." The pink-haired kunoichi moved fast, kneeling beside the Hyuga first, "I won't be able to treat both of them in time. We have to move one of them back to the village."

"How did Kori end up like this?!" The outraged Kiba snapped at the closest person - Toshizo, "Why is she the only one in this state?!"

"That's not important as of now." Kakashi cut it before either of the two members of Team Asahina could reply, "Which of them should we move?"

"They've both taken heavy damage. Neither of them are in the state to be moved." The medic murmured, "I can only save one of them on the spot. Yui seems to be the one in higher need at the moment so I'll provide aid to Yui. Kori has to be moved to the village somehow. Check her vitals and then move her as close to the village as possible. Send a messenger to tell them to send a medic out to meet your group."

"There's a chance those guys could come back so those capable of fighting will stay with Sakura." Kakashi ordered, "Naturally that means my group will take over here. Any objections, Touga?"

"Your decision seems to be the correct one." The ANBU op nodded, "I will remain here as I am fit to fight if the need arises. Saizo Kai and Tsukara Toshizo will return with your group to give the mission report and patch their wounds. Is that a sound decision?"

The copy ninja gave a curt nod, "I'll leave Shino and Neji with you. Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and I will transport Kori to the village. Pakkun will run ahead and give the village the message. When we reach the village we will send someone to help transport Yui back to the village."

"Understood."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

"They what?" Asahina stared blankly at the nin-dog that had just arrived at the hospital where she was being examined in the late stages of her pregnancy, "So the whole team has yet to return?"

"Yui is the only one from your team that has yet to begin her return." Pakkun sat comfortably on the fuzzy towel that had been put down for him, "Kakashi sent me ahead to give the message and two medics have been dispatched towards Hyuga Kori's location for emergency first aid. When she's stable they will finish transporting her here. Someone has already gone to prepare a sterile space for her final treatments."

"And Kai?"

"Saizo Kai and Tsukara Toshizo are pressing ahead to reach the village and give their report first so they should be reaching the Hokage's office any minute now." He grunted, "Neither of them have taken much damage."

"..." After a moment of hesitation, she murmured, "And Kirishima?"

"Touga has remained behind to provide protection for the group aiding Yui. Virtually unharmed as expected."

The rage in Asahina's eyes was plain, "He hasn't changed."

"But you can't blame him." Pakkun grumbled, "His style is cold and hard but there's not a single shinobi in this village that would deny his skill."

"That's what makes me sick. He gets results but he wastes the lives of others to get what he wants."

"But what can we do about it?"

"... I've asked myself that so many times." The pregnant jonin smiled bitterly, "But I still haven't found my answer."

"I'll give you the one you don't want to hear." The dog grunted out, "There isn't anything you can do about it. It's not against the rules to act the way he does and as long as it gets results there's not a single person that has the right to speak against his ways."

"But it costs so many young and inexperienced shinobi their lives! There's not a single drop of warmth left in that man!"

"And that's why he works with Danzo." The nin-dog said sharply, "There is nothing I can say that would comfort you, Asahina. I'm only here on Kakashi's orders so if you're satisfied with my job, I'll leave you be."

"... Yeah."

O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O

Aya screamed in joy, throwing up her hands, "I get a real interrogation?!"

"Yes." Ibiki groaned, slapping at hand over his face in irritation, "I said that already so stop. I'll show you how it goes so just come with me."

At the end of the long hallway, the door opened up to let out the shinobi who had been inside. He paused and frowned, "I think it's too early for Aya-chan if it's this guy. He's not going to be quietly interrogated. He's not scared of nothing."

"You let us decide that." Ibiki chuckled, patting the male on the shoulder as he passed by, "He's strapped in?"

"We barely got him in there."

"If you got him in there, leave the rest to us. Aya's not going down with me next to her."

"Aww, Ibiki, you're great!" The girl squealed in excitement, "I'll do my very best! I promise!"

"And your best is all I asked." He chuckled, hand on the doorknob, "You have to be very careful from here. If he turns on you, you must not kill him. You can only wrestle him back into submission. When we enter, I'll get the status report from the person watching over him. You will be the one to assess our method of torture and/or interrogation. I won't step in unless absolutely necessary. If you tread too deep into interrogation there's a chance that his village has already set a heavy curse or seal in his body, it could potentially destroy this man's body and/or cause you fatal harm. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir!" She cheered as she pushed him out of the way to open the door in a hurry, "Let's start!"

"Ughhh…" Ibiki sighed heavily as he entered behind her, the man watching over the prisoner chuckled at them, "Status report!"

"He's been sedated so it'll take him just a few more minutes to return to consciousness. We couldn't even get this guy's name out of him so Aya-chan's going to have a hard time here." The man laughed at the pout coming his way, "Only because it's your first one, Aya-chan. Good luck. We'll be supporting you from behind if you need us."

"As long as I don't kill him it's anything goes, right?"

"Yes." Ibiki huffed, "But if you kill him just remember that I won't be letting you do anymore work with real people for the next year."

"Yes sir!" She shouted in glee as the prisoner began to stir. She showed him a mysterious smile as he began to mumble incoherent things at her while trying to regain full consciousness, "Hello there~"

"A woman." The prisoner grumbled, shaking his head to clear his vision, "Konoha is truly underestimating me."

"Get out petty info first." Ibiki instructed, "We're feeling him out so-"

"I got it~" Aya cheered, "Can I have your name please?"

The prisoner simply glared up at her as if to ask if she was being serious.

"You're not going to like me if I actually have to try so give me the information before I make you." She grinned at his dumbfounded look, "Please?"

"You've got to be kidding…"

"Three." She began to count, "Two."

"One. Zero." The prisoner finished the countdown of his own accord, arrogance streaming from his entire body, "Hurry."

A terrifying grin lit up her face and she did not wait another moment to bestow upon the prisoner just what he had asked for, "Reiton: Kagami no Jutsu. (Spirit Style: Mirror Technique)"

The mist startled the prisoner in his bindings, the drop in temperature had the man breathing out a heavy fog. He made no movements, waiting, analyzing.

The mirror of ice began to appear before him, Aya's image lost in the thicket of mist. Her voice came forward in a mature and beckoning tone, "Do you see it?"

The prisoner gave no response.

"The etching in the ice gives way to reveal those words." She whispered and the prisoner's eyes began to glaze over slowly but surely, "Do you see what's written in the slate? Your name… "

Still the prisoner remained silent. Ibiki smirked, waiting for the girl to shriek in frustration and abandon her interrogation.

A piercing scream echoed off the walls, startling both Ibiki and the man who was not too far behind him.

"You're bleeding." Aya murmured softly and caringly, "I will treat you."

Ibiki could vaguely see the outline of a knife within the mist. She had stabbed the prisoner while he was enamored by whatever he had seen in the mirror. He was too far into her genjutsu to see what was happening in real life. Ibiki moved two steps closer to the two, knowing that this is about the time when a real shinobi would resist violently.

"Fuck off." The prisoner snarled, his eyes desperately trying to focus on what was happening. His mind comprehended the pain even through her thick illusionary binding.

"Please let me help you." She whispered so sweetly that even Ibiki shuddered in confusion.

He could feel the waves of the illusion coming his way. He averted his eyes. He knew Aya could not precisely control who saw what in the thick of the mist. The mirror of ice was just a tool created by her imagination to fool her opponent into thinking that they had to look into it to be trapped in her genjutsu when in fact, the mist itself was her weapon. Those unable to see through the mist lose themselves in fright and those who lose themselves in their helplessness and fear fall victim to her audio-visual genjutsu.

"Is it okay if I just stop the bleeding?" She whispered into the prisoner's ear.

"Is it okay for her to get that close…?" The man behind Ibiki whispered much more quietly, "He's not the same as those clones she's been working with."

As if to prove this man's point, the prisoner snapped his teeth against her chin savagely enough to draw blood.

To Ibiki's surprise she did not back down. She didn't look the least bit frightened. In fact, she looked frightening with the faux smile lining her lips, "I understand that you're angry but I only want to help you."

The prisoner's body shuddered violently as he tried to resist the pull on his consciousness, "Help?"

Aya laid her bare hand against the man's wound, her face twisting into a sadistic look of glee, "Yes."

The mist began to thicken, the natural color of fog losing way and shifting into a strong blood red. Ibiki could no longer see what was happening in front of him but he felt that he should not move. This was no longer about Aya's safety but about his own. The limits of her kekkei genkai had not been tested and he had never seen this happen in her practice sessions with the clones.

"What's your name, dear?" Aya's voice was no longer the voice of a teenage girl but the voice of an older, motherly figure, "Do you have a family?"

The man had lost his own sanity in the thick of the mist, "My name? I have a family…"

A heavy gust of icy wind pulsed through the room. Once, twice, a third time.

"Do you want to see your family?" She cooed, her voice had changed once again. It was a completely different tone, the voice of a man.

"Father…" The prisoner breathed out shakily.

A moment later the mist fell away to reveal the mirror once more, the prisoner was staring deep into the reflective ice.

"Your mission." The same voice of a man, "You have failed?"

"My mission?"

"Do you not even remember what it is?" With emotional precision, Aya spoke as if she was ashamed and enraged.

The prisoner broke down in tears, blabbing on and on about the very information Aya had been fishing for this whole time. Locations, enemies, allies, and most importantly the motive of the mission came to light. Just as the man was about to break down the precise story of his team's defeat and capture the mirror shattered. Aya hissed in pain, collapsing to her knees in a violent spasm.

"What's happening?!" The man shouted in surprise at the sight of Aya soaked in blood, "Ibiki, do I call a medic?"

"No. That's not hers." The man warned, "Don't call a medic. Not even Tsunade-sama herself could explain what goes on in the body of a shinobi with such a demonic kekkei genkai. Just let her rest."

"Yes sir..."