A/N: As per usual, now that classes are back, exam class is coming and I just have waay too much to read/work on so there won't be a new chapter next week, instead, there's a little omake right at the end.

Chapter 62: One step closer

Anger was a feeling Sasuke was well acquainted with. As a child, he'd been easy to upset, and after the massacre, the violent emotion had become a permanent fixture in his life. It only got worse when they discovered the lies that had been fed to them by the village, but even that did little to prepare him for the explosion of boiling hatred and rage that consumed him as he took in the place in front of him.

There were tanks filled with liquid that contained partly formed fetuses growing inside. All of them, attempts to infuse a body with enough Higurashi DNA that reiki would reform on its own without lashing out at a person's chakra network once it reached a certain level. They both knew the freak that served as their master was far too interested in the girl's bloodline abilities to leave her alone, but so far, they'd only recovered notes and reports. What he felt now was entirely different from what he could see in front of them, how the materials were being used. This...this was what some of those after them wanted Kagome for. And even this could've been worse. After all, the samples used to do this, were all given voluntarily by the girl. Much to Sasuke's chagrin, the girl had agreed to be part of a handful of experiments. But those were still small and generally harmless; at the end of the day, she could heal herself with just a bit of rest...things wouldn't have stayed the same if things had gone the insane Sannin's way.

"Suigetsu, destroy everything, will you?" Her voice was stable, but he could hear the tension in her words. "There is still one person inside the holding cells, Sasuke and I will handle them before setting this place on fire."

The hand that grabbed his own was trembling slightly; he knew despite the mask she was putting forth, the girl was just as disgusted as he was, if not worse. The boy shook his head, attempting to focus solely on her skin touching his instead of the scenario they'd already avoided. Once they crossed this place off the list, all of the snake's hideouts would be hit. If things went how they planned them, then they'd get the Taisho's resources to hunt down Akatsuki, to find Itachi. Potentially, they would also have what the girl needed to decode the scrolls she got from the Higurashi's abandoned compound.

Silence enveloped them until the girl stopped in front of a heavily locked door, reinforced with chains crossing the metal locks.

"This...might be him..." Taking advantage of the momentary solitude, the girl took a calming breath. "I really doubt he was any of the ones we fought earlier."

"Juugo, was it?"

As Orochimaru's precious vessel, he'd been allowed access to far more access than the usual subjects, but the Uchiha never cared to get into the specifics of the madman's projects. Kagome, on the other hand, had been consistently shadowing Kabuto. Not that the older teen complained about it; since he often asked for a different point of view. That particular name was one she'd mention to him on more than one occasion.

Honestly, it wasn't surprising that the girl had shown an interest; after all, this was the person from whom the cursed seal engraved in Sasuke's skin originated, at least according to the notes she'd been given.

"He may be unstable; as far as I understand it, he came here willingly...looking for help." The disbelief in her gaze was likely mirrored in his own. "Don't aim to kill, please. I'd like to see the effect of reiki in a body designed to withstand the transformation."

As always, she asked for such things like they were the easiest things to do..."Step back."

With a good-natured roll of her eyes, she obliged him. Kagome could handle herself; there was no need for him to be the one to open the door. Just like there was no need for him to spend as much as he did on the bathing areas but did so all the same until she was ready to get out.

"Bingo!" The scream pierced his ears as soon as the door opened. "I'll kill!"

Dark ink-like stains were already covering a good portion of the man's body as he ran towards him. His arm protested when he blocked the hit, so there was a distinct difference between the original and most of Orochimaru's experimental copies. The flesh on the fist that hit him began to morph, skin darkening as the limb itself started to reform and pushed with more strength. But Kagome wanted the man alive.

Ignoring his annoyance, the Uchiha felt his chakra explode at the partial release of the cursed seal, his own body deforming to move at his will and pushed back.

"Another one of my copies?!" If this guy kept up with this mocking tone holding back would be an issue. "I have to admit, you're something to be able to achieve a partial change. You're good at controlling the cursed seal."

"I have no intention of killing you, if possible." The girl never asked for something for no reason, he reminded himself. "We just have questions."

"You're strong!" And, of course, the older teen was ignoring him. "The first copy of this caliber since Kimimaro!"

The girl stood a few meters to his right, a question in her gaze. Sasuke shook his head; there was no need for her to get involved just yet. As long as he got Juugo immobilized, Kagome could get her answers and either kill the specimen or leave him be. His right arm moved to grab his katana, only to stop.

The giant halberd Suigetsu had pilfered from Zabuza's grave blocked it, making both Juugo and Suigetsu stumble back.

"What?!"

"You didn't use that power last time, Juugo." Arrogant as always, the former Kiri nin was grinning. "So hard too...hey, Sasuke, I want to take this guy. Also, it's all on tatters over there."

"Hold on, Suigetsu," the girl hurried to interject. "We're not looking to kill him here."

"Well, if you want him knocked out, you still have to go all out, princess."

"So that's it! You're Suigetsu!" The orange-haired nin was almost childish in his actions. "I remember now."

With that, the two launched at each other, the sound of the stone walls breaking with each attack.

Behind him, the girl groaned out loud as she made her way to join him, a silent plead in that one noise. And he knew well why. Suigetsu never dared to say it outright, but they had both noticed that, unlike most of the people they'd released from Orochimaru's labs, the older teen didn't act what he'd call grateful. Kagome had noted the apparent dislike in the older teen's behavior. At the very least, there was wariness in the way he approached her, sure he ended up following orders, but the Mist nin tried to ignore them for as long as he could.

With a nod, the Uchiha jumped between the two fighting teens. Chakra rushed to his eyes, turning them crimson, a light genjutsu falling over the two shinobis at the same time he let his killing intent show.

"You two..." This time, neither of them spoke up. "Do you want me to kill you?"

The effect was instantaneous; shivers racked both older teens as they held their posture even after pulling back both bloodlust and illusion. It seemed he shouldn't have bothered being too cautious. Letting out a huff, Kagome moved to stay by his side, one hand on her hip, looking entirely unaffected.

In a heartbeat, the marks on Juugo's skin retreated, leaving the boy wide-eyed as he turned his head in a panic before giving a terrified scream and rushing back inside the room they'd just opened. The metal door was slammed close.

"Hu...hurry up and lock the door!" The orange-haired teen's shaky voice didn't sound anything like the unhinged shinobi that just tried to kill him. "I don't want to kill any more people! I don't want to go outside...just leave me be!"

"...what's that?" Oddly enough, Suigetsu's tone embodied his own shock. "Such a split personality..."

"As I said, unstable." Sighing, the Higurashi neared the metal door. "Orochimaru is dead...and there is no one alive in this compound anymore. The others rioted to get out if you stay here, you'll eventually starve."

"I don't care! I could lose it at any time!" The panic in Juugo's voice seemed genuine enough. "Please, lock me back in! At least that way...I won't kill anymore, right?"

"If that's what you're worried about...then it should be fine as long as someone makes sure you don't kill anyone anymore, correct?" Her tone had softened even her gestures had taken on a more reassuring manner.

He blinked once and then blinked again. Was the girl really implying what he thought she was...?

"We can keep you contained." The unstable teen's refusal was swiftly cut off. "Sasuke and I, we can stop you."

"Sasuke...Uchiha Sasuke..."Juugo trailed off. "Then, you are...Higurashi Kagome?"

"We are, and we can definitely hold you back."

Hesitantly, the door was opened once more, and out the older teen came. It was almost as if the guy was a lost puppy who'd just been offered a home...almost eerily reminiscent to another memory, one he'd locked far away from his waking thoughts.

"Really, you're picking up another stray?" Irritation laced his words.

"Are you telling me not to?"

One look at those azure pools was all he needed to know that there was no way he could get her to change her mind. With a sigh, he shook his head. There was no point in arguing because while the Uchiha was fairly certain guilt was playing a big part here, it didn't change the fact that Kagome had already decided...and honestly, she used to be like this, once upon a time. Genuinely caring for those she helped. Perfect, traveling was now guaranteed to become more annoying.

"And you're sure they won't complain about them?"

Already, they were taking a risk with accepting the lure the Taishos had offered them. The clan was more than likely interested enough in Kagome to agree to give them a safe place to hole up in and share their resources and information. Their interaction within Konoha made it more than clear that wherever the Higurashi went, Sasuke would follow, so the hidden offer had to be extended to him as well. With this, however, the girl was planning on pushing the limits by having two extra-uninvited shinobis behind them.

It wasn't like he couldn't understand her logic, tenuous bond between them or not, she knew exactly what each of the additions to their small team were after, and that made them more trustworthy pieces than the potentially powerful but dangerous Taishos. As much as he wished to ignore them all and move on with just Kagome, he wasn't an idiot. There was too much work involved in tracking down Itachi; even after that, getting the man alone meant they'd need someone to distract his partner.

Suigetsu played perfectly into that role, and with Juugo acting as backup, the two heirs would get enough time to play their card without needing to risk depending on the independent clan.

"They won't," she smiled at him. "They've betted too much on this already."

"Let's go, then...we have to burn this place to the ground."

"So...I'm back, huh?"

Stepping back into the only place he'd known for the first 13 years of his life was...odd.

There was no denying that a part of him was overjoyed at the familiar buildings and sights that filled the village. Every significant moment of his early life had taken place somewhere within these streets. Walking here...it was like being sent back in time. Memories flooded his mind, making a smile appear on his face; between his pranks and D-ranked missions, the blond had been through every hiding place and back alley there was within Konoha. And yet...bitterness crept in because in every one of those memories... there were two people who were, currently, out of his reach.

As the noise died down around him while he made his way to what was now nothing but a ghost district.

Maybe he shouldn't have come here.

There was nothing waiting for him anymore. No one to train with him, offer homemade food. And Naruto...Naruto had yet to find an answer as to what to do about it. Just as Jiraiya said, those two failed to return even after killing Orochimaru...and wasn't that a sentence he just hated to accept. They had to be trying to hunt Itachi on their own then. No matter how many times he tried to think about why it still made no sense. For them to completely ignore the village. Sure, Sasuke could be hardheaded enough to try and do everything by himself, but Kagome should know better, she was the sort to take advantage of anything and everything, she shouldn't snub the village's help.

The front door opened with no resistance; a sense of Deja-vu hit him.

It was like nothing had changed in these two years and a half. If Naruto closed his eyes, he could maybe trick himself into believing this had all been one long dream. That he'd get woken up by a push on his leg or a soft shake on his shoulder to see Kagome and Sasuke looking at him with a smile and a fake scowl on their faces.

He heard the back door sliding.

A back door that shouldn't be opening now.

Was someone...trying to steal something?

There were expensive ornaments and scrolls all over the main house. All of these things could likely be sold for quite a high price. Objects Kagome and Sasuke had cared about and kept close.

Rage rose inside him.

He moved through the familiar furniture, making sure not to make noise, placing himself right at the corner that would keep him hidden. Slowly, as if unbothered, the steps came close, a dark silhouette showing in the hallway. And Naruto jumped, pushing the intruder down. Hands grabbed slender wrists as he used more strength when this person tried to pull away. Blood pumped in his ears, drowning the surprised feminine gasp from the trespasser.

Only the cold, damp feeling on his arms managed to distract him long enough for his rage to calm down...and see the flustered, red face of a girl beneath him. Pale lavender eyes observed him, wide open.

Glancing at his right, he could see the metallic watering can that had spilled its contents on the floor. Truthfully, he suddenly had no idea of what was going on, though one thing had become terribly clear...this was not an attempted robbery.

"N-n-naruto-kun, y-you're back..." Her voice was just as shaky and soft as he remembered from the first time they met. "T-that's g-great...b-but c-could you..."

"Ah!" Heat rushed to his face even faster than embarrassment flooded him. Jumping back, he scratched the back on his neck. "Sorry, I just didn't think there would be anyone here, and when I heard noises, I thought maybe someone wanted to steal something, and..."

And he should shut up because he certainly wasn't making things any better.

Hinata-chan was one of the kindest people in the village, and the first thing he'd done was go and attack her only to call her a thief when trying to explain himself. From within his memories, he could hear Kagome reminding him of the importance of thinking things through while Sasuke scoffed. Too late for that, and he was only making things worse...

"A-anyway," he stammered. "What are you doing here?"

"O-oh...w-well, K-Kagome-chan had p-plant and herbs for her medicines and p-poisons, r-right?" Damn, was it just him, or was Hinata stumbling through her words far more than she used to when he left? "I-I figured s-someone needed to w-water them, so they wouldn't w-wilt..."

Oh.

He hadn't thought of that. In fact, now that he looked around, the place was fairly clean. Far more than it should, considering no one had lived here for the last two years and a half. The Hyuuga probably also did a bit of dusting whenever she came here.

"A-a couple of them have d-died when I was out o-on missions, b-but I b-bought replacements..."

"Whoa, you thought of everything, then."

It hadn't seemed possible, but the girl's cheeks became even redder than usual. Shit, had he said something he shouldn't have?

"D-did you find it?" At his confusion, Hinata continued. "Your answer, w-what you want to do a-about them?"

Truthfully, all this time had been quite productive when it came to training. It wasn't perfected yet, but the blond was really close to improving the rasengan. Control over the beast was a different problem, it was better than it used to, but it was still far from being air-tight. His time with Ero-sennin had helped him a lot when speaking about battle skills, the emotional aspect of it, though...

Regret and anger had done nothing but grow in equal measures. And Naruto couldn't even imagine what he would do the next time he saw either of his childhood friends. That in and of itself worried him; he wasn't even sure what his first impulse would be. But there was little else to do away from the village, and there was a sinking feeling in his gut that if the blond failed to reach them before they found Itachi, then there would be no other chances for him to actually try and talk to them. Ever since that day, Kagome's words had haunted him as much as the sight of her blood on his hands did. There was more to their actions, the jinchuuriki was sure he was missing something vital that had been meant for him, and he just couldn't imagine the two of them calmly walking back to the village once Itachi was dead.

"O-oh...I see, w-well, there's n-no need to hurry." Hinata-chan's voice broke him out of his darkening thoughts.

Right, he needed to find them and get his answers, and then...well, he'd cross that bridge when he reached it.

"You know what, you're right." The grin on his face came easier than he thought it would. "Sorry about, you know this whole thing again. You were the last person I thought I'd see here, wasn't your family kinda weird about it?"

"A-ah, N-neji-niisan is covering for me."

"Huh?" That was...unexpected. "So, he's really not that much of a jerk anymore, huh..."

"W-well, h-he was right, the way our family works i-is wrong, so w-we'll change it...t-that's the idea at least." A shy laugh made escaped the girl.

A little of the weight he'd felt lightened.

Golden eyes narrowed as Sesshoumaru gazed at the darkened sky.

The news of Orochimaru's death had spread throughout the elemental continent faster than a wildfire would've. Helped in no small form by the waves of former prisoners that now sang the praises of the Higurashi heiress. Stories went around how she'd saved them all, even healing some before destroying each and every one of the snake Sannin's hideouts.

Following the girl's directions, parchment was left in the hinted place. It only took one day for it to be replaced by a reply with another vague date and a proper meeting place. The person they'd deployed to keep an eye on the location failed to catch anyone taking hold of the hidden messages. At the very least, the young heir supposed, it showed the flicker of potential the two kids had shown before was still there if they were still this cautious around those they needed to become allies with.

His mother had made more than apparent from their very first encounter that there was something the whole clan was interested in when it came to the girl. Being surprised that the girl took advantage of such clear interest to try and bend the rules of the game in her favor would require incompetence of insane proportions. Sesshoumaru had been ready for her to try and arrange the board to her preference...but he still didn't expect her to be bold enough to land in front of his team with not only the Uchiha but two other figures flanking her. Former members of Orochimaru's now extinct forces, no doubt. Two fighters that were more likely to be loyal to the young heirs.

"Sesshoumaru-sama." A beatific smile adorned the girl's face. "Inuyasha-san, Miroku-san, Sango-chan, apologies for the late hour."

Not bothering to reply, the Taisho heir simply kept silent. If either of them was valuable enough to be worth all this trouble, then there was no need to voice his question.

"There were some unforeseen circumstances on the way here." Vague acknowledgment, that was what it was.

"Got any problem with that?"

Two years ago, the Uchiha brat had been content to keep silent and loom behind the heiress as some sort of bodyguard. Arrogant, but clearly aware he wasn't up to the task of handling the political machinations Higurashi Kagome liked to dance around with, nor was he strong enough to face any of the older members of his clan. This time, however, the teen not only challenged him but also stepped up to the girl's right; the movement of his hand as it twitched ever so slightly closer to a sword was impossible to miss.

Nor was it the fact that the girl simply smiled silently.

Brazen and unrepentant.

With a silent nod, Sesshoumaru took a step back. Considering this was to be little more than a guide assignment, there really was no need for him to be here at all. The only reason the young man bothered to show himself was to handle the parts of diplomacy only direct members of the head's bloodline was supposed to manage. His parents may have frustratingly insisted on keeping quiet, but they had made something clear. Higurashi Kagome was to be peacefully acquired if at all possible. The rest of this whole problem could be handled by the fake monk now that he'd officially dealt with the unexpected changes to the situation. Orochimaru's priced specimens or not, two mere extra hands would not make any difference if the use of force became necessary.

"Not at all, not at all." The con artist hurried to elbow the younger Taisho. "Life often throws quite a surprise at us, doesn't it? That said, it would probably be best if we make haste."

"Of course, we wouldn't want to delay anyone's schedule."

With a silent scoff, the Taisho heir simply rushed forward; he could hear his half-brother curse at him before telling the Higurashi girl and her entourage to make sure to keep up. There was no doubt that they would be able to, even the two unexpected additions.

Higurashi Kagome had made sure to present herself as a merciful savior to all those they'd freed from the mad Sannin's facilities. How many of them would come at her call to aid them? More than just a handful, certainly. Sacrificial lambs, he realized, pawns she could throw away in pursuit of whatever she and the Uchiha were chasing, but the two silent figures following behind them, those were probably deigned more valuable than the others. Wryly, Sesshoumaru had to wonder, just how useful did they consider his own clan when it came to their plans.

They were basically allowing a poisonous flower to their land and hoped to use it without spreading her toxins into themselves.

Because as much as this meeting was meant to be simply about assessing the veracity about the girl's claims, and there was a chance they could decline whatever favor she asked for, his mother already decided she wanted to play whatever game the younger kunoichi would propose. His father would bend, eventually. It didn't escape his notice that they'd moved from the eastern estate back to the central one almost as soon as they got the reply to their first scroll...the one compound that kept the documents dating from before the first shinobi village was established.

Nothing betrayed the existence of the barrier that protected the Taisho compounds as they neared it, which made it particularly noteworthy that he could see the girl reacting as they got closer to it.

"Wha..."

One of the girl's followers gaped when they crossed the barrier.

"Well, there's only so much privacy we can get by just being clever with our hiding places." Miroku's answer gave as little information as possible.

"Don't fall back."

He was almost sure he'd heard the words correctly, and yet, Naruto still couldn't help but wonder if he'd heard right. The old hag's frown made it clear she wouldn't appreciate it if he asked the same thing for the third time in a row.

Team 7 would be getting new members. One of which was the pink-haired kunoichi standing in front of the desk, expression slightly troubled.

At one point in time, the prankster would've been rejoiced to have the chance to get closer to his childhood crush. Right now, though, it only made Sasuke's and Kagome's absence feel even more real.

"It will take some time before I can find someone else to match your team." Tsunade-baachan glared at him. "I've already notified Kakashi; for now, you'll be taking missions like is."

It made sense, their team had been literally halved, and there was supposed to be a reason behind the number of people within a regular unit. But he didn't want to go on regular missions; he didn't care for regulation numbers or team compatibility.

"Wait, wait..." Ignoring the silent warning from the Godaime. "What do you mean missions? I...we need to be looking for Kagome and Sasuke!"

"Rumors about them are all over the place, but after that last hit, that is all those are. Rumors. I already have people working on sifting through the information; sending anyone else to work on it without any new leads would be nothing but a waste." He could see the Hokage's hand twitch towards something under her desk. Sake, probably.

"Tsunade-sama will send us once there is something for us to actually do," Sakura-chan said, speaking for the first time.

"But..."

"No buts," Tsunade cut him off. "Now, Kakashi wants to see you both at the training grounds."

"We'll be on our way now, Tsunade-shisho."

A hand pushed his head down with a strength he hadn't been expecting. A shiver threatened to run up his spine. Sakura had never been one to shy away from punching when she got pissed, but the blond wouldn't have described her hits as overly painful, but with how she was pulling him away from the Hokage tower was calling forth memories of old Tsunade's punch back when he went looking for her. Right...they did mention the pinkette became her apprentice, didn't they?

"Look, Naruto," the kunoichi started. "I know this isn't exactly what either of us would call an ideal situation, but we both want to find those two, so let's just try our best."

"...so, you don't believe what they said, you know, about them leaving?"

"Sasuke-kun would've never done anything like running away to Orochimaru like that!" she snapped at him.

Bitting his tongue, Naruto forced himself to swallow his words.

He could almost hear the pinkette's unsaid words. Sakura might be determined to find his childhood friends, but it was for a completely different reason than his own. Naruto had noticed it before, the way many of Sasuke's most devoted fans chose not to see the boy's faults while trying to attack Kagome-chan for anything they didn't like. It wouldn't be surprising if she blamed the other girl for the Uchiha leaving the village or something else.

"Oh, there he is!"

Following the kunoichi's pointing finger's direction, cerulean eyes fell on a dark figure.

"...wa...Kakashi-sensei is on time?!"

"Be respectful, Naruto!"

"Mah, Hokage-sama insisted," his teacher huffed, clearly, the man heard him. "But you know, Naruto, you could learn something from Sakura-chan."

"She just says he cause she doesn't know you." Grumbling, the blond stuffed his hands in his pockets only to freeze as he felt something. "Oh yeah, before I forget...here, this is for you, Kakashi-sensei."

It was odd...he wasn't sure if he should laugh or cringe at the sight of his teacher's one eye widening and entirely showing what he felt instead of the man's usual lazy expressions when he saw the unreleased new little orange book. After realizing Ero-sennin was actually writing another of those stupid novels, Naruto kept needling the man (and building up Kakashi-sensei as a very devoted fan) until the old man finally gave the teen a signed copy. With the promise not to divulge the ending until after it was released, of course. The prankster had scoffed; he was not interested in the perverted books the old guy wrote.

"This..." Dear gods, the elite Copy ninja was for a loss of words. "You...h-how...this is..."

"The latest in the Icha, Icha series after three years," the jinchuuriki shrugged. "It's really boring, but you'll probably still like it...I think,"

"Huh...what is that?" Sakura was leaning forward, trying to get a peek at the cover.

"Ah!" Crap, this was bad. "Just a stupid book, no matter, no matter." He waved his arms around; he really didn't think the pinkette would be into the perverted book. "In any case, what are we here for, sensei?"

"Right..." With a cough, Kakashi-sensei tried to regain his composure. "From now on, the yow of you will come with me on team-related missions. It's different than what either of you is used to; it's no longer teacher and pupils. Starting today, we're equal. We're Konoha shinobi. But for us to be able to work as a unit, we need to see just how well we can work together." A dreaded couple of bells danced from the man's hand. "Naruto-kun already knows how this goes, but for today's training session, you'll need to take one of these from me. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will never succeed in getting the bells. You have until sundown today. "

Cerulean eyes wandered around the familiar grounds; even the stumps behind them were the same...and yet, if he were to look at his side, they would be one person short, and the skills of the girl at his side were entirely different.

"Naruto, be smart." Kakashi-sensei's words almost made him jump. "Sasuke's and Kagome's type of teamwork was out of the norm from the very beginning. You can't rely on Kagome's readings anymore."

He knew that...he knew that it was the Higurashi girl who made sure to coordinate their group. Her intuition made their attacks easier to execute since there was never any fear of accidentally hitting each other from them. While he and Sasuke had sparred so often they knew most of each other's moves, their movements were less smooth than when Kagome acted as their intermediary. His thoughts were spiraling once more. While training with Jiraiya, he'd pushed it all back, but the idea of completing missions without them just felt...wrong.

Why had they lied?

Why couldn't they just trust him?

"Well, then..." Kakashi-sensei was speaking. "Shall we begin?"

With a shake of his head, the boy willed a grin on his face. This was not the time to be thinking back on this, not right now. Naruto may not be sure how he wanted to confront them or even what he wanted to get out of them, but he doubted the young heiress would jump into a fight, and Sasuke would never passively answer his questions. If Sakura was going to be joining him in his search, then they needed to be capable of working together.

"Hehe..." the prankster laughed. "You won't do it while reading a book this time, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Wait, reading?"

"I'll save the enjoyment for later; besides, this time, I get the feeling I should take it a little seriously." Not wasting time, the man raised his forehead protector, revealing the crimson of the sharingan.

Should he try and talk to Sakura to try and make a plan?

The blond thought it over for a second before deciding against it. Unlike last time, there was no threat of being sent to the academy; without a fourth person in the field, there were enough bells for both of them. If a fight were to break out of nowhere, especially, if it was against someone like the Uchiha, then there would be no time to try and stand back.

Decision made, shuriken flew out of his hand only for the jounin to dock and send blades of his own...followed by a second set that targeted as he jumped to avoid the first volley of weapons. If he couldn't dodge, then he could be pushed. Timing was important; the smoke of his clone provided a cover as his clones kept up with the charade to be caught by Kakashi-sensei.

The end of his kunai was aimed at the jounin's back.

"Well, your haste hasn't changed..."His teacher scoffed. "Akright, start!"

A curse got caught on his throat when the man in front of him vanished in a puff of smoke. Just as crafty as before, would he hide this time? Or would he try and get them to separate, and...

"Below!"

Jumping back was pure reaction, barely managing to avoid the explosive cracking of the ground as Sakura punched the field's floor, and it freaking exploded...this was definitely...the same as the old hag, wasn't it?

He would really need to be careful with his pranks around her...one of those punches could definitely kill him...

"Alright, this time, should I also add something on my end?" Kakashi-sensei asked as if he hadn't just been forced to jump out of the ground.

The sharingan was something Naruto hadn't had much time to really train against, at least not when it came to the copy part of it. Sasuke had focused more on the taijutsu aspect; since there hadn't been too much time for him to start with the techniques part of it. As the giant water dragon raced against them, the prankster had to admit none of the original members of team 7 had ever managed to get their teacher to take them seriously.

"What the hell was that?!"

A harsh grip on his arm pulled him just when the whispered shout reached him.

Shit, right, Sakura had no clue.

"Kakashi-sensei has the sharingan for some reason." One he never told them.

"Wait...isn't that..."

"Something from the Uchihas, yeah." Not too many details, Naruto decided, only what was necessary. "It lets him copy other people's jutsus, and he's stupidly fast while weaving seals too."

"He said you already knew how this went...have you done this before?" After a second of silence, the girl apparently decided to focus on the training.

"Yeah, it was the first test we got after becoming a team..." Somehow, his voice didn't waver. "Though, at the time, he said if we couldn't win, he'd return us to the academy...we won."

"Huh? How did you manage to win against him fresh out of the academy?!"

"Well, Kagome-chan saw through his plans," He was confident the girl made a face at the Higurashi's name. "We didn't so much fight him as we fooled him...made him think we were fighting against each other and created a lot of distractions to keep him from noticing."

And then, they refused to split up, going against orders because they wouldn't fight amongst themselves...

"His plans?" Silent nods were all Sakura offered while he explained in detail. "I see...that won't work this time, then...we're going to have to focus on more physical attacks. If we could somehow stop him from using both hands, we could get the bells. But even Kakashi-sensei has to have a weak point. If we think it over well..."

A weakness...

The last time, they'd taken advantage of the man's preconception and the fact that he'd been totally underestimating them. This was clearly not the same situation; he couldn't use it. Neither seemed to have long-range attacks to use or were good enough with acting to take him by surprise...although...speaking about surprises...he had something he wouldn't even need to lie about...

"He has..." he trailed off for a second. "He has a weak point!"

"R-really?"

"Hahaha, Sakura-chan, you probably can't tell cause you haven't worked with him before..." he grinned as he shared the one piece of info. "But there's definitely something we can take advantage of."

He could see the doubt in her emerald eyes.

The same as in most other people's gaze whenever he opened his mouth. She didn't trust him; of course, she didn't. But it didn't matter; he knew this wasn't the kind of thing he tended to be wrong at. His rapidly forming plan would work for sure. Besides, whether she believed him or not, the pinkette would end up learning just what it meant to work with Kakashi-sensei soon enough.

"Stop being such a know-it-all, Naruto!" Sakura glared at him. "What's the weak point?"

It would seem like there was a point to him reading the stupid book while he was bored out of his mind on the way back.

OMAKE

Strength born from kindness came from putting your own wishes aside for the sake of the one you love...ever since crossing the imaginary land from Wave country, the words kept circling in her head. No, she supposed that, in a way, they'd always been lingering in the back of her mind. Every time she stared at someone whose end would be met by her hand, a whisper of those thoughts would echo softly. With a shake of her head, the girl tried to focus on her path.

Looking around at the movement around the marketplace, Kagome couldn't help but admire the stark difference from what she'd seen when she'd first made it here.

For the town to have grown so much in just a handful of years was admirable. What had once been dreary was now a lively place with people trading over colorful fabrics and ornaments. Bargainings were going on, and she could hear the mutterings of children running around in a way she hadn't seen before. Guess the people managed to keep alive the hope that was brought back by finalizing the bridge and getting rid of Gatou. It was a good thing, she supposed, although it was making it harder to locate the group of people she'd been looking for.

"Thanks, old man!"

The voice that reached her ears was finally the correct one.

"Want some help?"

With a jump, the boy that had definitely grown since the last time she saw him turned around. After a second or two, a grin broke into Inari's face.

"Kagome-san!" Now, a blush dusted the kid's cheeks. "You're here...! Wait, are the others here two?"

"Nop, it's just me this time, well, Sasuke is on his way here, but it's just us this time." Right, the kid had gotten attached to Naruto.

"Are you on a mission then?"

"Yep," Kagome smiled as she took one of the heavy backs from the boy. "Mostly information gathering though, and you know, Naruto isn't exactly the best for long and quiet assignments."

Laughter followed that statement, and Kagome joined in. It felt somewhat bizarre to go back to this kind of persona as she pretended to still be a part of Konoha and continued on with her more friendly and casual speech. For so long, it was either cold detachment or almost saintly goodness. This...this just wasn't part of her life anymore.

Still, she kept up with the boy's chatter. Offering brief and vague answers, the Higurashi continued on their way back to the old builder's house. Following Inari as he rushed to enter the class.

"Mom, look who I found on the market!"

"Sorry for intruding, Tsunami-san." The older woman beamed at her as soon as they entered the kitchen. "I was passing by and figured there was no harm in stopping for a chat."

"Oh, it's no intrusion at all. Will you stay for lunch?"

"I think I have the time, but I do need to leave fairly soon." Taking a glance at the ingredients that were quickly being placed on the kitchen table, she offered. "Is it fine if I help?"

"Kagome-san is working on an intel mission," Inari explained for her.

"Is there any way we can help?" the civilian woman asked good-naturedly before thanking the offered aid.

"Mmm, we're looking for a specific group of people. Black cloaks with red clouds are their signature clothing." Even cooking felt somewhat odd. "But you shouldn't get anywhere close to them if you happen to bump into them. They are extremely dangerous."

"Are you going to fight them?" Behind them, the boy jumped back into the conversation.

"Dear gods, no, not at all," Kagome laughed lightly. "Sasuke and I are just tracking them. Of course, assignments can always be surprising; mission rankings can be tricky, after all."

With that, both civilians averted their eyes, the clear reminder that the mission that brought her and her old team her was far above its supposed B-ranking clearly made them mildly uncomfortable. Giving another laugh, the girl shook her head.

"Well, that's what makes this interesting." Truthfully, the Wave mission was one of the few things that remained mostly untainted from their times in Konoha. "But enough about me, I see the town has changed a lot here."

The conversation followed lightly. Allowing the chatter to be filled with apparently worthless information that Kagome made sure to pay attention anyway.

Azure eyes caught sight of a single proudly shown photograph as they went to set the table.

It wasn't perfect, back then. But looking at the four completely shocked expressions on their faces, things felt so much simpler. Sasuke, Naruto, and her... the three of them had been a package deal, working as a unit and their lives constantly intertwining. Behind them, Kakashi-sensei was for once just as surprised as they were. The teacher who had put his life on the line to keep them safe and that they could trust to a certain degree at least. Her grip tightened around the plates on her hands, and it took a conscious effort to keep them from cracking.

"Kagome-san?"

"Oh dear, we were quite small back then, weren't we?" Her smile was strained, but untrained civilians would not notice. "No wonder Tazuna-san didn't feel safe when he first saw us."

"Ha, now you acknowledge that."

"Father!"

The food in her hands felt heavier than the cheap sword she bought on her way out of the town.

"Huh, what's that for, princess?" Suigetsu's confused voice reached her first. On his back rested the stolen blade that had once belonged to Zabuza.

"An old acquaintance sends their good wishes," the girl gave the food to Sasuke, who accepted it with a scoff. "And if we're going to take something from a grave, I figured it was only just to leave something behind."

Not making any ceremony, the girl plunged the sword onto the grave she'd dug so long ago. Haku's green ribbon had fallen to the ground probably after Suigetsu took hold of the sword, and she was quick to tie it back onto the new katana's hilt. This was not how she'd ever pictured coming back to this place. But in a way, she wondered if it was fitting.

"Did you hear anything useful?" Sasuke's voice broke her spiraling, darkening thoughts.

"Nothing about Akatsuki," she said as she got up. "Though I did get a bit of information about the new trading market."

"Trading? What the hell do we need that for?"

"We don't live in a vacuum, Suigetsu; everything that happens makes ripples."

Keeping an eye on where the money was moving to and from could be beneficial to monitor politics, considering Akatsuki was still an organization that required funding. Now that she thought about it, it was about time she visited Koyuki-chan. It had been some time before since the last time she went to see the girl in person. It wouldn't do to make the bar owner to feel neglected. Showing up every so often would ensure the older woman remained loyal to her and only her, something vital for her still young information network to keep working as it should.

Laughter escaped her as she caught on to her thoughts.

No, she was not a kind person...had never been one. Taking one last look at the grave of their first two enemies, Kagome couldn't help but wonder if the young orphan prodigy that was Haku would think her strong...

A/N: Yes, Sakura is going to end up in team 7, after all the "team" were just two people at this point. Of course, her and Naruto's dynamic is going to be quite different from canon, sure, Naruto used to have a crush on her but conflicted about the other two or not, he still cares and hearing her obsessing over Sasuke and condemning Kagome is not going to sit well with him. As for the other two, they are definitely jumping into an unknown situation and after what they just found out in the last of Orochimaru's hideouts they're definitely far more paranoid now. Honestly, I'm kind of surprised Orochimaru didn't try to experiment with the Uchiha's dna in canon, because even if he thought he had Sasuke on the palm of his hand, he would've definitely still wanted to keep experimented.

As always, thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/criticism/comment is greatly appreciated.