Pic of Ashley  --->

Third Person's POV

Ashley sighs heavily as the purple haired nurse fusses around her, checking the girl's vital signs and scribbling things down on a small clipboard. Hearing her sigh, the nurse flicks her eyes up to Ashley, concern filling them as she sees the blank expression on her patient's face.

The blonde girl merely stares straight ahead, her half closed and clouded eyes not really focusing on anything in particular. The nurse's mouth pulls down into a slight frown at Ashley's unusually placid behaviour. She'd already changed the bandages around the girl's head this morning without so much as a peep coming from Ashley's mouth, and having had to look after her before, the nurse knew how out of character this was for the Minami.

Setting her clipboard down on a bedside table, the purple haired woman steps over to Ashley and gently places her hands on the needle still stuck into Ashley's wrist, moving to replace it with a new one.

Quickly pulling the needle out and jabbing a new one into the girl's skin, sticking it down with tape, the nurse looks up, only to see that once again, Ashley has not so much as moved.

“Come now Miss Minami” the nurse encourages, straightening the girl's pillows carefully. “It's so unlike you to act this way. I almost miss the times you would try to escape through the windows or swing from the fans.”

Ashley merely blinks at this, tilting her head down to stare at the blanket covering her legs.

“Don't look so down now” the nurse says gently, placing a comforting hand on Ashley's head. “Aren't Lady Tsunade and your Sensei coming to the hospital today? You should be happy!”

“......What's there to be happy about?” Ashley asks bitterly, her voice surprising the nurse. She hadn't really expected Ashley to reply, seeing as she'd barely spoken for the last week.

“I'm stuck in the hospital” the Minami girl continues, leaning back against her pillows, “I can hardly walk without collapsing, my friends all think I'm a criminal and I can't see properly........And now I have to explain how my mission was a complete failure to the Hokage.”

The nurse blinks a few times, watching as Ashley pulls her knees up and folds her arms across them, hanging her head defeatedly. She'd never seen the blonde like this before and it was making her feel somewhat uncomfortable. All of the nurses and Medics in the hospital knew how feisty Ashley was, even when injured, and they all dreaded being assigned to her.

“I don't really know what you're talking about Miss Minami” the nurse laughs quietly, trying to remain positive, “But I'm sure your friends don't think badly of you. Even if they do, once you have a chance to speak with them, I believe they'll soon change their minds.....I can't imagine someone like Naruto hating anyone anyway.........”

Though Ashley is still hanging her head, the nurse sees a brief look of amusement flash across her face, causing the woman to smile.

“I had best leave you alone now Miss Minami” the nurse says, turning to pick up her clipboard, “And I know you get told this every day, but please remember......Stay in bed, your body has been under very severe stress and hasn't fully recovered yet. Do not use any chakra either, or you will damage yourself further.......You're healing well, but even you aren't invincible. Have a good rest, and I do believe the Hokage will be here to see you soon.”

“Great........” Ashley mutters sarcastically, lifting her head as the nurse exits her room and slides the door closed behind her. Staring ahead for a few moments, Ashley looks back down and sighs softly, closing her eyes.

Though the girl wasn't exactly blind, the world was nothing more than a blur to her, and the constant straining of Ashley's eyes had led to many a bad headache over the past week. Part of Ashley just wished she could rip her eyes out, to rid herself of the frustrating blurriness and nausea inducing headaches.

“A sorry sight you've become....” Hakuba muses, red eyes hooded as he glances down at the girl before him.

Now standing in front of Hakuba's barred prison in her psyche, Ashley remains still, her glassy eyes focused on the floor. Arms by her sides, the blonde heaves another sigh, blinking slowly as mist rolls across the floor and over her feet.

“Look at you” Hakuba snorts, shaking his head in disapproval, “Wallowing in self pity. You've been this way since returning to your Village brat, silent and morose. You were not even like this when you betrayed them.”

Here Ashley lifts her head a little, brows furrowing as she casts Hakuba a half hearted glare. Though Hakuba was nothing more than a large, black shadow to the Minami, she still knew where the cheeky Demon was standing.

“Ahhhhh” Hakuba chuckles deeply, teeth becoming visible as he smirks in amusement, “So you do have some spirit left in you.................What troubles you brat? I can feel it that this is.....Different to sadness....”

“That's because I'm not sad.....” Ashley murmurs in response, a faint puff of warm air escaping her lips. “...............I'm.........I think I'm scared........”

“Scared?” Hakuba repeats in surprise, tilting his head to the side and narrowing his eyes as he sits back on his haunches. “Never have I heard you utter such a strange thing out loud. Though you pretend to be strong, this is foreign behaviour, even for you.......”

Ashley slowly shakes her head, biting her lower lip. She raises her arms and crosses them over her chest, looking as if she's hugging herself.

“.......I don't know” the girl admits quietly. “....How can I make my friends understand why I did this? None of them are going to believe me, and I don't blame them............I almost wish I hadn't done this mission........It's ruined everything....”

Hakuba remains silent and stares at Ashley for a few moments, not used to having the girl behave so defeatedly in front of him. Usually she put up a tough facade, throwing around sharp tongued words and threats laced with poison, but right now........She just seemed like any other human girl. Weak and helpless, with no sure way to turn.

She'd been like this all week, sitting immobile and silent in her hospital bed, no sparkle in her eyes. More than once she'd panicked when the nurses had come to check on her, even reacting with unintentional violence. One nurse had almost had her arm broken, before Ashley realised that it was just a nurse and she was safe in a Leaf Village hospital.

The girl had been too afraid and anxious to sleep, and had sat awake all night, left alone with her thoughts. She hadn't so much as tried to speak with Hakuba since returning to the Leaf Village, too preoccupied with the things on her mind and the pain in her body.

Though she hadn't said anything, Hakuba knew Ashley fears and concerns well. He'd seen everything she'd been through during her time amongst the Akatsuki, when she hadn't been blocking him out with her chakra of course, and it seemed the experience had taken a much harder toll on her than the demon had originally thought.

Ashley hangs her head as Hakuba continues to watch her, a solemn look on her face. Though she was exhausted from her time in the Akatsuki and from lack of sleep, Ashley wasn't going to be lulled into the false sense of security sleep promised to bring.

Every time she closed her eyes, the Minami saw Kisame racing towards her with his Samehada at the ready, though she herself could only move in slow motion. She saw Hidan backing her into a corner, his scythe pointed at her throat and a psychotic, bloodied grin on his face. The tall shadow of Kakuzu, steel cables seeping through every joint in his body, would loom over her as he destroyed her in a terrific blaze of molten flames. Ashley saw the harsh and cold glare of the Akatsuki leader, his purple eyes sending her nothing but promises of a cruel death, should she fail to impress him.

But worst of all, every time Ashley tried to close her eyes and sleep, she saw the face of her beloved cousin Itachi. Though his face is resting in a gentle closed eye smile, blood seeps from the corners of his mouth and drips down his chin. Frozen in her dreams, Ashley can do nothing but watch as he waves goodbye and turns away, disappearing into a chilling darkness that seems to pull him in, eager to take the Uchiha away into it's depths and never release him.

The vision had caused Ashley to awaken with a horrible fright the first night she'd slept at the hospital, with the girl throwing back her covers and leaping to her feet. She'd paced back and forth despite her weakened state, until the nurses had come to check on her. They'd been shocked to see the tears streaming down Ashley's face, her hands shaking and her face turning a sickly pale colour.

It was safe to say that the Minami did not want to see any of this again, and so, she had chosen to resist sleep, as she'd done when she'd first arrived at the Leaf Village.

“I know I didn't actually do it but.....” Ashley speaks up, her voice so soft that Hakuba has to lean forwards to hear her, “.....I keep seeing myself killing my friends. I'm wearing an Akatsuki cloak and I'm killing them, one by one........They don't fight back, but they just look at me like I'm a monster......And the worst part is, I don't even care that I'm ripping them apart with my bare hands. I'm just smiling as their blood splashes on me..........It didn't really happen but....But what if I had stayed in the Akatsuki, for real? Would that become me?.....”

“......What is the use in these questions?” Hakuba asks in a flat tone. “Questioning a future that didn't happen is a waste of time. You should be focusing on the issues of now. The ones that actually exist.”

“I know but....” here Ashley sighs again, brows furrowing in confusion and worry, “It's like what Kiba asked me......Is that the person I was when I was with Orochimaru? Could I so easily revert back to that person? She's so cold and unfeeling.....And she doesn't understand the value of friendship like I do.....She doesn't treasure it like I do..........”

Hakuba's ears prick up a little at this statement, uttered so quietly and in such a pained way. He stares hard at Ashley as she scrunches her eyes closed and turns her head, figure hunching over a little.

It seemed that the Minami was hurting a lot, and not only from her physical injuries. She'd been hurt mentally and emotionally as well during this long ordeal, though she had technically been the one to hurt herself. Even Hakuba could now see that she'd done this to herself for the sake of her friends.

Surely they would understand, if Ashley would only let them see this vulnerable side of herself. The Ten Tails himself was feeling a little bewildered inside, never having seen his host in such a state before. Never had he witnessed this behaviour from any human in his long life. She would suffer like this for the sake of others, and yet.......She wasn't asking for anything in return but their forgiveness.......How she had changed since she was just a girl, when Hakuba had hated her with a burning and venomous hatred....

Closing his ruby eyes, Hakuba slowly lowers himself down to the ground on his stomach, folding his paws neatly in front of him. Ashley lifts her head at the sound of the demon Wolf's movements, his quiet sigh echoing in the silence of Ashley's psyche.

Hakuba remains silent for a few moments, before he reopens his eyes and focuses them on Ashley, the look behind them as intense as always, though the Minami sees an unfamiliar glint in them. What was it? To Ashley, they almost seemed.....Warm.

“A friend is one that knows who you truly are” Hakuba explains lowly, his gaze never leaving Ashley's face. “They understand where you have been, they accept who you have become and still, they will allow you to grow..............You have made a sacrifice and became lost for them.......They will accept this and together, you will all grow.......”

Raising her head further as Hakuba pushes himself to his feet, Ashley's eyes widen in surprise. Never had the Juubi imparted such comforting words to her, and never had he seemed so genuine in his demeanour. It was as if Hakuba was finally beginning to understand just how much Ashley's friends meant to her, despite the way she tended to keep those feelings to herself.

Now unable to look Ashley in the eye, Hakuba hoods his own eyes and looks away, pausing in the middle of turning around.

“......Why do you stare at me so, brat?” the great animal asks carefully, to which Ashley shakes her head slightly, the movement barely noticeable.

“Though I've lost my eyesight Hakuba” the Minami replies genuinely, “I think I'm really seeing you for the first time.........”

Hakuba gives a start at this comment, his ears falling flat against his head and his eyes widening. He turns slightly to glance back at Ashley, before looking away again, tails flickering in thought. Without so much as another word, Hakuba retreats back into the darkness of his prison, unsure of how to feel about the scenario that had just taken place.

Though the demon still held onto his deep rooted hatred of humans, he'd suddenly felt......hopeful. And protective. To begin with, Ashley had been nothing more than a vessel that Hakuba wanted to break open and escape from, but now..............Even Hakuba was hoping the humans would exceed his expectations and show Ashley the forgiveness, acceptance and love that he had found them to be so devoid of in the past....

At the sound of the door to her room sliding open, Ashley raises her head, watching through hooded eyes as a small number of blurry shadows make their way inside. Though she couldn't see them properly, Ashley knew their presences all too well, and she didn't need her eyes to know who had entered the room.

“.....You didn't tell me that they were all coming with you” the blonde girl sighs heavily, shoulders drooping a little. She had been hoping this meeting would just be between herself, Kakashi and Lady Tsunade....

“I thought you would like to explain the situation to them yourself” the Hokage replies coolly, placing one hand on her hip and regarding Ashley through serious eyes, as a faintly worried looking Shizune pulls the door closed behind her.

Sakura, hovering uncertainly by the wall, blinks her large green eyes and exchanges a concerned look with Naruto. The side of the blonde male's mouth pulls up a little as he sends Sakura a one shouldered shrug, before he turns his head and also regards Ashley silently.

She didn't seem upset that they were all there, but she also didn't seem to thrilled about it either. Maybe she didn't want to talk to them yet? But Naruto couldn't wait any longer. Ashley had been back in the Village for a week now, and he had wanted to come and see her. She was one of his best friends after all!

Kiba, leaning his back against the wall opposite to Sakura, furrows his brows and crosses his arms. He peers at Ashley from the corner of his eyes, noting that she seems rather run down and listless. Despite how uncharacteristically emotional she'd been only a week ago, Ashley certainly didn't look like she was feeling anything at the moment. If Kiba didn't know any better, he'd say the Minami looked paler than normal too. Maybe she was sick?

Soon spotting the faint circles under Ashley's glassy eyes, Kiba balls his hands into fists, fingers curling into the soft leather of his jacket.

'Or she hasn't been sleeping again...' the Inuzuka thinks apprehensively.

Remaining poised by Lady Tsunade's side at the foot of Ashley's bed, hands in his pockets, Kakashi looks down on his student with a blank expression. He watches as she stares at her blanket in a melancholy manner, eyes not really focusing on anything.

The Minami, usually so full of spirit and fire, seemed so strangely small and fragile in her hospital bed. Her face, though already pale, looked white and sickly, and the circles under her eyes were a dead give away that she had not been sleeping.

While wrapped in bandages and having a needle stuck in her arm, Kakashi could still see faint bruises and scratches dotting Ashley's arms and face. He'd been able to keep up to date with Ashley's recovery, thanks to Lady Tsunade, and while she was certainly doing better physically, Kakashi had heard her mental and emotional states had not fared so well.

Apparently the young teenager hadn't been eating much and was refusing to sleep due to night terrors. Well, the nurses had assumed nightmares were the cause of Ashley's refusal to sleep, but she hadn't even once spoken about them to anyone, so no one was really sure of her reason.

Suddenly breaking the silence in the room, Naruto bounds forwards and stops right next to Ashley, grinning broadly.

“Don't worry Ashley-chan!” the blonde cries, throwing his arms around the surprised girl and pulling her in for a hug. “We'll listen to you so you don't have to be worried!”

Ashley's eyes widen as she is pressed against Naruto's chest, the beeping of her heart monitor speeding up as her heart rate suddenly increases. Everyone except Naruto and Ashley glance over at the machine, with Kiba raising a quizzical eyebrow and Sakura quickly glancing back around to send Tsunade a concerned look.

Exhaling a sharp, yet quiet breath, panic swiftly sets in for Ashley as a feeling of being trapped washes over her. She quickly reaches up and grabs onto one of Naruto's wrists in a vice like grip, before roughly shoving him away with one hand and using her other to twist his arm around painfully.

“Hey!” Naruto exclaims, a sharp jolt of pain travelling up to his shoulder. “Ashley, what are you doing?! Let me go!.......You're gonna break my arm!”

Kiba jumps up from his relaxed position, as a now slightly alarmed Kakashi also takes a step forwards, only for Ashley's eyes to widen again. Blinking a few times, she releases Naruto and shrinks back against her pillows, a shocked expression on her face.

“S-Sorry Naruto” the girl apologises sincerely, brow creasing with distress as she brings one hand up to cover the side of her face. “I.....I'm still not used to people coming towards me and......And not wanting to hurt me.......”

Sadness flashes through the eyes of Naruto, Kiba and Sakura as they all watch Ashley slowly hang her head, long hair pooling around her. Despite the fact that the Minami had just lashed out like that, all three of them wanted to give Ashley a hug. What could have happened to make her instantly attack someone that approached her? Usually Ashley was only too happy to receive hugs from her friends....

“It's alright Ashley-chan” Naruto responds softly, sending the girl a tiny smile. “I shouldn't have run over like that. It's not your fault that you can't see.......I'll be careful from now on.”

“......I'm sorry.......” Ashley repeats quietly, her hands shaking. She couldn't help but feel a little ashamed, attacking Naruto like that. It was almost exactly what she'd done to that nurse, though the woman had actually ended up crying and two other nurses had had to pry Ashley off of her.

Even here in the hospital, Ashley was still on edge and her guard was up. Not being able to see was only adding to the girl's unease, and she couldn't help reacting to sudden movements near her.

“I can see that you're still in the process of recovering, both physically and spiritually” Lady Tsunade speaks up, addressing Ashley's obviously strange behaviour, “But we need to discuss your mission with the Akatsuki at length. We've waited a week, and I'm not comfortable with waiting on any possible new information any longer. Jiraiya has been sending me reports on their movements, and not knowing what they're up to is making me antsy.....”

Ashley raises her head at this and casts Tsunade a stony look, eyes hooded.

“You're going to be severely disappointed then” the girl remarks flatly, “Because I don't know anything useful. This mission was a complete and utter failure.”

Sakura's eyes widen at this statement, though she remains silent, as Lady Tsunade had ordered them to do back when she'd reluctantly agreed to letting Team Seven and Kiba attend the briefing session.

The pinkette stares at Ashley in shock, unsure how the girl can announce that a mission as intense as hers had been a complete failure without an ounce of emotion. Surely she'd come back with some sort of useful information?

Kiba masks his shock a little better than Sakura, mouth pulling down into an almost unnoticeable frown. It was hardly like Ashley to say she'd failed at something, considering the girl's pride in her abilities. He'd only been in the room with her for five minutes, and he could already hear it in Ashley's voice. It sounded like she was ready to just give up. On what exactly, Kiba wasn't sure. She just sounded tired and utterly defeated.

“Is that so?” Tsunade asks just as flatly, raising one eyebrow. “How about I be the judge of what is and isn't useful information? Now, why don't we begin with the members of the Akatsuki. How many are there? Do you know their names? What are their abilities? Anything you can tell me will be useful.”

Naruto opens his mouth to tell Tsunade to calm down and stop firing questions at Ashley, when a warning glare from Sakura causes him to instantly shut his mouth again. While he wanted to stick up for Ashley, the blue eyed Ninja didn't want another punch to the head from Sakura. Those hurt for hours.....

“......I've met seven of them” Ashley replies after a few moments, staring down at her hands. “I have no idea how many of them there are altogether. You've probably already heard of all of the ones that I know. There's Kisame and..........Kakuzu, Hidan-”

“The last two are already dead” Tsunade interrupts, crossing her arms over her chest. “Shikamaru took care of Hidan, and Naruto landed the finishing blow on Kakuzu.......Though I'm sure you witnessed his death yourself.”

A thoughtful look crosses Ashley's face at the mention of Shikamaru defeating Hidan, but she quickly shakes the thought from her mind, wanting to get the briefing session over with as soon as possible.

“The others are Deidara, Tobi and......” Ashley trails off for a moments, brows furrowing, “Well, I don't know the Leader's name. But I've met him as well.”

“Tobi?” Shizune questions, tilting her head to the side. “We haven't heard that name before Milady.”

“That's right” Tsunade agrees with a nod. “But tell me more about this Leader of the Akatsuki. You've met him you said?”

“.....Sort of” the Minami girl replies with a half hearted shrug. “I've met a holographic image of him. He's tall and has weird purple eyes........And he kept threatening to kill me if I failed at any mission........I didn't like him. At all.”

“He threatened you?” Kiba growls, immediately sounding irritated. The Inuzuka shoots an angry look at Lady Tsunade, who expertly ignores him. She'd had quite enough of Kiba's furious accusations over the past week, and she wasn't about to pay them any mind now.

“What else?” the Hokage presses, motioning for Shizune to begin writing on the clipboard in her arms.

“Nothing else about him” Ashley replies bluntly, knowing full well how unhelpful she's being. “I travelled with Deidara and Tobi a few times, but Deidara's dead now so he's no issue. And you all already know about Kisame.....”

“And what of Itachi Uchiha?” Shizune questions distractedly, scribbling down on her clipboard. She doesn't notice as Ashley suddenly freezes, a painful pang in the girl's heart causing her to curl her hands into tight fists, knuckles turning white.

Biting her lip, Ashley narrows her eyes and turns her head to the side, willing herself not to tear up at the mere mention of his name. She remains silent for so long, even Shizune lifts her head to see if Ashley is going to answer.

“Ashley?” Sakura can't help asking softly, contemplating reaching out and placing a comforting hand on the clearly upset girl's shoulder.

“I don't know what became of him” the Minami replies tightly, seeing her older cousin's brief smiling face as he wishes her a happy birthday again. What had become of Itachi? Where had he gone in the last week?

Ashley had had the strange feeling that she'd never see her beloved cousin again, back when they'd fought, but she sincerely hoped she was wrong. Surely Itachi would be back, and now that she knew he still cared about her, things would be different with him. He probably still cared about Sasuke too! Maybe they could both come back to the Village, and then they could all see each other every day!

Ashley can't help smiling faintly at this thought. How nice it would be, if only things could be so easy....

Kiba watches Ashley intently, recalling how she'd told him that she'd had to fight Itachi and that before the girl had disappeared, the Uchiha had wished her a happy birthday. Seeing as Ashley was clearly fragile at the moment, Kiba couldn't help thinking it was pretty insensitive of Shizune to just blatantly ask about the girl's cousin like that. She should have a little more tact.

“So you said that this Deidara guy is dead?” Kiba prompts with a sigh, hoping to steer the conversation away from Itachi for now.

The Inuzuka had never met Deidara before and had no idea who the guy was, he just didn't think Ashley was up for speaking about Itachi right now. Eventually he'd ask her about the Uchiha, but now probably wasn't the time. And who knew if Ashley would even want to talk about Itachi. She loved her older cousin dearly, despite everything he'd done, and she wasn't usually open to speaking about him to anyone.

Ashley blinks at the sudden topic change, before simply nodding her head in reply. While it was clear to the Minami that Lady Tsunade would want details about Deidara's death, that would involve bringing up Sasuke, and Ashley didn't really want to talk about him either, especially in front of Naruto and Sakura. They would freak out if they knew Ashley had come across him.....

“What was his cause of death?” Shizune asks, pen at the ready.

“.....Suicide” Ashley responds after a moment's pause, raising her bleary eyes to Shizune as the woman begins writing again.

“Why would an Akatsuki member kill themselves?” Sakura can't help questioning, before covering her mouth and sending Tsunade an apologetic look. “Sorry Milady.....”

The Hokage doesn't notice, too busy studying Ashley as the girl's shoulders sag a little and she sighs once again. Tsunade was not a stupid woman, and despite Ashley's fatigue and downcast frame of mind, the Hokage knew that she was witholding information already. Why the girl would want to keep things like this to herself, Tsunade had no idea, but she was going to get to the bottom of things. Ashley had suddenly vanished from the Village for a good few months to secretly carry out this mission, and the whole point of it was to gather information, so one way or another, Tsunade was going to get it.

“I'm curious as to why an Akatsuki member would kill himself as well” Lady Tsunade muses, narrowing her caramel eyes a little as she sees Ashley's mouth tug down at the corners. “I know you're not feeling one hundred percent Ashley, but we need to know everything. If you refuse to give us any information, then your whole ordeal has been for nothing.”

Ashley's frown deepens at this, though she averts her eyes from Tsunade's, mind whirring. Should she lie about Sasuke being there and tell them that Deidara had just lost a fight, or should she be honest about Sasuke? Would they be mad that she didn't try to convince the revenge driven male to come home?

“You can be honest with us Ashley-chan” Naruto speaks up kindly, sending the girl an encouraging smile as she slowly looks over at him. “We're your friends, so we'll listen to what you have to say!”

“.........Deidara........” Ashley begins uncertainly, fiddling with a loose thread on her blanket, “......He killed himself in a fight with......With Sasuke......”

“Sasuke?” Kakashi and Naruto both repeat in surprise, the Uzumaki's blue eyes growing wide. Sakura's eyes also widen, though she obediently remains silent, unlike her blonde teammate. Shaking his head, Naruto rushes over to Ashley's bedside and leans his palms on the edge of the mattress.

Ashley automatically flinches away from Naruto, though she feels bad for doing so. His sudden movements were making the girl jumpy....

“Did you run into Sasuke Ashley-chan?” Naruto asks urgently, an imploring look on his tan face. “Where did you see him? What did he say? Was he nice to you? Did he say anything about coming home or-”

“Naruto!” Tsunade interrupts sharply, an anime vein appearing on the side of her head as the blue eyed Ninja pauses. “I agreed to let you come here on the condition that you would remain quiet. I'll throw you out if I have to.”

“Yeah yeah......” Naruto sighs, hanging his head as he straightens up and backs away from Ashley, shoving his hands in the pockets of his pants as he leans against the wall. Brows furrowing, the young Shinobi stares at his blonde teammate, internally urging her to tell them everything about Sasuke that she could. He hadn't seen the ravenette in so long, but if Ashley had seen him, at least that would mean that Orochimaru hadn't gotten to him yet......

“........I ran into Sasuke while I was on a mission” Ashley explains softly, sounding reluctant to speak about the subject, despite the interest of her team. “While I was talking to him, Deidara and Tobi appeared and engaged him in battle.”

“Why did Akatsuki members want to fight Sasuke Uchiha?” Tsunade questions immediately, wondering if they could be after him for the same reason as Orochimaru. “Was he a target of theirs?”

“No” Ashley replies, momentarily closing her eyes due to the dull ache in her head. “I didn't even know Deidara and Tobi were there........I guess they just saw an opportunity and took it, even though they had their own mission.”

“And what was their real mission?” Tsunade asks.

“........To hunt down the Nine Tails and capture it” Ashley replies hesitantly, to which Sakura gasps and Naruto's brows furrow, teeth gritted together.

“They were sent to come after Naruto again?” Sakura asks, sounding alarmed as she casts Kakashi a worried look. The Jonin masks his concern well, though his hands ball into fists inside his pockets.

So, even after three years, the Akatsuki still wanted to get their hands on Naruto.......

“And you didn't try to stop them?” Tsunade asks, trying to get a reaction out of Ashley. The girl doesn't disappoint, her head snapping up and her eyes swiftly opening.

“What was I supposed to do?” the girl snaps irately, showing more emotion than she had in the last week. “I'd been sent on my own mission by the Leader, with the threat of death if I failed, and it's not like I could attack them both on my own......”

Ashley trails off and lets out a low groan, hanging her head to rest it in her palm. She massages the side of her head for a few moments, breathing in and out slowly as she waits for the throbbing in her head to die down a little.

Kiba glares at Ashley angrily, though he's not actually upset with her at the moment. The Inuzuka obviously didn't like seeing her here in the hospital, still injured after a whole week of medical attention, but it was the fact that the Leader had threatened her life that made him mad. And to make matters worse, in Kiba's mind, this whole situation was Tsunade's fault.

If she hadn't blackmailed Ashley and put the idea of this mission in her mind in the first place, none of this bad stuff would have ever happened!

“And what was your mission Ashley?” Tsunade continues coolly, not addressing the fact that Ashley had run into Sasuke yet. That would come later, the Hokage just wanted every possible piece of information she could get about the Akatsuki for now. If Ashley could inform them about the mission she and the other members had to undertake, maybe they could figure out just what the Akatsuki were planning on doing.

Visibly unhappy with this question, Ashley sets her jaw and narrows her eyes dangerously, straightening her slightly hunched figure. She didn't want to think about the mission, because it was only going to make her mad.

“I don't want to talk about it” Ashley whispers firmly through gritted teeth, her small fangs visible. Almost able to feel the warning in Ashley's tone, Sakura chews her bottom lip and rubs her arm, an uncomfortable look on her face.

While the small, blonde girl was her friend, Sakura was still very unsure about being in such close proximity with her after their last few encounters. The Kunoichi had been very believable when she'd fought against them and some of the things she'd said had really stung Sakura. Right now, despite the fact that there seemed to be a lot on Ashley's mind, Sakura was still feeling a little on edge around her.

Kakashi can't help sighing lightly, unsure why he'd expected Ashley to be anything but uncooperative. Even before she'd vanished, she'd always been a stubborn girl who didn't like taking orders. Now that she was injured and in a bad frame of mind, getting any information out of her was going to be incredibly difficult.

Would Tsunade have to get Ibiki and the rest of the Interrogation team involved if Ashley refused to pass on information?

“Well I didn't want you to leave the Village” Tsunade retorts, momentarily losing her patience, “So it looks like we're both going to be unhappy. Now, what was the mission you were sent on?”

A low growl emits from Ashley's throat at Tsunade's tone, her glassy eyes focusing on the woman's blurred figure. As Tsunade merely narrows her eyes back, Shizune lowers her clipboard, on her guard in case Ashley should try anything against the Hokage. While Shizune really liked Ashley, right now, she wouldn't put it past the girl to attack any one of them.

Kiba's eyebrows rise at the dangerous look on Ashley's face, her nose wrinkling a little as her top lip rises, revealing the tips of her sharp front teeth. If he didn't know any better, the Inuzuka would think that Ashley was about to launch herself at Lady Tsunade. She couldn't of course, seeing as she was still weak, but if the girl was healthy, Kiba had a feeling he'd be holding her down right now.

Ashley continues to glare in Lady Tsunade's direction, fighting down the strong feeling of frustration inside her. While she did want to tell the Hokage everything she could, she wasn't comfortable with revealing some things in front of her friends. She knew how upset they'd all be if they knew she'd gone off to fight Orochimaru without any backup. And besides, Ashley was still admittedly incensed with Sasuke for getting to the snake before she'd had the chance to finish him.......

“I don't want to have to take more.....extreme measures to get information out of you Ashley” Lady Tsunade sighs deeply, causing everyone's heads to swivel towards her, “But if you don't tell me everything, I might have to.....”

“What?” Naruto asks, aghast. Sakura tilts her head down and bites her lower lip again, hands held demurely in front of her. The pinkette's concerned gaze flickers over to Ashley, who is still glowering at Lady Tsunade.

Sakura didn't want Ashley to be taken to the Interrogation Corps, especially because she was already injured......And they weren't exactly known for their friendly tactics......

“Now hang on just a sec” Kiba barks irately, finally deciding to chime in, “You said you weren't gonna-”

“You don't need to threaten me Lady Tsunade......” Ashley interrupts lowly, her intense gaze dropping from the Hokage's face. “I'm not......I'm not trying to hold information back from you, it's just............It's difficult to explain.....”

“I understand” Tsunade replies with a nod. “I'm sure you've been through a lot. Take a shot at it though. What was your mission?”

“.........It's hard to explain this mission without talking about the other ones first......” the Minami admits, to which Tsunade raises a brow.

“There were others?” she questions.

“Of course” Ashley nods. “But I'm going to have to start back right at the beginning.....”

“Very well then” the Hokage obliges. “Shizune, make sure to document all of this. Go ahead Ashley.”

Here Ashley releases a heavy sigh, momentarily closing her eyes and allowing her shoulders to slump. After a few seconds, the girl cracks her eyes open, peering down at her blanket in deep thought.

“Okay......” the girl begins, already sounding tired before she'd even begun. “Well, I guess it started back when you sent me, Kiba, Hinata and Kakashi Sensei to find the team of ANBU Black Ops who were supposed to patrol the south west border of the Land of Fire. You said there had been an Akatsuki sighting along that border.....”

“I remember” Tsunade replies indifferently, though the flash of hurt in the woman's eyes is enough to express her pain at the memory. “All four of them were murdered.”

“Right....” Ashley agrees uneasily. “Well, while we were travelling there, Kakashi Sensei and Kiba kept asking me about Orochimaru and the Akatsuki. At first I was getting really annoyed with them, but then......One of them gave me an idea. They asked me if the Akatsuki would be after Orochimaru for his betrayal, and if they did have him pinned as a target, they would know where he was. I began to wonder the same thing and then........When we found the ANBU Black Ops, I suddenly began sensing two presences in the distance, heading towards us.......Those presences turned out to be Deidara and Tobi.”

Risking a brief glance at Kakashi, despite her failing sight, Ashley sighs again, a guilty look crossing her face.

“I immediately recognised Deidara's presence” the girl admits, causing Kakashi's visible eye to widen slightly, “And then I remembered the mission you''d asked me to go on months before. You wanted me to join the Akatsuki and find out their plans.......Well, I wanted to protect the Village and if I could get the Akatsuki to help me find Orochimaru, then maybe I could locate Sasuke as well....”

Here Kiba tilts his head down and shakes it, a scowl etched onto his face. He internally berates himself for this, because he'd been the one who entertained the idea of the Akatsuki knowing of Orochimaru's whereabouts in the first place.

“So you knew the Akatsuki were there” Kakashi speaks up, the disappointment and hurt in his voice causing Ashley to shy away and turn her head. “You lied to us.”

“I.....I knew you wouldn't have let me go ahead if I told you they were coming” Ashley says quietly, to which Kakashi can't help scoffing.

“Of course I wouldn't have let you go on ahead!” the silver haired Jonin confirms, his gaze intense. “What kind of Sensei would let his student, who also happens to be a Jinchuuriki, walk right into the hands of people like the Akatsuki?.......Do you know how distraught we all were when we thought you'd been taken by them?”

Kiba's eyes waver a little at the memory, recalling how angry he'd been at himself for allowing Ashley to go on ahead. His world had crashed down around him in the space of ten seconds and for quite awhile, he hadn't even been able to speak to anyone. Never had he felt so absolutely guilty and alone.

“.........I'm sorry” Ashley murmurs quietly, eyebrows pulled together in a remorseful expression. Kakashi continues to stare at the Minami for a few moments, seeing that the honest feeling in his softly spoken words had reached her ears. He usually didn't like to express his feelings to people, but Ashley needed to know just what she'd done to him, and to everyone else as well. Her seemingly selfish, on the spot decision had caused many a heart to break, though for different reasons.

“So, what happened after you came across the two Akatsuki members?” Tsunade prompts, not wanting everyone's emotions to distract Ashley from telling her story. Tsunade wanted to leave the feelings and emotions for later.

“Well, they didn't take me to their Leader straight away, like they said they would” Ashley recalls, brows furrowing a little. “Deidara told me that they were already on a mission to find the Three Tails, and that if I helped them, there'd be a better chance that I'd be accepted into the Akatsuki..........So I helped them find it.”

A sorrowful look passes over Naruto's face, the boy blinking his blue eyes as he watches Ashley, feeling a little disheartened. Despite the fact that his friend had not truly betrayed the Leaf Village, she had helped the enemy capture a Tailed Beast. And who knew what kind of torture they were going to put it through....

“You found the Three Tails?” Tsunade asks slowly, watching as Ashley's brows furrow deeper, as if she were remembering something. “How did you fare against it? I know the teams I sent had a good deal of trouble with the creature, though the odds weren't exactly in their favour with the Akatsuki and Orochimaru's subordinates after it as well.....”

Ashley falls silent for a few moments as everyone looks to her curiously, recalling the time right before she'd found the Three Tails, when she had fallen victim to it's Genjutsu inducing fog. Straight away, she'd been tricked into believing the illusion was real........Looking back, it was difficult to believe that Ashley could've fallen for such an unrealistic delusion. How could her Father actually be alive, and so conveniently placed like that? It was almost plain ridiculous that someone could have fallen for such a thing.....

Ashley swallows thickly at the image of Shigeshi's smiling face in her head, his eyes so warm and filled with love.

But it had felt so real......His warm touch, his deep voice and his cheerful demeanour......When he had hugged her, Ashley felt like she could have just about died with happiness. It had been a long time since she'd cried tears of joy, but seeing her Father alive and well like that, the Minami girl hadn't been able to hold them back.....

…..But it wasn't real.......

Though usually brash and outspoken, the uncharacteristically quiet Kiba doesn't miss the way Ashley's lower lip trembles for a second, a far away look in her glassy eyes. There were a lot of things Kiba was bursting to say, and so many questions he wanted to ask, but for once, the Inuzuka had decided to listen to Lady Tsunade and keep his mouth closed. When Ashley was done explaining, then he would have his chance to get things off of his chest.

Catching the faint look of sadness that passes across Ashley's face, Naruto tilts his head to the side, feeling puzzled and faintly concerned. Before Ashley had just seemed tired and somewhat annoyed, but now all of the sudden, she seemed a little.....different...

“What's wrong Ashl-”

“I got caught in the Three Tails' Genjutsu” Ashley sighs quietly, interrupting Lady Tsunade. “............After that, Tobi found me and we both watched as your teams tried to seal the Three Tails and fight off those other guys as well.”

“What do you mean by he found you?” Shizune questions, pausing in her writing. “I thought you were with the two Akatsuki members?”

“We got separated” Ashley mutters, not bothering to go into details. “I......Ran into some trouble with the Genjutsu, and Tobi eventually found me.......Had the nerve to hug me too....”

“What?” Kiba can't help snapping, before he folds his arms over his chest and glares at the floor, silently fuming to himself. How dare some psycho criminal guy hug his girlfriend!

The corners of Ashley's mouth tug down at the thought of Tobi hugging her. He'd said many things to cause the alarm bells in Ashley's head to go off, and that day he'd said that he knew Ashley better than she thought.......What had he meant by that?

“After you guys retreated” the Minami girl continues, “I sent Tobi off to find Deidara and I summoned Ace to help me locate the Three Tails. We found the portal to the dimension it was hiding in and blew it up. Not long after that, you guys showed up again.”

“That was when your Wolf attacked Sai” Kakashi recalls, looking up to the ceiling in thought, “Then we found you, and then your Wolves attacked all of us.”

“.....They defended me” Ashley argues half heartedly, unable to lift her head and meet Kakashi's eye. “Say what you want about me, but don't judge my Pack. They were only obeying orders, even though they really didn't want to....”

“So they were just acting too huh?” Kiba questions smartly, his tone causing Ashley to flinch. “They're pretty good at it too then I guess.”

Though he is anything but amused, Kiba smirks to himself, seeing the discomfort on his girlfriend's face as she catches on to his meaning.

“Is this about Itachi?” Kiba suddenly asks, head snapping up and causing Ashley to pause. “Are you doing this just to try and see your cousin again?!”

Ashley remains silent at this accusation, her hands automatically curling into tight fists, lips pulling back into a silent growl.

“He’s a lost cause Ashley!’ Kiba shouts, the uncertainty of how to express his mixed up feelings causing him to yell. “I know you love the guy, but Itachi’s a murderer, and you need to just give up on him!”

“Shut up…..” Ashley growls warningly, though her voice is so quiet, she doubts that anyone heard her.

“Why would you leave all of us for him anyway?” Kiba inquires hotly, the hurt now evident in his voice. “He’s the one who killed your Dad! Why are you-”

“I’m not doing this because of Itachi!” Ashley explodes, making Kiba pause, though he continues scowling. “It’s none of your damn business why I’m doing this!”

“Seeing as I’m the one who loves you” Kiba retorts, eyes beginning to waver, “I think it is my damn business if you choose to betray everyone!”

“Well get over me!” Ashley snaps right back, not backing down. “The Ashley you knew at the Leaf Village wasn’t the real me! This is the real me, and it always has been! Why do you think I was with Orochimaru for so many years?! Being bad comes naturally to me, and the whole time I was in the Leaf…..It was all just an act! I don’t give a damn about any of you, or your stupid problems! The Ashley you love isn’t real! She doesn’t exist!”

Ashley’s chest rises up and down as she breathes raggedly, having worked herself up from shouting at Kiba. She glares right at the now wide eyed male, hurt and shock etched into his face.

Ashley squeezes her eyes closed at the memory of shouting at Kiba, a painful pang in her heart. It had been so hard saying those things to the one she loved, but she had needed to be as convincing as possible seeing as Deidara and Tobi were watching her. She hadn't meant any of the things she'd said to Kiba of course, but how Ashley was going to convince the boy of that, she had no idea.

Kiba was keeping his temper surprisingly well so far, but Ashley was beginning to see that despite the faith he'd had in her the whole time she'd been gone, it had taken it's toll. Of course he was going to be harbouring negative feelings towards her.

Ashley was counting herself lucky he hadn't straight out attacked her yet.

“......I'm sorry.....” the blonde girl apologises weakly, struggling to look over at Kiba. “I know my words aren't going to mean much but......I'm sorry Kiba. Deidara and Tobi were watching me and....And I had to make it look convincing......I had to make it look like I didn't care about you guys! If they didn't believe me, then everything I'd done up until then would have gone to waste!.......”

Here Ashley drops her head again, able to feel Kiba's hard gaze on her, despite not being able to see him properly. The girl rests her forehead in her palm and closes her eyes again, having to take a deep breath before continuing.

“.......It was really hard treating you guys like that” the blonde admits in a tiny voice, as if she were struggling not to cry. “I didn't want to but........It was the only way I could convince them I really wanted to join the Akatsuki....”

Sakura and Naruto exchange troubled look at this, with the blue eyed Ninja already having forgiven Ashley as soon as she'd healed him back on the battlefield. She'd almost killed herself doing so, so she couldn't be that bad after all!

Kiba watches Ashley through hooded eyes, feeling conflicted. Inside, he was mad at Ashley. Mad at her for leaving, mad at her for the things she'd said, mad at her for making him feel so miserable. But the Inuzuka still loved her despite all that had transpired, and he was going to give her the chance to explain everything.......That didn't mean he had to give in just yet though.

“.....What happened to you after all of the fighting Ashley?” Sakura asks softly, green eyes flicking over to Lady Tsunade uncertainly. “I mean, we saw you get attacked by the Three Tails, and then you disappeared.....”

“I hit the ground and passed out” Ashley states flatly, shaking her head at her own weakness. “By the time I woke up, it was night and everyone was gone.....”

“That was when I found you Ashley-chan!” Naruto pipes up, eyes brightening momentarily. “But.....You weren't very nice to me then either. And you threw your headband at me........Did you mean what you said about it not meaning anything to you?”

“I threw my headband at you for only one reason Naruto” Ashley explains softly, briefly glancing up at the blonde male and sending him a weary smile. “I didn't want to have to put a slash through it, like the other Akatsuki members. I figured you would look after it for me until I returned......”

“Ashley-chan….” Naruto begins, internally calming himself down and giving his former teammate a forlorn look. “Despite what you say, you’re a Leaf Village Ninja, and I know that you have the Will of Fire inside of you.”

Ashley’s eyes widen slightly at this, though she keeps her face stony, as Naruto continues, eyes imploring.

“You wear that symbol around your neck to show everyone where your loyalties lie” the blonde male explains quietly, smiling to himself. “We wear these symbols proudly, and I know that I was super excited when I first got my headband. It was one of the greatest moments of my life! Now everyone knows what Village I love and that I’ll die to protect it and its people.”

“Old Man Third always taught us that the key to peace is love” Naruto states, bringing to mind a time when Hakuba had said the same thing to Ashley, years ago. “He said that every true Leaf Shinobi must love, believe, cherish and fight for the Village's sake, like the generations before us have done. That’s what it means to wear that symbol around your neck.”

Ashley can't help smiling to herself at the memory of what Naruto had said to her that night. He'd almost made her want to run home with him and forget about her stupid, horrible mission.

“What you said really struck a chord with me Naruto......” Ashley admits softly, not noticing the confused expressions of everyone else. “I didn't show it but......I was really proud of you. Oh......And I'm sorry about the threat that I made too......I.....I would never take you to the Akatsuki...”

Naruto grins right back at Ashley, even though she turns her head to look back down at her blanket. He raises a hand and rubs the back of his head, chuckling good naturedly.

“I know Ashley-chan” he replies kindly. “It shocked me at first when you said it, but I didn't think you would've actually done it..........I knew you were a true Leaf Ninja at heart.”

Ashley's eyes widen a little at this, before a feeling of warmth washes over her and she smiles again, eyes wavering. Naruto always knew what to say to make her feel better....

“Not to disrupt or anything” Tsunade speaks up, almost sounding a little impatient, “But we need to continue. What happened after you ran into Naruto?”

The feeling of warmth immediately vanishes from Ashley's body, as she recalls hearing an explosion, only to find that Deidara had killed a team of ANBU Black Ops. No doubt they had come to relieve the Leaf Ninja that had been attempting to capture the Three Tails....

“........I eventually found Deidara and Tobi again” Ashley explains hesitantly, biting her lip for a moment. “When I found them.....They'd killed a team of ANBU Black Ops already.”

“I knew it......” Tsunade growls under her breath, eyes narrowing and teeth gritting together. As she'd been afraid of, the Akatsuki had murdered yet another squad of her ANBU members.

“I assure you Lady Tsunade” Ashley is quick to defend, eyes widening at a sudden thought, “I had nothing to do with them being killed! I never killed anyone while I was with the Akatsuki!”

“I never suspected you of doing anything to them Ashley” Tsunade assures the girl with a tight smile. “Early on I figured you were secretly undertaking the mission I'd spoken to you about, so I wasn't worried about you killing anyone.”

“Wait, you knew she'd just left on a mission?!” Naruto exclaims incredulously, as everyone turns to stare at the Hokage in disbelief. “Why didn't you tell us?!”

“That explains why you wouldn't let Kiba and the others go searching for Ashley....” Kakashi murmurs, flicking his eyes over to the blonde girl in thought. So, it appeared Tsunade had had a legitimate reason for not letting them go. She knew it would have made Ashley's secret mission even more difficult.

“Is that why we couldn't tell anyone about Ashley joining the Akatsuki as well Milady?” Sakura questions, brows creased in slight confusion. “You didn't want anyone to interfere?”

“If I had've let you tell everyone about Ashley's apparent betrayal” Tsunade explains calmly, closing her caramel eyes, “Word would have spread very quickly. Soon Leaf Ninja would be attacking her if they saw her while out on missions, and rumours would spread to other Villages as well. Then she really would have ended up in the Bingo Book. Her mission was already basically impossible, and I didn't want to stack the odds against her any further.”

Ashley raises her eyes as she feels everyone look back over at her, though she cannot make out the astonished and curious expressions on their faces.

“So right from the beginning” Sakura says slowly, her eyes wide again, “You trusted Ashley......Even though she just suddenly left?”

“Of course” is Tsunade's simple reply, red lips pulling up into a smile. “What reason do I have not to trust her? She's rude, sarcastic, bratty and a long list of other bad things, but disloyal is something that she is not.”

“K-Kiitos.....” Ashley thanks Tsunade quietly, admittedly surprised by the woman's praise. Ignoring the other ways the Hokage had described her, it was nice for Ashley to know that she was trusted by her Village's Leader.

“How did you know to believe in her?” Kakashi can't resist asking, to which Tsunade chuckles lowly and holds out her hand to Shizune, motioning for the woman to pass her something. Quickly writing something down, Shizune removes a few sheets of paper from her clipboard and passes them to Lady Tsunade, who glances down at them in faint amusement.

“Even while under the critical eye of the Akatsuki and having to fight against her comrades” the Hokage vindicates, holding out the small stack of paper towards Kiba, “Ashley was reporting back to me in her own way. She was looking out for the Leaf Village's best interest the whole time.”

Raising an eyebrow, Kiba steps forwards and accepts the papers, sifting through them with mild interest. His brows soon begin to furrow as he reads however, mouth pulling down into a frown, when the Inuzuka's eyes suddenly widen with realisation and he raises his head.

“These papers......” he begins, clearly bewildered. “Aren't these the ones that......Didn't she steal these from Shikamaru for the Akatsuki?! She fought against all of us to take them! How the hell did you get them Lady Tsunade?!”

“Ashley sent them along to me through Ace” the Hokage informs a shocked Kiba, unable to hide her smile at the wide eyed look on his face. “The Akatsuki have never laid eyes on these documents.”

Kiba's shoulders droop a little as he slowly turns around to stare at Ashley, shaking his head. It didn't make any sense. Ashley had gone to all the effort of finding Kiba and the rest of his group, fighting against all of them and stealing the documents.

Why would she go to all of that trouble just to give them back to the Leaf anyway? If she wanted Lady Tsunade to get the documents, Ashley should have just left Kiba and the others alone!

“Why?” the brunette demands to know, incredulous eyes locked on Ashley. “Why did you attack us like that just to get these? If you had've left us alone we would've gotten them back to the Village anyway!”

Ashley winces a little at the accusatory tone in Kiba's voice, dropping her eyes to study the white fabric of her blanket. It had suddenly become absolutely fascinating.

“........The Akatsuki Leader assigned me to steal them” the Minami explains softly, subconsciously fidgeting with the bandages around her wrist. “When he found out I was a Leaf Ninja, he decided fighting against you guys would be a good way to test my loyalty.......It was just my luck that it was you again.....”

The critical look in Kiba's eyes falters a little as Ashley closes her own eyes and sighs heavily, shoulders slumping.

“He threatened you again?” the Inuzuka questions, hands balling into fists as the small, blonde girl nods wearily.

“And he purposely sent Kisame and.....and ….................”

“He sent them both to keep an eye on you?” Kiba finishes, seeing that Ashley is struggling to talk about her cousin. It seemed that after her run in with the Uchiha, Ashley couldn't bring herself to utter his name or even explain properly what had happened between them. She briefly mentioned it to Kiba when she'd been hysterical a week ago, but the brunette had a feeling there was more to the story....

“Yes” Ashley confirms, a relieved expression on her face. “They were watching the whole time, so I.....I had to fight you guys. And I had to make it believable.....”

Here everyone turns to look at Kiba, who hoods his eyes, mouth set in a straight line. He and the others had reported back to Lady Tsunade after their run in with Ashley and the Akatsuki, and they had told her everything in great detail.

The Hokage certainly hadn't been too happy when the battered team had returned to the Village, considering they'd all had to go into the hospital for medical attention.

“.........You were too convincing” Kiba eventually states, to which Ashley's eyes begin wavering and she has to bit her lower lip again. She hangs her head in shame, though chooses to remain silent. She certainly had done a number on the team of Leaf Ninja, though it was mostly their surprise and hesitance to fight her that allowed them to get so injured. Even though it hadn't been an unpleasant one, Ashley had trapped Lee in a Genjutsu that only Lady Tsunade had been able to break him out of. She'd severely injured Akamaru, something that hurt Kiba greatly. His own physical pain had been nothing compared to the pain he'd felt seeing his partner in such a state.

Neji hadn't been too badly injured, though Ashley knew she'd been trying a little too hard to try and make it look like she was attempting to kill him. She was lucky the Hyuga was talented and quick thinking, or he really could have been killed by her Wood Style Jutsu. And Ashley had certainly tried to catch Shikamaru with her Amaterasu as well.

Kiba was right, and Ashley knew it. The guilt was almost too much to bear.....She'd been trying far too hard to prove herself to the Akatsuki.

“I'm.......I'm sorry for hurting Akamaru” Ashley apologises, her eyes filling with tears. “I never meant to but........I think I was trying so hard to prove myself to the Akatsuki that I forgot my main reason for taking this mission on......To protect my friends and Village............And that question you asked me, the answer is yes.”

Kiba blinks at this honest admission, remembering how, when Ashley had been about to strike him at the end of their vicious fight, he had asked the Minami if that was the person she'd been when working for Orochimaru. The cold, unfeeling girl that he'd seen her swiftly morph into upon her leaving the Village.

“I was like that, for a long time” Ashley murmurs, ashamed, “And in attempting to convince the Akatsuki that you all meant nothing to me, I think I became that awful person again.....Which is something I never wanted to do..........Your question woke me up though, so......Thank you.....”

Here Ashley closes her eyes, not wanting her guilty tears to spill over, as a conflicted expression flickers on Kiba's face. He stares at the now silent Minami in front of him, unsure of what to say.

He was glad that she knew she'd done the wrong think and yes, he was mad that she'd hurt Akamaru so badly, but Ashley had to do it to keep herself from being killed by the Akatsuki. If she hadn't managed to convince everyone that she wasn't a Leaf Ninja anymore, there was no doubt the criminal organisation would have murdered Ashley on the spot.

“Lady Tsunade says she trusted you” Kakashi speaks up, causing said woman to glance over at him, “Yet we don't know what happened with the Three Tails. I understand that the team of ANBU Black Ops who relieved us were killed, so that can only mean that you and the Akatsuki went back to get it, correct?”

Sakura and Naruto look back at Ashley with wide, expectant eyes, feeling anxious as to what she'll say. While it was apparent that perhaps the blonde had lost her way a little while pretending to join the Akatsuki, the two Ninja could only hope that she'd had enough sense to prevent the Akatsuki from capturing the Three Tails.

“Right” Ashley agrees lowly, “And I was the one who incapacitated it. My Wolves helped, but after a tough struggle, we managed to knock the thing out.”

“Huh?!” Sakura can't help squeaking in shock. “You actually......You actually gave the Three Tails to the Akatsuki? Ashley, how could you?!”

“Let her finish speaking Sakura” Tsunade reprimands, though her brows are furrowed. Surely the Minami wouldn't have been so stupid to really aid the Akatsuki in their efforts to obtain all of the Tailed Beasts.

Ashley doesn't respond to Sakura's disappointment, remaining silent, eyes still shut. She wasn't going to take it personally if anyone questioned her actions while away from the Village. Of course it would be difficult for them to trust her, especially after all of the terrible things she'd said and done to her friends.

“While we were bringing the Sanbi back to the Akatsuki hideout” Ashley says after a few moments of being quiet, “I began healing it without Deidara and Tobi noticing. After a few hours it woke up and attacked us, before disappearing into another dimension to hide.........I would never help the Akatsuki actually capture a Tailed Beast you guys.......”

“You healed the Three Tails back into conciousness?” Shizune can't help questioning, her ebony eyes widening. “How did the other members not notice you doing that?”

“Tobi almost caught me a few times” Ashley sighs, remembering how the annoying man had kept turning around to look at her, “And when the Three Tails disappeared, Deidara accused me of healing it. We almost got into a fight, but I think I managed to convince him that I didn't do anything.....”

Sakura drops her eyes to the floor, feeling bad for accusing Ashley so quickly. Clearly the girl had known what she was doing all along.....

“What happened after that Ashley-chan?” Naruto encourages, eager to hear more. As horrible as it had been to have the Minami leave and act as though she'd betrayed them, Naruto was certainly enjoying hearing her complicated story. It seemed there had been more to her defection than met the eye.

“I was taken to the Akatsuki hideout” Ashley explains slowly, cracking her eyes open as she recalls the event, “All of the members ganged up on me in a fight and the Leader told them to dispose of me because they weren't after another member.”

Sakura throws a hand in front of her mouth and gasps, as Kiba growls angrily and clenches his hands into fists. Naruto shakes his head, while even Kakashi's eyes widen. How had Ashley survived if multiple members of the Akatsuki had attacked her?

“They all attacked you?” Kiba asks lowly, an angry edge to his voice as he glares over at Lady Tsunade.

“H-How did you make it out?” Sakura whispers, to which Ashley smirks unhappily.

“Four of them attacked me” she explains. “I don't know how I made it out. I had to use my Sharingan to fight......Um....To fight one of them, but I just had to........I just had to fight. The Leader eventually made them stop, and then he assigned me the mission of getting the papers from you guys.”

“Wow!” Naruto breathes, blue eyes sparkling with admiration for his teammate. “You took on four Akatsuki members Ashley-chan! That's impressive!”

“Nothing about this mission was impressive....” Ashley mutters bitterly under her breath, making Naruto's shoulders slump a little.

“We've already heard about the mission to get the papers” Tsunade pipes up, head tilting to the side, “So what happened afterwards? Did the Akatsuki Leader ask why you didn't have any documents to give him?”

Ashley pauses at this, a confused and pained expression forming on her pale face. She blinks a few times, before sighing and shaking her head.

“I was ready for another fight” the girl says, “Because I didn't have anything to give the Leader, but..........He......He somehow gave the Leader the papers......And saved me.....”

“Who gave him the papers and saved you?” Tsunade queries, looking confused, as Ashley's eyes begin to waver again and she looks down.

“........Itachi?” Kiba supplies, realisation dawning on him after a few moments of silence from Ashley. “Itachi gave him the papers?”

Refusing to say his name, the Minami merely nods her head, to which everyone else's brows knit together. How could Itachi have given the Akatsuki Leader the documents if Ashley had sent them back to Tsunade with Ace?

“How could he have given the Leader any papers?” Naruto asks, severely puzzled. “I thought your Wolf gave them to Granny Tsunade....”

“And why would he do that?” Kiba demands to know. “Why would he bother helping you out?”

Still not saying anything, Ashley just shakes her head, a faint smile playing at her lips. She now knew what Itachi had done, and why he'd done it.

The Uchiha had given his Boss some fake papers to save her life. Though he'd kept it so well hidden, and for so long, it was obvious to Ashley now. Itachi still loved her. He hadn't wanted to see her get hurt by the Akatsuki.