Pic of Kiba  --->

Ashley's POV

“Why won't you answer any questions about Itachi?” Lady Tsunade questions me, to which I feel a pang in my heart. If only she could understand, I would tell her why, but she could never truly know how I feel. None of them will ever understand.

I loved Itachi more than almost anyone else as a child, and to find out that he still cares about me and was looking out for me, after all this time..........It just about breaks my heart that he's no longer near me. And that look he gave me, that smile......Why do I feel like I'm never going to see him again now?............It hurts too much to think about Itachi, let alone speak about him.

“I have nothing to say about him” I eventually say, stubbornly turning my head to the side. I hear Lady Tsunade sigh at this, as Sakura and Naruto exchange confused looks. It's like I thought, they wouldn't understand how I feel about Itachi. I'm sure they'd try to be be sympathetic to my feelings, but in the end, they haven't ever known Itachi the way I have.

“Alright then” Lady Tsunade says, apparently willing to bypass the topic of Itachi, “What happened after your mission to steal the papers?”

I briefly close my eyes and place a hand to the side of my head, massaging my temple gently. The combination of the constant strain on my eyes and all of this talking is really beginning to make my headache bad.....

“I was sent on a mission with Hidan and Kakuzu” I reply wearily, dropping my hand limply into my lap, “To capture the Two Tails' Jinchuuriki.”

“Another Tailed Beast so soon?” Lady Tsunade asks in surprise, as Shizune and Sakura gasp. Naruto stares at me with large, unblinking eyes, eager and anxious to hear more. Kakashi Sensei remains calm and collected as usual, hands shoved in his pockets and his head tilted to the side.

It's almost impossible to catch that man by surprise...

“Yes” I sigh lightly. “She was hard to track down, but we eventually found her wandering around the mountains near the Hidden Cloud Village. Her name was Yugito Nii. And she was pretty smart too. As soon as she saw our cloaks, she disappeared underground into an old, abandoned sewer system.”

“Did you have to fight her Ashley-chan?” Naruto asks carefully, looking a little sad as I sigh again and nod. “Was it hard to fight against a fellow Jinchuuriki?.....”

“Of course it was hard Naruto” I reply softly, shaking my head. “I didn't know what they were going to do to her exactly, but I knew they would kill her........So I helped her escape.”

“How did you do that?” Sakura enquires, looking worried. “How could you help her escape and make the Akatsuki believe you're actually trying to capture her?”

“.......It wasn't easy” I admit, scrunching one eye closed as it begins to sting a little, “Especially when she transformed into her full Two Tails state.......Tailed Beasts are not to be messed with.”

“You had to fight against an actual Tailed Beast again?” Naruto breathes, eyes growing even wider than before. “Was it strong like the Three Tails?”

“Yes” I confirm, nodding carefully to avoid increasing the pain in my head. “She transformed into a giant Cat, completely made up of chakra and blue fire. The Two Tails was pretty wild and her power made Hakuba grow really restless and angry. I think she could sense him inside of me after awhile, so she focused all of her attention on me.”

“Tailed Beasts can sense the one inside of you?” Lady Tsunade asks, raising one brow quizzically.

“Well......” I trail off, not sure how to explain it. “Basically, when Hakuba gets angry and his chakra flares up, like whenever we're near another Tailed Beast, I think they're able to sense his chakra......And none of them like Hakuba, because they were all once a part of him.”

“So how did you help the Two Tails Jinchuuriki escape?” the Hokage presses, seemingly satisfied with my answer to her previous question. “I can't imagine it was easy to pull off a rescue with two other Akatsuki members around.”

“I almost blew myself up to save her” I admit with another heavy sigh, “But I pretended to attack Yugito and ended up blasting a hole in the concrete walls. She ran away while Kakuzu and Hidan were yelling at me for letting her get away.......”

“........You did a lot of hard work while you were with them Ashley-chan” Naruto says kindly, smiling at me in an affectionate way. “But it sounds like you did a lot of good work while you were gone too. I'm really happy that you're explaining everything to us, because now we know that you were just trying to help everyone out.....”

“It would indeed have been a difficult mission to undertake” Kakashi Sensei agrees, much to my surprise. “Fooling the Akatsuki into thinking you've defected while secretly gathering information and sabotaging their efforts at obtaining Tailed Beasts.........I can almost see why Lady Tsunade asked you to go on this mission.”

“Nobody should have been asked to go on this mission” Kiba argues, making me look up, “Let alone Ashley. She's a Jinchuuriki, and we're lucky that she wasn't killed while she was with them!”

“Yes Kiba” Lady Tsunade sighs, dismissing the irritated Inuzuka with a wave of her hand, “You've expressed your outrage to me numerous times. I'm well aware that you don't agree with my decision.”

“It wasn't a decision!” Kiba snaps angrily. “You guilted her into doing this mission by telling her how happy her team would be if she found Sasuke for them! She wouldn't have done it if you hadn't mentioned them! And then you had to say that she could help protect all of her friends if she found out the Akatsuki's plans! You didn't.......I.....I don't even.......I'm never going to forgive you for getting in her head about this. Never.”

That said, Kiba whirls around and crosses his arms as he glares out of the window, growling under his breath. Though I can't see Kiba properly, I can just about feel the waves of anger rolling away from him. I didn't realise he'd had arguments with Lady Tsunade about this already........

“I told her not to undergo the mission when I found out she was a Jinchuuriki” Lady Tsunade defends snippily, to which Kiba glowers at her over his shoulder.

“Well it was too late by then wasn't it?” he barks rudely. “You'd already put the idea in her head!”

Sakura and Naruto look between Lady Tsunade and Kiba, worried expression on their faces, eyes large and anxious. The pinkette wrings her hands, opening her mouth to speak, before thinking better of it and glancing over at me silently.

“It was ultimately Ashley's decision to go ahead with the mission!” Lady Tsunade snaps, the woman growing an anime vein as Kiba turns back around to face her. “I didn't even know she'd decided to leave!”

“It's still your fault for blackmailing her in the first place!” Kiba shouts back, unafraid of facing the Hokage's inevitable wrath apparently. “If you hadn't brought it up, Ashley never would have thought to leave! You put her in that situation! If she had've died, it would be all your fault!”

“I....I didn't die though” I remind Kiba timidly, his yelling worsening my headache. The Inuzuka's neck wrenches around at that, furious eyes focusing on me.

“That's not the point!” he spits, not actually angry at me. “You've said so yourself, you could have been killed so many times! The Leader kept threatening you, the other members attacked you and you were sent on dangerous missions! Do you not understand how devastated I would be if you had've been killed?! Lady Tsunade was willing to sacrifice you to get the information that she wanted! No matter how you want to look at the situation or justify it, she did the wrong thing. And I'll never forgive her for being so willing to give up your life just so she could get information. Ashley's more important Lady Tsunade.......”

I feel another pang in my heart at the way Kiba's voice cracks, before he shakes his head and places a hand over his face, turning back around towards the window. While I know the Inuzuka must be at least a little mad at me, it's so nice to know that he was genuinely worried about me. It feels like its been so long since someone sincerely cared for me, seeing as none of the Akatsuki members particularly liked me. Well, except for Tobi.

“C'mon Kiba” Naruto reasons, “Granny Tsunade wasn't trying to sacrifice Ashley-chan. She likes her, remember? Granny Tsunade was just trying to look out for the Village, and she knows how strong Ashl-”

“I don't care how you want to spin it” Kiba interrupts lowly, not bothering to turn around, “She was happy to risk Ashley's life for this mission. That's not what a real Hokage would do.”

“Hey!” Shizune is quick to defend, frowning over at the irate Inuzuka. “Milady is doing a wonderful job as Hokage, and her intentions were not to sacrifice Ashley's life. She truly believed that Ashley would be the only one capable of successfully completing this mission!”

“What made her any more qualified than any other Jonin here in the Village?” Kiba retorts, not willing to back down. “The only reason Lady Tsunade picked Ashley is because she knew she'd be able to guilt her into going by exploiting her loyalty to the Leaf and love for her teammates!”

I close my eyes as Shizune and Kiba continue to argue with each other, raising both hands to rub my head. I don't think I can put up with any more of this yelling without my head exploding......

To be honest, it doesn't really matter to me that Lady Tsunade baited me into this mission by using my friends' happiness and the Village's safety as reasons to go. I'm not too sure how I feel about Kiba's wording, that the Hokage was willing to sacrifice me, because for all I know, it's true. Maybe she was willing to risk my life to get vital information to protect our Village, but on the other hand, we're Ninja and we willingly risk our lives every time we leave for a mission. To be fair to Lady Tsunade, I suppose it's better to risk the life of one person, if it means hundreds or perhaps thousands of other lives will potentially be saved.

“I'll tell you about Sasuke now” I speak up quietly, hands still holding my head, “If you'll both stop yelling......”

Shizune and Kiba both freeze in the middle of their argument, glancing over at me as Naruto and Sakura turn around excitedly. Sakura clasps her hands together under her chin, blinking her large, hopeful eyes, while Naruto stares at me with an enthusiastic grin. Safe to say, my teammates are eager to hear about Sasuke......It's just too bad that I don't have any good news for them.

Lady Tsunade nudges the still unmoving Shizune, motioning for her to begin writing again, before the blonde woman nods, inviting me to continue explaining myself.

“So.....” I begin hesitantly, not really wanting to talk about the mission, “....The Leader was unhappy that my mission had failed and he was giving me one last chance to prove myself......So he sent me on a mission......Deidara and Tobi were already heading out on a mission, so he made them take me with them...”

“What was your mission?” Lady Tsunade inquires, to which I can't help frowning a little, my eyebrows knitting together in concern.

“He......He wanted me to retrieve the Akatsuki's missing ring” I reply slowly. “......The one that Orochimaru kept when he left them...”

Everyone stares at me wide eyed, stunned silence reigning in the room. I don't think anyone really knows what to think about that, especially considering they probably all know how scared of Orochimaru I am......Or was anyway.....

“What?!” Kiba suddenly explodes, making me jump with fright. “They sent you after Orochimaru?! Alone?!”

“I wasn't alone....” I reply softly, shaking my head. “.....Hakuba was with me and.....And he really helped me out too.”

“Did you find Orochimaru Ashley-chan?” Naruto questions me seriously, though there is clear urgency in his tone. “Do you remember where he is? We need to find him, so we can get Sasuke back!”

“Was Sasuke-kun okay?” Sakura enquires, looking on the verge of tears all of the sudden. “Has Orochimaru been treating him alright?”

“Guys!” Kiba shouts, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. “You're missing the point here! Stop thinking about Sasuke for one damn second and think of Ashley! She's terrified of Orochimaru, remember?!”

I hang my head as my two teammates fall silent for a few moments, looks of embarrassment and realisation flickering across their faces. Naruto raises an arm and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, clearing his throat.

“Uhhh, sorry Ashley-chan” the blonde apologises. “I uhh, I kinda forgot that you were scared of him. I always think that you're not scared of anything....”

“There are plenty of things that scare me Naruto” I sigh quietly, eyes hooded. “The thought of Orochimaru getting Sasuke scares me as well as you and Sakura.......So I was happy when I ran into him. It meant that the snake hadn't gotten to him yet......”

“What happened when you ran into the Uchiha boy?” Lady Tsunade questions, causing me to shrug a shoulder.

“Was he happy to see you?” Sakura asks in a tiny voice, almost like she's afraid to ask.

“He was.......Sasuke” I reply quietly, unable to find a better word. “He didn't seem happy but he didn't seem unhappy either.......He did seem unhappy about the fact that I was wearing an Akatsuki cloak though. He kept questioning me on why I'd joined them.”

“See?” Naruto asks rhetorically, a broad grin on his face. “Sasuke's not all bad. He didn't want you to join the Akatsuki!”

“Yeah......” I trail off, not completely agreeing with Naruto's reasoning. “Well, we didn't talk for very long, but while we were talking, Deidara and Tobi attacked Sasuke. I asked them why, considering they had another mission to go on, but Deidara seemed to have some sort of grudge against people with Uchiha blood, so he just took advantage of the situation.”

“Was Sasuke okay?” Sakura asks immediately, to which I can't help chuckling lowly, thought I'm anything but amused.

“Of course” I reply smartly, my voice still quiet, “He's Sasuke. When I asked him where Orochimaru's hideout was, he helped me out and told me which way to go. So I ran off to find it.”

“You left Sasuke to fight two Akatsuki members on his own?” Kakashi questions, sounding a tiny bit amused by this.

“.....If I can defend myself against four members” I reply flatly, “He can fend off two. I knew he'd be alright...........Well, I hoped he would anyway. I didn't really consider sticking around because if I defended Sasuke, Deidara and Tobi would tell the Leader and he'd send the others to kill me. And besides, I was busy worrying about facing Orochimaru by this point......”

I feel the others staring at me as I trail off again, having to take a deep breath as I remember arriving at Orochimaru's hideout. I don't think I've ever been so scared before in my life than I was at that time. My whole body was shaking and I think I may have even cried out of fear......I was shaken to my core by the thought of going underground to face off against Orochimaru.

“You must have been scared Ashley-chan....” Naruto says quietly, lowering himself into the chair beside my bed and leaning forwards. “Even now, you look afraid.”

“.......I didn't want to admit this” I mutter, running a hand down the side of my face, “But.....But I've never been so scared in my whole life. I just stood outside his hideout for so long, shaking and trying to convince myself to just go in, but I couldn't........I thought he'd capture me and keep me down in one of his dungeons, and I know what Orochimaru does to traitors......The torture was going to be long and agonizing......”

I feel Naruto glance over at Sakura as I speak, a look of apprehension on his face. I know he's a little worried about where my story is going, because I can feel that his heart has started beating faster now as well. I don't know why he's concerned, considering I'm clearly still alive.

“....Hakuba actually helped me though” I continue, smiling faintly at the memory of the Ten Tails encouraging me to be brave. “He helped me see reason and reminded me why I was doing this, so I was able to go down into the hideout.”

“He helped you?” Naruto asks curiously, not used to hearing me talk about my Demon. “What did he say?”

“He told me to remember who I was doing this for” I answer softly, internally thanking Hakuba for his help. “He made me remember that I was doing it for you, Naruto. And for Sakura, and Kiba, Kakashi Sensei.....And all of my other friends. Hakuba told me to remember that I was facing my greatest fear because I....Because I love all of you......”

“Ashley-chan......” Naruto says quietly, as Sakura sniffs, rubbing at her watery eyes. I sense Kiba staring over at me, his eyes wide with surprise, before a faint smile appears on his face. As long as he knows that I still love him, and that I didn't do any of this because I wanted to, I'll be happy. It just about killed me having to tell him that he meant nothing to me and that I didn't care about him at all.....I can't imagine how much that must have hurt him as well....

“So, you found Orochimaru then?” Lady Tsunade prompts, though I can sense the tiny smile on her face as well. My own smile drops at this however, remembering the mocking and sinister smirk on his face when I'd broken through his door.

“Yes” I confirm lowly, an edge to my voice, “And I engaged him in battle as well. We fought for awhile and he ended up transforming into this.....This horrible, giant Snake, but I managed to subdue him. It didn't take very long but it was only because he was sick and preparing himself for the transfer into Sasuke's body......”

“You....You killed Orochimaru?!” Naruto can't help exclaiming. “Alright Ashley-chan! You're the best! Now we don't have to worry about him getting Sasuke and we can bring him back ho-”

“I didn't get the chance to kill him” I interrupt sharply, sounding nastier than I'd meant to. I glare down into my lap, a frustrated scowl settling onto my face as my hands ball into fists. “I was paralysed from our fight, and before I could kill Orochimaru........Sasuke came in and absorbed him.”

“What?!” Kiba growls, no doubt sensing the irritation I'm feeling. “But doesn't he know that you.....Surely he knew you wanted to be the one to kill that bastard?!”

“Oh, he knew” I whisper through gritted teeth, a feeling of anger rising up inside of me and making my head throb. “I let him know how angry I was, but then he rescued me from the hideout before Kabuto could get back from wherever he was...........And then we both went our separate ways. So I have no idea where he is and I wasn't able to get him to come home.”

I almost jump when Naruto places a comforting hand on my arm, though the blonde is staring at the floor in deep thought, brows furrowed.

“It doesn't matter” Kakashi Sensei speaks up seriously. “We know he's alive and well, but what's important here is that you're alive Ashley. I remember how you reacted to Orochimaru back during the Chuunin Exams, so I'm impressed and....Happy that you're still here with us.”

“Thank you Sensei” I mutter, a hard look in my hooded eyes, “But I'm still mad at Sasuke for taking Orochimaru before I could......”

“What did you do about the Akatsuki ring?” Lady Tsunade asks, bringing us back on topic, with Shizune writing furiously behind her. “I'm going to assume you didn't recover it, considering Sasuke removed you from the hideout.”

“You're right” I agree, nodding. “After that, I couldn't go back to the Akatsuki or they really were going to kill me for failing again and besides, at that point, I just wanted to go home.......So that's what I did but.......”

I stop talking, biting my lower lip uncertainly and looking to the side, unsure if I should explain what happened when I was on my way home. I don't want everyone to think badly of Itachi for what he did.......

“But?” Kakashi Sensei asks, raising an eyebrow at me. “Whatever happened must be pretty serious if you stop talking.”

I don't even bother responding to my Sensei's light hearted joke, too deep in thought. I'm not sure if this will really help with Lady Tsunade gathering information on the Akatsuki, so maybe I should just skip over it?.....I don't want to remember that fight again anyway. It was so hard fighting Itachi-kun and to hear him say happy birthday and smile at me like that again.......Ughh......It hurts.....Where is Itachi-kun right now? Is he okay?.......Will I ever see him again?

“We've come so far already Ashley” Lady Tsunade says kindly, urging me to go on, “We may as well continue. I'm sure your experience hasn't been a nice one, but we really do need to know everything. Please.”

Exhaling a deep breath and closing my eyes, I internally sigh. It looks like I'll just have to tell them and hope they can forgive Itachi-kun for his actions.....

“I was travelling in the direction of the Leaf Village” I begin morosely, my sudden mood change no doubt confusing the others, “And somebody attacked me..........I was still injured from fighting with Orochimaru, but Kisame showed up and.....He doesn't exactly like me....”

“Kisame showed up alone?” Tsunade inquires, frowning a little as she glances over her shoulder at Shizune. “I thought that he and Itachi were partners? Don't they usually travel toge-”

“He was there as well” I interrupt lowly, eyes wavering for a moment at the mention of his name. “He......He made Kisame go on ahead so he could talk to me.......And before you ask, no, I don't know what their mission was.....”

I pause to take another breath, only to realise that I've begun to tremble. I'm not sure why though.....I just really don't want to talk about this part..........They won't understand...

“H-He wouldn't let me get away” I continue, trying to control my voice and keep it from shaking, “And he seemed to know that I was heading for the Leaf Village somehow....I began to get a little scared, because he'd known all along that I wasn't really trying to join the Akatsuki, and he let me know that he was aware of my act as well.....”

I glance down at my hands, folding them together to try to keep them from shaking, though it doesn't work. They continue to tremble, and I'm sure everyone can see it too. Great.......

“Then he.....He just attacked me” I say softly, eyes filling with tears. “I had to f-fight back, and we ended up in one of the h-hardest battles of m-my life. We fought for so l-long and I h-had to keep my Sharingan a-activated the whole time.......He r-really tried to hurt me too......”

I pause for a moment, blinking in surprise as a tear drips down my cheek and lands on my hand. I hadn't meant to start crying but.....But I'm just......

“He eventually overpowered m-me and......” I trail off and sniff, struggling to keep my tears from overflowing, “He l-lifted me up by the throat. He w-was going to kill me b-but.....Don't be m-mad at me Lady Tsunade b-but I had to use m-my Thousand V-Volt Disperse to g-get away alive.....”

I feel everyone stare at me as I hang my head, my shoulders shaking as I try to hold my sobs in, the image of Itachi-kun smiling at me so lovingly still fresh in my mind. I can sense that Sakura is having trouble keeping herself from crying as well, and Kiba has one foot forwards, clearly unsure whether he should come over to me or not.

“That's the Jutsu I marked as Forbidden” Lady Tsunade states, though she sounds troubled. “It's no wonder your body was in such a sever state. You fought against the powers of Orochimaru and Itachi, only to put that much stress on your body to escape......You're so lucky that it didn't kill you.”

“Wait......” Naruto says slowly, eyes beginning to widen with realisation. “So, when you appeared near us when we were fighting that Akatsuki guy, you had just escaped from a huge fight with Itachi Uchiha? And then you still healed me?! Ashley-chan, you could have killed yourself!”

“I'm w-willing to die for y-you Naruto” I whisper into my hands, which are now covering my face, tears spilling from my eyes. “I'd die for a-any of you.....”

“Apparently so......” Kakashi Sensei sighs, also sounding a little distressed. “You went through all of this, just to try and find Sasuke for your team? And to gather information to help your Village?......One couldn't be more of a true Leaf Shinobi.”

“And she.....She lost her vision for us all as well....” Kiba adds, sounding both amazed and sorrowful at the same time. “.....You didn't need to go through any of that for us you know.....”

Suddenly, Sakura bursts into tears and flings herself at me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug as she cries into my shoulder.

“Ashley-chan” she sobs regretfully, “I-I'm so sorry for doubting you! Y-You went through all that, and I w-was only thinking about myself! You h-had to leave and, a-and pretend to hate us and e-even though we m-made it hard for you, y-you still tried to f-find Sasuke and s-sabotage the Akatsuki for us!....”

“.....I only did it for you guys....” I whisper tearfully, hugging Sakura back just as tightly, so relieved that she has accepted and forgiven me for what I'd done. “Y-You don't need to apologise to me.....”

“But Ashley” Sakura objects, leaning back and wiping her eyes, before placing her hands on my shoulders and giving me a sad look, “You were a-almost killed to help us and now.....Now you've.....Y-You've lost your eyesight as well!”

That said, Sakura's lower lip trembles and she breaks into a fresh round of tears, feeling guilty about my current predicament for some reason. She lowers her head and rests it on my shoulder again, shaking as if she were freezing cold.

“I'm g-glad you're back now A-Ashley......” she manages to tell me between sobs, to which my eyes fill with tears again as well “I've missed you!”

I don't even look up as Naruto steps forwards and places a hand on my back, before swallowing both myself and Sakura up into a warm hug as well, unshed tears shining in his bright blue eyes.

“We all missed you Ashley-chan” the blonde informs me lowly, closing his eyes. “You.....You did a-a lot for us, and now you're hurting.......Sakura-chan, it's our job to ch-cheer Ashley-chan up again, okay?”

I blink my eyes and look up as someone places their hand on my head, only to see the blurry shape of Kakashi Sensei standing beside me. Though I can't see his face, I can just tell that he's giving me his cheeky closed eye smile.

“As your Sensei” the silver haired Jonin says, tussling my hair affectionately, “It's my job to make sure you're happy as well. We'll make it a team effort.”

“Right” Sakura agrees, smiling into my shoulder. I blink a few times as my tears overflow and drip down my cheeks, with Sakura leaning back and wiping her eyes. Naruto also straightens up, chuckling at the confused, yet relieved expression on my face.

“C'mon now” Kakashi Sensei urges warmly, wiping a tear from my cheek with his knuckles. “No more crying. Let's just be glad that all of us are back together again and we've successfully made it through that whole ordeal alright?”

“But.......Aren't you guys m-mad at me?” I question urgently, brows knitted together in puzzlement. “I said some really horrible stuff to you and....And I fought all of you and everything!”

“Yes, but now we know why you did all of that” Sakura smiles, her eyes still shining from crying. “We understand that you did it all for us Ashley-chan, and there's no way we could ever repay you for it all.”

“You don't......You don't need to repay me!” I protest, shocked by the pinkette's words. Shaking my head a little and shrugging my shoulders, I look back down at my lap. “All I want from you, from all of my friends, is forgiveness......”

“You're already forgiven Ashley-chan” Naruto chuckles, waving his hand dismissively. “We're not mad at you. We're happy you're back!”

I feel Sakura, Kakashi Sensei and Lady Tsunade all nod in agreement, with Shizune sending me a closed eye smile. I sit in silence for a few moments, stunned by the compassionate response of my friends. I can't believe they would all forgive me so easily, and understand my reasoning for leaving them all for so long. I really do have the very best friends......

“......You know” Kiba speaks up, instantly making me nervous again. He hadn't reacted like all of the others. “I've thought about this a few times in the past few months, but I can't remember a time when Ashley attacked any of us first. She only ever attacked us when we provoked her.....”

“I told you Kiba” I say softly, running the back of my hand across my eyes, “I never wanted to fight any of you. You really did just keep getting in my way......”

“I suppose we did” Kiba muses thoughtfully, crossing his arms, “But not quite for the reasons that we thought. I knew there was something weird about you leaving, coz there were a few times when you hesitated. Well, with me anyway. Like that time at the lake when I followed after you and your Wolf attacked me......You paused to see if I was okay, right?”

“I wanted to make sure he hadn't killed you.....” I agree, wincing at how obvious my hesitation had been. It was a good thing Deidara and Tobi hadn't seen me stop.

“And that time when I was fighting Itachi” Kiba continues, studying me closely, “You dropped down in between us and stopped the fight, though you played it off as though you needed to talk to Itachi.”

“........I didn't want him to hurt you” I say quietly, my voice basically a whisper. “He could've killed you....”

“And then when you caught me in that Genjutsu” Kiba recalls, hooding his eyes, “Just before that......You didn't want to fight me. I could see that.”

I can't help blushing at the memory of Kiba's forceful kiss, really glad that he didn't actually mention it in front of the others.

“I....I'm only human” I sigh wearily. “I guess I made quite a few mistakes......I'm lucky the Akatsuki didn't see them and kill me.”

“You look tired Ashley” Lady Tsunade suddenly decides, placing a hand in her pocket, “Is there anything else you want to tell us about the Akatsuki? If not, then we'll let you rest.”

I scowl in thought for a few moments at this, when a bright orange mask suddenly pops up in my mind, making me internally growl a little bit.

“Just one thing” I reply seriously. “I'm not sure what it is about him, but something is up with Tobi, the guy that travelled around with Deidara. He......I don't know.......He's just....strange....”

“Strange how?” the Hokage questions, tilting her head to the side.

“Well, I'm not sure what any of his skills are” I admit, brows furrowed, “Because I've never actually seen him fight, but I've seen him get up from some heavy attacks completely uninjured on multiple occasions. One time I saw Sasuke slice him clean in half, but within a matter of seconds, he was back on his feet, unharmed.”

“.....How is something like that possible?” Kakashi questions, one brow quirked. “I'm assuming Sasuke wouldn't have missed him?”

“No, I saw the sword cut through Tobi” I confirm with certainty. “He made me very uncomfortable with the things he said as well......He's very annoying and childish, but there were times when he said stuff that would put me on guard. Like, when I was fighting against the other Akatsuki members, he told me to use my Sharingan.......I'd never told him that I had it. He kept saying that he knew me better than I thought and.......There's just more to him than meets the eye....”

“......Noted” Shizune says after a few moments, before looking to Lady Tsunade. “I'll document all of the information and have it filed on your desk by tomorrow morning Milady.”

“Thank you Shizune” Lady Tsunade responds, before turning to look back at me. “Well, if we're done here, I need to see Team Seven in my office about a mission. Ashley, thank you for all of the information you've provided.”

“It's really not much” I object, to which Tsunade waves her hand at me.

“Every little piece of information, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is helpful” the woman assures me. “If you think of anything else, let me know. Come on now, everybody out!”

“Alright then....” I agree, leaning back against my pillows and waving as I feel Kakashi Sensei send me a playful salute good bye.

“Bye Ashley-chan!” Naruto cries, closing his eyes and grinning as he his pushed towards the door by Sakura. “We'll come and visit you again after our mission okay? Ow Sakura-chan! Stop shoving me already.......”

“Bye Ashley” the pinkette calls from the doorway, pausing to send me a smile and cute wave. “Like Naruto said, we'll make sure to see you again as soon as we're back. Keep taking your medicine and resting, and you'll be out of here in no time!”

“Catch ya later Angel” I hear Kiba say from right beside me, before I feel the brunette suddenly touch my cheek and run his knuckles across it playfully. I blink in surprise at his sudden touch, as he shoves his hand in his pocket and disappears out of the door as well.

Much like myself, I'm sure Kiba is confused as to how he should be feeling right now and so, he's not sure how to act around me. At least I know he's not furious with me.......I'm sure I'll have a chance to talk with him at some point later on though.

“Before I leave Ashley” Lady Tsunade speaks up, loitering in the doorway, “I just want to ask you this again. I realise that you've already declined this offer before, but you may have changed your mind now that you can no longer see.......Are you interested in having the surgery that could potentially restore your vision? There is a chance that it may not work, however I think that it's-”

“I didn't want to undergo that surgery because it required me to first lose my eyesight” I interrupt, crossing my arms and closing my eyes, “But now that I am virtually blind, I have no qualms about it. I'll take the surgery Lady Tsunade, if you're willing to perform it.”

I sense the Hokage's grin at my acceptance of her offer, as she nods her head, already beginning to close the door.

“Very well then” she agrees. “I'll begin organising the surgery as soon as I'm finished with Team Seven and we'll get under way as soon as possible........Have a good rest Ashley. You need to be strong for this surgery.”

“Understood.....” I reply tiredly, not overly noticing as Lady Tsunade slides the door to my room shut behind her. My eyes still closed, I begin to think back over the briefing session that had just taken place.

Though I'm not sure if I'd really been able to convey my true feeling to everyone, I'm so relieved and grateful that they'd forgiven me for my actions. I feel as if a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, despite the fact that there are still a few people that I'm going to need to explain myself to. At least Kiba, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi Sensei are no longer suspicious of me or mad at me or anything!

Like the wonderful friends that they are, they all listened to me and accepted my sincere apologies for what I'd done to them and put them all through. I couldn't ask for anything else. I certainly won't take advantage of their kindness however. I will never undergo a mission like this ever again. I don't ever want to have to leave the Village again, and I absolutely won't risk losing my friends again either. From now on, I will be a proud Leaf Ninja. I'll leave the undercover stuff to the ANBU Black Ops or something next time.

“…...It would seem that your friends have exceeded expectations” Hakuba muses, looking down at me as I stand before his cell. “I did not expect them to be so.....Forgiving of you.”

“It surprised me as well” I admit, shaking my head. “I don't know how I became so lucky to have such great friends........”

Hakuba stares down at me curiously, his red eyes narrowing slightly as he tilts his head, ears pricked up. He leans forwards a little, the toes of his front paws poking out from between the steel bars in front of him.

“You seem......Lighter than before” the Demon tells me, sounding curious. “I see that the acceptance and compassion of the other humans has lightened the burden you were carrying.”

“Yes, I suppose it has” I say, unable to hold back the smile that lights up my face. “All I wanted from them was their forgiveness, and seeing as they gave it so readily, I guess I just feel a lot.....Better. I don't know how else to put it.”

Hakuba slowly nods his head, though he doesn't really seem to be concentrating on what I'm saying. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that he has something else on his mind right now. Is he hesitating to tell me something? It almost seems like he's stalling or something.

“What's wrong Hakuba?” I question the huge creature before me, causing him to blink. “Seems like there's something on your mind now.”

“How perceptive....” the Ten Tails drawls sarcastically, rolling his ruby eyes and making me sigh.

“Come on Hakuba” I say wryly, one hand on my hip, “Don't hide behind sarcasm. What's wrong?”

“Can you really lecture me on hiding behind words?” Hakuba questions smartly, before letting out a sigh of his own. His ears droop a little as he hoods his eyes, his figure hunching over. The Demon flicks his tails slowly, as if thinking about something.

“The Inuzuka boy questioned you earlier” Hakuba begins seriously, after a few moments of silence between us. “He asked if you had been sent to fight Orochimaru on your own, and you denied this........Why?”

“Because I wasn't alone” I reply easily, shrugging one shoulder and raising an eyebrow up at the Ten Tails. “You were there with me.”

“You have never counted me as someone who is with you before” Hakuba informs me roughly, a suspicious, yet uncertain look on his face. “Why have you counted me now? What is different from any other time?”

I hood my eyes as I smile up at Hakuba, his confusion at my affectionate expression almost making me laugh. I don't think I've ever seen that look on his face before. He looks completely lost on my intentions.

“Because you were with me Hakuba” I explain softly, stepping forwards, “And not only in that moment. The whole time I was away from the Leaf Village, you were so angry at me for betraying everyone. You covered up your concern by saying I'd let you down and accusing me of all sorts of things, but I could tell that my betrayal of the Leaf really had affected you to some degree.”

“Lies” Hakuba protests, wrinkling his nose as I stop right in front of him, his sharp teeth visible in a silent growl.

“You kept trying to make me rethink my decision” I continue, still smiling to myself, “Just like the rest of my Pack.....And just like a friend would. When I was too scared to go and confront Orochimaru, you were the voice of reason who helped me find the courage I needed. If it weren't for you Hakuba, I couldn't have done it.....”

“What do you think you're.......” Hakuba trails off, eyes widening as I place my arms around one of his ankles, burying my cheek in his surprisingly soft fur.

“Thank you for your help Hakuba” I murmur sincerely, hugging the Demon tightly and closing my eyes.

Hakuba continues to stare at me silently, before he eventually hoods his eyes and lowers himself to the ground, lying on his stomach. I release Hakuba's ankle and allow him to lie down, resting one hand on a steel bar as he lowers his head to be on eye level with me.

We stare at each other in utter silence for a few minutes, with the Demon Wolf seeming to study me closely through hooded, red eyes. His ten tails flicker behind him gracefully, before he lets out a low chuckle, his eyes sparkling in the darkness.

“Where did the hatred go?.....”