Pic of Ashley and Sasuke  --->

Third Person's POV

Ashley and Shikamaru walk beside each other in silence, their pace slow. The Nara stares ahead through hooded eyes, only to glance at the blonde girl beside him every now and then. It was rather strange for her to be so quiet and while Shikamaru could understand that she wasn't exactly happy about Danzo's plans for Sasuke, he still couldn't help worrying a little.

Hopefully she wasn't being so quiet because she was planning anything......Shikamaru may consider her a friend, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of how rash she could be. Especially when her loved ones were involved.

Ashley sighs quietly, briefly closing her eyes before opening them and turning her head to the left, away from Shikamaru. She wasn't looking forward to speaking with Sakura and Naruto. They were going to go ballistic, and then Ashley would have to try and calm them both down....

"So, do you think they'll try and hit me when I tell them?" Shikamaru asks, his voice bringing Ashley out of her own thoughts.

"Sakura might" the Minami warns, shrugging a shoulder. "Naruto will probably just try to get past you so he can speak to this Danzo guy himself or something."

"I don't know much about this Danzo" Shikamaru admits, "But if he's so willing to dispose of Sasuke that he'll overlook Lady Tsunade's promise, I doubt he'll listen to Naruto."

"I agree" Ashley says simply, before sighing once again. Why couldn't Lady Tsunade just wake up so this Danzo guy would go away and not become the Hokage?

Shikamaru and Ashley fall into sombre silence once again, with the blonde struggling not to drag her feet.

Hearing that Sasuke was going to be classified as a rogue Ninja was hard enough, but having to tell Sakura and Naruto as well? Even Ashley wasn't brave enough for that. She wouldn't have to say it directly, but everyone knew what it meant to be labelled a rogue. Danzo may as well have dug Sasuke's grave and pushed him into it.

"Here's Lady Tsunade's tent" Shikamaru speaks up after a few more minutes of walking. "Sakura is usually in here when she's not tending to-"

Shikamaru pauses with his hand outstretched towards the tent flap, brows furrowing slightly as he hears a voice.

"He told me not to tell you" the voice admits calmly, "Because he didn't want you to worry...........He went to ask the Raikage to forgive Sasuke, though I personally don't think anything will come of it....."

"Why would he do that?!" Sakura demands to know, her voice easily recognisable. "Isn't Kakashi with him?!"

Outside the tent, Ashley's eyes widen in realisation. They were talking about Naruto! But why would he be going to see the Raikage? What on earth did he have to do with Sasuke?

"Kakashi has faith in Naruto" the calm voice, undoubtedly Sai's, responds. "I believe he wanted to give Naruto a chance, even if it is pointless."

"I don't understand why the Raikage has anything to do with this" Ashley grumbles, sounding frustrated by her confusion. "Why is Naruto trying to find him to apologise? What did Sasuke even do to him?"

Here Shikamaru glances over his shoulder at Ashley, a conflicted expression on his face. The Minami girl sees his look and straightens up, a scowl slowly making its way onto her face.

"You better tell me" she advises in a low voice, to which Shikamaru heaves a deep sigh.

"Look, I dunno if I should be telling you this, but don't worry I will!" the dark haired boy says in a rush, sweat dropping. He did not like the look that Ashley was directing at him. "Long story short, apparently Sasuke captured a Ninja from the Hidden Cloud Village."

"Huh?" Ashley asks, dark look immediately disappearing as she tilts her head to the side. "Why is Naruto apologising for that? Villages capture and attack each other's Ninja all the ti-"

"It was the Eight Tails Jinchuuriki" Shikamaru interrupts, watching as Ashley freezes, eyes round. "They think he's dead."

"B-But......But why would he be capturing a Jinchuuriki?" Ashley asks in a hushed voice. "That doesn't make any sense Shika-kun...."

"You know why he did it....." the Nara responds softly, feeling sorry for the blonde as she merely hangs her head and shakes it, not wanting the implication to be true.

Surely her cousin hadn't joined the Akatsuki? He had no reason to work alongside them......Right?

"........I only recently joined this team to replace Sasuke" Sai continues after a pause, "So I don't know everything that goes on, I don't really understand people and I don't know what kind of promises Naruto has made to you, but even I can tell that he really loves you."

Ashley's brows furrow as hears Sakura gasp, fuchsia eyes dropping to the ground. How Sakura couldn't have known this was beyond Ashley, but then, the pinkette had always been too focused on Sasuke to bother noticing Naruto's feelings. She knew she could always count on Naruto, yet she was still in love with Sasuke for some reason.

Ashley loved Sasuke because he was family, but how Sakura could be in love with someone who never bothered giving her the time of day was beyond the Minami. Feelings were strange things and it seemed that Ashley still had a long way to go before she could even begin to understand Sakura's....

"What a mess....." Ashley murmurs, as Sakura begins to cry inside the tent. "This whole situation....."

"There's always been some weird love triangle in your team" Shikamaru points out, to which Ashley pulls a face.

"No" she corrects blandly. "Naruto loves Sakura, she loves Sasuke and Sasuke.......Well, he doesn't love anyone."

"He doesn't care about you?" Shikamaru wonders, one eyebrow raised. "You're a member of his family."

".......Who even knows anymore?" Ashley asks rhetorically, turning away. "Maybe my love for him is one sided as well......"

"Sakura" Sai addresses gently, "Whatever this promise is, Naruto has been shouldering it for a long time. I think he means to do so for the rest of his life if he has to. I don't know what you said to him, but it feels like what was done to me when I joined the Root Foundation. It's like a curse. Sasuke may cause Naruto pain, but I think you do as well."

"Naruto is not doing this because he promised Sakura that he would!" another voice, belonging to Shizune, defends hotly. "He wants to save Sasuke!"

"I agree with you of course" Sai assures the woman. "But Sakura and I......Well, everyone. We all rely on Naruto too much. Lately, whenever I look at Naruto, I can feel his sadness. When he thinks of Sasuke, there's a heat that burns from inside him......And I can only assume that that is anger Naruto tries to keep bottled up inside."

"I've had enough of listening to this...." Shikamaru sighs, his face taking on a stern expression as he looks down to Ashley. "Don't worry, I'll take the reins from here."

"Thanks Shika-kun" Ashley replies gratefully, relieved. "I'll help if you need it though."

"For Naruto's sake and the Village's" Sai goes on, "We need to do something, rather than always relying on him. Sasuke is-"

"Sai's right" Shikamaru interrupts, stepping inside the tent, with Ashley following right behind.

"Shikamaru......." Shizune says sadly, rising to her feet. Sai looks over at the Nara and nods in greeting, before doing the same to Ashley.

The blonde girl ignores him however, watching Sakura with sympathetic eyes. With tears dripping down her cheeks and her head hung towards the ground, Sakura looked small and helpless. She could be tough when she had to be, but clearly she wasn't very good at dealing with bad situations that involved her close friends.

Ashley felt a bit guilty that she and Shikamaru were about to hurt her even further with the bad news about Sasuke.....

"We're not kids anymore" Shikamaru says matter of factly. "We will stop the Akatsuki and we will stop Sasuke. I'm here to get Team Seven's permission for this."

Ashley cringes at the Nara's harsh words, knowing the meaning behind them. Permission? While she appreciated that Shikamaru had even thought to approach her and the other members of her team with such a delicate subject, Ashley wonders what he had expected any of them to say. None of them were about to give him a green light to kill Sasuke.

Ashley quickly bites her lower lip to keep from saying anything and averts her gaze. Shikamaru knew she wasn't happy about Danzo's decision, but he'd brought Ashley along to help him if needed, not to hinder him.

Shizune catches Ashley's pained expression before she can turn away however, the woman's eyes growing wide.

"P-Permission?" she repeats, shocked. "You mean...."

"Yes" Shikamaru confirms. "We can't let war break out between the Hidden Cloud and the Hidden Leaf just because of Sasuke.....I'm going to be indirect here, but please bear with me."

"If the Hidden Cloud kill Sasuke, none of Team Seven or Ino will stand for it" Shikamaru asserts. "Then, if you do something stupid and get yourselves killed, Choji, me, Inoichi and Sakura's parents will want revenge as well. Then the other side will want their revenge, our parents will get involved and it will turn into all out war."

"According to the messengers that arrived here from the Hidden Cloud this morning, Sasuke is already being treated as an international criminal. If he keeps working with the Akatsuki, the hatred towards him will only increase...."

"....You certainly left a lot of this out earlier Shikamaru" Ashley speaks up in an emotionless voice, though her eyes are wavering with unshed tears. "I didn't know the situation was this bad...."

"I'm sorry Ashley" Shikamaru apologises, before becoming stern again. "I think we need to take care of Sasuke ourselves, before other nations get involved any further.....You understand what I'm saying don't you Sakura? I've already spoken with Ashley and I want your permission as well."

"I never gave you my permission to kill my cousin" Ashley is quick to state, eyes narrowing at Shikamaru. "I was silent on the matter, but that doesn't mean I agreed to this!"

"....Please...." Sakura asks hoarsely, eyes unfocused as tears continue to fall from them. "...Don't say anything else......."

"I'm sorry Ashley and Sakura" Shikamaru says, "But regardless of what either of you think, I have to do this. For the sake of the Village. I'm going to speak with Naruto before I do anything though. Where exactly did he go?"

"He has gone to the Land of Iron to meet the Raikage" Sai answers.

"The Land of Iron?" Ashley can't help asking, despite her feelings. "Why is the Raikage there?"

"All of the leaders of the other Hidden Villagers are holding a Five Kage Summit to figure out what to do about the Akatsuki" Shizune explains dolefully, turning to look back at Lady Tsunade, who is still lying unconscious in bed. "They are heading to the Land of Iron as it is neutral land."

".......Things must be getting bad then" Ashley mutters, more to herself than anyone else. It was annoying that no one had told her any of this earlier but now that she knew, had anything changed? No. Ashley still couldn't do anything about what was happening. Perhaps it would have been better to be left in the dark. Maybe ignorance really could be bliss on some occasions...

"This is going to be more difficult than I thought if he's all the way out there" Shikamaru sighs, scratching his head.

"I'll talk to Naruto" Sakura offers, wiping at her eyes and raising her head. "I'm the one he's in love with, so let me do it."

"Are you sure Sakura?" Shikamaru asks uncertainly. "Can you handle-"

"I'll organise to take a team of people with me" the pinkette interrupts. "Some of the others who know what's going on."

"...........If you really think you're up for it Sakura" Shikamaru eventually obliges, "The news would probably be better coming from you or Ashley anyway. Do you want me to come with you as part of the team?"

"No, thank you though" Sakura replies, closing her eyes and smiling. "I'm sure you have plenty of other things you need to take care of. I want to try and leave as soon as possible anyway."

".....Good luck" Shikamaru says sincerely, though his expression conveys his feelings of doubt and uneasiness. "Oh, and take someone who can track with you too, like Kiba or something. Naruto's gonna be difficult to find in the snow."

"Thanks" Sakura says again, opening her eyes as Shikamaru walks out of the tent, the male sending Ashley an encouraging smile as he exits.

The blonde however, has a dubious look on her face. As she turns to regard Sakura, the pinkette hurries over to her things and begins sorting through them, readying herself for her journey to find Naruto.

Ashley remains silent as she watches Sakura, feeling strangely skeptical all of the sudden.

Not even two minutes ago, Sakura had been crying her eyes out and asking Shikamaru not to speak about Sasuke and the current situation anymore, yet here she was, volunteering to go and speak with Naruto about it? Not to mention the smiling. It seemed very out of place. There was no way Sakura had recovered from hearing about Sasuke being classified as a rogue already.

What what she planning to do?

"I'll see you later Shizune" the pink haired girl says, waving at the older woman. "I'll find Naruto and then come right back, alright?"

"Okay Sakura" Shizune responds, nodding. "Be careful and good luck."

Smiling once again, Sakura walks right past Ashley and over to the tent entrance, purposely ignoring her blonde haired teammate.

".....Wait a sec" Ashley orders sharply, making Sakura pause halfway out of the tent. "Don't you want me to come with you Saku-"

"No thanks!" the girl interjects brightly. "I'll handle this, see you later!"

Ashley blinks as Sakura swiftly disappears from view, breaking into a jog as she heads of to find some team members.

Feeling annoyed at being brushed off like that, Ashley can't help narrowing her eyes. What the hell was that?!

'It would seem that you were right brat' a deep voice says inside Ashley's mind, the girl nodding indignantly.

'Of course I was right' Ashley answers internally. 'She was acting so weird, it's obvious she's planning something. And for some reason, she doesn't want me to be a part of it.....'

'I am curious to learn what you plan to do next' Hakuba says, sounding amused. 'I imagine you do have a plan of your own?'

'Of course' Ashley says again, breaking into a devious smirk as she too exits Lady Tsunade's tent. 'I'm hardly about to get left behind.'

"So Sakura ended up asking you guys to go with her huh?" Ashley asks innocently, hands behind her back as she walks alongside Kiba and Akamaru. The brunette rifles around inside the backpack in his hands, before nodding and swinging it onto his back.

"Yeah, she said she needs us for tracking" Kiba replies, throwing an arm around Ashley's shoulders. "You know, coz we're the best at it and all. Dunno why she's not bringin you though. I figured she'd want your support when she talks to Naruto or something."

"I'm sure she has her reasons" Ashley says in a flat tone, deadpanning.

"Hey, I'm really sorry about this whole Sasuke thing Angel" Kiba says, suddenly turning serious. He hugs Ashley to his side, regarding her with warm eyes "I imagine it's pretty tough for you. I know I hafta go for awhile, but we can talk later if you want."

"There's nothing to say that hadn't already been said" Ashley sighs, before tilting her head back and smiling at Kiba appreciatively. "I'm grateful for the sentiment, but I don't have a lot to say. I don't want anyone to kill Sasuke, but looks like I don't have a choice. If he's working with the Akatsuki and attacking Jinchuuriki, then he's sealed his own fate hasn't he?"

"Yeah, you're good at hiding how you really feel about things" Kiba teases, laughing when she gives him a shove. "Hey, careful there. I can't get injured right before a mission."

"Kiba!" an enthusiastic voice calls, catching the male's attention. He smirks to himself, watching as Lee waves one arm eagerly while Sai stands beside him, mute.

"Hurry Kiba!" Lee calls, now trotting in place. "I am so restless from waiting. I want to leave now!"

"Hold your horses Lee" Sakura sighs, one hand on her hip. "We haven't even been here that long anyway."

Upon noticing that Ashley is with Kiba, Sakura bends down to adjust one of her boots, once again avoiding eye contact with her blonde friend. What kind of game was she playing at here?

"I'll wait til you get back then" Ashley replies eventually, turning to Kiba as she folds her arms over her chest and raises one eyebrow.

"I look forward to it" the Inuzuka says breezily, before tilting Ashley's chin up and giving her a quick kiss goodbye. "See ya Angel!"

"Ruff ruff!" Akamaru barks, bounding after Kiba as he runs towards the others.

Raising her hand in a wave as Sakura and her team head out of the Leaf Village gates, Ashley smirks to herself.

"Oh trust me" the girl scoffs, turning away. "You won't."

Ashley's POV

"The Land of Iron Milady?" Ace inquires, running on my right. "Why are we headed there?"

"And why are we following your teammates from such a distance?" Rei wonders, on my left side. "Are we keeping an eye out for enemies perhaps?"

"I do find it strange that we are lagging so far behind them....." Ace adds, turning his head.

"We're not lagging behind anyone" I advise the two Wolves, rolling my eyes. "We're following them. Meaning that they don't know we're here, and if you don't mind, I'd like to keep it that way!"

"We are almost two kilometres behind your friends Milady" Ace retorts blandly. "They are not going to hear us conversing."

"Akamaru might be able to hear you" I shoot back, poking out my tongue.

"My dear Rei and I are Wolves Milady" Ace states politely, looking forwards again. "We glide through this snow like a soft breeze. You however, the Dog may hear. Your feet are crunching through the snow at the same volume as that Akimichi boy when he eats potato chips."

"I am not crunching!" I protest, though I can't help looking down at my feet. I'd focused the chakra into the soles of my feet to keep me on top of the thick snow, so as to avoid sinking into it.

"Oh, stop teasing her Ace dear" Rei reprimands gently, nudging my hand with her nose. "You are being wonderfully quiet Milady! I am very proud of you."

"You stop making fun of me as well" I command flatly.

I smile to myself as Rei giggles for a few moments, before we all fall silent, focused on keeping track of Sakura and the others, who are quite a distance ahead of us. I don't want to get too close, just in case any of them sense me or anything.

Kiba and Akamaru would both be able to smell me at this range, if the wind weren't blowing from in front of us. So for now, the wind is on my side. Hopefully it doesn't change at all.

"This wind is a little chilly" Rei speaks up, tossing her head. "I don't mind it however. It reminds me of the winters back in our homeland!"

Rei smiles to herself and begins to bounce as she runs, flicking up small clumps of snow. I've known Rei since I was very young, even before she became part of my pack, and it's really no secret that she loves the snow. In fact, I think all of my Wolves love the snow, as do I.

However, now is not exactly the time to be playing around in the snow like we did when we were younger.

"Rei, I really need you to focus here" I advise, to which the Wolf sends me an apologetic look and calms down a little. "Thanks. I get that we all like the snow and stuff, but we really need to not get caught by Sakura."

"What is your plan Milady?" Ace wonders. "I am still uncertain as to why we are following your teammate."

"I don't know what Sakura has planned" I explain, frowning to myself as I stare ahead, "But I do know that she was determined to leave me out. I think she's up to something and if she's trying to keep me out of it, I can't imagine it's anything good."

"Ah, so you are not the one keeping secrets this time" Ace says smartly, earning himself a dry look from me. "Frustrating, is it not?"

"Do you want to go back to Inu Zoku Mountain?" I ask in a flat tone.

"Not at all Milady" Ace responds, shaking his head. "Who will keep you out of trouble if I am gone?"

"Please pardon my interruption" Rei announces politely, nose raised up, "But I do believe I can smell some more people up ahead. Their scent is carrying on the wind."

".....It is definitely the Kyuubi boy and your teacher" Ace confirms, sniffing at the air as well. "There is someone else as well, though this scent is not as familiar to me. Good job my dear."

"Thank you Ace dear" Rei answers, delighted by the praise.

"Give me a sec......" I trail off, brows furrowing as I focus on sensing the people up ahead. Sure enough, Naruto and Kakashi Sensei are there, as well as another man. "........It's Captain Yamato! He must have gone as well."

I fall silent for a few moments, still focusing my Katsuryoku, when I sense that Sakura's team have come to a stop. This causes me to throw out my arms and skid to a halt, Ace and Rei sending me questioning looks as they too cease their running.

"Sakura and the others have stopped" I explain, staring hard at the snow as I concentrate. "They must be speaking with Naruto and Kakashi Sensei. We're gonna have to be careful with our approach. We'll get a little closer and then circle around a bit, so we still have the wind on our side. I don't want Kiba or Akamaru, or even Kakashi Sensei for that matter, smelling us."

"You want to be close enough to hear what they're all saying?" Ace inquires, to which I nod.

"Maybe Sakura will reveal her plan then" I suggest, shrugging one shoulder. "I don't know, but come on! We'd better get going!"

That being said, the three of us take off once again, gliding across the snow as silently as possible. At least out here there are a few trees, so hopefully they'll be able to give us some cover, despite not having any leaves.

As we begin to close the distance between ourselves and Sakura's team, I motion for my Wolves to begin moving to the right. I want to be close enough to hear what's going on, but I also want to remain unseen for now.

If Sakura spots me, she may try to get away or worse, she'll just head back to the Leaf Village without doing anything. I doubt that second idea though, seeing as she was so determined to leave and not take me with her to begin with.

Ace, Rei and I all slow our pace down as we grow closer to Sakura and the others, slinking in behind a small group of snow covered trees. I crouch down and peer around one of them, having to squint a little as cold air blows into my face.

Everyone is gathered around a large, wooden building, which seems very out of place here in the middle of nothing. Captain Yamato must have built it for shelter or something.

"I can't hear them from this distance" I whisper to Rei and Ace. "Let's move over there. We'll be close enough to hear, but Kiba and Akamaru still won't be able to smell us. Just stay as low as possible. Especially you Ace. You stick out like a sore thumb in the snow."

"And I suppose your blonde hair blends in, does it?" Ace scoffs, rolling his eye as he lies down in the snow and begins shuffling forwards. Tip toeing ahead of him, Rei can't help giggling at her mate's childish behaviour.

"Calm down Ace" I hiss under my breath, keeping a close eye on the Leaf Ninja to my left. "I didn't mean anything personal by it."

Luckily for us, my friends are all too distracted to notice my Wolves and I, allowing us to sneak closer and duck behind some more trees. At least I can hear them now, though I have to admit. My heart is beating a little faster than normal. I'm glad we haven't been caught yet. I can't imagine Sakura would be too happy to see me sneaking around. Plus, Kakashi Sensei and captain Yamato would probably give me an earful for leaving the Village without permission.

Leaning my back against one of the trees, I peer out from around it, only to see shocked expressions on Lee, Kakashi Sensei and Captain Yamato's faces. Kiba looks as if he's swallowed something bad, while Sai looks as calm and collected as ever. Sakura stands before Naruto, regarding him very seriously, though the blonde looks rather surprised himself.

What did I miss? What had she said to provoke such reactions from everyone?

"I....I dunno if I misheard you just now Sakura-chan" Naruto eventually says, sounding highly uncertain. "Could you maybe......say that again?"

"I said that I.......I love you Naruto" the pink haired girl replies, blushing slightly.

'What?!' I scream internally, my eyes becoming wide, round circles as my mouth drops open. 'What the hell?! What's Sakura saying?! We all know that she doesn't love Naruto! What is going on here?!'

".....An unexpected declaration" Ace comments quietly, mouth pulling down, "That is for sure."

"I don't think she means it dear" Rei tells the navy Wolf, looking concerned. "I wonder why she feels the need to tell such a hurtful lie? That boy is very nice, he doesn't deserve that."

"What are you planning Sakura?" I ask under my breath, eyes narrowing at the girl.

"What I'm trying to say, is that there's nothing between Sasuke and I anymore" Sakura continues, sounding sure of herself now. "I don't know what I was thinking, liking someone like that.....I'm confessing my feelings here, so make sure you're listening!"

I watch as the astonished expression slowly begins fading from Naruto's face, mouth turning down until he is frowning at Sakura, a serious look in his eyes.

"But how?" he asks, clearly suspicious of his teammate's confession now. "Why? You shouldn't make jokes like that at a time like this. It's not funny Sakura-chan. What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Sakura asks indignantly. "Nothing happened. I just sort of....realised. There's no point in liking someone who's a fugitive and a criminal. I have to face reality at some point."

Here Sakura closes her eyes and smiles, though even from here, I can see that there's something insincere in that smile.

"So, there's no need to keep that promise anymore Naruto" the pinkette says cheerfully. "You can stop chasing Sasuke now."

"Just what the hell are you-"

As an angered Captain Yamato takes one step forwards, Kakashi holds out one arm, halting the man. I don't know if he's figured out what Sakura's trying to do or not, but it looks like he doesn't want anyone to interfere. Maybe he just trusts whatever she's trying to do without knowing what it is?

If only I could do the same, but I can't. I don't know where Sakura's going with this, but I don't like it. Why would she lie to Naruto like that? She's just going to hurt his feelings!

"Did something happen?" Naruto asks again, unconvinced by Sakura's reasoning. "Of all people, why me? And why so all of the sudden?"

"Nothing happened!" Sakura repeats hotly, before taking a deep breath to calm down. "If you want me to state it clearly, I stared liking you because......"

I feel a scowl settling onto my face as Sakura steps forwards and hugs Naruto, her cheek resting against his chest. Kiba's expression seems to mirror my own, as do Captain Yamato's and Kakashi Sensei's. While Lee just looks surprised, even Sai seems to be a little disturbed by what's going on right now.

I just don't understand Sakura at all......This isn't right. What's the point of this? I'm just glad that Naruto, as dim as he can be sometimes, doesn't seem to be falling for this ruse of hers. I just want to march over there and punch Sakura right now!

".....You've always been by my side Naruto" Sakura explains softly, causing me to strain to hear her, "While Sasuke just seems to keep getting further and further away. I finally realised who you are. You're the hero who saved the whole Village, beloved by everyone."

"You're that mischievous, little dummy that I knew as a kid, but you're slowly becoming this great and important man. And I've been watching this whole time from right beside you."

"....All Sasuke has done is commit crimes and break my heart" Sakura continues, Naruto's mouth turning down even further. "He's becoming so very distant, a different person than he was. But you, you're right here Naruto. You make me feel safe and from the bottom of my heart, I-"

"Gimme a break Sakura!" Naruto interrupts, gripping the girl by her shoulders and pushing her back to look into her eyes. "I already told you that this joke isn't funny!"

"H-Have you gone crazy?" Sakura laughs awkwardly, trying to mask her very evident surprise. "I've gone from Sasuke to you. Don't they say that a woman's heart can be changed like the Autumn sky?"

"She's such a bitch sometimes" I can't help muttering, an anime vein pulsing on the side of my head. "I wish I could knock some sense into that brain of hers!"

"Calm down Milady" Ace urges me quietly, nudging me with his nose. "You do not want to lose your temper and alert the Leaf Ninja. Then all of our hard work will have been for nothing."

"I know but......" I trail off, releasing a heavy sigh. "This is just so frustrating....."

"I hate people who lie to themselves" Naruto informs Sakura firmly, the girl's green eyes widening.

"You think....." she replies, her face turning serious. "You think I'm lying to myself then? I'm the only one who knows what I'm thinking! If you don't like me, then just say so!"

"It's just really weird that you came all the way out here" Naruto rebuts, "Just to tell me something like that!"

"Something like that?" Sakura repeats, blinking a few times. "Something like that?! You think it's easy for a girl to confess her feelings?!"

"All this way.....Of course I'd come all this way! You've always been chasing after Sasuke and putting yourself in danger! The Akatsuki is after you because you're the host of the Kyuubi, so you should be worrying for your own safety!"

"Look, I...." Sakura sighs, brows furrowing as she looks up at Naruto, "...I don't want you going after Sasuke anymore if it means putting yourself in danger. I've come all this way because I want you to come back to the Village with me! That's all!"

"......Sounds like an excuse to me" Naruto mutters, still not buying Sakura's story. "I think I know you better than that."

"You don't know anything" Sakura argues, throwing a hand up in frustration. "I don't care about Sasuke at all now that he's a criminal! So just forget about your promise to me, okay?"

"This isn't about that promise" Naruto assures Sakura, closing his eyes momentarily. "I know why Sasuke is so obsessed with revenge now. He loved his family and his Clan, so much that he can't let it go."

"Then why did he join the Akatsuki after he defeated Itachi?!" Kiba demands to know, his words making the blood in my veins turn to ice.

"Wh-What?" I whisper, immediately beginning to feel numb as my stomach sinks. "What did he just say?"

"Calm down Milady" Ace replies softly, hurriedly moving over so that he is sitting right next to me. "Calm down. Please breathe. We do not know what he means by-"

"Itachi-kun is dead?" I ask rhetorically, tears filling my eyes as I stare out into nothingness. "No, no, I can't......There's no way. Did Sasuke kill him? Did he actually do it? This can't be happening...."

"Milady" Rei addresses me warmly, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder, "You believed Itachi was gone anyway, didn't you? Please, do not be so shocked by hearing-"

"I thought I wouldn't see him again" I interrupt again, hugging my knees to my chest and burying my head in my arms, "But I didn't think Sasuke would actually kill him! Not...Not my Itachi-kun....."

Rei and Ace exchange worried looks with each other over the top of my head as I begin to sob, feeling as if my heart is being torn in two. The Wolves lean against me, trying to silently comfort me as I cry, with Rei leaning her cheek on top of my hair.

I can't believe this. Suddenly, I don't even care if Sakura discovers that I'm here. I want to know what happened to Itachi-kun. And why did Kiba know about it? Why would he know about it and not even tell me? He knows how much my cousin means to me! Why didn't any of them tell me about this?!

"Fine!" I hear Sakura snap. "If that's how you feel, then I'm going home! Kiba, Lee, Sai, we're leaving!"

".......We should probably leave as well Ace dear" Rei suggests in a low voice. "Lady Ashley is very upset and I don't think she will want to continue any further...."

Hakuba looms over me, watching through hooded eyes as I stare at the floor, tears running down my face. His tails swing back and forth slowly, as if he is thinking about something.

After a few more seconds of saying nothing, he sighs and lowers himself to the ground. He stretches his large paws out in front of him and puts them through the bars of his prison, one on either side of me. I look up as he does this, my lips quivering as I struggle not to cry out loud.

"You are hurt" the Juubi points out, his voice echoing through the dark, empty room.

I merely nod in response, unsure of what to say. It's pretty obvious that I am hurting after all. Yet another member of my family has been killed. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but no. I'm not.

"You are angry" Hakuba points out, head slowly tilting to the side.

"....I know" I reply hoarsely, nodding.

"The path of revenge is not a happy one" the Ten Tails informs me, his deep voice echoing through the empty room.

"..............I know" I whisper again, my tone lower than before.

"Hmmm.............." Hakuba rumbles, his eyes seeming to glow even brighter as they narrow down at me.

Third Person's POV

Sakura, Lee and Sai race through the forest in silence, with Kiba and Akamaru leading the way. After leaving Naruto behind, they'd veered away from the Leaf Village and were currently following Kiba's incredible sense of smell towards Sakura's new target.

Despite none of them having spoken since running into the unfamiliar forest, Lee can't help turning to face Sakura, an anxious look on his face.

"Sakura-chan....." he addresses hesitantly. "Do you not think that you should have told Naruto the truth back there?"

"There's no way I could tell him" Sakura replies decisively, not even bothering to look at Lee. "I just couldn't."

"You underestimate Naruto, you know that?" Kiba speaks up from the front, when something suddenly catches his attention. "Hey! I've found Sasuke! Uh oh, but that Tobi guy is with him as well. I remember that guy...."

"Everyone stop!" Sakura immediately orders, causing everyone to skid to a halt, questioning looks on their faces.

"What're we stopping for?" Kiba asks vehemently. "We already decided on our formations and-"

"Exactly how far away is our target Kiba?" Sakura asks patiently, talking over the Inuzuka.

"Uh, well he's straight ahead" the brunette replies, sounding a little confused. "He's about a kilometre ahead of us. Why?"

".........I'm sorry about this you guys!" Sakura cries, abruptly pulling something out of her pocket and throwing her hand up into the air.

Before she can drop the weapon, Sai quickly reacts and snatches her wrist, holding it in place.

"I knew it" the male mutters. "You were going to put us all to sleep with this."

"Sai......" Sakura begins apologetically, only to be interrupted.

"What?!" Kiba exclaims angrily.

"Ruff ruff!" Akamaru barks in protest.

"Wh-What is going on?" Lee wonders, a question mark appearing above his head.

"Looks like Sakura planned to take care of Sasuke all by herself" Sai informs everyone, removing the sleep bomb from Sakura's hand.

"But why alone?" Kiba inquires.

"Yes" Lee says with a confident nod. "We all agreed to do this together!"

"I'm not letting anyone get passed me" Sai announces seriously, earning incredulous looks from all of the others.

"Why not?!" Sakura demands to know, brows furrowing.

"I knew you were shady" Kiba scoffs, gritting his teeth together in a scowl.

"There's no way we can defeat Sasuke or Tobi" Sai explains patiently. "I left a clone behind with Kakashi Sensei to tell him what you were supposed to say to Naruto, and I promised him that I wouldn't let anyone fight with Sasuke."

"I'm only going to say this once Sai" Sakura warns, glaring at her teammate. "Get out of my way!"

As Sai begins performing hand signs, something seems to catch Kiba's attention, making him glance back over his shoulder. His nose twitches slightly, a familiar scent hitting it.

It didn't make any sense though. Why would she be all the way out here when she hadn't been chosen to come on this mission? Had she decided to just tag along anyway? That would be something she'd do, considering how stubborn she could be.....

"Kiba!" Sakura shouts madly, snapping the male back to reality. "Are you just gonna stand there?! Help us!"

Before the Inuzuka is able to so much as react however, a large group of ink snakes wrap around his waist and hoist him up into the air. Kiba's eyes widen in surprise as he is rendered helpless, not having expected the attack at all.

"Sai you bastard!" the Inuzuka barks, kicking his legs. "Let me go!"

"I cannot let you guys go any further Kiba" Sai responds. "I'm sorry to-"

The pale boy freezes, seeing three sleeping bombs rolling across the ground from behind a nearby tree. Raising his eyes, Sai spots Sakura hiding behind the tree, peeking at the three fighting boys.

"Gah!" Lee cries as the bombs explode, releasing sleep inducing fumes that begin to work immediately.

"Arf....." Akamaru barks dizzily, collapsing to the ground beside Kiba, whose eyes are spinning.

"Sh-She ditched us....." Sai muses, watching as Sakura darts out from behind the tree and disappears, before he too collapses to the ground.

"How is Lady Ashley doing Ace dear?" Rei asks, running alongside the larger Wolf. She turns her head to look up at the blonde girl sitting atop Ace's back, only to see the glazed over look still held in her fuchsia eyes. She sits with her face hanging towards the ground, shoulders hunched. She hadn't so much as moved since Ace had scooped her up. No doubt she'd still be sitting back there in the snow if he hadn't moved her...

"I am worried for her Rei dear" Ace responds with a light sigh. "She still seems to be stuck in that half conscious state. I worry that she is conversing with the Ten Tails...."

"He is no longer the enemy dear" Rei reminds her mate. "Remember how he protected Lady Ashley during the assault on the Leaf Village? He will cause her no harm. I believe she is just very much affected by the news of her cousin's death."

"I am concerned about how she will feel when she finds out that Sakura is now going after Sasuke herself" Ace says stonily. "The clone that boy left behind when the others turned back said that was her plan. Lady Ashley will not be happy about this when she comes to...."

"We must look after her Ace dear" Rei says softly, affection in her lavender eyes. "It is our duty to keep her from hurting like this."

"......I understand my duty very well" Ace says after a short pause. "I must try harder to protect my partner."

"You already do a wonderful job my dear" Rei assures her mate with a smile. "Don't be so hard on yours- Oh dear!"

Ace and Rei both come to a stop as they spot the unconscious Leaf Ninja that Sakura had earlier left behind.

"Well, this doesn't seem very good" Rei comments, sweat dropping. "Did Sakura do this to the poor dears? I can't see her anywhere either. Can you Ace dear?"

Looking over to the larger Wolf, Rei sees that he seems to be focused on something else, staring straight ahead with his ears pricked up.

"Ace dear?" Rei asks again.

"Sakura is down this way" the Wolf replies monotonously, though he narrows his visible eye. "Sasuke is there as well, however........I can smell that man from the Akatsuki that Lady Ashley did not like."

"She did not like any of them dear" Rei points out, only to earn a flat look from Ace.

"Tobi" he says simply, to which Rei's eyes widen slightly. "This is certainly not an ideal situation. I do not wish to take my beloved partner over there. She will be in harm's way. Whether that harm be emotional or physical, I am still unwilling to subject her to it."

Ace and Rei both pause as Ashley slowly lifts her head, looking in the same direction as her Guardian. Her brows knit together, before she slides down from Ace's back and begins walking in the direction of Sasuke and Sakura.

"No Milady!" Ace protests, jumping in front of the blonde girl. "You must not go this way. Please wait here until your Sensei arrives. He will be here soon, I am sure of it."

"You are not feeling well Milady" Rei adds, nodding encouragingly. "We will all wait together and when you do feel better, we can decide what to-"

"You two will stay here" Ashley interjects blandly, motioning towards the unconscious Leaf Ninja behind her. "Keep watch over them until help arrives. I'm going on alone."

"Milady, I must protest this decision" Ace growls, "On the grounds that it is stupid. You are not going to-"

Ace cuts himself off as Ashley whirls around to glare at him, her eyes black. Her red, shuriken like irises almost seem to glow, though Ace knows it must just be his eye playing tricks on him.

"I need to have a little talk with my cousin" Ashley says darkly, seemingly much more awake all of the sudden. "Alone."

Rei looks to Ace with concern, ears drooping when he sighs and sits back on his haunches.

"Very well Milady" he says, sounding reserved. "If that is what you wish. I only ask that you be careful. And to that beast inside you, you had better take care of Lady Ashley......."

"He's looking out for me Ace" Ashley says with a smile, though Rei and Ace can't tell if it's genuine or not. "Don't you worry about that."

That being said, Ashley turns back around and darts off in the direction of Sakura and Sasuke, her smile fading into an emotionless mask.

Sasuke had a lot to answer for.

"I don't like this Ace dear....." Rei murmurs, ears drooping as she turns to tend to the Leaf Ninja. "I didn't like that look."

"I am not happy either" Ace agrees, his voice strained. "However, I will trust Milady.....Even though in this instance, I do not wish to..."

"Kill her" Sasuke demands coldly, pointing down at the injured woman lying by his feet, "And then I'll accept your offer to join me in destroying the Leaf Village."

Sakura's eyes widen as she looks from her former teammate to the bruised and bloodied Karin. What had happened here before Sakura arrived? And why was Sasuke injured as well?

"Who is she?" Sakura asks, trying to maintain her cool as she pulls out a kunai and slowly begins walking towards Karin, who is barely conscious.

"A member of my organisation, the Hawk" Sasuke answers, his dark eyes void of any emotion. "As you can see, she's useless to me now. Actually, this works out rather well. Seeing as you're a Medical Ninja Sakura, you can take her place."

Sasuke's unfeeling words cause Sakura to frown to herself, though she tries to swallow her feelings for the time being, now poised over Karin's body. She stares down at the red haired woman for a few moments, her arms shaking beneath her long cloak.

"What's the matter Sakura?" Sasuke taunts, moving behind the pinkette. "Can't handle it?"

Closing her eyes and trying to convince herself that she's doing the right thing, Sakura raises her knife, ready to plunge it into her target.

"D-Don't do it S-Sasuke...." Karin wheezes, blood dripping from her mouth.

Sakura's eyes widen at this, and as she spins around, she lets out a gasp of fright. Looming behind the pink haired girl, Sasuke throws his hand forwards without hesitation, the skin covered in lightning nature chakra.

Just as his hand is about to pierce through Sakura's stomach however, there is a loud boom, before he is abruptly sent flying backwards into a stone wall. Sakura is shoved back, stumbling from the push and almost falling over. Her eyes widen even further at the sight before her, not having expected to see the person who had saved her.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asks in a whisper. "I-I didn't want you to have to get involved......"

Rising from her crouched position, Ashley glances back over her shoulder, black chakra bubbling around her entire body. She smirks at Sakura, sharp teeth flashing white beneath the dark aura surrounding her.

"I need to have a chat with Sasuke" Ashley responds in a cold tone, one tail waving back and forth behind her. The Minami, her hair having faded to an ebony colour, turns back around as Sasuke pulls himself up into a sitting position.

".......Ashley" he mutters disdainfully, rocks crumbling to the ground around him. He'd known Ashley could hit hard, but that had been unexpected.

The girl's smirk immediately disappears at the sight of Sasuke, turning down into a sinister scowl. She dashes forwards at an impressive speed and jabs her hand down towards Sasuke's throat. He can't help grunting as she grips it tightly, when Ashley slowly lifts the frowning Uchiha to his feet, her Sharingan eyes spinning.

"So tell me Sasuke" Ashley growls darkly. "Did you kill Itachi-kun?"