Ashley's POV

I stare at Tobi through wide eyes, shaking my head with minute movements. My right hand slowly rises up to my chest and rests against my heart, fingers curling tightly into the material of my shirt.

Tobi's story didn't make any sense. My Father wouldn't have been a spy for the Leaf, he just wouldn't. I knew him, and he was a loyal Uchiha. He would never betray his Clan.....He loved them!

"You're lying" I inform Tobi with certainty, eyes beginning to narrow. "My Father was a good man and he loved his fellow Uchiha. He would sooner shed his own blood for them than betray them!"

I grit my teeth together as Tobi begins to laugh, pressing his fingertips against the mask covering his face. He tilts his head down and shakes it a few times, before heaving a sigh and looking back up at me.

"He must have put on a good show if even his own daughter believed it" the man muses. "Perhaps he should have become an actor rather than a Ninja?"

"Don't speak like you know him!" I shout in protest, my heart hurting. "My Father was a respected ANBU Black Ops Captain and he only wanted the best for his Clan! He would never-"

"Oh come off it Ashley-chan" Tobi interrupts me harshly, holding his palms up in question. "He may have led you to believe all of those things, but the reality is that Shigeshi hated the Uchiha Clan. He hated his younger brother for the discontent he felt with the Leaf and for wanting to start a rebellion. Shigeshi wanted to bring his family to the Leaf to live with him, but the Uchiha Clan wanted to rebel against the Village and take it over. How could he be with them if the Leaf Village was fighting a war against the Uchiha Clan?"

"What?" I ask softly, genuinely surprised by this announcement. "My Dad wanted us to live in the Leaf with him?..........I never knew that....."

"........You're right when you say that your Father was a good man" Tobi responds, gentler now. "He loved his Village and he loved his family. He wanted to raise his daughters in the home he loved too, so that he could be with them everyday and teach them how to be incredible Ninja."

I feel tears pricking my eyes, blurring my vision as I slowly look down at the water below my feet and bite my lip.

So, before my Father died in the Uchiha massacre, he'd dreamed of bringing my Mother, Kiyu and I over to the Leaf Village so that we could all live together. Like a family. No more short visits once every two or three months. No more crying for days after he left. No more missing him so badly that our hearts would hurt. We could've actually been together, all of the time.

I could've grown up with all of the others in the Leaf Village. With Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kiba......We could have all been friends from the very beginning. Then Orochimaru wouldn't have killed my family and I'd have never been taken by him. I'd be a different person and my life could've been a happy one, rather than the agonizing one I'd led up until I'd accidentally found my way to the Leaf......

"Your Father was heading back to the Village after visiting his wife in the Land of Ambience" Tobi continues, seeming to watch me very carefully, "When he was suddenly ambushed by two teams of Uchiha Ninja. They thought he was giving information to the Leaf Village about the coup and so, they'd decided to kill him."

"What?" I whisper, sadness for my Father washing over me. "But he didn't-"

"He wasn't giving the Leaf any information at this point" Tobi assures me, actually sounding somewhat grave. "He fought valiantly but in the end, was left for dead by his own Clansmen. After that, your Father disappeared for awhile and nobody knows where he went."

"When he arrived back in the Leaf, the Uchiha were all shocked to see him alive, even angry. But your Father had changed. He didn't seem unhappy anymore. He walked around with a smile again. Suspicion began to recede and he was even accepted back into the Clan. Shigeshi and Fugaku never reconciled of course, but Shigeshi was allowed back all the same........."

"Not long after his return, Shigeshi was approached by the Hokage and asked to become a spy, as the Leaf had finally caught wind of the Uchiha's planned rebellion" Tobi sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Itachi, being the peace lover that he was, had provided the Hokage with some information and they thought that Shigeshi, as an elite Ninja of the highest degree, would be better suited to be the spy than young Itachi."

".......So Itachi-kun and my Father....." I ask, my voice trembling, "They both didn't want a war to happen?"

"...........They both had different plans for the Uchiha and the Leaf Village" Tobi eventually states, his tone lacking any sort of emotion. "Shigeshi was under orders to get rid of the entire Uchiha Clan to prevent a war, but Itachi ended up blackmailing your Father with some information that he'd uncovered, and so he had no choice but to go along with Itachi in the end...........And this is how things ended up."

"Wh-What do you mean?" I ask pleadingly, not understanding. "Itachi blackmailed my Dad? How? What happened? Was it really Itachi who killed my Father?.......Y-You're leaving so much out of the story! I don't-"

"That's enough" Tobi cuts me off, raising up one hand. "I don't have the time or the patience to retell every single detail of the story. Perhaps one day you'll find out Ashley-chan, but for now, I think that's enough. You get the idea. The Leaf Village used Itachi and your Father for their own selfish needs and now.......Well, we all know what happened to the both of them in the end."

"Now do you see?" Sasuke interjects, glaring at me sharply. "The Leaf needs to pay for what it's done, to the both of us! You should be standing here with me, opposing them! They're not your friends, they're just as much to blame as the rest of that damned Village!"

Raising my head as a tear drips down my cheek, I look over to my team, only to find them all watching me. Sakura watches me from a distance, her green eyes wide and shining, as if she is also struggling not to cry. Naruto stares intently, through confident eyes, as if willing me to make the right decision. Kakashi also looks at me, his eyes half lidded and his expression exuding a quiet calm that seems so out of place, given the situation we're in.

These people have never hurt me. Even when I first arrived and did everything I could to push them away, they cared about me and did nothing but extend their hands in friendship. The Hokage did the same. He should have sent me on my way, or even put me in prison, but he didn't.

Kiba, Shikamaru and all of the others, they've done nothing but accept me for who I am, whether I be friendly or not. They've also never done anything that would hurt me in any way.

How could I now stand against them all and blame them for the mistakes of the past? They didn't disrespect the Uchiha Clan, and they certainly had nothing to do with the Clan choosing to walk down a dark path of revenge.

Sniffing quietly, I run my hand across my face to wipe my eyes, before raising my head to stare into Sasuke's eyes. He'd better hear what I say, whether he agrees with me or not.

"I will never stand against the Leaf" I tell my cousin fiercely, feeling more sure of my decision than anything else I've ever done. "Itachi-kun gave everything for the Leaf and I'm not going to be the one to stand against his wishes. My own Father loved this Village and the people in it. He never had a jaded view, despite whatever happened to the Clan in the past, and I won't either!"

"Do you hear me Sasuke?!" I ask, shouting as my hands ball up into fists. "The Uchiha Clan were too proud and chose their own fate! Maybe there were some corrupt people in the Leaf Village, but this generation has nothing to do with that! My friends have nothing to do with that and if you so much as raise one finger against any of them, I will personally meet you at the gates of the Leaf and kill you myself. Naruto won't even have the chance."

Despite his wavering vision, I see Sasuke narrow his eyes at me, a poisonous glare on his face that could just about kill a person. I've never seen hatred like that before, especially not directed at me.

"Then you're just as guilty as them" the Uchiha spits harshly. "You're completely blinded by the light that you all pretend to see."

"I am the light Sasuke" I inform my cousin seriously. "Just like Itachi was. I won't follow a path of revenge. I won't be in the darkness like you....."

As Sasuke and I glare at each other, I hear Sakura heave a sigh of relief, while Naruto nods emphatically at my declaration. Kakashi stares at me for a few moments, when a look of pride begins to lighten his previously tense expression.

"Well, it looks like Ashley-chan has made her decision" Tobi speaks up, not sounding overly disappointed. "She's stubborn alright, as expected. It's a hereditary trait I believe."

"Stop talking like you know anything about me" I growl lowly, my top lip lifting slightly to reveal my sharp teeth. "You don't know me and you don't know my Father."

"Oh but Ashley-chan" Tobi responds, mocking me with his sympathetic tone, "I know him better than you ever did."

"What the hell does that even-"

"That's enough talking for now" Tobi interrupts me before I can get angry again, placing his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "It's time for us to go."

"Wait a second!" I demand, taking one step forwards.

"Madara...." Sasuke drawls ominously, dark eyes still fixed on me. "You and I need to have a talk...."

"Don't you dare run away now!" I order furiously, running forwards, as Sasuke, Tobi and the strange, new Akatsuki member begin to spin and fade from my sight.

Just as I am about to reach them, the three men disappear from before me, as if having dissolved into thin air. I breathe heavily for a few moments, my breath the only audible sound as I stare at the place they had just been standing.

Closing my eyes, I drop to my knees and fall forwards, smashing my fists into the water below in sheer frustration. I feel tears building up behind my eyelids again, as my forehead touches the water. My shoulders tremble while I sob silently, feeling confused and angry by what Tobi had told me.

I don't know what to believe. Did he tell me the truth? Had my Father suffered for loving his Village? Had he actually taken part in the Uchiha massacre, only to be killed himself? Had he been blackmailed into to doing something he didn't want to do? Why did someone like Tobi know my Father, or at least, proclaim to?

"It doesn't make any sense!" I shout hoarsely, struggling not to cry out loud. "It just.....doesn't make sense....."

"Ashley......" I hear Sakura say softly, kneeling down beside me and placing a comforting hand on my back. "Don't believe anything he says. He's one of the bad guys after all......."

"I'm proud of you Ashley-chan" Naruto adds, as I slowly begin to sit up, staring ahead through half lidded eyes. "You made a good decision just now."

".........Your Father was a good man Ashley" Kakashi informs me quietly, watching as I slowly turn around and look up at him, eyes red. "Don't let anyone tell you different."

I continue to stare at Kakashi in silence for a few moments, my head swimming with questions and curiosity about the missing parts of Tobi's story that hadn't been told. But one thing......There was one thing Sasuke had said.......

"........Why did Sasuke call him Madara?" I ask emotionlessly, only to be met with a quietness that immediately makes me suspicious. "What?.......Why are you looking at Kakashi like that?"

"Oh" Naruto laughs awkwardly, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, "It's nothing Ashley-chan. He just.......He spoke to Kakashi Sensei and I awhile back is all."

"He spoke to you?" I inquire, slowly rising to my feet and turning my skeptical gaze to our Sensei. "It's not possible, no matter what Tobi says. Madara is too old to be alive today. He was there, in my homeland, when Hakuba arrived back on the earth. He was there when Hakuba was sealed into his first human host. It just isn't possible! None of this makes any sense!"

"Calm down Ashley" Kakashi soothes, trying to control my irritation. "I agree with you, it sounds impossible. But with the power that man possesses........I don't know. Perhaps he found a way to preserve himself after all these years."

Third Person's POV

"......I grow very tired of babysitting these slumbering Ninja" Ace sighs, bored of his duty, "If one would still want to label them as such."

"Oh, don't be so down Ace dear" Rei encourages, trying to lighten her mate's mood. "Look at how cute they are when they sleep!"

".............." Ace stares down at Lee, Sai, Kiba and Akamaru as Rei trots around them with an affectionate smile on her face. ".....At least they are quiet when they are asleep."

"There you go dear!" Rei cheers. "Looking on the bright side is good for you!"

The white Wolf can't help letting out a squeal of fright as a hand suddenly raises up in front of her face. She scoots backwards, only to see that Lee is waking up.

"Well" Rei huffs, "He may only be stretching, but that was still quite rude! You don't almost hit a lady in the face, no matter how tired you are!"

Before Ace can answer, Naruto jogs into view, with a sheepish looking Sakura not far after him. Kakashi, carrying a red haired girl on his back, pauses to look behind him. A sombre looking Ashley trudges up to her Sensei, not even sparing him a glance as he continues walking by her side, looking slightly concerned.

"Milady" Ace greets, rising to his feet and hurriedly walking over to her. Seeing the girl's red eyes and the worn out look on her face, Ace leans down and gently nudges Ashley's cheek. "Milady, what is wrong?"

"........I can't even think right now" is the only response the Wolf receives, as Ashley closes her eyes and places her hands against her temples.

"What happened to Milady?" Ace demands to know, his tone cold and accusatory. "I will not forgive any of you if-"

"She isn't hurt, if that's what you mean" Kakashi assures the large Wolf, eyes focusing down on his usually lively student. "She's just.......confused at the moment."

"Confused?" Rei asks gently, walking over to Ashley and rubbing the girl's arm with her head. "It's okay Milady, you can tell us when you are ready....."

"As for you Sakura" Kakashi addresses firmly, "I want you to apologise as soon as they all wake up. They were only trying to help you after all."

"I.....I know" Sakura sighs in defeat, feeling bad for having knocked all of the boys out to go off on her own.

"You'd better apologise!" a voice demands roughly, causing everyone to turn their heads. Kiba, sitting up with his arms crossed over his chest, glares daggers at Sakura, fire seeming to burn in his eyes. Sai groggily climbs to his feet, with Akamaru and Lee both yawning loudly as they come to.

"After I did everything you asked" Kiba continues madly, jumping to his feet, "Including finding Sasuke for you, what do I get? Knocked out in the middle of nowhere. This wasn't somethin where you were supposed to go off on your own and hog all of the glory."

"Let it go Kiba" Kakashi sighs, momentarily closing his eyes and shaking his head. The last thing he needed was an argument between two hotheads like Kiba and Sakura.

"Then Sai just has to go and blab everything to Naruto" the Inuzuka continues ranting, as if he hadn't heard Kakashi, "And to top all of that off, it looks like Sasuke got away too!"

"Seriously Kiba" Naruto berates, pulling a face, "Quit whining!"

"You've been whining since this whole Sasuke thing started!" Kiba barks back, only for Sai to smirk at Naruto, seemingly amused.

"He's right you know" the dark haired male agrees, smiling when Naruto turns to him, ready for an argument.

"Hey" Kiba interjects, his tone softer now. "What's Ashley doing here? I thought she wasn't meant to know about this mission."

"She wasn't" Sakura speaks up, turning to give her blonde teammate an apologetic look. "Nobody told her, but she found out anyway."

"........It seems people haven't been telling me a lot of things that I should really know about" Ashley says morosely, raising her half lidded eyes to Kiba's face. He grins back, quite happy to see her, as she slowly begins walking towards him.

The Inuzuka opens his arms as soon as Ashley is close enough and pulls her in for a hug, her cheek resting against his chest. She doesn't move at all however, not resisting the affection, yet not returning it either. She stares out into the forest, not really seeing anything at all.

Troubled that Ashley isn't returning his hug like she usually would, Kiba places his hands on the girl's shoulders and looks down, head tilting to the side.

"What's wrong Ang-"

"Why didn't you tell me that you knew Itachi was dead?" Ashley asks, her voice and expression lacking any sort of emotion. She watches Kiba's face, the brunette clearly taken aback by such an unexpected question.

He stares down at his girlfriend in shocked silence for a few moments, eyes wide, when an apprehensive look darkens his features. His grip on Ashley's shoulders tightens, as his heart begins to beat a little faster.

Kiba didn't know how she'd found out about Itachi, or that he'd known about the Uchiha's death, but clearly she was upset about it.

"I....I didn't mean to keep it from you" Kiba admits sincerely. "I just didn't know how to tell you, because I knew how badly it would hurt you......I'm sorry Angel, I should have just told you when I found out."

"..........I'm sure you're not the only one who knew" Ashley decides after a short moment of silence. "I assume everyone here but myself knew about it as well."

Turning away from Kiba, Ashley tilts her head down and closes her eyes, walking away from the group. Ace and Rei follow after the girl obediently, once they realise that she isn't stopping.

"Where are you going Ashley?" Kakashi calls, worried for her.

"........Home" she responds lowly, before seeming to sense that everyone else is about to do the same. "Alone."

"Huh?" Naruto asks under his breath, brows furrowed with concern for his teammate.

"It's okay" Rei assures the group of Leaf Ninja, pausing just long enough to smile back at them. "We will see Lady Ashley home safely. Please don't worry about her!"

Everyone watches as Ashley and her two Wolves eventually disappear from view, unsure if they should do anything or not. It was very unlike her to be so quiet and doleful. It was a little unnerving.

"Kiba, don't" Kakashi warns, grabbing the Inuzuka by the arm as he decides to go after Ashley. "She wants to be by herself."

"But she's upset" Kiba argues, feeling a pang in his chest. He didn't like seeing Ashley so distressed. "She's mad at me too, for not telling her about Itachi....."

"She's not mad at you" Kakashi reassures the boy. "She's not mad at any of us for not telling her. I'm sure she understands why we didn't tell her but......She's just hurting right now and it's not the kind of pain that any of us can fix. She'll be alright.............She's a stronger person than we give her credit for."

Ashley stares at the bedspread in utter silence, eyes focused on the plain material as if she were in deep thought. In actuality, Ashley wasn't in thought at all. There were too many unanswered questions, too many things left out of Tobi's story, too much pain and confusion for the girl to hold only one train of thought for very long.

A cool darkness fills Ashley's room as she sits on top of her bed, back leaning against the wall behind her. Warm sunlight streams in through the window before her, dust particles visibly floating around in the brightness. Not wanting to be touched by any of the warmth, Ashley had pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly.

She'd been sitting like that ever since she'd gotten back to the Village. Outside, everyone had been so happy, talking with each other and merrily going on their way without a care in the world. The sun was shining gloriously and there were practically no clouds up in the brilliant sky.

But it didn't matter. Grey clouds filled Ashley's mind and no sun shone in her eyes. It almost felt like it was raining in Ashley's heart, a cold and lonely feeling that she couldn't shake. The only talking Ashley could hear was the sound of Tobi's voice, echoing off of the walls and ringing loudly into her ears, as if he had somehow managed to climb inside her head.

'What did you go through Father?' Ashley wonders, that pain still in her chest. 'What happened?..........Who were you?......'

It didn't make sense that her Father had conspired against his Clan. It didn't makes sense that Tobi knew her Father. And it sure didn't make sense that someone like Tobi, could possibly know so much about her Father, as if they had been friends.

Shigeshi was a good man, a loyal man. He'd never been violent or angry. He was loving, good hearted and valiant. To be mixed up with someone like Tobi..........Again, it just didn't make any sort of sense to Ashley.....

Breaking her out of her train of thought, a shadow suddenly appears in Ashley's window, blocking out most of the sunlight and causing the girl's eyes to flick up. She stares into the solemn face of Shikamaru, the boy perched on the sill outside her window.

He waits for a few moments, slightly shocked by Ashley's appearance despite being informed by the others that she seemed out of sorts. When the Nara sees that Ashley is not going to move, he sighs under his breath and lifts the unlocked window up.

"C'mon Ashley" he urges, "Naruto wants to speak with all of us."

Upon hearing that, Ashley lets out a low breath and tilts her head down, eyes closing. She shakes her head slightly, unwilling to get up.

"No" she says quietly. "I know what he's going to say........."

"How could you possibly know what he's going to say?" Shikamaru asks, also shaking his head as he extends his hand out. "Let's just go and hear him out, alright? He might surprise you and-"

"He's going to tell you all that he's the one who's going to kill Sasuke" Ashley interjects, opening her eyes again as they begin to waver. "I know him, and that's exactly what he's going to say. I already heard him tell Sasuke and I don't need to hear it again.........Goodbye Shikamaru."

The Nara straightens up as he is gently dismissed, watching Ashley with unease. He'd seen her when she was angry, he'd seen her when she was sad and he'd seen her when she was confused.

But he'd never seen her look so......broken. Perhaps not broken, surely no one could break such a strong spirit, but maybe.......hurt? Shaken?

Shikamaru didn't know what it was that was bothering Ashley, but clearly the girl didn't want to leave her room and he certainly wasn't going to incur her wrath by pushing her any further.

"....I don't know what's troubling you" Shikamaru tells Ashley, turning to leave, "But you won't find answers or solace here, alone in your room........There are people outside who care about you, don't forget that."

Tears begin to slide down Ashley's cheeks as Shikamaru closes her window and leaps away, heading to the meeting with Naruto and the others. The girl looks back down at her bedspread, feeling weighed down by something invisible, but incredibly heavy.

Ashley knew there were people that cared about her. But she couldn't bring herself to face them just yet. Their kindness and support wasn't what she wanted.

She wanted answers. She needed them.