Alright, alright, alriiiight. Let's get this movie underway xD

Third Person's POV

"C'mon Mommy and Daddy!" the little girl cries with excitement, running ahead of her parents. "You gotta walk faster!"

The man and woman exchange a look of amusement with each other, before laughing as their daughter turns around and throws her arms in the air.

"Come on, come on!" she urges impatiently, now bouncing up and down.

"What's the rush honey?" the man asks, smiling down at his daughter as she rushes over and takes his hand, tugging on it.

"We gotta get to the park so you can push me on the swings!" the little girl explains, trying to pull her Father along behind her. "It's almost dinner time and I need to go on the swing before we go home!"

"Need to huh?" the Mother teases, taking her husband's free hand as he allows himself to be dragged down the street by his daughter.

"I suppose we could stop at the park" the Father sighs jokingly, "But only if you promise to help Mommy make me a tea when we get home."

"Deal!" the little girl exclaims, looking delighted. "Deal, deal, deal! You gotta push me real high though Daddy!"

"I'll do my best" he replies, closing his eyes and smiling at his wife.

Her legs dangling over a ledge, Ashley watches on from her spot on top of a stone wall, hooded eyes following the happy family as they disappear down the road. She sits with her chin in one hand, elbow resting on her thigh and a blank expression on her face.

'How nice for them' she thinks, feeling slightly bitter at the merry sight. 'To worry about such trivial things and have a family to support you.......Well, how nice for them...'

Sighing under her breath, Ashley looks back towards the front entrance of the Leaf Village, only to see that a small crowd of Ninja have gathered. They talk amongst themselves pleasantly, laughing and enjoying each others company.

Ashley can't help deadpanning at the sight of the Ninja, wondering why all of the sudden families seem to be flaunting themselves in front of her face. Why was it bothering her so much anyway? It hadn't before.

Was it because of the things Tobi had told her? Perhaps it had something to do with Itachi's death? Ashley didn't know why she suddenly felt so empty when she saw people with their families now days, but ever since she'd finally left her house the other day, she'd been trying to avoid them as much as possible.

"Do you think they'll be back soon?" Ashley asks out loud, watching Tsume as she also appears and joins the group of waiting Ninja, Kuromaru at her side.

'I have to say' Hakuba responds smartly, 'I don't care.'

"I've been sitting here for two hours" Ashley complains, leaning back.

'So go back home then' Hakuba suggests, to which the Minami shakes her head.

"I don't want to" she answers.

'Then go and join the others who are waiting.'

"I don't want to do that either" Ashley says, causing Hakuba to growl.

'So what do you want me to do about it then?' he questions in a flat tone. 'You complained and I gave you suggestions, which you are not happy with. I'm tired of your whining brat. Do something....'

Ashley pulls a face at that, making no move to follow Hakuba's advice. She didn't know what she wanted to do. She felt restless from remaining in her house for a good two weeks, but she was unwilling to approach anyone. She didn't want to be alone, and yet she didn't feel like joining the waiting families either.

When the others had all been assigned to this mission, Lady Tsunade had told Ashley she was not allowed to go with them. While initially angry that she was being excluded, thinking it was because she was a Jinchuuriki, Ashley had calmed down when the Hokage had explained her reasoning.

She felt that Ashley had been through a lot of emotional trauma in the last few months and wanted her to take a break. While Ashley had appreciated the sentiment, being unassigned to doing anything for so long and confining herself to her house had made her feel rather alone. It was mostly self inflicted though, so Ashley hadn't complained about it. Out loud anyway.

"When Kiba gets home, then I'll go over" Ashley decides, closing her eyes and nodding her head.

'Such a stubborn whelp' Hakuba sighs. 'If you are lonely, just go over there.'

"I'm fine here" is the short reply.

"Hey look!" Ino smiles, pointing straight ahead. "Everyone came to meet us!"

"Ah, Father even sent a member from the main house to greet us both" Hinata tells Neji, noticing the Hyuga standing amidst the crowd and waiting for them both.

As the members of teams Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten all make their way in through the Konoha entrance gates, the awaiting Ninja all turn to greet them.

Sakura, seeing her parents waving animatedly, sighs heavily and breaks away from Naruto and Sai, trudging towards her family. She greets them unenthusiastically, as the two fuss over her.

"Weird that all of our parents are here" Shikamaru comments, walking with his hands behind his head. "Shouldn't they all be out on missions or something?"

"We all happen to have the night off" Shikaku informs his son lazily, turning from speaking with Choza and Inoichi. "Give us a break Shikamaru, we all decided to come meet our kids after their mission."

"What a drag" the younger Nara sighs, just as Choji and Ino appear on either side of him, excited to explain how their mission had gone.

"So, I heard that you guys chased off the Akatsuki" Tsume grins, crossing her arms as Kiba and Akamaru approach her.

"Yeah, I guess so" Kiba replies, sounding doubtful. "They all ran off pretty quickly though."

"Don't be so modest!" Tsume laughs heartily. "I'm proud of you boy. It's good to know that you can get the job done when it counts!"

"Aack!" Kiba splutters, as his still laughing Mother slaps him on the back, almost sending him face first into the ground.

Akamaru, standing beside Kiba, whines quietly as he tries to help steady his best friend. Tsume could really pack a whollop when she wanted to....

"Hey!" the Inuzuka barks angrily, only to pause when he sees someone now standing in front of him. "Huh?"

Peering up at Kiba through hooded eyes, Ashley can't help smiling at the surprised look on his face, not having so much as seen the Inuzuka since she'd found out about Itachi's death.

Ashley tilts her head to the side, as Kiba's eyes light up. He was so cute sometimes.

"Angel!" Kiba exclaims happily, throwing his arms around the girl and lifting her up. "I'm so happy to see you! Did you wait here for me to get back too?"

"Only for about three hours" Ashley responds smartly, smirking as Kiba sets her back down. "....I'm glad you're back though."

"Didja miss me?" Kiba asks cheekily, raising his brows up and down, to which Ashley shrugs and looks away.

"I was just getting sick of waiting" she answers, too stubborn to just say yes.

Kiba merely grins back, already knowing that Ashley had missed him, despite her denial. By now, he knew the girl was often just too embarrassed to admit to her feelings.

"Well, I've missed you" Kiba adds. "I haven't seen you in ages. I did visit your house a lot you know."

"I know" Ashley states awkwardly, nodding her head. "I heard you knock on the door every time. I'm sorry for ignoring you, I just......I didn't feel like seeing anyone."

"I know" Kiba says in a soft voice, reaching out and placing his hand on Ashley's cheek. "Are.......Are you feeling better now? You were pretty down last time I saw you."

Ashley feels her face warming at Kiba's touch, her eyes taking in his concerned expression. She'd known that Kiba would have been understanding, if she'd just let him visit like he'd wanted to. At least he wasn't mad at her for ignoring him.

"I'm getting there" Ashley eventually responds, sighing lightly. "I'm already getting tired of all these families though. I seem to be noticing them more now for some reason."

"Hey!" Tsume interrupts, sharp teeth showing as she breaks into another grin. "Don't worry about those other families. We're your family don't forget!"

Ashley blinks as Tsume swipes her arm to the side, gesturing to herself, Kuromaru, Akamaru and Kiba, who now has his arms folded behind his head. He winks playfully at Ashley as she stares at him, only for the girl to smile to herself and release a low laugh.

Maybe it wasn't the same as having her natural family, but Tsume had welcomed Ashley in right from the very beginning. She wasn't exactly like a Mother to Ashley, but she was Kiba's Mother and she obviously cared for Ashley. Maybe that was enough?

"Thank you Tsume" the Minami replies sincerely, just as Kiba throws an arm around Ashley's shoulder and hugs her to his side.

"When we get married, then we'll really be family" he says with another wink, causing Ashley's face to turn bright red.

"K-Kiba!" she exclaims, embarrassed. "You can't....You can't just say stuff like that! Shut up!"

"What?" he asks innocently. "You already promised that you'd marry me, so what's the problem?"

"Stop talking" Ashley growls, running one hand down her face and turning her head, cheeks still red. The girl can't help secretly smiling to herself however, as Kiba begins to laugh, enjoying Ashley's reaction.

"I can't believe you even remember that stupid promise" the blonde murmurs, peeking at Kiba from the corner of her eye.

"Wasn't stupid to me" Kiba states matter of factly, pointing to himself with his thumb, "And I don't forget important stuff!"

"Ruff!" Akamaru barks, contesting that remark.

Before Kiba can argue however, a loud laugh from Choza catches his attention. The red headed man raises one hand and points upwards, smiling at a sweat dropping Choji.

"I can't believe you all managed to drive away Akatsuki members!" Choza says, shaking his head. "I'd only expect Jonin to be able to pull something like that off!"

"Well geeze Dad" Choji mutters, rubbing the back of his head, "I don't know about that....."

"Choza is right" Inochi agrees, nodding wisely. "All of us have talked it over, and we've decided to submit applications to Lady Hokage so that all of you can become Jonin."

"What?!" Ino shouts in her excitement. "You mean, we're all going to be Jonin?!"

"You bet" Tsume assures the girl, causing her to turn around. "It was a unanimous decision, by all of us. Right?"

The response from everyone's parents is a chorus of the word yes, with everyone nodding their heads and smiling with pride.

As the delighted Ninja all begin talking amongst themselves again, discussing their inevitable promotions, Ashley suddenly notices Naruto, standing all by himself in the middle of the crowd. He glances around with a slight frown on his face, hands shoved into his pockets.

Ashley feels a faint pang in her chest, all the sudden aware of the fact that while everyone else has someone from their family to recommend them for the position of Jonin, Naruto has no one to do that for him.

'Wait' Ashley realizes, eyes focused on her blonde teammate, "I'm a Jonin too. Maybe I can recommend Naruto for Jonin as well, since his parents aren't here to do it.'

"Hey Naruto" Ashley calls out, stepping away from Kiba. "Do you want me to-"

"Well, I just don't know if she should accept" a voice interrupts, causing Ashley to pause and turn her head. "Our family has never really had much talent after all."

"But Mom" Sakura protests, trying to keep her voice down, "What do you mean?"

"Honestly?" the green eyed woman responds. "You lack a sense of responsibility. You always complain about cleaning, you never put your shoes away and forget about getting you to fold your laundry! Giving you a promotion would just cause more problems for everyone."

Sakura blushes as the crowd of Ninja all break into good natured laughter at her Mother's teasing, the pinkette taking it a little too seriously.

"Mom" Sakura hisses under her breath, feeling even more embarrassed when she sees Ino and her other friends laughing too. "You don't have to say stuff like that in front of everyone...."

"You sure don't look so tough when your Mom is around Sakura" Ino giggles. It was strange to see such a powerful Kunoichi getting embarrassed by her Mother!

"Now now, don't worry dear" Sakura's Father speaks up, a cheeky look on his face. "Sakura has a good teacher and you know what they say. If you've got a good teacha, no one can beatcha!"

Sakura grows angrier and angrier as both of her parent's laugh at her Father's joke, when she suddenly explodes.

"I wish that the two of you would just butt out of my life!" Sakura shouts, furious. "You're annoying and not funny and act like fools!"

Ashley's expression falls at this outburst, her mouth turning down into an unhappy frown. What was Sakura so mad for? Weren't all parents embarrassing to their children? What Ashley wouldn't give to have her parents standing here and teasing her like that.....

"What?!" Sakura's Mother screeches, sounding just like her daughter. "What did you just say?!"

"Hey Sakura" Naruto speaks up gently, wanting to help the situation calm down. "Come on, don't say anything that you'll regret-"

"Shut up!" Sakura snaps at the blonde, her tone surprising him. "Just mind your own business!"

Leaving Naruto reeling from the ice in her voice, Sakura turns around and marches off, muttering under her breath. Not satisfied with Sakura having the last word, her Mother gives chase, shouting at her daughter to stop.

Eyes narrowed, Ashley watches as Sakura disappears from view, annoyed by the exchange she'd just witnessed. She grits her teeth, internally telling herself to calm down, before she gets angry.

Imagine, saying such rude, insensitive things to her own parents. Sakura should just be thankful that she even had parents...

"Geeze, what was that all about?" Kiba asks, hands on his hips. "I knew Sakura had a temper, but that seemed really out of place."

"Tell me about it...." Ashley growls, her irritation growing when she sees the downcast look on Naruto's face.

"Thanks for walking me home Kiba" Ashley says, smiling as she releases the Inuzuka's hand and spins around to face him, the door at her back. "And you too Akamaru."

"Ruff ruff!" the Ninken barks, tail wagging happily.

"No worries Angel" Kiba grins. "I'm just glad to see that you're feeling better!"

"Much" Ashley replies softly, placing one hand on Kiba's chest and standing up on her toes, as the brunette leans down to give her a kiss goodnight.

"I've missed that" Kiba whispers playfully in Ashley's ear, before leaning back. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Go home you dork" Ashley sighs, feigning weariness as she waves goodbye to Akamaru and a laughing Kiba.

Remaining at her front door, Ashley waits until the two have disappeared from sight, before turning away and walking down the road in the opposite direction.

Ever since Sakura had yelled at Naruto and run off, Ashley had wanted to speak to him, but the blonde had walked off with Sai before she'd had the chance to. Maybe now she'd be able to find Naruto, see if he was alright and mention the idea of having her recommend him for Jonin. If he didn't want Ashley to do it, maybe she could convince Kakashi Sensei to recommend Naruto. It wouldn't be fair if all of the others became Jonin and Naruto didn't, especially since he'd saved the entire Village from Pain.

If anyone deserved the promotion, it was Naruto.

Ashley walks through the main streets of the Leaf Village, people still bustling about in the warm evening. Lanterns light up the streets, with delicious smells wafting out of the many restaurants and food stands lining the road.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea of trying to find Naruto somewhere in the Village, Ashley peeks into Ichiraku Ramen, hoping that he'll be there eating his favorite food.

"Good evening!" Teuchi, the owner of the Ramen restaurant, greets as soon as she pokes her head in between the entrance curtains. "What can I get for you?"

"Uh......Actually, I just have a question" Ashley responds, sweat dropping at the man's enthusiastic greeting. "Has Naruto been here at all tonight?"

"Naruto huh?" Teuchi asks, spinning his ladle around in thought. "Why's that? Are you a friend of his?"

"Well, I've been here with him multiple times" Ashley reminds the man, deadpanning, "But he's my teammate, and I need to speak with him."

"Oh? You think I'd remember you then...." Teuchi muses, before nodding his head and pointing with his ladle. "Yes, he was here with Iruka earlier. He seemed displeased and ended up running off that way."

"Okay, thanks" Ashley sighs, pulling her head out of the curtains and stepping back into the street. Well, that was unhelpful. She was already heading in that direction anyway.

"Even if I use my Katsuryoku" the girl mutters to herself, wondering what to do, "I could still be wandering around for ages trying to find him.......Maybe Ace can help me. Summoning Jutsu!"

Pressing her hand to the ground, Ashley is suddenly enshrouded in a cloud of white smoke, causing a few Villagers walking by to start coughing.

"Greetings Milady" Ace says blandly, watching as the girl straightens up. He blinks a few times, before realizing that he is out in the middle of the street. "Well, this is certainly a surprise. You have decided to venture outside once again Milady? And here I thought you had become a hermit."

"Very funny" Ashley replies dryly, crossing her arms over her chest and smirking. "Kiba had a mission today and I decided to go and surprise him by meeting him at the Village gates."

"How sweet" Ace answers, his sarcasm not escaping Ashley. "Perhaps I should coat you with sugar dust Milady?"

"You're being particularly unpleasant tonight" the blonde remarks, motioning for Ace to follow as she begins walking. "Any reason why?"

"I have missed you Milady" Ace says simply, nudging the girl's elbow. "I merely tease because I care. I am sure you understand this way of thinking."

"Yeah yeah, I know" Ashley smiles, playfully pushing Ace's head away. "I need your help by the way. I have to find Naruto and I figure you'll be able to sniff him out before I can find him with my Katsuryoku. Apparently he was here earlier, so hopefully his scent is still lingering around."

"I would rather not" Ace states flatly, before sighing. "But for you Milady, I shall do it. Please give me one moment."

Ashley pauses with her hands on her hips as Ace raising his nose to the air and closes his visible eye, concentrating on finding Naruto's scent. The Wolf soon pulls a face, signalling to Ashley that he must have found Naruto.

"He does have an odd smell" Ace complains, "But I have found his trail nonetheless. Please follow me Milady."

"Thanks Ace" Ashley says, obligingly following her Guardian. "I knew you'd find him faster than me."

"Your confidence in me is wondrous" Ace replies, still managing to be sarcastic as he follows Naruto's faint scent. "Here, he turned down this way."

Ace and Ashley slowly makes their way through the Village, eventually leaving the busier streets behind them. Crickets chirp loudly as they walk, side by side, down a long pathway, dimly lit by the tall lamps above them.

"Man, he came all the way out here?" Ashley wonders out loud. "We've been walking for almost an hour. Why would he come this far out at night?"

"I do not have the answer to those questions" Ace murmurs, the scent growing stronger and stronger, "However I will let you know that your other teammate is with him. I can smell her as well."

"Sakura?" Ashley asks, hanging her head. "Great."

"I do not mind" Ace states, lifting his head and wrinkling his nose. "She smells better than the Kyuubi boy."

"Surely he doesn't smell that bad" Ashley says, giving Ace a flat look. "I can't smell anything."

"Maybe I am exaggerating, maybe I am not" Ace responds mysteriously, before nodding his head forwards. "Your friends are sitting at the park just up ahead. Their scents are very strong now."

"Hopefully Sakura has calmed down a bit now" Ashley sighs, shaking her head. "The last thing I need is to hear her complain about her parents again."

"She complained about her parents to you Milady?" Ace inquires, ears lying back. "That is quite insensitive."

"No, not to me" Ashley explains, frowning slightly. "In front of me, and everyone else. Naruto was there too. After everyone came back from their mission, they were told by their parents that they were all going to be recommended for Jonin. I saw that Naruto had no one to recommend him, because he doesn't have any family, and then Sakura started fighting with her parents. The things she said made me kind of angry."

"I can imagine" Ace comments, sounding less than impressed. "The Kyuubi boy must have felt quite lonely in that moment. Is this why you want to find him?"

".....Yeah" Ashley says softly, feeling a little sad. "Even I felt kind of lonely when I saw everyone with their families, but at least I had Kiba and Tsume. Naruto was just standing there, by himself. I'm going to see if he wants me to recommend him for Jonin. If not me, maybe I can get Kakashi Sensei to do it."

"That is kind of you Milady. I am sure he will appreciate the thought."

"I hope so" Ashley sighs again, tilting her head back to look up at the sky. ".......Hey Ace? Have you noticed something......weird about the sky tonight?"

"If you are talking about the red moon" Ace answers, briefly glancing up, "Yes. I noticed it earlier. It is a very strange occurrence."

"Yeah well, it's making me uncomfortable" Ashley says with a scowl, tilting her head forwards again so she doesn't have to look at the moon anymore.

As Ashley and Ace arrive at the park, they both pause upon hearing two voices, one softer and one agitated.

"It really sounded like your Mom wanted you to go back home Sakura" Naruto says carefully, sitting down in a swing.

"It's best to leave her alone when she gets like this" the pink haired girl scoffs, standing on the seat of her swing and moving back and forth. "She's always butting in on everything! Every little thing that I do and then she tries to tell me exactly how I should be doing it!"

".....I do not think she has calmed down Milady" Ace says quietly, sitting down beside his silently fuming partner and closing his eyes.

"I guess not" Ashley responds through gritted teeth, glaring at Sakura over the top of the low fence that surrounds the park.

How could she just stand there and whinge about how unfair she thinks her parents are to Naruto? Of all the people she could complain about this to, she chose him? How could she be so selfish?! She'd known Naruto for years, longer than Ashley had, so she should know better than to talk about such a thing with him.

"My Dad's no better either" Sakura continues angrily, too busy venting to notice Ashley's presence. "Would it be so hard to just take my side for once? But no. He always does whatever she says! According to them, I'm a no good Ninja with no shot of becoming a Jonin. I mean, throw me a bone or something!"

".....You know what?" Naruto asks quietly, his face darkening as Sakura continues to whine.

"Why couldn't I have different parents?" Sakura asks, sighing heavily. "Ones that I could respect, like everyone else has! I'd be better off without them."

"Okay, I think you're going a bit too far now" Naruto tells the girl sternly, his grip on the swing's chains tightening.

"What?!" Sakura cries indignantly, leaping down from the swing and jabbing a finger at Naruto. "Oh, so you're gonna take their side huh?"

"N-No" Naruto quickly replies, rising from his seat. "I just think that-"

"Ugh, why did you have to be the one who's here with me right now?" Sakura asks rhetorically. "If Sasuke were here, he would definitely understand how I feel...."

Naruto's eyes widen at that statement, as Ashley's hands ball up into fists.

".....Just do not hurt her Milady" Ace advises, before suddenly disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Jumping through the smoke and over the park fence, Ashley swiftly appears between Sakura and Naruto, surprising the both of them.

"Huh?" Sakura questions, shocked by the furious expression on Ashley's face. "Ashl- Ahh!"

Ashley interrupts Sakura with a painful slap to the face, the force of the hit sending the pink haired girl stumbling to the side.

"Wh-What was that for?!" Sakura cries, placing one hand over her cheek, green eyes wide.

"Ashley?....." Naruto asks, his eyes also widening as he looks between the two girls. "What're you-"

"How dare you talk to Naruto like that!" Ashley thunders, pointing accusingly at Sakura. "Don't forget who it is that you're talking to Sakura!"

"I don't.....understand..." the pinkette says lowly, confused by Ashley's anger.

"Can't you see that you whining about such stupid things is hurting Naruto?" Ashley demands to know, waving one hand towards the blonde male. "Naruto doesn't even have a family, and you're standing here complaining about yours and wishing they didn't exist! Do you know how lucky you are to have your family with you?!"

"Ashley, I didn't-"

"I've lost all of my family" Ashley continues irately, not allowing Sakura to speak, "And Naruto's family died saving this Village, yet you think it's okay to wish your own loving family were gone?! Are you insane Sakura?! Do you not understand how lonely you would be without them? Having no one is not the paradise that you stupidly think it is. Your parents may tease you and embarrass you, but at least they're there to recommend you for Jonin. At least they're there when you come home every night....."

Sakura watches Ashley through large eyes as the girl pauses to try and calm herself down, breathing heavily. Naruto stares at the ground through hooded eyes, agreeing with Ashley, but not wanting to cause anymore conflict.

At least she understood how he felt. It was good to know that Ashley didn't like the way Sakura had been talking either.

"And by the way" Ashley spits, glaring back up at a sheepish Sakura, "Sasuke would never understand how you feel, because losing his family is what drove him to leave the Village. He'd be disgusted by what you're saying."

"D-Disgusted?" Sakura repeats, her eyes now wavering with unshed tears. Ashley had been mad at her before, absolutely, but never had Sakura been on the receiving end of such pure anger from her friend.

"It's been a long time" a deep voice suddenly interjects, "Naruto Uzumaki."

Sakura, Naruto and Ashley all whirl around, only to see a masked man seated atop a small water fountain, his arms crossed.

"What is he doing here?" Ashley gasps, shocked that the man had somehow managed to sneak into the Village undetected.

"It's you, Madara!" Naruto shouts, immediately creating a clone and forming his signature jutsu. "Rasengan!"

The blonde races forwards and leaps at Madara, throwing his Rasengan forwards. Much to Naruto's surprise however, he travels straight through Madara's body and crashes into a fence. Madara doesn't even flinch, not so much as lifting his head to acknowledge Naruto's attack.

"You never change" Madara muses. "Neither do you Ashley-chan."

Ashley braces herself as Madara greets her, not sure if she should attack or not. Naruto had somehow gone right through him, and Ashley had seen other people's attacks do the same. He made Ashley's skin crawl.

"You're just like your Mother, getting so angry like that" Madara adds, causing Ashley to bare her sharp teeth and growl. "She was a kind woman, but boy could she get angry."

"Tobi, shut up you-"

"Chaaaa!" Sakura shouts, suddenly appearing above Madara and slamming her heel down on his head. A thick cloud of dust blows up as Sakura's attack impacts the ground, leaving a large crater in the dirt.

"We won't let you attack our Village" Sakura informs Madara seriously, cracking her knuckles as she walks out of the dust cloud.

"....Well, this is unplanned" Madara says after a brief pause, pulling a red orb out of his Akatsuki cloak, "But it doesn't matter....."

Ashley, Naruto and Sakura watch as the orb floats up into the air until it is hovering in front of the strange, red moon. A pattern that resembles both the Rinnegan and the Sharingan appears inside the orb, before it suddenly releases a flash of light so bright, that everyone has to close their eyes and turn away.

After a few seconds, the bright light diminishes, leaving the three Leaf Ninja confused as they reopen their eyes and glance around.

"What.....was that?" Naruto asks. "Where's Madara?.......This could be bad news....."

Ashley scowls as she stares down at the ground in concentration, activating her Katsuryoku to search for any sign of Madara's presence.

"I can't sense Tobi's presence within a five kilometer radius from here" the blonde girl informs her worried teammates. "Ace followed your scents here to help me find you and he never said anything about Tobi, so I don't know how he managed to suddenly sneak up on us like that."

"Madara could still be in the Village" Sakura says, "So we should hurry up and go warn the others."

"Right!" Naruto and Ashley agree, as the three Ninja all turn on their heels and run for the park exit.

Just as they exit the gates, Team Eight suddenly walk past, pausing when they see the members of Team Seven.

"Hey guys" Kiba greets, "What're you doin?"

"Listen you guys, we have to hurry and warn everyone!" Naruto exclaims urgently. "We just had a run in with Madara! He could still be here in the Village!"

Hinata, Shino and Kiba all tilt their heads, with the Inuzuka giving Naruto an uncertain look.

"Hey, didn't you hear me?!" Naruto demands to know.

"Well, yeah" Kiba confirms, "I heard ya but......What do you mean by you had a run in with Madara? I don't get it."

"This isn't the time for stupid jokes Kiba!" Naruto shouts, flailing his arms around, only to be pushed out of the way by Ashley.

"Hey, why do you look different to normal?" the girl wonders, squinting at Kiba and tilting her head from side to side. "Something's changed......

"Hey, get away from me!" Kiba commands, jumping back from Ashley and scowling at her with annoyance.

"Huh?" both Sakura and Ashley ask, blinking.

"What's your problem?" Ashley wonders, crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow at the Inuzuka.

"My problem?" Kiba repeats indignantly. "What's your problem?! What's with wanting to talk to me all of the sudden huh? You usually totally ignore me!"

That said, Kiba spins around and folds his arms over his chest, back now facing Ashley.

"Not that I care" the brunette adds smugly, "Seeing as you're such a crybaby and all."

Sakura looks between Ashley and Kiba in bewilderment, only to sweat drop when she sees Ashley crack her knuckles, a dark expression on her face.

"What'd you just call me?" the blonde asks sinisterly.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Naruto yells, waving his arms around again. "This really isn't the time for joking around, so c'mon Kiba! Stop being an idiot!"

"I'm not being an idiot!" Kiba barks back, glaring at Naruto over his shoulder. "I don't know who or what this Madara even is- Yarghh!"

Kiba lets out a shriek and jumps into the air, as Akamaru suddenly bites him on the butt, growling madly.

Naruto, Ashley and Sakura all stare at the two best friends with wide eyes, beginning to feel uncomfortable for some reason. Something seemed a little off about Kiba and Akamaru tonight.....

"Akamaru!" Kiba snaps, wrenching himself free from the Ninken's jaws. "Would you stop always biting me when my back is turned?!"

"Rawf rawf!" Akamaru barks back angrily, his teeth bared as he snarls up at Kiba.

"What'd you just say?!" the Inuzuka demands to know, an anime vein appearing on the side of his head. "Oh yeah?! Well, I don't like your face either!"

Akamaru then leaps for Kiba with his jaws agape, only for the brunette to bend over backwards and narrowly avoid having his face ripped off. Akamaru lands on the ground, however instead of turning around, he keeps on running until he has disappeared off into the night.

"Uhhh.....Did something happen between you and Akamaru?" Naruto asks, watching the Dog run away.

"Yeah right" Kiba scoffs, dusting himself off and straightening up. "He's always like that. Dammit.....Why couldn't I have been born a Cat user instead?"

"Cat user?!" Naruto asks incredulously, turning to look at Ashley and Sakura, who seem just as startled as he does.

"You're confused?" Shino asks, as Kiba begins to paw at his own face, like a kitten. "Well, Kiba wishes this because he is a cat lover, through and through."

Ashley watches Kiba pretending to wash his face like a Cat, her face twitching as a bead of sweat slides down the side of her head.

"What is wrong with you all of the sudden?" she can't help asking, to which Kiba glares over at her.

"Nothing's wrong with me" he snaps, "So why don't you just mind your own business and leave me alone! Geez, you're really annoying when you're not ignoring me!"

"How can you talk to your own girlfriend like that?!" Sakura defends Ashley, seeing the hurt look on her face.

"Girlfriend?!" Kiba chokes, his eyes widening. "Gross! I'd never date someone like her! She's such a crybaby!"

"What?" Ashley asks softly, Kiba's words hurting her. She didn't know what was wrong with him, or what she'd done to make him so mad, but it hurt and she certainly hadn't meant to upset him...

"So" Hinata speaks up, eyeing Sakura and Ashley off suspiciously, "What were the three of you doing? I hope for your sakes, it wasn't some sort of date."

"Wha...Whaaaa?" Sakura asks, sweat dropping at the severe look in Hinata's eyes. "No way, of course we weren't on a date!"

"As if" Ashley adds, sending the Hyuga an odd look. Why did she seem so strange as well?

"Good" Hinata replies coldly, walking up to the two girls. "Because if either one of you lay your hands on him......I'll kill you."

"I promise Hinata" Sakura assures the girl uneasily, "It's not a date. And besides, Ashley is already dating Kiba."

"Yeah, so back off" Ashley warns, shoving Hinata backwards. After everything that had happened tonight, the Minami was no longer in the mood for playing around with everyone.

"Huh?!....Wha?!" Kiba cries, freaking out at the accusation again. "No she is not! No way! That will never happen!"

"Ugh...." Hinata grunts as she stumbles backwards, before activating her Byakugan. "Where do you get off pushing me Ashley?! You usually don't have much of a spine!"

"Wanna test me?" Ashley challenges, punching her right hand into her left palm.

"Just confess already!" Hinata shouts angrily. "You like him! And Sakura likes him too!"

"Alright guys, come on!" Naruto interjects, stepping between the girls in a bid to calm them down. "Let's all just relax and- Woah!"

"Why are you trying to cover for them?!" Hinata asks sharply, grabbing Naruto by the collar and pulling him towards her.

"Um......Uh......." Naruto stutters nervously, before turning to his teammates, seeming to beg them with his eyes. "Uh, guys? Maybe we should um......"

"Y-Yeah" Sakura agrees, understanding Naruto's meaning. "Maybe it's time we should get going..."

Sakura suddenly breaks into a run, as the Naruto in Hinata's grip disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving her shocked for a moment. She lifts her head, only to see Naruto and Sakura racing away in a panic, and raises one fist in the air.

"I knew it was a date!" the Hyuga bellows, taking off after the two. "Come back here!"

Kiba and Shino watch Hinata run off, only for the Inuzuka to notice Ashley staring at him, looking somewhat sad.

"What're you starin at?" he asks rudely, turning his head away. "Why don't you follow after your friends and get lost?"

"Come on Ashley!" Naruto calls in the distance, sounding frantic. "Hurry up!"

"I'll get you both!" Hinata screams in response.

Sighing lowly, Ashley suddenly appears right in front of Kiba, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. Before he can respond however, Ashley pulls her arm back and slams it into his stomach.

With a shout, Kiba is blown backwards from the force and collides with the fence surrounding the park. He groans in pain, before tumbling to the ground and holding his stomach, forehead resting against the dirt.

"That's for being a jerk to me" Ashley states blandly, turning on her heel and taking off after her teammates.

So, this movie is gonna take up a few chapters and here's why.

This whole chapter? Yeah, in the 15 page (really simplified) plot I've written for myself to follow, this was only page 1.

It's gonna be a long ride people, strap in.