Hi, my name is Blue and I don't post for months on end and when I do, I don't proof read anything :)

Sakura stares down at the pavement under her feet, her back leaning against a tall, wooden fence. She hugs a small bag to her chest, feeling strangely nervous.

She'd managed to knock on Naruto's window and ask him to meet her outside, but she'd been waiting for almost ten minutes now. Maybe he had decided that he didn't want to come. And where had Ashley disappeared to anyway?

Sakura raises her eyes at the sound of footsteps around the corner of the fence, though she makes no move to see who it is.

"What did you wanna talk to me about Sakura?" Naruto asks, hands in his pockets. "I'm kinda busy tonight, so can we make this quick please?"

"O-Oh...." Sakura stutters, hugging the bag tighter.

"I mean" Naruto continues hastily, "It's not like we can do anything until the time comes to use the scroll right? We just have to wait until then. I guess I'm just, you know, killing time til then!"

".....Naruto" Sakura begins softly, "Are you actually happy in this world?"

"Wh-What?" the blonde asks, chuckling awkwardly. "No way Sakura, I mean, what are you even talking about? I'm not......."

Naruto trails off, the forced smile falling from his face as he looks down at the ground. Would Sakura believe him if he said he wasn't happy? In this world, he had everything he'd missed out on....

"You're not happy huh?" a sarcastic voice suddenly asks, causing Naruto to look up. His eyes widen slightly, when he sees the fierce look on Ashley's face, the girl appearing before him.

"What an absolute lie" the Minami hisses, before darting forwards and pinning Naruto up against the fence, her hands gripping his collar tightly. "You're being stupid Naruto! This place isn't real, and neither is that happiness you're feeling! You should know better than to-"

"You don't understand Ashley!" Naruto interjects, scowling down at his teammate as he reaches up and grabs onto her wrists, squeezing them. "I have everything I've ever wanted in this world. My Mom, my Dad.....I finally have a family!"

"Everything you ever wanted huh?" Ashley repeats, smirking meanly. "So, I guess you're the Hokage here then?"

"Wha........" Naruto stares at Ashley with wide eyes, before lowering his gaze to the ground, a bead of sweat on the side of his head. "But that's.....That's not...."

"I have nothing here Naruto" Ashley continues harshly. "I don't have my Pack, my friends, my boyfriend, my family, Hakuba.......And worse yet, I don't even have you or Sakura here."

Ashley releases Naruto and steps back, frowning up at him with an accusing look. Naruto rubs at his throat and glances away stubbornly, though he can't help feeling bad for his friend.

"This world has changed the both of you" Ashley adds, addressing both of her teammates.

Before the argument can continue any further, a huge explosion suddenly rips through the air behind Ashley, the ground shaking violently from the force. Hot air blasts against Ashley's back, pushing her forwards a few steps, as her hair whips around her face.

Naruto throws his hands up in front of his face to protect it from the wind, only to let out a gasp when he sees exactly what has happened.

"Granny Tsunade!" he cries out, breaking into a frantic sprint. As Ashley turns around, Sakura runs out from around the corner, also heading towards the now destroyed Hokage Tower, a horrified expression on her face.

Straightening up, Ashley activates her Katsuryoku and stares at the ruins, fire and smoke rising up into the dark sky. Using her Kekkei Genkai to sense ahead, Ashley growls when she feels a fight breaking out, with multiple people attacking what seems to be only one person.

"Tobi....." Ashley mutters decisively, darting towards the fight as well.

"N-No....." Minato groans, crouched on the ground with an injured Tsunade in his arms. Purple symbols glow on the ground from beneath the man, a circular wall of light surrounding him.

Minato didn't know what this jutsu was, but it had rendered him completely unable to move. Around him, the other Leaf Ninja also struggle against the jutsu, though they too are unable to move..

Kakashi, Guy, Kushina and a small number of other Leaf Ninja continue to fight, defending themselves against the eerie puppet-like creatures the enemy had brought with him. Masks adorn the creatures' faces, similar to the masks the ANBU Black Ops would wear.

Two of the puppets, almost human in their appearance, bang the staffs they are wielding against the ground, causing more purple symbols to appear. The remaining Leaf Ninja all fall to their knees, now also encased in walls of bright light.

Another puppet swiftly rises into the air and slashes an intimidating scythe towards the captured Leaf Ninja, sending out volleys of chakra. They disappear as they hit their targets, sapping nearly all of the chakra from the Ninja's bodies.

"The next hit will kill you" a masked man warns, stepping out of the smoke. "So I'll say it one more time.....Give me the scroll."

Turning his head, the man pauses in his threat, as a barrage of kunai knives are suddenly thrown at him from behind. They soon stop short however, mere centimeters from his back, before falling uselessly to the ground.

"No Menma!" Minato calls out desperately, spotting Naruto and Sakura as they jump over some of the debris. "Stay away from here! That's the Masked Man!"

"What?" Naruto asks in confusion, straightening up. "Him?"

"B-But that means that....." Sakura trails off, her eyes widening with realization as she stares at the man ahead of her. "That's not Madara!"

"Madara?" the Masked Man repeats, tilting his head to the side. "So, you're both acquainted with him huh?"

"Unfortunately" Sakura answers, scowling at the man. "Do you know him?"

"Yes" the Masked Man confirms with a nod. "....He's been very useful to me."

"We don't care about that" Sakura scoffs. "Just tell us where he is!"

"I'm under no obligation to tell you such a thing" the man retorts. "Judging from your tone of voice, I'd say you're not one of Madara's friends-"

The Masked Man abruptly falls silent, as the sound of grating steel rips through the air, causing everyone to look around in uncertainty. The Masked Man glances back over his shoulder, only to whirl around completely when he sees Ashley standing on top of a crumbling wall, her eyes narrowed and trained on him. Held up above her head, a disc of spinning chakra roars loudly, drowning out the sound of the burning buildings around.

"Wind Style: Typhoon Divide!" Ashley shouts, throwing her arm forwards and heaving the disc of chakra at the Masked Man.

As the chakra tears through the air at a frightening speed, Ashley swiftly drops down from the wall and lands on the ground in a crouched position, hands forming signs. She then slams her palms against the earth, smirking as she raises her head to look up at the Masked Man.

"What is this pathetic- Huh?!" the man interrupts himself as he moves to jump away from Ashley's jutsu, only to find that he is stuck in place.

Looking down, the man sees thick tree roots curling around his feet and legs, securely anchoring him to the ground. Seeing that Ashley's jutsu is about to sever the Masked Man in half, a tiger puppet rushes forwards and leaps in front of the attack.

Ashley's Typhoon Divide easily tears right through the middle of the animal, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke, before the chakra of the attack suddenly explodes.

The Masked Man falls over backwards from the blast, though his feet are still secured to the ground, one arm thrown up over his face.

All of the Leaf Ninja stare at Ashley in wonder as she rises to her feet, still glaring at the enemy. They'd never seen her use such power before. Usually she wouldn't be anywhere near a situation like this, let alone dropping right into the middle of it and attacking.

"How can Ashley use the First Hokage's jutsu?" Minato asks rhetorically, his eyes wide with awe. "This sudden strength.....Where did it come from?"

"That's my student" Kakashi brags, despite the situation. "I taught her everything she knows!"

Ignoring the looks of amazement and whispered comments around her, Ashley remains focused on the Masked Man, ready to take all of her anger and frustration out on the enemy. She darts forwards to attack the man head on, with Sakura jumping back to life and charging towards the Masked Man's back to help.

As the two girls leap for the enemy, another puppet rises up, chakra tendrils shooting out of the sleeves of its clothing and lashing towards them. Sakura and Ashley are both pulled high into the air and encased in the chakra tendrils, with only their heads and legs visible.

"Sakura! Ashley!" Naruto cries out, looking up at his two friends in a panic. Ashley viciously kicks her legs, furious that she has been captured, while Sakura remains motionless, beads of sweat dripping down the side of her face as she is squeezed tightly.

The puppet with the scythe floats towards its master, slashing at the roots around his feet and destroying them, to which the Masked Man stands up.

"...There's something repulsive about you" he tells Naruto ominously, just as all of the puppets leap forwards to attack the Leaf Ninja in unison.

"Menma!" Kushina screams desperately, still trapped inside the purple light.

As the puppets are about to crash into Naruto, he disappears from sight, before swiftly reappearing behind some rubble, a panting Minato at his side.

"Back when I recovered the scroll" the man explains, "I inscribed my jutsu formula here. "If necessary, I can teleport the scroll to a kunai I've hidden somewhere outside of the Village.....I won't give up my Master's legacy...."

"On the contrary" the Masked Man announces, now floating in the air above Naruto and Minato, "You'll give it to me willingly."

Naruto's eyes widen as the puppet holding Ashley and a barely conscious Sakura prisoner floats over as well, with the blonde girl glaring at her captor.

"The only thing that will be done willingly is letting me go!" she demands angrily, baring her sharp teeth.

"Bring me the scroll" the Masked Man continues, ignoring Ashley, "And I will spare their lives."

"Let. Me. Go!" Ashley thunders, when sharp spears of rock begin to shoot up from the ground.

They jab up out of the earth in rapid succession of each other, each of a different length and some more jagged than others. The Masked Man rises higher into the air to avoid being run through by Ashley's attack, however one of the spears manages to pierce straight through the arm of his puppet. Ashley is immediately released and dropped to the ground as the puppet's arm is severed from its body.

She lands heavily on the ground, not having expected her release, only to look up as the puppet suddenly vanishes from sight, taking Sakura with it.

"Sakura!" Ashley calls, her eyes widening. She shakes her head as all of the other puppets begin to disappear as well, with the Masked Man holding out his hand.

"Here's a little parting gift" he utters darkly, chakra rapidly beginning to form and spin around in his palm.

"What's that?" Naruto asks, staring up at the dark ball of chakra uneasily.

"It's bad news!" Minato shouts, jumping to his feet. "That's a mass of extremely dense chakra!"

"Oh no...." Ashley whispers, whirling around to look at Naruto as the enemy rises higher into the air. "He's going to blow the Village up, just like Pain did!"

"Great Rasen Ring" the Masked Man says calmly, turning his hand over and dropping the small sphere of chakra down towards the ground.

Ashley turns back around and solemnly watches as the chakra falls, disappearing behind some rubble as it hits the ground. The blonde immediately drops to her knees as the ground begins to tremble and a terrible explosion erupts through the air, sending out a blinding light that forces everyone to cover their eyes and turn away.

Struggling to maintain her balance as a stinging chakra whips around in the wind and the earth quakes back and forth, Ashley throws both arms up into the air.

"Menma!" Kushina cries, tears streaming down her face as she leans over her son. "Menma! Please, wake up!"

With a groan, Naruto slowly opens his eyes, only for Kushina to collapse on top of him in a fierce hug. His skin burning slightly from the chakra in the air during the explosion, Naruto carefully sits up and looks around, his bleariness abruptly disappearing at the sight before him.

"A-Ashley!" he calls out in concern, leaning forwards.

Ahead of him, Ashley kneels in the dirt with her head hanging towards the ground, shaking arms still raised above her head. Seemingly floating above everyone, a huge dome of crumbling earth looms, cracked and falling to pieces. Dim light seeps through the holes in the earth dome, which had managed to surround all of the Leaf Ninja who had fought against the Masked Man.

"She.....She protected us from the blast" Naruto says softly, only to look up as the earth dome rapidly begins to break up and crumble back towards the ground.

"How did Ashley get so powerful?" Kushina asks in wonder, watching the girl slowly lower her arms down. "When did it happen?...."

"She's always been strong Mom" Naruto answers, before gasping as Ashley lurches forwards and falls to the ground. "Ashley!"

The blonde climbs to his feet and runs over to Ashley, gently turning her over and cradling her head in his arms.

"Ashley?" Naruto asks quietly, his eyes wavering. "Are....Are you okay?"

Lying limping in Naruto's arms, the girl's eyes slowly flutter open, to which Naruto can't help smiling with relief. At least she wasn't dead...

"I'm fine" Ashley replies wearily, a faint smile on her face. "I'm just......drained........That blast was no joke...."

Here Ashley's expression falls, as she grunts and pulls herself up into a sitting position.

"The Village though" she comments, glancing around at the devastation. "It's just like......"

"Yeah, I know" Naruto answers seriously, also looking around.

It was just like what had happened in their world. A good half of the Village, if not more, had been obliterated. Who knew how many innocent Villagers had died in the attack....

"Wait....." Naruto asks suddenly, looking around. "Where's Sakura?!"

"Ugh...." Ashley groans, rubbing one of her arms. "That guy disappeared and took her with him."

Minato hoods his eyes and glances over his shoulder, watching as Lady Tsunade, Shizune and a number of elite Jonin walk over to a large block of stone. They stare at the huge, circular door and mutter amongst themselves, sounding relieved that the safe had withstood the blast.

"At the very least" Minato speaks up, "We still have the scroll in our possession. We'll get organised and wait for a chance to counter attack."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto demands to know, whirling around. "We don't have time to wait!"

"W-We have to try and find Sakura" Ashley agrees, struggling to climb to her feet. "That guy will kill her for sure!..."

"That's impossible" Minato argues. "None of us have the power to stand up to that man...."

"Huh?" Ashley asks, her eyes widening slightly. She hadn't known the Fourth Hokage personally, but there was no way a Hokage would ever speak like that!

"Besides" Minato continues, eyes downcast, "We can't just go risking our lives for everyone else."

".....What?" Naruto whispers, staring at his Father in disbelief. "Why not?"

"We may all be Ninja" Minato explains, not at all sounding like the brave man Naruto had met in his own psyche, "But despite that, we are all only human.....What if you die Menma?! Your Mother and I are just worried about your safety...."

".......I have to go" Naruto decides, walking over to one of his Father's kunai knives and picking it up.

"No you don't!" Minato shouts, as he and Kushina run over. "You don't have to go and be a hero!"

"The thing is" Naruto says evenly, turning and walking over to Ashley, steadying her on her feet, "I'm not from this world. My name is not Menma.....I'm sorry for lying to you."

"Menma" Kushina says, her eyes wavering. "What are you talking about?"

"Where I'm from" Naruto answers, "My Dad was the Fourth Hokage and my Mom was the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox. Back in my world, when the Nine Tails attacked, they both sacrificed themselves to protect the Village and to protect me. They both died....."

Ashley looks to Naruto in wonder, having never heard the story before. She knew that the Nine Tailed Fox had attacked and that the Fourth had died protecting the Village, but she'd never known that both of Naruto's parents had made such a sacrifice.

It seemed as though noble actions ran in his blood.

"Menma...." Kushina cries, stepping forwards to hug Naruto. "Please don't go! Please stay..."

"Sorry, I can't" Naruto answers with a small smile, gently pulling Kushina off of him.

Ashley watches on, a proud smile spreading across her face as Naruto runs over to the bag Sakura had been carrying and tugs out a cloak. He pulls it on, revealing it to be the Fourth Hokage's robe. It had belonged to Sakura's Father in this world, but in Ashley's opinion, it suited Naruto far more than anyone else.

Looking back over his shoulder, Naruto grins, something that seems to revitalize Ashley's fighting spirit.

"C'mon Ashley!" the male calls, breaking into a run. "Let's go and save Sakura!"

"You got it!" Ashley confirms with a laugh, pumping her fists into the air, before she turns to look at Minato and Kushina. "Naruto's back! Finally!"

Sakura blinks her eyes slowly, finally coming to. She lifts her head and glances around, only to find herself staring into something reminiscent of a temple, hewn into the side of an enormous mountain.

Unable to move her arms, Sakura then looks to her sides and gasps quietly. On either side of her, paper seals are stuck to wooden beams that tower high above the girl, with strings of chakra wrapping themselves around her wrists and holding her in place.

"Where am I?" Sakura asks herself, when a voice answers and makes her jump.

"Another reality" a deep voice explains, causing Sakura's eyes to widen. "It was created by the Limited Tsukuyomi. In your world, this place is known as the Training Cave. Jiraiya and the Fourth Hokage both honed their skills in this very place, however.....In this world, other people have set up their base here."

"Just what do you hope to achieve?" Sakura asks, glaring at Madara over her shoulder.

"You'll see" the man responds vaguely, his form more of a shadow than an actual body. "You should be thanking me, after all, this will be a once in a lifetime spectacle...."

"There you are!" a voice suddenly calls, causing Sakura to look ahead, only to see Naruto and Ashley running towards her.

"Tobi!" the blonde girl spits with distaste, her nose wrinkling as she bares her teeth. "You bastard, let her go!"

"Ashley-chan" Madara responds tauntingly. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

"Enough Madara!" Naruto orders, looking angry as he pulls out a kunai. "First we're gonna take you down and then we're gonna go back to our own world!"

"Sorry" Madara apologises coolly, phasing through Sakura as he steps forwards, "But I'm not the one who is going to be your opponent."

Ashley and Naruto both look to the side, only to see the Masked Man perched on some railing beside them. As he leaps forwards, slashing a kunai knife, Ashley jumps up and blocks his attack by kicking her foot against his forearm. The girl then pushes away from him and back flips out of the way, allowing Naruto to take over.

He immediately jumps down onto the river below and glares up at the Masked Man, who stares right back down at him.

Having run over to Sakura, Ashley glowers at Madara, who seems to be watching on with interest.

"What are you doing this for?" Ashley demands to know. "What's the point of all this?!"

"It is merely an experimental jutsu" Madara answers, not sparing Ashley a glance. "It is a mirror of the real world."

"Ha!" Ashley scoffs, smirking meanly. "Well, if it's meant to mirror our world, then your jutsu has completely failed! Everyone has the wrong personality and people that no longer exist in our world are walking around, just fine, in this one. You got it so wrong, that my Father is even still dead in this mirror world of yours!"

"Dead?" Madara repeats, his tone scornful. "How very wrong you are Ashley. Your Father is indeed alive and here in this world. Perhaps you should have looked a little harder.

".....What?" Ashley asks lowly, shaking her head. "No, he's not here, you're lying. That has to be a-"

"Hand over the Red Moon Scroll" the Masked Man commands, interrupting Ashley and dragging her attention back over to the fight.

"Not gonna happen!" Naruto shouts back. "We're just here to get Sakura, so let her go!"

"Then I'll just take the scroll from you once I kill you" the Masked Man responds viciously, uninterested in Sakura. "I was planning on killing you anyway.....There's something horrible emanating from you. Your chakra is.....putrid....."

The man leaps down to the water below, with Naruto jumping to meet him mid air. A pain suddenly pulses through Naruto's body however, a wave of uneasiness washing over him, when the Masked Man punches him in the jaw.

Naruto crashes into the water and slides along its surface, before managing to flip himself back over, one hand pressed to his stomach. He watches as the Masked Man lands on the water ahead, unsure of why he has this strange feeling.

"It disgusts me" the man growls. "Your chakra....Your very existence. Everything! Let's just get this over with quickly....."

Placing his palms together, the Masked Man begins to recite nine names, as circular symbols appear above his head.

"Nine Masked Beasts!" he calls out, the puppets that had attacked at the Village suddenly charging through the symbols in the air, as if they had teleported. ".....I'll grind your bones to dust!"

Before the charging beasts can attack Naruto, strings of chakra suddenly wrap around his limbs and pull him to safety, much to the blonde's surprise. Everyone turns to look where the chakra had come from, only to freeze at the sight before them.

Perched on different ledges on the mountain's side, every member of the Akatsuki looks down, as the chakra strings disappear back into Sasori's sleeve.

Ashley feels her heart thud at the sight of Itachi, having never expected to see him again. Though, if he was here with the rest of the Akatsuki, that couldn't be good.

"You brought reinforcements...." Naruto murmurs, glaring at Madara, before pausing when Itachi holds up one hand.

"We weren't sent here to fight you" the Uchiha explains in his soft voice. "We are here on the request of Lady Tsunade."

"We were hired to make sure you stand a chance against the masked guy" Deidara adds, sounding amused, before he and the rest of the Akatsuki leap into action.

Hidan lets out a yell, as he pulls out his huge scythe and slams into the water with a heavy splash, just barely missing the Tiger puppet, who had turned and run at the sight of him.

Sakura and Ashley watch with wide, unbelieving eyes as the powerful members of the Akatsuki go toe to toe with the Masked Man's summons, rendering them unable to help him in his fight with Naruto.

Down on the water, Ashley sees Naruto looking up at her and Sakura with an uncertain expression on his face. Seeming to understand his inner conflict, Ashley whirls around and pulls out two kunai knives. She flings them at the seals binding Sakura, only for them to break as the knives embed themselves in the wooden beams.

Sakura drops to her knees and sighs with relief, as Ashley glances back down at Naruto to assure him that Sakura is safe. Not overly surprised, Ashley sees that Naruto is already a distance away, chasing after the Masked Man.

As Ashley turns to see if Sakura is alright, Itachi suddenly appears beside her, making the blonde freeze once again. Her heart beating loudly, she tilts her head back and looks up at the Uchiha, only to see him staring at Madara.

"I see" the man says calmly, gazing back at Itachi. "So there was another distortion. Even the Akatsuki was affected.....I never thought the Hokage would send you here."

"Judging from your appearance" Itachi says, analyzing his opponent, "I wouldn't expect physical attacks to be of much use. However....."

Itachi trails off, narrowing his eyes as he activates his Sharingan.

"I have other methods" the Uchiha adds menacingly. "Ashley, stand back."

"No way!" Ashley immediately argues. "I can help-"

"I don't want my little cousin to get hurt" Itachi says firmly, eyes locked on Madara. "Especially not by someone who feels so evil..."

".....The man who can burn even fire itself" Madara mutters, his body beginning to distort. "You are a nuisance, as usual....."

"Wait!" Sakura cries out, as Madara vanishes from sight. The girl's shoulders droop slightly, feeling disappointed and strangely relieved.

While she was glad to be rid of Madara for the time being, Sakura also wanted him to stay. After all, didn't they need him to be able to get home?

Ashley stares up at Itachi with wonder, her round eyes seemingly unable to look away. The man calmly watches on, as the other members of the Akatsuki continue to fight with the Masked Man's puppets. They were making the fight look easy.

"Ashley-chan" Itachi eventually speaks up, his voice making the girl jump. "Shouldn't you go and help your friend?"

"Huh?" Ashley asks, brows furrowing in confusion. She turns around, only to see Naruto chase the Masked Man through a temple door and disappear inside the mountain.

"Naruto!" the blonde cries out. "Come on Saku-"

Ashley is cut off by the sound of a huge explosion overhead. She, Itachi and Sakura all tilt their heads back and look up, only to see a massive cloud of smoke billowing through the sky.

A smirking Deidara flies past on a large clay dragon, watching his victim plummet down towards the water. His expression swiftly changes however, when he doesn't see the strange bird he'd been fighting, but a small Raccoon-like creature instead.

"What is that?" Sakura asks, rising to her feet, also watching the falling animal. As she steps forwards to lean over the railing, another explosion rips through the air, causing Sakura to shout with fright.

Ashley throws one arm up to shield her eyes from the hot wind and debris, as a portion of the mountain Naruto had disappeared into implodes. Small pieces of rock and dirt fall from the sky like rain, with two small figures standing in the middle of the impact zone.

"Naruto!" Ashley calls out in alarm, seeing her teammate lying on his stomach. A boy with dark hair stands before him, bent over and leaning on his knees.

"Is that...." Sakura asks softly. "Is that the Masked Man?"

Before anyone can answer Sakura's question, the Raccoon that had fallen into the water suddenly flies back up into the air and, with a flash of red light, crashes into the dark haired boy. Immediately, eight more flashes of red light collide with the boy, causing him to lumber around, as if in pain.

"What are those things?" Sakura wonders anxiously.

"Sources of chakra" Itachi responds calmly, red eyes fixed on the dark haired boy. "His chakra is rapidly increasing.......This area may not be safe for much longer..."

The boy standing before Naruto comes to a stand still and raises his head, a dark smirk on his face, before he lets out a loud shout. He is immediately encased in a pillar of black smoke, as a wave of chakra blows away from him.

At the sound of a furious roar, Ashley and Sakura both gasp in horror, with the pink haired girls hands flying up to cover her mouth.

Standing before them, a dark brown version of the Nine Tailed Fox looms, his teeth bared and his furious eyes fixed on Naruto. Without warning, it immediately lunges forwards, jaws agape. With a powerful crash, it hits the ground where Naruto had just been standing.

"Naruto!" Ashley shrieks, leaping on top of the railing. "We have to go and help hi- Hey!"

"There is nothing you can do for him" Itachi interrupts calmly, holding Ashley around the waist. "We need to get away from here."

"Let me go!" Ashley demands angrily, struggling to pull herself free. "I'm not going anywhere while Naruto's stuck fighting that thing alone! I have to-"

"All aboard!" a loud voice calls, just as Deidara's clay dragon lands beside a hesitant Sakura.

Hidan grins at her mischievously, the rest of the Akatsuki also atop the large creature.

"We did our job" Deidara adds, frowning back at the Nine Tailed Fox. "Time to get the hell outta here."

"No way!" Ashley protests, as Itachi drags her away from the railing and towards the Dragon. "Let me go Itachi! You were the one who said I should help! I'm not going anywh-"

"I'm afraid you don't get a choice little cousin" Itachi sighs, hugging Ashley to him and jumping up onto the Dragon, as Konan helps Sakura. "The situation has changed."

"We weren't paid to deal with this" Kakuzu grunts, as Deidara's clay Dragon flaps its wings and takes to the air.

"I don't care!" Ashley snaps back, wrenching herself away from Itachi as he finally releases her. She leaps to her feet and whirls around, watching as the Nine Tailed Fox chases Naruto further into the mountain and out of sight.

"Ashley no!" Sakura cries, reaching out and grabbing onto her teammate's arm. She catches Ashley just as the girl bends her knees to jump, earning herself a scathing look.

"Sakura, you better let me go" Ashley warns, to which Sakura shakes her head vigorously, an imploring look in her eyes.

"There's nothing we can do" the pinkette explains shakily, though she tries to remain calm. "Our whole Village couldn't defend itself against that thing, how can you?.....You don't have Hakuba here, remember? He can't help you...."

Ashley stares down at Sakura for a few seconds, scowling, when her eyes slowly begin to widen with realization.

She was right. Ashley hated to admit it, but Sakura was right. The only way Ashley would've been able to help Naruto, is by allowing Hakuba's power to run rampant and take down the Nine Tailed Fox, but in this world......This failed mirror world.....Hakuba didn't exist....

Silently, Ashley sits down beside Sakura and glares at the clay beneath her, as the pink haired girl places a hand on her shoulder. Ashley hated having to leave everything to Naruto. She felt so helpless!

Ashley, Sakura and the entire Akatsuki watch on as the earth beneath them is reshaped, burst of chakra blowing straight through the mountain side and blasting rock in all directions. Explosions rock the mountain below, sending tremors through the ground and shock waves through the air, much to Deidara's annoyance.

How was his beautiful creation supposed to fly everyone to safety if that stupid Fox kept sending chakra out into the air?!

"C'mon Naruto" Sakura murmurs under her breath, her heart pounding, "You can do it!...."

"What is going on down there hm?" Deidara complains. "Are they trying to make my art explode?"

Suddenly, an immense pillar of red and blue chakra erupts out of the mountain and straight into the sky, before two Nine Tailed Fox demons leap into the air and collide head on.

"It's Naruto's Nine Tails!" Ashley exclaims happily, leaping to her feet. "They're working together!"

"Come on Naruto!" Sakura cheers, also jumping to her feet, eyes shining with hope.

Kurama and the imposter Nine Tails fall back towards the ground after their impact, as Naruto and the dark haired boy leap from the demon's heads, fists aimed at each other.

"You're gonna die here!" the boy threatens, his voice filled with rage.

"Yeah right!" Naruto shouts back, before slamming his fist into the boy's cheek and knocking him straight back down to earth.

Kurama watches as the other Nine Tails hits the ground and vanishes in a cloud of smoke, defeated, before looking up to see how Naruto had fared. Seeing that his host had managed to land a devastating hit, the demon smirks to himself and also disappears from sight.

It had been only a temporary partnership, never to be repeated, but it had been a successful one.

Naruto and the dark haired boy also fall back to earth, with the boy crashing straight into what remains of the temple's bridge. With a groan, Naruto sits up, blinking to rid his head of the dizziness. He looks up at his enemy, only to see the boy lying on his back, unconscious.

".....I suspected that you would be the one to emerge victorious from this fight" a familiar voice sneers, causing Naruto to scowl. "However, the sheer magnitude of the fight far exceeding my expectations."

"Tobi!" Ashley hisses venomously, before immediately darting forward and leaping from the clay dragon.

"Ashley!" Sakura calls after her, watching as the girl lands on a high tree branch and proceeds to bound over boulders and rubble, towards Naruto. Nodding her head, Sakura then follows suit, not wanting to be left behind.

Naruto glares up at Madara as he materializes out of the air, hovering above the dark haired boy's body.

"Now I just have to take care of you" Naruto says with determination, "And then we can go home."

"Heh, it seems that you still do not understand the situation you are in" Madara scoffs, his spiritual form disappearing down into the dark haired boy's body. "Because of the resonance between the two Nine Tailed demons and because of the normally impossible alliance you formed, your seal has weakened to an unprecedented degree!"

Naruto's eyes widen as his enemy awakens and rises to his feet, one eye now glowing ominously with Madara's Sharingan.

"The Nine Tails is mine!" Madara thunders, leaping down to Naruto and slashing at him with a kunai knife.

Naruto is able to evade the attack and counter with his own, all the while struggling to avoid making eye contact with Madara. Thanks to the Nine Tailed Fox inside him, Naruto now knew that if he looked into Madara's eyes, the Sharingan would be able to aide him in removing the Nine Tails from inside Naruto......Just as it had done to his Mother.

Naruto and Madara continue to fight, as a moon the colour of blood slowly begins to rise up in the night sky, casting everything in an eerie, red glow. Distracted momentarily as he notices the moon and recalls the prophesy, Naruto is hit in the chest with a strong kick, that sends him sprawling across the ground.

Recovering swiftly however, the blonde Ninja pulls a scroll from his weapons pouch and begins to unravel it, only for a sadistically grinning Madara to race forwards and slice it in half. Surprised, Naruto accidentally looks up, only to find himself staring into Madara's Sharingan eye.

"Forget everything" Madara orders, to which Naruto's eyes dull and he falls backwards, unmoving. The ruined scroll falls to the ground beside him, Naruto's eyes staring at it blankly.

"Finally" Madara smiles, watching as red chakra begins to bubble and pour from the seal on Naruto's stomach, "The Nine Tailed Fox is mine....All of your hopes and dreams have been extinguished!"

Hearing something incoming, Madara quickly flips out of the way, narrowly avoiding Sakura, as she kicks out her leg and slams her heel into the ground, cracking the earth.

"Naruto!" she orders, glaring at Madara and rising to her feet. "Wake up!"

"I wiped his memory" Madara taunts. "I've completely wiped his memory."

The Uchiha immediately raises his arm, blocking a kick to the head from Ashley. He smirks at the girl as she bares her teeth and jumps away, poised in a crouch.

"You'll have to be faster than that Ashley-chan" Madara mocks, shaking his head. "You know my Sharingan is activated."

"Hey!" Sakura snaps, throwing a kunai at Madara. "You'd better just pay attention to me!"

That said, the pink haired girl charges forwards to engage Madara in hand to hand combat, leaving a bewildered Ashley off to the side.

"Don't just stand there Ashley!" Sakura berates, ducking under a punch and spinning around to try and trip Madara up. "Use your Sharingan on Naruto and fix him!"

"What?!" Ashley barks, jumping up. "What do you mean?! You think I can overpower Tobi's Sharingan with mine?.......Are you crazy?!"

Sakura ignores Ashley as she focuses on Madara and not getting herself killed, to which Ashley can't help sighing, before she runs over to Naruto.

"What does she even expect me to do here?" Ashley mutters, kneeling down and activating her own Sharingan, eyes narrowed at Naruto's face. "I was going to fight Tobi, not do this.......I don't even know how to do this!"

Ashley continues to stare at Naruto for a few moments, completely at a loss as to how she is supposed to override whatever Madara had done and fix her teammate's memories. She'd never done anything like that before!

After a few seconds, Naruto suddenly sits boltright up, the abrupt movement causing Ashley to fall back on her hands. She blinks a few times, staring at the blonde, who is now wide awake.

"Okay" she reasons, eyes round. "I definitely didn't do anything there. How are you wake?!"

"Huh?" Naruto asks, sounding confused. "Oh, I remembered something.....Something important.

"Right....." Ashley mutters, as Naruto climbs to his feet and creates a Shadow Clone. "Totally not my doing...."

As Sakura receives a powerful kick to the stomach and is sent flying into the air, Naruto's clone leaps up to catch her, much to the girl's delight.

"Naruto!" she cries happily. "Ashley you did it!"

"Yep....." Ashley laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. "All me."

"How can you be standing?!" Madara demands to know, anger in his eyes. "She doesn't posses the power to overcome my Sharingan!"

"Even if you wipe my memory" Naruto argues, another Shadow Clone appearing beside him, "I can never forget the legacy that my Master left me, my Rasengan or my name!"

Naruto and the Shadow Clone begin to form a Rasengan, with the real Naruto grinning broadly.

"The book my Master wrote was Tales of a Gutsy Ninja" Naruto proclaims, "And the thing that two great heroes picked out from that book, was my name!"

"You will give me your Tailed Beast" Madara orders, ignoring Naruto's words, as he races forwards to attack, "And you will die inside this world!"

Rasengan in one hand and a kunai in the other, Naruto also charges forwards, to meet Madara head on.

"I'm not Menma!" Naruto shouts, throwing his knife straight at Madara's face.

The man is unfazed, smirking as the weapon travels through his skin without incident, using his unique ability to temporarily become intangible. The boy was an imbecile if he thought such a cheap tactic was going to work.

At the last second, Naruto leaps over Madara and, much to the man's surprise, slams the Rasengan down on his back.

"I am Naruto!" the blonde Ninja proclaims proudly, the Rasengan forcing Madara's into the ground, before the chakra explodes and sends up a cloud of dust.

Both Naruto and Madara are flung through the air from the blast, with the two Ninja then hitting the ground heavily. Sakura and Ashley immediately run over to their teammate and help him to his feet.

"I haven't been subjected to that jutsu" Madara utters lowly, his transparent body rising out of the dark haired boy's, "For sixteen years....."

"You're still here?" Naruto asks, his voice rough.

"....But this time...." Madara continues, a thick chain falling from each of his sleeves.

The man immediately dives downwards to attack Naruto, only for Ashley to jump in his way, brandishing two kunai knives.

Not giving her the chance to counter Madara though, Minato and Kushina suddenly appear between Ashley and the incoming enemy. There is a loud clang sound, as Minato blocks Madara's chain with a kunai of his own, deflecting it away from Naruto and Sakura.

"Huh?" Ashley wonders, lowering her weapons slightly.

"How did you two get here?" Naruto asks, eyes widening slightly.

"Minato's kunai" Kushina smiles, her eyes trained on Madara. "You took it with you when you left, so we were able to teleport to it."

"I don't know who you really are" Minato speaks up, addressing Naruto despite facing Madara, "But I simply can't think of you as a stranger."

Madara stares down at Minato for a few moments, before the chain disappears back into his sleeves.

"I suppose this is also fate" he scoffs, eyeing the man that had opposed him sixteen years earlier. "Well, it matters not. Your Nine Tails can remain with you a little longer."

Grimacing, Naruto runs forwards and throws his Father's kunai knife, aiming straight for Madara's visible eye. As it hits the pupil, Madara disappears from sight, vanishing without a trace.

"......Who was that man?" Minato asks, as he and Kushina turn around.

Ashley crosses her arms and pouts a little, allowing Naruto to explain. They probably wouldn't appreciate whatever she had to say about Tobi anyway.

"He was the guy behind all of this" Naruto answers seriously. "He brought the three of us over to this world and started this whole mess."

"Hey" Ashley interjects, staring at the body Madara had taken over. "What's that guy's deal? Why's he glowing?"

Everyone turns to see what Ashley is talking about, only for Kushina to gasp at the sight of the glowing boy. She runs to him and drops to her knees, cradling his shoulders and head in her arms. The boy's hair fades from black to a bright blonde, causing him to look like the spitting image of Naruto.

"Menma!" Kushina cries with relief, Minato slowly approaching his wife and son.

"Then......" the blonde man turns his head to look at Naruto, who in turn, whirls around to avoid having to face his mirror world family.

Suddenly, Ashley, Sakura and Naruto begin to glow with a white aura. Ashley, immediately realising what must be happening, begins to tear up.

"Itachi!" she calls out, spinning around to try and find her cousin. "Itach-"

Ashley pauses as she turns, to find Itachi standing right in front of her, a soft look in his dark eyes. He reaches out and places a hand on Ashley's head, to which she starts to cry.

"Itachi-kun" she sobs, "I-I'm never gonna get to see you again.....I didn't even get to talk to you!"

Itachi smiles affectionately at his cousin, removing his hand from her head and placing it under her chin to tilt her head up.

"I don't know where you came from Ashley-chan" Itachi says quietly, "But I'm proud of you for becoming so strong."

Ashley stares at Itachi for a few moments, as more tears roll down her face.

"I'll never get to tell you this where I'm from" she whispers, her body becoming more and more transparent, "But I love you Itachi-kun...."

".......I love you too Ashley-chan" the Uchiha responds, his arms wrapping around the blonde girl as she dives for him in a desperate hug, "....And I always will....."

"...You're all leaving now?" Minato inquires in a low tone, sad expressions on his and Kushina's faces. "You're going back to where you came from?"

"So we have to say goodbye?......" Kushina asks forlornly, still cradling her unconscious son.

Sakura looks to Naruto as he bites his lip, struggling not to cry. Even though they weren't his real parents, saying goodbye to them was so hard....

"Hey, thanks okay?" Naruto eventually says, forcing himself to smile. "You know, for coming to save us......And.....Even though we weren't together for very long, I'm really grateful to the both of you. For cooking me dinner, for worrying about me, even for getting mad at me.......And for being alive and well. Thank you, so much....."

Ashley raises her head and tearfully looks into the smiling face of Itachi, as the light of the glow surrounding herself, Sakura and Naruto begins to rapidly increase in brightness. Within a mere second, all three Leaf Ninja soon completely vanish from view.

Naruto, Sakura and Ashley all come to, slowly opening their eyes and glancing around. They find themselves standing in the same small park they had disappeared from in the first place, crickets chirping around them and a warm breeze blowing through the night.

"Is this....." Sakura trails off, as all three Ninja look to the Hokage monument, only to see Minato's face hewn into the rock and not the face of Sakura's Father.

"We're really back" Ashley sighs with relief, only to blink when something begins to shine.

"Naruto" Sakura addresses, watching as the boy's cloak begins to vanish. "Your jacket...."

Naruto glances down and watches as his Hokage cloak disappears, before he turns and smiles at his two teammates.

"We really did it you guys" he grins, causing the two girls to do the same. "We made it home."

"I'm completely stunned" Lady Tsunade says angrily, though she had earlier been relieved the members of Team Seven were unharmed. "How could Madara manage to pull something like this off? And right inside the Village too...."

"From what I've been told" Kakashi explains, speaking up for his team, "It must have been some sort of transportation technique. He's as unpredictable as ever."

"Though I am relieved that all three of you are safe" Lady Tsunade says firmly, hands folded on her desk, "I think that all of the information regarding this incident should remain amongst us. It would be chaos in the Village if people knew what had happened."

"Until we've taken counter measures" Shizune agrees, standing beside Lady Tsunade, "I think it would be best if these events were to remain secret......Incidentally, regarding the file that Milady has on her desk about the Jonin applications..."

"Back to the drawing board" Tsunade dismisses, moving the file to a large, messy pile on her desk.

"Ya know" Naruto speaks up, hands in his pockets as he walks, "I think I way prefer Granny and Kakashi Sensei the way they are now."

"Agreed" Ashley says with a nod. "I'll take aloof Kakashi Sensei over the creepy one from that world any day."

"Yeah" Sakura laughs. "It's comforting seeing them as themselves again."

"Sakuraaaaa!" a loud voice suddenly calls, making all three young Ninja pause. They watch on, as Sakura's Father skids around the corner, her Mother hot on his heels.

"Sakur- Oh!" the man cuts himself off, a broad smile spreading across his face when he spots his daughter mid yell. "Sakura! We're been searching for you everywhere!"

"Mom?" Sakura asks. "Dad?"

"We've been so worried" her Mother adds, sounding relieved.

Staring at her parents, Sakura's eyes begin to well up with tears, before she runs forwards and flings herself at her parents. She hugs the two tightly, apologising profusely for the argument they'd had before she had vanished.

Naruto stares at the three members of the Haruno family, feeling a little wistful as he thinks back to the Minato and Kushina he's met in the other world. He'd be lying if he said he didn't already miss that a little bit.

"Hey!" Ashley barks at Naruto, wrapping an arm around the boy's neck and tugging him down to her height. She gives the surprised boy a cheeky grin and a wink.

"Don't let it get you down Naruto" she encourages. "You've still got me remember?"

"Heh, yeah" Naruto agrees with a laugh, freeing himself from Ashley's grasp. The girl hoods her eyes and smiles up at her teammate.

"And I've got you too" she adds sincerely, before heaving a dramatic sigh and stretching her arms above her head. "C'mon, lets both go home before things get too emotional. I'm too tired for that right now. See ya Sakura."

"Bye you guys!" the girl calls back, turning to glance at her teammates as they walk away, Naruto waving over his shoulder. "Be safe on your way home!"

"Heh, she hates her Mom pestering her about stuff like that" Ashley scoffs playfully, "But she bugs us about it."

"I can hear you!" Sakura shouts at Ashley's back, causing her to laugh. "Don't think that just because my family is here that I won't scold you!"

"Oh yeah?" Ashley challenges, whirling around. "Well, I can summon my family here in just a........."

Ashley stops talking, her eyes widening with realization. She swiftly reaches into her weapons pouch and pulls out a scroll. The blonde quickly bites her thumb, a little too hard in her haste, and swipes the blood across the parchment.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Ashley shouts, before disappearing in a large cloud of white smoke.

"No" a silky voice complains. "I was sleeping....."

"Ugh, a group summoning" a rough voice chimes in, sounding irritated. "In the middle of the night too."

"It is not the middle of the night Kai" a stoic voice corrects. "The night has barely begun."

"Party!" a small voice exclaims, just as Tiez leaps out of the cloud and begins to bounce up and down. She soon ceases however, seeing the situation. "Well, this looks like the worst party ever."

"Tiez dear" Rei scolds gently, "Party guest shouldn't run around screaming like that."

"Are we going to a party Jet-chan?" Chi inquires excitedly, his tail wagging. "Oh, oh! Do you think it's a dress up party?! Will you dress up with me Jet-chan? We could go as....um....We could go as.....butterflies! Yeahhhh, butterflies!"

".....I'm not dressing up" Jet replies, his ears laid back.

"Would all of you kindly shut your big mouths?" Aki asks sweetly. "Not that I need it, but I'm trying to get my beauty sleep here.....You all look like you could do with some too."

"If I kill you" Kai snarls, baring his teeth, "Then you can sleep forever!"

Ace stares at the members of the pack with a blank expression, before he turns his head to look at a wide eyed Ashley.

"Good evening Milady" he greets, to which the girl breaks out into a huge smile and rushes forwards.

"You guys are back to normal!" she shouts joyfully, wrapping one arm around Ace's neck and one arm around Chi's, dragging the small pup close to her.

"Ah!" he barks, wriggling like a worm. "Milady! You're normal too, yayyyy! Hugs, hugs hugs! I'm the favorite, Lady Ashley is hugging me!"

Swiftly releasing Ace and Chi, Ashley then dives on Kai, who freezes in place, not having expected the affection. Before he has a chance to react, the now giggling Ashley throws herself at Jet, though she is unable to wrap her arms fully around the huge Wolf.

"What's all this about Milady?" he asks, smiling faintly to himself as Ashley cuddles a more than eager Rei.

"I'm just so relieved to see all of you" Ashley responds, eyes shining. She bends down and scoops Tiez up, the proud Wolf struggling to get away, despite enjoying the hug.

"You guys are my family" Ashley adds, her voice softer now. "I missed you....."

"I missed you too Milady!" Chi chirps, bounding over to Ashley and knocking her down. He proceeds to step all over the giggling girl in her excitement, with Aki rising to his feet and planting his butt in Ashley's lap.

He didn't fit whatsoever, but he didn't like missing out on the attention. Where was his hug?

"I do believe you forgot something Milady" the black and white Wolf pouts, glancing back at Ashley over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry Aki, I'm sorry" Ashley says, still laughing as she hugs the dejected Wolf from behind.

Immediately perking up, Aki rises to his feet and prances away, his tail curling prettily and his sapphire eyes shining.

Rei trots over and nuzzles Ashley's cheek, as Ace dumps himself beside the girl and nudges her shoulder, wondering what had brought on her sudden affection. Not that she was cold with any of them, but she wasn't usually this excited to deal with the whole pack's antics at once.

Ashley looks up from her Wolves, only to find Naruto and Sakura staring at her, smiles on their faces.

"....If there's one thing I've learned over the years" Ashley explains quietly, looking between her Wolves and her friends, "It's that family isn't always those you share blood with. Your family are the ones that love you. That means, that not only are my Wolves my family.....But Naruto and Sakura, you guys are my family as well."

"Ashley....." Sakura says softly, her eyes welling up again at the sentiment.

"Family" Naruto agrees with a nod, though his eyes waver a little as well.

"And Naruto" Ashley adds, hugging Rei and a less than impressed Ace close to her, "While you may not have a family of blood, you're always apart of this family....."

'And Hakuba' Ashley adds in her mind, 'If you're there now......That goes for you too.'

Unsure of what Ashley means by if he is there, as he cannot leave Ashley's psyche, Hakuba tilts his head.

'.....What could have earned me such endearment?' he inquires, to which Ashley merely smiles and shakes her head. '......Such a strange brat.........'

"Thank you Ashley" Naruto smiles warmly, walking forwards and offering his hand to Ashley to help her up.

"Don't thank her" Kai mutters. "You're better off not joining this family."

"Kai dear" Rei pleads with a smile, "Please don't ruin such a lovely moment. Could you perhaps be miserable later dear?"

Ashley playfully rolls her eyes at Kai and accepts Naruto's hand, about to let the boy pull her to her feet, when a voice catches her attention.

"Hey" the familiar voice greets, sounding amused. "What's all the fuss over here huh?"

"Ruff ruff!" Akamaru barks, bounding over to join in.

"Hello Akamaru dear" Rei greets, giving the canine a closed eye smile. "Please feel free to join our family get together."

"We're gonna dress up!" Chi pipes up, bouncing in place.

Still holding onto Naruto's hand, Ashley stares at Kiba with wide eyes, seemingly frozen in place. The brunette gives everyone a cheeky grin, that stupid expression that Ashley had missed while she was away.

"Kiba!" Ashley cries, leaping to her feet and accidentally pulling Naruto down to the ground.

He lands on his face, with Rei quick to run and fuss over him, as Ashley bounds towards Kiba. He barely even has time to blink, before Ashley flings herself at him, her tackle sending him into a spin.

"Woah!" Kiba laughs, managing to right himself and place his arms around Ashley, as she hugs him tightly, her arms around his neck. "What's that about Angel?"

That stupid name.........She'd missed that too somehow.

"N-Nothing Mutt" Ashley stutters, feeling herself getting emotional again. "I just....I just missed you is all."

"Huh?" Kiba asks, placing his hands on Ashley's shoulders and pulling her away from him, to look into her eyes. "But you just saw me a few hours ag- Hey.....Are you gonna cry? Aw, c'mon, don't do that Angel."

"Well, hug me again then" Ashley demands softly, hands gripping onto Kiba's jacket.

Kiba blinks in surprise and then smiles. Not having to be told twice, he pulls the blonde girl in for another hug, to which she presses her cheek against his chest, eyes closed.

It felt good to be like this again. This is how it was supposed to be...

After a few moments, Kiba reaches up and gently places his hands on either side of Ashley's face. She tilts her head back to look up at him, only to see a loving smile on his face. The two close their eyes, as Ashley rises onto her toes, meeting Kiba halfway for a kiss.

"Ew, gross" Tiez barks, wrinkling her nose and ruining the moment.

"Tiez!" Rei admonishes, before looking to Ashley with a sweat drop on the side of her head. "I'm so sorry Milady. The young ones, they don't understand these things...."

"It's fine" Ashley says with a laugh, one hand still hanging on to Kiba's jacket.

"So what's goin on here anyway?" the Inuzuka asks, still totally lost as to why Ashley, Naruto, Sakura, Sakura's parents and a pack of Wolves are in the middle of the street at night.

"We were talking about families" Sakura supplies, struggling to find a simple explanation for what had happened.

"And parties!" Chi adds, tongue flopping from the side of his mouth. "Dress up parties!"

"Families huh?" Kiba repeats, knowing full well to ignore half of the things that Chi says.

"Yeah, as in, not all families are blood related" Ashley explains. "Your family are the ones that love you......Which means that you're my family too Kiba."

Kiba smiles warmly at that, before a gleam appears in his eye.

"Of course we're family Angel" he boasts, shrugging one shoulder and winking at the blonde. "And we're gonna have some great looking kids!"

"Huh?!" Ashley exclaims, her face turning bright red as she stares up at a now laughing Kiba. "You can't- I don't even- Kiba!"

Everyone begins to laugh at Ashley's embarrassed face, the girl chasing after Kiba as he runs away.

Yes, this is the way it was meant to be.....

Hello :3

So yes, I have been away for a very, very long time from this website. I want to apologise for my lack of updating, I'm genuinely sorry to those of you who have eagerly been awaiting more. I have made this chapter as long as a super chapter to make up for it.

I just want to say, that I will try my best to be more active and NOT make you wait for 6 months for the next installment.

I do want to be honest here though. I do not like writing this story. I do not enjoy it anymore. It is merely something tedious that I put off time and time again.

Yes, I am busy with work and life and things, but I also just don't want to write it anymore. I WILL though, I will continue until this story is done, I just get no enjoyment out of it anymore. That said, I won't upload short, badly written chapters just to crank it out. The 'quality' if you want to call it that, will remain, as my pride will not allow anything else.

Please keep in mind that I began this series in 2011, when I was 17 or 18. Now, in 2018, I am about to be 25 and my interests and priorities in life have changed immensely. This story is absolutely not a priority to me, but I will absolutely see it through to the end.

Thank you very, very much to those of you who have supported me and continue to do so, even when I'm flaky af haha.

I hope you enjoyed reading :)

ALSO! For those of you who haven't seen the movie, I just want to add that when Naruto goes home, Iruka is there and greets him with a cake, just like a party. So he isn't lonely and sad when he gets home :) Iruka Sensei is the mvp.