As mentioned in the last chapter, I am skipping the fight between the Three Sannin, as we've all either read it or watched it in the anime. If you for some reason haven't, or would just like a refresher, the fights starts in the anime at Ep 93 and Ch 164 of the manga.

Edited 21/04/2019

Ashley's POV

Ace leaps in front of me, as Lady Tsunade slams Orochimaru into the dirt with the strongest punch I've ever seen in my life. The whole ground quakes from the impact, a blast of dust blowing out into the air.

As I lower my arms over my face, I find myself staring at Lady Tsunade with pure admiration. I've never met anyone with such raw strength before and to watch her in action....It almost makes me wish she would teach me her secrets.

Manda, pinned down by the sword of Jiraiya's huge Toad summon, lets out an angry hiss.

"Let me just say this Orochimaru" the Snake warns, "If we meet again.....Well, you'd better hope that we don't...."

As the Snake disappears in a billow of white smoke, Lady Tsunade drops to her knees, exhausted from the amount of chakra she had expended during that fight.

I don't know how she even has so much chakra in her body. She'd put so much of it into every single hit, I would have passed out after about three of them.

I turn my head as Shizune and Jiraiya let out gasps of surprise, only to see Orochimaru reappear, seemingly having regenerated again.

Just when you think he's dead, he pops back up....

"So T-Tsunade" Orochimaru wheezes, clearly still injured, if his shallow breathing is anything to go by, "You won't heal my arms? That's f-fine, I don't need you. There's another w-way for me to be healed...."

Orochimaru glares at the blonde woman, revealing half of his face to be missing, replaced with that of a woman.

"And I promise you all" Orochimaru hisses angrily. "I will destroy the Leaf Village."

The deranged man begins to laugh as he disappears into the ground, all of us watching him warily.

"I hope to see you all again soon" Orochimaru adds as he disappears, turning his head to grin at me evilly, something that makes me flinch. "You especially my young student. You especially..."

I see Kabuto disappear in a puff of smoke as I continue to stare at the disappearing Orochimaru, unable to break his gaze. Feeling my heart beating fast, I suddenly lurch forwards and slam my palms against the ground, activating my Katsuryoku.

The ground around Orochimaru crumbles and collapses in on him, burying him under a small rock slide. I still hear his laughter echoing in my ears as he vanishes from sight.

I know what I did accomplished nothing, but I couldn't help it. It was just a reaction.

I groan in pain from the movement, my body still trying to recover from Hakuba's chakra. I also hear Jiraiya grunting in pain, one hand clasping at his chest. I think he broke some of his ribs during the fight. Well, good thing the best Medic in the world is here.

"Milady!" Shizune cries, dropping down on her knees next to the older woman.

Before she can fuss too much however, Lady Tsunade waves her hand dismissively, her body swiftly aging before my eyes.

"I'm alright" Lady Tsunade assures Shizune. "It's just the side effects of my Jutsu."

"....You've lost a lot of chakra" I inform the Sannin, though I'm sure she of all people is well aware of her current situation. "Take some of mine."

While it's not exactly like me to offer up my chakra, Lady Tsunade had fought hard to protect Naruto and I suppose me as well. It was the least I could do for her.

"I thought you didn't have any chakra left" the woman states, to which I shake my head.

"I have plenty of chakra after just sitting here this whole time" I mutter, faintly annoyed at myself for allowing Hakuba to leave me like this. "I guess you could say.....this is just a side effect as well. It hurts to move, but my chakra is fine."

"Fine" Lady Tsunade agrees with a nod. "Place your hands on my back."

"Uh......" I pause. "Okay...."

Heaving a sigh, I place one hand on my knee and slowly push myself to my feet, gritting my teeth in pain as I do. I don't know how Naruto functions so well after using the Nine Tail's power, because I feel like death and I only used Hakuba's chakra for about two minutes.

Lady Tsunade waits patiently as I shuffle over to and drop myself down behind her with a groan. I raise my hands and gently press them against Lady Tsunade's back, closing my eyes to concentrate.

I haven't done this in a long time, though it's a relatively simple thing to do. For a few minutes, Lady Tsunade, Shizune and I sit in silence, until the Sannin stretches her arms above her head.

"That's enough now Ashley" she instructs, waving for me to stop. "My body can hold a lot of chakra, and I don't want all of yours to drain."

"I've never seen anyone as strong as you before" I admit, dropping my hands into my lap and looking up as Lady Tsunade rises to her feet, her youthful appearance restored.

"From what I gather, weren't you a student of Orochimaru's?" the woman asks knowingly, one eyebrow quirked.

I freeze at this question, my eyes wide and my mouth opening, though my denial doesn't come out. Was there any point in lying? That look in her eyes tells me that she figured it out anyway.

I drop my gaze to the ground, feeling somewhat ashamed.

"I wasn't accusing you of anything" Lady Tsunade assures me, her tone a little softer this time. "I would just think that you've seen many a strong Ninja if you were with him."

I blink a few times and then begrudgingly look back up at the Sannin woman, my eyes hooded.

".....Orochimaru is a different kind of strong" I mutter. "He could never punch like you. I wish he could. Then I could've learned."

"Who's to say that you still can't?" Shizune asks me, winking.

"You're impressive as is" Lady Tsunade adds, hands on her hips as she closes her eyes and nods.

"I didn't do anything" I remind the woman, a flat expression on my face.

"Let's see" Lady Tsunade looks up, pretending to recall something. "You jumped in to help a complete stranger, you used some impressive Jutsu for your age and you fought against something that strikes immense fear into your heart. I would call that impressive. With Genin like you and Naruto around, I'm pleased to see that the Hidden Leaf Village really seems to be fostering some talent."

I regard Lady Tsunade solemnly as she and Shizune give me closed eye smiles. I don't think I was impressive at all. Quite the opposite in fact. Naruto was way more impressive than me, not that I'll ever tell him that.

"......You should have seen me at the Chunin Exams" I sigh, sweat dropping and turning my head away. "I was way cooler there."

"What?!" Naruto screeches, slapping his hand down on the table and almost making me spill the plate of chicken skewers I had just been handed.

I scowl at the blonde, but he doesn't seem to notice, too busy jabbing his hand in the face of a smirking Lady Tsunade.

"She's the Fifth Hokage now?!" Naruto repeats incredulously. "How?!"

"What's wrong Naruto?" Jiraiya wonders, as I gleefully chomp down on my first skewer.

It's delicious!

"It's just totally unbelievable" Naruto grumbles, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. "I'm passed out for a few minutes and suddenly she's the Hokage!"

"A few minutes?" I can't help asking, another skewer hanging out of my mouth.

"Like you can talk Ashley-chan" Naruto retorts, his eye twitching.

I blanch at that, though I can't exactly argue the point. Whatever. I'll just eat some more chicken.

"Anyway" Naruto continues pointedly. "Shouldn't the Hokage be all like, kind and wise and all that stuff? Like the old man used to be!"

I see the smirk drop from Lady Tsunade's face as I reach for a third skewer. Not caring if Naruto is about to get clobbered, I close my eyes in bliss and start munching on my chicken.

"She's mean and greedy!" Naruto continues pointedly, oblivious to the fact that Lady Tsunade' s face is growing darker and darker with every word. "And she's got a nasty temper too! Plus, she's not really that smart either!"

I almost choke on my chicken at that remark, wondering why Naruto of all people is accusing someone of being unintelligent.

Shizune and Tonton both sweat drop as they watch Lady Tsunade begin to tremble with anger, no doubt close to punching Naruto in the head.

"Nothing personal Granny" Naruto rants, as I reach for two more skewers, "But being Hokage is kinda a big job. I'm just not sure that you're up for it."

Shizune begins to laugh nervously, turning to Lady Tsunade, who has an ugly, rage fuelled grimace on her face.

"Y-Yes, well" Shizune stutters, trying to diffuse the situation, "Do you want to order anything Milady? I've heard that the beef and noodles are very good here!"

I suddenly lash out and slap at a big hand that hovers too close to my plate, only to look up when Jiraiya yelps. He pulls his hand back to him and pouts, to which I growl protectively. I pull my plate closer and wrap my arms around it, defending it from any other skewer thieves.

I pick up another skewer and bite into it pointedly, glaring at Jiraiya as he sulks like a baby. If he wanted chicken skewers he should have ordered his own!

"On top of that" Naruto states obnoxiously, still listing his reasons for Lady Tsunade to not be the Hokage, "She's an old lady who uses a Jutsu to look way younger."

The Sannin grits her teeth and pounds her closed fists down onto the table, an anime vein appearing on the side of her head.

"I just don't know if we really need a Hokage like you" Naruto decides, shaking his head wisely. "You know, someone who's living a lie."

"You wanna take this outside you little brat?!" Lady Tsunade thunders, reaching across the table and aggressively pulling Naruto by the collar.

Shizune begins gibbering and shaking in her seat, unsure of what to do, as Jiraiya lets out a bored sigh. I continue to chow down on my chicken skewers as everyone rises from their seat and heads for the door. As they leave, I swallow my mouthful of food and hold up my near empty plate.

"Anyone want some chicken?" I offer the empty seats around me. "No? Well alright then. At least I offered."

Not wanting to miss a fight between Lady Tsunade and Naruto, I grab my last two skewers and run for the door. I burst outside just in time to see Naruto running towards the blonde woman, his arm pulled back to punch her.

I watch as Lady Tsunade easily ducks under Naruto's attack and reaches up, flicking off his headband with one flick.

Naruto skids to a halt and squeezes his eyes closed, apparently waiting to be hit in the face or something, but the attack never comes.

My eyes widen slightly as Lady Tsunade bends down and places a gently kiss on his forehead instead.

What's that all about? I must have missed something before I got her. Normally women aren't running around trying to kiss Naruto.

Naruto blinks in surprise, before looking up as Lady Tsunade leans back and places her hands on her hips, smirking.

"Grow up to be a good man, okay?" she encourages, to which Naruto folds his hands behind his head and grins sheepishly.

"You bet!" he agrees enthusiastically.

I feel tears streaming down my face at the scene before me, each of my hands holding an empty skewer.

Where did all of my chicken go?!

"C'mon then you guys" Jiraiya calls, waving to both Naruto and I. "We have to get back home!"

"Wait!" Naruto and I protest at the same time, causing a question mark to appear above Jiraiya's head.

"I haven't eaten yet" Naruto whimpers.

"I need more chicken!" I announce pathetically.

"We're starving....." Naruto and I both whine, the two of us slumping to the ground.

I run down the street, a smile on my face. It's a day off for me and I have a couple of people to visit today. I'm looking forward to seeing-

"Hey!" a man shouts at me, quickly raising a box above my head as I dash right past him.

"Sorry!" I call over my shoulder, not really sorry at all. I skid around a corner, not slowing down, before I immediately crash into someone.

I stumble back into a wall, as the person I ran into falls to the ground, complaining loudly.

"Ow...." the person drawls. "Just my luck, colliding with someone in the street. What a drag...."

"Arghh!" another voice screams. "My chips!"

"You guys are hopeless.....

I blink a few times, ridding my head of its dizziness. Realising I know those voices, I look up, only to see a horror stricken Choji gaping at the ground with mournful eyes. Shikamaru, sprawled across the ground on his back, stares up at his best friend, a blank expression on his face. Ino sighs and shakes her head as Choji desperately tries to rescue his fallen chips.

"What did you knock into me like that for Shikamaru?" Choji asks miserably, holding in tears as he finds a chip that has been crushed into the dirt.

"Sorry about that" Shikamaru murmurs sarcastically. "I guess I just felt like falling over in the middle of the street for no reason....."

I can't help chuckling, something that caused the members of Team Ten to look up at me, surprised.

"Oh, Ashley....." Shikamaru pauses, before hurriedly scrambling to his feet and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Sorry about that...."

"It's my fault" I answer, waving at the three of them. "I was in a rush."

"It's been awhile since we've run into you Ashley" Choji states, before sweat dropping. "Well, not literally, but you know what I mean...."

"Things have been kinda hectic since the Chunin Exams" I agree, sighing. "I'll be glad to have a rest."

"Hey, did you hear Ashley?" Ino asks excitedly, jumping forwards and grabbing onto my arm.

I blink in surprise at Ino's sudden closeness, not realising I had become friends with her. Maybe Sakura had said something nice about me to her?

"D-Did I hear what?" I ask, somewhat hesitantly.

"Lady Tsunade is here!" she exclaims, jumping up and down. "She's going to become the Fifth Hokage! I can't wait, our very first female Hokage! I bet she's incredible!"

"Oh that" I laugh awkwardly, pulling my arm from Ino's grip. "Yeah I know. I was with her when she decided to take the job. Look, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have somewhere to be!"

I wave over my shoulder at Shikamaru, Ino and Choji and break out into a run again. I run along the streets, this time trying to concentrate a little more so that I don't crash into anyone again.

"I haven't seen him in awhile" I say out loud, turning down another street. "I bet he'll be happy to see-"

"Woah, slow down there Angel!" a familiar voice calls out, two hands catching my shoulders as I almost run right into someone. "You almost took me right out!"

Coming to an abrupt stop, I find myself staring into the grinning face of Kiba, Akamaru sitting on top of his head.

"Arf!" the Ninken barks at me, his tail wagging.

"H-Hello Ashley-chan" Hinata greets me shyly, standing on Kiba's left.

"Hello" Shino also acknowledges my presence, while I continue to stare at the Inuzuka in front of me.

All of the sudden, I'm able to hear my own heartbeat very clearly, which is strange.

The grin slowly begins to fade from Kiba's face as I remain silent, a puzzled expression replacing it instead.

"Uhh....Are you alright?" he queries, to which I suddenly seem to snap out of my stupor and wrench myself free of his grip. I take a few steps away and laugh sheepishly, my cheeks feeling warm.

"Oh uh, yeah I'm fine" I reply way too fast. "Hi Hinata, Shino, Mutt. Okay guys, see ya!"

"Yo, wait a sec!" Kiba calls after me, causing me to reluctantly pause.

"Yeah?" I ask over my shoulder.

"Well......Kurenai Sensei just told us something pretty interesting" Kiba informs me, unsure of how to speak to me, considering I haven't turned around.

"And?" I prompt, narrowing my eyes at the ground, my face still warm.

"And" Kiba repeats cheekily, "She just told us that Lady Tsunade is back in the Village. You're not from here so maybe you don't know who she is but she's supposedly super strong!"

"I-I've heard that sh-she's also a very g-good Medical Ninja too" Hinata adds quietly.

"Yeah, I know who she is" I reply, forcing a closed eye smile on my face as I glance back over my shoulder. "That's cool and all, but uh.....I've gotta go!"

"Huh?" I hear Kiba say behind me as I break into a run again. "....Okay, that was super weird."

"Arf!" Akamaru agrees.

I heave a heavy sigh as I run through the streets of the Village, now struggling to concentrate on where I'm going.

Why did I just freeze like that? I've never had that reaction to Kiba before. I wasn't annoyed to see him like I used to be, so what was that? I'd think it was a Jutsu of some kind, but I know Kiba can't do anything like that...

I shake my head as I turn down another street, trying to rid myself of my thoughts about Kiba and my weird reaction to him.

To my right, I see Neji and Tenten walking together, a box of weapons in each of their hands. I try to ignore them as I run past, but of course, Tenten cheerfully calls out to me and stops to talk.

"Hey you guys" I greet unenthusiastically. "What's up?..."

"Hey Ashley!" Tenten greets me happily, her pretty brown eyes sparkling.

Neji merely nods at me, that same unimpressed look in his face that he always has.

"Guess what we just found out?" Tenten prompts me excitedly, just about bouncing in place.

That familiar question immediately sets me on edge, though I tell myself to not be sarcastic with Tenten, as she is always very pleasant to me.

"What did you just find out Tenten?" I ask tightly, gritting my teeth into what I'm sure is an ugly smile.

"Lady Tsunade has returned!" the girl just about explodes with excitement, not noticing my expression at all. "She's going to be our next Hokage! I can't believe it, she was my biggest inspiration when I was a kid!"

"Really?" I ask, genuinely intrigued by that, before an amused smirk crosses my face. "Well....I bet she's not going to be what you expected."

I give the two confused Genin a salute and flip up onto nearest building, hoping that running along the rooftops will be a little more peaceful.

For a few minutes, I jump across the building with no interruptions, when I suddenly spy two familiar Ninja doing the same thing as me. Each carrying a large box in their arms, Izumo and Kotetsu head towards me, though they're walking across the rooftops rather than running.

"Ashley?" Izumo asks as I draw closer.

"What are you doing up here?" Kotetsu demands to know, his question causing me to sigh and come to a stop.

"Trying to get somewhere without being stopped every five seconds" I inform the two Chunin pointedly. ".....What are you two doing?"

"We're helping Lady Tsunade clean out the Hokage's office" Izumo explains, sounding rather proud. Kotetsu rolls his eyes at this however.

"No we're not" he corrects, sounding annoyed. "We're just her underpaid lackeys right now. We're being taken advanta-"

"Hey, shut up!" Izumo interjects, elbowing Kotetsu in the arm. "It's an honour to serve the Hokage, no matter what the mission is! You should feel honoured that she requested our help!"

"Oh I do!" Kotetsu retorts sarcastically, looking to the sky for help. "I feel so honoured carrying box after box of junk across the Village! Why can't I feel honoured and take a break?"

"You're being a lazy smart ass" Izumo heaves a deep sigh, shoulders drooping.

"Better than being a kiss ass" Kotetsu mutters, peeking over at Izumo as the man sends him a dirty look.

I look between the two Chunin, holding in a sigh of my own.

"Well, it's been thrilling talking with you both" I say flatly, stalking past the two men to leave.

"Hey wait!" Izumo calls after me, my eye immediately beginning to twitch. He better not...

"What?" I just about hiss.

"Did you know that Lady Tsunade is going to be the fifth Hokage?" the brown haired Chunin asks me, his eyes shining. "And we get to be her right hand men!"

"We get to do the stuff she can't be bothered doing" Kotetsu adds in an apathetic tone. "Aren't we lucky....."

"Yes" Izumo insists firmly, sending his friend a pointed look. "We are very lucky."

Slowly letting out a low breath, an anime vein pulsing on the side of my head, I jump down from the roof without a word, struggling to control my temper.

'If one more person asks if I know about the new Hokage' I think to myself, now stalking down the street, 'I'm going to-'

"Hey!" a voice calls out, causing me to freeze in place, my face stony. "Hey, excuse me!"

I very slowly turn around, my eye twitching and my teeth gritted together. I see an elderly man approaching me, a small box filled with random things in his hands.

"Sorry to bother you" the man apologises. "I was just wondering if you happened to know-"

Something inside of me snaps at the sound of those words and I reach out to snatch the small box from the man's hands. The man blinks in surprise as his belongings are ripped from his grasp.

"You were just wondering if I happened to know that Lady Tsunade is back right?" I bark at the man, exasperated by this stupid question continually being asked of me. "You're wondering if I know that she's going to be the next Hokage, right?!"

"Wh-What?" he blubbers, looking bewildered by my reaction.

"Well, guess what old man?" I ask, smiling meanly. "I do know that Lady Tsunade is going to be the next Hokage! I knew before almost everyone that she was going to be the next Hokage! So stop asking me if I knew already!"

My temper spilling over, I throw the old man's box of things with such force, that it crashes into a nearby wall and everything inside smashes into tiny pieces, before crumbling to the ground.

I breathe raggedly as I stare at the mess, my shoulders rising up and down. The old man stares in silence at his now broken belongings for a few seconds, only to turn to me with a look of disgust on his face.

"You're a disgraceful young lady" the old man berates me, much to my shock. "I merely wanted to know if there were any good barbecue restaurants close by, since I only just moved here to be closer to my daughter. And you just destroyed some of my property."

I tilt my head to the side and stare at the now angry old man, my lips pursing in thought.

"Oh....." I trail off, only to shrug. "Well yeah, there are some good ones around."

"And they are where exactly?" the man asks with a sigh, holding the bridge of his nose.

"Ask your daughter" I answer smartly, spinning around on my heel and taking off running again.

Why did he even stop me to ask, when his daughter lives in the Village? Just ask her instead of bugging me!

I turn down one more street and slow my pace, stopping at the entrance to the Yamanaka's Flower Shop. Stepping inside, I am greeted by the site of beautiful flowers everywhere, in an array of beautiful colours, all put together in expertly thought out bouquets.

I see a brown haired woman behind the counter, who I assume is Ino's Mother, helping another customer. Seeing that she's busy, I begin to look around the shop, only to smile to myself when I find what I'm looking for.

Crouching down beside a small bouquet of lavender and gently poke the flower.

"Pssst!" I whisper loudly. "Keiji, wake up!"

The small insects wings immediately perk up, before he turns around. After a few hops, he jumps up into the air and begins zooming around my face. As I start to giggle and straighten up, Keiji lands on my shoulder, marching around in circles.

"Yeah yeah" I murmur, playfully rolling my eyes. "I'm glad to see you too."

"Ashley!" the woman at the counter suddenly calls to me, having finished serving the other customer.

"Huh?" I ask, turning around, only to suddenly feel awkward as the woman smiles at me. "Oh uh....Hi Mrs Yamanaka....."

"I see that you've come to pick up your Butterfly" she says, adjusting some flowers close to her, still smiling at me.

"Yeah" I answer with a nod. "I've been really busy so I haven't been able to see him."

"Well, we don't mind" Mrs Yamanaka tells me. "The customers love him! Are you going to take Keiji to visit the hospital with your team?"

"I'm not surprised they like him" I smirk in amusement. "He tends to- Wait, what?!"

I dash over to the counter and slap my hands down on it, startling Ino's Mother as I lean closer to her.

"What do you mean by visit the hospital with my team?!" I demand to know. "Did something happen?!"

"Oh, well" the woman stutters, before recovering from my sudden reaction. "Choji and Shikamaru came by to get Ino before, and I overhead Shikamaru mention that Lady Tsunade is going to the hospital today to heal some of your team members, as well as poor Lee. I believe Sakura-chan and Naruto are going there today."

"And they didn't tell me?!" I thunder, steam puffs shooting away from the top of my head, before I spin around and run for the door. "Stupid Naruto and Sakura......Sorry Mrs Yamanaka, I gotta go!"

"Yes, of course" the woman sighs, though she sounds more entertained than anything. "See you later."

Naruto's POV

"Don't worry Sakura-chan!" I assure her, seeing the worried look on her face. "Granny Tsunade's the best! She'll make Sasuke all better, believe it!"

Sakura regards me with wide eyes, before whirling around to face the woman, her hands clasped together.

"Oh please...." she pleads softly, bowing her head. "If you can heal Sasuke-kun....."

"Well, I'll see what I can do" Granny Tsunade chuckles, stepping around Sakura and walking towards Sasuke's hospital bed. "Let me just have a look-"

"You guys are the worst!" an accusing voice suddenly shouts from the left, causing everyone to jump.

We all look over, only to see an irritated looking Ashley crouched on the window sill, her shoulders rising up and down as she breathes heavily. That yellow Butterfly sits comfortably on top of Ashley's head, as she jabs a finger at me and Sakura.

"Lady Tsunade's gonna heal Kakashi and Sasuke and you guys didn't tell me?!" she barks at us, dropping down into the room. "What the hell!"

"A-Ashley?" Sakura asks, surprised. "Well, I asked Naruto to tell you ab- Wait, why are you coming in through the window? There's a door right there!"

I smack a hand to my face as Ashley's eye twitches at Sakura's question. I totally forgot to tell her! I was too excited to walk here wit Sakura-chan!

"Sorry Ashley-chan" I apologise sheepishly, one hand rubbing the back of my head. "I was going to tell you, but then I got distracted.

"How unlike you" Ashley responds in a flat tone. "Lucky for me, Ino's Mom knew what was happening and told me."

"Why is there a Butterfly on your head?" Granny Tsunade muses, to which Ashley heaves a heavy sigh.

"It's a long story" she mutters under her breath, before shaking her head and walking over. "So, you're healing Sasuke then?"

"I was just about to" Granny Tsunade responds, leaning over Sasuke and placing her hand on his head.

My eyes widen as green chakra forms around her hand. I've heard that Granny's the best when it comes to Medical Jutsu, so Sasuke should be fine!

After only a minute or two, Granny Tsunade leans back and well all see Sasuke crack his eyes open. Sakura gasps, running forwards and throwing her arms around his neck as he sits up.

I see Ashley staring at Sasuke through hooded eyes, a tiny smile on her face, when she catches me looking and immediately smirks.

"Welcome back to the land of the living" she says coolly, clearly trying to hide her relief. She can't fool me anymore with that aloof personality.

"Sasuke, you're back!" I cheer, grinning down at the still dazed Uchiha.

My smile falters slightly though, at the sight of Sakura clinging to Sasuke and crying into his shoulder. An uncomfortable feeling settles in my stomach at the sight, tainting my happiness at Sasuke's recovery with a small amount of sadness.

I look up as someone places a hand on my shoulder however, only to see Ashley smiling at me and tilting her head towards the door.

"C'mon Naruto" she urges gently. "Lady Tsunade's gonna heal Kakashi next."

Ashley's POV

Lady Tsunade leans back from the hospital bed and sighs, shaking her head in disappointment.

"Disgraceful" she scoffs. "To be taken down by two low life criminals like that. I thought you were supposed to be the best?"

"Sorry to disappoint you...." Kakashi apologises, looking somewhat uncomfortable as he sweat drops at Lady Tsunade's words.

"Don't worry Kakashi Sensei" I reassure him, my eyes shining. "I don't think you were disappointing at all."

Kakashi and Naruto both turn to me with wide eyes and freeze. I can't help sweat dropping at that, feeling awkward under their gazes, as Lady Tsunade looks between us all in great confusion.

"Wh-What did you just call me?" Kakashi asks in disbelief.

"K-Kakashi Sensei......" I repeat nervously, my face warming with embarrassment. It's the first time I've said it to his face and I feel somewhat bashful about it. It's like admitting that I've recognised he's worth respecting or something...

"You called him Sensei!" Naruto shouts victoriously, laughing. "Finally!"

"Uh, what's going on here?" Lady Tsunade demands to know, stomping her foot in frustration.

"This is the first time that Ashley has ever called him Kakashi Sensei!" Naruto explains, his eyes glittering in excitement.

"Ah, I see" Lady Tsunade responds, smiling to herself as she sends me a knowing look. "How sweet."

Between her, Naruto and Kakashi Sensei all staring at me, I can feel my face heating up even further. I don't remember the last time I felt so uncomfortable.

"Do you finally respect me Ashley?" Kakashi asks quietly, his visible eye now hooded. I'm pretty sure he's smiling under the mask.

I stubbornly look away from Kakashi Sensei and hold my arms behind my back, eyes now trained on the floor.

".......I....I have for awhile" I admit lowly, almost not wanting him to hear me, when something comes to mind. "Anyway! This isn't the first time I called you Sensei! This is the second time!"

"Huh?" Kakashi asks. "When was the first time? I think I'd remember finally getting some respect from a brat like you."

"It was when you were fighting against Itachi and Kisame" I growl, not acknowledging his jab at me. "I said it to Kurenai and Asuma...."

"Well that doesn't count" Kakashi tells me matter of factly. "I didn't hear it."

"Well, it's not my fault that you were unconscious" I fire back, crossing my arms.

Kakashi merely rolls his eyes up towards the ceiling, to which Naruto chuckles and grabs onto Lady Tsunade's sleeve.

"C'mon Granny" he urges, tugging on the woman's rob. "You're not done yet! You gotta come heal Bushy Brows too!"

"Alright alright" the blonde woman obliges, pulling her arm free. "Let's go then. See you later Kakashi, Ashley."

Kakashi waves goodbye as the door closes, while I continue to look anywhere but at the silver haired man.

"Are you going to avoid eye contact with me forever now?" he asks, amused.

"Only if you keep being weird about me calling you Sensei" I answer stubbornly, pouting a little.

"I'm sorry" he laughs lightly. "I was just glad to hear it. It surprised me though. I figured you'd never respect me enough to say it."

"........." I turn to Kakashi with a troubled expression, my resolve to be stubborn weakening. "I told you, I've respected you for ages."

"Oh yeah, you did say that in passing."

"......You protected me from Orochimaru" I remind the man, my shoulders dropping slightly. "And right after you remembered that I killed your friends too.....I couldn't help but change my mind about you Sensei....."

Kakashi stares at me for a moment, before closing his eyes and smiling to himself.

"How's Sasuke doing?" he eventually asks, to which I shrug.

"I don't know" I say, brows furrowing. "He's awake, but I haven't had a chance to speak to him since he fought with Itachi-kun."

"....Who?" Kakashi asks pointedly.

"Oh, uh....." I blink in surprise. "I meant just Itachi. I....I do that automatically sometimes, sorry. Old habit...."

"....You still care about him, don't you?" Kakashi inquires softly, sounding as if he's already decided on the answer.

I shrug again, an uncertain expression crossing my face.

"I don't know" I admit after a few seconds of silence. "It doesn't really make sense does it? He murdered the whole Clan, including my Dad. I should hate his guts right? I mean, Sasuke does. Sometimes I even think that I do hate Itachi, but......but then I remember how kind he was to me and how much I loved him......."

I stop talking for a few seconds, remembering the way Itachi used to smile at me. The way he used to pick me up and hug me. He was so protective.

But then I remember the way he attacked me, the way he wanted to take Naruto away........And the way he tried to kill Sasuke and Kakashi Sensei......

"I never seem to understand my own feelings Kakashi Sensei" I sigh yet again. "It makes things really difficult sometimes....."

"........A lot of people don't understand their own feelings sometimes" Kakashi says, smiling at me. "I'm sure you'll grow to understand them one day. You've grown so much already in the short time we've known you."

Looking at the floor again, I can't help smiling to myself at that.