Third Person's POV

Tsunade stares at the young blonde girl reluctantly standing before her, her back leaning against the far wall, arms crossed and brows knit together.

The Hokage hadn't initially thought she'd even have to ask Ashley about going on this mission, thinking the girl would have been eager to go, but she certainly hadn't expected to have to try and convince her to go.

".....I'm confused as to why you're so blatantly refusing to go" Tsunade comments, to which Ashley lets out a low breath, clearly struggling to control her annoyance.

"I already told you" the girl repeats, for what feels like the hundredth time, "He doesn't want to be stopped. Seeing as Sakura ran here to tell you this as soon as she woke up, I was fine with telling you what I know, but I'm not going on this mission. It's pointless."

"He's your cousin" Tsunade points out, raising one brow when Ashley turns to her with an angry expression.

"I'm well aware of-"

"You wanted to see me?" Shikamaru accidentally interrupts, opening the door to the Hokage's office and stepping inside. He blinks in surprise, noticing Ashley standing not too far from him. "Ashley? What're you doing here?"

"Ask her" comes the short reply, Ashley stabbing one finger in Tsunade's direction.

"Come in Shikamaru" Tsunade says pleasantly, despite the vein throbbing on the side of her head. She'd already had enough of Ashley's stubborn attitude this morning.

Puzzled by Ashley's clear irritation and wondering why he had suddenly been summoned to the Hokage's office, Shikamaru closes the door behind him and approaches Tsunade's desk.

"I've decided that it's time for you to lead your first mission as a Chunin" the Hokage announces, something that makes Shikamaru's eyebrows raise slightly, his hands in his pockets.

"Alright....." the Nara agrees, speaking slowly. He was still suspicious as to what this had to do with Ashley and, perhaps more concerningly, that poor attitude of hers. "So, what's the mission?"

Tsunade sighs quietly, leaning forwards in her chair and resting her elbows on her desk, hands folded in front of her mouth.

"Late last night" the woman explains seriously, "Sasuke Uchiha left the Village in secret."

"Left?" Shikamaru repeats, frowning a little. "As in, left on a secret mission or-"

"He abandoned us" Ashley interjects coldly, glaring at the floor, her nails digging into her arms.

"What?" Shikamaru asks incredulously, turning to look at Ashley. "He just....left? What for?"

Ashley briefly glances up at Shikamaru, before abruptly turning her head away, her teeth gritted tightly together. It had only been a moment, but Shikamaru had seen the pain behind those burning eyes. Clearly, Ashley was torn up about it.

"Sakura reported it to me very early this morning" Tsunade continues, "And I summoned Ashley here not too long ago to confirm, and she was able to provide me with further information. It seems, that Sasuke is going to Orochimaru."

"Huh?" Shikamaru exhales, eyes widening. "Wait, that doesn't make any sense. What on earth would Sasuke go to someone like Orochimaru for? Willingly?"

"Apparently" Tsunade says carefully, her caramel eyes drifting over to Ashley, "Sasuke is seeking power to get revenge on his older brother. He believes that Orochimaru will be able to give him the power that he wants."

"He's an idiot...." Ashley hisses bitterly, shaking her head.

Tsunade watches Ashley for a few moments, feeling a bit sorry for her, despite the way the girl had been talking ever since the mission had been brought up. Ashley hadn't gone into too much detail about what exactly had been said, but it was apparent that she had tried to persuade Sasuke to stay, and had also been the one to take Sakura to the hospital after Sasuke knocked her out.

At the very least, Tsunade just appreciated that the girl had given her any information at all, considering she seemed reluctant to talk about what had happened. She was disappointed that Ashley was refusing to go on this mission, but Tsunade understood why and had decided not to force her.

"Shikamaru" Tsunade addresses, her attention back on the Nara now. "Your mission is to retrieve Sasuke and bring him back to the Village. Kicking and screaming if necessary. However, I imagine Sasuke will be guarded, or at least, meeting up with some of Orochimaru's men somewhere along the way."

".....What if he meets up with Orochimaru directly" Ashley points out, a shiver running up her spine at the thought of the evil man.

"Well, if that's the case" Shikamaru murmurs, brows furrowed in thought, "I'm going to need at least a team of Chunin, if not Jonin."

".........." Tsunade remains silent for a few seconds, regarding the two young Ninja before her gravely. "I'm afraid I can't honour your request Shikamaru. You know that most of our Chunin and Jonin are away on missions, and those that aren't, are either on standby to protect the Village or have just arrived back from missions and are on recovery."

Shikamaru runs a hand down his face, growing less and less eager to lead this mission as the seconds go by. If he couldn't have Chunin or Jonin, then that only left.....

"Go and round up any Genin that you think will be suitable for this mission" Tsunade instructs. "You have thirty minutes until you need to leave. We can't waste any time in catching up to Sasuke."

"Yes ma'am" Shikamaru sighs, looking to the ceiling for help, before turning to Ashley. "I suppose you're up for this mission?"

"No way" Ashley rejects the question, scowling at Shikamaru. "I'm not going."

"Uh, why not?" Shikamaru presses, surprised by the blonde's reaction. "He's your teammate, not to mention your cousin. Don't you want to rescue him before Orochimaru gets to him?"

"He left of his own free will" Ashley states hotly. "I've already tried talking to him, and so have Sakura and Kakashi Sensei. He won't come back with you."

"So you've given up already" Shikamaru concludes, disappointed in the blonde girl. "That's not like you Ashley."

Here, Ashley shoots Shikamaru a poisonous glare. She was already grieving over Sasuke's decision, as well as trying to control her fury over it. Why were people trying to force her to go after him? He had already rejected all of them and willing gone to Orochimaru for power, even after knowing what the man had done.

"You don't understand anything Shikamaru" Ashley growls, before stalking over to the door and flinging it open. Without so much as a look back, Ashley slams the door behind her, leaving Tsunade and Shikamaru both staring after her.

The Nara heaves a sigh, rubbing at the bridge of his nose as he turns back to face Tsunade.

"...I didn't mean to make her mad" he comments, to which Tsunade gives him a wry smile. "I thought she might hit me."

"You know she's not angry at you" the Hokage assures Shikamaru. "She's angry at Sasuke, and probably hurt too. She's only just gotten home, and something like this has happened. I can only imagine the disappointment. Now, go and gather your team."

Shikamaru drops the stick he had been using to scribble formation images into the dirt and rises from his crouched position, turning his head from side to side in a bid to stretch his neck a little.

"Now that we've gone over the formation we'll be travelling in" the Nara sighs, eyeing the small team in front of him. "I just have one more thing to say......For as long as I can remember, Sasuke and I haven't been the best of friends. In fact, I don't really like the guy much at all. However, Sasuke is a Ninja from the HiddenLeafVillage, making him our comrade. And I'll gladly put my life on the line for a comrade. That's just the way of our Village."

Here, Shikamaru sends his rag tag team a serious look.

"I know that normally, I'm a pretty lazy guy" the boy admits. "But not today. Because now, I'm not just responsible for my life, but for all of your lives as well."

Crouched on the ground, one hand petting Akamaru, Kiba can't help but smirk, as Choji looks to his best friend approvingly and Neji raises one eyebrow, arms folded over his chest.

"Wow" Kiba teases, "Never thought I'd see the day that Shikamaru would act like a Chunin. Impressive."

Lee, standing next to a dejected looking Naruto, nods his head enthusiastically. He felt invigorated by Shikamaru's heartfelt speech. It was only too bad that he still needed his surgery, or else he would have gladly gone on the mission with all of them.

Shikamaru smirks back at Kiba, about to tell his team to head out, when an approaching figure causes him to pause.

"Change your mind?" he asks hopefully, his mind already whirring about how to include Ashley in their plans.

He'd seen her fight. She could sometimes be a little too hasty when she was mad, or trying to protect someone, but Shikamaru knew that Ashley could be a powerful ally when she was serious. She would be more than welcome to join his team for this mission.

"Ashley-chan!" Naruto exclaims, seemingly cheering up as his teammate comes to a stop in front of them all.

Neji regards the girl neutrally, while Choji raises his hand in a wave, also happy to have another person join the retrieval squad. Kiba however, ducks his head, looking away awkwardly.

"I already told you" Ashley huffs, "I'm not coming. I'm just here to see Naruto off, and I have no doubt Sakura will come too. So I've gotta stop them both from doing anything stupid."

"You're not coming?" Naruto asks, distraught. "Why not? It's Sasuke! We have to rescue hi-"

"You're not rescuing him Naruto" Ashley sighs, running a hand down her face. How many times did she have to say it? "He left willingly. He doesn't want to be here. Not with you, not with me. Not with any of us. There's no point going after him."

Ashley stares up at Naruto with her brows furrowed, though her eyes seem to be begging him to understand. The Uzumaki however, just looks back at Ashley in disbelief, almost as if she had just slapped him in the face.

"Don't you even want to try to stop him Ashley-chan?" Naruto urges, desperate to bring his best friend back. "Orochimaru is gonna-"

"I know what Orochimaru is gonna do to him Naruto!" Ashley interjects hotly, stepping forwards and grabbing onto the front of Naruto's jacket, the hopelessness that she feels trickling out. "I know better than anyone what's he's gonna do, and I told Sasuke that! I told him! I tried, okay? I tried......."

Naruto looks down into Ashley's face sadly, seeing her eyes wavering and able to feel that the hands gripping his jacket, are trembling.

"I-I'm not going" she adds decisively, releasing Naruto and turning her head, averting her eyes. "And you can't change my mind.......I just wanted to see you before you left. I don't know what's going to happen, but don't lose your life for Sasuke. That goes for all of you."

Shikamaru, Neji, Choji and Kiba all regard Ashley solemnly, feeling a little more tense after that exchange.

"Do you know something that we don't?" Neji queries, wanting to make sure they have all of the information before they leave.

"No" Ashley sighs. "I have no idea what's waiting for you if you go after Sasuke. I just know that......you should be very cautious whenever Orochimaru is involved...."

"We'll be careful Ashley-chan" Naruto promises softly, placing one hand on her shoulder. "And we'll bring Sasuke back, and make him apologise."

Glancing past Ashley, Shikamaru internally groans, seeing Sakura approaching them. It was clear she was crying too.

"I'm sorry Sakura" the Nara apologises, as she stops beside her teammates. "Lady Tsunade told me what happened, but I can't bring you on this mission."

"....Did Sasuke turn his back on you too Sakura-chan?" Naruto asks quietly, feeling somewhat useless, as Sakura breaks into a fresh round of tears.

Ashley remains silent, her eyes now hooded, though she does place a comforting hand on the pink haired girl's back.

".....N-Naruto" Sakura pleads, rubbing at her eyes. "Please b-bring Sasuke back. This is a once in a l-life time request. Please.....Just bring him home. Naruto, y-you're the only one w-who can save him now....."

"H-Hey!" Ashley cries out, grabbing Sakura by the shoulders and pulling her over to look the girl in the face. "You can't ask that Sakura! You can't burden him with that kind of promise! What if Sasuke doesn't come back, huh?"

Feeling a little frantic, Ashley looks to Naruto with wide eyes, only to see him smiling forlornly at Sakura. She feels her heart drop.

He was going to promise it, wasn't he?

"Wow Sakura" Naruto laughs quietly. "......You must care about Sasuke a lot, huh? I can see that you're suffering."

Ashley narrows her eyes at the blonde, releasing Sakura and stepping over to him.

"Naruto, you don't have to do that" she tells him firmly, worried that such a promise will weigh on him. "You see? This is the kind of stuff that means I have to constantly keep an eye on you two. You don't need to-"

"Don't worry about it Ashley-chan" Naruto grins, giving his two female teammates a thumbs up. "Coz I'm gonna bring Sasuke back home! I promise that on my life Sakura!"

Ashley's shoulders droop slightly at this, while hope seems to sparkle in Sakura's eyes.

"That's a pretty big statement Naruto" Kiba speaks up, only partially joking. "You really think you should be promising stuff like that to her?"

"Exactly" Ashley mutters under her breath, momentarily forgetting the awkward atmosphere between her and Kiba.

"Sure!" Naruto confirms, the picture of determination now. "When I give my word, you can count on it! It's my Ninja Way!"

Clearly feeling reenergized, Naruto pumps a fist into the air.

"Come on guys!" he shouts, already marching towards the gate. "What are we waiting for? Let's get goin!"

"Alright then" Shikamaru agrees, watching as the other boys straighten up and grab their stuff. "This little interruption has cost us some time, so let's move out."

With that, Shikamaru, Neji, Choji and Kiba all head towards the gate, with Akamaru riding on the Inuzuka's shoulder.

Against his better judgement, Kiba turns his head to peek back at the girls, only to see that Ashley is watching him intently, her arms crossed and her mouth set in a firm line. Resisting the urge to send her a reassuring grin, Kiba turns back around, a small part of him wishing that she'd have told him to be safe, like she had for his previous mission...

'I hope they'll be okay.....' Ashley thinks to herself, concerned about what the boys might run into.

If they were lucky, Sasuke was travelling alone for the time being. Ashley had thought it to be quite unlikely that they'd run into Orochimaru himself, though the thought of it being a possibility did fill her with a sense of dread.

".....Don't cry anymore Sakura" she sighs, patting the girl's shoulder comfortingly.

"I'd feel better if you were going with them" Sakura admits, facing Ashley fully and regarding her with tear filled eyes.

Ashley quickly retracts her hand and turns away, looking to Lee, who had also remained behind. She can see it written all over his face, that he wants to go with them.

"When's your surgery Lee?" the blonde asks, wanting to avoid the subject of why she didn't go. "I know it's soon, but I can't remember when Lady Tsunade said it was."

"It is today actually!" Lee says brightly, delighted that he'd finally be getting it done. "I am already looking forward to recovering and being able to fight with my friends again!"

Ashley smiles half-heartedly at that. He was eager, sure, but Ashley was pretty sure that Lee wouldn't be fighting again any time soon.

Ashley's POV

'I wonder they are now' I think to myself, feeling somewhat sedate. 'I wonder if they're alright......'

I glance up as I bump into something, not having been paying attention. I see Sakura look back over her shoulder at me, her nose wrinkled.

"Pay attention to where you're going Ashley" she scolds me, trying to maintain some normalcy, despite her unease. "That's the second time you've walked into the back of me. And you're stepping on the back of my shoe."

"Ah....sorry" I apologise absentmindedly, lifting my foot and stepping back from Sakura.

This causes her to sigh, pausing in the middle of the hallway to turn around. She reaches out, taking the small basket of fruit from my hands.

"I'll carry this" she advises me, a ghost of a smile on her face. "I don't want you to squash it. Now come on, I think we're almost there."

I nod silently, following after Sakura as she begins to walk again, her green eyes scanning the room numbers as we pass each door.

We'd been distracting ourselves all day. From going for a walk, to eating lunch out, and hanging around at the flower shop to talk to Ino, the two of us had been doing whatever we could to keep our minds off of Sasuke and the mission the boys had gone on.

It was Sakura who had suggested coming to visit Lee. We had stopped by the Hokage Tower to ask Lady Tsunade and Shizune if the surgery was completed, and they had, quite joyfully, told us that the surgery had been a success.

By now, he had been out of surgery for about two hours and, as sour of a mood as I was in, I did look forward to seeing Lee. Not only to see that he was feeling better, but he was always bright and positive, and both Sakura and I needed a little bit of that right now.

"Here it is" Sakura informs me, pointing at the door on her left. She knocks quietly, before slowly sliding the door open and peering inside. "Lee? We're here to- huh?"

"What is it?" I can't help asking, seeing the way she stops right in the middle of the doorway.

"Uh, I think they might have told us the wrong room number" Sakura says, sounding confused as she steps further into the room. "There's no one here."

I follow Sakura and enter the room, glancing around as she sets the fruit basket down on a bedside table, hands now on her hips. There is a blanket on the bed, all messed up and left in a pile, as if someone had thrown it there. The window is open too, with the sheer curtains gently billowing in the breeze.

"....It seems like someone was here" I point out, shrugging. "Maybe they moved him to another room."

"Maybe we should go and ask at the reception de-"

"See?!" a voice exclaims in a panic, causing both Sakura and I to turn around.

We both look in time, just to see Guy come skidding to a halt at the door, his fingers gripping the doorway, before he crashes into the room. His eyes dart around wildly, not even seeming to notice us, before Shizune and Lady Tsunade also come stampeding through the door. Their eyes widen when they see the room.

"Girls" Shizune addresses Sakura and I very seriously. "Did either of you see Lee in here?"

"Huh?" Sakura asks, thoroughly confused. "No, we didn't. We just got here and the room was empty. We thought we'd been given the wrong room number."

"That kid..." Tsunade growls, hands balling into fists. "I bet he's gone to join that mission..."

"He's in no shape to fight!" Shizune cries in horror. "He shouldn't even be moving yet! He won't stand a chance if he runs into the Sound Four! We must go after him immediately!"

I stare at Shizune with a hard gaze, suddenly zoning out as I feel my body freeze in place, dismayed by what I have just heard. For a moment, I feel like I'm not even attached to my own body, just floating in space, as her words echo in my mind. I can instantly hear my own heart thudding in my ears, a feeling of fear washing over me.

I'm not scared for myself though. I'm scared for them.

"What did you just say?" I demand to know, snapping out of my stupor.

Shizune's head whips around to look at me, the woman probably catching the seriousness in my voice. I stare at her with wide, troubled eyes, sincerely hoping that I had heard wrong. But I know I didn't.

"Why would Lee run into the Sound Four?" I ask urgently, seeing the conflicted expression on Shizune's face. "Tell me! Are the Sound Four chaperoning Sasuke?"

Here, Shizune looks to Lady Tsunade, though the blonde woman is now gazing at me intently.

"You know them?" is all she asks, though she sounds tentative.

"I know who they are, yes" I confirm, my hands now in my hair. "If they're with Sasuke then Naruto and the others......"

"Ashley?" Sakura asks carefully, watching me with terrified eyes. "I don't like how you're reacting. What's going on?"

I feel my breath quicken as I look back at Sakura, my fingers still curled into my hair. I turn away and begin to pace back and forth, my mind whirring.

If the Sound Four have gone after my friends, they are in incredible danger. I've never fought against them myself, but I know that Orochimaru had given each of them a Curse Mark, and they were known to be some of his strongest henchmen......

There's no way my friends stood a chance against them.

I pause beside a wall and slam my fist into it, baring my teeth and berating myself for not having gone with them.

Who cares if going after Sasuke is pointless? Let him do what he wants. I don't want to see his face anyway. But I don't want my friends to suffer for his stupid choices.

I should have gone with them. I should have.

Looking to Lady Tsunade pointedly, the woman seeming to return my look with one of understanding, I spin on my heel and leap out of the open window.

"Ashley!" I hear Sakura call behind me. "Wait!"

I land on the ground on all fours, before rising up and breaking into a sprint, running as fast as I can towards my house.

I'll have to apologise to Sakura later.

It doesn't take me too long to reach to my home, with me quickly unlocking the door and barrelling through so fast, it's possible that I just busted it. I run into my room and throw open a draw, hurriedly grabbing my usual weapon pouches and holsters, ensuring that my summoning contract is there too.

I jump back to my feet, not bothering to reclose the draw, clumsily try to run and strap my weapons to my body, bumping into walls as I do so. Slamming my front door behind me, I take off once again, now heading for the main gates.

I'd have liked to just go, but I at least wanted my summoning contract with me, so I can summon all of my Wolves at once. I'm going to need all the help I can get, should I run into any of the Sound Four...

After a few minutes I reach the front gates, racing through them and continuing on into the surrounding forest. I don't know how far my friends have managed to get since this morning, but I'm just going to have to run like my life depends on it to try and catch up. Or, maybe even more motivating, like their lives depend on it.

I bite down on my thumb, pulling out my new summoning scroll and quickly unrolling it, before swiping my blood across the parchment.

"Summoning Jutsu!" I call out, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

I feel all of my Wolves hitting the ground around me as I run, breaking out of the smoke cloud, only for all seven of them to follow after me.

"It would seem that the new contract works well Milady" Ace points out, glancing back at the other Wolves. "We are all here."

"I'm glad" I comment, also sparing a look over my shoulder. "I'm gonna need all of you."

Running alongside Kai, Rei, Jet and Chi, I see a very surprised looking Aki, his wide, sapphire eyes trying to inspect himself as he runs, as if he cannot believe he had just teleported. Unfazed however, Tiez runs next to him, meeting my gaze and shooting me a fiery grin, her eyes shining.

"What's going on Milady?" Rei calls from behind me. "It's not often we are all summoned at once!"

"Please catch up everyone" Ace sighs. "So Milady does not have to yell."

"Easy for you to say" I hear Kai mutter. He may physically be the strongest of all of my Wolves, but he certainly wasn't the fastest.

Everyone picks up the pace a tiny bit, all seven Wolves now surrounding me. While the others spare me glances of concern, Chi bounds forwards with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, looking as though he is having a great time.

"I'm going to give you all the short version" I say curtly. "Last night, Sasuke defected from the Leaf, and he's gone to find Orochimaru."

"What?!" Rei exclaims, horrified. "Why would he go to that monster?"

"I'll snap that damn snake's neck" Kai growls ferociously, red eyes blazing.

"Hopefully we won't be running into him" I reply, briefly squeezing my eyes closed at the thought. "Anyway, Kiba, Naruto, Shikamaru, Choji, Neji and now Lee have gone after him, and I've just found out that the Sound Four are escorting Sasuke."

"What?" Rei asks again, her lavender eyes round. "Oh dear, this is not good...."

"They are very dangerous Milady" Ace reminds me. "You must not face them."

"I know they're dangerous Ace" I reply, scowling as I focus on the road ahead. "That's why I'm here. I need to help my friends. There's no way they'll be able to fight the Sound Four alone."

"Pardon me Darling" Aki interrupts in a smooth voice, "But who are these Sound Four? Tiez and I are a little out of the loop you know."

"Long story short" I sigh. "They're really bad guys. They work for Orochimaru, the guy that killed our Clan and took me as a kid. They won't hesitate to kill my friends. Or us."

"Oh" Aki chuckles nervously, sweat dropping. "Wonderful."

"We will help you Milady" Jet assures me. "You can count on us."

"Yes, that's right!" Rei agrees. "We'll do whatever we can!"

"I can't wait to kill some bad guys!" Tiez laughs manically. "Just you watch Boss, I'll get way more of them than you."

"Thank you everyone" I say genuinely, a faint smile on my face. "But we'll have to be extremely careful. The Sound Four are dangerous."

"Do you know where they are Milady?" Ace inquires, to which I shake my head.

"No, sorry" I state. "I'm going to need your noses to find where my friends are."

"A simple task" Ace answers, smirking a little, before he and the other Wolves raise their noses.

I give them all a few moments, knowing that their sensitive noses will be able to find my friends far quicker than I would be able to with my Katsuryoku. I can only sense movement at the very most, up to a kilometre away.

And if any of them weren't moving.....Well, I'd never even know that they were there.

"I believe I have caught the scent of the boy who likes to eat" Rei says slowly, her brows furrowing a little.

"Choji?" I ask, perking up at the fact that my friends have already been located. "And the others?"

"No" Kai answers. "His is the only scent. Well, there's another one, but I don't recognise it."

I clench my jaw a little at that, hooding my eyes, as we change direction and all begin to follow after Rei.

It was more likely that Kai just didn't remember the scent, seeing as we hadn't really had anything to do with them. If he didn't recognise the scent, then it must be one of the Sound Four.

But why would Choji be facing one of them alone?! It didn't make sense......

"Let's speed it up guys" I urge. "I feel uneasy that you can only smell Choji and not the others."

"There!" Rei suddenly cries, as we happen upon what looks to have been a battlefield.

I slide to a halt, my shoulders rising up and down as I breathe heavily, taking in my surroundings. Heavily dented earth and broken trees lie all around us, as well as small patches of earth, stained with blood. I narrow my eyes at the blood.

"He's over here dear!" Rei calls to me, causing my head to snap up. "Hurry, he's not doing well...."

Spotting Rei crouched besides what looks to be a crumpled body, sitting slumped against a tree, I run over and drop to my knees. I kneel over the body to get a look at the face, only to feel my heart wrench, when I see that it is Choji, the boy battered and unconscious.

Rei and I both watch, somewhat in wonder, as a pretty blue Butterfly rises from Choji's shoulder and slowly flits away, disappearing into the air as if it were a ghost.

"What on earth....." Rei murmurs to herself, while I inspect Choji.

He must have fought so hard......He is covered in blood, and his clothes are torn. Not to mention, he seems to have lost all of the fat on his body for some reason. He looks almost unrecognisable, all of the cuts and bruises covering his body not really helping. Glancing down, I see a small, empty glass case on the ground, lying near Choji's hand as if he had dropped it.

Closing my eyes for a brief second and exhaling a short breath, I place my hands together, focusing until green chakra flares up around them.

"I doubt I can do much for you Choji" I mutter to the unconscious boy, "But I'll certainly try......"

Rei watches as I place my glowing hands on Choji, trying to heal as many of his exterior injuries as I can. I'm quite certain a lot of his damage will be internal, and something to do with the drastic weight loss. But I'm no medic, and I don't know how to treat wounds like that. I'll just have to heal what I can and hope that it helps.

Behind me, I hear my other Wolves sniffing around, searching the battlefield for the enemy, as well as another scent trail to follow.

"This is all very strange" Jet comments, lifting his head and slowly gazing around.

"I can smell everybody here!" Chi barks excitedly, his tail wagging as he runs around, nose to the ground, hurriedly trying to sniff every single rock that he can find.

"Everybody?" I can't help asking, though I remain focused on trying to help Choji.

"Yes Darling" Aki answers, strolling over to me to watch. "It seems that all of your friends were here at some point, but their scents are very faint. They mustn't have stayed for long."

I feel my eyebrows knit together in concern at Aki's words, as the glow fades from my hands. I drop them into my lap, looking at Choji's face.

".....Why would they just leave him here?" I wonder out loud, before shaking my head and reaching into one of my holsters.

I pull out a small red flare and hold it up towards the sky, before setting it off. We all watch as the bright red light skyrockets upwards, a loud sizzling sound disappearing as it goes.

I'm sure Lady Tsunade would have sent out some sort of backup or recovery team by now, and my hope is that they'll be able to see my flare and know to come here to help Choji.

"Do you think they left the boy here to fight one of the Sound Four on his own?" Ace suggests, also walking over to us. "We found the body of his opponent back over there."

"Who was it?"

"The big one with orange hair" Ace replies, shrugging. "I do not recall his name. I do not care about his name."

"...He's dead?" I ask, wanting to be sure before we leave.

"Yes."

I shake my head in disbelief, before raising my eyes to Choji's face again. I can't believe he had managed to kill one of the Sound Four, all by himself. I'm upset to see Choji like this of course, but I'm so impressed by him at the same time.

"You've been holding out on us Choji" I say to him, laughing a little to try and make things seem less awful. I reach out and pat his shoulders, my face becoming serious again. "....They'll be here to help you soon Choji, I promise."

Feeling reluctant to leave, I slowly rise to my feet. What if they didn't see the flare? Or it ran out before they could get to Choji? Would he die then?

"Darling" Aki addresses, stepping in front of me and smiling warmly. "If it will be beneficial to you, I will stay here with your friend. I can see that you don't wish to leave him."

"Aki, I'm not leaving you behind. No."

"There is nothing to fear Darling" the Wolf chuckles, ruffling his shiny fur. "I will guide any Leaf Ninja this way when they come. Or, if anyone less agreeable should come along, I can either remain hidden and cast Genjutsu, or transport the boy and myself to another location."

I stare at the black and white Wolf dubiously, not wanting to leave him alone. I know that the likelihood of anything bad happening to him is quite low, but I can't help but fear that he could possibly get hurt...

"I will be perfectly fine" Aki assures me, butting his head against my shoulder. "It would be my honour to protect the friend of such a lovely partner."

Still hesitating for a few moments, I soon decide to accept Aki's offer. We can't afford to waste any time and at least this way, I know Choji will be seen to, as well as protected.

"Thank you Aki" I say softly, kissing the Wolf's head and rising to my feet. "Alright, who has the next trail?"

"I do" Kai states, before pausing, as if he wants to say more. Apparently deciding against it however, he turns to leave. "We've got a way to go though, so come on."

"Behave yourself Tiez darling" Aki calls cheekily, winking at the small Wolf, as he lays down beside Choji, one paw on the boy's leg.

".......Just be careful you big idiot" Tiez mutters back, seemingly hesitant to leave without Aki.

I stare at the scene before me in horror, not even sure where to look first. Trees lie in shambles around us, absolutely decimated. Hundreds of kunai knives litter the ground like fallen leaves, as well as huge, circular craters, making it difficult to walk without stumbling. Blood is everywhere. Everywhere....

My stomach drops however, when I see two bodies up ahead, one lying face down and one on its back. I don't care about the body lying on its front, seeing that it has six arms. Easy enough to see that he is one of the Sound Four.

The other body however....

"Neji!" I call out, rushing over to the Hyuga and dropping down heavily beside him. Seeing that he is covered in blood and that he isn't moving, I place two fingers to his neck. "......He hasn't got a heartbeat..."

Despite not knowing Neji very well, I feel tears begin to prick at my eyes at the sight of the dead boy. This is exactly what I hadn't wanted.

His pale face, normally scowling, looks so calm and serene now. Normally tied back in a low ponytail, his brown hair is wild and tangled, and I can see a symbol on his forehead, usually covered by his Leaf headband. A deep slash wound is carved into Neji's shoulder, as well as multiple lacerations across his whole body. Probably from some of these kunai......

"I could smell so much blood" Kai admits, his ears laid back as he sits beside me. "I didn't want you to stress about it the whole way here, so I didn't tell you...."

"Never mind that" I say dismissively, wracking my brain. "If we can just get his heart to restart, then maybe I can help him. But how to......"

"Milady" Rei speaks up, looking down at Neji with sorrowful eyes as she approaches me. "Perhaps I can help jumpstart his heart? I don't know if it will work, but we must try to help the poor dear...."

"What do you suggest Rei?" I ask.

".....Perhaps short bursts of electricity will help" Rei says slowly, not sounding convinced by her own words. "And if you are able to pour your chakra into his body, perhaps then, we might be able to do something....."

"It can't hurt to try" I immediately agree, placing my hands together. "Just don't shock me, okay? I can't touch him while you're shocking him."

"Of course dear, of course" Rei agrees, placing both paws on top of Neji's chest and looking to me with worry in her eyes. "Are you ready?"

I see sparks of electricity begin to dance across Rei's fur, as green chakra flares up around my hands.

"Ready" I confirm, watching as Rei's body lights up with lightning, the electrical surge travelling down her legs and into Neji's chest in an instant.

"Go dear, go!" Rei urges, scrambling away from Neji and allowing me to press my hands against his chest.

I use all of my concentration to try and push my chakra into his network, despite the fact that it is dead. Hopefully, if Rei can stimulate his heart into working, I can also get his chakra network to start up again as well.

After a few seconds of watching Neji's face hopefully, I remove my hands and lean back.

"Nothing..." I curse under my breath. "Go again Rei!"

Nodding her head, Rei quickly shuffles forwards and places her paws on Neji's chest again, allowing the chakra to build up inside her. In a split second, electricity travels down her legs again and zaps Neji, before the Wolf swiftly withdraws.

I press my palms back against Neji's chest, my arms shaking. I've never had to try and bring someone back from the dead before. Considering Neji is still slightly warm, I can only assume that he passed recently, something that gives me the tiniest bit of hope that we will be able to save him.

"Nothing" I choke out, my throat hurting as I try to hold in a sob. "Again!"

My heart beating loudly against my chest, I watch as Rei places her paws over Neji's heart again, determination in her kind eyes.

"It's time to wake up dear!" the Wolf shouts, as another jolt of electricity shoots down into the Hyuga's body.

"Work dammit, work!" I growl desperately, placing my palms back on Neji and pouring my chakra into him.

After a second or two, I feel a tiny pulse underneath my fingertips, something that makes me suddenly sit up straighter, my eyes widening. Rei sees my reaction and leans forwards, her ears pricking up and her eyes gleaming.

"What is it dear?" she asks urgently, her eyes flicking between my face and Neji's. "What is it? Did it work?"

I feel another small movement under my hands, a smile slowly creeping its way onto my face as I look down at Neji. I can feel my chakra finally beginning to flow into his system, as his chakra network slowly begins to accept my energy.

"It's working" I whisper in disbelief, my smile broadening as I look to Rei. "It's working Rei!"

"Ah, this is wonderful!" she cries happily, bouncing up and down. "Oh, I am so relieved........"

"Well done my mate" Ace says quietly, walking over to the white Wolf and allowing her to bury her face in his chest. "Well done Milady."

"You owe me big time Neji" I can't help laughing, almost giddy at my relief to feel his heart beating again.

My Wolves all watch on as I continue to pour my chakra into Neji's body, only stopping when I feel that he'll have enough to sustain him, before I switch to healing the gaping wound on his shoulder.

No point bringing Neji back to life, just to let an injury kill him again.

"So" I say, more to myself than anyone, "It looks like they've been splitting up to fight these guys one on one for some reason."

"Maybe they're trying to get to Sasuke as quickly as possible" Kai suggests.

"Fighting these guys seems like a huge pain" Tiez points out, sitting next to me and watching Neji's healing wound closely.

"They might have thought that fighting as a group would lose them too much time" Jet offers, glancing down at Kidomaru's body and pulling a face. "I'm not sure if I agree with their choice, but we're yet to see if their gamble paid off."

"Well Neji died" I state dryly, a frown finding its way back onto my face. "So no, I don't think it was worth it. I really hope that....."

I trail off, not finishing my sentence. I don't even want to say it out loud.

But inwardly, I really hope that none of the others have ended up like Neji as well.

I feel a painful tug in my chest at the thought, as I drop my bloodied hands back into my lap, the chakra fading from around them.

"Phew....." I release a low breath, feeling tired, as I pull out another flare and set it off. "No time to rest, let's find the next one."

"Dear" Rei says hesitantly, her eyes falling to Neji. "......I'm going to stay here with him. I-If his heart stops again, I may be able to save him. And like Aki dear said, if anything untoward were to happen, I can at least protect this boy."

Ace stares at Rei hard, his ears folded back. He clearly isn't happy to hear that Rei wants to stay behind, and while I feel the same way.....Neji is incredibly unstable right now. Leaving Rei here to watch over him will give him even more chance of surviving this.

"Alright Rei" I concede reluctantly, placing one hand on her head. "But please, be careful."

"I will" Rei reassures me, before rubbing her cheek against Ace's shoulder. "I'll be fine Ace dear. Now, go and protect Lady Ashley."

"........Be safe" Ace murmurs in Rei's ear, before turning away and following, as the rest of us break out into a run.

I feel Ace watching me as we let Jet and Chi take the lead, my hands still feeling a little shaky. While I do still have enough chakra, should anyone else need to be healed, I'm already feeling the effects of using so much to help Choji and Neji.

As we run, I can't help letting my thoughts wander to Kiba. Is he alright? Has he been hurt, or worse? I don't even want to think about it.....It's such a painful thought and it fills me with so much dread, that for a second, I feel like I can't breathe.

I feel like an idiot. If I'd known things were going to get this dangerous, I'd have just made myself go up to Kiba and talk to him. Tell him my feelings even. Now, if anything happened to him, I'd regret not being brave enough to talk to him for the rest of my life.

We continue to race through the forest for a long time, me keeping my eyes and ears on high alert and my Katsuryoku activated, despite the fact that my Wolves will be able to smell anyone approaching us long before I'd sense their movements.

Ahead of me, Jet suddenly comes to a stop, with Chi slowing down as well, his head tilted to the side in confusion. Ace, Kai and Tiez begin turning their heads, noses in the air, before all of my Wolves exchange a strange look with each other.

"What's going on?" I ask warily, hands on my hips as I pause to catch my breath.

"Well" Jet says awkwardly, "....I'm not really sure what you'll want to do here Milady, but....."

"Shika-chan is up ahead" Chi picks up, tail wagging speedily. "And someone else, but Chi-chan doesn't know who it is......"

"And that dog kid is somewhere off to the left" Kai finishes. "Everyone in the group must have gone on ahead, but for some reason, the dog guy and his...well, his dog, are way over this way now."

I turn my head to the left automatically, hearing that Kiba is somewhere over there, despite not being able to see far thanks to the surrounding trees.

Turning back, I see Kai hesitating again, as if he is measuring up whether he should tell me something or not.

"What is it Kai?" I ask, probably a littler more harshly than I meant to. "......Is it blood?"

Kai regards me solemnly, his expression answering the question for me. While all of my Wolves have incredible senses of smell, Kai's nose is exceptional when it comes to sniffing out blood. Perhaps due to his love of blood and getting a taste of it when he took down his enemies, but for whatever reason, he could smell even the tiniest drop from a far distance.

I run my hands down my face and then place them back on my hips, looking up at my Wolves indecisively.

".....Can you guys tell if Kiba or Shikamaru are fighting anyone right now?" I inquire. "Or if they're moving at all?"

"I'm not sure if Shikamaru is moving or not" Jet tells me, turning back to look ahead, sniffing the air, "But there are four other presences there with him. They are all unfamiliar."

"And there's something happening with that Kiba kid" Kai points out, narrowing his eyes. "But I can't tell what...."

"Are there not two more friends that you were following after as well Milady?" Ace reminds me, only adding to my unease.

"Yeah, where are Naruto and Lee?" I wonder out loud, looking up at the sky. "Alright.........I'm going after Kiba. Ace, you're coming with me. Jet, Chi, Kai and Tiez, you're going to keep going straight ahead, to Shikamaru. If you need to split up to help Naruto or Lee, do it in pairs. Do not fight anyone alone, got it?"

My four Wolves nod, with Tiez looking incredibly nervous.

"Chi and Jet, I want you two to stay together if you guys have to split up" I instruct, glancing at the two. "I don't remember the name, but I know one of the Sound Four uses Genjutsu, and it wasn't either of the two we've found dead. Chi will be the only one of you who can counter it. Can you do that Chi?"

"Yep, yep, yeperooni!" the puppy answers, sitting down and saluting me with his paw, completely unbothered.

"Kai, look after Tiez" I continue, able to see the instant relief on the smaller Wolf's face. "And both of you. Don't get carried away. Protect each other, don't run into any danger on purpose."

"You know us too well Milady" Kai grins, baring his huge fangs. "Me and the kid will be fine. Right kid?"

"Right Boss!" Tiez barks, suddenly seeming as confident as usual again. "You can count on us!"

"No fighting until death" I finish, warning the four Wolves that I am about to leave behind. "If you can't win a fight or get away, you go back home. I will not have any of you dying on me today."

"Only the bad guys are gonna die today" Chi promises me cheerfully, bounding away with Jet behind him. "Right Jet-chan?"

The huge Wolf merely rolls his golden eyes, as Kai and Tiez run alongside him, the two sharing devilish grins with each other that, admittedly, make me feel a little nervous.

Despite my impatience to find Kiba and Akamaru, I wait in place until my Wolves have disappeared from view, feeling apprehensive. I don't want to send them off on their own, but I'm sure we'll be able to help everyone better this way.

"Have you got Kiba's scent Ace?" I ask, ready to change direction and go.

"Yes Milady" my partner confirms. "Please, follow me."