N/A: Wow, you guys have been waiting forever (in case anyone's still reading the story). I apologize for making you wait so much. I'm not dropping the story though, so that's some good news! :) Anyway, obviously I need to adapt to Canon since when I started this story things were "a bit" different :) I'm getting there. Thanks for your patience!

Collision

It seems like I've been hiding in these woods for an eternity. There was no sign of him, no matter how much I searched. If he didn't want to be found it was close to impossible to track him down. Which only confirmed what I already knew deep inside, but didn't want to admit. I was his plaything. Moreover, he now had crucial intel on my clan's Forbidden Jutsu.

I sighed and put out the fire that was barely burning, warming me up. I only let it burn for a few minutes, weary of the unwanted attention it could spark.

Like a cold ice cube rubbing against my hot skin, I felt another presence. I felt him (the first thing I could tell was that it was a him) approaching rapidly, his mind a burning beacon in the darkness. I jumped on a tree branch and my back pressed agains the cold bark.

I closed my eyes and focused on his mind. A familiar presence, though I wasn't skilled enough to put my finger on it...

Before I could press further, a kunai hit scraped my shoulder, embedding itself in the tree.

He's still far away...how could he pinpoint my location in the dark like that...?

My heart was racing. He was a Konoha shinobi, do doubt. I didn't want to hurt anyone from my village, but I also didn't want to go down before I could take my revenge.

"Come quietly and I won't hurt you."

An all too familiar voice rang in my ears as he landed right in front of me.

It all made sense now. How he could spot me so easily...

Hyuuga Neji was standing in front of me, Byaakugan activated. His unusual, lilac eyes stared into my own and I wavered.

Everyone knows now...You're a missing nin...

I closed my eyes, trying to silence the voice in my head.

They sent one of their best after you...it's a compliment really. Kill him and you might just make it in the Bingo Book.

My eyes shot open. Just how far was I willing to go? How much of myself did I have to give up?

"I'm not coming back." I replied in a controlled tone. "I'm not going to do anything against our village. I just want to leave."

"If only it were so easy." he replied with a smirk. "You still believe you can make your own choices? You're a shinobi. We're never free."

Anger and sadness overcame me all at once. Anger at his statement, sadness because it was similar to what Itachi said and it proved him right.

But I wasn't about to agree with them.

He was standing right in front of me, an unsuspecting victim. My fingers formed the seal so quickly that his eyes widened just as my mind took over.

What now...

I performed the jutsu by habit and because it was my best shot against a Byakugaan user. But I didn't want to hurt Neji. He was just doing his job after all.

While I was thinking of a way out of this predicament, I felt the cold touch of steel as a Shuriken scraped Neji's neck, drawing blood. I quickly turned my eyes to the direction it came from, but the Byaakugan's reach was too much for me to handle. As I saw into the distance, taking in the glow of chakra from all living things, my head pounded with pain.

How the hell do you turn this damn thing off?

Kai!

I embraced the familiar feeling of my body as I flew to my feet. Neji's mind took over his body again, but he was still confused.

Still, he should be able to move...I thought, looking at his limp form.

"I won't let you hurt Ino." I heard a much too familiar voice.

Then I noticed the shadow binding Neji.

"What are you doing?!" Neji spat. "I have strict orders from Hokage-sama to bring her back ot take her out!"

"I don't care if your oderes come from God himself." Shikamaru spoke as he landed between us, his fingers still forming the seal for Kagemane no Jutsu. "You're not laying a finger on her."

I felt a sharp pain in my heart, like a stab wound. He came after Neji. Even after all I had done, he still put my safety above all else.

Shikamaru turned his eyes to me. The strain of holding Neji was visible as a drop of sweat ran down his face.

"I don't know why you're doing this. But you're coming back with me." His tone was definitive, unwavering. It caught me off guard.

I felt tears clouding my eyes and I wiped them away, furiously. I didn't come this far to quit. Not even for Shikamaru.

"Go back to Konoha. Forget about me." I said in the coldest tone I could manage.
Maybe he ran out of Chakra or maybe my words shocked him so much he couldn't hold the jutsu. Either way, in a split second I felt Neji's hand touch my ribs and something broke inside of me. I fell to the ground, screaming.

Her scream echoed in the otherwise quiet woods. It made my blood freeze.

I rushed in the direction it came from with Kisame right behind me. I knew his presence was a bother, but I didn't care anymore. I would take him out if it came to that. I felt fear, for the first time in a long time. For the first time, I didn't care about the consequences.

I made it right in time to see her hit the ground in front of me. It was a nasty fall, but not fatal. Still, I saw her cough blood.

My eyes took in the scene quickly.

Two Konoha shinobi in battle position on the branches straight above. One of them was a Hyuuga. The other was the brat I spared in a previous encounter.

Ino clenched on the ground in obvious pain.

The Hyuuga must have hit one of her Chakra points. I feel rage growing inside me like never before.

"Itachi-san." Kisame spoke. "Are we gonna have a little fun with these brats?"

"No." I replied in an icy tone. "They're mine. Don't interfere."

"You're as cruel as ever, Itachi-san." Kisame replied as he took a step back.

My eyes formed the Mangekyou Sharingan as I looked at the Hyuuga brat. He had already jumped down at a safe distance from me and assumed the Hyuuga battle stance.

The Nara boy was at Ino's side, holding her in his arms. While I disliked his proximity to her, I felt somewhat reassured that someone was at her side.

I approached the Hyuuga slowly. Their clan's techniques, although formidable, were no match for me.

I knew that in his mind, he had already drawn the circle to perform the Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms Combo. I stepped right into it.

His first blow hit the rough armor of Susano'o. His surprise was so great that he actually looked into my eyes for a split second.

He hit the ground before the Nara boy had time to flinch.

My first instinct was to kill him, but I managed to control myself. I had never been blood-thirsty, but I was filled with rage at the thought that he hurt her.

I turned towards Ino. It seemed she had fainted, which was all for the best.

The Nara boy placed himself in front of her with a determined look. I smiled inwardly. He wanted to protect her...against me.

Uchiha Itachi was a formidable opponent, but I wasn't going to let him hurt Ino. He already put Choji in a coma. He'd have to go over my dead body to get to her.

His creepy armor jutsu had worn off, but his eyes still held a deadly threat.

I took in the situation quickly. The other Akatsuki member wasn't interfering.

Itachi was approaching with small steps like he wasn't in a hurry.

"Go back to your village." he spoke, pointing his finger at me. "And I won't take your life."

Good thing he puts his ego above all else. And he's underestimating me.

I'll use Shadow Neck Binding on both of them. I might not have enough Chakra to go through with it, but it might buy me just enough time to take Ino and get out of here.

I form the seals quickly and my shadow reaches their own and blends in.
Itachi stops in his tracks, visibly surprised. Shark guy is trapped as well.

I concentrate as hard as I can and shadow hands move up their bodies and grab their necks.

It's so damn hard to hold the jutsu...my fingers shake while I try to hold the seal. Almost there, I can hear them gasping for air.

Suddenly, Itachi's body disperses in a flock of crows.

Crows...with Sharingan eyes.

While the Nara boy is fighting an imaginary version of myself, I push him aside and take her into my arms. She's unconscious and her breath is uneven. That damned Hyuuga did some damage to her Chakra flow.

Kisame shoots me an inquisitive look.

"She has nothing to do with Akatsuki. I have my own agenda." I tell him. "It's your choice whether you feel the need to inform the others of this or not."

He's going to find out anyway.

Kisame let out a heary laugh.

"Itachi-san, your business is your own. Besides, I'm not fond of them either."

I nodded. Kisame had his own agenda too. He joined the Akatsuki to further it. Unfortunately he had no idea what he signed up for.

"We'll meet up in couple of days. I'll contact you to set up a meeting place."

He nodded and walked away.

The Hyuuga brat was still laying on the ground, unconscious. It would takea a day or two for him to wake up.

As for the Nara boy, he was still trapped in my illusion world. He seemed intelligent, so I figured he'd snap out of it in an hour or two.

I looked down at the unconscious girl in my arms and my grip over her tightened.

I had her where I wanted...and still it hurt. It hurt that I had to do this again...to someone I cared about.