~oOo Chapter 7: The Coming Storm I oOo~

Morning comes, and the sun peaks over the horizon, slowly creeping up and engulfing the entirety of the sleeping village with its warm embrace. Birds can be heard as they start singing their sweet melody. The sudden cuckoo of roosters signify the start of the day. The sleepy villagers gradually wake up from their slumber, ready to start working. But one such person has already finished her work with only a few more unfinished business to spare.

A knock on her office door signals that one of persons she had sent for is here.

"Enter."

The door opens, and a woman in her mid-twenties steps inside. Yurika, a member of the Leaf Cryptanalysis Team, has short brown hair and eyes of the same color, wearing a shade of pink lipstick along with a dark short dress, a white belt, and a pair of low-heeled sandals.

She closes the door behind her and stands at the front of the desk. "Lady Hokage. You have a message?"

"Yes." Taking one of the papers on her desk, Tsunade hands it over to the message decoder. "Have one of your team code it for the Hidden Sand. Notify me once it's sent off at the aviary."

"Understood." She turns back around and proceeds to exit the room. But before she could, the Hokage calls her out again.

"Yurika."

"Yes?" She turns back around to look at the Hokage, who gets up from her seat and stands by the window.

"There is one more thing that I need you to do." She glances back at the brunette. "I need you to send those two."

~oOoOoOo~

Out in the bright blue sky, a reddish brown bird is seen overhead gliding swiftly over the village. Attached to its back is a small grayish-blue backpack. It heads southwest. Its destination, the Hidden Sand Village, which is located through the surrounding forest and into the vast desert beyond. And as it passes by a large tree, it catches sight of the glare solely directed at it.

Coming from one of the buildings below by a window, an old man watches the messenger bird with a dark and beady eye brimming with cold steel and an air of death.

The bird lets out a squawk and speedily flies away from the area. No sooner as it disappears from sight does a black blur suddenly lands by the old man's side, kneeling before him with it's masked face directed to the ground.

Without turning his head, the old man asks, "What's the status."

"In the dark."

"All movements watched."

"As we speak. We'll move forward with the plan at your command."

A small sinister smile plays on his lips. "All will be over soon. You are dismissed."

With that, the ninja blends into the shadows. Danzō doesn't leave his position, only narrowing his eye as another messenger bird flies past, this one of the color of white and without a pack. His frown only deepens, and he continues his stare at it's retreating form until it disappears completely out of sight.

~oOoOoOo~

In the middle of a courtyard stands a fifteen-year-old blond genin. Surrounding him are four tall concrete walls encompassing the wide open space and only stopping at one side where the only exit lies. With eyes closed shut and fingers steadily locked in a ram hand sign, a surge of chakra flares around him. He stays still in that position, silence overtaking the place. But after while, he couldn't help but twist his stoic features into a tiny frown.

"C'mon, already." He grits his teeth, muttering complaints under his breath.

Heaving a sigh and shaking his head, he concentrates harder as he tries to focus his mind at the task at hand. But that's easier said than done since nothing's really happening. After two hours of doing just this, the result is still the same.

Nothing.

No progress whatsoever.

"Aggghhhhh!" With a frustrated groan, Naruto opens his eyes and glares at the lonesome four-sided pole that sticks like a target at the back of the courtyard that's at least fifteen meters away. A sealing formula with a trademark swirl can seen on its front, as if taunting him and parading around how much of a loser he is.

"Hmph!" He stands up straight, crossing his arms and pouting. "You're not even a real sealing jutsu." He then moves his arms down at his side, clenching both fists. "But I'm not gonna give up!"

The boy moves back into position, going again and continuing his training.

~oOoOoOo~

After taking up the stairs, Kankurō turns left at a corner to a long winding hallway. Decorating it is a wide-stretched window that encompasses at least four-fifths of the entire floor. Outside, one could see how bright and blue the sunny day is and how alive the people are about even with the plainness of its structure in contrast.

A set of steps resounds the empty hall, and it's not one of his own. It comes from the direction he's heading to, where a tall man with black hair, goatee, and dark eyes appears around the curved wall. Yūra, a respectable jōnin, as well as one of members of the Sand's advisory council, is noted for organizing the hunt for the Sand hideouts, as well as doubling the guards and outposts to watch out for either Orochimaru, or the movements of the Akatsuki.

Yūra notices his presence. "Oh? Good morning, Lord Kankurō." He lightly bows.

The puppeteer waves it off. "Just Kankurō would do."

The jōnin awkwardly nods his head. "Right. Of course..."

He bows again and excuses himself, turning to leave. Kankurō returns his gesture with a nod and continuous his way. But just as Yūra leaves his line of sight, he hears a sudden gasp coming from the council member. He turns back around to see him hunched down, holding his head as if in pain.

"What's wrong?" Kankurō takes a step forward, but the dark-haired jōnin raises out a hand for him to stop.

"No..." He lightly shakes his head. "It is nothing... It's just the lack of sleep..."

Kankurō could only stare as the man retreats from the hallway, leaving him behind bewildered, and mostly confused.

Shaking his head, the puppeteer turns back around and makes his way to the room just a few doors away. He arrives and knocks on the door, opening it and immediately spotting his younger brother looking through the window overviewing the village. "Gaara."

The auburn-haired Kage shifts his gaze away from the scenery to look at his elder sibling standing by the door frame. He gives him a nod as permission to enter.

Once inside, Kankurō closes the door. "Hey... We'll be heading out to the hideout after the preparations are all complete." He takes a seat on one of the chairs, placing one foot on his knee. "Some of the things the team recovered yesterday are old equipment that the Sound ninja used back when they conspired against the Leaf. It's likely that they used that hideout as preparation for the joint invasion."

"The part where we helped them..." Gaara says, looking back outside the window.

Kankurō looks down, taking off his hood and scratching his messy brown locks. "Yeah, well... That still doesn't give us a lot. But we might find clues on Orochimaru beyond that sealed gate."

"The gate with an active barrier ninjutsu."

"Yeah..."

"Have you checked the note?" The young Kage glances back at him. "The one that Naruto Uzumaki gave you..."

He shrugs. "Like I told the kid, it's just an ordinary sheet of music. There's nothing special about it except that it's hand written. Probably made by the previous owner or something. Which still doesn't give us anything."

"I see." Gaara looks back at the window.

Kankurō sighs softly, standing up. "Well... I'm off." He moves toward the exit, but stops as his brother suddenly gives him a warning.

"There's a storm coming..." he says a matter-of-factly.

Kankurō turns back around, looking at him with a raised brow. "Another one?"

Gaara narrows his eyes, looking beyond the village to the hot desert plains. "Kankurō... Hold the recon mission for now. Wait for the storms to pass before heading out." He closes his eyes, whispering the last part. "I have a bad feeling about this."

~oOoOoOo~

The glare of the sun beats down on the desert wasteland, and heat can be seen radiating from the hot surface, rising in slow waves. A person could very well die of heat stroke, severe sunburn, starvation, dehydration, or even dangerous animals. However, two figures approach, the wind beating down over their bodies as they trudge the path with ease, as if gliding through the hot surface. One is of average height, while the other stands lower than four feet with it's back hunched over its head. But other than that, they wear the same black cloaks with red clouds, as well as cone-shaped straw hats with small ornamental torques and tassels hanging down and hiding their faces.

"The one who's in place here will be the first it seems. The one we sent to Orochimaru will have to wait." The first figure—the one with bits of blond hair seen through the tassels—speaks up. From the voice, a person could tell it's masculine. "This one's turned traitor and has been talking about our movements. Hmm."

"Can't be helped I suppose," a deep gruff voice says from beside him, "But even I don't know what will happen once the jutsu is cast. Are you sure what you've got in that pouch will be enough?" He indicates the small bag his partner is holding. "Our enemy possesses the jinchūriki host."

"Every one of my jutsu is a work of art." The wind brushes away one of the cloak's flaps, revealing a bag attached to his hip. "Just to be sure, I brought along my master piece. Hmm." He reaches out and unzips it, hovering his palm above it where a mouth opens up and a tongue darts forth. "We can't take our chance when our opponent is the One-Tail, hmhmhmhmm." He chuckles darkly. "After all, fine art...is an explosion."

The hunched figure scoffs at the other man's idea. "What? You call those explosions fine art? Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future… Eternal beauty."

The blond's lips curl into a scowl—though it couldn't be seen by his partner. "Eternal beauty? Hmph. Fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment of explosion."

"How utterly ridiculous."

A tick mark appears on his forehead. "Sasori, my man, if I didn't respect you enough with my highest regard as a fellow artist, I would have made you a part of my exhibit a long, LONG time ago."

The hunched figure known as Sasori slows down his pace, coming up just behind his companion. "Is that a threat...Deidara?"

Stopping in his tracks, Deidara looks behind him with an annoyed glare, his slanted blue eye trying to pierce holes through his partner's body.

The two continue their staring contest with no clue of when will it stopping. But soon enough, it breaks apart and both men start to trudge the same path towards their destination. It's Deidara who cuts the silence first.

"You're just pissed with all the absurd amount of Sand ninja running about the Land of Wind. Hmm."

"Since I don't like to wait or make people wait, this delay is quite aggravating. We need to end this quickly."

The blond agrees with him this time. "After the One-Tail is the other spy. Next to that is this mysterious informant that started all these investigations in the Land of Wind and Fire."

~oOoOoOo~

"Achoo!" Tayuya directs her sneeze to her right, narrowingly avoiding the bowl of milk and cereal in front of her. Her hair unkempt and all tangled up from sleep. And after composing herself, she mumbles absentmindedly, "Thanks for the food," And then proceeds to eat.

With one hand propped up to her chin, she spoons the bowl as lacklusterly as a person can get from waking up in the morning. She only stares at it lazily, her mind not really processing the whole ordeal of eating. It takes about a minute and a half for the spoonful to reach their goal. The next one is about the same, though the time period gradually increases with each bite.

She leans back on her seat and absently plays with the food as her mind wanders back on yesterday's events. How a single day could turn her world upside down...

Again...

A sigh escapes her lips, and she tries to start eating again, only for her to stare at it with distaste. Placing the utensil back down in the bowl, she pushes it aside and tucks her head in her arms.

She's just so sick of feeling so lost again. Sick of trying to adjust to the situation she finds herself suddenly in. Sick of trying to stand up when everything seems to just want her to stay down. Wouldn't it be better if she had died on that forest back then? Or better yet, if she had just died when shit started to happen on her f*cked up life. For one, she wouldn't have had her revenge—that's for sure—without having met Orochimaru. The curse mark won't be there to bind her to him forever until the day she dies, like her comrades did on that fateful mission.

The grip she has on her left arm unconsciously tightens.

Now that she thinks about, she hasn't properly grieved for her fallen comrades. Not that they were all chums and buddy-buddies or anything, but those four were...constant. Even when she tried to distance herself, she couldn't help but find a special place for them in her bitter cold heart. They were her friends, yes. She understands that now. Didn't she once tell pineapplehead that?

"I'll play a little melody of death for you. You shouldn't insult me or MY friends either, you worm."

All the people she has ever cared about has died, while she lives on. She doesn't know if having Uzumaki blood is even a gift or a curse. If she had died after being buried by large sliced up trees, she wouldn't have learned that she's a member of the Uzumaki Clan. Her life wouldn't be wasted rotting in a hospital bed for two years. And she wouldn't have known that Tsunade and Shizune are actually allied with the Hidden Leaf. Better yet not having known that the blonde is actually one of the Legendary Sannin and would succeed in being their Hokage after she had indirectly killed the last.

The only thing keeping her sane enough to live is the thought that Naruto Uzumaki would have the answers to her many unanswered questions. He is supposed to be her constant, keeping her together. But now that's gone too. Her life is just so messed up.

She sighs...

Well... At least there's one person that's been constant to this new life of hers.

Shifting her face to the side, Tayuya listens to the muffled sound of sprinkling water behind the bathroom door. Uzuki is taking a shower, and it looks like there won't be training today since they always do that before showering. It's kind of a good thing too because she doesn't have the energy to train today. Or maybe even for the next two weeks or so with what's happened—

A sudden tap is heard, breaking the redhead out of her self-induced depression. She looks up from the table to see what it is.

Outside, a white hawk with a blue Leaf headband tied on its neck stands by the window, looking at her with its beady eyes that somehow twinkled in the light. It squawks so suddenly and taps the window again with its beak, and Tayuya doesn't think twice to stand up and open it. Once it flies inside, it lands on the table and circles the bowl of cereal. It doesn't take quite long before it dips its beak inside to feed itself.

Tayuya's left eye twitches. "Oy! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

It raises its head to regard her for but a moment.

"That's mine, you stupid albino chicken."

The hawk glares at and turns its back on her, sticking out its tail feathers and ignoring her completely.

A vein pops somewhere around her head, and she grudgingly scrapes her feet toward the bathroom door, knocking—though more like pounding—on it. "Uzuki! UZUKI!"

The door cracks open, and an 'I don't have time for this' or 'Can't you see I'm busy' face peers through its opening.

Tayuya rolls her eyes and steps aside, pointing at the offending intruder inside their home.

The Anbu shifts her gaze from her charge to the white hawk comically digging in on a bowl of cereal and milk. She sweatdrops at that, but soon backs away from the door for a moment, before opening it completely and stepping outside in only a light green towel that seems a bit too short for her. Her wet waist-length hair clings onto her exposed skin, and a patch of water follows her trail on the floorboards when she passes by her companion.

Tayuya moves to stand beside her, eyeing the bird with a mixture of curiosity and annoyance. "Well? When a messenger bird flies by, it usually means that the jōnin are being called in. It's..." She gestures the bird. "Here. So does that mean we're being called in too?"

"From the looks of it..."

She wrinkles her nose. "Don't you think it's a bit too early? Tsunade usually lets us train in the morning, before reporting back in the afternoon."

Uzuki shrugs. "Hokage's orders."

Tayuya crosses her arms. "Hmph. That's what you always say."

The Anbu shifts her gaze back at the redhead, eyes glinting with amusement. "My, aren't we a sourpuss today."

She scoffs at that. "Whatever." And then marches off across the room to her bedroom door, leaving the Anbu and the hawk to remain inside.

Yūgao crosses her arms and looks back at the messenger bird, who's slowly eating her charge's breakfast. She better kick it out of her home before Tayuya's ticking time-bomb temper explodes. It also helps that she's not a fan of animals living inside her apartment, especially when it's eating and on the table.

Not on her watch.

But before the Anbu could execute her plan, she senses a flicker of chakra coming from outside the open window on a roof just across the street. Casually moving towards it, she eyes the buildings around while on the pretense of getting herself a drink from the faucet. Expanding her sensory range, she tries to find that chakra again. But unfortunately, it's gone without a trace.

Maybe it's nothing... Maybe it's just other shinobi passing by... But whatever it is, she better watch out if it happens again.

~oOoOoOo~

Naruto lies face up on the ground, arms spread wide like an eagle soaring high in the sky. His eyes are closed, covering his sight from the heated glare of the sun. But a crunch to the side of his head brings them open. Staring right back at his are a pair of big green eyes framed by a certain chin-length pink hair.

"Oh hey, Sakura."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, the medic-nin sighs in exasperation. "What are you doing, Naruto?"

The blond genin sits up and turns his body around to face his teammate, answering, "Training." As if it were the most obvious thing.

Sakura shifts her weight to her other leg, placing a hand on her hip. "Right, well... I came here to tell you that the mission to the Sand hideout will be temporarily put on hold."

"Really?" Now that catches his attention.

"Yeah. Apparently, there's another sandstorm coming." She chuckles a bit. "Gotta make sure that we don't get caught in one, right?"

Naruto nods his head. "Yeah. I heard there's been a lot lately."

She hums in agreement, looking up at the sky and seeing it clear as day. She shifts her eyes back down around the large courtyard. "So, Naruto... Why are you training? I mean... I guess it's okay to train." She looks back at him. "But why all of a sudden?"

He shrugs. "Kakashi-sensei and I had a bet last night. If I can master the jutsu he taught me in two days, he'll teach me another technique once we get back to the Hidden Leaf Village!" The boy grins like an excited fox, which makes the pink-haired kunoichi smile back.

"Seems like a tough challenge since you've got only two days."

His grin broadens, and he puts both arms behind his head. "Heh. You're looking at the guy who mastered the Shadow Clone Jutsu in less than a day! How hard can this be?"

"Well, when you put it that way..." She puts a hand to her chin. "But what kind of a jutsu is it? Ninjutsu? Taijutsu? Don't tell me it's genjutsu?!" And she laughs at that.

Naruto pouts and crosses his arms, grumbling under his breath. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Sakura. You're really helping"

Trying to suppress her laughter, she holds up both her hands in the air. "Sorry, sorry. It's just that...you don't come off as a genjutsu type sort of shinobi, seeing as you don't display any natural affinity for it anyway."

He rubs the back of his head. "Yeah, well... Pervy Sage tried to teach me a thing or two about it, but..." He shrugs his shoulders. "Y'know..." Moving to stand up, he turns to face the lone post standing at the back of the courtyard, pointing at it.

Sakura follows his gaze to see a sealing formula written on it. It has six characters decorating the seal at equal distance. Three of it appears longer at different intervals. Lastly, a spiral pattern can be seen at its center, holding them together in place.

"A sealing jutsu?" she inquires.

"Yeah..." But then grumbles. "Though I think it's more sensory than sealing jutsu."

"What do you mean by that?" She looks at him and then back at the seal. "Looks like a sealing jutsu to me."

"Pervy Sage taught me the basics of sealing techniques." He explains. "This one counts as one, but at the same time, it's not. The seal sorta acts like beacon, and I use this...mind's eye stuff, and umm...I should see things, and..." He scratches the top of his head. "Look, it's just something about the original user saying that, 'It's a sealing jutsu, and that's that, y'know,' or something like that. Kakashi-sensei told me that sealing techniques were the specialty of her clan, so maybe that's why..."

Sakura slightly looks a bit lost, but nods her head the same. "Okay... So how's it going?"

A sigh escapes his lips, which immediately tells the pink-haired chūnin that it isn't good.

"Not good, huh?"

Naruto looks back at the post, particularly at the seal. "The first three steps are easy. But the last one's really tricky. I've been up training all morning."

"And?"

He pouts and shrugs, putting both hands in his pockets. "Aaaaannnd nothing happened."

"What do you think is supposed to happen?"

"That I should see the things around me with my head."

Sakura touches her chin with her thumb and index finger. "Well, did you ask Kakashi-sensei? Any tips?"

Naruto shakes his head.

The medic-nin runs a hand through her hair, mulling about it. "I don't know much about sensory techniques... But how about using that jutsu somewhere close to you first. I can see that it's far away." She points at the seal. "And also..." She raises up an index finger. "Try to go someplace quiet since you're not used to sensory jutsus. This seems like a good spot, but this is a training ground, and there'll be other ninja using it soon." She moves her hand back to her hip. "With medical ninjutsu, you need to have skill and precision. But besides that, you also need a cool head to concentrate on what you're doing and not get sidetracked when doing it."

While Sakura rants about tips, suggestions, and other advice, Naruto nods his head and listens closely, only smiling at her when she's finished. "Thanks, Sakura."

She waves it off. "Yeah, good luck with that, Naruto... But I better get going... See you later."

Before he could at least say goodbye, the blond finds her already out and away from the courtyard. Sighing, he sits back down with his legs crossed. He thinks about what Sakura had suggested, about starting somewhere close to you first, so...

Taking out an empty scroll from his pouch, he lays it flat on the ground and spreads it open. He then makes the necessary hand signs and moves his right hand over the blank paper in a half-handed ram sign, closing his eyes in concentration. After a few seconds, he opens them and taps the paper.

From his fingertips spreads out blackish ink, where a set of characters appear, making a seal just like the one before. Once it's done, he claps his hands together and releases a small burst of chakra, making the seal glow dull in yellow. It soon dies out, and the boy leans back to examine his work, his mind going back through his memories.

"The first step is to draw the seal. Second is to seal a piece of your chakra. And third...you just activate it." Kakashi eye smiles. "Any questions?"

Naruto scratches the top of his head and then raises his hand. "Erm... What does sealing your chakra do anyway? I mean, why would you seal it in the first place?"

"Hmm, well..." He rubs his masked chin. "There is actually a step four, if you consider it anyway. In theory, the sealing formula acts as a mark and a beacon between the user and the user's sealed chakra, like an invisible thread connecting the two."

The blond nods at this to show that he's still following.

Kakashi continues. "With that, the user can use something that's called the 'Mind's Eye' to see the surrounding chakra that's in the range of the seal, as well as identify its amount and color."

Naruto still nods, but then stops and backtracks, blinking back his eyes. "Mind what?"

"Mind's Eye." The jōnin corrects. "The phrase 'mind's eye' refers to the human ability to visualize, that is to say, to experience visual mental imagery. In other words, one's ability to see things with the mind. Understand?

The boy still continues his deadpan stare. "Umm..."

Kakashi sighs and rubs the back of his shaggy hair. "Hmm. Let's see... It's hard to explain since I haven't used it yet. But the basic concept is that the only way to see the hidden things around you..." He pokes the metallic plate on the boy's headband. "...is to use your head."

Naruto slaps his cheeks with the palm of his hands. "Right! Mind's Eye... Let's do this."

And with that, he closes his eyes and forms a ram hand sign, his brow slightly creasing in concentration. But just like before, he still couldn't visualize anything. It's all black. Darkness... Even with his teammate's suggestion of peace and quiet, a cool head, and it being close, there not a single trace of—

A small flicker of yellow appears before him, like a guide through the blackest abyss of the night. It's so very close, just right within his reach. And he knows...just what it is.

His lips part in awe at what he's seeing, seeing it with his Mind's Eye even! He doesn't know if Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke sees it this way, or even Neji with his Byakugan. But what he sees in his mind is a small yellow flame that sits right where the 'Akai Itō Fūin' or 'Red String Seal' is supposed to be. Connected to it is a glowing thread leading to an even bigger and brighter flame. It's the same color as the smaller one. Still yellow of course... It's the color of his chakra after all.

The blond opens his eyes, and a wide grin stretches from the corners of his mouth. He did it... He made progress! What's great is that even with his eyes wide open, he can still see the chakra inside the seal, as well as his own chakra for the matter!

But before he could fully celebrate by jumping up in joy and telling it to Kakashi, he sees a burning ember of red mixed in with his own yellow chakra. It's quite small. Tiny compared to the one on the seal.

Naruto reaches for his left pocket, pulling out a neatly folded handkerchief. Unfolding it, he finds the source of the red chakra. And it's the single thread of red hair that he found in Orochimaru's lair.

~oOoOoOo~

It was just past sunset that day when she was lured in by blinking bright lights into that damned building at the precedent of gambling away her money. She had lost it all—which isn't really surprising. And whenever she did, she would take her apprentice and Tonton and run like a witty fox far away from its predator. That was her life back then before she even met the blonde sunshine that so reminds her of her late brother and late lover.

That day when she fled the scene, she expected the usual with them ranting about 'losing' and a large 'debt', and so on, and so on... What she didn't expect was for a red-haired girl to come running at them full speed ahead, yelling, "Hey! Come back here!"

She did the opposite... Of course...

But the girl didn't let up and still chased after them. It was fun while it lasted, but soon turned quite annoying. Having had enough of the brat, she used her apprentice as bait and lured her into an alleyway. And once the redhead dropped down, she came from behind and smacked her right on the top of her head. The jarring experience dispelled the girl's transformation, leaving her clean clothes to turn back into her ragged garb.

The redhead was no older than eleven or twelve. She was a ninja... Is a ninja if one's being specific. After all, that same girl is standing right there in front of her, staring with wide eyes and gaping at her like a fool. It then turns to a frown as she narrows her eyes, her body going rigid and tense. "What the hell? Are you kidding me?!"

Tsunade sighs, rubbing her ear with a finger and looking at the redhead with a bored expression. She never expected to meet her again, much less know that her last name is Uzumaki and that she used to serve Orochimaru. They were two strangers that were supposed to be enemies. Yet somehow, they helped each other in their own small kind way. Fate has a really weird way of making people meet. "Eh? Why are you even complaining? I thought you'd be happy about it."

Tayuya opens her mouth as if to protest, but suddenly falls short, snapping her mouth shut with the click of her teeth. Gulping it down, she crosses her arms and simply glares at the Hokage as payback, although it comes off more unsure with her cheeks having a slight reddish tint in them. "I-I-I'm just surprised that you'd even let me be on a mission because, y'know, the probation, and because I was... I used to anyway," she sighs and scratches the top if her head, her other hand landing by her hip.

One corner of the blonde's mouth slightly twitches upwards, but she quickly clears her throat to cover it up. "It's just a simple B-rank mission. Take it as a test if you will." She leans forward, lacing her fingers together. "There is an organization running amok in the north-western part of the Land of Fire. You are to go undercover and learn what you can. If by some chance you encounter their leader, you are to subdue him."

"Assassination, you mean." She lightly nods her head. "No problem. I'm good at that."

Yūgao glances at her, while Tsunade raises an eyebrow. "Yes." She leans back on her seat. "That's the gist of it. But the decision won't fall on you as it still ultimately comes from your—"

A crash of ear-shattering broken glass interrupts them, and a blur shoots through the window, landing on the floor inside as gracefully as if it had been practiced over a thousand times. It is a woman with fair skin and violet hair styled in a short, spiky, fanned-ponytail. She wears a tan overcoat over a fitted mesh body suit, a dark orange mini-skirt, a dark blue belt, and pale grey shin guards. On her forehead is the typical headband, which suggests that she's a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Squad leader..." Tsunade finishes her sentence, but pinches the bridge of her nose, showing her irritation.

Standing up from her crouch, Anko Mitarashi turns to the blonde, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry I'm late. There was this huge promo at the Dumpling Shop where the one hundredth customer gets to have two dozen sweet dumplings for free! I won this morning, and it was like I was in heaven. I lost track of time because of that, but it was all worth it. Hahaha! Oh, and about your window. Don't worry about it. You can just leave the tab to me."

Shaking out from the shock of surprise, Tayuya sweatdrops at the woman's eccentric behavior and general lack of care.

Tsunade exhales audibly, now rubbing both her temples. She opens her mouth, about to speak. But before she could even start, she is interrupted again by a sudden set of knocks. The door to the office swings open, and a black-haired woman comes barging in with a light pink pig following on her heels.

"Lady Tsunade!"

"Oink! Oink!"

Tsunade sighs in exasperation. From the corner of her eyes, she sees Tayuya facepalming, which also serves as a cover as three more ninja arrive to see what all the commotion is about. Shizune notices this as well as she quickly turns around and handles the situation.

She waves her arms at both sides, seemingly covering what's behind her. "There's nothing here to see. No trouble whatsoever. You should all go back to your stations. You too, Genma, Raidō."

Tayuya stiffens at the mention of their names. Senbonhead and Scarface... She and her late teammates had almost killed them in their mission to get Sasuke. She doesn't know if they knew about her or not, or if they saw her face just now. But what an idiot she must be if it is the latter, just because she didn't put her mask on.

The sound of the door closing brings her out of her musings, and she removes the hand from her face to up to see Shizune nodding at them and then turning back to her master.

"It's time, milady."

The blonde stands up, already preparing herself for the predetermined headache. "Let's just get this over with." She looks back at the other three in the room, but lingers for a little while on Tayuya. "You're Dismissed."

As they exit the office, Anko turns to face her other two squad members, her jolly—don't care about your shit—attitude fades and is replaced by a colder and more deadlier demeanor. "Let me just make this clear. You are to follow my orders to the letter, without complaints, and without any troubles." Her eyes a trained on the redhead as she says the last part, and Tayuya has an inkling that she knows. But just like a switch, she clicks back to her jolly good mood, grinning at them as if nothing had happened. "Do that, then maybe we'll get to be friends. Meet at the gate at eleven hundred. Oh, and be sure to have lunch by then." And with that, she exits the room using the same path she used when she came.

Tayuya closes her eyes with a sigh. Just great... Another one to watch out for. Just then, she feels someone stroking the top of her hair. Opening her eyes, she sees that it's Uzuki. Of course... She's the only other person inside the room with her. She won't admit it out loud, but the woman is the only person she'd let touch her hair. She can't really explain it. Maybe it's because of the warm feeling that comes, like the sweet memories of her childhood.

"Since breakfast had an early cancellation, I'll let you make me break protocol just this once. How does Ichiraku Ramen sounds?"

Tayuya could hear the grin in the Anbu's voice. And she couldn't help keep the smile forming on her own.

She covers it quickly by hiding behind her mask, becoming Ikari once more. "Sounds good." She then gestures to the Hokage's broken window. "Should we use dumpling bitch's— I mean, our squad leader's self-made shortcut?"

Uzuki shakes her head at the redhead's casual no-nonsense critization. "Just don't let her hear you talk about her like that. You might regret it." She exits the office using the shortcut.

Tayuya snorts, following her guardian outside. "She doesn't scare me." She announces proudly, but then whispers, "Besides, there are other things that I'm more afraid of anyway..."

~oOoOoOo~

On one of the highest buildings in the Leaf Village sits a dark-haired boy watching a redheaded girl from afar. He uses the facial expression that people use whenever one is pleased. Since it's of a success when he gets her attention—after all, humans are pleased when one gets what they want—he lets out a smile.

From up here, he couldn't tell what kind of expression she's wearing whenever she sneaks past glances at him, all the while following the purple-haired Anbu. It doesn't help that she has her mask on this time around. But that's okay. What's most important is that she understands the meaning of him showing himself to her. It also answers the question which suggests that her sensory range is broader than her Anbu guardian's. Or maybe it's because she already knows his distinct chakra signature from the night before. Either way, it would most pleasant if she would follow the direction Lord Danzō has in-stored for her on her own will. Confronting her right now would only lead to more trouble with the Anbu so close in proximity. She almost caught whiff of his presence earlier on this morning, and another slip up might just do him in.

Sai puts on a smile once more. He knows that she won't hear him, as much as the same that he won't hear her. But that doesn't stop him from saying it all the same. "Haha. I don't understand what the Hokage sees in you. I also don't understand why Lord Danzō won't let me just kill you, Orochimaru's former slave..." He forces out a chuckle to bubble his lips and touches his chin with a thumb and index finger. "You must still have some secrets. Or else why would they keep you alive?" He sees the Anbu disappear behind a building. Ikari looks at him one last time, and he gives her a small wave, "Oh, well..." Before disappearing again without a trace.

~oOoOoOo~

A long and wide table stretches in the middle of the room. There are ten seats in total, and at the back is a large 'Fire' kanji character attached to the top wall. Just right under it is a screen where the Fire Daimyō usually appears during these meetings. However, it is turned off as there will be only four people using this room.

Tsunade walks inside. The two old bags are already present, but the last one has still yet to come. She mentally scoffs at the old war hawk arranging this meeting, but then comes in last out of them all. Stupid old geezer.

"It seems Danzō is the only one left to wait." Homura, a grey-haired fossil with glasses wearing a constant frown that seemed permanently glued on his face, comments.

"Have you any idea what this meeting is all about, Tsunade?" the other fossil, Koharu, asks. Like her counterpart, her hair is grey and is pulled back in a twin bun, locked by a traditional hair pin.

Tsunade takes a seat opposite from them, closing her eyes with a sigh. "No idea. I just want to get this over with."

Homura shakes his head, while Koharu opens her mouth. But before she could speak what's on her mind, the door to the war room suddenly opens.

Danzō stands on the doorway, glancing at all of them, but lingers on the Hokage for but a moment. He takes a seat on the side of the elders, but with a single space between them and him.

Tsunade narrows her eyes in utter dislike. As much as she likes to disregard everything the old man has to say and just skip this whole meeting altogether, she knows that she needs to keep an ear open and find out just what Danzō truly knows...

AN:

I know it's been months. Earlier this year, I went through depression for 6 months. But now I'm okay. Lately, I've been busy with my thesis and intership. And recently, most of my free time is consumed by playing my brother's PS4. Starting November, I wanted to at least update a story, particularly this fic since I've left it hanging. Sorry if I'm a slow writer, but at least I'm trying.

Anyway, thanks for still reading my story. It may not update for a while, but know that I'm doing my best to finish this.

There are 3 things that Tayuya is afraid of. What are they?

Hint: Lost Uzumaki

Next time on Death Battle!

Tsunade vs. Danzo (Sentou Kaishi!)

Just kidding! I'm really excited about Naruto Storm 4! Need to pre-order for Sarada!

Is it just me? Or am I the only one who thinks Sasuke (Boruto the Movie) is cool now?