Sakura looked puzzled as Ino described what her next move should be, "You're still lost aren't you?"

Currently the blonde kunoichi looked annoyed from her hospital bed. Shortly after the meeting with Koharu, Inoichi 'persuaded' his daughter to move to the mental ward of the hospital for some tests.

Sakura laughed nervously at her friend from inside the room as Naruto and Gaara leaned on the wall outside the door.

They had taped a map to the wall across from them, as they looked over the new objectives. They would be leaving Makonoha sooner or later and it would be best to study up on what would be the continuation of their journey. Unfortunately, the only one that seemed to be doing that was Gaara. Naruto kept staring at him throughout, squinting his eyes and puckered his lips with a bit of a jealous tone, "How do you wind up getting the girl?"

The red head turned. The stoicism in his voice not lost as he reminded, "This coming from the nin who unwittingly says he'll father the heirs of every princess."

Naruto's head dropped as his forehead darkened his face around the eyes, "Do you have to keep bringing that up."

Turquoise eyes shot a glare at him, a scolding look for not staying on topic, "Are you going to bring up my issues with women?"

The blue eyes blond looked down before mumbling, "Point taken."

The two were interrupted with the arrival of Sarutobi Asuma. He walked down the hallway before stopping in front of them with Shikamaru and Chouji in tow behind him, "Figured I'd find you two here. I'm going for a smoke break. Why don't you come with me?"

Both jinchuurki questioned the idea of going smoking with the older shinobi, but the words of Kakashi echoed in their mind.

You always have to look underneath.

Asuma looked out over the ledge of the railing. They were on the cliff overlooking the Eastern side of the village. The jonin took a final puff before tossing the bud over the edge with little care.

"Kakashi's told me about the three of you in our conversations together. You've been quite busy the last few years; the liberation of the Wave, restoring the throne in Yuki no Kuni, saving the Prince of the Land of Moon, not to mention the establishment of the Godaime Mizukage."

Naruto scratched his head while he smiled nervously, "Yeah, Mei-Oba-san was pretty surprised."

Chouji sat up on the bench he and Shikamaru were currently sitting on. He spoke, "Naruto."

The boy looked over, as the Akimichi heir asked something on the minds of the three of them, "We heard the village, got steadily worse after the clans left. And we left with pretty much the remaining bulk of Konoha, so I have to ask. What was it like?"

The blond looked down and thought about what to say. The last memories of the Village where they were born bringing a somber look, but then quickly replacing it with a laugh and a small grin, "I'm probably not the best person to ask about that. Kaa-san made me either stay on the outer-ring or in the compound. Sakura-Chan probably has a better impression than I do. She lived in the commercial district near the center."

Shikamaru looked up intrigued as he could be. His eyebrow sticking up over his left eye, "You mean, you've never asked her?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head again, "She never talks about it. The only time I've heard she had was when Kaa-san, Oba-san, and Baa-Chan needed to hear her story. She told them everything, but Gaara and I weren't allowed to know what she saw."

Sakura sat looking down at an apple she was peeling, Ino's voice stopping her, "I know you were leaving out details, Sakura."

She looked unfazed, smiling at her friend innocently, "About what?"

The blond haired girl took the apple from her friend's hands and took a bite out of it. "Konoha. After the uprising how bad was it, really?"

The light blue eyes were stuck on her as Sakura never looked up. She instead the kunoichi kept her head down, holding another apple. Her voice becoming soft as the feeling in her eyes faded into a memory of an unwelcome experience, "Bad enough."

Her eyed were staring at the plate. Spacing out of the conversation as Ino looked out her hospital window with a skeptical gaze, "You really don't believe in Naruto's promise, do you?"

Her head shot up in surprise as Ino continued, "I mean, they built a wall around the place and you were a kid. You should really put that aside and just concentrate on finding your mother."

Sakura's fist clenched, her voice suddenly snapping like a cold breeze, "You don't know anything, Ino."

The blond was surprised by the statement as the girl saw the juices from the apple now dropping onto the floor. Her peeling steadily increased in strength as her fingers clenched down on the apple. Ino could only watch worried as the pressure built on the poor fruit.

"I spent years training for this moment with them, I'm not going to start doubting anytime soon."

The room became quiet again as the blond looked at her friend. With a sigh, she admitted defeat "I won't pester you about it anymore; but you're going to have to confront it sooner or later. No matter how much you want to avoid it."

The door opened as Naruto peered in, "Sakura-Chan, we're all packed up. You ready to go?"

The girl looked up at her comrade and nodded, "Yeah."

Ino placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. Sakura may have no longer been that shy little girl she found crying in the park, but it didn't mean she would stop worrying about her, "Look, don't do anything stupid now. Now that I know you're alive, I don't want to have to come bail your ass out of a fight, billboard brow."

Sakura's eyebrow ticked upward as a vein appeared on her forehead. The clear annoyance at the taunt being used, "Oh yeah? Well we'll just see about that, Pig!"

Asuma walked in just in time to stop the fight from breaking out. Ino's clear incitement at the name her friend had given her, "Alright. Now that we're finished here, I'll take you three to go see Kurenai-Chan."

Naruto and Sakura looked around the garden as they followed with a stoic Gaara to the house in front of them. They had left the hospital to follow the Jonin up the roads to the strangely serene and more well kept houses and villas on the hill in the Village. Asuma giving them a brief tour in explaining their current location.

"The Upper classes live in two different places. The Makonoha 3rd district of mostly civilians and on this hill. The people who get to live up here have more options; including separate personal safes that aren't connected to the main system, except through secret emergency hatches. Which makes the main reason for its popularity being seclusion."

Naruto and Sakura looked at the ninja, "Most here are self-exiles. They're committed to protect the villagers, but for them Konoha is their home. For them it always will be."

"So why didn't they go back and fight?"

Asuma stopped in front of a home before turning around. He didn't dare face the young person asking the question. Instead looking at the ground. "It's not an easy thing to abandon one's home. The war took a toll on all of them. Leaving to stop outside expansion and returning home to the ruined streets. They grew tired, and their comrades would disappear on a mission, then began disappearing after returning home from one. Our numbers depleted quickly and desertion became a common occurrence, even after the Uchiha began to flee."

He finally had the courage to face them, though his eyes acknowledging a sober reality, "They've lost their Will of Fire."

The walk became quiet as the group stopped in front of the small abode with its white picket fence. Asuma opened the gate as a pregnant woman approached the door, her red eyes softening as she spoke, "Asuma."

She allowed them into the small house. Leading them through to the wooded backyard where they soon sat on the porch, at a the small table or against the railing. Asuma helping the woman to a cushion lawn chair.

Kurenai sighed as she relaxed. Looking at the three shinobi that were newly arrived.

"I see that Kushina-sama hasn't lost her edge."

They were quiet. Simply watching and waiting as she began speaking again, "Asuma didn't bring you here just to get to know me."

Naruto and Sakura each raised their eyebrow. Kurenai smiled slightly at it, beginning to weave her story, "When I was first a chunin I was charged as a bodyguard for the Main house of the Hyuga heiress. After Konoha's structural weakness, their leader promised safe passage with them as they left the village. I served Byaakugakure for years until Makonoha made contact with them. I supported revival, but the Hyuga wanted no part after the wall was built."

A younger Kurenai and a group of shinobi carried their gear away as she looked back at a large white palace made out of boulder and wood. High above the rest of a high class village.

"Unlike the formation of Makonoha, which came out of desperation; Byaaku took the economy, not the people of Konoha with them. In order to establish loyalty between the main alliances, the Hyuga made it so the clans were each given a large expanse of land. The village itself is situated on a valley plateau; buildings have been custom made and designed, and the market value and interest in valuable shinobi makes it the most powerful of the splinter villages."

Naruto nodded with his arms crossed as Sakura glanced at him before sighing and returning her attention to Kurenai. The woman herself seemed to be rather well composed. Though the younger kunoichi couldn't help but thing that something was eating at the pregnant woman as she soon frowned, continuing the story.

"The wealth and power have corrupted the Hyuga's ego to think that they were the reason Konoha even works. They've made enough strides in autonomy that they treat themselves as royals. Almost a modern medieval society with extremely strict codes of conduct. They don't let anyone without a reputation into their house. As you can imagine it's becoming a problem."

Sakura nodded, "Yeah. We came to that conclusion when Kushina-sama told us we should meet with another clan. She said they were good at tracking things down, if I remember correctly."

"The Inuzuka clan. From what we've heard they're relationship with the Hyuga has soured because of recent infringements placed on them," Gaara elaborated as the rest look at him. He was still stoic in his appearance, his arms crossed, but soon he looked up at his teammates while smiling at them.

"It was in the intelligence report we were given by Hatake. I thought it was best that I keep hold of our information."

Both of Naruto and Sakura fumed humorously next to Gaara. Realizing that they had not been given the same responsibility for information by the masked wearing ANBU, "Kaka-nii-sensei!"

Gaara sighed again in response to his friends. The three missing as Kurenai frowned with a grim look on her face.

"So, it really looks like they have gone too far."

Naruto and Sakura stopped their internal fuming over their teacher's trust in them to look confused at Kurenai. The woman clenched her fists on her lap. Her red eyes remembering faces and places she had once known.

"Tsume was never truly accepting of Hiashi-sama's ideas when they formed the village. The Inuzuka's status in the village has been secretly deteriorating since I've been there. At first it was subtle. It must've become more obvious over time."

She looked up at Naruto in particular, a look of necessity apparent, "You'll need to have a major status to get into the Compound. Let alone close to Hiashi and his inner circle. Your contact probably can give you Visas to enter the Village, but you'll have to figure a way to get close to him."

He nodded as Sakura and Gaara took down notes. Kurenai let herself lay back in the chair to relax her swollen stomach. She took a moment to pat it and rub it, feeling the life kicking inside of it. She looked at the three shinobi from Uzu, her eyes full of concern at what she had most on her mind.

"I have a request to ask the three of you for when you get there. I know it must be difficult already, but please, I believe you are the only ones who can help me with this."

The trio looked at each other confused before nodding and listening to the woman's request.

"Do you even know where we're going?" Gaara asked with sigh.

Sakura's growl soon echoed through the woods. She clenched the map, "Of course I do! At least we're getting there faster than Naruto would!"

The blond only slumped his head behind his two friends. They walked down a dirt path passing a wooden sign marked with their next destination. They had left Makonoha and were heading west and deep into the interior of Hi no Kuni. Though they had to be cautious. They were attempting to head southwest and towards the western lands of the Fire Country. The eastern side of the country where they started was relatively safe. After leaving Makonoha and heading further inland, it would only get more dangerous. They had been traveling for the past two days, but once again, hampered by directions. By this time Gaara had snatched the map from Sakura's hand without a show of remorse. Stopping for a moment to think about the landmarks and the locations on the map. A moment later he was only able to wind up sighing heavily with a unwelcome realization.

"We were supposed to go the other way."

His voice was apathetic as Sakura clenched her rising fist, the vein popping in her head at the pure annoyance he was showing towards her skill with the map. Gaara only fueled the problem with a deadpanned observation, "You aren't any better than Naruto is at this. In fact, judging from how far off we are, you may be worse at this."

"No way! Why you!"

Naruto looked up nervously, as Sakura and Gaara were close to blows, "Uh guys…"

"Not now, Baka!"

His attempts at calming his friends down were distracted as heard a ruffle in the trees. The two continued to bicker as he listened, feeling the air and the whispering feeling of chakra that made his stomach clench up, "Guys."

Naruto didn't wait around to think. He took out a kunai and threw it out into the air. The sound of metal clashed with another as it made contact with another kunai. Sakura and Gaara stopped their arguing and spun surprised when a capture net flew out from the trees and nearly caught them. Naruto leaped out and jumped for the trees as he made his handsign, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Multiple Naruto clones jumped into the trees. The real one waited in the clearing as clouds of smoke appeared from a treeline to his 2 o'clock, "Sakura-Chan!"

The girl charged the tree with her fist, "Shannaro!"

The tree, the tree behind it, and several others collapsed like dominoes under the strength of the kunoichi's punch. Gaara's sand soon swarmed into the underbrush before his hands clenched down. The feeling of finding their target. He began to pull back to reveal who had caught. Soon the sand came out from the forest, pulling out a resistant kunoichi. Her brown hair flowing loosely. She was not however, going down without a fight. Her left hand was uncovered and holding large wires that looked ready to trigger her trap, "One false move and I'll take you out!"

"Not if I kill you first," Gaara retorted holding up his hand, ready to clench down and crush her.

"Gaara wait!" The brunette looked toward the blond boy who stopped his teammate, "We should figure out where she came from first!"

Naruto turned, looking at the confused kunoichi who now seemed to look at them confused, "Who are you? What's your name?"

"TenTen," the young woman blinked as she suddenly seemed to recognize his face, "Wait, you're Uzumaki Naruto, right?"

The three tensed before the weapon wielding captive exhaled and sighed exasperated. Her body muscles relaxing slightly as she looked up and then at them with an annoyed look, "I've been waiting for you three to get here all day!"

"Gaara let her down. And what do you mean by all day?"

The kunoichi wore a black and green cat suit, with hood attached on the back, but the metal of a Konoha headband was on the left hamstring. The girl smiled, "I've been waiting for you guys to show up! I'm your contact."

She took out two large scrolls from behind her back and opened them. Gaara, Sakura and Naruto watched as chains, kunai, maces and assortments of weapons and booby traps appeared from the wood. Some of the trees were weapons, with fake bark concealing buzz saws and pikes in the wood. A dust cloud settled from their withdrawal as TenTen took the scrolls and placed them on her back. Then grabbing a nearby burlap sack with various items she had collected from the forest.

The brunette smiled, "Sensei told me that you three should've arrived before nightfall. What happened? You three get lost or something?"

Naruto and Sakura fumed, their heads down and glaring at the brunette; slumped, clutching the map as the kunoichi laughed nervously at the sight of their seething, "Okay, Okay. I get it."

She turned, "Anyway we should get going before raiding bands show up. They like to move through this wood at night to their camps."

The three followed the young woman down a grass beaten path deeper into the hill lands. The incline increasing as TenTen stopped and jumped on a tree, "I need you three to follow me in the exact pattern that I take. The path ahead is full of my traps. But we'll be able to make it to the auxiliary road."

Sakura looked up as they traveled through the tree line and patches of dirt, following TenTen, and being cautious with their movements. "Why are we going this way to get to an auxiliary road?"

"Recently raiders had been setting up checkpoints. Normally Suna or Byaaku would take care of them, but for some reason Suna's gone missing and Byaaku has dismissed the old Konoha areas in favor of their own. With the desperation of Hi no Kuni they have no choice but to change the roads. Since then, raiders have moved from the northeast into the southwest, and into abandoned areas."

Sakura jumped off a rock that TenTen pointed out to step on before they reached the top of an unmentioned road. Naruto frowned, Kakashi's lessons were ingrained into his mind as he thought about how shinobi could let raiders run free on the roads to attack people. He had to remember that the Hyuga and the other clans abandoned their home and comrades.

Those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash.

TenTen continued, "But it's because of Byaakugakure that the country didn't collapse completely. If it had there would be another war and we would each be part of the other villages."

Naruto hadn't thought of that perspective. Continuing to listen and walk as she continued to explain, "The economic center of Konoha never collapsed, just moved; and with the founding of Makonoha later, Hi no Kuni has a base of support. If it wasn't for the Second Sun incident then we would be probably in the 4th Ninja War."

Gaara then looked up, interrupting her story, "That's not necessarily true itself."

The other three looked back as the red haired jinchuuriki began to speak, his arms crossed as he took the form of a strategist, "From what we heard, Kumogakure made another try at getting the Byaakugan. That led to the Hyuga leaving because they couldn't get enough protection. From the state of the village it was obvious that it wasn't going to happen. But even so, no one wanted to force war at this time. Even as some battles took place in annexation of vulnerable lands, it was too costly to make war. Why rally everyone into conflict when you could watch them tear themselves apart? Then there's the fact Hyuga Hiashi demanded more power for the clan. I don't know the particular reason, but we've heard alout about how he changed after the civil war."

TenTen's face went from a reassuring smile to a frown quickly as the young man explained more of the situation. Naruto watched on as she seemed to acknowledge the reality of the situation. Something dawned on him that she most likely had seen the result of Gaara's explanation. None of them spoke after that as the continued on. The only sounds were footsteps as they continued until reaching a clearing, smoke rising from the wood.

"Alright," TenTen muttered relieved.

A small wooden building was inside a wooden barrier wall. Next to it was a larger house also made of the nearby foliage. A drawbridge connected the small complex with the road, smoke rising from a furnace on the smaller building.

The four walked across as Sakura, Naruto and Gaara were surprised by the amount of spikes sticking out from the ground. They were like trees, with interlinking iron chains hanged over other sections like a screen. Their attention to them was interrupted as TenTen pointed in front of them, "The only way into here is the drawbridge. I've spent months trying to get Guy-sensei and my team to help me build these defenses, so we wouldn't be attacked."

Naruto looked confused, "Guy-Sensei?"

TenTen nodded as she held her arm up and ushered them towards the Dojo. The drawbridge shut behind them as they walked with the brunette to the two floor building.

The Larger building would look nothing more than a large log manor if not for the small forge attached to the first floor.

They walked up to the front porch as TenTen walked in before standing in the doorway, "Wait here I need to change out of this thing."

Sakura, Naruto and Gaara eyed her suit from head to toe. Sakura wondering about the combat uses for the type of clothing, while Naruto and Gaara noticing it was form fitting. Sticking to her like a protective skin.

"So uh, TenTen, how do you manage to wear that?" Sakura asked as she pointed to it.

The brunette looked at her outfit and let out a laugh and a smile, "Oh, it helps when you're trying to be quiet. And even know it doesn't look it, I'm carrying a lot because there are built in seals. If you want, I think I have one in red that you could have."

Sakura smiled in surprise, "Really?"

Naruto suddenly made a choking noise behind her. Causing Sakura to swivel her head around suspiciously. The blond boy was looking the other direction as Gaara glanced at his friend trying to cover his face. His red cloak dampened as just a discolored splotch appeared onto the fabric. Blood. Normally Shukaku would scream craving it, but there was only a mutter of the 'Filth Blood of Kurama'.

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Naruto, you okay?"

"Y-Yeah….S-Sakura-Chan I just stepped on a dirt cloud, that's all."

The girl glared at him as she pumped her fist with her fingerless glove tightening on her fist. "Hopefully that was all that was you were coughing about! Baka!"

The red haired boy sighed. 6 years and this was still an issue.

TenTen however was slightly confused by the behavior of the two, but it seemed to Gaara this was usual behavior. From what she saw by observing them in the forest, it was the same. She paid attention as she saw the drawbridge reopen. Then paused for a moment as she saw a brown haired figure in white walking in.

"Oi, Neji!"

Naruto, Sakura and Gaara looked up. The figure was too far away to make out details of facial features, but he was wearing some kind of white cloth; long brown hair swaying behind him; and something wrapped on his head.

TenTen held her hands up to her mouth, yelling so that the new visitor could hear her, "I left my food satchel by the gate when I closed it! Could you bring that after you shut the door?"

He turned from them as he began to close the drawbridge, hearing her yelling again, "And don't be late we have guests!"

He yelled back this time, turning his head back to face her, "Very well! Tell Lee and Sensei not to scare them!"

Naruto and Sakura looked confused as TenTen turned towards them, "C'mon I'll change, and then we'll get to introduce yourselves to the others."

Sakura entered first as Naruto and Gaara followed. The wooden floor and target dummies were the only thing besides the view of the windows. It truly did look more like a dojo than a place to live.

However, the floor appeared to be meticulous in its cleaning; it had an incapable shine to the brightly tinted wood. They only seem to wait about a minute as TenTen returned in a looser style outfit; maroon pants and buttoned style white shirt. Her hair tied up into two buns as she stretched her neck and back, "Oh man this is much better. Honestly I only have to wear that thing as a necessity at some point." She referred to her previous clothing.

She smiled nervously at them as she soon realized she had failed to give advice on an important matter, "So I should give you some warning, Guy-Sensei and Lee are…different."

Sakura and Naruto looked confused. Naruto's eyes squinting and Sakura's eyebrow arched upward, "How different?"

TenTen was interrupted by a booming voice entering the room as a green blur appeared.

"Dynamic Entry!"

"Gah!"

Team 7 scattered out of the way, Naruto scrambling before jumping two feet to his left. Sakura ducking down and jumping to her right. Gaara just leaning to his left slightly annoyed as he had remained the most even tempered.

There was slam into the wall near the door as the building shook for a moment. Naruto getting up on his own as Sakura was helped up by TenTen.

The four looked at the individual on the floor, he was an odd looking one as he twitched on the floor. He wore a green one piece jumpsuit with orange leg bands, bindings on his arms and a maroon belt with a Konoha forehead plate in the middle.

He curled up before performing a back flip and turning around. He turned, smiling as held up his thumb. They noticed his unblinking eyes and jet black helmet hair cut as he spoke, "Greetings! I am the Handsome Devil of the Former Konohagakure! Rock Lee!"

Naruto's head tilted as he still squinted at him, Sakura smiled nervously, and Gaara raised an eyebrow before they all turned to TenTen; who laughed nervously and tried to relieve the tension.

"H-Hey I warned you. Lee, these are the three shinobi from Uzu." She introduced them to the confusing and increasingly awkward making shinobi in order one by one.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto." The two smiled to each other, "Oi! Hi Bushy Brow!"

Sakura's head turned on a swivel before she stopped glaring and looked to what Naruto meant. Rock Lee's eyebrows…were large. Obnoxiously large…black and thick.

Inner Sakura looked in apprehension, "What the hell!? Are those real!?"

"It is nice to meet you as well Naruto-kun!" Lee seemed enthused by meeting Naruto.

Sakura was still caught off guard by the weird appearance of this newcomer. She snapped out of it as TenTen said her name, "Lee, this is Haruno Sakura."

The girl turned as the boy made a sound from his mouth almost as if he was moaning. He wailed in joy as his cheeks were tainted pink as he clutched her hand and leaned close as Sakura

"Sakura-Chan you are one of the most beautiful maidens I have ever seen! Please let me be your boyfriend!"

Sakura's reaction was not one of elation for Lee. Her face contorted as if she had seen a dead animal being held up by its tail. The hand belonging to a tribal elder of a far distant people, so her face had a nervous quality as she tried not to look disrespectful. Inside of her however the voice of her Inner being raged about how this boy looked. Continually cursing and screaming "NO!" to high heaven.

It puzzled her as to why the weirdo men her team traveled with, and had habit of meeting, seemed to have an affection made toward her.

Quickly she snatched her hands away and held them up, waving them in a non-confrontational manner. "I-I'm fl-flattered b-but I'm not looking for relationships right now."

"YEAH, SO GET LOST YOU FREAK! SHANNARO!"

Lee's head dropped in an animated manor as TenTen nervously patted his shoulder, as he mumbled, "There's someone else isn't there?"

"Now Lee, I'm sure it isn't like that," the brunette tried to inject as the green shinobi trembled, his fists clenched.

He shot up into a pose with his left hand holding his right fist, "NO! There is another man that I must defeat to win Sakura-Chan's love!"

Sakura and Naruto slumped and looked at the wood floor, realizing this was simply how he was, "This is getting ridiculous Bushy brow."

Sakura couldn't agree more with Naruto at the moment as her eyes twitched, "Seriously. I said no."

Lee turned next to Gaara, "You! You must be the one who holds Sakura-Chan's heart! I challenge you to match! I shall show you the Power of Youth!"

Gaara coughed, slightly caught off guard as he and his teammates glanced at each other. The situation in the Dojo was getting weird and from the way it seemed it couldn't possibly get any weirder.

"LEE!"

Until Now.

TenTen, Sakura and Naruto all jumped out of the way as a large orange object crashed into Lee. Gaara looking at the cloud of dust the object had gathered as the others grouped behind him.

"Gaara, what was it?"

The red haired jinchuuriki only waited as the cloud cleared to reveal Lee twitching in pain against the doorframe wall. The object was standing on four flat scaled feet with its head emerging from a large red shell with yellow swirl patterns. Gaara pointed to it as he raised a single finger, "A giant...tortoise."

Sakura and Naruto popped both their heads out in unison over his left arm before looking at the creature. Naruto tilting his head confused as his eyes squinted, "What's a tortoise?"

The kunoichi sighed in blunt annoyance, "It's a Turtle, you Baka. What else did you think it was?"

"That's what I mean! I don't see any tortoise! Just that giant turtle. OW!"

The reptile turned to Lee, before it opened its beak-like mouth, "Lee! What have I told you about challenging an opponent?"

Lee's head dropped in shame as Team 7 turned to one another. Looking at each other to see if they were any less sane in the face of the young man with bushy brows being admonished by an old tortoise.

The turtle was scolding him about using certain techniques and ready to face punishment.

Naruto pointed at it as he faced the others, "Did that turtle just talk?"

"It did. I guess that means someone summoned it."

"But who?"

Before anyone could answer a large smoke cloud appeared above the turtle as another green clad shinobi appeared, nearly like an older Lee, but his jonin vest said otherwise. His left hand was cupped around his eye, his right arm flexing his muscle.

"Hello everyone!"

Naruto and Sakura fell backward, dragging Gaara down with them. "AH! Another one!"

The older shinobi then turned to Lee and slapped him across the room onto the floor. The other four getting up as TenTen turned with humor etched on her face to see the reaction that her sensei and teammate were sure to cause.

Naruto looked up, "Oh. I think I see where he gets it."

The elder shinobi bent down to Lee, "Gomen Lee, but it's for your own good."

Lee looked back up, "S-Sensei."

The two stared as if the sun was shining ready to rise above Gai's shining head as he cried to his student with a smile. Lee crying back.

"Oh Lee."

"Sensei. Gomen."

"Oh Lee, don't worry about that now. It's over. You don't need to say any more."

"Gai-Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-Sensei!"

The feeling in the room outside the two had become extremely awkward for the newcomers. TenTen laughing as they looked at her as if she were insane herself or for any signs she could stand it. Even the turtle was crying. To Sakura, Naruto and Gaara the inner world of the taijutsu experts had not yet penetrated the bubble of sheer awkwardness they were experiencing. And TenTen had to try her best to remedy the situation.

"Hehehe…well they're like that."

The door opened as the taller shinobi from before, dressed in traditional brown pants and white shirt, turned to the group of four.

"What's with all the noise?"

Team 7 turned to the nin. He was older, his brown hair draped down his back, with bandages wrapped around the top of his head, but the distinguishing solid white eyes were the feature that caught their attention.

"You're a Hyuga." Sakura pointed out at the elder male.

She had only been familiar with the Hyuga in her childhood once or twice, but she couldn't remember ever really talking to one. Neji turned to them with a serious face as TenTen smiled, "Neji this is Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura and Sabaku no Gaara from Uzu. Guys this is Hyuga Neji, he's our other teammate."

"Hm." Was the sound that came from the near emotionless Neji.

It was a near reminder of Itachi to them, but without knowing Neji they couldn't tell if there was a source of warmth or light within the cold.

TenTen led the three into the larger manor, "We used to get more guests, but with the road closures we're pretty much alone out here; besides a couple outposts and toll roads."

Sakura was surprised by the expanse of the large rooms, with windows to the walls and wilderness, "Gai-Sensei and Lee went overboard to build this place. The worse the conditions of the roads became the more we had to build up and make do with what we had access to. Occasionally we have to go to Byaaku for goods."

Sakura put her bag down as she took off her cloak, Naruto and Gaara finding their rooms as well. "Sensei doesn't want to be part of Byaaku even though Neji has to be, so we usually stay outside. The Dojo used to do really well and my forge skills brought extra cash."

Naruto had removed his cloak and jacked as he scratched his head, "So TenTen, what do you have to eat around here?"

"Naruto, be respectful!" He took a fist to the top of his head as he soon crouched to rub it. Sakura scolding him, "You can't go anywhere without getting anything to eat."

"But Sakura-Chaaaan!"

"Look Koharu-sama made you Hokage. You may not have the village, but the title should mean something to you, shouldn't it?"

Gaara walked into the fray with a look of disappointment as he sighed to his comrades, "Naruto's going to be Naruto, Hokage or not. If we get weighed down too much to the title then nothing good will come of it. Besides only a few know you're actually a Kage. So at this point it's purely symbolic of Makonha and New Uzushio's newly formed alliance."

Sakura and Naruto faces turned to melancholy by their teammate. It was Gaara's level head that kept them out of trouble most of the time. And other times it wasn't helpful when trying to win an argument. However he was right at this time. Except for the scroll that Naruto guarded; and the robes Sakura saved, the title of Hokage for them was meaningless to most of the world now. It would be useful as a propaganda tool to reunite the people and restore the Will of Fire. The more they succeeded, the more the title would bring hope, the more it would become real, and then Konoha would be steps closer to reunification.

Even then it wouldn't be that simple.

Sakura sighed as she brushed passed Naruto before walking downstairs. TenTen looked on as Naruto hurriedly chased after, trying to get her to calm down and not destroy something that wasn't his face.

TenTen and Gaara walked together as she asked him confused of his partners' antics, "So what's the deal with them?"

"It's a long story."

Naruto and Sakura blinked confused as the mass of what they believed to be food was given to them by Lee with reckless abandonment. Naruto squinted at the black steaming mass served on a bed of rice. "Um. What is it?"

Lee looked full of pride as he held the ladle, "I'm glad you asked! This is the Super Deluxe, Ultimate Secret…!"

TenTen's voice screeched along with Neji's out of place booming voice, "Lee, No!"

The plates were quickly snatched up and taken back to the kitchen as Lee openly expressed his appalled disagreement to having the food he prepared taken back by TenTen. Naruto shifted his head before watching the forehead in between the thick eyebrows meet the metal of the soup ladle in the Weapon wielder's hand. He listened in as the kunoichi scolded Lee on the reasons not to serve the blob on what was actually Curry.

Nearly 45 minutes later and with help from Sakura and Neji, bowls of Miso along with plates of actual food were placed on the table. The pink haired shinobi smiled as she took a sip of the tea TenTen had made.

"It's from a merchant in Byaaku that specializes in tea. He actually has an interesting story because he's from the Eastern Ocean."

Sakura was interested and listened as Naruto stared at his plate of food, his head continually deflating to a slump position. TenTen's voice in the background.

"You see it turns out there's this place called the Three Reefs. From what I've been told, they're actually these giant floating cities. They're even further out in the sea then the Land of the Moon. People who are usually separated or displaced wind up there. It's actually great for trading."

Neji scowled as he broke into his teammate's conversation.

"It's also where refugees end up. Destiny usually sends you there if your life is stolen by fate. There's nothing they can do about it."

"Neji."

Sakura placed her cup down before glancing at Naruto. "What's wrong?"

He looked up at her before whining, "There's no ramen."

A vein popped in her forehead before holding up her fist, "You're going to eat it anyway and like it. GOT IT?"

"Y-Yes Sakura-Chan!"

Gaara turned to TenTen and Neji, "They aren't like this all the time. They just have a lot on their minds right now."

"So when Naruto is less focused, and Sakura is more easily angered, they have something on their minds?"

Gaara nodded to TenTen's theory as the blond boy and pink haired girl bickered again slightly. Then entering a near parallel state of drinking tea. She nodded as their conversation continued.

"So where in Konoha are you from, Gaara?"

"I'm from Suna, actually."

TenTen looked surprised, causing her to feel slightly confused as she smiled, "Suna? Then what are you doing here?"

He motioned over to the blond and pinkette, "Keeping these two in line, unfortunately."

It was later in the evening, after her meal Sakura dressed herself for bed again. She would have a room all to herself this time. On the insistence of Lee, her room had a perfect view of the rest of the compound. The outlining forest as one of the walls had been made of large pieces of glass shielding. The moonlight entering her room as she received an unexpected guest.

"You were a little harsh tonight."

Gaara, also dressed out of his battle garb, sat on the other side of her bed mat. His left leg folded in as his arm lay on top of it. The gourd removed from his back, "Naruto and I both know something is on your mind. And since you're unwilling to tell him you might as well tell me."

She smiled, "Really that's not…"

"I can go without sleeping all night if that's what it takes. Might as well tell me."

The pink haired girl looked away in resentment for a moment as the light of the moon began to shine down on the both of them. She sighed in defeat, as a frown and sadness soon etched onto her face. Gaara reminding her of the past few days.

"You had to fight your first friend, not only that, there was that moment in the hospital. I understand if you don't like to talk about when you were alone in Konoha, but something has been bothering…"

"The Uchiha that took my mother is somewhere outside the village we're about to enter."

Gaara only continued to stare as Sakura chuckled lightly. She shook her head after looking down at her hands. "I try so hard to tell myself she's somewhere out there looking for me. That she got away and found a place to hide. That she even knows I'm still alive."

Gaara sat next to her as she rubbed her eyes, "I know we have to help people, but what if I wasted all this time training to find her for nothing? What if they broke her like that other woman we saw before? I keep telling myself that she's fine, but they took her and shackled her off. My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw when I was little. I felt like a burden to her when I was bullied for how I looked. They could've…"

"Don't put those thoughts into your head. Remember what Kushina-sama told you. Every day you refuse to quit, the stronger the chance."

Sakura looked up at Gaara and smiled, "I'm sorry. After all this time, I'm still selfish."

"After what you've been through it's only natural for you to feel those emotions. I think the issue though is mistaking the actions of others or letting the small things upset you more than they should. You've been much harder on Naruto lately than usual."

Sakura looked at him oblivious at first, then looking down with a frown, "That's because he's been more idiotic than usual."

"I don't think that's the case. I think you've been mistaking his excitement for foolishness. Of the three of us, you know he has the most pressure on himself then anyone. He always wants to keep his promises, he wants people to acknowledge him, just like us. But now he's the one all these elders and people look to. The one who should know that the most is you."

Sakura looked more surprised as she looked at him, "How am I supposed to know…"

"I'm not the one who likes to take bullshit, Sakura. That's all I'm going to say on the matter."

She looked down as they both sat together, "He's gotten stronger."

"Obviously."

"No…not that way," Sakura said softly as she looked off to her side, "It's just when Naruto gets all these girls that are so pretty drawn towards him and I attract all these weirdos…I'm…"

"Jealous?"

"….Yeah…jealous…."

"What if I were to tell you I was jealous of the happy times you had with your mother?"

Sakura looked up at the boy who only looked away for a moment before coming back to look at her. As she looked up it appeared as if the boy, a year her junior, was suddenly her older brother. But the feeling quickly subsided as she pushed herself away to look across from him on the other side of her bed mat.

"To be honest I wouldn't be surprised."

Gaara looked as she brushed loose strands of hair away from her face. She smiled warmly before looking up at him, "After all, that's what Kushina-sama told me about you and Naruto."

10 year old Sakura struggled as she tried to climb the slippery rock side. Her body was dirty and muddy, her training garbs worn and torn. Kushina, Mei and Tsunade looking up at the tired girl from top of the small coastal bluff.

"C'mon Sakura, we're not going to come down for you, if you want to get stronger you're going to have to find a way to climb the rocks up to us."

The girl panted, her messy hair all over her head, her right eye lidded from the strain on her body. She slipped onto the ledge she had reached to give herself a break after reaching it a day earlier. She took a moment to lay on her small back and inhale the stinging air into her lungs. She could barely move her body, and all her muscles were pulsating.

Never in her dreams or nightmares could she imagine the training she would be put through under a Sannin, a Kunoichi who could spit lava and acid, and the Mother of her best friend.

"C'mon Sakura-Chan…if you can get up the cliff I'll give you some of Anko's special dangos."

"Mei! We're trying to train her. Not bribe her!"

Sakura sat up. She was tired, hungry and thirsty beyond all reason; they had been out here for days; no way in hell was she going to remain stuck at the bottom of this rock ledge. She certainly was going to wipe that stare off her Shishou's face. Tsunade was supposed to be teaching her, but in the first year and half of training the woman brushed her off, leaving Shizune to help her.

So while the women above bickered, the young girl clasped her hands together and channeled her chakra quietly. The first time performing the simple chakra exercise had scared her, so she shut her eyes tight before running up a smoother boulder.

Kushina, Mei and Tsunade stopped talking in time to see the pink haired girl jump up next to them, "I'm thirsty!"

The pink haired girl drank furiously from a large water canister before sighing in relief. Kushina smiled as she changed, "My, you did sound thirsty Sakura-Chan."

"Mhmm."

Sakura looked up in time to see the large patch of discolored skin; scarred, the remains of a large seal on Kushina's toned stomach and back. "Kushina-sama? What's that?"

The red haired woman stopped, realizing that the girl had seen her body, "Do you want to hear the story?"

Sakura, a curious child, nodded heavily as the woman smiled, "It's from when the Kyuubi stabbed me."

"Stabbed you?"

Kushina nodded, "You see Sakura; before Naruto was the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, I was. Because of that; and because I was giving birth to the Hokage's child, Naruto's birth had to be secret. And the wife of the Third Hokage had to help Minato keep the Kyuubi contained because it was trying to escape with Naruto."

Sakura looked up curled around her water source with wide eyes.

"Naruto came out in a purely "Naruto" way, but then something happened. A masked Cyclops attacked us and kidnapped Naruto. Then taking me to extract the Kyuubi. Minato rescued both of us, but the Kyuubi had gotten out. I was very weak and Minato had finally taken out the masked man. By then though, the fox then attacked the village, so then Minato decided to do the only thing he could. Seal it inside Naruto. However, he didn't have chakra to complete the sealing, so I assisted him. We both shielded Naruto and were fatally hurt."

Sakura's eyes were wide as saucer plates, trembling in awe as the woman finished, "We said goodbye to Naruto, but then something happened."

"W-What happened?"

"I woke up in the hospital. And when I sat up I was in shock. At first, I didn't understand because I should've been dead. The Sandaime's wife survived the first attack and sacrificed herself by feeding the rest of her chakra into my body. And I survived long enough for Tsunade to be retrieved and to heal me as much as possible. I had been in a coma for weeks and the told me my body would never fully recover from the damage, but I'm right here, dattebane!" Sakura watched as her sensei's eyes held a twinge of pain and guilt for a moment before moving on.

"Now Gaara's mother is a different story. Unlike Naruto, he was very premature, and very small. His mother and I wrote to each other when I was recovering, but she isn't dead either, per say. What would've happened to me is much more empowered in Gaara's mother. When we were reworking his seal to allow for greater freedoms, she was the one who held back the Shukaku."

Sakura whispered in awe as she listened, completely enthralled by the story, "Wow."

Kushina smiled softly, "Now Gaara has never known his mother, like Naruto or you have. But his mother knows him."

"How?"

"When he used to say the sand was his mother; it wasn't because of his need, it was because part of him sensed her. She is in the sand; deep within him, protecting him out of love. It was her promise. She's always with him"

"So she protects him even after life?"

"Yes."

"That's so cool Kushina-sama."

"Now Sakura, don't tell them this just yet. Promise to keep it between us."

"I'm sure if your mother knew she'd do her best to protect you however she could. You never know Gaara."

The boy only nodded, then looking at the young woman curiously, "But what did Kushina-sama tell you about Naruto and me?"

Sakura laughed with a smile as she rubbed the back of her hair, "Oh, nothing important really."

He sighed, "Such a double standard, both of you."

The red head got up shaking his head and walking to the door. The girl now scowling behind him. What was this double standard the boy just seemingly mumbled about? Her frown stretched longer, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gaara opened the door and turned his head, "Naruto talks behind your back too. He never tells anyone who asks who he's talking about. I don't blame him."

"What does he say behind my back?" Sakura looked annoyed, the growing rage of a predator growing within her. Her Inner screaming how dare the blond boy talk about her behind her back. She contemplated storming into the other room and pummel him in his sleep.

"Wonderful things."

The door closes in front of her and she feels the moment her mind stops. The anger subsides as her head tilts downward. Her mind fogs as she wanders back to her bed mat and lays down. Sakura then looks down at the door before thinking about a memory. Something Kushina trained that the others would not. Shinobi were surrounded constantly by death and destruction. When thinking about happy thoughts; memories; they could betray a shinobi when their will was strained. However bonds were something to hold on to, something to come back to, the special memories one could never truly let go.

The one entering her mind she couldn't help but smile warmly at. She laid back on her covers, allowing herself to drift off to sleep without the nightmares clouding her mind.