Chapter 20: Akina

Flames.

Deadly, purifying flames.

She had been here before.

That night at the Hyuuga compound.

Her mother, a woman she loved with all her heart.

She didn't know what had happened, one moment they were simply talking the next…fire.

Fire came as if the gates of hell itself had opened allowing them forth into the world of men.

She didn't know what had happened next.

It was all to fast,

But she could remember

She was lying on the floor, blood covered her form and her arm was throbbing with pain. She had looked up and her father along with her brother were fighting someone.

She didn't see his face.

Only the blood red cloak that covered him. She stood, struggling against the pain that shot through her.

She had started running towards them her feet pounding against the moist earth, she ran as fast as she could, but the distance seemed endless.

She remembered…hearing a muffled scream…the darkness in her vision faded and she saw…

The person in red, holding her brother by his face.

She had heard her father yell out something, a curse most likely, but she didn't hear it, all she heard was the sickening crack of her brothers skull and the blood that she saw flow from both his left and right temples, down his face, his eyes, his ears, dripping down his chin to the cold floor bellow.

She had seen red then, her only thought was the objective to kill the one in the red cloak.

To stop the flames.

She had rushed in then, and both her, and her father fought with everything they had, kunai, blades, shuriken, explosive notes, jutsu, gen-jutsu. Everything they had in their arsenal.

But it was over so quickly.

She had felt a terrible pain across her stomach, when she looked down, she was kneeling, and blood was traveling down her waist, to her knee's, and into the floor, pooling where her knee's met the floor.

She clutched the bleeding injury with her hands, and looked up, as her father's body hit the floor with a dull thud.

His eyes, panicked and fearful, turned themselves onto her and he whispered one word.

"Run."

Before the blade pierced his neck.

She looked up again and met the burning, blood red eyes of that monster and for the first time in a long time, felt true terror, a gripping fear that tightened around her chest and froze her in place.

As their gaze did not break, her father's last word continued to scream in her mind.

Run.

Run!

RUN

RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUNRUN!

Finally, she did. She stood and she fled.

As fast as her feet could carry her she fled, and the screams and cries of other ninja continued to reach her ears long after she flew from that place before finally fading into nothingness.

But those eyes… those terrible crimson eyes of hell, that held within them the same glow of the burning flames around her…those stayed with her.

…

And they would never fade.

The young girl awoke painfully, much like the last two times she'd been conscious. Her mind was clouded, but she knew the surroundings were somewhat familiar so she managed to stop her growing panic. She sat up weakly, vaguely recalling that it was much easier now then what she had remembered it to be the last time. She looked around, ignoring her blond hair that fell over her eyes, obscuring her vision slightly.

She found a black hired woman sleeping on a chair a few feet away, a book loosely held in her hand as her soft snores reached the girls ears.

The creak of a door opening startled her and she turned to see a blond haired woman entering. She paused for a moment as their eyes locked before she made a gesture for her to keep quiet, she walked over to the sleeping brunet and removed the book from her slack grip.

She set it on the table before picking her up and setting the girl down on the couch.

Standing up she walked over to her, sitting at the edge of the bed she looked to the younger blond, with a look that mannaged to be somber, sympathetic and serious at the same time. "How do you feel?"

Akina looked down. "Fine…I guess." She muttered.

"Do you have pain anywhere?" Tsunade aked again. "Like your head, chest. Anywhere at all?" She ventured carefully.

Akina shook her head slowly. 'No."

Tsunade nodded, from her body language and verbal responses, along with her injuries it didn't take a genius to know she had been in a terrible fight and had most likely lost someone important to her.

"Would you like to get cleaned up?"

"Yes please." The younger girl responded.

Tsunade nodded, helping her throw her feet over the edge of the bed. The girl tried to stand on her own but her legs, after almost two days of pure abuse and one more week of no use made her limbs like jelly.

Tsunade rushed forward and steadied her. "Whoa there, you cant be moving on your own yet. The older blond said sympathetically, and placed a glowing green hand of Chakra onto the girls stomach as she saw her wince and instinctively place a hand over the area in pain.

"Shizune told me your name's Akina. Is that right?"

The girl, now identified as Akina nodded. Tsunade smiled. "Good, my name, in-case you didn't know is Tsunade."

Akina's head snapped up towards her, her crystalline blues widening in surprise. "Of the legendary sannin?

Tsunade nodded and smiled before she slung the girls arm over her shoulder and gently led her to the bathroom. "Come on, lets get you cleaned up."

It was only a few minutes later that Tsunade had the tub almost full with steaming hot water. She dipped her hand into the steaming liquid, testing the temperature.

"Ummm, really, I don't want to be a bother, I'll do it myself." The blond girl stated meekly.

Tsunade stood and dried her hands and walked over to the young girl. "Give me your hand." She said extending her own hand. Akina promptly did the same.

Tsunade gripped the younger girls hand in her own. "Squeeze my hand as much as you can." She ordered firmly.

The younger blond tried but she could barely clench her fingers.

Tsunade spoke up again. "You've just woken up, from an anesthesia induced sleep, the effects still haven't worn off, you could trip and bash your head in there so, I'll help you until the muscle relaxants wear off, don't worry, I've seen much worse bodies than yours." The older medic said with a sly grin.

Akina blushed but nodded rather reluctantly, and began undressing, allowing Tsunade to help ease her into the shower.

She hissed as the steaming liquid hit her stomach wound, which was now nothing more than a gash with dry blood and some signs of healing. It would definitely scar.

She shoved her head down, wetting her hair before rising again.

Tsunade sighed and sat down on a small stool. "Listen, I don't want to sound too forward or anything, but the not knowing is killing me. I know you came from Konoha, your headband and ID identify you as a gennin, graduated just two years ago. What happened? Did a mission go wrong or something?"

She shook her head, she really didn't want to talk about it, but another part of her wanted to say everything.

She then remembered that was Tsunade, one of the legendary Sannin.

She hug her head, letting her now, wet mop of blond hair obscure her eyes from view. "I…I don't really know all the specifics. All I know is that…things started getting crazy after the chuunin exam…

Tsunade listened through the story with baited breath. Many of the things she had just heard just threw her for a loop.

Both Sarutobi and Orochimaru were dead.

A kid, the alleged Kyuubi container and Konoha's own personal demon on a leash, had overthrown the council, and nearly half of her home villages population was either dead, KIA or missing nin?

And her last remaining teammate Jiraiya…had helped in this?

This was just too much.

She shook her head and spoke. "What will you do once you're healed?

The girl tensed for a moment before speaking, her voice was an angry whisper. "I'm going to train. As long as it takes…I'll train until I'm strong enough…then…I'll kill him.

Tsunade took a deep breath, closed her eyes and rinsed off the last of the soap on the younger girls back before she moved to pick her up.

"Wa-wait."

Tsunade paused listening to her. "I think I can do it on my own." She said slowly.

Tsunade shook her head, "The after effects would take another two or three hours to we…" She stopped as the girls brow creased with effort as she used both her arms and her legs to stand up. Tsunade moved forward and helped her stand the rest of the way.

But she knew something was up with that display. She never messed up dosages, or medical times, the girl should be nothing more than a limp, hunk of meat.

She decided to store that in the back of her mind and began helping her to dress.

When Tsunade emerged with Akina Shizune was beginning to wake up. "Oh, my, I'm sorry Tsunade-sama, I didn't mean to fall asleep." She said standing and bowing her head apologetically.

Its all right Shizune, can you keep Akina company, I think I need to get some Sake." The older woman said halfheartedly.

Shizune nodded, immediately knowing that her master was distressed and let her eyes travel to the younger girl.

She could be no older than thirteen or fourteen, her hair was a dark shade of blond, and in a certain light could be seen as orange, it was somewhat spiky, with a few bangs over her eyes and the rest cropped back in a spiky ponytail. She was wearing a simple tank top now, with beige shorts and black ninja sandals.

Shizune smiled at her and she tried to smile back, but failed slightly. The brunet moved in and helped lead the girl to the bed where she sat down with a pained grunt.

Tsunade left them, she really needed a drink.

Shizune smiled at the girl, "Are you hungry, or thirsty Akina-san?" She asked politely.

Akina was about to say no, since she didn't really want to impose, but her stomach decided to speak for itself, letting out a very loud, very embarrassing growl. She blushed, her cheeks turning a healthy pink.

Shizune laughed light heartedly. "I'll take that as a yes then."

Akina smiled slightly and nodded, as long as she could distract herself...

Shizune walked over to the kitchen and grabbed some half warm take-out food, not exactly the healthiest choice, but it would get food into her stomach.

Shizune walked over and handed the girl some of the left over Lo-mein Tsunade hadn't finished the other day.

Akina, despite the food being cold practically inhaled it. Shizune blinked at the way the food simply vanished from the plate.

She laughed somewhat awkwardly but she was spared further speculation and embarrassment as Akina spoke up.

"Where did Tsunade-sama go?" She asked looking around.

Shizune shrugged. "Don't worry, Tsunade-senpai can handle herself she may have gone to a bar or…" Shizune suddenly paled and Akina immediately grew alarmed.

"Sizune-san. What's wrong?"

The next thing the blond knew a tornado had suddenly torn through the apartment building and Shizune was nowhere to be seen, only her voice could be heard in the wind.

"GOTTAGO!"

Akina blinked owlishly at the spectacle. "Ummmmm…what?"

Seeing as how she was going to receive no answer she decided to rest, but as soon as she let her lids fall over her eyes, those blood red orbs flashed into view and she sat straight up.

She gulped down her fear, and immediately replaced it with anger and determination.

She would get stronger.

Naruto let a slow smile dance on his lips, as he read the reports from the sound five, they had returned with nearly double what he had asked for, indeed there were several that merely wanted to kill him, but Ibiki's cross references had pointed them all out and had them discreetly eliminated.

Many of the "senior leafs" meaning the people that had been born and raised in the leaf village did not take kindly to the newcomers, Naruto now had Root Anbu patrolling the inside of the village to stop fights from breaking out, while they were few, he did not need the extra headache.

While those new batch of chuunin and Jounin where getting settled in another report had arrived.

This was Kakashi and Anko's report, of the mist village. And the intelligence was quite pleasing.

He chuckled before clicking a button on his intercom. "Bring me Hatake Kakashi, Yuuhi Kurenai, Aburame Shibi and Hyuuga Hinata.

"Yes Naruto-sama."