“We should be in the land of Storms in a few days,” Sakura told the others. She folded the map and put it back in her pocket. The four of them were gathered around a campfire. They would camp her for the night.

Her eyes landed on Sai, the newest addition to their team. She still wasn’t sure what to think of him. There was something odd about the boy. He had no social skills whatsoever and he didn’t seem to understand the concept of emotions. He and Naruto ended up arguing every day, though she wasn’t completely sure whose fault it was. Naruto had always had a temper and Sai was so passive. And he was always drawing in that notebook of his.

Sakura sighed. He had taken Sasuke’s spot in their tam. And that was hard to accept. Especially Naruto seemed to see this as betrayal. And he kept reminding Sai about it every opportunity he got. But all in all Sai wasn’t such a bad person. A bit strange maybe, but he tried to be human. Everything he knew about human interaction seemed to come from books. Very often there was miscommunication when Sai said something that would fall wrong. Sakura just hoped they would get through this mission without the boys killing each other off.

She glanced at Kakashi. He was reading his stupid book again and ignored his team.

She sighed and threw a handful of twigs on the fire. This was gong to be a long night.

Kakashi turned the page. It had been a long day. Naruto and Sai couldn’t get along. Though, since that last mission they seemed to have accepted one another.

Kakashi sighed. He wasn’t sure what to think. Sai came from Roots, a special ‘youth’ organization of ANBU and they were under direct control of Danzou.

Suddenly, the book was pulled from his hands. He jumped when he heard a voice behind him. “You still read that junk?”

Behind him stood Taryn, flipping through his book, her nose wrinkled in disapproval. She jumped down from the log she had been standing on and tossed the book aside.

Kakashi stood up annoyed and grabbed her around the waist. Immediately he was taken off balance when a genjutsu surrounded him. He gasped and dropped Taryn.

“Ow,” she said when she hit the ground.

Kakashi shook off the illusion. By now, his students had jumped up as well.

As soon as Kakashi had broken the genjutsu, he found two kunai daggers pointed at him. They were attached to two brats that were no older than fourteen.

“Down boys,” he heard Taryn say.

“Take your hands off our sensei,” the brown haired said threatening.

“Sensei?” Kakashi said confused.

“Daro, Hiro, drop the knife,” Taryn said from the ground, “Kuro, get your ass over here.”

A third boy made his way over from the bushes and came to stand next to his teammates. The two other boys lowered their weapons, but glared at Kakashi suspiciously.

“Kakashi, this is my team. Daro Kamori, Hiroshi Tomoda and Kuro Shiraki. Boys, meet Kakashi Hatake from Konoha.” She gave a warning glare. “Our allies,” she reminded them.

The boys muttered under their breath, but didn’t move. Hiro didn’t seem impressed. “You should apologize to our sensei,” he said, “for dropping her.”

Kakashi blinked at him and then glared at Taryn who gave him an amused grin from the ground. Kakashi sighed and shook his head. He stuck out his had and then lifted her to her feet.

Taryn turned to her team. “Hiro,” she said with a stern look, “you know you shouldn’t talk to you superiors like that.”

The boy flinched and hung his head.

“Well?!” Taryn growled.

“I’m sorry sir,” the boy said softly.

Kakashi nodded. “Apology accepted.”

“Good,” Taryn said content, “now…” She turned around to the rest of Kakashi’s team, who had been standing there stunned. “Naruto,” Taryn smiled, “you’re taller every time I see you.” She nodded at Sakura. “Sakura.”

“Hi,” Sakura said.

Naruto grinned widely.

Taryn’s eyes landed on Sai and she eyed him carefully. He was in a different league. She could tell that right away. His emotionless eyes stared right back at her. “Who’s this?” Taryn asked. Sai stood up and bowed to her from his middle. “My name is Sai.. Nice to meet you Taryn-sama.”

“You know my name?” Taryn asked coldly.

Her boys moved closer to her as if ready to fight.

Taryn didn’t pay them any attention, but Kakashi eyed it amused.

Sai straightened up and looked at her with his empty eyes again. “I have heard speak of you,” he said.

“Hn,” Taryn said suspiciously. She turned away from him. “So,” she asked, “are you on a mission or are you returning home?”

“Going,” Kakashi said, “you?”

“We’re just returning. Mind if we camp with you?”

“Not at all.”

Taryn smiled. “Okay. Hiro, Kuro go and find some more wood for the fire. Daro, see if you can help the others set up. And see what we can use for dinner.”

The boys saluted and went to work.

“You’ve trained them well,” Kakashi smirked.

Taryn gave a faint smile. “They’re the best students I could wish for.” She sat down on the forest ground.

Kakashi sunk down next to her. “How are you?” he asked, “with everything that happened with Akatsuki and…”

“I’m fine,” Taryn cut him off. She looked at him. “Really.”

Kakashi eyed her for a moment, but nodded. “Alright. If you say so.”

Daro walked up to them with his backpack. “We have instant Ramen for dinner,” he said, “and a loaf of bread.”

Naruto’s head flew up. “Ramen?” he glanced at it hungrily.

Taryn chuckled. “We have enough to spare,” she said, “go heat up some water.”

“Let me,” Hiro said as he used a water jutsu to fill a kettle. He hung it over the fire. Kuro dropped an armload of wood next to it.

“They work well together,” Kakashi commented, “and they adore you.”

Taryn gave a sad smile. “Yeah. I know.”

“Taryn-sama?” Naruto asked, “how is Gaara doing?”

Taryn smiled at him. “He’s fine. He’s working hard lately. His duties as Kazekage never seem to end.”

“You know Gaara-sama?” Hiro asked surprised.

“I sure do,” Naruto said, “he’s one of my best friends.”

Taryn smiled. “Naruto-kun saved Gaara’s life,” she said, “if it wasn’t for him, he wouldn’t have survived when he was taken by Akatsuki.”

“Wow,” Kuro gasped.

“And Sakura too” Taryn continued, “she made the antidote that saved Kankuro. We owe them a great deal.”

Sakura turned red. It felt strange to receive a compliment from Taryn. No matter what had happened, that girl still scared her.

“Awesome,” Hiro breathed. They gathered around the fire. “Tell us,” Hiro said, “how did you beat those Akatsuki creeps?”

Taryn shook her head amused. She turned to Kakashi, using her team’s distraction to have a private conversation with him. “Any news on Orochimaru?” she asked softly.

Kakashi sighed. “We traced him to the meting point. It seems he was expecting someone to come. Sasori’s spy… it was Kabuto. The jutsu Sasori cast had already been broken.”

“Kabuto…” Taryn hissed.

“We found Sasuke too,” Kakashi carefully continued, “he… doesn’t seem to want to return home. Revenge is everything to him. He said he’d even sell his soul to Orochimaru to gain that. He’s completely surrounded by darkness.”

“I warned you about that,” Taryn said.

Kakashi eyed her cautiously. “I thought you’d be there too, at Tenchi Bridge.”

“I was gong to,” Taryn muttered, “but I was… otherwise engaged.” It was the tone in her voice that made him suspect it.

“What did you do?!” he snarled. Taryn didn’t look at him and kept silent. “Taryn!” She glared at him now and he shook his head in disbelieve. “You would forgive him anything. Even that?”

“I forgave nothing,” Taryn growled low.

From the fire, the others looked up momentarily and Daro gave Kakashi a threatening look. When Taryn glared at him, he quickly turned back.

The next few minutes, Taryn and Kakashi spent in a cold silence.

“So, what is his story?” Taryn finally broke the silence. Her voice was still a little angry. She motioned towards Sai, who kept a little distance from the rest of the group and kept an empty look.

Kakashi followed her gaze and sighed. He spoke softly when he answered her. “Sai was in Roots. He was placed in my team to replace Sasuke.”

Taryn narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Roots was bad news. She didn’t like their training style. “So you have a little assassin in your team now,” she mused, “I’d be careful if I were you.”

“I served the ANBU myself, you know,” Kakashi said a little annoyed.

“I know,” Taryn said softly.

Kakashi sighed. “He was commissioned to kill Sasuke. But he changed his mind when the time was there. He said he didn’t want to destroy Naruto’s bond with Sasuke. He said he’d do anything to protect that bond.”

Taryn frowned. What strange behavior. She needed to learn more about this boy. “We should get some rest,” Taryn stated and she stood up.

Kakashi followed her as she joined the others.

“I’ll take first watch,” Sai offered.

Taryn glanced at him. “I think I’ll join you.,” she said.

“You don’t need to,” Sai answered.

“But I will,” she answered him.

Sai tilted his head. “I read in a book once that it is not polite to let a woman do a man’s job.” Taryn managed an icy smile while the others were carefully eyeing her reaction. “Then perhaps you should find yourself something new to read.”

“That smile of yours,” Sai said curiously, “it’s different from before. This one seems more fake. I’ve read about fake smiles.”

“Eh… Sai,” Sakura said carefully, but Taryn cut her off.

“What else have you read?” she asked coldly. She hated how the boy’s face never changed. Roots had brainwashed him, erased all emotions, everything that made him human.

“I’ve read a lot of things,” Sai said.

“Then we’ll have something to talk about,” Taryn said content. She had a lot of questions and she wasn’t going to sleep while he was awake. Besides, if he had been sent to kill Sasuke… then he had information. Information she could probably use.

“Well,” Kakashi scratched his head, trying to break off their cold war, “two notice more than one I suppose. You could take watch duty together. Keep each other company.”

Sai and Taryn seemed to be holding a staring contest with each other. Kakashi silently prayed it wouldn’t come to a fight. “Fine by me,” Sai then said with a faint smile.

Taryn snorted and sat down against a tree, a little away form the fire.

Sai followed her and sat across from her. They were silent for a long time until the others had fallen asleep. She eyed Sai curiously.

“So, Roots huh,” she said.

Sai’s face didn’t betray any surprise. He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment. “You are more difficult to read than the others,” he then said, “you don’t fit any profile I’ve read about.” “You can’t study human behavior from a book,” Taryn said.

Sai tilted his head. “Then how do you learn?”

“By being human.” She stared at him puzzled. “Why did you change your mind about killing Sasuke?” she asked.

Her words caused a slight reaction from Said. He looked confused for a  moment. Taryn wasn’t sure if he would answer honestly, but he did. “I… heard Naruto talk about him. He said Sasuke was like his brother… I had a brother once. Well, he wasn’t my real brother… but he died.” Taryn’s blood ran cold. She knew about the training techniques in Roots. They had copied it from the village of the Bloody Mist. It ended in a killing spree where you fought the very person you had been training with. Only one could survive. If Sai was here… “How did you kill him?” she asked.

Sai averted his yes. “It wasn’t like that. He died of illness.”

She wasn’t sure if she believed him. “Am I in that bingo book of yours?” she asked curiously, “am I on your hitlist?”

Sai glanced at her curiously. “What if you were?”

“Then I’d wish you luck,” Taryn said with a sly smirk.

To her surprise Sai chuckled. It changed his whole face.

“What do you know,” Taryn said, “there is some human left in you.”

His laughter died out right a way. “You’re not a target,” he said.

Taryn leaned her head back against the tree and sighed. She almost regretted ruining his amusement. Almost. She would never trust someone from Roots.

Sai had taken out his notebook and was drawing in it. He was good. Taryn wondered if that was his talent, using chakra to bring his drawings to life. But she didn’t ask.

The rest of their watch they spent in silence. After a few hours, Taryn stood up to wake Kuro so he could take over her shift, but she stayed awake all night, feeing as if she was missing something important.

***

“Are we there yet?” Hiro complained.

“Do you see any sand yet?” Daro retorted.

“No.”

“Well then.”

Kuro listened  to his friends as they bickered and kept stealing glances at Taryn. “Sensei?” he asked softly, “is Gaara-sama still angry with you?”

Taryn gave him a sad smile. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pressed him against her side for a moment. “Don’t worry about it.”

“But it makes you sad.”

“It was my own fault. It will be fine.”

“Isn’t that sweet?” a new voice said sarcastically.

Taryn whirled around and pushed Kuro behind her. The boy tripped and fell.

The other two boys stared at the newcomer in shock.

Deidara stepped from behind a rock and chuckled.

“So you made it after all,” Taryn spat.

Deidara smirked. “Are you disappointed?”

“Oh no. Not at all,” Taryn growled, “now I have the opportunity to finish you off myself. We still have a score to settle for what you did to my brother.”

“Your brother?” Deidara questioned, “I heard he still lives. And he’s angry with you… Could that have to do anything with Itachi hmm?”

Taryn narrowed her eyes and slammed her fan into the ground. “Quit yapping and fight!” she shouted.

Deidara chuckled. “What’s that? Did I strike a nerve?”

Kuro, Hiro and Daro exchanged quick glances. Itachi? Uchiha Itachi?

“I loved the wrong person.”  

All three took a step forward, ready to fight.

Deidara eyed it amused. “Your puppies seem quite eager to fight,” he said.

“Leave them out of this,” Taryn hissed. She waved the boys back. “Stay out of this,” she said. “Ooh, are you going to fight, Deidara?” a new voice asked.

A few feet behind Deidara stood a man in an Akatsuki cloak. Is face was covered by a mask. “Stay there Tobi,” Deidara said, “this won’t take long.”

“You’re right about that,” Taryn growled dangerously and she opened her fan. Without warning she launched a wind attack.

Deidara barely had enough time to get out of the way. A few rocks split in half from the impact of the attack. Deidara eyed it carefully. “I see now,” he mused, “why they recruited you back then.”

“This is nothing,” Taryn said. She remembered he used bombs. Byakugan was out of the question. She needed long-range attacks.

“Well, let’s see then,” Deidara said while forming his clay into tiny little birds. He sent them towards her.

Taryn returned them with a wind attack, but he already had the next set ready. This time she had to duck out of the way.

The clay exploded just above her head.

A new handful of bombs was directed at her students. Taryn quickly set them back with a wind attack and glared at Deidara. “I told you to leave them out of this.” She lifted her hand and lightning formed around it.

“You do know that will only set off my bombs, do you?” Deidara questioned amused.

Taryn merely grinned. She charged towards him, sending her chidori at him while avoiding the explosives.

Deidara gasped as he was thrown backwards against a large rock wall. He groaned and crawled to his feet. “I’ll admit,” he said, “you’re tougher than you look. I can see where your brother learned to fight.”

”My brother taught himself to fight,” Taryn said.

“Oh, that’s right,” Deidara smirked, “you were too busy following Itachi around, isn’t that so?” He glanced at the three boys that stood a little behind. “Do your brats know they’re following a traitor around?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Taryn hissed. She launched another wind attack.

Deidara gasped as it cut him in the face. He narrowed his eyes at her. “That wasn’t vey nice.”

“I never claimed to be nice,” Taryn spat at him.

Deidara was preparing some new clay bombs, but Taryn had counted on that. She focused all her chakra into her fan for a Ryoki. She glanced back. “Daro,” she said. The boy looked up confused. “If I pass out,” she told him, “you’re team leader. Finish this fight.”

“Sensei…”

“Do as I say.”

He nodded concerned. “Of course.”

Taryn focused on Deidara again. She had to wait for the exact right moment. He had finished building his clay bombs and was about to send them towards her. That was when she released her jutsu.

Deidara’s eyes went wide when he realized this wasn’t a regular wind attack, but he had no time to anticipate. His bombs exploded when he was still holding several of them. The ones he had already released were cast back.

Taryn flattened herself against the ground and there was a large explosion. A huge earth wall appeared in front of her, shielding her from the blast. ‘Daro,’ she thought vaguely. Carefully she crawled up again.

Deidara was dead. It wasn’t a pretty sight.

She turned to his comrade. “How about you?” she said through her teeth.

“I have no quarrel with you,” Tobi answered, “it was his choice to fight you.”

“Hn,” Taryn said. There was something about this guy… She activated her Byakugan to scan him, but was blocked by a genjutsu. She stumbled a bit. She was unprepared for the attack and exhausted from using Ryoki.

Immediately, Daro stepped forward and pushed against her shoulder to break the genjutsu.

Hiro took a protective stance in front of her, his water snakes at the ready.

Kuro focused on a counter attack.

“I have no intention on fighting you,” Tobi hurried to say.

“What was that about then?!” Taryn snarled.

Tobi shrugged. “Curiosity.” He chuckled. “That was an impressive move. I can see why they call you the Desertstorm.”

Hiro made his water snakes even bigger, but Taryn placed a hand on his shoulder. “Leave it,” she said.

Tobi chuckled again. “Thank you,” he said, “I really don’t like picking fights.”

“Don’t cross my path again,” Taryn threatened. She watched as he vanished.

Her students were silent for a while. “You were recruited by Akatsuki,” Hiro stated.

“I was,” Taryn confirmed.

“But you left.”

“I did,” Taryn said.

“I bet you were spying on them,” Hiro said, “that’s why you joined them, right?”

Kuro cast a careful glance at Taryn. He was curious after all the rumours he had heard, but now he wasn’t so sure he wanted to know the answer.

Taryn gave a tired sigh. “The reasons don’t really matter,” she muttered.

“That guy…,” Kuro carefully questioned, “the one you were talking about… why you were in trouble… he was one of them, right?”

Taryn stared at him. Once again she was stunned by his perceptiveness. Nothing seemed to escape his attention. She saw no reason to lie, so she nodded. “Yeah… but I knew him from before…”

The three boys were silent as they thought about her words. Kuro wondered if he would ever learn the whole story. Perhaps the truth was somewhere in the middle.

“So,” Taryn said, “do you still want me as your sensei?”

“Of course we do,” Daro said.

Hiro and Kuro nodded vividly. “And if you ever decide to start your own criminal organization, we’ll be your subordinates,” Hiro grinned.

Taryn swatted the back of his head. “You’ll be my first pick,” she said, “…brat…”

He chuckled.

Taryn shook her head and stared in the direction Tobi had run off to. There had been something strange with his chakra, but she wasn’t sure what. That genjutsu was no ordinary illusion… it had been a Sharingan….