Ko stepped out of her house stretching her arms before walking towards Sasuke's door. She was about to knock but stopped when it opened. Sasuke's face held no emotion as he eyed her raised arm which she slowly put at her side.

"I see you're ready," Ko commented as stepped aside letting Sasuke step out of his home.

Sasuke responded by nodding then continued to walk forward. Ko followed in suit falling in step with Sasuke as they walked in silence. Both never had anything to say to each other and didn't want to talk to one another. They walked towards the new shopping district to meet Kakashi who arranged the meeting. To their surprise, Kakashi was waiting on them and talking to Asuma and Kurenai.

"It's very rare to see you waiting for someone Kakashi. It's very different of you to arrive first." Sasuke said as they approached him.

"He might be an imposter." Ko commented crossing her arms across her chest and shifting her weight onto her right leg.

Ko could sense that something was wrong by the look in Asuma and Kurenai's eyes. She felt two strange chakra signatures but soon disappeared which made the two Jonin glance at each other.

"Something's up, will it be another attack?"

"Well...for some occasion. I was planning on buying some sweets. It's useless now... yeah it is." Kakashi murmured.

"I don't like sweets," Sasuke told him showing a face of disgust.

"Well sorry guys but training is cancelled for right now.... I have something to do. I'll train you in a few hours." Kakashi said disappearing.

"Yup, somethings wrong."

Before she knew it, Sasuke was also gone leaving her to her thoughts. She decided to follow her sensei to find out what was going on. Her curiosity got the best of her wanting to see some action. She was about to activate her Subete Miru but someone had pushed her to the ground. She rubbed the dirt out of her eyes seeing Naruto on top of her dragging a big backpack.

"Sorry," Naruto apologized as he got to his feet and reached out a hand for Ko. She accepted his help and grabbed his hand getting to her feet.

"You need to watch where you're going Naruto. How many people have you crashed into over the years?" Ko said as she dusted herself off. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, Pervy Sage is taking me out of the village to train! Wanna come? I don't want to be alone with pervy sage on this trip, who knows what kind of trouble he'll get me in."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He'll be all pervy and upset girls then probably blame me since I'm a kid!"

"Hm maybe I should go, Jiraiya can teach me a few things. He's taking Naruto out of the village for a reason. I've heard he doesn't take many students so Naruto must be special." Ko thought.

"Alright, I'll go. Let me pack." Ko made a few hand signs then quickly grabbed Naruto's arm making them disappear and reappear close to Ko's apartment. "Damn, so close."

She looked over at Naruto seeing that he was dizzy. Spirals showed in his eyes as he tried to maintain his balance.

"It takes time to get use to. Sit down and rest while I get my stuff."

Ko ran up the stairs and quickly entered her apartment gathering all her weapons sealing them in scrolls, putting her sword on her back, then packed a few clothes and hurried back to Naruto who was sitting on the ground with a bored expression. When he saw Ko coming his way, he perked up and got to his feet ready to go. They walked together to the gates where Jiraiya was waiting for them.

"I see you brought a friend," Jiraiya said with a smirk then looked directly at Naruto giving him a look which made the blonde blush.

"Yeah, now let's goooo!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he marched out of the village gates but didn't go far as he was struggling with his bag.

"Are you really serious about this? You're bringing everything you own. Aren't we just going for a trip? Ko and I packed lightly, a suggest you do that same." Jiraiya scolded.

As Naruto went back to pack only the essentials, Ko was left alone with the Sanin.

"So what made you want to join Naruto on this journey?" Jiraiya questioned trying to make conversation.

"I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to see a legendary Sanin in action and possibly being trained." Ko replied.

"What chakra affinities do you have?"

"Fire and earth,"

"Hmmm, I can probably find something to teach you."

Jiraiya was about to say something but his attention turned on Naruto who was sprinting towards them skidding to a stop.

"Alright! Now let's go!" He said as he pointed forward and started to walk.

Jiraiya and Ko followed in suit quickly catching up to Naruto in no time. The journey was silent for the first ten minutes until Naruto spoke up.

"Hey Pervy Sage, what sort of jutsu are you going to teach me this time?" Naruto questioned with a smile.

"Hey you...don't you know what an amazing person I am? I'm so amazing your friend here only wanted to come because of me."

"Is that true Ko?" Naruto asked with a pained expression.

"Yeah, I can't pass on this opportunity." Ko replied bluntly and walked faster to tune out their bickering.

She stopped when she noticed that they had stopped and turned to face them.

"Hey why did you choose me? Am I just higher in the ranks to learn from you?"

"The fourth Hokage was my apprentice and you resemble him in a funny way. That's the reason." He replied only to drop the subject.

Ko looked from Jiraiya who continued to walk to Naruto who still stared at Jiraiya but soon snapped out of it and followed.

"So can you give me an idea of a jutsu that you can teach me?" Ko asked sweetly.

"Hm well, it seems like your hair is starting to change a little. I remember when I first saw you, your hair was straighter but now it's starting to point at the ends like mine." He explained.

"What does that have to do with my training?" Ko questioned feeling a bit surprised she hadn't noticed it. Most likely because she barley looks in the mirror.

"Well, I know a jutsu were you can use your hair for defense and offense. It took years to master but if I teach you the basics, you can learn on your own."

"Hm sounds interesting, I'm guessing you send chakra to the hair?"

"Similar, there's a lot more than that. It takes a lot of patience, chakra, and concentration. Trying to control each individual hair takes a lot of effort."

The rest of the trip was in silence but the closest town was only a few miles so they made it there in no time. When they reached the village, Ko and Naruto looked around seeing how small it was compared to the Leaf. Jiraiya led them into a building where they both saw a young woman and started to swoon over her appearance.

"Here is the room key, go up to your room and refine your chakra as training." Jiraiya said quickly trying to chase after the woman.

Before they could protest, Jiraiya was gone. Both Ko and Naruto gave each other a confused look then went up to their room. The room was on the third floor and was pretty big for three people. There were two beds and a lone cot sitting by the window along with two chairs on either side. Naruto jumped and plopped onto the bed letting out an exhausted sigh but soon groaned when he sat up and made a seal to focus his chakra as instructed.

Ko went to the other bed doing the same as Naruto, thinking about Jiraiya's words during their journey; the jutsu he spoke of interested her. Her hair can be a weapon if she trained hard enough, it would come in handy if she had no other defense or offense in battle. They remained in the same positions for half an hour until Ko felt a dark presence. Her eyes snapped open quickly activating her eyes to see who was emitting the dark aura.

Right away, she saw two figures heading towards their room wearing familiar cloaks. Ko deactivated her eyes and quickly looked at Naruto who was laying on the bed now trying to keep himself occupied. A knock was heard at the door and Naruto was the first to jump up to answer it.

"Naruto, don't!" Ko shouted as she lunged towards the door to stop him.

As he opened the door, Ko pushed him out of the way so the two only saw her. She stood tall as she studied the two members in front of her trying to figure out who they were. The taller one was from the Mist village, his skin was blue looking like a shark thanks to his beady eyes and razor sharp teeth. Her eyes moved from him to the shorter one instantly making the connection that he is Sasuke's brother, Itachi. She took a defensive position hoping the lure them away from Naruto but he was too curious to stay behind the door and finally revealed himself to the enemy.

"Naruto, we would like you to come with us. Come out of the room." Itachi said.

"So this is why Jiraiya wanted Naruto to travel with him." Ko thought as she stood in front of Naruto pushing him further into the room. "They would attack the village looking for him and Jiraiya is the only one who can handle these two. He better get here fast, I can't win against them. They can't get the Nine Tails, Father would kill me if I let them get closer to their goal."

"Stand aside child, we don't want you." Itachi said to Ko looking down at her with his blank Sharingan stare but Ko was smart enough not to look at them.

"Never, I won't let you take Naruto." Ko said as she got into a fighting stance.

"Ko, what's going on? Do you know these guys?" Naruto questioned from behind her.

"Stay back Naruto, they're rouge shinobi."

"Itachi, it's time we got started. We can cut both of their legs and take the boy." The taller one said menacingly making Ko waver a little but stood her ground.

The aura they carried was dark and overwhelming for Ko. She hadn't sensed this in years since she left to go on this mission. She took a deep breath and took the sword that was strapped on her back out of it's sheathe readying it for an attack. Ko's eyes glowed fiercely at the two knowing she was risking everything by showing them her power but she had no choice. If she was going to stand a chance, she needed to see their moves before they kill her.

"Move brat!" The big one demanded as his hand went to the hilt of his sword.

"No, I suggest that you leave Naruto alone." Ko replied staring up at the tall man showing no fear.

"Ko!" Naruto shouted but earned a glare from his teammate. He looked at the two strangers wondering why they were making Ko act like this.

"My my, look at those glowing red eyes." The taller one started with a grin plastered on his face. "I haven't seen eyes like those in years. Tell me, how did the Leaf manage to come across a Himura? I thought they were extinct."

"Guess not since you're looking at one." Ko replied with a smirk.

"But the black hair is throwing me off. Must be a mutt, pure Himura's have brown hair not black."

As he finished his sentence, Ko saw he was going to swing his sword downwards on her. She swiftly moved her sword above her head blocking his attack. The sword he carried was covered in bandages and was extremely heavy on hers.

"This sword is different...he must have been one of the seven swordsmen." Ko thought as she tried to fight off his sword.

The weight of the sword was baring down on Ko's; she knew she couldn't hold it much longer. She stepped aside and moved her sword so the enemy's came crashing down onto the floor but not before it ripped off some of the bandages cutting Ko's right arm from her shoulder down to her elbow. She let out a cry of pain but she had to focus. The big one swung again at Ko's feet but she jumped out of the way landing on his sword but soon felt stinging in her feet. The sword had attacked her once again cutting through her sandals.

"Okay so that sword has to be triggered by chakra. It has some sort of energy most likely from the wielder and attacks anyone who has a different chakra signature." Ko concluded as she dropped to the floor.

Ko went for a kick but saw the man start to lift his sword so she maneuvered herself so she went under his legs and got behind him. She kicked his back making him stumble forward but he quickly swung his sword at her. There was no way she could dodge without getting some kind of wound. The sword was too big and too close for her to dodge unscratched. She tried to go back under his legs but the sword came down on her back making her fall face first onto the floor.

It took all she had not to scream in pain. She managed to look up at her opponent seeing a wicked smile revealing his pointed teeth. Ko gritted her teeth trying to hold back the screams; she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of hearing them. She looked over at the hotel room seeing Naruto even closer to the door staring at her then back up at the enemy.

"G-get out N-naruto. Find J-Jiraiya." Ko stuttered desperate for her teammate to listen for once.

Naruto was too much in shock to process what she had said and she couldn't blame him. Her arm and back were bleeding out; this was probably the weakest he's ever seen her. Ko had to admit, if it were someone else, she could've easily won but this was the Akatsuki. If she revealed herself by showing them her abilities, they will make a connection, especially Itachi.

"It has been awhile....Sasuke." Itachi spoke.

Everyone's focus went to Sasuke who stood at the end of the hall with fury in his eyes.

"Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke spit in anger as if it were impossible to utter his name.

"Today is a special day, don't you think? This is the second time I've seen another Sharingan." The tall one said as he removed his sword from Ko's back.

"I will.....KILL YOU!!" Sasuke shouted.

Ko tried to get up from her spot on the floor but was stopped by a foot stomping on her back making her fresh wound sting even more.

"Ooohhh Sharingan. You seem to be familiar with Itachi. Who is this guy?"

"He is my...younger brother." Itachi replied.

"I heard the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out.....by you."

We all turned to face Sasuke. Whose face was filled with vengeance as his Sharingan eyes burned into Itachi's.

"I've been wanting to say this to you....I've lived hating you..... And also that I have lived only to kill you." Sasuke said making chidori making him look even more menacing. "I have lived for this!"

He ran towards Itachi with the chidori only to be stopped once Itachi grabbed Sasuke's arm which made a huge hole in the wall. Then Naruto started to summon his chakra tapping into the Nine Tail's chakra like Jiraiya had taught him. Then Itachi twisted Sasuke's arm until it broke making him scream in pain. When Naruto summoned his chakra the big guy swung his sword towards Naruto absorbing his chakra. While he was distracted, Ko got up trying to kick him once again but he dodged it. She then punched him in the gut catching him off guard.

He flew into the wall but got out quickly while Ko went to protect Naruto once more. He swung his sword towards Ko with the scales ready to pierce her skin once more. Ko felt a bit light headed and noticed that her chakra was surprisingly low.

"Shit, he's been absorbing my chakra this whole time. How did I not notice this?"

He swung his sword towards Ko and Naruto once more. Ko held out a kunai stopping it for a second only for it to break. They braced themselves for impact, but it was caught by a toad.

"You don't seem to know very much about me. I'm better at getting girls than they are trying to get me. Even though it doesn't look like it. It's my specialty." Jiraiya said from behind the two.

Jiraiya looked from the three genin to the enemy observing the situation he got himself into.

"So you really are after Naruto." Jiraiya concluded.

"No wonder Kakashi knew about this. You were the source of information. To abduct Naruto, those were the orders given to us by the higher echelons of our organization, Akatsuki."

"You won't have him." Jiraiya said with confidence.

"And why not?"

"Because right now, right here, you two will die by my hand."

"Don't do it. This guy is mine!!!" Sasuke shouted with anger getting up.

"I have absolutely no interest in you right now." Itachi replied not even giving Sasuke a glance.

Then Itachi kicked Sasuke into a wall creating a dent in it. Naruto and Ko both watched as their comrade slowly slid down the wall. Naruto's anger grew more and more with each passing second. He was about to jump in to help but Sasuke stopped him.

"Naruto!! I told you....DON'T! This fight is mine." He said as he got up running at Itachi once more.

Itachi punch Sasuke in the stomach; he kept kicking and punching him as if it were nothing.

"No mercy at all," Itachi's partner said.

He grabbed Sasuke up by the neck and looked into his eyes. Sasuke then started to scream in agony as his teammates watched. Ko felt bad and wanted to help the struggling Uchiha but she knew he had to do this alone. Him fighting Itachi, seeing how weak he is, it will drive him even closer to Orochimaru. Ko felt the room start the change completely. The once bland hallway was now pink and squishy making it hard to move. Itachi dropped Sasuke as his partner started to run towards them. Once caught up with Itachi, they both ran to the end of the hall burning a hole through it escaping from the Jiraiya's jutsu.

It was burning with black fire which Naruto was about to touch until Ko's hand grabbed his wrist.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Ko warned.

Naruto switched his gaze from the flames to Sasuke who looked as if he was in a trance. Jiraiya went to join the two but his eyes lingered on Ko. He could see her swaying, trying to keep her balance. His jutsu faded and was able to see how much blood she had lost and it looked like a lot. He also noticed that the sword his toad had caught most likely drained Ko's chakra.

"Dynamic entry!!" Someone shouted breaking their thought process.

He kicked Jiraiya in the face sending him to the floor and it turned out to be Gai. He explained the miss understanding of kicking Jiraiya who was still pretty mad at him.

"Well that's alright then. Anyway, Sasuke and Ko need to get to the hospital. Sasuke seems to have gotten a fractured rib and for some reason the pupil Jutsu caused a mind attack to make him lose his senses. As for Ko, she has a lacerations on her back and arm, I believe her chakra is almost drained."

"Pervy sage! Sasuke and Ko...are they going to be okay?" Naruto asked.

"Of course I'm going to be okay, this is nothing." Ko answered trying to hide her pain.

"Dammit.... What the hell! What did that guy do to Sasuke!?" Naruto trembled in anger. "Pervy sage, what do you say! A change in plans! Some time ago it wouldn't mean anything...but not this time. Time to track down those black mantle men!! I will take care of business with that guy! And since that's the case, I'm going after him!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Naruto, he's waaayy out of your league. I wouldn't be able to beat him even if I wanted to." Ko explained as she held onto the wall.

"Well! What kind of guy always escapes! Everyday being fearful, living in a nightmare!!" Naruto interrupted.

"Shut up for a minute. You are weak. Excuse me Gai this child's feeling are understandable but we still must quickly rescue Sasuke."

"Now Kakashi also has approximately the same Jutsu. He stays in bed until his senses return to normal." Gai said.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto exclaimed.

"When students are injured...well, this time I think it's harmed his mind... Medical care specialists should be around in case this should continue to happen...don't you think?" Gai said.

"So to go searching for THAT person," Jiraiya said.

"That person could be..."

"She is one of the three ninja's like me. This will work as a payment for the illness."

Gai then picked up Ko and put her on his back. Her arms were wrapped tightly around Gai's neck not wanting to fall. Naruto picked up Sasuke and put him in Gai's arms giving his rival a worried look.

"Jiraiya-sama, please find Tsunade- sama and bring her back to us." Gai said.

"Don't worry, we'll find her!! Take care of Sasuke and Ko!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Well, Gai...We'll be leaving Sasuke and Ko in your care." Jiraiya said.

He turned to leave and ran off with Ko and Sasuke leaving Naruto and Jiraiya to search for Tsunade. 

Edited April 20, 2020