NOTE:

EDITED: 2/16/17- For my old readers, you may want to re-read this chapter because I changed some aspects of the Kageboshi and Inoue's involvement. Also, the 'marital spat' between Akira and Neji was also revised.

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12

"Took you long enough."

Akira shrugged. "Sorry, Yuudai. It's risky summoning you guys. I only managed to do so yesterday because I was able to sneak away from that Riku person."

The grey wolf growled threateningly. "Did he give you a hard time?"

"No, he didn't," Akira replied with a light chuckle.

"And the Hyuuga, Hime-chan?" a beautiful white wolf beside Akira asked.

She looked at Sachiko, surprise in her eyes. "Umm... no, he wasn't. But how did you know about him?"

Sachiko giggled. "Yuudai-san told me. Sorry Hime, but he kept on venting about the Hyuuga."

Akira then turned to the grey wolf, amusement in her bright green eyes. Yuudai growled, avoiding her stare.

"I don't trust him, is all," he grumbled, threat lacing his deep growl. Sachiko sighed.

"Oh c'mon, Nii-san! He doesn't seem bad," the younger wolf said. She sat beside Akira. "And he definitely doesn't look bad too, eh Hime?"

Yuudai let out an indignant bark, glaring at his adoptive sister and taking a protective stance. "You haven't met him yet, Sachiko. How could you tell he could be trusted with Hime-chan's safety?"

The snow-white wolf was about to retort but Akira silenced them with a raise of her hand. "Hey, can it." She looked at Yuudai and gave a patient smile. "I appreciate your concern Yuudai, and I agree that we've only known Hyuuga for a short time. And yes, I don't trust him that much either." She gave the huge wolf a pat on the head. "But take it easy, alright? I haven't seen my entire life flash in front of me yet, so I guess I'm not dying any time soon."

Then turning to the snow-white wolf beside her, she grinned and scuffed the back of her ears. "And as for you, snowball, don't go off teasing your Onii-san too much, okay? Like I said, we can't trust the Hyuuga yet. He might seem 'not so bad' right now, but he's a very skilled jounin and we can't underestimate him, alright?"

Sachiko, the ever-cheerful wolf among Akira's pack, barked gleefully. "Hai, hai, Hime-chan! But you should hear Onii-san rant about the 'Hyuuga kid'. It's funny. Oh, and can I meet him? I saw him yesterday while we were scouting the docks and he's quite fast, Hime. Can I race him, huh? Please?"

Akira rolled her eyes. Despite their huge stature and fearsome abilities, her wolves could sometimes act like children. She sighed exasperatedly. She summoned them in the island's forest, near the southwest dock where she and Neji had previously entered the village, in order to aid her in gathering more information. Luckily, the village is busy preparing for the coming festival, so no stray guards and scouts littered the area, unlike yesterday when Akira had previously sent them out. The island's forest has thick foliage, to which Akira was grateful for, because the large canopy of trees obstructed them from view and offered natural sound-proofing to her wolves' barks and growls.

It was 3 in the morning--even the early riser Hyuuga wasn't up yet. Akira knew he would be looking for her when he wakes up, so she left a hurriedly written note saying she'll meet up with Yuudai and come back promptly. Which is what she's doing right now.

''Fine, fine, Sachiko," said Akira to the white wolf. "But he's not a social being, so don't get your hopes up." Akira knew Neji would have reservations meeting the energetic white wolf, but just to shut Sachiko up, 'yeah, alright, whatever.'

Sachiko, like Yuudai, is a member of the Satsuna clan's famed wolves called Musha Ookami. In her clan, all Satsuna has the ability to tame and command wolves, whether they be regular wolves or the clan's own. From what Akira learned from her grandmother, a strong binding contract governs the relationship of all Satsuna and their wolves. Musha Ookami are a special breed and what differentiates them from regular wolves is that the Musha Ookami, aside from having a bond with a Satsuna, have chakra, and if taught can perform jutsus unique to their lineage's.

When the Satsuna clan met their unfortunate end seventeen years ago, the Musha Ookami were scattered all over the continent. Some were able to return to Shizukana Yama, some stayed to aid their masters in the fruitless battle, and most perished along with the rest of the Satsuna clan. Sachiko came to join Akira's pack when the kunoichi had encountered the wolf in one of her C-rank missions, along the border of Grass Village.

They were on their way back to Konoha after briefly escorting a young priest to his destination in a temple at Kusagakure. Their team had been travelling silently, until:

"Hime..."

Akira looked at Yuudai, and in the short seconds they communicated, she knew. She whistled a three-note tune, catching the attention of the team leader, Gekko Hayate

"Oi Akira. Will you save flirting with Hayate-sensei for later? Don't break the formation!" Daichi, Akira's loud-mouthed teammate said, snickering.

She ignored him, all her attention at her sensei. Then, her eyes met with Saburou who confirmed her suspicions with a cock of his head.

Hayate gave the tiniest nod and looked ahead, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. They continued for another hour, leaping over trees and maintaining their formation: Hayate in front, being the squad leader; Saburou to Hayate's left, a member of the Aburame clan; Daichi to the right, a loud-mouthed chuunin whose loud mouth greatly contrasted his tactical skills; and lastly, Akira and Yuudai bringing up the rear. Their formation was a basic, diamond-shaped one, designed for escort and scouting missions.

And right now, they are being followed by five unknown shinobi--with one of them having chakra that Akira recognized.

The realization dawned on her the moment a kunai with a kibakufuda lodged at a tree to her right.

"Now!" Hayate yelled, unsheathing his katana.

The Konoha shinobi leapt off the trees and landed smoothly on the ground. As fluid as water, Team Hayate got into their defensive position: Hayate in front, Akira and Saburou flanking the Jounin on both sides, Daichi behind Hayate and Yuudai bringing the rear.

The enemy ninja landed a few meters, surrounding them. Four shinobi, one wolf.

"I guess it's an even fight," one of the enemy shinobi said--a huge man with bear-like physique. "You've got a dog too."

Yuudai growled menacingly, eyeing the snow-white wolf and the leash around its neck connecting it to the huge shinobi. Akira smirked. "It's settled then, bear-man. Take your team home or else you're dinner."

"What do you want?" Hayate said. "You wear no hitaite--you're renegades."

"Damn right, bastard," said another shinobi, this time short and rather scrawny. He had a long gash on his cheek. "Now let's get this over with--"

"You talk too fucking much!"

The forest ground shook as each member of Team Hayate battled their opponents: Hayate with the short and scrawny shinobi who apparently was the renegade shinobi's leader; Daichi with a lean masked shinobi who seemed to specialize in genjutsu--for a moment Akira worried for the loud-mouthed chuunin since genjutsu was his weakness; Saburou with another ninja who apparently was skilled with weapons; and Akira with the bear-like man.

Akira unsheathed her katana and got into her stance with Yuudai beside her in his Alpha form. Her eyes were not with the bear-like shinobi, though. It was with the white wolf who had transformed as well.

The wolf's silver streaks made her snow-white fur glow under the afternoon sun, her crystal-blue eyes piercing Akira's green orbs. She smirked. It is indeed, settled.

"Let's see if your mutt can go against mine, bitch," said the bear-like shinobi.

Akira's smirk widened as she coursed her chakra into her blade, "Fuck yeah." In a blink, the two shinobi charged against each other, Akira's blade clashing with the enemy's kunai. She blocked his attack with her blade and used the handle to butt him on the groin. The man staggered backwards, cussing, and Akira followed her attack with a combination that severed the man's tendons behind his knees and ankles, impairing his gait and balance.

Yuudai and the snow-white wolf had their own battle too. Barks, growls along with fierce bites, Yuudai's signature Garuga and the whooshing from the white wolf's paws disturbed the forest's peace.

"Hime! She's a Musha Ookami too!"

"I know Yuudai, but she's untamed! Give me an opening and I'll subdue her!"

Akira leapt back from her enemy's earth jutsu, landing on top of a high branch. Her enemy is a big man with a long reach and a great height advantage. She knew she had to get closer or use a long-ranged jutsu as well, in order to kill him. He was also an extensive earth jutsu user. Akira smirked. That, she can match. She quickly made a plan.

"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"

She made four clones, three of which attacked the Bear-man, while one stayed behind to wait for an opening. The three clones threw shuriken towards the enemy, purposefully missing their target to make him move. As expected, Bear-man leapt away from projectiles, landing precisely where the fourth bunshin was hidden.

"Your aim sucks!" the enemy roared. "Is this how Konoha shinobi are nowadays?!"

Akira bit back a reply and instead set her plan in motion. As the three bunshin engaged the Bear-man in mediocre taijutsu, the fourth Akira-bunshin was busy attaching chakra threads to senbon. These the bunshin threw and the Bear-man deflected them with his kunai, but failed to notice the chakra threads. At a precise moment, all bunshins disappeared and the real Akira emerged, rapidly forming a seal.

"Doton: Doryudan!"

A dragon made of mud was quickly charging for Bear-man. He struggled against the chakra threads that bound him, making escape impossible. Akira watched cold-heartedly as the man screamed and begged for mercy and the earth dragon circled him round and round, drowning his cries. The earth dragon didn't stop--it continued to flush him with volumes of thick mud, drowning his screams until the gurgling of his dying breath stopped. When Akira was satisfied, she dispelled the jutsu, and the earth dragon disappeared. Only a thick layer of mud remained.

Akira whistled for Yuudai and looked around. Her team seemed to have finished with their own fights too. Saburou was dusting off his chuunin uniform, leaving a corpse full of insects behind him. Daichi was being assisted by Hayate-sensei, with the former clutching his left arm. Hayate seemed unscathed but Daichi was looking pale, and when they drew closer, Akira saw the deep stab wound on his arm.

"Everyone okay?" Hayate asked, his voice cracking with his chronic cough.

"Hai."

"Hai, sensei." replied Akira before turning her full attention to the wounded white wolf that lay a few meters from her. She turned to Yuudai.

"What happened?" she asked.

"She's only unconscious Hime," Yuudai replied. "You're right, she is untamed and had poor control of her chakra. Also, she's a youngin, probably abandoned somewhere in the mountains. I might've hit her too hard with the Garuga. I'm sorry."

Akira nodded, silently thinking on her next course of action. She turned to see her team assembling and she approached them. Hayate was assisting Daichi against a tree.

"Damn that nin!" Daichi exclaimed. "The guy's a genjutsu freak...had me all confused and I wasn't able to calculate his next move. Got friggin' stabbed."

"Don't move too much," said Akira as she knelt in front of him. "And stop complaining, you sound like a girl."

Daichi struggled to make a face but it only turned into a grimace of pain instead. "Argh. I'll beat you when my arm's good, jinchuriki!"

"Whatever." She set to work swiftly, controlling the bleeding by applying direct pressure. Hayate knelt beside her.

"Need help?" he asked, eyeing his student carefully. Akira shook her head.

"He'll be fine sensei. I'll just apply a tourniquet over his upper arm." The redhead glanced at her pale teammate. "His laceration is quite deep and he'll need stitches. For now, direct pressure will help." As she spoke, her hands moved quickly, wrapping Daichi's injured arm in a pressure bandage before applying an arm sling. In a matter of minutes, Akira's patched-up first aid was done, Daichi was looking less pale thanks to a small pill Akira gave him.

Hayate clapped his red-haired pupil amicably on the shoulder. Though their team was not gifted with a medic-nin, the group's only kunoichi was skilled enough to deal with most of battle-related injuries, even more, and he was proud that she had stepped up to fill the role of medic.

"We'll rest here for a while," said Hayate, standing up and swiftly taking in the small forest clearing. "Saburou, prepare the camp."

"Sensei?"

He turned to the kunoichi. "Yeah?"

He saw her eyes drift towards the lone lump of white fur lying a few distance from them. Hayate understood and gave her his wordless permission. Akira bowed in thanks and made her way to where the snow-white wolf lay.

Hayate watched in curiosity and fascination as Akira knelt in front of the white wolf, and pressed her ear against the wolf's side, as if listening for a heartbeat. Then, she formed a seal and a reddish glow of chakra enveloped her hands as she pressed it on the wolf's head, all the while whispering something that he can't hear. He watched as the white wolf stirred and the red glow slowly disappeared. Then Akira stood and waited, her face an expression of utter concentration.

Slowly, the white wolf stood on its legs and looked around wildly. Akira spoke to it, her words undistinguishable from afar. Hayate was surprised to see the wolf suddenly docile--quite different from the way it growled and barked at them when they engaged the enemy. The wolf then sat on its haunches and to Hayate's shock, bowed so lowly at Akira, almost prostrate. A low whimper was heard, and just like that, Akira had the fearsome beast under her command. She spoke some more to the wolf, and then knelt before it and took out a scroll.

"What is she doing?"

Hayate turned and saw Sauburou also watching intently at the ritual that was unfolding. Hayate coughed twice and answered, "It's a summoning contract, I believe. Only, more complex and different from ours."

The two male shinobi watched as Akira unsheathed her katana and raise it above her head. A blinding flash of chakra emerged from the katana. With the blade, she drew blood from her arm and did the same to the wolf's paw. Afterwards, Akira and the wolf placed their bloodied appendages on the scroll, and when Akira was done with the last seal, she stabbed the scroll with her katana again, and the ground rumbled and shook and then everything was quiet.

The white wolf was gone, Akira packed the scroll back to her pouch and she and Yuudai made their way back to them.

"I sent her back," the kunoichi said. "I named her Sachiko by the way. You'll meet her soon."

And since then, Team Hayate had expanded in number, accommodating Akira's latest addition to her pack.

"Hime?"

Akira snapped back from her reminisce and smiled fondly at the white wolf in front of her.

"Are you okay, Akira-hime?" Sachiko asked, worry in her eyes. She sat beside the kunoichi. "You suddenly looked...weird...like you blacked out. That only happens when it speaks to you."

Akira scuffed behind the wolf's ear. "No, my mind's all mine at the moment. I was just, uh, remembering when you first joined the pack."

"Oh, yeah," said Sachiko. Her bright wolfish grin then turned a bit sad. "You were remembering Hayate-sensei too, right?" When Akira nodded, Sachiko continued, "He was kind to you, and us. I kinda miss his cough...a little."

Akira smiled at the younger wolf. "Yeah, I miss Hayate-sensei too." She sighed deeply and stood up, noting the rising sun on the horizon. "Alright, that's enough mush for one day." She resumed her commanding tone. "Scout the area, make sure to be undetected. We'll reconvene in the afternoon. Howl if there's anything."

Yuudai bowed in acknowledgement. "Be careful, Hime," he said before dashing off in the forest's darkness.

Sachiko grinned at the redhead. "See ya later Hime-chan!" It gave a cheerful bark before running off in the opposite direction.

Akira shook her head as she walked back towards the ryokan, activating a henge as she walked. 'That eternal ray of sunshine', she thought affectionately towards the white wolf. Sachiko was her fastest wolf, with wind as her chakra affinity. She is also the youngest, and the most charming, shall we say, for whenever Akira summons her, the kids in the academy seemed to be less afraid of her. Even Yuudai cannot help but be fond of the young wolf.

Dawn was slowly rising when Akira was finally at the ryokan, and silently channeling her chakra, she climbed up the wall, jumped off the roof and entered their room. She expected the Hyuuga to be still asleep, except he wasn't.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," she greeted in a whisper, dispelling her henge no jutsu. Her greeting was met with a hard stare.

"Hn. Next time, transform into someone younger, not an old woman jumping off from roofs," said the Hyuuga with a slight frown.

"I looked like an old woman?" When the Hyuuga said nothing, Akira bit her lip. "Oh. I was trying to hide my red hair. Turned it white, I guess."

Neji only shook his head imperceptibly. He didn't know jinchuriki were a little bit on the idiot side, if Naruto and Akira were to be examples. "You were out early."

"Yeah, I sent my wolves to scout the area again. We'll meet up at noon." She sat on the tatami mat. "What's our plan for today?'

"The same. Let's try to dig more on Tora and Gato's involvement in Nadeshiko's trade business. We'll reconvene at the dock once more."

"Okay. Same time?'

"Hn."

After breakfast and putting on their disguise, Akira and Neji started to get out of the ryokan.

"You go on ahead," said Akira.

Neji paused at the doorway. "What?"

"I said, you go ahead." The redhead suddenly looked edgy. "I, uh, I'll set out later. Go on." She almost said 'shoo' but quickly caught herself.

The Hyuuga was silent but his eyes held the question. Akira groaned. "I'm meeting someone," she explained, a faint blush making its way to her cheeks. "He's picking me up at the village square. Now go!"

The brunette shinobi let down his henge and slid the door close behind him. There was a short pause before he spoke in a low voice, "We're supposed to be married."

Akira's blush deepened at the way Neji was staring at her. "I didn't tell him I'm married."

A frown made its way to the Hyuuga's emotionless face. Somehow, the idea of the red-haired kunoichi meeting someone else surprisingly bothered him. He knew it was necessary though, for the completion of the mission, and yet he didn't understand why he was so bothered by it.

"That's stupid."

"What?"

He watched as the kunoichi turned livid at his next words. "What's the point of pretending to be married if people will see you hanging on to some lewd man other than your husband?"

Anger always seemed to fuel the kunoichi into words. "Well, I'll be damned if you aren't doing the same thing! Besides, what is it to you about my methods? What's important is we're getting results!"

"You're missing the point."

"Hell, I am!" She stepped closer to the lavender-eyed shinobi. "I'm not the only one batting my lashes on some stranger in exchange for information, Hyuuga. So zip it."

'The goddamn redhead has a point,' although Neji was too stubborn to admit it out loud. It really doesn't matter how they do their sleuthing, as long as they get the information they needed. However, they had agreed to infiltrate the village under the guise of a married couple, and so it didn't make sense for Akira and him to be flirting with random strangers. That would put all their pretenses as a couple useless.

"I'm not going to zip anything." Neji replied coldly. "You meet up with that guy, get intel then that's it." He took advantage that the kunoichi was silent. "It's basic shinobi training in espionage, and you don't even use a henge."

Neji noticed Akira's eyes widen and she was about to retort when she suddenly froze, her expression changing slowly from livid to terrified.

Neji frowned at her sudden change in expression. One week spent with her had taught Neji that the kunoichi can be as unpredictable as the weather, but there's something out of the ordinary happening. He watched as she started shivering, her mouth slightly agape, the terrified expression on her face.

It was as if she was battling some internal, unseen force.

"Akira?"

He shook her shoulders lightly, beginning to worry that maybe he had said something that triggered something in the jinchuriki, or if not, what could have brought this?

But as soon as it occurred, it was gone. Her shivering slowed, her eyes regained focus and suddenly, her knees buckled, causing her to stumble towards the baffled Hyuuga.

"Fine. I-I'll use a... henge this time," the redhead said, slightly panting. She sounded shaken and her voice quivered. Akira took deep breaths as she tried to pick up the last trails of conversation she had with Neji before it spoke. She looked up at him, for once not bothered that he was standing too close, with his arms around her waist as she stood up more steadily, drawing strength from his arms. "And I'll say I'm married." She added, before moving away from him, pushing him almost forcefully.

Neji's frown deepened as he stared at the kunoichi. "What just happened?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion and worry.

Akira met his stare, her usual scowl back on her face. "Nothing," she replied. When the Hyuuga did not look convinced, she sighed, shrugged her shoulders and grinned casually as if nothing indeed happened. "I'm bipolar, okay? Get used to it."

Neji remained silent, his all-seeing Byakugan eyes still on her.

"We have a mission to complete. We shouldn't be wasting time." She squared her shoulders. "Come on." She walked past him, putting her seta sandals on. "I'll meet you at the dock and I'll put on a henge."

Neji watched her for a few moments as she walked away from the ryokan.

In the middle of a pointless argument she suddenly lapses into a stupor and then acts as if everything's alright?

The Hyuuga activated his Byakugan and followed the kunoichi out. He knew damn well there's more to it than being just bipolar. Not when her chakra's haywire like that.

~~~~~~~~

'No, no... why? Why now? Why here?'

She stumbled past the crowded street, the colorful banners and flowers disappearing in a blur of colors behind her, while she walked as swiftly as her kimono would permit. She had long dispelled the henge she had on when she left the ryokan, too disturbed to focus her chakra properly.

It has been years, years, since the Kageboshi manifested itself. And it doesn't do so just randomly. The last time it happened, it almost got out.

"Think of the Kageboshi as one huge ball of evil, just waiting to explode," Inoue explained to a young Akira. "It feeds on your thoughts and your emotions. When you're sad and angry, the ball grows bigger and since you're smaller, the Kageboshi will expand until it escapes. But, when you're happy it shrinks." Inoue brushed a lock of hair that fell from the young girl's ponytail. "And it shrinks so small that it almost disappears."

A 5-year old Akira looked up at her kindly grandmother. "But Baa-chan, I get mad when I'm hungry, and I'm hungry an awful lot. Does that mean the 'geboshi's getting bigger?"

Satsuna Inoue chuckled affectionately at her only granddaughter. "Well, not really. Being simply mad won't make the Kageboshi bigger. What I mean is when you're really, really mad. That's what they call hatred. When you're so full of hate, the Kageboshi likes it and he grows."

The brightness in the young girl's eyes faded. "I hate this village. The kids call me a freak and the adults shoo me away like I'm some urchin. The kids call me shriveled tomato." Tears run down her young cheeks. "And they would wave their food at me and then I'll get so hungry and jealous and mad. I don't like it, Gran."

"Hush...hush..." Inoue wrapped her granddaughter in a tight embrace, feeling her little shoulders shiver. Akira was tall for her age but had the sickly pallor and form of a malnourished child, who had known only poverty and the hard life of a jinchuriki. Because of the citizen's terror and distaste of the girl and her grandmother, they were forced to live on the furthest part of the village, near the forest and away from most of the population. Inoue was no longer the lithe samurai she was back in the Land of Iron, and old age was quickly catching up on her. She seemed to be coughing more often these days, and her gait had slowed considerably. She could barely make it to the village proper in one piece, offering her services as laundrywoman or going on errands to support her and her granddaughter.

It was a hard life, but Inoue had Akira to care for and just the sight of her bright, granddaughter makes all the pain worth it.

Akira paused, slightly panting, her scowl deepening as that bit of memory waded into her consciousness. Back then, she believed anything her grandmother told her, especially the Kageboshi being a ball of hatred. But for all these years, she had harbored too much hatred that it should be more than what the demon needed to be able to escape its bonds. But it didn't. Instead it remained within her, bound by its ancient chains and overlapping seals, giving her the occasional nightmares, lending her superior but deadly chakra, and sometimes invading her consciousness with bloodlust to the point that she had to get out and actually kill.

Fortunately, she's still sane enough to slaughter only the small animals and direct the urge to go on a rampage by training and hacking the defenseless trees with her blades and weapons. But sometimes it gets too much, too strong for her to control, her consciousness slowly overshadowed by this demonic creature within her that she'd wish for death instead.

And during those dark times, when she was no longer aware if her consciousness was her own or the demon's, it would speak to her, demean her, insult her weakness, egg her to give in and undo the seal. Then it would slink away and remain dormant until the next time it felt the need to terrorize Akira again.

The last time the Kageboshi spoke to her was when she was in a C-rank mission which turned B-rank when enemy shinobi from Iwa attacked her team. They were severely outnumbered, and with the exception of her jounin leader and her, the 2 genin she was with had never seen battle in their lives. Apparently, it wasn't the documents they were carrying that the Iwa nins were after, but her--how they got wind of her jinchuriki status was beyond her comprehension. Still, Akira's team had to make sure none of these Iwa nins survived to confirm that Konoha indeed has two jinchuriki.

The memory's blurry now, but Akira recalled when she finally woke up and faced the Sandaime who made her read the report her Taichou had written, detailing the account of her wrath-induced rampage, which earned her two genin teammates a trip to a medic for stress debriefing and Akira a teaching post-- a move that served two purposes: keep her in the village, and keep her bijuu under constant watch. Of course, Akira learned of the truth only recently. It only fueled her long-standing hate towards the village which she believed had done nothing good to her.

So, it confused, at the same time terrified, Akira as to why the Kageboshi decided to speak to her now, here in Nadeshiko, and instead of taking over her consciousness, complained of how she and Neji acted like a damned married couple.

The kunoichi found herself on the beach, somewhere northeast of the island. From where she stood, she saw fishermen busy hauling their catch, some on their way back to the ocean, others tending to their nets and buckets. Women and children sorted out the fish and the rubble that came with the nets. For once, Akira did not mind the smell. In fact, seeing the people engrossed in this domestic chore seemed to calm Akira a bit, as if she herself was partaking in their activity. Too frazzled, the kunoichi decided to leave the investigation to her wolves. And her 'date' with Riku was forgotten. She knew she wouldn't be able to focus on her tasks, what with the Kageboshi interrupting her flow of thoughts with its sudden appearance.

Her mind drifted back to what happened this morning. The Kageboshi never took an interest in her, other than she's a cage for the demon. That's why it's sudden intrusion shocked her and terrified her. What could it want that it reappeared at such an importune time? The fact that it spoke to her again wasn't what really terrified Akira--she had always known it would happen sometime--but she was unprepared.

And what unfortunate stroke of luck that it was Hyuuga Neji with her when the Kageboshi decided to have a malicious chat.

"What the hell. You two start to sound like an actual married couple."

Akira gasped in shock at the sudden intrusion in her thoughts. A low growling sound echoed in the walls of her mind, as if something huge and dark was slowly stirring within.

She heard the slow pacing, its heavy paws making the shackles around its body shake.

"Your yapping woke me from my slumber, you annoying piece of meat!"

Akira froze in dread. She clenched her fists, fear slowly making its way to her heart. It was usually dormant, except in her sleep, so why did it wake up? Why NOW?

"What do you want?"

"Silence! Or else I'll gnaw your brains away, devour your pathetic little bones and then devour this boy too! Annoying children...this married shit's getting into your heads too much! It's making me puke!"

Akira smirked defiantly. "You'll never be able to get out, monster."

In return, the creature within her sneered, stepping closer to the rails that enclosed it. "I almost got out that day if not for that pesky old hag that sealed me back in! Where's she by the way? Rotting six feet under?"

When Akira did not answer, the demon continued. "I'm not for you to tame and I will never be tamed! I got out before, what made you think I won't do it again? And when I do..."

Fear chilled Akira's blood to ice as she stood face to face with the demon within the deepest recesses of her mind, its dark chakra menacing. It was pure hate and evil, its red eyes bright with malice, boring through her terrified green ones.

"It's been a while, Satsuna. You've grown cocky. Maybe it's time I make my presence known more often, eh?"

"You're a monster!"

"Yes! I am you!"

The demon's laughter echoed in her head, bouncing off its hollow walls, sending shivers down to her very core. Akira felt intense fear gripped her heart even just at the memory of it, and she wanted to run, flee to anywhere safe, fling herself to someone but who?

Who could save her from this curse?

Akira sat on a boulder and turned her attention to the sea. Of course no one. The beast was sealed into her mere minutes when she was born, and Satsuna Inoue died before she could teach her secrets to her granddaughter. The Sandaime was helpful in a way, but Akira always felt that there are things that she still has to learn about herself and her clan, if she was to get rid of the monster.

That is why her desire to leave Konoha was growing more persistent each day.

"You're a fool for thinking that leaving your pathetic village will earn you love and shit like that!"

Akira felt her heart race as the Kageboshi within her stirred once more. The demon has been within her for all her life and yet she still quivers in fear whenever she faces it in her mind. For its mere presence never fails to remind her that she's nothing but a tool, a cage, and that she'll forever be under the demon's control.

"Yes..." it snickered. "Fear me, brat. For I could destroy you anytime I want to..." It paced around the confines of its dark abode, the chains sounding against the metal rails that enclosed it. "You Satsuna have been so arrogant, thinking you could control me like you do your pathetic wolves! Insolent, little fools..."

"Why have you decided to show up now?" she asked, fear and curiosity mixed in her voice.

The demon turned its bright red eyes at her. "Because you annoy me! I have spent years in relative silence here in this shithole, tolerating your daily useless strutting around that ninja school and idiotic missions and for a while, I thought you're not exactly a bad jinchuriki after all...better than your pathetic mother! But then this whole fucking married thing happened and you've gone all gooey and annoying! You and that Hyuuga brat!"

Despite the fear that clutched her, a small feeling of amusement made its way to the kunoichi. "Just because of our bickering, you decided to show up?" A tiny smirk escaped her lips. "I didn't know you were sensitive to marriage issues."

This seemed to anger the demon. "Shut up, bitch! Don't forget your place! Or should I remind you?" And it laughed so menacingly that Akira shuddered although the sun was beating down on her.

It continued. "You pride yourself for being tough, you think no one can hurt you. But deep down, you're nothing but a coward! That stupid village just throws you some shit and you go crying to your stupid wolf, saying you want to leave Konoha...why, do you really believe that leaving the village will rid you of me? Stupid girl! No matter where you go, people will hate you, despise you!"

"People hate me because of you!" Akira found the courage to speak. She faced the demon full on, although her knees were buckling. "They despise me because they see you and not the real me!"

"You speak like that miserable brat you call friend! That Kyuubi-vessel's not the same as you, Satsuna! If anything, he's worth a thousand of you. That's why your Hokage places a higher value on him than she does to you because even if the brat's a jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, he's bearing a 'noble' beast, unlike you who carries a demon!"

Akira wanted to cover her ears, shut her mind to escape the demon's words because she knew he speaks the truth.

"If you're so strong and I'm just a pathetic fool, then why don't you free yourself? Rip the seal off on your own!"

This angered the demon and it roared so loud it hurt Akira's skull she was sure she screamed in pain. "You dare challenge me?!" It bellowed. "You dare challenge my power?! I'll show you, Satsuna! Your pride and insolence will be your downfall!" A huge paw with sharp claws reached towards Akira but the chakra shackles that chained the demon to its cage held it back. Akira could hear the furious growling and scraping of thick, sharp claws and the jangling of the demon's cage as the Kageboshi struggled against its bonds within Akira's psyche.

Then she heard a loud 'SNAP!' followed by silence. It was a while before a low, evil chuckling disturbed the fleeting peace.

"You're in luck for now, Satsuna," It said, chuckling evilly. "Your ancestors' seals still protects you. But it won't be long. Oh it won't be long..."

Its laughter died slowly, echoing in Akira's mind like a haunting lullaby. With bated breath, Akira waited... praying that it will be the last time the menacing creature disturbed her peace. When the Kageboshi remained quiet for the next few minutes, the kunoichi sighed in relief. Her mind is hers for the moment.

She willed herself to stop shaking, tried to take deep breaths to calm her racing heart. She was sweating, not because of the humid atmosphere but because of the fear in her heart. Slowly she composed herself.

For a moment, Akira refused to think of the mission or even the Kageboshi. Instead, she calmed herself by focusing on the ocean. She watched the waves, the peaceful activity of the fishermen, the clouds and the blue sky. Regaining her inner calm, the kunoichi began to mold chakra from her coils, re-aligning her usual chakra flow. Then she began controlling it, such that it resembles that of a civilian.

Akira stood up and suddenly she remembered Neji. He had witnessed what happened to her and she knew the Hyuuga didn't buy her 'bipolar' crap.

'Hell, even I wouldn't,' she thought to herself as she walked back towards the town. 'But I just hope he wouldn't be able to learn of my desire to deflect from the village. He's welcome to know about the nasty business of being a jinchuriki, but not my plan to leave Konoha. Anything but that.'

Perhaps, she would tell him a bit about herself.

And hopefully, gain his trust. Enough that he wouldn't suspect her motives.

~~~~~~~~

Three howls announced the Musha Ookami's presence.

In a moment, Akira was surrounded by three enormous wolves: one grey, one snow-white, one bluish-tinged. All three bowed respectfully at the Satsuna.

"Akira-hime, we've finished scouting Nadeshiko and we have news for you," said Yuudai, the biggest of the three.

They were in the west dock, the place where Neji and Akira reconvenes every day after gathering information. She looked out at the direction of the forest. She had let her wolves do the intel-gathering for her, and she's hoping the Hyuuga have gathered all the necessary bits.

She motioned the wolves to sit down. "Alright, but let's wait for Neji for a bit. He's on his way for sure." The kunoichi turned to Sachiko. "You okay, Sachi?"

"Hai, hime," said the young wolf, her tail wagging happily. "But it's you who seem quite different. Are you alright?"

Akira nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine now. Just had a... uh, encounter with the, uh, Kageboshi." Immediately, the three wolves looked at her in alarm, growling. She raised a hand. "But it's fine now. I dealt with it. And no, Kishi, I didn't kill anyone or anything, nor did I hurt myself this time."

Kishi, the sleek, white and blue wolf on Akira' left growled. "Just worried about you, Hime. The last time that creature took over you... well..."

Yuudai and Kishi shared a glance, as they witnessed first-hand Akira's rampage against those Iwa nins. Akira had summoned them then, to aid in battle, but things turned out differently. Kishi was called to assist Akira orchestrate a water jutsu, since Suiton ninjutsu is her weakness among the five nature elements that she can manipulate. Kishi, whose unique Ookami chakra is attuned to water, is Akira's constant companion in such times. While quite smaller and sleeker than Yuudai, Kishi's lean physique helps him manipulate the highly volatile water nature. His fur is of whitish-blue, with the tips of his tail a pure navy blue in color and his eyes a soft gold. When in his alpha form, Kishi has navy blue streaks instead of the usual silver of the Musha Ookami. Among the pack, only Kishi has such "mutation". And very much like the chakra nature he possesses, the sleek wolf has a cooler temperament, a quieter nature unlike Sachiko who's outgoing, or Yuudai who's intimidating.

"I know guys, and thank you for the concern," said Akira quite hastily, not wanting to dwell on the demon too much. "But I'm okay now. We're here to meet Neji and draw some plans for tomorrow."

Sachiko barked gleefully. "Yay! I get to meet the Hyuuga kid soon! Can I race him?"

"I told you already, he's not social being Sachiko. We'll see."

Yuudai shook his head. "Sigh. You're impossible, Sachiko."

Sachiko was about to retort but Kishi cut him with a sharp bark. "I sense someone coming. Is it him already, Hime?"

Akira turned to the direction Kishi was looking at and her sharp eyes made out the shadow of someone leaping over trees. After a while, Neji himself appeared. He looked a little surprised at the sight of three huge wolves with the kunoichi but soon reverted to his emotionless facade. He approached them.

"Hey," Akira muttered as Kishi and Yuudai flanked both sides of her in a protective stance. Her wolves could sometimes be paranoid, especially Yuudai. The kunoichi groaned internally.

Neji noted the wolves' protective stance and stood a good few feet from the redhead. He may be a top-class jounin but against three huge wolves, even he will have a difficult time.

"Hey," he greeted in return. The brash kunoichi was looking a little subdued, he noticed. "Are you okay?" he asked tentatively.

Akira nodded. "Yeah. Let's go in the shade, shall we? By the way, this is Sachiko and Kishi. Members of my pack. You've met Yuudai, of course."

The said wolf growled menacingly at the Hyuuga. Sachiko meanwhile barked happily, her tail wagging in excitement. Kishi merely barked in acknowledgement.

Neji bowed curtly. The kunoichi had her wolves stand down and they made their way towards the small shed they stayed in yesterday.

Once inside, the two shinobi wasted no time in discussing the information they have gathered. Neji was able to get into a small outpost of Nadeshiko's military and posed as one of the coast guards. There, he learned that they have caught a couple of men presumably Toru's, who was harvesting their coral reefs. However, before they could further interrogate or put the men in jail, these rogue shinobi would come and attack the village. From what he learned, the group attacks separately but always perfectly synchronized. And due to its limited military forces, Nadeshiko isn't able to defend their ruthless attacks.

It made their suspicion of Toru's involvement stronger, more so when her wolves revealed the actual ship used to haul Toru's loots just sitting by in the southwest dock, hidden among the ruins.

"What do you mean it's just there?" Neji asked Yuudai, after getting over the initial shock of learning that the wolves could actually speak and communicate much like humans. He had long guessed that Akira and her wolves can communicate with their minds, but after hearing the white one, Sachiko, say 'hey Hyuuga kid!' aloud, said Hyuuga was surprised for a minute. Akira then explained briefly that her wolves are "way different than your normal hounds. Yeah, they can talk. Say hi guys." The three wolves then said 'hi', with Sachiko's a little louder than Kishi and Yuudai's monotonous ones. "But let's talk about that later," the redhead had said. And then the wolves began telling the two shinobi what they have discovered while scouting the island.

"It's just there," drawled the blue one, Kishi. "It's just a small sailboat, enough to carry 5 to 6 people and around 10 kilos of materials. Further assessment of the reef also showed recent damage. About a month ago."

"The immediate vicinity also showed recent activity. Fresh tracks lead from the ruined part of the village to the southwest dock, where we first entered Nadeshiko," said Yuudai.

"The forest also showed signs of shinobi activity," quipped Sachiko. "I followed a faint trail coming from a small outpost at the edge of the forest leading to the village's west northwest. Dunno what lies there, I can't come closer because it's full of soldiers and you told us specifically Hime that we are not to be seen so..."

"It's the village's penitentiary," said Neji. "I was told that two men were held prisoner there under the suspicion that they work under Toru. But it was recently broken into and the 2 prisoners escaped."

As the wolves continued to recount what they have gathered, Neji noted that the red-haired kunoichi was barely taking part in the discussion, allowing the wolves to share much of the intel. He knew she was out of sorts since this morning, but with the pressing matter of completing the mission, the Hyuuga barely had time to wonder what's going on with the kunoichi.

In the long run, it was finally decided by the two of them to tie up all loose ends by tomorrow night, since it was Nadeshiko's festival. They have enough reason to believe that the renegade group's next attack would be tomorrow, when the people of Nadeshiko are focused on the festival rather than on their coral reefs. Their plan was simple: trail the group, affirm their suspicions, leave the village. No direct confrontation should happen since they are outnumbered. Akira and her wolves agreed with Neji wordlessly.

"Let's go kick their butts!" Sachiko exclaimed. Neji have the impression that the wolf is the canine version of Naruto.

"We can't Sachiko, remember?" said Akira rather tiredly.

This seemed to dampen the white wolf's mood. "Oh right," Sachiko said. "Next time then, eh?"

Yuudai barked at Sachiko which silenced the white wolf. Neji watched as the huge wolf sat beside the redhead kunoichi.

"Are you okay, Hime?" asked Yuudai, concern lacing his voice. "You've been very quiet. What has the Kageboshi done this time?"

Akira sighed deeply. "The usual. But I'm feeling a lot better now, really." She reached to scruff Yuudai's fur.

"The Kageboshi?"

Akira looked up at the dark-haired shinobi in front of her, his pale lavender eyes boring into hers filled with curiosity and suspicion. There was a faint frown in his handsome features.

"The beast sealed within me," she murmured, but loud enough for him to hear. Neji sat down beside her, his stare not leaving hers. Akira took it as a sign that he's willing to listen for more.

She averted her eyes, blushing slightly at his scrutiny. She seemed to blush more often whenever he stares. She looked instead at the ocean, absently stroking Kishi's sleek blue fur.

"It's an ancient demon. My mother was its previous vessel, but don't ask me anything about it for I don't know myself," she said. "There are a lot of things I still don't know about myself." She paused and laughed mirthlessly.

Neji watched the kunoichi with narrowed eyes. She still hasn't explained what happened. "And this morning?"

"The demon just wanted a chat, is all." She stared back at him, emerald eyes dark and serious. "I am not a normal creature, Hyuuga. Strange things happen to me all the time. The Kageboshi is a demon and when it wants to it... does things. Abnormal things." She leaned closer to him. She bit her lip before speaking softly. "What happened this morning was nothing, it was minor. But..." Her voice trailed, as if she doesn't know how to continue anymore.

"The creature's a malevolent being," said Yuudai, it's grey eyes trained on the Hyuuga. "And to have it live inside you is not an easy task. One's will must be strong enough to hold the demon in place."

"It's bound by the seal placed upon me when I was born," said Akira, her voice strained. "Just like Naruto. We're not much different, really. The Kageboshi makes its presence known at random times, just like what it did earlier. It's an internal conflict, nothing dangerous. But you must understand...it's.... I cant--I mean--"

As the kunoichi fumbled for words, Neji's frown deepened. He understood, as much as she wanted him to. And he knew it wasn't an easy struggle, for he had seen her tumultuous chakra flow with his Byakuugan. For someone to have chakra flow as haywire as that, it must take such strong will to rein it, as the gray wolf had said.

Akira cursed in frustration. "Just get this, Hyuuga," she muttered and pulled at the front of his robes, surprising the ever-calm shinobi that suddenly he was staring deep into the kunoichi's dark green orbs.

She spoke slowly. "I am a jinchuriki. Better stay away from me."

~~~~~~~~