EDITED: 3/11/17- details of the search party for Akira and Kakashi

~~~~~~~~~

24

The corridor twisted and turned, like a snake escaping its predator. Fatigue and nausea were quickly catching up with Akira and many times, she stumbled. Amidst her physical exhaustion, she felt embarrassed at this show of weakness. Kakashi slung her arm over his shoulder when she next fell and assisted her up.

"I think it's time I carry you," the jounin said. For the nth time, Akira shook her head.

"No, sensei," she refused. "I can manage."

"At this slow pace, they'll surely catch up on us," Kakashi said bluntly. As if on cue, sounds of running feet echoed nearby.

"Few more minutes," Akira said, trying her best to stand up. "I can feel my chakra replenishing."

Kakashi frowned under his mask. "That's just wishful thinking," he stated, hoisting the girl up. "No use pretending Akira. We both know that as long as—"

"I sense them this way! Round 'em up!"

The two shinobi looked up. Kakashi had long deduced that the enemy had a sensory type ninja. No matter how far they run away, the enemy will surely be able to track them. Akira felt dread at the pit of her stomach.

'What will they do to me?' she asked herself in fear.

She and Kakashi turned left. The torches on the wall automatically lit up as they ran. Just when they turned at another corner, a group of shinobi appeared.

"Shit!" Kakashi muttered as he stepped back. In synchronized movement, he and Akira turned away and ran. The group followed them, and with the kunoichi injured, Kakashi felt the enemy shinobi slowly catching up.

Following instinct, he half dragged, half lifted the kunoichi towards another corridor. But he had barely stepped into it when he sensed another group approaching. Alarmed he slowly retreated. He looked behind him and saw the enemy shinobi approaching them. To his right, their earlier pursuers were nearing. He looked ahead and saw another small group coming into view. Akira and Kakashi were trapped.

"Whatever happens stay close to me and don't attempt to fight," Kakashi ordered the kunoichi, who despite of her injuries still prepared to engage the enemy. In that split second Kakashi admired the girl for her grit. She reminded him of Naruto who never backed down no matter what.

Akira relaxed her stance although deep down she was gathering what little chakra she has in her coils. The device on her stomach gave another zap of chakra and this forced her on her knees. Kakashi instinctively stepped in front of her in a defensive stance.

"Ah, I see it's working," a man drawled.

In her moment of weakness, Akira forced herself to look up at the voice. The tall man was hidden in the shadows. Around them, the group snickered.

"One versus ten," the man continued to drawl. "Not to mention, chakra depleted...well, I believe not even the great Hatake Kakashi can survive this, even with the famed Sharingan."

Kakashi tensed, sensing the enemies around him. "I hate to break it to you but I've fought more men than these," the jounin said, sizing up the men that surrounded them. "And in far worse condition."

This did not seem to faze the man. "Oh really?" He slowly stepped towards the light. "Then let's see you try."

Akira could not hide her surprise when the man stepped closer and the dim light from the torches illuminated his face. She let out a gasp.

"Y-You-!"

The high cheekbones, the tanned skin and the faint scar. A smirk crept on his lips. "Hello there, Satsuna-san."

Akira's eyes widened and she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Minamoto...Shinji!" In front of her, Kakashi also stiffened in surprise. Both of them had not anticipated this.

"What are you doing?" she asked in disbelief. She looked around her, at the men who were grinning lewdly at her, at the dark corridors, at the man who now towered in front of her. It was as if she was seeing everything for the first time. Minamoto Shinji, the stuntman, is behind this?

Akira forced herself to stand despite of the wobbling of her knees. "W-what's going on?" she muttered. "H-how—"

Shinji laughed. "You amuse me, Akira," he said afterwards. He stepped closer and Akira felt Kakashi tense. It was as if Shinji did not notice a thing. "It's funny to see you like this. I mean, I figured you would be strong and all grit but..." Shinji's eyes lit up with malice. "I see that you're nothing without the Kageboshi."

Akira did not answer. She was still processing what's happening. How could Shinji be involved in this? She and Yuudai did not sense anything hostile about him, his chakra is even unharnessed, like that of a civilian. How could... The redhead shook her head. Everything is all messed up now.

"What do you plan to do with her?" It was Kakashi who spoke for her.

Shinji shrugged. "Depends on who you mean. The girl, or the beast? But when you think about it," he sniggered, "They're one and the same, aren't they?"

Around them, the enemy shinobi laughed, and Shinji chuckled.

"Alright, alright," said Shinji when the laughter had died down. "Let's make a deal, eh Kakashi? You hand me the girl—no games, no sneak attacks—and I'll let you leave along with your two other little brats. You put up a fight, and well, let's just say Konoha will lose one of its 'elite' shinobi." Shinji paused and looked straight at Kakashi. "What do you say?"

Kakashi got into a stance. "I won't let you harm my comrades."

"Ah. Spoken like a true Konoha shinobi," Shinji drawled, all fake humor gone. He glared at the pair for a moment before making hand seals.

Without another word, a fire jutsu was aimed at Kakashi and Akira. Kakashi reacted instantly—he scooped the girl in his arms and leapt away. In sync, Akira and Kakashi ran blindly along a corridor. The enemy was hot at their heels.

Just then, Kakashi stopped and turned around. He forcefully pushed Akira behind him. "Stay close behind me," he ordered sternly. Before Akira could say anything, he faced the other shinobi. Without making a hand sign, lightning crackled from his palm.

The enemies made the wrong move of rushing first, all weapons out. Kakashi waited for them at an apt distance before meeting them, his jutsu ready.

"Raikiri!"

Akira closed her eyes at the blinding light. Her ears pounded with the heavy sounds of screams and debris falling. She felt her body move in its own accord, blindly running after the jounin in front of her. It was all finished in mere minutes.

Kakashi and Akira collapsed on the rubble, and the kunoichi did not bother looking if the enemy had perished or not. But the amount of debris and a couple of limbs here and there were enough to tell her what happened. Panting, Akira leaned against the narrow corridor for support. What Kakashi had said earlier was true, it was only wishful thinking to say that she's regaining her chakra. Truth is, she's not gaining anything. She was becoming more and more drained by the minute.

The same could be said for Kakashi. That Raikiri of his seemed to have eaten up a significant amount of chakra for he was panting harder. Akira felt guilty. It was all still unclear to her but if Shinji is after the Kageboshi in her, then it was she who brought them this. If she had left the village sooner then none of this would've happened. Kakashi, Naruto and Neji would not have gotten hurt.

"We must get moving," Kakashi said, standing up and offering her a hand. "My Raikiri had destroyed a good part of this corridor's foundation. It's bound to collapse anytime."

Akira heave a deep breath and took the jounin's hand. Ahead of them, light streamed from a gaping hole that Kakashi's Raikiri had made. They ran once more, until Akira's legs gave away.

She stumbled, yelping at the sharp rocks that wounded her. Kakashi paused and looked back. It was at that importune moment that the enemy had found them once more. The jounin cursed and hurriedly made a move to lift the wounded girl. With his chakra level low, he has to make sure that the last use of his Sharingan would count. He assessed the situation. He had managed to take down four of Shinji's men using his raikiri. But that wasn't enough, as he sensed more enemy ninja close to their tail.

"Just hand over the girl, Hatake!" one of them said, a lean man whose arms are covered in bandages.

Kakashi ignored them and was already planning a strategy when he felt a weak hand touch his. He turned to see that Akira had already stood up.

"Sensei," she said, "let me help."

Kakashi wanted to scoff at her then, tell her that she looked like she was about to topple over, but the determination in her eyes stopped him. He knew she could barely stand and any more movement would cause her to fall over.

"You're weak," he said as politely as he could. "If they get you then this will be all for nothing." He once again faced his enemies. Better end this now rather than risk being met by more enemies. The earlier he can cut their numbers, the better. But what if there's more of them? Kakashi refused to think about that now.

He's saving his Sharingan for Shinji and with his current chakra levels, he knew he could not match his opponents. He readied himself for a taijutsu. Weak as it may sound, that's his only chance of survival.

The bandaged man lashed first, a kunai in his hand which Kakashi blocked with his arm. He aimed a kick that sent the enemy flying but his comrade—a tall, burly man—was quick to aim a flurry of punches towards Kakashi who lithely evaded each. Kakashi and the three shinobi exchanged blows. A jutsu here and there were thrown at Akira and Kakashi but the pair managed to evade as best as they can. They were on the defensive, with Akira forcing herself out of the way while Kakashi single-handedly dealt with the three enemies who were at par with his skills.

In the middle of the fight, a single cry rang and instinctively Kakashi stopped his attacks to glance back at his student. His pause earned him a good chakra-infused punch towards the gut. The blow sent him to the ground, and for a moment, it sent stars to his vision. The enemy took the opportunity and hit Kakashi with a wind-natured jutsu. Kakashi barely felt the impact as Akira's cry roused him from the injury.

He turned around and felt his heart drop. The kunoichi was airborne, unconscious and was wrapped by a mass of shadows. Kakashi's eyes widened as the sound of bones cracking reached his ears. Forcing himself to his feet, he tried to grab the girl. But he had barely stood up when a rough kick slammed his face to the ground. His vision turned to black, and the last thing he heard was an anguished cry.

~~~~~~~~~

"The trail ends here."

Neji frowned and looked around the dense forest. Heavy boughs of leaves blocked the moonlight and the wildlife was alive with the sounds of the nocturnal creatures. Around him, the remaining Ookami had converged beside the blue wolf.

It was Kishi who had detected the faint scent of Fujiwara and her accomplices around the wild. In unspoken synchrony, the pack had split off to find the remaining traces of the scent they have latched on to. Unfortunately, the night's rain had washed most of it away except for that one faint scent that Kishi had found. Amazingly, all the wolves had registered the said scent and was able to track it even after the rain had washed it away.

That faint scent was all but the group's hope of finding Akira and Kakashi unless Fujiwara awakens and tells them their whereabouts. But right now, the actress-turned-enemy (or was it the other way around?) is all blacked out from that tenketsu hit Neji gave her. Following the chakra-enhanced noses of the wolves, Naruto and Neji arrived at a river. The strong current indicated that not far along is a waterfall. The riverbank is muddy and the tall trees shielded the night sky, preventing the moonlight from aiding them further in their quest. Neji resisted the urge to groan in frustration.

He had long overused his Byakugan and was reserving it for the prospect of another battle later. He and Yuudai had an unspoken agreement of dismembering those that have and would lay a finger on Akira's head. Neji wanted to be at his full strength when he finally discovers who dared do this to the kunoichi.

"How could it just end here?" Naruto asked, obviously frustrated at the fact that hours after hacking through the forest, they still haven't found their missing comrades. "Are you sure we haven't stepped on a genjutsu or a trap or something?"

"We are certain," the largest of the pack, Kuroi, replied. "Unfortunately, the trail ends here."

"Either we have found their lair, or the trail was simply washed away," Akai supplied. The wolf nodded towards Kishi. "Kishi?"

The blue wolf approached the river and dipping his nose to the water, he took a small sip. He then turned to the others.

"No, we've found it," he said. "The water has chakra. Very small amounts however, but it runs through here." He looked at the two shinobi. "We are close to finding Akira-chan."

Naruto and Neji exchanged a triumphant look. The blonde was eager to jump off into the water but Neji stopped him.

"Wait," Neji said, grabbing Naruto's arm. He activated his Byakugan once more to assess the flow and amount of chakra the water has. Kishi was correct, there is a small amount of chakra in the water. Though he knows that Akira has affinity to all nature transformations, he's not quite sure if the kunoichi is skilled enough to orchestrate this.

His thoughts were confirmed by Yuudai. "This isn't Akira-chan's chakra," the gray wolf said, as if reading Neji's mind.

"But there are some traces of Kakashi-san's somewhere here!" Akai said who was on a high rock. "His scent follow the direction of the current."

"This river turns into a waterfall," said Kuroi. "If we wish to follow the trail then we'll be plunged to our deaths."

The group looked at each other and shared the same thought. Except Kishi who doesn't have trouble when it comes to water-related feats. Despite being canine, the wolf could handle himself better when it comes to rivers, seas and any other bodies of water. The same couldn't be said for the other wolves though.

"Then why don't we just find out?!" Naruto exclaimed. "The longer we stay her chatting rather than actually looking could mean a difference in Akira-chan and Kakashi-sensei's lives! I don't care if I take a death dive dattebayo, as long as I know I did something to save them!"

And with that the shinobi dived head first in the raging water amidst Neji's shouts of "Wait idiot!"

Naruto held his breath as long as he could as he was tossed around. He underestimated the undercurrent of the deep river and now he was being tossed like a ragdoll. He grazed among the jutted rocks at the bottom and when his back hit one particular boulder, he let out a yelp of pain, causing water to enter his lungs.

He truly was half-desperate to find his friend and his sensei. He has been to many escort missions turned bad but not like this. Usually it was him who's held hostage primarily due to his recklessness and secondly due to the Kyuubi inside him. But he always manages to be triumphant at the end with the help of his comrades. Kakashi-sensei would often come up with a brilliant plan, Sakura-chan would knock sense into him and Sasuke, even if he was an arrogant ass, would have useful ideas of his own.

But now he's drowning—there's no use denying it—and his words not too long ago are for him to eat. 'Good job in finding them, you idiot' he scolded himself as he sunk deeper. 'Now you're out of oxygen.'

Naruto felt his lungs burn as air escaped his nose and mouth. There's no way he's gonna end up dying in a stupid mission! Not only was it pathetic, but it would mean not becoming Hokage. 'There's no way that's gonna happen, dattebayo!'

He tried to swim but he was merely pulled back by the current. He kicked his legs furiously, trying to get above water for a few precious gulps of air. His perseverance won for he was able to get his head above for a few minutes, enough for 4 gulps of air and a glimpse at the night sky. And then he was dragged down again.

The river was dark and cold and all sense of time seemed to leave Naruto. He wasn't sure how long he was flailing but he could feel his limbs becoming heavy.

"Come on demon-fox," he said tauntingly to the Kyuubi inside him. "You can do better than that."

Surprisingly, Naruto thought he felt the Kyuubi growl within him. Then there was another force pulling him in the other direction of the current. He fought with all his might but exhaustion had caught up with him. Naruto flailed his arms and he came into contact with something muscular and hairy. He turned slightly and was surprised to see the Kyuubi manifest itself in its physical form.

But in a split second he realized that it wasn't really the Kyuubi but one of Akira's wolves, who had come to his rescue. Naruto allowed himself to be dragged to safety. Soon he was dumped unceremoniously on the muddy riverbank. The shinobi gulped thankfully for air.

"I told you to wait, you idiot."

He looked up and saw Neji giving him one of his infamous glares. Behind Neji was Kuroi, Akai and Yuudai. Kishi sat beside Naruto, grinning.

"You sure have a death wish, kid," Yuudai said sneering.

"Jumping off without assessing a water's depth is suicide," Kishi remarked, still grinning.

"I know! I know!" Naruto said, grumbling. "I just wanna find Akira-chan already!"

Neji offered a hand to hoist the shinobi to his feet. "We know. But getting yourself killed is useless." He pointed at the sheer drop from where they stood. "If it wasn't for Kishi-san you'll be nothing but ground meat now."

Naruto followed Neji's hand and gasped. Just to his left was a steep drop of about 20 meters where the river morphed into a waterfall. Large and jagged boulders littered the bottom.

He coughed out some of the water he had swallowed and frowned. "So what do we do now?"

Yuudai walked towards the edge. "Akira-hime's scent is strongest here. There must be some sort of opening."

Kuroi and Akai stepped forward. "Give us time to scout around a bit," said Akai. "10 minutes?"

"Make it five," Yuudai ordered. In Akira's absence, he was the de facto leader and the two wolves nodded their obedience. The wolves then dispersed and Yuudai stayed with the 2 shinobi.

"I suggest you conserve your chakra," Yuudai said as he observed the two ninjas. "You don't seem to be in the best of shape right now."

Neji glanced at the wolf. He had to agree. The past week had left him with little sleep and that battle with Fujiwara left him exhausted. Not to mention he had been overusing his Byakugan in an attempt to aid the wolves in their hunt for their missing comrades.

Just by themselves, Neji knew he and Naruto could somehow find Akira and Kakashi but it would take them another day or two before even finding a worthy trail. Naruto's demon-fox could surely help with that bit. But just like Naruto said earlier, the longer they delay finding Akira and Kakashi, the more their lives are endangered. As much as Neji wants to just rush head on, he knew that would be stupid. The blonde shinobi may have limitless chakra but he doesn't. And Neji will be useless if he becomes incapacitated in battle.

The wolves had been of great help in tracking Akira. Now that they have somehow figured out the missing pair's whereabouts, Neji could only hope that they find the redhead soon. The pack's worry for their Akira-hime is so palpable, Neji could almost feel it in his gut.

'Is it really the pack's worry, or his?'

He clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to maintain calm. Beside him, Naruto had also settled down, brows furrowed. Knowing Naruto and Akira's relationship, Neji understood the depth of Naruto's concern for the kunoichi. And Yuudai the wolf...Neji had seen so often how Akira treats her pack like her own siblings. In spite of their misunderstanding a while ago, Neji and Yuudai had reconciled after agreeing on shared vengeance towards Akira's captors. It was a temporary truce, since Neji knew the wolf didn't like him. Somehow, the Hyuuga felt that Yuudai knows about his ulterior motive towards Akira.

His musing was disturbed when Kishi resurfaced from the water. The blue wolf shook his fur before approaching them.

"I found an entrance below," Kishi reported. "But there is a thick layer of chakra among the rocks. I can't say for certain if it's a part of a trap."

"That must be the entrance already!" Naruto exclaimed. "It might be a trap the enemy set to make sure nobody entered!"

"Or it could be a decoy," Yuudai said. "To divert possible enemies from the real entrance."

To be honest Neji believed Yuudai more. "There could be more than one entrance," he said, standing up. At that moment, Akai and Kuroi approached.

"We found it!" Akai said excitedly. "It's on a cave deep in the forest. The place is littered with traps, Kuroi and I cannot get too close."

"What kind of traps?" Naruto asked.

"The outside traps are mediocre," Kuroi reported. "Trip wires, movement-activated kibafukuda, the likes. The unseen ones, that's what we're more worried."

"For that we'll need your Byakuugan, Hyuuga," Akai said.

Neji nodded. "Two entrances so we'll have to split. Naruto and I will cover the entrance on the cave." He turned to the wolves. "The chakra signature on the water is not Akira's as far as I can recognize. Where is her scent the strongest?"

The wolves looked at each other before Yuudai spoke. "That's another problem we have. The enemy must've known of us because in the areas surrounding both entrances, Akira-chan's scent is all over the place. Even underwater."

"Which shouldn't be the case since water washes down almost everything," said Kishi.

That made it trickier and the enemies more dangerous. It was becoming more evident that they had plans to take Akira all along if they had anticipated her wolves tracking her down. It could mean that they had purposely lead Neji and the wolves to this place.

'But we have no choice,' Neji thought. 'We have to get to her as soon as possible!'

"We'll divide into two," he said decisively. "Kishi-san, you go underwater. We'll enter at the same time. One of the entrances could be a decoy and we have no idea what lies in wait. I'll take Naruto with me to the cave, along with Yuudai-san." He looked at the pack leader. "If that's alright, though."

Yuudai stood up. "I'll go with Hyuuga and the Naruto kid. Kuroi, you accompany Kishi below. Akai you go with us."

Kuroi bristled his black fur. "Water's a good conductor." He trotted beside Kishi and Akai took his position beside Naruto. Neji looked up at the sky. It's well past midnight.

They've already wasted a full day looking for Akira and Kakashi. In synchronized movement, he, Naruto and the wolves dashed off to their destination. There's no time to waste. As their tired feet leave heavy imprints on the muddy earth, one thought occurred to them all.

'Akira-hime, just a bit more.'

'Kakashi-sensei! Akira-chan! I'll save you -ttebayo!'

'...Akira...hold on.'

~~~~~~~~~

Tsunade gave her office one last look before she turned off the lights. She closed the door silently. Eyes drooping from a full day of paper work and mission briefings, she locked her office. Her body craved warm sheets and sleep. Today was uneventful and was dedicated to mission assignments and reading post-mission reports from ANBU. Tomorrow she'll have to go over the budget assignments for agriculture, livelihood and research. While Konoha is primarily a shinobi village, a huge part of its population is still civilian and their welfare should also be considered along with those of shinobi. Tsunade was set to have a meeting with the representative of civilian welfare to make sure all issues with the civilian population are addressed. The Sannin groaned at the prospect of another tiring day.

Heels clicking loudly against the empty hall, she made her way towards the staircase leading to the Hokage residence. A secret passage connected the Hokage building to the village leader's private home but before she could put one foot on the dark stair, her senses tingled and she turned around. Despite her age, Tsunade still had exceptional kunoichi reflexes and her years of experience taught her never to ignore her gut feeling.

An ill feeling of dread settled at the pit of her stomach and she turned back and retraced her steps to her office. But before she could reach it, a pair of shinobi met her: Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Hokage-sama!"

The pair bowed respectfully before Kotetsu spoke, "Hokage-sama! There's someone—err, something—that you have to see!"

The Hokage raised a fine brow. "What is it?"

The two shinobi looked at each other before Izumo replied, "Minutes ago, a wolf came to the gate carrying a woman. We believe—"

"Wolf?" Tsunade repeated. The dread in her stomach grew.

"Hai! We believe it belongs to the Satsuna."

Izumo handed a scroll to Tsunade. "It was carrying a woman on its back. The wolf insisted to see you but we can't just let it in without making sure it isn't a threat to the village. Right now it is with Shizune-san at the gate. It refused any orders from us."

Even at the urgency of the matter at hand, Tsunade had to smirk. "Of course it won't listen to you," she scoffed at the two men. "The only person it'll take orders from is the Satsuna!" She rushed towards the stairwell leading to the ground floor. Izumo and Kotetsu followed her long strides. "Was it Yuudai?" Tsunade demanded.

"No Ma'am," Kotetsu answered promptly. "It's the white one and it demands to see you as soon as possible."

Tsunade unfurled the scroll as Izumo detailed the wolf's arrival not too long ago. As Tsunade half-listened to the shinobi behind her and half-read the hastily written report (she had to squint her eyes at Naruto' bad handwriting), the dread from her stomach crept now to her throat, as if suffocating her. Even without reading the scroll, she knew this was serious if Akira's wolf had gone on ahead without her. The sound of the wolf's loud barking reached her ears even before she could see it.

Tsunade now ran as her eyes focused on the first line of Naruto's note. Ignoring the calls of Izumo and Kotetsu, she hurried to where Shizune and three other shinobi were trying to appease the large wolf. Sachiko was baring her fangs at the small group, growling menacingly.

"Stop!"

Shizune and the group looked at the strong voice and stopped in their tracks. The Hokage herself stood before them, and in the moonlight, the frown from her beautiful face was commanding. They all gave a hasty bow.

"Hokage-sama, this wolf arrived—"

Tsunade raised a hand to silence Shizune. She approached the wolf who growled at her but Tsunade was unfazed.

"Sachiko-san," Tsunade said. "What happened?"

At this the wolf slowly calmed down. It bent a little to meet the Hokage's eyes. "Hokage-sama, it's terrible. Akira-hime has been taken!"

At this Shizune gasped but Tsunade ignored her. "What do you mean she's been taken?"

Sachiko matched Tsunade's steely eyes. "Exactly that. Hatake-san has been taken too and the Ookami along with Neji-san and Naruto are in pursuit. We do not know what they want with her but Neji-san believes they are after the Kageboshi."

"Why her? Are you sure it's not Naruto they are truly after? What if they just used Akira as bait?"

"This woman specifically told us that it is Akira-hime they want," Sachiko replied. She carelessly shook off the unconscious woman from her back and the shinobi were quick to catch Fujiwara before she fell to the ground. Everybody gasped when they recognized the actress.

"What happened to her?!" Kotetsu exclaimed.

Sachiko ignored them and looked at Tsunade, the wolf's eyes bright with anger. "She betrayed everyone. We wanted to finish her off but Neji-san said to bring her to you. He said you'll know what to do with her."

Tsunade felt fury emanate from Sachiko. She once again read the note on the scroll. Meanwhile, Shizune was already on the ground, assessing Fujiwara and healing her cuts.

"She's alive!" Shizune exclaimed. "Hokage-sama! What will we do?"

Tsunade closed her eyes briefly, weighing down the situation. The actress' involvement in the scenario is still unknown to her and the short note that Naruto had written was barely enough to tell her of the things that had happened.

The Sannin turned to her shinobi. "Shizune, bring Fujiwara to the hospital. Stay with her until I arrive. Kotetsu, Izumo find Ibiki and send him down to the hospital. Tell him it's urgent and I will meet him there. The rest of you gather Sakura, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji and send them to my office. Now!"

"HAI!"

As the shinobi scattered to carry out Tsunade's orders, she turned to the white wolf. "Now, Sachiko, tell me everything that transpired."