Blood is Full of Empty Promises

Only a few days had passed since they came to the Hidden Leaf village. Gaara and Ayaka were silently waiting for the right time to leave. Gaara wasn't stupid. He knew that Shikamaru and his team mates would want their revenge. He intended to help them get it.

Gaara kept his eyes on the gate. It wasn't his duty as a Kazekage to watch a gate especially one that wasn't protecting his own village, but he had to make sure Nara didn't leave without him. Meanwhile, Ayaka was off training with TenTen or exploring the village of Konoha. She seemed to enjoy it here and she even made friends with the leaf shinobi. She had come a long way since he first met her. She was stubborn and a recluse, pushing everyone away as if they were her enemy. Now, Ayaka was nice to everyone, making friends, but she was still stubborn and obnoxious sometimes.

Gaara smiled to himself and looked up at the clear blue sky. He wondered how Shikamaru was doing. The funeral for Asuma had been yesterday. He knew for a fact that Ino and Choji had gone, but he didn't think Shikamaru went. He wasn't for sure though. He hadn't really talked to any of them since they'd returned from that mission.

___

"Time for lunch!" TenTen yelled excitedly and dropped all weapons. Ayaka panted and looked at the kunoichi with awe. How did she have so much stamina? "Ayaka, you look so tired. Take a break with me. Let's have lunch."

Ayaka nodded and put down her weapons. She followed TenTen over to where Naruto was training. Naruto also looked extremely tired, but he had been training way more than she had. She was almost ashamed of how pitiful she was being. TenTen had explained to her this morning that Naruto was also a jinchuriki just like Gaara had been. In fact, she remembered what Gaara had told her about Naruto. Naruto had changed everything for Gaara and she was glad that she could meet such an influential person.

"Taking a break too?" Naruto asked panting and taking a seat next to Kakashi and Yamato. TenTen sat across from Naruto and Ayaka sat next to her.

"Yeah, Ayaka's been training very hard and she's come a long way."

"I haven't been training as hard as you, Naruto. I don't know how you do it," Ayaka replied still sounding out of breath. She saw the food and her stomach rumbled so loud that the Hokage probably heard it all the way in her study. Everyone laughed and dug into the food.

Eventually the food was gone and Naruto and the other two shinobi went back to training. "Well, we should probably get back to work," TenTen replied as she stood up. She stretched her arms out towards the sky curving her back and letting out a big yawn. Ayaka nodded and stood up as well. She was tired, but she could keep going.

"Aya-chan!" she heard someone yell off in the distance. TenTen and Ayaka both looked over to see Gaara running towards them. He stopped just a few feet away from them. "It's time."

___

Ayaka only had a short time to rest up before heading out with Team Asuma and the Kazekage. Tsunadae stood just inside the gate to see them off. At first, she didn't approve because they didn't have someone to lead their squad or have a backup squad ready, but Kakashi had volunteered to take Asuma's place as team captain. Gaara and Ayaka were just extras.

Shikamaru had a determined look on his face. He was ready to get revenge for Asuma and Asuma's unborn child. Shikamaru was sad that his sensei was dead and that the child would grow up not knowing just how awesome his or her dad was. He bit his lip in anger, but then calmed himself down before briefing the team.

Ayaka watched all of their faces. They were all determined, just like she was. Gaara just looked worried. She was positive that he was only worried for her sake, but this was just something she had to do.

Shikamaru briefed their strategy on attacking the Akatsuki. “Now the only question is how to find them,” he said and stood up clenching his fists.

“Our best bet would be to go to the collection office and find some sort of scent or tracks that they left behind.”

“I doubt they’d be dumb enough to go back there,” Choji added.

“That looks to be our best bet. Let’s get moving,” Kakashi instructed.

The team took off quickly towards the area where they last saw the Akatsuki. From there, they would track which way they went and hopefully run into them along the way. This time they should have the advantage. They could easily surprise them with an ambush. The only problem was that they didn't know what Kakazu's powers were, but he looked like he would be more powerful than Hidan. They knew a little about Hidan's technique, but not everything. Shikamaru however, seemed to have thought up a plan. Ayaka had heard that he was one of the best strategists in the hidden leaf. She was excited that she would be able to see him in action.

They finally came to the place where they thought they could pick up a scent. Kakashi bent down to check the soil. “The rain has washed away everything.”

Shikamaru looked up into the clear blue sky. “Well, I guess there’s only one way to find them now,” he replied looking at a bird. Ino’s eyes followed and then she knew what Shikamaru was suggesting. She was going to use the mind transfer jutsu to use the bird. From there she could survey the area with a bird’s eye view.

Ayaka felt a little useless. She wasn’t doing much, but following. She gritted her teeth. She would be useful when the time came to fight Hidan. She had just had to be. If she was just as weak as before then she didn’t deserve to call herself a kunoichi. She looked back at Gaara who was watching her from the corner of his eye. He made sure that she didn’t leave his eyesight.

“I’m on it,” Ino replied and transferred her mind into the bird’s. From there she flew ahead and searched every piece of land she laid her eyes on. There, off in the distance, she saw two figures walking. She flew closer and closer. The bird landed on a tree just behind the two Akatsuki members. The quiet, creepy one looked back and made direct contact with her. He attacked and Ino immediately transferred back into her own body. She panted from the close call. “Man, that was close.”

“Are you ok? Did they see you?” Shikamaru asked worriedly.

“I think we are ok. It’s just as we suspected. They’re heading for the leaf village, but their using a different route. If we head northeast we should make contact with them within ten minutes or so.”

Shikamaru stood up straight. “This is it guys. Get ready,” he said and faced the direction that Ino had pointed out.

“Let’s go,” Ino and Choji said in unison, both ready for battle. Ayaka saw an outline of Kakashi’s smile through his mask. She slightly wondered what was under it.

“Is there something wrong?” Kakashi asked noticing Ayaka’s stare. Ayaka blushed and looked away.

“It’s nothing,” she mumbled and looked down at the ground.