Chapter 59 - Ryuugaime Asuna

"You monster! Why?!", Sakura yelled at the top of her lungs. Her eyes enlarged and almost bulging to pop out. "You fucking murderer! Don't you even have an ounce of humanity inside you?!"

Asuna clicked her tongue. "You know; I would have run by no--"

"Shut the fuck up, you crazy bitch!", the way Sakura cuts Asuna's speech was a first for the princess. Normally sane people would listen to her.

In the case of the pink-haired genin, she was desperate to get her point across. It was like a slap across her face every time Asuna would treat her like a toy and play with her-no-their lives like a game. She just lost someone very important to her and the mastermind kept giggling at her like she was some sort of amusement.

"I'll kill you. I swear to the Gods that I'm gonna fucking kill you. If that's not enough, I'll chase you down to the depths of hell and rip every fiber of your soul. Mark my words Asuna." Sakura was at a starting point of burning the villain to the ground and she's going to do anything to make it happen.

"Gods?"

A soft sigh quickly followed as the girl stood up from her seat, the air tensed by each passing second. Sakura could feel it, Asuna was no longer playing games. Sakura was left wondering, did she finally get Asuna to actually listen?

"You swore to the Gods." It was barely a whisper and yet Sakura clearly understood it. "You shouldn't do that if you can't offer them anything. Well, what can a girl like you offer anyway? Your pathetic life? Your worthless soul?"

Asuna walked down the path leading from the pile of corpses, her face was blank, almost emotionless if Sakura even tried to describe it. Her aura was enough to strike Sakura with fear and reluctance to challenge her.

Sakura's breath got caught up in her throat. "What are you--?!"

This time, it was Asuna who cut her off. "The only reason why you're still alive is because I spared you. You should have known your place and acted like a good girl. Then, perhaps your pitiful parents wouldn't have to see your lifeless body next."

"Don't drag my parents into this.", Sakura hissed as she whipped her hand to the side to emphasize her point.

"Oh yes I will.", Asuna didn't even show any sign of joking. "I might even display your pretty little head by the gate if I want to. Ah, isn't that a great idea?"

Before Asuna could continue, she took a step back to dodge Sakura's attempt at scarring her face. Her body reacted instinctively once more and she chopped Sakura's wrist, disarming her in the process.

"Argh!", Sakura grimaced painfully when the little devil kneed her by the stomach. If that wasn't enough, Asuna grabbed a fistful of her luscious and silky pink hair and deliberately mocked her for her weakness.

"How does this feel, hm?", Asuna chuckles at the sight of emerald eyes glaring back at her golden ones. It sent a shiver down the girl's spine. "That's it. Don't disappoint me."

In return, Sakura was quick on her toes as she formed hand signs in a flash but, before she could even finish them, Asuna snapped Sakura's fingers backward to the point that the poor little girl's fingertips were touching the back of her palm.

The little girl's screams were music to the devil's ears.

"Geez, poor you.", the pinkette could feel her soft touch as Asuna caressed her locks, a contrasting sensation from the torture which made Sakura feel worse. "This is why you shouldn't pick fights with me just because I let you off the hook once. Remember this Sakura-chan. Don't take anything for granted."

Just when Sakura thought that Asuna was done with her, she threw up a lump of saliva when Asuna kneed her on the stomach once more, which was followed by an elbow against her spine sending her to land on the ground with a heavy thud.

A kick comes right after, knocking one of her front teeth. Asuna uses the sole of her boots to lift Sakura's chin. Like she was too disgusted to use her hands. "Tired already?", Asuna asks with a mocking grin. It was far from over and Sakura realized it far too late.

The torture continued and Sakura buried her face on the ground to hide her tears as Asuna repeatedly slammed her foot against her stomach like she was some sort of punching bag. At that moment of realization that she was far too weak to face her enemy, Sakura wished that Asuna would kill her instead to end the torture quickly.

"Seriously, this brings back memories.", Asuna grins as she deliberately reminisces the memory of seeing her older sister torturing a servant for snapping her favorite comb. At that time, she wondered why would her sister get so mad over something so trivial. Only now did she realize that her sister never got mad, she was just looking for a reasonable excuse to torture someone.

When Sakura stopped responding to Asuna's kicks, the evil princess crouched down and pulled her by her hair to take a look at her bruised face. Sakura's vision was blinded by her tears. She had to blink her eyes a few times to adjust her eyes. As she did this, she noticed Asuna's silhouette. It looked too familiar for her to just ignore it.

Just from the clothes---

Why did it take her so long to notice?

She dreaded the truth. It can't be possible, right? No, it shouldn't be. Sakura thought she was the last person who would even dare betray Konoha.

Asuna notices the perplexed look on Sakura's face and decides to smack her right across the cheeks to wake her up. "Hey, you can't be tired just from that. I was just getting started, you know?"

"Lhexi..."

Asuna froze like Sakura just uttered some sort of spell that made her stop in her tracks. But, it didn't take a while for Asuna to regain back her composure.

"Tell me.... you're not Lhexi...right?"

Asuna took her time. She even contemplated whether she should tell the truth or not. But, if she would get a nice reaction from Sakura if she twists her words a little, wouldn't that be exhilarating?

"For a quick-witted girl, you're quite slow aren't you?"

Sakura's eyes widened, her breathing became sharp and erratic, and her face contorted into a look of pure shock and anger. She had been so certain of her loyalty, completely trusting with her life. She had never suspected her of being capable of such a treacherous act.

"How could you?!"

No.

"How dare you!"

Her voice shook with raw emotion as she screamed, not afraid of the repercussions of her actions or the weight of her words. She had been betrayed, and she would not let Lhexi get away with it so easily.

Clearly, Asuna was fed up with Sakura's constant whimpering. It didn't take her long to bash the poor girl's head against the walls.

"That'll shut her up,"

Her body dropped to the ground like boiled pasta for dinner. Sakura was tired, her body pulsated with pain as blood from her forehead covered her tired eyes like curtains.

Sakura sat cross-legged on the grassy ground, her eyes fixed on Lhexi, who was demonstrating a medical ninjutsu technique. The warm rays of the sun filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on both of them.

Lhexi's hands moved, forming hand seals as she explained the jutsu. Sakura observed, her green eyes wide with curiosity. "So, it's all about channeling chakra through these points to increase rapid cell regeneration," Lhexi explained, her voice calm and steady.

Nodding, Sakura concentrated on mimicking Lhexi's movements. "I think I got it," she admitted, her forehead furrowing in concentration.

"You see, Sakura, medical ninjutsu is not just about healing wounds. It's about channeling your chakra with utmost precision, that is if you understand the body's energy flow," Lhexi explained, her voice steady. "A healer must be attuned to the subtlest changes in a person's chakra, you should be able to detect even the smallest irregularities."

Sakura smiled bitterly. "Do you think I can do it?"

"Hm?" Lhexi asks.

Sakura continues. "I mean you, Naruto, and Sasuke are progressing very fast. I honestly feel left behind. I want to do better. But--"

"Sakura." Lhexi interjects. "Would you believe if I told you that you have the potential to surpass Lady Tsunade?"

"Huh?" Sakura laughs, bewildered. "Of course not. She's too great of a kunoichi."

"Well, if you think that way, I won't tell you otherwise. But, work hard. And for sure you will surpass even the best of the best."

Lhexi smiles at her and for a moment, Sakura feels the sensation of Lhexi's scarred fingers sliding across her hair.

Her gaze never left Asuna's form, who was too busy dusting off the dirt on her clothes. At that moment, Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, maybe she would soon wake up from this nightmare.

Asuna stretches her limbs, her arms raised above her head as she releases a soft groan. Ryuujin growls in the background and her golden eyes immediately snap back towards the entrance.

"Who is it this time?", she grumbles in a tired tone.

Asuna's body was filled with fatigue. The only reason why she was still standing was because of the rush of adrenaline pulsating through her veins. The sound of footsteps was missing but, Asuna could feel it. Someone was approaching.

Naruto and Sasuke stood at the entrance of the hideout within the Hokage monument, their eyes widening in horror as they took in the gruesome sight before them. Piles of lifeless bodies were scattered across the floor. The air was heavy with the stench of death, and a chilling silence hung in the air, broken only by the faintest echoes of footsteps.

Naruto had already noticed the familiar face among the corpses, an irreplaceable person in his life--a teacher and the only person he might as well consider his parent--however, he remained quiet-dangerously quiet.

Naruto's eyes flickered over the girl, her deep shade of brown hair cascading down her shoulders. His blue eyes however, didn't maintain their gaze on Asuna for too long, instead, they wandered to his little pink-haired friend who was lying on the ground, her breathing shallow and labored, blood seeping from her wounds. Her eyes were half-closed, and her pale face contorted in pain. Beside her, the mastermind of this heinous massacre stood tall, her presence screaming malevolence and triumph.

Sasuke was quick on his toes, immediately pulling out a dagger from his pouch in case their enemy attacked. The Uchiha survivor narrows his black eyes. He was known for belittling his enemies especially when he was aware that he could beat them. But, right as of this moment, he can't find himself to be arrogant. The bloodlust in the air was far stronger than anything he had encountered.

"Eyes forward Naruto," Sasuke whispers in a calm tone. "She's striking."

The blond boy beside him didn't show any violent reaction and Sasuke found himself getting crushed by another wave of bloodlust pooling in the air. His charcoal eyes widen at how Naruto's rage overpowered Asuna's fervor for blood. Sasuke watched as Naruto's chakra became visible to the naked eye, orange hues wrapped around Naruto like it was gonna escape any moment now.

"Naruto--!", he takes a step back as the pressure of Naruto's chakra becomes evident. "Calm down!"

Asuna freezes for a moment and her golden eyes widen as her eyebrows raise. Naruto takes a step forward and the princess watches with amused eyes with fear flickering across her expression.

"Aren't you curious? As to who am I?", Asuna asks with a smirk plastered on her face before it quickly turns to confusion the moment Naruto walks past her like a breeze.

Naruto kneels and caresses Sakura's tear-stained cheeks. His fingertips trail lightly against the black and red bruises on her soft skin like he was holding a precious and delicate flower. He carefully lifts her.

"Stop showing compassion to those weaker than you.", Asuna whispers as her gaze burns into the back of his head. "You're another monster like me, why don't you try acting like one?"

Naruto, on the other hand, doesn't answer her question and questions her instead. "Did you do this...to Sakura-chan?"

Asuna blinks her eyes at how raspy his voice came out before she lets out a giggle of amusement.

"You don't really need me to answer that, don't you?"

"Iruka-sensei too?"

Asuna was lucky that Naruto was controlling himself. Sasuke stood on the back, away from them as he could sense the impending doom about to befall. He senses an attack from above and he jumps away as Ryuujin's claws slice the ground separating him from Naruto.

'I didn't even notice its chakra signature.'

He lands perfectly on his feet as he forms hand seals.

"It's only natural that a summon fights another one of its kind," he whispers with that infamous smirk of his before he bites off the tip of his thumb and slams it on the ground. "Summoning Technique!"

A hawk appears beneath his feet as his summon flies in the air across the ceiling of the cave as it encircles Ryuujin's gigantic form.

On the other side of the cave, Asuna faces off with Naruto in what seemed like hours was only a couple of seconds in reality. Naruto walks past her again and Asuna's eyes wander to his form as he creates a clone who takes Sakura from his arms. Her gold-pooled eyes stare off into the distance at Ryuujin battling Sasuke's hawk.

"Oi,"

Her head immediately snapped back towards the boy's low growl.

"I'm gonna kill you."

Naruto's blue eyes turn to red slits and in one quick step, he was already in front of Asuna, their noses brushing against one another as Asuna's eyes widened with surprise-pain.

"Argh!"

Naruto slams his chakra-encased fist into Asuna's ribcage and both of them heard a few bones cracking before Asuna went flying against the wall. Before the girl could even process his sudden attack, Naruto reappeared in front of her with his leg raised over her head. Asuna's body reacted instinctively and she crossed her arms to soften the blow only to feel the burning sensation on her skin after contact with the orange chakra surrounding Naruto.

But, the boy didn't stop there. He sees nothing but, red.

"A-ah...n-no...!"

Her eyes were wide as she relived in the familiar moment of fear. Asuna reaches out her hand begging Naruto to stop with his relentless assault.

A wave of chakra was released from Asuna's palms pushing Naruto away. Just enough for Asuna to flee from sight.

Ryuujin on the other hand, senses his mother's distress and hurriedly makes its way towards Naruto ready to swing his claws. Sasuke took this chance and had his hawk fly over Ryuujin's eyes, blocking his view before Sasuke formed a few hand seals and breathed out fire right in front of the dragon's eyes, blinding Ryuujin in the process.

Asuna desperately tried to form seals as she searched for a way-anything to stop Naruto who had just landed a strong kick from his leg on her arm causing her to tumble backward from the attack accompanied by the pressure.

She lands on the ground with her face kissing the dirt-matted floor before she quickly gets up to evade another strike coming from Naruto.

"Ryuujin! What are you doing?! Help me!" she yelled out frantically and both the two boys narrowed their eyes in return when Ryuujin, despite his temporary blindness, created a roar of madness that sent shockwaves in all directions pushing both Naruto and Sasuke, including his summon, away from Asuna. That single uproar caused a temporary earthquake within the cave.

"You fucking coward!" Naruto hisses out as Asuna hid behind Ryuujin's shadows. "Don't you dare hide! Fight me, fair and square!"

Naruto runs up to Ryuujin and he creates two clones whose hands hovered over his palm, creating a ball of spiraling chakra. But, before he could get any closer, a hawk flies over his head and Sasuke picks him up from the crowd.

"What are you doing Sasuke?! Let me go! I need to kill that wench!", Naruto argues as he prepares himself to jump off Sasuke's hawk.

"Don't do anything stupid.", Sasuke retorts as he pulls Naruto by the back of his collar, preventing him from doing anything stupid. "Look around you carefully."

Naruto looks up at the ceiling of the cave and he sees cracks forming everywhere. His red slit eyes widened in realization before he looked down below searching for someone.

"Where's Sakura?" Sasuke asks calmly with a hint of concern in his low voice as his hawk hovers on the edge of the walls.

"There!" Naruto points out at his shadow clone running towards the end of the cave carrying Sakura in his arms. Sasuke's summon lowers his flight and Naruto reaches out for the unconscious body of Sakura. As soon as he had secured the girl in his arms, his shadow clone quickly dispersed into a cloud of smoke.

Naruto looks back amongst the dead ninjas whose bodies are lying on the ground as debris falls on them. Naruto squints his eyes at the familiar face among the dead and his gaze softens as he presses his fingertips against Sakura's body harder than necessary.

Naruto took a deep breath before exhaling loudly. He carefully places Sakura's unconscious body next to Sasuke. The Uchiha was already aware of what his bestfriend was gonna do.

"Sasuke...I..." Naruto starts as his blue eyes trail towards the mastermind of this mess. Asuna was still hiding herself using Ryuujin's wings.

"Dobe, I won't stop you." Sasuke whispered. "But, you can't definitely do this alone."

Sasuke stands up from crouching down, taking a glance at Sakura's deshiveled sleeping face. Naruto smiles as he forms another clone once more.

"Stop acting so cool.", Naruto commented with a grin before both of them jumped from Sasuke's hawk, leaving Naruto's clone on top to protect Sakura.

Both of them lands on their feet perfectly against the ground facing Ryuujin--no the mother hiding underneath his scales.

"Stop hiding! We don't know why the hell you're doing this! But, we'll definitely stop you!" Naruto yells at the top of his lungs.

"Naruto. I won't repeat it. Be careful. She's unlike our enemies we have faced in the past." Naruto nods his head in agreement.

"Yeah. It seems that way. She doesn't see the meaning of someone's life. She takes them like they're flies. Toys with them. Laughs at them." Naruto whispers, his voice gradually increasing with volume.

Both took their stance at once, preparing themselves as Ryuujin's wings parted slightly. Asuna's golden eyes pierced them, before she closes her eyes once more, muttering words that they can't hear. As if she was praying to her God to save her.

"Lhexi...help me..."

Asuna steps forward, steam forming around her wounds. Her bone that was supposed to be sticking out of her thorax was being pulled inside back to her body as her tissues stitched itself back together at a rapid pace.

Sasuke made the first move, throwing dozens of kunai and shuriken at a great speed and accuracy. Asuna didn't even move. Ryuujin's tough black scales protected her.

Her eyes moved from left to right as Sasuke and Naruto dispersed right before her. In no time, Sasuke breathed a fireball from his mouth.

"Katon! Goukakyou no Jutsu!"

Ryuujin retaliated with a roar, sending shockwaves and a blast of wind that was supposed to estinguish the fire, only to enlarge it further.

As Ryuujin took the blow of Sasuke's attack, Asuna moved out of the way and picked up a sword belonging to a shinobi her summon killed earlier.

Looking above, she anticipated Naruto's barrage of attacks with a wide grin. "Your chakra is too dense! I can sense you even from a mile away!"

"Take this!" Naruto screams, as he formed a sign, producing thousands of clones. "You don't have anymore place to hide!" Naruto points his forefinger at her direction as his clones surrounded her.

"You're not the only one who have an unlimited chakra." Asuna responds back as she copies Naruto's ram sign. "Multiple Shadow Clone no Jutsu."

She matches the number of Naruto's shadow clones, leaving the boy incredibly bewildered. It's the first time that someone would use the same technique as his.

"Curious?" 

All of Asuna's clones spoke at once.

"How did you...?!"

Asuna smiles before pointing at her glowing golden eyes. "My Seiryuugan can see the path of chakra of any individual. When you performed the jutsu earlier, I made sure to memorize how the path of your chakra travelled across your body."

"You...Kakashi-sensei told me that I'm the only one capable of using this jutsu.", Naruto whispered, his pupils slightly shaking.

Asuna sighed. "Well, that's because of your huge chakra reserve. And consider the fact that the nine tailed fox resides inside you. If someone like Sasuke would use it like you, he would definitely die."

Naruto was shocked. He never really thought that his signature move would be used against him. "Mah! I'll win still!"

Asuna smirks as both their shadow clones clashed against one another. It wasn't long before the ground began to fill with smoke as clones disappear one after the other with each attack.

Naruto searches for the real one among the chaos as he uses rasengan to blast a couple of clones.  He felt the air escape his throat as Asuna slices through his back with a massive grin on her face. "Ah! Konoyaro!"

Asuna jumps away as she laughs at the gashing wound behind Naruto. Naruto fell forward before he prepared himself and rolled back up. 

"Damn you!" Naruto yelled in frustration at Asuna who was laughing like a mad little devil. 

Several of Naruto's clones disappeared as Asuna moves around with a katana on hand. It was like an extension of her body. It was so natural for her to use it. 

Asuna bashes Naruto's face on the ground with her foot, creating a small crater on the ground as she applied more pressure. 

"Eh?" Asuna saw Naruto's face appear right before hers. 

He was on the ground just now.

Naruto bashes his already bleeding head at Asuna's forehead. The latter fell back as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. 

"What the heck...?" She asks herself as she tried to remain conscious from the impact. 

She felt hands holding her still as she tried to get her vision straight. She heard the sound of wind and she curses as the moment she regained her eyesight back, she was met with the powerful jutsu of Naruto. 

"RASENGAN!"

It wasn't the usual size even. It was a big one. She heard a couple of her ribs breaking before she was sent flying against the wall of the cave. 

"Naruto! Look out!"

The ceiling cracks and Sasuke was quick enough to take away Naruto before a debris fell on them. Ryuujin lifts his weakened mother using his tail before he shrinks his size and flies past the entrance of the cave before it can collapse.

"We can't retrieve their body even if we want to." Sasuke reminds as his hawk continues to fly through the long tunnel as it searches for an exit.

"I know that tteba." Naruto lowers his head. Sasuke remained silent as he heard sniffles coming from Naruto's direction.

Silence enveloped the atmosphere between the two until Sasuke's hawk finally found the other end of the cave. They were once welcomed by the blinding light of the clear blue sky, a fresh sensation from battling enemies within the darkness.

"Damn it." Naruto curses under his breath as the fresh breath of air hits his skin but, can't find himself to relax. Sasuke's charcoal eyes morphed into a pattern and he recognized the familiar dragon flying through the sky, away from them, away from the village.

He looks down at the village, the 2nd Hokage's monument has already collapsed. Cloud of smoke filled the air as his hawk hovered over the village-half destroyed. He could hear the cries and wails of people from the ground even from his distance. And he could only sigh in return before he glanced at Naruto sobbing in distress, pain, guilt, rage, and regret.

'Considering Naruto's attitude, he's doing well restraining himself.' Sasuke thinks to himself before he glances back at the blue sky mixed with the grey color of smoke.

"Lhexi-chan...where is she?" Naruto asks in between shaky breaths and Sasuke forces himself to stay calm.

"She's holding herself better than us, I presume..." Sasuke trails off before continuing. "With all this madness going around, she must be out there fighting."

Asuna traces her fingers around Ryuujin's sharp scales with a shaky breath. One of her bones was sticking out of her ribcage constricting her lungs every time she tried to breathe. With every flap of Ryuujin's wings, she noticed how his distance from the ground decreased with every shallow breath she took. Ryuujin was relying on her chakra and physical capability to keep him around. And this was the longest time, he had been summoned. And as Asuna weakened at a rapid rate, Ryuujin's size decreased as he increased his speed as his purple eyes found a forest to hide his mother, for now.

They have been flying for over an hour but, the sun hasn't gone down yet. They were maybe around a hundred kilometers away from Konoha. They would have gone over a thousand miles if Ryuujin was in his best shape and if his mother was doing fine. Blood kept raining down from his flight, and Ryuujin made sure to keep his flight steady as to not agitate his mother's wounds.

It was proof that Asuna had met her limits.

The blond brat almost killed her after all.

"Fuck, dealing with him should have been so easy..." she mumbles to herself as Ryuujin circles a forest before he descends to the ground. He propped up his scales and lightly maneuvered his body so his mother would slide down from his spine to his tail.

Asuna climbs her way out of his tail and slumps against a tree--a huge one at that. Even Ryuujin felt small in comparison. 

Now what to do?

Asuna was dying and her summon would disappear, sooner or later whether she liked it or not.

And she was dissatisfied. Incredibly dissatisfied.

Sure she killed perhaps a quarter of the civilians' population. But, if she had Lhexi's brain, the numbers would have doubled or so.

Moreover, she already had her business settled with Asuma and Kurenai. Yet, it wasn't enough.

If that fox and his Uchiha lackey hadn't appeared, she could have brought further doom to Konoha. If she was gonna die anyway, she wished she could have taken the kids with her. More angels in heaven, great.

And the adults would forever mourn for their dead children.

Glancing at Ryuujin with her golden eyes, she smiled and reached out for him.

"C'mere...your mother wants to touch you"

As Ryuujin took small strides toward her limp hand, Asuna wondered when she started referring to herself as her summon's mother.

Did she want a child?

Funny. No.

She was a child herself.

Then, was it Lhexi? She was already an adult after all.

So, she picked it up from Lhexi then.

Ryuujin lowered his head and let Asuna pat the space between his eyes. He closes his eyes as he relaxes his body and rests next to his dying mother. He uses the grass beneath him as his nest.

Asuna hears his growl and the sound immediately registers to her brain. Ryuujin--her child--was mourning her.

This dragon--albeit not a human--can feel emotions, can empathize with her, can feel rage and sadness. Unlike most of them.

As the princess leans her back against the tree, she hums a song. She forgot the title. But, she picked it up from Lhexi whenever she was cooking, doing laundry, or cleaning her apartment. Was the artist famous? Yeah, she probably was.

The melody puts her to a slumber. She was too tired to even fight it. 

But, for some reason, instead of the fire that would envelop her just like she imagined it to be, she was cradled in warmth. She opens her eyes and immediately stares at the ceiling structure consisting of visible wooden beams and rafters, it made the room look spacious.

She sits up and pulls the blanket covering her body. before she fixes it, pulls it over her head, and falls back to her bed once more. What was she doing?

She heard busy steps trudging toward her room and she pretended that she didn't hear anything. She hears the doors of her room slide open, which just consists of paper screens. Ahh, so that was the reason why they burn so quickly, and easily at that.

Wait? Why?

"Hime-sama. Wake up."

The familiar voice makes her ears perk up and she turns to the side to open her eyes before she squints them back, earning a chuckle from the woman kneeling on the tatami before her.

"Hime-sama..." the woman cooed once more and she felt her soft long fingers combing through her locks.

"Hahaue..." Asuna starts as she groggily sits up once more. She immediately falls on the lap of her mother as she closes her eyes once again, trying to earn more sleep so she would have enough energy later on.

"Come on, hime-sama, you need to wake up...they're coming...," the woman continues as she rubs her daughter's back.

Asuna slowly opened her eyes but still lazily kept her head resting on her mother's lap. She had always been referred to by her mother using that title. Why won't she call her by her name? But, she didn't ask, cause she didn't feel the need to.

She was painfully aware that her mother wasn't the one who gave birth to her after all. Neither to her twin siblings. She was their father's mistress. A former servant, that is.

Still, her tone remained sweet and she wondered where her real mother had gone to. No, her real mother was right before her. Her real mother never abandoned her---them.

"Princess...wake up...please...I beg you..."

This time, she opens her eyes wide and sits up properly to look at her mother.

"They're coming...! Hurry! Hide!"

Her heart stopped beating at the sight of a hand probing out of her chest as blood dripped from her chin. And suddenly her room was burning. Black and red eyes prey upon her fear as her hand reaches out to save her mother.

No! No! Not again!

The killer pulls his hand away and the woman falls back on top of her body, crushing her small one.

"Mom...mom...no...please..." she begs with tears streaming down her blood-stained cheeks. She tried to heal her, using medical ninjutsu but her hands didn't glow green and nothing was healing. Blood pooled over her blanket as she caressed her mother's face.

"Wake up..." she mutters once more and Asuna freezes on the spot as her eyes snap back wide open.

She felt nauseous as she heard the rapid beating of her heart slow down. A dream. It's all just a dream.

The sound of chains echoed inside her head. She wonders if that was caused by the repeated impact of getting slammed on the ground, head-first.

She glanced to the side and just noticed that Ryuujin had already disappeared and that the sun was setting. Shit. She was fucking more than half a thousand miles from Konoha, so can someone really reach her so quickly?!

"It's better to be safe...than sorry...", she mutters as she stands up on her weak legs.

Time. She needs more time to heal.

The sound of chains echoes once more. At this moment, she had only one motive in mind and that was to survive. The sun slowly hides itself behind the mountains as the clouds rumbled. A storm was coming.

..........

Naruto was inside one of the tents that were set up a little far from Konoha as jonins and chunins alike sniff out and destroy the hidden paper bombs.

"It's still dangerous out there.", Sasuke commented as he poured himself a mug of hot tea and placed it on the table beside Naruto.

Sakura was already treated, with her wounds patched up and her fractured bones bandaged. Several other medical ninjas were present as they tended to the injured.

"You two," one of the assigned medical ninja spoke up catching the attention of the two genin. "This is a tent specifically built for the injured. If you don't have life-threatening wounds for us to treat then get out of here."

Sasuke immediately spoke up. "Our friend is among the patients. Also, we were assigned by the Fifth Hokage to guard the place."

"We were assigned by Tsunade-baachan?", Naruto asks dumbfounded only to earn a pinch on his side, causing him to wiggle out of the pain.

"Right, you were probably not listening again, were you?", Sasuke glares at Naruto as he sweatdrops hoping that the medical ninja would not find out that they snuck into this place just to keep an eye out for Sakura.

The medical ninja sighed in return before she returned back to her post. "Then be careful not to laze around. Who knows when this storm would end."

"Roger that ma'am! Believe it!", Naruto exclaims with a wide grin earning a sigh from Sasuke.

'He sure keeps on grinning despite the situation that we're in, huh?"

"Hey Sasuke, about that girl we fought back inside the Hokage Stone Statue...", Naruto trails off as he crosses his arms and legs together.

Sasuke shortly responds with a curious tone. "What about her?"

"It felt like I was fighting a child who's throwing a crazy tantrum.", Naruto describes as his mind recoils back to the moment when he was throwing fists at the said enemy.

The lone survivor of the Uchiha clan stays silent for a moment as he lets Naruto continue.

"Ah! By the way! She had these freakish golden eyes ttebayo! They were real scary believe it!" Naruto shivers as he turns pale at the memory.

Sasuke sighs at the sight of Naruto before he flicked his forehead.

"What was that for, konoyaro?!"

The black haired boy simply takes a chair beside him and sat in front of Naruto. "Don't push yourself too hard."

Upon hearing this, Naruto looks away to hide his tear strained cheeks. "I'm not. I'm...fine..."

Sasuke sighs one more time before he turned towards the entrance when a couple of lightly injured ninjas entered the tent. He dismisses them temporarily only to look back at them one more time.

"Did you hear what happened back at the Jonin meeting?"

"What? It sure must not be as worse as letting paper bombs go loose within the village." the other snickers.

"It's not that dumbass...!" he hisses. "Remember that black-haired girl from the Chunin Exams?"

Sasuke's and Naruto's ears perked up.

"Huh? Ah, you mean Takeda Arexa-or Aresa whatever, what about her?"

"I heard her name was recently just placed on the Bingo Book under Konoha's most wanted criminals next to Uchiha Itachi."

Sasuke stood up from his seat, his eyes bloodshot wide.

"Huh?! Why would her name be there? Didn't she just got promoted to Chunin? Ah, forget about it. Just what did she do?"

"Apparently, all the Jonin-ranked shinobi are keeping it a secret but, rumor says that she was the one behind the mysterious passing of the late Sandaime. I actually just acquired the updated list of the Bingo Book--"

It wasn't long before the gossiping man was tackled to the floor by none other than the Uzumaki. "What the hell are you talking about?! Lhexi-chan will never do that!" He grips the ninja's collar so tight as he interrogates the hell out of him. "You?! Where did you get all of these nonsense?! You don't know a single shit about Lhexi-chan so don't even dare try spewing those darned rumors from your shitty mouth!"

"I-I...b-but it's the truth...you can check the Bingo Book...her crimes are listed there...", the ninja pales in comparison as Sasuke squats down to their level. Not to break off Naruto's hold on the poor ninja but to search for the Bingo book inside his vest. "O-oi...that's mine."

Naruto sees what Sasuke was holding and pushes the ninja back onto the floor before he stands up. Sasuke flips a page after page, his heartbeat echoing in his ears with every second that passed. Before he stops. Seeing the picture of his beloved brother. And next to Uchiha Itachi was a picture of Sasuke's beloved friend. Next to a mass-murderer was another mass-murderer. His eyes widened at the name.

Name: Ryuugaime Asuna

Status: Active; Flee-on-Sight designation in effect.

Bounty: 50,000,000 ryo

Classification: S-Rank Criminal.Threat Level: Extreme. Poses an immediate and catastrophic threat to all shinobi and civilian populations. Engagement is restricted to S-Rank ninja personnel only, with a strong emphasis on reconnaissance and evasion. Direct confrontation is to be avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Sasuke drops the books as his heart raced, he tried to catch his breath as his red eyes travelled back to the picture of the girl on the book. A familiar girl with black hair, and purple eyes. Yet, with a different name.

Who is that? Ryuugaime...they have gold eyes....the one we fought earlier has gold eyes ....

He felt a sense of déjà vu. The familiar sensation of betrayal from a deeply beloved one. He slowly felt like detaching from reality as he sweated profusely. He felt dizzy like he was gonna pass out any moment now.

"SASUKE! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Naruto shouts at the top of his voice as he grabs Sasuke by his collar.

Sasuke looks back at Naruto, the two tomoe marks in his red eyes spiraling into three. "Naruto..." he whispers softly.

Naruto felt eerie at the softness in his voice. Sasuke sounded so broken. So tired from the constant betrayal of the trust he had rarely given.

"Naruto...Lhexi has...." Sasuke looks back at Naruto's confused yet intense eyes.

"SASUKE! I already told you to snap out of it!" Naruto was shaking as he didn't want to hear any more nonsense. "O-oi...! You know Lhexi-chan! She would never...never...leave us....no I mean she would never betray us. I know her! She's been with me for the past three years! Why the hell would you say that?! Tell me you're joking right?!"

Tears swelled in the corner of Naruto's eyes as Sasuke replied with silence. The blond boy grits his teeth as he sees the picture of his best friend on the page. He knows he doesn't need any more explanation at this rate.

"Sasuke...tell me." Naruto loses his grip on Sasuke's collar. "The girl earlier...was she...?"

Sasuke didn't respond.

"That's messed up..." Naruto chuckles, bewildered. "If it were really Lhexi-chan trying to kill us, we would have been dead by now."

Sasuke nodded as he regained himself back from completely losing control of the situation.

 "Yeah." The Uchiha composes himself before he looks back at Naruto as he deactivates his Sharingan. "They were definitely completely different people."

Sasuke was confused. No matter how much he tried to compare Lhexi with the girl they faced earlier, saying that they are the same person just doesn't add up.

Try to remember. How can Lhexi be that little devil?

"Oi Naruto...that little girl. Wasn't she wearing Lhexi's clothes?" Sasuke murmured.

"S-she was..." Naruto replied back. "B-but, you saw her right?! The way she fought?! We both know she doesn't fight like that. And Lhexi-chan is super strong! There has to be something wrong. There has to be." Naruto grits his teeth before he grabs the Bingo book and runs out of the tent cover.

"Tsunade baachan knows something! I'm sure!"

He refuses to believe it. It just can't be.

The doors to the Hokage's office slam wide open as Naruto arrives, behind him is the raven-haired boy who had quietly followed.

Naruto's eyes glared towards the fifth Hokage, who was facing the windows. She was looking down at the ruin,s her lively village had become. Jiraiya stood in the corner with his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes closed.

"Tsunade baachan, Lhexi has--!"

Tsunade cuts him off. "I know what you want to say Naruto. But this is not the right time to talk to you. Fixing the village comes first."

"Yet you were quick to update the Bingo Book with Lhexi's name and picture as a criminal," Sasuke interjects as he walks in front of Naruto. "We're her teammates, we deserve to know what's happening."

"I'm sure you have already read the Bingo Book. All the questions you have are already answered there." Jiraiya replies as he approaches the two genins.

"That's why we came here...! We want to know the truth." Sasuke hissed, his temper slowly getting to him.

"You just failed to accept it." The old Sannin insists.

"We don't have time to cater to some brats right now! Leave this instant!" Tsunade's voice boomed inside the office.

"We fought a golden-eyed girl a few hours ago." The information piqued the interest of the two Sannin as Tsunade turns her back to face the young Uchiha. "She had brown hair, golden eyes, and a massive chakra. A Ryuugaime in the flesh, just like in the books."

"You said you fought her. And you're alive and not a missing limb?" Jiraiya questions.

Sasuke narrows his eyes at Jiraiya in displeasure. "Naruto and I aren't weak." He remains stoic as his gaze focuses on the two Sannin. "It's true that we fought her. We almost had her but she escaped."

The young looking godaime gave Jiraiya a knowing gaze before they faced the young Uchiha. "It's the first report I've received today that a shinobi didn't lose his life or an arm after facing her."

Sasuke furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly just like I've said. You two are the first survivors whose bodies are still completely intact after meeting that girl you call your friend." Tsunade sighs as she pulls her chair and sits.

"She wore Lhexi's clothes," Naruto interjects, his voice raw with emotion. "But it wasn't her. She fought differently, moved differently." He struggles to articulate the dissonance between the friend he knew and the enemy they faced. The impossible truth that Lhexi and this Ryuugaime Asuna might be one and the same.

"Continue your report." Tsunade's command hangs in the air, pulling Sasuke back from his swirling thoughts.

He takes a deep breath, centering himself, and recounts the events that transpired within the Hokage Stone Faces, focusing on the golden-eyed girl.

"Its just wasn't that she wore Lhexi's clothes," he says, his Sharingan active, its three black tomoe swirling. "Her fighting style...it was completely different."

"Care to explain?" Tsuna requested.

"Lhexi relies on precise strikes, a balance of taijutsu, kenjutsu, and ninjutsu. She focuses on weakening the enemy before delivering the final blow. And she does it quickly." He continues, his brows furrowed. "This Ryuugaime...she was brutal, unrestrained. Her movements were almost feral. She relied on raw power and speed. And she took her time."

"It was like fighting a completely different person," Naruto adds to the conversation, being the one who faced the girl head-on.

"That's why, you didn't realize that you were fighting Lhexi huh?" Jiraiya asked and the blond boy nodded. "Are there anything else you've noticed Sasuke?"

Tsunade clasps her hands together as she watches Sasuke's eyes narrowing as he tries to recall the strange energy he felt. "Her chakra, it was immense. It's unlike I've ever sensed before. Lhexi's chakra was more refined and controlled--"

"Its unrestrained and just feeling that immense presence chokes the life out of you," Jiraiya muttered earning a surprise look from Sasuke. "I've faced a sheer number of Ryuugaime clan members before. I have experienced this feeling countless times. It's just that, you never really get used to it."

"Still. It doesn't explain anything. If Lhexi is truly the person you claim her to be--" Naruto exclaims in disbelief as he steps forward.

"How did she remain undetected for so long?" Sasuke demands, his voice laced with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Tsunade nods, her expression grim. "We've been tracking Lhexi's movements for months," she reveals. "We monitored her chakra, analyzed her behavior, and yet, we found nothing."

Jiraiya crosses his arms as he adds, "Her exceptional control over her chakra, perhaps honed through years of training, may have allowed her to suppress any trace of malice or hatred."

"Spies often operate under non-official cover. They blend into their surroundings by posing as ordinary individuals." Tsunade speaks.

"Her ability to remain unsuspecting despite constant surveillance speaks to her skill as a spy and her commitment to her mission," Jiraiya sighs. "She could have been a great asset to the village."

Naruto clenches his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Bullshit! You've been talking nonsense for long now! Lhexi-chan will never do this! Lhexi-chan will never betray us!" His voice trembled with a mix of anger and pain. He struggled to accept it.

"Naruto!" Tsunade reprimands him. "Lhexi didn't betray you. Nor any of us. Because she was never loyal from the start."

"But what about our team?! Are you saying she didn't care about us at all? Was any of that even real?!"

Sasuke tried to grab Naruto by his shoulders to stop him from advancing towards the Hokage. "Oi!"

"Tsunade baachan! Lhexi-chan saved my ass countless of times! She saved this jerk, Sakura-chan, and Kakashi-sensei!"

Naruto pushes Sasuke's attempt to stop him.

"You don't know her! None of you knows anything about her," Naruto sobs.

"She was there for me since the beginning. She made me who I am today. She didn't laugh at me when I told her I would become the Hokage. She cooked delicious meals for me. She always brought me gifts. She played with me. She risked her life for me," Naruto pauses. "She saved me."

It was silence for the four people in the room.

Tsunade sighs. "Believe what you want. But soon, you will regret the faith you have for her."

"Tsunade, don't tell me--" Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"It's alright. They will chase after her anyway no matter what we do." Tsunade gave the two genin a sharp look. "In 22 more hours, we will dispatch a team to search for Alexa, no, Ryuugaime Asuna. Naruto, and Sasuke. You will join the party."

The two teammates gave each other a nod. "Your mission is to assist on capturing Ryuugaime Asuna alive."

Just then, a knock came from the doors.

"Come in."

The door opens and Naruto shook at the sight of the Nara's bloodshot eyes. The heavy atmosphere in the room thickens as Shimaru enters. The air was still as all eyes turned to him. Tsunade clenches her fist in silence.

"S-shikamaru...oi...what happened to you? Your arm..."

His disheveled appearance and the empty sleeve where his arm once was speak volumes.

"Lhexi," Shikamaru replied. His voice strained but resolute, confirming Naruto's worst fears.

"Lady Tsunade. I have a report," Tsunade nodded as Shikamaru approached her desk.

As Shikamaru opened his mouth, the words he said reverberated through the room. Tsunade's face hardens, her eyes flashing with grief and anger. "Damn it," she mutters, her fist clenching in fury.

Naruto's body stopped moving as his eyes widened, and for the first time, he didn't say anything.