SMK2: Here We Go Again

Getting There

The battle between Deidara and the Third Tsuchikage was short lived, ending when the old man through out his back with a painful cry and a sickening crackle of his spine. Deidara and the girl named Kurotsuchi rushed forward in an attempt to catch him, the man pushing the blond away in anger while screaming a string of expletives that would have made even their Honorary Uchiha gasp in shock.

Jade could only stand off to the side after she the man's granddaughter heads told her to stay put, stating that they didn't need her assistance. She was getting the vague feeling that she had stepped into one of her trashy romance novels. The sort of story that would start off with the two lovers going home to meet the man's family, who didn't approve of his girlfriend, and the plot usually involved a love triangle, something she honestly didn't want to have to deal with. There was no way she would let come to that, but if push came to shove, she wouldn't hesitated to beat a...

"Jade," Deidara called out, abruptly snapping the woman out of her thoughts. "Get over here! He needs help to walk!"

While discreetly maintaining a cautious eye on the Tsuchikage's granddaughter's back, the redheaded woman hurried over to stand at the old man's side. As she approached the group of Iwa-nin, she couldn't help but hesitate, only moving forward when she felt the blond's encouraging hand placed at her lower back as he silently urged her forward. Siding up to the old man, Jade held his right hand in her own as her left hand hovered over the short man's back for extra support. Her hazel green eyes met the distinctive pink eyes of the other woman, and she couldn't help the shiver that traveled down her spine when she met the woman's glare.

"Why thank you, young lady," Onoki cooed graciously at the redhead, clutching onto her hand as he shamelessly stared at her... eyes while the woman was looking over her shoulder.

"Watch it, gramps," Deidara warned, moving to stand on the other side of his girlfriend. He glared down at his former mentor, who lifted his head to return the glare with one of his own. It was only when the two women cleared their throats, that the two men got themselves under control as they began their trek down the dirt path that would take them to the hidden village that laid beyond the towering stone walls.

Soon the group had made their way through the gates of Iwa and were headed to the Tsuchikage's Tower. Thanks to Deidara's short hair and different clothes, he was able to walk out in the open without being recognized, although that didn't stop him from throwing on a pair of sunglasses. Luckily, for Jade, she was from a different dimension, meaning no one could possibly have anything against her, and there were no other instances regarding the female Iwa-nin.

Finally, after a long silence filled with glares, they had arrived at their destination of the Tsuchikage's office.

The moment the door was shut behind them, Okoki climbed on top of his desk and stared his former disciple in the eyes. "What the hell did you do?"

"It wasn't me," Deidara cried, growing frustrated. It was just like when he was a kid, he was always held accountable, even for the things he hadn't done. He refused to take the blame for... whatever it was that happened. Even though he couldn't remember anything past arriving in the frozen tundra, he knew the blame wasn't solely on him. It was probably more of a group effort.

"Honestly," Jade began, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Onoki regarded her curiously while his granddaughter blankly stared at her with a slight scowl of annoyance. "It was more than likely a group effort." She shifted nervously, sending a quick glance to Deidara.