Pic of the Three Tailed Beast --->
Third Person’s POV
“What’s…..What’s going on here?” Ashley wonders out loud, crouching on the edge of a rocky cliff, not too far from the one Tobi had been perched on earlier. “Why are all these Leaf Ninja here?.......And who is that that Lee and Tenten are fighting?”
Ashley’s brows furrow with pure confusion behind her Wolf mask, as she watches Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Shizune standing a top the lake water, their hands all together in the same hand sign. A large dome of shining seals looms over them, with the seal at the highest point flashing a bright red.
A few metres ahead of the four Leaf Kunoichi, Lee and Tenten are battling a tall, purple haired woman clad in a green kimono. She counters their attacks skilfully, sharp blue blades attached to her forearms.
“I can’t believe they’ve got mere children guarding a Sealing as important as this one” the woman taunts, throwing her arm up and blocking a powerful kick from Lee, before forcing him backwards.
The lean Taijutsu user flips over backwards and lands on top of the water easily, rising to his feet and frowning at the purple haired woman.
“I thought the others were meant to take care of this Crystal user….” Tenten growls lowly, as Lee raises his fists, ready to continue fighting to protect the Kunoichi behind him.
“It matters not Tenten” Lee announces determinedly, his frown turning up into a slight grin. “We will be plenty strong enough to take care of her!”
“Crystal user?.....” Ashley murmurs lowly, leaning forwards a little. “What are they talking about? I don’t understand what’s happening here……Hakuba, are you sure the Three Tails is in this lake?”
‘I can sense it down there in the depths of the water…..’ Hakuba growls darkly, feeling agitated and restless. ‘I know what my own power feels like, and I can feel it in that lake!’
“Alright, alright…..” Ashley sighs quietly, before glancing down at Sakura, as Lee and Tenten begin another assault on the green clad woman. “But I still don’t get why the Leaf is here……And that thing…..It kind of looks like some sort of seal, not that I’m exactly an expert on that sort of thing.”
“The Leaf is trying to seal the Three Tails away so no one can get it” a male voice announces from behind Ashley, before someone steps up beside her. “Tobi knows because I heard them say it myself!”
“They’re trying to sealit away?” Ashley repeats out loud, her eyes widening with alarm. “They can’t do that!”
“Hmm?” Tobi asks, looking down at the appalled Ashley and tilting his head. What was she so upset about all of the sudden?
‘I will not let them seal my power away!’ Hakuba roars angrily, rising to his feet as his tails whip around wildly. ‘I must have my power back! Go and get it for me! Do not let them take it away from me!’
Ashley bites her lip to keep from groaning out loud, placing one hand to the side of her head as Hakuba’s roaring induces a dull ache. She could understand why the Beast was angry, but she didn’t enjoy the pain that came along with that anger. What was she to do?....If she didn’t help the Akatsuki, she wouldn’t get to join and they’d probably try to kill her. But if she didn’t help Hakuba, she’d never hear the end of his raging…..Which scenario was worse?
“Why can’t they seal it away Ashley-chan?” Tobi inquires curiously, crossing his arms and leaning his back against a tree trunk.
Feeling indecision sitting in the pit of her stomach, Ashley takes a deep breath and raises her head, eyes narrowing at the Ninja down below.
“Because we need it for the Akatsuki” is the blonde’s serious reply, to which Hakuba bares his teeth and growls furiously.
‘You traitor’ the Beast seethes quietly. ‘In this short amount of time, you’ve managed to willing betray everyone close to you, including myself. I can now truly see that the promise you made to me was nothing more than empty words. You’re just like every other human I’ve had the displeasure of meeting…… Mark my words, I will get my revenge on you, you traitorous, snivelling-’
‘My words are never empty’ Ashley cuts Hakuba off sharply, gritting her teeth and clenching her hands into fists. While perhaps she had betrayed her friends, Hakuba’s words somehow stung the girl.
The Beast’s words annoyed her too, but it also annoyed her that she was annoyed by them. Why should she care what Hakuba thought anymore? She didn’t owe him anything, and she didn’t have to play the part of a good guy. She could do whatever she wanted and feel however she wanted, just as it had been before she ever went to the Leaf Village.
Surely she should be allowed this freedom without some revenge driven Beast raining on her parade every time she did something he didn’t like?
Suddenly, Ashley hears Ino gasp loudly, dragging both hers and Tobi’s attention back over to the group down on the lake.
“Uh oh” Tobi says gleefully, placing a hand in front of where his mouth should be. “Looks like those Leaf Ninja are in trouble!.....Are you worried for them Ashley-chan, seeing as they were your friends and all before?”
Ashley stares down at the lake, still gritting her teeth, as she watches the purple haired woman jump onto what seems to be a towering, pink Dragon. It roars viciously, surging through the water towards Lee and Tenten, its green eyes flashing dangerously.
‘Is that what Tenten meant?’ Ashley wonders briefly, both intrigued and worried as Lee manages to jump out of the way just as the Dragon dives for him. ‘Is that……Crystal?’
Suddenly registering what Tobi had said to her moments ago, Ashley huffs loudly and turns her head to glare at the tall male, though he can’t see her expression behind her mask.
“No I’m not worried” the blonde retorts snappily, “Not about them anyway. I’m more worried that we won’t be able to get at the Three Tails with all of those Leaf Ninja and such in the way.”
Tobi nods in agreement, just when Tenten and Lee are sent rocketing beneath the lake water as the Crystal Dragon slams its hard tail into them. As the two Leaf Ninja flail under the water, struggling to swim back to the surface, a man with green hair suddenly appears, racing towards the giant seal with a kunai brandished in his hand.
“Keep concentrating on the Seal!” Shizune shouts, looking concerned as a scared Ino glances over her shoulder at the incoming man. “Ino!”
“Wind Style!” someone suddenly shouts, causing Tobi and Ashley to turn their heads a little, “Toad Water Pistol!”
“Oh no….” Ashley mutters under her breath, watching as a familiar blonde appears on the back of a large, yellow Toad. “Even Naruto is here….”
“Ahhhh, the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki……” Tobi murmurs to himself, causing Ashley to glance at him subtly. “It seems that everyone is turning up to this little party, eh Ashley-chan?”
Said Minami remains silent, though she can’t flicking her eyes over to Tobi every few moments, feeling strangely suspicious of him all of the sudden. Why had he sounded so different when Naruto showed up?....
Just as the yellow Toad takes a deep breath, Naruto smacks his hand down on its back, causing a power blast of chakra enhanced water to shoot from its mouth.
The water crashes directly into the green haired man, stopping him in his tracks and forcefully throwing him backwards across the lake.
“There sure are a lot of these Leaf Ninja floating around today” Tobi muses brightly, as Naruto begins shouting at the purple haired woman. “I saw some other ones here earlier, I’m sure of it!”
“Yeah, and I saw a couple earlier too…..” Ashley murmurs, before sighing irritably. “What are we gonna do? I seriously doubt I could take them all on, and you’re just going to be a liability. You’re about as useful as a wet paper bag……”
“Don’t be so mean to Tobi Ashley-chan!” the dark haired man cries, anime tears pouring from the eye hole in his mask. “Tobi can be useful! He’s a good boy!”
“Shut your trap would you?!” Ashley hisses impatiently, jabbing Tobi in the gut with a swift punch and making him drop to his knees, hands holding his stomach in pain. “Get any louder and you’re going to catch their attention.”
Before anyone can do anything else, there is a sudden, incredibly loud explosion, as a high wall of water bursts into the air. Ashley automatically jumps to her feet at the sound, eyes widening as she hears Ino, Sakura and Hinata scream with fright.
The Sealing Barrier immediately dissipates as the four Kunoichi performing the Jutsu are sent sailing in all directions from the rough waves created by the explosion. Shizune drops her hands from the Seal she’d been holding, instead focusing her chakra to her feet to keep from sinking, as she wildly glances around to try and make sure the others are okay.
“The Three Tails has broken free of the Seal!” she shouts, struggling to keep her footing. “It’s beginning to surface!”
Sakura is dragged along by a powerful wave and as she passes by Ino, who is panicking in the chaos and having trouble remaining above water, throws out her hand to the girl. Ino also throws out her hand, but is tugged along by the strong current, making her head disappear under the water for a moment.
“Ino!” Sakura cries, using all of the upper body strength she has to pull herself up and on top of the rough water.
“Well, looks like our job is done” the woman in the green kimono smirks, riding a top her Crystal Dragon. “We managed to destroy your little plan to seal away the Three Tails. C’mon Rinji, we’re leaving!”
That said, the purple haired woman turns around and races through the water in the opposite direction, with the green haired man running along beside her.
“Shino!” Naruto calls, bobbing up and down precariously on the rough waves. “Stop them!”
Shino slides across the water to Naruto and throws out his hands, sending a swarm of black Beetles after the apparent enemy. Not skipping a beat, Rinji spins around and flicks a kunai back at the insects, a paper bomb attached to the handle. He smirks as the paper bomb explodes, killing and dispersing Shino’s wave of Beetles.
Ashley however, notices none of this, too transfixed by the emerging body of what looks to be an absolutely gigantic grey Turtle, right in the middle of the lake where the Leaf Kunoichi had been. The blonde feels her heart beating strongly against her chest, both adrenaline and alarm beginning to set in. How were they supposed to catch something that huge?!
“Is that……” the Minami trails off, barely able to hear Hakuba’s low, agitated growls in the back of her mind, “The Three Tails?......I can’t believe it’s so big!”
As Ashley continues staring at the crustaceous, yet strangely Turtle like, creature, a ball of light begins to form in front of its face. Everyone else seems to notice something happening with the Three Tails as well, before two enormous balls of chakra enhanced water are shot away from its mouth at supersonic speed, creating a powerful sonic wave behind them.
Naruto and Shino yell out as they are blasted by one of the Three Tails Water Bullets, the force of the attack rendering them as limp and helpless as rag dolls. They flip and somersault wildly through the air, as their two enemies are also hit by the Water Bullets. Rinji and the purple haired woman are shot painfully across the lake’s surface, with the woman’s Crystal Dragon shattering into tiny pieces under the pressure.
“I think we’ve found our target!” Tobi cries happily, throwing his arms in the air as misty drops of water begin raining down on him and Ashley. “We must tell Deidara Senpai!”
Ashley pushes her now damp hair back from her face, watching as the Three Tails roars loudly, its sound a mix between a furious Lion and singing Whale, before it leaps into the air and dives back under the water, creating a tidal wave.
The tidal wave collects most of the Leaf Ninja, flinging them in all different directions, before crashing heavily into the side of a rocky cliff across the other side of the lake to Ashley.
Not too worried for the undoubtedly injured Leaf Ninja, Ashley narrows her eyes at the cliff far across the other side of the lake. If she wasn’t mistaken, she could make out the shape of what looked to be a young child.
“Why’s there a kid out here?” Ashley asks out loud, causing Tobi to pause and look in the same direction as Ashley. “He’s just going to end up dead in a situation like this…..”
Ashley trails off, noticing a dark shape beginning to appear in the water, down by a small, rocky formation towards the opposite side of the lake to her. Not a moment later, the Three Tails begins to rise out of the dark lake water, its one open eye focusing down on the rocks below it.
“Looks like the Three Tails isn’t too happy” Tobi giggles, bending down and resting his hands on his knees, just as the Sanbi begins growling loudly. “I wonder what it’s going to do to her?”
“Her?” Ashley repeats lowly, tilting her head a little as the Sanbi raises one of its three tails and reaches forwards. As she stares hard at the rocks coming up out of the lake, Ashley notices the unconscious form of the purple haired woman, the Three Tails reaching forwards to grab her.
“Heh, well” Ashley smirks, crossing her arms, “She’s screw-”
“No!” someone suddenly shouts, cutting Ashley off and making her jump. “Guren!”
Looking back up at the cliff on the other side of the lake, Ashley’s eyes widen, as she sees a stream of visible blue chakra now surrounding the young boy she’d spotted a moment ago.
Its surrounds him like a pillar, sending out powerful waves of chakra through the air and stretching right up into the clouds.
“What’s happening now?” Ashley complains, placing a hand to the side of her head. “This situation just keeps getting weirder and weirder….”
‘I don’t like that boy’ Hakuba growls madly, teeth bared. ‘He’s trying to control my power….And for some reason, he’s able to…..Why is that Three Tailed wretch no longer moving?’
‘What?....” Ashley wonders, looking back to the Three Tails, only to see that it has indeed frozen in place, its tail dangling mere meters above the now awake purple haired woman.
“…..The Three Tails was going berserk just a moment ago Ashley-chan” Tobi speaks up slowly, as if trying to figure something out. “But now it’s just stopped…..Do you think that boy is controlling it?”
“I’m not sure how exactly” Ashley mutters, brows furrowing as she stares at the baffling situation below, “But I think…..I think he is controlling it….”
“……Hmm” Tobi muses, his voice suddenly much deeper, “How interesting…..”
The ominous tone to Tobi’s voice sends a faint shiver up Ashley’s spine, causing the girl to turn her head and gaze at him carefully, mouth pulled down into a slight frown. Why had that voice disturbed her so much? She’d assumed that Tobi was always putting on a childish tone, so why did that deep voice catch her attention?
‘There’s definitely more than meets the eye with him’ Ashley thinks seriously, slowly turning her head back to look at the lake. ‘He’s hiding something……But I’m not sure if I want to know what it is or not.’
“You should go and find Deidara” the young Minami suddenly instructs, still watching the Three Tails. “We need to figure out what to do, and considering Deidara went the opposite way to us, I’ve no doubt he has no clue what’s been happening over here.”
“I don’t know Ashley-chan” Tobi says playfully, tilting his head. “Can Tobi trust you to stay here, with all these Leaf Ninja, while I go and find Deidara?”
“Of course!” Ashley snaps, turning to glare at the dark haired male. “I’m going to keep an eye on them, and try to figure out a way to get to the Three Tails without having to take them all on! Now hurry up and find Deidara!”
“Alright, alright!” Tobi cries, jumping back as Ashley raises a fist. “Tobi was just teasing you Ashley-chan! I’ll be right back with Deidara Senpai in no time! Be caaarefullll!”
Ashley merely sighs with annoyance as Tobi bounds away, quickly disappearing into the forest behind her. Hopefully he wouldn’t be back any time soon. When he wasn’t creeping her out and making her completely suspicious of him, Tobi was annoying the hell out of her and making her want to punch him. She’d be better off without his help!
Ashley’s attention is soon drawn back to the lake, as the beam of chakra fades from around the mysterious, young boy on the cliff ahead. He drops to his knees, and no sooner than he does that, the Sanbi slams one of its tails down on the tiny, rocky island before it, clearly no longer under the boy’s control.
The rocks shatter easily under the weight of the Sanbi’s attack, though the purple haired woman is able to focus her chakra and leap up onto the cliff just in time to avoid being crushed.
Obviously unhappy, the Three Tails roars loudly and shoots another gigantic Water Bullet at the cliff, the force of the hit shaking the nearby area and causing some of the cliff to crumble away.
“So much power…..” Ashley murmurs, narrowing her eyes as the Three tails creates another severely chakra enhanced Water Bullet. “And this is only one Beast with no Jinchuuriki……Just how powerful were you Hakuba?”
‘I was invincible’ the Wolf like Beast replies with a dark chuckle. ‘As a young one, I had not fully developed my powers. But as I grew older and older, my strength grew as well……That damned Sage was the only one who was able to defeat me in the end, but only because he stole most of my power and sealed the rest it into the Moon…’
“….No wonder people wanted to capture you” Ashley muses darkly, hooding her eyes as the Three Tails rams the cliff side, knocking half of it into the water. “It’d practically be an instant win to use you in a fight.”
‘No one would have the power to control me in a fight’ Hakuba boasts, chuckling nastily. ‘You can barely control me when you grow one of my tails, so don’t ever expect someone to be my Master.’
“I think that’s a lie Hakuba” Ashley reminds the Juubi with a faint smirk. “Wasn’t Madara able to control you long ago with his Sharingan?”
‘Don’t mock me you deceitful little brat!’ Hakuba commands, snapping his jaws angrily. ‘I will be controlled by no one! And as for Madara, he may have been able to command me to sit and stay for a few moments, but that insect would not have been able to control me for long! My power is not something that mere humans are designed to be able to wield……Even if someone were to gain control of me, as impossible as that scenario is, my power would soon overpower them and tear them apart. Their greed would be the death of them.’
“That’s very deep Hakuba” Ashley smirks, causing the Juubi to growl with annoyance. “Luckily for me, I have no interest in controlling you or using your power.”
‘Only because you know you can’t control it’ Hakuba is quick to retort, causing Ashley’s smirk to drop into a frown.
Before she can think to reply, Ashley notices the purple haired woman now racing across the water dodging and weaving as the Three Tails shoots barrages of Water Bullets after her. Water explodes high into the air after each hit, creating rough waves and mist-like rain, though the woman is somehow managing to evade the clearly aggravated Sanbi’s attacks.
“I just don’t understand what’s going on here at all…..” Ashley mutters, just as she spies Naruto also racing across the water’s surface, heading right for the attacking Three Tails. “Why is the Leaf here where the Three Tails is? Who’s that woman? And what’s up with that weird kid?......Where are those other Leaf Ninja hiding? I know there’s more of them around somewhere…..”
“Yukimaru!” Ashley hears Naruto call, as he skilfully dodges around the Three Tail’s Water Bullets. “Yukimaru, where are you?!”
“Yet another question” Ashley mutters dryly. “Who the hell is Yukimaru?....”
As Naruto is able to flip out of the way of another barrage of attacks from the Three Tails, the purple haired woman performs a swift set of complicated hand signs, before huge, spiked pillars of crystal begin shooting up out of the water.
Ashley’s eyes widen slightly as they completely surround the Sanbi, holding it securely in place and rendering it unable to move.
‘That must be a solid Jutsu’ the blonde Minami thinks, somewhat intrigued by the Crystal Jutsu, ‘If it’s able to hold such a powerful creature down.’
‘It won’t hold for long, I assure you’ Hakuba chuckles lowly. Though he was frustrated at being so close to one of the sources of his own power, Hakuba couldn’t help but feel somewhat proud that the Three Tails was making such a difficult opponent. Seeing as the Three Tails used to be a part of him, Hakuba was glad to see that it was being noted as a powerful and worthy opponent. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sure enough, just as Naruto runs past the frozen Three Tails, it lets out an explosive roar, causing Ashley to throw her hands over her ears and grit her teeth together tightly. The crystal around the Sanbi quickly begins to crack, and as the Turtle like creature begins to thrash around, all of the crystals burst and spray tiny, pink shards in all directions.
Even from her spot on the cliff, Ashley sees the look of shock on Naruto’s face, before he quickly performs some hand signs, creating a couple of Shadow Clones. Without hesitation, the three Naruto run towards the Sanbi, with two of them producing scrolls and summoning giant Shuriken.
Both of the clones heave their Shuriken forwards, only for them to ricochet right off of the Sanbi’s thick shell. Not losing a beat, Naruto produces another clone and the two create a powerful Rasengan.
They both leap into the air and throw their arms forwards, aiming for the Sanbi’s face and managing to slam the Rasengan right into the Three Tails’ open eye. Reacting immediately to the hit, the Three Tails rears up backwards, thrashing its tails around wildly and screeching in pain.
“Surely that’s not the end of it…..” Ashley says quietly, frowning a little as the Three Tails leaps into the air and dives back under the water, leaving the lake in an eerie silence. “That would be too anticlimactic if it was over alrea-”
Cutting Ashley off with another furious roar, the Three Tails bursts up out of the water, causing a wide eyed Naruto to whirl around. Before he or the purple haired woman can react however, the Three Tails crashes down on top of them, swallowing them whole and vanishing back beneath the dark lake water.
Ashley stares at the lake for a few moments, blinking her eyes a few times as Kakashi, Sai and Shino suddenly appear in her line of view, heading for the embankment near where Naruto had just been.
“Did it just…..Eat them?” the Minami wonders, sliding backwards a little and hiding behind a tree just in case one of the Leaf Ninja should look up at the cliff she’s on. “Gotta say, I wasn’t expecting it to end like that…..Hm?”
Ashley narrows her eyes a little, leaning her head forwards as she watches Kakashi bend down and pick someone up, before saying something to the other Leaf Ninja with him. Carrying the someone on his back, Kakashi turns around and heads back across the lake, with Sai and Shino still in tow, before they completely disappear from Ashley’s view again.
The Minami remains still for a few minutes, sitting in the now calm silence of the lake, a cool breeze blowing through the air. She slowly reaches up to brush some hair back from her face, before turning her head to look down at the lake, eyes calculating.
Sensing that no one else is near the lake anymore, save for the few Leaf Ninja heading in the opposite direction, Ashley rises to her feet and walks to the edge of the cliff, hands on her hips.
The girl stares down at the water silently, eyes travelling over the smooth surface in a suspicious fashion. She slowly tilts her head to the side, pursing her lips in thought.
‘I can’t sense the Three Tails anymore’ Ashley thinks to herself, both confused and intrigued by this. ‘…….Hakuba, is the Three Tails still down there?’
‘Why should I tell you anything?’ is the smart reply, to which Ashley frowns, teeth bared. ‘Capturing the Sanbi is clearly not going to help me any.’
“Whatever” Ashley sighs out loud, “I’ll just find it by myself then.”
That said, Ashley bends her knees and jumps down from the cliff, the hem of her black cloak billowing in the breeze.
Ino leans back on her hands and sighs, not caring about the mud that would no doubt be clinging to her when she stood up. Beside the platinum blonde, Lee mumbles numbers to himself as he does push ups over a small puddle of water.
“Well, we totally blew that” Ino mutters to herself, though Sakura, standing at the water’s edge, hears her and nods in agreement. “The Three Tails got away….I wish I could handle failure like you Lee. You don’t get upset about it, you just work up a sweat and forget it ever happened.”
“Sweat?” Lee repeats, his head snapping up to look at Ino, eyes shining. “This is not sweat! These are tears of frustration! After training so hard and for so long, I was no help at all!”
“I-I hear ya….” Ino replies unsurely, scooting back from the now snivelling Lee.
As Sakura is about to input to the conversation, she suddenly notices a small group of male Leaf Ninja walking towards them, causing her and Hinata to run over.
“Kakashi Sensei, you’re back!” Sakura cries, before pausing and jabbing her hand forwards. “Who’s that?”
“Where’s Naruto?” Hinata asks anxiously, worried for the reckless blonde’s safety.
“We couldn’t find Naruto” Kakashi informs Hinata regretfully, causing the Hyuga’s shoulders to droop sadly. “But we believe that this is the boy that Naruto was talking about earlier. The one who can control the Three Tails. We’ll head back to the base Yamato created, and once we take care of this boy, we’ll discuss the situation more.”
“The Three Tails has disappeared back into the lake” Kakashi explains, glancing around at the small crowd of Leaf Ninja in the room, “But that doesn’t at all mean that this is over. Once the Sealing Team has had a chance to recover, they’re going to attempt the Four Corners Sealing Barrier again.”
Sakura glances down as the boy before her sighs quietly in his sleep, now lying comfortably on a mattress. He was so young and seemed so innocent, yet Orochimaru’s lackeys had somehow managed to get a hold of him and force the boy to use his unique powers for their own selfish needs.
Seeing as Sakura had dealt with chakra exhausted Ninja before in the hospital, the pinkette could tell that this boy had expended nearly his entire chakra reserve, and needed immediate medical assistance.
“We can’t risk moving the boy in his current condition” Kakashi continues, also glancing down at the sleeping Yukimaru, “But once he has recovered as well, we’ll move him to a safer location…..Meanwhile, we need to find Naruto.”
Sakura’s face takes on a worried look as she watches Yukimaru sleep, with Ino noticing her friend’s expression immediately.
“Oh, don’t worry Sakura!” the blonde says brightly, giving Sakura a closed eye smile. “If I know that knucklehead, he’s just working on his backstroke in the lake right now!”
“Yamato” Kakashi addresses, “Kiba, Sai and Hinata. The four of you, and myself, will all head back to the lake to search for Naruto as soon as we’re ready. Shizune…..You’d better come along with us too, just in case he’s been injured by the enemy….Or the Three Tails.”
“Right” the charcoal haired woman replies morosely, greatly worried for Naruto’s safety. The enemy wasn’t playing around anymore, and they would easily outnumber Naruto if they all gathered together. And it’s not like the Sanbi was exactly a pushover either…..
“Sakura and Ino will stay here to heal the boy” Kakashi adds, to which the two girls nod determinedly, “While Shino, Tenten and Lee will stay here to guard them. I’ve no doubt that the enemy will be back to try and recapture the boy, so you may be in for a fight.”
“Never fear Sensei” Lee announces, raising a fist up, “For we will protect him with our very lives.”
“Okay” Kakashi says seriously, narrowing his visible eye slightly, “You all know what to do. Keep on your toes and-”
Kakashi is suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion, soon followed by the familiar, furious roar of the Three Tails. Though the noise is faint, due to the Leaf Ninja’s distance from the lake, it is an unmistakable sound that causes everyone to freeze and fall silent.
“What?” Kiba growls, scowling towards the door. “Are the enemy already trying to get the Three Tails again?! We’ve gotta go Sensei!”
“Naruto could be caught in a fight with them!” Hinata cries, pale eyes filled with worry. “We need to help him!”
“Right!” Kakashi agrees, already running for the door. “Everyone, go ahead with the duties I assigned you for now. We’ll look into what’s happening at the lake. Come on!”
That said, Kiba, Akamaru, Yamato, Sai and Hinata race out of the wooden house after Kakashi, unsure of what they’re going to find back at the lake.
Ashley slowly walks across the surface of the water, each step making a soft, plinking sound beneath her. The girl’s brows are furrowed with concentration behind her mask, a thoughtful frown on her face as she tilts her head down to look at the water for what felt like the millionth time.
“This is getting ridiculous” the blonde eventually sighs irritably, briefly closing her eyes and raising her head. “How could such an enormous creature just…..Disappear?”
‘This was amusing to me at first’ Hakuba sighs just as irritably, ‘But now it is just trying my patience.’
“I don’t see you doing anything to help!” Ashley snaps back, scowling to herself as Hakuba merely rolls his red eyes.
‘The Three Tails is technically still here’ Hakuba informs Ashley dryly, ‘However, it has the ability to open an entrance to another dimension, where it can hide. My guess would be that it created an entrance at the bottom of the lake and is currently hiding.’
“It’s in another dimension?” Ashley questions incredulously. “Well how the hell am I supposed to get to it if it’s in another dimension?!”
‘Stupid brat’ Hakuba growls, feeling exasperated. ‘Destroy the entrance!’
“The one at the bottom of the lake?” Ashley asks, deadpanning as she glances down at the water. “Fantastic. How am I supposed to know where this stupid portal thing is? This lake is huge!”
‘Not my problem’ Hakuba snorts with amusement. ‘You should be thanking me for the help I’ve already given you.’
Muttering things under her breath, Ashley begins performing hand signs, though she pauses when a sudden thought occurs to her.
“Hakuba, can the Three Tails create these portals whenever and wherever it likes?” the blonde questions out loud.
‘If given the chance’ is all Hakuba replies, obviously not in the mood for talking anymore. Upon hearing the Ten Tails’ short answer however, Ashley grins to herself and slams her hand down on top of the water’s surface.
“Summoning Jutsu!” the blonde cries, before she is enveloped in a large cloud of smoke. With a wave of her hand, a swift blast of air blows the smoke away, revealing a stoic faced Ace sitting before her.
“Milady” the navy Wolf greets flatly. “Kai has informed me of your defection from the Leaf Village. I am afraid that I am going to have to demand an explanation. What are your intentions exactly?”
“Never mind that now Ace” Ashley sighs, rubbing her temple momentarily. “You’re just going to have to trust me. Now, I need your help with something.”
“I will mind this now Milady” Ace presses, shaking his head. “I do not understand why you would leave the Leaf Village and join up with these…These criminals. Not to mention they are after Jinchuuriki Milady……And why are you hiding behind the mask your Father made for you?”
Ashley lets out a sharp breath and flicks her Wolf mask up to give Ace a hard look, one hand on her hip.
“Ace, I know what I’m doing okay?” the blonde says firmly. “I know that no one is going to understand my reasons, but you just need to keep trusting me, alright....And I’m wearing this because there are Leaf Ninja around.”
“I believe they have known you long enough to recognise you whether you wear that mask or not” Ace replies dryly, before heaving a sigh. “You know that I trust you Milady, and I will follow you no matter what you choose to do. I am merely concerned that you are making a very bad decision…..Now, what do you wish me to help you with?”
“Thank you Ace” Ashley says softly, quickly wrapping her arms around her Guardian’s neck and pressing her cheek against his furry chest, before releasing him and stepping back. “Now, long story short, I’m hunting for the Three Tails right now and it has disappeared down into this lake we’re standing on.”
“The Three Tails?” Ace repeats slowly, rising to his feet and following Ashley as she skips backwards over the water, a determined grin on her face. “Why are you hunting the……Oh Milady, you are helping the Akatsuki to capture it? Would that be a correct assumption?”
“That would be a correct assumption Ace” Ashley confirms, coming to a stop and placing her hand back on her hip. “Moving past that, Hakuba says that the Three Tails has created an entrance to another dimension at the bottom of the lake. I need your help to destroy it and bring the Three Tails back here.”
Ace stares hard at Ashley, studying her closely and wondering just what had happened to cause her to make such a drastic decision to try and join the Akatsuki. She’d never shown any interest in doing such a thing before, and she’d certainly never mentioned the idea to Ace before….So what could she have been thinking?
Ace was a loyal Guardian and friend though, and whatever Ashley needed him to do, he would back her up one hundred percent.
“And just how do you plan on finding and destroying this portal Milady?” Ace asks in his usual bland tone. “This lake seems to be rather large, and I am sure I would not be wrong in assuming that it is rather deep as well.”
“Again, your assumption would be correct” Ashley confirms, visible eye glinting mischievously. “So I had an idea. I’ll use my Katsuryoku to take us both down underwater, and when we find the entrance, you can blast it and break it open.”
Ace blinks his eye a few times, before hanging his head and letting out a deep sigh.
“The lack of detail in this plan worries me” the large Wolf mutters, lifting his head, “But I shall trust that you know what you are doing Milady……Whenever you are ready….”
Giving Ace one last tooth filled grin, Ashley raises her arms and slowly begins bringing them around in a circular motion. Ace merely sighs again, watching Ashley as she begins to sink under the water, with her dragging him down along as well.
Ace sits back on his haunches as water swirls around him, as if he were surrounded by an invisible sphere barrier. He is soon plunged into a world of almost complete darkness as Ashley continues moving her arms, pulling the both of them further and further down into the lake’s depths.
Turning his head a little, Ace sees Ashley a few metres to his right, also surrounded by a large ball of air, as the blonde uses her Katsuryoku to hold the water back from herself and her Guardian. Dark lake water spins around the two of them swiftly, as Ashley uses her Katsuryoku to not only keep the water back, but push herself and Ace along through the water as well; searching for the dimension entrance Hakuba had spoken of.
Ashley continues to slowly move her arms in a circular motion, to keep the water moving around her, a frown of pure concentration on her face. It had been awhile since she’d needed to use her Katsuryoku to such a degree, and she always forgot how heavy water was. While the Katsuryoku was more of a mind focused Kekkei Genkai than a physical one, the pressure of the water pushing down on Ashley and Ace was already beginning to make the blonde’s arms tire.
Suddenly, something shining on the lake bed catches Ashley’s eye, making her look over and give a cry of triumph. Ace doesn’t hear her however, though he too had spotted the shining portal anway.
Waving her arms in a downward motion, Ashley swiftly lowers herself and Ace to the weed ridden ground. Once their feet hit the ground, Ashley grits her teeth and widens her stance, before throwing her arms out to the side.
Immediately, the water above Ashley and Ace begins to separate, as if it had been cut with a knife. Now freely able to move and breathe on the lakebed with the sky stretched out high above him, Ace can see that he and Ashley must have been a good forty metres below the surface.
“H-Hurry Ace!” Ashley exclaims, sweat already beginning to form on her brow, eyes scrunched closed. “I c-can’t hold all of this water ap-part for long! I-It’s too…heavy!”
Seeming to realise that his partner is beginning to shake and buckle under the tremendous pressure of the lake water, Ace tilts his head back and opens his jaws wide, focusing a huge amount of chakra in front of his mouth. The water around Ace reflects the light of his Rasengan, giving the narrow area an ethereal look and feel.
“Ace!” Ashley shouts, dropping to her knees. “Do it now!”
Obliging his partner’s command, Ace throws his head forwards and snaps his jaws closed, sending the large ball of spiralling chakra rocketing straight into the rounded, bubble-like portal the Three Tails had created.
With a loud shattering sound, Ace’s Wolf Style Rasengan smashes through the portal, cracking it right open, just as Ashley’s strength gives out on her and the high walls of water come crashing down on top of them with a roar.
Ashley and Ace both have the breath knocked out of them as they are flattened by an incredible wall of water, before the entrance to another dimension suddenly bursts open with a violent explosion, sending the two rocketing towards the surface at speed.
In a second, Ashley and Ace are shot up out of the water and spin uncontrollably through the air, a massive surge of water also having been blown into the air from the explosion.
Feeling better now that she’s not under the pressure of holding back all of that lake water, Ashley opens her eyes and flips around, trying to gather her bearings and locate Ace.
She spots him down below her, growling as he tries to keep his footing on the now unruly lake water. Her eyes widen slightly as she sees what looks to be a large whirlpool spinning where the dimension portal had been.
Dropping back towards the water, Ashley manages to land on all fours beside her Guardian, eyes narrowed at the water below.
“Well, we destroyed the portal alright” Ashley comments, rising to her feet and placing a hand on Ace’s shoulder. “That was some attack Ace.”
“I may have put a little too much chakra into it” the navy Wolf replies, scooping Ashley up onto his back and leaping backwards. “We must be careful of that whirlpool Milady. I am not sure where it goes, but I do not wish to find out.”
From her place on Ace’s back, Ashley watches the roaring whirlpool with interest, wondering when and where the Three Tails would appear.
“The Three Tails will be making an appearance any time now Ace” the blonde warns her Guardian. “He doesn’t look too fast or anything, but be careful. That thing did a number on the Leaf Ninja earlier.”
“You should activate your Katsuryoku again so we know where the Three Tails is at all times” Ace suggests, lying his ears back a little, feeling somewhat apprehensive.
“Oh yeah, good id-” Ashley cuts herself off mid sentence, eyes widening. “Oh shit……”
“What is wrong Milady?” Ace asks with alarm, turning his head to glance back at said blonde. “Has it already arrived?!”
“No, but we’ve got company on the way” Ashley growls, hooding her eyes and sliding down from Ace’s back. “This is going to be a pain in the ass…..”
That said, Ashley reaches back to pull out a scroll from her weapons pouch and swiftly unrolls it. Giving her thumb a hard bite, Ashley swipes it across the scroll, leaving a trail of blood across the parchment, before rolling the scroll back up and performing a hand sign.
“Summoning Jutsu” Ashley growls lowly, hooded eyes flashing as she is enveloped in a large cloud of smoke.
“Wahooo!” an excited voice cries. “We’ve all been- Aaahh!”
Ashley can’t help sighing, as the cry is followed by a loud splashing sound. Someone obviously hadn’t expected to be summoned over water.
“Sinun täytyy todellakeskittyä paremminlapsi.....” an incredibly deep voice mutters disdainfully. (You really need to concentrate better kid.....)
“Oh, fish the poor dear out Jet” a sympathetic female voice coos. “He wasn’t ready for that.”
“….I can’t even see my own reflection with all of this wretched smoke floating around” a silky voice complains. “Ugh, and this smoke better not cling to my glorious fur.”
“If it does Aki” a rough voice teases, “I volunteer to shave it all off for you!”
“Don’t even joke about that Tiez!” is the panicked reply.
“…..It’s always a pleasure to be with you morons” a sarcastic voice growls, before Ashley finally decides she’s had enough and swipes her arm in an upward motion. The blast of air disperses the cloud of smoke, revealing Ashley’s whole pack, though they hardly seem ready to fight.
Jet is busy lifting a flailing Chi out of the water by the scruff of his neck, while a wide eyed Aki is slowly backing away from Tiez, who has her butt and tail high in the air, teeth bared in a teasing smirk.
“I hate to burst your bubble guys” Ashley speaks up flatly, both her and Ace sweat dropping, “But we’re about to be involved in a fight.”
“Sweet!” Kai laughs harshly, red eyes glinting. “I guess joining the Akatsuki wasn’t so bad, if it means we get to fight……We can fight dirty right, seeing as we’re the bad guys now?”
“Why do we have to be the bad guys?” Rei asks with a sigh, her ears drooping as she regards Ashley with sad, lavender eyes. “Milady, I quite enjoyed being with the Leaf Ninja.”
“Aren’t the bad guys always unattractive?” Aki asks, wrinkling his nose. “I’m far too beautiful to be one of the bad guys!”
“Nah, you got it wrong Aki!” Tiez barks, puffing out her chest and baring her teeth in an excited grin. “The bad guys are always cooler and hotter! I’m in!”
“I’m with Aiti on this one” Chi sighs, slumping in a wet heap as Jet drops him down onto the lake water. “I like being a good guy. The good guys always win! And plus, I’m not scary enough to be a good bad guy Milady-chan!”
Ashley stares at her opinionated pack with one eyebrow twitching, before she turns to Jet.
“And do you have anything you’d like to add Jet?” Ashley asks darkly, causing the humongous Wolf to turn his golden eyes on her.
“Toki, mutta tiedänet haluakuullasitä juuri nyt” the black wolf replies smartly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. (Sure, but I know you don't want to hear it right now)
“Much appreciated……” Ashley mutters sarcastically, before sighing and straightening her shoulders. She glares off into the distance, feeling the approaching Leaf Ninja getting closer and closer.
“Alright guys” the blonde begins seriously, her tone making the Wolf pack pause, all ears pricked up and alert. “We’re about to engage in a fight with people who used to….Well, people that we used to call our friends. I need you to show me that you’re all still loyal and want to stay by my side, because-”
“Milady” Rei interrupts gently, stepping up to Ashley and smiling kindly, “Though none of us really agree with your decision, of course we will stay by your side. Friends don’t always agree with each other, but I personally am going to trust that you know what you’re doing. I will fight anyone who opposes you.”
“Well said my mate” Ace says approvingly, a look of pride in his eyes as Rei gives him a closed eye smile. “I will never fight against my partner.”
“I don’t care who I have to fight” Kai scoffs, rolling his red eyes, “As long as I get to fight!.....So yeah, I’m on your side too.”
“You have yet to let us down Darling” Aki purrs, tilting his head and flashing Ashley a dazzling smile, his fur blowing prettily in the breeze.
“We’re in!” Tiez barks, laughing nastily as she skips up and down in place. “I’m ready to kick some serious ex-friend ass!”
Chi’s ears droop a little, as he tilts his head back to give Jet a confused, slightly scared look. Jet, catching the young Wolf’s eye, sighs lightly, before giving him a reassuring half smile.
“Don’t worry kid” Jet says lowly, “I’ll fight with you, so we can both fight for Lady Ashley.”
Chi’s ears immediately prick up at that, his eyes brightening and his tail beginning to wag.
“Jet-chan!” the caramel Wolf cries happily, before turning to Ashley with a closed eye smile. “Alright, we’ll help too then Milady!”
“Excellent” Ashley sighs with relief. “Thank you guys. I knew I could count on all of y-”
Ashley is cut off by a loud roaring sound from behind her, causing Tiez and Kai to begin growling threateningly, while Chi jumps to his feet and skitters back to hide behind Jet.
“Ohhhhh….” Aki breathes, sapphire eyes wide. “That didn’t sound good…..”
“W-What was that Ace dear?” Rei whispers, cuddling into the navy Wolf’s side and peeking around him.
Ashley, glancing down over her shoulder, looks into the water suspiciously, eyes searching the dark depths below.
“That sounded like the Three Tails” the blonde announces lowly. “It must be back……Now it’s just a matter of if it’s going to surface first…..”
Here, Ashley flicks down her Wolf mask and grins to herself ominously. “…Or whether we’re going to have to take down the Leaf first.”
“Did you hear that Kakashi Sensei?” Kiba asks, eyes wide with alarm as he runs alongside Akamaru. Hinata gulps at the sound, not particularly wanting to deal with the Three Tails again. Seeing it up so close earlier had been scary….
“Yeah….” Kakashi replies seriously, eyes focused on the lake ahead. “Sounds like the Three Tails is back again.”
“We’re going to need Sakura and Ino if you want us to try sealing the Sanbi again” Shizune informs Kakashi, who nods in reply. “Hinata and I can’t do it alone.”
“As soon as they finish healing Yukimaru, they’ll know to come and join us” the silver haired Jonin assures Shizune. “Sai, go on ahead now and scope out what’s happening.”
“Right!” the pale skinned boy replies, riding a top an ink drawn eagle. With a flap of its wings, the bird rises high into the air and picks up speed, easily moving faster than the Shinobi now below.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this….” Yamato can’t help saying, jumping over a log. “I didn’t think the enemy would have recovered so quickly. And I didn’t think the Three Tails would resurface so soon after being attacked before. You’d think it would have tried to hide or something.”
“Like Hinata said earlier” Kiba speaks up as the Shinobi burst out of the forest, “Maybe the enemy found Naruto before we could, and engaged him in a fight. Maybe they disturbed the Three Tails by accident or something.”
“Unlikely, but I’m sure we’ll soon find ou-” Kakashi is cut off by another ferocious roar from the lake ahead.
All of the Leaf Ninja skid to a halt, wide eyed as a large, dome shape rises up out of the lake, water pouring down its sides. They see the faint flash of an eye amongst the pouring water, before the creature dives back down into the lake, creating a large wave.
“Th-That was definitely the Three Tails again!” Hinata cries, taking a step back.
“So…..It is back already” Shizune mutters, eyes narrowing. “Looks like we’re going to have to-”
This time, Shizune is cut off by a strange electronic sound, before someone cries out in pain. Not a second later, Sai crashes into the water at Shizune’s feet, making her gasp. She hadn’t been expecting that!
“Sai!” Kakashi calls, crouching down beside the groaning boy, tiny blue sparks dancing across his skin. “What the…..”
“I suggest you Leaf Ninja leave this lake immediately” a female voice warns, causing everyone to look up.
Having been blocked from view by the wave the Three Tails had created, Rei now stands before the Leaf Ninja with her head held low, teeth bared in a snarl. The pretty Wolf lays her ears flat against her head, blue sparks flashing across her fur.
“Hey isn’t that……” Kakashi trails off, slowly rising to his feet as Sai opens his eyes and sits up on the water.
“R-Rei?” Kiba asks disbelievingly, taking a step forwards. Upon seeing the brunette move, Rei jumps forwards a little and growls, the electricity around her body increasing for a moment, warning Kiba to stay back.
“What are you doing here?” Kiba inquires, struggling to swallow the lump now in his throat. A few metres behind Rei, the Three Tails half emerges again, letting loose another agitated roar, before diving back underwater and creating another miniature tidal wave.
Rei and the Leaf Ninja bob up and down on the water, with the pretty, white Wolf never taking her eyes off of the Shinobi before her.
“I don’t believe that’s any of your concern” Rei growls softly, turning her attention to Sai as the boy rises to his feet. “You’d best listen to me and leave, before I attack that boy again.”
“Why did you attack Sai?” Kakashi questions, feeling thoroughly confused. “He’s a Leaf Village Ninja. Look at his headband.”
“Don’t treat me like an imbecile” Rei snaps, uncharacteristically fierce. “I’m aware of who he is. I know who all of you are and I’m warning you for the last time, leave this place!”
“We can’t do that” Shizune speaks up, taking a step forwards. “We have to seal the Three Tails so that Orochimaru can’t get i-”
“No way” Kiba suddenly breathes, eyes widening even further as the waves die down, allowing him to see further down the lake. “Ashley?.......Ashley! Look you guys, Ashley’s down there!”
“Huh?” Kakashi asks, lifting his head as everyone else spots the blonde further down the lake as well. While everyone else begins to smile, with Kiba jumping up with excitement, Kakashi can’t help narrowing his eyes.
“Are you sure that’s her?” the Jonin questions, causing Kiba to scoff and roll his eyes.
“Of course it’s her Sensei!” the young Inuzuka laughs, shaking his head. “One of her Wolves is right in front of us! And besides, now that we’re closer, I can smell her! This is awesome!”
Kakashi continues to frown though, seeing that the blonde girl ahead isn’t moving from her spot. She stands facing them head on, her head lowered slightly and arms by her side. She has a black robe covering her body, and a black and white Wolf mask hiding her face.
‘Something about this doesn’t feel right….’ Kakashi thinks to himself, when Kiba suddenly charges forwards.
“Angel!” the brunette shouts joyfully, throwing a hand in the air, causing Rei to spin around on her heels. The large, lean Wolf throws herself at Kiba with an angry growl, her body suddenly lighting up with thousands of volts of electricity.
“I told you to stay back!” Rei snarls, colliding with Kiba and powerfully electrocuting him. The Inuzuka’s eyes scrunch closed in pain, teeth gritted together as he feels the hot lightning travelling through his body.
“Ruff ruff!” Akamaru barks with alarm as Kiba is thrown across the water, the boy groaning in pain and lying still for a few moments. Anger quickly sets in for Akamaru as Rei lands a few metres away from him, tail raised and lavender eyes challenging anyone else to try and get past her.
“Ruff ruff!’ Akamaru roars madly, before charging forwards to attack Rei and protect his best friend.
“No, Akamaru!” Kiba cries, throwing his hand out as Akamaru bares his teeth and lunges for Rei’s throat. Yamato, seeing that Rei’s body is charging up with electricity again, quickly performs a set of hand signs and throws out his arm.
“How dare you attack my mate!” a furious voice snarls, before the water below Akamaru suddenly rears up and pushes forwards. Akamaru yelps with fright, as the water smothers him and sends him rocketing below the surface.
“Akamaru!” Kiba calls again, glaring over at Ace, who now stands in Rei’s place, his teeth bared in a nasty snarl. Ace pays the Inuzuka no mind however, his attention now on Yamato, whose arm has turned into a thick mass of branches.
“You had better release her…….” Ace warns darkly, lowering his head. Yamato remains silent, holding the angry Wolf’s gaze as Rei struggles in his grip high above, branches curled around her body.
“Not until you tell us what’s going on here” Yamato eventually states, as Akamaru suddenly bursts back out of the water, much to Kiba’s relief.
“Grrrrrrr……” Akamaru growls, lowering his head and pulling his lips back as he steps in front of Kiba protectively.
“Kakashi Sensei……” the Inuzuka addresses softly, catching the silver haired man’s attention. Kiba subtly flicks his eyes in Ashley’s direction, causing Kakashi to glance over.
To his surprises, he sees that Ashley’s back is now to the Leaf Ninja, with the Three Tails slowly rising up out of the water in front of her.
“Right…..” Kakashi murmurs to himself, looking back to Kiba again. As Ace focuses his attention on Yamato, with Rei struggling to free herself from his grip, Kiba, Akamaru and Kakashi suddenly take off, racing across the water at an impressive speed.
“No!” Rei howls, the electricity around her body beginning to increase. “Leave Milady alone!”
That said, the electricity around Rei’s body takes over, morphing her own flesh and fur into lightning. Now having no physical body, Rei is easily able to pull herself free from Yamato’s wooden arm. She flashes down the length of the branch and slams into Yamato’s body, shocking the ANBU and causing him to drop to his knees.
“Come Rei!” Ace instructs, as the electrified Wolf turns back to her normal self, lavender eyes filled with anxiety.
“Yes, I’m right behind you dear” she assures Ace, sparing the twitching Yamato a quick glance as she takes off across the water after her mate.
“Ashley!” Kiba calls urgently, getting closer and closer to the blonde, who still has her back to him, too busy focusing on the Beast before her. “Ashley it’s me! Turn around! Your Wolves are going craz- Ungh!”
Ashley ignores Kiba’s cry of pain and tilts her head back, staring into the face of the Three Tailed Beast, who has have emerged right in front of her. Its yellow eye focuses on the blonde girl, deciding whether to attack her or not.
“Know when to back off kid” Kai sneers, licking his lips and watching as Kiba pushes himself onto his hands and knees, having been tackled by the huge Wolf. “We’ve got no interest in you guys.”
“What’s going on here?” Kakashi demands to know, skidding to a halt and glancing around as the remaining members of Ashley pack suddenly appear and surround him, sitting back on their haunches. “Why are you attacking us? We’re not here to hurt you.”
“Maybe not” Tiez snorts, rolling her violet eyes. “But we’re sure here to hurt you guys. Stay back, and we’re not gonna have a problem!”
“We can’t stay back” Kakashi presses, hands balling into fists. “We need to seal the Three Tails away before Orochimaru can get a hold of it!”
“And we’ve been so worried about you too Angel” Kiba adds softly, smiling at the girl’s back as he climbs to his feet. “We thought the Akatsuki had kidnapped you! I’m…..I’m really glad that you’re safe.”
Suddenly, the Three Tails drops back down under the water, causing the surrounding water to ripple strongly. Ashley watches the creature disappear from in front of her, shoulders drooping slightly.
“I’m afraid you won’t be sealing the Three Tails away Kakashi” the blonde announces, sounding both amused and highly agitated at the same time. “We’re not going to be letting you Leaf Ninja near the Three Tails again.”
“What?.....” Kakashi asks quietly, eyes narrowing slightly as Ashley slowly turns around. “What are you talking about? Why can’t we seal it away?”
“Because this Tailed Beast” Ashley explains, smirking behind her mask, “Belongs to the Akatsuki!”
Oh snap, no she didn't ;P
Just for the record, if this whole situation is confusing you, well, maybe you should watch the anime. I've made it a little confusing on purpose. Seeing as Ashley's not really taking part in the MAIN storyline of this Arc, she doesn't know everything that's been going on with the Leaf Ninja.
Again, if you're confused, go watch the anime.....
Thanks for reading! And don't forget to vote and comment! ^-^