Another Nine-Tails?!

New Tricks

(This was made by CarlaQuinn on DeviantArt, not by me. But this is basically what Akiko's chakra claws look like)

Kabuto stopped as he noticed Akiko in the middle of the hall, her face still lacking expression. "Aki?"

"I don't wanna hear a lecture. You either help me control my chakra sensing or you leave me alone. I don't care which one." She blinked slowly before turning away.

The medic felt his head tighten. He couldn't lose her. Not now, not ever. He grabbed her arm firmly but gently. "Hey, I know you're hurting-"

"I just wanna sleep, Kabu." She moved, resting her head against his shoulder. "I want Sasuke here. I want him with me." She removed herself, tearing her arm out of his grip. "Let's just go."

The boy stared at her as he watched behind her. 'He was right; a smile did belong on her face.'

-:-

Akiko stood beside an comatose Hai, her face devoid of emotions. "I did this to her. It's my fault she's on a deathbed."

"Don't say that, Aki. You were controlled by something else. Whatever, or whoever, did that is responsible for this." Kabuto shook his head, looked away from his medical equipment for few seconds. "I'm the one in charge of her recovery. She won't die. Trust me on that."

"What will happen when she's back at full health?"

"She won't be paralyzed, which she should be extremely thankful for. She got lucky, really. The amount of blood she lost should have killed her, and she should have lost her arm." He shook his head, getting back to the point. "It's best if she doesn't work for a while. Majority of her healing will involve the ligaments and nerves in her shoulder having to be reconnected with each other. Like I said before; she won't die."

"She better not." The redhead tore her eyes away from the purple-haired woman to glare at him.

The medic decided to change their topic of conversation. "How would you like to begin to working on your 'Chakra Sensing'?"

"I don't care."

The boy turned, facing her versus his machines. "You're going to have to work with me on this, Aki. Otherwise, we aren't going to get anywhere." She didn't remove her eyes from Hai. "You can hurt me all you want as payback for hurting Naruto."

His words earned her attention. Her head snapped up, her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not gonna take my anger out on you, or my pain. You've been hurt enough for one day. You hurt yourself to snap me out of whatever had a hold of me, Tenzo hurt you. And I said things I shouldn't have. I won't hurt you, not again, no matter how upset I am." She paused, walking to his side and laid the side of her head against his shoulder. "I just miss my brothers. And it's been years since I've seen Itachi."

"Itachi Uchiha was spotted in the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Wait- What?!" She glanced up at him, her eyes angry. Why didn't he tell her sooner?

"He was in the village with a rogue shinobi from the Mist. A man named Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Why didn't you tell before now?"

"Because they are apart of an organization called the "Akatsuki". They're after Jinchuriki like you and your brother. If you encountered Itachi, you would have been taken and killed. I couldn't risk that."

"Why? To use our power?"

"No. All I know is that they're after the beasts you host. Luckily for your brother, they were unsuccessful in their attempt at capturing him."

The redhead grumbled to herself, understanding his reason. "Itachi's changed. He was nice when I was a kid, even if he was busy. The world sucks!"

Kabuto chuckled, never removing his eyes from the screens of his equipment. "Yes, well, while that is true, it's people like you who can make the world better. Good, but stubborn, people." He finally turned away from his screens. "Kimimaro is stable, Haishiko is as well. Should we begin working on your Chakra Sensing?"

"So, is that what we're gonna call it?"

"It's your technique, not mine. The name of it is your choice."

"I guess Chakra Sensing is simple. Easy to remember too."

-:-

Akiko sat across from Kabuto, while Maru sat off to the side. "Think about someone you care about. Your brothers, Kakashi maybe."

The dark purple-eyed girl thought about her knuckle-headed brother. She missed him, truly, but there was someone else she needed to find first. His chakra was fading quickly. "What exactly were they ordered to do when they got him?"

"What?" The medic looked confused for a moment.

"It's Sasuke? He's... not dying. But a death-like state." Even as she spoke to the ash-haired boy, she seemed to see something he couldn't. "They gave him something. Like food, or a pill."

"Well, it's a good thing you're with us. With a power like yours, it makes it difficult for an enemy to sneak up on you." Kabuto smiled slightly. "Try it again."

Akiko nodded, staring at the ground between them. She locked onto a weak chakra signature. It suddenly grew stronger. Her eyes widened and she stared at her boyfriend. "Hai's awake. Her chakra signature is rising."

"Good-"

"I wanna try locking on to the Sound 4." She interrupted him before he got far.

"Are you sure?" She nodded eagerly, confident in her new ability. "Alright. But if something goes wrong, you unlock from them immediately. Do you understand me?" She nodded again, a grin consuming her face for a moment.

Akiko closed her eyes, finding the group a moment later. It surprised her at how easy it was to find them. They were exhausted, majority of their chakra depleted. Her eyes snapped opened again, a long breath leaving her.

"Well?"

"They were in a fight resulting in their chakra being depleted. They're resting right now."

"Very well." Kabuto stood up and held his hand out, waiting for her to take it. Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. "You might as well rest too." Akiko looked off to the side for a moment, thinking it through.

"Yeah, okay." She smiled softly, agreeing with him.