Naruto and Sakura both skid around a corner and sprint down an alleyway, with panic very evident on the blonde's face. He'd never seen Hinata get angry before, and she'd certainly never behaved like that before!

Seeing her argue with people like Sakura and Ashley was not something Naruto thought he would ever witness.

"Ahh!" Naruto cries out, almost tripping right over a discarded crate. He manages to awkwardly jump over it, before he and Sakura both step out into a well lit street.

"Phew......" Naruto sighs, leaning down and resting his hands on his knees as he catches his breath.

"What was that all about?" Sakura wonders, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. "Why were they all acting so weird?"

"I dunno" Naruto murmurs, before blinking as he realises something. "Uh oh....."

"What's wrong?" Sakura inquires, tilting her head to the side.

"Um......Where's Ashley?" Naruto asks, dismay creeping into his voice as he looks around wildly. "I think we left her behind!"

Before either Naruto or Sakura can do anything, Ashley suddenly bursts out of the same alleyway they'd just exited, only to collide heavily with her teammates. The three of them collapse to the ground in a heap, with Ashley quickly jumping up and bowing her head.

"Sorry, sorry" she apologizes sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head as her friends glare at her. "I wasn't able to stop in time."

"What's the big idea Ashley-chan?" Naruto complains, climbing to his feet and helping Sakura up.

"Hinata runs faster than I remembered" Ashley responds, blanching. "I had to book it so she wouldn't catch me."

"But Chojiiiiiiii......." a loud voice whines, catching Team Seven's attention.

They all turn around to see Choji, Shikamaru and Ino walking towards them, with the Nara just about hanging off of his best friend.

"Something already seems off about the three of them...." Ashley comments, screwing her face up as she studies the incoming Team Ten. Naruto and Sakura nod in agreement, the two of them looking slightly apprehensive.

"Please?" Shikamaru begs, sounding far more enthusiastic than he usually did. "Can't we go and get barbeque? They're doing this great all you can eat special for only fifteen hundred ryo per table! So even if we just split it between the three of us, then that only comes out to be like uh........uhh.........umm....."

Team Ten come to a standstill as Shikamaru glances up at the sky in confusion, really trying to work out the sum of money. A modestly dressed Ino waits patiently, a demure expression on her face. Choji on the other hand, begins to scowl with frustration as he glares at Shikamaru.

"It's five hundred ryo each" the Akamichi finally states, sighing heavily, "And anyway, I don't want some all you can eat deal. I get full way too easy, so it'd be a complete waste of my money."

"What?!" Shikamaru exclaims, running after Choji as he decisively walks away and clinging to his shoulder. "But don't you see?! Even if you only eat enough for five people, it's still a bargain at that price!"

"Get off of me!" Choji demands, smacking Shikamaru's hands away, only for the Nara to grab him by the shirt. "How am I even supposed to eat that much?!"

"C'mon you guys" Ino coaxes gently, stepping between the two males and carefully separating them. "Shikamaru, Choji......You're friends. You shouldn't be fighting."

Looking between her two teammates pleadingly, Ino suddenly spots Sakura and breaks out into a smile.

"Hey look!" the blonde girl cries happily, running towards her friend. "Sakura! Oh, come on you guys, please join us for barbeque. It's always more fun to eat with your friends!"

"Aw come on Ino" Shikamaru protests, slapping a hand to his forehead. "I don't mind you inviting those two, but do ya have to invite Ashley as well? We never hang out with her...."

"Oh, um......" Ino stutters, unsure of what to do. She didn't mind if Ashley came, but she also didn't want to upset her teammates.

"Uh, why can't Ashley come with us?" Sakura questions, raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah" the blonde adds harshly, arms crossed. "Why are you trying to exclude me?"

"Well, it's just that......." Shikamaru explains awkwardly, before heaving a sigh and shrugging his shoulders. "I know that she's your teammate and all guys, but she always cries about everything. It's so annoying! And besides, she's just......She's just not as good a Ninja as the rest of us. It's like we all left her behind at some point or something."

"Huh?!" Naruto asks, eyes bulging in bewilderment. What did he mean Ashley wasn't as good as the rest of them?! Between Team Seven and Ten, she was the only one who'd been promoted to Jonin!

"Not as good huh?" Ashley repeats pointedly, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she stomps right up to Shikamaru. She glares up into the Nara's face, only for him to close his eyes and smile at her.

"You're not gonna cry now, are you?" he asks pleasantly, trying not to be too rude.

"No" Ashley smiles right back, though her sharp teeth are visible, "But you are."

That said, the Minami brings her fist forwards and slugs Shikamaru in the stomach with an unexpected uppercut. His eyes widen in pain, as the air is sucked out of his lungs and he is thrown high up into the air. Ashley merely takes one step to the side, before Shikamaru crashes back down to the ground in a dazed heap, his eyes spinning.

"Not as good my ass" Ashley scoffs, looking down her nose at the injured Shikamaru, the ground beneath his body cracking from the impact.

Ino and Choji stare at Ashley in utter shock, with the blonde girl's mouth hanging wide open. She rubs at her eyes, to make sure she isn't seeing things incorrectly.

"Wait, since when could Ashley do something like that?" Ino wonders out loud, not noticing as an already irritated Ashley turns her stony gaze towards the Yamanaka. "I can't believe she did that to Shikamaru! She's never been strong!"

"Don't hit her too Ashley!" Sakura begs, darting forwards and straining to hold her angry friend back. "You don't want to hit three of your friends in one night do you?!"

"They deserve it" Ashley murmurs back eerily, her eyes just about glowing with anger.

Ino, seeing that Ashley wants to punch her as well, squeaks with fright and ducks behind Choji to cower. The Akimichi can't help smirking with amusement.

"I've never seen Ashley get angry before" he comments. "I didn't think it was possible."

"I'm going to do a lot more than just get angry" Ashley promises meanly, her pride having been hurt by all of the comments made by her friends. She continues to flail in protest as Sakura holds her back, with the pinkette shooting a pleading look over at Naruto.

"Enough stuffing around guys" Naruto speaks up, taking Sakura's cue. "Madara just turned up in the Village and attacked us."

"Hm?" Ino asks, blinking absently. "Madara? What's Madara?"

".............Oh! I know!" Shikamaru announces proudly, pointing up at the sky. "It's the fish that you put in hotpots!"

"Oh yeah!" Ino smiles, as Sakura, Naruto and Ashley all hang their heads.

"Seriously?" Naruto asks rhetorically, a weary expression on his face. "He's not a fish you guys....."

"You really don't know who he is?" Sakura questions doubtfully, her shoulders sagging. Why were all of their friends in denial about knowing Madara all of the sudden? Usually they'd get fired up whenever he was mentioned.

Ino looks between the members of Team Seven for a few moments, seemingly studying them. She pulls a face, feeling concerned.

"What's going on?" the girl asks worriedly. "You three are acting really strange tonight...."

"What?!" Ashley barks incredulously. "We're being the same as usual! It's all of you that're-"

Ashley cuts herself off as Naruto places a gentle hand on her shoulder and shakes his head. The Minami stares back at him for a few moments, before sighing and nodding.

Though Naruto hadn't said anything, Ashley knew what he meant. There clearly wasn't any point trying to argue about this with any of the others.

"Sakura" Choji speaks up, stepping forwards and placing both hands on her shoulders, "You've gotta get a hold of yourself. You're the child of heroes after all."

"I'm the whaaaa?!" Sakura cries out, only to spin around when Choji points up at the Hokage monuments. The girl's green eyes widen in shock when, instead of the Fourth Hokage's face, she sees the face of her Father carved into the cliffside.

"Hey......Where'd the Fourth Hokage's face go?" Ashley asks in alarm, her heart thudding against her chest. While it could possibly be explained why her friends were all suddenly acting so strange, how could it be possible, for a whole new face to have been carved since earlier in the evening?! Even more difficult, how had it so perfectly replaced the face of the Fourth Hokage? It was like he had never been there in the first place....

"What's my Dad doing up there?!" Sakura screeches, looking around for an explanation of some kind. Clearly she was as puzzled as Ashley.

"How the......." Naruto whispers, a bead of sweat on the side of his face. "No way........"

Ashley reaches out and grabs onto Naruto's arm, as they continue to stare up at the mountain. She feels the blonde male shaking slightly, clearly affected by the unexplainable sight before him. Where had the face of his Father gone?

"Hey!" a familiar voice suddenly calls out, causing Ashley to freeze. "What's up you guys?"

Her eyes widen as Sakura and Naruto robotically turn around, almost sure that her heart has suddenly stopped beating. How could he possibly be here?! He'd never just be allowed to waltz back into the Village!

"It's Sasuke......" Sakura breathes, her eyes shining. "But.....How?...."

"What're you doing here in the Village?!" Naruto demands to know, as Ashley finally whirls around to face her cousin.

He walks over with a faint smirk on his face, dressed casually and his hands shoved in his pockets. His dark eyes, usually so devoid of emotion, flash with amusement at Naruto's question.

"What, I can't walk around my own Village now?" he asks cheekily, before smiling at Ashley. "Nice of you to let me know that you're here Ashley. Mom hasn't even gotten your usual room ready."

"What're you talking about?" the Minami asks coldly, though she feels somewhat nervous by Sasuke's pleasant presence. "I'm always here and I don't need your Mom to- wait.......Your Mom?"

"Yeah?" Sasuke questions, still smirking. "What about her?"

"Your Mom is here" Ashley repeats flatly, wondering if Sasuke is making fun of her.

"Well, she's not right here" the Uchiha teases. "She's back at the Uchiha compound. She'll be glad to see you. It's been awhile since your last visit from the Land of Ambience."

Ashley stares at Sasuke in stunned silence for a few moments, before slowly turning her head to exchange a perplexed look with Naruto and Sakura, who look just as taken aback by the Uchiha's words.

What did Sasuke even mean by all of that? Ashley lived in the Leaf Village, the Uchiha compound had been destroyed and Sasuke's Mother had died a long time ago. Suddenly, the situation wasn't just weird, but had gotten rather creepy. Ashley didn't like it at all.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke asks, tilting his head to the side as he looks over to Naruto. "You all look like you've seen a ghost. Especially you Menma."

"Huh?!" Naruto blurts out. "Did you just......Did you just call me Menma?!"

Sitting in the hot water beside Sakura, who is trying to remain casual, Ashley glares at the other three girls in turn, though none of them seem to notice. Her hair piled up neatly on top of her head, Ino relaxes in the hot bath, sighing in content, while Hinata, across from Ashley, stares at Sakura through hooded eyes.

"Ow, ow, owwww" Tenten hisses in pain as she lowers herself into the hot bath water. "I know I did this to myself, but it really hurts!"

"Tenten sweetie" Ino addresses kindly. "Maybe you shouldn't try to use Ninja Tools if you're going to keep hurting yourself? They're very dangerous after all."

Growling under her breath, Ashley leans her back against the wall of the bath and crosses her arms, now glowering down at the water. She and Sakura had been invited to come to the baths, on the condition that Ashley didn't cry about anything.

The blonde had been about to punch Hinata in the face for that quip, but Sakura had somehow managed to hold her back and convince Ashley to go, but to go quietly. Apparently Sakura thought this would be a good time to observe everyone, although Ashley didn't really know what good that would do. They already knew everyone was acting weird anyway.

"I see that you're still as flat as a board" Hinata speaks up abruptly, raising one eyebrow as she looks at Sakura. The embarrassed pinkette immediately folds her arms over her chest, despite it being hidden beneath the steaming water.

"Wh-What'd you just say?" Sakura asks, shocked by Hinata's rudeness.

"Menma is my man" Hinata reiterates her warning, staring Sakura down and not seeming to notice Ashley's obvious annoyance. "So don't you forget it, flatty."

"Flat?" Sakura repeats under her breath, irritated despite her embarrassment. "This is the first time I've ever gotten angry with Hinata....."

"You're really asking for it, you know that?" Ashley asks smartly, baring her teeth in a nasty smirk.

"Oh yeah?" Hinata challenges, standing up and throwing her hands on her hips. "And just what're you gonna do about it Ashley? Cry?"

"I'll gladly show you!" Ashley snaps back, also jumping to her feet as she places her hands together in a hand sign. "Fire Style: Fireball Ju-"

"Hey!" Hinata suddenly shrieks with anger, causing everyone to pause. The Hyuga stares down into the water for a few seconds, before she whirls around with fury in her pale eyes.

"Dammit Neji!" she screeches irately, leaping out of the bath. "I'm sick of you trying to perve on everyone! You're dead!"

Ino and Tenten both scream and scurry out of the bath, hurrying to wrap themselves in their towels and run to get their clothes. Sakura and Ashley glance around in confusion, before realisation seems to dawn on them both. While Sakura climbs out of the water and hides beneath her towel, a dark expression crosses Ashley's face.

"Wait for me Hinata!" she thunders, leaping from the water. "I'm gonna help you kill him!"

All of the girls run into the change rooms, with Ino and Tenten already half dressed in their underclothes. Hinata, not bothering to get dressed, merely secures her towel around her body and stomps towards the men's baths, when a loud crack causes everyone to freeze again.

Ashley, only having managed to get dressed into the clothing she wears under her skirt and shirt, tilts her head back and looks up, a question mark appearing above her. She begins to flail her arms in a panic as the ceiling seems to give way a little, splinters of wood raining down.

Before Ashley can run out of the way however, the roof of the change rooms collapses in, wooden beams crashing to the floor and sending up a cloud of dust. Ino screams once again, when she sees a dazed Lee lying amongst the wreckage.

"That....hurt more.....than I expected...." Lee groans in pain, his body twitching.

"What's Lee doing in here?" Sakura asks, quickly pulling on a robe, as Hinata angrily marches over to the male and drops down to her knees.

"So much for your training Lee!" the Hyuga shouts, viciously grabbing him by the collar. "You were just trying to peep on us, weren't you?!"

"No!" Lee denies sincerely. "I was merely passing over the roof during my training and I tripped over something! It was just an accident, I swear to you!"

"You just happened to be on the bath house?" Tenten questions smartly, buttoning up her shirt as Hinata roughly tugs Lee to his feet.

"I'll kill you first" Hinata promises harshly, "Then go and take care of Neji!"

"Hey, what happened?" Naruto calls out, rushing into the girls change rooms with all of the other boys in tow.

"Ahhhhh!" Ino shrieks, quickly pulling on her shirt and ducking behind Sakura to hide from their view.

"Rock Lee's been peeping on us!" Tenten answers, glaring at her teammate accusingly.

"What?!" Neji gasps in horror. "How improper!"

"Like you're one to talk" Hinata growls, about to lunge for Neji, when movement from beneath the fallen wooden beams catches everyone's attention.

They twitch for a few seconds, before they are all suddenly blown up into the air, almost as if they had suddenly exploded. Everyone shields their eyes from the dust as the shattered beams disappear up through the roof, only to reveal a livid Ashley.

Despite just having a bath, the girl is covered in dirt. She doesn't seem to care though, if the murderous expression on her face is anything to go by.

Lee flinches when he sees that Ashley is staring at him, her visible eye almost seeming to glow. With a quiet squeak of fright, Lee spins around and races from the door, trying to save himself.

"I'm going to kill you!" Ashley roars, immediately taking off after Lee. She forcefully shoves Sasuke and Kiba out of her way, sending them tumbling to the floor, as she charges out of the door.

"C'mon!" Tenten shouts, fist in the air. "Let's go get him!"

"Move it!" Hinata commands, barging past everyone, now fully dressed. "Don't let him get away!"

"I'll take Ashley's clothes for her" Ino says, suddenly remembering that Ashley hadn't had a chance to get properly dressed before she got crushed.

Everyone files out of the door, leaving only Naruto and Sakura behind, both of whom look incredibly baffled.

"What is going on with everyone?" Sakura asks with a sigh, shaking her head.

"Everyone is acting so different than usual" Naruto agrees. "It's like they're all the opposite."

"Opposite huh?" Sakura repeats, looking thoughtful. "Even Sasuke?"

"Well....No, he actually seems pretty normal" Naruto admits, though he doesn't seem entirely impressed about it. "You know, just as unlikeable as he usually is."

"Well, if Sasuke's is still the same" Sakura suggests, one hand on her hip, "Then maybe Lee is too. That would mean he's been falsely accused, so we'd better go and help him before he gets hurt!"

"Really?" Tenten asks mockingly. "You can't even use Ninjutsu and you thought you could get away from all of us?"

"You should be ashamed" Neji reprimands, only to have Hinata grab his shirt and roughly pull him towards her.

"I already told you that you're the last person to be saying anything like that!" she shouts, eyes blazing.

Lee looks up at everyone sorrowfully, having been pushed to the ground by Ashley. Standing in the circle now encompassing Lee, Ashley glares down at the male, now fully dressed thanks to Ino. Lee was lucky that Ino had reminded her about not being fully clothed, or else Ashley would have already beaten him up.

"You have it all wrong" Lee explains quietly, pointing to a tear in the shoulder of his jumpsuit. "I was merely training. I was jumping between buildings and my foot got caught on something and then.....well.....I just.....fell in there by accident?"

"You're a terrible liar" Hinata informs Lee furiously, causing him to whimper like a puppy.

Smirking evilly, Ashley punches one fist into her palm, looking forward to teaching Lee a lesson. She didn't care whether or not he'd been training, but that ceiling collapse he caused had hurt!

"Wait!" Naruto calls out, running up to the circle of Ninja, with Sakura right behind him.

"Stay calm everyone" Sakura encourages, walking over to Lee and kneeling down in front of him. "Maybe it really was just an accident."

"Oh, thank you Sakura" Lee says, his eyes wavering as she helps him to his feet.

"Shut up already!" Hinata barks, jabbing her fist towards Lee. "You're suspicious enough to get a beating!"

"Just wait!" Sakura interrupts, placing one hand on Lee's shoulder. "I know Lee isn't that sort of person."

Accidentally, Sakura manages to further tear Lee's already damaged jumpsuit, causing him to leap to his feet. Everyone deadpans as the panicked male spins around, the jumpsuit peeling right off of him like a fruit skin. The crowd is absolutely silent as everyone stares at the pale pink underwear Lee is wearing, unsure of how to feel.

"Aw come on!" Tenten complains, looking slightly ill as Lee falls to the ground. "Those are mine!"

"Took em from the changing room huh?" Hinata hisses under her breath, as Sakura stares down at the torn fabric in her hand, eyes having turned into large, white circles.

Naruto stands beside her, sweating profusely and looking as though he is struggling not to be sick.

"I.....don't want to kill you anymore" Ashley mutters, turning her head away and closing her eyes, trying to forget how stupid Lee looks. "I actually want to kill myself now."

"Not Lee too!" Sakura cries out in dismay, the green jumpsuit sliding from her hand and falling to the ground as well.

"Ugh....." Naruto complains, hanging his head. "I feel like I'm losing my mind in this place."

Sakura nods in agreement, sitting beside Naruto on the steps up to the Hokage Mountain. Ashley, perched on the railing, frowns in thought as she looks across the Village. Night had fallen a few hours ago, but the Village was still very much alive with activity and light.

"Do you think Madara cast a Genjutsu on us earlier?" Ashley asks, only to sigh as Naruto shakes his head.

"I already tried releasing the Genjutsu" he answers, resting his chin in his palm, "But it didn't make a difference. It's so weird, because Sasuke's here and everyone calls me Menma. What in the hell is even going on in this crazy place?!"

"....I'm starting to think that Madara brought us into a whole new world" Sakura speaks up, staring at the Village intently. "You know, when he used that Jutsu on us? It's the only thing I can think of that would make any kind of sense."

"That's hard to believe" Ashley mutters, "But I think I understand what you mean. It would explain why everyone is being so weird at least....."

"Whaddya mean a whole new world?" Naruto asks doubtfully.

"I don't know yet" Sakura admits, dropping her gaze. "I don't have enough information to say for sure."

"Alright......" Naruto trails off, before taking a deep breath. "Well, I guess all we can do is keep investigating until we have an answer."

"You're right" Sakura smiles, rising to her feet and turning to Naruto. "Then from now on, you're forbidden from using your real name when we're in public. Understand?"

"What?!" Naruto cries, unhappy with Sakura's order. "C'mon, are you serious? Why?"

"Because" Sakura answers teasingly. "You're known as Menma here. Try working with me here, so we can gather intel effectively. Okay, Menma?"

Giggling to herself, Sakura darts down the long staircase, having decided to head home for the night and get some much needed rest.

"So she's gonna call me that too?" Naruto asks rhetorically, sighing to himself as he glances over his shoulder at an amused Ashley. "What about you?"

"I dunno if calling you Menma will make a difference or not" the blonde girl states, smirking at Naruto, "But if you don't like it, I'll be happy to just call you Knucklehead all the time."

Ashley watches Naruto from the corner of her eye as the two stroll down a street together, the girl feeling a little bad for her friend. Naruto, hunched over with his hands in his pockets, glares at the ground and mumbles to himself as he walks. He still wasn't happy about being labeled as this Menma person.

"Dammit, my name is Naruto Uzumaki...." the blonde states grumpily, only to abruptly pause, his eyes widening.

"Hm?" Ashley asks, stopping to look back at her teammate. "What's wrong Naruto?"

"Do you think......" he trails off, only for a hopeful expression to light up his face. "If Sakura's parents are the heroes of the Village here, then do you think that means my....."

Not bothering to finish his sentence, an excited Naruto suddenly takes off, leaving a faintly confused Ashley behind.

"Hey!" the Minami calls, also breaking into a run. "Wait for me you idiot!"

Leaping up onto a small bridge, Ashley spots Naruto and follows after him, a grim expression beginning to settle on her face as she realises just what her teammate may be thinking.

If Sakura's parents are the ones who died saving the Village, then did that mean that Naruto's parents were alive? It was a long shot, but apparently Naruto seemed to think it'd be true.

"I hope he won't be too disappointed if that's not how things are...." Ashley sighs to herself, running along the roof of a building. "Although, it would be cool to meet Naruto's parents....."

Chasing after Naruto for a few minutes, Ashley jumps across to the same roof top that the blonde male has paused on, blue eyes focused on his house. Ashley lands in a crouched position beside Naruto, brows furrowed.

Looking into his window, both Ninja can see that a light is very clearly on, signalling that someone must be home. Naruto grins broadly, before bounding over to the building and running up to the front door.

Ashley remains where she had landed, wanting to give Naruto some space on the very off chance that his parents really were there. She didn't want to interrupt a meeting like that.

"Mom, Dad!" Naruto exclaims, the eagerness to see his parents causing a slight pain in Ashley's chest.

He could deny it all he wanted, but clearly Naruto loved the both of them and wanted them around. Ashley knew that feeling all too well.

Ashley jumps with fright as a high pitched scream erupts from Naruto's house, with the blonde male sweat dropping at whatever sight is before him. He is swiftly bombarded with a range of household objects and a string of choice words, before he is knocked to the ground and the front door is slammed shut.

"N-Naruto?" Ashley asks uncertainly, rising to her feet.

"Ugh, well if this isn't my home, then where am I meant to stay?" the boy asks in annoyance, rubbing the back of his head. "This world sucks....."

Ashley jumps over to Naruto's house and cautiously approaches the displeased blonde, hoping he doesn't feel too upset by his parents not being there.

"I'm not sure what you were expecting to find Naruto" Ashley sighs, feeling bad. "But you're welcome to-"

"This isn't funny dammit!" Naruto shouts angrily, jumping to his feet.

"Be quiet!" a female voice screams back, as the front door suddenly flings itself open again, hitting a shocked Ashley in the face and sending her sprawling backwards.

A couch is then thrown through the doorway, crashing straight into Naruto. He cries out from the impact as he is knocked right over the balcony railing. He tumbles onto another ceiling and rolls across the tiles, eyes spinning.

Ashley sits up in a rage, gritting her teeth and rubbing her cheek, legs crossed. An anime vein pulses on the side of her head as she struggles to control her temper. Naruto was right. This world really did suck!

Closing her eyes, Ashley focuses on breathing in and out to keep her temper in check. If she didn't, she'd kick down that woman's door and throw the couch right back at her.

Heaving a sigh as she manages to calm down a little, Ashley opens her eyes and climbs to her feet, before spotting Naruto still lying on the roof top next to her.

"If you don't have a place to stay Naruto" she offers wearily, folding her arms over the railing, "You're welcome to come and stay with me."

"Ehhhhh......" Naruto replies, only half conscious. "Thanks Ashley-chan......"

"Huh?!" Ashley exclaims, her eyes now large, white circles. "What's going on here?!"

Naruto's gaze travels over to a distressed Ashley as she runs back and forth in a panic, his shoulders hunched and his arms hanging limply.

"You sure this is even where you live Ashley?" Naruto asks in a flat tone, eyes hooded. He'd had enough for one night.

"Yes Naruto, I'm sure!" Ashley snaps back, skidding to a halt and throwing her hands on her hips as she glares at the boy. "My house is always sitting right here! Where has it gone?!"

Ashley's head whips from side to side as she begins to panic again, looking around the empty lot for her house. On an ordinary day, it would be right in front of her, but now.......Now there was nothing but grass and a few small bushes.

"Where did my house go?!" Ashley screeches, dropping to the ground on her knees and hanging her head. "This is the worst day ever......"

"So, my house isn't mine anymore and yours isn't even here" Naruto says, sounding tired. "I wonder if Sakura's house is still here?"

"Well, she never came back to find us" Ashley scoffs, small puffs of steam shooting up from her head as she crosses her arms, "So I guess she got lucky and her house is still around."

"Where are we gonna stay tonight?" Naruto asks with a sigh, looking around for an answer. "I suppose we could sleep on benches or someth-"

"No way!" Ashley interjects hotly, leaping to her feet. "I am not sleeping on the street like I'm some homeless person!"

"But you are homeless Ashley-chan" Naruto reminds the girl, only to sweat drop when she narrows her eyes at him.

"I already told you" she growls pointedly, throwing her arms out in front of her, "I am not sleeping on the street!"

That said, Ashley activates her Katsuryoku and slowly raises her arms up, as the ground begins to tremble. Naruto has to quickly jump out of the way, as a large mound of hard earth rises up out of the dirt.

As the earth comes to a stop, Ashley lowers her arms to her side and glares at the structure, not saying anything. Naruto looks between the girl and the simple building for a few seconds, almost afraid to break the silence for some reason. Ashley looked mad.

"Uh, Ashley-chan?" the blonde male ventures carefully. "Even if we sleep inside that, we'll still be sleeping on the ground."

Naruto sees Ashley's visible eye twitch at that, though she offers no reply and continues to stare at the building before her.

"Also, it doesn't have a door."

"I'll make a door Naruto!" Ashley suddenly explodes, throwing her hands up in the air as she turns her glare to Naruto. He falls over in fright, his heart pounding against his chest and his face turning white.

"I'm not an idiot you know!" Ashley growls angrily, swiping one hand up into the air, which causes a rectangular hole to form in the earth building. "There, now get inside before I throw you inside!"

Blubbering to himself, Naruto quickly scurries inside the building Ashley had created and sits down in the farthest corner, eyes wide. Ashley slowly steps inside, an unimpressed look on her face. She pauses once inside the room, hands on hips, when the hole closes up behind her, leaving the two Ninja in complete darkness.

"Uh......Uh......" Naruto tries to speak, but finds that he is unable to, worried that he will annoy Ashley further.

"I know, I know" the girl sighs heavily, already understanding what Naruto is trying to say.

In a matter of seconds, a large hole opens up in the ceiling above, allowing starlight to peek into the room and letting the two Ninja inside to see. Naruto watches as Ashley walks over to the other side of the room to him and lies down in the grass, facing the wall.

"Naruto?" she eventually asks, sending a small jolt of fright up said Ninja's spine.

"Y-Yeah?" he responds nervously.

".......Sorry for getting angry with you" Ashley apologizes softly, though she can't help scowling at the wall in front of her. "I'm just.......frustrated with this whole situation. It's not your fault."

Naruto stares at Ashley's back for a few moments, surprised by her apology, before he smiles warmly at her.

"It's okay Ashley-chan" he replies gently. "I know it's hard to get used to, but we'll figure out how to fix everything. We just have to investigate a little more, like Sakura said."

".....Yeah........" Ashley murmurs, listening as Naruto settles down to go to sleep. She'd felt bad for getting so mad that he was nervous to speak to her, but this whole day had been just horrible. Kiba didn't like her anymore, everyone thought she was weak for some reason and now her home didn't even exist.

'What do you think is going on Hakuba?' Ashley wonders, tucking her hands underneath the side of her face in an attempt to get a little more comfortable.

Her internal question remains unanswered however, something that causes Ashley to frown once again. Even when he was in a mood, Hakuba would still answer Ashley to some degree. Seeing as they'd been getting along so well of late, it was unusual for Hakuba to not speak with her.

'Hakuba?" Ashley addresses. "Hakuba, did you hear me?'

Again, Ashley is met with silence. She begins to feel a little uncomfortable, not used to having no other voice in her mind. Maybe this is how normal people were, only able to hear themselves, but Ashley was used to having the Demon's voice in her head as well.

'Hakuba.........Are you there?......' Ashley asks, her internal voice a mere whisper this time.

An empty feeling washes over Ashley when, once again, there is no answer. For years Ashley had wished that Hakuba would leave her alone, but now that it seemed he had......

After a day like today, Ashley was really beginning to feel lonely.

"Ugh, being homeless in my own Village" Naruto grumbles, sitting on a stone bench. "This is ridiculous....."

Ashley nods in agreement, awkwardly using a pair of chopsticks to shovel another clump of rice into her mouth. She sits beside Naruto, still eating the take away food that they had both purchased earlier that morning.

Naruto had finished most of the food by the time they even arrived to meet with Sakura, the pile of trash sitting on Naruto's other side evidence of his morning feast.

"You've both had it rough since we got here, huh?" Sakura asks knowingly, her hands on her hips as she looks down at both of her teammates.

"Don't act like it's just our problem!" Naruto barks, jumping to his feet. "Aren't you finding this whole thing difficult too?!"

"To tell you the truth" Sakura smiles happily, "I've actually been finding it very refreshing."

"Refreshing?!" Naruto repeats incredulously, before sinking back down onto the bench, looking defeated. "We got the short straws then...."

A small anime vein appearing on the side of her head, Ashley glowers at the still grinning Sakura for a few seconds, irritated that she has been having things so easy. Taking the ends of the chopsticks out of her mouth, Ashley then childishly throws them at her pink haired teammate.

Sakura blinks as the thin pieces of wood bounce harmlessly off of her cheeks, only to hood her eyes and give Ashley a deadpan stare. The two watch each other intently, with neither blinking, until Sakura sighs heavily and gives up.

"Okay, okay" she says, crouching down in front of Ashley and Naruto, "Let's just go over what we know so far and focus on that."

"I have nothing to finish my breakfast with now" Ashley informs Sakura flatly, only for the pinkette's neck to wrench around.

"Well you shouldn't have thrown your chopsticks at me like a little brat then!" she informs Ashley vehemently. "Now come on, let's all go for a walk!"

"Fine......" Naruto drones, robotically dragging himself off of the bench as Sakura begins to march away.

Ashley glances down into the cardboard lunchbox on her lap, seeing that there is still a small amount of food left. She heaves a deep sigh and places the box down on the seat next to her.

"Good bye food" she says mournfully, before jogging after her two teammates to catch up.

"So this whole place was created by Madara's Jutsu" Sakura begins, as Team Seven begins to descend a short stairway, "But it doesn't seem like any of the Villagers mean to harm us."

"Right" Naruto agrees, seeming to wake up a little, "And we don't know this place, but everyone seems to treat us like we belong here."

"They seem to remember us a little differently though" Ashley adds, remembering the way everyone had thought she was a crybaby. "They definitely remember me wrong at least."

"Also-" Naruto is immediately interrupted, by a voice that causes all three Ninja to stop and turn around.

"Yes!" Sai shouts happily, stabbing his paintbrush against a large piece of paper attached to an easel. "I've finished another masterpiece!"

Ashley deadpans at the sight of the picture, as Naruto's shoulders sag and Sakura releases a mushroom sigh. Was that guy serious?

"I'm no artist" Ashley professes, wrinkling her nose in distaste, "But that is a shit picture."

"For Sai, that's horrible" Sakura agrees. "What is it even meant to be?"

"I don't know much about art" Naruto admits, clearly not very interested in Sai's bad painting, "So don't ask me!"

"Everyone's just......a little off" Sakura murmurs to herself, watching as Sai continues to gleefully swipe his brush across his painting, making it look even worse.

"A little off?" Ashley asks, smirking meanly. "May I remind you Sakura, that Kiba absolutely hates my guts? That seems more than a little off to me! Everyone here is straight up crazy!"

Before Sakura can apologize or stop Ashley from throwing a fit, the sudden sound of someone muttering and spraying something catches everyone's attention.

As Team Seven all look around to see who it could be, they all freeze, seeing Shino standing under a lamp post a few meters away. With swift, Ninja like movements, he swings a small spray gun around, trying to kill all of the tiny insects that are buzzing around him.

"I can't take this anymore" Ashley complains, bringing her hands up to rub at her temples. "I wish for death!"

"Don't be stupid Ashley" Sakura reprimands, latching onto the girl's arm and dragging her away. "Now come on, before he tries to talk to us!"

Safe to say that Ashley does NOT have the patience for her friends when they act opposite, unlike Sakura and Naruto lol.