Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Contentious Heart ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction had been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.

 

Spoilers: The story follows the canon storyline until the part shortly after the Sasuke-Orochimaru battle (approximately chapter 353). After that, I took liberties with the facts.

 

A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for reading. And to vampire pandora and SmilezPeepz, thanks for reviewing! I love reading your comments, lol!

 

Here's the next chapter. Happy reading!

 

 

The Contentious Heart by elle6778 - Chapter 4

 

 

Sakura groaned as she cracked her eyes open. Her head pounded and her limbs felt like lead. The bright sunlight light filtering in from the window was not helping at all. Taking deep breaths, she tried to remember what had happened to put her in this state.

 

Her mind was instantly bombarded by flashes of the initiation ritual. She instantly winced at the memory of the experience. Never in her life had she gone through so much agony in such a short span of time. It had not been painful, per se. But she had never felt her chakra draining out of her so fast and so hard. It was almost as if the orb had wanted to suck the very life out of her. And it probably did, she thought grimly.

 

She remembered how she had panicked half-way through and was about to pull her hand off the orb, until she glanced sideways at the Uchiha. He looked so composed, so poised compared to her that she had felt the urge to prove that she could do the same. For some reason, that brief glance also reminded her of the reason she was there. That if she failed to get through the initiation into Akatsuki, everything that she, Tsunade, Kakashi and Shikamaru had gone through over the last one and a half years would have been pointless. So she had persevered. Blanking everything out of her mind, she had steeled her resolve and carried on.

 

But she must have passed out at some point. Still, the fact that she was alive and awake now meant that she survived the ritual, didn't it? The very thought brought a smile to her lips. Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Sakura immediately felt a foreign sensation on her left hand. Lifting it up, she gasped when her new Akatsuki ring caught her eyes. Pein had told her that it used to belong to Orochimaru. She made a face at the thought of it. Still, she could not complain because she was now a full-fledged member of the Akatsuki.

 

And one of her tasks was to capture the hachibi.

 

She had been hard-pressed to contain her elation when she found out that she was in charge of the hachibi jinchuuriki retrieval. It was good, because then she would be most informed on the operation, meaning that Konoha would be well-informed in turn. With that information, Konoha would have a better chance of foiling the capture attempt. And if that succeeded, the Akatsuki would be weakened.

 

Shikamaru's backup plan came to mind then. If Konoha was unsuccessful and the hachibi was captured, she would have to move on to the alternative plan. She would have to persuade Pein to allow her to try her theories out on the hachibi and its jinchuuriki. And if the whole thing worked out, she could use it on Naruto if her friend ever get captured. There were so many other `if's, but Shikamaru had taken her through the alternative plans. She smiled slightly, wondering how Shikamaru had managed to think up so many scenarios for her to work on.

 

A quick check out of the window told her that it was late morning. Deciding that she had better get up, Sakura swung herself out of her futon and stood up. She immediately grimaced when she realized that she was still wearing the same clothes as last night. Come to think of it, how did she get back in her room in the first place? The last thing she remembered was Kisame tapping her shoulder while he called to her.

 

Deciding it did not matter, she shrugged and went to the bathroom for a bath. When she emerged in clean clothes, she was very much more awake and her head no longer pounded. While draping her newly washed clothes over the back of a chair, she paused as a strange sensation on her left little finger made her look down.

 

The ring was glowing.

 

Curious, she brought it up to peer at it. When nothing happened, she pressed a finger on it. An instantaneous flash went through her mind, telling her that her presence was required in the living room. Mildly alarmed, she dropped her hands only to notice that the glow was gone.

 

So, that was how the ring acted as a communication device.

 

Almost automatically now, she ran a check to make sure that all her hidden weapons were secured on her person. As she walked out of the room, heading towards the living room, Sakura wondered when she would be able to find a chance to get a message to Tsunade. It was imperative that her shishou knew that she was in Akatsuki now. What if something went really wrong and she needed to be extracted?

 

No, she shook herself mentally. This was not the time to be pessimistic. Everything was running smoothly now and she could not foresee any obvious problems as of yet.

 

Her footsteps were inaudible to the untrained as she continued down the hallway. After a while, the wide shoji screen of the living room loomed before her. When she drew closer to it, voices from within caught her attention. She could have sworn that she heard some harsh words, but when she continued to listen, the tones sounded level and composed. How odd, she thought. Maybe she should come back later.

 

A slight movement to her right made her tense suddenly. Glancing down at the other hallway, she saw Itachi leaning against the wall, his eyes pinned on her. His chakra seemed to be cloaked. A brief moment of suspicion reached her before her mind rationalized his action as some form of missing-nin paranoia or something. Something he automatically did without much thought. He was probably waiting for Pein as well, she surmised as she made her way to him.

 

“Itachi-san,” she greeted.

 

“Sakura-san.”

 

“You're here to see Pein too, I see.”

 

He responded with a noncommittal, “Hm.” Lifting himself away from the wall, he inclined his head. “I will join you later.”

 

“Okay.”

 

She watched as he walked away, feeling a little confused by Itachi's abruptness. Then she shrugged inwardly. It was probably how Itachi normally acted. After all, he was not the talkative type.

 

Deciding that she had hung around long enough for Pein to know that she was out there, Sakura returned to the shoji screen which separated the living room from the hallway. To her surprise, before she could reach out to tap on it, the screen slid open to reveal Tobi.

 

“Oh, Sakura-san!” the masked shinobi greeted cheerfully. “Are you okay now?”

 

Sakura nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

 

He glanced backwards briefly before stepping away from the entrance to the room. “Pein-san is expecting you.”

 

Raising an eyebrow, she asked, “What about the rest of you?”

 

A muffled chuckle sounded behind the mask as Tobi rubbed the back of his head. “He haven't called anyone else yet. We'll join in later when he calls.”

 

“But-” she broke off before she could finish the sentence. Why was Itachi standing out in the hallway if he had not been waiting to see Pein? It seemed a little suspicious to her. Like maybe he was eavesdropping on Pein and Tobi?

 

Tobi gave her an encouraging nod. “He wants to see you alone first.”

 

All thoughts of Itachi immediately flew out of her mind. Her concern was centered on herself now. Why would Pein want to see her alone? What had she done?

 

Making sure her expression displayed none of her trepidation, Sakura nodded. “See you later, then.”

 

With that, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. Pein was standing at the other end of the room near the window, his attention fixed on something outside. Uncertain of what she should do, Sakura simply stood there, staring down at the low table surrounded by cushions which separated her from the Akatsuki leader.

 

A moment passed before Pein turned around with a polite smile. “I trust you've recovered?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good.” Gesturing to one of the cushions, he instructed, “Have a seat.”

 

Settling down on the cushion opposite the table, Sakura watched as Pein continued to stand by the window. For a long while, he did not say anything, making her feel acutely uncomfortable. She wracked her mind, desperately trying to remember if she had done anything to blow her cover.

 

After what seemed like eternity, he turned to face her. “There is something we must speak of.”

 

His level tone did not ease her trepidation. Willing herself to remain calm, Sakura raised a brow. “What is it?”

 

Pein's unreadable eyes bored into her. “This is not something I address usually, but knowing what I know about Konoha shinobi, I think it is worth mentioning. You may not be aware of this, but you are not expected to risk yourself for other members,” he told her.

 

Rather confused by the suddenness of his words, Sakura ventured cautiously, “Why did you say that, Pein-san?”

 

“You healed Deidara knowing that your chakra reserves would be depleted. And that, in turn, put yourself at risk during the initiation.”

 

Sakura suppressed the urge to flare up at the Akatsuki leader. How could he expect her to leave Deidara just like that? That guy would not have made it to the cavern if she had not healed him. But Pein's disapproval was clear. While her heart sank, she forcibly kept her expression even. Had she ruined her chance even before she began? Would this trait of hers be her downfall in Akatsuki? But how was she supposed to deal with this? She knew that she had to act, but she might not be able to pull off such a cold-hearted act convincingly.

 

Taking a deep breath, she said, “I understand.” After all, a shinobi was not expected to show such that sort of kindness.

 

“Do you?” His lips tilted slightly.

 

She almost rolled her eyes. “I did pass my Academy years, Pein-san. I'm aware of the shinobi guidelines. I just get carried away sometimes, that's all.”

 

However, Pein's reaction was not quite what she had expected. “Perhaps I did not make myself clear.” He paused briefly before continuing, “This organization does not seek to restrict its members. Strict rules does not generally suit powerful shinobi. Therefore, individuality is accepted, as long as it does not obstruct Akatsuki's goal. If you wish to heal any of our members, you may do so at your discretion. However, your action yesterday could have resulted in the loss of your life, thus end your usefulness to the Akatsuki.”

 

Oh, so that was what he meant, Sakura realized, relieved that she had not messed up completely. A genuine smile crossed her lips then. “I'll be more careful next time.”

 

He nodded. “Good. Now, I'll call the rest. You should watch so that you can use it when you need to communicate.”

 

With that, Pein turned his attention to his ring. As Sakura watched, he formed a series of seals and then pressed his thumb on the ring, which glowed at the contact. He kept his focus on it until the glow dissipated. Sakura figured that like her wind message, Pein must have been expressing his message telepathically.

 

Then he released the jutsu and sat back.

 

Not long afterwards, the other five Akatsuki turned up and the mission briefing began.

 

“I've received information that the Hidden Mist Village and the Hidden Sound Village are planning to form an alliance.”

 

“Sound? Orochimaru's village?” Kisame asked.

 

Pein nodded. “Orochimaru's and Kabuto's deaths have weakened the Hidden Sound. And now they are looking to form an alliance with the Hidden Mist to increase their power. If that happens, it will make it harder for us to take over those territories in the future.”

 

“So we'll stop them!” Tobi exclaimed energetically, clapping his hands together.

 

Sakura blinked at the masked shinobi's exuberance. Where did he get all that energy from? Not to mention that his attitude was not exactly what she had expected of an Akatsuki member.

 

“Itachi, Kisame, you will handle things on the Hidden Sound end.” Turning to her, Pein continued, “Sakura, since Deidara is still not at full capacity, you will go with Tobi to confront the Hidden Mist.”

 

“What?” Deidara instantly protested. “I'm fine now, yeah. So let me go.”

 

Sakura glanced at him sharply. His wounds might have healed, but he was far from fine. “Maybe that is not such a good idea, Deidara-san.”

 

The blonde cast her a glare. “I can deal with it, yeah.”

 

“You're just going to get yourself killed this time,” Tobi pointed out. “You don't know when to stop, Deidara-senpai.”

 

Deidara's eyes flashed. “What are you talking about, hmm? I know what I'm doing.”

 

“And maybe this time you'll really blow yourself up,” Tobi pressed on relentlessly.

 

“Tobi, do us all a favor and shut up, yeah,” Deidara snapped irritably.

 

Sakura's lips twitched. These two were obviously the clowns of the organization. A quick glace around told her that everyone else were not amused at the spectacle. Maybe things like this happened on a regular basis. When her eyes landed on an impassive-looking Itachi, her earlier suspicions returned to her. Still, Itachi had been in Akatsuki for a long time, and it did not make sense that he would do anything against them. She frowned inwardly. Maybe she was just reading something that was not there in the first place.

 

Pein's voice broke her train of thought. “Very well, Deidara. I won't stop you if you really want to go.”

 

Deidara's eyes lighted up in anticipation.

 

Turning back to the rest, he continued, “The two villages are scheduled to meet in Wave Country in a week. That should give us enough time to get there. Intercept them before they meet. Your task is to make each village think that they are being betrayed by the other. That should be enough to stall the negotiations and raise distrust between them.”

 

Sakura kept her surprise hidden. Wave Country was where Team 7 had completed their first real A-rank, disguised as B-rank mission, the one where Sasuke had almost died fighting Haku. And that was where the villagers had named their new bridge the Great Naruto Bridge. She wondered wistfully if Naruto has seen the bridge yet.

 

Kisame's voice drew her out of her musings. “So Itachi and I should pretend to be Mist shinobi, and attack the Sound.”

 

Pein nodded in confirmation. “You're familiar with Mist's characteristics after all. You will intercept the Sound before they cross the border into Wave.”

 

Kisame grinned.

 

“Tobi, Sakura, Deidara the three of you will wait until the Mist enter Wave Country before engaging them. It is not necessary to kill them all. But do enough damage to cause a rift between the two villages, and then leave as soon as you can.”

 

Sakura glanced at Tobi. So both of them were to disguise themselves as Sound shinobi to attack the Mist. Turning her attention to Kisame, she asked, “Can we talk later?”

 

“Eh?”

 

“I need as much information as I can get about Mist shinobi. There's no harm in being prepared,” she explained.

 

Kisame inclined his head.

 

“Are you familiar with the Sound?” Konan asked.

 

Sakura nodded, “I fought them enough back in my Konoha days to know what they're like.”

 

“Good. If there is nothing else, you will leave now.”

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

The sun was just beginning to set when they decided to stop and rest in a small, secluded clearing in the forest. The journey from Rain Country to Wave Country was not an easy one, especially considering that they had to travel across the south of Fire Country. They had been on the move for three days and unfortunately, they were still in Fire Country. Even though they had yet to encounter any Leaf shinobi, being in her home country made Sakura nervous. Not to mention they could not even stay in a normal inn because someone was bound to recognize the Akatsuki and report them.

 

Sakura sighed as she leaned against a tree trunk. Then she glanced down at her watch before she turned sideways to look at the two sleeping shinobi not far from her. As with the last three nights, they took turns to take watch so that each of them would get some rest. Four hours sleep each was not much, but it was enough to sustain them. After all, they had a deadline.

 

Getting to her feet, she silently made her way to Deidara. The poor guy had the misfortune to end up with the middle shift, which meant that his four hours sleep was broken. Kneeling down beside him, she reached out to shake him. Before she made contact, his eyes snapped open. Unsurprisingly, there was still wariness in those blue orbs. A quick glance down his body told her that he had his kunai gripped tight in his hand. Even though she had healed him, Deidara was still wary of her. She supposed she could not blame him for distrusting her. After all, she was the one who had killed his partner.

 

“Your turn,” she said quietly.

 

He simply nodded.

 

Returning to her previous spot, Sakura sat down and closed her eyes. A small smile crossed her lips when she realized that she, too was holding a kunai tightly in her hand. It must be a missing-nin thing, huh? Trust no one but yourself. Shuffling into a more comfortable position, she took a deep breath, taking in the fresh forest scent and then allowed herself to drift into a light slumber.

 

It felt like no time had passed at all when she sensed the rapid approach of footsteps. Her eyes snapped open to find Tobi hurrying towards her in the darkness. Deidara was already up, facing away from her, staring into the distance. His tense posture told her that something was wrong.

 

She stood up just as Tobi reached her.

 

“Someone's coming,” he whispered urgently.

 

Sakura nodded. It must be the Konoha patrols. Picking up her hat, she quickly put it on and then went swiftly to Deidara's side.

 

“We need to run, yeah.”

 

She nodded. “There's no other choice, I suppose. Unless we want to fight.”

 

Shaking his head, Deidara said, “No fighting, yeah. If any of us get injured, we won't make it to Wave Country in time.”

 

“Let's go, Deidara-senpai. If you blow anything up here, everyone will come running,” Tobi pointed out.

 

Shooting the masked man an irritated look, Deidara snapped, “I'm not planning to blow anything up, yeah.”

 

Rolling her eyes at the commencement of their usual bickering, Sakura decided to move. Leaping onto a branch, she waited until the other two caught on before she sped away eastwards. Then Sakura's eyes softened as she glanced back over her shoulders. Who was it on patrol, she wondered. Since the patrol was likely to be a mix of jounin and chuunin, it was likely that she knew some of them. A part of her wanted to stay back and hide, just to get a glimpse of her friends, but she knew that it would be a stupid move. There was no need to look for trouble.

 

So she continued to move forward.

 

It took them another two days before they finally reached, entering Wave Country disguised as Sound shinobi. Sakura had been hard-pressed to keep her emotions hidden when she crossed the Great Naruto Bridge. They took another one day of much needed rest before they assumed their positions at the shoreline where they awaited the Mist shinobi.

 

Partially hidden behind a wooden hut at the end of the beach, Sakura peeked out.

 

“I see their boat,” she said in low tones even though there was no way the Mist shinobi could have heard her from that distance.

 

“They'd better get here fast, yeah,” Deidara grumbled, his voice muffled by the white mask over his face.

 

Sakura turned to the blonde, allowing her eyes to run over his attire. Instead of wasting chakra by performing a jutsu, they had all decided to disguise themselves the old fashioned way. Like the two of them, Deidara was dressed in the Sound white overall, tied at the waist with a thick purple ribbon. All of them wore masks which went over their heads to hide their hair and face. However, Deidara was less than pleased at the attire and had been complaining about it even since he put it on.

 

Suppressing her grin, Sakura remarked through her own mask, “You look pretty good as a Sound nin.”

 

Tobi piped up. “Deidara-senpai looks funny with that lump behind his head.”

 

Spinning around, Deidara shot him a glare. “If you don't have anything useful to say, don't say anything at all, yeah.”

 

Sakura's eyes went to the back of Deidara's head. The blonde had pulled on his mask over his ponytail, which resulted in an odd lump under the mask at the back of his head. “Tobi has a point, you know,” she pointed out with a straight face.

 

Deidara's eyes narrowed. After a moment, he pulled the mask off. Without a word, he tugged at the tie holding his ponytail up until his blonde hair cascaded over his shoulders. With his hair down, he looked even more effeminate, if not for the dark glower gracing his features. For some reason, Sakura's fingers itched to touch those golden strands. But before she could give in to her urge, Deidara pulled the mask back on, concealing his face and hair.

 

Beaming, Tobi nodded in approval. “Much better, don't you think, Sakura-san?”

 

Sakura bit her lips to stifle her smile at the sulky furrow between Deidara's brows. “Definitely.”

 

“Can we go now?” Deidara snapped irritably.

 

Turning her attention back to their mission, Sakura peered out at the sea again. The boat carrying the Mist nins was on the shore already. It looked like they were not waiting for the boat to fully dock, Sakura noted as she watched the Mist shinobi jump off the boat one after another. A quick count told her that there were around ten of them.

 

She held her breath and continued to watch as they stepped on the beach.

 

A moment later, a series of explosions erupted from the sand where the explosive tags had been buried earlier, throwing half of their numbers into the air.

 

“It worked!” Tobi exclaimed excitedly.

 

Deidara straightened, his eyes gleaming. “Let's go.”

 

With a nod, Sakura streaked out of their shelter, purposely exposing themselves to the remaining five Mist shinobi. The aim was to NOT fight, seeing that Deidara could not use his exploding clay, and she could not use her monstrous chakra-based strength without giving their identities away. So they ran. The furious shouts behind them was enough to tell Sakura that the Mist shinobi were giving chase.

 

“I hate running, yeah,” Deidara muttered as he ran. “We should just blow them all up and fly away.”

 

“No, Deidara-senpai,” Tobi immediately protested. “That's not a good idea at all.”

 

Sakura almost laughed when she saw the irritated look on Deidara's face. Sometimes it really seemed like Tobi was deliberately trying to rile his blonde partner. But before she could say anything to them, she sensed two Mist Shinobi catching up.

 

Skidding to a halt, she spun around to face the newcomers. She watched as a Mist shinobi landed before her, his jagged teeth bared in a snarl. Careful to remind herself to just use typical shinobi techniques, Sakura slid out a handful of shuriken from her pouch. In a blink of an eye, the blades spun out towards the shinobi, but he managed to avoid it. Launching into the air, Sakura executed a fake kick at him before she released her hidden senbon. This time, the Mist shinobi did not escape in time, and a long needle pierced his pale blue skin in the arm. The fast acting paralysis serum coating the senbon rendered him motionless in seconds.

 

Spinning around, she found Tobi and Deidara finishing off their own opponents. The red stain on Tobi's arm told her that he was cut, but it did not seem serious. Glancing back, she saw another two Mist shinobi heading towards them.

 

“Let's go!” Deidara urged. “We need to move.”

 

“I'll heal you when we get to somewhere safe,” she told Tobi.

 

“Thank you, Sakura-san!”

 

And they continued to run.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Itachi watched impassively as the last of the Sound shinobi retreated away from them. Once they were out of sight, he released the genjutsu disguising him and Kisame.

 

The Sound shinobi's skill level had not improved from the last time he and Kisame had encountered them. It had resulted in a swift battle, the type which Itachi appreciated. He did not like to waste time unnecessarily. His bloodthirsty partner, however, felt differently.

 

“That was a little disappointing,” Kisame remarked as they moved away from the border.

 

“It was sufficient.”

 

Kisame glanced up at the sky. “We're a little late.”

 

“Aa.”

 

They were meant to join the rest for a meeting about an hour ago, but was delayed as the Sound shinobi had turned up late. Nevertheless, Itachi knew that the rest would wait. Swiftly, he and Kisame made their way east along Wave Country's northern border until they found a secluded area.

 

Clasping his hands together and closing his eyes, Itachi formed the necessary seals to activate the communication jutsu.

 

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the chamber in Rain Country where the initiations had taken place a week ago. The other five Akatsuki members were already there.

 

Pein nodded a greeting at him. “You're here. We can begin now. The other team successfully sidetracked the Mist. How did Sound go?”

 

“They are now under the impression that Mist attacked them,” Itachi explained.

 

“Well done. Konan will keep an eye on those two villages for now. In the meantime, something else came up.”

 

“Another mission?” Kisame asked.

 

Pein confirmed it with a nod, and then turned to the kunoichi. “Sakura. You will join Itachi and Kisame this time. It'll give us all a better idea of where to put you on a permanent basis.”

 

The kunoichi nodded as Itachi exchanged a glance with Kisame. This would be one of the rare times they would team up with another shinobi. Itachi could not help but wonder if it would be better he and Kisame were alone.

 

Kisame turned to the kunoichi. “Make sure you don't hold us back.”

 

Itachi could see her bristle at Kisame's words. The rest of them turned to the pair, obviously waiting to see how this would play out. After observing Kisame's and Sakura's last few interactions, the rest of them expected more sparks. Unsurprisingly, Sakura did not waste a moment in responding to Kisame's words.

 

“That's rich, coming from someone who can't deal with a little headache,” she mocked.

 

“You got lucky that time, kunoichi.”

 

She raised a brow. “Oh? Are you saying that you can do better than that, Shark-Face?”

 

Kisame snorted. “You haven't seen anything yet.”

 

“Is that a challenge, then?” she shot back.

 

“You bet your pretty ass it is,” Kisame growled threateningly.

 

“You're on.” Eyes gleaming in obvious anticipation, the kunoichi broke out in a grin.

 

As Kisame bared his jagged teeth in response, Itachi resisted the urge to shake his head. Nothing good would come out of the battle, for it was clear that neither of them would stop until the other was fully subdued. Still, it would amusing to watch. As long as it did not disrupt their missions. Or his own goals.

 

Itachi's line of thought was broken by Pein's next words. “You may wish to postpone your battle until after this mission.” Their leader sounded amused.

 

“I want to watch too,” Tobi declared in an excited voice.

 

Deidara interjected impatiently, “Enough with this battle, yeah. So what are we doing?”

 

“Sakura will go with Itachi and Kisame. You and Tobi will return to Rain and wait for further instructions,” Pein instructed. “There is something I need you two to do.”

 

“What is our task?” Itachi asked.

 

“Your target is a transporter who is traveling towards the Tea Country. He's delivering a scroll which contains a high level protection jutsu to the Daimyou. You will retrieve this scroll and then bring it back to Rain Country. At the moment, Tea Country is in a rather unstable state and we cannot allow them to raise their defences using such power.”

 

Itachi nodded. Tea Country was one of their targets for takeover and they needed to ensure that when their plans commenced, the country was unable to fight back.

 

“Any guards?” the kunoichi asked.

 

Pein nodded. “The transporter is likely to be heavily guarded. Rumor is, he hired some rogue shinobi.”

 

“It shouldn't be too difficult then, since they won't have any back-up,” Kisame remarked.

 

“Hm.”

 

“There is something else. The scroll is sealed to him for the duration of the travel, and you will need a certain type of tag to break the seal. Konan will deliver the tags to you. Where are you now, Itachi?”

 

“We are north of Wave Country,” Itachi said.

 

“Deidara?”

 

“Mist was after us, so we didn't hang around in Wave for long, yeah. So now we at the east side of Fire Country,” Deidara explained.

 

Knowing that he and Kisame had to regroup with their third member, Itachi turned to the kunoichi. “Are you close to the port city?”

 

She nodded. “A few hours away.”

 

“We will meet you there.”

 

Soon, the meeting was adjourned and they returned to their respective bodies. Itachi opened his eyes and stood up, glancing briefly to the side to find Kisame doing the same. The slight disorientation which usually came with this form of communication was present, but Itachi ignored it.

 

“We should arrive around the same time as the kunoichi, from the looks of it,” Kisame remarked as they began to head towards their destination.

 

“Aa.”

 

Grinning, Kisame added, “One more mission and I'll get to beat that mouthy kunoichi to a pulp.”

 

Not pausing in his steps, Itachi cast his partner a sideway glance. “It is unlikely to be that easy.”

 

“I was caught off guard the last time.”

 

“Hm.”

 

In Itachi's opinion, the kunoichi was fully capable of holding her own against the Mist shinobi. But he decided that it would be prudent to avoid the mention of such a contentious fact. Even though Sakura's chakra level was lower than Kisame's, Itachi had a feeling that the kunoichi was not the type to give up until she spent the last of her energy. She was stubborn once she set her mind on something, such as the time she had insisted on healing Deidara after he had specifically warned her against it.

 

After a moment of silence, Kisame mused, “I wonder how many of us will be sent to back her up for the jinchuuriki retrieval. Zetsu couldn't handle him. Deidara and Tobi were just as bad.”

 

“We will see.”

 

The topic of the jinchuuriki brought his own ultimate quest to Itachi's mind. One way or another, things would be brought to its conclusion soon. The capture of the hachibi jinchuuriki would mark another milestone. He had been patiently biding his time over the last ten years or so, and Itachi had no doubt that what he sought would be within his grasp once the kyuubi was extracted. Perhaps even sooner.

 

All that was needed from him at this stage was patience.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

The sun was just beginning to rise, casting bright rays across the landscape.

 

Hidden behind the dense foliage of the tree they were currently perched on, Sakura peeked through the gaps between the leafs. They had been there for hours, waiting for the right time. Right now, their target was moving out of the forest into the open. It looked like they were heading for the main road, and that would be where she, Itachi and Kisame would launch the attack. Out in the open like that, they would have less places to hide, less protection.

 

She did not realize that the Akatsuki actually carried out such normal missions. Sure she was usually on the other side of the fence, but still, it seemed like such a mundane thing for those like Itachi.

 

“Ready?” Kisame asked as the transporter began to travel on the main road.

 

“Hm.”

 

Sakura nodded.

 

They were about to emerge when three streaks suddenly appeared from the opposite direction, heading straight for the transporter and his entourage. Sakura's eyes widened. Those looked like ANBU, but in that distance, she could not tell where they were from. A moment later, those three figures were engaged in a furious battle with the eight escorts.

 

“What the hell?!” Kisame growled, his brows furrowed.

 

“Is someone else after the same thing?” Sakura asked, slightly concerned about the unexpected turn of events. What did this mean for them?

 

“Three of us battling eleven shinobi would be foolish,” Itachi intoned levelly. “The latecomers are ANBU.”

 

She glanced sideways at him to find him staring intently at the battle. “Still, we can't retreat, right?”

 

“We will wait.”

 

Sakura blinked in confusion, then she realized what he meant. “I see. We'll wait until the ANBU takes down most of them before we move in.”

 

“Aa.”

 

Remaining hidden, Sakura continued to watch the battle from the distance. Although she could not see that well, the speed of the forms blurring about in the fight told her that the newcomers were more skilled and were gaining the upper hand.

 

“They are not after the scroll,” Itachi suddenly said.

 

Sakura glanced sharply at the Uchiha. How could he tell?

 

Then comprehension dawned and she made a face. It figured that he would be able to tell what was going on with that Sharingan of his. She could only wish that she had such a natural advantage. But if she really wanted to see, she supposed she could use one of her jutsu, just that it would probably be a waste of chakra.

 

Unaware of her perusal, Itachi was still staring intently at the battle in the distance. It was then that she suddenly realized that she was no longer so wary of those crimson orbs. When did this happen? Her brows furrowed slightly. She could not afford to let her guard down, even though they were supposedly on the same side. She could get herself killed if she was not careful.

 

Her attention drifted away from the Sharingan to be caught on his lashes. Itachi had the thickest, longest black lashes she had even seen on a man. It was almost unfair, she thought irritably. And it was not only his lashes that were eye-catching. The rest of him was as well. If they were not enemies, she would be forced admit that he was disconcertingly attractive.

 

“Sakura-san.”

 

Sakura bit back a shriek when she realized that Itachi was staring right at her, his expression questioning. Hoping that he had not caught her staring, she swallowed and spoke levelly, “Yes?”

 

“Is something the matter?” Itachi asked quietly.

 

“What do you mean?” she responded, forcing her voice to remain calm.

 

“You were staring,” he pointed out blandly.

 

“Oh.” Mortified at being caught, her face warmed  as her mind scrambled for a feasible excuse, and then she quickly said, “I was just wondering how you managed to see that they were not after the scroll. Then I realized it must be your Sharingan.”

 

Itachi contemplated her silently as she held her breath. She was about to fidget in discomfort under his piercing stare when help came in the form of the Mist shinobi.

 

“So why are they here?” Kisame asked curiously.

 

Itachi did not say anything for a moment, but he broke their eye contact. When he finally spoke, there was a tinge of amusement in his tone. “They seem to be after one of the rogue shinobi escorts.”

 

Kisame chuckled. “Lucky for us.”

 

Thankful for the change of topic, Sakura grinned. “What, Shark-Face? Afraid of a little battle?”

 

The look Kisame shot her was dark. “I'm just concerned that you might get your pretty ass kicked, and I have to carry you all the way back.”

 

“As if,” she shot back with a derisive snort. “You're the one who have to watch your head, just in case someone out there knows medical jutsu.”

 

He glowered at her. “You won't be talking like this once we're done with our challenge.”

 

Knowing that it would infuriate him further, Sakura cast him a wide smile. “We'll see.”

 

“That enough,” Itachi interjected in a quiet but authoritative voice, forcing their attention to him. Then he inclined his head towards their target. “Look.”

 

It only took one second for Sakura to comprehend the situation.

 

“We're spotted,” Kisame remarked. A slow grin spread across his face. “It's time to move, eh, Itachi-san?”

 

“Aa.”

 

Entire body tensed in preparation for the pending battle, Sakura nodded. This was it. As one, they jumped out from their hiding place and streaked towards their target. The three ANBU were heading towards them, rapidly closing the distance between them.

 

Sakura froze as she caught sight of a familiar flash of spiky blonde hair.

 

“It can't be…” she whispered almost soundlessly.

 

Then the ANBU landed in front of them, dropping a bound, unconscious body at their feet. Their target, she presumed absently before returning her attention to their familiar attire. All three of them were clad in the standard issue Konoha ANBU uniforms and their faces were hidden behind feline-like masks. But there was no mistaking the spiky blonde hair, or the shock of silver hair on the heads of two of the ANBUs.

 

Naruto and Kakashi.

 

Seeing that Naruto and Kakashi were there, the third black-haired one must be Sai. Since when did Team Kakashi became an ANBU squad? Her eyes traveled over Naruto's form, thinking that her friend must be overjoyed by his achievement. She should not be surprised at the development, really. After all, they had both passed the jounin exam a little more than two years ago, when they were just sixteen, and she had left Konoha a few months before she turned seventeen.

 

But why must Team Kakashi be the one assigned to this mission?

 

She grimaced inwardly. Naruto would not take this too well once he realized who was standing in front of him. Hell, she did not even want to think of what Naruto's, Kakashi's and Sai's reactions would be. But there was nothing she could have done to warn her sensei about this, since she hadn't been able to get away long enough to send a message.

 

“This looks like it might turn ugly,” Kisame remarked in an almost gleeful tone.

 

“Aa,” Itachi agreed.

 

That was an understatement, alright. She swallowed hard as Itachi and Kisame reached up with their hands. Her nervousness increased tenfold when the two shinobi flanking her took off their pointed hats. Right now, with her hat on, Naruto would not see her face. But if she took hers off…

 

Itachi's quiet voice broke into her thoughts. “Remove it.”

 

Her heart plunged into the pit of her stomach. She had no choice. Slowly, she reached up and then, with a firm move, yanked the hat off her head to reveal herself.

 

A collective gasp immediately sounded from the Konoha team. All of her friends looked stunned, even Kakashi. The silence was thick as they stared at her disbelievingly.

 

Naruto was the first one to find his voice.

 

“S-Sakura-chan?”

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

A/N: And here's the first cliffie for this story, lol! As always, I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Please review if you can, the encouragement is always appreciated! Thanks!

 

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