Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Contentious Heart ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

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: Hi there everyone! Vampire Pandora - Thanks so much for the reviews. Here's the next installment. Please enjoy!

 

 

The Contentious Heart by elle6778 - Chapter 5

 

 

“Sakura-chan?” Naruto whispered, his tone displaying his disbelief. His troubled blue gaze flicked from her towards her two Akatsuki teammates before returning to her. “You are…” he trailed off uncertainly.

 

Sakura fervently wished that she was somewhere else. The last thing she needed on her first mission with Itachi and Kisame, the mission where she had to prove herself to them, was the presence of Naruto and the rest. Especially with that lost, bewildered on Naruto's face. What must Naruto be thinking, seeing her with those who sought to kill him?

 

Wearing a pained expression, Naruto swallowed. “You are with… Akatsuki.”

 

This was hard, much harder than before. She could only stand there, frozen to the spot as Naruto began to tremble, his hands clenched into fists by his side. The look on Naruto's face told her clearly that he felt betrayed, and her heart twisted at the sight. It was physically painful to see Naruto like this. She wanted to shout out, to tell him not to worry, that she was still on his side. If only he knew how much she wanted to rush over to hug him, to tell him that this was just part of an elaborate act.

 

But she knew she could not. Because this was far too important to mess up, even though she understood fully how Naruto felt. After all, she had felt the same way when Sasuke had tried to kill them. Even though what she was doing now was different from Sasuke, Naruto did not know. Maybe one day, when everything came out in the open, Naruto would understand and forgive her for hurting him like this.

 

“Cat got your tongue, kunoichi?” Kisame asked quietly beside her.

 

Trust the Shark-Face to come up with such an inane comment. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura muttered back, “I have nothing to say.”

 

Kisame snorted. “Surely you have something to say to your Leaf friends.”

 

She scowled at him. “Even if I do, it's none of your business.”

 

The Mist shinobi chuckled before turning his attention to Naruto. “So, what is Leaf doing here?”

 

Before Naruto could say a word, Kakashi held up a restraining hand. His tone deceptively smooth, Kakashi asked instead, “I could ask you the same thing.”

 

“We are not here for the same thing, Hatake,” Itachi pointed out quietly. “Let us finish our business without interference.”

 

“That is not possible,” Kakashi declared as he reached up to reveal his Sharingan.

 

“Stop talking and give Sakura back to us!” Naruto snarled at Itachi.

 

Sakura cringed inwardly, but she forced herself to speak. “I joined them willingly, Naruto.”

 

Naruto's expression changed. He looked positively enraged as he pointed an accusing finger at her. “Why, Sakura? I don't understand why you're doing this. Running off is not bad enough that you have to join these bastards? WHY?!”

 

Her voice was surprisingly calm when she replied, “I'm a missing-nin. No one forced me to leave Konoha, it's my choice. And that means I can work with anyone I chose.”

 

“But this is AKATSUKI! They are murderers!” he protested vehemently, while the two other Konoha shinobi watched the unfolding scene with grim expressions.

 

Sakura really did not want to hear anymore, but she knew that she had to let this conversation play out. “We are all murderers. That's what we do. Are you trying to tell me you haven't killed anyone, Naruto?”

 

Naruto tensed visibly at her words. A heavy silence descended upon them as they stared at each other. She could see the myriad of emotions flashing across Naruto's blue eyes, but she could not ease his concerns.

 

Itachi was the one who broke the silence. “We're not here to fight you. Let us conclude our task and we will leave.”

 

Kakashi pinned his mismatched eyes on them. “You and Sakura are Konoha's missing-nins. We cannot let you do that.”

 

“Even though you're not our mission, we have to capture you,” Sai added, speaking for the first time during the encounter.

 

Kisame snorted derisively. “Big talk for a skinny squirt.”

 

“Don't underestimate him,” Sakura said flatly. “He's very skilled.”

 

Itachi cast her a thoughtful look. “Hm.”

 

Naruto's expression was accusing when he flared out, “So, you're really on their side now. What else have you been telling them, huh, Sakura-chan? My weaknesses? How to capture the kyuubi?”

 

Swallowing past the lump in her throat, Sakura said in a hard voice, “They don't need me to tell them anything. And I don't want to fight any of you in the first place. We just want to be left alone.”

 

“You cannot expect us to let you walk away just like that,” Sai remarked mildly.

 

“I have every intention of finishing my mission, Sai,” Sakura declared tersely. “So if you want to fight, then I'll show you a fight.”

 

Eyes narrowing, Naruto bared his elongating fangs. “I'm giving you a last chance, Sakura. Come back here and forget all about Akatsuki.”

 

Sakura shook her head firmly. “I can't do that, Naruto.”

 

“Then I won't hold back!” he snarled. His eyes began to bleed red. “I'll defeat you and then drag you back to Konoha!”

 

A bitter taste invaded the back of her throat. So, it had come to this, she thought sadly. She had to fight her best friend so that she could have a chance of saving him. Taking a deep breath, she took a step forward only to feel a stilling hand on her shoulder. She did not need to turn around to know that Itachi was the one restraining her.

 

“Leave him to me,” the Uchiha murmured.

 

“I can handle it,” she bit out.

 

“You will fight Hatake.”

 

Her eyes widened. Itachi wanted her to fight Kakashi?

 

“What, kunoichi? You think you can't handle the Copy Ninja?” Kisame taunted with a grin.

 

She shot him a dark look, promising herself to pound him into the ground the next time they fought. Then maybe he would quit all his snide remarks. “Just watch me, Shark-Face.”

 

But before she could make a move towards Kakashi, a familiar form blurred towards her.

 

“Naruto!” Kakashi shouted, with no avail.

 

Sakura flipped out of the way just in time to avoid a blow from Naruto's fist. Landing on bent knees, she automatically sprung into a defensive stance. Naruto's eyes never left her as he performed his signature clone jutsu, leaving her facing three of them.

 

Sakura grimaced, knowing that this would not be an easy battle, physically or emotionally.

 

Not when Naruto was wearing that purposeful, unrelenting expression.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Kakashi groaned inwardly, exasperated beyond belief. Things could not get any worse, with Naruto charging forward in his usual reckless style. Still, the blonde's reaction was completely understandable. The scenario was eerily similar to Sasuke's retrieval, and Naruto was obviously fueled by his emotions.

 

Although Kakashi knew that this encounter was inevitable, he could not help but wish that he had some warning beforehand. Seeing Sakura standing between those Akatsuki like she fully belonged there had rendered him mute for a while. Even though this was the purpose of their plan, he had to admit that it was still an unnerving sight. When had she made it in? The last they had heard of her was when she was approached by the Akatsuki known as Konan, which had occurred weeks ago.

 

The lack of communication was probably because she had not been able to get away to send a message. For Kakashi would not believe that Sakura had betrayed them, however she appeared so just minutes ago. Her acting skills had improved so much that she almost had him convinced.

 

And it looked like her acting skills were not the only thing which had improved, Kakashi mused as he studied the way Sakura dodged Naruto's attacks before retaliating swiftly. Across the other side, the two other Akatsuki were also observing the battle. The last time he had seen Sakura fight was almost a year ago when Naruto had caught up with her. She had not displayed much of her skills at that time, if he recalled correctly. Instead, Sakura had used a shape-shifting jutsu on her bugs and then ran away.

 

But this time, she could not do the same thing without raising suspicions. She had to fight, and not for the first time, Kakashi wondered how he had missed her potential in her genin years. Taijutsu and ninjutsu seemed to be her primary skills right now, from what he could tell. She had even successfully signed a contract with a summon. But he was still convinced that she had an aptitude for genjutsu. Idly, he wondered if she would display any new genjutsu skills today.

 

Kakashi continued to watch as Naruto's bunshins popped out of existence under Sakura's kicks, leaving her to face the real one. Face twisted in a heartrending mix of anger and sadness, Naruto threw a handful of shuriken and then charged at her. Sakura grimaced, deflecting his shuriken with her own before executing a substitution jutsu to avoid being hit by Naruto's fists.

 

Appearing some distance away, Sakura gritted out darkly, “That's enough, Naruto. I told you I don't want to fight.”

 

Slowly, Naruto shook his head. “You're not giving me a choice, Sakura.”

 

“Despite what you think, I'm not your enemy!” she declared hotly.

 

“No, Sakura. You're not my enemy. You are Konoha's enemy. But that's not why I'm doing this. I'm doing this because I don't…” Naruto's voice hitched. “Because I don't want to lose another friend.”

 

Kakashi frowned, worried that they might end up saying something to make the Akatsuki suspicious. Both of them were very emotional right now and there was no telling what might happen next. As it was, the pink-haired kunoichi looked as if she was about to cry.

 

“N-Naruto. Please don't do this,” she whispered. “I can't go back with you.”

 

“Please, Sakura,” Naruto appealed, looking agonized.

 

A choked sound escaped Sakura, and then she shook her head. “I'm sorry, Naruto. You're just going to have to let me go.”

 

Naruto's eyes flashed. “You can think again if you think I'm going to give up so easily,” the blonde shot back.

 

Naruto began to form a series of hand seals, and Kakashi watched as Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. She was not the only one who had improved over the last year. In his desperate quest to find his friends, Naruto had gone all out to improve his own skills. This particular jutsu was something Kakashi had copied from Kakuzu and then modified to suit their abilities. Sakura had better be prepared to counter it, or the consequences would not be pretty.

 

“Fuuton: Atsugai!” Naruto shouted with the last seal, and then flung his palms out.

 

The wind pressure around them skyrocketed.

 

Kakashi caught a glimpse of Sakura being thrown against a nearby tree before he dropped to his knees to brace himself against the wind. Beside him, Sai had done the same. A loud crack sounded then, drawing Kakashi's attention to the fighting pair. He raised a brow in surprise when he realized the defense Sakura had come up with.

 

A pile of rock rubble stood between her and Naruto, shielding her from the worst of Naruto's wind pressure attack. She must have cracked the rock with her fist and then forced the rubble out of the ground with her chakra, something which could only be done with precise chakra control.

 

Naruto must have realized that his attack was futile, for he lowered his hands with a hiss of frustration. The wind slowly receded.

 

“She's strong.”

 

Getting to his feet, Kakashi glanced sideways at Sai. The ANBU Root was staring at Sakura expressionlessly.

 

“Why wasn't she this strong back in Konoha?” Sai asked thoughtfully, almost as if he was speaking to himself.

 

Kakashi turned his attention back to Sakura. Sai had a point. Even though the intensive training had improved her skills prior to her departure more than a year ago, the level of her skills at the end of the training had been much lower than what he was seeing now. It was clear that this exponential development in her skills was contributed by the countless missions she had carried out as a lone missing-nin. He would not have believed that it was possible if he had not seen it with his own eyes. It was obvious that she was in her element, being out there like that.

 

A frisson of trepidation coursed through him then. What if Sakura decided that she preferred to remain as she was? He knew that it was unlikely that she would chose to betray Konoha, but what if she did not want to return? He had heard of and seen such occurrences, where shinobi who had a taste of freedom preferred to remain outside instead of being tied down to a tight schedule which they had no control of. Those either became missing-nins, or ended up like Jiraiya. Sakura must be affected by now, seeing that she had been independent for more than a year, and had grown much stronger while doing so.

 

Would Sakura eventually choose that path?

 

“We have to bring her back,” Sai said blandly.

 

Deciding to distract Sai before he got it into his head to help Naruto to defeat Sakura, Kakashi nudged towards the other two Akatsuki. “We have to take care of them first.”

 

“Yes,” Sai agreed.

 

A flash of movement caught Kakashi's eyes, drawing his attention back to Naruto and Sakura. Both were holding kunai now, and were charging towards each other. Judging from their expressions, it looked as if they were beginning to lose their grip on their emotions, Kakashi thought anxiously as he watched Sakura execute a backflip to avoid Naruto. Then she immediately retaliated by throwing a handful of shuriken at him. The blonde managed to dart out of the way, but Sakura seemed to have anticipated his movement. Kakashi's expression turned grim when he saw Sakura's glowing hands. She was aiming to use her medical techniques on Naruto.

 

“What? You're going to try to kill me like Sasuke now?” Naruto taunted harshly, but there was no mistaking the hurt in his eyes.

 

“I'm not Sasuke, just remember that,” Sakura hissed angrily.

 

“No.” He paused before continuing in a harder voice. “You're worse. At least Sasuke has a good reason for leaving.”

 

Kakashi watched with a sinking feeling as Sakura paled. There was nothing he could do to stop Naruto from saying all those hurtful things, thinking that it was true. Their emotions were running high, and with that, their tongues became more unrestrained.

 

Unfortunately, Naruto was not finished. Pointing at Itachi, Naruto shouted, “Sasuke just wants to get strong enough to kill that bastard! That same bastard that you're working with now. You just want power for the sake of power. And you're not even thinking of using that power to help your friends. So tell me, Sakura… Who is worse?”

 

Kakashi held his breath as the atmosphere became even heavier. This was not a good topic of conversation to have in front of the other two Akatsuki. He knew that Sakura would try her best to keep her cover, but they might end up saying something which would compromise Sakura's position in the Akatsuki.

 

Finally, after a long while, Sakura spoke. Her voice was strained when she bit out, “Don't talk about things you're not fully aware of, Naruto.”

 

“So explain to me! I want to know what went wrong!”

 

Sakura's eyes were gleaming with some unnamed emotion. “What's wrong? I don't want you to treat me like Sasuke. I don't want you to spend all your time hunting for me the way you've done for Sasuke. I can take care of myself, and I happen to like living like this.”

 

Kakashi's eyes widened at her confirmation of his earlier thoughts.

 

“Go look for Sasuke if you want to, I don't care. He should be enough for you anyway, if you ever manage to drag him back to Konoha. You don't need me, I'm the weak member of Team 7 remember? The one who needs to be protected all the time, the one that was always left behind. Forget I exist, Naruto, and just get on with your life without me.”

 

As Naruto reeled back in disbelief, Kakashi sucked in a sharp breath. A stab of guilt coursed through him then when her words registered fully. It was his fault that Sakura felt as if she was left behind, not Naruto's. Kakashi could admit now that he should have paid more attention to her back then. Sakura's words were harsh, especially delivered in such a cold, emotionless tone. Still, Kakashi knew that however harsh her words were, Naruto would not be swayed. Both Sasuke and Sakura were Naruto's important people and nothing would change that.

 

“I see.” Naruto's voice was shaky. “You got it wrong, Sakura. I don't think you're weak.” He took a deep breath. “But however strong you are, you can't stop me from wanting to protect you.”

 

Sakura stared at him wordlessly.

 

Naruto's expression became hard. “So I don't have any choice but to do this,” he declared as he began to mold chakra in one palm.

 

Kakashi's eyes widened in alarm. Surely Naruto was not planning to use Rasengan on Sakura. He could not allow this. Just when he was about to interfere, a streak of black and red shot towards the fighting pair. Eyes narrowing, Kakashi darted forward only to be intercepted by a grinning Mist shinobi.

 

“I'm afraid I can't let you pass, Hatake.”

 

“Get out of my way,” Kakashi bit out. He glanced beyond the Kisame to see Itachi heading straight for Naruto. Against both Itachi and Sakura, there was no telling what might happen to Naruto.

 

Kisame raised a brow. “Then I should make you choose, shouldn't I?”

 

With that, the Mist shinobi darted towards Sai.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

Naruto should really practice forming the Rasengan a little quicker, Sakura thought with an inward frown. Even though he could do it with one hand now, she had seen it coming soon enough that she was able to read the move and prepare for it. A substitution jutsu would do the trick.

 

She was about to do that when someone blurred between them.

 

Itachi, she realized with surprise.

 

The Uchiha streaked past her and Sakura had to swallow a gasp when Itachi's foot connected with Naruto, sending him flying across the dirt road. The half-formed Rasengan fizzled out immediately and she winced involuntarily as her friends landed hard, skidding to a halt some distance away. Naruto healed fast, she kept telling herself, suppressing the urge to rush across to help him. She had held back during their fight, but she knew that Itachi would not do the same.

 

“Go,” Itachi instructed without taking his eyes off Naruto, who was pushing himself to his feet. “Hatake is your opponent.”

 

Sakura hesitated, deliberating if she should disobey and continue to `fight' Naruto. But it was clear that Itachi would not allow it. There was nothing else she could do.

 

“Now,” he pressed.

 

Resigned to it, she nodded.

 

With that, she turned around and darted towards Kakashi, noting that Kisame had engaged Sai in a battle. Kakashi looked as if he was about to go to Sai when he noticed her. Then to her surprise, her sensei darted away from the battle site. Hoping that she could pull this off this fight convincingly, Sakura chased after him.

 

They skidded to a halt some distance away, just at the outer edge of a forest, observing each other warily. The fight had not begun yet and her heart was already thudding rapidly against her ribs. She knew that it was not due of any over-exertion, but more the fact that she did not want to fight Kakashi, or any of her friends. That fight between her and Naruto had given her enough of a heartache.

 

“What are you waiting for, Sakura?”

 

Sakura swallowed at the sound of Kakashi's voice. He sounded so cold, so uncaring. It was as if he was disappointed in her, that she had failed him somehow. That could not be true, right? Because Kakashi knew why she was there with the Akatsuki. But she had no chance to send them a message, so was it possible that he really thought she had betrayed Konoha?

 

“Sakura.” This time, there was a tinge of warning in his tone.

 

Brushing all her thoughts aside, Sakura forced herself to concentrate on the battle. Gritting her teeth, she focused her chakra and drew back her fist. A cry escaped her lips as she slammed her fist down to the ground, sending fractures and shockwaves radiating away from her.

 

Unsurprisingly, Kakashi leapt up into the air and then landed some distance away, completely unharmed. Her sensei knew her moves too well.

 

“I'm disappointed, Sakura. Is that all you can do?” he taunted flatly. “Don't you remember your last bell test?”

 

At first she bristled, and then she realized that it was Kakashi's way of telling her something. They were still close enough such that the rest could see them. She had to fight for real unless she wanted to blow her cover. It meant that she had to go at him as if she wanted to kill him. Flexing her fingers in determination, she pinned an uncompromising look on her sensei.

 

“I'm just getting warmed up, Kakashi-sensei.”

 

“I'm no longer your sensei, Sakura,” he pointed out dryly. “And you are fully aware that you have surpassed me.”

 

Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted Itachi ducking out of the way of Naruto's Rasengan. A sad chuckle escaped her as their battle took them further away from the rest. “That would be the day.”

 

Lifting his hands, he quirked a brow. “Oh? I suppose we'll see how well you handle this.”

 

Sakura blinked in astonishment at the speed of his seals.

 

“Katon: Karyuu Endan.”

 

Kakashi opened his mouth and a large jet of fire shot towards her.

 

Oh hell! She really hated fire jutsu. Quickly performing a Kawarami-no-Jutsu, she exchanged herself with a nearby log. When she reappeared a safe distance away, her eyes landed on the incinerated piece of log. That was close, she thought with relief.

 

In a blink of an eye, a blur streaked towards her, surprising her with its speed. Then, a chirping sound filtered through the air and Sakura gasped at the bright, sparking orb cradled in Kakashi's hand. No way he was using that on her! No way he was using Chidori on her!

 

She barely had time to think before he was upon her. Filling her hands with chakra, she reached out to throw his arm away. But Kakashi saw her move and immediately twisted out of the way. A cry of pain bursting from her lips when the lightning attack grazed her left hip. She had deflected him but it was not enough.

 

Then the chirping sound stopped.

 

Panting with the combination of exertion and trepidation, Sakura glared at Kakashi, who did not seem affected at all by the fact that he could have seriously harmed her. The stinging sensation at her hip almost brought tears to her eyes as she pressed her hand in an attempt to heal it. Hell, he could have killed her with that move.

 

Then her eyes widened in alarm when she suddenly realized that she had left herself wide open. Before she could gather her wits, Kakashi's shoulder rammed hard into her stomach, sending both of them flying away from the main battlefield and into the dense growth of the forest. Sakura's eyes widened just a moment before she hit the mossy ground. Her breath squashed out of her, she could only gasp breathlessly. Absently, she noted that Kakashi was definitely not light, despite his slender form.

 

Then she heard his quiet voice in her ear, “Now we're far enough from them to talk.”

 

Sakura blinked in surprise as Kakashi shifted to look into her face. Her throat immediately constricted with emotion. It had been so long since she had been so close to someone from home. His mismatched eyes were so painfully familiar.

 

“Kakashi-sensei…”

 

His eyes creased in a smile. “Well done, Sakura. We're proud of you. But you have to be more careful from now on. No more hesitation like just now.”

 

“I know,” she murmured. Kakashi's earlier coldness had been nothing but an act. Her heart warmed at the confirmation that her sensei did not hate her. She inhaled sharply, and when she spoke again, her voice cracked, “I m-miss you all so much.”

 

Then she jerked upwards, throwing him off her. Their fists met in a flurry of blows and suddenly, she found her arms twisted behind her. Kakashi's lips were close to her ears again. Another whisper reached her.

 

“I understand what you mean.”

 

A wobbly smile crossed her lips. That was as good as an admission from the reticent sensei of hers.

 

She decided to voice the question on her mind then. “Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here?”

 

“One of those guarding the transporter is a Sand missing-nin, one which the Kazekage asked us to keep an eye out for. We needed to apprehend him.”

 

“I see.”

 

“How is everyone in Konoha?”

 

Kakashi took a moment to think. “Tsunade is well, though she sometimes worry about how you're doing.”

 

Sakura smiled softly. “Tell her I'm fine. And tell her not to drink too much. What about the rest?”

 

“As you can see, Naruto made it into ANBU. He passed the test just two months ago, together with Lee.”

 

“I wish I was there to see it,” she said wistfully.

 

“No, you'd be worried.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He took down three ANBU in a severely disadvantaged situation, and the result was… explosive.”

 

“Eh?” Then Sakura's eyes widened. “He didn't… turn into…”

 

Kakashi shrugged. “He has better control over it now. Even to the extent of keeping his control with the fourth tail.”

 

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Deciding to pass on some information while he was there, Sakura quickly said, “Akatsuki's leader is called Pein. I haven't seen him fight, so I can't tell you much about him. He's the one who summons the statue to seal the bijuu. Also, the Akatsuki is trying to weaken as many countries as they could so that it is easier to take over once they got all the bijuu. He hasn't said anything about Konoha, but Tsunade should keep everyone alert.”

 

Kakashi nodded. “I'll make sure she gets the message.”

 

“And there's only two bijuu left for them to go after. The hachibi's jinchuuriki and Naruto. Tell Naruto… No, FORCE him to be more careful, alright?”

 

A muffled snort came from Kakashi.

 

“Can you get him to practice forming his Rasengan a little quicker? I saw it coming from miles away, and if I can see it, any enemy would as well. And oh… Can you check on Ino once in a while to make sure she's okay?

 

“Sure.”

 

“I'm really sorry to impose on you like this, but can you also put some flowers on my parent's grave every other week or so?”

 

“Sakura, don't worry. Just keep your eyes and ears open. And remember, the moment you feel like the situation is getting out of hand, you will send us a message and retreat immediately.”

 

She took a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “I will, Kakashi-sensei.”

 

Sakura directed her chakra to her arms, forcing Kakashi to release her. Then she leapt away. In retaliation, he released a handful of shuriken at her, which she dodged easily, before he streaked towards her. Quickly creating a bunshin, Sakura disappeared only to appear some distance away when he eliminated her clone.

 

“Try your best to let us know your movements. We need to avoid situations like this.”

 

“It's hard to make contact because I'm always with them. I think they're watching me still. Testing me, probably,” she muttered.

 

“That is to be expected. You're new after all,” Kakashi said as he readied himself for another attack. “So, what else can you show me, Sakura?”

 

As a grin spread across her face, Sakura decided that this was the perfect time to try out one of her new jutsu. Besides, she wanted her sensei to see it and there would not be any opportunity for that anytime soon.

 

Her hands flipped through a string of seals before she called out, “Fuuton: Kaze-no-Gosunkugi!”

 

Without a pause, she flung out her fingers in his direction. Kakashi's eye widened slightly before he launched himself away from the spikes of high speed wind headed straight for him. Leaping to the side, she repeated the attack again, making a mental note to find some time to improve this new attack of hers. At the moment, it was somewhat limited because the wind spikes could only travel in a straight line.

 

Finally skidding to a stop, Sakura panted breathlessly. Kakashi was too fast with that Sharingan of his. He managed to avoid each and every one of her wind spikes. At a loss as to what to do next, she hesitated.

 

Kakashi raised a brow at her. “That is a new one. Your own jutsu?”

 

Sakura suppressed a grin. This fight almost felt as if it was one of their training sessions. “It needs to be improved,” she admitted.

 

He nodded. “The coverage is too small right now. You can try to expand it so that it covers a wider target. It should not be too hard to do.”

 

“I'll try.”

 

“Good. Now, come at me like you want to kill me. We need to make this look convincing.”

 

“But Kakashi-sensei…”

 

He gave her a warning look. “Sakura…”

 

She did not want to carry on fighting with her sensei. Even though he wanted her to go all out, she knew deep in her heart that she would not be able to. Without doing so, she would lose and that was something she could not afford to do, because failing this mission would only cause problems with her standing in the Akatsuki. But a part of her felt as if she was betraying Konoha by wanting to complete this Akatsuki mission, even though both teams were after different things.

 

Taking a deep breath, Sakura willed herself to focus on the bigger picture. She had to do this to give Konoha an upper hand on Akatsuki. As far as Akatsuki was concerned, her task was simply to steal the scroll. Her eyes shot towards their target. The transporter and the last rogue shinobi escort were running away from the battle site, their forms growing smaller and smaller in the distance and she knew that she had to catch them before they got too far. Or else they would not get what they came here for. And in order to get it, she needed something Itachi was holding.

 

There was only one thing she could do. Reaching back into her pouch, her fingers closed around a small container and brought it in front of her. She performed the necessary seals and activated the jutsu before she flipped open the container. A puff of smoke obscured her vision for a moment as the insects within the containers transformed.

 

When the smoke cleared, there were three more of her standing before a surprised Kakashi.

 

“I see,” he mumbled thoughtfully. “These are like the ones Naruto fought before.”

 

Kakashi should not be able to tell which one was real, and which one was not. Not that it really mattered. The chakra she had infused in those three would last long enough to allow her to get what she came for. With that thought, Sakura ran off in the direction of the escaping target while her three duplicates stayed behind to hold Kakashi back.

 

She saw that Kisame and Sai were still fighting. Her gaze shifted to the Uchiha. He was still locked in battle with Naruto, and from the way he was standing still like that, it looked like he had caught Naruto in one of his regular genjutsu. She could only be thankful that he was not using the Mangekyou on her friend.

 

Running towards him, she called out, “Itachi-san. Give me the tags.”

 

Keeping one finger pointed at Naruto to maintain the genjutsu, Itachi reached into his cloak to pull out a pouch. When it sailed through the air towards her, Sakura reached up to catch it without breaking her stride.

 

Her expression set in determination, she raced after the monk and his entourage. She would get what they came for so that they could leave before any of her friends got seriously injured.

 

That was the best possible outcome to this stupid mess.

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

While the kunoichi streaked away, Itachi glanced at the direction she appeared from, catching brief flashes of pink and silver amidst the forest foliage. So, she had left clones to distract the Copy-Ninja. And from what he could tell, those were not ordinary clones, seeing that they were capable of taking hits without disappearing.

 

It could only a shape-shifting jutsu then. Puzzled, Itachi frowned. How had she managed to find hosts to perform the jutsu on?

 

The sudden bright flare of energy from the direction where Sakura had gone to earlier drew Itachi's attention. So, she had managed to unseal the scroll, he deduced. In that case, he simply needed to distract this jinchuuriki for a while longer, until she joined them.

 

Unfortunately, his brief moment of inattention was enough for Naruto to break free from his genjutsu. The blonde took a moment to compose himself, breathless from the illusion of betrayal from his friends. Then his eyes took on a dark glint.

 

“How dare you?” His voice shook as he clenched his fists. “HOW DARE YOU TAKE BOTH SASUKE AND SAKURA FROM ME?!” he shouted vehemently.

 

Itachi deliberately misunderstood. “Naruto-kun. My little brother is not with the Akatsuki.”

 

“But he's out there because you killed your clan!” Naruto accused. “Sasuke got that cursed seal from Orochimaru because of you!”

 

“That is the result of his own foolishness.”

 

A loud roar of anger exploded from Naruto's throat. Itachi observed closely as the red chakra around the jinchuuriki intensified. His immediate thought was that this might get messier than he would have liked. Naruto appeared to be losing control of the situation fast.

 

Then Itachi's eyes widened as the jinchuuriki darted towards him, a large ball of chakra held in his hand. From his posture, he could tell that Naruto was aiming for his right side.

 

“RASENGAN!”

 

Calculating his moves, Itachi waited until the last moment before he streaked to the left, leaving a substitute behind to take the blow. A bright flare exploded outwards as the strength of the Rasengan carved a crater in the ground. Itachi frowned slightly as he turned to the breathless jinchuuriki. The boy was too impatient, resulting in the inefficiency of an attack which was potentially deadly.

 

A loud clang rang through the air suddenly. Itachi glanced briefly out of the corner of his eyes only to be greeted by the sight of the third Leaf ANBU, the one called Sai, skidding along the ground. His bloodstained hands were clutching a kunai lodged in his side. But Kisame was not finished with him yet, it seemed. The Mist shinobi was stalking towards the critically injured Leaf ANBU with his Samehada raised for another attack.

 

Then Itachi found himself alone.

 

Naruto had streaked away from their battle. Somewhat displeased that he had been dismissed so easily, Itachi followed the jinchuuriki's swift advance towards Kisame and his teammate. The foolish boy, Itachi thought when he comprehended the blonde jinchuuriki's intent. A fraction of a second later, a roar of pain erupted from Naruto as he clutched Kisame's Samehada. Standing protectively in front of his unconscious teammate, the blonde's body shook jerkily as the blade continued to absorb his chakra.

 

Quickly moving closer, Itachi watched impassively as the chakra being absorbed changed from blue to red. He could tell that Kisame was already strained from the effort of holding Samehada in position, especially now that he was absorbing the kyuubi's chakra.

 

“That's enough,” Itachi said levelly. The last thing they needed was a dead kyuubi jinchuuriki.

 

“Jumping in the way like that. Idiot,” Kisame scorned as he pulled Samehada away. “There's too much to absorb anyway.”

 

“Hm.”

 

Naruto slumped to his knees before the rest of him followed. He appeared to have fallen unconscious. Out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi saw Sakura returning. A fraction of a second later, from the opposite direction, the Copy Ninja appeared from the forest. He skidded to a halt when he saw the condition of the kyuubi vessel, his eyes widening in alarm.

 

“Naruto!” Kakashi shouted, rushing towards them, his expression betraying his concern.

 

“He's still alive,” Itachi remarked levelly.

 

The Copy Ninja paused, his eyes flicking warily between them and Naruto.

 

Kisame inclined his head at the unconscious boy. “Itachi-san, we can take the kyuubi now.”

 

Itachi shook his head slightly. “No. If we take him now, we'll have to restrain him until the hachibi is dealt with. Konoha would surely come for him. It'll create unnecessary problems. We will come for him later.”

 

Kisame grunted in acknowledgement.

 

The kunoichi reached their side then, but her attention was fixed to her kyuubi friend. She did not say anything, but Itachi could sense that she was troubled by the condition Naruto was in. Judging from her very emotional confrontation with Naruto earlier, it was clear that she still considered Naruto as a friend, even though it did not appear as if she wished to return to Konoha at all. And as far as Itachi was concerned, it was foolish for her to harbor such weak feelings.

 

The scroll in her hand confirmed that she had succeeded in obtaining what they came for. Therefore, there was no longer any need for them to fight. It was time for them to leave.

 

“We are retreating,” Itachi instructed quietly as he began to walk away.

 

Sakura hesitated.

 

Kisame followed close beside him, glancing briefly back at the hesitating Sakura, whose eyes were still fixed to her kyuubi friend. “Let's go, kunoichi.”

 

Sakura nodded, and then turned around and began to walk away swiftly beside them. Her entire body was tense, and it looked as if she was barely holding herself together. Still, she continued to walk. However, her steps faltered when a tremulous voice rang through the air.

 

“S-Stop…”

 

Itachi glanced over his shoulder to see the kyuubi vessel pushing himself to his feet shakily. Kakashi was at his side in a flash, but Naruto only had eyes for them, eyes which were sparking with unmistakable purpose.

 

“You're… not… walking… AWAY… FROM HERE!”

 

 

…***…***…***…

 

 

A/N: Um… yes, Naruto is not going to let this go that easily, but the battle will conclude very soon. Anyway, I hope you like how the story is going. Next chapter, we'll see more interaction between Sakura and Itachi. If you have some time, please drop me a review. Thanks!

 

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