Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto-san

Hook, Line, And Sinker Revision Started 01/08/2016


She has emerald-green eyes, and a ridiculous shade of pink hair.

"Who the hell has pink hair anyway?" The larger man of the two shifted the giant sword on his left shoulder to his right. "And I thought Konan and Pein's hairstyles are weird."

His companion didn't respond, choosing instead to follow their target's movements with his blood-red eyes.

Haruno Sakura.

The name mostly familiar as it was associated with the youngest of the Uchiha Clan and the Nine Tails Jinchuuriki, Uzumaki Naruto. A once thought average kunoichi of the village, recent information now differ.

The Godaime had been busy.

Tsunade is the Shinobi World's greatest medical ninja. She could detect poisons within a second, administer an antidote, heal fatal wounds and bring back anyone from the brink of death. She was the pioneer who promoted the need for medical ninjas and the reason why the profession is currently flourishing.

With her being under a Sannin for a mentor, killing a member of their organization would be possible.

But Uchiha Itachi thought that Sasori surely would not have wanted to die at the hands of a teenage girl and an old lady.


"Sakura-chaaaaan!"

Of course Naruto would have to yell her name even with the two of them just 10 feet apart.

Sakura grimaced. "I am perfectly within hearing distance, Na – ru – to..."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly when he saw her fisted hands. Sakura-chan can punch like hell, after all. "Hehehe, it's just that I missed you at training today! It sucked sparring with just me and the bastard."

Sakura almost pointed out that 'bastard' almost always refer to mean that emotionally constipated Uchiha Sasuke, but thought that Sai was, in more ways than one; resemble their former teammate so much she let it go.

"Yeah yeah, how about dinner?" she offered. "I'm having a case of ramen craving suddenly."

Naruto really was such a bad influence.

The blond ninja smiled so wide his whisker marks almost disappeared.

"Hell yes!" He punched the air, "Your treat right, Sakura-chan?"

"Not if you're stuffing your face for three hours."

"Sakura-chan, how could you even think that? I was only gonna have three bowls of them!"

Sakura only raised an eyebrow.

After dragging her to find the bastard, Sai, the three of them proceeded to Ichiraku's Ramen Bar.


Walking back to her apartment, Sakura's smile can't help but linger. A night with her boys never failed to give her that happiness boost she always needed. She wished her Kakashi-sensei could have come, but he was on a mission to Lightning Country and would be gone for at least one more day.

Upon entering her apartment, she sensed something was amiss. Without turning on the light, she scanned the living room and went to the kitchen to find nothing.

Stepping back to the living room, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Two figures were standing in her living room.

The light coming in from the streetlight onto the window was enough to see who her trespassers are.

"You…" Her voice was calm, but she fisted her trembling hands at her sides. "What are you doing here?"

Her question was met with silence.

"Good thing you're not a screamer, eh?" The blue man with the gigantic sword, Kisame, whose name she recalled, chuckled.

"Why are you in Konoha?" Sakura began gathering chakra into her fist. "Is this about Naruto? If you think for one second that you could take him and leave the village unscathed, you've got another thing coming."

She pulled her arm back and was all ready to throw a punch when Itachi spoke.

"We are taking you, Haruno Sakura."

She halted momentarily, her brows furrowing in confusion. That split second of hesitation was all Itachi needed as his onyx eyes turned red.

"And the Jinchuuriki will come to us of his own accord." He added as he slung the kunoichi on his shoulder. After Kisame slipped out a small scroll from his pocket and threw it on the sofa, Itachi's attention was caught by the small table situated beside it.

It was a picture of the former Team 7.


She was going to kill whoever invented hangovers.

Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato thought last night was a cause for celebration for the reason that she had finally stamped the last of the papers she needed to sign for this week and it was only Thursday. This means she had two more 'paperwork free' night to spare and drown herself in her beloved sake.

Rubbing her temples and glaring at the two ANBU before her, she snapped, "And there no other clues besides this scroll?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"Very well. Hiroshi, get me Inuzuka Kiba and Nara Shikamaru. Shimizu, tell your captain to come here immediately."

The ANBU was preparing to teleport when Tsunade added, "And tell Sai and Naruto, that I need them here too."

They nodded and vanished.

Tsunade leaned back in her chair and sighed.

Then she kicked the desk in front of her while shouting ancient Konoha profanities and cursing Uchiha Itachi down to his ancestors.

And when the shinobi summoned came to her office, the Hokage didn't even clock the blond from sprouting much more colourful words than her previous ones but punched him when he was being particularly stubborn after she gave him the order that he wasn't allowed to leave the village after hearing the news of Sakura's... kidnapping.

"But baa-chan! It's Sakura-chan out there! They took Sakura-chan! How the hell can you expect me to just sit here quietly inside the village?! Aren't you worried about Sakura-chan?" He was sprawled on the other side of the room, a hand to his aching stomach. He stood shakily, and his tone had an accusing lilt as he spoke.

The Hokage slapped a hand on her new desk and hairline cracks appeared beneath her palm. "Of course I'm worried as hell, you idiot! Sakura is my apprentice! But as Hokage I have to consider the complications. This is Akatsuki we are dealing with, Naruto! If send you out there, it would mean taking the bait." Sighing for the umpteenth time, she regarded the orange-clad shinobi in front of her. "I have a specific mission for you. But as for the details, you would have to wait; your teammates for this are still on a mission. It is an A-class, Naruto," her voice spoke a little louder just as the blond opened his mouth to interject, "And it will do you good not to refuse this one."

Naruto furrowed his brows in confusion as he stared into the older woman's eyes.

Flicking her gaze to the other shinobi in the room, "They left a scroll," she threw the green and white scroll at them.

Neji deftly caught it and his eyes scanned the contents. The ANBU captain looked up and raised an eyebrow. "They're perfectly clear in their motives." He commented dryly, as he passed the scroll to Shikamaru. The others drew closer to look and Naruto walked towards them to take a look over the Chuunin's shoulder.

We have Haruno Sakura. You have the Nine-tailed Fox Jinchuuriki. We have patience in waiting, but your kunoichi may not. Being a Konoha shinobi once, I think we will get along well. For the time being at least. Considering the circumstances, we can negotiate well. At the forest before the path to Hidden Stone Village, we expect an answer within a month's time, Hokage-sama.

Naruto felt the anger and guilt swell inside him as his bruise healed slowly, thanks to the Kyuubi's powers. They had taken Sakura in exchange for him. For him! If he was the one they wanted, why didn't they just take him last night? Then Sakura would be here inside the village, safe.

Stupid Akatsuki. Stupid Uchiha. Stupid stupid stupid.

"Why the hell would they take Sakura-chan! I was here last night too! Why not me?!"

Shikamaru rolled the scroll up and put it back on the desk. "They could, but then knowing you, you'd probably raise alarms all the way to Suna if they had even attempted to kidnap you."

Naruto stamped his foot. "You bet I would! They won't be able to take me and get out of Konoha unscathed!"

The Hokage rolled her eyes and ignored him. "What I want you to do is simple. Find out where they are and get Sakura back. However, if you find yourselves at a disadvantage, retreat. I do not want a repeat of the last time." Shikamaru winced slightly. "Hyuuga, since you are ANBU Captain, you will be heralding this mission." The pale-eyed man nodded. "I will be sending Katsuyu with you. In case you needed help immediately and for communication purposes between you and me." She summoned two small slugs and gave her orders then gestured for Neji to take one.

Watching him place the summon to his shoulder, she leaned back into her chair. "I trust you gentlemen would be ready to leave in an hour's time?" Three heads nodded once. "Alright. Dismissed."

They left.

Two poofs sounded loudly in the room.

"Yo." Hatake Kakashi raised a hand in greeting. He and Yamato both had bags slung on their backs. They had just come back from a mission.

"Kakashi-sensei! Yamato-taichou!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

"Naruto. Sai." Kakashi nodded at the younger shinobi. He walked forward to place a scroll on the Hokage's desk. "The daimyo sends his regards, Hokage-sama and says he looks forward to the annual Konoha Festival."

"I have another mission for you, Kakashi, Yamato."

"The Akatsuki came here and took Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto all but shouted. He took a big breath and continued, "They took her because she's my friend when really who they want is me because I am the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki and baa-chan here won't even let me go and save Sakura-chan! We need to save Sakura-chan, sensei! Who knows what they're doing to her! Itachi could be torturing her with his Sharingan right now or they could be taking revenge because she was the one who killed that puppet guy and, mhmmp mhmmp..."

"Thank you, Sai." Tsunade nodded gratefully at the black-haired shinobi covering the Naruto's mouth. She turned and threw the green and white scroll at Kakashi. "Hyuuga Neji and his team will be leaving for a rescue mission in an hour."

"Dammit, Sai!" Naruto gasped as he finally removed the hands covering his mouth.

"And the team's members are?" the silver-haired man inquired, passing the scroll to Yamato who moved to stand beside him.

"Kiba and Shikamaru."

"Will you be sending us as backup?"

"No, I will be sending you on a completely different mission." At this Kakashi rose his eyebrow in question, "I sent a letter requesting assistance to the Raikage in the form of his brother, Killer Bee. As you already know, Killer Bee possesses an astounding control over the eight tails' inside him. I was informed that the Akatsuki had managed to capture the Two Tail's Jinchuuriki, Yugito Nii of Kumogakure."

Naruto's eyes widen. "Captured? Then..." he let his sentence hang as the fate of the Kumo-nin landed on their minds.

Tsunade nodded. "Killer Bee will be arriving later tonight and your mission will officially start tomorrow. Or rather," She sent Naruto a glance. "Training."

Cerulean eyes widened. "Training?"


Cold.

That was what her mind registered as consciousness settled on her. Opening her eyes to pitch-black darkness, she struggled to slowly sit up. She felt tired, despite the fact that she must've slept all the way to where she is now.

Light was filtering in through the gaps on the doorway and as her eyes adjusted to the dimness, she saw that the room contained a single chair, a table with something on top of it, a scroll maybe. There were no windows.

No escape except for that door.

Or she could punch her way out.

She was surprised at the unsealed chakra whirring calmly inside her. To think knowing about her skill in chakra control they would have taken the precaution to block her access to her greatest asset.

"Arrogant bastards..." she hissed under her breath, right hand curling as she slowly stood up, blue chakra already enveloping her fisted hand.

As if sensing her murderous aura, footsteps sounded from just outside her door.

Taking an offensive stance as the knob turned and the room was filled with white light as the door swung opened, she charged forward.

Red clouds and black cloaks.

Akatsuki.

Three blurs passed her vision just as her fist are a foot away from the face of man at the front of the group.

"Told you we should have sealed her chakra..." the one grasping both her lower legs sounded half-annoyed, half-amused.

"Let go of me..." Sakura hissed, glaring at the man holding her wrist, effectively stopping her assault on one of them.

Itachi slid his onyx eyes on her, face blank as she stared hard at him.

The one behind her gave a chuckle. "Easy there, pinky. You're a feisty one aren't you?" he said as he tightened his hold on her shoulder. "Such brute strength... What do you say, Pein-sama?"

The man in front of her pinned her with a hard stare that she was too happy to return.

Is that...?

Eyes widening, the chakra around her hand dissipated as she regarded the man before her.

"Rinnegan..." she mouthed, aghast.

"Hello, Haruno Sakura-san."