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Prologue

Sakura felt herself shrink as she was towered over by the ten missing nin all staring at her expectantly; she felt her eye brow tick as she let her gaze drop, what where they expecting her to do? Quack?

Once again she wondered for the love of Kami how she had managed to fall into this situation, and if there was anyway to worm her way out. So far her situation was looking quite hopeless.

It had all started with a normal day, she had been summoned to see Tsunade- not an uncommon thing as she was both the fifth Hokage's apprentice and eventual successor. When she arrived at the Hokage's door however she found her visit not nearly as light hearted as she thought it may be she was invited into the Hokage's quaters where the entire council was assembled.

Tsunade nodded to Sakura as the pink haired kunoichi entered a twisted smile tugging on her lips that made Sakura think of the first time she had met the woman.

"Please sit." Tsunade said quickly gesturing to a single chair set up in the middle of the room, she did so promptly watching the councel and ANBU guards with masked curiosity and suspicion

"Shizune," Tsunade barked breaking the brief silence," the mission report."

Sakura took the papers all but shoved into her hands and looked up briefly at the Hokage.

"Well?" Tsunade snapped. "Read it."

Sakura didn't bother nodding before beginning to shift throught the paper work, feeling her eyes widen and her blood run cold in her veins as she read the mission report.

"And this mission-" Sakura began.

"Effective immediately, you must leave without speaking to relatives, friends or acquaintances."

Sakura's eyes where wide she reread the mission details hoping this was all some sort of sick joke.

"Effective immediately." Tsunade repeated her voice icy.

"And after the mission?" Sakura asked not able to mask the shock in her voice or the hurt and the betrayal.

"There is no after." Pronounced one of the council members. "Konohagakure will announce you a missing nin in exactly thirty days where you will be classified as kill on sight.

"In doing this," he continued," Konohagakure will take no account of your actions."

"What do I do after?" She said the insanity of the situation struck a chord in her soul.

"It is as you will however you will never again be a Konoha shinobi."

"Why me?" Sakura asked though realised at the point she was stalling for time.

"Because only you have the necessary skill set to complete this mission, only you are strong enough." This was Tsunade.

Only she was strong enough? She felt her soul reach out to her teacher for the words that she felt she had always wanted to hear but instead nodded stiffly blanking all emotion from her face.

"Of course Hokage-sama, I accept this mission with honor." Sakura left handing the mission papers to Shizune not glancing back at the woman who had manipulated her into throwing away her life for something she neither chose or believed in.

Sakura began her treck west- wards to the Land of Swamps where she would assassinate Chichiyasu, the Daimyo.

She succeeded however it was a close call fleeing the country heavily wounded, half dead really. If she hadn't been a medic nin she would have surely been dead. For a second her doubt wavered in her Hokage: maybe she was suppost to die?

She dismissed her doubts quickly enough because as the council had promised thirty days after she left she was declaired a missing nin, in a stolen bingo book she found a brief description of herself along with 'kill on sight' she'd also managed to accumulate a noteworthy bounty from her final mission.

It was also the mission that drew the Akatsuki's attention, either that or Kakuzu's greed for money.

They had come to her while she had been crossing the border of the country of rain, giving her a job proposition... of sorts.

"You want me to join the Akatsuki?" Sakura asked suprise evident in her features looking at Hidan and Kakuzu's unblinking faces she shrugged. "Sure, why the hell not!"

Hidan smiled, his grin both feral and infectious. He clapped her loudly on the back.

"This is going to fucking awesome!"

Looking up at the freakishly tall members of the Akatsuki she wondered why she accepted. She felt herself deflate somehow, maybe she could make herself something with a semblance of home because right now the word rung empty.

A/N: Ah Plot bunnies, they're never new and they're never particuly good but until you spew them out they start eating the rest of your ideas.

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