Dedication. What exactly causes dedication to become present in a person's soul? A dream? A need? Or maybe it's fear. Either way, dedication is powered by an extreme. For Sasori Akasuna, all these extremes thundered through his body angrily. As he lay in this cave that provided him a dark, cold, rocky coffin his thoughts raced in an excelled rate. His whole life had been dedicated to thriving easily as his own art. He should have lasted forever. However, right now, he could feel that future dripping away through his fingertips easily.

He, the famously known serial killer in the dry city of Suna, had been killed by his flesh and blood. His grandmother had been able to take him down. His heart ached from the pain, but not from emotion. He had blood oozing out of his heart container at a painful rate. Even with his want to make amends with his soul, his own person still had that fear of death. He was never supposed to die, he needed to stay alive, he wished for his reign to not yet be over. Regret swallowed him as he felt himself slip slowly into death.

Did he really have to let this happen? He could hear the old woman and pink haired voices nearby. He doubted they would leave until his heart beated it's last beat. He was too weak to think about fighting them off, even how close to death they could be.

He felt anger at himself for letting his emotions come against himself when she pulled those two puppets.. The one time he had let himself feel something in years caused him his owl life. How foolish he felt to make a mistake he had sworn against.

No, he couldn't let this happen.

He took a shaky hand and peaked his eye open slightly. He needed to act fast. He could see the old woman tending to the wounds of the teen. He slipped his hand into his akutsuki coat pocket and pulled out a small vial.

Sasori had only ever made two of these special...mixtures. along with a small amount of chakra, it was a genius concoction. However, it was difficult to achieve and he had only used it once. The redhead slowly popped open the cap and paused, making sure he couldn't be detected before taking the vial in his mouth and drinking the dark, thick substance.

It would allow him time to not exactly be dead, but not prevent him from falling into that darkness

Kami help this dark soul if I do die and never come back from your brothers hell.

He felt his hart spasm and and produce one last hard thump before it contracted and and completely stopped blood flow.

This isn't the end.

A small clunking sound echoed through the cave. Chiyo raised herself from Sakura 's injured body and patted the girl on the head. "That'll do, I'll go look and see. Someone will be here soon, just keep circulation tight on that arm." She directed. The teen had suffered a bad injury on her arm and it was gooing blood at a steady pace. Sakura nodded and watched the woman swiftly jump her way to the man's body.

Chiyo looked at her grandsons grave. She had laid him beside his puppet parents. She wasn't going to give him a 'proper' burial. In fact, for a brutal serial killer psychopath, this was about as proper as the redhead would get. If this were not her grandson whom she still had a small emotional connection with, she would have chopped him up at every limb and hung his body parts at the ceiling. But alas...

Chiyo scanned the area that would lead to any connection of to why a noise would be made other than her and the girl. She stepped closer and kneeled down shakily. Her body was weak from the battle and her bones ached.

If she were any older she wouldn't have noticed, but there it lay right behind his hand in the sleeve of his coat. A vial, no bigger than her pinky hidden.

Her heart skipped a beat and she quickly grabbed it, worried that he would grab her with those creaky wooden hands.

At that moment, a medic arrived and Sakura yelled her name, waving for her to come down.

Chiyo knew it was wrong, but she had no trust. She grabbed the puppet body and heaved over her shoulders. "We rake the body with us" She said, lifting the vial. "I would let him rest in piece if it weren't for his ways."

Sakura nodded. The medic quickly helped the two heal. Chiyo, as good a medic as she was old had no energy to heal. Neither did the teen.

"Do you think.. he wasn't really remorseful? " Sakura asked tentatively.

Chiyo sighed and looked to the body she laid next to her. "I don't know. This is only a shell of who I raised.. perhaps if I had done better.."

"You did what you thought was right, Chiyo. My friend Naruto... He had it as bad as Sasori. He strives his best towards being a good person though."

Chiyo shook her head. "He is strong then. Sasori was struck to the ground with weakeness." She look at Sakuras skeptical face. "He was weak in the soul. He was lead through life hopeful. Every day he was lied to and every day his feelings were beaten down." Chiyo put her wrinkled hand on the girls shoulder. "In each extremely low, a person develops a drive. They become dedicated to that drive and Sasori's was that one day his family would be together." She wiped a tear from her dusty face. "And his was broken the day I told him the truth and he developed something darker to go after."

"Naruto won't break." Sakura snipped. Halfway insulted at the idea. Naruto was as strong in his heart as anyone she knew. A slight pain in her chest found its way there as she thought of Naruto and Kakashi sensie going after the other akastuki. And Gaara. If the blonde Akastuki could take down the leader of Suna, what would he do to Naruto.. sure, he had the Kyuubi in him... But that's what these villains were trained to take down

"I'm not saying he will. But, if you put forth a life to chasing something you either succeed or you fail. Make sure your Naruto friend knows that what you dream may never come true."

Sakura smiled. "Thank you. But I am not worried about him." She could only hope so much. Naruto worried her.

Chiyo laughed. "You have that much hope in him?"

"He has more hope in him than I do. Doesn't that say something?" She halfway smiled.

Chiyo nodded. "It's time to go." She pointed out as the medic finished his healing on them as best he could.

"Are we still taking the body?" The medic motioned to Sasori.

"Yes." The trio left, trudging slowly through the dry desert forestry. She couldn't be happier to be away from that dank cave.

"Not to be rude, Chiyo, but he was stabbed in the heart. There's no way he could possibly heal himself." Sakura said, creeped out by the now lifeless puppet that hung from over the woman's shoulders.

Chiyo nodded and closed her eyes. "It seems that way, but you must realize that Sasori, my grandson, is a genius. This wasn't his real body and yet he managed to live and thrive inside it with only his heart." She sighed. "I can't imagine how he wouldn't be able to do it again."

"Don't you think.. He would need another heart though?"

"That's exactly what I fear."

Silence reigned the trio and an hour later they arrived at the city. "I am sorry but i have to leave you here." The medic said. "I just became informed of another serious injury I must help with."

The old woman nodded. "Be careful."

"Hai."

"Wait!" Sakura grabbed his shoulder. "Do you know who it is?"

The medic shook his head. "No." Sakura lowered her hand and released him. He quickly left out once again towards the desert.

"Worried for your friends, neh?" Chiyo asked Sakura, who was shuffling her feet slowly as they walked into the city.

"Extremely. Did you see what happened to Gaara?" Sakura sniffled.

"Now, what happened to all that hope you had just a few moments ago?"

Sakura looked once again at the redhead. "It hasn't left."

"Then why are you so worried? If you honestly believe in Naruto that much, then I believe he will be back with your friend yet."

Sakura looked at the woman who was giving her a cheeky smile. She couldn't help but give one in return. "You're right."

"But first, we all have to put

in our work to make the good overpower the bad. Right now, Naruto is doing his part. Now we have to do ours."

They arrived inside the almost ghost like city, provided a few guards who came to them to see why there was an akastuki cloak here riding on the back

of an old woman. Chiyo explained and the guards helped them to the hospital.

"Is everybody gone?" Sakura asked, shocked by how large the city liked when not filled with life.

"No, they are being hidden from any danger until the Kazekage comes back." Chiyo said. "If he does."

"That could be a long time.."

"We must protect our people. At this time, Suna is extremely vulnerable. You see, we may have fixed some problems with other regions, but not all. Which is why we must stay quiet about this situation at all costs and keep our people under completely protection." One of the guards explained.

"We could have someone turn their back on us as well." Chiyo said. "We can only trust the higher ups of Konoha at the moment. And I am so very thankful we have assistance."

"Me and my friends are more than happy to help our good friend Gaara." Sakura smiled.

The hospital was only a few yards away and Chiyo dismissed the guards. "We will be fine in here."

The guards left and Sakura followed Chiyo throughout the hospital. She could see the old woman struggling to keep the puppet of her grandson on her shoulder, but Sakura was almost sick to even think to ask to help. The man who almost killed her..

'I wonder how Naruto is.'

Naruto and Kakashi both ran to Konoha as fast as possible. Gaaras body in Kakashis arms and Naruto destroying anything in their path in order to get their fast." I don't get why we couldn't go to Suna?!"

"We have to assume that Suna is in no condition to help, even their Kage. The city just went through a battle with an S rank and one of the tails."

"Yah but what if we don't get there in time?" Naruto crumbled a boulder with powerful force and allowed Kakashi through. "What if he dies.." Naruto mumbled, his voice cracking with tears that felt need to break through.

"We can't think like that, now come on! With how we've been going, we could be with Tsunade in under an hour. She already expects us there."

It was a short battle, the blonde had both his arms ripped off and had no more moves. He escaped quickly and left Gaaras body abandoned in a a river. Naruto wanted nothing more than to kill the Akastuki member. He wanted to snap his neck and break his skull.

"Naruto! Watch out!" Naruto snapped out of his daydream and grabbed a branch in order to avoid tackling the fifth Hokage.

"Tsunade!" Naruto was shocked. After a moment to make sure it was her, he quickly burrowed himself in her clothing and began shaking. "Please help him.." his voice was muffled.

"Get off me so I can!" It was an order but not as rude as usual.

The fifth Hokage patted the blondes head and walked to a shocked Kakashi. "Calm down, kid." Tsunade told him. She looked at the white haired man's surprise and sighed. "I couldn't sit around and wait. How is he?"

"We don't know." Kakashi sighed, laying him on the ground. "Do you think you can save him?"

"I can't promise, but I will try everything in my power to do so."

And here we are, first chapter up.

This is going to be a LONG story. Chapters will be MUCH LONGER than this but, It is the beginning.

Please review, favorite. It helps me a lot.

And yes, I know a lot of these types of stories have been made but I am making it as different as possible.

Next chapter, we see what happens with Deidara and some of the others!