The room was pitch black except for a sliver of light that shone through the barely opened door. Two glowing red eyes peered through the darkness, looking at something that could not be seen. Hands seemed to be on the man in various places, touching him, pleasing him. He acted as if they were not there at all, just focused on the situation before him.

"She is to be captured and brought back to me. Alive. I don't care what you do, just get her and bring her here. Make sure nobody see's you. It is very important that you pay attention to your surroundings. Do I make myself clear?" A low, threatening voice rang throughout the room. Four figures stood at attention before him, attentive.

"Yes, sir." They replied in unison.

"Now go. Don't keep me waiting."

The men bowed respectfully and scurried out of the room. Their feet rang across the marble floor and a soft click was heard. The door shut away the last of the light and the man in the chair was fully engulfed in darkness. His eye's seemed to spin as he stared ahead. He could not wait for the girl to get here. She would be his and oh, how much fun they would have together. She would have fun.

He'd make sure of that.

Part Two

The sun was hot on her neck as she walked down the dirty trail of the forest. Her eyes scanned the different types of plants that lay along the side of the road. There was a certain bush, a certain type of leaf, that her eyes searched for. It was a special herb, one that was practically going extinct. Which is why she needed to find it; she needed to get it before the plant disappeared.

It had only been a few hours that she was out there, alone. Her medical team insisted they come with so she sent them in various directions, away from her. She knew which area it would be in, and she had to find it. You had to treat the plant in a specific manner because it was very fragile. If anyone was going to pick it, it had to be her. At least she would know what she did wrong if anything happened while picking it.

She stopped dead in her tracks. There it was, just ten feet away. Hesitantly and silently, as if it might scurry away, she walked towards her target. She stood before it and leaned down to get a better look. It was a pale red color, with long spiky leaves. Everything she knew about the little red plant streamed through her mind like a river in a valley. She knew what she had to do, how to pick it, how to handle it. Yet she hesitated.

The girl wasn't worried about killing it, no, that wasn't it. There was something behind her, more like someone. She sensed someone's chakra not too far behind her, watching her closely. The medical ninja pretended to be focusing on the herb, pretended to inspect it at different angles but really paid attention to the man behind her. She sensed three more men spread out around her, watching her, waiting.

She cursed herself for sending away her team, then scolded herself for doubting her skills. Her team was made up of medical ninjas, not fighters. If they were here they'd most likely die, she couldn't have that. The female medical ninja closed her eyes and took a deep breath, channeling her chakra into her gloved fists.

Two men were on opposite sides of her about ten feet in front of her, while two were about the same distance behind her. If she was lucky, the punch would hit the two in front of her, taking out two of her enemies. She looked at the plant, debating whether to lose it or not.

Your life or the plants life.

Taking a few steps forward, she raised her fist and brought it down hard, landing a shattering blow to the earth. A fissure erupted and the ground sped forward towards her intended target. Caught off guard, she heard two grunts as the earthquake hit the men. Immediately she turned around, trying to sense the chakra of the other two.

Her eyes scanned the trees, above and below. Nothing. She couldn't sense them, they were masking their chakra. She debated what to do next. She could make a run for it, but that would get her nowhere. Again, she cursed herself for going alone. This would be so much easier with another person.

The pink haired kunoichi realized that she was an easy target, standing in one spot. In an instant, the girl sprang forward into the trees. Hopping from one branch to another, the emerald orbs scanned the area for any signs of the men. If they were there, they were obscuring themselves good.

Panic started growing in her heart and the girl started to sweat. She had no idea who these men were nor what they wanted with her. All she knew was that they had been watching her, God knows for how long. About a good hundred feet away from her original spot, she stopped and caught her breath. She sensed a faint chakra near her but she couldn't mark the exact spot. She clenched her fist and prepared herself.

"Hello, Sakura.." A voice said coming from behind her. She gasped and spun around, meeting two blue eyes.

"Deidara." She hissed, glaring at the Akatsuki member. A sadistic smile spread across his face as he took in her form. The S-class criminal licked his lips as he examined her body with his eyes.

"You look...ravishing."

"What do you want!" Sakura spat out, sweat trickling down her back. To be caught by an Akatsuki member alone in the woods could only forebode the worst.

Deidara raised his hand and Sakura jerked back, but he wasn't aiming an attack. He was waving to someone in the distance, signaling them to come. In seconds another figure in a red clouded cloak appeared next to Deidara. This one had pure white eyes and blue, scaly skin, a large sword lay in his right hand.

Sakura inwardly cursed, knowing she didn't stand a chance between these two. She stood her ground, however, and tensed. The blue guy, known as Kisame Hoshigaki, extended his right arm, threatening the kunoichi with his sword. Sakura gulped; that sword would drain her chakra. The kunoichi felt herself at a dead end, but she knew better than to give up.

"What do you want?" She repeated calmly. The two criminals grinned in an evil manner, taking their time.

"My my, aren't we a little persistent?" Kisama asked, moving his arm slightly to the right at Sakura's shoulder. She kept her eyes level with his as he just barely grazed her shoulder with his sword. He smirked at her strength, she wouldn't last long, though.

Sakura clenched her fists and was ready to throw a punch at the fish but he shook his head. "Uh uh, I wouldn't do that. My sword will drain you in seconds before you even touch me."

"Tch.." Sakura ground her teeth together and thought drastically. What the hell am I going to do?

"Get away from her!" A voice screamed, coming up behind the Akatsuki members. They turned their heads and saw a boy with dark, spiky hair and a glare that was set to kill.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, relief flooding through her voice. She wouldn't have to fight them alone, Sasuke was here and now it was even.

"I said, get away from her." Sasuke snarled, his eyes shot daggers at the cloaked figures, fury burning hot in his tone.

"And what are you going to do, Uchiha?" Kisame asked.

While the guys were focused on Sasuke, Sakura brought her arm back and landed a shattering blow on Deidara's head, making him spin forward and land into a tree with a harsh thud. Sasuke kept his eye's trained on the fish, and his sword. It was still pointed at Sakura but not anywhere close enough to touch her.

Kisama hopped back onto a tree, away from the Kunoichi. He knew who the girl trained with and what she was capable of, he didn't want to be anywhere near her as long as she had her chakra. He'd have to change that.

Sasuke jumped over to where Sakura was, facing the criminal and keeping a close eye on him. "Are you alright? Did they do anything to you?"

Sakura looked at the fish, who was standing there holding his sword. She looked down at the blond who was just recovering from the impact. "I'm fine. Glad you're here, though."

"Sakura, I want you to run back to the village and find Naruto and Kakashi."

Sakura rolled her eyes and clenched her fists again,"No, Sasuke. I'm not leaving you here with two S-class criminals."

"Sakura, these guys are dangerous-"

"Yeah, that's why I'm not leaving you! Stop being overprotective-watch out!" Sakura shouted, pushing Sasuke out of the way to dodge a clay bomb made by Deidara. It hit Sakura in the arm and she fell off the branch, barely catching herself before hitting the ground. Sasuke charged at the blond, throwing punches and kicks anywhere there was an opening.

Sakura looked up towards Kisame, who was staring at her, smirking. That smirk pissed her off and anger boiled inside her. She sprang forward and up at Kisame, throwing a punch. Her fist collided with nothing but air as he jumped back. Expecting this, the pink haired kunoichi stepped forward and tried again, this time her fist collided with his face and he sprawled backwards. Recovering quickly, he sprang forward and swung his sword at the girl, slicing her upper arm and draining some of her chakra.

The kunoichi rested a hand on the wound, signaling chakra into her hand to seal the cut. Her eyes stayed on the sword user, contemplating her next attack. He raised the sword up and rested it on his shoulder, his teeth jutting out as he smiled.

"You're not going to win, kunoichi. If you just give in now I won't have to cut your limbs off."

Sakura snorted,"What do you want with me anyway? You never did tell me."

Kisame abruptly shot forward and slashed at the girl with his sword, but she dodged it just in time. Bringing her leg up, Sakura swung around and went to kick her enemy in the head, but he ducked and tripped her, making her fall off the tree. Sakura landed on her hands and did a back flip, immediately throwing a punch at the ground. The earth shook and another fissure erupted, slicing forward and knocking over the tree.

Kisame appeared behind the girl and slashed at her back, causing her to cry out in agony. She spun her arm around and landed an elbow in his face, a gurgling sound escaping his lips. She brought her left hand up, clenched it tightly and swung. The force of the hit sent the man flying backwards until he crashed into a tree. Out of breath and half way out of chakra, Sakura ran forward a couple steps and slammed her fist into the ground.

The ground split and reached her intended target, hitting him and sending him into the earth. Sakura looked over to where her boyfriend was, trying to breathe oxygen into her lungs. He looked tried already, he was using his sharingan which was obviously giving him an advantage. Deidara looked agitated, evidently not expecting a fight.

Sakura was about to rush over and help her boyfriend, when she heard a rustle behind her and then nothing. Her vision faded into black and the last thing she saw was a huge, seemingly silent, explosion that hit Sasuke directly.