CHAPTER 1: THE RETURN
"I am disappointed in you, Sakura,"
Sakura, dazed, snapped herself out of her half asleep state and pulled her brows together in confusion at the Fifth Hokage. Her tired green eyes bore holes onto Tsunade's unflinching back as she pondered over the woman's words. Confusion swam in the depths of her eyes as her mind finally registered what her mentor had said.
"What do you mean by that, Shishou?" she asked warily. Sakura tried her best to be polite despite her cranky mood for being woken up at such ungodly time in the morning. It was 1 AM now and she had just gotten back from an S-rank mission two hours ago. The mission was a complete success much to her delight but upon reaching home, she was already worn out and ready for bed.
She had only managed to rest her eyes for exactly an hour and a half when all of a sudden; an ANBU appeared in her room. Before she could blow a fuse at the ANBU for trespassing, he had already instructed for her to get ready as per Tsunade's order. He had told her that she had just been summoned by the Hokage and that she must be at the tower as soon as possible. She had wanted to argue that she was tired and exhausted from yesterday's mission and that she will give the report later in the morning but the ANBU paid her no heed and merely told her that Tsunade was anticipating her return.
Left with no choice, she got herself ready and headed straight to the tower with sleep in her eyes. All the way to the tower, her mind wondered what could have been so important that Tsunade herself insisted that she must be there in the tower at this time of the night. Sakura knew for a fact that the report for her S rank mission could wait until the next morning so she knew for sure that the report was not the reason for this impromptu meeting. The thought worried her. If it wasn't for the report, why would Tsunade want to see her immediately after she had returned to the village? She hoped that nothing bad had happened while she was away for the mission. She frowned. She had a bad feeling about this.
When she arrived at the building, she noticed that something was off. She noticed that everyone was whispering and staring at her as if she had just committed a heinous crime. It irritated her. She did nothing wrong to deserve such cold treatment. She wanted to go up to them and ask them what their problem was but she had more important task in hand. Instead of confronting them and satisfying her curiosity, she headed towards Tsunade's office with her head held up high. She was determined to get her answers now.
Opening the doors to the office, her instinct told her that something did happen because the calming atmosphere that usually resided in the Hokage's office was replaced with a tense atmosphere. The tension was so thick that she was sure a knife could slice through it. A nagging voice in the back of her mind told her to retreat but somehow her body refused to cooperate. Her body was frozen; unable to comprehend the situation she had unknowingly landed herself in. It was then she knew that something bad did happen and that thing had something to do with her.
She was brought back to reality by Tsunade's hard voice.
"You know what you did," she sneered much to Sakura's surprise. The amount of hostility in her voice sent shivers down her spine. She wondered what had angered Tsunade so much. She had never been the one on the receiving end of Tsunade's wrath before. Somehow her chest hurt knowing that she had unknowingly made the woman she looked up to, disappointed. Before she could question the reason for Tsunade's anger, the door to the office opened once more to reveal some of her friends.
Her eyes landed on the familiar faces of her best girl friends; Ino, Tenten and Karin before her eyes shifted to Naruto, Sai and Kiba who were just behind the girls by a handful of steps. Following close behind them were Lee, Shikamaru, Shino and Choji. She strained to look for the Hyugas before she remembered that the cousins were away for a relative's visit. They should be back in a few days and she could not be more than excited to welcome them back. Over the years, she had gotten closer to the Hyugas and she could not be any happier. She always enjoyed their company. Her eyes then sought out for Sasuke but much to her disappointment, he was not in her field of sight. Perhaps he took on a mission after she had left for hers?
Nevertheless, she was relieved to see some of friends in her moment of unease. She hoped they could give her a bit of an insight to what was happening right now. She knew she could always count on them when she was having a hard time.
She gave them a small smile, happy to see them again after being away for a week. However, her smile was wiped from her face when all she received were glares and sneers in return. She blinked her eyes in surprise. What the hell was happening right now? Her eyes then met with Shikamaru's in a questioning stare but the boy merely shook his head grimly before he mouthed the word 'later' to her- much to Sakura's confusion.
"I told you guys to wait outside!" Tsunade shouted, face red in anger. Sakura, intimidated by her anger, remained silent as she observed the interaction between Tsunade and her friends.
Ino stepped up with a scowl on her face. "We refuse to wait like idiots!"
Sakura's eyes widened, surprised by Ino's sudden outburst. It was the first time she saw Ino this angry.
"Seriously, what is happening right now?! Can someone please explain?" Sakura asked, exasperated. Why was she the only one in the dark here? What the hell happened?
"Stop with the innocent act, Sakura," Kiba spat, his lips twisted in a bitter scowl as his brown eyes sparked in vengeance. His livid expression made Sakura falter. She had never seen Kiba so angry before. He was always smiling and grinning but now, he looked like someone who had a grudge against the world. It was as if he had just been betrayed by someone he had trusted the most. Seeing him with that kind of expression scared her.
"W-what?" she stuttered in her words, her eyes frantically looking around in alarm as she noticed that almost everyone was glaring at her too, "What are you implying?! I'm not playing innocent! What did I do?!"
Her voice raised a note, giving away the frustration she was feeling inside. Now she was desperate to find out what she had supposedly done to make them so angry at her.
"You're such a bitch!" Ino screamed, angry tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Her hands were balled tightly into a fist as she glared at Sakura in full hatred. "You're a disgrace to the village!"
Sakura gasped, taken aback by the insult thrown at her. Despite that, Sakura still looked at Ino in concern upon seeing her glassy eyes but Ino paid her no heed.
"Admit it! You were the one who told the enemies where the scrolls were hidden, weren't you!?"
She gasped, her eyes widened in shock as she finally pieced everything together.
"Ino… I would never do such thing! You know more than anyone that I would never betray Konoha," She replied, hurt that she was accused of betraying her own village. Hearing her best friend addressed her as a bitch was like a slap to her face. Ino was the person that she had trusted her heart and soul with and yet she did this to her? She couldn't believe just how little faith Ino had in her. And not just that, she even accused her of betraying her own home, her own VILLAGE that she LOVED.
"Really? Because that contradicts to everything, Sakura-chan." A voice croaked out from her crowd of friends.
The hoarse voice caused her eyes to sting in tears. Immediately upon hearing his voice, her head snapped towards the blond boy whom she had grown up together with during her teenage years, her best friend who was like a brother to her.
"Naruto, please. Believe me. Konoha is my home, I would never do such thing." She pleaded heavily, her voice heavy in panic as her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Oh god, not Naruto. Why won't he believe her? Why won't ANYONE believe her? She thought that Naruto would always have her back. She thought that he was her friend. Why must this happen to her? Just when she thought that things might not be any worse than it already was after the death of her parents just a few months back. She lost her parents and now she was going to lose her home too?
Instead of receiving a reply from Naruto, another person voiced their thoughts out loud.
"I thought you were a good person, Sakura," Lee said, his voice sounding upset. Beside him, Tenten numbly nodded her head as she looked down on the floor.
"I thought so too," Tenten mumbled underneath her breath. Sakura would have missed it if the room wasn't as silent as it was now. Her heart broke even further. Tenten sounded so disappointed and it tore her heart to pieces. How she wished all of this was just a dream. Her tears dripped silently down her cheeks.
Her eyes then met with Sai's who had remained quiet throughout the whole ordeal. Meeting her eyes, Sai merely shook his head before he turned his head away. Sakura's lips trembled. The same went with Shino and Choji when their eyes met. This made her even more depressed.
"Pack your things, Sakura. By my order, you are banned from Konoha for the time being," Tsunade's words truly cut her. She couldn't believe that Tsunade of all people would turn her back against her. She was like a mother to her. She was the one who held her as she cried her heart away over the death of her dear parents. Tsunade was the only one who had loved her as much as her mother had once. How could she do this to her?
"You can't do this to me, Shishou!" Sakura whimpered, wiping her tears with the back of her hands. She looked pleadingly at Tsunade, wanting her to at least take pity on her. After all, she was barely an adult. And to be rogue at a ripe age of 18, there would be no future for her.
Tsunade looked away as if the thought of meeting her eyes repulsed her. Her heart ached but she refused to give up.
"Where would I go?" she continued, "I have no relatives to go to! I will die out there," She cried out in betrayal. She knew that as a ninja, she must never show her tears, her weakness to other people but she could care less at the moment. Her pride was nothing compared to her distraught feelings.
Tsunade's brown eyes gazed down at her a little longer that they should be and a part of her hoped that Tsunade would smile and told her that all of this was just a joke and that she wasn't kicked out of the village for an act of treason. But her hopes were in vain when Tsunade turned her head away from her with a sneer.
"Stop addressing me so informally. My students will never betray the village."
"But-"
"OUT! I want you gone in an hour. You're lucky we were close. I'll only give you five years of banishment when in fact; you should have been executed for your shameless acts. Until then, I don't ever want to see your face again."
Sakura pressed her lips together, sobs racking her entire body. By now her cheeks were wet from the tears that flowed heavily and her eyes were red from crying. But she didn't bother.
"GET. OUT."
Startled, she hurried to the door, her shoulders sagging but she refused to look back. She refused to shed more tears and cause more pain to her heart. She was already weak as she was. She didn't need any more reason for them to thrash her around. Her heart could only take so little at a time.
Closing the door to the office was like closing a chapter from her life.
And the last words for the chapter made tears swelled in her already red eyes.
"We should have just killed her."
::revenge::
Her body jerked up as she gasped for air. Sweat trickled down her forehead to her neck and to her back, dampening her loose grey shirt. She covered her forehead with trembling hands as she struggled to calm her erratic breathing.
She dreamed about them, again. Including today, it had already been three consecutive days since. What was wrong with her?
She cradled her head, an oncoming pain throbbed her entire head.
"Are you okay?"
She turned her head slightly, not the slightest bit surprise to see the older of the Uchiha brothers occupying the left side of her bed. He always sneaked inside her room at night, no matter how many times she locked the door. She had grown used to it already. She didn't even have the energy to scold him for slipping in her bed whilst she was asleep and just offered him a small smile to assure him that she was okay even though she felt the opposite. The last thing she needed was to have people fussing over her health when they already have so much in their plates.
"Lie back down with me," Itachi mumbled sleepily as he gently coaxed her back into bed. She complied soundlessly and snuggled back into the warmth of her comforter. Sleep did not come as easily as before and she was still wide awake, but she did not mind just lying on the bed with Itachi. His company always eased her worries.
Her eyes stared unblinkingly at the ceiling. All of a sudden, she felt nostalgic as she thought about Shikamaru. The two would always gaze at the clouds together and she had always enjoyed the company he provided. It had been a long time since she last saw him and strangely, she missed him even though they were not as close as she and Naruto once was. If anything, Shikamaru was like an acquaintance to her but then surprisingly, he was the only person who had truly believed in her when everyone did not. He had been more of her friend to her than anyone else was.
"What are you thinking about?" Itachi asked groggily as he pulled the woman closer to him. His voice was deep with sleep and Sakura found it oddly cute.
"Nothing much. I was just thinking about a friend," she said softly with a small smile. Unconsciously, her fingers traced his jawlines before they found themselves in his long charcoal locks. She ran her fingers gently in his hair much to the older Uchiha's delight.
"A friend?" Itachi questioned. He closed his eyes in pure bliss, liking the way her fingers played with his hair. He almost purred out loud at her gentle touch and just barely managed to contain himself.
Sakura nodded but then realised that Itachi couldn't see it with his eyes closed so she whispered out a soft 'yes'.
"Honestly, I still find it weird to be here with you guys even though it has already been five years since I was banned from home," Sakura said, her fingers ceasing their actions of running in Itachi's hair before her hands returned back to her front. Itachi grumbled in annoyance when she stopped caressing his hair, but nevertheless, he remained quiet as he allowed her to talk.
"Who would have thought I would stumble upon the Akatsuki? And joining them? Never in a million years would I think that would ever happen to me!" She exclaimed in wonder.
"This all feels surreal to me," she continued, quieter now, "If this was a dream, I never want to wake up from it,"
She ended before closing her eyes. Sure, she did think that her life had ended the moment she stepped outside of the village, her only home. And she admitted she had a rough time adapting and supporting herself with the little money she had. It was by chance that she stumbled upon the Akatsuki and she remembered how torturous their first encounter was. Somehow, they ended up keeping her and she ended up caring for them. And just like that, she earned herself the title of Akatsuki's youngest member. Who would have thought that their accidental encounter became the turning point of her life? After meeting the Akatsuki, she felt as if a part of her had revived. She started hoping again. She started loving and caring again. And she was scared that she would lose them, just like how she had lost the people she once trusted her life with. The Konohas.
Itachi opened his eyes when he heard silence at her end.
He watched the way Sakura's chest rose as she breathed in and out. He watched soundlessly the way her soft pink hair fell over her shoulders, surrounding her head like halo. She had never looked so beautiful than she did when she just woke up from sleep. She was so beautiful.
"This isn't a dream," he assured her, his hand cradling her face in adoration, "We are real and we are here for you. We will never leave you,"
Sakura opened her eyes and a smile graced her lips. His breath hitched as he gazed into her captivating green eyes and gorgeous smile. She took his breath away.
"Thank you," she smiled.
He hummed before pulling her even closer to him. He sighed in content, loving the way her body was pressed against his. He doesn't want to let her go, ever.
"I should probably get ready now," Sakura said, opening her eyes once more. She didn't find it in her to just waste time in bed doing nothing. She would rather do something productive, like cook breakfast for the rest.
Itachi grumbled under his breath and merely ignored her. Instead, he tightened his grip on her. Noticing this, she rolled her eyes.
"Itachi," she said in a reprimanding tone. Itachi lazily looked down at her, a cheeky smile on his face.
"What?"
Sakura huffed.
"Let me go already. I need to get ready,"
Itachi looked at her before smirking.
"No,"
Sakura groaned. She struggled against his grip but she could not budge. She was helpless in his hold.
"Why can't you just let me get ready in peace?" She asked in exasperation. She pouted, slightly upset that she couldn't get her way. Seeing this, Itachi chuckled. She was so cute.
"Because I can't take it if you stray away from me for too long and I'm sure that you feel the same way." he cockily said, winking.
Rolling her eyes at his arrogant declaration, she flicked his nose, startling the Uchiha.
"You're too much, Uchiha." she commented dryly but a small smile went up her lips. Itachi returned her smile with one of his own.
With a deep breath, she wriggled herself out of her bed and out of the holds of his arms. But much to her dismay, Itachi locked his arms back around her small waist in a firm grip before she could walk away. It wasn't a problem for her to escape from his hold; after all she was not his partner for nothing. But her body was weak from yesterday's event and she could not do a single thing about it.
"Where do you think you're going, love." He whispered seductively in her ears, causing a pink hue of blush to scatter across her rosy cheeks. His hands sneakily went under her shirt as they traced lazy circles on her hip. His face rested on the crook of her neck as he pulled her in between his legs. He pressed light kisses on her slender neck, causing Sakura to whimper.
He nibbled on her earlobe and she moaned softly.
"You're going to be the death of me." he groaned lowly, nuzzling his face deeper in her neck as he took in her faint smell of vanilla that he loved. His hands slowly inched further up her shirt as they ran up and down her bare back. She never wore a bra and pants to bed and that made it easier for him to ogle her. He always made it a point to stare at her when she was wearing just a loose shirt to bed. She was so goddamn beautiful.
Sakura watched him with drooping eyes, her lips parting from his aching touch. Her eyes fluttered close as she arched her back, unconsciously pressing her chest to his.
"I-Itachi."
His eyes darkened, loving the way she writhed under his touch and the way his name sounded as she breathed out in pleasure. He pressed a kiss behind her ears as his other hand fiddled with the hem of her shirt.
"Sakura, I-"
Before he could finish his words, the door to her room slammed open, revealing five men with an equally disgruntled look.
Startled, Sakura turned to look at them, successfully breaking away from Itachi's hold and their lustful moment from before. She was surprised to see the rest of the Akatsuki members flooding in her room.
"Hey guys." Sakura grinned, not even bothering to ask them the reason for their sudden intrusion. They never gave her a proper answer anyway.
Itachi scowled, hating the interruption when he was so close to let her drop her guard down and make her his. But he was not the only one who was upset.
"Fucking Uchiha." Hidan growled, his eyes burning with fury as he marched towards the Uchiha.
Startled, Sakura hurried to stop the silver haired man from going on a rampage before she held him back with much struggle.
"Uh I need help here?" Sakura exclaimed in sarcasm when none of the members came to her aid to stop Hidan from blowing up. The rest of the members merely shrugged their shoulders, each sporting a smirk of their own as they watched Hidan in amusement. Sakura gaped in disbelief. Seriously?! No one was going to give her a hand?!
Unable to stop him any longer, Hidan slipped away from her grasp before he roughly pulled Itachi by his collar. She watched Hidan's mouth moved as he quietly spoke to Itachi but she could not make out a word he said. By the angry frown on his face, he was not happy with Itachi. She wondered what Itachi had done to piss the man off so she turned to look at Itachi's face to maybe figure out out what he had done but as usual, he was inexpressive. She could not tell what was going on in his mind. Itachi said something back to Hidan which made his eyes bulged in anger.
The next thing she knew, Hidan threw Itachi over his shoulder before slamming the man on the cold floor. Hidan then continued to throw punches at the unsuspecting Uchiha before Itachi finally caught his punches midair and twisted Hidan's arm back. Itachi threw the man off of him and glared daggers at Hidan as he roughly wiped the blood at the corner of his mouth.
"What the hell is wrong with you two!" Sakura shouted, eyes wide in alarm as she hurriedly went to Itachi to examine the cut on his lips. To this, Itachi smirked mockingly at Hidan, making the silver haired man even more furious.
"Why are you going to that fucking Uchiha?!" Hidan roared in fury, pissed off. Sakura looked at him weirdly.
"Of course I'm going to him. He's hurt!"
"Fuck with that! Why do you always-"
Hidan was cut off from his words when Sakura suddenly wheezed. Her body hunched over as she began to cough uncontrollably. Her chest burnt as blood spewed out from her mouth. Alarmed, Itachi immediately held her in his arms and carried her to bed. Even then, she still coughed out blood and slowly, her grey shirt began to stain with her own blood.
"Bloody hell, what's wrong with the bitch?" Hidan asked, his voice shaky in concern. His question was left unanswered as everyone began to crowd her, wanting to know why she had suddenly thrown up her own blood.
Sakura coughed again but after a few moments, her coughs died down and her face was as pale as sheet. Sweat dripped down her forehead as her eyes sunk in tiredness.
"The p-pills," she croaked out to Itachi as she shakily touched his fingers. Itachi nodded tersely before he rummaged through her bedside drawer and pulled out a bottle of pills. He popped out two pills before pouring her a glass of water. He handed them to her soundlessly and she took them without a word. Everyone watched intently as she swallowed down the pills and gulped down the water.
After taking the pills, her skin slowly regained their colour and her body stopped trembling. Sakura sighed in relief and she could barely see the other's sagged in relief too out of the corner of her eyes. She smiled, knowing how much they cared for her. It warmed her heart.
Suddenly, she felt a touch of someone's hand along her wrist. She turned to look and smiled when she saw that it was Sasori who was tracing invisible patterns on her arm. Sakura hummed in content much to Sasori's delight. Unknown to the both of them, Itachi was glaring holes at the fingers tracing Sakura's arms. He wanted to be the only one who to bring comfort to her. Call him possessive but he doesn't give a damn. For all he knew, Sakura belonged to him.
It continued for a few more minutes and Sakura greatly embraced the silence in the room. Nobody uttered a word and it was at times like this when she felt so at ease with them. She felt so safe with them.
However, the silence did not last long.
"It must have been the effect of using that chakra yesterday." Kisame voiced out quietly, his eyes filled with concern towards the green eyed woman. She turned to look at him, her eyes taking in his tense form. Her gaze softened upon noting the look of worry in his eyes. She hummed in agreement, slowly nodding her head to his statement.
"Yes, it is. I'm having a withdrawal symptom you would say. I guess my chakra won't be in its fullest, today." she laughed sheepishly, trying her best to cheer everyone up. But none of them laughed along with her, making her laughed awkwardly to herself.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Deidara asked with a frown. Sakura gave him a smile in assurance and nodded her head briskly.
"Yeah. It's not life threatening or anything. My body just could not adapt to the chakra," She replied absentmindedly. She looked up at the clock and saw that it was already 7 AM. She was surprised that she woke up so late. She usually woke up at around dawn. Perhaps she exhausted herself from using up that chakra yesterday.
"Well if you say so," Deidara sighed. He then straightened up, his face serious, "Pain wanted to see you when you wake up,"
Sakura mouthed an 'O' before she made a move to get up from the bed. However, before she could, Itachi held her back. He gave her a small frown.
"You're sick. Stay in bed," he commanded lightly. Sakura rolled her eyes before she pushed his arms away.
"It's not that bad. Besides, leader wants to see me,"
Itachi's stare hardened and Sakura stared back, refusing to give in.
"I'll go on behalf of you," Itachi said, trying to convince the woman to stay in bed. Sakura shook her head lightly in disagreement.
"You may be my partner but you sure as hell don't have the right to do whatever you damn please! I'm going to see him, period,"
"Sakura," Itachi gritted, his patience running thin.
"Itachi," she mocked back, raising her brows at him in defiance.
Itachi narrowed his eyes, his lips slowly twisting into a scowl.
"You don't want to test me, Sakura," he warned, glaring daggers at her. Sakura glared back at him but after a few moments, she huffed in frustration before she threw her hands up.
"Fine! Whatever! Just do whatever you want. I don't care anymore." Sakura grumbled underneath her breath, sounding upset.
The scowl on Itachi's face disappeared and he smirked in satisfaction. "Good girl,"
Sakura rolled her eyes in reply.
"These lovebirds are killing me," Kisame suddenly groaned, scratching his head in annoyance. Sakura blushed at his teasing remarks while Itachi's smirk widened.
"I'm going first," Kisame added, "I came here because I was wondering where you were since you always make us breakfast. But since you're in no condition to make us one, I'm just going to whip something up real quick for these losers. Rest well, midget,"
Sakura gave him a grateful smile before calling out her thanks.
Kisame grinned largely before nodding at her in acknowledgement. He then walked away from the rest of them and head straight to the kitchen.
Deidara's eyes lightened up at the mention of food.
"Breakfast? Count me in!" He exclaimed before he too dashed towards the kitchen. Sasori silently trailed after him before giving a slight nod to Sakura. Sakura smiled in return, waving her hands slightly.
Hidan narrowed his eyes at Itachi before he too got up to leave, not before giving the woman one last lingering look. Kakuzu noticing this, rolled his eyes before he mumbled incoherent words under his breath.
Sakura looked at Itachi questioningly. At this, Itachi raised his eyebrows.
"What?"
Sakura frowned. "Aren't you supposed to go see Pain on my behalf?"
Itachi's eyes lightened up in realisation, "Hn,"
"Yeah, hn," Sakura mocked. Itachi rolled his eyes before he walked out of the room, earning a small laughter from the woman. Before he disappeared behind the door, he gave her one last look, to which he received a questioning stare from Sakura.
"You better stay in bed," Itachi warned. Sakura let out an annoyed groan before rolling her eyes.
"Okay, okay. Go on already," Seriously, why was he so bossy with her? Satisfied with her response, Itachi left the room and gently closed the door behind him.
Once alone, Sakura closed her eyes and just like that, she found herself in a dreamless sleep.
::revenge::
"What?" her heart dropped, "You want me to go back to Konoha?"
She looked at Pain in betrayal as her heart ached. She knew it. She knew all of this was too good to be true. She thought she had found home. She thought she had found a place where she belonged. She thought they were family but that was all in her imagination. Pain was abandoning her just like they did, five years ago.
Her face hardened before she turned to look at Itachi in accusation.
Was he in on this too? Did he want to throw her out of the Akatsuki too?
Seeing her betrayed expression and accusing eyes, Itachi's eyes hardened. He could not believe she doubted him. He thought that after all this years, she would have learnt to trust him. But he guessed her heart was too scarred from what had happened to her five years ago. It was an understatement that she was having trust issues with people around her. His eyes softened. Anyone in her position would have acted the same if they went through what she had. He opened his mouth to explain the truth but before he could, Pain let out an amused laugh, catching Sakura's attention back to him.
"Don't misunderstand my words, dear," he chuckled lowly, "What I meant was, I want you to complete a mission in Konoha,"
Sakura's mouth formed an 'O' before she looked down in embarrassment. She had jumped to conclusion, again. She was so ashamed of herself! She glanced at Itachi, red faced, and mouthed the word 'sorry' to him before she laughed sheepishly. Itachi rolled his eyes before smirking at her. He was so going to give her a hard time for doubting him.
"The mission you're about to take is to steal a forbidden jutsu scroll," Konan explained on behalf of Pain, "It's a jutsu that can prolong your life. Nagato intends to use them to extend his life. I'm sure you are well aware that Nagato's life doesn't last any longer than a month's time," Konan continued, her voice sounding quieter at the end as she looked at Pain sadly. Pain gave her a slight smile before turning his head back to meet Sakura's eyes.
"There's no one else more perfect to take this mission than you, Sakura. After all, you have every right to enter the village since your ban has been lifted. So you don't have to make a hassle to infiltrate the village. You can stay undercover," Pain smirked.
Sakura remained quiet as she took in his words. It was ironic, honestly. The mission required her to steal a scroll, which was something she had been accused of doing five years ago. Her heart throbbed in dull pain as she thought back to what had happened five years ago. Should she really take the mission and go back to Konoha?
Noting her silence, Pain's eyes softened.
"You don't have to do this if you're not ready," he said, giving her a knowing look. Konan nodded her head in agreement.
"It's okay if you turn it down. We can always have some else to do it instead," Konan smiled understandingly. Sakura remained quiet as she looked down, staring at her feet.
Was she ready to meet them, after all this time?
She then felt a hand enveloped hers and they gave her small ones a light squeeze. She turned to look beside her and saw Itachi giving her a reassuring smile. It was then she came to a decision.
Sakura shook her head before giving Pain and Konan a small smile.
"No, I'll do it. I'll take the mission."
::revenge::
"You don't really have to do this if you don't want to, you know." Sasori said quietly, his eyes downcast and his voice void of any emotions. Sakura turned to look at him, observing the way his body hunched over as he slowly dragged his legs with every step. Her heart fluttered when she noticed the look of concern on his face. It made her heart warmed to know that he cared for her.
"You're right." She agreed much to the red head's surprise, "I don't have to, but I want to."
It was true. She wanted to go back to Konoha. When she thought of it further, she realised that she never did have any closure. Konoha was once her home. It was once a place that held special meaning to her. But now, Konoha only reminded her of the betrayal and her worst memory. Truth be told, if given the choice, she never wanted to go back there. But she thought that some people there deserved at least a proper goodbye from her. It didn't set well with her that she left without a word. She wanted to say her last goodbye before she left for good. She had no intentions to go back there once she had completed the mission.
But was she ready to face them? That was a completely different story.
Honestly she was anxious to meet them again. She wasn't sure if she will be able to face them without breaking up in tears or if she will be able to hold back her anger at them. She was not ready to face them but she wanted to move on and properly cut ties with Konoha. She didn't care about anything else but that. She just wanted to be free from the likes of them. After all, she didn't need them. They betrayed her as easy as that. At least here in the Akatsuki, no one will betray her. She trusted them, well at least she thinks she trusted them but who cares anyway. She was content on spending the rest of her life with them. They were her family now.
"But thank you for your concern, Sasori." she said with a slight smile.
Sasori nodded curtly before he increased his speed to walk side by side next to Deidara.
For this mission, Pain had assigned two two-celled men as backups. The first team was Sasori and Deidara while the other was Kisame and Hidan. Sakura found it a bit too much that Pain had assigned four people as backups considering the fact that they were just going to steal a scroll. Much to her surprise though, none of them complained about it being unnecessary. Instead, all of them were looking forward to accompany her and Itachi for the mission. However, she personally thought that just she and Itachi were enough to handle the mission just fine without their help but she didn't really mind the company though! The more the merrier, she guessed. The same could not be said to Itachi. Itachi was annoyed of the fact that the four had to tag along with the two of them. They were nuisances. Just when he thought that he could have some alone time with Sakura, they just have to stick their nose in someone else's business!
"Nice ass." Hidan smirked, smacking Sakura's butt as he did so. Sakura gasped, startled.
"That is so rude!" Sakura gaped with reddened face, crossing her arms across her chest as she stopped in her tracks. Sakura glared at him but he merely smirked at her. She huffed in annoyance when he did not even have the decency to apologize to her. Talk about rude.
Hidan grinned.
"Aw is someone sulking?" he teased as he slung his arms over her shoulder. Sakura rolled her eyes and merely ignored him. She didn't even bother to comment the fact that his hold on her was making it difficult for her to walk. She was just too lazy to care anymore.
"Let her go, Hidan. You're making her uncomfortable."
Sakura raised her brow at Itachi's hard stare. What's with him? He always did this do her when they go on missions together. He was quite a flirt and he always made it a point to touch her be it just a caress or full on body hugging. Rather than a partner, he was more of a friend to her. Perhaps even more, but who knows?
"Can we just travel in peace?" Sakura asked, exasperated as she shrugged off Hidan's arm around her shoulder. Sakura huffed before she increased her pace to walk side by side with Kisame. She was getting tired of Itachi's and Hidan's bantering. They always fight! It irritated her.
Hidan frowned when Sakura walked away from him. He threw an accusing glare at Itachi and flipped him the bird. Itachi returned his glare back with one of his own before he shrugged, his lips twisting into a smirk.
Kisame turned his head when he felt her presence beside him. He gave her a questioning stare before Sakura tilted her head back at Itachi and Hidan as if that would explain everything. Kisame gave her a knowing look to which Sakura rolled her eyes at. He winked at her and Sakura laughed out loud.
Now this was the company she actually enjoys.
::revenge::
The wind picked up and they finally reached their destination after days of travelling. They had been travelling continuously for the past five days. They did not want to waste any more time than they already did when they stopped for rest and food. Pain's life was like a ticking time bomb and nobody knows until when he can hold on. Sakura was on edge for the entire journey because Pain's life depended on this mission. It all depends whether or not she could accomplish the mission in time. The faster she completes the mission, the higher the chance she has to save Pain. Failing was not an option.
Sakura had grown to love Pain like an older brother. She had no intentions to let him go, not when she was still alive and well all thanks to him. She will do anything to save Pain. Even as far as risking her life for his.
Sakura watched the village with unwavering gaze. They were on a cliff that oversees the whole village. She looked over Konoha with mild interest. Everything looked the same, nothing much had changed since the past five years. A melancholic smile adorned her face.
"We're finally here, huh. Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Sasori muttered lowly, his eyes gazing at the village with a hint of resentment. Sakura gave him a wary smile before she turned back to look back at the village she once called home. She's here. She's finally back. She was going to see them again.
She turned to look at the members and signalled for them to come closer to discuss the plans with them. After much debate, they finally came to an agreement. They decided that the other two teams will lay low until Sakura and Itachi successfully enter the village. After that, they will slip in and book a hotel for their stay at the outskirts of town so that they will not draw unnecessary attention. It was the perfect plan.
"Okay, head to your positions," She smiled at the rest of them before turning to look at Itachi.
"As for us, we'll go straight to the tower."
Author's note:
The story that I have longed wanted to publish is finally published! I hope to have quite nice comments from you guys. Please enjoy :)
Edited: 16/04/17