Disclaimer: Working on it, but I still don't own Naruto...

Warning: Sadistic thoughts? Restraints?

Sakura POV

A constant, annoying beeping. Bright light behind my closed eyes. Hushed whispering. The sharp scent of chemicals. I registered all of these things as I lay in a bed that felt very unfamiliar and different from my bed at the temple. Temple...attack! Eyes snapping open, I shot out of the bed, or rather, tried to. I was in a strange, white room filled with unfamiliar equipment. Straining, I realized my wrists were bound to the bed. What? Where was I? Hissing, I pulled at the restraints, but to no avail, not even when I channeled chakra into them. Where was my scythe? Why was I here? Someone cleared their throat, and my head snapped in their direction. It was a familiar looking man with grey hair...he'd been at the temple! He was one of the ones who destroyed it! Growling, I spat at the heathen. "Who are you? Where am I? Let me go! Give me my scythe!" I fought some more against the restraints, but there was no way I was getting out of them, so I flopped back onto the bed and glared murderously at the man, annoyed at being unable to release my rage.

"My name is Hatake Kakashi. You are in Konohagakure. Now I'm afraid we can't just 'let you go'. You might get your scythe if you cooperate. May I ask you how exactly you're alive? With the wounds you sustained, you should be dead. We found you in a temple of Jashin. It looked like there had been an attack." He talked in a weird, lazy drawl, and had a relaxed posture, that didn't full me for a second.

Konohagakure? Wasn't that a great shinobi village? How did I wind up so far away from home? And what did he mean; was he not the one who attacked the temple? So many questions zipped through my mind furiously, and I schooled my face into a somewhat calm expression as I forced myself to calm down. Pondering what he'd said, I remembered something the first attackers said; we were the ones that killed their family and friends. Which was true, and I had no qualms with that. To be honest, we were doing those heathens an honor, letting them get sacrificed to the great Jashin-sama like that. However, we rarely took our sacrifices from too far away. Not too close, and not condensed in one area, to avoid retaliation and suspicion, and the discovery of our temple, which was hidden. Certainly not, however, as far as Konoha.

If this man was telling the truth, and this was really Konoha, then maybe he didn't attack the temple. Eying the man warily, I realized I couldn't feel the pain from where I had been stabbed in the back. Flexing my back muscles, I still couldn't feel it, just the slightest hint of an ache. Could it be that it had healed already? How long had I been out? There was no doubt that my immortality played a factor in just how fast I had healed. Wow...I debated on whether or not to reply. I was in trouble. That much was for sure, but Jashin-sama would help me. For sure. I had faith in my dear Jashin-sama. Deciding to be honest, as I assumed he had been, I opened my mouth to reply.

"I'm a Jashinist. Jashin-sama granted me with the gift of immortality, in exchange for service." Still tense, I waited for his next question. Maybe they would actually let me go if I cooperated? I didn't know what to expect, how did they operate in a hidden village? I had but the barest understanding; at the temple, what we were taught generally encompassed Jashinism and combat, anything related to those. Politics, village protocol on people like me, were not included. I had no idea what to expect. I wondered if I was being a bit naive in the hope that my cooperation would lead to my release. My wrists were being rubbed raw by the restraints, but I never broke eye contact with the man. In the following silence, my breathing seemed to fill the room, and I made a conscious effort to quiet it. Finally, after exchanging many looks with the other people in the room- most of whom looked skeptical and ready to burst out laughing, Hatake-san, one of the only people who looked like he was taking my statement seriously, spoke.

"Oh? And what does this service include?" Smiling coyly now, I answered in a clear, almost sing-song voice.

"Death."

Kakashi POV

As the young, pink-haired girl answered, I raised my visible eyebrow, keeping my face loose and uncaring. My head, however, was trying to recall all scraps of information I could remember about Jashinism, which wasn't a lot, considering how rare it was. A feared cult, that delighted in destruction and torment. It's members sacrificed both innocent and tainted people alike to their evil 'God' Jashin. I didn't believe in God. But this girl obviously did. Thinking about someone so young being raised in such a cult, I had to fight back a frown. And apparently, it was so deeply ingrained in her, that she freely admit her lifestyle was based around murder. Sure, this was average for a shinobi, but Jashinism was something else entirely...

xXx

Thinking quickly, I wondered if the girl was too lost in what she had grown up in, or could she be saved? She was still young, perhaps she could start afresh? The thought of such a young life being left in darkness saddened me, as I remembered my former teammates, who had had their lives cut short. Far too short. Maybe I could talk to the hokage, see if she could somehow become ingrained into our village...? I was full of many regrets, and wondered if I wasn't simply trying to use this girl as a way to compensate for my own failures. Obito, Rin, even Itachi, who I trained in Anbu before he snapped..Realizing I couldn't let the silence drag out too long, I gave her a lazy stare. "Maa, death. That's rather dark for someone so young, no?" She startled me with a short laugh.

"Really? And how old were you when you first killed someone?" She had a point.

Deciding to try a more personal approach, I asked, "And what's your name?"

"Sakura."

"Sakura...?"

"Just Sakura." So she didn't belong to a clan. Or, if she did, she wouldn't even know, being raised by Jashinists all her life. As I pondered what to do, I thanked the girl for her time and flickered away, knowing that the Anbu Tori was still there to watch her. I would need to talk to the hokage about this girl.

xXx

"Come in, Kakashi." The wizened voice was still strong, and I entered the room with my hands buried in my pockets. He smiled warmly at me, and I returned it, my visible eye crinkling upwards in response. "Hokage-sama. I need to talk to you about the girl we discovered in the Jashinist temple." He raised his eyebrows at me as if to say 'continue'. "Her name is Sakura. She is a Jashinist, and claims to be immortal, in exchange for serving her god Jashin via killing. I believe she was raised in this cult, however, she is only around ten years of age..." My mask broke slightly at the end, and I knew the hokage could sense what I desired.

"So you want me to take her as a child of Konoha and hope she changes?" After my short nod, he continued. "Kakashi, this won't be easy. Especially if she comes from such a bloodthirsty place. Do you realize what you're asking? I will have to make certain special...arrangements with her. However...I will see what I can do. Try my best to give her a taste of normality."

Breathing out slowly in relief at that, I nodded. In all honesty, I was surprised at how quickly he had accepted the idea. "Thank you, Hokage-sama." He smiled in reply.

Sakura POV

The man, Hatake-san, had been gone for awhile now. During that time, a nurse had come in to bring food, and even fed me because of my restraints. I'd been suspicious at first, but after she had taken a couple of bites herself, I relaxed. Besides, not like it would kill me anyway, if it was poisoned. What a new, exciting concept. Immortality. Filled with so many possibilities, so many things I could achieve, and so much service I could give to my beloved Jashin-sama. I knew that my thoughts bordered on arrogance with the knowledge that I couldn't die, but was it not justified? I had been chosen.

I knew I wasn't alone, however; though he had concealed his chakra, there was another man watching me. He wore an odd white mask that resembled a bird, and he'd been present when Hatake-san had first been there. Sighing, I flexed my arms. I was itching to get out of here, to stretch my muscles, to sacrifice people, to fight. Clicking my tongue, I looked up as the door to the room opened. In walked Hatake-san, followed by an old man in robes. He seemed deceptively harmless, but there was a certain air about him, a suppressed power to the man. Schooling my face into a blank expression, I watched them. Especially the old man. Something about him screamed power.

Hatake-san still had that relaxed manner about him. "Sakura." He greeted.

"Hatake-san." I returned. What was going to happen?

"I'd like you to meet our hokage. Hokage-sama, this is Sakura-san." Unsure of what I was supposed to do, I nodded to the man. Hokage, huh? That explained the vibe I'd gotten from him. Play it nice. Cooperate. Then you might be able to get out.

"Well, Sakura. Your temple was destroyed. You have nowhere to go. So, I have a proposition for you; join our village. Become a kunoichi of Konohagakure. You would start off at the academy, and then graduate with other students your age." Whatever I had been expecting, this was so not it. Eyes widening, I looked at him in disbelief. Was he serious? He wanted me to join his village? All attempts at greasing flew out the window as I laughed.

"That's impossible. I wouldn't be able to properly serve Jashin-sama if I was busy playing nice here."

"Which is why, while you are attending the academy, I would be willing to offer you...let's call it a job, at the Torture and Interrogation center. You would assist in torture, and, if necessary, execution. You would receive money for this, from which you would be able to pay for rent, at an apartment, for food, and other necessities. Of course, you would have this job under the condition that you abide by Konoha's laws. So no killing any citizens of Konoha. Additionally, you would be allowed to tell no one of this job until you graduate from the academy, in which case you would be able to tell your team and sensei. The job would stand as long as you wish, though, once you graduate, your kunoichi duties would become priority." Blinking at all of this information, my mind whirled. That actually...wasn't bad. He was right; I didn't have a place I could go to, unless I wanted to find one of the other few temples, but maybe I could grow stronger here in this village, and then, when I was strong enough, leave. And they were even offering me such a job...why? Searching for any hidden motives, I could find none. That didn't, however, mean they weren't there.

"So you'd be willing to trust me, a Jashinist, simply run free in your village?" Yeah, right. Surely they'd be more likely braid my hair and hold hands, singing songs with me about love.

"No. You would be watched until deemed safe to be on your own."

"And...if I refuse?"

"You will be held in custody until further notice, after which it is unsure as to what would happen to you." Gee, that was reassuring. But another thought struck me.

"And what about my scythe?" Luckily, my pendant was still around my neck, which was the most important thing, but my scythe was my second most important thing! I needed it!

"It will be returned to you if, and only if you choose to comply with our conditions and join Konoha." Closing my green eyes, I sent a silent prayer to Jashin-sama. What should I do? A whisper of darkness touched my mind, a sort sense of confirmation, and my eyes opened in excitement. Jashin-sama was speaking to me! Me! Knowing now that I needed to stay, I met the hokage's eyes squarely.

"I accept."

xXx

With that established, the hokage smiled at me. They took off my restraints, and he motioned to Hatake-san. "He will take you to your apartment, and help you...settle in." Then, we split off, the hokage heading somewhere else. Before we exited the hospital (at least, that's what I thought it was, but I'd never been in one before), he popped into another room, then came out with my scythe. Sighing in relief as he handed it to me, I fixed it onto my back, smiling at the familiar weight.

As we walked through the village, I couldn't help but stare around wide-eyed. There were so many people! I'd never been in such a big, busy place before, although, on occasion, I had ventured into some of the smaller villages around the temple with some of the monks. They were nothing in comparison to this though. Chuckling at me, Hatake-san motioned for me to follow him. We were walking through...a market? He would stop occasionally and barter with some shop owner, then grab some of the food. It was practiced and lazy in his manner, like he'd done it his whole life. As I walked behind him, it occurred to me that people were barely sparing second glances at my scythe. Wow, it truly was a shinobi village. Finally, he stopped outside of an apartment building. Leading me up the stairs, he took a key out of his back pocket and opened the door, then gestured for me to enter. Cautiously, I looked around the place. It was small, but I didn't need any bigger. Besides, it was nice enough. A lot better than what I had been expecting anyway.

"Well, here's some food to get you started off. I'll let you settle in for a bit, then stop by in an hour. Later." He handed me the bags and flickered away. Shrugging, I explored the place, and placed the food on the kitchen bench, and put it all away. Finding the bathroom, I immediately ran the bath, then stripped and washed the dirt and grime off of myself. As I eased myself into the boiling bath, I groaned in relief. It felt good to be clean again, and the hot water did wonders. Besides, there was something about being in the bath that let my mind wander over what had transpired recently. Though I'd never admit it, this change was daunting. I missed the temple, and it was only the knowledge that everyone there hap been united with Jashin-sama that kept me calm and from letting the emotions get the better of me. Taking a deep breath, I shoved the emotions down. Calm.

When I had finished soaking, I reluctantly got out. I'd very rarely had baths before, rather, cold quick opportunities to clean myself. Unfortunately, I would have to get dressed back into my dirty clothes, but I could buy some more later. Before I did, however, I looked in the mirror. Twisting so I could see my back, I marveled at the fact that there was only a scar left from where I had been stabbed. It was puckered and still new, but the fact that it had already healed...getting dressed, I toweled my hair, and fixed it into a side ponytail. Wandering my bare house, I realized that I would have to do a lot of shopping, but in order to go shopping, I needed to pay a visit to the T&I...smirking, I settled on the floor, folding my legs into the lotus position, meditating as I waited for Hatake-san to arrive. It helped me calm myself further, and made me feel closer to Jashin-sama.

xXx

As I was waiting, I heard a knock on my door. It couldn't have been an hour already, why had he come early? Grabbing my scythe, I opened the door cautiously. There was...blond and orange. Huh? Staring at a boy who looked around my age, I blinked. "May I help you?"

"Yeah! The name's Uzumaki Naruto! I'm your neighbor, and I just wanted to say hi! Wanna get some ramen tonight? My treat, as a welcoming gift!" Unsure of what to say when bombarded with this ball of energy, I thought for a moment. I needed to stock everything for the apartment, I needed to go to my job, but surely it would be good to get allies? Anyway, the boy kind of reminded me of Jun, a boy from back at the temple.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you Naruto. Uh, yes, ramen sounds nice. I've...never had it before." That was the truth. We didn't eat that at the temple. His face positively lit up, like he hadn't been expecting me to accept at all, and I raised an eyebrow. Then, his expression changed to one of disbelief.

"Never had ramen? How? Well, that'll change, I'll take you to the best ramen stand in the world! I'll stop by later, Sakura-chan! Believe it!" With a wave, he ran off, and I blinked after him in confusion. Well, that was...interesting. And he was already using 'chan'. Few people had called me Sakura-chan, and Jun was one of them. How similar this blond-haired boy was in personality...fingering my pendant, a small smile slipped onto my face, as a memory of Jun flashed through my head.

"Sakura-chan! Asuka is doing his initiation ritual today, right? What do you want to do? For once, we get a break!" Eying the boy, I smiled fondly at him. His wild brown hair flopped into his eyes, and his tan skin was stretched into an eager grin. He'd been with me my whole life, and though I loved my religion, my temple, I couldn't imagine what it would be like without this sunspot in my life.

"I was going to do some training...my taijutsu needs work." He rolled his eyes and grabbed my hand. I let him; he was the only person in the world that I would let treat me so familiarly.

"You train so much and so hard though, even on our rare breaks. Let's have some fun! Besides, you're already better than everyone else at taijutsu. Live a little!" He was exaggerating about the taijutsu of course, although I could beat most older kids, there were times when I slipped up. I needed to be strong, in order to serve Jashin-sama. I had to be strong. It also wasn't hard to discern the boy's poor attempt at flattery as an attempt to get me to yield. Shocked at my weak resolve against Jun, I found myself almost giving into him. Just one day off couldn't be bad, right? Apparently seeing my hesitation, Jun kept pushing. "Besides, taking a break is good for you! And the monks have given us the day off on rituals for a reason, right?" Glancing at him again, my resolve totally crumbled. This boy would be the death of me.

xXx

Hatake-san finally showed up. An hour late. Eying my clothes, he patted my head. "Let's go do a bit of shopping."

"I have no money." Maybe he was going to take me to the job first, and then take me shopping? Instead, he chuckled, and pulled out a small orange book, and began to read.

"Maa, I'll treat you, just for today. But you might want to leave your scythe behind. It will probably be easier, Sakura-chan." The second person that had added 'chan' to my name today. This was rare. Ignoring his advice, I brought my scythe along anyway. No way was I walking around an unfamiliar place without it.

xXx

We finally got home, both of us carrying a bunch of bags, and I dumped them in my bedroom. Thanking him, I gave him a small bow, and he surprised me by chuckling and patting my head again. He seemed to like doing that. Reluctantly, I found myself almost enjoying the gesture. Almost. "Well, I can take you to a restaurant if you'd like for dinner, unless you can make something by yourself?"

Shaking my head, I replied, "No, someone else is taking me to dinner tonight, so that won't be necessary, Hatake-san. Thanks, though." He frowned.

"Sakura-chan, I told you, stop calling me that, I feel old. And, who is taking you out?" I shrugged lightly.

"A neighbor."

"Ok. Well then, I'll be off for tonight, but I'll stop by tomorrow morning to take you to your job. See ya." With a poof, he disappeared, and I took the time to change into something cleaner, then set about putting everything away. I hadn't finished, when a knock came on my door. Opening it, I smiled ever so slightly.

"Ah, Uzumaki-san, are we going out now?" He pulled a face.

"Call me Naruto! And yup, I'll show you the wonders of ramen. Believe it!" He grinned, and I smiled a bit more. Even though I was going to leave this village one day, it was always nice to have an ally. I didn't want to call him a friend just yet, but maybe, with time...besides, Jashinism was about killing. But there were no rules that said you couldn't have friends while you were at it. Friends...

And...done! Sorry guys, I meant to update sooner . In case any of you don't know, 'chan', in the Japanese language, is a suffix you add onto the end of someone's name to signify friendship. It is usually only used for girls and young boys. San, is used for older people, and to be more polite. But a huge thanks to my reviews, faves and follows, you guys all made my day! Especially the reviewers, they gave me a goofy smile ^^ Hope you all enjoyed it, remember to leave any suggestions, and I'll see if I can add them in! See ya'll soon (Sooner than this update took, at least XD)

Edited 4/2/17