Hm… yes, I'll give the last chapter seemed kind of boring, but this chapter has fighting in it, so this is where the 'action' comes in. So, thank-you for your patience and diligence in reading this, and I hope you are satisfied with this chapter!

The Importance of a Second
-Part 2; Missing nin -

It was a gorgeous day outside. The sun was bright; casting its rays through the trees to light their path has the ninjas jumped from branch to branch. It made Sakura peaceful, happy almost, though she didn't dare close her eyes to bask in the beauty. In fact, though she could see the sun's rays through the trees, she couldn't see much else. Sasuke wasn't known for his patience and he was going from branch to branch as though there was no tomorrow. Still, Sakura smiled proudly, she was able to keep up with him – albeit with some trouble – but she still was able to stay to some degree behind him. Though, at times she wondered it Sasuke was going as fast as he could.

From her position behind him, she took this time to study this older Sasuke. He didn't seem to change too much, especially in personality, if only colder. In some way, Sakura was a bit disappointed, but what else was she expecting? Sighing, she momentarily glanced down to maybe catch a glimpse of the scenery, but instead she caught sight of something else.

"Sasuke-kun," She said, only loud enough for him to hear her comfortably. He didn't even slow down to be beside her, but kept his pace. "Sasuke-kun," She repeated, "I think we're being followed."

"I know." Sasuke replied. "He's been following us for a while now. Keep your guard up for an attack."

"Why don't we just attack him?" Sakura asked, uncertain. She didn't see it, but she felt Sasuke's annoyed frown at having to explain his reasoning.

"He's a skilled ninja, that's probably why you didn't detect him. He's confident in his abilities and underestimates us. He mostly thinks we don't sense him and therefore thinks he has the element of surprise."

"But we do." Sakura finished, understanding. It was a different approach but she nodded her agreement.

Just as though the ninja had heard them, Sakura sensed movement below and saw the ninja shoot straight up in the air, kunai in hand coming straight towards Sasuke.

"Are you going on a mission, Sakura?" Mrs. Haruno watched her daughter carefully as she gathered her weapons and medicine on her bed. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes and the question, she nodded her answer to her mother.

"Can I ask when you'll return?" Her mother asked, her hand suddenly gripping the side of the door. Sakura cringed, pausing in her packing. Guilt washed over her when she heard the shakiness in her mother's voice. Just last year, Mr. Haruno was killed in battle on a mission and Mrs. Haruno was still nervous about Sakura going on any mission, not that Sakura blamed her. So, with great patience, Sakura turned with bag on shoulder and placed a hand on her mother's shoulder.

"I don't know when I'll come back, but I promise I will come back in one piece." Mrs. Haruno took her daughter's promise and nodded reluctantly, watching Sakura as she raced out the door to meet her teammates.

When Sakura turned the corner of her block, her running stopped and she slowed to a thoughtful walk. Her green eyes were filled with guilt. Honestly, she didn't know if she would come back. Retrieving Sasuke would be a difficult battle, especially if he had some of Orochimaru's men, not to mention the risk of running into Itachi! Sakura's gaze fell on the cherry blossom tree across the street and a sad smile graced her face. She wished she could spend more time enjoying the tree, for it may be her last time…

No, Sakura shook her head. Too many morbid thoughts! Her hand formed a fist and she looked at it carefully. Gone was the smooth, delicate skin she once had. They were now worn and hard from all her training and punching trees with her fists. She was no longer weak and she would come back!

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried out her warning. Her hand immediately went for her pouch and pulled out a kunai. With all her strength and accuracy, she threw the kunai at the unknown ninja. Unprepared, the ninja was only able to dodge enough so that his arm was nicked, successfully knocking the ninja off his course. However, Sakura noted with awe, that the distraction was hardly necessary, Sasuke had long since disappeared from his spot.

Sakura's head whipped around, trying to see, or even sense Sasuke, but he was nowhere to be found! Her attention immediately focused on the ninja in front of her. She had certainly succeeded in getting his attention. Another kunai in hand, she prepared herself for the attack.

He disappeared! Sakura cursed the ninja. He was fast! She didn't see him move! On pure instinct did she jump, throwing a kunai at the branch below her, where she had stood just one second ago. Had the ninja not been ready, it surely would have connected. Her eyes narrowed. Typical ninja to attack from behind but still, the question entered her thought process: where was Sasuke?

Noting her distraction, the ninja leapt up at Sakura with blinding speed, throwing multiple shuriken in her direction. She couldn't dodge it!

CLANG!

Sakura watched in awe as each Shuriken were met with a kunai to knock them off their course. The ninja, also on his way to Sakura, was hit by Sasuke's fist. Sakura's eyes widened. Sasuke disappeared again, only to reappear behind the ninja to deliver a crushing blow to his neck with his elbow. She watched as the ninja pummeled to the ground, head first.

Sakura winced, tearing her gaze away from the ninja. He wouldn't be moving again judging by the awkward angle of his head. Her gaze moved to Sasuke, her green eyes filled with awe. So that was just some of what he had learned from Orochimaru. Such speed! Such accuracy!

Sasuke picked up some kunais embedded in the tree and once again began to move towards their goal as though nothing had happened, but Sakura wanted answers.

"Who was that?" She questioned, following behind Sasuke.

"A ninja."

"I can see that, but why was he attacking you?"

Sasuke only glanced back as though she was asking the stupidest question on the world, "I'm a missing nin, Sakura, I have more enemies than you can imagine."

One, two, three, four ninja jumped from branch to branch, one following the other. The first ninja with clear eyes set to detect any motion that was out of place. The second ninja acted strangely similar to the dog in his coat while the ninja turned his head sniffing the air. The third ninja was right behind the dog boy's heels, slightly annoyed at being so far back in the line, and anxious to begin the action. His features were set and concentrating, but an excited smile lit up his whiskered face. Finally, last, as usual, was the pink-haired medic nin. She sighed, a bored look on her face. Last as usual. She resisted the need to stick out her tongue at the backside of each of the ninjas in front of her. Of course, it's not that she expected to be anywhere else, her job was more for clean up rather than the immediate battle, but it didn't stop her form feeling disappointed.

Sakura again, resisted rolling her eyes thinking of how monotonous this would be if Naruto wasn't there, getting close enough to Kiba's heels to trip him. Kiba, sensing this, would often turn his head back to growl or glare at the excited boy, warning him to back off. Sakura giggled under her breath as she watch Naruto, again, cause Kiba to stumble, this time he stopped abruptly and Sakura had to jump onto a higher branch to keep from bumping into Naruto who on the other hand had completely slammed into Kiba.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled, his whiskered face getting dangerously close to Kiba's. "Don't stop so suddenly!"

"And don't try at trip me, idiot!" Kiba retorted, equally annoyed.

"Eh? I wasn't!" Naruto looked confused for a moment and Sakura sighed, putting her head in her hands. Naruto was probably so excited he didn't even notice. Kiba also realized this and was about to hit him, when he stopped, fist still held up in the air. His nose wiggled, a sign that something was in the air. Everyone paused, awaiting the news.

"Blood," Kiba said, lowering his fist. His face was serious as he looked over at Neji. "I think it's a little ahead."

The four ninja nodded to each other. It was an unstated caution. Be alert, it might be a trap. They proceeded in the previous order, this time with Naruto being careful where he stepped. It wasn't long until the four came across a broken and bloodied body on the ground. They all paused for a moment, checking the area – Neji with his Byakugan, Kiba sniffing the area while Sakura and Naruto tried to sense nearby chakra.

Finally, Neji nodded and Sakura went over to the body. She couldn't help but wince at the sight. Sure, she was getting used to blood, but she was still knew, and at first glance one could tell he was gone. There was blood surrounding his whole body from various cuts and wounds on his body, but what was more painful to look at was the odd angle his neck and arm laid. Still, she kneeled beside him and pressed a finger to his bloodied neck. She shook her head and stood up, her green eyes staring up at the trees. "It looks like he was in a fight and fell, hitting his head off of that rock," She pointed to a bloody rock a few feet away, "Then came to a stop here." She walked over to the rest of her team in silence.

"Shall I guess who it was?" Kiba started, his voice unsure of if he should continue.

"We're after Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, her voice strong. "There are also burn wounds, and Sasuke-kun used a fire attack." She shrugged, her eyes averted but accepting.

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the group and Neji felt the need to speak, "We knew this was a possibility, so I need to know if you two can handle it."

Sakura and Naruto nodded. Kiba shifted his feet, "Well, then, can we get going, the smell is kind of strong." Neji nodded and jumped up on branch, then another and another, followed by Kiba. Before going off, Naruto gave Sakura a reassuring smile and his unspoken sign of his promise long ago. Sakura nodded, her fists clenched at her side. Yes, Sasuke-kun may have changed, but so had they and they were going to get him bad!

It was pitch black outside of the mouth of the cave. Sakura could hear the night animals making their move while the early risers snored softly in their natural beds. A smile crept onto Sakura's face, grateful she had been taught how to listen carefully o her surroundings. She paused her concentration to examine the area around her. Of course, there wasn't much to see besides what little gravel was lit up inside the small cave. Sasuke was sitting across from her, beside the cave entrance, silent and unmoving as a dead man, but Sakura knew better. His sharp black eyes scanned every dark area around the outside of the cave and he listened carefully – probably even more carefully than she – for any disturbance in the night life.

Sakura huddled closer to the small fire, wrapping her arms around her legs. She was chilly, but how much colder would she be if they had stopped where she originally wanted? It had a gorgeous view of the sky, but it was in the open chilly air, and it was much harder to guard. Sasuke had simply ignored her suggestion to stop there and continue on. She was annoyed at first of course, but mostly because he was ignoring her again.

"This is much warmer place." She commented, and immediately gave herself a mental slap. Well, that was one of your smarter comments. Sakura sighed, another wave of silence passed over the two. Sakura wrinkled her nose, a habit she had adopted when annoyed. He hadn't changed that much, he was still as silent and brooding as ever. However, SHE had changed, and she wouldn't try to force him into a conversation. She'd show him that she had matured in the last five years - but how much longer could she take the silence?

That's why she was surprised when the next words spoken were not from her own lips. "Are you going to tell me where it is that we're headed?"

Sakura shook her head, knowing he could sense it, even if he wasn't looking at her. "You'll run off and leave me behind." Silence greeted her answer and she knew she was correct. "All I'll tell you is that we're heading north. We'll just keep going until we get to the place." - Because I really don't where we're headed either. Not that he needed to know that of course. Silence again, and Sakura wondered how much longer she could take it.

Darkness surrounded the area, almost waiting to swallow the small team up. The only source of light came from the small fire built in the center of their little circle. Sakura shivered for a moment before folding her arms across her chest and lightly stomping her feet to keep herself warm. Unconsciously, she was moving closer and closer to the fire, craving warmth.

"Sakura," Naruto sat beside her, scolding her, "You should've brought a jacket."

"Obviously." She spat, annoyed at being told the obvious. Naruto sighed and stood up for a moment. Sakura ignored him, still staring off at the fire, hoping to share its warmth. A few seconds later, she felt something warm drape over her shoulders. She turned to watch Naruto sit down again, her eyes wide.

"I'm used to the cold." He explained, "from my training when I went away from Konoha." There was a moment of silence. A smile rested on Sakura's face as she stared off into the fire, her mind wandering. She and Naruto and certainly gotten closer and she was glad he was with her for this mission.

The silence was broken by Naruto's unsure voice. "How are you holding up?" Sakura turned to look at Naruto, surprised by his sudden change in tone. His face was set into a thin line, something Sakura wasn't used to. Naruto's blue eyes never looked at her, only into the enchanting dance of the flames - his thoughts revolving around his old teammates. Sakura followed his gaze, her voice also unsure.

"I'm alright." She said softly. "I'm a little nervous and excited at the same time." She explained.

"Well," a voice broke in. Sakura's green eyes followed the movements of the dog boy beside her. Kiba sat down on a long to her left. He lifted up his faithful dog to his face, as though he was going to talk to it. The dog promptly flicked his pink dog out to lick Kiba's nose and he continued, "It's been five years hasn't it? It's a natural reaction. So," He put his dog down carefully onto the floor and turned to the fourth and silent member of their party. "What's the plan?"

Neji was sitting across from Sakura on the other side of the fire and it was tempting to get lost in the reflection of the fire in his white eyes. Neji's eyes traveled to each person for a moment before speaking, "I believe we should split up and search."

"What?" Naruto stood up, obviously unhappy with this decision. His fist was clenched as he raised it, a sure sign of protest. "What if someone meets him alone? We should fight together! Besides, Sakura-chan and I should stay together!"

"Naruto…" Sakura pulled on his orange coat jacket pulling him down to sit beside her once again. He calmed down a little with her hand still on his jacket, but his hands were still clenched into fists, unhappy at being told what to do when they were so close to seeing his previous teammate.

"If you would let me finish…" Neji continued, annoyed at being interrupted and even more annoyed that he was being questioned. Sakura caught his angry glare in Naruto's direction and once again pulled Naruto's shirt to warn him to keep peace with the other members. "Once he his found we will call the other members with this," He pulled out a small wire earphone. "Now, Naruto, I want you to head to the sand village. Kiba, you head back the way we came to make sure we didn't miss anything or to make sure Sasuke didn't back track. I will go towards the last sound sighting. Sakura will head north to the Rock country to meet with the scouting division. We'll meet back here before sunset. Understood?"

Screw it. Sakura's nose wrinkled again. It had to have been at least a half hour without any word from either of them and Sakura was craving human contact. So, she asked a question that had been on her mind. "Are you still with Orochimaru?" Indeed, she had been wondering for quite sometime. She was also wondering why someone wasn't with Sasuke to help him out.

Sasuke didn't seem too surprised when he answered, "No."

"Wh-"

"I don't need him anymore and I will not bow to his every whim."

Sakura felt a fire of hope burn inside her. There was hope! So Sasuke-kun had willingly left Orochimaru on his own, so maybe he would come back! A thought popped into her head, "So," She asked slowly, she had many questions she wanted answered, but if she wasn't careful, Sasuke would get annoyed and not answer any of them, "Was that one of Orochimaru's servants?"

"No." He said quickly, "He was too inexperienced. He was probably from one of the villages where I killed their ninja."

Again, silence enveloped the cave, but Sakura was too busy in her thoughts. For the first time, it truly hit her that Sasuke was a missing nin - a previous sound nin at that – and that meant he had probably killed mercilessly. Sakura looked down at the floor, suddenly very uncomfortable.

"Regretting coming with me? Do you get it now, Sakura?" Sakura looked up in surprise at Sasuke. His eyes were hard as they looked at the wall ahead of him, avoiding her intense gaze. She felt herself relax again as she shook her head, a smile slowly creeping on her face.

"No, I should have expected it, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure you had to do missions and keep yourself alive. It's part of life. But, even with all that," Her eyes moved away again when she felt his intense gaze fall on her. " I don't think you would hurt me." She head Sasuke 'hmph' and shift around. Sakura smiled, using this as her chance. "I missed you, you know. I'm glad I can help you now."

Sasuke was silent and Sakura feared he was angry until she heard, "Get some rest. We have a lot of traveling tomorrow."

Sakura grinned, Naruto's excitement was contagious! Especially now that they had split into their assigned directions, Sakura was on her own to travel at her own speed and without any backs to look at. She stretched her arms, soaking in the soft rays of the sun coming from the trees.

"Be careful." Came Neji's voice from her earpiece.

"Are you sure I can't go with Sakura-chan?" Naruto whined. Sakura smiled to herself. Naruto had argued a bit when they had woken up, but she could tell he was beginning to be excited about going off on his own as well. Stopping to check her surroundings, she noticed a small, barely noticeable path to her right. Curious, she took out the map from her backpack. It wasn't on the map. She shook her head and started for the next branch that would get her in the direction of the rock country, but stopped again. If they were looking for Sasuke, he wouldn't be stupid enough to stay in the main path. He would go off it. His sense of direction was always good and he never worried about getting lost.

Making her decision, Sakura put the map back in her bag and began to jump to the right.

After ten minutes of jumping, Sakura began to become insecure about her decision. Wait! Movement behind her! Why hadn't she felt it before? Every insict in her told her to jump, and jump she did, just in time as she heard the sound of a kunai whip right passed her ear. Sakura whipped around to face her foe and froze. The ninja who had attacked her also stopped, his eyes widening for a moment before returning to normal. He dropped the hand that was ready to throw the kunai to his side and frowned.

Sakura also dropped the hand that was ready to reach for her kunai and stared, amazed at the person in front of her. "Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke was angry. Why, why had he taken Sakura with him? He could have just grabbed someone else! Someone he didn't care about or had any past relationship! 'You trust me' came into his mind again. Those words! Sasuke's shoulders slumped with defeat. She was right. He DID trust her, and that was something he found to be quite rare after being with Orochimaru for so long. It was a weakness! SHE was a weakness! He glared over at her sleeping form. Again he asked himself, why?

He made a fist again. Yes, she was a weakness and he would have to protect her like always, but he hated having a weakness! – And yet, he felt this warmth inside he hadn't felt in a while. Sasuke frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. To kill Itachi, he had to be ride of all weakness and feelings. His cold black eyes fell on her sleeping form and he nodded with satisfaction. Yes, he would have to send her back to Konoha as soon as she led him to Itachi.

Sasuke paused is thoughts - his muscles suddenly tense. It had become quiet – too quiet. Wait! Chakras coming closer! Sasuke cursed heavily and jumped up to nudge Sakura with his foot. "Get up!" He whispered harshly.

Sakura's eyes were half lidded and she mumbled something unintelligible. Suddenly, her eyes widened, her memory coming back to her. She was going to telling Sasuke "Good morning" but the words quickly died on her lips.

Sasuke's eyes were narrow with concentration, his muscles tense and his hand flexed beside his kunai pouch. "We need to leave. Now." Sakura nodded quickly and quietly. She grabbed her backpack and followed quickly after him. She heard Sasuke curse under his breath and stop and the entrance of the cave.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"They finally caught up." He cursed again, a kunai ready and in hand. " We're surrounded."

Yay! The chapter is finally done!

Story notes: The next chapter should be the last, well, I guess that depends on how long and detailed I make my battle scenes, but there isn't much left. I suppose I could've made it longer and have more interaction, but I don't know if I could do it without making it seem to cliché and make it drag along, you know?

Random notes of chapter: Sorry if it seemed to be different writings at times. At one point I was trying to force myself, but really, then it doesn't turn out quite as good and I end up babbling, not to mention I jumped around a bit when I wrote this. So, just out of curiosity, did anyone else notice if my writing seemed a bit different at times?

Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Please review! Thanks a bunches!

Smile Jesus loves you!