Sorry that this chapter vanished. I don't know how to explain it. anyways i posted it again.

disclaimer: i own nothing

Ch. 2: Orochimaru's Attack

The man managed to stand up. His whole body seemed to hurt. Once he was standing he checked himself over for injuries. His hair was the same shade as Shadow's fur. Onyx eyes looked around the area. The only thing he was wearing was a black pair of pants and a leaf village headband with a slash through it.

Stretching muscles he tried to remember what had happened. He remembered waking up as a wolf and everything after that. For some odd reason he couldn't remember anything before that. No matter how he tried he couldn't remember if he was originally a wolf or a man. He couldn't remember what had happened to make him change between the two forms. Hell, he couldn't even remember his name. After a moment he turned and headed back to Konoha. Silently he entered Sakura's room and stood over her bed and watched her sleep.

He couldn't figure it out. Why did he come here? He couldn't contain his emotions nearly as well in his wolf form. So he couldn't deny that he had feelings for this girl. He just didn't know what they were. The minute he saw Sakura he stuck to her like glue. He couldn't help it. It didn't matter that the human side of him couldn't stand being here for some unknown reason. The wolf side wanted to stay near her no matter what. He got the feeling that if he were to leave as a human the wolf would only come back. The human Shadow sighed. He wanted to stay just as much as the wolf though he wanted to deny it. They were after all the same person just in different bodies. If only he could remember why she was important then maybe these feelings would make more sense.

Apparently he made a whisper of sound that had been enough to rouse the sleeping girl. Her green eyes cracked open briefly. He froze. For a moment it looked like she was going to wake up. Instead, she mumbled something Shadow couldn't understand then fell back into sleep. He let out a relieved breath. Things would have been awkward if she had woken up, especially since he was only wearing a pair a pants and a headband around his neck.

The man looked out the window. So he changed into a human during the full moon. That was important. Now if only he could figure out how to change into one of the two forms and stay that way. Surely then he would get his memories back. He looked back down at the girl with pink hair. Sakura was her name. She took care of him and treated him with decency. Some people wouldn't treat a wolf that way. Maybe that was why he was so attached to her. The canine instincts insisted that he return her kindness with loyalty. For now he would stay. That would be best because then she could take care of him while he figured out this curse. He also decided against letting anyone know he wasn't actually a wolf. They were just getting around to trusting him. If they found out he was a human than that might change again.

The human Shadow began to explore the village and the area around it. Getting to know all of his surroundings seemed very important to him for some reason. By the time he had finished that the moon was setting and he had returned to the training area. He stood there looking up at the moon.

"Who am I?" his voice was hoarse as if he hadn't used it in a while.

The moon didn't answer him. It just sank below the horizon. He suddenly cried out in pain and fell to his knees. His body began the transformation from human to wolf. The cries turned into whines and yelps. Then there was only the steady panting of the wolf laying in the center of the clearing.

A few minutes passed and Kakashi decided to come out. He looked down at Shadow with sympathy. The jonin didn't tell the wolf that he had seen everything. Instead he said, "What are you doing way out here Shadow? Better take you home. If Sakura wakes up and you're not there she'll worry."

Shadow stood up shakily and followed Kakashi to Sakura's home. After Kakashi made sure the wolf got inside without any trouble he walked back to his own apartment. He stared at the rising sun. His voice held pity when he said, "Well, this is a fine mess you've gotten yourself into Shadow. Hopefully you can figure your way out of it."

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Sakura woke up the next morning and started her usual routine. She took her shower and laughed when Shadow bolted from the room when she walked out in only a towel. He seemed more like a human male that was embarrassed at seeing a girl without clothes on than a wolf. After she was dressed she made herself breakfast and fed Shadow. He munched happily as she read the reports from the hospital so she would know what needed her attention first when she got there. Then she cleaned up the dishes and they headed off to the hospital.

The other medical nins and nurses greeted her and Shadow as they walked down the hall together. A few hours later during lunch Sakura made sure she was alone with Shadow. Her face suddenly held a hint of pain and sadness.

"I had the weirdest dream last night," her voice was barely above a whisper. Shadow tilted his head to ask what it had been. So she told him, "I dreamed that he came back. Sasuke-kun had come back. He was standing next to my bed. It was odd. You know what I noticed first? He wasn't wearing a shirt. I still don't understand where that had come from."

Shadow was very glad that dogs didn't have facial expressions. As a dog he couldn't blush or look ashamed. She must have seen him next to her bed and thought he had been her missing friend. He looked at her, 'What happened to him?'

She looked down at him, "That's right. I haven't told you have I? Alright. I'll tell you about Sasuke-kun."

Sakura told him everything she knew. Silent tears fell from her eyes unnoticed by the girl. If she had noticed them she would have been angry at herself. Sakura had promised herself that she was through crying. Her voice remained steady as she spoke about what had happened but her hands were fisted in her lap.

Shadow listened without comment. It was obviously a very painful subject for her. She hadn't been able to even say his name the last time the topic came up. When Sakura finished the story silence fell around them. Personally, Shadow thought the guy was an idiot but that could the the wolf talking. Wolves relied on their pack in order to survive, so the idea of being alone wasn't that appealing. These people were annoying but they meant well. They cared about each other and would die for their team. That made them worth something to a wolf.

Sakura stood up and smiled at him, "We better get going. I still have patients to see."

----------With Naruto----------

Naruto was relieved Sakura was obviously getting back on her feet finally. She had been sad for three years and that had worried all her friends. The blonde was glad to know that she was improving now. Who have thought that all she needed was a dog to help her. If Naruto had known that then he would have gotten her one a long time ago. Then again Shadow wasn't an ordinary dog. Shadow was intelligent and very loyal to the girl he chose to stay with. Not to mention he could talk to Sakura. Whether he could talk to anyone else or not was still unknown.

Naruto had always known that Sakura would never get over Sasuke. His teammate hadn't had a single date though not for lack of interested guys. She just thought it was unfair to go on a date with them when she couldn't love them. She loved Sasuke end of story. He had realized it shortly after he had gotten back from training. Before he had left with Jiraiya to train, Naruto had thought if he was better than Sasuke then Sakura would pay attention to him but she wouldn't. The girl would never want anyone other than Sasuke no matter what they did. Naruto accepted that and moved on. He was still Sakura's friend but he no longer held any desire to be more than that.

"Naruto-kun," a familiar voice called him.

A grin spread on his face as he turned to face, Hinata. She had really grown. Her basic personality was still the same. She was always shy and tended to be quiet but she no longer let people walk all over her. She would occasionally even let what she wanted come before what someone else wanted. Hinata was still too kind to let that happen often though.

Naruto had a feeling that he was developing feelings for her that went beyond friendship. Whenever he was around her he suddenly felt very happy. Not that he wasn't happy all the time, it was just different when Hinata was near him. He found that he couldn't bring himself to care too much about it.

Hinata smiled, "Hello, Naruto-kun. Neji says that there's been news on Orochimaru. I came to get you so you could hear it."

Naruto nodded, "Let's go then."

----------Outside Konoha----------

A group of shinobi stood on a hill over looking the leaf village. There was five of them all together. One was a really large man with orange hair. Another carried the sword that had once belonged to Zabuza. He had silver hair and ice blue eyes. There was a red headed girl with eyes the same color. Another boy with silver hair and black eyes. The last member of the group was a chilling figure. He had black oily looking hair and snake like eyes. When he looked at you it made uncontrollable chills run up your spine and a cold sweat break out on your skin.

"Are you sure he's here?" the snake man demanded.

"Yes, sir. His chakra is coming from this village. I've already told you that something is wrong with it though. It's...distorted. It feels like his chakra but it's not at the same time," the girl said.

"Well there's only one way to know for sure then. Let's go."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," everyone replied.

----------Meanwhile in the Hokage's Office----------

When they arrived there was already a group in the Hokage's office. There was Shikamaru, Ino, Kakashi, Neji, Rock Lee, Guy, Sai, Sakura, and, of course, Shadow. Everyone was talking amongst themselves as they waited on the meeting to begin. Tsunade demanded everyone's attention.

"Now that Naruto and Hinata are here we can get started. We've received news from Suna that Orochimaru is on the move again. For some reason he's chosen to come out now of all times. No one knows what he's planning so every village is to warn everyone about him and what he's capable of."

"Umm...do you know if...if he has Sasuke with him?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade looked at Sakura in understanding and Naruto placed a supporting hand on her shoulder. Kakashi stepped up next to her. She wasn't fooling anyone and she really wasn't trying to. Everyone knew that she still cared for Sasuke and always would. Shadow looked up at her and seemed to sense her worry. He moved closer to her and laid his head on her lap. She absently scratched him behind her ear and seemed to draw strength from him.

The Hokage shook her head, "Sorry, Sakura but we don't know. As far as anyone knows he only has Kabuto with him and three other ninja but we don't know their names. None of them is Sasuke."

Sakura looked down, "I don't know what to think of that."

"Neither do we. To be honest it worries us but that can't be our only concern. If Orochimaru is on the move then he's probably going to attack someone soon. We have to be prepared for..." She was interrupted by a large explosion coming from out side the village. "…something like that."

Everyone rushed outside to see what was going on. They reached the area where the explosion came from and saw Orochimaru's group. Everyone's guard went up immediately and there were glares all around directed at the group there.

"It's been a long time, Tsunade," Orochimaru stated with a smirk.

"What do you want you snake?" she demanded.

"Sasuke."

This made everyone blink in surprise. The Konoha ninja exchanged glances as they began to wonder if Orochimaru had lost his mind. Not that they didn't think he had been crazy to begin with. It was just now he was apparently imagining things. Sakura glared at him, "Don't play games with us. Sasuke is with you."

"I'm afraid Sasuke has left me and his chakra is here in your village. Now hand him over and we'll leave peacefully."

"He's not here," Naruto snapped at him.

"His chakra is here," the girl behind Orochimaru stated.

"You're imagining things because Sasuke Uchiha isn't here," Kakashi stated calmly.

Orochimaru shrugged, "Have it your way then. Tear the village apart and find Sasuke."

The group behind the snake rushed out to attack. The Konoha ninjas weren't going to allow them to just waltz into their village and destroy things however. The fight began. Shadow stuck close to Sakura who, for some reason, ended up fighting the red head. The two girls seemed to be evenly matched as far as skill went but Sakura had been trained by Tsunade. She had more skill than the girl she was fighting. The two ended up in a dead lock with kunai.

"Who are you and what makes you think Sasuke is here?" Sakura demanded.

"My name is Karin. I can feel his chakra. I know he's not just here. He's in this fight."

Sakura's eyes widened but she didn't look around, "He's not here. Look around you. Do you see him anywhere? If you do then you're seeing things because Sasuke isn't here and he'll probably never come back here."

The girl's eyes narrowed and then darted around the fight. Sakura was right. Sasuke was no where to be found. His chakra was in the area but he wasn't. How was that possible? Then again something was wrong with the chakra. She didn't know what was wrong just that something was. It didn't feel right. Maybe they were wrong. The chakra might be Sasuke's but that didn't mean that Sasuke was here. Then again it was impossible to separate someone's chakra from them. Stop it yes but not get rid of it.

Karin glanced over Sakura's shoulder as she saw Kabuto aiming a weapon. He was going to get the Konoha medic from behind. That was good. Then she could concentrate on finding Sasuke. Just when Kabuto was about to throw the kunai, a large black dog attacked him. Then the animal ran towards Sakura and Karin. The next thing Karin knew she was flying backwards and slamming into a tree.

"Thanks, Shadow. I was worried for a second there," Sakura said to the dog. She seemed to hear something Karin couldn't and shook her head, "I don't know if it's good news or not. We'll talk about it after we've finished getting rid of these people."

The dog nodded then turned back to Karin with bared teeth. Sakura looked at Karin, "He says he'll give you a head start since you're handicapped."

Karin's temper ignited, "How am I handicapped?!"

Sakura grinned, "Well, can you out run a wolf? You have ten seconds."

The wolf as Sakura called him let out a deep growl and if Karin didn't know better she would have sworn he looked like he was enjoying himself. The look in its eyes sent chills down Karin's spine. She jumped up and ran. That wolf scared her especially since she felt Sasuke's chakra emanating from him. Someone had taken Sasuke's chakra and placed it inside that wolf. But how and why? She rushed up to Orochimaru and told him what she had found out. Shadow hid so that he could hear what she said. He knew his friend would want to know what they knew.

"Then let's get out of here. We'll have to find Sasuke some other way. Once we locate him we can find a way to give him back his chakra." Orochimaru's eyes narrowed, "It's suppose to be impossible to take away someone's chakra."

The group left to think of a new way to locate the missing Uchiha. The Konoha shinobi stood there for a moment after Orochimaru had left. They couldn't believe what they had just found out. Sasuke was missing. Shadow told Sakura what Orochimaru and Karin suspected. She clued everyone else in. After a few seconds of absolute silence Tsunade and Sakura began treating the injured.

Naruto risked asking a question that he knew would upset his teammate, "Granny Tsunade, is it possible to live without your chakra? I mean every time someone uses up too much they pass out for days. Can you live without it?"

"Normally no. But this is different. Sasuke didn't use up all of his chakra. It was taken from him. I could have the same affect as Neji's 64 palm attack. He would be alright but unable to use chakra." She looked over as Shadow, "Are you sure they said Sasuke's chakra was inside you?"

He nodded.

"They'll try to take Shadow now. They might wait until they know if Sasuke is still alive or not but..."

Sakura interrupted, "They can't have him. If they want Shadow they'll have to go through me first."

The medic had thrown her arms around the wolf's neck and was glaring in the direction Orochimaru had gone in. She wouldn't let him have Shadow. He may be just a wolf to the snake but Shadow was her friend. Sakura would protect him no matter what. Shadow let her hug him. He wasn't and overly affectionate animal but he understood Sakura was. She was, of course, the only one allowed to be affectionate towards him. He would growl at anyone else that tried and had actually snapped at Naruto once when the blonde didn't take the hint. Then Shadow thought of something.

'What if your friend will die without this thing you call chakra? He might still be alive but won't last long without this chakra,' he asked Sakura.

Sakura's eyes widened. She hadn't considered that. What if it killed Shadow to remove the chakra from him? Would Sasuke die if they didn't? Then she thought of all the things this wolf had done for her. He listened to her when she needed to talk. He was a voice of reason when she needed one. Shadow always protected her even if it put himself in danger. What had Sasuke done for her? He had made her cry again and again. He abandoned their village and joined the man that tried to kill them all. The jerk had left her crying on a park bench after knocking her out. Sure Sasuke saved her once or twice but did that really out weight the bad things? Then again she loved Sasuke. She knew it. Contrary to popular belief she wasn't in denial. Sakura just chose not to dwell on it most of the time.

Her green eyes got a determined look in them and her voice was fierce, "I won't sacrifice you for anything or anyone. If we can remove the chakra from you safely then we'll give Sasuke back his chakra. Otherwise we'll have to come up with something else. You're my friend Shadow so I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"What did he say, Sakura?" Naruto asked.

Instead of answering Sakura looked at Tsunade, "Sensei, is it possible to remove the chakra from Shadow without hurting him?"

"I don't know. I'd have to do some research on it and see."

"I won't allow the chakra to be removed from him until we know. No matter what," Sakura informed them.

Kakashi tilted his head. From what she said he guessed what Shadow had asked. So the jonin asked, "Even at the cost of Sasuke's life?"

Sakura looked at Shadow. He just gazed back at her. She got the feeling he was expecting her to say no. They thought that she would say that she would allow it if it would kill Sasuke not to. She met the wolf's dark gaze with her own determined one, "Yes. Even at the cost of Sasuke's life. I won't sacrifice Shadow for anything or anyone. I won't like it and will probably hate myself but I can't let Shadow get killed for something that is beyond his control.

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