Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 3
"Tsunade-sama, we can't find Sakura anywhere!" says a distraught Ino.
"What do you mean you can't find her anywhere? I just saw her yesterday. I'm sure she's just in her tent or something," says Tsunade.
"I looked in her tent, in the medic tent, everywhere!" says Ino, "The medics are nearly going crazy. We can't find her!"
"How long has this been going on?"
"Since this morning. Seriously, Tsunade-sama, I have a bad feeling about this."
Tsunade sighed. "Ino, find me Team Kakashi."
"Okay!" Ino rushes out of Tsunade's office immediately. Tsunade sighs and puts her head in her hands, elbows propped on the table. She knew something was wrong with Sakura's mission. She had been acting strange ever since she went to Danzo's house the first time. Sitting up straight, Tsunade pulls out her drawer. Locating Sakura's mission report, she opens it and rereads all of the contents, but nothing is out of the ordinary.
Had Sakura left out parts of her mission in the report?
There's no way, right? Such a thing is not allowed, unless whatever she found out simply had nothing to do with the mission at all, but it isn't like Sakura to not tell her shishou everything.
The bell outside her tent rings, interrupting her thoughts.
"Come in!" she says, still scanning the document for anything special.
"What is it, Tsunade-baa-chan?" asks Naruto.
"You guys sure got here fast," muses Tsunade.
"Yeah, Ino sort of burst into my tent and demanded that I get here immediately. She said it has something to do with Sakura. What is it?" says Kakashi.
"Sakura is missing. I'm sending you guys on a retrieval mission. I don't know if she was kidnapped or simply left by herself, but you are to find her and bring her back." It goes without saying that she expects Sakura back, alive and well.
Naruto's eyes widen. "Sakura-chan's missing? What?!"
"Of course," says Kakashi.
"Everyone but Kakashi go outside for a second," orders Tsunade. Sai and Yamato nod as they turn to leave. Sai pushes Naruto out since the shinobi is still surprised.
"What is it? This isn't a simple retrieval mission, is it?" asks Kakashi.
"I sent Sakura on a mission a few days ago…" Kakashi's eyes narrow. "It was a simple mission. Here's her report." She holds up the pieces of paper and Kakashi steps forward to take them from her. He quickly reads the papers, his eyes widening a bit at the surprise that Danzo had a son.
"This…doesn't seem like anything atypical. What does any of this have to do with Sakura's disappearance?"
"That is what I don't know."
"Then how-"
"I assigned Sakura that mission two days ago. She was different when she came back to report to me."
"Maybe she was kidnapped for knowing."
"Maybe."
"So what do you want me to do about this?"
"I need you to go find her parents and ask if they know anything. If they don't, I need you to go with Sai, Naruto and Yamato to look for her. I'm sure your dogs can track her down in no time."
"Unless she doesn't want to be found…"
"This is Sakura we're talking about, Hatake." She almost sounds threatening.
"I know. But here, in this report...it says that it is unknown what happened to Danzo's granddaughter, yes?"
Tsunade's eyes narrow for a bit, then realization dawns on her. "And…his son had green eyes…Kakashi, go find-" Kakashi was already gone. "It can't be, right?"
She sighs as she pulls out a bottle of sake. She stares at it, wondering whether or not to drink it.
X
Kakashi rushes through the myriad of tents, looking for his sole female student's parents. Spotting the signature cherry-blossom-shaped pale pink hair of one Haruno Kizashi, Kakashi slows down as he lands in front of him.
"Haruno-san," Kakashi greets, bowing. He looks at Kizashi, noticing the bags under his eyes. A fear settles inside Kakashi's heart. No way. He refuses to believe it until he actually hears it.
"Oh, Hatake-sensei," says Sakura's father. He bows slightly. "What brings you here?"
"Tsunade-sama wants to know if you know anything regarding your daughter's disappearance."
Kizashi's eyes widen briefly. "I…My wife…We need to talk in private with my wife. I…I'll find you in a bit."
"The Hokage's tent, is this fine?"
"Y-Yes. Yes, that is fine." Kizashi averts his eyes, turning promptly and looking for his wife.
Kakashi looks at Sakura's father's retreating back. It really can't be. There's no way. It's not possible. He turns around and walks towards Tsunade's tent again, recalling the last time he saw Sakura. She had just come into Tsunade's office after completing her mission. Timing states that it was the mission that Tsunade showed him the report of. Something was off about her, but the war was taking a toll on everyone. He only thought that Sakura was solemner because of that.
Kakashi doesn't know which he fears more – Sakura being kidnapped or killed because she knows the truth behind Danzo…or Sakura running off because she is actually related to Danzo in some way.
"Come in, Kakashi!" Tsunade says after sensing his chakra.
"What is it?" he asks lazily.
"Did you find them? That was fast."
"I found Haruno Kizashi. He went to look for his wife. They said we need to talk in private, so I suggested here."
"That's…not a good sign."
"No…it isn't."
"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you not to talk to anyone about this situation."
"Yeah, I know."
"Not even Naruto."
"Definitely not Naruto. He'd overreact."
"Yeah…but if it's him…he can bring her back."
Kakashi doesn't know what Tsunade is referring to. Bring Sakura back from what? Her kidnappers or herself? Before he could say anything else, Tsunade speaks.
"Come in!"
Kizashi and Mebuki step into the tent. Mebuki's eyes are swollen and bloodshot.
"Hokage-sama," the two of them greet as they bow in respect.
"Kakashi says that we have to talk alone. What is it?" asks Tsunade.
"I…Uh…" Mebuki stutters. Tsunade's eyes narrow. The woman is usually outspoken, much like Sakura.
"What do you wish to know?" asks Kizashi, squeezing one of his wife's shoulders in a comforting gesture.
"Do you know why your daughter is gone?" asks Tsunade.
"Not really," says Kizashi.
"Please explain," Kakashi says.
"Well…it…the mission you assigned her – the one pertaining to Danzo-san," says Kizashi as his wife starts tearing up again.
"What about it?" asks Tsunade, fear settling in the pit of her stomach.
"Sakura came to us, asking about it…because she found out that she looks like Danzo-san's son and daughter-in-law," says Kizashi.
"And…?" asks Tsunade.
"And we…and we…" Kizashi sputters.
"She's not our daughter. We told her she's not our daughter," blurts Mebuki, "We told her the truth."
Kakashi and Tsunade freeze. Apparently, their biggest fear of one minute ago…is possible.
"I…We…We lied to the Sandaime about our real daughter," says Mebuki, her words almost incoherent with her despair.
"We will take whatever punishment you deem suitable," says Kizashi.
"No," says Tsunade firmly, "You will receive no punishment for raising a homeless infant into a loving kunoichi." Mebuki smiles briefly at the Hokage, thankful. "Kakashi, hurry your team. You must find Sakura before she does anything she'll regret."
"Please find my daughter. She's not…she's not in the right mind right now," says Kizashi, bowing. Mebuki joins him a second later.
"I will find my student," says Kakashi.
And yet, a week later, Kakashi returns without said student.
X
It is a sunny day in Konoha, but beneath all the smiling faces and happy fronts lays a bit of despair everywhere. Tsunade looks down at the scroll in front of her, unsure of what to do with it.
Hokage-sama,
I, the Kazekage, am contacting you because I require your assistance with a problem. There is a recent missing-nin that has been disrupting Suna's borders, always leaving bloody messes. I have sent my most elite shinobi to fix this dilemma, but they have yet to return. The source of the problem is starting to worry my village, and to my knowledge, Konoha would be best at taking her down. The missing-nin goes by Mana and according to one survivor's accounts, this Mana takes anyone standing in her way down with chakra scalpels and she does it rapidly and efficiently.
I know she resides outside Suna's borders somewhere, but she remains hidden quite well, which makes it hard to locate her. Besides that, the only other things I know are that she has bright green eyes and has been causing discrepancies in all the hidden villages lately. With Uchiha Madara laying low for now, I find it highly possible that you can tend to this problem. Your medic-nins should be able to know how to deal with chakra scalpels, should they not? My village is not as well off on medic-knowledge as Konoha, so I ask for your assistance eradicating the missing-nin.
Please send a team of shinobi within a week. If I see no Konoha shinobi, I will understand. Thank you.
Sabaku no Gaara
There is no doubt in her mind that the missing-nin mentioned in Gaara's message is Sakura. She definitely is going to accept his request, of course. She couldn't have Sakura getting killed off by whoever else Gaara asks for assistance. Now, if only she could figure out who to send. Team Kakashi would definitely want to go, but she couldn't risk sending Naruto out for this mission again, especially when there has been no news on Madara.
Besides that, she needs to send a team with a medic. Someone who knows how to defend themselves against chakra scalpels. There is Shizune, but she has to stay for the medics. Losing Sakura already caused a huge panic months ago since Sakura was one of the head medics.
She needs other opinions on this. "Find me Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru!" In less than 10 minutes, Kakashi and Shikamaru appear outside her tent. "Come in."
"What is it?" Kakashi asks. Over the past months, Kakashi had begun to appear as promptly as possible whenever he was called upon, mainly because he didn't know when news of Sakura would turn up.
"This…" she holds out the scroll.
"A scroll from Gaara?" asks Shikamaru, taking it from the Hokage. Konoha 11 had been made aware of Sakura's disappearance and Tsunade had decided to tell them of the actual reason why Sakura left.
Kakashi scans the letter. When he finishes, he looks up at Tsunade, surprise evident in his eyes.
"I'm going on this mission," he states.
"I was planning on sending you anyways, Hatake, but Naruto is not allowed," says Tsunade, firmly.
"I understand. I'll take Team Asuma," says Kakashi, "Ino can take Sakura on. She is more than ready for this." Tsunade contemplates it briefly.
"The outside world changes people, Kakashi. Besides that, we don't know what Sakura has been up to for the past eight months. After all, it seems like Gaara's elite shinobi don't stand a chance against her," says Tsunade.
"Ino is Sakura's best friend," says Kakashi, "that status will weaken Sakura."
"But it will also weaken Ino," says Shikamaru, "No one can go against their own best friend with the intent to kill if necessary."
"We won't have to kill her," says Kakashi, "And besides, we'll also be there. Ino won't get hurt."
"But-" says Shikamaru.
"Alright, then it's decided. Send for Yamanaka Ino and Akimichi Chouji!" Tsunade announces.
Shikamaru shakes his head ruefully. "Wait, I think we might need someone else."
"Who?" asks Tsunade.
"…Aburame Shino, Tenten, Sabaku no Temari or Sabaku no Kankuro," Shikamaru responds.
"Long distance fighters," muses Kakashi, "That is true…I am more close distance, along with Chouji…and Shikamaru needs a light source, while Ino needs precision."
"Good idea, Shikamaru," says Tsunade, "We'll stick with one of the Sand siblings. I will need one of you two to help me deliver the scroll to the Kazekage, of course."
"Understood," says Kakashi.
Shikamaru couldn't shake off the bad feeling he had. There is no way this is going to go well. Kakashi and Shikamaru stand there as Tsunade writes her letter to the Kazekage, notifying him of her decision to add one of his siblings to her team.
"Set out tomorrow at sunrise," says Tsunade, as she throws the scroll at Kakashi to catch.
"Understood," the two of them respond.
"Bring her back alive," whispers Tsunade. She couldn't say 'bring her back unharmed.' It would be impossible. After the two geniuses leave the tent, Tsunade buries her face in her hands. Though the past eight months went by pretty smoothly and without many disruptions besides the ones from Uchiha Sasuke…it seems as if everything is going to get more complicated from now.
Feeling a familiar chakra outside her tent, she hollers, "Come in!"
"Hokage-sama, we have a problem."
"What is it?"
"Uchiha Sasuke has attacked again." The sound Tsunade lets out is almost animalistic.
"Where was it this time?"
"The northern border." She sighs.
"Bring me Team Gai, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino, Uzumaki Naruto, and Sai."
"Understood."
Yes, things are definitely going to get more complicated from here on out.
X
"Sasuke!" yells Naruto, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Sasuke doesn't respond to Naruto. Naruto charges at him, rasengan ready in hand.
"Tch," Sasuke says as he dodges Naruto's attack with ease. Naruto creates a shadow clone to try and push Sasuke into the line of fire.
Something is different. Sasuke lets his eyes briefly flicker between the shinobi present.
Team Gai. Might Guy. Tenten. Hyuuga Neji. Rock Lee. Check.
Team Kurenai. Inuzuka Kiba. Aburame Shino. Hyuuga Hinata. Check.
Team Asuma is missing. Sasuke figures they are on another mission since all its members aren't present.
Team Kakashi. Naruto and Sai. No Kakashi. No Sakura.
Kakashi must be on another mission. And Sakura? She's probably either dead already or the Hokage left her out of this because she could easily be killed. After all, she hasn't appeared in any of the fights against him over the past eight months.
Naruto seems angrier than he normally is. It is sort of unsettling. Sasuke blocks Naruto's kick aimed to his torso and pulls out his katana.
"Kusanagi no Tsurugi: Chidorigatana," Sasuke mutters.
"Watch out, Naruto!" says Tenten. Hinata hurries and tries to kick Sasuke to the side, away from Naruto. Sai summons a snake which latches itself around Sasuke's neck.
Naruto is dragged to the side by Guy.
"Get your head out of the gutters, Naruto," says Neji, watching as Hinata attempts to take on Sasuke. Lee joins in the fight to assist Hinata.
"I know. I know," says Naruto. He rubs his face with his palms.
"Hinata!" says Kiba. "Akamaru, Garouga."
The two complete their Fang Wolf Fang jutsu and accelerate towards Sasuke. Sasuke watches it coming from the corner of his eyes and dodges out of the way, his kick barely missing the Hyuuga heiress.
"Stay out of this, guys," says Naruto, all of a sudden. "I'll take him on…one on one."
"Naruto-kun…" says Hinata. "We're here to help you."
"Sasuke, leave them out of this," says Naruto, ignoring Hinata. Sasuke ignores him. He lets out a tsk and before Naruto knows what he's doing, Sasuke disappears. "SASUKE!"
"Damn. Not again," says Kiba.
"L-Let's go back, guys," says Hinata.
"…Or would you like the follow him?" asks Shino.
"Let's go!" says Naruto.
"He's not alone, though," says Shino.
Naruto's eyes flash red. "We can-"
"Naruto-kun," says Guy, placing a hand over Naruto's shoulder. "We can't. Konoha needs us back…just in case he attacks again. We can't risk him killing any of you."
"He can't kill us! That is why he ran!" argues Naruto, angry.
"No," says Tenten, "He can. He didn't run."
"Tenten is right," says Lee, "Sasuke would not run from a challenge. He was probably called back."
"Step down, Naruto," says Neji. "We have to report back to Tsunade."
"You guys know he's going to attack again," argues Naruto.
"Yes, but if any of us lose our lives, we won't be able to defend Konoha," says Kiba.
"What do you think, Sai?" asks Naruto, "If we bring Sasuke back, Sakura will come back!"
"Well…if Ugly does come back…it will be to kill Sasuke."
Silence. Naruto sighs. "Let's go back."
Sai watches as Naruto turns, his shoulders slouched in retreat. Sakura's defection took him by surprise. It took everyone by surprise, actually. After all, Sakura is Tsunade's apprentice. No one believed that she would leave. Naruto, on the other hand, after finding out that Sakura's aim is to kill Sasuke, didn't know what to do. He wants to bring Sasuke back, and if he does, Sakura will inevitably come back. But she'll try to kill Sasuke. Sai had watched over the past months as Naruto slowly became more and more withdrawn.
Suddenly, there is a flash of chakra. Naruto stands up straight immediately and looks in the direction of the chakra. The rest of the group does the same.
"That's Sakura-san's chakra!" says Lee.
"Let's go," says Naruto, immediately running towards the direction.
"Byakugan," says Neji, activating his bloodline limit. He looks at the direction. "Stop, Naruto." Hinata looks at her cousin in surprise, then does the same.
"Sakura isn't there," whispers Hinata, loud enough for them to hear.
"There's no one there," says Neji.
"That's impossible. You guys felt it, didn't you?" asks Naruto, coming back to them.
"Yes, but it could have been anything. Sakura is a medic. Her chakra is everywhere," says Neji.
Naruto slouches again. He couldn't bear having his hopes raised again, only to be crushed. "Naruto, at least it means she's still good."
"What do you mean, Sai?" asks Kiba.
"If means she's still healing without any motives. The fact that it isn't an enemy means that she probably just heals whoever comes by," explains Sai.
"True…and we haven't been ambushed. That's a great sign, right? Right?" says Naruto, all of a sudden more energized. Everyone nods and smiles at Naruto.
Everyone except Shino. He looks to the side where Sakura's chakra signature had emitted from. He narrows his eyes behind his sunglasses.
Something isn't right. He looks at the two Hyuuga shinobi. There's something they're not telling everyone.
And he will find out what it is.
X
Kakashi and Team Asuma travel in silence. They know what is going to come. They are going to face Sakura. It is something they have anticipated. Only a few hours away from Suna, they refuse to rest.
"Want one?" asks Ino, holding out a soldier pill to Shikamaru whilst jumping from branch to branch.
"Nah," says Shikamaru.
"Okay," she says as she plops one in her mouth.
"So, Ino, you know the plan, right?" asks Kakashi.
"Yeah," says Ino. She takes on a somber expression, "I have to take on Sakura."
"Tsunade-sama briefed you on it, right?" asks Chouji, munching on a potato chip.
"Mhmm, she made sure to drill all the necessary things into me before we left," says Ino, "But if anything happens. If I slip up, you guys got my back, right?"
"Of course," says Shikamaru.
"But, can you guys do me a favor?" she asks.
"What is it?" Chouji looks at his female teammate.
"Don't interfere unless I truly am underestimating her," she says.
"Understood," says Kakashi.
They all know that Sakura and Ino have to settle this out by themselves. Ino is on the same level as Naruto in their desire to get the pink-haired kunoichi back. And, the two have been rivals for years. Their last match was during the Chunin exams four years ago. And it had ended in a tie.
Kakashi could only hope that it ends up in a tie and doesn't take anyone's life.
Hopefully Sakura hasn't changed that much. But, according to Gaara, the missing-nin is pretty much a killing machine, leaving bloody messes wherever she goes. The only reason they know anything about this Mana kunoichi is because she had deliberately left one of her opponents alive…for the sake of relaying a message. Kakashi feels unsettled.
Hopefully she still treasures her bonds, unlike Sasuke.
The rest of the travel is silent as they let Ino prepare herself to go against her missing best friend. They arrive at the gates of Suna just as the sun is setting. After the Suna shinobi check if the group of four are indeed who they say they are, the team enters the gates.
"Hey," greets a blonde.
"Temari," greets Shikamaru. Ino, Chouji and Kakashi bow a little in greeting. She is the Kazekage's older sister, after all.
"Gaara's expecting you guys," she responds. "Come on."
The group follow behind Shikamaru and Temari, who are walking side by side. Kakashi couldn't help but relate this couple's tendency to another couple. Another couple that he always found together.
"Is something going on between you two?" Kakashi asks, his eyes glinting with curiosity.
"No," the two of them respond maybe a little too quickly.
"Okay, okay," Kakashi says. He looks to Chouji, who is eating yet another bag of chips to calm his nerves. He looks to Ino. She is biting her lip in nervousness. "Are you okay?"
Ino looks to him in surprise. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"O-" Ino interrupts him with a sigh.
"Actually, no. I'm not okay," Ino says. Her voice comes out tight. "I…this…Sakura…this isn't how it is supposed to be." She is holding back tears. Shikamaru looks back at his female teammate. Chouji steps next to her and wraps an arm around her shoulder as encouragement. Shikamaru leaves Temari's side and does the same as Chouji.
"What does Sakura have to do with this?" asks Temari, evidently confused. The group, excluding Ino, look up at Temari. How are they supposed to explain this?
"We'll tell you and Gaara later," says Shikamaru.
She furrows her eyebrows in suspicion, but agrees. "Okay, this way." She motions to the side and the group follows. Ino is in the middle of Chouji and Shikamaru, who are offering her comfort as they walk. Kakashi walks behind the three seventeen-year-olds, watching them attempt to share Ino's burden.
Why couldn't Team 7 be like Team 10?
Instead of standing by each other's sides like Team 10, two members of Team 7 have defected. They all don't speak. Sasuke hasn't spoken a friendly conversation with them in years. And Sakura? This is the first lead they've gotten on her in the past 8 months.
Kakashi couldn't help but wonder how it all turned out so wrong.
"We're here," announces Temari. "Let's go." She enters the building first, leading them throughout. Ino smiles thankfully at her teammates and they let go of her, but they still walk by her side. Kakashi follows behind them. He feels a bit envious of the relationship between the members of Team 10. They would gladly give up their lives for each other, much like Naruto would for either Sasuke or Sakura...but Sasuke definitely would not do the same. And Sakura…he's not so sure anymore. When he realizes where his thoughts are straying to, he averts his eyes from Team 10, looking out the windows as he walked passed them. "Here."
Temari knocks on Gaara's door slowly.
"Enter," Gaara's voice reaches the door. Temari does as told and opens the door. She motions for the guests to enter. She promptly closes the door behind them after everyone is in the room. They are alone.
Kakashi walks to Gaara's desk. "From Tsunade-sama," says Kakashi, holding out the scroll Tsunade had given him. Gaara nods and takes the scroll. He opens it and reads it. After a few seconds, he rolls it back up.
"You are to take Temari," he says, "Kankuro is out on other business."
"We understand," says Shikamaru, "Do you have any other information on Mana?"
"Her main offensive attack is through her use of chakra scalpels. She knows other…jutsu, but I am not sure what they are. The survivors stated that everything she does is for a reason. She doesn't play with her preys…and her jutsu can get deadly, but she doesn't use them often. Probably once per battle," Gaara explains, taking a deep breath, he continues, "I assume that it is because she doesn't have a high chakra supply; so it shouldn't be that hard for someone who knows how to defend themselves against chakra scalpels. However, she should not be taken loosely. She has killed many of my men already." He casts a look at Ino when he finishes.
"Okay," says Shikamaru, taking Gaara's attention away from Ino. "Is that all?"
"Wait-" says Temari, "What's that about Sakura before?"
Shikamaru's eyes narrow. He was hoping that she would forget. Gaara looks at him, suspicion raising in his eyes. "Sakura? Naruto's teammate? What does she have to do with this?"
Silence. Kakashi sighs. "This is sort of hard to say…but…it is highly believed that Mana is Sakura."
"Why?" asks Gaara, recalling all the times he encountered the pink-haired girl. She didn't seem exceptionally strong, besides the time she saved Kankuro, but medic skills have barely anything to do with strength.
"She has been missing for about eight months now," says Shikamaru, "That is all we can say about why she defected."
"Well that makes things even more complicated…" says Gaara. Kakashi shoots him a questioning look. "Many of my villagers are demanding Mana's head on a pole."
"No!" argues Ino.
"We can't do that, Gaara," says Chouji.
"It isn't my decision to make," says Gaara, "If I let her live, if word gets out that she is from Konoha, things will be hard to settle."
Kakashi understands. It will be easier for Konoha to forgive Sakura because she hasn't done anything wrong to them…but with all that she has done to Suna, one of Konoha's greatest allies, Sakura will definitely receive a harsh punishment…if she does come back. Kakashi forces the thought out as he focuses back on Gaara's words.
"But she did save Kankuro's life," says Temari. "That has to count for something, right?"
"Not to the families of the victims," says Gaara, sighing, "One good deed does not make up for twenty bad ones, Temari."
"But you became Kazekage despite all the things you did before," says Ino.
"Ino," says Shikamaru, warningly.
"No, he is telling me that he might have to kill my best friend," argues Ino, "I won't just let that happen!"
"He doesn't want to, Ino," defends Temari, "He might have to."
"No-" Chouji grabs onto Ino's arm to tell her to quiet.
"Naruto won't sit around and let you kill off his best friend," says Shikamaru, "You know that."
"Yes, I know that the majority of Konoha won't allow me to do so," says Gaara, his voice as calm as ever, "But, like I said, it isn't up to me." Gaara isn't so sure of what he would do if it was up to him. He couldn't just let her go. After all, she killed some of his most talented shinobi.
"But-" Ino starts again. Gaara holds up a hand to silence her.
"This conversation is over," he states, "You will set out tomorrow morning. She doesn't tend to attack until noon or so. Temari, show them to their quarters."
"Okay," Temari says as she leads the Konoha shinobi out of the room. After she closes the door behind her, she points to the side. "This way."
They follow her down a path of lots of twists and turns. "How many rooms do you need?" she asks.
"Do you need your own room, Ino?" asks Shikamaru.
"Nah. I don't want to be alone tonight," she responds. Temari quirks an eyebrow. Kakashi would have chuckled, if he was in the mood. Ino's response could have been interpreted wrongly.
"How many beds are in one?" asks Shikamaru.
"Two large ones," Temari responds.
"I guess one room is sufficient," Shikamaru responds.
"Alright then," Temari says. "Well then, here's your room. There is a bathroom inside, but I'm sure you all already know this." The four of them enter the room, with Chouji entering first, followed by Ino and then Kakashi and Shikamaru. Temari grabs onto Shikamaru's arm before he can go into the room. "I need to talk to you about something."
Shikamaru doesn't look surprised. "I understand."
"Have fun, kids," teases Kakashi.
Shikamaru sighs and mutters a "how troublesome." He looks back into the room and sees Ino walk out of his line of sight before he closes the door behind him.
"So what is it?" asks Shikamaru.
"It's about Gaara," she says, "Come here."
They walk for a few minutes until they reach a simple lounge. No one is in it.
"So what is it?" Shikamaru asks again.
"I need at least one of you to understand that if you guys do successfully bring Sakura back alive…that whatever happens because of Gaara's decision actually is not what he means to do."
"I know." He sighs, "I understand, Temari. As Kazekage, his job is to ensure his village is happy with everything he does. It's a terrible job."
"Yeah, it is. Well, then this talk is pointless since you already know," she lets out a light chuckle, "I just wanted to make sure that the ties between Konoha and Suna don't crumble."
"I'll try to keep everyone from overreacting," he says. He isn't so sure where the line lies between completely-called-for to overreacting. Sakura, after all, is one of his childhood friends.
"Thank you. I guess I'll go retire for the night. See you in the morning." Before she leaves, she briefly turns around. "I trust that you can remember your way back to the room."
"Yeah. No worries."
"Okay. Bye." She exits the lounge. Shikamaru sighs.
"Women are so troublesome." He isn't so sure which woman he is referring to.
He sighs again, and walks back to the room he is sharing with Chouji, Ino and Kakashi. Opening the door, he looks into the room. The light is dim. Chouji is on one bed and Kakashi is on the other, both seemingly asleep. Ino is sitting on an armchair next to the window, staring out at the Suna sky, likely deep in thought. Shikamaru walks closer to Ino and she doesn't turn to look at him.
"You know, Sakura and I used to sneak out at night, when we were little," she whispers, careful not to wake the others, even though she knows that they are awake and probably thinking of the imminent battle.
Shikamaru doesn't respond. He would if he could, but there is nothing to say.
"We used to talk about getting married someday, to some other ninja and have ninja babies, ya' know?" He could hear starting to tear up though the way her voice changed.
"Calm down, Ino," says Shikamaru.
"What if she's a lost cause?" Ino whispers. "What if…What if she tries to kill me? I don't think I'll be able to take it." Shikamaru places a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think I can kill her."
"You won't have to," Shikamaru says. She looks up at him. She doesn't dare question what he means. The optimist side of her thinks he means that Sakura was and always will be good, but her pessimistic side tells her that he means that, if anything, he'll deal the final blow.
"Thank you, Shikamaru," she finally says after a pause. She then gets up and wipes her eyes. "Let's get some sleep. We're gonna need it." Shikamaru nods and follows her over to the bed Chouji is on. It is big enough to fit all three of them.
X
Morning comes too soon.
Ino opens her eyes as light filters into the room. She feels a very slight shift in the bed, telling her that Shikamaru is awake as well. Chouji doesn't tend to wake up early.
She doesn't have to look over at Kakashi's bed to know that he's awake, after all, whenever they had a mission with Kakashi in the past, he would always be the one to wake the rest of them up.
"Wake up, guys," says Kakashi. Chouji stirs a little, but wakes up. It isn't just Ino who didn't sleep well. Shikamaru sits up lazily. He swings his legs off the side of the bed and gets up, followed by Ino and Chouji, each of them stretching differently as they get up. "I guess I'll take the bathroom first."
"Okay," replies the three teenagers. After Kakashi steps into the bathroom, Chouji steps next to Ino.
"You ready?" he asks.
"Yeah," Ino responds hesitantly. Chouji pulls her into a hug.
"You can do it," he says as he pats her back.
"You're so squishy," she whispers, hugging him tight. He lets go of her and sticks his tongue out at her.
"Don't try to change the subject," says Shikamaru, putting his hand on Ino's shoulder.
"Alright," she responds, forcing a smile on her face. Shikamaru pulls her into a hug as well.
"He's right, you know? You can do it," says Shikamaru.
"I just don't want to kill her," says Ino.
"You won't have to," Shikamaru repeats the words from the night before.
"Right," she responds. Shikamaru lets go of her. Right on time, Kakashi comes out of the bathroom. "I'll go to the bathroom now."
"Okay, don't take too long," says Shikamaru, "We gotta set out soon."
"Alright," she responds. Ino steps into the bathroom. Kakashi looks to Shikamaru.
"Pep talk went well?" Kakashi asks.
"I don't know," responds Shikamaru, "She's still not as upbeat."
"But she hasn't been these 8 months," says Chouji.
"That's true…" responds Shikamaru, "I just thought that she'd be better once we got news."
Silence befalls them. They wait as Ino finishes up in the bathroom. Afterwards, Chouji enters the bathroom, and lastly, Shikamaru. Soon, Temari shows up at the door.
"Ready?" she asks.
"Yeah," says Shikamaru, "Let's go."
X
"That's strange," says Temari, "Normally…there are people on guard here."
"I have a bad feeling about this," says Ino. She looks to Shikamaru and Chouji. They give her a look of encouragement, but before anyone can say anything else, a scream pierces the air.
"Shit," curses Temari as she runs towards the direction of the scream. The others prompty follow her. There are only a few seconds of running before they stumble upon a bloody scene…with one hooded figure of a girl in the middle, with a katana raised. There are several shinobi around her, all on their knees. All of their eyes are soulless. The girl raises the katana, ready to slam it down on the necks of the shinobi.
"Stop it, Sakura!" screeches Ino. The kunoichi freezes in her spot. Then, she slowly turns around. Jaded green and vibrant blue clash. It is Sakura.
"Ino," she whispers. There are blood splatters all over Sakura's body. Her pale face is decorated with the red substance. Her vibrant hair suddenly looks pale in comparison. Sakura averts her eyes to the figures kneeling in front of her – all soulless-looking since she had knocked out their consciousness to numb the pain, another trick she had improved on after learning the basics form Tsunade.
She has to kill them.
But Ino can't be here when she does. She looks back at Ino and her team. Kakashi.
Damn.
"Sakura, let them go," says Temari, "This doesn't have to be hard."
"I can't," says Sakura.
"Why not? Are you working for someone?" asks Shikamaru.
Sakura shakes her head slowly. Kakashi looks at her stance. There are no openings, even though she looks rather harmless and unguarded. "Sakura, come back to Konoha with us," says Kakashi.
Sakura shakes her head again. "You guys need to leave."
"Why, Sakura?" asks Temari.
"The Forehead-girl I know would never do something like this!" says Ino, "Who are you working for?"
Sakura visibly stiffens. "No one."
"Tell us, Sakura," says Shikamaru.
"I work alone," says Sakura. Her voice is emotionless. "You guys need to leave if you want to stay alive." Ino tenses. Chouji and Shikamaru both reach out and grab one of her hands in each of theirs.
"Please, Sakura," says Ino. Her voice cracks.
"Sakura, revenge is not the answer," says Kakashi. He takes a step forward.
"Stay back," Sakura snaps.
"If you don't let them go, we're going to have to fight you," says Temari.
"Come on, Sakura," says Chouji.
"I can't," says Sakura. "I have to take revenge." Her eyes flicker to Kakashi for a second. "I have to." Sakura closes her eyes. She has to calculate this fast enough. Knowing Kakashi, he won't attack yet. He won't attack until he knows that she is beyond his words.
"Stop it, Sakura," says Kakashi. "You don't have to be like Sasuke."
"Don't compare me to him," Sakura snaps at him.
"You're acting just like he was," says Kakashi.
"Forehead-girl, please," says Ino.
"I'm sorry, Ino-pig, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura says as she quickly makes the signs for her jutsu. Before Kakashi can react, they all fall down onto the ground, their eyes still open, but soulless.
Sakura looks around and, after making sure that there is no one else around, she walks closer to the group. She closes all of their eyes and slowly moves each of them away from her bloody match. After they are all away from any potential danger – also known as Madara, she swiftly returns back to the Suna shinobi. Running past them in a line, she slits their throats with the katana. Instead of stopping to check if any of them are alive, she keeps running.
"I'm sorry," Sakura chokes out. "I'm sorry."
She keeps running, nonstop, for 2 days. Soon, she reaches the cottage. She's been gone for a week or so. She walks inside, feeling a dire need for a bath.
Itachi isn't there.
Madara must have sent him on a mission.
She strips off her clothes as she enters the bathroom and lets the articles fall onto the ground. She turns the faucets on the wall next to the tub and lays down in the tub as the water filters through. She wraps her arms around her legs as she lets her sobs wrack her body.
X
"Sakura!" Ino shouts as she sits up. Sakura isn't there. She looks around. The others are still unconscious. She can't feel Sakura's chakra signature. She got away.
She gets onto her feet and walks towards the others, who are all lying in a row with about a feet or so apart. "Hey, guys, wake up," she says as she shakes Shikamaru and Chouji slightly by the shoulder simultaneously.
"Ugh, what happened?" asks Shikamaru.
"Sakura got away," whispers Ino.
"What?!" Temari says as she gets up.
"We didn't even get to fight her," says Kakashi. "I don't recognize the jutsu she used."
"I think…I think it's an upgraded version of one of Tsunade's," says Ino.
"What do we do now?" asks Chouji.
"She's probably long gone by now," says Kakashi. Temari sits up.
"Oh no, the shinobi," she says. She rushes towards where they saw Sakura before. The others follow behind her. Staring at the open plain in horror, she states, "We failed. They're dead. They're all dead!"
She whirls around. "It's all Konoha's fault!" she screeches.
"Hey, hey, Temari, calm down," says Shikamaru.
"If you guys didn't try to talk to her for so long, she wouldn't have found a way to avoid us so easily! If you guys had just ambushed her, we might have won. If you," she points at Ino, "hadn't hesitated, we might have won!"
"That's too much, Temari," says Shikamaru. Ino looks down at her feet. Chouji steps next to Ino and holds her hand. Kakashi, instead, checks for survivors, but there are none.
"Why is it that your missing-nin goes after our shinobi! It's unfair!" she screeches. "They all had family, but now, they're gone! All because of Konoha!"
"Be careful what you're saying, Temari," says Shikamaru, emotionlessly. Temari stops, then she realizes what she had said.
"I-I'm sorry. It's just-" she says.
"Yeah, we know," says Shikamaru, "It's fine. Let's go back." He falls into step with Ino and Chouji as they walk. Temari looks truly remorseful as she walks ahead, leading them back. Kakashi steps next to her.
"Don't feel bad," he says, "They understand."
"I just…I think I should apologize to Ino," Temari says. She's normally tougher than this.
"Maybe," says Kakashi.
They walk the rest of the way in silence. Gaara is waiting in his office when they arrive. He takes one look at Temari and nods.
"The mission was a failure," he says.
"Mana disappeared before we got to fight her," says Kakashi.
"So what of my men?" Gaara asks.
"Dead," says Kakashi. Gaara sighs.
"I understand," Gaara says, "Be ready for tomorrow. She might strike again."
"Okay," says Kakashi.
"You may go back to your rooms now," says Gaara. "Temari, stay behind."
"Yes, Gaara," says Temari. She waits until the Konoha shinobi leave before turning to face Gaara.
He quirks an eyebrow at her. "So?"
"Mana is Sakura. She knocked us out with an advanced version of one of the Hokage's jutsu."
"Damn."
"Yeah, you said it."
The next day, Sakura doesn't show up. They don't know that it would be another four months before they see her again.