Twisted
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Seeing her current position, Sakura stomped her left foot on the ground, which caused Itachi to loosen his grip on the kunai next to her throat as some of the rocks flew towards different directions. She then disappeared from sight just as the dust started to settle down the ground.
Itachi decided that it was time to get a little serious and activated his Sharingan. He had always thought that Sakura was weak, a burden, nothing more but she had proven him wrong. "So you have indeed improved under Tsunade's tutelage but it's not enough."
"Don't be so sure." Sakura's voice echoed throughout the area but she was nowhere to be found.
Itachi's eyes widens as he felt himself being pulled towards the earth.
Sakura smirked thinking that she had won the battle but it didn't last as Itachi pinned her on the ground. How did he?
"Looks like I won this battle, Kunoichi. Although, I didn't expect you to come this far," he whispered to her, his face only a few centimeters away from hers. He then knocked her out and carried her limp body bridal style.
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The sun was nearly setting when the ninjas from Konohagakure arrived at the borders of Water Country. They were told that Morino Ibiki and his assistants were able to extract the location of Orochimaru's new hideout from the Sound nin prisoners who captured after Sound's defeat in the war between Konohagakure and Otogakure. The group stopped at a clearing not far from the river and decided to camp there for the night.
Kakashi watched as the rest of the group chose their own places for sleeping before standing up to address them. "It would be too suspicious if there are too many of us traveling in one group so we would have to split up with the usual teams." He turned to Shikamaru who looked quite serious. "Shikamaru, I'll leave you to tell them the plan."
"Ok. The plan is to split the group into 4 teams. The first team will be consisted of Yamato-sempai, Shino, Neji and Kiba. They will search for Sound's hideout while we wait in certain positions around the area until they give us a signal that would tell us where the hideout is."
Shikamaru saw all of them nod and continued to tell them the plan. "Ibiki-sempai said that there are two entrances in the building, one in the west and the other in the east. There would be two teams who will be heading the infiltration. The teams would be Team Kakashi and Team Gai. Naruto, Kakashi and Hinata would head for the west entrance while Team Gai would head for the east entrance. As for my team and Yamato-senpai's team we will follow after you."
"What if the main infiltration team and the backup teams just go in one group?" Tenten suggested.
"It would be a lot easier to infiltrate their base if we go in four groups instead of two. Also the risk of getting caught would be higher if go in two groups," Neji explained.
"So, anymore questions?" Shikamaru asked.
"None," Kiba answered when no one uttered a word.
The rest of the night went on without any incidents. By twelve o'clock everyone was asleep except for Hinata, who was lying down on the grass while gazing at the stars etched on the skies above her. She turned to the side and saw Akamaru drooling over Kiba's cheeks. She the giggled silently as she heard snores from Chouji, whose arms wrapped tightly on Ino's waist. Her observations on her friends sleeping forms was cut short when she saw Naruto stand up and made his way into the forest. Worried about her fiancé when she saw the dazed look on his face, she decided to follow him. As she walked to follow Naruto within a reasonable distance, she felt a cold icy gust of wind blew towards her direction but she paid no heed to it. Naruto sat underneath a tree near the river and the stared at its moonlit rippling waters.
"Naruto-kun?" she called softly.
"Hinata-chan? I thought you were asleep," he said as she strolled towards him. Naruto patted a spot beside him
"I'm sorry if I woke you up," he mumbled as he looked up to her.
"Ie. I was awake when you stood up," Hinata said as she sat next to him.
"So, why are you still up? You'll need your rest for tomorrow."
"I couldn't sleep. You?"
"Same."
Knowing that Naruto would eventually tell her what he was pondering about, she decided to wait until he was ready to talk to her.
"I…" he began not knowing where to start. "It's… It's just that I miss my old team. I missed the trainings and the missions with had together."
"Naruto…"
"There was even a time when we tried to know what Kakashi-sensei looked like beneath his mask but then we never did. You know back then, we usually do some stargazing while we were on missions," Naruto told her with a faint sad smile.
Naruto clenched his fast at the dark green grass beside him. "I already lost Sasuke to Orochimaru. I don't want to loose Sakura as well. Sometimes, I can't help thinking what if I was strong enough to defeat Sasuke in the Valley of the End or if I was awake when Sakura was kidnapped. I missed them. I missed how things used to be."
Hinata embraced Naruto, knowing that he needed comfort for the lost of his two friends.
"Hinata-chan?" he said as he hugged her tightly to him.
"Hai, Naruto-kun."
"Promise me that you'll never leave my side."
"H-hai," sputtered Hinata.
"I don't want to loose you too, he said as he buried his face in her hair.
Behind a tree not that distant from the couple was Kakashi. He was awake when Naruto stood up going towards the direction of the river. Kakashi knew that Naruto was feeling a little guilty for not being able to save Sakura. He was about to follow Naruto and talk to him when he saw Hinata stood up as well.
"I thought that my greatest rival would not stoop that low as to eavesdrop on his students," Gai announced.
Annoyed, Kakashi turned to Gai and signaled him to keep his voice down."
"Hehehe… Sorry," Gai said while rubbing the back of his neck.
Kakashi just looked at him with an irritated look before turning back his attention towards the couple. Hopeless…
"So Naruto is feeling guilty, huh? It's not his fault though," remarked Gai, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"His not the only one," Kakashi said before he started walking away.
"Wait a minute. What do you mean by that?"
"I failed to be there teacher. I was so focused on Sasuke that I neglected the other two. Yet in the end, what I taught Sasuke was not enough to fulfill his goals so he went to someone who can give him the power that he wants. Naruto and Sakura did the same and went to seek power and knowledge with different teachers as well."
"But you also have other obligations, Kakashi."
"Ie. When I was assigned to be their jounin teacher, I became responsible for them too. You don't understand. I knew what Sasuke was feeling and thinking. I talked to him before he went away but I guess what I told him didn't sink enough. I could have prevented him from leaving. I knew that he was jealous of Naruto's fast progress in ninja skills."
"But still you have done a good job with them."
Kakashi turned around and raised an eyebrow at his friend/ rival. "I just told you—"
"You taught them the most important thing, which is friendship and teamwork. It still counts doesn't it? Besides, if it were any other jounin teacher he or she would likely fail teaching them anything at all."
Kakashi sighed in defeat. "I guess your right."
"So you have admitted defeat. Of course I am right. I am the youthful green beast of Konoha."
Kakashi shook his head and made his way back to camp at the same ignoring Gai, who babbling about the eternal power of youth and a lot more nonsense
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Sakura groaned as she woke up in the same room where she last stayed. She looked at the window and realized that it was already evening.
"It's about time you woke up, Kunoichi," spoke Itachi, who was leaning on the wall.
She gave out a yelp and pulled the blankets until it covered her chin. What am I doing? I should be escaping?
"Why are you here?" Sakura asked him as she slowly pulled a knife hidden under her bed's mattress.
He didn't answer and instead pinned her to the bed, "You know you should honor what you said to me last time. I told you that if I win you will no longer try to escape from me. It would be pointless to do so anyways."
Sakura looked up and saw that his Sharingan was activated. She tried not to look at him since even Kakashi couldn't stand looking at those deadly eyes of his. But he didn't use it on her instead he smirked when he heard Sakura's stomach growled. He then pulled the knife away from her hands and stood up next to the bed.
Itachi offered his hands to her as she got up from bed. "You must be hungry. Come."
Itachi paused at the doorway and spun around to find Sakura just standing there by the bed. "What are you waiting for?"
Sakura sighed and followed him to the dining room. When they were done eating dinner, Itachi stood up and pulled her chair for her. An amused smirk grew in Itachi's face when he saw the bewilderment imprinted on Sakura's face.
"Why are being so nice?" she asked with suspicion.
Itachi chuckled, which caused Sakura to be more confused than she already was. "It's only polite to do so, don't you think?"
"But I'm a prisoner?"
"Are you really desperate to be tortured?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her."
"No," Sakura immediately replied and started walking back to her room.
Itachi smirked. There was no doubt that everything would be a lot easier for him from now on.
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It was already noon and still there was no sign that Yamato's team found the Sound base. "What's taking them so long?" Naruto asked impatiently.
"It seems like finding Sound's main base is well hidden from," Kakashi said looking over the horizon.
"Don't worry Naruto-kun. I'm sure they're going to find it."
Suddenly a raven appeared on the sky going towards them. "Looks like we don't have to wait any longer," announced Kakashi.
Naruto opened the letter attached to the raven's legs and read it out loud. "A cave inside the waterfalls in the south." He then crumpled the letter. Sasuke…I'm going to take Sakura back even if I have to fight you again.
"Let's go Naruto-kun."
"Hai."
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Sasuke was hunched over the map of Japan marking spots where they had already searched for Sakura. There was a knock on his office's door and in came Kai. Sasuke turned to his most trusted adviser, who helped him a lot in solving his seemingly never ending problems.
"Are there any reports on the Akatsuki's whereabouts?"
"There were reports that the Akatsuki was seen in the Rock Country but we still need confirmation."
"Good. Update if you have any more information." Sasuke paid attention to the map again expecting Kai to leave him but he didn't. "What is it Kai?"
Kai cleared his throat. "There were sightings of Konoha nins by the town's outskirts. Should I send a group of our Anbu's to capture them?"
"Do you know who they are?"
"Hai. They are Uzumaki Naruto, Copy Ninja Kakashi, two nins from the Hyuuga clan, Maito Gai—"
"I see." Sasuke leaned back on his chair.
"What are you planning to do, my lord?"
"Let them come. We'll be waiting for them."
A/N: I'm really really sorry for the very long delay. Anyways I want to thank the following people:
Sakurablossoms742
icha icha
Sirona of Arabia
x3 Blackcat x3
Storms-winter
s.s.n.t
ashley
heartlessoul
larisssa
cat-with-guns O.o
Confuzzled239
xrose45623
Youko-Kuramas-Kitsune
silverdragon994
And to the rest of the people of who read my story
Thank you very much!!!