So the next chapter being posted at midnight or a little after. hope you enjoy this chapter and what is sakura there for, it is revealed.

thanks you all so much for the reviews and comments. you make me love writing this story.

Disclaimer: DNON

i am a little apprehensive about the chapter just because, but hope you enjoy it. some fun humor at the end.

enjoy


Chapter 4


The four sets of eyes looked upon the clearing that was said that the ANBU found the scrap of shirt that had once belonged to Sakura had been found. The four began walking into the clearing and then spreading out looking for something that might indicate a struggle or a fight. Footprints could easily be seen on the layer of dirt. The four looked towards the position Kakashi was at when they heard a small poof and then another set of ragged breathing.

A small medium brown pug sat on his haunches on the dirt his small tail making an indent in the dirt. Large eyes looked up at his summoner, before the pug actually stood on all four paws and shook his body off of the sand that he had acquired on his hind end.

"Kakashi." The pug said in a small baritone voice.

"Ah, Pakkun!" Naruto let out excitedly, only causing the pug to look over at him with a disconcerting gaze.

"What do you need Kakashi?" the pug asked the summoner.

"Sakura went missing around here. I need you to find her scent." the pug nodded and put his nose to the ground sniffing around the clearing and making sure to be careful where the scuff marks in the dirt were at.

Kakshi stayed still, his only single eye moving as he watched the pug move around the clearing trying to pick up on the girl's scent. The pug then started making a definite trail towards a tree with a space underneath the tree and big enough to hide a female that was small enough. The pug raised it's head and called out to Kakashi, who immediately made his way towards the tree. Upon reaching the tree he squatted down and looked underneath the tree.

Indeed there were signs of someone having been there. The sodden dirt that was below there was disheveled and moved around, indicating that someone had been trying to hide themselves. He told the pug to go farther in and to tell him what he smelled. If Kakashi's thinking's were right, Sakura would have hid under the tree and gathered to dirt to her, masking her smell and camouflaging herself from the enemy.

"It's her scent. Still the same shampoo she used when she was a genin." the pug nodded recalling that he too had used the same shampoo way back when. The others had joined Kakashi at the tree.

"So now all we need to know is who captured her." Yamato spoke almost solemnly and Kakashi nodded his head.
"But who? We don't even know where to start." Naruto almost whined out.

"We know." Kakashi tried to cajole the boy. "Let's head back to the town and see who might have passed through there within the last week and go from there." he told them and received nods from all parties, before they took off back towards the town.


She had been lying on her side trying to ease the pain that was still throbbing on her shoulder. She was sure that when she got out of here she would give that man the whooping of a lifetime. He may have the advantage right now but she was sure when Konoha came for her, that he would not have the advantage then. But would Konoha even come? They could look for her, but they wouldn't know who to peg first.

She had been trying to figure out some way that Konoha could figure it out when two other Akatsuki unlocked the door and came into her cell. In self defense she had tried to move away from the two men, one which she recognized as Kisame, the other she wasn't too sure of, but she wanted to kick their rears when they unceremoniously picked her up by her arms.

Pain racked through her body and she let out a strangled cry as she felt her shoulder twist and move. She tried to help herself by trying to walk on her feet, but it only did so much and that was only a little. The pain was still coursing through her. Thinking she was in for another round of what the last man had done, she was mistaken when they half led her half dragged her up stairs and across walkways. She could vaguely hear small whisperings from others, but she couldn't see them, before another stairway came to their feet and up they went.

She could vaguely hear loud voices behind the doors that were before her and the two men. Her mind was going through consciousness. The pain was just too much. She could feel the burn and the heat when one of the men shifted. The suddenly the room became quiet and then the doors opened and again the two men were on the move, her with them. She tried lifting her head but she couldn't see anything due to the billowing of the cloaks.

Then she was dropped and she had to catch herself. When her hands hit the cold stone floor another rack of pain went through her. Her arms buckled to keep herself on all fours rather than on her face and side. She could hear the deeps of breath by others, but she still couldn't raise her head. Shutting her eyes tightly she tried to get through the pain she was feeling but they shot wide open when they heard a familiar voice.

"What the hell is going on and why is she here?" only a deep chuckle was the response. Hearing footsteps she tried to gauge where they were at, but then with horrific realization she realized they were coming towards her.

She stayed stock still not wanting to show the fear that was coursing through her body. The footsteps were getting closer and closer and she was trying desperately to not shake from fear. Then the footsteps stopped and lifting her eyes only a little she could see the sandaled feet of someone and if she had to take a good guess she would guess it to be Madara. He took several steps and ended to the side of her facing Sasuke before he squatted down next to her.

"You should know her Sasuke." Madara said playfully. "She's your little unattached string, the one that is threatening to get.......cut." Emerald opened wider, he was going to kill her. She started violently but the pain on her shoulder made her cry out and unfortunately the only one close to her was Madara.

"Now, now, you shouldn't be moving like that with that wound." and her teeth gritted together and she wanted to spit at him but she couldn't.

"Madara, why is she here?" Sasuke asked again. He was fully stunned to see his old teammate before him and inured and what was Madara talking about with the string. He watched as Madara straightened himself up.

"You see Sasuke, I realized that you were becoming a little too free willed for your own good. I have things that need to be done and I need certain people to do them."

"Get to the point Madara." Sasuke spat.

"I am. And one of the certain people is you. But I couldn't control you, so I got someone who could." Sasuke furrowed his brows.

"You mean her?" He asked incredulously. "You think she can keep me in line? I broke those bonds long ago." Madara let out a low chuckle.

"That is what you want to think Sasuke. But I felt your chakra spike when you saw her brand." he laughed and moved closer to her inured shoulder. "I thought it was appropriate to brand her with an Akatsuki symbol. His fingertips played with the welted flesh and she gasped out in pain. Even the slight touching sent the pain off.

"But you see Sasuke, bonds like the ones you had can never be broken. And that is why she is here. That brand was caused because you didn't follow orders to kill that man, no matter how innocent he was. Disobedience caused that brand to appear." Sasuke gritted his teeth. "So you follow orders and she doesn't get hurt. Is that clear?" Madara asked the now infuriated younger Uchiha.

He had control issues, Sasuke knew that, but this was just too much. His ancestor was playing the dirtiest game of all. Use someone, in this case Sakura, against him and make him follow orders like a damn dog. Coal turned brilliant red within seconds.

"I don't like being controlled Madara." Sasuke stated with a deathly calmness.

"Oh, but Sasuke, I can't just have you running around without a leash on. That would jeopardize everything we have worked so hard for." Madara said with a sickening sweetness.

"What exactly is that?" Sasuke retorted back.

"The downfall of Konoha." Sakura sucked in a harsh breath. "You know you want to see the downfall of Konoha. The Elders ordered Itachi to kill the clan." Sakura's eyes popped open at the statement. Didn't the old man know that he was feeding her information now? "She's only here to make sure that you fulfill that goal."

"She has nothing to do with this."

"Actually, she could have a dual purpose. Keeping you relatively quiet and on a leash and helping us get back at Konoha for everything they have ever done to our clan." Sasuke looked at Madara and then down to the pained looking Sakura, before looking back at Madara.

"I don't care what you do. She doesn't matter to me and don't think you can ever control me. My team and I leave tonight." Sasuke stated coldly before brushing past Madara and the ground laden Sakura.

"You might want to reconsider that. You wouldn't want anything to happen to her would you?" Madara asked the young Uchiha.

"I don't like to repeat myself Madara. I don't care." Sasuke said giving the older Uchiha a glare.

"Then I could just end her life?" Madara asked nonchalantly and Sakura again started, this time actually making some progress away from the man even through the pain.

Sasuke who had been almost out the doors when the statement had been said stopped suddenly and turned his head to face his ancestor. He hated the thought of her being killed just because he didn't want to roll over and play dead for the older Uchiha. Turning around he faced the older Uchiha. He may have held no bond towards her but a meaningless death was something he wouldn't stand for. Madara knowing what he was thinking inwardly smirked, the boy was predictable.

"I see. Now you want to be a little more willing to follow orders." the younger Uchiha begrudgingly nodded his head and sent a glare at the girl now withering in pain on the floor. Her scuttle away from the man had caused the brand to open slightly and seep droplets of blood.

Madara motioned for Kisame and Deidara to take her out of the room and they did so, grabbing her just as roughly as before and Sasuke found himself restraining himself slightly from telling them to at least be more gentler with the injured girl, but if he did then he might fall deeper into whatever Madara was thinking.

"Now Sasuke, let's talk." Madara grinned broadly a feeling of triumph in the air with his words and Sasuke moved back towards the table.


she was really going beat the living crap out of these people when she felt better. Again she moved herself so that she was lying on her left side and her right arm out in front of her. Her mind was still going over what had happened in the room, trying to get her mind off the pain that was now coursing regularly through her body.

She had been stunned when she had heard Sasuke's voice, but then immediately understood, just exactly why she was there. Madara thought that Sasuke still had a bond with her and that Sasuke was the other player in this game of Shogi, as Madara put it. But she was sure that even with her presence that Sasuke would still submit to the almighty will of Madara. Hadn't the old fool heard him. She meant absolutely nothing to him.

Even from his first statement of what the hell is she doing here, made it clear to her that Sasuke was not at all pleased to see her and didn't want her to be around. And she was partly okay with that. She didn't want to be around him if he had the attitude of 'I've got a stick up my butt'. But she wasn't sure if Madara knew of her feelings for him.

She still harbored those feelings of want for him. Not the lust want, but the want to be near him, to show him that life wasn't all about killing his brother, which he had already done, so that one didn't matter anymore. But the feelings of him actually being wanted for other than his powers and abilities, for his last name if that even meant anything anymore. She wasn't sure if she could say she still loved the Uchiha but if she had to say like, then it was a heavy liking.

But what scared her right now was that her life was in that man's hands. Not Madaras, well it was but it was now placed in Sasuke's hands. If the Uchiha didn't do what he was told to do then she might as well call herself dead, because that was what she would be. She knew the older Uchiha was ruthless thanks to all those early Konoha history books that she had snuck out of Tsunade's library to read. The whole thing fascinated her.

That led to the other thing as well. If she did get back to Konoha she finally knew part of the truth about the massacre. And she had half wondered why Madara would openly talk about that in front of her about that. If the Elders really did call for the extermination of the Uchiha clan then the Third must have issued the order. It didn't fit together perfectly right now, but if she stayed alive long enough to get out of here then she could help erase the tarnish that had made itself known on the Uchiha name.

But that would be if and when she got out of this place and she would make sure that she would get out this place and get back to Konoha. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down slightly she realized the throb that had been incessant on her right shoulder had gone down to a dull aching. Finding the energy she sat up, making sure her back didn't hit the wall. Looking around the room she realized the two idiots that had brought her down hadn't put her wrist shackles back on.

Getting to her feet and holding her right arm with her left to relieve the pressure, she walked around the cell. Placing a hand against the door she felt the chakra that held a sealing jutsu on the door. She could also feel the jutsu that was on the entire room and she realized that was why she didn't have a lot of chakra. The room basically was feeding off her chakra, making her chakra leave her and giving the room the chakra it needed to hold up the jutsu.

It was just her luck that she would get placed in such a room. It was probably due to the fact that if the men that had captured her had known about her, they would have known she had the strength of the legendary Tsunade and could easily break through regular walls. But they forgot one thing. She was also quite intelligent, and maybe just maybe she could counteract the jutsu and find some way to get out of here.


The streets of the town were nearly empty when they returned back to the same streets. They did have some luck by finding the same old man that had pointed them in the direction that Sakura had taken off. The old graying man had a look of surprise in his eyes when he had turned around and found the same set of ninja in front of him.

"Can I help ya again?" the old man asked and the four looked at each other, wondering where to begin.

"Actually you can." Kakashi started for the group. "We found the area and we were thinking that you might know a little more about this. Can we ask you some questions?" the old man sighed.

"Of course." he started. "le' me finish up here and we can all go back to my place. Just down the road a little way." they nodded and waited for the man to complete his packing before the five moved towards the man's abode.

It was a medium size house, and at first they had wondered why an old man would need such a large house for one person. He had answered their silent question by stating that he had once had a family. A wife and a daughter, but unfortunately they had both died several years earlier in a fire that had taken their lives and their house. He had built the house back to where it had been. He said he felt closer to them since it was similar to the old house.

Getting inside the house, the four took seats and the old man went to get some tea for them before coming back and sitting with them and finally declaring that he was now able to answer their questions without interruptions and so that they would have time to talk about things if necessary.

"You saw the girl we were looking for a few days ago." Kakashi stated and the old man nodded. " a few days before then was there anyone suspicious around the town?" Kakashi asked earnestly. The old man paused and took a drink of his tea before setting it down and a contemplating look came across his face.

"I don' know." the man shrugged. "anyone we get aroun' here is always suspicious. No one really ever comes aroun' anymore."

"Anyone at all." Naruto broke out, a pleading cry in his voice. The old man started with move his mouth slightly.

"Well maybe." he waved his hands a little. "about a week before. A man came through. Dark hair, pale features. Went to the postal area. Said he had a note to deliver. I was coming back from a store from buying some supplies. Dropped a note off, said to deliver to Konoha and that it was urgent. Then he walked away and disappeared." the old man finished up.

"Dark hair and pale features?" Kakashi mused.

"Remind you of anyone sempai?" Yamato asked.

"Sasuke." Naruto whispered. "old man did the man look like him?" He pointed a finger at Sai, who looked passive.

"No, the man was older." the old man shrugged.

"What type of clothing was he wearing?" Yamato inquired.

"Well, he was wearing shinobi attire, I guess. Slate gray pants similar to yours. Same colored shirt with some mesh." the four shinobi looked stumped.

"Did he have a pouch like this on his thigh." Kakashi pointed to his own. The other three looked at him bewildered.

"I don't believe he did." The old man said uneasily.

"Kakashi, what does that have to do with anything?" Naruto whined out. "That isn't going to help us get closer to finding out who has Sakura-chan."

"Actually Naruto, it just did. Lets get back to Tsunade. She needs to know." the other four people in the room looked at him with curiosity, just wondering who had Sakura and how the man had figured it out with just a question about kunai pouches.


Her hands felt along the walls looking for a place where the chakra was at its weakest but she couldn't find anything. It seemed to be well reinforced everywhere she went. The room she had learned was about five feet by ten feet. It was small but it was large enough that she had at least some space, rather than being cramped together with no space.

Wincing she held her right arm up a little. It still hurt like crazy but at least she had been able to salvage a little chakra and heal it slightly taking the edge of pain away. She could however feel the tightness of skin in that area, she could practically feel that horrible cloud that had been imprinted on her skin for the rest of her life. Even if she did get out of here, she would always have a cloud brand on her shoulder. But that mark also gave her the determination to kick the asses of those who had inflicted the brand upon her.


"Who was that wench that the Akatsuki dragged up and down the stairs like a rag doll?" Karin asked taking a seat in a chair diagonal from both Suigetsu and Juugo.

"How should I know?" Suigetsu stated returning to clean his sword.

"Because it is somehow connected to Sasuke-kun of course." Karin spoke a little haughtily.

"With you it always revolves around your 'Sasuke-kun' and you know he hates it when you call him that." Suigetsu stated calmly though on the inside he was bursting with joy at telling Karin off.

"He loves it when I call him that. At least he has more use of me than you." she stated grinning at the double meaning.

"Like he would ever do you?!" Suigetsu let out a peal of laughter. "that will only happen in your wet dreams Karin. Besides he probably wants a virgin, not a whore, to bed and then have brats with and seriously you would kill any looks the kids might have had." Juugo couldn't help but give out a low rumble of laughter at Suigetsu's comments.

"Why you little..." Karin seethed at him.

"What lost your brain too? Sasuke definitely won't want you know. He needs someone smart, so that his brats will be the smartest. The brats would probably get dumber by just looking at you, because even though glasses help some people look smarter, they just don't on you." Suigetsu laughed again at Karin's expense.

"Oh and if he wants to tell us what the other girl was about, he will." Suigetsu got out of the chair and attached his sword to his back before walking towards the exit of the room. "besides maybe she was a gift to him from that old Uchiha, you know for the restoration of the Uchiha clan." Suigetsu snickered as he left the room leaving a fuming Karin sitting at the edge of her seat wanting to kill the man that had just exited the room.


Well there was the chapter. hope it was good and lived up to your expectations. now let me make a few statements real quick. i will reveal the kunai pouch next time and it is so awesome really. i couldn't believe it when i did some searching just to make sure my hunch was correct. really cool though. and the end was just kind of good humor. and yeah what madara wanted to talk to sasuke about will be next chapter and it will lead us into the first big arc of the story.

So i will try and get an update out before or by wednesday. i am moving into my apartment on thursday so the computer will have to be transferred and all that jazz. so by wednesday i will try and have another chapter out and then after that, it will be whenever i have time to write. things change constantly in life like jobs so by wednesday

Please review and tell me what you think of the chapter. let me know what you thought

please review =)

yoyo