Rebirth

Chapter 3

"UGH, my feet hurt, Sasuke! Are we almost there?!" Karin whined for what seemed to Sasuke like the twentieth time since they departed the day before. His patience was starting to wear thin with her. He had quickly realized it was easier to ignore her complaining by saying nothing and continuing their walk, as she often didn't push it much more than that. She'd just wait another hour to ask again.

This time, though, he decided they were close enough. He stopped abruptly, then bit his thumb to summon his hawk.

Karin sighed in relief. "Oh thank Kami."

Sasuke ignored her again and climbed onto the giant bird. He offered her a hand to help her up, and she took it gratefully. The hawk took off, the unexpected departure causing Karin to fall on her ass with a yelp. He smirked at the sight, thinking to himself that she deserved a little torment for what he'd had to endure. Upon noticing that she was quite literally the butt of his joke, Karin scowled up at him. She crossed her arms and looked to the side in childish anger.

In an uncharacteristic gesture, Sasuke extended his hand to her once again, a soft smile on his face. "It was a little funny," he said to her.

She scoffed, but took his hand anyway, unable to deny him when he smiled at her like that.

"Start scanning, Karin. We need to find them as soon as we can," Sasuke ordered.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied.

They flew in silence for hours, taking a wide 's' shape pattern to cover the largest area forward that they could. Finally, Karin noticed some familiar chakra far off in the east.

"There!" she pointed. "I sense at least a dozen chakra signatures over there, maybe more. It's hard to tell from this distance. But one of them feels like…" She shivered in disgust. "Well, it makes me feel like bugs are crawling all over me. I remember him from Konoha. That's one of the guys, right?"

Sasuke nodded, and the hawk changed directions to where Karin had indicated.

As they got closer, Karin was able to sense more than the dozen chakra signatures she had estimated from afar. Twenty shinobi surrounded their four targets. They were vastly outnumbered, and she could tell that they were running low on chakra themselves. Clearly this battle had been raging for hours.

"There's a lot of them, Sasuke. They're surrounded by twenty, and they're nearly out of chakra."

"We're almost there," Sasuke replied calmly. After a minute more of flying, they were over the top of the battlefield. Sasuke turned to Karin. "Stay here. You'll be safer." With that said, he jumped off the hawk.

"But-!" she tried to yell at him as he disappeared to the ground below. "…what if you need me?" she asked the empty air around her.

The hawk turned the other direction, flying her away to a safe distance until summoned to return.

Sasuke landed on a tree branch to survey the situation before jumping in head long. The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air as he determined his first target and leapt down once again.

He said nothing as he plunged his lightning-covered hand through one man's back and out his chest. Slowly, the dead man fell forward with a loud thud, no blood coming from the gaping hole as the lightning instantly cauterized it. Sasuke rushed ahead to the clearing in a blur, deftly avoiding the kunai that was aimed for where he had stood just a moment before. He found the team he was to rescue rather quickly, behind a circular barricade of trees undoubtedly made by Yamato. Numerous dead or unconscious bodies littered the ground directly outside the chakra-made forestry.

He jumped over the top and inside of the defenses, using his sword to parry a pair of senbon aimed for his eyes by Genma.

"…Sasuke? Sasuke?!" Kiba spluttered in surprise from his position on the ground. He was too tired to stand, if his one-kneed kneeling position and harsh breaths was any indication. He instinctively went to pat a growling Akamaru on the head, letting him know that Sasuke was not their enemy. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Sasuke ignored the harsh tone in Kiba's voice and sheathed his sword. "I'm here to rescue you. This isn't a very good defensive position; they can get in too easily."

Genma snorted. "No shit, that's the point. These guys aren't too tough, so this was a way to lure them to us in a large group and use Kiba's Twin Fangs to knock 'em all back at once. Problem is there's a shit ton of 'em."

"You really shouldn't be here," Shino said as he stood shakily, dried blood matting his jacket sleeve from an earlier injury.

"Well I am," retorted Sasuke. "I'll take them out, just stay here."

"Wait!" Yamato yelled, but Sasuke had already jumped away.

"Fuck!" shouted Kiba. "This is really bad. If he's here, then they're…" he trailed off.

"We need to help him clear them out fast, he won't listen to us until then," stated Yamato.

The other three nodded in agreement as Yamato lowered the barricade, the sound of Sasuke's chidori once again hung in the air.

"Time for a good ol' fashioned beat down," said Genma as he cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah. Ready, Akamaru?" Kiba asked his faithful companion. Akamaru barked once in response, eager to start the fight.

"We move swiftly and carefully. Likely Sasuke can take most on his own, but we're still faster altogether," said Yamato.

Genma and Kiba nodded. The three ninjas became mere blurs of motion as they jumped out of the circle and towards the fight.

Shino sighed. "Always forgotten," he said before he leapt away as well.

Minutes later, there were only a few shinobi standing. Sasuke easily parried the kunai aimed at his chest, then dashed forward to strike the offending ninja through the heart with his sword. He jumped high in the air as a kunai with attached paper bomb landed at his feet, the explosion rattling the branches of the tree he perched in.

He heard a garbled scream from the direction the weapon was thrown, signaling that one of the others had taken him down.

The fight was over quickly. Though the enemies were great in number, they lacked the strength to handle three jounin, one ANBU, and the Uchiha.

Sasuke jumped from the branch he was on and walked back into the clearing, willing the hawk that held Karin to come back. The bird landed just as the other four reappeared next to him, and Karin jumped to the ground to see if there was anybody who needed her help.

"Sasuke! You shouldn't be here!" repeated an angry Kiba.

Sasuke gave him a sidelong look. "I'm aware of your dislike for me, but I came to rescue you."

Kiba shook his head in frustration. "No man, that's not what I'm fucking talking about."

Yamato stepped forward. "Kiba, let me explain it to him."

Sasuke gave Yamato a curious look.

"We found out what they're after. Long and short of it, their goal isn't what they claim it is. At least, not anymore. They're not out to stop you."

Sasuke's eye's narrowed ever so slightly. "I thought they believed I was going to declare war again and were determined to take me out."

Genma sighed, and Yamato shook his head. "That was their goal until their new leader, Onshiyuu Yake. He's using the organization for his own purpose. He wants you to snap, and he has a plan already in motion. Love."

Sasuke felt his heart clench. "Love?" he asked breathlessly.

Yamato nodded grimly. "He's going after Sakura and Sarada."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and then he was gone. He was atop his hawk and in the air before he could hear another word, leaving them all behind.

"Sasuke!" Karin yelled out.

Genma placed a hand on Karin's shoulder. "He's right. He needs to get back as soon as he can."

Karin felt tears stream down her face, unaware she was even crying. "No, that's not it… I… I was just going to tell him to save them, no matter what."

Shino nodded. "Let's get back to Konoha before more enemies arrive."

And with that, the five began their own bruising pace back to the village.

In the air, Sasuke's face was darkened as he flew back to the village in the red of the sunset sky. He realized now that his instincts were telling him Sakura was just in danger overall, not if she came on the mission. He cursed his own stubbornness and prayed that he could get there in time.


Sakura carried Sarada on her right hip as she walked down the hallway. The sun was barely setting, but the young girl had been exhausted from her day of playing with the other children. Her dark eyes fought to stay open.

"I'm tired, mommy…" she whined, her small hand coming up under her glasses to try and rub the sleep from her eyes.

The pink haired woman smiled at her daughter. "I know, honey. It's bed time, we just have to get you ready."

She pushed the bathroom door open, setting Sarada down on the counter. She grabbed the toothbrush and put a little dab of paste on it before putting it in front of the girl.

"Brush, then you'll get changed and go to sleep."

Sarada nodded while taking the toothbrush from her mother's hand. Satisfied that she was brushing well, Sakura put toothpaste on her own toothbrush. She was fairly tired herself and ready to go to sleep much earlier than she normally would.

Once both of them finished brushing their teeth and rinsing, Sakura picked Sarada up again and walked them out of the bathroom, down the hall to Sarada's room. She sat Sarada on the bed and rummaged through the girl's drawers in search of pajamas.

"Froggy ones, mommy," Sarada said with a yawn.

Sakura chuckled at her, "Okay, baby." She found the requested pajamas quickly, and moved to take off the girl's clothes piece by piece. As she was putting on the second leg of the frog onesie, Sarada fell back onto the bed with a plop, already half asleep. Sakura smiled before leaning over to lift her back up gently, putting her arms through the sleeves. She zipped up the pajamas at the front and pulled the frog-faced hood over Sarada's head.

Sarada flipped over to her hands and knees, then crawled up to her pillow before flopping onto it. Sakura giggled at her own daughter, highly amused by her sleepy antics. She grabbed the comforter bundled up by the bottom of the bed and pulled it over Sarada.

"Piggy blanket… doggy…" Sarada mumbled.

Sakura found the requested items, laying the pig-print blanket over top of the comforter and tucking in the dog plush into Sarada's arms. She kissed her daughter on the cheek lightly.

"Good night, Sarada. I'll see you in the morning."

"G'night, mommy."

Sakura smiled and left the room, making sure the door was ajar just enough to let a little light peak through. She stretched her arms to the ceiling as she walked down the hallway to her own room, wondering why it was that motherhood was so tiring at times. She quickly changed into her pajamas before picking up the book she'd been reading recently, intending to get through another few chapters until the urge to succumb to sleep was too great. She climbed into bed and sighed. Sasuke had only been gone since yesterday afternoon, but she already missed him.

Suddenly something caught her attention in the tree outside her window, and she snapped her gaze to it. The sun had just set, and the soft light from the first quarter moon didn't allow much visibility. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed and walked closer to the window, never taking her eyes off the tree.

She could have sworn she saw movement earlier, but all she saw now was the gentle sway of the leaves as they blew with the wind. Sakura furrowed her brow. I must be seeing things, she convinced herself. But the prickle of gooseflesh on her arms refused to leave, even as she began to try and rub them away. This feeling was similar to the one she had three weeks ago; unnerving.

She stood there a minute longer, looking for anything. Suddenly there was movement in the top branches that looked too strong for the light breeze, and she tensed.

A squirrel came running into sight and then down the trunk of the tree, undoubtedly off to find food.

Sakura chuckled at her foolishness. "Just a squirrel," she said to herself. She turned around and climbed back into bed, her unease having evaporated quickly. She turned on her bedside lamp and settled herself into a comfortable sitting position with a pillow propped up against the headboard. Sakura opened her dog-eared page and began reading.

She was lost in the world of fantasy and romance for nearly an hour before feeling sleep's siren song become too strong to ignore. Yawning, she leaned to her nightstand and placed the book down, then flicked the switch on the lamp off. She laid down on her side and pulled the covers up to her chin, sighing with contentment. Instinctually, her hands reached towards Sasuke's side of the bed in order to draw him close to her, but she felt only the cold sheets. Sakura frowned, having forgotten momentarily that he wasn't there. She hugged her arms into her body to help retain her warmth, and allowed herself to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Sakura awoke with a start a short while later, feeling that something was very wrong. She saw nothing in her room, but her gut was screaming at her. She rushed out of the bed and from her room, down the hall to Sarada's. She pushed the door open, momentarily relieved when the moonlight from Sarada's window revealed the eye of a frog like the one on her pajamas. She stood in the doorway and stared at the form in the bed, relaxing a little more, until she realized that the form wasn't moving. There was no telltale breathing happening beneath the sheets.

She panicked and ran the short distance to the figure on the bed, heart in her throat.

"Sarada?! SARADA!" she yelled, pulling back the covers and hoping beyond hope that her daughter was still in bed. Her chest seized and her hands shook when she revealed the figure.

In Sarada's place lay the large frog plush she'd received on her birthday. Sakura let out a shuddered breath, and her hands began to shake.

"No, no no no no no no no," she cried out. Her head swiveled around the room quickly, praying she'd find her daughter somewhere. She saw nothing. She put her quaking hands together in a seal.

"Release," she said as she forced her chakra into it, hoping this was all some terrible genjutsu. But the frog stubbornly remained where it was.

Sakura made a short sobbing sound.

"No… no…"

It was then that she noticed a small piece of paper that had fluttered to the floor when she yanked the sheets back. She reached for it without thinking.

Go south and come alone, I'll know if you don't. I'll find you. We're waiting.

Sakura clenched the paper in her fist tightly, her anger rising quickly to dull some of the fear.

Whoever this was would die painfully - she'd make sure of it.

But the fear hadn't rescinded completely, and thus she resolved to go alone after all. She wasn't going to gamble with her daughter's life in the balance. Whoever this person was though, they hadn't thought things through too well. She was friend to one savior of the world, and married to the second. She was trained by one of the legendary sannin. They were going to regret messing with her family.

She scrambled out of Sarada's room, being just aware enough to put on her sandals and a light coat before running through the front door and into to the spring night. She raced through the streets until she reached the main gate, rushing by the guard shack without even glancing at it.

Sakura turned south once out of the main gates and continued her blistering pace, only one thought on her mind.

Sarada.


A few hours later in the Hokage's office, a certain silver-haired man yawned loudly through his mask, squinted eyes glittering with tears that threatened to fall from the force of it. He rubbed them away quickly. The day had been long for him as well, having meeting after debriefing after meeting and so on. He grabbed the last stack of papers he had just finished and straightened them, then pushed himself away from his desk. As he moved around the side, his feet hit that clean and clear plastic container on the ground. He sighed, being reminded that he'd once again forgotten to return it to its rightful owner.

Sarada's birthday was nearly a month ago… this is late, even for me. He chuckled, imagining that Sakura hadn't even noticed or remembered. He glanced up at the clock, surprised that it was only a quarter past ten. Normally he wasn't finished with work this early. "Oh well," he said to himself, "No time like the present."

He figured that worst case, he could leave the container by her door for her in the morning. At least he could say he returned it.

Kakashi strolled down the street casually, one hand in his pocket. Within fifteen minutes, he reached the Uchiha compound, eager to drop off the container and return to his bed for an early turn-in. When he arrived at the house and noticed the front door wide open, he froze mid-step. The container fell to the ground forgotten as he dashed inside to search the house room by room. There was no indication of a struggle, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something awful happened. When he came upon Sarada's room, he noticed the sheets in a pile at the foot of the bed. His eyes fell upon the crumpled paper and he picked it up to unfold it hastily.

"Fuck," he said as he finished reading the short message.

He had just enough forethought to grab Sakura's scarf from the coat rack on his way out the door. He hoped he wasn't too late. He rushed to Naruto's house and banged on the door incessantly until it was answered.

"Kakashi-sensei?" A bleary eyed Naruto asked as he rubbed his face. "What's going on?"

An equally tired Hinata came up behind Naruto, her hand on her extended belly. "Hokage-sama?"

"Sarada's been taken and Sakura went after her alone. Get ready to go now and meet me by the gates. I'll be there in five."

Naruto blinked in response. "Wait… what?"

But Kakashi was already gone. Naruto thought about his words again for a second before comprehending them. Panic set in immediately.

"Shit."

Hinata's jaw hung open in shock once she also understood what just happened.

"Naruto, bring them back," she said, fear causing her voice to shake.

"There's no way I won't," said Naruto as he finished putting on his sandals and orange and black coat.

And with that, he was out the door. Hinata brought a trembling hand up to her mouth.

"Sakura…" she whispered.

Kakashi was already at the next person's house, once again pounding on the door.

Tsunade answered it with a scowl on her face, irritated at the interruption when she was just about to turn in for the night. She blinked in surprise at seeing Kakashi in front of her, then instantly feared the worst. There's no way he'd act like that unless frazzled.

"Sakura and Sarada need our help. Come with me to meet Naruto at the gates, now."

Her eyes widened in alarm before she yelled back into the house. "Shizune! Come!"

Shizune was at her side instantly, having overheard Kakashi herself. "Let's go."

The three bound from rooftop to rooftop towards the front gates. Immediately Kakashi and Tsunade noticed the guards on duty slouched over their desk, appearing dead to the world. She walked up to them and inspected their necks, finding a small puncture point on them. She slapped them hard to try and rouse them, but their heads merely lolled to the side from the force.

"Sleeping serum. And a strong one at that."

Kakashi bit his thumb to summon his ninja dogs. Pakkun and company appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Something you need, boss?"

"Sarada's been kidnapped. The kidnapper left a note instructing Sakura to head south and go alone." He leaned down to Pakkun and removed Sakura's scarf from his jacket pocket. "Here, this is her scent. I need you to guide Naruto, Tsunade, and Shizune to find her."

Pakkun and the other dogs moved forward to sniff the garment before stepping back.

"Got it. Let's go."

Without another word, the impromptu team took off after the dogs, each of them lost in their own thoughts and fears for their cherry blossom friend.

Kakashi stood at the gates, watching them disappear behind the outside walls of the city. The tremor he had forced away by sheer will came back to rack his body. His friend and ex-student, a girl he'd watched bloom into a gorgeous woman and mother, was out there undoubtedly running into a trap. And here he was stuck with nothing more he could do to help. If Kakashi thought he merely resented being the Hokage the other day when he asked Sasuke to go on a rescue mission, he knew absolutely hated it now.