Sorry about the slow update on this. I got consumed with school, and admittedly, inspiration kept hitting for some other stories so I just updated them. It may seem biased but trust me, it's not intentional.

Also, no members of the Kurama-clan belong to me. They're anime-exclusive (filler) characters I'm using for the purpose of this story.

Now let's see where this goes! Hopefully somewhere exciting.

Sakura hadn't seen Tsunade quite that angry in a while, she thought after leaving her office. When she'd left, Shizune was fretting over the all the paperwork scattered across the floor after the Hokage split her desk neatly in two with a single blow.

Sakura couldn't blame her for being so frustrated; the Akatsuki were getting more brazen by the day and pressure was mounting from the council to take dire action. Of course, it was easy for them to say that, but no one had offered up any feasible suggestions so far. Being that Sakura seemed to be the one they were seeking out, the first proposal had involved keeping her on lock-down.

Tsunade had immediately put her foot down on that, noting that Sakura was a kunoichi they would need in the field. Not only that, but, keeping her restricted to the village essentially made her a sitting target of the Akatsuki, and it gave rise to the notion that Konoha would bend to the Akatsuki's will.

Grudgingly, the council had no choice but to back down. Developing a counter-strategy had been made the next priority, and for that purpose, some of the Leaf's brightest minds were called in. Neji, Shikaku, Shikamaru and Sakura had attended. That was another thing the High Council was against. They had even had the audacity to suggest that after her encounter with Uchiha Itachi she could be compromised, and sharing their plans with her could backfire if the Uchiha were to "come in possession" of her.

Tsunade's thorough dressing down had temporarily assuaged that concern, and the more important matters of the meeting had begun. However, no one present had predicted the next twist.

"What I want to know is how in the hell he cast a genjutsu of that magnitude on the village's entire population! You say he had a Sharingan, but…" Tsunade sighed, carding a hand through her hair in frustration. "That seems like a big strain even for a Sharingan user."

"Well, we're dealing with a rogue nin from the Akatsuki, after all," Shikaku reasoned. "He'd be bound to have a few extra tricks up his sleeves in addition to the doujutsu."

"We've officially got cause to declare a state of emergency, folks," Tsunade leaned back in her chair, brow furrowed. "The village has been breached. This couldn't be more serious. What's even more disturbing is they skipped going after Naruto, in favor of—"

All eyes drifted to Sakura, who was frowning in consternation. "It's just as big a mystery to me too, shishou, trust me."

"She's one of the best medics we've got, besides you of course, Lady Hokage." Shikamaru cleared his throat. "For punks like them a strong medic would be a valuable asset."

"Of course, a good medic is invaluable in almost any scenario." Neji stated, crossing his arms. "But they'd have to know that the chances of persuading Haruno to simply defect aren't likely. This seems like an awful lot of toying with us."

Shikaku stroked his goatee. "And that's where they have us. Is it a diversion? What's their endgame. We don't have those facts, but if we can just find a way to turn the tables…"

"What about, if one of them comes back, we capture their man instead?" Sakura voiced quietly. Everyone looked at her intently. "I…I mean hear me out, alright? We know they want me, and so if they think they can get me, maybe they'd be more likely to get sloppy. It sounds crazy but that one with the orange mask got cocky toward the end, so if it happens again—"

"The problem with that is you're putting an awful lot on a chance, Sakura." Tsunade shook her head, steeped hands together. "One wrong move could get you killed with these types. Those aren't good odds."

"Well," Sakura licked at her lips, grinning wryly. "Like master like student, right?"

Tsunade smirked a little herself. "You have me there."

"Maybe some of Neji's squad should be on standby at Sakura's house," Shizune suggested, ever the worrywart. "It would be better than you trying to use yourself as bait alone. At least you'd have some backup."

Sakura was prepared to agree, not minding the suggestion, when ironically, two Anbu chose that moment to appear, a figure held between them.

"What is it now?" Tsunade demanded, impatient.

"Apologies, Lady Hokage. But you see—"

"It's this girl here. We think she's been causing problems again."

"No," the girl jerked against their grip. "I was framed!"

Sakura's pulse sped up, the voice vaguely familiar. She gave the girl a second look, and recognized the amber eyes, pale skin and long brown tresses. It had been some time, but she recalled Kurama Yakumo, a former student of Kurenai's from an almost extinct clan. Just as she had, the other kunoichi had grown up. Her hair was past her hips, and she had grown taller, her face maturing. The most noticeable change was her headband, marking her as an official shinobi of Konoha.

"We found her in a trance outside the hospital after the genjutsu dropped, babbling to herself."

Yakumo fell to her knees, bowing. "You have to believe me Lady Hokage! I was returning home from getting groceries, and I was attacked and knocked out. I don't remember much, except a strange man standing over me. I feel like he made me do something terrible." She clutched at her head, shaking.

Sakura walked to the young woman and kneeled beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Yakumo," she said softly, "Was the man wearing a black cloak with red clouds? Did he have an orange mask?"

Yakumo glanced at Sakura, slowly lowering her hands. "I…yes, I remember seeing the mask and a red eye!"

Tsunade shared a look with Shizune. "He manipulated Yakumo with the Sharingan."

Shizune nodded briefly. "Mm. That's why the genjutsu felt so real and effected everyone all at once. I'd never considered what could happen if a Sharingan-user could manipulate a Kurama clan member."

"Now we know it's nothing good," Neji interjected.

"But that's one mystery solved." Shikamaru added. "Already progress has been made."

"Escort Yakumo home, and remain vigilant around the Kurama estate until I give the word." Tsunade instructed the Anbu.

"Ma'am." They both stood at attention, helping Yakumo to her feet and then poofing away with her.

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Sakura queried.

"Shaken up, but none the worse for wear. That Akatsuki sure is ballsy. He wanted to cause that much of a scene…you have to wonder if you were his only target when he entered the village." Tsunade grunted, her left hand stretching and flexing around air. "Shizune, why isn't there a warm cup of sake right here?"

"Because this is a delicate matter and we need you sober, milady." Shizune replied sweetly.

"Now Lady Hokage, I believe maybe you're onto something." Shikaku began, clearing his throat. "If I may?" Tsunade motioned for him to continue. "This Akatsuki clearly came with a purpose. He was smart enough to use Yakumo's kekkei genkai to cause chaos which he used to lure Sakura to the hospital for a confrontation, and obscure his tracks. Then there is his means of phasing right through her. It almost sounds like a space-time ninjutsu. Not quite like what the Fourth employed, but maybe operating under similar mechanics. Assuming he was acting alone, is it possible that maybe, he had another purpose at the hospital?"

Silence fell over the room as everyone thought deeply.

Once the facts had been laid out, everyone came to an almost unanimous conclusion. "Uchiha Sasuke!"

After the meeting had been concluded, Tsunade had gone up to the Uchiha's hospital room herself to talk to him. She didn't expect to get much, not willingly. Though, she took along Shikaku, hoping he could spot any tells Sasuke might give away when they questioned him.

Sakura was left to do what she could with the rest of her day, despite the new development weighing down on her mind. The mystery man wanted to rattle her and possibly made contact with Sasuke. Neither of those things even covered whatever the hell the confrontation against Uchiha Itachi had meant. For someone constantly touted as being a quick thinker, Sakura was feeling pretty simple at the moment, and she didn't like it.

'Maybe this is how Naruto normally feels…' The thought that things involving her were now going over her head as if she were Naruto drew a resigned sigh from her lips. It was well into the afternoon now, on the cusp of evening. In an hour or two, the sun would set and give way to night. And Sakura felt exhausted, but it wasn't the usual strain from long days at the hospital, or a particularly grueling spar with her friends or teammates. Mental and emotional exhaustion warred for dominance over the kunoichi as she trudged back to her house.

She didn't feel like doing much or interacting with anyone after the events of her day, which had consisted of working at the hospital as if nothing had happened, and then meeting in Tsunade's office with the others before even completing her shift. She knew she would be compensated for the lost hours. That was far from the issue…

Sakura climbed the steps to her apartment and rummaged for her keys. Once she got them out of her pocket and slid the door open, she stepped into her dark abode and slid out of her sandals. Sakura flicked the lights on and surveyed the space. Everything was tidy and in its place just like she'd left it. Everything was pretty much the same.

'Not sure what I was expecting…that Akatsuki popping up out of the shadows to grab me?'

Padding into her kitchen, Sakura opened the fridge and peeked inside. She had done a grocery run several days ago, so she had some fresh fruit, rice, vegetables, a half-eaten sushi platter from lunch that she hadn't been able to finish, and leftover takeout from the night before. She selected the sushi, taking it to the table. Sakura stirred the contents around listlessly with her chopsticks before plucking up a piece and chewing.

Her mind was still elsewhere, not on her meeting with that orange-masked Akatsuki, but with Itachi. If she didn't know better, it seemed like his reasons for going up against her and the others were his own. Although, both men seemed to have been toying with her. She knew that she was incapable of taking on either of them herself.

Her skills had vastly improved since her genin days, but they both had the Sharingan, for starters. She'd seen the effects of that doujutsu on both Sasuke and Kakashi. Two men who, ironically, also had the Sharingan. If two people with Sharingan weren't immune to having it used against them, she knew that she'd be foolish to believe herself the exception.

Sakura kept munching her sushi absently, until her chopsticks scraped the bottom of the plastic container. She stared down at it in confusion, blinking and tossing it away. It was early night now, she wasn't tired, and her mind was raging—racing would have been too mild to describe it.

She contemplated burying herself in a book, some medicinal theory, some tome of jargon that could challenge her. But after everything, was that really how she wanted to end her night? The pink-haired kunoichi decided on an innocent romantic comedy instead. Ino certainly left enough of them around.

"Sakura's it's so good! Especially when you get to the steamy bits! It might actually help you with some of those pent-up—" Sakura groaned, swatting Ino's voice away like a nagging insect whirling around her head.

Once she'd selected something that didn't look too salacious, she began stripping out of her clothes. Unzipping, unwrapping, and sliding off the articles in favor of more comfortable house-wear, Sakura couldn't help but sigh in comfort once she had her bindings off.

She didn't see herself as being as well-endowed as some of the others her age, but she wouldn't deny even she was surprised by the fact that she had continued to gain curves into her late teens. Like with most things, she was simply a late bloomer.

Changing into loose pants and a sleeveless top that revealed the pale strip of skin between her navel and waist, Sakura flopped back into bed inelegantly, scooping up the romance novel. Ino had promised it was as funny as it was juicy, but Sakura considered herself to be a little above the fluffy romance books that probably would have appealed more strongly to her twelve-year old self.

'Here we go,' she thought, starting on the first chapter. Five pages later, she could admit that it wasn't as bad as she was expecting. It was no great masterpiece for the ages, but it was an enjoyable read, and she let herself sink into it. The heroine was dynamic and spirited, someone Sakura could get behind. The male lead had the generic tall, dark and handsome good looks, and seemed a bit…emotionally stunted. The brooding type.

By the time she reached the second chapter, she was chuckling to herself at the heroine's antics to get under her love interest's skin. 'Sounds…sort of familiar.' She yawned, surprised she was already feeling a little sleepier. Eventually she set the book of side and rolled over, deciding to try going to bed. She doubted it was any later than nine, but going to bed this early had become a luxury and maybe she should take it. Tomorrow promised to be another day of consulting with Tsunade and the team of brains the Hokage had thrown together, to try and keep out the Akatsuki.

Sakura hunkered down under her blankets, her eyes drifting shut with the image of knowing crimson eyes framed by long lashes behind them.

Outside, a crow peered into her bedroom window, watching the kunoichi sleep before flying off.

Sasuke watched the mystery man appear in his room yet again, extending his gloved hand outward. "I've brought you gifts." Sasuke leaned forward, eyes narrowing as some sort of spatial portal opened and out tumbled the rest of Hebi. Karin and Suigetsu looked dazed, but Jugo looked only mildly disoriented.

"Wh-what the hell?" he heard Suigetsu groan, standing slowly.

Karin lifted herself onto her hands and knees, and then hopped up, glancing around warily. That was, until her gaze landed on Sasuke, immobile and chained to the bed. "Sasuke-kun!" she yelped, her eyes watering over in joy as she rushed to his side.

"As you can see, I've done the work of regathering your team and bringing them to you. They will help you escape." said the Akatsuki.

"So you really do know him then, Sasuke?" Jugo asked softly. "He approached us and told us he could bring us to you… Karin said we shouldn't trust him, but—"

"But Jugo and Suigetsu wouldn't listen! Oh, I've missed you so much," she purred, burying her face into his collarbone and inhaling deeply. Suigetsu turned to Jugo and motioned to Karin, making a face as if he were gagging.

"I told you I would return to retrieve you on the night of the full moon. It is time to leave, Sasuke; are you prepared?"

Sasuke looked down at himself and sneered, ignoring Karin for the moment. "Clearly not like this."

"Take these then." Sasuke was tossed some clothes and a plain black cloak bordered in red. "Change quickly, and then have your redheaded friend there heal you. You know what to do from there."

Then the man vanished again, leaving Suigetsu to slowly shake his head. "That guy is sort of a creep. I dunno, it's just a feeling I get. But he told us what the deal is…sounds like a pain in the ass. But what the hell, am I right?" he shrugged, grinning widely.

"Suigetsu, shut up and turn around so Sasuke can change in privacy!" Karin growled, finally lifting herself from Sasuke's body, but continuing to lean over him so that her breasts were pressed into his side.

"Karin, you're the one that had better look away." Sasuke lightly shoved her away by the shoulders.

Karin flushed, a pout wobbling her lip. "B-But Sasuke-kun, if you're hurt, you'll need help, won't you?"

"No," he grunted, flinging the covers away and straightening up in the bed.

Karin reluctantly turned, Suigetsu giving her a smug look as he pulled the curtain around Sasuke's bed closed to give their leader some privacy.

It didn't stop the flow of questions on his lips though. "Sasuke, I know we were always supposed to help you go after Itachi when we signed up for this, but, eh…this masked dude, you really think he's gonna hand over intel? He's with Akatsuki, ya know. Could be kind of problematic if he double-crossed us." His muscled arms flexed as they crossed his chest. He studied the sinewy silhouette of Sasuke moving behind the curtain, worrying his lips with a sharp fang.

"Oh, now it occurs to you how fishy this all is?!" Karin mocked. "I've been saying that this whole time! I see we ditch that guy and do it like we planned. We don't need to keep any promises to some Akatsuki goon that might be looking to hurt Sasuke-kun."

"He promised me intel in exchange for an old teammate…collecting her should be simple enough. Karin, after you heal me, you will track her down. I trust he's informed you all where the meet will take place."

"Her?" Karin and Suigetsu echoed, two entirely different tones clashing. Suigetsu sounded intrigued while Karin's voice came out in a hiss, hardly thrilled.

"Aa." Sasuke suddenly pulled the curtain aside, fully dressed in attire similar to what he would normally wear, minus the hideous long piece of purple rope that acted as a belt. His pants rested snugly at his waist. He was dawning the cloak, unbuttoned to reveal that beneath, his shirt was just as infective at covering his pectoral muscles as ever. Karin began to feel her skin heat, some of her ire forgotten.

"Sasuke-kun," she breathed, creeping closer. She sat herself on his hospital bed, legs crossed and arms leaned back. She rolled up one of her sleeves to reveal the expanse of bite marks mapped across her skin. "Do what you need to…" Karin murmured coyly.

Suigetsu turned and buried his face into Jugo's broad shoulder, murmuring about losing his lunch. Sasuke regarded her coolly as she offered up her arm, seizing her wrist and dragging it closer to his mouth. Karin felt her heart race at the cool lips drifting over her pulse point, and then he settled on a spot on her forearm and sank his teeth in. She bit her lip, stifling any embarrassing noises as he sucked, her chakra helping him to regain the last of his lost color. With every second, Sasuke's dark eyes became a little sharper. When he withdrew his mouth from Karin's arm, he looked reinvigorated.

"Well boss, looks like you're practically back to full strength." Suigetsu reached behind his back. "Here, been holding onto this for ya. A little too thin for me but it's a nice one, so I thought you'd want it back." He tossed Sasuke his sword, Kusanagi, and the Uchiha caught it easily. He studied his reflection in the shining blade of his trusted weapon.

"Karin, you're familiar enough with Sakura's chakra, aren't you? Lead the way."

Karin scowled and for a minute Sasuke thought she'd be difficult and refuse. "Yeah, sure I know where she is. But after this is all over, I want you to make this up to me somehow!" she whirled on the dark-haired man, glaring. "You don't know what it's been like for me, traveling for over a month with Suigetsu, trying to find a way to break you out of here. Biding our time in stupid caves and inns wasn't a lot of fun either."

Suigetsu sighed loudly in exasperation. "Glad that little show was free because I sure as hell wouldn't pay to see it. What about you, Jugo?"

Jugo blinked slowly. "W-Was Karin putting on a show just now?"

Suigetsu smirked wryly, patting Jugo on the shoulder. "Never mind big guy."

"Enough games, Karin. We're doing this with our without you," Sasuke walked to the window of his room and pried it open, the cool night air filling the room. "I don't sense any Anbu…he must have taken care of that." Although he cared little about being spotted, it would be problematic if he was slowed down by some nosey shinobi spotted them and tried to stand in their way. "Henge yourselves everyone."

Though he would never admit to it, Sasuke was quite pleased with this. For the longest time he had owed Sakura for the utter humiliation he'd been enduring. Her casual indifference had also left him rankled. Maybe, before handing him over, he could reduce her to a state of weakness, show her that if he wanted, he could crash through all her defenses easily, in one way or another.

I wanted to get this chapter out and continue the story so, so much and I just… *flails* Sorry once again for the wait. Thank you for waiting to those who have been patiently falling this. I've been in my ItaSaku feels lately, so of course I had to really grind this out. Things pick up soon and Sakura and Itachi have another meeting.

Remember that reviews are always appreciated.