The darkness of the night already filled the sky when Sasori and Sakura reached Suna.
Sasori dropped the guard he knocked out and formed a seal to erase his memories. He was planning on killing it to turn the guard into one of his creations but the kunoichi forbids him. They had a deal that if he intended to kill someone, she will slit her own neck and will leave him in his horrible state.
"Are you sure you didn't kill him?" Sakura asked.
"I'm brutal when it comes to killing," Sasori responded, "My time is precious, don't waste it on unnecessary things."
They jump from roof to roof and landed on the street where the road is neat from the guards whose patrolling during the night. The villagers have settled down and closed the lights on their houses. The sand loses its heat making the desert night cold, no glimpse of hot humid air during the day.
Sasori's eyes never leave the Kunoichi, he will not let her escape. Even though he already has sworn TWICE that he will never come back to his birthplace, this girl forced him to obey her orders in order to get the service he needed to defeat that pedophile snake.
This brat got the guts to even order me around. Heh, just wait and you'll feel the punishment that you clearly deserves.
"Stop staring, I feel uncomfortable," Sakura demanded.
"Nice try, but no," Sasori fired back that made kunoichi growl. She's trying to push him away to make an opening.
"I'm not going to flee, Sasori. If I do then feel free to cut my feet, just... Stop staring," Sakura demanded once again. The puppet master granted her demand but to make sure that she will not try to escape, he planted one thread on her back secretly.
"Is staring a crime?" Sasori asked in nowhere.
"It's not a crime, but it's kinda rude to stare at someone without any purpose," Sakura answered.
"Is forbidding you to escape not a purpose?" Sasori stated while looking at their environment. Suna guards are starting to roam all over the place, they need to fasten their moves.
"You've sealed my chakra. So even if I manage to escape from you. I can't fight you back, let's mention the annoying thread you've planted in my back," Sakura answered.
Tho' the girl might be right, he can't let his guard down. Maybe he's learning to not underestimate his enemy from now, death can come at you in an unexpected way and there is 99% chance that you might die and Sasori is one lucky criminal who avoids it because of sympathy or love he gained from his grandmother.
"Why did that old hag revived me?" He asked unexpectedly, he remembers that the kunoichi dodges that question when they're fighting in the cave back in Aoki forest. Now is the perfect time to ask it, it's not that he wants to build a connection nor a conversation with the kunoichi, he is just... curious.
The pink haired kunoichi didn't reply. Impatience, Sasori stops from walking and pulled the thread on the kunoichi's back. Forcing her to stop from walking too.
"Wha-"
"I'm asking you a question and I'm expecting for a lucid answer," Sasori said in an annoyed tone.
Sakura slightly turned around to met his hazelnut eyes, those eyes show no mercy. If she didn't answer him seriously, he will clearly lose his shit and will not hesitate to kill her intently.
"I can't," she answered.
He gave her a confused look "What do you mean you can't?"
Sakura looked in the other direction. The crimson haired man notices 2 shadows near their direction that's why he drags the kunoichi into a dark alley as fast as he can. He covered her mouth to forbid her from screaming and hugged her to avoid her from struggling.
"I can't believe that bastard escaped," one of the Suna shinobi stated as their shadows climbed up to their position. Sasori's eyes twitched when he heard that, he concludes that he is the bastard who they are talking to. Well, he's the only criminal who killed almost 50 guards in less than 10 minutes and escape the Suna with a hostage for 5 minutes in human form.
"Yeah, We will hold 57 funerals including Gaara-sama's body at the Kazekage's tower tomorrow," the other shinobi stated.
"How's Kankuro-san?" the other one asked.
"Last time I've checked, he's in critical condition. I've heard that Temari-san already asked for Lady Tsunade's help," The other one answered.
The two Suna shinobi exceeded the alley where Sasori and Sakura were hiding.
"It was a very big problem that We let Lady Tsunade's disciple caught. If she wasn't taken, I bet that Kankuro will be in a stable state now," The other one said in a very disappointing way.
"Yeah, I hope that Naruto and Kakashi find her as fast as possible. Naruto-Kun seems very angry about her disappearance," the other one answered.
"They are teammates, it's normal," The other one added.
Once they disappeared from the hazelnut's eyes, he released the kunoichi away from his grip. The kunoichi catches her breath and gives him a deadly glare.
"Do you really need t-"
"Let's go, I want to leave this place immediately," Sasori cut off her words and lead the way.
Sakura looked at him in disbelief but in the end, she chose to follow him.
It's been only five minutes but seems forever when they reached the Suna's hospital. The front door was closed that's why they have no other choices but to use the window. Sakura sneak and look around to guard the criminal, she can't believe that she'll join forces with the criminal she used to kill. She's the type of girl who sticks her loyalty to her country and teammates, but it seems that her current actions are signs of betrayal, though she didn't want to do it in the first place.
Sakura tried to look for Kankuro's room where he was first poisoned and she succeeded. He's laying there and the silence hovering him lead her to the conclusion that he will not make it until morning. If he's in pain, he should be screaming in agony up until now.
She needs to move. Fast.
Sakura approached him and checked his pulse. It was still bumping, but it was so weak that she can't almost feel it.
Sakura faced the puppet master "Let me use my chakra,"
Sasori rose an eyebrow "Alright,"
Sasori dismissed the seal but to make sure that she will not be going to do something against his will, he planted another seal on her back in case she charge an attack.
"Can you lend me a hand?" Sakura asked the only person she's with.
Sasori didn't reply and took his leave instead. The pink haired kunoichi hissed because of annoyance.
Sakura performed hand seals and creates two clones, she commanded it to gather all the herbs and tools that she needed that her clones obey immediately. She pinned her hair into a bun one to clear her vision and to avoid any small hindrances during the operation.
This must be done in less than an hour...
Sakura proceeded to the operation. Unlike her first medication with Kankuro, he's not in the critical condition any more. He's on the borderline between life and death, the operation must be more critical than the first time he is in the critical operation that she handled. She can't perform the same performance she did because it was a different, different poison, different story.
She puts her hand on his chest and she can feel that the poison already invade his inner parts, if the poison reached the brain then Kankuro will be done. But before the brain, it will cross with the heart, and heart is fragile to be invaded. Sakura was surprised when she discovered that the poison already invaded his spleen, kidney, and liver, it might stop working tomorrow.
Her two clones came back with all the herbs and tools that she needed, they place it on the table then they vanished.
Sakura removed his clothes and sealed it in a sack, she covers his body from the lower abdomen to his feet.
First, she needs to extract the poison that forbidding his body to produce proteins. Since the poison already invades his other internal organs, she needs to extract it from it.
Sakura mixed all the ingredients in order to remove the poison from Kankuros body. Once she's finished, she sliced his upper abdomen using a scalpel, she then searched for the vein where the plasma proteins were being distributed and where the poison was stuck. Sakura used a liquid form with the herbs she needs and uses her chakra to insert it on that vein, it was difficult because it was so small but she didn't give a damn and focused on the damaged area.
With her pointed finger, The poison starts to mix with the antidote but because of the danger of having a physical contact with it. Sakura aborted her hand and drop it into a container. She does the same again and again that lasted at least 15 minutes until the passage was neat.
The flow was all normal and Kankuro's situation is not in critical anymore. But it can come back since the poison is already attached to his body but because she already removed the blocks and hindrances, all the poison that will block his proteins will be the short amount and can be removed in only one way.
Sakura knitted Kankuro's wound and heal it. After that, she injected several antidotes into his both arms, neck, right eyes, and wrist.
"Just as I thought, you will just able to minimize the effects," Sasori commented from behind.
Sakura ignored him and get a brush, ink and a paper. She was about to write something when Sasori flashed into her side and stops her from her actions.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sasori asked in a very serious tone.
Sakura gave him a deadly glare "I'm just leaving a note for his daily medication."
Sasori let go of her hand and threatened her "Don't write something stupid or I will kill you along with that loser."
Sakura didn't reply and write all the prescription that the medical ninja of the Suna needs to do before Tsunade's arrival in Suna. She wants to state there that she needs help, that her life is in danger and she wants to go home as much as possible but the puppet master's eyes were focused on every single letter she writes.
At the end, Sakura didn't get any chance to get a help using a note. She left the note above the tools that she used and checked Kankuro's condition. He was saved once again and she can conclude that if he wakes up, he will force himself to take revenge on the puppet master again.
"Let's leave," Sasori commanded then leave Kankuro's room. Sasori activated the seal again.
Sakura followed him and maintain the distance between them, she was annoyed really annoyed. She was controlled by her enemy and she needs to follow him for certain reasons.
"He's dead... We've defeated him Chiyo-baasama!" Sakura stated, she wants to rejoice. The defeated Sasori and the most important part is, she already got the information she needed in haunting Orochimaru.
"No..."
Sakura gave the older kunoichi a confuse look "Chiyo-baasama?"
"He saw my last attack and something stunned him, something has snapped and that is the reasons of why We managed to kill him," Chiyo said while looking at Sasori.
"Wha..what was that thing?" Sakura asked the elder kunoichi but Chiyo only gave her a meaningful stare. There is something on her eyes, something that until now she didn't understand.
Chiyo forced herself to get up "Sakura..."
Sakura approached her to guide the poor older kunoichi "Chiyo-baasama! Please don't force yourself to get up."
"I still can fulfill that dream..." The elder kunoichi approaches his grandson weakly.
"Dream?" Sakura asked while looking at Chiyo with a confused look.
The older kunoichi managed to reach her grandson and do the reincarnation jutsu she used to Sakura.
"Granny Chiyo!" Sakura was about to stop the older kunoichi until she saw the happiness in her eyes. The pink-haired kunoichi was stunned for real, all she can see was... happiness and love.
"I kept the truth for a short period of time, but my little lie leaves a huge scar on my grandson. I need to be fair to him," Granny Chiyo stated while passing her remaining life energy to Sasori.
The lines and on the puppet master's artificial body began to ignite as a flesh. Sakura finds it amazing. A family love...
"Sakura..." The elder called her attention.
"Chiyo-baasama?"
"Can you do something for me? Consider it as a favor," Chiyo asked.
The pink haired kunoichi gulps, she can't decline "Anything."
"As my last breath escaped from my mouth and another life opens for Sasori, can you help him for finding answers?"
Sakura came back to reality when a sharp blade points at her eye, she was surprised. The blade came out from nowhere and if it wasn't for her sharp senses, she will be good as dead.
"Heh," Sasori smirked and pulled his sword away from her.
Sakura blinked, trying to register what was just happened.
Sasori hid the sharp sword in his puppet arm that completely surprises the kunoichi "I can already feel it, my art."
Sakura closed her eyes, the puppet master already turned his hand into his oh-so called art. She bet that he does that during her operation with Kankuro.
Chiyo-baasama...
Sakura opened her eyes and look at the puppet master whose checking his new artificial hand.
I'm afraid that I can't fulfill my mission...