Shadows on the Cherry Blossom

Summary: When Sasuke defeats Naruto and Sakura again, still refusing to come home, Kyuubi sends Sakura back in time to go on the Sasuke Retrieval mission. He thinks that if she will, just maybe she can help them bring him home....and back to his original self. (SasuSaku)

Disclaimer: Wishing at 11:11 didn't work either.....My quest to own Naruto fails yet again....:( I guess I'll have to settle for simply reading the manga....

Authoresses's Message: Although I did promise to get this chapter up sooner, I know I didn't. I'm sorry!! I'm so slow when it comes to updates, I know, and I plan to work on that. I think it's my biggest flaw as a writer....... You guys have been giving some great feedback, and I really appreciate that. I honestly am going to try to get the chapters up much sooner, even though there are only a couple left. Possibly 3 chapters are left of this fic......I think I'll only do two more though. It all depends on exactly how I plan it out and how it turns out honestly. Thank you guys so much everything anyway. I hate waiting on updates too-I feel your impatience. I've gotten 32 reviews as of now! Wow! This chapter goes out to to Ryn729 for being the 25th reviewer, but since a chapter was already dedicated to her, I'm going to dedicate it to Dani and Sunny-Dip for being the 24th and 26th reviewers!

Chapter3: An Ambush and a Brawl

"How could you do this? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US? ALL THIS TIME, I THOUGHT WE WERE YOUR FRIENDS! YOU JERK!" Naruto's fist flew towards Sasuke's face, only to hit air as the Uchiha darted towards his feet, causing him to crash to the ground.

"I won't let you stop me from leaving. I'll never get strong enough in that pathetic excuse for a village." Sasuke responded, emotionless. "I would have never even acchieved this much power if it weren't for the help of Orochimaru!"

"What do you mean? What's the use of power if you don't even earn it yourself? I would rather be weak and work for my strength than be strong and have it handed to me! And I'm taking you back to the damn village!" Naruto commanded, jumping back onto his feet.

"There's no way you'll be able to take me back. You're too weak to control me." A touch of anger flared in Sasuke's eyes, his lust for power burning through them and straight into Naruto's soul. Both quickly and suddenly, he tackled Naruto onto the ground and flew up a nearby tree.

"You won't get away from me, Sasuke!" the blond haired ninja promised.

Naruto leaped into the tree Sasuke was standing in. As soon as he did, a fire bomb exploded, sending him flying toward the ground, stirring the dirt into a sandy fog. Sasuke leaped out of the air bellowing.

"DEMON WIND SHURIKEN! WINDMILL OF SHADOWS!"

The lethal weapon struck Naruto, right on target. "Aagggghhhh..." Blood oozed down his back, and he remained on the ground, defeated.......

Until he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sasuke felt himself being grabbed from behind, but the hold was too strong, as Naruto had the advantage of surprise on his side. His shadow clone had served it's purpose.

"Come......back........with me...." Naruto growled.

"No." Sasuke denied him as simply as possible.

"AAARRRHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Kyuubi's chakra built up inside Naruto, along with his rage. The red chakra became visible outside of his body. He released his hold on Sasuke, sending powerful blows with his fists towards his former comrade. Although powerful, they were too slow, and Sasukeblocked then all with his hands. "You will come back to the village with me!"

Pft......this form of his is so powerful......Sasuke admitted to himself. He had seen Naruto's demon form once in a fight when Orochimaru attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, but feeling the heat of the battle himself was more tedious than he ever imagined. Even so he was still confident. Then I'll just have to bring out some more of my own power.....

His newly obtained power, the second form of the curse mark, set to work. Markings that disturbingly resembled black flames began to appear along his arms and legs, and were soon spreading to the rest of his body.

What? His curse mark? Ergh.......Naruto recognized Sasuke'sother form as well. However, he had no fear, only annoyance. He wanted this battle to be over with as soon as possible, but it didn't look like it was going to work that way......

Sasukebegan charging at him, both his legs and arms flying towards Naruto's body. Taken off guard, Naruto dodged them as best as he could, but one blow struck him in his gut, and he went flying into a tree. Becoming more angry and frustrated by the second, Naruto felt Kyuubi's power continuing to build inside of him. The red chakra erupted, forming the ears and single tail of a fox around the boy's body.

What?Sasuke thought in shock, for he had never seen Kyuubi's power at this intensity.

"You know..........you're special, Naruto." Sasuke commented darkly. "But I am too!" His eyes flashed and his curse mark began to spread even more. Pretty soon, his skin was entirely covered, causing it to turn a rather tan color, almost a dark sort of gray. His hair grew much longer-about as long as Jiriya's-and it too, turned a different shade of dark gray. Along the ridge of his nose emerged a black four-pointed star, or rather, diamond, and sickly wings erupted from his back. As he opened his eyes, Naruto noticed, to his alarm, that around Sasuke's red sharigan, the whites of his eyes were indeed black.

What is this? Naruto thought in alarm. Sasuke....he looks so freaky! What kind of freaky form is this?

"I WILL ABOLISH YOU! NO ONE WILL GET IN THE WAY OF MY AVENGENCE!" Sasuke bellowed, showing much more emotion that he usually did. He darted towards Naruto, shouting.

"CHIDORI!" The power sparks of blue lightning began building up in his right hand.

Coming back to his senses, Naruto flew into action.

"RASENGAN!" he cried, the ball of power emiting from his hand as well.

Naruto charged towards Sasuke, both of their attacks ricocheting off each other, causing a huge and colorful explosion of power, and sending them both flying in opposite directions.

As he hit the ground, realization also came over Naruto. Sakura!!How could he have forgotten? Why was he fighting Sasuke when his pink-haired teammate was on her way to Orochimaru's hideout in a coffin? Retrieving Sasuke may be the goal of this mission, but the safety of my teammates is also important. After all I'm not even sure if Lee, Shikamaru, Choiji, and any of the others are safe....I won't let harm come to Sakura too! Sasuke can wait!

"I don't have time for this!" Naruto announced. "All of us have risked our lives trying to help you, but if this is how you repay us, then why should we? When I said I'd get you back to the village, I meant it, and I never go back on my word. But Sakura is in danger, and if it wasn't for you running off like this, she would be at home, safe and sound. Not to mention that Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino, Choiji, and Lee are all fighting for their lives against the ninja that you teamed up with just to save your sorry butt. I want to help you, but I'm not letting Orochimaru hurt Sakura! I'm going after her, and I'll find you later!"

Eh? Orochimaru......harming Sakura? How could he? Isn't Sakura--Sasuke realized that Sakura must've left the village to help the others find him. He had expected for Naruto and possibly a few others to pursue him, but he knew that they would be able to take care of themselves. Sasuke thought that Naruto would make Sakura stay in the village..........This isn't about anything but me gaining power......This is what it takes........for me to defeat Itachi..........The others shouldn't get involved.....Sakura shouldn't get involved......Even though Sakura had proved herself to be quite strong, Sasuke saw her as a fragile girl....In his opinion, there was no way she could survive a fight with any high level ninja on her own. He would never admit to himself how protective he was of the girl......

Naruto turned his back to Sasuke, about to break into a run towards the direction he saw Kabuto carrying the coffin, which of course, contained Sakura. Kyuubi's chakra contained itself once again, and Naruto's eyes had returned to their normal shade of blue.

"Wait, Naruto....." Sasukesaid slowly. "I didn't want her involved.......It's my fault she's in danger, and I need to make sure that she gets out of it. Don't think that I'm going back to the village with you, but I won't let Sakura die because of my decision." He stood up, his body returning to normal as well.

Eh....Sakura's most important right now. I can worry about dragging his ass back home later...Naruto decided. "All right then, well, we'd better hurry! We've been fighting all this time......Sakura's probably all ready at the hideout by now. They might not know that she's there yet, but......"

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked as they sprinted through the trees. "How could they not be aware of her presence?"

"Well, you see-" Naruto went on to explain how Sakura got into that coffin and Kabuto was now carrying it to Orochimaru's hideout, still unaware that she was in it.........hopefully.

Why? The question burned into Sasuke. What good did she think that would do?

________________________________________________________________________________

Sakura's POV

Thud. Kabuto plopped the coffin onto a hard floor, making a sharp pain shoot up Sakura's back as it slammed against the inside of the coffin. She was very stiff from being cramped in such a small face for what she guessed was about two hours.

"Hm? That's odd........I would've thought that the seal of the coffin would have released Uchiha by now.....The transformations weren't expected to take this long..........I suppose his body could be simply having a hard time adjusting, causing the process to take longer....." Kabuto pondered aloud to himself. "I guess I should fetch Lord Orochimaru. He's probably very cranky by now................." He swallowed.

Once his footsteps faded into the distance, (she heard them patter off somewhere left of where she was standing) Sakura began to plan her next move. What should I do now?Well, she kind of began to plan her next move. Since her decision to step into the coffin was made both rashly and suddenly, she never really figured out what she was going to do once she arrived at Orochimaru'shideout. While she was being carried, she debated strongly with herself on whether to get out of the coffin if left alone, or simply stay in it and hope that the two taunting ninja wouldn't open it until the seal released itself, which, of course, wouldn't happen as it all ready did so when Sasuke got out. But Orochimaru and Kabuto didn't know that......

Even still, if she stayed in the coffin, there was a chance that the two would open it eventually. Sakura had to face it:she couldn't take those two on her own. Even the fourth Hokage died at Orochimaru's hands.....She probably wouldn't be left alone again. This was her only chance. She had to decide now.

Sakura opened the lid of the coffin and stepped out.

She found herself in dark hall with candles spread out every few feet, casting only a dim light. The hall branched off into every direction, with many different twists and turns. The walls were made of dirt; it appeared as if the hideout was underground.

At least if I die here, I'll already be buried...Sakura shuddered at the thought. She walked swiftly down the hall, randomly taking a turn at the second passageway on the right. She hoped it would lead to an exit.

Sasuke's probably all ready far away by now......Once they return to the coffin, they'll think that it just opened. They'll search this whole place first, and by the time they actually start looking for him outside, he'll have time to be halfway across this land! I've done all I can do to stall for him. Now I just need to escape myself.

Despite the creeps that this place gave her, Sakurawas extremely pleased with herself for taking matters into her own hands. She didn't stand aside a let some one else take care of things, she helped Sasuke get away, not the other way around. A faint smile became etched onto her face.

After a few terrifying seconds of walking through the passageway, Sakurabegan to realize that there wasn't an exit nearby, or at least, if there was, it would be next to impossible for her to find it. She knew how to get back to where the coffin was, but with as many hallways as there were, she also knew that if she ventured much further, she wouldn't be able to get back to it, being more lost than ever.

I have to find a way out. There's no turning back now, and it has to be around here somewhere! I just hope that those creeps aren't too close......(meaning Kabuto and Orochimaru)

In the distance, she heard a loud yell of rage. They must've returned to the coffin, finding it empty! Their search for Sasuke, or rather, me, begins now! Sakura realized in alarm. She had hoped that she would have a bit more time than this, but her fear made her work faster. She sprinted down the south hall, turning left at the corner.

To her relief, a very faint light emitted from the first door to the north. The exit! Sakuraran towards it, but the floor gave out underneath her just as she stood in front of it.

"Damn!" Feeling both stupid and careless, she realized that she had run straight into a trap door. In this place, what goes in, doesn't come back out......Why didn't she just pay more attention?

She landed with a thud onto a hard and wet floor. It was very cold in the room, as if she were trapped in a humongous basement in the middle of winter. It was even darker than it was in the halls; Sakura had to strain to see her surroundings.

She barely payed any attention at all to the walls, floor, or room itself, because to her horror, bones littered the floor, covering it completely in places. Human bones. Skeletons were everywhere.

Feeling a strong sense of death, Sakura forced herself to look up and away from the remains of others who had obviously died here. She wouldn't end up like them. She would escape. The managed to maneuver over the skeletons and the the East wall. Surely there was some way out of here..........

Becoming alert once again, Sakura heard Kabuto's voice. "My Lord, the trapdoor! He must've fell inside!"

Another voice spat. "Well, then retrieve him!"

Feet hit the floor fairly hard. Kabuto'seyes met with the green emeralds of the Konoha ninja. "Well, what do we have here? Wonder too far from home?" The pupils of his eyes flashed evilly.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Naruto! This is it," Sasukecalled out to his partner, who was continuing to sprint over a seal in the ground that his teammate recognized. After forming strange seals with his hands, Sasukeslammed his right palm onto the seal, causing it to glow and expand. The ground shifted, revealing a small passageway the size of a fox-hole. He lowered himself into the ground with Naruto right behind him.

There was no way to tell where Sakura could possibly be at down there, but they were going to find her, whatever it took.

Sasuke landed lightly on his feet on the concrete floor of the hideout. Naruto landed less gracefully, crashing to the floor. He stood back up, rubbing the back of this leg.

"Do you want to get us killed?" Sasuke hissed at him.

" I'm sorry. I forgot that I was the one that was the cause of all of this."

Sasuke's face lost a little bit of color, and he remained quiet for a few moments. He stepped forward silently. After walking just a few feet, he noticed a rather large pit in the ground.

"Eh? Naruto, look."

"Do you think she might've---" Naruto got down on his knees and stuck his head into the pit. "Damn! It's too dark in there! I can't see anything! Sakura! Are you down there? SAKURA!"

There wasn't an answer.

Naruto started to leap into the pit, taking action, but Sasuke quickly grabbed his shoulder, holding him back. "What good would it do if we got trapped down there as well? She didn't respond....maybe Sakura isn't trapped down there anyway. We need to search elsewhere first, and if something leads us to think that she is in fact trapped in that pit, then we'll go in as well."

"Grr..."Naruto was anxious to find his comrade. " I guess you're right, but I don't want for some creep to be beating the crap out of her down there! We'd better search quick!"

I want for her to be safe too, Naruto. Don't think I'm just going to poke around while Sakura's in danger...

"I won't be slowing youdown." He replied hotly, jumping over the pit with a thud and turning left down the first passage that he came too. Naruto walked swiftly behind him, making just a little noise.

After about seven minutes of walking, Sasuke abruptly stopped at a wooden door with rusty hinges. Narutobegan to open his mouth, but the Uchiha pressed a finger to his lips.

"Where is that boy?" Sasuke and Naruto both froze as they recognized the accursed voice that spoke the words.

"I don't know!" Sakura's voice shot back.

"YOU SAID THAT YOU HELPED HIM ESCAPE! WHERE IS UCHIHA?!"

"I don't know! I didn't see him! I just knew that Kabuto would search for him when he realized the coffin was empty! I wanted for Sasuke to get away, so I got in! I never saw Sasuke get out!"

"YOU FOOL!"

They heard Sakura scream. The next moment, the door was flung open by Sasuke Uchiha.

Panicked eyes that belonged to Sakura flew towards him,as well the power-hungry ones of Orochimaru. Kabuto was unreadable.

"Well, what do we have here?" Orochimaru chuckled darkly.

________________________________________________________________________________

Well, it looks like you got your wish, Mr. Nobody! I was planning on both Naruto and Sasuke to go and get Sakura together from the start, so I'm glad you felt that that was a good way for things to go as well.

I'm still taking all of your ideas into consideration as I write the remainder of this fic, and all of your suggestions, thoughts, and reviews are greatly appreciated. As I am anxious to complete this fic, since there will only be another chapter or two, the next update will actually be in a monthor so, if not sooner. Maybe even in the next week! Once again, I thank everyone for being so patient with me, as this is my first update in nearly a year......My apologies! I just didn't have so much motive to write because I was frustrated that there's still no sign of Naruto Shippuden coming on TV any time soon, the filler episodes really sucked, and I just didn't feel like watching sub.......I really should start reading the manga, but there aren't any bookstores in my town since it's so small. I wish I lived in the city......

The next chapter dedication goes to the 40th reviewer! (hehe! Review or Neji will start rambling about destiny.......AGAIN!and you will die of boredom......unless you commit suicide first. I would!) I love poking fun at Neji........

Your wacky, otaku fanfiction writer,

-Ninja Fox of the Fire(who is promising to start doing better on her updates....I really need to!)