Hey everyone! New update. Two in the same month, shocking isn't it?

Just so everyone knows, Sakura (amoung other characters) is going to much darker than the original series from here on out. There's going to be a lot of death in this. With that lovely thought in mind, happy reading!

Sakura's feet were incredibly sore. Scratch that, everything was sore. And she really didn't know how that was possible, since all she'd been doing for the past few days was walk. Well that and sleep on the hard, rocky ground.

They had been walking for four days straight. And she still didn't know where they were walking to. The destination remained a mystery. Suigetsu had all but demanded it out of Kabuto, but he had remained silent and forced all of the other workers to do the same. That made Sakura suspicious, and more nervous than she'd like to admit. Keeping it private wasn't unlike Kabuto, but since they were all going there anyway, she didn't see a need to keep them in the dark unless it was a place they wouldn't want to go to. Not that they had a choice in the matter.

All she knew was that they were leaving the dense forest and were getting close to a mountain range. A small part of her was actually excited, despite her worrying mind and aching feet. This was the first time she ever really went into the great outdoors, away from buildings. Well, aside from occasionally going to the nearby river, but she hardly thought that counted. And of course there was that night, but she was unconscious for most of that.

At the thought of that day, Sakura clenched her fists and grounded her teeth together. It had been months since then, since the massacre. But she still couldn't think about it without getting sick to her stomach. The image of Konoha officials killing infants was a hard one to get out of her head. And then there was the one with Sasuke standing over her with a whip…

"Oi, Sakura."

Suigetsu's voice stopped her train of thought. She turned to look at him. "Yeah?"

"You looked like shit there for a moment. What's up?" He asked with eyes that were more curious than concerned.

She didn't want to admit what she was really thinking of, as she felt like he would probably judge her for it. Especially since it happened a while ago. So she deflected. "I was picturing you naked."

Without missing a beat, he retorted, "Liar. That is the complete opposite of the face you would be making."

Sakura was quick to continue the banter, eager to take her thoughts away from forcing her feet to keep moving. "I think you're hyping yourself up too much."

He snorted. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'd prove you wrong right here if I didn't think all of the bookies here would take the opportunity to study us."

There were quite a few people around them. There was one other person being experimented on, ten workers, Kabuto, and a small handful of guards. They were all walking in a rough line on a dirt path, or at least they were up until yesterday. Now they were making a new path along the grass and rocks. The only one who didn't have to walk was Kabuto, who was just going cheerily along on a horse.

"I shall have to suffer without it then," Sakura replied before her foot caught a rock. Crap! Fortunately she was able to regain her footing quickly without falling over.

Unfortunately Suigetsu watched the entire thing. He instantly threw back his head and laughed. "I see your training has been put to good use."

She glared at him. "Thanks for the help, asshole."

He simply shrugged. "We're all on our own in this life, Sakura. The sooner you realise that, the better you'll be."

That was awfully reassuring. However, before she could tell him that, Kabuto and the team came to a stop. "We're here," he announced.

If she had had any expectations about what their destination looked like, they would not have been met. They were in front of a rock. A big rock, but still just a rock. Was she missing something? Was Kabuto seeing some sort of mirage?

Despite her uncertainty, Kabuto seemed confident in his announcement and he got off of his horse. His eyes traveled for a moment around his party, then settled on Suigetsu. "Experiments, move this rock out of the way."

What? But it looked so heavy! "Consider it a test," Kabuto told them after seeing hesitation on all three of them.

Sakura, used to taking ridiculous orders from people, was already taking a step forward despite groaning on the inside. But a hand from Suigetsu stopped her. "No way, we are not moving that alone. Are you crazy?" he said.

Kabuto only smiled at Suigetsu's resistance. "Come now Suigetsu. You're not one to turn down a challenge, are you?"

"I am when it's just stupid. That rock is bigger than a person. Get your useless helpers to lend us a hand or we're not doing it."

Suigetsu, she thought to herself, don't do this. The part of her that was obedient to a fault to avoid slaver's whips was currently screeching. Nothing good's going to come out of this. Better to shut up and do it to avoid getting shit for refusing. All he was doing was putting Kabuto in a position where he would look weak if he gave in. "Suigetsu," he said as his smile became much more dangerous looking. "Just do it."

"No," Suigetsu replied, making a point to fold his arms and plant his feet firmly on the ground. Sakura went from screeching to outright yelling on the inside. Just do it, she thought, there's no way that this can end well, don't make it worse. Kabuto and Suigetsu were now locked into a battle, and both were determined to come out dominate.

"Sakura," Kabuto said through gritted teeth. "Start moving the rock with Nura. It seems like we have to teach Suigetsu here a lesson on obedience."

"Don't you dare move, Sakura," Suigetsu said immediately after.

Why bring me into this? She felt torn. Siding with Kabuto would mean avoiding any sort of punishment. But while she wouldn't go so far as to call them friends, Suigetsu was the closest thing she had to an ally, and she knew that Suigetsu would not forgive her any time soon if she went against him. And that rock looked way too heavy for two people. But she didn't know what kind of punishment Kabuto would have in store for her if she resisted. How did she get herself into these situations? And, more importantly, how could she get herself out of this one?

She remained frozen, unsure of what to do. Before either side could call her on this, Suigetsu noticed one of the workers creeping towards him. "Fuck this," he declared before taking a knife Sakura hadn't known he had out of his sleeve and slitting the worker's throat.

Chaos seemed like too small of a word to describe what took place next.

Angered by the insubordination, Kabuto ordered his workers to attack. Unfortunately, despite testing fighting abilities so often, most of the workers lacked them. They were victims of Suigetsu' attacks as he slashed and moved about. The guards fared better as they went to stop him. While Suigetsu was very skilled, a much better fighter than she was, he was having difficulty against such numbers.

Or at least he was until the other experiment, Nura, moved into the fray to help Suigetsu. She hadn't known Nura well, so she had no idea that he also disliked the experiments so much that he attacked now. Or maybe he just thought Suigetsu would win and decided to ally himself with the winner.

It wasn't until a loose dagger got accidentally thrown her way did she remember her current position. It would do her no good to just stay here, she needed to move! She tried, but her legs protested, remaining glued to the ground. Sakura hadn't fully realised how scared she was until that moment. What was going to happen to her? She had a feeling both sides weren't too happy with her at the moment. And what if she got caught in the fray? A killing blow was a killing blow, even if it was accidental. She didn't want to die so early in her life, especially when she hadn't even got an opportunity for vengeance yet.

Sakura had to leap out of the way, her legs finally coming to life, as Nura fell towards her while preoccupied in his battle. Unfortunately she didn't move fast enough and she ended up falling with him. He had an open wound in his side, and his blood fell onto her arm and tunic. She moved again when she saw a guard slash his sword down. Sakura moved fast enough that time, and the sword hit the ground where her body used to be. Nura moved and the fight was thankfully taken away from her.

Come on, do something, she tried to will herself. She looked around, where could she go? Running was a coward's move, yet cowards had a habit of staying alive after battles. Her eyes rested on the rock that she had been supposed to move earlier. What if she...

She was already on her way over before she finished the thought. If she had been in her right mind, she would have realised how stupid a decision it was and chastised herself for not choosing the bushes. But right now all she could think of was what either side would do to her after the fight was over. Kabuto certainly wouldn't be pleased, and the punishment for slaves fleeing their masters was a high one. He could easily hand her over to Konoha's guard. And as for Suigetsu, part of her thought that he wouldn't try to harm her. But then again, she hadn't thought that he would kill a worker so quickly either. She quickly arrived at the rock and immediately tried to push on it.

It wouldn't budge. Come on, she begged it, move. She pushed again, shoving as much might as she could into the action. To her surprise and relief, it obeyed her command and shifted back a little. That's it.

"Sakura, what the hell are you doing?" Suigetsu's voice rang out. He did not sound happy. Maybe he thought that she was trying to fulfill Kabuto's orders instead of trying to escape. Though she didn't think he'd like the latter too much either.

More, please, she continued to plead from the rock. She pushed with all of her strength. It continued to move, little by little. More! Sakura gave a final giant shove, feeling like all of the muscles in her body were going to pull apart with the action. Finally, the rock gave way.

She looked down and saw a trap door in the ground. Sakura didn't spare the battlefield a second glance before opening it and hopping inside. There was a staircase and she landed a few steps down. After she landed she turned around and noticed the hatch had a lock on the inside. She grabbed it and, with the door in hand, gave a final look towards the battle. Kabuto, who had unsurprisingly stayed out of the fight despite being one of the two instigators, met her eyes with shock once what she had done registered. Sakura responded with slamming the door back down and locking it. She heard an angry knocking above, but turned away.

It wasn't until she finished going down the staircase that she realised the consequence of her actions. In her own way, she had just defied Kabuto. To get into some cave that may not have a way out other than the hatch she just locked. She had no money, no where to go, and no one to depend on. Whatever Kabuto had been so desperate to find better be worth it. With no other option, she continued down into the cave.

She wished she had a torch with her, or was able to produce fire magic. It was incredibly dark, even after her eyes adjusted she had to stretch out her hands and follow the rock walls. The cave was exactly the way one would predict, damp and kind of creepy.

By the way the cave was situated, it was obvious that people wanted it kept hidden. She just wasn't sure of the degree. Aside from the giant rock, it wasn't particularly hard to get into. Though maybe that was part of the point. If the entrance was a big spectacle with gates and wards, that may attract attention to it. Whereas in its current location unless you knew exactly where to look you were likely in for a wild goose chase.

She let out a curse as she nearly tripped over a rock. Once again, she wished she had some light with her, she could barely make anything out. She didn't even see how long the path in front of her went for. What if she got lost and never made her way back out? What if she died in here? Relax, she tried to tell herself, you've been in here for barely five minutes.

Five minutes turned into a few hours. Or at least that's what it felt like. At this point it was hard to tell if she was even walking in a straight line anymore. And it was becoming difficult to convince herself to keep going. Her already sore feet felt like they were threatening to fall off. And she hated not being able to see well. She was tempted to suck up her pride and start crawling. And she was very tempted to give up and start heading back.

It wouldn't be so bad, she told herself. You'd be away from Kabuto and the others, you'd have a fresh start. As long as she stayed away from Konoha, most would have no clue who she was. She could figure out what to do after she got back out.

As soon as those thoughts came out, she reminded herself how stupid they were. She'd have nothing. What was a point of a fresh start if she couldn't do anything with it. At least with Kabuto she had guaranteed food and a way to train. Speaking of that creepy man, there was no way of knowing if he had left or not. For all she knew he could still be there with a beating waiting for her, or worse. So she continued forward, hoping to find whatever he was after. If it was something powerful, she could use it to her advantage. If it was valuable, she could try selling it.

Hours later she actually was crawling along the floor. Her feet just refused to cooperate. And she was seriously contemplating resting for a while. It wouldn't be particularly comfortable, but that wasn't anything new for her. She could just take a nap then-

She stopped when she saw something up ahead. And, in a very odd way, felt something. It was like looking at something in a river, hazy and distorted. It looked like some kind of monster with ten tails, or at least the outline of one. And she felt some sort of darkness seep into her skin. Instantly she bit her lip and forced herself to stand. Just what was happening?

"H-hello," she said, unsure of why she was talking at all. This feeling wasn't a good one and part of her really wanted to leave.

A deep voice answered her. "My first visitor in centuries, and it's this scrap of a thing."

That terrified her. She didn't hear the voice from her ears, but she heard it in her mind. How did this...whatever it was, talk? Was she dreaming, or just delirious from her journey? She had to hold onto the nearby stones to keep herself upright. What the hell did she get herself into?

"Who are you to call upon me?" The voice demanded to know.

She opened her mouth, but couldn't force words out. She was too scared. Sakura could hear her heart pounding, her hands were clenched. What was this thing? Was it what Kabuto wanted to find?

"Are you mute? Answer me."

"Sakura, my name's Sakura." She forced the words out.

"You seem rather unprepared for me."

"I-I didn't know what to expect coming here," she explained meekly.

"You came to my cave by accident?" It sounded almost offended.

"No. Not exactly," she said.

"Explain yourself then."

"I came here with a group. I got separated from them," she said. "They knew why we were coming, I didn't."

"In a group?" The..thing paused. "You look rather low status."

"I was-am," she didn't know what to say. If she admitted her past, what would this thing do? She imagined that it didn't think too highly of her already. If she said that she was a slave in the past, would it think even lower of her? She already got the impression it wasn't something she wanted to get on the wrong side of. Or the right side of really. "I was an experiment. Err, I was being experimented on by a group."

"For what purpose?"

"I don't entirely know," she admitted.

"Do you know anything?"

If she wasn't so scared at the moment, she would have felt offended. "I was being put through physical training quite a bit. I believed that I was going to be sold as a weapon, or given some sort of enhancement to test its effects."

"And you're fine with being used like that? Just an animal being experimented on, not even knowing why."

That statement angered her, though she tried not to show that for self preservation reasons. "I had my own reasons for putting with it."

"Which are?"

At first she didn't want to say anything. She was so used to hiding her intentions. And she had never told anyone her goals before. But she had a feeling that now was not a good time to lie. So hesitantly, she explained her two goals. To murder the Uchihas and free the slaves. Knowing it would probably ask her motivations, she also explained why she wanted these things, hoping that it wouldn't think badly of her for being a slave before. It was both nerve-racking and relieving to finally have her story put out there.

"Revenge. A suitable goal," it said. "I wonder, between these two goals, which you feel stronger about. Is it revenge for those who wronged you or justice for your people?"

"I feel both equally," she told it.

"Really?" It didn't seem convinced. "So tell me, Sakura, where is this group that you separated yourself from?" She recounted how Suigetsu had attacked the others. "You moved the stone by yourself?" She nodded. "Impressive. And you just left everyone else to their fate? Even locked the entrance behind you."

"They would have done the same," she defended herself.

"No need for the explanation. I do not care for human concepts of charity." It paused before continuing. "So do you truly have no ideas of what I am?" She shook her head. "Pity how humans tend to forget things over the centuries. I am the great demon Shinju."

"You're…" her jaw dropped. She had heard stories about the demon. How he had laid waste to mountains and entire cities before finally being sealed. He was the one parents warned their children about if they weren't being good, and the one people were scared about being under their beds at night. The battle to take him down was actually what had united Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju.

"So you are knowledgeable about something after all." The demon paused for a moment before moving. "I have a proposition for you, little girl."

It had a what? "What is it?"

"I cannot go beyond this cave, these wards," it growled angrily. "I have been stuck in this pit for too long. But I can leave, if I am inside of someone."

Inside? Oh god, did it mean possession? It wanted to possess her? Now she really felt like running away. Why on earth did Kabuto want to meet this monster? Her feet slowly began moving backwards without her fully aware of the action. "Don't move," it commanded.

She froze.

"Listen to my offer, human. I will possess you. And when you die, I will have control over your soul."

Both did not sound particularly good to her. She really needed to get out of here! How could she get away now? Would it pursue her if she ran? Was it in a state to do anything?

"You will get much out of this bargain though," it told her. "You will hardly notice me while you're alive. I will rarely speak, and will never control your actions. You will get access to all of my power, all of my magic." She would? "I thought that would peak your interest. Imagine being stronger than all of the Uchihas combined. Imagine being able to slaughter all of them. Imagine their blood flowing down that stream, like your brother's did."

That did sound good to her. Very, very good. She closed her eyes and imagined Fugaku dieing. Sasuke, that arrogant bastard, begging for life only to take it away. And all other Uchihas going down with them. The sight was almost euphoric to her. And it seemed to close now. Not just a dream, but reality.

"And imagine having the power to free the slaves. Be their hero. Perhaps even be their new leader, start a new nation of your own."

Sakura frowned just a touch. "I do want to free the slaves. But I don't need the glory. I don't want to be a queen."

"Fine," the demon said dismissively. "But regardless, you would accomplish both your goals. Think about it."

She did. So much power, and all of it at her command. It was so tempting. To have her two impossible goals become not only possible, but likely. All of those who mistreated slaves could pay for their crimes. She could guarantee freedom for the powerless. But at what cost? Possession was not something to be taken lightly. Once the decision was made, she could not take it back. What if she later regretted her decision? And her soul. "What would you do to my soul after I died?" she asked Shinju.

"Whatever I wish. I could travel with it, use it to power me," it said honestly. "But whatever I do with it, it would be better than having it sent to hell. Which is likely where it would end up if you're able to fulfill your mission."

She wasn't sure about that last part, she wasn't sure if the afterlife existed. And didn't exactly trust the demon who wanted something from her to tell her the complete truth. The only thing she believed she could glean from that is she'd be helpless, totally under his whim. Maybe he'd destroy her somehow, use her to fuel him.

What it all came down to was how much she wanted to achieve her dream, her mission. She could leave here, if he let her go that is, start anew on her own. But she had no resources, no name for herself, and no one to rely on. If she was going to be honest with herself, she didn't have a chance of accomplishing either goal if she just walked away now. So her options were to either join with Shinju, allow herself to become a puppet, or to walk away and give up on her mission entirely. Could she do that? Just walk away, try to live some normal life far away?

No. She had been through too much. Her every moment would be haunted by guilt and remembrance of her past. She couldn't just give up what she set her mind to, what she had been working towards. Even if it would be a much smarter decision. And maybe she'd secretly find a way to get rid of the possession before she died. Use him instead of the other way around. Anything was possible in this world, right?

"If I do this, is there some sort of contract?" she asked cautiously. "Something that would guarantee that you wouldn't control my actions while I still lived, and that I'd have access to your power?"

"My word isn't enough?" Shaken by his tone, she found it hard to shake her head. "Smart human." One of the ten tails moved, and suddenly a piece of paper appeared on the ground near her. "Read this over. If you agree to its terms, sign it with your blood. If not, get out before I decide to kill you."

She picked it up and read it over. The terms were as he had spoken; she would get unconditional use of his power while she was possessed by him, and he would not force her actions. In return, she would allow him to possess her without refusal. And when she died, he would get unconditional access to her soul. She wasn't sure who got a better deal. But that at this point, she was set on doing it.

Before she signed it, she had an idea. She didn't know if she'd get caught, or if it would even help anything. It may not impact the agreement at all. But she had to try it. With her now wet hand, she brushed the blood on the tunic, making it look like she was just scratching an itch. Then she bit her finger, but making sure to do so underneath the blood now on her fingertip. After she created a wound, she signed her name with her fingertip. "I'll do it."

She barely got the words out before she felt him rush into her. Sakura dropped to her knees and screamed. It was so overwhelming. It wasn't painful, and she definitely didn't feel any pleasure from it. It felt like a gigantic force pushing into her, pulsing through every cell in her body. The feeling was relentless, she had never felt so helpless in her entire life. Her head was forced to shoot up as it felt like something was forming on her forehead and her eyes heated up. Make it stop! That was her only thought as it ransacked through her body. The feeling last for several excruciating minutes.

Then it ended. And Sakura felt more powerful than she ever had before. She stood up with ease, her feet no longer aching. This was it, she was now possessed by Shinju. And yet, she felt no remorse about it, no desire to go back on her agreement. All this magic, now at her fingertips ready to use.

Yes, she thought as she lifted a hand. After a moment, a spell came to her instantly. Once activated, black energy surged from her hand, denting a nearby stone. She smirked and whispered to herself.

"Konoha will tremble."