Author's Note: *yawn* Wow, I could barely sleep last night, but I slept a whole ton this morning and woke up around one pm! Here's chapter six!

Bloody Knives

Chapter 6

Recap:

Madara smirked as he read her thoughts, "One of our members is a master illusionist, and he can create, and master the most difficult techniques. These rings," he showed his ring to her. "Are the only way to get inside the barrier without being tortured. Those who are tortured will either end up dying, or knocked unconscious. The bodies are then sent to the cannibal of Akatsuki."

"Harsh…" She muttered as they entered the castle's drawbridge.

Madara's eyes closed and soon, the drawbridge unraveled and Madara quickly hopped in. "The Leader is expecting you." Sakura looked around the beautiful, yet dim halls as the Akatsuki member led her to rather large mahogany door and soon it opened, revealing an orange haired man, and the man that would soon be the death of her.

End Recap

Tsunade sat at her throne, more frustrated than ever. No one dared speak a word except for her loyal guards Kakashi, Asuma, and sometimes her personal servant Iruka.

"Please don't worry Your Highness… If they wanted to kill her, they would've done so earlier in the library." Kakashi tried calming her down.

"Sakura is a mature young lady, I'm sure she knows what she's doing." Asuma put away his smoking pipe.

Iruka fidgeted nervously, "I may not know Miss Haruno very well, but I'm sure she's very intelligent and would know an escape… If it would calm you're nerves, I could order the chef's assistant to brew up a cup of hot tea?"

The blonde Queen shook her head and sighed, "I don't want to lose her. Madara was right that she is full of power deep inside… But, there was something I should've told her earlier that might have changed her mind of leaving."

Iruka asked, "And what may that be Your Highness?"

"That there is no scroll." She rubbed her temple.

Kakashi narrowed his single eye, "What do you mean?"

Tsunade looked at Iruka, "It would be lovely to have some tea… This story might take a while…" Iruka nodded, and immediately left in search of the chef's assistant. She continued, "Now, this takes place when Sakura was only but two months old…"

Flashback

The loud wails of baby Sakura flustered the customers. Everyone was eager to go home and out of the roaring thunder and frightening lightening. Mrs. Haruno was swarming around the shop from table to table to kitchen for more pie. Mr. Haruno was busily getting ready to close the shop.

Just as soon as the doors are locked, and the area was clean, he immediately rushed to his daughter Sakura, "Shhh, shhh…" he touched her burning forehead with his ice cold hands, "Honey, I think she's got a fever… Though, she never cries whenever she has fevers."

Mrs. Haruno nodded with worry in her apple green eyes, "I've called the doctor ten minutes ago to come in and inspect her. He said he should be here soon."

Mr. Haruno shook his head, "I must leave on a mission soon dear, and this one is plenty dangerous involving the Akatsuki… If the doctor doesn't show up soon, I'll have—"

The back door of the shop opened, as the doctor with short black hair put away her umbrella, "Hello, I'm Shizune, an apprentice of Her Highness, Lady Tsunade. Where is the child?"

Mrs. Haruno handed the crying girl towards the professional, "She's not but a baby."

Shizune took a wooden tongue depressor, and checked her throat, "She's got a bit of a cough and sore throat…" She checked her temperature. "A bit over 96 degrees… I would say she's got a normal fever, but just to be sure…" She took out a stethoscope and checked the heart rate. "This is unusual… Her heart rate is extremely slow!"

After twenty minutes of quick inspection, Shizune opened a large medical book, and searched up the disease or illness… "Oh dear…I'm extremely sorry but, this can only be cured with dragon's blood, unfortunately dragons have disappeared ever since thirty-seven years. Though, Mr. Haruno, you are a professional assassin, correct?"

Mr. Haruno nodded, "Yes."

"I've heard that the Akatsuki have a small vial of dragon's blood, for one of their experiments… If you are able to get it… Then please contact me immediately." With that, Shizune left.

End Flashback

Tsunade took a sip of her steaming hot tea, "So, after months of searching for the Akatsuki's base, he got it. Though, Sakura was nearly dying by the time Shizune injected the blood into Sakura's own system…"

Asuma asked, "What happened then My Lady?"

"She died." Tsunade sighed. The guards froze in shock as she continued the long tale, "Though, Shizune, being my apprentice, she used a technique I forbid her to use, and she sacrificed her life for the toddler to live. So now, if the Akatsuki were ever to get a hold of a syringe, they would most likely drain her of the dragon's blood, and she would be infected of the same rare illness and eventually die."

Kakashi asked, "What is the illness called? Haven't you found a better cure?"

Tsunade shook her head, "Unfortunately no. The illness… has no name. But, it would eat up her immune system's strength, and vitamin C wouldn't help strengthen the system, except it would help the illness's strength to take over the body. A dragon's immune system is the strongest of all, and so the blood flowing her veins now are actually keeping up her strength, and that is how she has much strength. In fact, recent studies have shown that a dragon's immune system is so strong, it would heal any cut in less than two minutes, a broken bone in less than half an hour, an internal bleeding in less than an hour."

Iruka's hazel eyes widen, "That's truly amazing…"

She nodded, as she added a sugar cube into her refilled teacup, "I'm hoping that the hunters get her back before they remove the blood."

Akatsuki

The leader's many colored eyes gave the pink haired maiden a chill down her spine. The room's temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees colder. Just as soon as Sakura blinked, the leader disappeared from her sight and a cold breath could be felt from behind her. He spoke with a smooth, yet deep voice, "Haruno… Haruno Sakura I presume?"

She stuttered, "Ye-yes…" Sakura mentally slapped herself for showing fear, her mother would've been ashamed, so she stood tall and proud.

He chuckled darkly, "Usually… I don't tell others my name besides the members of my organization, but you're a special case… My real name is Nagato, though call me Pein."

She gulped before asking, "What do you want? I don't have the scroll."

Pein raised a thin orange eyebrow, "A scroll? That Tsunade must've told you a lie… You see, you're father stole something more precious and rare, a vial of dragon blood. When you were born, you were born with a very weak immune system, and so…"

Her emerald green eyes widen, "He stole it from Akatsuki and injected the blood into me for survival…"

He walked towards her with a syringe in hand, "You always are a clever girl Haruno Sakura… Now, hold still."

To Be Continued…

Author's Note: So sorry it's so short, but hey, I've got to continue right? Anyways, read and review! ^_^