(A\N: Sorry this chapter took so long. :) But I hope you enjoy it anyway. Also, I wanted to clear up a little more about the hierarchy of the land here, even though little bits of it will be explained along the way through the story.

Sakura's father belongs to the group of warrior nobles and daimyos who sided with the kage instead of the emperor, feeling that he deserved their loyalty more due to the bushido code, etc. The kages of the lands are like…Shoguns, and then the emperor, while still holding some of their respect, has no actual power outside of his influence. There are some nobles, who were the aristocracy before the kage's took over, that make up the emperor's court. They hold grudges against the daimyo like Sakura's father because they now hold little to no power. Just keep that in mind. :)

Anyway, enjoy the chapter!)

Naruto let out a loud growl as he swiped his claws in front of him, and the tree a few feet away was suddenly full of deep gauges made by his claws. It creaked and groaned, before a figure dropped down from its high branches and landed on the ground in front of them.

"I didn't think one ugly hag and an old monk were going to be so hard to track."

Chapter 5

Hanamachi

Naruto took a step forward, growling. "What did you call Sakura-chan?"

"Who, the hag?" The figure asked, looking in Sakura's direction. Sakura bristled in anger, gritting her teeth.

"What was that?" But she didn't make to punch him like she would have done her cousins if they had teased her with such a nickname. They still didn't know who this guy was. He could have been dangerous, and letting her guard down just because she had been insulted would be foolish.

"You're from Konoha." Kakashi finally entered the conversation. "Explain yourself, now." He nodded to the leaf insignia placed on the person's bag. Sakura blinked, before finally looking at the man fully. He seemed to be around her age, perhaps a year older. He had jet black hair and wore a black outfit, and there was a short blade strapped to his back. Sakura could already tell by the handle that it was not a katana or daito, but perhaps a tanto, wakizashi, or even a kodachi. It was hard to discern anything else by only seeing the hilt.

She straightened from her battle crouch, but kept her hand on Shoki just in case. This man—boy—may have been from Konoha, but that did not make him their ally. Besides, he could be an assassin under the guise of someone from Konoha. She would be damned before she let herself get killed off by a two-bit assassin just because she was too trusting.

His face was delicate, almost feminine. But while it should have looked gentle and friendly, it was merely cold. His eyes were emotionless, his face nothing but a stiff mask, or so it seemed. And using her new abilities Sakura couldn't discern what emotion he was feeling.

It was as if he didn't have any at all.

But she could still sense something off about him, and she immediately didn't trust him, no matter the symbol on his bag. He had snuck up on them, and she felt something almost sinister inside of him. It wasn't evil just…dark.

"I was sent here to find the monk Hatake Kakashi and the hogosha that he was traveling with." The black-haired boy spoke.

Sakura couldn't sense a lie in his words, but her eyes still narrowed in suspicion.

"Who sent you?"

"The Hokage."

Sakura stiffened, eyes widening in surprise. "How did the Hoakge know about this? No one in Konoha was supposed to know about the hogosha except for the three clans."

The boy shook his head. "Some others know of it, but they thought it was just a story. Then the Haruno manor was attacked and the Hokage learned the truth."

"Were there any survivors? What happened to the people at the Haruno manor?" Sakura asked hurriedly.

The boy shrugged. "I wasn't told."

Sakura visibly seemed to wilt, before nodding.

"What is your name?" Kakashi questioned, his voice stern, one hand resting on his staff. To anyone not familiar with fighting it would seem as if he had relaxed, but in all actuality he was more ready to strike now than he had been before.

"Sai."

"Clan name?"

"I do not have one." Sai answered back.

Kakashi looked to Sakura and she nodded: he had told the truth. Kakashi turned back to the boy. "So, if you have no clan symbol but carry a weapon like that…you must be one of Lord Hokage's ninja."

The boy nodded. "I am."

"A ninja?" Sakura whispered. She had never seen one before, but she'd heard about them. They were spies for anyone who had enough money to pay for them, but certain leaders, like the kages, had their own networks of loyal ninja who worked for them. This one must have been one of them.

"Where is your proof?" Kakashi growled out softly, and Sakura saw his visible eye narrow in suspicion.

The ninja named Sai merely placed a hand inside of his bag, causing all of them to stiffen. He noticed their movements, but his face remained emotionless as he pulled out a scroll. It bore the Hokage's seal.

He held it out and Kakashi took it, even as Naruto let out a warning growl, still crouched down, looking ready to pounce. The whisker marks on his cheeks seemed even more prominent, and his fangs had yet to shrink to their normal size.

Kakashi broken the seal after examining it and deciding it was genuine. He scanned the scroll's contents before rolling it back up, his face serious and guarded, but not suspicious. He tucked the scroll into his robes and held his hand out.

"Tell us what you know, Sai." Kakashi ordered, as Sai gripped his hand and they shook once, before both let go quickly. "And I would prefer it if you kept your degrading comments to yourself. Sakura is your superior here and you will treat her with respect."

Sai said nothing in response to Kakashi's order, merely folded his arms over his chest and began talking. "Rumors have been going around that a bright-haired warrior has been amassing an army to fight off demons."

Sakura blinked. "Amassing…an army?"

Sai nodded. "Although if they saw you, I doubt they'd believe the stories. You don't look powerful at all."

Sakura ignored the insult and merely gave a derisive snort. Naruto growled threateningly in Sai's direction, before Kakashi picked up where Sakura had left off.

"Who has been spreading these rumors around? It couldn't have been the Haruno Clan."

Sai shook his head slightly. "No, it wasn't the Haruno Clan. After the attack, Danzou-sama suggested that the only reason they were attacked is because of the hogosha."

"Ah." Kakashi's visage darkened. "Danzou." He spat the name like a curse, and he saw Sai stiffen, his own eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Who is Danzou?" Sakura asked softly. Her uncle had tried to shield her from court politics as much as possible. It was the reason she had rarely been to Konoha—and had only seen the imperial capital twice in her lifetime. Besides, the emperor and his kuge (1) disliked most of the daimyo and samurai families.

"He is the head of the Hokage's ninja. It is his duty to gather information for the Hokage."

"So…Danzou would know about the Hogosha because it is his duty to know Konoha's secrets." Sakura murmured, more to herself than anyone else. This was getting more complicated. Then she stiffened. Had this man told the other great clans about her? They would resent her, wouldn't they? Would Ino hate her now, knowing that her clan was revered and the Yamanaka Clan had been given nothing for the death of their greatest warrior merely because Sakura's ancestor had survived and Ino's had not? She shivered involuntarily.

"And he sent you here to guard Sakura, or so the mission states." Kakashi grunted, "Very well."

Sakura shook herself out of her stupor and held out her hand to Sai for him to shake. "Welcome to our team." It would be best to be friends after all, right?

Sai regarded her coolly, but did not take the offered hand. "Mm." Sakura decided that Sai's emotionless façade must have been a product of his ninja training, and so she really couldn't begrudge him his…anti-social tendencies.

Naruto straightened from his crouch, eyes narrowed as he looked over Sai, as if trying to decide whether or not he was still a threat.

"I don't care who you are, you can't treat Sakura-chan like that." He finally growled out.

Sai merely looked at him levelly. "I don't take orders from half-breeds."

"WHY YOU—" Naruto began, lunging forward. But Sakura grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him back. He looked at her in shock. Why had she stopped him?

But she merely shook her head. "No Naruto, you shouldn't fight him. If he works for the Hokage you should show him respect where it's due."

She looked over at Sai and smiled, and he smiled back, a fake twist of his lips.

BAM.

Naruto and Kakashi could only stare in shock as Sai tumbled to the ground, holding his cheek. Sakura unclenched her fist a bit, drawing it back to her side. Her eyes were cold and filled with anger.

"You can call me names all you want, but don't you EVER insult my friends, got it? I said that we should show you respect where it's due, but you haven't earned mine yet." And then she turned and began walking back along their designated path, never once looking back.

Naruto could only grin, before sprinting after her, calling for her to wait up. Kakashi spared Sai one final glance before following them. Sai slowly stood, rubbing his cheek.

He blinked, and the only thought that filled his mind was that she was better at faking a smile than even he was.

As Sasuke looked around the room with barely veiled disgust, all he could think was that he had certainly got what he had paid for. He supposed that if he had wanted a higher quality room he could have fished out some extra money, but then he would have been under suspicion by the innkeeper, and he needed to maintain a low profile.

He sat down beside the sleeping mat that he knew hadn't been cleaned in months. He merely placed his pack down beside it—he didn't want to dirty it by placing it ON the mat, it was THAT filthy—and pulled out a scroll. He lit a candle that had been left on a small table in the room for him, and he placed it down beside him before settling back down against the wall, pulling his cloak around his body like a blanket.

He looked over the scroll in his hands for a moment, his gaze darkening. It was old, and the scrollwork was intricate. Its edges were yellowed with age, and there was a tear as well. He let it fall open in his lap and stared down at the beautifully written words.

How could such disgusting, filthy things be written with such a beautiful script?

His fingers shook a bit as he ran them along the words, mouthing them but not quite trusting himself to say them aloud.

Our demon blood calls me, even now. I can hear it singing through my veins, taunting me. It tells me to kill and so I do. How can I disobey my own blood? I hide the bodies so well that no one has found them yet.

But people are suspicious. They worry for their missing relatives and friends.

I can only laugh at them, silently. They are all such fools. But they cannot see that I am gaining power from it all. Each person I kill only feeds my demon blood, and in doing so…makes my demon eyes stronger.

And last night I found out our darkest secret. A way to make the Sharingan the most powerful skill in all the lands. Even demons shall cower before its might.

But before I can reach that level of power I must first expand the power I have already gained. To do that I will need to take the first step towards the Great Sharingan. And that step is…what I have named the Mangekyou.

Sasuke hurriedly rolled the scroll back up, angered at himself for reading it and also angered at himself for silently wondering if it was true. He knew it was, of course. How could he NOT believe that the Mangekyou existed when he had seen it with his own eyes?

His brother had killed his entire clan with those eyes…

He stuffed the scroll roughly back into his pack, clenching his eyes shut and gritting his teeth as he leaned back against the wall.

He wished his brother had never told him about the scroll. He wished his brother had never told him anything. He wished he didn't love his brother so much. There were a lot of things he wished for that he knew would never change. But no matter what, he couldn't keep himself from wishing.

It was immature, and childish, but Sasuke was, in his own way, a spoiled and immature child, so it was no surprise.

But…he opened his eyes slowly, and looked over at his pack, where the scroll lay. Could he really go through with what was needed to obtain the Mangekyou? If he wanted that power, the power to kill his brother and avenge his clan, he would have to do the unthinkable.

He could have to kill his best friend.

The one person who had ever made him feel human again after the death of his parents. The only one who had pushed him to become stronger and better and made him believe that perhaps there was something in life beyond revenge.

He gave a derisive snort, pulling his cloak tighter around his body.

But that person was a fool. An idiot. It wouldn't matter if he lived or died. He would not be missed by anyone save Sasuke himself, and Sasuke wanted to desperately believe that he wouldn't cry over the dobe when the time came.

Because all he did was spout dreams and promises that were unbelievable. He wanted Sasuke to forget his past…but didn't he see that the past was all Sasuke had?

A fool.

To obtain the Mangekyou…he would have to kill the one person in the world that he could honestly say he cared for after the death of his clan.

He would have to kill Uzumaki Naruto.

There is no use in thinking about it. I must gain power and I must defeat Itachi. If I must kill Naruto to do it…I…he swallowed, I should sleep. And he forced his eyes closed again, slowing his breathing in an attempt to clear his mind of its troubling thoughts. It was a meditative method that his old sensei Kakashi had taught him long ago that he often found useful still in his travels.

He had almost managed to drift to sleep when the shuffling of footsteps outside his door awoke him from his semi-comatose state. His eyes flickered open, his hand brushing against the edge of his sword, fingers curling around the intricately carved hilt.

And then the soft whispers of the two people outside his door reached his ears, and his eyes flickered crimson.

"Oof!" Sakura gasped out, falling down and rolling a few feet before pushing herself up. Naruto was beside her in an instant. "Ah! Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry!"

Sakura pushed him away, angry at herself for her weakness. "Don't be. I asked you to come at me like an enemy. I need to train if I'm going to get better and I can't do that if you treat me like I'm going to break."

Naruto frowned, but nodded. "Ok, Sakura-chan." But he pulled her to her feet anyway, despite her protests. She rubbed her back, grimacing at the small twinges of pain that shot up her spine.

"You're getting better." Kakashi called from the sidelines, where he was reading more of his perverted shunga prints.

Sai was sitting off to the side as well, and Sakura could see him adorously painting something, his ink sitting beside him as his brush glided across the page. She was curious as to what he could be drawing, but she didn't go over and ask. She was still angry with him over his comments about Naruto being a half-breed.

She blinked. Wait…how did Sai know Naruto was half-demon anyway? Did the Hokage's ninja really know that much about everyone? She swallowed, a bit nervous. She hadn't thought there were people who were so good at ferreting out secrets.

"So." Kakashi rolled up his shunga print and stuck it into his robes. "I decided that as good as it is for us to keep traveling and get to the shrine quickly, we need to cover up our tracks. The hunters that Akumu are sending after us will no doubt think that we'll be traveling non-stop through the forest. They probably know that we're heading to the shrine, since it's the only safe haven for you at this point." Kakashi looked pointedly at Sakura.

"We should just dump him." Naruto snapped out, glaring at Sai. "He's probably going to slow us down anyway, and besides, he makes us unlucky. We only need three people (2).

"So how are we going to get them off of our trail?" Sakura asked as she sat down beside him, breathing in the delicious smell of cooked food. At least Kakashi could do SOMETHING productive while he looked at his porn.

She was about to take a bite of her fish when she saw a small flicker of movement. Sai was putting his pictures away. She bit her bottom lip uncertainly, as she noticed Naruto happily devouring his own food and trying to look underneath Kakashi's scarf at the same time.

She looked back down at her own fish, before sighing and standing. The others became quiet as they watched, while Sai looked up. His eyes narrowed a bit in suspicion as she neared him. She smiled, crouching down beside him, holding out the fish.

He looked from her, to the wonderful smelling food, and back, his eyes flickering with confusion.

"Truce?"

He blinked.

She rubbed the back of her neck. "I know…I know we got off to a bad start. I wanted to say that I have no hard feelings."

Silence.

"Just eat the food, ok?" She snapped out as she shoved it into his hands, cheeks flushed red in embarrassment and anger under his dark gaze. She walked back over to where Naruto and Kakashi sat.

Sai watched her slim figure retreat back towards the fire, and then he looked down at the fish. He took a tentative bite, and just then realized how hungry he was. He finished the fish off quickly, hearing a loud laugh. Sakura had apparently just told a joke, because she was grinning and Naruto was laughing loudly, while the monk Kakashi chuckled.

Could these people…really be that dangerous?

Sai knelt down on the tatami mat in front of the raised dais, his forehead touching the floor. He did not move, only waited to be acknowledged.

"Sit up."

He did so, and held himself rigid and straight, still keeping his eyes on the floor, not meeting the gaze of his superior.

"I have a very important mission for you. I have convinced the Hokage to allow one of my ninja to go and aide the hogosha we've been hearing so much about. I want you to track them down."

He blinked, nodding, even as confusion and curiosity flickered in his dark eyes.

"I merely want you to make sure…that the hogosha and her traveling companions are not a threat."

"Of course, Danzou-sama."

"Back to the business at hand." Kakashi drawled, pulling Sai out of his musings. "To answer your question about where we'll be headed Sakura…we need to go somewhere big, noisy, and crowded where we can lose ourselves among the inhabitants."

"Do you have a place in mind?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kakashi smiled from behind his scarf.

"Yes."

"Shimabara (3)." Sakura hissed heatedly underneath her breath, glaring at Kakashi. "THIS is where we're hiding?"

Kakashi shrugged, expertly dodging her furious gaze. If looks could kill, Sai suspected that Kakashi would be lying in a pool of his own blood right now. "No one will suspect us here."

"That's because no one respectable would go here." Sakura swallowed, as the gates loomed ahead of them.

"Aw lighten up, Sakura-chan."

"Lighten up? We are in one of the most famous hanamachis (4) of all time and you're telling me to lighten up?" Sakura growled out. "My aunt would have a heart-attack if she found out I was in such a place." She tried to ignore the strange and nauseating smells that wafted through the air, mostly hidden beneath the scent of cooking food and cheap perfume.

"Sakura-chaaaaan…" Naruto whined.

"You have to call her Hachisuka here." Kakashi turned to Naruto, his gaze serious.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked.

"No one can know she's a woman, dickless." Sai piped in, before giving another fake smile. Naruto silently fumed, while Sakura merely took a deep breath.

"Ok, but we're just finding an inn and that's it! Then I'm going to sleep."

"No way, Sakura-chan! It's a festival! We have to go and check things out." Naruto grinned, before grabbing her hand and pulling her through the gates.

"Oh god…" Was all Sakura could say as she was engulfed in the large cheering crowds. She would admit silently that Shimabara was a breathtaking place. But that did NOT mean she enjoyed it. She was having a hard time keeping her blush in check as she followed Naruto down the crowded street.

She was naked, she was naked—oh god are they having sex in the DOORWAY!? Sakura wanted to die. She was even silently praying that a demon would attack.

"This area of town is a bit rowdier than usual." Kakashi muttered as he appeared beside them with Sai in tow. "But we should be able to get through and head to our quarters easily enough."

"Quarters?" Sakura questioned archly, even as she tried to avoid the stares of several half-clothed women leaning against a brothel wall.

"Further into town, there are several okiya (5) and ochaya (6) there. We're heading to the one called The Jade Pavilion."

"You have got to be kidding me." Sakura hissed, but managed not to lunge at her sensei and strangle him. Because at that moment, several women walked up to them. They giggled behind their fans, and Sakura swallowed, trying to look everywhere but at them.

One of them grabbed onto her arm, and was caressing her muscles through her gi. "Ohh, you're so strong." The girl purred, while her friend giggled, batting her eyelashes.

When was this nightmare going to end?

"Why don't you come with us? We can make you feel good." The other girl broached, latching onto Sakura's other arm and tugging her towards a large brothel nearby.

"Um, I, uh…no thank you?" Sakura stuttered out, blushing bright red.

"Oh he's so cute!"

Sakura looked towards the others—Naruto was staring in horror, Kakashi looked amused, and Sai was emotionless—and mouthed "help me".

Naruto, thankfully, came to her rescue.

"Hey! Leave him alone." He grabbed Sakura's arm and pulled her away from the giggling women.

The two girls blinked for a moment, glaring at Naruto, before realization seemed to don in their eyes.

"Oh no, he's one of THEM."

"Oh please, honorable samurai! We can pleasure you more than a man can!"

Sakura didn't think her face could get any redder, and neither did Naruto.

"Oh come on, Sakura-chan! It's just good fun." Naruto grinned, trying to cheer the horrified girl up.

Sakura couldn't understand how Naruto and Kakashi and Sai were so at ease around all these half-dressed women! It was as if…as if…and her eyes widened. Those egotistical male pigs! They'd all probably visited a place like this before! How could men do that? How could they lower women down to be nothing more than…than…a night of fun!

"It isn't fun." Sakura hissed, trying to hide her blush even as she glared at the male. "It's taking advantage of a woman who can't do anything else to survive in this world."

"Eh?"

"Did you know that most of them become prostitutes so they can support their children? It's sick that you would…that men would…that…" And she merely pushed passed him.

None of the males in Sakura's group could quite understand why she suddenly glared at all them outright, mumbling something about "chauvinistic male pigs" before stomping off into the crowd, causing them to hurry after her.

"Where is that dam Jade Pavilion anyway!?"

"Oh look at his sword! It's so long and beautiful. He must be powerful."

Am I allowed to commit seppuku yet? Sakura wailed silently, sitting stiffly, face bright red.

Kakashi could only smile from beneath his scarf. A geisha sat beside him, trying to engage him in conversation, but his eyes never left the scene in front of him.

Sakura was currently surrounded by seven geisha, all of which were fawning over the pink-haired girl. Some were playing with her hair, others brushing against her arms. She was as still as stone, her face resigned, as if she were awaiting the executioners block. He hadn't thought someone could be so pale and yet blush so deeply at the same time.

She really was an adorable little thing when she was embarrassed.

"Oh your hair is so beautiful…I've never seen this shade before." One of the geisha giggled, twisting a rose-colored lock around her finger and trying to catch Sakura's eyes.

Another caressed her cheek. "And your skin is so soft—like a woman's!"

"I wonder if it's as soft everywhere else too." Another laughed softly, hand drifting across the hem of Sakura's gi.

"And he's so cute when he blushes!"

"Such a gentlemen too!"

She coughed, "Er um, could I bother you for some tea?"

"Oh how polite! Of course great samurai." One of them—she was practically sitting in Sakura's lap now, exclaimed. "Ayaka, get our guest some tea."

One of the girls gave a small whine in protest before getting up from Sakura's side and doing as she was told.

One down, six to go, Sakura thought morosely. She glared at Kakashi across the room. He caught her eye and winked, and she could tell he was silently laughing at her discomfort. Sai was sitting off to the side of the room, painting. The women had quickly learned that he did not want their attention and had seem put off by his emotionless, cold ways, even though they did comment on how beautiful he was. "almost as beautiful as YOU great samurai", yes, those were the words they had used, or so Sakura thought.

Kakashi had sent Naruto off to guard the outside of the building in case someone had followed them from the forest.

Lucky bastard.

The young girl with the tea arrived, and she blushed beneath her makeup at Sakura before placing it in front of her, "Here you are, honorable samurai."

"Thank you." Sakura managed a polite smile, unknowingly striking an adorable pose that made all the geisha in the room inwardly give a dreamy sigh.

Kakashi decided that he'd tortured Sakura enough. "Hachisuka, come with me."

Sakura looked up suddenly, and her face became serious. "Yes, sensei." She politely excused herself from the group of women—all of whom were now pouting at her abrupt departure—and walked over to where Kakashi stood.

Sai watched them expectantly, and began to stand as well. Kakashi shook his head, holding up a hand. "No, you stay here, Sai. Watch over our rooms and supplies, and explain to Naruto when he gets back."

Sai nodded stoically, before sitting back down.

"Let's go."

Sakura followed behind him gratefully.

"Ok this was NOT what I had in mind when Kakashi-sensei said we were information hunting." Sakura grumbled to herself, dodging a cart on the crowded streets. The smell of food mixed with urine, sex, and alcohol made her want to puke, and she was glad she'd eaten a light meal at the ochaya earlier. She would admit, the way the paper lanterns glinted in the light was beautiful, and the sounds of laughter gave the entire area a lighthearted feel to it.

But really, Kakashi hadn't told her what to look for! He had just pushed her out the door and into the street and told her to, "get some information, I have some contacts I need to meet up with".

She supposed he wanted her to try and find something out about any demons or anything on Akumu but…where was she supposed to LOOK? She'd never been to a place like this, and she'd certainly never had to try and get information out of someone. She wasn't the most intimidating looking person and she didn't have much money for bribes…

Her shoulders slumped and she gave a despaired sigh. This day was going from bad to worse.

"Hey you!"

Sakura blinked, hearing a voice yell out through the crowds. She turned, as did most everyone else surrounding the large booth.

"Yes! You, great samurai!"

Sakura blinked again, because the man was pointing at her. She raised an eyebrow in question, before looking him over. He was wearing a painting animal mask, like most people at the festival were doing. It hung to the side of his head, and he was smiling pleasantly. He had brown hair cut short, like Naruto's, but he was much older, maybe a few years younger than Kakashi at most.

He was wearing a normal gi and hakama, and was leaning on a sword nonchalantly, his dark eyes warm and inviting. As he noticed her gaze his smile widened.

"How would you…like to prove your worth as a warrior against a demon?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he leaned against the thin wall that separated his room from the hallway. Two voices conversed softly in the near-silence. He recognized one of them as one of the innkeeper's servants—he'd seen the man slinking around enough to recognize his nasally voice. The other person was unknown, but Sasuke immediately recognized a demon.

"So…you know that the hogosha is nearby?" The demon hissed—a snake-like sound, one that made Sasuke cringe. If there was one thing he disliked after his years of training under the great snake-demon Orochimaru, it was that hissing sound.

"Well," Sasuke could almost see the man puffing up with pride and self-importance. "An informant has told me they're heading to Rain."

The demon gave another hiss—an angry, infuriated sound that made the servant give a small whimper, all his earlier arrogance forgotten.

"Rain. That means they're heading to the Boufuu Temple...what could they want there?"

"I-I don't know."

"You have served your usefulness…have more information for me later, human." And then the demon was gone, his presence vanishing.

There was a soft thump as the man leaned against the wall, trying to control his emotions. Sasuke merely unsheathed his sword, held it aloft, and then slammed it down, sending it through the thin wall. He heard a choked gasp and the sound of blood splattering across the wall, as well as felt it seeping through the tear in the rice paper.

He pulled his sword back out and wiped it on the filthy tatami mat before sheathing it.

He needed to have a nice chat with the innkeeper.

He shouldered his pack, sauntering out the door and closing it behind him, sparing the corpse leaning against the wall a brief, disdain filled glance before looking back down the hall as footsteps neared.

Two people came around the corner. One was the innkeeper (good, it seemed he wouldn't have to go searching for the cowardly bastard after all) and the other was the young, pale-eyed serving girl who had showed him to his room.

The girl let out a muffled scream at the sight of the dead man, while the innkeeper's eyes widened in surprise and then horror as realization donned. He turned to flee, but Sasuke grabbed him before he could get away and pushed him up against the wall.

Sasuke slammed his tantō into the wall a few centimeters away from the tavern owners cheek. Several strands of brownish-grey hair fell to the floor. Behind him he heard a soft cry, and saw the small serving girl holding her hands over her mouth, eyes wide in fright.

"Now you will tell me what you know about the hogosha." Sasuke drawled, leaning forward so that he was whispering in the older man's ear.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"I saw the sign on the back door. You're an information gatherer for demons. This entire tavern is crawling with them." Sasuke continued coldly. "Now tell me what I need to know or I will extract the information from you myself."

The man swallowed. Finally, he spoke, as sweat beaded his forehead. A few droplets dripped down his face, pooling in the small indention above his upper lip. "There's word going around that one of the hogosha has begun amassing an army to fight off Akumu now that he's been freed. He has a fox-demon under his command as well as the last Hatake. He's said to be the most powerful hogosha yet, aside from Uchiha Itachi—"

Sasuke's eyes burned crimson at the sound of his brother's name and he reached up, snapping the man's neck before he knew what he was doing. He blinked, his eyes regaining their normal opaque onyx color as he let the man drop.

He heard a whimper and turned again to see that the girl was still standing there. She was quivering from head to two, but when his gaze landed on her she met his eyes defiantly. She swallowed, before speaking.

"I don't belong here."

"That," Sasuke drawled, "Is obvious."

The young girl blushed, "I ran away from home, because I overheard my father speaking of demons and the hogosha. I want to join the hogosha's army!" She sounded determined. "I know I can help! And after what you just did, you must work with the hogosha too!"

"You're foolish." Sasuke snapped. "I could have been a spy for Akumu. If that was so you'd be dead right now."

"I knew you weren't evil."

Sasuke blinked, because the utter conviction in the girl's voice startled him. He hadn't known that anyone could believe he was anything but evil and tainted. "I am not going to join this great hogosha's army. I have a different mission."

"You're one of them, aren't you?"

"What?"

"Your eyes burned crimson. You're an Uchiha."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in the girl's direction and she flinched, but didn't back down. Finally, Sasuke spoke. "You may follow, but do not expect me to wait for you if you fall behind."

(1) The kuge (公家) was a Japanese aristocratic class that dominated the Japanese imperial court in Kyoto until the rise of the Shogunate in the 12th century at which point it was eclipsed by the daimyo. The kuge still provided a weak court around the Emperor right up until the Meiji Restoration.

Though they lost the most of their political power, they sustained the court culture and maintained a cultural influence. In particular, after the Sengoku period they lost most of their financial basis and were no longer in a position to act as patrons of culture. But they passed on their knowledge as masters of particular fields such as writing waka and playing instruments like the biwa, and had disciples among the daimyo and sometimes rich commoners. As masters of a certain field, kuge gave their disciples many licences certifying that the disciples had learned a certain field and allowed them to do practice in public or sometimes to teach others. Disciples were expected to pay their master a fee for each issued license. During the Edo period, this was an important source of income for the kuge.

(2) When Naruto says that Sai makes them "unlucky" he is referring to the fact that they will now be a 4-man group. The Japanese don't like the number 4 and 9 because of their pronunciation. Four is pronounced "shi" which is the same pronunciation as death. Nine is pronounced "ku" which has the same pronunciation as agony or torture.

(3) Shimabara (嶋原) was a courtesan's district in Kyoto. It was established in 1640 for a brothel owned by Hara Saburoemon, and was closed in 1958, when prostitution was outlawed in Japan.

(4) A hanamachi (花街) is a Japanese courtesan and geisha district. The word's literal meaning is "flower town".

(5) Okiya: geisha houses

(6) Ochaya: tea houses where geisha would entertain customers

(A\N: Well, I hope you guys enjoyed it! :) Who could possibly be the man that Sakuea has run into? And when will Sakura and the others meet up with Sasuke? Well...it's a secret. XD But it should only be a few more chapters before Sasuke and his little tag-along friend meet up with Sakura's team. Well, I have to go and finish my homework...since school starts Monday. ugh. T-T

Sincerely, Lady Hanaka)

Preview, Chapter 6: Hinin

"We have to get out of the city fast." Sakura hissed out, back pressed against the stone wall, even as they heard the footsteps thundering all around them, heard people calling out, pulling people out of their homes and searching them.

"We're surrounded. They're searching the entire city and anyone who tries to leave through the gate. There's no way out." Kakashi muttered, his own gaze darkened.

"We'll fight our way out then!" Naruto whispered vehemently. "No one is going to touch Sakura-chan!"

"There's too many of them, dickless." Sai answered back, his voice holding the same fake cheery tone as always. "We'll end up being slaughtered no matter what."

"How did they get control of Shimabara's guards anyway?" Yamato asked. "It doesn't make sense that a demon would have such a powerful reach in the human world, especially if he's been trapped."

"True." Kakashi spoke gruffly, and his eyes went to Sai, though the younger man didn't seem to notice. "Someone must be helping him. Someone human."

"It doesn't really matter at the moment." Sakura growled out. "We're dead either way, so the information isn't going to change anything."

"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I'll protect you with my life!" Naruto gave her a determined smile, and she couldn't help but nod and smile back.

"Let's try and keep that from happening though, shall we? Come on." Kakashi bolted out of the shadows made by the wall and the others followed him wordlessly.

"Yamato-san, you have been in this city longer than any of us. Is there any alternate route out?"

The brunette shook his head at Sakura's question. "None that the guards wouldn't know of already."

"Damn."

They saw lanterns flickering in the distance and they all managed to bolt down an alleyway, heading towards the safe cover if the bridge in the distance.

"They know we're here. There's no way out. We've already failed." Sakura whispered, more to herself than anyone else."

"Are you one of the hogosha?" Came a raspy voice from the shadows.

They all froze, hands on their weapons, before letting out a multitude of gasps at the sight in front of them.