Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters.

Chapter 6

"It has been nine days since you brought the captive. Every day, you report to me with a story that she had not yet crumbled under the methods you are using on her. At the same time, I have noticed that you have been supplying her meals and have been spending an increasing amount of time in her cell. Might it be possible that you are deviating from the task I hax set for you?"

"I have been trying." Sasuke replied curtly. "I believe Sakura has a right to not be dehumanized as well as imprisoned and tortured."

"I think you are forgetting something." Orochimaru retorted silkily. "You do not make your own decisions regarding the prisoner, and your actions are showing that you are no longer fully committed to doing my bidding. It is understandable, but you can no longer be trusted. We have already wasted more time on her than she deserved."

Sasuke bowed his head briefly, raising his eyes to meet the other man's orbs. "It is my mistake. I can fix it."

"I am not holding this against you, Sasuke. As I have said previously, it is understandable. I will make someone else finish the task. Continue with your usual daily rituals."

Knowing that any protest would only make the man doubt him further, Sasuke gave Orochimaru the trademark Uchiha smirk and exited quickly without a backward glance, heading to his quarters to process the new, radical and definitely unwanted plan change.

***

The next few days had also progressed in a routine, although one much more enjoyable for Sakura than the cruel cycle she was placed in upon her arrival. Sasuke had visited several times a day to bring her meals and sometimes fresh sets of clothing, whispering murmured caresses to her as he cradled her tenderly in his arms, kissing her softly. A few times, he had proceeded to escort her to the torture chambers, calmly causing the damage needed for the ruse of her imprisonment, his demeanor cold as he silently mauled her body. Roughly leading her back to her cell under the watchful eyes of the guards, the man quickly performed basic pain-relieving and healing jutsus on her, leaving her to rest as he left to report his "progress" to Orochimaru.

She hesitated to ask him about her future, knowing he is equally, if not more concerned than she is. Instead, when they had the time or the wish to converse, they exchanged trivial facts about their lives, slowly strengthening the friendship that had almost been torn when Sasuke had left Konoha. She found her affection for him deepening, although not in the infatuation way she found so hard to bear for years, but in developing an understanding of the man similar to the one she had with her other teammate.

It had now been more than a week since she had first been brought to Orochimaru's hideout, and she found her condition both improving and deteriorating – she had fully recovered from the shock, injuries and chakra loss Sasuke had inflicted on her, but the lack of training, fresh air and purpose slowly started to numb the kunoichi. Spending most days lying on the floor of her cell and waiting for the man to arrive had been tiresome and annoying at best, and quite angering at worst. She did not complain, knowing the man would only react with an irksome tolerance and the signature indifference the Uchiha Clan possessed.

The door opened quietly, footsteps silent as the man approached her from behind. "Sasuke?" Sakura called out, halting as she felt herself being grabbed, her shoulders almost springing out of the ligaments, and turned to face a young, brutal-looking man whose lips were stretched in a cruel, almost sadistic smile. Who is he?!

"Why so friendly? Orochimaru was right about Sasuke. I reckon it'll take me about fifteen minutes to get what we need out of you."

"Right about Sasuke?" The pink-haired girl replied, confused and angered as the man roughly hauled her to the already familiar dungeon room.

"He was too soft to have any impact on you. Although I must say he's a smart one, he ditched you without a second thought when his master told him too."

He couldn't have! She wanted to scream at him, to lunge at the chuckling man and strangle him in his laughter, tear his skin into shreds with her nails…Instead, she found herself letting out a small, dry sob as the offered betrayal easily sank in with the overall image she possessed of Sasuke. She followed the man numbly to the dungeons, instantly forgetting her questions about his purpose and focusing only on his words relating to the raven-haired shinobi. Calm down. He might not have betrayed you. He did what was best for him. He's a Uchiha!

"Ah, I see you care about him." Her torturer said quietly, forcing her into a basic wooden chair in front of a small table, sitting across from her as he surveyed her face for any traces of emotion, evidently finding plenty. "I'll make it easier for you, I'm not one to play on emotions that is; he cares for you as well." Watching the small, thin lipped smile surface on her face, he smirked again. "I have no need for that, as I don't care about you and don't know you."

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her chair, shrinking under the cold gaze of the man. "I assume you have been appointed as the new…executive? I must say that Sasuke had already tried the usual methods of your organization and failed." She replied, steeling her voice as she processed the words about Sasuke's feelings towards her.

"Then he didn't try hard enough. In fact, I doubt he tried at all." The man growled. "Now, would you like to start?"

"No." The kunoichi allowed herself another small smile.

"That is quite sad." Standing up in one fluid motion, he grabbed her wrists and secured them on the opposite sides of the table in the small chains attached to the wood. Sitting back down, he cracked his knuckles as she watched him through narrowed eyes. "Now, this is quite simple. I ask you a question, and if you refuse to answer or give me an unsatisfactory reply, I proceed to cause you pain. Am I clear?"

She stayed silent, mentally gathering her strength, although knowing that her pain would most likely be eased as she had gained some chakra during her stay rather than remaining in the sorry state she was when she was first brought in. Clenching her teeth tightly to protect her tongue, Sakura waited, attempting to project an aura of calm as he took one of her hands in his.

"Take one – where is Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha currently residing and where will his next mission take place?" After giving her a few seconds, he smirked, calmly flicking his wrist in a motion that could be applied to writing, creating a small, cracking sound and eliciting a high-pitched scream of pain from the girl.

It was worse than she expected, leaving her marginally dazed and hoarsely screaming for a few seconds until her head had cleared enough to force her jaws together. Her index finger had been snapped easily, blood pouring onto the table as Sakura stared numbly at the wound in her skin, her eyes clouding over as she raised her head to hatefully glare at the man. Reminding herself of the pain she had to face when she failed to dodge kunais or was forced to run or exercise for days with little or no food. There. I can resist. She thought as the sharp feeling slowly started to subside, now replaced by a throbbing ache.

"Did your answer change?"

"No…" Sakura moaned, watching the crimson droplets slowly start to soak into the table, the rapid blood flow starting to slow.

Another heart-wrenching crack. Another pitiful scream, reflecting off the walls as a haze descended onto the girl, the pain expertly caused and too much for her to remain silent, although this time fully prepared for the impact his short, bulky fingers had just made on yet another one of hers. Coherent thinking was impossible as she threw her head back to avoid seeing the mess her once slender, capable hand had become. I can't do this…anything…to stop…Naruto would…understand…

"Anything you want to tell me, kunoichi?" He inquired, watching her contorted expression emotionlessly.

"Yes…" He waited as she gathered air into her lungs, the numbing pain searing into her brain. Can't…They would know…Sasuke betrayed them…Be strong. The understanding that her ex-teammate and current lover would most likely be blamed for not causing enough pain and discomfort for her to crack hit her rapidly, temporarily shuffling the pain away. "I'm not a traitor."

"You all say that…Although I must admit you are stronger than you look – it's been six minutes. I thought you would take about five." The man replied sympathetically as she moved on to grasp her ring finger, now slippery and coated in crimson. Easily wrenching it out of the joint and bending it backwards, he waited patiently as the girl's body shook, her screams no longer loud but hoarse and broken, halting abruptly after a few seconds. Flicking his eyes to Sakura's face, he saw her eyelids flutter closed, noting the girl had lost consciousness. Standing up and walking over to the large tub in the corner of the large room, the man picked up a large bucket and filled it with water, throwing a glance at his captive as he waited patiently. Her face had paled, now seeming white in contrast to her bright hair as blood continued to seep slowly from her right hand. Picking up the bucket, now full to the brim with cold water, he walked to hover above the kunoichi, dumping the contents on her in one quick movement.

The pink-haired girl stirred awake, opening her eyes with a groan of pain as she attempted to look around, finding the dark dungeon ahead of her rather than the small cell she had been placed in for the period of her captivity. A numb ache had spread through her limb, the dark wood of the table now fully coated with her blood. "You have a lower pain tolerance than most shinobi." She remembered Sasuke say in this same room as he attempted to cause her pain, one she had been barely able to bear and had pleaded for him to kill her. Now she couldn't do even that, as she doubted her voice would be able to produce coherent sounds after the execution she had been "treated" to.

"Welcome back." The man who she did not know but wanted to despise, yet lacking the strength to announced, settling into the seat across from her. "You didn't think it would be as easy, did you? Now, take four." The girl numbly shook her head, closing her eyes as she prepared for another round of pain.

Can't last…Won't tell…

She wasn't sure how many minutes had passed, or how many more would trickle by as she writhed on the wooden stool under the watchful, inquisitive yet sadistic gaze of the man. Yet the one thing she knew was that no matter how much she willed herself to, after a while that could last seconds or hours, she would no longer last.

A/N: This is now drawing to a close…I am planning this to be a 10-chapter fic, although I am not sure it would fit xD

Please review =)