...I do not own Naruto…and I have run out of creative ways to say that…

Chapter 7: Alliances

"I'm impressed, Sakura-san," Kabuto said as he removed the needle from her arm. "I think you really made an impression on Sasuke-kun. He's been much moodier these last few days."

Sakura ignored him. The one thing she had learned about Kabuto was that he fed off of her verbal retaliations. As long as she remained quiet, she was assured that he would eventually get tired of harassing her.

"You know," he continued, "you've been such a good sport this last month. I'm inclined to repay you for your patience."

She tensed, prepared for another of his twisted games.

"You misunderstand me," the grey haired shinobi spread his arms. "I only wish to offer you a deal. You see, I'm not here just to serve Orochimaru. Surely you realize by now that I have my own motives."

Her feigned disinterest amused him. He knew he had her attention.

"So here's the plan, Sakura-san. You agree to help me and I'll agree to tell you why you're really here."

"Help you?"

"Yes. But before I tell you what you need to know, I want your word as a ninja that you will help me."

It was a loaded offer. He could ask anything of her with an oath like that and he knew it. But at that moment, Sakura didn't feel like she had much left to lose. Why shouldn't she try to find out as much as she could? Perhaps the knowledge would help her down the road. Reluctantly she said, "You have my word, Kabuto."

"Excellent!" He smiled, pleased with himself. "As you know, I have been in the service of Orochimaru-sama for a while now. Before that, I'm not sure you are aware of this, I was recruited by Akatsuki. One Akatsuki in particular—Sasori."

"Akatsuki?"

He nodded. "They hypnotized me; sent me to spy on Orochimaru-sama. Thankfully, I was freed from the puppet master's control by my new master. And I have since adopted Orochimaru-sama's marvelous way of thinking."

At the mention of Sasori's name, Sakura held her breath. Did this have something to do with their battle?

"Anyway, Orochimaru-sama and I have an arrangement. He allows me to study him, much as I've studied you, in exchange for my medical abilities and my loyalty. You see, he really is quite fascinating. His quest to be master of all jutsus makes him a unique test subject. I have yet to uncover the roots of most of his abilities."

"What are you getting at?" Sakura felt a chill run through her. Something wasn't right. To oversee Sasuke's body transfer was not the only reason she was there. Kabuto's overly long explanation gave away that much.

"Alright, to be fair, I'll let you in on a little secret. The plans have recently changed. Sasuke is no longer going to be Orochimaru-sama's new body."

The pink-haired medic felt a wave of relief wash through her. Thank God. Sasuke is saved! That was all she could have asked for.

At the look of liberation on Sakura's face, Kabuto chuckled softly. "You, Sakura. You will be the sannin's next host. Then, we will transplant Sasuke's sharingan into your head. You will become the ultimate shinobi."

"What!?!" Sakura's mouth fell open in disbelief. "You can't be serious. I'll never agree to that!"

"Oh no. No, no. I want something else entirely." He watched her pale visage. "See, my ultimate goal is not unlike Orochimaru-sama's. I, too, want to possess all the knowledge I can. I also wish to be immortal. But I believe my immortality can be found through all my research. I know human physiology inside and out. I have already cultivated the ability to regenerate cells. However, I lack the ability—or rather the chakra—to do this on a large scale. Large enough to keep me youthful. It is similar to Tsunade's false agelessness. I, however, will be able to regenerate my cells, not just slow their aging."

Her emerald eyes stared at him. She still wasn't sure just where he was going with this. Was it her chakra he wanted?

"So this is my offer, Sakura-san. When the time comes, I will prevent the body transfer. You and Sasuke will be free from Orochimaru-sama. But," he leaned in closer to her, "you will agree to stay with me. You will be my assistant. Just as I have been Orochimaru's these last few years. To repay the debt of your and Sasuke's freedom, you will aid me with the mass cell regeneration I need. You will essentially be the power that will keep me immortal."

Sakura swallowed. "Stay with you? You want me to help you find immortality?"

"Need I remind you that you already agreed to this? You gave me your word as a ninja. It won't be so bad. Unlike Orochimaru-sama, I have no need for wars or domination. Our workings will be harmless. Well…yours will be. I will still continue with my studies."

"But why?" She shook her head. "Why would you betray the man you say you think so highly of?"

Kabuto shrugged. "I have learned everything I can from Orochimaru-sama. We have done many things together, he and I. But I no longer have a need for him. Do not mistake our partnership for a friendship."

"And me? What will happen when I grow too old to be of use to you? Then what will become of your immortality?"

"Ah, that's the beauty of it, Sakura-chan. I will teach you the technique as well. With our combined abilities, we will be able to keep each other alive."

A ball of disgust settled in her stomach. Her and Kabuto…forever? A more twisted thought had never entered her mind. She calmed her breathing before she responded to him. "Why me? Why not another medic? There are many talented shinobi in that field."

"But you are the best. You have surpassed the abilities of me and Tsunade at your age. You will grow to be the finest medical ninja alive. No one else will do."

She stared at him, unbelieving of what he had asked of her. The images of what she endured at his hands over the last month played through her mind. And he wanted her help?

But worse, it was already a moot point. She had agreed. At least Sasuke would be spared and Orochimaru would be defeated. She would have to remind herself of the benefits. Helping her friends was her way of the shinobi…no matter what the cost.

"Don't worry." The other medic interrupted her thoughts. "I expect nothing other than your medical abilities. And for now, I hope you understand that I'll have to keep you low on chakra. As much as I trust you'll honor our little bargain, I can't risk something interrupting the transfer plans. Everything must go as planned. An escape attempt would be unseemly."

Sakura smirked. He would force her into loyalty to him and never trust her. He was wise not to. Any chance she had to leave she would take. But as of that moment, her deal with her sadistic captor was the best chance she and Sasuke had.

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The rock ceiling had many patterns. Sasuke studied every one during the hours he lay awake in his bed. More frequently over the last few days, he found himself awake. His mind was a storm of memories and images. Things he hadn't thought of in three years played in a continuous pattern within his mind.

Worst of all were the feelings he was suddenly plagued by.

Worry. Anxiety. Anger…well, he always felt anger.

Guilt.

The guilt was hardest. It hadn't hit him until the memories appeared. Memories of the time spent with his former team.

It was strange. He watched the images as if impartial to them. One by one they ran through his head. They were what had brought on the guilt.

He had never felt it before, but then again, he had never had a reason to.

But as he watched his life flick by behind his eyes, he suddenly realized just how much Sakura had done for him. As a young boy, he had thought he was always saving her. But that wasn't the case. There had been many time she was there for him. Even in small ways. Even if it was just catching him from a minor fall.

How easily he had forgotten all those.

She had saved him almost as often as he had saved her.

And then, when she needed him the most, he had thrown her to the wolves.

Damn it. Sasuke sighed. Have I always been this selfish?

Time was running out. In just over a month it would be time for him to go to the next level in the quest for revenge. Nothing would stop him, not when he was this close. But something had been nagging at Sasuke. With all the training, he almost felt stronger than Orochimaru. What if he could defeat his brother without the snake sannin's aid? Would Orochimaru even tell him if that were the case?

No. Sasuke knew he wouldn't. The sharingan was too valuable to the sannin. He wouldn't ever let Sasuke go without a fight.

And if I can defeat Itachi on my own, then Sakura will have suffered for nothing. He clenched his jaw. She's already suffering for nothing. No matter how I look at it.

For the first time since the offer from Sound, Sasuke found himself at an impasse. He had two choices.

He could go through with his deal and hope that Orochimaru would honor his agreement to go after Itachi.

Or he could put that faith in his own acquired abilities, rescue Sakura, defeat Orochimaru, and then go after Itachi.

The patterns on the ceiling began to blend together as the Uchiha concentrated on deciding his next move.

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Tsunade motioned for Jiraiya to enter her office.

The Toad Sage knew why he was there. He could tell by the angry look in his friend's brown eyes that something beyond Sakura's disappearance was bothering her. He also had a fairly good idea of what that 'something' was.

"So they went after her, eh?" He smiled at the blond. "Come on, Tsunade. You had to have known they would."

"Naruto I expected. However I did not expect three other, highly respected shinobi to take off with him!"

"You really didn't? I was surprised the whole village didn't go, myself."

Her icy glare bore into him. "They went against an order."

"And what kind of order was that? I can't believe that you didn't send them out first thing. It's not like you. Sakura was like your own daughter." He sat down on the corner of her desk. "So why don't you tell me what's really going on, eh?"

Jiraiya's words rang painfully true to the Hokage. Sakura had been like a daughter to her. And for the sake of the greater good, she had allowed her to be used as bait. It was a shame she would never be rid of. Her expression somber, Tsunade shook her head. "I made a deal, Jiraiya. A deal to ensure the safety of Konoha."

"Eh? Tsunade…what did you do?"

"I was approached a while ago by Akatsuki. They were after Orochimaru, and had discovered that he had an interest within Konoha. In exchange for whatever it was he wanted in the city, Akatsuki would be the ones to hunt him down and kill him. As it was explained to me, they would do so before the body transfer with Sasuke could be completed. It seemed like an easy enough deal." She covered her face with her hands. "I didn't know what it was Kabuto was after when he entered the city. If I had known…"

The other sannin stared at her thoughtfully. "You did what you thought was best for Konoha. No one can fault you for that. But I think you're over reacting about Naruto. If anyone can bring her back, it's him."

"No, Jiraiya, you don't understand. Part of the bargain was no interference from Konoha. If Akatsuki find them…then the deal is off. As of right now, they have promised Sakura and Sasuke's safe return. Naruto and team seven don't know about my deal. If they encounter any Akatsuki, they'll try to attack. That will be a disaster on many levels."

"Well, looks like you've got yourself quite a mess."

She scowled at him. "I don't need your verification of that."

"So what is it you suggest we do?"

"What else is there to do?" The healer sighed. "We're going to have to go after them ourselves."

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Itachi watched as the familiar form of Naruto came into view. The boy was a boy no longer. He had grown into a young man.

He wasn't an easy target any more either.

But perhaps with his new plan, Itachi would be able to obtain control of Orochimaru's new body as well as harness the Kyuubi.

It was worth a shot.

The oldest Uchiha glanced over at Kisame. The blue man grinned, nodding.

Without a second thought, they hopped down into the clearing.

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Coming soon: The best laid Plans

Author's note: Oooo… not the alliance you thought would be in this chapter was it? I know there's a lot of merging plans within this story. If anyone is unclear as to who's doing what, let me know and I'll summarize it for you.

And thanks to all your well-wishing, I'm feeling much better!