Hello. so it has only been about a week i think. i will apologize in advance for this chapter. i have been writing it while going through some things. with getting sick and going through a traumatizing event, i hope that you will still like the chapter, as i have not had a lot of motivation to write the chapter. but hopefully you will like it, and what not. also it is loosely edited, so i apologize for the probably many grammatical mistakes that my college professor would get extremely mad over. so just a forewarning to everyone.

thanks for all the review and the alerts and faves. i appreciate them

Disclaimer: DNON

also apologize for the shortness as well.

Enjoy =)


Chapter 7



It took the team only a few days to get back to the village where they had talked to the old man about Sakura only a week before. If Sakura was in Cloud then they would head through the small village and then head northeast into Cloud and try to pick up anything. There were several border towns that might be able to help them determine if the Akatsuki were really in Cloud or if they were elsewhere.

They didn't go straight through the village, rather around it but only by a small margin. But they did stop again at the site that Sakura was taken at, just to make sure they hadn't overlooked anything there. They tried to find the footprints that had been imprinted on the dirt but since their last visit a storm had apparently passed through making the tracks disappear.

Kakashi inwardly scolded himself. If they hadn't of been too occupied with trying to figure out if Sakura was really there, they should have also have been looking for the clues that could have told them in what direction the person or persons had taken her, had gone. Scolding himself some more on the inside he berated himself for not even thinking about what they might be doing in the future after the preliminary search was done.

They out skirted the village and headed in a more northern direction. It took them two days of travel before they came upon another village, yet it was a village dried of information. Many of the people had maybe heard of the Akatsuki organization, yet none had really seen them around. It wasn't too surprising to Kakashi seeing as how Cloud was somewhat secluded from the world.

Passing the border into the Cloud country they headed towards the first and closest village that was located on the map. It was a small village that was located near a small river. The town looked run down and in disorder and the first person they came across to get information from, knew nothing about the robed ninja that they were trying to find. And for several people after that, it was the same asnwer.

Leaving the village to head towards another one, the team was downcast in their lack of success. They jumped through the trees with less than enthusiasm and effort. Their movements, though still languid, seemed the be heavier and duller. Within a couple of hours they knew they were again approaching the next village. They stopped and looked over the village. It was growing dark outside and it was probably the perfect time for this village seeing as many of the people were already congregating at the local bar.

It was completely dark when the group of four entered into the town. They knew it would be harder to get information out of someone that might know when they were only men. But luck was with them when after spying on the entrance to the establishment opened up and a man that was heavier set, walked drunkenly out of the door and took several wavering steps towards the other side of the street. With one movement from Kakashi the man was taken into an alleyway, where they all congregated to try and get some information out of the man. Kakashi and Yamato would be the ones doing the questioning, and they both approached the scared looking man, that had quickly sobered up.

"Do you know anything about the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked, with a tone of don't 'bs' me.

"Who?" the man asked slurred.

"Ninja, with black cloaks with red clouds imprinted on them. Yamato specified and the man nodded his head, and a flicker of hope ran through the team.

"Yeah, they were here a couple of weeks ago." the man blubbered out.

"Why?"

"I don't know, they didn't tell me why, only they thought I knew something and I didn't." the team looked a little confused.

"They were here for you?" Sai asked expressionlessly. The man nodded his head again.

"It was a team of four. Three males and a female with red hair. The one that was in charge, had red eyes, and he wanted to know what I knew of Akatsuki, but I didn't know anything, and then he just left, I guess after knocking me out." the man gasped out.

The red eyes comment got everyone's attentions. If it was red eyes than it had to be an Uchiha, unless it was someone that had natural red eyes, but someone coming from the Akatsuki with red eyes meant only an Uchiha, and this man had confirmed that an Uchiha was alive and well within the ranks of the Akatsuki, but the team part disgruntled Kakashi. Akatsuki worked in pairs not teams. The only team that he knew that would have an Uchiha on it would be Sasuke's team. Rumors had come into Konoha about the younger Uchiha and his team when he had killed Orochimaru.

"What did the man with red eyes look like?" Kakashi asked impatiently.

"Kakashi, what does that have to do with anything?" Yamato asked, " it is most likely Itachi." Kakashi ignored the comment and question and asked the man again what the man looked like.

"I don't know. Tall, dark hair, pale skin." the man whimpered out cursing his luck. Kakashi then roughly pulled Sai to stand before the man.

"Did the man look like him?" Kakashi asked pointing a finger to Sai and the man nodded furiously.

"Just like him, only spikier hair, and maybe a little more emotion to his face." the man kept babbling the information out like a brook, and Kakashi got his answer.

It was indeed the younger Uchiha that had been here. But then there arose the problems. If both of the Uchihas were alive, were they actually working together or was there someone else in all of this? But the younger was definitely alive, and he wasn't sure if Naruto had realized that. But it cleared a few things up, especially about the team part.

"Do you know where they came from?" Kakashi asked this time in a quieter voice.

"No, but they aren't from around here, I can assure of that." the man spoke softly.

"Thanks for your time." Kakashi spoke a little dangerously, before releasing the man and signaling the team to leave and gather outside the village.

The four gathered together in the forest away from the town. Kakashi was deep in thought as he thought about everything that had been given to him information wise and also the fact that if both of the Uchiha were alive, why exactly were they working together. Something was missing and that was what was bothering Kakashi right now. Maybe talking it out would help him understand it more.

"Kakashi-sensei, where do we go now?" Naruto asked lightly and the gray haired man looked at him. He didn't really have an answer yet. They knew they weren't in Cloud, so the next largest country was Stone.

"Probably to Stone." Kakashi said limply. "But before we go we need to clear things up." the three turned their undevoted attention to what Kakashi was about to say. "I now believe that Sasuke is alive. The man said Sai looked close to the man that came to him, only with slight differences. It could only be Sasuke and from the rumors Sasuke had a team, after defeating Orochimaru." he could visibly see Naruto's cerulean blue eyes light up even brighter.

"But what about the older one that supposedly sent the letter?" Naruto asked.

"By description, I would assume it would be Itachi, seeing as he was the only Uchiha in the Akatsuki. "Kakashi began again. "That would mean that the two would be working together right now, and that however is hard to believe, seeing as how Sasuke has held so much hate for him over the years."

"So then what could be going on?" Yamato asked and Kakashi merely shook his head.

"I don't know. All we need to do is find Sakura and then we will worry about what the Uchiha's are doing."

"Then we head to Stone." Naruto spoke clearly and with authority. The three others turned to look at the usually hyperactive blond, who was now showing his seriousness and leadership to them. They nodded, silently agreeing to head to Stone to find Sakura.


To her the hole seemed to be getting bigger each time she started to knock away at the stone. The stone was hard and durable but with a little chakra enhancement she was able to get through the stone and start to create a small gap. It would still take a while to make the whole large enough for her to squeeze through but right now it was just getting through to the other side before she would start to expand the area to fit her body through.

Feeling a numbing feeling on her shoulder she stopped her small tapping against the rock and walked back towards her small sitting area and sat down and then moved her left hand across her chest and over her right shoulder to place the hand on her area of numbness. It was the dumb and intolerable brand that had been stuck there.

Using a small portion of her chakra she had reserved for healings she let the green chakra form and then wash over the area washing the area in a cleansing and cool feeling. Within a few minutes it felt cooler and the area was no longer as numb as it had been.

Leaning her head back on the stone wall she lifted her eyes so they looked up at the black abyss of whatever ceiling was there. It had been several days since she had really come in contact with any of the members that had brought her here. It was nice though, the solitary. At least she didn't have to deal with them punishing her for a reason she had no idea what it might be.

Looking back down she held out her arms before her. She could clearly see the bruises that lined them, only knowing that they were there for reasons she had no idea. She could only wonder what Sasuke might have done to make it so that they would feel it necessary to take their frustrations out on her.

Looking at the plate of food that was settled near the door she pushed herself to the balls of her feet and with her back and arms stretched forward she grabbed the plate by the edges and pulled it back, as quietly as she could towards herself. It was the same meager meal she had been getting ever since the first time they had fed her, but luckily they had replaced the sake with water, so she didn't dehydrate herself, but she had also found a small natural spring leak in the corner near where she was knocking her little whole in the wall at.

If there was water around this area then there must have been a larger water source near as well meaning with water, there would be no scent to track once she could escape, and use the water. Then she would go back to Konoha and give them the information that she had learned from the Akatsuki. But then that caused another problem. She had absolutely no idea where in Stone she was at, and she couldn't very well ask the members where she was. That would make it seem obvious that she was planning something and in all reality it was just stupid.

Eating her meal she again, started to devise more escape plans for when she could escape. They weren't all elaborate but at least they were ideas, and she had nothing really better to do than to knock stones out of a wall and conjure up ways to escape and then later torture the men that had her here.


He swore that his team knew that he had done something to get the information that he had gotten only a few nights before in the stone village. It was mostly Karin's gaze though. He knew that if Suigetsu knew how he had acquired the information the man would be patting his back and letting him know that at least he had gotten some. But Karin would be wailing and making threats to kill the girl if they ever went through that town again.

Lifting himself up again over a rock he looked ahead at the continuous mounds of rocks that awaited them, and there was no way around them. He wanted this mission to be over with and soon. But he also knew that going after a jinchuriki was not an easy assignment. All those years ago, when he had fought Gaara, he had seen the power of only the one tailed bijuu, but this time it would the eight tailed and he was positive the beast would have more power., but he had also gained power as well.

Behind him he could hear the continued whining coming from the red haired woman as the silver haired man kept making insults about her, and one of them he was sure had to be about what Sasuke might have been doing the other night to have gained such information. But karin should know that it would be useless for her to try and pursue the Uchiha. She had done it before and each time he had turned her down, no matter how bad he had wanted to relieve himself.

They camped that night between a circle of rocks. Sasuke had pulled out his map and was looking at their location and then the location of the tailed beast. They would have another two to three days travel before reaching the area where the beast was at. Looking at the location he looked at the geography of the area. If it wasn't a good place for a fight he would have to lure the beast out and to another field where it would be more advantageous for him.

Scanning the map in the area where the beast was at he could see that there were several bodies of water nearby. The geography he knew wouldn't be the best, but when the entire area for miles looked the exact same, he would just have to deal with the fact that he would have the disadvantage and that he would just have to make the best out of it.

Rolling the map back up he placed it carefully back into his pack. Laying down on his back on the bedroll he had, he shifted his arms behind his head for a pillow. Flicking his eyes to the side to see the fire and the other members of his team, his conscience thought about the times with Team Seven when they had been around the fire during a mission, and when a fire was permitted, and that brought his thoughts to Sakura.

He still held blame towards the girl for making him do this mission. If she hadn't been stupid enough to get caught then he wouldn't be heading into a fight that really wasn't his fight. He really held no interest in the tailed beasts, but because of her, he had too.

He would have to admit that she had grown up. Her eyes that once held passiveness blared with anger and spite when he had seen her. And then the other interesting thing was that she had worn the medical skirt that only medical kunoichis wear. If she had become a medical ninja that would also prove to the Akatsuki that she would also be used for other purposes than just controlling him.

And though his liaisons were few and far between at times he couldn't deny that she had grown up in certain areas. It was only natural for a man like him to notice the growth in her, and he was sure that the Akatsuki had seen it too. She was just adding points to her demise in that stone enclosure. But he was still unnerved by the thought that she would be able to control him.

It had seemed absurd to him at first but now looking back, it hadn't taken much for him to willingly agree, however willingly it was, to take the current mission and not fight with Madara tooth and nail over it. If she really did have some hold or bond left to him, then he would just have to break it and as soon as possible.

He was sure that Madara could feel Sasuke's plans changing. When Itachi had first been killed, all Sasuke wanted to do was to destroy Konoha and take down its very walls, which was exactly what Madara wanted in a sense. The older Uchiha wanted to take over Konoha, and become the Hokage and restore the Uchiha clan to its original prestige.

Sasuke could say he wanted the downfall of Konoha, but only to a certain extent. Lately he had really only wanted the deaths of the Elders that had given the orders to have his brother kill his clan. Once the Elders were gone, it would take time, but he was sure that with time, wounds would be healed and that he might have returned to Konoha to once again start the restoration of the Uchiha clan in Konoha.

But now once again everything was changed and not for the better. Which was why he was hoping that Sakura would somehow manage to escape the clutches of Madara and get back to Konoha and tell them what she had undoubtedly learned while being a captive. He knew that even though he might have freed her if he had been there, that she still needed to get back to Konoha and let them know.

His thoughts shook him slightly. Was he wanting to help Konoha? His thoughts had told him that he indeed wanted to help Konoha, but his true goal was to ultimately destroy Madara and everything that Madara stood for. He didn't want his clan being revived by a man that would whore countless women. That would bring no honor back to their name. No, he had wanted to bring back the Uchiha and in his own way.

What he had learned from his brother was of the corruption that was inevitably in the Uchiha since the beginning and it had all been bred by one man, and that was Madara and Sasuke would make sure that with the next generation of Uchiha, bred by him and not Madara, that they would not be like what his family and ancestors were like. There would be Pride, but not enough to bring them down. Honor, but not enough to think so highly of themselves.

The Uchiha were a proud clan and though he wanted the next generations to have the pride and honor of wearing the Uchiha fan, he would not want them to become corrupted like his family was. He would kill Madara and the Elders of Konoha and then and only then would he have enough peace to restore his clan.

Bringing a hand up to rub his face he let out a weary sigh. His eyes looked up at the sky, the darkness of the night and sky matched his own onyx orbs. His mind was still thinking about everything that he wanted to come to fruition and even though with this little setback he would still accomplish it, and nothing would stand in his way.


sorry it is so short but like i said being sick and going through something traumatizing does not help when trying to write. so short but there was some important things in there.

update: don't know. will try for next week again, but can give no promises, especially with college starting to pick up a little.

please review, reviews give me motivation, which i desperately need right now.

please review.

yoyo