…Don't forget! I don't own Naruto…
Chapter 9: Hell hath no fury like…
Hinata's byakuugan glare held as much venom as a thousand poisoned kunai as she stared at the deformed man who stood before them. She'd heard of Orochimaru's sadistic medic and the twisted experiments he and the sannin conducted. A long time ago members of her own family had been captured and treated as laboratory specimens. Now he stood before her, grinning in the same manner she imagined all insane people did.
Only he wasn't just Kabuto anymore.
However he managed to do it, Kabuto had transplanted a portion of Orochimaru's old body into himself. That portion of the mostly-dead sannin still retained his struggling soul.
The irony of his unending immortality was not lost on the Hyuga heiress.
"Our battle is far from over," Kabuto was telling them. "One day, when these powers that conflict within me are under control, I will return for you, Naruto-kun. But that will be after I extract my revenge on Uchiha Sasuke."
"Revenge!?" Naruto sneered. "What was Sasuke supposed to do? Just let that bastard take over his body!?"
Kabuto shrugged. "Just as everyone Sasuke cared about was taken from him by his brother, so too has Sasuke taken away the only person who I cared about. What makes my revenge any less deserving than the Uchiha's?"
"Sasuke's family was innocent!"
"Does that matter, Naruto-kun? You remain loyal to Sasuke despite what he has done to you. It is unfortunate that we cannot choose those we care about." After he spoke the words, a fit of coughing wracked his body, and the medic staggered slightly. He pulled out a black book and tossed it at the Konoha shinobis' feet. "There. When you have defeated Akatsuki, then we shall meet again."
Now! Hinata's mind screamed at her. Now, while he's weak! If he leaves this place alive Naruto-kun's future will be in jeopardy! But the dark-haired young woman's body rebelled against her, riveting her to the ground. She wasn't sure if it was fear of battle that held her in place or fear of acting on her own. But whichever force held sway, she was unable to move.
Kabuto seemed to sense this, and he turned his attention to her. "Hinata-sama, it has been a long time since I've seen you." He smiled slightly. "You look well."
"Don't talk to her you asshole!" Naruto's blue eyes flashed. "Leave her out of this!"
As the kyuubi youth stepped protectively in front of her, Hinata blushed deeply. The telltale red flush throughout her only made their enemy smile more.
"You know, Hinata-sama, it was I who healed you all those years ago after your battle with your much more talented cousin. Your chakra signature is almost as familiar as my own." Her shocked look pleased him. "Oh don't worry. A medic remembers everyone he or she touches."
Touches. The word hung in the air around her, and Hinata wasn't sure if only she felt the filth that oozed off of the softly spoken words. It sent a shiver through her.
But that shiver effectively shattered the fear that held her in place. Almost without warning, she side-stepped Naruto and struck out at the grey-haired medic-nin. What would have been a well-aimed chakra hit made contact with only empty space as Kabuto leapt out of her way.
Momentarily caught off guard by their teammate's actions, Naruto and Yamato quickly collected themselves and hurried to join in the fight.
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Keep moving! Don't slow down! He's getting further and further behind by the moment!
Sakura's body strained with the effort to keep up the speed she'd set for herself. It was dangerous traveling as she was. When it came to speed, most shinobi opted for the flicker method. The way she was moving—with chakra-enhanced strides—put her pace at breakneck speed. She barely had time to anticipate her path through the forest, and one wrong step could send her plummeting to the ground or straight into the solid wood of an ancient tree.
But in order to ensure that her opponent could still see her and not catch her, she had to continue to do things the hard way.
Sweat poured down her face as she flew from limb to limb. The fact that she was well out of Kakashi's set range was a dull realization in the back of her mind. She had only one thought now: defeat her opponent.
If she had it right, the faster and further she pushed the strange shinobi, the more energy he would have to exert. More energy meant more sweat. And perhaps, when he could no longer re-hydrate himself, he would …
…would what? Cease to exist?
Sakura shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn't know just what would happen to her hunter. She didn't know if anything would happen. But it was worth a shot.
Holding the massive stolen sword behind her back, she slowed her pace slightly, curious to know if she had indeed lost her pursuer. If that happened, she was going to have to double back to see what had become of him.
A streak of blue alerted her to his presence. He was still after her.
She shifted her hold on the hilt of the blade. The leather binding was slick with her perspiration.
Hidden amid the shadows of her direct route, Sasuke noted the brief flux in Sakura's concentration. Instead of looking ahead of herself, she had glanced back while changing her grip on the sword.
He chose that exact moment to step out into her charge.
Instead of slowing like he thought she would, Sakura barreled straight into him. Her grip on the sword slipped, and the cumbersome weapon went soaring through the trees, as the force of her impact sent both medic and Uchiha into a downward spiral toward the forest floor.
Dazed, Sakura did the only thing she could think to do—she reached out. Forcing chakra into her gloved hands, she desperately groped for a passing limb to latch on to. The fact that she was an entire person heavier hadn't even registered.
Sasuke's hold around his former teammate's torso tightened as he quickly bit his thumb and traced a symbol on the arm of his opposite hand. The air beneath them suddenly fogged over, and they were lost from sight.
Something cold and oddly cushioned broke the pink-haired healer's fall. Unable to see in the sudden smoke, she rolled down the unknown object. Her momentum eventually ceased and she found herself sprawled between two, smooth, moving knolls.
But when the smoke cleared she realized the two mounds were really the coils of a giant snake.
Sasuke's eyes had followed Sakura as she slid to a stop, and now he watched her expression go from one of confusion to one of realization. Emerald vision instantly shot up to where he stood atop the snake's giant head.
"Sakura."
Her awe-struck gaze disintegrated before his eyes, and she looked at him almost sadly. "Sasuke-kun."
She was hurt—he could see it in the way she wobbled on the strong snake-skin. He didn't doubt it was due to their collision. Areas of his own body ached with slowly-appearing bruises. He watched as her eyes left him and searched the surrounding forest.
"Don't bother looking for the sword. Suigetsu has collected it by now."
Sakura's teeth ground together and her fists clenched. She stared at the intricate snake scales instead of returning her gaze to Sasuke. For reasons unknown to her, she felt betrayed by his generic words.
She remained silent—her weapon of choice.
"Oi!" Suigetsu landed next to the Hebi leader. He downed the last of his water supply, and sat cross-legged next to the Uchiha. "I almost had her, Sasuke."
"Hmph."
The razor-toothed shinobi smiled down at the medic. "So, her name's Sakura, eh?" Her lack of response only interested him more. He did the best he could to hide the fact that she'd almost done him in with her mad sprint. But the signs were all there—especially to a trained medic and a sharingan user. Sugeitsu was clearly dehydrated and suffering from fatigue. No amount of smiling could hide that.
It brought a small amount of satisfaction to Sakura. "Sasuke-kun. I'm going to take you back to Konoha." Her eyes met his. She could almost taste the coldness that radiated in their depths. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she steadied her stance, discreetly healing herself as she did so.
Her secretive action snagged Sasuke's attention. She was strong—she'd demonstrated that by carrying Sugeitsu's sword. And now, she was healing herself.
There was only one other shinobi he knew that had those two traits. Now, as he witnessed Sakura's second ability, he had no doubt that she had also been trained by a sannin.
With speed beyond vision, he moved down next to her.
Sakura barely had time to exhale. She's sensed Sasuke's movement rather than witnessed it. Now, as he stood next to her, her mind raced to catch up to what had just happened.
It wasn't until Sasuke's hand gripped her hair in an eerily familiar motion that her awareness snapped back to the situation at hand.
Her scalp was still tender from when another Uchiha had held her. She hadn't bothered to heal it since it wasn't life threatening. Now, as Sasuke's fingers tugged on the same pink strands of hair, she couldn't help but wince in pain.
"Welcome to Hebi, Sakura." She saw Sasuke's lips move before someone knocked her into unconsciousness.
The small trickle of fresh blood down his former friend's neck irritated the Uchiha. He hadn't thought he'd gripped her all that tightly. Something about the bright red stream made his blood boil. "Sugeitsu," he let Sakura's limp form drop, "take care of your prisoner."
Up above, Sugeitsu smiled. Sakura would bring him one step closer to Kakashi Hatake.
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Still seated, Itachi's eyes narrowed.
Sakura's chakra had left his range of detection.
He stood slowly and brushed the dirt from his robe. Across the clearing, Kakashi watched the Akatsuki intently.
"Kisame," Itachi said. "It is time we forego the company of Konoha."
The blue man nodded. "I thought I'd never hear you say that."
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Coming soon: Chapter 10 : …Like a Woman Scorned
