Alright so it took me forever to update. It happens to the best of us. I just hope you enjoy reading this update and know that the next chapter has already been started.

Chapter Nine: One Down, One To Go

Watching her limp body burst from the sphere of now alight flames, Naruto could practically hear his heart trying to beat out of his chest. He was breathing so hard it hurt each time he inhaled and exhaled the air. He couldn't even feel his footsteps as he sprinted towards her fallen body. His hands reaching out to cradle her cold body, slapping her face, trying to get a response, all of it was like he was in neutral. In autopilot.

The fact she wasn't breathing was the only thing running through his mind as he pressed his lips against her cold ones, trying to breathe life back into her body. He thumped her chest, pressing small bursts of chakra into her heart just like baa-chan had shown him, just in case there was no medic, she had said. His other hand was busy slapping her lightly, trying to get a reaction.

He didn't know how long he sat there, trying to resuscitate her before a strong pull ripped him away and large hands took his place in pumping oxygen back into her chest laced with blue chakra.

He looked up and saw blue before his vision was blurred by tears.

The large body of Kisame was towering over Sakura's own, pumping large bursts of chakra into her heart, just like she had shown him. Deidara's lips were pressed against hers, breathing life back into her body. Together they watched as Sakura's body convulsed in front of their eyes before a large stream of water erupted from her mouth, splashing onto the ground next to her as Kisame tilted her. Coughing, Sakura's emerald eyes once again opened, her breathing hard and erratic. Without looking she knew it had been Kisame and Deidara who had awoken her. What she didn't expect was Naruto orange clothed body to be lying next to hers, his eyes filled with worry and pain.

Groaning she got to her feet, her legs shaking from weakness. Kisame's own body looked worse for wear, his wounds only slightly scabbed over, but he had come to her; to save her. She realised with a start that it would have had to be one of the Konoha ninja that had healed him. She glanced around for the culprit only to see a set of vines flying towards her and her team-mates.

With a shout she shoved them to the ground, pushing the small amount of chakra she had left into her feet as she jumped through the air landed on a tree branch above her. Her eyes caught Zetsu's. "You don't think we are going to let you go do you?" He murmured, his deep voice making her heart sink. There was no way in her condition that she could get away alive, along with her teammates.

A spluttering sound from her right had her gaze following the movements of Hidan exiting the sphere. Now there was two of them against her and her teammates who were almost out of chakra. She was just thinking up an escape plan when a streak of blonde caught her attention. A clash of metal as kunai connected made her eyes widen. Naruto was attacking Hidan over and over, heedless of that fact that the Akatsuki member wasn't there for him. Soon, Sasuke and Neji had joined him, backing up their teammate.

Wincing, Sakura straightened up on her branch, crunching on a soldier pill. She welcomed the sweet flood of chakra throughout her body as she disappeared in a flurry of cherry blossoms, reappearing next to her weapons. All was not lost. While Naruto and the other two were distracting Hidan and Zetsu was just standing there watching her she had come up with a plan. It involved the cooperation of the Konoha ninja. Swallowing the disgust she experienced when looking at the ninja she had once called friends she stepped towards them, aware of Kisame and Deidara's chakras at her back.

"Hokage, after they have finished me and my team off they will not just leave, you know that. They were attack the villagers, and many innocent lives will be lost." Sakura continued, aware of the suspicion and pain present in her ex-mentor's eyes. "Help us defeat them and be done with two Akatsuki members."

"How do I know you won't just kill us afterwards?" As much as it pained Tsunade to even ask that question, she knew she had to, as Hokage.

"In my condition I would be lucky to survive this fight," Sakura spoke truthfully, aware of the shadows wrapping around her ankles. Instead she ignored them, trying to get her teacher to understand that even though she was now an S-class criminal and she hated the Konoha ninja for what they put her through, she could never kill the people she had once loved.

Tsunade looked at her for a few more seconds, aware of the two enemy shinobi watching and waiting for them to move. Sasuke, Naruto and Neji were back behind the wall of Konoha ninja, their wounds getting quickly patched up.

"It doesn't matter who helps you bitch, they'll just die alongside you. I'll have fun sacrificing you all to my Jashin God." Hidan cackled, his scythe slicing the air as he sprinted towards her, his eyes full of the promise of pain. Casting one last look at Tsunade, Sakura grit her teeth and swept her cloak from around her, her hands gripping her twin katana's tightly. As if a sign as soon as her cloak hit the ground she sprinted forwards, towards Hidan's oncoming attack. With a clash of metal they connected. Hidan's smirk slipped off his face as he felt a presence behind him in warning before a barrage of kicks had him flying through the air, his scythe flying from his grip. A green jumpsuit was all Sakura had to see before she knew the attacker was friend.

With a shout Sakura threw her swords in the air, her hands completely a complex jutsu too fast for the eye to follow. Gripping the swords she jumped in the air until she was parallel with Hidan and sliced her swords down in an arch. "Wind style jutsu; Crisscrossing Blades!"

Screaming and splashed of blood was all the shinobi could see as blades of wind fiercely attacked the now unmoving body of Hidan. With a thump his body fell to the ground. Legs and arms separated from the body.

Sakura landed on the ground without a sound, wincing slightly at the pressure on her weak muscles. Not missing a beat she reached behind her for another scroll, this one of a forbidden fire jutsu. Pressing a bloody thumb across the paper she threw the scroll towards Hidan's body pieces, accompanied by a string of crude language from his rolling head. As the paper spun around his body, the limbs and torso began to rise.

With a burst of chakra Sakura performed a series of one handed hand signals before pointed her hand at the scroll and shouting,

"Forbidden Arts Jutsu; Twin Spinning Dragons of Death!" From the scroll erupted two huge dragons made of fire. They seemed to be dancing as they circled Hidan's floating body parts. Meshing her fingers together to finish the jutsu the dragon rose in the air before plummeting to the ground, exploding the ground and Hidan's body with it.

Panting from exhaustion, Sakura spun around to see the other Akatsuki member Zetsu currently in a battle with a bunch of Konoha ninja. The rest of the shinobi she had seen surrounding the Hokage were balancing on the remains of the Konoha village wall, making sure to stop any jutsu's that may harm the villagers. Ino and Hinata's teams were amongst them. Sakura felt a stab of pain when she saw Ino's blonde hair, remembering all the good times she had had with her friend.

Wiping all emotion from her face, she quickly transported herself into the battle with Zetsu, swinging her Katana towards him only for them to get buried into a tree trunk when he slipped through the solid material. It was time this plant was wiped from the face of the earth, just like his partner in crime. There was no way she was going to die by Akatsuki's hand after spending all those years trying to bring them down.