Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Witchblade. Naruto is a manga property of Masashi Kishimoto. Witchblade is a comic property of Top Cow Productions.

Summary: Storyline divergence after the Sasuke Retrieval Arc and a transition to an original story arc. Dark Sakura theme. Couplings: Potentially NaruSaku, but with subtle NaruHina and SasuSaku scenes.

A/N: Hey, it's been almost a week, hasn't it? Did you miss me?

Well, I've had a little more time to plan this chapter out and my good friend, Belletiger, was kind enough to write out a scene for me. That helped me a ton and helped me get this chapter out to you, readers.

Anyway, Naruto and Sakura are about to enter the abandoned Uchiha district. What other discoveries will they uncover? And will Sakura see anymore visions thanks to the Witchblade's influence?

Just read and find out.

Enjoy.

xxxxx

Chapter 10

Searching for Signs of the Past! Sakura's Visions Unbound!

xxxxx

Near Uchiha District/Konohagakure/Fire Country

Standing at the very outskirts of the now quiet Uchiha District were Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura. Their eyes stared at the abandoned Uchiha District - which has long been abandoned since the massacre. A cool wind breeze blew past the two as they looked to one another. They gave each a nod and started toward the former clan's grounds.

"Ready?" Sakura asked, taking a few steps forward.

Naruto responded. "Yeah. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I am. When I saw those visions the Witchblade showed me, I couldn't resist the urge to come here. I need to know what happened..." She briefly paused, taking a deep breath and exhaling. The cold wind calmly blew against her. "I want to know what happened on the night of the massacre. And I want to find out if what I saw was real..."

"Did you really see the Third and Itachi?"

"Yeah, I did. I couldn't believe it myself. Though, I'm not totally convinced. The Witchblade's been known to be a trickster."

"No offense, Sakura, but this Witchblade's an asshole. I mean look what it's done to you..."

Sakura simply sighed. "I know." As she cast her eyes down on the bracelet, she bit her lip. "It's turned me into... a monster."

"Don't say that..."

"It's the truth, isn't it? Until I can learn to control the Witchblade's bloodlust, I'm going to end up hurting you and our friends of this village. The Witchblade won't stop until it is satisfied."

"But, I managed to get through to you and help you fight the Witchblade's urge!"

"Yeah, but what are the chances you can't get through to me, Naruto?" She turned, peering over her right shoulder at the blonde-haired Jinchuuriki. Holding up her right wrist, she displayed the silver bracelet. "I'm forever bonded with the Witchblade. Every time we enter a dangerous mission... it's going to react and force me to transform. That's why I'm going to learn to control it since we're not allowed to leave the village for the a while."

"How long will that be?"

"I don't know. Tsunade-sama never gave me any specific period of time. I guess we'll just have to wait and hear what she decides."

"I hope it isn't too long," Naruto scoffed.

The girl nodded. "Me, too."

As Sakura and Naruto walked past the gate, the blonde-haired Jinchuuriki tapped the girl on her shoulder. Sakura spun around in alarm, nearly causing Naruto to flinch back.

"What is it?" She asked, getting a little miffed by being sidetracked. She shifted toward Naruto and crossed her arms.

"I forgot to bring up the sword," Naruto pointed out.

"A sword?" inquired Sakura as Naruto nodded to her.

"Yeah, after the Third's funeral and before I went with Ero-sennin to look for Granny Tsunade, Sasuke had opened to me a little," Naruto explained, leaning against a light post. His eyes looked into Sakura's as the stars glittered in the dark skies. "He told me briefly about the night of the massacre. You see, he even mentioned he was keeping the sword that Itachi used to kill the entire Uchiha clan. He... he kept the sword to remember... remember the one that committed the massacre. " He turned, pacing across the abandoned Uchiha district as Sakura followed him. "Uchiha Itachi."

Sakura frowned upon hearing Itachi's name mentioned. "I see. He still has the sword in his home?"

"He should."

Although the entire Uchiha grounds were abandoned, Naruto still felt a chill creeping down his spine. Sakura noticed her friend already shaking in his knees. The blonde-haired Jinchuuriki was extremely sensitive toward haunted places and that was one of the reasons why he avoided the Uchiha district.

As they passed by, they noticed the walls and several doors with the Uchiha symbol embellished on them. The crest symbol of the fan caught their eyes as they were reminded of their old teammate. They walked past a long, narrow trail as they stopped ten yards from where Nakano Shrine stood - located near the edge of the Nakano River.

"Is that the shrine?" Sakura inquired. "That's the Nakano Shrine. I've heard allot about it, but never actually seen it up close."

Naruto did not say a word as his eyes stared at the abandoned shrine.

"And where is the sword? Sasuke had told you its whereabouts?" asked Sakura.

The blonde nodded and replied. "Yes. The sword is in the same place where his parents were killed. In the dojo of the main house."

Sakura scratched her chin as she gasped. "I remember where it is! Tsunade-sama told me once of where that is."

"Really?"

"Yeah, come with me," Sakura said, leading Naruto to the right corner.

It took them about a minute or so until they reached the main house. They slipped past a back gate and entered near the dojo.

As they stopped, Naruto once again was feeling more chills. Despite having a supernatural demon of destructive power sealed in him, Naruto's had a case of phasmophobia - a fear of ghosts and other spiritual apparitions.

Sakura noted the boy's trembling knees. "Naruto. Are you shaking?"

"Huh?" Naruto quickly twirled around, oblivious to his friend's question.

"Your knees are shaking."

"Oh, my knees...? Hehehe, don't be silly!" Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"Uh huh," the pink-haired medic-nin remarked, her left brow lifted as she walked by Naruto and approached the dojo. She placed a hand on the handle and turned it. "Ready?"

Nodding his, Naruto complied. "Yeah."

As Sakura opened the door to the dojo, they entered and began their search for Itachi's sword. Naruto began by searching through a row of cabinets. Sakura looked across at the farthest wall and noticed a long sword hanging on the wall.

"Naruto, I found it!"

"Where is it?!" Naruto poked his head out, his eyes moving upward as he noticed the sword. "I see it now!"

Sakura looked at the sword closely as she approached the wall. It was rusty because of the blood stained on the blade. The blood of the Uchiha clan, including those of Sasuke's parents. She gulped while she placed her right hand out and touched the weapon.

Her eyes widened as she came into realization that she touched the same weapon Itachi used to kill his and Sasuke's parents.

Then, before long, the same phenomenon occurred and almost exactly what happened in Tsunade's office earlier. Sakura gasped as the entire scenery changed. Naruto vanished before her eyes as the blonde-haired teen tried calling out to her. His voice failed to reach her ears as the girl found herself outside of the mansion.

Where am I? Sakura came to a realization while scanning her surroundings. She was no longer inside the dojo and was back outside. "Naruto?!" Her friend was nowhere to be found. "Where did..." Her eyes noticed the Witchblade's red gem glowing. She tensed, gritting her teeth. "What did you do, Witchblade?! Where am I?!"

'I would pay attention and look to see who's in front of you. You might be pleasantly surprised. Heh, or maybe not.'

Scowling to herself, Sakura stared ahead and gasped. Her eyes widened in shock as she noticed a dark-haired boy lying on the ground unconscious. The boy had tears falling down his cheeks.

'Heh, does he look familiar?'

"Sa... Sasuke-kun?!" The pink-haired girl blurted out, almost gasping as she couldn't believe her eyes.

'Ah, the duckbutt hair sure gives it away. He looks pathetic.'

As Sakura moved in close to where young Sasuke lied, she stopped as she noticed a shadowy figure with red eyes gleaming through the pitch darkness. The eyes looked familiar as a young man wearing an ANBU uniform stepped into view. The gleaming moonlight revealed Uchiha Itachi. Sakura jumped back while tightening her fists.

"Itachi!" She exclaimed, preparing to attack the older Uchiha brother.

'Relax. He's just a projection image. You can't attack him. He can't even feel or see you. Take it easy, Sakura.'

"Why the hell should I?! He's the one who brought pain to Sasuke-kun in the first place!"

'Quiet! Something's about to happen.'

Looking back at the scene, Sakura watched Itachi carefully. The elder Uchiha cast his eyes down on his fallen brother. There was a somewhat pained expression on Itachi's face. Then, something happened, that caught Sakura's immediate attention.

There were tears rolling down the young man's face.

Tears? Sakura thought, nearly gasping and befuddled at the scene.

Suddenly, a shadow crept from out of the darkness appeared behind Itachi. The shadowed figure scoffed, an eye shifted toward Itachi.

'Are you already finished, Itachi?' The shadowed individual asked, his voice with a slight arrogant and calm tone. Though, there was a hint of evil dripping in his calm manner of speech.

The moonlight revealed the mysterious figure. It was a man with a mysterious presence. His presence almost felt ancient, almost like a relic from another period of time. This man wore a black vest as most of his clothing was a matching color - perfectly blending with the surrounding darkness. The most distinct feature of the man was a strange orange mask. This mask only revealed the eye on the right side of his face. Itachi stared at the figure with glaring, blood-red eyes. The masked stranger glanced down at the unconscious Sasuke.

The man scoffed, shifting his eye back and forth on the brothers. His voice was composed yet arrogant. 'Even you want to protect him from the truth. Don't you think using the Tsukiyomi on this little kid was too cruel, Itachi-kun?'

Sakura could swear his voice almost sounded ironic with a smirk behind of his mask. She didn't say a word as she listened to their conversation.

'I did what had to be done for the sake of the village and shinobi world,' replied Itachi before staring at the strange figure with a glare. 'I hope you do what you promised.'

'Of course.' The mysterious, masked man said, raising his right hand and pointing to Itachi. 'As long you live, I will not touch your precious brother. I won't attack the village for revenge. I won't even come for the Kyuubi sealed within that child.'

'It's better you do, Uchiha Madara.' Itachi said, frowning as his voice dripped with hatred. 'If you don't, I swear I will make you regret and wish Senju Hashirama-sama had killed you for good at the Valley of the End.' The young man brought back painful memories that hurt the masked man's pride.

The masked man named Madara nodded. 'Very well, but you have to carry out your part of the deal.'

With that, the scene completely vanished. Sasuke, Itachi, and the Madara character disappeared from Sakura's sight.

Opening her eyes, Sakura found herself back inside the dojo. She let out a loud gasp while taking in a deep breath. Naruto stood in front of her with his hands shaking her shoulders. The Kyuubi boy had a worried look on his face, fearing that something might have caused Sakura to blank out.

"Sakura-chan?! Are you okay?!" Naruto asked, shaking his friend in attempt to bring her back to reality. "What did you see?"

Sakura blinked thrice before she noticed Naruto in front of her. "Naruto?"

"Oh, Sakura-chan," the blue-eyed blonde let out a sigh of relief. "I thought you freaked out and saw something."

"I did see something and you're going to need to listen to me," she replied. "And believe me I did more than just freak out."

Naruto noticed the girl was pale - almost scared out of her mind. "Just relax first."

"Yeah," the girl nodded, sitting down against the wall. She stared up at the ceiling, recollecting her thoughts together and recalling the everything she had witnessed.

'Are you going to tell him everything?'

Of course, I am! Why wouldn't I?

'Oh, I don't know. I suppose you wouldn't feel up to revealing what you saw. Like that duckbutt hair boy. That crazy brother of his. And that masked guy... there's something about that masked man that's ancient. Like a relic from the past. Ancient like me. His aura is evil... almost like my father's.'

Almost as dark as your father's?

'This Madara character is quite a mystery.'

Itachi referred to him as Uchiha Madara. Is there really another Uchiha out there? I thought only Sasuke-kun and Itachi were the only known survivors of the clan.

'Who knows? Ah, the idiot is sitting beside you.'

Sakura turned her head as Naruto leaned beside her. He was ready to listen to what she had to tell him.

"Tell me what you saw, Sakura-chan."

Nodding her head, the pink-haired kunoichi went on to tell her vision. "I... I... I saw the night of the massacre."

"You did?" Naruto said, pressing his back against the wall. His hands shivered, twitching his fingers. "What happened next?"

"I saw a young Sasuke-kun unconscious," she went on. "Itachi talking to a stranger. I didn't recognize him because he was wearing a strange, orange mask. I couldn't even confirm his identity, but Itachi called him Madara or something."

Upon hearing the masked man's name, Naruto gasped in shock and sprang to his feet. This startled Sakura as she almost fell back from Naruto's quick reaction.

"Did you say Madara?! As Uchiha Madara?" asked Naruto, his eyes widened and sweat dripping down his forehead.

Sakura looked befuddled with his reaction. "I don't know if he was an Uchiha, but his name was definitely Madara." She clasped her hands together, casting her eyes on the ground. "Naruto, do you know something I don't?" Sakura glanced up to Naruto, waiting for a response to her question.

Then, Naruto explained to his team mate everything from when Sasuke entered into his mind and confronted the Kyuubi in his seal. Sakura was shocked when Naruto told her how Kyuubi was familiar with the Sharingan, and claiming that Sasuke's chakra was almost as wicked as the fox's own chakra. The pink-haired girl was even bewildered as Naruto told her something else the Kyuubi claimed. According to the demon fox, Sasuke's aura was similar to an Uchiha named Uchiha Madara.

As she digested all of this information into her head, Sakura couldn't believe everything she heard. This all happened when she was fighting Sasuke while in her Witchblade form. Of course, when he entered her mind, the Witchblade insulted the Uchiha and Inner Sakura forced the Uchiha out of the poor girl's head.

"And from the sound of Kyuubi's voice, I think he somehow fears this Madara guy." Naruto said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. "Do you think the Kyuubi attack and the Uchiha massacre are somehow connected?"

Biting down on her lip, Sakura frowned while drawing her own conclusions. "The Kyuubi knowing an Uchiha named Madara, and a guy named Madara was in my vision with Itachi in the night of the massacre." As she stood up, Sakura looked down to Naruto as she pulled him up to his feet. "I have no doubt those events are connected and Uchiha Madara is the link."

"I hope this leads us to something, Sakura-chan. But, if we tell this Granny Tsunade and the others? They might not believe us."

"Even so, we should look for more clues," Sakura insisted as Naruto nodded her.

As the pair walked toward a row of cabinets, they searched through scrolls. Each roll they scanned indicated no important clues as they neatly stacked the scrolls back inside the cabinets.

"I don't think we're going to find anything else here, Sakura-chan."

"You're right. I think we're done here. Maybe we should go into the house and search in there?" The medic-nin suggested, pointing toward the door.

Naruto gulped. "Yeah... sure..."

Sakura sighed, nodding her head shamefully to her team mate. "I still can't believe you're scared of things that are never really there. I mean you've got the Kyuubi inside you for cripes sakes and he doesn't seem to scare you."

"...can we just get going?" He said.

"Fine. Let's go."

Once they left the dojo, they walked toward the home and slid the backdoor open to enter what appeared to be the dining room. Naruto slowly closed the door behind him as he watched Sakura picking up a photo frame. It had a picture of Itachi and Sasuke on it as her eyes looked listlessly at the image. She then set the frame down and turned around facing Naruto.

"Sakura-chan," the blonde murmured.

"Somehow, we have to tell Tsunade-sama and the others about my visions. They need to know about this Madara character, whoever he is. If the Kyuubi knows something about him, we need to know how they're connected somehow. The Uchiha massacre and the Kyuubi's attack on the village. This Madara must have had a hand in those events somehow."

"What else can you remember from the vision?"

"I told you he was talking to Itachi."

"I see. Look... Sakura-chan, there's something else I need to tell you."

Sakura blinked in confusion. "Huh? Like what?"

"Nothing related to this Madara or the massacre, but it's about the Witchblade."

"What about it?" She waited to hear what he had to confess.

"You asked if I was scared of ghosts... well, honestly, I... find your Witchblade form... even more scary. I mean... just your look and how you butchered that snake bastard. Your voice and everything about you changed completely. I was honestly really scared out of my mind..." Naruto gritted his teeth, looking down at the floor. "I thought I was going to lose you. The Witchblade had you under its control."

Sakura placed her hands on her chest, casting her eyes down on the ground. "Was... was I honestly that frightening to you?"

"I shouldn't have said all that."

"No, you're just being honest. Quite frankly... I'm scared of what I'll eventually become if I continue to rely on this Witchblade," she lifted her eyes and stared toward Naruto. "And before you ask... no, I can't remove it. Not without severing my own limb off. I am now bonded with the Witchblade and am part of a long lineage of strong women," Sakura raised her arm, tapping the red gem with her fingers.

"Well, can't you try and not transform again?"

"I can't promise you that. The Witchblade will act on its own accord... I have no absolute control over its bloodlust desire. Once it finds the suitable opponent, it will fight it to the very end... until one of us is dead."

"No..." Naruto tensed up, absolutely showing his disapproval for the Witchblade's usage. "What motivated you to want to use such an evil artifact? Sakura-chan, you never seemed the type to rely on anything, but your own strength. Why accept the Witchblade?"

Biting her lip, Sakura confessed. "It was apart of Chiyo-baasama's final will. She asked that I inherited it before she died. You see... she was a former Witchblade user over 60 years ago."

"She was...?"

"Yeah, and I only accepted the Witchblade as my way of repaying a debt to her. It's my show of appreciation of what she did for me. I... I want to help you defeat the Akatsuki, Naruto. With all that I've have, and using the Witchblade, I want to stop them and bring Sasuke-kun back."

Naruto nodded, a faint smile crossed his face. "I see."

"Naruto... should I ever lose control and start to lose myself... stop me. Whatever it takes. Like you did before... can you promise me that?"

"Sakura-chan..."

"Can you promise?"

The Jinchuuriki nodded in response. A reassuring smile curled on his face. "Sure thing." He shifted his eyes from the silver bracelet and toward Sakura. "Anyway, I think we're done here. Are we?"

"Yeah, I think so," she nodded.

"Ok, then. Let's head back..."

"Fair enough. We'll look more into this tomorrow," the medic-nin suggested, stretching her arms out and yawning. "Boy, I've been so restless. I think I might sleep-in through the morning tomorrow."

"Heh, lazy bum," Naruto chuckled, poking fun at her.

"Hey, at least, I've got an excuse!" She nearly snapped.

As they opened the door, Naruto came face to face with a ghoulish, pale face. It's small eyes widened as he spooked Naruto almost immediately.

"AAAAHH!! A... A... GHOST!!"

Sakura quickly sprang forward as she saw that the face belonged to Yamato. The man stood outside the abandoned Uchiha home as he glared eyes at both Naruto and Sakura.

"Yamato-taicho?! What are you..." Sakura was taken back by the Jounin's unexpected arrival.

Naruto quickly came to his senses, slapping himself across the forehead. "Yamato-taicho?! YOU NEARLY SCARED ME!"

"What are you two doing here?" Yamato demanded, glaring at the duo as his voice raised and lowered. "Shouldn't you be at your homes?"

"Yamato-taicho, you see..." Naruto tried to explain.

Sakura immediately cut off her team mate and bowed her head. "Yamato-taicho. Naruto and I were conducting an investigation." She came up with her best excuse, which was entirely a legitimate one.

"What kind of investigation?" The Jounin inquired.

"To learn a little more about the Uchiha massacre. You see... our former team mate, Uchiha Sasuke, was the only survivor of that terrible slaughter," Sakura replied. "We wanted to find out more... and well..." They have to know what I saw in my visions. "I... you see... The Witchblade offered me some visions."

"Sakura-chan?!" Naruto exclaimed, surprised that the girl would even tell about her visions.

"Visions about what?" Yamato tried to get more out of Sakura.

"You see..."

xxxxx

Later that night.

xxxxx

Hokage Office/Konohagakure/Fire Country

"What did you say?!" Tsunade's voice boomed, her face perplexed from what Sakura told her. As she heard the mention of 'Madara,' she didn't know whether to believe her student or not. Her mind was jumbled with confusion and shock. "Uchiha Madara...? Sakura, are you certain you've never heard this name before?"

"Never. This was the first time I've ever any mention about this man... whoever he is," the pink-haired kunoichi stated. "How come there have been no records on him in the village?"

"Well, you see..." Shizune tried to explain.

"I'm told every record or mere mention of him has been erased. From record books, transcripts, letters, and any form of written documents. No books in the library hold any historical accounts about him."

"Was he really that bad of a guy?" Naruto asked.

"I'm not inclined to say anything," Tsunade replied. Her eyes shifted back to Sakura. "Now, you're telling me the Witchblade allowed you see these visions?"

"That's correct."

"Let me get this straight... you witnessed Itachi speaking with Madara?" The Fifth reviewed what she heard according to Sakura. "And Madara's identity was concealed behind a mask?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sakura replied. "According to my first vision, which the Witchblade provided for me... I saw Itachi speaking with the Third. He begged the Third to not tell Sasuke-kun the truth... whatever it maybe. Overhearing Itachi speaking with Madara, I heard Madara briefly mention Itachi protecting Sasuke-kun from the truth. Itachi threatened Madara not to come and attack this village while seeking for Sasuke-kun as long as he lived."

"And according to this vision, Madara promised to leave the village alone?" Tsunade said.

"That's right."

"The Kyuubi mentioned his name and that stupid fox seems to fear this guy. I mean... do we even know if he's alive?" Naruto stated.

"I don't see how... Madara shouldn't even be alive," Tsunade confirmed. "He and the First were the founders of this village. Both hailed from different clans and formed an alliance. if it wasn't for them, this village would have not seen its foundation built."

"The First... he's..."

"My grandfather, Naruto," the older woman confirmed. "We're talking eighty years ago. Madara should not even be alive or anywhere near this village. He shouldn't logically be alive around the time the Kyuubi attacked this village. Nor should he have been around to witness the Uchiha massacre. By all accounts, he should be gone from this world."

"But, my visions... I..."

"This has to be some sick coincidence. But, I wonder how the Witchblade would know about Madara?" The Fifth wondered, setting her elbows on her desk.

"With no record on Madara, just how are you two going to go about with research?" Shizune addressed the situation to Naruto and Sakura.

Tsunade nodded, much to the duo's dismay. "No, they won't be conducting any research. We're dropping this here and now."

"But, Hokage-sama! I really want to know if this Madara had any involvement in the Uchiha massacre!" Sakura angrily retorted, attempting to convince the Fifth to change her mind.

"And I won't let you speak of that name!" Tsunade spat out, raising her voice and silencing everyone in the office. "Look I thought I told you two to go home and get some rest, especially you, young lady."

"Hokage-sama, I..." Sakura stopped herself, casting her eyes toward Tsunade. "The reason for this investigation is to get a better understanding of Sasuke-kun's pain. You see..."

"He might be considered a traitor to this village, but he'll always be our friend. And I made a vow to bring Sasuke back for Sakura-chan..."

"Except this time I'll be helping to bring back Sasuke-kun... by any means of necessary," the pink-haired kunoichi interjected, putting her hands on Tsunade's desk.

The Fifth's looked deeply into Sakura's green eyes and then into Naruto's blue eyes. She looked back to the silver bracelet - where the Witchblade lied hidden within Sakura's arm. They're still that determined. Even going against my authority... I've got to hand it to these two. She wanted to smirk, but kept a serious look. These two are starting to remind me of Jiraiya and myself everyday. How truly scary... the similar traits are so uncanny.

"Please, let us investigate... look, there has to be something we can do to piece together the massacre and the Kyuubi attack. This Ma... this guy being involved might connect those two events."

"Well, Sakura, you won't be able to find anything in this village. Like I said, any or all record about him has been erased," Tsunade implied.

"Then, isn't there any place outside the village we could go check out?" Naruto asked.

Tsunade leaned back against her seat. She lifted a pen from her desk and signed a paper while giving a moment of thought. Then, she immediately recalled something she heard from the elders. "The old Uchiha feudal lands..."

Sakura and Naruto overheard her murmurs as their interests quickly piqued.

Shizune blinked, also overhearing Tsunade. "Feudal lands?"

"That's right," Tsunade spoke up, getting up from her seat.

"What are these feud-whatever you call them?" Naruto had a perplexed look, not understanding what the Fifth referred to.

"They're old abandoned lands once inhabited by ninja clans," Sakura noted. "Right, Hokage-sama?"

"Sharp and straight to the point as ever, Sakura. That's correct," Tsunade nodded approvingly. "Although, I did ask you two to remain in the village."

Sakura interjected. "Then, allow us to visit the old feudal lands."

"What? You're not seriously thinking about going there?" The Fifth was taken back by her student's suggestion. "There's nothing there you could possibly find."

"We won't know until we go there and find more clues. Who knows? We might find something out about this Ma... well you know who," the pink-haired girl said, bowing her head. "Please, Hokage-sama. Let me and Naruto accept this as a mission."

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto murmured, looking back and forth between the two. "Yeah, let us, Granny Tsunade!"

"And it'll prove if the visions I saw are accurate. If they aren't, we'll stop this investigation," Sakura stated. But, I've got a feeling what I say may have really happened. Witchblade, you better not be pulling some sick joke on us.

'Heh. Now, why would I do that?'

Somehow, I think would be within your nature.

'Well, you thought wrong. Why won't you go these feudal lands and find anything worthwhile? Who knows... you might learn a little something about duckbutt hair's clan history. And it might get you closer to him than you think.'

"Very well. Since you two are that eager to go, I'll grant you permission to enter these remote regions," Tsunade announced, opening the blinds of the center window. She looked out toward the village and the moon in the distance.

"Really?! You'll let us go?!" shouted the Jinchuuriki.

"Yes, but under the condition that Yamato accompanies you."

Sakura smiled, realizing this was her chance to see if the visions the Witchblade offered her were true. She took a bow. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"But, if you're unable to find anything, return to the village at once," The Fifth instructed. "And Sakura... please, I ask you. Don't rely on the Witchblade. I simply cannot trust that wicked artifact."

"I'll..." Sakura stammered a bit. "I'll try hard not to let it control me."

"Leave everything to us, lady Hokage," Yamato replied.

"You three find anything you can in those feudal lands and report back as soon as you can," the Fifth said, sitting down on her chair.

"Right!" Naruto and Sakura responded.

"One last thing. Sakura, please, come over here," Tsunade waved over to Sakura.

As the young medic-nin approached her teacher, Tsunade inched closer and whispered to her. "Please, I really mean it. Don't rely on the Witchblade."

"I can't make promise anything, Hokage-sama. As long as I'm linked to it, I cannot tame its thirst for battle. But, I hope... in this mission... for my sake..." Sakura clasped her right arm. "I can overcome the bloodlust desire."

Tsunade nodded regrettably as she slowly moved back. "And I suppose Sai can join you. Better having a cell of four people than three."

Naruto blinked. "Sai?"

"That's right. He shouldn't give you much trouble... now that you two came to a better understanding before you returned."

Sakura smiled, nodding in response. "Yeah... though he really needs work on his people skills."

"So, then, starting tomorrow... your new mission will start," Tsunade announced. "You will venture out and search on the feudal lands of the former Uchiha clan. Find whatever maybe evidence to the existence of this 'Uchiha Madara.' Understood?"

"Yes!" Naruto and Sakura shouted at once.

Shizune nodded approvingly. "Good luck. I hope you'll find what you're looking for."

"Leave to us," Naruto said.

Clamping a hand over the bracelet, Sakura took a deep breath and shut her eyes. This is it. We have to come back with some proof.

'Don't you mean 'you' need to come back with proof, dearest Sakura?'

Ugh, don't call me 'dearest.' Hearing that from you of all people.

'Well, what are you going to do? Are sure you don't want to use me during this investigation? I'm able to sense and track anything of the supernatural kind. This Madara certainly falls into that category.'

You think so?

'He's likely a relic who's been cheating death. Someone like him may have used something to sustain his life. We shall see.'

Could this Madara be still alive? I mean he should by all accounts be gone if he was the same age as the First.

'Don't be foolish. This man is still alive. I can sense an evil aura out there. So, archaic and sinister... yes. Perhaps more so than the snake we butchered easily.'

The pink-haired girl scoffed, her left brow twitching as the ancient artifact further agitated her. I'll see it when I believe it. You just make sure and control yourself while I'm out on this mission. There won't be any reason for me to use your power. These feudal lands are supposed to be abandoned.

'Heh, we'll see.'

Sakura opened her eyes as she waved out to Tsunade and Shizune. "We're off."

xxxxx

During the conversation, an older man listened as he strode down the hall away from Tsunade's office.

His right eye was covered in bandages.

The mention of 'Witchblade' and 'Madara' intrigued him.

As he turned on the left corner, he disappeared through a door hidden beside a wall and ventured into his compound... waiting until the right opportunity to confront Tsunade and Sakura presented itself.

xxxxx

Orochimaru's Compound/Snake's Lair/Grass Country

"RAAAAAAGHHHHH!!" The blood-curling screams of Orochimaru filled his lair as those standing outside felt chills down their spines.

Well, only Kabuto was outside the Sannin's lair as he slowly entered Orochimaru's presence.

Laying bed-ridden, Orochimaru barely managed to move as his severed stumps (where his limbs used to be) were attached to machines... helping to stop the bleeding. The snake man wore an oxygen mask over his mouth as his breathing went shallow just a while ago. Now, Orochimaru managing to recover... although it would be a matter of time before his current body would be of no use to him anymore. It would weaken and melt as Orochimaru would be forced to transfer his soul to Uchiha Sasuke.

"Orochimaru-sama, don't strain yourself now. It won't be long until you transfer yourself to Sasuke's body... just as you intended to do all along," Kabuto reassured his master.

"That... bitch... she... did this to me..." Orochimaru murmured, his voice strained as he breathed heavily through the mask. "I swear... this first... thing I'm... going to do... once I possess Sasuke-kun's body... I'll KILL THAT WHORE!!" He roared until he coughed and hacked until he started to wheeze. "I'll kill her... and obtain that artifact... I must find out it's secret..."

Kabuto frowned as he walked out of the room. Orochimaru has Sakura on his mind. He must be careful if he ever gets into another fight with her. If she was able to maim Sasuke the way she did... that artifact she holds must have a prodigious amount of power. Where did she manage to obtain it?

"Kabuto."

As the silver-haired man turned around, he saw a teenage girl approach him. She stopped with her right hand placing on her hip. She wore a light blue, long-sleeved shirt that was zipped up as only her belly was revealed. She also wore what appeared to be black shorts and long, stretched out black boots - also revealing her toes. Her long, red hair hung down her shoulders and a pair of glasses adorned her face.

"Karin. What is it?" Kabuto inquired.

"Kabuto, I found something you might want to see," the red-haired girl addressed as she led Kabuto toward the laboratory.

Upon arrival, Karin pulled up a seat and pointed to a metallic shard sitting on top of a towel.

"What is that?"

Karin poked the shard with a utensil instrument. "I extracted this while I was tending to Sasuke's wound. I don't know what it is."

Kabuto gasped as soon as he recognized the texture of the shard. "No it can't be."

"What? Do you know something that I don't?"

"Yes... it's a long story, but we told you about the encounter with Sasuke-kun's former teammates?"

"Yeah?"

Kabuto picked up the shard and examined it closely. "This came from Sakura when she stabbed Sasuke."

"But, what is it? It looks like some type of armor," Karin stated.

"It's from something Sakura called the Witchblade."

"Witch...blade?"

"Karin, we're going to run a few tests on this."

"Ok, but any reason for that?"

A smile crept on Kabuto's face as he turned and faced Karin. "Oh yeah. I think I might just have the idea to help eliminate Sakura and obtain her Witchblade for Orochimaru-sama."

xxxxx

To be continued...

Next time

Chapter 11: A New Mission! Venture into the Ancient Uchiha Lands!

xxxxxx

A/N: And so the new arc is underway. Madara is now revealed... well at least in name. Just what will they find in the old Uchiha lands? A few unexpected visitors. That's all you need to know.

And the final scene will hint to a future arc. Those of you who watched the Witchblade anime may already know, but newer fans most likely won't.

That's all for now and this is your weekly update.

Please, review when you're finished. Thank you. See you on the next update!