The sun was still hovering low in the morning sky when Sasuke returned to the hotel, fresh out of ammunition. As he was about to walk inside he almost collided with Sakura, who was in a hurry on her way out.
"Oh- Sasuke! You're up rather early today," she said in a slightly ditzy manner, seemingly out of sorts from running in to him so suddenly. Sasuke said nothing and pushed past her, almost making her lose her temper until she calmed herself down. "Hey! I'm not a door you know! What's with you today?"
"Ask Naruto" was the only reply she got as he stormed away without even bothering to look back.
"Well, in case you're wondering I'm going to go to the hospital to check on the guy we found yesterday!" Sakura yelled back through the door, though Sasuke made no indication of hearing her... and if he had he didn't seem to care.
It was hard for Sakura to really feel like a valued member of the gang when most of them barely acknowledged her or her talents. Sure, Naruto always supported her but he was like that with everyone. Other than him and Ino no one made much of an effort to talk to her, let alone reassure her of her value in the group. Sasuke especially had a way of making her feel worthless, which was ironic considering she sought his approval the most. It seemed that the more she tried to gain his attention the more annoyed he became at her.
It would be so much easier if Sakura didn't care what people thought, if she had a strong sense of who she was and what she stood for the way Naruto and Sasuke did. But she did care, and she was completely aware of how average she was. No one ever anticipated that she would do anything with her life other than lead a completely average existence: marry an average man, have average children, make average wages, and even die an average death. After all, that was basically the lives that her parents had led. When you are born in to an average fate it's hard to not fall in to that cycle, but in Sakura's eyes she didn't feel average. She couldn't explain it but she felt this drive to do something that would defy the life that had been paved for her. If she accomplished something great she could prove to everyone who had ever condemned her as "average" just how wrong they were.
When Sakura arrived at the hospital and saw the man she had treated sleeping peacefully in one of the beds she put her mind at ease and focused on the task ahead of her. Healing him and putting her medical knowledge to use was the first time she had felt right in her own skin, and she knew that she was doing exactly what she was destined to do. Sakura's training had been minimal and many years ago, and yet everything came back to her easily and felt completely natural.
As Sakura was checking his vital signs, the man's eyes flashed open and he sat up with a jolt before clutching at his shoulder in confusion. Sakura gently laid her hand on his good side and guided him back down to a resting position. "You need to relax. You've been badly injured," she explained.
"My angel, you've returned!" he replied as his eyes wavered with tears. Sakura was more than a little creeped out that he still hadn't dropped the "love" act. Of all the guys to show interest in her why this bowl-headed freak...
She immediately felt guilty for her wavering disgust at his attempts at flirtation and worked to keep a pleasant expression on her face. "It's good to see you're awake. Where does it hurt?"
"Now that you're here I can't feel a thing," he sighed as he reached for Sakura's hand. She inched it away and tried to swallow down her annoyance in favor of a forced smile.
"Please, I really need to know where it hurts," Sakura strained to keep her voice sweet.
"My heart!" the man declared dramatically. "It is too full of love!"
"Listen PAL!" Sakura shouted, finally losing her cool and letting her hot temper take over. "I'm not your girlfriend, nor will I EVER be! So stop with all the love stuff and just tell me what the hell is going on so I can get on with what I came here to do!"
The man shriveled in fear and wordlessly indicated a spot on his shoulder to demonstrate where he felt pain. Sakura unwrapped the wound, cleaned it, rubbed in some more ointment, and redressed it in fresh bandages. "There. You should be fine within a few days. Make sure the doctor keeps changing your bandages."
"But the doctor isn't nearly as pretty as you," he protested, only to receive a terrifying warning glare from Sakura's blazing emerald eyes. "Yes, ma'm," he added impulsively.
"Good," Sakura said. In a sheepish tone she added, "I'm sorry for yelling at you... it was uncalled for. I just wanted to be treated like a professional, not like I was some schoolgirl putting a bandaid on you."
"I guess I can come on a bit strong sometimes," the man admitted as he downcast his round eyes in a way that was very unlike himself. "By the way, my name is Rock Lee."
"Lee, huh? I'm Sakura," she answered as she stiffly shook hands with the patient. "Um, do you mind if I ask who shot you?"
Lee looked up intensely and clenched his hand in to a tight fist. "It was the Akatsuki!"
"How! What happened!" Sakura asked with a gasp.
"I'm from a small village nearby, so I have no idea what drew them there... But the gang came through and robbed the only bank in town. I was the only one who stood up against them since everyone was hiding out of fear. No way was I going to let them get away with it!" Lee explained passionately. "So I chased them on foot for almost two miles."
"How could you keep up with their horses?"
"You do not understand my determination!" he declared. "Just like I won't give up in trying to seek your affection, I will never give up anything once I start!"
"Uh... yeah," Sakura muttered. Just when she thought he was done flirting with her Lee proved her wrong. The guy really didn't give up.
"Eventually they grew sick of me following them, so one of them quickly shot at me and they took off. I kept running anyways but things went black shortly after that... And that's when you saved me and stole my heart." By the end of his speech he was clutching at Sakura's hands and staring at her in absolute admiration. Sakura had to admit it was sort of nice to receive so much attention, but it still creeped her out enough to peel her hands away.
"Where do you think the Akatsuki is headed now?" Sakura questioned him earnestly. They had to be close considering Lee's recent encounter with them in the woods.
"This was the first time I've seen them here but everyone knows who they are. They always seem to be everywhere and anywhere at once, so it's hard to tell where they could be now." Lee paused and seemed to be deep in thought. "Actually, I have heard rumors that they have a hideaway out somewhere in the canyons miles West of here. At least, that's what people say."
"Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means," Sakura said as she hastily packed up her supplies in a rush to leave. She had to relay the information as quickly as possible to the rest of the gang. If they moved quickly they may be able to find the Akatsuki in the canyons before they had the chance to hide away or run again.
"You're leaving already?" Lee asked. "Will you be back!"
Sakura took a final look back at her patient as she rushed through the doorway. "I don't think so! You'll be fine without me, the doctor will take good care of you." Her pink pigtails swished through the air as she turned and dashed out of the room. "Thanks again!"
"Fate will bring us together again some day, it has to be true!" Lee shouted, though Sakura wasn't there to hear it. He leaned back in bed, his cheeks just as pink as her silky hair and a happy smile on his face. If fate wouldn't bring them back together, he would do anything in his power to meet her again!
"Is anyone in there!" came a voice accompanied by loud banging at the door. "Hellooooo!"
Shikamaru rolled over and covered his head with a pillow to try and block out the annoying screeching. Ino always thought that just because the sun was up that meant people should be too. Him and Choji, however, had a completely different policy.
"I'm not going away until you open this door!" She continued to bang so loudly it sounded like the door would fly off it's hinges.
"Just open the door," Neji commanded Choji and Shikamaru from his position in the corner of the room as he was busy sharpening one of his knives. Choji looked at Shikamaru and saw he had no intention of getting up, so he reluctantly rolled off the bed and opened the door to see Ino standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Hinata was positioned just behind the blonde with a shy smile on her face.
"About time you opened up! Hinata and I have been up for hours waiting for you three," Ino said.
"Where's Sakura?" Choji asked.
"She left to check on the man in the hospital," Hinata answered. "Ino and I were out buying supplies for the journey."
"See? While you three have been sleeping the day away we've been up getting things done!" She invited herself in and snatched the pillow off Shikamaru's head, causing him to groan and bury his face in the mattress. "Do you guys want to find the Akatsuki or not! You can sleep all you want when you're dead."
"Kill me then," Shikamaru grumbled before finally standing up and splashing water on his face from the pitcher on the table. Ino and Hinata waited patiently while the boys got themselves ready, with Hinata turning and blushing when they changed their shirts. Once they were all prepared they walked up the stairs to go to the floor above where Naruto and Sasuke were staying. Ino knocked once and the door swung open, but it wasn't Naruto or Sasuke.
Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji all gasped when they saw the pale weirdo standing in the doorway, though the man's blank expression gave no indication he recognized the trio.
"You're that guy we performed for a few days ago!" Choji said. "The weirdo asking about the wanted poster!"
"Maybe we're in the wrong room?" Hinata suggested. Shikamaru shook his head. It was definitely the right room, but something was very wrong.
Naruto suddenly appeared from behind the mysterious dark-haired man. "You three know this guy?" he asked.
"We did a show for him just before we met you," Ino explained as she eyed Sai, who was as frustratingly handsome as she remembered.
"What I'd like to know is how you know this creep," Shikamaru said warily, still sensing something very off about the pale man. He was not the type to trust easily, especially when someone gave him no reason to trust them. Sasuke silently joined the group at the doorway and moved out past them towards the stairs.
"We're leaving," he said without further explanation, leading the way as the others followed. Everyone gathered up their things and moved out, still confused of why Sai was there. Once they were all in the front of the hotel Naruto explained quickly while Sasuke stood by without saying a word.
"You still want to go through with this?" Shikamaru asked Sasuke skeptically. "Itachi may be leading the Akatsuki, but he's still your brother."
"He's not my brother," Sasuke spoke up for the first time. "The only thing we share is blood, and what will that matter when he's drained of his."
"We are all still here to kill the Akatsuki," Neji added coldly. "Nothing has changed."
Hinata touched her cousin on the shoulder, trying to calm him down. She felt she could understand what Sasuke was feeling, even if he pretended he wasn't bothered by the new information about his brother. The connection between siblings was entirely different than that between friends or comrades. Sharing everything from birth bonds you to a person, no matter how much Sasuke may have tried to deny his bond with Itachi now. She knew that no matter what her sister Hanabi did, she couldn't simply stop loving her. Love was not something you could turn off or wish away so easily. "I'm... so sorry," she offered quietly to Sasuke.
"Aren't you glad to at least know your brother is alive?" Naruto announced. "You don't even know the full story! Maybe Itachi is being forced in to following the gang's orders? There's no way he would betray Konoha like that!"
Sasuke turned on Naruto coldly. "You of all people should know there are certain scum who would betray people without thinking twice about it."
Naruto turned quiet for once. It was hard enough that he had to grow up without parents, but the constant reminders of how dishonorable his father had been made it even worse. It was why he worked so hard to be the opposite of what his father had been, someone who would betray an entire village that trusted him. No matter what Naruto would never abandon a friend, and he wasn't about to abandon their mission either.
"Neji's right," Sasuke said. "Nothing has changed."
At that moment Sakura came rushing towards them with her medical pack slung over her shoulder. "I know where to find the Akatsuki! Wait a second... who's this guy?"
The group caught Sakura up with all the events that had transpired before they listened to her breathlessly recount her conversation with Lee at the hospital. "We need to get going while we still can! If we hurry we may be able to catch them before they reach their hideout."
"How can we tell that the Akatsuki are even headed in that direction?" Neji objected coldly. "Even if that raving lunatic is right about their hideout in the canyon we don't know that they're going there now."
"But it's the best lead we have," Sakura said with a sigh. She had hoped the others would be more excited about the news, but they all looked skeptical.
"Sakura's right, we don't have anything else to go on," Naruto stepped in. "Maybe we should give it a go." Sakura gave her friend a small smile. She knew he would at least support her.
"Maybe we can find out where they are right now," Shikamaru said as the group turned quiet. They turned on the lazy genius with curious expressions. If anyone could come up with a plan it was Shikamaru, and there was nothing they needed more right now than a little direction. "Ino?"
"Huh? Why are you looking at me?" Ino said, her stomach flipping when all the eyes turned on her. Shikamaru, what are you doing! she practically screamed in his head.
If you don't tell them I will, was his only answer.
But..! He didn't have to explain what he meant, for Ino knew without question he was talking about her mind-reading. The only time she had ever told someone else they had acted like she was some kind of freak, so she wasn't exactly eager to divulge that information to everyone. "Okay, okay," she relinquished. "I might be able to help. I could maybe... track down the Akatsuki."
"Impossible. Even a tracker of my skills couldn't do that," Sai said.
"Not that kind of tracking," Ino said, glaring at Sai for interrupting her. She tried to put on an act of complete confidence as she explained, "I can track people with my mind."
"That's strange... I read a book that said blondes generally have low intellect. I find it hard to believe you're an exception to that," Sai said, appearing truly puzzled. He was so clueless he couldn't even tell he had offended her.
"I don't mean it like that! The truth is, I read minds! I can track people by following their thoughts," Ino said in a huff, too annoyed to care she had just revealed her biggest secret.
"So that's how the guys were able to find us when we were kidnapped... you were speaking in Shikamaru and Choji's minds the whole time!" Sakura realized. "Ino, why didn't you tell me?"
"I did when we were six," Ino said with a grin despite herself. "You thought I was crazy."
"If you really can read minds, prove it," Sasuke said. "Find the Akatsuki now."
"It's not that simple, but I'll give it everything I have," Ino assured the group. She closed her eyes and pressed her fingers hard against the sides of her forehead. The position she was in didn't actually help with reading, but closed eyes and constant pressure on her head allowed her to remain focused on her target. Now that they knew Itachi was in the Akatsuki, she had an idea of what mind to search for. After all, Itachi had worked in the mines with her father sometimes and she had admittedly read his mind a few times when she was younger out of pure curiosity.
Ino tried her best to shut out the storm of thoughts surrounding her from within the busy city, but she ended up straining her mind so hard she broke out in an intense sweat and was forced to shut down her brain. Hinata handed Ino a handkerchief so she could wipe away the cold sweat and return to her senses. "They're too far away and there's too many people around here. If we're going to find them we'll have to be away from all these people and closer to the Akatsuki."
"We have to go to the canyon then," Naruto decided with a slight nod of approval from Sasuke. "And like Sakura said, we have to move quickly!" The group went to the stables where they had left their horses overnight and mounted them in a rush, leaving Sai standing awkwardly below them.
"You've got to be kidding," Shikamaru muttered. "The guy doesn't even have a horse... what a pain."
"I had to sell my horse when I arrived in town. May I... please ride with one of you?" Sai asked, attempting politeness for once.
"There's too many already. We'll have to leave him behind," Sasuke said with a frown.
"We can't just leave him behind like that. I won't do it!" Naruto declared. He pointed to another horse occupying the stable. "You can buy that horse, Sai. We can even give you some money for it." He pulled out a small wad from the money they had earned selling the caravan and handed it to Sai, who quickly bought the horse and led it out the stables. Before he could mount the horse it turned its face and he leaped back, completely terrified.
"I can't ride this horse," Sai said, pointing at the side of the horse's face from a safe distance away. "It has a black spot around its eye."
"This guy is nuts!" Choji whispered to Shikamaru, who was watching the scene with bored curiosity.
"What are you talking about?" Sakura asked, voicing what everyone had been thinking.
"The gypsy woman warned me to stay away from horses with a black spot on their eye. It could endanger my life if I ride it," Sai said with a hilariously deadpan expression glued to his face as he pointed to Ino, who could barely hold in her laughter. A bright smile appeared on her face as she thought of a way to work Sai's naivety to her own advantage.
"It's a good thing you remembered my warning or you very well could have died," she said haughtily. "But what you didn't know is that Madam Fortune has the ability to ward off dark spirits and protect you from my own grievous prediction. Riding with you on the black-eyed horse would be the only way to guarantee your safety."
Shikamaru shook his head at Ino's ridiculous act. She was just as crazy as Sai if she thought he would believe that nonsense.
"It seems to be the only way. You must ride with me then," Sai agreed, making everyone's mouth drop open. How gullible can the guy get, Shikamaru thought with a flicker of an amused smile. He had to admit Ino was rather convincing though. She jumped on to the back of the horse with Sai and held on tightly with a smug look of satisfaction.
Sasuke turned and led his horse off without another word. All of these ridiculous clowns were causing far too many delays in the journey. Even if they had proved to be useful from time to time, he was still tempted to leave them all behind. It was a lot easier to rely on himself instead of having to put his faith in others, something that seemed so easy for Naruto but was so unnatural for him.
How was it that Naruto had grown up completely alone, but he was still so open to the hearts of others? Sasuke suspected he may have once been like Naruto, carefree and happy... but all of that died along with his parents. He wondered if he would return to his former self once he had killed the Akatsuki and gained some peace of mind, or if he was doomed to wander the world a shell of a man... because once the Akatsuki were dead he truly would have no other purpose in living.
Sasuke shook his head clear of these thoughts and focused on the road ahead of him as the buildings began to become more and more sparse around them as they moved West.
Sorry for the late update.. for some reason it was very hard for me to write this chapter and I'm still not very happy with it. Oh well.
Please take a second to leave a review! I'd love to hear some feedback, even if it's to say you hate the story! Which hopefully no one does... x)