Hello chapter 12 is up! I'm hoping you will all enjoy it. I'm very sorry for the late update. I feel really bad, but I'll make up for it! We are somewhat nearing the end. The story should have about four more chapters. Oh and don't forget to read the bottom note thanks!

Chapter 12:

Sakura felt someone shaking her. She moved away trying to avoid the shaking. She only was shaken more by this unknown annoyance. She quickly rolled away hoping it would go away.

"Pinky get up!"

Sakura shot up from the bed she was sleeping in. She looked around rubbing her eyes viciously. She yawned and looked around and was blinded by the bright lights.

"Finally you're awake." Tadao mumbled wearing a brand new Akatsuki robe

"Where am I?" Sakura asked

"You're in my lab." he replied, "I put you on one of the cots. You pretty much passed out from exhaustion half way up the mountain. I had to carry you up here."

"Thanks I guess." she mumbled jumping off the cot

"Well judging on what you told me last night it would be the third day. Your friend has been officially poisoned for three days." Tadao said receiving a nod from Sakura, "He should be experiencing an increase in symptoms and maybe some other symptoms. Mostly likely he has a higher fever."

Sakura felt sick hearing this. Her best friend was currently in so much pain and she was sleeping. She shook her head getting rid of her guilty thoughts.

"So what's the plan?" Sakura asked finding her bag from under the cot

"We start breaking down this poison. I have some idea of how to find a cure." Tadao said

"I bought some things we've found in the leaf." Sakura said taking out the files from the bag, "I've also bought blood samples."

"The blood samples will help but the notes won't." Tadao said getting a confused look from Sakura, "My poison isn't as complicated as you make it out to be. It is really child's play once you find out its secret."

"I thought you said you weren't looking for a cure." Sakura responded

"That may be true, but I needed to find its weakness to make the poison less toxic." Tadao said, "I found many different problems in the poison that could lead to the cure. I used different techniques to change a lot about the poison. That being said those particles you're looking at are all just random materials I threw in there. You could try to get rid of those for days and you'd accomplish nothing. However if there is a slight chance you get past it, you'd be stuck on a new problem. That is what makes this poison hard to cure. The obvious is hiding under something that is even more obvious. Even after that it is still pretty annoying to cure, and by that time the victim should be dead."

"So what are we waiting for?" Sakura asked, "Let's start."

"Not so fast." Tadao replied, "You owe me something. After we find this cure I want you to promise me you won't fail in delivering it. Not because I care or anything, just because it is such a hassle to make and if you don't I've wasted a lot of time for nothing."

Sakura smiled, "I promise."

Tadao returned the smile and the two went into the main lab. Sakura looked around at the lab. There were medical plants growing in one corner while lab tables were set up on the other side. The room was mostly white and was well lit. There were multiple cabinets with drawers. Some drawers had marks on them and were locked. Different bugs were encased in jars labeled with different markings. She watched as Tadao reached into a container and pulled out gloves. He gave the pair to Sakura and took out another for himself. He then turned and walked towards a large vault. He pulled something out.

"This is the poison your friend is poisoned with." Tadao said, "I'm going to place it on the microscope here. I want you to take a look and tell me what you see."

"I don't think that we should be having a learning experience here." Sakura said, "My friend is dying and I need to hurry."

"What if this happens again? I'll be long gone and you won't be able to run to me for help. You need to learn." he said calmly

"What do you mean you will be long gone?" Sakura asked confused about his words

"Nothing just look and tell me what you see." Tadao said a bit irritated

Sakura took a look. She saw hundreds of small particles all bunched together. She looked up and faced Tadao.

"I see hundred of small particles", Sakura said, "nothing else really."

"As I said you people don't look hard enough." Tadao mumble, "Look closer. Zoom in."

Sakura zoomed in with the microscope and took a very close look. She still saw nothing.

"Nothing." she mumbled

"Don't look at the particles. Look at the stuff in between the particles." Tadao responded a bit annoyed

Sakura nodded and looked once again. She looked very hard. Then she noticed what Tadao had mentioned. There was a strange liquid running through the small gap where the particles weren't running. It was a clear liquid barely visible. Sakura now realized why Tsunade and the other doctors were fooled. They were too busy looking at the most obvious. Sakura could only think that Tsunade would at one point see this, but it would be too late.

"I see it, but what is it?" Sakura asked

"It happens to be the very thing that will help us find a cure." Tadao said

"Really?" Sakura asked, "How so?"

"In that liquid it holds the formula for the poison. That will provide us with what we need to find the cure." Tadao said smiling, "First we will need a sample of that liquid and then we can cure it."

Tadao turned towards one of the cabinets. He quickly unlocked it with a key, and took out a strange liquid and moved closer to a sample of the poison. Sakura watched as he placed a small amount of the liquid on the poison.

"This will help make the particles disappear. It is a very special liquid I developed for this poison in particular. It will make getting the substance much easier." Tadao said

Sakura nodded and placed an eye to the microscope. She watched as the particles started to fade away. It was odd watching that happen. She had never seen something like that. Tadao quickly placed the liquid in a small dish and placed it on a lab table.

"So what next?" Sakura asked, "Do we just cure it?"

"Not exactly pinky." Tadao replied, "I'll get a stronger microscope and then we can see what is in the real poison. Then we'll have a look at your friend's blood sample."

Sakura nodded and they got to work.

Naruto

Kakashi, Gai and an Anbu sat on a tree taking a rest. They had begun their search for Sakura. Tsunade had allowed them to leave today since Kakashi was still injured. Now he had to find Sakura before it was too late.

Naruto was lying on his bed in the hospital. The doctors had been running around with different reports and different samples of cures. Tsunade was nearly about to breakdown. There was just no hope it seemed. She was starting to hope Sakura may have found something.

"Tsunade-sama we may need to give up." Shizune said sadly, "He's suffering and I don't want to see that."

"So we just put him to sleep? Shizune he isn't an animal. He's a human being! We can still find a cure for him ok." Tsunade yelled, "How are you coming along with the research?"

"Nothing good", a doctor responded, "I'm just not finding anything with these particles."

'Damn it." Tsunade mumbled

She turned back to Naruto who was breathing heavily. His eyes were shut tight.

"Come on Naruto stay with us", she muttered, "I know you can"

Naruto rolled to one side of the bed. She felt her heartbreaking. Flashbacks of all the times she failed. First she had lost her little brother, then Dan and now Naruto. This boy before her had showed her something nobody had ever showed her. He had hope for her when she didn't have hope for herself. He proved to her that with a little hope anything was possible. Now she needed to have hope. The doctors had to have missed something. There was something there they couldn't see.

'I'm going to cure this poison no matter what.' Tsunade thought, 'I won't stop until it is done.'

Naruto

Sakura watched from underneath the microscope. The liquid was much more interesting then she could have imagined. There was another row of particles but they were different. She could tell from medical experience that this string of particles seemed to have some form of equation. That equation if broken down could bring about the cure.

Tadao and she were already six hours into the investigation. They had begun to cut down on the liquid hoping to find the different reactions inside of it. Everything mattered on those reactions. If they found it they cured the poison.

"Ok now for lesson two." Tadao said smiling, "This is also known as the headache."

"Great." Sakura mumbled

"We've been working for a long time. Now since we have gotten closer to breaking it down we do this part." Tadao continued, "Try and find the different chemical reactions inside the poison. To do this we will use many different liquids and other chemicals to find those reactions. Once we find what it reacts with we can identify the type of chemical element that acts as the poison's base. From there we can develop the cure. Let me give you this outlook on things. Once we find the reaction we will be able to tell what element is in the poison. Then from there with the identified element we can cure it easily."

Sakura nodded and watched as Tadao took out about twenty different liquids.

"Now you need to add a small amount to the poison. When the poison turns a bright green I believe we've found the right chemical reaction. Good luck pinky." Tadao said, "I need to start looking at your friend's blood."

Sakura nodded and began her attempts. She placed a small drop of poison on a small scroll. She took one of the twenty glasses and placed a small amount of the liquid in it on the poison. The poison didn't change color it remained the same.

'This will take forever.' Sakura thought trying with a different liquid

The poison turned a light green. Sakura smiled widely and turned to Tadao, "I think I've found it."

"No you haven't." Tadao responded, "Keep trying because there may be more than one reaction."

"Understood." Sakura replied

She began to try the different chemicals on the poison. More questions were building up in her head.

"Tadao why in the world are you in Akatsuki?" Sakura asked still trying the different chemicals

"I'm not very sure why." Tadao responded looking into a microscope, "Masuyo and I needed something to do I guess. We worked together very well, and the Akatsuki seemed perfect. We were only in the Akatsuki for a couple weeks before being sent after the nine-tails."

"His name is Naruto." Sakura said angrily, "How about you just quit the organization, and work for a nation. You'd be good in any medical field."

"I can't just quit. It isn't that simple. I want to trust you but I just can't." Tadao said looking up, "I'm wanted now in a lot of villages since I'm in the Akatsuki. I'm going to help you, and then I'm just going to disappear. I'll travel the world helping random people and start a new life."

"I guess you're right." Sakura said calmly, "I hated you so much for what you did."

"Don't lie to me." Tadao said, "You want me dead right now."

"Not as much as before you started doing this for me." Sakura replied. There was an odd silence that followed until Sakura broke it, "Naruto-kun is amazing much more amazing than you think. He can change people. He's changed me so much. I don't know why the Akatsuki just can't see him in that light."

Tadao nodded a bit sadly and placed a small sample of Naruto's blood on a scroll. He placed a different liquid on it and it and was happy with the results. The poison was quickly separating from his blood. That could make it easier to cure him.

"Ok pinky, I've developed something that will help separate his blood cells from the poison. That should make curing him less painful."

'Thanks a lot." Sakura said testing another compound on the poison

They continued their work in silence until hearing footsteps from outside. The door in the other room began to open slowly. Tadao and Sakura both gulped.

"Sakura go in another room and hide under a cot." Tadao said

Sakura ran into the other room and hid under one of the cots. She formed a hand sign and shifted into a blanket. Tadao watched as the door opened revealing a masked man.

"Madara-sama what a pleasure." Tadao said smiling

"I'm glad to see you up again. Now I need to talk to you about something." Madara said, "We've decided to make our plans go simpler, we will use your poison as a weapon."

"Oh great Madara-sama what an honor." Tadao said smiling

"I want you in the caves as soon as you're done with whatever this science experiment is. Help get as much of the poison as you can. Also get ready to transplant Sasuke's eyes. I have them inside my lab in the cave. We've really turned it into a large production plant." Madara said calmly

Tadao nodded and watched as Madara left. Tadao stomped his foot twice signaling Sakura. Sakura walked out a bit scared.

"What was it?"

"Nothing important but before you go we need to do something." Tadao said, "Maybe afterwards I'll get back to Konoha with you. I'll except my punishment from Konoha and give you any information on the Akatsuki that I possess."

Sakura nodded and began the rest of her experiments. She only had ten more compounds left.

It had been about another two hours. The day was almost over and Sakura had finished combing the different chemicals. In the end she was left with three liquids, glowing a bright green. Now she needed to find out which of these reactions were best to draw conclusions off of.

Hi everyone sorry for the late update. So many things happened that I just lost track of writing. Yeah so I'm no scientist as you've seen, so if there is something wrong with my science in this chapter don't flame. Sorry if there was anything wrong though. Thanks!