AN: This is a shorter update but I really wanted to get it out. The action heats up. Hurray we're getting closer to Konoha. I'm looking forward to writing it as all of the ideas I've had in my head have swirled on this point. Please remember to review as it inspires me to write faster and tells me what you're liking and what I need to work on as a writer. As always your attention to this story is appreciated!
"Home is where one starts from" T.S. Eliot
Itachi paused, halting as he took light of the number of enemy nin heading towards him and his current location. The forest was multi planed with a variety of useful natural landmarks he could use. A smile graced his features. It was an excellent ambush site. The enemy nin would not know what hit them after he was through.
"Leave" He ordered her simply as he withdrew a handful of kunai, snipping the wire skillfully as he placed traps.
Sakura's eyes widened, in surprise, at her sudden dismissal. He was letting her go? And then she realized why he was letting her go, the insult apparent. Sakura scowled.
"I will be able to deal with them more efficiently without your presence." Itachi told her, knowing what she would say before she could argue. Those green eyes and her expressive face were usually a dead giveaway. Usually. He was certainly no closer to reading her thoughts, but he was getting better at gauging her expressions and knowing where he could push.
Translation: Sakura would only be in the way and limit the amount of space and area he had to work with. His site was excellent, he couldn't have chosen a better place for an ambush. Her scowl deepened into a frown. He was right, of course thus the source of the irritation. Itachi could use the full extent of his jutsu and possibly the fire burning down the surrounding forest around them to his advantage if he didn't have her to worry about. For an S class criminal, especially one that she hadn't fought with, she would be a liability, and they would be a liability to each other in a fight where mistakes couldn't be made. Sakura got a brief taste of what life on the run for Itachi must be like. She bowed her head and nodded, unable to speak for a moment.
Indecision plagued the expression on her face and Itachi was surprised she still stood her ground, instead of taking off for Konoha immediately. It was impossible to think that she wanted to stay in his company, but what else could her hesitancy mean?
"They'll be here within minutes" He reminded her.
"I know" She said, her face seeming to be determined on whatever course of action she had taken so long on deciding.
She reached into her pack and pulled out several of the packages of exploding senbon and kunai.
"Here. You could use these" She said, green eyes searching his as she placed them in his hands.
Itachi was shocked, not that his face would show it. He stared at the packages, speechless for the moment. Did she have any idea what she was doing? Was she fully aware of the consequences of her choices? He was the enemy, regardless of their uneasy coexistence and dependence on each other. She was willingly giving him equipment she had made from Konoha to assist him in his task of eliminating the other nin. It wasn't that Itachi was particularly sentimental…a term could never be used to describe him but what she had done was something so counter intuitive to a ninja's thought process. A normal ninja's thought process anyways. Sakura was anything but normal, even her appearance made her stand out from others.
He had been surprised by the gesture. It had been a very long time since something so sacrificing had been done for him. Perhaps that was the one thing Konoha had always done well at fostering; was loyalty. Before he had killed his entire clan and ruined Konoha's reputation by several notches. His hands were bloodstained and though he didn't regret his actions, he wondered if only briefly what would have happened to him if he had indeed stayed in Konoha. He shook the thought off. Blood spilt under the bridge.
His partnership with Kisame was not one of comradery, but of the expansion of the cause of Akatsuki. However, Kisame would have never given up a weapon for him, in any circumstance. The shark man could only expect the same from his partner. They were an organization of individuals. Personal sacrifice was a joke that got ninja killed on a daily basis. So, why? She was by no means safe in her journey back to Konoha until she set foot in fire country soil and even then, there was the possibility of her getting attacked. It was true that Anbu was stealthy enough to reach her should a fight of larger proportions begin. Sakura was not exactly what he would describe as a subtle fighter. But to empty her pack of equipment was foolish. More than foolish it was weak. Itachi didn't want to read into her motives but no proper ninja ever gave up weapons that could be used, even in arming a comrade. If he could admit such a thing to himself he might have admitted that her concern was…touching. Instead, Itachi critiqued her ninja style, keeping to a safer way of looking at her sacrifice because to do else wise meant thinking with his less than logical portion of his brain. She was such an emotional creature. She reacted to situations the way a ninja shouldn't, the way a ninja couldn't afford to. Yet here she stood and breathed, a living contradiction to the way of the ninja, a way he had lived by for ages.
She was doing for him what only a close comrade…or a lover would do. Itachi pushed the romantic notion far from his thoughts refusing to touch the surface of them as the implications they entailed were too incredulous for him to manage. What it meant, what he choose to interpret from her motives; was that she was already emotionally concerned for him which was exactly what he had been hoping for. He had developed a tenuous bond of trust with her, a good sign for development in the future. Already their brief time together was affecting her, making her soft…softer. She would be easier to break that way…but Itachi found that he didn't want to continue those thoughts to their logical conclusion. Her death was… unappealing. It was only to be expected because he had not finished his mission and she still had her uses. He could not kill her as he could not throw away or waste a useful tool.
"Thank you." Itachi replied solemnly, taking the packages from her hands. He set them beside the rest of his tools and equipment, and turned back to face her, Sharingan eyes apprehensive. Apple green eyes eyed him, pink eyebrows furrowed in obvious concern. Her hand gripped his forearm in the last moment.
"Be careful" She said, eyes hardening to jade, locking onto his eyes in all seriousness. Touching…he thought briefly before squashing the thought.
Itachi gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head at her manner.
"Do you have so little faith in my abilities as a ninja?" Itachi questioned, a ghost of a smirk playing across his face as he eyed her.
She scowled again, her cheeks burning that lovely shade of pink as she glared at him. That did bring a smile to his face.
"I will see you in Konoha, Sakura." He promised her, with feeling which made the scowl lessen, which surprisingly and off-settingly improved his own mood.
"Of that you can be assured of. Now go" He ordered, as he placed the packets within his traps continuing to work on them.
Sakura nodded and took off in a dead sprint. Itachi turned sharingan eyes back to his work at hand, speeding through the wire laying as he awaited the enemy nin.
Sakura sprinted through the trees, posture bent as she picked up speed. Her hands strayed to her katana unsheathing them. It would not do for her to be caught unawares and she was still within enemy territory. She traveled stealthily applying moderate amounts of chakra to her footing for the extra burst of speed. She still had plenty of chakra to spare but Sakura was feeling optimistic. She spared a glance back at the clearing. She could still barely make out the wall she summoned from here. The fire from her and Itachi's previous and brief fight blazed still emitting smoke.
She could feel the ground rumble and she felt the blaze of heat from a large fire jutsu. Itachi was using huge amounts of chakra in his fight. He must be blasting them in groups, or perhaps he was using the blast as a cover for his traps. It was his fight and he could certainly take care of himself. She turned back ahead. The border was literally about 1000 yards away and Sakura couldn't help as a grin etched itself on her face. Until she recognized the chakra of the man standing, not 100 yards in front of her.
The ground exploded, and Sakura was propelled through the air, skin stinging from the explosion. Green chakra flared to life cleansing and closing the wounds. Spinning, swords in hand, she was barely able to block the chakra blades with her own katana. Jade eyes narrowed to thin slits of rage; she eyed her opponent.
Kabuto grinned, light reflecting off his silver framed glasses as his arms tensed in their efforts to press her. He wore the sound emblem on his forehead, hitai ate gleaming silver in the reflecting fires around them, black eyes holding her own.
"Hello Sakura." He said with a fierce smile as he pressed his chakra blades, cutting into hers. Sakura eyed her weapons against his. Oh gods…the chakra was cutting into them.
Sakura gave a cry as she was forced back, her katana blades slicing in half with a sickening snap as she narrowly avoiding him taking her hands and head with it.
Her heart felt numb as he kicked her off the tree top hard. She fell from her place in the trees staring at her blades as if staring at them would somehow make them grow back. She felt numb, dazed as she stared at her now useless weapons. Fortunately she wasn't numb for long as the branches broke her fall. She crashed into the trees painfully. Her heart clenched painfully at the loss of her most beloved weapons. Kakashi had given her those blades as a gift when she'd made it into anbu. She fell steadily, and if she didn't do something about that, she'd loose worse. Her arm wrenched while hitting another tree limb, though through it she was able to catch her fall. Sakura grasped for the limb with her other hand, crying out in pain as she pulled herself up one armed. She stood, beaten and bruised, chakra sticking her to place in the trees. Sakura winced in pain, a cut from her forehead bleeding freely into her eye.
"I fought your mentor earlier in my life. I learned the hard way that close combat is the only alternative with your alarming chakra enhanced strength." Kabuto said as he lighted down on a tree limb closer to her.
"You realize this means war?" Sakura gasped, grimacing as she popped her arm back in place, green chakra lighting over the area as she healed herself. She wiped the blood off, green chakra lighting as her forehead was healed.
"I did not start this, but I will certainly end it." Kabuto replied.
"Chee" Sakura snorted.
"You are trespassing upon sound. Diplomatic immunity wont save your life" Kabuto replied.
"We are close to Konoha's borders, Kabuto. You won't be able to stop me." Sakura snapped.
"On the contrary, Sakura." Kabuto said, moving with lightning speed.
His chakra blades clashed with Sakura's own chakra blades freshly summoned and she held her own, parrying his blows with blinding speed. She slashed at his knee caps gaining a handy advantage as she ducked dodged and weaved, green blades shinning. Blades locked as they came body to body. Sakura snarled, ki rising as her chakra blades grew in height and width as she weighed down on him, arms trembling against his own as those feral green eyes gave him cause to fear. Sakura's chakra filled blades grew even brighter green as they cut through his own chakra made blades slicing him across his chest as he retreated to avoid loosing his head and other appendages. Kabuto's black eyes widened in shock.
Chakra blades were made with layer upon layer of chakra. Every layer had to be exact in it's precision and each layer added onto the next layer. Once layered, it changed the depth and capacity of the blades, so each layer was different. For her to be able to add so many chakra layers as to cut through his own and for her weapon to still function as a blade took a tremendous amount of chakra control and ability. One small mistake in the layer and the entire thing crumbled. The fact that she could summon those chakra leveled blades so quickly was an ability of a S class ninja. She had expended quite a bit of chakra to manage her little coup and he had stepped back in time to save his life but that did little to ease Kabuto's startled reverie. He had severely underestimated her since facing her team last. But Sakura had always been the weak one of team seven even after she was trained by the hokage he had never seen such potential. Was it possible the girl was beyond Anbu level now? Kabuto cried out in pain and retreated, green glowing on his chest as he healed himself.
"It appears you have grown stronger in hand to hand combat. Excellent. It will make killing you worthy of me." Kabuto replied grinning.
Sakura's eyes narrowed as he launched a water jutsu at her, chakra blades shinning. She wouldn't waste her breath insulting him. He was beneath her. Sakura summoned another earth jutsu to blockade some of the water, getting wet in the process. The rest of the water she cut in half with her chakra blades, the huge waves separating on either side of her and putting out the fire that has spread from the explosion. The forest hissed, steam rising from the combination of fire and water. Sakura scanned the area, eyes darting as she searched.
Droplets glistening off her blade as she leapt to avoid the crushing blow of his chakra blades from above the fog. She narrowly dodged, tumbling. He sliced through her earth wall obliterating it, sending rocks showering as more water rained down. She darted left, ankles screaming in protest at her hasty move. If she didn't move quickly she would drown in the midst of his jutsu. Droplets glistened from her wet hair, and Sakura was annoyed to be wet. Even her chakra blades retained droplets. Sakura eyed her wet blades and a brilliant idea occurred to her. She grinned and thanked Kakashi for finally teaching her his technique. Now if she could avoid getting electrocuted to death it would go well in her favor.
Her blades lit with lightning from channeling Chidori, crackling and sparkling. She grinned fiercely as she found she had better control of the technique than she thought she did. Sakura launched the lightning at him as she charged forward, blades slashing. Kabuto scrambled to throw himself left dodging and tumbling nimbly as the Chidori blades struck. The only reason why he was singed as opposed to burnt to a crisp from avoiding those lethal charges of lightning was because of the amount of medical training he had been in. So she had learned Chidori. It shouldn't have surprised him that she knew that technique, only he had been expecting her weakness. Obviously Kakashi had taken her under his wing which meant he had found something worthy in her to teach her the technique. It appeared that all of team seven had significantly gained in strength since their last fight. Kabuto's eyes narrowed.
"You aren't the only one who was given techniques" Kabuto said, biting his thumb, tired of toying around. They were both medics and so medic jutsu obviously wasn't working. Getting close to her wasn't an option anymore, and he wasn't about to let her crush her fists into the ground to kill him.
"Kuchiyose no JUTSU!" He cried slamming his palm into the ground.
Sakura's eyes widened as she retreated, breathe stuck in her throat as her heart thudded eratically. Purple glistening scales stood in front of her as the smog cleared; the giant snake glared down on his surroundings. Sakura swallowed, as she looked upon the creature. He had summoned Manda; the snake king.
(Note: because Deidara is alive, Sasuke didn't have his fight with him, therefore making Manda alive as well.)
"Who dares summon me?" Manda snarled, curling.
"I summoned you. Destroy our enemies and I will prepare the sacrifices." Kabuto stated.
"You want me to crush this insect?" Manda said looking upon Sakura as he tilted his head. "She is not worthy of my effort. Tell me now why I shouldn't kill you for the insult" Manda snarled, fangs barred, fixing his slate gray eyes upon the silver haired ninja.
"Do you not remember when the sannin's sword pierced your nose? You nearly lost the use of your mouth. This is Tsunade's apprentice" Kabuto said.
Manda hissed, whipping back and forth in fury of remembering Orochimaru's summoning of him. That paralyzed twit had left him high and dry the last time. Between him and the black spiky haired worm he was becoming irritated of their summoning.
"You will have sacrifices prepared at the end of this, brat." Manda said, launching himself after the already fleeing medic nin, fangs bared.
Kabuto felt the explosion behind him and took one last look at Sakura before heading back towards Sound. It was obvious another large battle was taking place and he needed more information.
Sakura was booking it for all she was worth, chakra enhanced steps sending her fumbling leaps and bounds ahead. As soon as Manda had turned his ugly purple head she had taken off. Summoning Katsuyu would be worthless, the slug queen unable to attack properly or defend properly against Manda. She could only hope that Anbu were on there way, or that she could outdistance the snake. Her bets were on the former as opposed to the later. She glanced behind her. It didn't appear that Kabuto was making chase on her which meant another opponent was heading towards Itachi. Though she knew he could handle himself, it didn't ease Sakura's mind. Itachi was already dealing with so many at a time. She bit her lip.
Manda's grey eyes narrowed as he launched himself forward. Foolish mortal. He rushed towards her, ignoring trees and rock and rubble as he pushed himself faster, jaws snapping in delight as he hissed. He would rend her flesh asunder, tear her apart, piece by piece, poisoning her as he worked….She would pay for her mentor's touch upon him!
She turned, and slammed her fist into the ground, and Manda cursed as the ground up ahead gave way and stopped before he fell under the rocks and gravel. He was able to avoid most of the rubble but then smirked, as she had provided the perfect opportunity for him to tunnel underground. Hers would be the first blood spilt…
"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed as she saw the snake tunnel. It was then that she saw a huge cloud of smoke billow not 300 yards in front of her. The bright red figure emerged from the fog and Sakura's hope rose.
"GAMABUNTA!' She exclaimed half laughing half sobbing in her relief as the frog summon, bounded forward.
The ground exploded behind her, Manda surfacing as he sensed the other summon. He snapped at Sakura, who tumbled to the right to avoid being devoured mid gulp. Manda abandoned her as he avoided the sword aimed for his head and tunneled into the ground. Sakura was propelled upwards by the sheer force of his tunneling and the shaking ground. She stumbled in the air, spinning and bounding from a tree branch, leaping up into a tree. She leaped from tree to tree putting more ground away from her and the giant snake.
Gamabunta propelled on his powerful hind legs, sword down as he crashed into the earth, shaking Sakura from her tree as she had nearly landed. She fell, trying to catch herself on the branches before she broke something when she fell directly into someone's outstretched arms. She collided with his chest jostled, the wind knocked out of her.
"Uhn…" Sakura gasped, the wind whipping her stray pink locks around her as she fought the tresses for visibility. She was pressed against a familiar green jounin vest. She would recognize the ramen on his breath from anywhere.
"Yo, Sakura Chan" Naruto said, stupid grin glowing from ear to ear across his whiskered face.
Sakura felt the all too familiar blood vessel burst on her forehead. "NARUTO!? You IDIOT! What are YOU doing out HERE?!" Sakura screeched, fists waving in fury.
"Ow! Not so Loud, Sakura Chan! I thought you would appreciate me rescuing you from Manda, Dattebayo- But why are you fighting Orochimaru's summon?" Naruto retorted.
"You MORON! You shouldn't be out HERE!? I had it under control!" She snarled, fighting against his green jounin vest and his iron tight grip on her. Naruto cursed, lost his balance and they both tipped forward with a cry. Sakura was able to recover faster, perhaps used to his idiocy in spite of his incredible skill, and caught a stray branch, gluing herself to the tree with Chakra. Her hand shot out lightning fast to grab hold of Naruto before he fell, though the temptation of letting the moron fall lightened her mood. She groaned as her arm took the brunt of the force. It would be a pain in the ass to heal him though if she dropped him. Using her feet for leverage she pushed her feet forward and threw Naruto up to the branch. He landed nimbly, chakra gluing himself to the tree as he helped her up.
"Thanks" Sakura said, eyes gazing out to Gamabunta and Manda. Manda was retreating, back towards sound as Gamabunta drove him off. Gamabunta's sword was wet with blood. Sakura surveyed the waylaid countryside with a heavy sigh. Tsunade would kill them both for this.
Naruto's ocean blue eyes were focused on Gamabunta. "Guess there's no point in following him if he's gone back to sound right?" The ramen eating idiot asked her, deep blue eyes penetrating hers.
"Nope. I wasn't fighting Orochimaru, I was fighting Kabuto" Sakura replied eyes still on the fading summons.
"Kabuto? He can summon Manda too?" Naruto's eyes took on a haunted look. Sakura bit her lip knowing exactly why he was haunted, the dark pit in her stomach resurfacing with startling clarity. It was then that she turned around and gasped at what she saw. She really took in Naruto's appearance. He had lost some weight, his face was paler than usual, his eyes usually worry free still held his free spirit, but pain was the emotion on the forefront of them. Dark brown splotches beneath his eyes told her he wasn't sleeping properly though she couldn't blame him for that. What could she expect though? Sasuke had been his best friend…he had promised to bring him back to her, and the fool was probably torturing himself over what she would think of him and that. Idiot she thought feeling the tears well up in her eyes. Sakura's heart wrenched and broke into a thousand tiny pieces at the state of him.
"Naruto…" She said brokenly. Naruto trembled, eyes closing, as they both felt the familiar haunting pain resurface.
Naruto had studied her from the moment he had felt her chakra in Konoha. It was impossible not to see Manda the huge snake summon, and Naruto had acted. Then she was in his arms and he could breathe again. Call him paranoid but he had lost far too many people. Her death would crush him. She was all he had left to hold onto. Sakura chan looked worse for wear from her trip; wherever she had been. She was thinner, and worn ragged. Her clothes were burnt, sliced and singed in places. She didn't wear her anbu uniform but unidentifiable black shirt and pants and fishnets. Her bubblegum pink hair was out of place and sweat soaked, lacking it's usual luster. She had blood on her clothes, some of it hers, some probably Kabuto's given the smell. Her green eyes were weary and glazed over in fatigue, dark grey smudges under her eyes from months of lack of sleep adding up. She was toned through Anbu's training but those very muscles trembled from exhaustion. Her skin lacked it's usual creamy luster but it could be the smoke, dirt and grime built up on her skin.
Anbu arrived on the scene, landing on the tree branches next to her startling them both from their thoughts and forcing them to swallow their emotions.
"Taishou!" the Anbu members called.
Sakura pushed her pain aside. There were more important things "Tagoro" She acknowledged a ghost of a smile playing across her face as the man embraced her. He was like a little brother, Sakura thought with a smile. The youngest member of Anbu aside from her.
"The Hokage has requested your presence immediately. Both of you." Tagoro said, releasing her as he caught Naruto's eyes narrow. He glanced at them both beneath his porcelain monkey mask. Sakura merely nodded too exhausted emotionally and physically to reply.
"Taishou, do you need medical attention?" Togoro asked.
"I'm alright." Sakura replied wearily waving her hand at him dismissively. She stumbled, and Naruto was there to catch her.
"Just… a little woozy" She said with a grin. Naruto's strong arms supported her as he threw her arm around his shoulder, hand gripping her waist to help her walk.
"Lean on me, Sakura Chan." Naruto murmured bringing her close in comfort.
"Welcome Home" He added, stormy blue eyes looking deep into hers.
(*IMPORTANT NOTE*: For the sake of the story Kabuto did not try to attach Orochimaru to himself. Sorry I'm trying to keep everything as accurate as possible to the manga but some things had to be sacrificed and in this case it was Orochimaru.)