Chapter 13 I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

Flashback Thoughts

*This finished sooner than I would have hoped! Aren't you glad. Here's the next chapter. Hopefully now that summer is coming I can write on a regular basis! Well, without further ado… I will be writing again this weekend*

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Sasuke mentally kicked himself as he brought his arms to protect his eyes. What the hell! How did this damn Kunoichi recover so quickly?! He let his sharingan blaze as he lowered his arms, getting ready to strike the woman that dared attack him. He caught a glimpse of pink hair and saw the shock in her emerald eyes as the girl stopped short before him. He grimaced as he reached and forced her arm behind her to avoid being hit by her chakra-infused fist.

"Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke's eyes briefly widened with surprise, then his brow furrowed in confusion, and his eyes filled with anger.

"Sakura?" He released her and turned away, muttering to himself. Damn that fish-man. He brought me the wrong girl. I ask for his wife and all they bring me is my old useless teammate.

She was frozen with surprise. Here was the guy she had loved. The one she had lost. The one she had cried her eyes out for. Searched and trained for. Sasuke was standing right in front of her. She hadn't seen him in 3 years, and now he was holding her captive! She wanted to reach out, hold him, say something! Sakura lifted her hand the slightest bit, and stopped. How can I say anything to him? she thought. I stopped looking for him, settled down and married his BROTHER for goodness sakes!! I need to at least tell him. Explain…

Right before Sakura was going to speak, Sasuke took another look at her. He shook his head and whispered, "Useless".

Sakura stopped cold, and began to grow angry. Useless? After all these years, he still views me as a nuisance. After everything I tried to do for him. Sakura balled her hands into fists as her anger grew.

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Kakashi, Naruto and Itachi were running at top speed. Little was said on the way, but all three of the ninja knew what the others were thinking. Akatsuki took Sakura. It was probably a trap. No one cared.

Kakashi signaled for everyone to slow down, and then stopped as they approached the edge of the trees. A cliff reaching up 5 stories high. The little nin-dog, Pakkun, was sitting on a branch, his stare fixated on a small cave opening that was set in the middle of the cliff wall. No doubt it would be hard to reach. No doubt it was be a complete maze.

Kakashi spoke to the dog. "What have you got for me?"

The little, brown, pug spoke without averting his gaze. "10 ninjas are inside. Two are our captors, one is Sakura, 6 don't have any special chakra signatures, so they are probably grunts. But one." He paused. "I've sensed him before. I tracked him with Naruto. During the attempted invasion, three years ago."

Naruto spoke first. "Sasuke."

Kakashi closed his eyes and reached out with his chakra. Reaching sensing. "It is him." Kakashi and Naruto looked toward Itachi. "What do you want to do?"

Naruto jumped and punched the air. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do! We're gonna go in there save Sakura, and drag Sasuke home by his hair!"

Itachi was silent for a few more seconds. "Hn. Sakura and the Akatsuki are my only concern. Make sure Sakura is safe, and send a message to the Akatsuki leader."

"Preferably a bloody one." Naruto said as he cracked his knuckles.

"But. If he hurt her." He looked at Naruto, causing the blond ninja to take a step back as his sharingan activated. "I will kill all those involved."

Kakashi sighed. Naruto crossed his arms and looked to the ground. After a few seconds, he nodded.

Itachi seemed satisfied. I will not let any harm to come to my wife. They all jumped to the floor before the cliff wall. Infusing the chakra that would hold them to the wall as they ran upwards.

As they approached the mouth of the cave, Naruto took charge. Creating no less than 10 shadow clones, he leaped into the mouth of the cave, eliciting yelps, and screams from the 2 lower level ninja that were supposedly watching for intruders. While Naruto charged, his shadow clones deflected or disintegrated as the fended off the kunai that the grunts hurled at the intruders. Blinded by the puffs f smoke that the disappeared in, Naruto and Itachi quickly incapacitated the guards. As their bodies fell to the floor, Kakashi took the lead.

"We take out anyone we find as a group. That is…" He looked at Itachi. "Until we meet the Akatsuki. Naruto and I will hold them off as you go to find Sakura. I trust Sasuke will have her. I leave that to you."

"EHHH???" Naruto grumbled. "I thought we were trying for a rescue and recon? Why can't I take Sasuke?"

Kakashi sighed. "No one is taking Sasuke unless needed. I trust Itachi to get Sakura out safely. Right?"

Itachi nodded. "I will get her back."

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Sasuke almost completely ignored her, walking past her, lost in his own anger. "I should have known better than to ally myself with them." He spoke in a barely audible whisper.

"And what was that you were after?" Sakura said, venom in every word. Trying to take revenge on your brother, no doubt. But I'll be damned if I let him ignore me.

He ignored the question but turned to speak with Sakura anyways. The composure had returned to his face, but the malice was still evident in his eyes. "Tell me Sakura." He said with just as much venom as she had spoken with. "What chance was it that those dumbasses got you, instead of who I was after."

"What makes you so sure they screwed up?"

A wicked smile broke out on his face. "Pfft. Please."

Sakura was getting angrier with every word he spoke. I was right about one thing, at least. She thought. The first thing I want to do is punch him. "Heard from your brother lately?" Sakura sneered.

Sasuke's smile turned into a nasty grimace. "Shut up." He took a breath. "That's who this little party is for. I was waiting for something to arrive; so I could leave him a nice, bloody, present. But someone was incompetent. I was waiting to have that bastard's wife served up to me on a silver platter."

Sakura laughed, only making him angrier. "A few things, Sasuke. One, I can sense your brother, and the rest of the team for that matter, getting closer. Two, I feel ALL better, and I'm not as weak as I used to be. Three, that 'bastard' is gonna kick the shit outta you. And four? " Sakura smiled wider, holding out her arms. "Come give your new sister a hug!"

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Sorry its so short. I'll be writing over the weekend. Please let me know what you think.