Hey Everyone!! I hope you're ready for chapter number 21!!!!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
P.S. Reviews would be very appreciated
Chapter 21: If it's a Fight You Want…
With another tired sigh, Sakura raced toward Suna's gate. She could already feel Kakashi's chakra there. She could also feel Naruto's chakra there… Sakura wasn't sure she was ready to face them yet, but she didn't let her hesitance stop her.
They had to save Gaara; it was their mission. And the sooner they were done with the mission, the sooner Sakura could get home and discuss something very important with Tsunade.
Sakura had arrived at the gate only a few moments ago, but as soon as she did a deep silence was placed over the group of three. It was obvious that Kakashi told Naruto about what she had said… and there was definitely some tension because of that.
An abrupt cough from Kakashi brought the rest of the group out of their musings; it was time to leave.
"We need to get going," Kakashi stated briefly while tightening his ninja sack. "If the reports are correct, there is a cave about 50 kilometers from here; we expect to get there within a few hours. Is that understood?"
Sakura nodded along with Naruto; there was still a bit of tension between the three, or at least her and Naruto. "Move out," Kakashi stated while the group left Suna.
Sakura followed Kakashi quickly as the three exited; the faster they got to Gaara the faster they would be able to save him, hopefully. It had been over a day since the Akatsuki had taken him… there was little to no chance for the Kazekage to be alive, but the group still pushed through.
Sakura glanced into Naruto's eyes, and noticed a deep set of sorrow in them… Gaara was just like Naruto; it was probably hard for anyone but Naruto to understand. Staying in fear everyday of someone coming to attack; someone who was always in the shadows waiting… but Sakura could understand that.
Sighing, Sakura picked up her pace so she was running beside Naruto. With another sigh, Sakura grabbed Naruto's hand and squeezed it once. She couldn't hate Naruto; she couldn't hate Kakashi. These were the boys she loved; Naruto as a brother, Kakashi as something else.
She need these two… she understood these two, and she loved these two. They were her family. It had taken Sakura only an hour with them to realize that after their long time apart.
Naruto glanced over to the pinkette, there was a small smile playing on his lips. "Thanks, Sakura-Chan," Naruto said easily, and he too squeezed her hand affectionately.
Sakura nodded toward the blonde before she let her hand slip out of his grasp. Looking up toward Kakashi, there was a deep affectionate look in the silver haired man's eye. Sakura smiled softly at his gaze, and slowed down to cover the back of the group again.
"25 more kilometers," Kakashi called to his team; they were making quick progress; it surprised Kakashi that they were keeping up with his Jounin speed; it surprised him, but it shouldn't have. All of his Genin were geniuses; he should have known they would catch up to their sensei in a little less than three years of training.
Kakashi glanced back to notice Sakura's eyes glowed an intense forest green; she was on alert, and it made Kakashi's heart soar to she her like this. To see her as the amazing ninja Kakashi knew she would become…
During his musings, however, Kakashi felt a kunai being fired at his backside. Turning around quickly, his hand caught the kunai before it could connect. "That wasn't very nice," Kakashi commented as he threw his kunai back where it came from.
There was snort in that direction, and then a slight chuckle. "We're not known for being nice, Copy-nin."
"Kisame," a deep voice was also heard from the forest. As the group of three Konoha nin arrived at an opening in the forest, two Akatsuki members stood before them.
Sakura arrived last on the scene, but was quick to spout out information. "Kisame Hoshigake, former member of the seven mist swordsmen. His sword is called Samehada; draws out chakra from the person he attacks it with.
"The other, Itachi Uchiha…"
Naruto let out a growl as he stared at the smaller one in the Akatsuki cloak. Sakura knew Naruto thought it was Itachi's fault for Sasuke leaving… It wasn't Itachi's fault; it was Orochimaru's.
"Damn," Kisame stated with a smirk. His eyes danced around the group of three, and landed on Sakura. "I wish I could stay and have some fun with that girl; it's obvious she knows a lot about me."
"That is because she is from Mist," Itachi stated with a sense of aloofness. "Or at least she once was."
"Haruno," Kisame nodded toward her hair with a feral grin. "I can tell by the hair."
"Kisame," Itachi stated with a glare. "Leave."
"Right, right," Kisame said with another nod. "Don't let Itachi kill ya, huh, girl?"
With that said, the blue skinned man from Akatsuki was gone; now the only one that stood in their path was Itachi…
Kakashi was the first to react; he slowly lifted his headband-covered eye, and closed his other one. "Eyes on his feet," Kakashi stated evenly.
"Girl," Itachi spoke out to the pinkette. "That mark… you are to be Orochimaru's chosen then?"
Naruto let out a choking noise, and Sakura's eyes widened slightly. "I don't know what you're talking about," Sakura commented as her hand flew to the curse mark on her neck.
"Aa," Itachi stated with a nod. "I'm sure you don't."
At the last word, five kunai flew at the group of three. Sakura was quick to dodge one kunai, and grab another. She flew the kunai back at it's attacker while she was still in the air.
Kakashi and Naruto, too, had dodged the flying kunai; they landed on the floor without batting an eye. The three kunai flew back toward Itachi; he blocked it with a kunai of his own.
"It's a distraction," Sakura spoke immediately trying to get a sense of the situation. "He is not here to kill us; if he was, then he would have done so already. Gaara must still be alive…"
"Naruto, Sakura, start heading toward the cave," Kakashi said with a nod to the two. "I'll meet you there when I'm done here."
Without another word, the two nodded, and left. Kakashi smirked at Itachi before he allowed chidori to take form on his arm.
"I am amazed you have one brilliant student, Hatake," Itachi stated. "No wonder Orochimaru is after her…"
Kakashi let out a battle cry before he launched himself at Itachi's body.
In the mean time, however, Naruto and Sakura quickly gained speed, and were only a few kilometers away from the cave. Sakura's eyes were glowing her dark forest green; she noticed four points of chakra that were guarding something else…
"I'm going to need four low chakra clones," Sakura stated to Naruto quickly. "Send one North, one South, one East, and one West."
"For what, Sakura-Chan?" Naruto asked as he made the clones easily.
"I know this is a trap, but it's the only way to let us into the cave," Sakura stated with a sigh. "There will be four seals you will have to open with chakra… five actually. After you unseal them, it will allow us entrance into the cave. There is a barrier surrounding the cave currently…"
"Will do, Sakura-Chan," all four Naruto clones called with a salute.
Sakura let a small smile grace her features as the four clones left. Her and the real Naruto walked to the cave, or where it was supposed to be. Sakura nodded up to the seal that had been placed on the large rock. Naruto jumped up to the seal and nodded back to Sakura. "They are all in place, Sakura-Chan."
"We'll be interrupting something," Sakura stated with a slight smirk. "All at once, Naruto, pull off the seals."
A loud tenseness was felt throughout the air, but Sakura ignored it. She did not worry about the fact that only she and Naruto were about to go up against the whole Akatsuki… they just needed to save Gaara.
With a loud battle cry, Sakura pumped chakra into her fist. Running at the boulder with full speed, Sakura couldn't stop herself from picturing Naruto in the same position as Gaara… It enraged her and she poured more chakra into her fist.
As she let her fist connect with the large boulder, Sakura let all her worries and cares out; she would deal with Tsunade lying, Naruto leaving, and Kakashi's love after she left this cave with Gaara.
Sakura stood before the now brightened cave; it would have been dark before, when the boulder was still in place. Sakura at once noticed, two strong chakra signatures, and one weakening one. Naruto rushed through the cave, and launched himself at Gaara.
Gaara seemed to be floating in midair; his soul seemed to be draining out of his body in a white mist. Sakura watched as Naruto grabbed Gaara from the air, and pulled him away from the statue that stood before them.
"What's his status, Naruto?" Sakura quickly asked as Naruto ran back to her with Gaara in hand.
"Still breathing," Naruto stated as he drew in a deep breath of air. Sakura looked up at the blonde and noticed his pale color… it seemed as he was saving Gaara some of his soul was drawn out, too.
"Naruto," Sakura said as her hands glowed emerald green. "There are two Akatsuki members here; physically here. I need you to distract them enough for me to heal Gaara."
"I don't think that's going to work very well, girl, yeah," A voice spoke from several feet in front of them. Sakura watched as a long blonde haired male and a larger, hunched over male walked toward them.
"We need the One-tailed beast, yeah," the blonde spoke up again. "And seeing as we we're so gracious enough to go and pick him up… let us finish."
"Over my dead body," Naruto exclaimed loudly as he stood in a protective manner over Sakura and Gaara.
"We will extract you in time, nine-tails," the larger one spoke. Sakura ignored the rest of the conversation as she tried to heal Gaara's exhaustion. It was difficult, healing exhaustion… Remembering something important, Sakura grabbed her sack, and quickly drew out a scroll.
Sakura instantly remembered it was the one that Chiyo had given her before she left, or at least one of the ones Chiyo had given her. Sakura opened the scroll, and slowly, her hands began glowing a bright white.
Sakura quickly placed her new chakra-enriched hands on Gaara's body below her, and immediately felt a reaction. Gaara's face began getting color back in it, his skin began to grow less cold, and Sakura could feel his heart beat a little faster. Sakura felt her own body's life force drain as Gaara's grew, but she knew she couldn't stop now. Sakura was so caught up in what she was doing, she didn't hear Naruto's scream of warning.
"Who showed you that move?" The larger Akatsuki member stood before Sakura; his scorpion-like tail was waving dangerously close to Sakura's neck. Sakura immediately knew this was the one Chiyo wanted revenge upon.
"Chiyo-sama," Sakura spoke with a stern look in her eyes. The white light inside her hands faded, but Sakura already knew Gaara would be alright.
"Deidara," the Akatsuki that stood before Sakura called to his partner. "Take the nine-tails out of the cave; I wish to fight this one alone."
"Hai, Sasori-danna," the blonde stated before creating a clay bird, and exiting the cave. Naruto followed quickly behind on his heels; Naruto's mind didn't even comprehend leaving Sakura behind; his eyes were already glowing red.
"You are the one Chiyo-sama wished to kill, to get revenge upon," Sakura stated when it was her alone with the Akatsuki, Sasori, and the still unconscious Gaara.
"Then why is she not here," Sasori's voice was low, and there was a slight sneer to his words. "She is too old?"
"No." Sakura stated as she stood. She quickly put herself between Gaara and Sasori and glared at the man before her. "I promised her I would get her revenge for her."
"Silly child," Sasori stated while swinging his scorpion tail at her. "Making promises you can not keep."
Sakura ignored the last comment as she swiftly dodged the tail. As the tail tried to poke her through her chest, Sakura flipped up into the air to land on top of the tail.
"I tend to keep my promises, actually," Sakura stated easily as she sprinted down the male's tail. Sakura put chakra into her feet, as Sasori began thrashing his tail trying to get her off of it. Sakura ignored the thrashing, however, and willed her body to move faster.
She quickly descended down upon Sasori, chakra infused within her fists, Sakura punched the top of Sasori's head. She leaped away as Sasori appeared to shatter before her.
Sakura flipped backward until she stood right in front of Gaara; had Sasori been a wooden clone? That would mean that Sasori was an earth and a-
"That was a good punch, girl, but now you will face the real me," Sasori stated through the dust inside the cave. Sakura's eyes widened slightly; Sasori's voice had dramatically changed, and through the dust, Sakura could tell his silhouette had changed also.
"She will not be fighting alone," A voice spoke up behind her. Sakura turned just in time to see Gaara stand; his eyes were glaring hard at the red head before them. "We will defeat you together."
"So be it," Sasori commented. "If it's a fight you want, it is a fight you will get. Come at me, I hate waiting."