Chapter Twenty

HI NO KUNI, KONOHAGAKURE

I never thought in a million years I would be here again, staring at the village from a distance. I was sure Itachi hadn't thought he'd be back here so soon either, especially since it had only been three months since the last time he'd been here. I wondered if the other shinobi would be on the lookout for the Akatsuki since they'd infiltrated the village not that long ago. I wasn't sure why Pein had ordered us to come here but I wouldn't question it, if our mission was here then that's how it was going to be. It was early morning, darkness blanketed the village, this would be the perfect time for us to get into Konoha without being noticed. I looked up through my bangs and jumped down from the tree, landing on my feet. I straightened up and walked towards the Akatsuki duo, taking my place between them.

"Well hime?" Kisame asked, I nodded once.

"Only two guards on watch." I replied. "Would you like me to take care of them Itachi-sama?"

"Hai." he replied in his usual cool tone.

I nodded again and phased through the dirt, coming out on the dirt path close to the village gate. I took a slow breath and walked towards the gate slowly, making handsigns as I walked. I wasn't surprised when the guards turned their heads in my direction, they had sensed my chakra, I hadn't tried to hide it. There was no use, this would all be over in a matter of seconds.

"Who goes there!" one shouted, I completed the last seal.

'Darkness Style: Black Slumber.'

The guards wobbled on their feet for a minute as my jutsu affected them, finally flopping to the ground unconscious. My jutsu had put them into a sleep, a sleep that couldn't be disturbed until it wore off, we wouldn't have any interference from them now. I turned my head when I heard the bell singing in the air, Itachi and Kisame walking down the dirt road towards me. I wouldn't admit it out loud but I was nervous about this mission, what if we ran into the Jounin that knew about Itachi's alliance with Akatsuki? They'd easily be able to recognize Kisame from his same-hada, I hoped this mission would be easier than I thought. Hopefully there wouldn't be any complications.

"Let's get some breakfast." Itachi instructed, Kisame nodded agreeing.

"Hai, some hot tea sounds nice." he commented.

I followed behind them, pulling my hood up over my head as I walked. I liked the idea of being able to stop at my house, maybe get some of my weapons and other things that matter to me. I wondered if Itachi would object to that, I'd really like to have my sais back. I turned my head to Itachi, playing with my fingers nervously.

"Ano...Itachi-sama." I said softly. His head turned in my direction, his red Sharingan eyes found mine from under his bamboo hat. "Would it be alright...if I stopped by my old house here? I have some things I'd like to retrieve." He didn't say anything for a minute as his eyes held mine, finally, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Be careful." he asked of me, I nodded in agreement.

"Hai Itachi-sama, arigato."

I bowed my head a little, a small smile came to my lips when he placed his hand on my head, stroking the top of it once. I felt my cheeks go warm and focused chakra into my feet, hopping up onto a roof. I ran across the roofs of homes, hopping from one to another as I made my way across the village. Finally, I jumped down onto the porch of my former home. I smiled a little and lifted the rug infront of my door, taking the key in hand. I inserted it into the lock, the door clicked instantly. I took a slow breath and opened the door, stepping inside. Everything still looked the same as I had left it, it didn't look like anyone had been here since I'd been taken away. I was surprised by that, I was sure Sasuke would have at least come here and try to investigate a little.

I shrugged off the thought and walked further into the house, going to my old bedroom. I could feel the memories rushing at me as I walked in, I tried to ignore them as best I could and focus on what I'd come here to do. I went through my closet, managing to find a decent sized bag and moved up from the floor. I walked over to my dresser, grabbing the picture frame. The picture was of my old team, the one we had taken after I had joined team 7. I wanted to have some reminders of my old life, perhaps that was the reason I'd wanted this so desperately. I placed the picture in my bag, grabbing the other one off my dresser. The second picture, was of me and the sand siblings. We'd all become rather close after Deidara had left me and they were great friends, Gaara being my best friend out of the three of them. I hoped I would be able to see them again one day, I really missed them. I placed the second picture in my bag, my eyes falling on the third picture on my dresser, the one of Deidara and I.

I felt the hurt feeling I was so used to wash over me at the sight of the picture, the abandonment reminding me of the heartbreak. I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying my hardest not to cry. As much as I tried to hold it in though, the tears began slipping down my cheeks. I hated what he'd done to me, why couldn't I be angry at him for what he'd done instead of sad? I didn't understand why I couldn't just turn this depression into rage. As much as I was hurt though, I grabbed the picture nonetheless and shoved it into my bag.

I walked across the room to my weapon's chest, opening it up. I felt a smile come to my lips at the sight of my sais, I'd missed this weapon of mine. I grabbed the belt that held my sais and tied it around my hips, putting the sais in the holders. I grabbed a few basic tools, some extra kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, smoke bombs etc, putting them into my bag as well. All I needed to do now was see if there was anything else I needed and I could head out to meet up with my superiors. I looked around my room, trying to see if there was anything else worth grabbing here. I would've loved to take my paintings with me but I definitely didn't have room in this bag for that, I needed to travel as light as possible. I had plenty of clothes at the headquarters thanks to Konan, I guessed I was done here.

I walked out of my bedroom after throwing my bag over my shoulder and head to the exit, knowing I would never see this place again. Oddly enough, I was fine with it. I knew I didn't belong here, I'd never fit in here, Konohagakure just wasn't the place for me and I accepted that. I was from Kuraigakure after all, that was the only place I could truly belong. However, the Akatsuki headquarters was my home now, the only place that was remotely similar to where I'd been born. I knew in my heart, that was where I was meant to be. The only thing that Konoha had for me now, was memories. I exited the house and head down the street, walking slowly. I could see the sun beginning to rise in the distance, I needed to speed things up if I wanted to have breakfast before the mission began.

I walked down the street a little faster, pulling my hood tighter over my head. I couldn't afford to be recognized here, it would only complicate things more if someone managed to see me. As nice as it would be to see Sasuke, I knew I couldn't afford to jeopardize my mission. I licked my lips in thought, finally coming across Itachi and Kisame.

"Ah there you are." Kisame teased, I took the seat next to Itachi.

"I saved some food for you." he said, sounding monotone. "Eat." I nodded in agreement, taking the food he'd offered me. I ate slowly, feeling relieved to have some food in my stomach. We'd been traveling nonstop for days, I was happy to finally have a break from it. "We are here to observe the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's chakra. Sources have made it known he will be leaving Konoha soon with Jiriya."

"So that's what we're risking our cover for, an observation." Kisame grumbled, not sounding pleased.

"Konohagakure has also been scouring the lands, trying to find Sada." Itachi said coolly, I blinked curiously.

I was shocked to know that Konoha was trying to find me, I hadn't thought they cared since they'd only sent one Anbu squad after me in the beginning. It'd been three months since I'd been at the Akatsuki and they hadn't given up searching for me, I hadn't thought they would continue looking for me after that first Anbu squad had been annihilated. I guessed they just thought it was the right thing to do, this sure was surprising.

"Ah, so this is so they know that she's loyal to us now." Kisame chuckled.

"Precisely." Itachi agreed, I tilted my head to the side.

"Ano...so leader-sama wants me to be seen?" I guessed, Itachi nodded once.

"Once the shinobi of Konohagakure discontinue their search, it will allow us to move undetected for a while." Itachi said, I nodded understanding.

Did I need to be seen by certain people though or did it matter if it was just civilians? I figured I'd need to be seen by some of the Jounin that knew me, so that more than likely meant I'd be seeing Kakashi and the other Jounin he hung around with. I felt small smile come to my lips when Itachi placed his hand on mine, my cheeks went warm at the contact. Kisame hadn't so much as commented on my relationship the with elder Uchiha, he didn't seem phased in the slightest by it. Nothing had changed between them, Kisame and Itachi's relationship seemed more like a friendship than a professional relationship. They seemed to enjoy each other's company and knew how each other worked, it was quite odd to see them that way.

Kisame had however, changed his attitude towards me. When we'd first met he'd been brutal towards me, had thrown me around like a rag doll and hadn't been the nicest person to put it simply. Over the past few months he'd gotten used to me being around and didn't seem to mind my presence. Now, he was far more civil towards me and used a teasing tone of voice when he talked to me. He seemed to be quite the friendly person underneath his shark like appearance, what did I know though? Maybe he was just being friendly towards me since Itachi and I were together. I'd probably never know the truth but it didn't bother me being around him, I knew Itachi would protect me if Kisame crossed a line.

"We're going."

Itachi's voice snapped me out of my thoughts and I rose from my seat, following behind him as he exited the shop, Kisame bringing up the rear. I walked in between them as we ventured down the road, unsure of where Naruto would be at this time. It was early so there wasn't the chance that he was training with the rest of the team, I knew Kakashi probably wouldn't be doing training this early so that really didn't give me any leads on where he'd be. I hoped I wouldn't run into Sasuke though, I didn't want him to try to fight Itachi again like the last time. I knew Itachi could easily defeat him, I was more worried about Sasuke getting hurt. I didn't want anything to happen to him, despite everything that had happened I still cared about him and didn't want him injured.

We started across the bridge, I blinked curiously when I saw Sakura and Naruto down below. They were sitting by the river together, this was quite the odd sight. They looked as though they were immersed in a deep conversation, Sakura was crying and Naruto was holding onto her hands, looking as if he was trying to comfort her. I was curious what had taken place while I was away but I tried not to think too much about it, I wasn't part of this place anymore.

"Heh, hasn't improved much." Kisame huffed.

"His chakra has risen slightly." Itachi stated, sounding cold. "Not surprising."

"Having Jiriya as a sensei could account for that." Kisame commented, Itachi nodded once.

"We'll go now." Itachi ordered.

I took a step back when I saw some figures jump onto the bridge, Genin squad leaders; Kurenai, Asuma, Kakashi, and Gai. Standing with them as well was Anko, the proctor for the second Exam, Tenzo, Kotestu, and Izumo. This was just like before when Itachi and Kisame infiltrated, the same people were all here other than the few extras.

"Didn't think you'd show your faces here again." Asuma said, his cigarette between his lips.

"You won't be taking Naruto." Kakashi stated, Kisame grunted softly.

"Quite the welcoming party." the shark man chortled, sounding amused.

"We'll be taking your asses into custody." Anko said, pointing her finger in our direction. I moved my hood off my head, all the Jounin's eyes fell on me.

"Sada." Kurenai whispered, I nodded once. "Get away from them."

I moved out from between Itachi and Kisame, standing infront of the Sharingan user protectively, they weren't going to hurt him if I could stop them. I got into a fighting stance, I was ready to defend him from any and all of the attacks that were thrown his way. I wouldn't allow him to get a single scratch.

"Sada is loyal to us now." Itachi spoke, sounding emotionless. "The girl is loyal to Akatsuki."

"Would you like me to take care of them Itachi-sama?" I asked quietly.

"Hai." I quickly made some handsigns as the Jounin ran towards us, focusing my chakra, I figured it'd be a good idea to use a little extra.

'Darkness Style: Black Slumber.'

Not even seconds later, they all tumbled to the ground unconscious. I blinked dumbly, that had seriously been way too easy. Was my jutsu just that powerful or was it just that I'd grown that much stronger since I'd been taken from Konohagakure? I looked back over my shoulder at the Akatsuki duo, Kisame grunted softly.

"Seems like you've improved hime." he mused, I blinked curiously.

"Ano..."

"It seems it is nearly impossible for other shinobi to fight against your darkness style." Itachi added, sounding monotone.

"Demo, Kisame-san can." I whispered. "And you."

"Even we would be subject to your genjutsu." Itachi said, I blinked dumbly.

"More me than you." Kisame chortled. "With your Sharingan you could fight against it."

"However true that is, Sada's darkness is considerably more powerful than all the known elements." Itachi stated, I tilted my head to the side curiously. "Let's go, our mission is complete."

"Kakashi-sensei!"

I turned in the direction of the voice, Sakura and Naruto. This wasn't turning out the way I'd imagined the mission going, they'd seen me now. Now that they had seen me, I didn't know what was going to happen. Sakura had quickly bent down to check on the other Jounin, Naruto's eyes widened when he saw me standing there.

"Sada." Naruto said, sounding shocked; Sakura moved to her feet and turned to look at me. "First Sasuke, now you!"

"Nani?" I whispered. Tears began rolling down Sakura's cheeks as she stood behind Naruto, I was confused, what had happened to Sasuke. "Nani...where's Sasuke?"

"He...he's gone." Sakura choked, I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"He joined Orochimaru." Naruto admitted.

I felt my heart break in two at the words, Sasuke had betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru. How was this possible? Sasuke was never the type to betray his comrades and friends, he couldn't have done this. They were lying, they had to be. This wasn't true, this couldn't be true. As much as I tried to convince myself of that, I knew it was true. The broken look on Sakura's face, the betrayal in Naruto's eyes, that said everything I needed to know. It was true and that meant that, Sasuke was now my enemy.

"This is all your fault!" Naruto screamed, pointing at Itachi. I moved infront of him protectively, he wasn't getting passed me.

"Stand down Naruto." I ordered, narrowing my eyes. "Don't make me fight you."

"Naruto." Sakura whispered, putting a hand on his arm. "Don't, she's not the same...her chakra is enormous now."

"I don't care! She-"

"I can't lose you too!" Sakura cried. Naruto looked lost for words at Sakura's outburst, I looked back at Itachi when he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Let's go." he ordered, I nodded once.

I made some handsigns, one of my portals appearing infront of us after a moment. I held out both my hands to the Akatsuki duo, Itachi took my hand without a second thought. Kisame was hesitant but took my hand nonetheless, I focused my chakra and led them through. We came out through the other portal, outside the village. I released their hands and focused my chakra, my portal jutsu ended.

"Let's head back to the headquarters." Itachi instructed, I tilted my head up to look at him.

"Demo Itachi-sama, if Sasuke is-"

"We can't be worrying about that right now." Itachi interrupted.

"Orochimaru has to be stopped though." I said, my voice desperate. "We have to find him."

"It can't be helped right now hime." Kisame grunted, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Orochimaru betrayed the Akatsuki, we will find him one day." Itachi stated, sounding emotionless. "Today is not that day."

"Demo Itachi-sama-"

"Sada." I sealed my lips shut when he placed his hand on my head, looking up at him through my bangs. "I understand that Sasuke was your friend, we don't know where Orochimaru's base is. Leader-sama will not stop until he is dead." he said in a serious voice, I nodded my head a little.

"I could find him though." I murmured.

"Eh?" Kisame mumbled, sounding confused. "What do you mean hime?"

"The...the curse mark he gave me." I whispered, rubbing my arm. "It's like I'm connected to him somehow, I've noticed it stings the closer I get to Orochimaru. Sasuke and I talked about it briefly, he has one too. He's not around here demo...I could use it to find him."

Itachi moved his hand over my head, petting my hair in an effort to soothe me. He knew how uncomfortable it made me to talk about Orochimaru but if I could use the dark power to find him, then it was possible the Akatsuki could help me defeat him. Once that was accomplished, the world was one step closer to being a safer place than it was now. And perhaps if Orochimaru was dead, then Sasuke would have no choice but to return to Konohagakure. I didn't want Sasuke to be my enemy, I figured he must have went to Orochimaru to gain power so he could kill Itachi and avenge his fallen family.

I knew what Itachi had done, that he had killed the entire clan other than Sasuke, I'd learned of that in the first moment I'd met him. Itachi and I hadn't discussed it but I guessed it was all part of his secret mission, he must've done it for good reason. Perhaps the Uchiha clan had been corrupt or something of the sort, I didn't know but I also wouldn't ask. Itachi's mission was a secret and I knew I couldn't be sticking my nose where it didn't belong, it was of vital importance and it couldn't be jeopardized, for the sake of the world.

"We'll discuss it with leader-sama, for now we need to head back to Amegakure." Itachi finally said, I nodded in agreement.

I smiled a little when Itachi moved his hand from my head, taking my hand and lacing his fingers through mine. I walked next to him, Kisame coming up beside me as we walked. We were going in a different direction than we'd come, I guessed Itachi didn't feel like it was best to go the same way. Once the other shinobi of Konoha discovered we'd been there, they'd more than likely be sending Anbu after us to try to take us into custody. If I truly was at the level of an Anbu now though, I could defeat them with ease. I didn't want Itachi to have to lift a finger when they arrived, he needed to rest his eyes as much as possible since he'd been using Tsukiyomi during our training sessions again.

"So what do you think this means for you and your Omouto, Itachi-san?" Kisame asked, sounding playful. Itachi made a quite humph noise, I pulled my hood over my head with my free hand.

"It seems as though he's taken my words to heart." he said in a monotone voice. "He's hated and detested me as I told him to, he's taken the next step to defeat me." Kisame chuckled softly under his bamboo hat, seeming amused with Itachi's answer.

"Doubtful that he could defeat you." he chortled. "You're the strongest shinobi I know other than leader-sama." Itachi squeezed my hand once, I took that as a sign that I needed to play along.

"Hai Itachi-sama, Kisame-san is right." I agreed. "He could never defeat you."

"Well, if it comes to a situation like that then I'll have you to back me up then Sada." he said coolly, I felt my cheeks heating up.

"Of course Itachi-sama." I said softly.

We traveled in silence for a few hours, Itachi didn't seem like he was in any rush to get back to the headquarters and Kisame just seemed like he was happy to be out of the headquarters for the first time in months. They hadn't been assigned any missions since they'd come back with me, Pein must've just been more concerned with them training me to be at a certain level. After another few minutes though, I quickly realized why Itachi was in no rush, we were being followed. I could sense the chakra behind us and it was slowly beginning to close in on us. I tilted my head up to look at him, he released my hand and stopped walking.

"Sada, take care of them." he ordered; I nodded once in agreement and began making handsigns.

'Darkness Style.'

Author's Note: So I feel like I didn't do too great on this chapter but I needed to throw it in there, there was only so much I could do with it considering this was around the time that Sasuke had left the village and Tsunade had become Hokage. This is our last glance at Konoha in this story and the remainder will take place with the Akatsuki, in Amegakure but there will be a group mission so I hope you're all excited for that :)