Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are created by Masashi Kishimoto, but the new plots (meaning the ones you don't recognize!) are mine. This fanfiction has been written for entertainment purposes only and without intention of infringing upon any copyright.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! A number of you got this feeling that we're heading towards the end. Yup, I can confirm that we're in the final arc now. I'm still aiming to finish this story somewhere around 30 chapters, so it shouldn't be too long more. As for those who asked about my health – I don't feel that great recently, but I'm surviving.
Onwards to the next chapter…
The Contentious Heart by elle6778 – Chapter 25
"Where is Sakura?"
That was the first question that came out of Kisame's mouth the moment they stepped out of the Akatsuki compound. Itachi slanted an unreadable glance at his long-time partner, but he had no answer to the question. He was still trying to come to terms with what Pein had disclosed earlier.
"She's heading to Tea Country, yeah," Deidara supplied from behind them.
Keeping his expression impassive, Itachi hid his displeasure at the fact that Deidara knew where she was. Sakura had probably wanted to explain earlier, even though he did not give her the opportunity to do so. Now, he wished he had spoken to her. Perhaps then he would have a better clue if she was indeed on Madara's side.
What made the entire situation more suspicious was the fact that both the older Uchiha and Sakura were absent from this hunting mission. Perhaps it was a mere coincidence, a coincidence that Pein had chosen to exploit. After all, with the final bijuu within reach, it was likely that Pein wished for as many as possible of them to remain on his side, instead of Madara's.
Silence accompanied them as they travelled away from Lightning Country, heading west as instructed by Pein.
"So, where did the info come from this time?" Deidara asked skeptically. "Sure this isn't going to be some wild goose chase?"
"My paper clones found him a few days ago."
Itachi slanted a glance at the kunoichi in their group. So, Pein had tasked Konan to search for the jinchuuriki this time.
"We will find Uzumaki Naruto to the north of Fire Country. He is with two other Leaf nins," Konan elaborated.
"Fine. It's about time, anyway," Kisame said grumpily. "Let's get this over with."
And with that, they commenced the journey.
Sakura stood on the cliff overlooking the sea, finally standing on dry land after days of traveling over water.
She had just arrived at Tea Country not long ago and since then, had made her way inland through the familiar land. It would take her another half a day traveling at full speed to reach the north-west corner of Tea Country where Idate was based. She knew the village Deidara was referring to. It was close to the border to Fire Country and she knew it because seven years ago, she, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and Sasuke had spent a night there resting in one of the inns during their first mission in Tea Country.
It seemed like such a long time now. So many things had changed since then. Kakashi was no longer her sensei. Naruto was no longer that hyperactive, skill-less genin, but a fully-fledge ANBU. He was no longer looked down upon and had proven himself to all of Konoha. And Sasuke? Sasuke was no longer that same boy she had fallen in love with.
Lastly, what about her? She guessed in a way, she was the one who had changed the most.
Kakashi was still as perverted as ever, and as protective as ever. From what she could tell form their brief encounters, Naruto was still the same exuberant, earnest individual and she bet that the vengeance in Sasuke's heart had not lessened over the years. All three of them still held the same ideals.
As for her, things had changed so much that she did not even realized it had happened in the first place. How else could she explain why she was so torn between Konoha and the bonds she had forged in Akatsuki? Months ago, this question would not even arise. Months ago, if she had received a certain message from Tsunade, she would not hesitate to act on it, even if it was just to return to Konoha.
Her fingers fisted, crumpling an unmarked scroll in her hand. She had taken a short detour to check another pick-up point, and had found this scroll hidden under the boulders just a few steps away from her current location. It confirmed the contents of the message she had picked up just a little over a week ago. Tsunade would not have taken the trouble to leave the same message all over the place if it was not urgent.
It would be so easy for her to just leave now, bypassing Idate's village and heading straight for Konoha. At the most, it would take her two days to reach Konoha and all this would be over. She would be fully reinstated as a Leaf kunoichi and go about her daily duties without worrying about hunter-nins and such thing, if Tsunade could manage to persuade the council to ignore all her crimes over the last couple of years.
Was it worth it, though? In these two years, she had only managed to save the hachibi jinchuuriki. And perhaps Tea Country from a full-blown Akatsuki invasion. How about Naruto? If she left now to return to Konoha, what would happen to Naruto? How was she supposed to help her friend if she was not around? Was that not why she had agreed to this mission in the first place?
Yes, she was a responsible Leaf kunoichi, bound to follow her Hokage's orders without questions. But if she left, she would be putting her friend in danger. That was something that she was not willing to do, Konoha's orders or not. Naruto's life was more important.
The correct decision was right in front of her eyes all this time. It had nothing to do with Konoha… or Itachi. Even though the thought of leaving Itachi did make her heart clench the way she had never anticipated. It seemed almost unfair that she had just found someone like him only to be left with no choice but to give him up so soon.
Sakura gave herself a mental shake. She had to stop thinking about Itachi because he was making her waver in her decision, something she could not afford to do. If she was to do this, she had to be sure, because there was no turning back.
The priority here was to save Naruto.
Her spine straightened in determination.
She would not leave. A few months had passed since the hachibi extraction and soon, the Akatsuki would be after Naruto. And when they did so, she wanted to be around to make sure that everything went according to plan. At the very least, even if Akatsuki managed to get hold of the kyuubi, she could keep Naruto alive using her jutsu.
Her mind made up, Sakura glanced down at the scroll.
"Forgive me, shishou," she whispered as she watched the scroll disappear from her hand.
Night had already descended upon Grass Country hours ago, but the activity within the grounds of Kusagakure-No-Sato showed no signs of ceasing. Through the open-slot walls of the hidden village, one could see wood fires scattered around, while shinobi from all over laughed and danced. The Grass shinobi sentries outside the walls stood restlessly at their posts, obviously resenting not being able to enjoy themselves like the rest of their comrades and guests.
Hidden far away within the long, shoulder-height grass, Itachi flicked his Sharingan one last time towards the gates of the hidden village before he turned to his blue-skinned partner. He only had to incline his head once for Kisame to grasp his intent to leave.
As they moved stealthily away from the Hidden Village of Grass, Itachi mulled over what he had seen. Uzumaki Naruto was within the walls of the village, completely oblivious to the danger to his life as he joined in the entertainment provided by the host, the Grass shinobi. He appeared to be representing Konoha, together with two other shinobi Itachi did not recognize, although their chakra signatures seemed familiar.
After traveling a fair distance away from the Hidden Village, Itachi felt Kisame's attention on him.
"The kyuubi brat is still in there?" the Mist shinobi asked.
"Aa."
"I suppose he won't leave until the whole festival is over."
"Our task is only to trail him, for now," Itachi pointed out.
Kisame nodded. "I know. But if he's still in there by next week, we'll have no choice but to enter the village to drag him out."
"Hm."
Considering just how difficult it was to capture Uzumaki Naruto in the past, Itachi supposed he understood why Pein had ordered them to shadow the jinchuuriki, not letting him out of their sight until the planned capture date.
So far, they had been taking turns spying on the jinchuuriki as he travelled with his comrades. Itachi and Kisame had spent the last twelve hours keeping themselves hidden just outside the Hidden Village of Grass, and now, it was Konan and Deidara's turn to do their swift.
Steps slowing, Itachi scanned the grassy area around them until he found a small, almost insignificant marker made up of two twigs. It was the entrance to the cave where the rest were waiting in.
Performing the necessary seals to reveal the cave entrance, Itachi stepped into the cave to be greeted by the sight of Konan and Deidara sitting silently against the wall. Both stared at them questioningly when they entered.
"How did it go, hm?" Deidara asked.
"The target shows no signs of moving," Itachi said as he sat down opposite the blonde shinobi.
Konan stood up and made her way towards the exit of the cave. "We'd better make sure of that. Come, Deidara."
Grumbling under his breath, Deidara stood up. "Never thought I'd say this, yeah. But this mission with you three is mind-numbingly boring."
Kisame snorted. "It's a mission. What do you expect?"
"Well, at least Tobi is entertaining, yeah."
"This is work, you idiot," Kisame retorted.
Deidara raised a brow at the blue-skinned shinobi. "Yeah? So I guess it's the same for you two whether Sakura is around or not, hm?"
"It is not relevant," Itachi responded before Kisame could open his mouth. "You should go. Konan is waiting."
With another grumble, Deidara walked out of the cave, leaving Itachi and Kisame alone. Deciding to rest, Itachi walked to a dark alcove at the back and sat down. Wordlessly, Kisame did the same.
"He's right, you know," the Mist shinobi suddenly muttered gruffly as he sat down.
Itachi quirked a questioning brow at his long-time partner.
Kisame shrugged. "Guess I got used to the kunoichi. It's not quite the same anymore when she's not around."
"Hm."
After a short pause, Kisame asked, "What is going on, Itachi? Why is she not here?"
"Pein seeks to minimize risk."
"Risk?" Kisame frowned thoughtfully. "He suspects her of something, then?"
"Aa."
Kisame shook his head slowly. "Can't trust missing-nins, can you?"
Suppressing a sigh, Itachi leaned back against the stone wall and closed his eyes. He did not know what to think about this anymore. Perhaps he had trusted Sakura, as much a missing-nin could trust anyone. But if she was truly under Madara's command, it meant that she was standing in his way.
If that was the case, would he be able to eliminate her?
It had taken her a little more than a week to make it to the village in Tea Country, collect the information from a surprised Idate and bring herself back to Lightning Country. But at least she had made it, Sakura thought as she walked through the gates of the Akatsuki compound.
Her steps faltered then. The air was chilly, and ominously silent, giving rise to chills running up the back of her neck. Where was everyone? Were they not back from their own missions yet? Senses on full alert, she made her way to the building and then up the stairs. This time, she felt a slight presence. Pausing at the hallway that led to their bedrooms, Sakura expanded her senses until she located someone familiar.
"Tobi?" she called out hesitantly.
A muffled thump sounded before a door swung open, revealing a face obscured by an orange mask.
"Sakura-san!" Tobi exclaimed, sounding surprised.
She nodded, smiling slightly as she closed the distance between them. "Where's everyone?"
Tobi stepped out of his room fully, his countenance displaying his confusion. "Sakura-san. Why are you still here?"
His words were not expected. Was she supposed to be somewhere else? "What do you mean?" she ventured cautiously.
"The rest left days ago." He paused thoughtfully before he continued, "Actually, more than a week ago now, I think."
"Pein told me they were on some sort of mission," Sakura supplied. "Isn't that right? Or did I miss something?"
Tobi nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. I think you missed something. It's a big mission. They went to capture the final jinchuuriki."
It took her all her willpower to retain a neutral façade. "The kyuubi jinchuuriki."
Tobi nodded. "Yes, the rest of them left to capture Uzumaki Naruto."
Sakura felt her blood run cold.
"Why are you not with them?" he asked curiously.
It took her a moment to register Tobi's question. "Why… Oh!" Gathering her thoughts, she replied in a more even tone, "Pein asked me to gather some info from Tea Country."
"I see. So that's why…" He gave her an absent wave before he turned around to walk away. "Well, at least you're back now. I'll see you later."
The sudden ice in Tobi's tone set alarm bells in her mind ringing. It also did not escape her notice that this voice was not unfamiliar. She had heard this voice before, when she had eavesdropped on Pein and a so-called stranger months ago. Only she now knew that the so-called stranger was Tobi.
Her mind whirred as she struggled to recall what she had overheard.
Then her eyes widened in comprehension.
No, not Tobi.
Madara.
She frowned in confusion. The only Madara she knew was the founder of the Uchiha clan, but this was not possible, right? After all, it was not possible for one to live so long.
Wasn't it?
What about Orochimaru and Tsunade? They managed to 'remain' young, albeit using different techniques. Come to think of it, she recalled Madara referring to Orochimaru's jutsu the first time she had eavesdropped. Something about Orochimaru's technique being an imitation. She supposed it made sense, in a twisted way. Madara must have been the one who had created the jutsu Orochimaru used, and if she guessed correctly, the Uchiha must be playing quite a crucial role in Akatsuki.
Wait, Orochimaru's jutsu relied on using other's bodies as a container, didn't it? Did this mean that Madara's jutsu required the same thing?
Sakura grimaced. The whole notion sickened her.
So what should she do now?
Realistically, there was nothing she could do about this except to report it back to Tsunade. The problem was, she needed to find a way to remove herself from the Akatsuki compound before sending the message. Which meant that she could not report anything to Tsunade for now.
Talking about reports, she had better contact Pein to update him on the situation in Tea Country. Not that this was important considering everything else that was happening.
Then she would sit down somewhere to think of what she should do next.
After spending a few days in Grass, Uzumaki Naruto and his two teammates had moved on to Earth Country. The Akatsuki had followed and was now prepared to wait for an unknown amount of time.
Itachi's gaze followed the movement of the jinchuuriki who was only identifiable from his blonde hair and his orange attire. He continued to watch as Naruto disappeared beyond the stone walls. The Leaf nins had commenced socializing with the Hidden Rock Village shinobi and spent most of their time within the gates of the village. Although the celebration was not as boisterous this time, it was becoming clear to Itachi that this excursion was likely to be a public relations exercise.
This brought him and the rest to the conclusion that they had to capture the jinchuuriki once he left the Hidden Village of Rock to head towards his next destination. It would cause more problems if they were to attempt to capture him when he was within one of the villages he was visiting.
"This is ridiculous," Kisame muttered darkly.
Turning sideways, Itachi raised a questioning brow at him.
"We should just drag him back and keep him there until it's the right time to extract."
"The risk of interruption is higher," Itachi pointed out calmly.
Kisame muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Itachi's brow furrowed as he caught one word in the Mist shinobi's grumblings.
Sakura.
It had been more than a week since he last saw Sakura. Much as he did not want to think about it, Pein's declaration about the kunoichi's possible alliance with Madara had continued to disturb him.
He clenched his fists tightly. It irked him that he was thinking about her when he could be thinking about his plans to bring down Madara. In fact, he did not understand why he could not dispel the entire issue from his mind. It should be a simple thing, after all. Whether or not Pein's words were true, the fact that he had brought it up was enough to highlight that Sakura was a risk. And as far as Itachi was concerned, that was enough of a reason for him to be wary of her, for him to remove himself from her. There was no need for such prolonged period of consideration. There was no need to wonder if she might be innocent of the accusation. In his line of work, such risk should not be taken.
And yet, Itachi could not help himself.
Why? Why did she affect him in such a manner? Why could he not dismiss her from his mind even after one week of not seeing her? As attracted as they were to each other, she was simply another woman. Was she not?
Itachi's lips tightened. He knew the answers to these questions, even though he loathed to admit it. The question was, how should he respond to it?
A couple of days had passed and Sakura was still no closer to a solution with regards to Tobi and the mission to capture Naruto. But she took some relief in the fact that it was taking the four Akatsuki so long to complete their mission. It meant that Naruto was not giving in easily, right? Naruto would fight and never give up, like he usually did.
But how would Itachi fare against Naruto? The last time they had fought, Itachi had won, even though his Mangekyou had taken a lot out of him. What if this time, Naruto managed to defeat Itachi? What if Itachi overdid his doujutsu?
Swallowing past her dry throat, Sakura dragged her eyes away from the window and went to her bed. Flopping down on her back, she sighed loudly.
The honest truth was, she did not want Itachi or Naruto to get hurt. In fact, she did not even want Kisame and Deidara to get hurt, and she knew that this was simply because she had developed some kind of bond with them.
But what she was asking for was impossible. It was a battle and someone was bound to get hurt.
A knock sounded on her door, jolting her out of her contemplations. The chakra signature outside told her that it was Tobi.
"Yes?" she called out, removing herself from her bed.
Tobi pushed the door open and stuck his head in. "Come on, Sakura-san."
She blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"We have to go."
"What? Go where?"
"Wind Country. That's where we'll be doing the extraction. Pein is already there."
Breathe, Sakura, breathe, she told herself. Even though the idea of extracting the kyuubi from Naruto made her feel ill, she could not afford to let any of those emotions show through.
"He's captured?"
Tobi shook his head. "Not yet."
She nodded, smiling slightly. "But at least we're closer to our goal."
Tobi chuckled, a sound which made her hair stand on its end.
"Yes. Yes, we are."
Once he left her room, Sakura quickly gathered her belongings and in a few moments, joined him outside. It took them a few days of traveling to cross the many countries which laid between Lightning Country and Wind Country. When they finally arrived at the extraction chamber, Sakura had had enough of traveling.
As she stepped into the space, Sakura glanced around curiously. Similar to the other extraction chambers, this one was also a huge hidden cave. She supposed it needed to be such a size because of the statue.
Tobi gestured towards the back of the main extraction chamber. "You can rest in there. No rooms, but it should be comfortable enough."
Sakura nodded and watched as the masked shinobi went in the opposite direction. If she had to guess, she would say that Tobi was probably looking for Pein. Which meant that the conversation was probably worth listening into.
Deciding to minimize suspicion, she made her way to the place indicated by Tobi earlier and found herself facing a number of rounded alcoves in the back chamber. In each alcove, there was a small ledge within which she guessed served as a bed.
Making herself comfortable on one of them, she did not waste any time in forming the seals for her hearing-enhancement jutsu. Then she pressed her glowing fingertips to her ears and waited.
Her eyes widened slightly when she heard two familiar voices.
"It was unnecessary. She doesn't need to be there during the retrieval. The rest could do it."
"Your paranoia is beginning to grow tedious," Tobi said in a smooth voice, but there was no mistaking the threat in it.
"And you're blinded by your own ambition. Why her? Why not someone else?"
"She is what I need for my future plans."
"Konan is strong," Pein remarked pointedly.
"Konan depends too much on others. Besides, it is turning out as I expected. Soon, she will yield what I wish for." A pause followed before Tobi added icily, "Do not stand in my way, Pein, or you will regret it."
"She poses a risk."
"My spies tested her. She did not betray us under pressure, even though they gave her enough reason to do so."
"How certain are you?"
"If she was working for Konoha, then there was no reason for her to fight them. They are part of Konoha, after all."
"She might have passed your test but I'm not willing to trust her fully. There is something about her that doesn't seem right. Surely you understand why this caution is necessary."
A pause followed.
"Very well. I will… probe further."
Silence followed his proclamation, and Sakura held her breath. When it did not seem as if they were going to say anymore, she released the jutsu and exhaled loudly.
Their conversation worried her. It was clear that they were talking about her, and that Tobi, or Madara, had some plans which involved her. Tobi needed her for something. From what she could tell, it had something to do with her strength. But what could it be? All she had was the things she learnt from Tsunade.
The last conversation and this one basically told her that it was not a coincidence that she was invited into the Akatsuki. Tobi had a hand in this, and if she had to guess, it must be his spies in Konoha who had suggested her in the first place. Someone who knew what she was capable of.
Also, Tobi's talk about his spies could only mean one thing; the attack on her around one month ago. The implication of it was staggering. The fact the ANBU Root was connected to Tobi had never occurred to her, but now that she thought about it, it made sense. After all, the Hyuuga operative had been fishing for information, trying to get her to admit that she was working for Tsunade.
As glad as she was that she had not buckled under pressure then, Sakura was now worried for Konoha. ANBU Root was under Danzou's command, and it was no secret that Danzou wanted Tsunade out of the way. But the fact that he was willing to work with Tobi, or Madara, meant serious trouble for Konoha. This also explained how months ago prior to the hachibi extraction, Pein had managed to get a copy of the jinchuuriki research she had done in Konoha.
She had to get this information to Tsunade no matter what. This could not wait.
Jumping off the ledge, she walked out into the main chamber, intent on getting outside. The exit tunnel was to the far left, if she recalled correctly, she thought as she made a beeline towards it.
"Ah, Sakura!"
Tobi's unexpected voice almost brought forth a curse from her. She forced a smile to her lips, striving to be as normal as possible as she turned to face him.
"Tobi. Any news from the rest?" she asked.
Stopping in front of her, he shook his head. "But they should be back soon. Where are you doing?"
"I thought I'd scout around the area a little since I don't have anything else to do."
"Yes, yes. A good idea."
"So… Do you need anything when I'm out there?" she asked.
"No," he said as he took a step closer to her.
Suddenly, Sakura found her shoulders clamped by a pair of strong hands.
"But there is something else you can help me with."
Sakura's stiffened in alarm. That voice. It was that voice again. Madara. Then she sucked in a sharp breath as his one single eye became visible.
Sharingan.
Before she could form another thought, darkness overcame her.
Itachi smirked inwardly as his gaze followed the three figures leaping from branch to branch in the distance. There were four Akatsuki against three Leaf shinobi. It was clear that Leaf did not stand a chance of winning.
"This is going to be good," Kisame declared, his jagged teeth bared.
"I'll handle those two goons behind the Uzumaki brat," Deidara said, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Let's go."
They streaked forward, and in a blink of an eye, had the Leafs surrounded. But Itachi knew that it was too easy to be true. His suspicion was proven when Kisame swung his Samehada at a red-haired shinobi only to have him disappear in a puff of smoke.
"Bunshin," Konan murmured, her eyes darting around warily as the other two disappeared as well.
Itachi scanned the surrounding, and his eyes immediately picked up the almost-disguised chakra signatures of the three. He inclined his head in the direction of a nearby river.
"There," he intoned.
The three Akatsuki around him shot towards the river, dispersing as they did so. Itachi remained where he was, his eyes tracking the movement of the Leaf shinobi's chakra. Naruto's was easily recognizable and once again, Itachi had an odd feeling that he recognized one of the others. He simply could not pinpoint which Leaf shinobi it was.
Slowly, he made his way to the riverside just in time to see the three Akatsuki facing the three Leaf shinobi.
Naruto's eyes landed on him instantly. "Oi, Uchiha. Where's your other partner?"
The mention of Sakura made Itachi's lips tighten slightly. Yes, this jinchuuriki was quite familiar with the kunoichi, was he not?
"It is none of your concern, Naruto-kun," he responded calmly.
Kisame snorted. "You'll get to see the kunoichi soon enough."
"When we're extracting the kyuubi from you, yeah," Deidara added. "She'll be making sure you give up your kyuubi nice and quick. Maybe you'll even get to say goodbye."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Why you…"
"Enough talking," Konan said firmly. "Let's begin."
Three Akatsuki met the three Leaf nins with a large burst of chakra and the battle began in earnest. Deciding that it was best to not join in for now, Itachi simply observed as those six shinobi fought.
Konan and Deidara moved away from the river as they continued their battle with the two Leaf jounin, while Kisame bombarded Naruto with a barrage of water-based techniques. Naruto defended himself against the attacks by creating a great number of bunshins, each popping out of existence the moment Kisame's jutsu hit.
Naruto's skills appeared to have improved, although his attacks were still as unrefined as they were the previous few times they had clashed. His two Leaf companions, jounin-level nins from what Itachi could tell, were also reasonably skilled. It was hardly surprising, for the Hokage would never send weak shinobi out to represent Konoha.
The battle went on for a while longer before Itachi noted the approach of Deidara and Konan. The two other Leaf nins were no longer in sight, so Deidara and Konan must have dealt with those two, Itachi surmised. So now, there was only Naruto left against all of them.
"Give up, brat! You don't stand a chance," Kisame spat, swinging his Samehada at Naruto.
Jumping out of the way, the jinchuuriki retorted, "Who are you calling a brat, huh, you stinking fish!"
At his words, Kisame's face twisted in displeasure. It was clear that the Mist nin would gladly mutilate the jinchuuriki at this point. Deciding that it was time for him to enter the battle, Itachi called out to his partner.
"Kisame, stand back."
Tossing a final smirk at Naruto, the blue-skinned nin retreated, joining the other two Akatsuki.
"So, Uchiha, you think you can handle him alone, yeah?" Deidara taunted, raising a brow.
Itachi did not bother to answer. Instead, he fixed his attention on his target. The three other Akatsuki stood back, allowing him to face Naruto alone. After all, the capture of the kyuubi was a task allocated to him a long time ago.
Standing some distance away, a breathless Naruto glared at him. Itachi eyes narrowed at the chakra distribution around the jinchuuriki. As always, the blonde was trying to suppress his chakra, or rather, the kyuubi's chakra, resulting in an erratic distribution. With such power residing within him, Naruto was still unwilling to harness it, but in a way, Itachi understood his reasoning. After all, the Mangekyou had come with a heavy price, one which he had only recently managed to resolve.
Without warning, Itachi darted forward. They met with a clash of kunai, and Itachi easily deflected it as well as the younger shinobi's following shuriken attack. When he released a fire jutsu, Naruto quickly sprang away, managing to avoid being hit before he disappeared suddenly.
A shift in the air caught Itachi's attention then, and he glanced up just in time to see Naruto descending towards him with a Rasengan in his palm. He responded with a rapid series of seals which opened the ground, sucking him in before the glowing ball of chakra hit its mark. Emerging seconds later some distance away, Itachi kept his eyes pinned on the breathless jinchuuriki. No matter how much he fought, the odds were against him.
They continued trading jutsu, Naruto with his wind, and Itachi executing whatever technique necessary to repel the jinchuuriki's attack. Battling and killing an opponent was not difficult, but battling and keeping the opponent alive took greater effort. Still, Itachi knew that it was a matter of time before he won.
"Naruto-kun. It is simpler if you just surrender," he intoned evenly.
"What? You think I'm going to give up just like that?" Naruto snarled. "You Akatsuki have some nerve, sucking out our bijuu like you do. What gives you the right, huh?"
"Why fight a futile battle?" Itachi asked instead.
"Who says it's futile?"
Itachi raised a brow. "Perhaps it is simply a matter of perception."
"Yeah, maybe," Naruto replied just before performed his cloning jutsu again. "But I'm not backing down!"
Itachi braced himself for the attack, watching intently as four identical forms came at him. From their previous battles, Itachi guessed that the real one was most likely the one furthest from him. With that thought, he delivered swift kicks to the first three before streaking towards the fourth.
But to his surprise, when his fist connected, the fourth one went up in smoke as well.
Naruto was more unpredictable than he had thought, Itachi mused as he scanned the area cautiously. Catching a hint of movement out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi ducked out of the way just as a glowing ball of Rasengan sailed over his head.
Without pause, he swung back round, catching a solid arm in his grip as he did so. A gasp of surprise came from his captive when Itachi drove his fist into his midsection, causing Naruto to double over.
Knowing that he had to take advantage of Naruto's momentary distraction, Itachi grasped the blonde's collar, yanking him up so that they were eye to eye. As his own eyes took on the Mangekyou form, Itachi maintained his hold on the jinchuuriki, who was now wearing a wide-eyed look of panic.
In a fraction of a second, Naruto had fallen prey to his Tsukuyomi technique.
It was only after Naruto's eyes had slid shut and his body gone limp that Itachi finally released his hold, allowing the blonde to fall to the ground with a muffled thud.
Satisfied that his task complete, Itachi stood up and glanced around slowly. The other three Akatsuki were walking towards him but he ignored them. Instinct told him that he was missing something, but he could not identify what it was. The entire thing displeased him.
Perhaps it was simply because after so long, they had finally captured the kyuubi jinchuuriki. Perhaps he did not expect it to end so quickly. However, the last few times they had attempted to do so, those like the Copy-nin was in the way, thus complicating matters. But now, it was hardly surprising that it was simpler, seeing that the jinchuuriki only had two jounin companions.
"Where are the two other Leafs?" Kisame asked, glancing around with a deep frown.
"Who cares, yeah. We got what we wanted," Deidara declared with a smirk.
Konan stepped forward then. "We'll scatter to increase our defenses. Itachi, you bring the jinchuuriki back to our Wind Country extraction chamber."
Scowling, Deidara shot at her, "Who put you in charge now, yeah?"
Konan regarded the blonde icily.
In a blink of an eye, Kisame planted his Samehada between them. "Enough."
"Let's go," Itachi intoned as he bent down. In a swift move, he hefted the blonde jinchuuriki up on his shoulder.
With the package safely in hand, his aim of destroying Madara was closer than ever. Eyes narrowing in anticipation as he walked in the direction of the Wind Country extraction chamber, Itachi wondered just how desperate Madara was now that his objective was close. What the older Uchiha did not know was that Itachi had no intention of allowing him to retrieve his stolen power. If everything went according to plan, Madara would be dead before such a thing could happen.
Sakura peeled her eyes open and sat up abruptly, feeling oddly dizzy. She could not remember what happened. A quick glance around told her that she was in a small alcove which served as her room, seated on a stone ledge. Yes, she was in the extraction site to the north of Wind Country.
One moment, she was talking to Tobi and then… What happened? She fainted?
Frowning, she pinched the bridge of her nose. This was really odd.
Deciding to check on something, Sakura placed her glowing fingers on her temple and sent a surge of investigative chakra into her head. She was seeking one particular thing, something she had come across after her fight with Ino in their first chuunin examination. The thing that she had studied and developed when she was older until it became a form of defense that she hoped she never had to use.
Then she found it.
The mental barrier was still intact, she realized with relief. Her inner personality, Inner Sakura always ensured that any attempt to invade her mind would be futile. The only downside was that the separate chakra store utilized by Inner Sakura was now almost empty, telling Sakura that it was a high level invasion attempt. Not to mention the attempt had included a mind alteration jutsu.
Tobi.
Or rather, Madara.
Anger surged through her. The only comfort she had was that although Madara knew now that she had some sort of mental barrier, he did not know that his mind alteration had not succeeded.
Sakura bit her lips worriedly. The fact that he had tried to invade her thoughts told her that like Pein, he was now suspicious of her too. Trying to clear her mind, Sakura shook her head slightly.
But everything paled now in comparison to the urgency of the information she had learnt from her most recent eavesdropping session. Her priority now was to find a way to get a message to Tsunade. It would be risky considering their suspicion of her, but this was too important. Even if she was caught doing it, it would at least save Konoha from whatever plan Danzou had in mind.
Swinging herself off the stone ledge, she was preparing to leave when her senses pricked at a familiar presence.
She could sense Itachi.
Then her eyes widened in shock.
And Naruto.
He was here. Her hands clenched as she stood rooted to the spot. Naruto was so close to her, yet so far. She just had to rush deeper to the main chamber to drag her friend out of danger, but to do so was suicide for both her and Naruto. There was no way she could rescue him alone. So all she could do was to perform her separation jutsu on Naruto to make sure that he would survive this ordeal.
Blood thundered in her ears, almost deafening in its intensity as she forced herself to move out of the little alcove. Her steps displayed her anxiety, slow and heavy at first. Then as the urgency surged through her, Sakura found herself sprinting towards the main chamber.
She skidded to a halt just at the entrance, her sweeping downwards to the floor where a familiar body laid.
Naruto.
It was really Naruto.
Anger welled up within her. How could the idiot be so careless as to get himself captured? Did he not realize just how hard all of them had worked to keep him safe? Why must he expose himself to danger, and allow the Akatsuki to catch him?
"Sakura. How are you feeling?" Tobi asked. "You sort of fell over right in front of me earlier."
She jumped slightly, and then focused her attention on the two shinobi staring at her. Itachi and Tobi were waiting for her response. So, she just 'sort of fell over', huh? Much as she wanted to rant at the masked Akatsuki for attempting to invade her mind, Sakura knew that such a thing would only bring up more problems. Better to let Tobi think that his mind alteration technique had worked.
"I'm fine. Must have used up too much chakra or something," she said evenly.
Tobi nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you better replenish it from the orb before the extraction," he said as he turned to walk away, leaving her and Itachi alone in the chamber.
Forcing out a smile at Itachi, she continued, "I see that you're successful. Well done. Are you okay? Do you need me to heal anything?"
Itachi shook his head once.
She nodded as she walked towards them, keeping her eyes averted from her blonde friend. The less she looked at Naruto, the less likely that she would crumple into a panicking heap on the ground. She had to hold it together for a little longer.
"The extraction will begin tonight."
Sakura nodded. Tonight was a few short hours away. She would have to prepare to apply her jutsu on Naruto then. But before that, she had to send a message to Tsunade. However risky it was, it was something that she had to do.
They had a few hours to themselves and Itachi had every intention of spending it with the kunoichi. He needed to find out more. He needed to know for sure if he was being tricked by her. It was something that would not leave his mind until he resolved it, and he could not afford to be distracted once the extraction began.
It was not obvious unless one was very familiar with her, but Itachi could just make out the tension in her shoulders and the hint of anxiety in her eyes. She had only glanced at the jinchuuriki briefly but Itachi recalled how she had wept after their battle many months ago. Perhaps she was thinking about their past friendship.
"Sakura."
The smile she gave him when she turned around appeared somewhat forced, and it did not reach her eyes like it usually did. For some reason, the whole thing displeased him.
"I haven't seen you for almost two weeks," she remarked lightly. "So, how are you really?"
"I'm well."
She sighed heavily before looking up to Itachi. "Was it… difficult?"
He raised a brow in question.
"The capture. Was it difficult to capture Naruto?"
"There were four of us, and three of them."
"I see," she murmured quietly.
"Why do you wish to know?"
Her eyes flickered momentarily. And then she swept her gaze up to him. "He was my teammate, you know. Back in Konoha."
"Hm."
A moment of silence descended upon them then. The kunoichi seemed distracted.
"Look, I'm going out for a walk." She gestured in no particular direction. "Clear my mind before the extraction."
"Hm."
It did not escape him that she did not invite him to join her. So he only watched with growing suspicion as she made her way to the concealed exit and then left with a flare of chakra.
Finally deciding that he should not waste anymore energy thinking about the situation with the kunoichi, Itachi made his way further into the cavern. Once settled on a ledge in an alcove, he closed his eyes.
His mind refused to let him rest, however. Once the kyuubi was extracted, he would engage Madara in a battle. The culmination of what he had worked for over the last ten years was now within reach. Idly, he wondered how Sakura would react once he made his move. If she was truly on Madara's side, then there was no doubt that she would fight him.
To Itachi's consternation, he realized that he did not look forward to such a thing. Shaking the thought away, he forced himself to think of the pending extraction.
Before he knew it, several hours had passed and it was time for them to begin. The voices from outside told him that the rest had projected in and was probably replenishing their chakra from the red orb. Deciding that he should do the same, Itachi stood up and walked out towards the main chamber.
To his surprise, he found that Pein had already summoned the statue. He surmised that the Akatsuki leader must be impatient to begin. Not far away, standing in front of the statue was the rest of the Akatsuki. Apart from himself, only Pein, Tobi and Sakura were in the corporeal form. The rest were mere projections.
Sweeping his eyes around the chamber, Itachi found what he was looking for. The orb was in plain sight this time, and Itachi reached it just as Deidara's projection finished absorbing his own chakra. Placing his hands on the orb, Itachi waited until the jutsu activated. It did not take long for him to replenish his own chakra fully.
By the time he returned to the rest, they were already standing on the tips of the statue's fingers, all set in their allocated positions. There was an odd tension in the air, but it was to be expected, considering that this was the final bijuu.
"It's time," Pein announced.
Deidara darted him a questioning look. "Sakura has to do that thing to the jinchuuriki, yeah?"
"Shall I prepare him then?" the kunoichi asked.
Pein shook his head. "We will not be using your technique today. We cannot risk tampering with such an important bijuu."
Sakura stiffened visibly.
"Will this not delay the extraction?" Kisame asked irritably.
"Yes," Pein murmured. "The extraction would take five days or so. Something I'm certain you all are quite capable of handling."
Looking bewildered, Deidara asked, "Why? Why the hell are we doing this in five days when we can do it in less?"
"I was inspecting the statue earlier, and although the hachibi was extracted, something about it was different. It was… less… than the others. Perhaps, in keeping the jinchuuriki alive, the extracted strength was reduced."
Sakura frowned then. "Are you accusing me of tampering with the hachibi? Because I didn't. The jutsu might have kept the jinchuuriki alive, but the whole of the bijuu was gone from the body by the end of the extraction."
"Regardless, we will not be taking the chance this time."
Itachi knew that she was telling the truth, simply because he was the only one who knew just where part of the hachibi had gone. However, he had no intention of sharing that little fact with them. Besides, this could benefit his own agenda because after five days of extraction, Madara would be substantially drained, while he, Itachi, could easily replenish his own strength using the seal in his arm.
Raising his hands up to form a seal, Pein instructed, "Begin."
Itachi follow suit, keen to get this over with so that he could finally destroy Madara at the end of the extraction. Forming the necessary seals, Itachi slanted a glance at the kunoichi.
As those around her began the jutsu, Sakura's arms remained frozen by her side. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the blue tendrils snaking out of the statue, heading straight towards the unconscious Naruto.
Itachi's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with Sakura. And the way she was looking at Naruto told Itachi what it was. After everything she had said, she was still unable to betray her so-called friend.
"Sakura!" Pein snapped.
"What are you doing, yeah? You've forgotten the jutsu?" Deidara asked with a confused frown.
Itachi did not say anything, even when their eyes met. Sakura was clearly troubled by the task. But she had no choice but to obey. The question was, would she do so?
He watched as her eyes swept back towards Naruto. The blue tendrils were getting closer to Naruto now, and in a few seconds, it would envelop him and begin to draw out the kyuubi. He saw the familiar expression of determination settling upon her features, telling him that she was steeling her resolve.
Then to Itachi's astonishment, Sakura leapt off the statue to march towards the unconscious jinchuuriki.
What was she doing?
She did not miss the sharp intakes of breaths as her feet touched the ground. Stupid, stupid, stupid! What was she thinking, jumping down like this? But it she could not just stand there and hope for the best. This was Naruto, not some unknown jinchuuriki. If she did not do anything, Naruto would end up like Gaara before Chiyo-Baasan gave up her life.
She crouched down next to Naruto, determined to protect him no matter what, even at the cost of her own life. But she had no choice. She had been cornered with no way out and she had no time to pretend to be on Akatsuki's side this time. Without the separation technique, the original extraction would kill Naruto. She did not care what they did to her, but she had no intention of participating in the extraction. And without her participation, the extraction process would take at least another day more, giving Konoha enough time to catch up since she already sent Tsunade a message a couple of hours ago.
Quickly, she placed her glowing hands on her friend's chest in an attempt to heal him as much as possible.
Then she heard Tobi's voice. Only it sounded nothing like Tobi. It sounded like a very angry Uchiha Madara.
"This cannot be… The kyuubi is not within him. He's gone."
When Madara's words sank in, Sakura frowned in confusion. The kyuubi was not in Naruto anymore? How could it be? She had not done anything to her friend.
Puzzled, she looked down at Naruto. Then understanding dawned and her eyes widened. Tsunade must have worked out how to separate the kyuubi from Naruto with the notes she had left. Not to mention the wrist bands she had left around the other jinchuuriki's wrist would have given Tsunade quite a lot of information.
"Gone? What the hell do you mean, Tobi?" Kisame snapped impatiently.
The jutsu immediately dispelled as Tobi dropped his arms. Ignoring Kisame's projection, he turned to Sakura. "YOU! This is all your doing."
"So, I was right to doubt you," Pein said coldly. "You're Konoha's spy."
"I probed her mind, but I came across a barrier. How convenient," Tobi gritted out. "Now we know why."
Sakura tensed as the six Akatsuki stared down at her. The fury in Tobi's form was unmistakable. Pein and Konan's projection wore identical looks of annoyance, while the projections of Kisame and Deidara wore expressions of disbelief. Last but not least was Itachi's thin-lipped look of disdain. Sakura felt her heart shatter that very instant.
Eyeing them warily, Sakura wondered just who would be the one to kill her.
Then Tobi broke the silence.
"Itachi. Kill her."
Sakura's breath hitched in her throat as a pair of crimson eyes pierced her. Her glowing hands stopped forcing healing chakra into Naruto as she straightened up.
"Very well," the Uchiha finally replied, his voice devoid of emotion.
In a blink of an eye, Itachi was standing before her.
Sakura took a wary step backwards, preparing herself to fight, even though her heart constricted painfully at the thought of it. She was left with no choice. This was Itachi, the cold-blooded assassin, the one who had just agreed to obey Tobi's order. Not the one she had gotten close to over the last few weeks, not her lover. It looked like whatever that they had between them, it no longer mattered to him. He would discard it emotionlessly like he had discarded his own clan. It was something that she should have expected.
She stared into his eyes unflinchingly, quite certain that he would not use the Mangekyou on her. Not because he did not want to hurt her, but because the move was too taxing for him. He obviously thought that he could defeat her just like that. Her hands clenched into fists, trying to stop the slight trembling.
"So it has come to this," he murmured, sounding completely detached.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. It was not as if she did not know this day would come. But it did not make it easier for her to take. In fact, reality was more painful than anything she ever envisaged.
"I'm not going to let you kill Naruto," she declared in a stony voice.
"I know."
"Then back off!" she snapped, straining to keep herself calm.
"My order is to kill you," he intoned quietly, his eyes not leaving hers.
"You think I'm going to stand here without a fight?" she retorted heatedly. "I am a Leaf kunoichi, and I will not let you kill me without doing a thing to stop you."
"Eh, Sakura-chan… I don't think he's going to listen to you."
Sakura sucked in a sharp breath at the sound of the familiar voice. Around her, the Akatsuki tensed as they stared at her feet. A shuffling sound reached her ears then. Her heart thumping rapidly in her chest, Sakura glanced down uncertainly.
To see a mischievous whiskered face grinning back at her.
A/N: It was a difficult chapter to write, so I'm relieved that I finally got it out. Hope you enjoyed reading it and as always, please review if you could. Thanks!
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