Chapter Twenty Seven
I had given each of the four children a microphone to use for communication, since I wasn't going to take them into the prison. I didn't want them seeing how I completed my job if the guards came, so they offered to stand guard outside, in case of other Konoha ninja entering the building while I was unaware. Terrane was the only person I was worrying about when it came to the Akatsuki. Her choice in clothes alone proved that she wasn't the type of person to kill without emotion, the only reason I was taking her was because I had promised. She was my little shisuta and I would never leave her behind. Also, I was like her from the ages of five to eleven. She might change, as I did, or I could teach her medical jutsus and she could become another medic for our base, besides me.
We had reached the ramen stand and I was hoping that Naruto wouldn't spot us, because it was pointless to hope that he wasn't there. My prayers were answered when he continued to slurp down his ramen as we passed, not taking any notice of the assassin and her siblings. We reached the prison but didn't start the break out until midnight. The guards switched shift at this time so it would be easier to get in and out undetected.
I left my small katei by the southern wall of the building and Poofed inside. I saw no guards, as was the plan, and began to make my way to Deidara's cell, the location of which, I just realised, I had no idea of. My cloak trailed behind me, as I had changed back into my usual Akatsuki uniform, as I walked up to a random cell. Behind the bars were the famous 'stupid brothers' and, just as I had planned, they would tell me the location of Deidara's cell for a slice of ham to fight over.
"Hey, Dumb 'n' Dumber! I have to ask you something." I called out to them. They regarded me with a quick glance before turning back to… what do they do when they're not eating? "Hey! I want to know where someone's cell is." They continued to ignore me. "I can give you some food." I told them as a last resort. As soon as I had said it the brothers were on their feet at the bars of their cell. I pulled out two small pieces of ham from my belt and un-shrunk them, adding a bit of size during the jutsu to make the brothers more willing to talk. "Where can I find the Akatsuki member named Deidara?" I asked them.
"One floor below us, three cells down." They replied at the same time. I nodded and threw the meat inside their cell. I heard some sound from behind me that resembled the gagging I had herd when Kiba asked me out a few days ago, but this time it was four people doing it rather then three. I turned around and saw my siblings staring at the brothers as they vacuumed up their food.
"I told you to stay outside." I declared though gritted teeth. "And don't stare at them or they'll eat you too." I added as an after-thought. My younger katei looked guilty before Ryiko spoke up.
"We got bored and so we followed you in." He stated calmly. I looked at him in question of how they got in and he pointed behind him. There was a man standing there with silver hair and one visible eye. I grinned sheepishly at the Jounin and he sighed back. 'We're in trouble now…' 'Cha! He's going to turn us in for sure! Shannaro!'
"Don't worry, I'm not going to turn you in…. Sakura." He informed me. 'He's not? Well, that's good and- wait, SAKURA?! How- when- why-?' "I found out your identity about a week ago when I felt your chakra outside the Hokage's window. Sakura when- why didn't you tell me- us that you were okay?" He asked. I looked at the ground in shame and, forgetting the presence of my siblings and the prisoners, I ran to the ninja and hugged him.
"I missed you Kakashi." I said into his Jounin vest. His eye creased in a smile as he hugged back. We stayed like that for a while, just embracing one-an-other out of grief of our memories. "How have you been?" I asked once we had separated. He smiled again before his answer rolled from the cloth over his mouth.
"Not bad, not bad at all. I was offered another genin team, team twelve, but the name didn't work for me, so I turned them down. Team seven always did have a certain ring to it." He stated freely with a smile. I smirked back and stepped to my siblings.
"Kakashi, I need to get my friend out of here. After that, I'm going back to the Akatsuki with him, Karene, Ryiko, Tyiko and Terrane. Please, please don't try to stop me." I asked him with a sense of pleading in my voice.
"I won't try to stop you Sakura. I cannot, however, be held responsible for what happens when you leave." He told me. I assumed that he was talking about me never coming back and remaining an enemy to Konoha forever. I nodded in acceptance and he waved and Poofed away.
"Sakura-nee-chan, who was that anyway?" Tyiko asked me, tugging slightly on my trouser leg. I smiled down at him and saw the same question lingering on the faces of all four of my little charges. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"You let him bring you in here to find me but you didn't even know who he was?" I asked. They shook their heads and I sighed again. "His name is Hatake Kakashi and he's one of my old senseis. He was team leader of my three-man squad back when I was a genin." I informed the little children with a sad smile. Remembering the past times I had in Konoha wasn't the best thing to do to convince you to leave. With a sigh I lead my siblings along the pathway to the stairs that led to the lower level, where Deidara was being kept.
"Deidara? You in there?" I whispered into the cell that the brothers had directed me to.
"Hey, you're that girl who came in here to question the Akatsuki guy no too long ago aren't you?" Questioned a man behind the bars of the cell with white hair and green eyes. This obviously wasn't my friend and I needed to find him before the next guard came over for his patrol. I was about to walk on when the man's appearance struck a chord within me and I was suddenly very angry.
"Yes I am, and you're the man who tricked a kid who hadn't even graduated the academy into stealing a scroll full of forbidden jutsu for you. Mizuki." I hissed venomously though clenched teeth. If this man had gotten his way, Naruto and Iruka would be dead along with half of the other villagers and he would be running free with some dangerous jutsus at his disposal. He smirked at my response.
"That would be me. Since you know my name, it would be rude of you to keep you're a secret." He stated. I rolled my eyes and glared at him.
"I have many names. Three more common than the others though." I told him.
"Tell me those three. Who knows, I might recognise one of them."
"I think you'll recognise them all." I said. "The most common one I go by is 'Huntress'." The smirk on his face disappeared. "My next name would be the Akatsuki princess, Tomito Kinikura." He gasped and stepped back a little. "My last one is one that you would know well. I am also the long 'dead' Haruno Sakura." He stared at me and sighed.
"I guess that it's true what they say." He began. "Every class in the Konoha academy had one student who will either turn out as a terrible ninja or an enemy to Konoha. I must admit, I thought that it would be Uchiha Sasuke, or Uzamaki Naruto. Never you Sakura, you were a good student, always behaved, you always did well in class. You came in second place for your smarts and fourth in ninja ability out of all the graduates. What changed?" He questioned seriously. I smirked.
"Not much. Just my entire out-look on life and, thanks to Fujin and Raijin, I'm now going to break one of my Akatsuki friends out of here and go back to the base with him and my newly adopted siblings." I pronounced. Mizuki looked at the four children, noticing them for the first time, and was about to ask something but I left down the pathway, too soon for him to turn thoughts into word, with the other Harunos following shortly after.
"Deidara?" I called into the next cell along. I received no answer and was about to move on until someone shifted inside the cell. After a few seconds my golden-haired friend was at the front of his cell, leaning on the bars looking bored. He yawned and took in my appearance before he suddenly realised who I was and why I was here.
"Sakura-chan, what took you so long, yeah?" He asked with his usual 'yeah' following his words.
"Getting the stupid brothers to tell you something isn't easy when you try to avoid the subject of food. I eventually just gave them a ham each and they spilled the beans. One problem, the led me to Mizuki's cell instead of yours, he started a conversation and… oh, I'll tell you later! We have to go before the guards come!" I said, pulling the bars apart using my strength. He stepped though the newly made hole, after putting on his cloak, and we began to walk toward the exit.
"Who're the kids Saku-chan?" He asked me a few we go outside and began towards the gates.
"They're my siblings. Deidara, meet Haruno Karene, the oldest with brown hair. Haruno Tyiko, the twin with grey eyes, and Haruno Ryiko, the twin with blue eyes. The little girl is my shisuta, Haruno Terrane." I introduced. "Kids, this is Deidara." They all nodded to each other to show that they understood whose who, which was easier for the kids since they only had to remember one name so far.
"Since when did you adopt little kids as your younger brothers and sisters, yeah?" Deidara questioned, he was obviously confused at my change in personality and I almost felt sorry for him. "I mean, you're usually a complete bitch to everyone and now you suddenly a nice big sister, yeah?" Any pity I felt for him is now replaced with the need to throw something heavy at his head. Deidara, sensing my killer intent, moved closer to Tyiko, who was the furthest from me, and we carried on roof hopping. I had taught the children everything they would need to know for our journey to the base, so tree and roof hopping was easy.
"Sakura-nee-chan, when we get to the base, will we each get our own room, or will I have to share with Ryiko again?" Tyiko asked across the gap between us. I thought about it for a moment and was about to answer but Deidara interrupted.
"Oh yeah, the spare rooms were, um, miraculously re-decorated with the newest style. It's called 'I-blew-it-up-while-training-and-I'm-sorry-so-please-don't-kill-me' do you think you'll like it? Yeah?" He asked sheepishly. I growled before asking him a question.
"So, what rooms are left?" I snapped.
"Yours, mine, Sasori's, Itachi's and Kisame's." He told me. I contemplated this for a moment before coming to a decision.
"Ryiko, you'll share with Kisame." Ryiko nodded slowly, wondering if the shark-man would try to eat him in his sleep. "Tyiko, since this is all Deidara's fault anyway, you'll share with him." Tyiko looked exited at the idea of sharing with the bomber, since he had always asked about Deidara the most during the stories I told them in the time between me finding them and now. "Karene, you can share with Sasori. I don't think Itachi would like to share his room." The boy accepted his fate and mentally prepared himself for the puppets he would encounter in the older man's room. "Terrane, you can either share with me or Itachi. Your choice." I offered.
"You." She replied quickly. Terrane had never liked Itachi from the stories and frequently expressed her opinion about the raven-haired Uchiha clan murderer. He was a bit too… himself really. He was cold, scary and insane enough to glare at a light bulb when I called him a baby. The weird thing is… the light bulb blew up soon after he began to glare… and Itachi did a victory dance on the table.
The memory made me laugh inwardly, but all thoughts of laughter were banished from my mind when we approached the gates.
