Disclaimer: Get ready for a long read…what you all've been asking for! (a really, really long chapter)

Chapter 28: Sakura vs. Deidara

Itachi walked out into the clearing to meet Kisame near where the trees began. To say the least, Itachi was not in a good mood, not that he let it show. Itachi walked right past Kisame as he said emotionlessly, "Let's go." Kisame chuckled, but otherwise followed him without a word.

As they ran towards their destination, Itachi thought back to what Zetsu had told him. Apparently Zetsu had found some ninja that had begun lurking around only a few hours after their Leader and his partner had left. He and Kisame were to deal with them, preferably without causing too much of a scene…they were also to try to capture at least one, alive, for questioning. That meant he had to be with Kisame, to make sure Kisame didn't kill all his opponents and only afterwards remember that he was supposed to leave one alive.

When he'd found that out, he'd hoped that Zetsu would keep Tobi and Ayaka as Sakura's guards, but that wasn't to be the case. With Konan gone, Ayaka was temporarily under Zetsu's control, and Zetsu said he had a mission that required her skills. He had then gone on to say that, though Tobi was a full Akatsuki member, he understood that he was still only a boy who could easily be distracted, so he'd have someone else replace Ayaka and keep an eye on Sakura.

Zetsu told him who would be replacing Ayaka, and then went on to inform him of some concerns he had regarding the ninja he'd seen lurking around. For instance, he pointed out the fact that they had appeared soon after Leader and Konan had left, which meant that they might have some idea of where the Akatsuki hideout was, even though it was well hidden and well guarded. If that was the case, he wanted to find out how they'd found out their whereabouts. After he explained that, he explained why he was sending whom he was sending to replace Ayaka, which connected with his concern that their position may be known by the enemy.

It made sense, but Itachi still didn't like it. But he hadn't been in a position to suggest otherwise, so he had just nodded and listened to the rest of Zetsu's not-so-brief briefing.


They had eaten dinner in the training room, then Sakura sent her cousins back to their room with another reading assignment. As Tobi had lead her cousins down the hallway, Sakura noted that Itachi hadn't yet returned. She mentally shrugged, she was getting used to him being called away without much, if any, explanation…though she didn't like to think about what he was being called away for. She knew that with this being the Akatsuki, it couldn't be anything good.

Sakura didn't have to think about that long, however, because soon Ayaka started a conversation. When Tobi returned a little while later, he sat and listened to them talk, but soon got bored and started walking, and then running, around the treetops again. Ayaka and Sakura had just laughed and continued their conversation.

After talking for a long time, Ayaka and Sakura started a light sparring match. Ayaka had readily agreed to stick to Taijutsu and not use weapons or Chakra, since Sakura didn't have any weapons to use and her Chakra was still bound (and she wasn't about to press her luck so soon after being 'kicked in the chest' by the Jutsu…especially seeing as luck had it out for her). A few minutes after they began fighting, Tobi stopped running through the trees to sit down and watch.

As the fight progressed, however, Sakura began to get annoyed. Ayaka was making sure not to hurt Sakura whatsoever, in any way, shape, or form. So Sakura stepped up the pace, hoping to get Ayaka to actually do something. When it looked like Ayaka was actually about to begin fighting for real, their battle was interrupted by the opening of the door.

Both Ayaka and Sakura stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the door, expecting to see Itachi. But the person who walked through the door wasn't Itachi…It was Deidara. The first thought in Sakura's head was, 'Oh, shoot, this can't be good.'

Ayaka quickly turned to Deidara and gave a polite bow, "Hello, Deidara, sir, for what reason have you come?"

Deidara looked at her and grunted, "I'm supposed to take your place, Yeah. Zetsu has orders for you, Yeah."

Sakura noticed Ayaka pale a little, but it was so well hidden, that if she hadn't been looking for it, she wouldn't have noticed it. Ayaka spoke to Deidara in a calm, polite, voice, which betrayed nothing of her true emotions, "Master Konan said I was to take care of Lady Haruno in her absence. Surely Zetsu knows that."

Deidara scoffed, "Why do you think I'm here, Yeah? I'm to baby-sit little Miss Pinky in your place, Yeah." Sakura was all but twitching at this point, but Ayaka remained blank-faced as Deidara continued, "Zetsu says you are to report to him immediately, without question, Yeah." He paused, and then said with a smirk, "You'd best go now, Yeah."

"Very well, I understand." Ayaka gave a slight bow to him, turned to leave, paused, then continued walking towards the door and said without turning around, "Oh, and Deidara, sir…I don't believe that master Konan will be happy to learn you spoke of Lady Haruno in such a way." By this time Ayaka had reached the door and had opened it, but before she left, she turned around and added, stressing the last word, "You'd best not do that…yeah?" then she immediately closed the door without waiting to see what his reaction was. In the background, Tobi started laughing.

Deidara was furious, that much was obvious as he spun around to glare at Tobi. Tobi 'eep'ed and hurriedly said, "Tobi's sorry, Tobi's-" his apology was ruined, however, due to his failed attempt to hold back his laughter. He started to laugh again and said, "That was funny! Big sis just-OW!" Deidara had punched Tobi, effectively sending him flying and shutting him up at the same time. Once Tobi skidded to a halt, however, he shot back up to his feet and started to yell at Deidara.

The next thing Sakura knew there was a small explosion that sent Tobi flying a second time. As Tobi recovered from his second flying lesson, Deidara yelled at him angrily, "Tobi, one more word and I'll kill you, Yeah!" Deidara paused, took a breath, then said as if he'd just remembered, "Oh, and Zetsu's angry with you too, Yeah. You haven't done your job again, Yeah."

There was a moment of silence…and then Tobi ran out of the room screaming at the top of his lungs, "OH NO! TOBI'S BEEN A BAD BOOOOOY! TOBI FORGOOOOOOOOOT!" He was out of sight long before his voice quit echoing down the hall.


Sakura rubbed her ears that were ringing due to Tobi's loud voice, and only belatedly noticed that Deidara was doing the same thing. Deidara noticed at the same time she did, and he apparently wasn't happy with what he noticed because he hollered, "Don't copy me, Pinky, Yeah!"

Sakura twitched, "I wasn't copying you…and don't call me 'Pinky'! I've got a name, use it!"

Deidara scoffed, "Why would I care to remember the name of a weak little girl like you, Yeah? You're not worth my time, Yeah…I don't even see why we're keeping a weak little twerp like you alive, Yeah. It'd be better if we just killed off a no good liar like you who drags our name in the mud by claiming to have killed master Sasori, Yeah!" That little outburst was all the warning Sakura got before a bomb blew up near her, sending her flying.

Sakura landed on her feet and glared at Deidara and was about to yell at him for having attacked her unprovoked, but she didn't get the chance as she saw another bomb flying towards her. Sakura jumped out of the way of the bomb as she thought furiously, 'What does that idiot think he's doing? Is he that upset that I killed Sasori? No, it sounds as if he doesn't think I'm even capable of such a feat. So is it because I killed Sasori but he doesn't want to believe it because he thinks I'm weak?'

As Sakura evade the next bomb sent her way, her thoughts got even angrier, 'How dare he think I'm weak! I mean, I know I'm not the strongest person in the world, but like Itachi said, I'm in no way weak! If only I could use my Chakra, I'd show him how weak I am!' Sakura got up close to Deidara, surprising him with her burst of speed, as she thought, 'I may not be able to give it my all, but even without my Chakra, I should still be able to teach this jerk who's weak!' With that thought, she punched Deidara square in the face.

Sakura immediately initiated a second punch, this one aimed for his stomach. Deidara, however, recovered quickly enough to block her second punch and then try to kick her in the side. Sakura ducked under his oncoming leg and grabbed it as it went over her head. She used the momentum of his kick to help her spin him around and then throw him into a distant tree.

Sakura ran at him, her fist ready to punch him yet again, but it hadn't been a good idea to throw him so far from her. He had already recovered by the time she got close, and when she hit him, she wasn't too surprised that he went up in a puff of smoke, leaving a log behind. Sakura quickly looked around her, but she couldn't see him anywhere…that wasn't a good thing.

Sakura heard the wiz of an incoming bomb just in time to get out of the way of its direct impact, but it was still close enough that it sent her tumbling until she hit a tree. Sakura barely dodged his next ten bombs as she tried to find out where he was hiding. Finally she pinpointed him hiding among the branches. Sakura raced towards him and he jumped up into even higher branches while he sent another bomb at her.

She had expected this, though, and she had planed around it as well. The bomb came at her, but she didn't jump to the side as she had been doing, she ran right towards it…and then past it. Sakura jumped up into the air a moment before the bomb exploded. The pressure of the explosion gave her the extra boost she needed to reach the higher branches…and to give Deidara the welcoming punch he deserved.

Deidara was now flying towards the ground and Sakura followed, thinking, 'I better keep this fight up close, it's too dangerous to fight like I normally do. He won't use his bombs up close lest he hurt himself as well as me…or at least I hope he won't…but I still can't allow him to get away to fight me from afar. I need to keep him close…and I need to get us out of the trees, they're more to his advantage than mine.'

Sakura kicked Deidara midair in the right direction as she thought, 'I need to find a way to finish this fight before he does something even more rash than he already has. But I'm at a serious disadvantage here. Deidara has his Chakra and his bombs, not to mention he probably has weapons stored for when he runs out of clay. All I can do is heal myself with my Chakra…I can't even use a chakra scalpel…I tried, it didn't work, just like every other Jutsu that could have been useful in this situation. Shoot, what am I going to do?'

Sakura went in to punch Deidara, but he turned quickly in midair and kicked her instead. Sakura rolled as she hit the ground and quickly got back on her feet…but she wasn't quick enough. Deidara punched her in the gut as she heard him say sarcastically, obviously making fun of her, "What's wrong, Lady Sakura, Yeah?" As he sent her flying he then said just as sarcastically, "Oh, did I hurt you, Yeah?" She flew until she hit the group of boulders she and Ayaka had sat among earlier. Sakura hit first one boulder, then another, and then she fell to the ground with a thud.

Sakura tensed up, expecting Deidara to either come in and punch/kick her again, or for a bomb to come her way, but neither of those things happened. Sakura sat up as quickly as her aching body would allow and looked around her. Deidara had disappeared again. Sakura reached up to one of the boulders to help lever herself up, but instead of feeling cold, hard, stone, her hand landed on something else. Sakura pulled it down from the bolder and stared at the little black package that she now held in her hand. It was Ayaka's kunai holder…she'd left it here.

'…guess you saw this coming before I did.' Sakura's fingers curled around the little black package as a smirk spread across her face, 'This evens out the playing field a little bit…Thanks. I owe you one Ayaka. Now…' Sakura fastened the kunai holder around her leg and stood up, ignoring her aching body parts, 'time to track him down…it's a good thing I decided to put a dab of my Chakra on him so that I could find him if I lost him again.' and then she thought annoyed, 'Shoot, this means I have to get him back out in the open again…and it took so long the first time.'

There was no more time to think as a bomb flew towards her out of the trees to her left. Sakura dogged to her right and ran into the trees, following the trail her Chakra dot had left rather than the false path he was trying to get her to follow. Sakura tried to concentrate on her Chakra dot-trail, but bombs started going off all over the place and she had to concentrate on dodging everything she could while avoiding falling tree limbs.

A fist came out of nowhere and hit her in the back. Sakura didn't have time to think, she turned and threw a kunai at Deidara as he prepared to attack her again. The kunai hit him…and in a puff of smoke, it fell, embedded in yet another log substitution. Sakura quickly searched for her dot-trail, but it was gone, 'Shoot! He must have noticed it and gotten rid of it while I was distracted with those bombs! This isn't good, how am I supposed to find him now? I can't just randomly search, he'll blow me to bits before I find him! What am I going to do! Think! Think! What-'

Sakura barely heard the whizzing in time to dodge something coming towards her from behind. Sakura prepared herself for the explosion to come, but it didn't. Sakura swiveled and saw three shuriken embedded in the earth where she'd stood moments before. Sakura quickly looked around, trying to predict his next attack as she thought, 'Why'd he use shuriken? Is he out of clay or is he just trying to make me think he is?'

A kunai sliced Sakura's shoulder as she dodged another attack a little later than she should have. 'Idiot, concentrate! You've got to find out where he is!' Sakura tried to sense his Chakra, but she couldn't, 'He must be hiding it…and I can't do what I did with Itachi, I don't have the time to clear my mind and emerge myself in nothingness, and-' Sakura barely dodged two of three kunai that came at her. The third one cut her left shoulder, 'and he's not going to give me the chance to think, let alone lower my guard.'

Sakura jumped away from two kunai that were coming her way, but she didn't expect the other two kunai that came at her from two different directions all together. She was able to move most of her body out of their way, but they both cut into her left arm. Now her left sleeve was hanging from only a few threads and she was bleeding from three mild cuts. She pulled off the useless sleeve as she thought desperately, 'Concentrate, Sakura! Concentrate! Concentrate! Concentrate!'


Suddenly an odd sensation came over Sakura, she knew where the next attack was coming from. Sakura dodged left a moment before the kunai that were coming her way were even halfway to her. Sakura knew their trajectory and was able to grab one by its handle and instantaneously redirect it back the way it came. She heard a grunt of pain and she knew she'd hit the real Deidara.

Sakura ran in the direction she'd thrown the kunai and soon found a trail of blood, which she followed. The blood trail wound randomly through the forest, but it was getting less and less common the farther she went. Suddenly Sakura saw a kunai coming at her from the corner of her eye. She turned to block it and looked in the direction she'd seen it from…and saw nothing. Only a fraction of a second later a kunai flew at her just as she'd seen before…or at least she'd thought she'd seen. It rang as it hit the kunai she had already put up in response the kunai that she must have imagined.

Sakura saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and even though she knew she wouldn't be fast enough, she tried to hit it with a kunai. The kunai flew and Sakura followed it with her eyes. It was as if everything was in slow motion. The kunai flew towards where she'd seen the movement…just as what she'd seen moving moved into its range…and then it hit…and for a moment, Sakura thought Deidara's curses were echoing, but they weren't, and a moment later, it was his voice alone once more.

Sakura didn't waste time pondering what was going on, she rushed at Deidara and punched him, sending him flying into a tree. She didn't miss a beat as next she kicked him, and then punched him. Sakura wasn't sure, but she thought she saw him move to block her next punch, so she quickly turned it into a feint and kicked him instead, sending him flying (finally) back into the clearing.

Sakura took out a kunai as she followed his flying form into the clearing. Deidara landed on his feet and took out a kunai as Sakura charged him with her kunai. Sakura saw that he was planning to block her kunai with his as he punched her in the gut…but the odd thing was that she saw it with her eyes as well as her mind, even though he hadn't yet moved. Sakura didn't have time to think about it as their kunai came together with a clang and Deidara's fist came at her.

Sakura caught his fist in her hand…and then she barely jumped back in time as he swiveled around out of her grasp and tried to slash at her with his kunai. Sakura threw her kunai at him right as he threw his kunai at her. The kunai flew past each other and both Sakura and Deidara were forced to jump back to avoid being hit.

There then came a lull in their battle as both Sakura and Deidara stood there, breathing hard and glaring at each other. She could have sworn his eyes opened wide for a moment as he looked at her, but by the time she blinked he was glaring at her again. She blinked again and the moment of stillness ended as Deidara quickly made hand signs and five clones appeared. One of the clones rushed her, holding a kunai in each hand.

Somehow Sakura knew the movements the clone was going to make before it made them, and in moments Sakura had made the clone burst into a puff of smoke. Sakura quickly returned her attention to Deidara just as he and the other clones started to circle around her, obviously trying to catch her off guard.

Suddenly one of the clones, she was somehow sure it was a clone and not the real Deidara, charged her and she had to turn to face it in order to block it's attack. From behind her she saw three other clones charge her…'Wait, behind me?' Sakura spun in a quick circle and slashed at the oncoming clones…and soon it was just Sakura, Deidara, and his one remaining clone.

Sakura stared at Deidara and his clone as she tried to slow her rapid breathing, trying to figure out what was going on. It took Sakura a few moments to notice something…she was looking at both Deidara and his clone, but…only one was within her line of sight, the other one was…directly behind her.

Sakura's eyes widened as for the first time she noticed both that and that the one standing behind her had a slight glow around it…it was the one she knew was the clone…and now she knew why she knew, 'I must be-' Suddenly she saw the clone run at her even though it itself hadn't moved yet. And then she saw it beginning to really move just as she had seen. It was as if she were seeing two images at once. Sakura turned just as it came within her reach and kicked it, making it turn to smoke.

From behind her she saw Deidara forming a bomb and at the same time, throwing that bomb. Sakura quickly turned back towards him and ran at him. He had the bomb formed, he was throwing it…but she'd already seen its trajectory. She leapt out of its way and in that same motion, kicked Deidara in the chest with all of her might. He went flying just as the bomb exploded, and then Sakura was sent flying as well thanks to the bomb.


Sakura hit the ground and rolled until she could get her feet under her. When she stood up, however, the world spun around her and she almost fell back down. Sakura scanned around for Deidara, fighting vertigo all the way, and finally she found him near the boulders she'd run into earlier. He was on the ground, trying to lever himself up using the boulders around him, but she could tell even from this distance that one of his arms were broken and his ankle was swollen, probably sprained. He mustn't have had a very good landing.

Her ears were ringing, but Sakura thought she heard something. She was about to look around her when her vision blurred, the world spun, and a great, familiar pain shot through her chest. Across her blurred vision she momentarily saw a pair of eyes clearly looking at her. But then they were gone, the pain in her chest dissipated, and her vision returned to normal (or as normal as it could be, seeing as it was still spinning a little) and Sakura knew what it was she had heard right before her vision had blurred…or more to the point: who she had heard:

…a really…angry…Itachi.


Itachi had a kunai pressed to Deidara's neck and he was saying something too quietly for Sakura to hear…but she didn't need to hear it to know that things could get really sticky if she didn't do something, and fast. Sakura ran towards them, almost falling twice, and just as she was about to reach out to try to stop Itachi, her foot caught something and this time she really was falling.

Itachi's free hand shot out and grabbed her arm while his other hand kept the kunai where it was. Sakura stumbled to right herself and looked up at him as she said, "Itachi…" Sakura didn't like how raspy and quiet her voice was, but she couldn't do anything about it right now, so she continued, "…stop it." Itachi slowly turned his head towards her, and she saw that his eyes were Sharingan.

Sakura opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of what to say, until finally she just said, "I'm fine, really." Sakura grimaced, she knew she didn't even look fine, so she added "Ok, maybe I'm not fine, but you don't need to be so angry. We were fighting…and you know getting hurt is unavoidable."

There was a pause, and then Itachi said in a dangerously low voice, "There is a difference between fighting and sparring, Sakura." Sakura gulped, she must be tired to have mistakenly said fighting when she was trying to make it seem like this had been a friendly sparring mach that maybe got a little out of hand. Itachi turned back to look at Deidara as he then said, "Deidara was attacking to kill, Sakura. I can see that, even if you won't."

Sakura shook her head, she knew Deidara hadn't been planning to kill her, though she couldn't say how…though she also knew he had been planning to beat her within an inch of her life...but he would have left her alive. So why was she standing up for him? He was a pompous jerk who had just insulted her and tried to nearly kill her, so why was she now trying to stop Itachi? 'Maybe it's because I know Itachi'd kill him…and it would be my fault…another person dead because of me. Or maybe it's because…'

Sakura reached up and put her hand on Itachi's arm, the one whose hand held the kunai, and put enough pressure on it to let Itachi know she wanted him to lower it. "Itachi…I'm not after revenge. Yes, Deidara hurt me, but maybe you noticed, I did a number on him as well. It doesn't really matter who began it…and really I don't even care who would be considered the winner. All I want is for the both of us to get something out of this fight…not revenge. After all…I've seen enough people seeking revenge to know how pointless it is."

Slowly Itachi lowered his arm, but his Sharingan stayed fixed on Deidara as he said, "I won't kill him…but I can't promise he'll be alive once our Leader and Konan return…after all, he went against a direct order."


There, that was a majorly ginormous chapter (over 46OO words) . You all have been bugging me to give you longer chapters, so here its was. I hope you enjoyed it. People have been asking whether or not I'm going to be putting Inner Sakura in, here's the answer: I already have as much as I am. I am not going to be outright saying 'Inner Sakura yelled blablabla...', but for instance 'Idiot, concentrate! You've got to find out where he is!', I think of that as being Inner Sakura. Also, people are asking for more ItachiSakura moments...I'm trying to do so...I just need to find a place where I can fit a lovey-dovey moment in (it's not as easy as you might think).

Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome (as are people going to my forum, Circles, that there is a link to on my profile)…if you were to flame, however, I'd send you to Itachi…who, as you can tell, really isn't in a very good mood right now. Well, I guess it's time to go on to the pretty list (that is pathetically short)!

Thanks to: Megan Elyse, SasukeSakuraxXXxItachiSakura,krazykoreangurl, cherryredblossom, Selene98, Jay95, aznkitty180, Ilse Montague (I fixed it), Quiet Moon, Crazedchocolatefan, sakura-angel113, Emo Vampire Princess Bella, Sakimi1014, LadySakuraForest, xXBamBOOzledLUVerXx, moonbeam28 (we must be in different timezones because I updated it early in the morning where I live u), SnowWolfSpirit, crystal (I just write), akatsuki's hikari, SpeedDemon315, sandwich-chan, rinnyzito, XxPinkCherryBlossoms4 (It's fine with me, I love reviews), xokatherine229, Hao'sAnjul, Kinomi-chan (thank you), Fallen to Earth, Reishii-Chan (yes, I did), Spirit Seer (I don't mind waiting, as long as I get your lovely reviews), NightWing101, Ri-16-Chan, Marika-Uchiha, Cster, Taki-kun (very funny, it even made Wolf-Chan laugh!), dark Alley, Inuyasha2847684 (I see), & CosenAngel, for reviewing!