Chapter Twenty-Eight: To Protect Those You Love

If he wasn't already dead, she was going to kill him.

Sakura stabbed the ground again with a kunai, brow furrowed in frustration. Over the last hour, most of her mobility was restored, except she was still a bit twitchy. She practiced handling a kunai in the meantime while she waited for her team to regroup. But mostly, she was waiting for one particular person.

Itachi.

He had fucking disappeared again.

She had just got him back after he tried to take off without her. Now he was waltzing around somewhere in enemy territory because he was a cocky Uchiha bastard that doesn't understand the phrase "there is no 'I' in 'team,'" but interprets it as "there are two 'Is' in 'Itachi.' See ya later."

Sakura harrumphed and stabbed the ground again, this time more forcefully. But her expression softened into a frown. She knew him well enough to know that he would risk his life if that meant protecting the rest of Team Kuma, but she got the feeling that he didn't abandon them on purpose this time. It would be a stupid move for him to invade Orochimaru's hideout on his own without backup, and Itachi was no idiot.

Well, at least not a complete idiot. He was still lost, after all.

Sakura exhaled and looked around the cave. Their hideout was pitch-black, save the soft light outside the cave's mouth from the reflection of the sun's rays on the face of the moon. Naruto, fully recovered, had joined Kakashi in keeping watch of the area for Oto shinobi, while Kuma stayed behind with Sakura in the safety of the cave. Every now and then, his eyes closed shut, but he immediately shot them open not a moment later, forcing himself awake.

Sakura felt bad for the monk. This mission must be impossible for him. Yet here he was, a passive man of religion accompanying a group of shinobi on a dangerous mission. Sakura found it puzzling. Why was he still here? He completed his task – delivering her message to her teammates when she was still the Akatsuki's prisoner. She also doubted that Kakashi and Naruto would willingly let him accompany them on their retrieval mission. Yet here he was.

The pinkette turned her head to face the mouth of the cave as she heard the light footsteps of a small animal, her previous thoughts interrupted. A small pug padded through the entrance, his paws muddy from running through the forest.

"Kakashi sent me for a status report," Pakkun huffed, sitting next to Sakura. "How are you two holding up?"

"Fine, I guess," Sakura replied quietly. This cave made her voice echo too much for her liking. "Anxious to get moving again. Any word about Itachi's location?"

The dog shook his head, his ears flapping back and forth. "Negative. We haven't sensed another person in the immediate area since we set up the defensive perimeter."

Sakura lowered her gaze, attempting to conceal her distress. He was missing for over an hour now. Dark images of what could have happened to him crept into her thoughts.

She felt Pakkun place a paw on her hand clasped on her lap. "I may not be fully informed about your relation with this Akatsuki member, but I was told that you care a lot about him - and I won't question it, because you have the best instincts out of anyone I know. But I'm sure a guy like him can take care of himself. He probably went solo and has already kicked everyone's ass at Orochimaru's hideout by now."

Sakura found herself smiling slightly at Pakkun's words of encouragement despite how stressed she was. Why couldn't her teammates be as trusting of her relation with Itachi as Pakkun? "Thanks. I've missed you, Pakkun," she said, scratching the dog behind his ears. "But that's exactly what I'm afraid of. He promised he wouldn't leave me behind again, but I'm beginning to think he has no intention of listening to a word I say-"

The kunoichi was interrupted by a loud snore. Sakura and Pakkun turned their heads towards Kuma, who was fast asleep.

"You people are still travelling with this guy?" Pakkun growled, eyeing the dozing monk in disdain. "I'm surprised he's still alive. But that will change if he continues to sleep on a high-risk mission such as this."

"He's had a hard day," Sakura defended her friend. "Let him rest."

The ninja dog ignored her and trotted over to the man leaning against the wall. Before Sakura could protest again, Pakkun bit his hand – not hard enough to break the skin, but it certainly still caused the monk to bolt upwards.

Kuma's eyes were wide as he spotted the dog sitting next to him. "The fat talking doggie…" he commented quietly, rubbing his bitten hand gingerly with the other, "Can I help you?"

"I'm not fat! I'm fluffy!" Pakkun growled, "And yes, you can! You must be alert at all times on this mission, or you will end up getting us all killed! Sleep is for the weak!"

Sakura deadpanned as the monk began bowing apologetically to the pug before him. "Pakkun, don't be so hard on him. He's not a ninja."

The pinkette began rummaging through her medical kit until her fingers found a capsule containing several round pills. "Here, take one of these. They are soldier pills. They should restore your stamina."

The monk smiled and took a pill from her hands and popped it into his mouth. Sakura did the same, smiling as well.

"Kuma… can I ask you a question?" the kunoichi said once they swallowed the pills.

"Of course," Kuma nodded, his eyes no longer glassy and red from his lack of sleep.

"Don't take this the wrong way – I'm grateful for everything you have done for me and my teammates," she explained, "But I was wondering… why did you decide to join us on this mission? It's extremely dangerous for us shinobi, so it's practically a death sentence for a non-ninja companion."

The monk chuckled light-heartedly for a moment, confusing Sakura. "I was alone is this world for a long time," he began talking, a wide smile still lingering on his face. "I never knew my parents, but the monks that raised me were my family and friends. But they died, as did the other children that I escaped with. They taught me that shinobi were evil people corrupted by power and were merciless killers that reveled in the blood of their enemies. They were our polar opposites – the yin to our yang.

"But then I met you. I saw the light in your eyes. You saved me from the Akatsuki and showed me that everything I thought I knew about those that hunted and killed my people was wrong. There are kind and compassionate people among the shinobi. People like you and your teammates. And on my journey to Konoha, I realized that I wasn't alone in this world anymore. We were more alike than I knew. I consider you my friend, Sakura. And I wasn't going to let you die like my family did."

Sakura was speechless, as was Pakkun. She stared at the monk for a long time, who was still grinning. She had been without friends for so long, she had almost forgotten how to make one. She had long thought the light had faded from her eyes during her hard years running from the Akatsuki. But apparently there was still some good in her. Maybe she wasn't as emotionally-hardened as she once thought. And that wasn't a bad thing.

She pulled the bald man into a tight embrace, throwing him off-guard.

"Thank you, Kuma," she whispered.

"F-for what?" he chuckled nervously, embarrassed by their close proximity.

"For reminding me that I can still be a good person," she responded.

"Alright you two weirdoes," Pakkun huffed beside them, "Let's not get sappy. We need to stay focused. We're on an important mission after all. At any moment, an enemy could walk into our hidey-hole and-"

The pug stopped talking as a lone figure walked through the mouth of the cave. By the attire he wore, it was obvious that he was a ninja of the Sound. Adrenaline pulsing through her veins, Sakura stood protectively in front of Kuma and eyed the kunai she was practicing with earlier on the floor, too far out of her reach. But before she could activate her chakra for ninjutsu, the man before her removed the gray cowl from his face.

Sakura felt her heart skip a beat as she recognized the man before her. "Damn you, Itachi," she cursed before quickly striding over to the Uchiha and throwing her arms around his neck. She felt like crying she was so happy that he was still alive, but she forced herself to swallow her tears.

Itachi was not hesitant about embracing her either. He circled both of his hands around her torso, patting her back gently in comfort. "Thank the gods you are alive," he exhaled into the side of her head.

Sakura smiled. This was definitely the real Itachi. "Of course I'm alive," she broke off the embrace. "Thank the gods you're alive! I thought we lost you for good! I should slap you for disappearing again!"

The corners of Itachi's mouth lifted. "Please don't. Trust me, I learned my lesson the first time."

The Uchiha glanced around the cave, his half-smile disappearing as quickly as it came. "Pakkun is here, so Kakashi must still be alive. But where is Naruto?"

"Naruto and Kakashi are patrolling the area for enemies. I'm surprised you got past them, especially if you're wearing Oto attire," Sakura explained quickly, "But that's not the point. What happened to you? We tried looking for you, but the mist was poisoned. I thought you were dead-"

"Sakura, calm down. I'll explain everything in a second," Itachi instructed before turning to Pakkun. "Tell Kakashi and Naruto that I have a plan and they should meet me here as soon as possible."

Pakkun seemed wary of leaving Itachi alone with the monk and the pinkette, but he didn't have much of a choice in the matter. "Right. You just… keep your hands to yourself, prettyboy," the dog muttered, sending a pointed glare at the Uchiha before running out of the cave.

Itachi ignored the dog's comment and turned to Sakura. The medic kunoichi felt her cheeks flush as his dark eyes landed on her face. She internally cursed at herself. Damn it, she needed to stay focused for this mission! She can't let the Uchiha distract her so easily!

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently against the stone floor. "You said you would explain what the hell happened. So spit it out, Uchiha."

Itachi almost seemed to chuckle at her change in attitude, but he quickly resumed a serious expression. "I had no intention of separating myself from the team, believe me. But I was so focused on navigating through the fog that I failed to notice that I triggered a trap – a simple snare, but at that point, the poison in the mist must have been in my system. An Oto ninja soon found me and tried to attack, but I was able to defeat him before he could call reinforcements. Before I could become completely paralyzed by the toxin, I found these on the shinobi."

He held two small vials of orange liquid in his hands. Sakura instantly recognized what they were. "Antidotes."

Itachi nodded. "I used one already to try to find you. It completely negates the effects of the mist, so we can travel through it and prepare an ambush before Orochimaru arrives."

"The problem is, only two people can use the antidotes," Sakura responded, scratching her chin in thought. "I mean, we could try to split it between the four of us, but it probably won't be enough for any of us to be immune. We shouldn't take the chance."

Itachi carefully slid the vials in his pocket. "I thought as much. I guess we will have to decide who gets the immunization."

"I volunteer," a voice echoed from the mouth of the cave.

Itachi, Sakura, and Kuma turned around to find that Naruto and Kakashi had entered their hideout. The silver-haired Jounin had his hand extended, offering to take the antidote.

"I have had plenty of experience with ambush missions from my early ANBU years, but you already knew that, Itachi," Kakashi explained. "Just tell me what the plan is."

"And I can take the other," Naruto raised his hand as well.

Itachi scanned the two males for a moment before responding. "Don't take this personally Naruto, but I prefer that you don't use the antidote."

The Jinchuuriki clenched his teeth, brow arched in rage. "And why is that?"

The Uchiha was silent, as if searching for the right words to say. "Because of your ability to recover quickly using the Kyuubi's powers, you have the best chance to heal the fastest out of all of us if exposed to the poison. You will play a supporting role in my plan should things go awry."

Naruto's anger dissipated once he realized that Itachi was complimenting him. He lifted his chin confidently, but his frown remained. "Whatever you say. Who is going to take the second antidote?"

Itachi turned his gaze to the pink-haired girl beside him. "Sakura?"

It was a question of if she wanted to do it, not a command. She nodded vigorously. "Of course," she responded without hesitation. "What do you want me to do?"

Itachi's brow furrowed, as if he was having conflicting thoughts. "I want you to be a decoy."

From the corner of her eye, she could see Kakashi squint in disapproval. "Absolutely not," he interrupted, eyeing Itachi with a look that could burn through him, "This mission is dangerous enough as it is. I will not have you risk her life any more than the rest of us."

"Kakashi, I can do this," Sakura intervened, feeling a bit hurt that the Jounin didn't have faith in her abilities. "I'm not your helpless student anymore. I can take care of myself."

The Leaf Jounin did not take his glare away from the Uchiha before him. "If you care about her like you say you do, don't put her in this position."

She was about to protest more, but Itachi cut her off. "I may not have been with Sakura as long as you have, Kakashi," he stated, his voice even but resolute, "But our ability to act as partners on a squad is as strong as your former team. We can read each other without having to say a word. And I trust her completely, which is far more than I can say about your level of trust for me. I need someone who has faith in me right now. Our success depends on it."

Kakashi, for once, seemed to have no counter-argument to say. He remained silent, but even under his mask, Sakura could tell he was still unhappy.

But Itachi was right. She was the only one here that he trusted, and vice versa. She didn't care about the fact that she would be a decoy, especially not if it meant returning Sasuke to Konoha and finding Orochimaru's documents.

Itachi sighed, suddenly appearing very tired. They all were, but they couldn't afford to show it at the moment. "If anyone else has any other objections to my plan, speak now and speak quickly. We are running out of time."

It was then that Kuma stepped up to the Uchiha and tapped him on the shoulder. Itachi must have forgotten he was on their team, because his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"If I may speak," the monk asked, his usual smile lingering on his face, "What is my role?"

"You don't have to accompany us any further," Itachi said, "You have done us all a great service already. I would hate to see you die unnecessarily on a mission that offers you no benefit."

The monk smiled wider and bowed his head. "I thank you for your concern, but I already made a promise to myself and my friends that I won't abandon them."

Kuma glanced at Sakura, who smiled and nodded in response. There was no talking him out of it, she tried already. So she made the promise to protect him as well.

"Very well," Itachi stated. "Everyone listen closely, because I only have time to explain this once."

Sakura still found herself grinning, a new fire igniting inside her as she glanced around at the weary faces of her teammates. After everything she experienced the last few years – hell, the last few weeks, she never would have thought that this is where she would be right now, standing beside those who have always been important to her, a stranger she had just befriended, and her greatest ally that masqueraded as her enemy. Never did she think that they were all going to finally bring their friend back home and destroy Konoha's greatest criminal.

Never did she think she would be on an adventure such as this.

"Alright everyone!" she exclaimed, hoping her voice would reach out and inspire Team Kuma, "Let's go kick some Snake Sannin ass!"


Itachi navigated through the fog, his heartbeat rapid.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't a little nervous.

Despite his tension, he walked as swiftly and confidently as he could. He had spent his entire lifetime concealing his emotions. Today wouldn't be any different in that aspect.

Several feet above him, he could hear the tree branches bend as someone kicked off it. By surveying the area, Itachi noticed that the mist was only concentrated about ten feet off the ground, allowing somewhat safe navigation for Naruto, Kuma, and Kakashi in the forest canopy. They followed the Uchiha below, using one of his crows to lead them. But he had to travel fast – it was still possible for them to inhale the toxic vapors in low quantities, even at their height.

Suddenly, the forest ended and he was standing in a clearing. The poisoned mist had thinned out considerably, allowing him to see further. A large rocky formation stood in the center, several symbols and snake-like creatures etched into the black rock. It looked like a stone doorway of some sort, with the carvings acting as physical representations of a sealing jutsu.

Itachi exhaled. They were finally here. They made it to Orochimaru's hideout.

In the distance, the Uchiha spotted a few Oto ninja patrolling the area, armed to the teeth with kunai and swords. Of course, he expected no less of Orochimaru's lackeys. Their precious 'savior' was arriving at any moment. They had to be prepared.

Itachi, still wearing his Sound garb, didn't break his stride and walked straight into enemy territory.

A few men patrolling the area lowered their weapons to let him pass through. But from the corner of his eye, he could tell that they were eyeing him suspiciously. His disguise was foolproof – a henge of the man he killed earlier. Therefore, it was not Itachi they were wary about, but the companion slung over his shoulder.

One of the men strode up to him, sheathing his sword and scratching his patchy facial hair. "What you got there?" he grunted.

"An intruder," Itachi replied simply, preferring to speak as little as possible to avoid suspicion.

The ninja before him still seemed doubtful. "All that commotion we picked up on the east side, and she's the one responsible?"

Itachi shrugged in response, watching the man carefully. This was the dangerous, but necessary part – convincing the Oto-nin not to kill her.

The man lifted her head upwards by grabbing onto her hair. Itachi fought against his instincts to stab him in the throat. Instead, he forced himself to bite his inner cheek to the point where he almost broke skin.

"She's young. Is that why you didn't off her?" the Oto ninja pondered. "Or is it because she's pretty?"

Itachi was silent, refusing to respond. He tightened his grip around the pinkette protectively and forced himself to cast his gaze downwards in an attempt to hide his fury.

"Anyway, she can't be your little plaything," the man let go of Sakura, "You know the rules. No outsiders make it through this forest alive. Now kill her before he gets here-"

The other ninja was interrupted as a group of Sound shinobi rushed past him. Itachi internally panicked for a moment, thinking they discovered Naruto and Kakashi's location just outside the camp. But as he turned his head, he saw that they were all flocking to a small group of people that entered the area.

"Too late," the man grunted before following the rest of the group.

Itachi trailed slowly behind him, Sakura still over his shoulder. He could hear her breathing quicken, as if she was starting to lose her nerve.

"It's okay," he whispered to her, "I'll protect you."

"My safety is not what I'm worried about," she responded, the quivering of her voice evident.

Itachi didn't have to ask what she was worried about. He already knew. She had met the Snake Sannin before. She knew how terrifying, powerful, and vile he was. They were putting themselves in a dangerous position, confronting him head-on like this. But hiding in the shadows would do them no good. This was their only option of gaining access to the hideout.

The small formation of Oto shinobi gathered around the arriving group. Itachi waited in the back of the crowd with the kunoichi, observing. From what he could see, there were only five people arriving. A man and a woman were dressed like Sound ninja, clearly the bodyguards of the group. A flash of light from glasses reflecting the moonlight signaled Kabuto's presence, standing next to a taller man with yellow eyes that cut through the darkness – Orochimaru.

Itachi was caught off guard when his eyes landed on a dark face. He thought he would recognize his brother when they would meet again, but he was not prepared. His features were sharp, showing how much he matured, but his eyes were cold, staring blankly ahead of him, as if everyone around him was not worth acknowledging. His very presence was intimidating – the way he walked sent the Sound ninja nearest to him to shrink backwards, away from him. How could someone like him stand among the most detested shinobi… as his equal?

This man was supposed to be his brother.

This was Sasuke.

"You see him, don't you?" Sakura asked quietly. "I can hear your heart beat faster."

Her anxious tone was obvious. It was then Itachi realized that Sakura was not worried about Orochimaru, but rather Sasuke. "Yes. He's here."

The pinkette let out a shaky sigh. Itachi wondered what about Sasuke's presence was making her so distressed, but he had little time to ponder as Orochimaru's group began to cut through the crowd.

"I hope your trip wasn't too taxing, my lord," the man with the patchy beard asked the Sannin, his voice still monotone. Itachi guessed that he was the person in charge of the camp.

Even though they were a distance away, Itachi could still detect a wide grin stretch across Orochimaru's face. "Just the usual ambush attempts, but nothing we couldn't handle. I like to think it keeps our journey interesting."

Sakura shuddered against Itachi when she heard the S-ranked criminal speak. Itachi didn't blame her – even his voice was creepy, like the hissing of a snake.

"I hope everything is… complete for our arrival?" Kabuto asked the head Sound ninja.

He nodded in response and motioned to one of the other ninja next to him. Itachi didn't even notice until now that he held a girl in his arms. She was clothed in rags and her libs were bound in ropes, her blonde hair chopped short and wide eyes frantic. It was obvious that she was an experiment of Orochimaru's by the way patches of her skin were covered in scales. She was the chosen sacrifice to open the doors to the Sannin's hideout.

Itachi tried his best not to think about her death that would soon come. She knew she was going to die too – the terrified look in her glassy eyes said it all. But he knew he couldn't save her. If they were going to invade the hideout, she had to be sacrificed.

"Subject number 625," the bearded man said, inspecting the hospital bracelet around her thin wrist. "A failed experiment. Tried escaping four times in the last month. We decided that she would be less of a hassle dead. Will she do?"

Eyes turned to Orochimaru for an answer. The man crossed his arms, inspecting the girl, who was now whimpering behind the cloth tied around her mouth.

"Well, I was hoping to use her for another anatomy experiment, but I guess she will do," he replied, his tone sounding slightly disappointed.

A few of the men chuckled darkly as tears began falling down the girl's pale cheeks. The group began migrating with Orochimaru as he began walking towards the entrance to the hideout. Itachi followed, hiding his shaking fists with the long gray sleeves of his jacket, feeling both angry and guilty. This girl did not deserve to die, nor did she deserve to become a meaningless life for Orochimaru to toy with. But he felt as if he was contributing to her death by not stepping in to save her.

Distracted by his thoughts, Itachi almost didn't notice as Kabuto glanced over at him.

"You there," the gray-haired man addressed the disguised Uchiha, "What is that you have?"

Itachi defensively shifted his stance as several eyes landed on him. He should have known that Kabuto would have noticed something out of the ordinary – the man was too perceptive.

Before Itachi could speak, the Sound leader piped up instead. "This dunce brought her. Not sure why. I told him to kill her a while ago."

Orochimaru looked annoyed as he made his way over to the Uchiha and Sakura, the small crowd parting instantly for him. Itachi expected a turn for the worse as he hovered his free hand over the hidden blade strapped to his hip.

The snake-like man stopped a few feet away from Itachi, his yellow eyes narrowing in disapproval. "I should kill you right now for disobeying the rules," he hissed, "But I will give you one chance to explain yourself before I do."

It took all of Itachi's willpower to keep his expression neutral. Standing here before him reminded him too much of their days of serving the Akatsuki together – several days of waiting for this vile man to stab him in the back. Now that the knife was turned on him, it was all too tempting to kill him where he stood.

No, remember the plan, he reminded himself, I have to convince him to let Sakura into the hideout. Once we are in, we will find a way to get Kakashi in while Naruto and Kuma set off explosives in the forest to distract our enemies. Then we search for the documents and capture Sasuke before escaping.

"I found her caught in a trap," he said, his disguised voice low and rough, "I thought she would be a useful experiment."

Orochimaru lifted an eyebrow. Itachi couldn't tell if he believed him or was planning his murder.

"Is she dead?" Orochimaru eventually replied, "Let me see her."

Itachi didn't realize that he was holding his breath until he let out a long, silent sigh. He lifted her off his shoulder and held her limp body in front of him. He disliked how exposed Sakura was to the Sannin – she was too vulnerable in this position. But if he tried to protect her now, it would arouse suspicion and they would all be in danger.

The pale man leaned down to inspect the girl before him. He gripped her jaw and lifted her chin to get a better look at her face. Itachi was impressed by how well Sakura played the part of the unconscious victim, not even flinching from physical contact.

"I don't really see anything special about her," Orochimaru sighed, "But she does seem to be healthy. I highly doubt she will last through an experiment, though. She looks too weak. Definitely not shinobi material."

This was not looking good for either of them. He had to convince him to let her into the lair. "Perhaps we could keep her… not as an experiment?" Itachi quickly suggested.

With this, Orochimaru smiled. "Well, I suppose you people do get bored every once and a while. I'll let her live… for now."

A few of the people around them sniggered and poked their neighbor with their elbow. For once, Itachi wouldn't mind a little bloodshed.

Relieved that this part of the plan was working so far, Itachi brought the small girl closer to him as Orochimaru began walking back towards the hideout, shielding her from the men that eyed her hungrily.

But before the group could carry on, a cold voice in the crowd spoke up. "Hold on."

Orochimaru paused, looking back towards the man who spoke. Itachi already knew who it was, keeping his eyes downward as the person approached him.

The Snake Sannin crossed his arms again, seemingly eager to get back to the hideout, but stopped moving. "I hope you are not wasting my time," he frowned, "I have important things to do, and we will both regret it if you keep me from my work."

Sasuke ignored his teacher as he inspected the duo. Itachi said nothing, keeping his eyes away from his brother's. He hoped that he couldn't see through his disguise. But being so close to him after all these years… he felt like he was transparent. Obvious. His brother had been waiting for this day for eleven years, surely he would notice…

"I know her," Sasuke stated. "She was my former teammate in Konoha."

Itachi could hear whispers around him. He could only guess what they were saying. Yes, it was strange for Sakura to suddenly appear like this. Were they suspicious? Did they expect an attack from the Leaf? He was hoping that someone wouldn't recognize her, but they had a backup plan for this – if anyone dares to try and harm her, he would signal an ambush. A necessary, but risky move. But for now, they had to wait to see how it played out.

Orochimaru glanced at the girl again, as if trying to find something he missed before. "What a strange coincidence that your former teammate is found here the same day we arrive…"

The Sannin then turned his sharp gaze to Itachi's direction. "There is something going on here. Tell me everything, or you die."

Itachi should have guessed that things would not go as smoothly as planned. He was smart, but so was the enemy, and they had the advantage. Home-field, outnumbered, and overpowered. But Team Kuma would survive because they would be underestimated.

"W-we picked up a disturbance earlier, so we sent some people out to investigate," the Sound leader stuttered, interrupting Itachi. "We only found her. We still have some men patrolling the area for more intruders, but any other outsiders won't make it far in the mist."

Orochimaru still seemed skeptical, but the hostile look in his eyes was waning. Suddenly, he was smiling again, sending shivers down Itachi's spine.

"Well, isn't this interesting?" he chuckled, "Perhaps this girl will be more useful than I thought. If she is from the Leaf, she might have some information to tell us about her village. It has been a while since I last visited. I'm sure things have changed."

Sasuke suddenly scoffed. Orochimaru turned to his student, his smile fading. Itachi got the impression that he didn't have a strong enough hold over Sasuke as he originally planned, seeing that all his brother had to do was breathe to get the snake-man's attention. "Do you have something to say?" he asked dryly.

"She's not going to tell you anything. The Leaf ninja are too loyal and proud to reveal their secrets, even if interrogated. You should know that by now," the younger Uchiha stated, ignoring the dirty looks of his sensei, "You have a better chance collecting the information from her corpse."

Orochimaru scratched his chin in thought, which was a bad sign for Team Kuma. He wouldn't have considered killing her now if not for Sasuke.

"You doubt my abilities, boy," the Snake Sannin stated, "I don't think you know what I'm capable of. Kabuto has made interrogations much easier for me, thanks to his medical knowledge."

"You can try, but you would be wasting your time," Sasuke shook his head, "I know her, which is something you don't understand. She is incredibly stubborn."

Despite this delicate situation, Itachi mentally agreed.

"If you know her as well as you claim, then tell me why she is here then, hm?" Orochimaru asked.

Sasuke sneered again, casting a sideways glance at the pinkette. "My teammates seem to have nothing better to do then track my whereabouts, trying to bring me back to Konoha. Although I'm surprised Naruto and Kakashi aren't here for the reunion, I wouldn't put it past her to try to come after me alone, as idiotic of an idea that is."

Orochimaru was silent for a moment, but eventually gave an exasperated sigh, as if giving in. "It may not be as fun as an interrogation, but simply killing her is a lot faster," he said, brushing a hand through his dark hair. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, "I have an idea. We could use her as our sacrifice. That way, I don't have to waste any more of my precious test subjects and I can still get information from her."

Itachi prepared for the worst possible outcome, but he still didn't feel ready to face it. On the other hand, Sakura still was playing her façade, completely calm. He had an idea why - she trusted him completely. She believed he would protect her, so she had nothing to worry about.

And she is right. I will protect her with my life if it's the last thing I do.

"How do you like my plan, Sasuke? Any objections?" the Snake Sannin eyed his pupil curiously. It was obvious that Orochimaru didn't care what Sasuke decided, as long as his reaction to his plan satisfied him.

Sasuke's expression was indifferent as he turned away from them. "Do what you will, I don't care."

"That's cold, Sasuke," the snake-man smirked, "I'm impressed. You are becoming the great shinobi I molded you to be."

The younger Uchiha had nothing to say after that and continued walking towards the hideout. But Itachi could have sworn that his brother cast one final glance at Sakura before abandoning her, but it was so dark outside, it was hard to tell if it really happened.

The Oto group followed their leader to the entrance of the sealed cave. Itachi carefully piloted Sakura with him, wishing he could speak to her now if not for the mass of people around him. From the corner of his eye, he saw the young blonde girl being dragged along as well. She almost looked relieved, except her gray eyes were still wide in fear. He hated to think what she might have endured as a test subject, but he was glad that he still might be able to save her life today.

Distracted, it took Itachi a moment to process that Sakura was suddenly being ripped from his arms by the hands of the enemy. He reflexively gripped her tighter, trying to pry her away from the other men, but he quickly forced his shaking hands to let her go to avoid suspicion. He watched as they carelessly tossed her body among them, hooting and hollering about the excitement of the sacrifice. The Uchiha took their moment of distraction to prepare for the fight, gripping his hidden katana with sweaty palms.

Scoping past the mass of people, he noticed a sort of altar before them. It was made of a dark rock with kanji carved into the stone. It was obvious that it was for sealing the sacrificial life force of an unwilling victim to open the gates to Orochimaru's lair. Even in the darkness, Itachi could still see the stain of blood in the center of the platform.

Sakura was passed along the Oto members until she arrived at the altar. Orochimaru leaned over the body of the girl that lay before him on the cold stone, his expression neutral. His obedient servant Kabuto was at his side, watching the scene before him in uncontained glee as a sneer appeared on his thin lips. Surprisingly, Itachi couldn't spot Sasuke anywhere, but he had little time to wonder why as the flash of a ceremonial dagger caught his attention.

Itachi grimaced, his white-knuckled grip on his sword tightening. There would be much bloodshed tonight. But she would not be a casualty. Not as long as he was here to protect her.

Everyone instantly hushed as Orochimaru began to speak. "Usually when a ritualistic sacrifice is in order, there is supposed to be a lengthy speech about what prosperity it will bring or what gods it will appease," the snake-man stated in almost a bored tone as he twirled the dagger carelessly. "But I have done this over and over again, and let me tell you: gods have no power here. We do. Prosperity is ours and ours alone. But only the strongest can achieve their full potential while the feeble wither in their wake. Let the girl before us serve as an example of this hierarchy."

The Oto shinobi began shouting in excitement as the snake-man began performing a long series of hand signs. Candles that surrounded the altar suddenly lit in an eerie blue flame, as did the dagger in Orochimaru's hands. Itachi could feel the energy around him intensify as Orochimaru completed his jutsu, creating an almost prickly sensation against his skin. Itachi ignored the uncomfortable feeling as he began dodging his way through the crowd, making his way toward the altar. It was time to act.

Time seemed to slow down, the shouts of the crowd muffled by the heartbeat he heard in his ears. Itachi mentally began running Team Kuma's backup plan through his head, going over every detail. He had to be perfect, or else she wouldn't survive.

In the event that Sakura's life is threatened while serving as a decoy, I will purposely cause a scene and allow myself to become the new decoy against the enemy. During this transition, I will attack anyone that is a threat to Sakura while Naruto and Kakashi remove her from the battlefield-

Suddenly, there was a loud boom in the distance. Trees in the forest instantly ignited in orange flames and chunks of wood were sent flying through the air. The ground shook violently, sending several people falling to their knees. Even as Itachi struggled to regain his own footing, his eyes never left Orochimaru. The man looked just as confused as everyone else, but the fury in his eyes was noticeable, even in the distance.

Itachi's own mind was becoming clouded in anger as well, but unlike his enemy, he knew exactly what happened. Naruto and Kakashi sent off the emergency explosives without Itachi giving him the signal. They were originally supposed to be used as a distraction for when they invaded the hideout, but that plan was no longer possible now that Sakura was a hostage. The explosives now served a secondary purpose for destroying part of Orochimaru's lair in case they needed a quick entrance or escape.

But that was not the reason why Itachi was angry. Naruto and Kakashi prematurely set off the bomb tags because they didn't trust Itachi to save Sakura in time.

Now the two Leaf shinobi now were the prime targets of at least sixty of Orochimaru's followers. Their distraction was temporary, but they no longer had the advantage of deception. Now they had to fight their way through to Orochimaru's lair to find Sasuke and the documents. All of their lives were in more danger than they were before.

The plan was failing.

"It looks like we have been discovered," Orochimaru hissed, his face set in a grimace, "Kabuto. You know what to do."

The white haired man nodded and began shouting orders to search and destroy. Oto troops scattered into the forest towards the blazing trees to seek out their enemy. Several singed trees began falling, catching others nearby on fire. The cold night air was now alive with flame and mayhem.

Itachi began pushing against the crowd that was rushing past him, his eyes locked on Orochimaru as he turned towards Sakura. From the corner of his eye, he saw the pinkette carefully lift a throwing knife to her side, preparing to attack. Itachi began to panic as he raced toward her, dodging the other shinobi. She was no match for Orochimaru! She was going to get herself killed!


Sakura launched herself from the altar, knife aimed at the Sannin's neck. But even though Orochimaru was distracted by the chaos, he was still quick to defend himself. He caught the girl's wrist before the tip of the blade could graze his pale skin. Despite his rage, he managed a crooked grin as he stared into the jade eyes of his attacker.

"So, this is your doing, isn't it?" he chuckled darkly.

Sakura said nothing. Using her strength, she tried stabbing him again, but he gripped her arm tighter, pushing against a pressure point at her wrist. The kunoichi struggled to maintain her grip on the blade, but it slipped through her sweaty fingers, clattering against the stone loudly as it fell.

With her free hand, she aimed a fist at his face. The man jumped backwards out of her range, his posture almost casual. He was obviously unthreatened.

His smile had faded, but his mocking tone remained. "I don't know what you are planning, but it's pointless," he sighed. "And inconvenient. I do loathe when my time is wasted."

Orochimaru's mouth opened, a snake slithering from his throat. Sakura resisted the urge to gag. That was a whole new level of creepy, even for him.

She crouched into a defensive position as a sword appeared then from the mouth of the snake. Orochimaru took the blade in his hands as the snake retreated back into his body. He aimed the sword in her direction and bowed his head, his yellow eyes never leaving her. "Shall we dance, then?"

Sakura bit her lip, taking a step backwards, but refused to express her fear. She could detect no one else around her, not even the Sound ninja running into the burning woods with Kabuto leading the attack. Kakashi, Naruto, and Kuma were probably escaping the forest at this very moment, trying to make their way to her location. She couldn't even sense Itachi, who probably still had his chakra cloaked.

She was alone in this battle.

Orochimaru must have sensed her distress. He took a step forward, twirling the weapon with experienced hands. "Your comrades - whoever they might be - can't save you now," he stated, "Today, you die alone."

Sakura felt her knees shaking uncontrollably. She remembered the first time she faced him in the Forest of Death. She remembered her body being ripped to shreds under his genjutsu. She felt the pain as if it was real.

She lifted her own weapon in front of her, her hand trembling. That was a different time. She was a different person. She could survive this… right?

Orochimaru was dashing towards her now, faster than she anticipated. Her body reacted before her mind could process what was happening. She threw her knife at his head, hoping it would distract him, but he merely swiped it out if the air with his sword, as if it was a mere bug. Sakura reached for another knife strapped to the holster at her thigh, but it would be too late, she realized.

Suddenly, something jumped in front of her and she could no longer see the piercing amber eyes of the snake-man. She heard the clash of metal against metal and closed her eyes, shielding her head with her arms instinctively.

When she felt no blade stabbing through her skin, she tentatively opened them to find someone dressed in the Sound's camo clothing standing in front of her. A small smirk crossed her lips when she saw the confused look of the Sannin as he stared at the person who stopped his attack with his own katana.

"Itachi Uchiha…?" he breathed in astonishment.

Said man used his moment of confusion to slash at his torso. Itachi was only able to nick his arm as Orochimaru jumped backwards, this time leaning his weight towards the tip of his toes should the Uchiha try to attack again.

Itachi pulled back the hood and cowl of his disguise, his Sharingan activated. Sakura stepped up to his side and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Took you long enough," she scolded as she held a throwing knife in each hand. "What the hell is going on?"

The Uchiha kept his gaze pinned on the enemy, who looked too astonished to even move at the moment. "Change in plans," he muttered, "We fight our way through."

Sakura nodded, resuming a serious expression. This was not what they originally wanted to do. It was too risky. But now they had no choice.

She turned to Orochimaru, who was still obviously flabbergasted. "Excuse me for staring," he dryly stated, his gaze bouncing between Itachi and Sakura, "It's not every day I see an alliance between the Akatsuki and the Leaf."

"We are not here on behalf of our organizations," Itachi responded, his voice cold.

"Well that is good news, I suppose," the snake-man forced a grin, "I was afraid that Pein and Tsunade were desperate enough to team up to off me. Even though that plan is extremely farfetched, I wouldn't doubt it might work."

"We are also not here to assassinate you… but we might be ambitious enough to try," Itachi threatened, but Sakura knew it was an empty threat. The five of them were no weaklings, but they knew they didn't have the numbers or skill to take out Orochimaru and all of his men.

"Then why are you here, Itachi?" Orochimaru tilted his head in interest, dark hair falling in front of his face. "Do tell."

Itachi lifted his chin, his Sharingan deactivated. "To make a deal with you."

Sakura turned to her companion, brows raised. This was news to her. Was this another one of Itachi's last-minute plans? She sighed. Those never seemed to work out well for her. What did they have to bargain with that Orochimaru wanted?

The snake-man lifted an eyebrow, his posture relaxing as he withdrew his sword. "I'm listening."

Itachi stepped in front of Sakura again, shielding her from Orochimaru, even though the Sannin kept his eyes locked on the Uchiha. She frowned. She didn't want to be protected – she wanted to kick some ass. And she had a bad feeling that this plan of Itachi's would risk his life if it meant keeping her and their teammates safe.

She gripped his shoulder, forcing him to look at her. His expression was unreadable, as usual. "What the hell are you doing, Uchiha?" she asked in a hushed tone.

Itachi unexpectedly placed his free hand against her cheek. Sakura was stunned by his gentile gesture, and to her dismay, felt her face heat up. She wanted to smack his hand away and yell at him for making her look like a weakling, but she couldn't muster the will to do so.

"You worry too much about me," her companion whispered, his lips curled upwards into a soft smile. "It's almost as if you actually care about me."

Even with Konoha's most notorious criminal standing only a few feet away from them, Sakura felt extremely self-conscious about how red her face was at the moment. She pushed Itachi away as his hand fell from her face.

"As if," she hissed, but it was obviously a lie. Her reddened cheeks proved that.

Itachi's eyes lingered on her face for a brief moment before he quickly resumed his serious expression. He turned back to the Snake Sannin and sheathed his weapon, showing that he didn't want to put up a fight. Sakura was going to yell at him for being so careless around the enemy, but she felt a presence behind her.

She whipped her head around, kunai raised at her side, only to find her three teammates rushing towards them. A wave of relief came over her when she realized that they managed to escape the forest without alerting their presence to the enemy.

"What the hell did you guys do?" Sakura asked no one in particular as they approached her. "You weren't supposed to detonate-"

"You can thank us for saving your life later," Kakashi said bitterly. "Now what exactly do you two think you are doing?"

Itachi spoke before Sakura could tell them the situation. "Stay back there and don't interfere," he commanded, separating himself from the team as he began walking towards Orochimaru.

Kakashi said nothing, obviously displeased that Itachi was taking control of this situation, and she didn't blame her sensei. She would like at least some indication of what he was planning before he offered pacts to the enemy.

Sakura followed their hard gazes to Orochimaru, who noticed the arrival of Team Kuma's members as well. The snake-man's eyes narrowed in disapproval. For a moment, Sakura thought he was intimidated by the thought of facing more enemies, but she was being too optimistic.

"I hope this deal of yours is worth my time, Itachi," Orochimaru crossed his arms. "I am in a particularly bad mood at the moment and wouldn't mind some bloodshed to alleviate the stress."

Itachi suddenly raised his hands, looking suspiciously like he was surrendering. Sakura held her breath, her gaze locked on her companion. Don't you fucking dare do something stupid…

"I'm not the type of person that doesn't take my job seriously; you should know that by now. So when I tell you this deal, you will know that I am not trying to trick you - for I didn't come here to have my time wasted either. So you can either take what I have to offer, or we will be forced to attack."

Orochimaru still looked skeptical, but was still curious. "What are your conditions?"

"The safety of my comrades. They will leave this place unharmed, or else I will not hesitate to kill you," Itachi stated.

Sakura resisted rolling her eyes. Must he always play the role of the knight in shining armor?

"I find your alliance with the Leaf strange and unfitting of your character, but I will not question it," the Sannin sighed, his tone uninterested. "And what do I get in return?"

"A trade," Itachi replied, "I shall ally with you in exchange for Sasuke's return to Konoha."

Sakura didn't realize she was running towards the Uchiha before she felt a pair of hands circling around her arms and waist in her sensei's steel grip. She thrashed and kicked as hard as she could before Naruto also came over and held her down, preventing her from reaching Itachi.

"ITACHI NO!" she screamed at him, hoping her voice could reach him while she physically could not. But the Uchiha kept his back to her, refusing to acknowledge her.

She cried out again in angered frustration. How dare he do this to her! After everything they did to get to this point, he was going to throw all of their efforts away and become one of Orochimaru's prisoners?! The thought of Sasuke returning to Konoha hadn't even crossed her mind – not if it meant losing Itachi.

Sakura almost didn't hear Orochimaru begin to speak over the sound of her strangled shrieks. "Well, that is an interesting offer…" he grinned. "But, unfortunately, I must decline."

The pinkette stopped lashing, her throat sore and chest heaving in labored breaths. Even though she was relieved that Itachi would not become a pawn for Orochimaru, this now meant that they would have to fight.

"The sniveling little boy that you once knew is now someone that will cut you down without question or mercy," Orochimaru explained, "I purged the values of the Leaf from him and fashioned him into the perfect warrior. Why would I throw away all of my time and effort for someone like you? You, the former prodigy of the Uchiha turned against Konoha when you bathed in the blood of your kin. You have no more goals, no purpose for living, nothing to keep you fighting and improving. But don't be offended. I know your power, Itachi. But you underestimate your brother's."

Suddenly, Sakura noticed a figure standing behind the snake-man. She wasn't sure how long he was observing them, but from the look on his face, she could tell it was only a few moments.

"Sasuke…" she breathed, but he didn't notice her. His dark eyes were pinned on his brother's. She tried to recall his youthful face from the days they trained together at the academy, but she couldn't find it, not in this foreign face with sharp features and cold eyes. Even Naruto and Kakashi were speechless at his change in appearance.

He strode up to Orochimaru with silent steps. His expression was unexpectedly hostile, and Sakura found herself taking a step backwards. His eyes turned a blood red – the Sharingan activated. He was going to fight Itachi. He wanted to kill him.

Itachi still did not appear ready to defend himself, his hands still at his side, even as his brother began walking towards him. Luckily, Orochimaru clasped his pupil's arm, preventing the younger Uchiha from advancing.

"Let's not be hasty, boy," he hissed.

Sasuke shrugged him off. "Don't interfere with my battle."

Before Sasuke could take another step forward, he suddenly fell to his knees, wincing in pain as he clutched the side of his neck. Sakura gasped. Orochimaru was using the Curse Seal of Heaven to control him.

"You might think you are ready, but now is not the time to carry out your revenge," his teacher ordered, pulling Sasuke into an upright position by the back of his shirt.

"Dammit…" Sasuke's lips curved into a snarl as he tried to fight off the influence of the Curse Mark. His eyes remained locked on his brother. Sakura could almost feel the hatred hanging heavy in the air between them.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out as you planned, Itachi," the Sannin mocked, ignoring Sasuke's struggle "I hope you understand that this is nothing personal."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly Team Kuma was surrounded by the Otogakure ninja that had invaded the forest. Itachi fell back with his group as the five of them performed a defensive position. The enemy circled them, cackling and yelling, waiting for the word of their master to strike. Orochimaru and Sasuke were nowhere to be found among the faces surrounding them. They must be using the diversion to escape into the hideout.

Sakura felt her heart beat faster in anticipation. It had been a while since she fought this many ninja before. They all held their weapons in front of them, eyes darting from once face to the next. Even Kuma held his fists out in a martial arts stance, strangely relaxed despite taking part in a violent event. Sakura, who was standing right next to him, was surprised to find his shirt off, exposing a very muscular torso and a tattoo of a large dragon covering his entire back.

"I might hate violence, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to protect myself," the monk smiled when he noticed Sakura staring at him. "It is part of my religious training to know self-defense. So please, do not worry about my safety and protect yourselves!"

"Get ready!" Kakashi warned his team, his own Sharingan exposed.

Not a moment after he spoke, the enemy rushed them, flinging kunai and shuriken in their direction to find a weak spot in their formation. They dodged and reflected the weapons with their own, immediately on the defense as other shinobi jumped towards them.

Sakura grabbed the arm of one enemy that tried to stab her and used her strength to throw his body back at the group of Oto ninja. Kakashi was covering Naruto as he began to perform Rasengan, the swirling orb of light giving them some illumination in the darkness. Kuma was using taijutsu as well, avoiding the dangerous weapons and striking the enemy's pressure points as they lunged at him. Itachi was cutting down foe after foe with his sword with deadly precision.

But eventually, the pressure was too much to handle. They began to exhaust quickly, unable to recover from wave after wave of the enemy. Sakura felt each muscle tighten in protest as she punched a man in the face, effectively breaking his nose. Quickly glancing at her comrades, she saw them fading fast as well. Kakashi was attempting to muster the energy for Lightning Blade while Naruto created several doppelgangers to distract the enemy, but they quickly disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Kuma fell backwards onto the dirt ground as an enemy swiped at his throat, missing his jugular by only a few inches. Itachi immediately rushed to his aid and severed the enemy's arm, blood gushing from the halved limb at an alarming rate.

"We need a finisher jutsu!" Sakura called to her teammates. "Something to at least reduce their numbers quickly, before Sasuke escapes into the hideout!"

"I have an idea!" Itachi replied, slashing a man across the chest with his blade. "But I need you to create a barrier, or you will get caught in the crossfire!"

"Right!" Sakura nodded. She immediately focused chakra to her leg and kicked her heel towards the ground. The earth cracked by the force of her mighty strength, enemies around her losing their balance and falling to the ground. She plunged her hands into one of the fissures and lifted a large slab of packed earth off the ground.

"Everyone, under here!" she called, her arms shaking under the weight of the earthy slab.

Kuma, Naruto, and Kakashi quickly followed her command and slid under the makeshift shelter while Sakura held it steady, arms aching. "Hurry up, Uchiha!" she gave him the go-ahead, "I can't hold this up all day, y'know!"

Itachi launched himself into the air, his eyes rimmed in red from the Sharingan. He lifted a hand to his face and began forming hand seals. "Amaterasu!"

Sakura felt a strange heat around her and the screams of men. Even with sweat dripping into her eyes, she saw a ninja running around, his body being consumed by black flames. The smell of burning flesh suddenly hit her, and she dropped to one knee, forcing herself to swallow her vomit. As she fell, she accidently hit Naruto on the head with the stone slab, unable to duck in time.

"Ow, watch it, Sakura!" he rubbed his head gingerly.

"I can't hold this up much longer!" she huffed and winced, muscles burning in protest to being overused. "You guys are going to have to move!"

"We can't leave just yet!" Kakashi replied, "Itachi is using a deadly fire technique called Amaterasu! The fire is as hot as the sun and cannot be extinguished by normal means! We have to stay under cover! Just hang on a little longer, Sakura!"

The earth above her head shifted again as she began to lose her grip. Naruto, Kakashi, and Kuma all surrounded Sakura and tried to help hold the weight of the slab while the black flames continued to burn around them and Itachi was fighting off some of the enemies that were able to avoid his jutsu.

Sakura tried her best not to focus on the pain and instead watched Itachi fight. As he finished hacking at a stray enemy, he suddenly fell to his knees, clutching his head. Sakura gasped, knowing what was wrong. He overused his Sharingan again!

But she couldn't go help him, not while she was still holding the majority of the weight of their shelter. "Kakashi-" she tried to plead with her sensei, but he had already dashed out into the fray to help the fallen Uchiha, carefully avoiding the black flames.

"I'm on it!" he cut her off. "Everyone stay there!"

Not a moment later, Naruto was suddenly attempting to gain his footing, staring at something in the distance. "SAKURA, WATCH OUT!"

Sakura turned just in time to see a man half-engulfed by the flames of Amaterasu throw a kunai at her. At that moment, everything seemed to slow down.

She couldn't dodge the attack, not without crushing Naruto and Kuma with the rock slab that dangled inches over their heads. No one could come to her rescue, either. Kakashi was attempting to pull Itachi to his feet while throwing shuriken at a group of Oto shinobi advancing on them. Naruto and Kuma were occupied as well, helping her hold up the earth above them. She exhaled slowly. She would have to take one for the team.

Thunk.

The sound of the metal kunai penetrating deep through flesh.

But it was not her own.

Sakura's jade eyes widened as she saw someone fall to the ground in front of her, kunai sticking out of his chest. His hands were shaking as he writhed on the ground in pain, unsure of whether to suffer through the agony or remove the blade. His face was pale as blood began streaming from the wound and the corners of his mouth. But even through the thick crimson liquid that coated his face, she could tell he was smiling.

"Well, that hurt more than I expected," Kuma laughed in a weak, shaky breath.

Sakura felt tears well in her eyes as she stared at the monk that saved her life. "Kuma…" she breathed, unable to tear her eyes away from the man even as she watched his life slipping away. "You didn't have to…"

"You saved my life the day the Akatsuki came looking for me," he winced. "Now my debt is repaid."

"Sakura! Naruto! Kuma! Follow me!" Kakashi called in the distance, Itachi's arm slung over his shoulder, oblivious of what happened to the monk.

Naruto, who also had tears welling in his eyes, wordlessly picked up Kuma. The monk screamed in agony from being jostled, but quickly bit his lip to fight through the pain. Naruto ducked out of their shelter and carried Kuma out into the open as carefully as he could. When Naruto left, Sakura gave a mighty cry and threw the slab away, making the ground rumble as it crashed into the ground.

The five of them ran under the canopies of a few trees, safe from the flames. It wasn't until Kakashi turned around did he realize what happened to Kuma.

Sakura was trying her best to heal her comrade, but she knew he suffered from too much blood loss and internal bleeding. She began making hand seals for the Massive Transfusion Protocol Jutsu, but Kakashi clutched her hands and shook his head in despair.

"It's too late," he said, "The damage is too much, and you don't have the energy to heal him."

She said nothing. The tears in her eyes finally became too heavy and fell down her cheeks.

They were all caught off-guard as the remaining group of Oto ninja surrounded them. Sakura felt a fire flicker to life inside of her. They would pay for hurting her friend!

But the Sound shinobi didn't appear like they wanted to fight. As if to confirm this, they all threw their weapons to the ground, the blades penetrating into the earth. However, the rest of Team Kuma kept their weapons raised as they protectively circled the dying man on the ground.

"We have completed our purpose," one of the men spoke, his voice neutral. "Our master is safe."

Sakura grit her teeth. Orochimaru and Sasuke had escaped into the hideout.

Her fury clouding her judgment, she stomped over to the supposed leader of the group and grabbed his shirt, forcing him to look at her. "Then I hope you are still ready to get your ass kicked, you bastard! No one hurts my teammates and gets away with it!" she concluded before punching him in the nose. The man did not make an effort to defend himself, stumbling backwards into a couple of men behind him.

The enraged pinkette was about to throw another punch, but her fist was caught by Itachi. His expression was weary, and she noticed dried blood dotting the skin near his eyes. "Violence will not fix anything," he said to her.

The man before Sakura wiped his leaking nose casually with his hand, strangely calm. "Your efforts to invade the hideout are in vain. You shall not enter!"

Suddenly, the man lifted a small ball above his head and threw it to the ground. As it contacted the earth, it burst into a thick purple cloud.

"Poison!" Kakashi warned his team. They all scattered from the area, away from the deadly smog.

Once they cleared into a safe location, Sakura looked back at the Sound group to find that they were still standing in the airborne toxin, dropping to the ground as they died. Sakura could only stare in shock at the scene before her.

"What are they doing?" she asked in bewilderment.

"Sacrificing themselves," Itachi replied. "by the order of Orochimaru. They were a diversion for him to escape, but the rest who lived after our battle would take their lives so we couldn't sacrifice them to get into the hideout. Our mission is a failure."

The meaning of his words dawned on Sakura as the last man fell to the ground, his body shaking for a moment before going completely still. The pinkette collapsed to her knees. She laid her head on the cold ground, slamming her fists into the earth repeatedly. Once her energy was spent, she began crying out in anger and frustration as Itachi gently laid a hand on her back in an effort to comfort her.

The documents were unattainable.

Sasuke was gone.

They botched their only opportunity.

When she could cry no more, she heard a wheezing noise behind her. Kuma. She had to say goodbye.

She forced herself to crawl towards him, every limb tensing in protest. She reached his body and lightly placed a hand on his pale, sweaty cheek. She forced herself to smile. A man as kind as him deserved at least that.

Kuma gazed up at the girl and set his trembling hand on top of her own. "Hi, Sakura," he greeted her, "I'm really tired…"

"Then sleep," she whispered, stroking his cheek softly.

"No… not yet…" he exhaled, but she could see how much effort it was just for him to breathe. "I have… to do something…"

Sakura clutched his hand tighter, her smile fading. She knew what he was insinuating. "No. Don't. You don't have to."

"This isn't your decision," he said, his tone suddenly strict, "It's mine. Let me die an honorable death."

Sakura could say nothing, biting her lip to keep from protesting more. Suddenly, Itachi was at her side and was lifting the man carefully in his arms. Sakura and the rest of Team Kuma wordlessly followed him as he walked to the altar near the hideout.

When the Uchiha approached the stone slab, he kicked off the body of a Sound shinobi that lie there – the victim of Orochimaru's sacrifice to his underground hideout. He placed the dying monk on the stone in his place, and then ripped the ceremonial dagger out of the chest of the corpse on the ground.

Sakura saw the solemn look on Itachi's face as he stared down at Kuma, his chest heaving in pain. She could tell he didn't want to do this as he hesitantly made the proper hand seals, making the blade glow an eerie blue.

"Please forgive me," she heard him whisper to the man.

Kuma gave a shaky laugh. "You do not need my forgiveness, for you are doing nothing wrong. I thank you, Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi bowed to him in respect. "It is I who should thank you, for protecting her."

"Those we love are worth protecting," the monk commented, "But you already know that, don't you?"

Itachi cast a glance at Sakura, a strange, but soft look in his eyes. "I do."

Sakura gasped as the monk grabbed a hold of Itachi's arm that held the dagger and pulled it towards his torso. The blade cut through his body easily, penetrating deep into his chest. He made a gurgling sound as more blood fell from his smiling lips and his body became still. Even though Itachi killed and witnessed death many times before, Sakura could see the surprise in his eyes as he released the handle of the dagger and stumbled backwards.

The blue flames that licked at the blade quickly spread over Kuma's body, surrounding him in a strange, yet beautiful light. Not a moment later, she turned to the opening of the hideout to find kanji gleaming in blue on the stone entrance before it slowly began to rise. They could finally enter. There was still hope.

Sakura heard Naruto sniff as tears wet his cheeks. Even Kakashi looked like he was on the verge of tears. She thought she would cry more for the loss of her friend, but her body was tired and her tears were spent.

Itachi slowly walked over to her, his expression strangely distressed. He looked as if he was having an inner conflict, or remembering the evil memories that plagued him. She wordlessly strode up to him and embraced him tightly, feeling his body gradually relax in her arms.

Naruto and Kakashi wiped at their eyes and started walking to the entrance of the hideout, oblivious of the two. Sakura clasped her companion's hand, leading Itachi forward with the rest of their group.

But Itachi held her in place. She looked up at his face, her eyes stained with tears and his stained in blood.

"He's right," Itachi spoke.

Confused by Itachi's actions, she lifted a brow. "Who's right?"

Before she could process what was happening, Itachi leaned down so their faces were level and met his lips with hers. Sakura wasn't sure how long they lingered there. She could only close her eyes and lean into him, both surprised and relieved, both scared and secure. But Itachi Uchiha tended to have that effect on her.

"Kuma," Itachi clarified as he broke off the kiss, smiling softly as he whispered against her skin. "You are indeed worth protecting, because you are loved."

PART TWO END


A/N: Wow, I think this chapter is long overdue, haha. I want to personally thank everyone who reads and enjoys this story, especially those who stuck with me even though I didn't update in over half a year! Hopefully, the next update will not take nearly as long, but I'm back at school now so I can't say for sure.

I also didn't have time to write a shout-out, so I might do one next chapter so I can personally thank those of you that encouraged me with your kind words!

I know I say "thank you" a lot, but I really mean it! I feel like I can't express to you just how much you guys make me motivated and happy! I couldn't have made it this far without you! :)