Me: Hello lovely people~
Itachi: That awkward moment.
Me: ...uuhhh...What?
Sasuke: Don't mind him. I fed him a tomato and...
Me: Ohhhhhh. That explains so much. Anyway, I love all the reviews I've gotten and can't believe how happy I am from this!
Naruto cast: *not bothering to listen*
Me: ...bullies...Poor me doesn't own Naruto or any of the characters!
Day 5 after Sakura left Konoha:
Sakura sat in a cave, thinking hard on what to do.
I could kidnap the jinchuriiki…but that's going to take too much time…Akatsuki are bound to notice when the bijuu hosts start to go missing…and that will speed up their movement to collect them all...
Water dripped down the entrance of the cave, the heavy rain yesterday helping hide her trail from the Konoha anbu. Sakura had lost them around 27 hours ago and the rain only furthered to help her.
At least the weather is to my advantage.
Sakura shook her head.
She had to focus.
I could possibly enter the rain village and take out the Akatsuki one by one…But then I risk getting captured because the whole organisation might be there. No matter how skilled I am, I don't think I can take more than one at a time…
No matter how Sakura looked at it, she was still at a disadvantage. She was on her own, with a task that required her to stop the elemental nation's top missing nin and most dangerous ones too.
Kura…if only you were here. Why did you have to die?
Present time: Day 28
Sakura's instincts screamed at her to move and she did-clumsily.
Her heart still felt heavy and she couldn't bring herself to really fight properly for any other reason except revenge.
She had lost Naruto.
She couldn't cope…She wouldn't…
Flashback:
I failed my parents. They are dead. I can't revive them. I want revenge. Revenge turns people into Sasuke. I'm not going to become like him. So I can't get revenge? Itachi is here so he must have killed off his clan but why is Shisui here? The Akatsuki are here. I am most likely going to die. I couldn't change anything and now I'm going to die. Tsunade shisou died in vain-
Pull yourself together outer! We can't die! We can change things! Don't disrespect our shisou by destroying her faith in us! Get back up, even when life pushes us down again, remember? That was Naruto's motto. We'll be letting everyone down if we die here.
End Flashback
It felt like something had finally released her emotions that had previously been suppressed.
She did care.
She did want to continue her mission.
Sasuke…I'm sorry…I nearly failed you. Shisou…Naruto…Sarutobi…I nearly betrayed your sacrifice…Inner…
She had nearly failed everybody.
Sakura stared up at Itachi, already circulating her chakra around her body to ensure she wasn't in one of his genjutsu. She sent healing chakra to her stomach and ribs where Itachi had kicked her.
Itachi stared back at her, eyes as blank as ever.
But before Sakura could do anything, Killer B had grabbed her and they had teleported out of the area.
Day 6 after Sakura left Konoha:
Heading to Ame was about the only option she could think of.
It also gave her time to stop by the sound village as well and destroy as much of Orochimaru's research labs as possible.
Speeding through the trees, she only encountered people once and even then, they were only travellers who were heading back the way she had come from.
Back to the place I can never return to.
Sakura arrived in the Rain village four days later, having to take the time to also cover her tracks so the Anbu didn't find her. She did not need more enemies than the one she was going to be facing.
"So…"
Sakura froze, flashing out of the way of kunai.
"Heading back to your home base, are you?"
Sakura turned her eyes on Jiraiya the Sannin.
Of course the one person who I couldn't sense is him.
Present: Day 28
"What're-?" Sakura asked as they were deposited in some clearing by Killer B's teleportation jutsu.
What is he doing?! We could've defeated Itachi!
She stumbled a bit, cursing herself for nearly destroying her body in her misery over losing Naruto.
Well…Maybe not…I'm not in any condition to fight right now…
'So." Killer B frowned, folding his arms. "It is you who has returned."
Sakura paled, her body feeling like ice had just entered into every drop of blood in her body.
How many have found out?
Day 6 after Sakura left Konoha
"I had hoped you weren't really a spy." Jiraiya scowled. "But evidence proves otherwise. Messing with the bijuu seals. Having abilities beyond that of a genin…Killing Danzo…All lead back to trying to destroy Konoha. What are you and Akatsuki up to?"
Sakura blinked.
And then snorted. "As if I'm with them."
Jiraiya pulled out a scroll, face grim. "Naruto seems to like you a lot. The other jinchuuriiku from Sand seems to like you too. Little Sakura-chan was a perfect spy to put amongst our ranks-being friends with both of them."
Sakura blanched, having not expected that answer.
He thinks I am a spy who killed a young Sakura and replaced her? But then again…He is actually very close to the answer…I did switch with 'little Sakura-chan'. Or at least she absorbed my memories so we were no longer 'little'…
"So I was right?" Jiraiya smiles bitterly, mistaking her silence for the truth. "Can't you Akatsuki leave the bijuu alone? You've played with Naruto's feelings long enough."
"You're wrong." Sakura said simply, preparing to teleport away.
Though I have to be careful…I can't get the attention of…
"Look at these fuc—rs!" a loud and brash voice said from a tree above Sakura's and Jiraiya's height. "I'll sacrifice them to Jashin-sama!"
"Jiraiya, the legendary sannin…Sakura Haruno, the traitor and assassinator of Konoha's village elder…I smell a lot of money…"
Sakura froze.
She knew who these people are.
Change of plans. Akatsuki's already here.
Present time: Day 28
"Don't look so surprised." Killer B said. "Out of all the jinchuriiki, I talk to Gyuki all the time."
Of course.
Sakura could have hit herself.
If the bijuu all remembered…And Killer B was always in contact with the eight tails because of their friendship…And there was no seals preventing him from talking to the eight tails…
He knows.
Killer B knows.
Day 6 after Sakura leaves Konoha:
Sakura turned grimly to Jiraiya. "I don't suppose you still believe I work with them, do you?"
Jiriaya regarded her suspiciously. "Your reason?"
"We can't defeat them alone." Sakura said as Hidan, the immortal ass who could kill you in one blow, glanced at them with a smirk. "I'll take care of white hair. You take care of stiches."
She didn't see Jiraiya's reaction but she leapt forward into battle, only hoping he'd agree to the temporary truce.
I can't flee and let Naruto's teacher die. And this is the perfect opportunity to eliminate some of the members. I just hope Jiraiya stays and helps.
Present: Day 29
"What are you thinking?" Killer B asks Sakura as she sits on the cliff, staring down into the waters below. "What are your plans?"
Sakura sighs and looks at him. "Eliminate Akatsuki. One at a time."
Killer B had led her at a fast pace as far away from Itachi and his red cloak as possible, telling her they couldn't stop to speak until they reached the land of lightning. This had apparently been the first place Killer B had fought Sasuke in the first timeline. After Sasuke's easy defeat, Killer B had switched locations but then everything had become messed up and he had fought in the war as well until he had his beast extracted and died.
"Or at least, that was everything Gyuki told me and allowed me to see." Killer B frowned. "After all, I never came back to the past, but I did learn fast."
Sakura didn't really care about his rapping (she'd heard rumours of it while he was still fighting in the war in her first timeline). "I have already eliminated some members of Akatsuki."
Killer B nodded. "I have heard of that. It is how I managed to find you. It wasn't hard to know why Gyuki remembered when he suspected somebody had come back to change things."
"The only problem was finding that person." Sakura smiled bitterly. "The moment Sakura Haruno, one of the top fighters in the first timeline's war, decided to flee, you knew exactly who it was."
"Yep." Killer B nodded. "We have a lot to discuss."
Day 6 after Sakura left Konoha
Attacking Hiden was both a dangerous and a smart move.
Getting one drop of blood on his scythe could result in her death.
But stopping him from creating the circle and doing anything nullified that result.
She was quick as she cast the earth eruption jutsu, making it impossible for Hidan to draw his circle as the earth shook and moved around them.
I won't let you.
Trees were uprooted and as Hidan cursed, summoning his scythe, Sakura was already summoning her own cherry blossom sword.
The one Kura had given her.
She darted forward, intent on bringing the immortal out of the fight straight away.
Of course, he was an S-rank missing nin for a reason and he was already darting back, swiftly dodging her attacks and preparing to strike.
And then Sakura was darting away as a burst of flame erupted from Kazuku-or at least one of the faces he controlled.
Damn it, Jiraiya!
"Stab them all!" Sakura shouted, focusing on not getting hit by Hidan's scythe that was slashing at her like there was no end. "They're his extra hearts! In order to kill him, they need to go first!"
Hidan and Kazuku both paused at this, eyeing her with newly found interest.
"How do you know that?" Kazuku asked as Hidan grinned.
"That's your secret to immortality?" Hidan laughed.
Sakura used the distraction to her advantage, not waiting to see if Jiraiya used her advice or not.
Sinking her sword into Hidan's chest, not waiting for him (because she knew he wouldn't really be that effected), she sliced upwards up to his neck.
Sakura didn't react at what happened and she was quick to slice once more, taking his head clean of his shoulders.
Now…how to keep him out of the fight…
"Earth style: Eruption!" Sakura shouted and the earth moved again, crushing Hidan's body into tiny pieces before swallowing it all below the earth.
"Should I…Or should I not…" Sakura mumbled, staring at Hidan's head who was shouting swear words at her like there was no tomorrow.
If I bring his consciousness into my mind, he'll never be able to fight again in his own body even if somebody does 'bring him up' and heal him. But at the same time…I don't want his sick consciousness dwelling in some part of my mind…
In the end, Sakura decided to just keep his head as a small memento. Wrapping his face up in bandages (except his eyes), she put him in a scroll.
I'll seal his mouth shut later-that way he can't 'bite' my throat out like he threatened…
Sakura turned to Jiraiya, who was struggling to hold off four of the five masks of Kazuku.
Not bad. He's destroyed one of them already. Now I guess it's time to help out.
Present: Day 29
"You kept his head as a souvenir?" Killer B raised his eyebrows as he stared at the immortal's bandaged face.
Hidan's lips had been medically stitched together so he could no longer speak, eat nor 'rip her throat out' as he'd kindly said in their first introduction. His face was still bandaged as Sakura released him from the scroll and his eyes were filled with fury as they zeroed in on her.
And obviously I put seals on the scroll so he can't hear any of our conversation.
"Keep your enemies closer, huh?" Killer B nodded. "How many Akatsuki members are down?"
Me: that's it for now! What does everybody think? A fair bit of warning-things are going faster now!
Kakashi: Heheheh...(reading Icha Icha)
Me: Get out of here, you pervert! Itachi!
Itachi: *doesn't move*
Me: damn it...Kakashi!
*a clone Kakashi appears and ties real Kakashi up, effectively stopping him from reading his porn*
Me: Sasuke, use your fireball!
Sasuke: Sasuukkeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! *insert awesome fireball which destroys Icha Icha book*
Kakshi and Kakshi clone: ...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
