Sasuke panted, sweat dripping down his face as he stared down his opponent. "Desert warfare is certainly more fearsome than I expected." He admitted sheathing his sword.
Amira nodded and sheathed her own bladed weapon wiping a little sweat from her brow. "Don't be too hard on yourself." She said. "I have the advantage having fought with and against ninja frequently in the past. The other fighters from my continent won't have such an edge." She sat down on a bench beside him. "The warriors from Solaris are famous for three things." She explained. "Incredible stamina, endurance, and ruthlessness." She said holding up one finger for each trait. "However, you have the advantage as far as other powers go, with a few rare exceptions, no one has any power like your chakra. Use that to your advantage."
Sasuke nodded and then looked at the young woman. "Are you one of the rare exceptions?" He asked.
A small smile touched her lips. "You're as perceptive as your brother." She replied.
"Show me your power." He said firmly.
"I cannot." She replied with a shake of her head. "Don't misunderstand. It's not that I don't want to, it's that this place isn't the best for containing that kind of power." She mused glancing around the large cave like room. "To be completely honest, I'm not very good at controlling it."
"I see." Sasuke replied, his mind drifting to his wife.
Ever since he'd woken up from his nightmare, he hadn't been able to sense her very well. His worry was eating him alive. The dream had felt so much like the one he'd had about the demon possessing her. There was little doubt in his mind that she'd really been stabbed or was going to be in the near future. He wasn't really worried about her ability to heal herself, however, he was terrified for their child. Her power was great, but was it great enough to protect an unborn child from a knife? His brooding was interrupted by Jugo.
"Sasuke, we've received a reply." He said handing the Uchiha a scroll.
He scanned over the words written in an elegant script. "They wish to do the exchange in three a small village near the Silver River Bridge." He said in a monotone voice. "It seems they took the bait."
Amira nodded. "Yes it does, though I'd still be extremely cautious if I were you. Farid is underhanded, cruel, and ruthless. I have no doubt he has some sort of deception planned."
"We'll be cautious." Sasuke said standing up. "Jugo, you and Amira will come with me. It will take at least two days to reach the bridge. I'd like to get there as soon as possible. I also want to know all you know about those two guards with Farid." He said looking at the princess.
"Of course. Any knowledge I have is free for you to draw upon." She told him with a small tilt of her head.
Sasuke nodded and swept out of the training room his mismatched eyes nearly aglow with dark purpose and resolve. The bastards were going to rue the day they laid their filthy hands on his wife. He'd make sure of it.
SxSxSxSxSxSxS
Sakura's jaw clenched as she lay in the back of the wagon she was being forced to ride in. Her hands and feet were both bound, her eyes covered and it was only because of the chunk she'd nearly take out of Raiden's hand that she wasn't gagged. In spite of her anger, frustration, and worry, she couldn't help the little butterflies flitting around in her stomach. They were going to meet Sasuke. She was going to see her husband again. She was going home.
Farid had been quite pleased when he'd received her husband's letter proposing a hostage exchange with a woman she'd never heard of before. Though she was a bit disappointed to think that her husband would stoop so low for her sake, she also couldn't help be feel relieved. During her time in captivity, she'd learned about the biological warfare Solaris was cooking up. Though their methods were in some ways crude compared to hers, she could not deny that they were quite effective. She'd been ordered to study and improve the biological weapons that were being developed and used and had thus far stalled for time, learning as much about them as she could in order to create cures as soon as possible.
The wagon came to a sudden stop, and she hissed at the sensation as she jerked forward and slammed her face into the side of the ridiculous contraption.
"It's time." Natsume said cutting the ropes at her feet and removing the blindfold in order to allow her to move though he left her arms tightly bound together behind her back as they were.
She nodded and half walked, half stumbled alongside him as her ankles throbbed and circulation slowly began to return to her legs. Her eyes immediately scanned the terrain but she didn't recognize anything about the place. Her eyes picked up movement near a wide bridge that spanned over a river and her eyes widened in recognition.
With her hands bound in front of her, Aria stood dressed in a magenta colored short sleeved top and matching skirt, a sheer wrap in the same shade wrapping over her shoulder. The woman looked more regal than she'd ever seen her and she wondered if this ally of Itachi's was pretending to be a princess for her sake, or if there was something bigger going on she wasn't privy to.
Her gaze drifted to the man standing behind the bound woman and a smile touched her lips. Jugo, the gentle giant looking as imposing as ever though his eyes were filled with worry.
Standing to the side of the prisoner, was the person she'd longed to see. Sasuke. Her husband, her lover, her beloved, her precious one, the father of her child. His dark hair obscuring his rinnigan, his black cloak rippling in the wind, his katana strapped to his back. His expression and eyes were both dark and though that had her a little on edge, she just could not bring herself to care very much.
"Sasuke!" She exclaimed taking a step towards him.
She flinched with a curved blade suddenly appeared near her throat.
"Ah, ah." Abu said with a sneer. "No lovey dovey reunions for you until after we get the princess."
"Princess Amira Rad-Ganem." Farid said from where he sat on horseback. "You've finally returned to me."
"Not willingly." The dark skinned woman snarled.
"Let's get this over with." Sasuke said in a dark tone. "King Farid, I have your princess. Return my wife to me and you can have her."
"Ah, ah. Hand over the Princess first." Farid said.
Sasuke's jaw clenched at that and he glanced at the woman that was bound. Something seemed to pass between them and he nodded giving her a firm push forward.
Amira stumbled a step and then walked forward her head held high, her strange metallic eyes glinting dangerously as she moved. There was something about the woman that Sakura hadn't noticed before. She had the eyes of a warrior.
A few steps away from the anti-shinobi group she stopped and leveled her gaze at the foreign king. "Release her." The dark skinned woman said firmly. "This is between you and me. Leave this continent and leave this land and its people alone."
"You're as fierce as I remember. It seems all your years of running hasn't dimmed your fire at all." Farid said urging his horse forward. "However, you're not in a position to bargain right now."
"RELEASE HER!" Amira snapped her voice ringing with sharpness and authority that reminded Sakura so much of her master, she instinctively flinched.
Farid's brow furrowed even as he flicked a finger forward. "Sorry beautiful, but that lovely voice has no effect on me. TAKE HER!" He snarled.
Amira turned to run back but wasn't fast enough, Abu and Mina tackling her to the ground. Sakura took a step forward, towards her husband who was rapidly striding forward but was stopped by Subaru who grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back pressing a kunai to her throat forcing her back into a waiting wagon.
Amria's eyes blazed and as she glared at Farid snarling words that Sakura couldn't understand but were clearly offensive and laced with venom from both the tone of her voice and the way to the warriors from Solaris flinched.
"You say the sweetest things my darling." The kind cooed with a smirk. "Let's go!" Farid commanded.
Amira was thrown in beside her and quickly moved close to her lowering her head towards her ear. "I will protect you." She whispered quietly. "I promise Sakura."
Sasuke's eyes blazed, violet power exploding around him. "You BASTARD!" He snarled in a voice so dark it turned Sakura's blood to ice.
She watched in shock and horror as Sasuke fought his way towards her. She knew he was good at killing. She knew he'd killed people in the past several times. He'd even killed people in front of her during their battles over the years. However, this was a side of her husband that she'd never seen before, a side that she'd only heard about in stories from Gaara and others who had attended the Kage summit the year the war started.
His eyes were wide, wild, ablaze with power. His electrified blade was ruthless, merciless as he took down his opponents, killing without pausing to even look at the faces of those that fell around him. Itachi was right, he was lost, teetering on the edge of darkness and madness once again.
"Sasuke." She whimpered softly tears gathering in her eyes.
She didn't want this. She never wanted him to act this way, to feel this way because of her. It was heartbreaking, overwhelming to see the man she loved once again reduced to a tool of death.
"Shit!" Raiden hissed sweat sliding from his temple down towards his jaw as he watched the Uchiha cut through the ranks. "He's going to kill everyone if we don't get the Hell out of here!"
"Sakura, are you alright?" Amira asked nudging her with her shoulder gently. "You're white as a ghost."
"Sasuke." The pinkette whimpered again her tears dropping from her thick lashes to her pale skin. "Stop. Please."
The woman's eyes widened before she focused her gaze on the ink haired man chasing them down. Her silver eyes narrowed as she studied the young Uchiha patriarch. After a few moments, her jaw clenched.
"Uchiha!" She barked in a loud commanding voice.
Sasuke paused for a moment, his gaze immediately focusing on the two women. When his mismatched eyes met Sakura's that were still filled with tears, he paused for a moment, his demeanor softening ever so slightly his eyes brightening.
"Do it now!" Subaru hissed.
Sakura gasped flinched when a series of smoke and paper bombs went off obscuring them from view.
"No! Sasuke!" She exclaimed launching forward her heart renting in two as her husband disappeared from her sight again.
"Sakura! No!" Amira exclaimed slipping her bound arms around her, and locking her legs around her waist pulling her back from the edge. "Be strong!" She said into her ear. "You have something precious to protect. Don't put it at risk in the heat of the moment. You will see him again. He will come for you, but for now, we need to play this situation to our advantage and keep you and your precious cargo safe. Do you understand?"
Sakura blinked at the young woman remembering Itachi's words and couldn't help but notice that they both gave off a similar feeling. A sense of strength, security, and wisdom that had been gained painfully at a young age. A sudden wave of heartache washed over her and she shuddered before laying her head on Amira's chest sobbing against her strange pink clothes.
"I want to be with him." She wept her eyes clenched tightly shut as her tears overflowed. "I want my husband!" Between her aching heart, her potent pregnancy hormones, and the frustration building within her, she couldn't hold them back. There was nothing she wanted more than to rest in her husband's embrace, to feel his arm around her waist and his nose nuzzling the spot just below her ear
"I know." Amira replied softly nuzzling the top of her head. "He wants that too." She assured her. "I'm so sorry, Sakura."
"This isn't fair!" Sakura whimpered.
"You're absolutely right." The princess agreed squeezing her lightly. "This isn't fair at all, and we will make them pay for this injustice."
Sakura felt a little of her confidence return at the woman's words. A little glimmer of hope planting itself in her heart. Even so, she leaned against the Amira and let her pain flow her cheeks until she drifted asleep in her arms.
SxSxSxSxSxS
Sasuke glared at the crop of prisoners he and Jugo had rounded up. Most of the sniveling cowards were shivering in fear with just a couple managing to meet his gaze.
"I'll ask you all once more. Where is the Anti-Shinobi Movement's base?" He demanded.
"We'll never tell a monster like you." One of the men there snarled.
"Says the man who's supporting an organization that kidnaps pregnant wives from their husbands." Suigetsu muttered.
"That whore deserves what's coming to her, becoming a strumpet for this demonic-" The man's ranting was cut off and swiftly replaced with a high pitched shriek of pain as an electrified blade swept through the air and sliced cleanly through the man's arm, separating it from his body at the elbow joint.
"I'd suggest you keep any negative opinions about Lady Uchiha to yourself." Orochimaru said striding into the room. "You are completely at the mercy of a man who took on all Five Kage and not only lived to tell his tale, but killed one of them."
"If you will not tell me with your mouth, that's fine." Sasuke sad kneeling down and grabbing the man by the hail hauling him upright and looking into his tear filled eyes that were filled with raw terror. "I'll just ask your mind."
The man screamed as Sasuke ripped through his memories without restraint looking for any clue that might help him locate his missing wife. Just as he was coming to the memory of the man entering the hideout, the image went blank and the man suddenly keeled over, his heart still in his chest.
"Fucking damn it!" The Uchiha snarled stalking away from the man his temper riding on a razor's edge.
"Sasuke? What is it?" Orochimaru asked.
Sasuke turned and slammed his fist into a nearby table, the wood splintering and singing a little under the heat of his blazing chakra that was simmering just under his skin. "The slimy bastards have placed genjutsu traps in their pawns. I can see what the hideout looks like inside, but any images of entering or exiting the hideout I try to access immediately kills the informant."
One of the prisoners, a teenager with sandy blonde hair blanched. "What?" He whispered. "Those traps will kill us?"
Suigetsu cocked a brow and walked up to the dead man kicking his prone body towards the teen with his foot. "Your friend here is dead as a doornail. I'm pretty sure that speaks for itself."
"Why?" The boy whimpered. "They said that we were important, that they cared about us. Why kill us?"
The sharp toothed man threw his head back and laughed heartily, Sasuke's eye twitched as he shook his head, and Orochimaru smirked.
"You don't get it do you?" The lanky sannin said with a sneer. "You are nothing but pawns in a game you know nothing about. The Lords you serve have absolutely no interest in you, this continent, or its people. The Anti-Shinobi Faction was organized and financed by a foreign King who wanted to use mass murder to draw out his estranged fiancé, and a Lord who wanted The Leaf Village's Legendary Slug Queen for his own."
"That can't be true." Another man said his brow furrowed. "You're nothing but demons in human forms!"
"Why? Because we have the power of chakra?" Suigestu asked his brow cocked.
"Yes! You can't be human!" Another exclaimed.
The sharp toothed man rolled his eyes.
"Everyone with even a drop of Chakra is a decedent of The Sage of Six Paths or one of his followers that he shared his chakra with." Orochimaru replied. "It's not really all that complicated. We choose to mold and cultivate ours talents to become strong warriors, that is all."
"I… I don't understand." The teen muttered. "Shinobi killed my parents."
"Mine too!" An older man spat. "You and all of your kind deserve to die."
Sasuke's hand balled into fists as memories of his nightmare run through the Uchiha compound filled his mind. Discovering the bodies of his parents, seeing his clan members fall one by one at the hand of one of their own. These bastards were just like Danzo, justifying genocide because they feared the powers of others and wanted it for themselves. That coupled with the fact that his wife was still in the hands of the enemy shattered the shaky hold he hand on his temper and a blast of fire erupted from his fingertips sweeping quickly over the prisoners, heating them just enough to singe their hair but not turn them to ash the way he wanted to. It was only the memory of his wife's grief stricken face earlier that day that kept him from slaughtering the useless lot then and there.
Without another word, he swept out of the room and down the hall to the room that he shared with his wife.
"You bastards are damn lucky he didn't just kill you all." Suigetsu said looking down at the lot before drinking from his water bottle, the heat had been intense for his delicate disposition. "You whine about your parents being killed by shinobi, so what? They either got in their way, or pissed someone off enough to have a bounty put on their heads, end of story. It doesn't make you special." He wiped his mouth and set his bottle down before looking towards the door where Sasuke had just left. "That man came home from school one day as a kid to find that his entire clan including his parents had been slaughtered by shinobi." A couple of those bound including the teen shifted uncomfortably and the sharp toothed ninja continued. "He lost everyone that he'd ever loved, everyone he'd ever cared about as a child. Even a bunch of heartless assholes like you can agree that there was nothing fair about that. Now, years later he married the girl of his dreams and had just celebrated the good news that he was going to become a father, to finally get back the family that was stolen from him, and you bastards took that away from him. Took a family away from a man who had lost his once before and had never done a fuckin' thing to you." He squatted down in front of a man who was attempting to glare back and cocked his head to the side a wicked smirk touching his lips revealing his pointed teeth. "Now, remind me again who the monsters are? Because where I'm standing looking at a bunch a scum bags that are keeping a devoted husband from his clearly distraught, pregnant wife, you're the monsters."
SxSxSxSxSxSxS
Sakura sat huddled in the middle of the bed of her cell her knees clutched to her chest. She hated feeling weak and trapped, here she felt both. The sound of heavy feet sounded in her ears and she glanced up just as her room was unlocked at Amira was shoved inside.
"Enjoy your visit. Princess." Abu snarled before slamming the door behind them locking it.
"Are you alright?" Sakura said unfolding her legs and sliding down to the floor where Amira shakily stood rose from the floor to her knees before sitting on the floor resting her back against the bedframe.
"I'm alright." Amira said wiping a little trickle of blood from her lip. "Something like this won't kill me."
Sakura's hands glowed green as she took in the damage done to the woman's body and her eyes widened in alarm. Several of the woman's internal organs were ruptured and five of her ribs were cracked or broken.
"You're not fine at all!" Sakura protested moving her hands over Amira's abdomen. "You could die from these kinds of injuries."
The dark skinned woman reached out and grabbed the medic's wrists pushing them gently, but firmly away from her body. "Sakura, I will be fine. I'm not exactly what I appear to be. You need to save that energy to protect your child."
Jade green eyes met metallic silver and after a moment, Sakura relented allowing her hands to fall back into her lap.
"Thank you." Amira said taking a few ragged breaths. "How are you? Sasuke has been worried sick about you."
Sakura's heart clenched at her husband's name and she lowered her head. "I'm alright." She said softly. "I just…" Her heart stuttered in her chest.
"It's alright. I understand." Amira said patting the other woman's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm separated from my most precious person right now as well."
The pink haired woman blinked in surprise and studied the woman. "Itachi?" she questioned.
A warm smile touched the woman's lips but she shook her head. "No. Not Itachi. Don't get me wrong. He was one of the best men I've ever known. Perhaps if our circumstances had been different when we met our relationship could have developed into something more, but both of us were carrying burdens and wounds too deep for anything like that to happen. He is one of the best friends I've ever had and he saved my life. He will always hold a special place in my heart, but he is not my most precious person."
"Who is it?" Sakura asked. "Unless you can't tell me." She added quickly.
Amira chuckled. "It's fine." She assured her. "His name is Hisame. Hisame Yamanacha."
The pink haired medic's eyes widened. "Yamanacha? My best friend is Ino Yamanacha. Is he from this continent?"
The dark haired woman nodded her head. "He is. It's a long story but in short, when he was young his parents died trying to leave this land but managed to get him on a boat and out to sea. The master of the vessel took advantage of the situation and forced Hisame to become his slave." Amira shifted bending one leg and extending her arm across her knee, her gaze focusing in the door. "The boat docked at a Wafir harbor around the time that I was taking a tour of the same place. I noticed a boy with hair like the sun and eyes the color of sea and was immediately interested. There aren't many people who look like that in Wafir. Then I saw the way he was being treated, saw that massive man strike him repeatedly while this boy only a little older myself tried to protect his head, I couldn't take it. I forced my carriage driver to stop and ran to him, leaving my guards in the dust. When the boat owner claimed that Hisame was his slave, I did the only thing I could think of to save him. I bought him. The man couldn't really refuse. I was the crowned princess of the country he was trying to do business in." She shifted again glancing at the ceiling. "I took him home, accepted the light scolding from my brother for making a fuss at the harbor and decreed that he would be my personal attendant from then on. He's been by my side ever since."
Sakura smiled before it faded and her brow furrowed. "Then why did Itachi find you here alone?" She asked.
Amira nodded. "I'd asked Hisame to do something for me just before I ended up on that boat. He was following my instructions to get my brother and nephew to safety at the time. It wasn't his fault."
The pink haired medic nodded. "Where is he now?" She asked a little wariness in her tone.
The dark haired woman sighed a sad smile touching her lips. "I'm not sure." She confessed. "He was supposed to meet me at the dock to come here, but he never showed up and I couldn't wait." Her head lowered. "I hope he's alright."
Sakura nodded her heart heavy for her acquaintance and they sat in companionable silence for several minutes before she asked the princess the question on her mind.
"So, why are you here?" She asked. "Is King Farid obsessed with you like Lord Sakamoto is obsessed with me?"
A light chuckle left the silver eyed woman's lips. "Not exactly." She replied. "Lord Sakamoto appears to have genuine feelings of love and affection for you, even if those feelings have been warped by his own sickness of the mind and… strange religious doctrine. Farid's feelings for me are nowhere close to that. He might have feelings of lust for me, perhaps a bit of admiration for some of my other skills, but that's about the extent of it."
"Why go so far?" Sakura asked.
"I am a means to an end." Amira replied. "I am the crowned princess of Wafir. Though my brother is alive and he has a son, his wife is dead which means he will likely not have any more children. Farid's plan is to finish what he started. Kill off the Rad-Ganem royal family except for me making me Queen and then force me to marry him."
"What would that accomplish?" Sakura asked. "A King can't marry a woman who is already Queen."
"He can if they merge their nations." Amira replied. "He wants to bring Wafir and Solaris together and rule over them both. It would easily make him the most powerful man on our continent."
The pink haired woman's eyes widened. "How awful." She breathed. "Is that why you've been running all of this time? Why you're the most wanted woman in Solaris?"
Amira nodded. "I was betrothed to Farid from the moment I was born. It was my father's decree, an attempt to protect our smaller nation from being attacked by Solaris's more numerous armies. I was however promised that I would not have to marry him until my brother produced an heir, unless that happened before I turned eighteen, in which case, I would be allowed to put off the wedding until then. I did as my duty required and made the preparations to become the Queen of Solaris. Not long after I turned eighteen the royal family and I traveled to Solaris for the marriage. The night before the wedding, the palace was attacked. Queen Orpah, my sister-in-law was murdered trying to protect Prince Ariel, my nephew. I managed to protect him and Salim, my brother and sent them with Hisame for safe keeping. I tried to flee the city but was captured in the confusion." She lowered her head. "I was tortured for several days before Asha, one of my other advisors rescued me and told me that they'd found out who had orchestrated the attack. King Farid, my fiancé." Several bitter chuckles left her lips. "Obviously I couldn't marry the slimy scum bag after that, and I escaped but became separated from her in the process and ended up on a boat headed for this continent. You know the rest of the story." She turned back to Sakura. "I heard a little about what they're planning to do with us. Faird wants to get revenge on the shinobi who 'kept his Queen from him'. He blames Hisame and Itachi for my extended absence."
Sakura snorted. "Stupid." She snapped.
"Agreed." Amira said with a smirk. "It's also his way of punishing me for my 'betrayal." She admitted lowering her head. "He wants to do it with biological weapons that he expects you to develop but I have an idea that just might work." The silver eyed woman closed her eyes and Sakura cocked her head in confusion when she suddenly heard. "Can you hear me?" In her mind.
She blinked in confusion and catiously answered. "Yes."
"Excellent." Came Amira's voice again. "I'll tell you my plan. There's no fear of being overheard here. I'm speaking directly into your mind. This is how Itachi and I communicated most of the time. It's the reason I know so much about his past compared to others, there is no fear of being overheard this way. Now, let me tell you how we're going to crush this organization from the inside while your husband shatters it from the outside…"
SxSxSxSxSxS
Sasuke laid down on a futon and flung his arm over his forehead, frustration radiating off him in waves keeping Jugo and Suigetsu far from him. It had been more than two fucking months since he'd seen his wife and he was one more false lead away from manifesting his full Susanoo and ripping The Land of Tea apart with its four blades to find her. He was ready to burn the tiny nation to the ground, civilians and village duty be damned. No word of comfort could mend his wounded heart, silence his screaming soul, or calm his troubled mind. It was only the feeling deep in his soul that assured him that his wife was still alive that was acting as the thread keeping his sanity intact. He closed his eyes knowing full well that he'd be plagued by nightmares and get a dismal amount of sleeping but also recognizing that some rest was better than none at all and that his insane pace brought on by his growing desperation was wearing out his teammates. His thoughts drifted to his wife, her face framed by her silky hair materializing in his mind's eye.
"Sakura…" He breathed.
When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a summer field and knew right away that he'd once again landed in the world where he could meet with his family. He sat up and glanced around, a little surprised he hadn't seen his brother yet.
"Itachi?" He called out rising to his feet glancing around the warm open space.
"Sasuke!" The older ninja exclaimed moving quickly but gracefully towards him from the estate situated on the hill above. "Thank goodness." He said pulling the younger man into his embrace. "I've been so worried about you. I haven't been able to reach you at all lately."
Sasuke blinked in surprise at the sudden contact and the longer he stood in his brother's embrace, the more he felt the recently built up walls around his heart cracking until tears he hadn't even felt forming slid down his face.
"She's gone." He whispered softly lifting his arm to return his brother's embrace. "I can't find Sakura anywhere." His body trembled. "Brother I… I don't know how much longer I can take this." He admitted.
"It's alright." Itachi said softly patting his brother's head gently. "Everything will be fine."
"I'm so worried, about both of them." Sasuke said pulling away a little to look at his brother. "I failed them. I couldn't protect them and now-"
"Calm down." Itachi said gripping his brother's shoulders firmly. "You haven't failed them. Sakura and your child are both alive and well."
"You can't know that!" Sasuke protested stepping away and raking a hand through his hair.
"I can and I do." Itachi retorted stepping back up to his brother. "Look at me Sasuke." He demanded.
The Uchiha patriarch reluctantly turned his eyes to his brother and was immediately pulled into Itachi's genjutsu.
"Itachi!" Sakura exclaimed wrapping her arms around him. "You were right. Amira is here and she's been helping me sabotage things from the inside as well as protect me from Lord Sakamoto's rages. They've gotten bad since hiding this has become nearly impossible." She said laying a hand on her stomach that was just starting to swell noticeably under her tunic style shirt.
The dark haired man nodded and tucked a section of bubble gum hair behind her ear. "I knew she would take good care of you." He told her with a smile. "Have you been able to send out any kind of message to Sasuke?"
A genuine though slightly wicked smile touched her lips. "Actually I have. Hopefully anyway. I managed to run into one of the organization's runners in the hall today. I asked him to help me move some things in the lab and while he was working, I cast a genjutsu on him. It's a long shot, but if it worked correctly, when he comes across Sasuke, he'll lead him straight here. Amira taught me a little about the trigger release jutsu you both worked on and I really hope it works."
"Excellent work little sister." Itachi said with a smile. "Would you mind if I took a look to see what he looks like?"
"Not at all." She replied meeting his gaze without hesitation.
He nodded and smiled at her before he gently entered her mind. The face of a generally handsome, but not outstanding young man with light brown hair, grey eyes, and a faint scar across his left temple appeared in his mind. The name Souten floating across his consciousness in conjunction with the name.
He released her from his jutsu and threaded his fingers through her bangs affectionately. "Thank you for that. I'll let you go now. With Amira by your side, I feel much better about your safety. Lean on her when you need it. She may not have any chakra to offer you, but she is powerful in her own right. Let her look after and protect you, even in the worst of circumstances."
The bubble gum haired girl nodded and embraced her brother in law one last time. "Thank you Itachi." She said softly. "If… If you see him, will you tell him that I love him and I miss him," She blinked the tears away from her eyes and took a deep breath, continuing on. "But both me and the baby are fine. We're waiting for him and have exciting news for him."
Itachi smiled down at her giving her arms a gentle squeeze. "Of course. I'll let tell him if I see him before you do."
"Thank you big brother." Sakura breathed.
Sasuke blinked as he was released from the genjutsu and fell to his knees as relief crashed over him like a tsunami.
"She's alright." He breathed softly. "They're both ok."
Itachi nodded and laid his hand on his brother's shoulder. "They are. I'm sure you could tell through my memories that she's very tired and weak, but all things considered, she's doing very well."
"How long have you been meeting with her like that?" Sasuke asked suddenly his eyes narrowing as he stood up.
Itachi offered him one of his signature smiles. The one he used to give him and their parents when they asked a question that he had absolutely no intention of answering and extended his hand tapping Sasuke lightly in the middle of his forehead.
"Sorry, maybe next time Sasuke. You have a man named Souten to find." Itachi told him.
"Why you…" Sasuke snarled scowling at the self-satisfied expression on his brother's face and the sound of his light chuckle of amusement as the world wavered and he was pulled back into his own reality.
"Are you alright Sasuke?" Jugo asked appearing in his field of vision. "You've been asleep for a while." He said his brow furrowed with worry.
Sasuke remembered the events of his dream and sat up. He felt better than he'd felt in months. The knowledge that both Sakura and their child were safe coupled with the lead that his wife had created for them gave him confidence and hope.
"I feel fine. In fact, I feel better than I've felt in weeks." He said a slightly evil smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "I have a lead for us. Tell all of our informants to keep an eye out for a young man with light brown hair, grey eyes, and a scar on his left temple. His name is Souten. If anyone matching that description is found, he is to be brought to me directly."
"Alright. What gives?" Suigestu demanded. "You were seriously considering burning down the damn country last night."
"It doesn't really matter." Sasuke replied. "I have a lead, a solid one that will lead us to the Anti-Shinobi Faction's base. We will take them down once and for all and make them rue the day they targeted the warriors they hate so much."
Author's Notes: I am so sorry for the delay! I had this chapter nearly finished two weeks ago and then BAM! The flu hit me like a freight train and my significant other grounded me from the computer while I recovered. Ugh… Anyway, I'm back and hopefully the pace will pick up a little now. Thank you so much for being patient with me!
Guest Reviwer: To answer your question, Itachi taught her the barrier techniques she's been using to protect Sarada in the womb. The jutsu she used to move Sarada from the first trimester, to the second trimester developmental wise is a technique that she developed herself with a little input from him as far as chakra control and theory. It's been mentioned several times in the series that medical ninjutsu healing is simply forcing cells to divide at a more accelerated pace. In order to protect Sarada, Sakura used a similar process internally on her baby to force the cells to multiply faster which in fetal development would result in Sarada maturing faster in the womb. I apologize if it was little confusing.