I have no rights to Naruto.

Enjoy.

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She sat on the stool, Naruto and Hidan to her sides, both eating and watching her simultaneously, her hands curled around the warm bowl as she savoured the smell of the ramen, took in the fond familiarity of the ramen stand and watched father and daughter, both older pottering away behind the counter cooking and cleaning.

Slowly as though in a dream Sakura scooped up some ramen on her chopsticks, sounds fading away as the savoury soft ramen hit her tongue, absently chewing while the memories flooded back. Naruto, Sasuke and herself sitting down eating ramen, the times she collected Naruto from the stand, all the times he asked her out for ramen. The time Team 7 tried to trick Kakashi and see his face.

Naruto's bright and cheerful voice slowly filtered to her ears, swallowing she turned and smiled, listening as he spoke of a mission and the horrors he had felt when he had lost his ramen. She saw Hidan's eye roll but felt his amusement tinged with a slight anger that puzzled her, why would he be angry?

Hearing how the team leader raked Naruto over the coals and reported him to both Kakashi and Tsunade made Sakura chuckle, her hair failing in her face without thinking she raised her hand flipping her hair back.

"The silver hair is cool, but I miss the pink Sak . . . ."

Naruto's happy comment trailed off, his eyes hardening and narrowing in a way that caught Sakura by surprise.

"Naruto?"

Wordlessly Naruto reached out, Sakura watched with concern and sudden worry as his tanned hand took her pale one while his other hand pushed up the sleeve of her cardigan. The loud, enraged hiss that whistled through his teeth had Hidan off his stool and by Sakura in miliseconds. Sakura's face was full of fear as she watched the whiskered blond Shinobi but kept Hidan from pushing him away with a glance.

Naruto gulped, his eyes taking in the diamond, triangle and circle pattern that started on the knuckle of her middle finger and back along her hand, arm and all the way to her elbow before disappearing under her sleeve. Tentatively he reached out, a calloused finger tracing the patterns and feeling the knots of flesh, the sickening and painful way the cuts had healed. He was no longer an idiot – usually - a quick look confirmed that it was similar to the pendant that Hidan wore, but what disgusted him was the knowledge that Sakura's wounds had been half healed when they were torn open again and again, left to heal without stitches, messy and painful, but controlled. Control was used to make the wounds otherwise no pattern would be visible, these wounds would take months to heal and he didn't need to be a medic-nin to know that covering so much skin and her joints movement would have been awful.

To create such wounds they would need to be controlled otherwise no pattern would be visible, these wounds would take months to heal and he didn't need to be a medic-nin to know that covering so much skin and her joints movement would have been awful.

A disturbing thought hit him, his eyes closing briefly before he took Sakura's other hand and pushed up the sleeve revealing the exact same scars on her other arm.

"Who did this?"

The growl was hair raising, the old man and his daughter backing away from the counter watching in amazement as the cheerful young man they knew growled inhumanely in anger. Sakura watched her old teammate sadly, remembering how protective he was of his precious people, smiling at Hidan in reassurance she twisted a hand free, moving it to cup Naruto's cheek, her thumb gently stroking it until raging blue eyes met calm beseeching emerald.

"It's okay Naruto."

Her voice was melodious as she purposefully sought to soothe, calm and comfort, her hand rubbing his face, ignoring how his jaw clenched and his teeth ground together.

"Who hurt you Sakura!"

"Naruto its OO . . ."

Sakura yelped, Naruto cutting her off as he stood abruptly, stools falling to the floor with loud thuds, his hands grasping her upper arms as he looked down, blue eyes swirling with love, anger and protectiveness. About to intervene Hidan found himself unable to move, the tone of the blonde's voice and his whole demeanour catching his attention, not to mention the incredible pounding that surged through his body locking his limbs in place – Jashin did not want him to interfere.

Tears filled Naruto's eyes as he spoke with pure and utter conviction.

"Tell me who hurt you Sakura and I'll make them pay." He loosened his hold slightly rubbing her arms reassuringly just like he had when they were Genin. "I might not have been able to help you but no one gets away with hurting my Sakura-chan."

It was the Sakura-chan that did it. Looking at the blonde Hidan fought and hated every ounce of grudging respect that the blonde earned as he swore to protect Sakura.

Sakura hugged him tightly, smiling happily as she sat down on her up right stool, taking his hands in hers she squeezed it waiting until Naruto had settled down before quietly speaking.

"Like your Hitai-ate my scars show who I am, my position and my birthright, they are a tradition of the people of Jashin and a way in which we show both our willingness and worthiness to serve."

She watched him, not liking the fury building but loving it for it showed her Naruto had not changed. A hand to the cheek made him look into her eyes.

"Yes they were painful and at first I didn't understand, but now I am proud to bear them, like any Shinobi they show my strength, and you certainly cannot say anything considering how you used to think scars were so cool."

A merry little laugh and Naruto blushed, Hidan rolled his eyes and moved back behind Sakura finally able to move again, the old man and his daughter working away as if nothing had happened. Hidan watched the blonde, truly watched him and saw the love of a brother in the young man, Hidan relaxed instinctively knowing that Naruto would protect Sakura as much as he could, even if it meant him getting hurt or dying, he was selfless, loyal and dedicated to his precious people and Hidan could trust him when it came to Sakura, not that he would ever fully trust anyone but himself, or be totally happy that another man had Sakura's attention. Shaking his head he joked to Jashin –Yeah, yeah don't beat the shit out of her friend, it would make the return trip slightly easier and now the blonde was in their corner.

"I don't like it." Naruto grumbled.

Hidan sitting down and watching with slight amusement as Sakura laughed freely, seemingly happier and perhaps a little more carefree than she had been in weeks.

"Thank you Naruto, for always caring."

The simple words had Naruto speechless, but not disappointing as he gave her a thumbs up, a wide smile and roared.

"Dattebayo!"

"My fucking ears ya freak!"

Hidan's roar had the two giggling quietly, Hidan was unable to stay angry for too long, the giggles and smile reminding him of Sakura when she was a child; innocent and utterly happy.

"I'll get Yamato, Sai and Kakashi-sensei, they can join us, and we can all catch up."

The joy and happiness was contagious, Sakura could only smile, a nagging feeling in her stomach, Naruto accepted unconditionally, but the others would be sceptic and ask questions where Naruto took Sakura's word. She was not ready to tell them everything.

The usual hustle and bustle outside the ramen stand had mostly been ignored but a sharp whistle had Naruto sitting up straight and looking out onto the street, a cheeky grin escaping as he gave an exasperated sigh.

"You disappeared on them."

Two ANBU appeared at the ramen stand, the relief in their posture just visible as they addressed Hidan and Sakura.

"The Hokage requests your presence to discuss your proposal."

Like a switch Naruto watched Sakura straighten her back and stand up, her face smoothening to a perfect calm mask – the word regal flinted through Naruto's, it reminded him of Hinata's father or Baa-chan when dealing with the stuck ups – as Hidan stood up next to her protectively, nearly hovering by her side as he assessed the ANBU before giving a short nod and holding out his arm to Sakura.

To the ANBU's relief Sakura and Hidan walked back to the Hokage's tower, Sakura wistfully watching the children dart around and play without any reservations just as the adults watched the silver haired duo from under their eyelids.

A flash of red and black caught Sakura's eye a tiny smirk playing on her lips, a smirk that unsettled Naruto and reminded him of the scary display that had happened at the gates, a display he had pushed to the side in favour of focusing on the return of his team mate.

"You left them alive but will they be able to fight?" Inquiring yet lilting Sakura's voice made Hidan chuckle, Naruto looking at the stoic ANBU who offered no explanation before Naruto realised just who Sakura was talking to.

"Take away all my fucking fun, couldn't do much damage when we need the freaks." Hidan grumbled.

"Shizune healed them after."

Naruto added, sheepishly smiling when Hidan turned to glare at him followed by Sakura raising an eyebrow, explanation time.

"A few broken teeth, cuts, grazes, bruises . . . . might have used Jashin's ritual to scare the shit out of them. . literally."

Without warning Sakura stopped mid step, Hidan grabbing her as she stumbled, her eyes darkening as she was caught in a memory, a memory that Hidan tried to control, tried to prevent her from seeing afraid that he would once again be seen as a monster.

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He stood like the devil himself, like the demon spawn they named him, no one dared move for fear of his gaze, for fear of his attention. The blood that covered him and the purple colour of his eyes that pierced through them made him a truly fearsome sight, the devil himself on earth, or so they thought.

Grabbing their medallions the guards stepped back vehemently praying to Jashin their eyes filled with pain as they looked upon Hidan. They watched as he laughed cruelly and prayed, they shook as the ground trembled and Jashins symbol appeared below his feet. They fell to their knees fearful as Hidan's skin turned black his skeleton form a frightening, terrifying thing as he flashed murderous white teeth at the One Power soldiers. He laughed again a laugh of insanity, pain and madness as he levelled his glinting purple pinkish eyes at them, his voice as hard as steel, as dark as the innermost cell of the deepest underground dungeon dripped with hate and promise sending fear and pain through the soldiers as he said

"You will die, not a single one of you fucking heathens will survive, you will ALL DIE, you will all pay FOR KILLING HER!"

Thunder boomed through the sky echoing his promise as lightening flashed a deathly halo to show his work. The Guards watched in awe as they saw a true slaughter, the soldiers stood no chance against a bloodthirsty berserker Hidan hell bent on destroying them all. His scythe flashed continuously, his insane laughter vibrating through the air as he also used his bare hands to tear them apart.

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He felt the pain, hurt and loss that radiated from her, calling on Jashin and the shadows to hide them, Naruto yelping when he was enveloped by them, covered in shadows the ANBU cursed and jumped off to look for them when they stood right in the middle of the street only a couple of metres from the Hokage tower. Tears ran down Sakura's face, Hidan holding her carefully like a porcelain doll that could shatter into a million piece at any moment, his Scythe giving the scene a morbid quality.

Pressure surrounded the blonde Shinobi making him squirm in annoyance and embarrassment unsettled at watching the interaction between Hidan and Sakura, there was a stark fear present in the former Akatsuki's eyes as he intently searched Sakura's face, his hand stroking her long locks. It was extremely intimate and private, making Naruto blush, the pain and the way Sakura held onto him the only thing that stopped Naruto from grabbing her away from him, as he had said earlier, he didn't like Hidan but Sakura seemed to need him.

Sakura choked as Hidan's emotions consumed her, the anger, the rage, the complete and utter devastating pain, he had told her he had lost it, told her this was the reason why he had become who he was but until that very moment she had not understood. She had been a child, she remembered the loss but it was distant and hazy, the years of not knowing lessening the pain, but Hidan's was all consuming.

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It was dawn before the skies calmed and the Guards could clearly see the blood soaked court yard before them, the beautiful flower filled yard that the Little Hime loved to run around was unrecognizable. Where once there were flowers of such blooming beauty and captivating scents there was now the odor of blood and decay, strewn body parts and limbless bodies lying upon the beds, instead of the fountain statue releasing water into the fish filled pond there was now a crumbling heap of rock and a pond full of blood. Everywhere the Guards looked they say blood, body parts and the lifeless bodies of the One Power soldiers and there standing in the very centre Jashin's symbol slowly fading in its brilliance to a dark colour stood Hidan, his chest heaving from exertion his purple pinkish eyes unseeing in his destruction and flashing in his rage. His hair was indistinguishable so covered in blood and gore as was his bare chest and ripped pants, his medallion slowly and happily soaked up the blood that splattered it until it was once again as polished as it had been.

The slight shifting of rocks and debris focused the Guards on the sight of the Elderly High Priest and the Guards that accompanied him as they made their way into the court yard, they were covered in dust, grime and had their own share of wounds, looking around the old Priest gave a sad sigh and sat upon a fallen piece of debris looking upon the only survivors of the attack. Closing his eyes he prayed to Jashin for guidance as the pain filled screams of agony from Hidan tore through the air once more.

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A deep breath and Sakura buried her head into Hidan's neck, inhaling his comforting scent, the coppery tang of blood so much a part of him that it was soothing instead of revolting.

"They deserved it."

The whisper barely made it to his ears but Hidan wrapped his arms around her tightly, her words meaning more to him than anything else.

"Hey! What's going on?" Naruto cried as the shadows suddenly swamped Hidan and Sakura covering them from view, looking around frantically he noticed he was still covered by the shadows, people walking by without notice.

Hidan turned his head down and smiled at Sakura, the pain and loss she felt from him slowly ebbing away to be replaced by comfort and... Love. Hidan shook his head, happy, how the hell would he know what love felt like. Emerald filled his vision and he could nearly count her eyelashes as she gazed up at him, the feelings from him overflowing back to him, making him tremble and shiver in delicious anticipation as Sakura tilted her head. Her lips were full and pink, beckoning him, the little uplift at the corners beautiful as she beseeched him.

"H'dan."

The soft, soul punching whisper of his name made his gut twist, her breath searing his skin as it caressed it, with a prayer of forgiveness to Jashin Hidan bent his head, the panic, the fear of rejection and excitement hitting him from Sakura as she closed her eyes and their lips met.

It was chaste, but soul shattering as Sakura felt Hidan's lips cover hers, the bare taste of him indescribable but instantly addicting, licking her lips she tasted his smooth closed lips. Over too quick Sakura staggered against Hidan's arms, weak and filled with need she was captured by his glowing purple eyes, the same need and want reflected in them that she herself was feeling and knew he was feeling it too.

"Hey! What's going on!"

The shout assaulted them like the blaring of Konoha's warning horns, shocking them out of their reprieve they reluctantly took a step back, Sakura keeping a hand on Hidan's arm not wanting to lose the contact, the silver haired man looking at her gently before settling a mask over his face watching Sakura take a deep breath and do the same, just as a concerned Naruto was unveiled by the shadows.

"You okay? You disappeared, what happened?"

"Showed her what I showed the fucking idiots." Hidan growled angry that he had been forced to stop kissing Sakura, the peace and nearly addicting quality of her, her lips, the way she tasted screaming at him, demanding he taste her again forced down, locked up.

He felt the dampening of her emotions and instantly panicked beneath his mask. He knew she wanted it, he felt her need, felt how it made her head spin . . but . .Hidan cursed loudly, was it his own feelings amplified? Was he so focused on the feel of her lips that he ignored her, ignored what she wanted, maybe she hadn't wanted it all, was she regretting it? Pretending it never happened? When did she learn to hide her emotions from their bond?

Unaware of Hidan's misgivings Sakura settled into her Hime frame of mind, trying to put all her emotion to one side, coolly looking at Naruto she answered.

"They were warned, the punishment their fault alone …..they will think twice before thinking we jest."

No Sakura thought, If Hidan had showed them even a fraction of the power and black skeleton form he had used on that fateful day the Akatsuki wouldn't dare flirt with another showing.

Like the unveiling of a monument the shadows slipped off them, startling Shinobi in the street, civilians used to the comings and goings of Shinobi to some degree easily dismissing it not understanding the full situation as the two ANBU appeared by Sakura's and Hidan's sides, firmly standing next to them, nearly growling in exasperated frustration.

"We will escort you to the Hokage."

Damned if they were losing the two silver haired guests . . . again.

Swiftly entering the Hokage's Tower they were escorted by the ANBU who stuck to them like magnets to Tsunade's office, Naruto waiting outside the door as the duo entered.

They were met by a furious Tsunade who was viciously gulping as much sake as possible, the snarl on her face testament to Shizune's wary stance near the door and ready to move. Kakashi at the window, both watching their Hokage warily. Seeing the two enter Tsunade's scowl deepened, her face darkening as she clutched her sake cup, a crack appearing down the thick china cup.

In a display of frustration Tsunade threw it at the far wall, watching in brief satisfaction as it shattered sprinkling the carpet with bits of china, Shizune rolling her eyes with a sigh while Kakashi produced his orange book and began to read, relaxing slightly as he leaned against the windowsill.

"Two border towns were hit at dawn." Tsunade barked angrily shoving scrolls away from her. "No survivors."

Sakura sent a prayer to Jashin for the poor souls so that they would be judged fairly and true, without a word she sat on the lone chair near Tsunade's desk, back straight with a calm, interested and patient face making Tsunade frown and Kakashi pause in his reading to regardto look at her her, Hidan standing behind her back Scythe twisting in his hand as he waited, the sudden knowing confidence and relief which came from Sakura hitting him just before Tsunade barked.

"You plan to kill these assholes?"

Sakura smirked, her arms folding in her lap before she raised her right hand artfully making the sleeve fall revealing her scars, Tsunade stilled while Shizune gasped in horror, Kakashi closing his book with a narrowed eye as Sakura let the sleeve of her left hand fall and began to trace them, drawing their attention.

She traced the overlapping and twisting triangles, diamonds and circles from her elbows to her wrists to her hands, their eyes following her fingers until they reached her eyes. They darkened, the near black colour fathomless, the air cooling around them, Hidan's chuckle made the hairs on the back of their necks stand up but it was Sakura's cool, lilting dark voice that struck fear in them.

"They will scream, they will beg, they will plead for mercy and we shall be as merciful as they, their blood will soak the earth, their screams fill the air and their bodies will scatter the lands in pieces. We will hunt, we will kill, we will destroy, and Jashin will judge."

The smile that appeared on Sakura lips made Shizune whimper, fear filling her body, Tsunade's knuckles white as she grasped the desk and Kakashi pressed himself against the wall, Sakura continuing to Hidan's dark and blood lustful chuckles.

"They will burn for eternity, reaping the torture they merit tenfold, Jashin is harsh but fair and they will have no quarter."

Shizune sank to the floor, the pressure beating down on her too much, the cold seeping into her bones, Kakashi his beloved book longed dropped on the floor made no move to pick it up, Tsunade gulped, sweat beading her forehead holding onto her composure, Hidan's words shocked them back to the room.

"Does that answer your question?"

Ignoring the unabashed glee in his voice and mad glint in his eyes Tsunade focused on Sakura's chin, not meeting her eyes as she tried to bark out an answer but failed, her voice trembling, thanking Kami it didn't break.

"The alliance was agreed on; we are now sending two extra teams."

Sakura's corresponding smile was death.

"Excellent."

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Dia Duit,

Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter –you should have it took 36 chapter but it finally happened.

Thanks to PrinceTheSecond for checking my grammar, any mistakes are mine, I got a huge fright when I saw all the red but luckily mainly the first few pages so I'm not that bad.

As always my cross Atlantic twin kisukebenihime, love ya girl thanks.

Hope to read what you think soon.

Lots of love,

The Rose and the Dagger x x x