To Love and to Love Again Chapter 37: Into the Labyrinth
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
He heard the sirens go off, initiating lockdown. He glared at the intrusive noise and wondered why he bothered to make it so loud. It was interrupting his focus.
"Sir! There's been a-"
"Ssssilence fool," Kabuto rebuked. "I know what has transpired. Handle the matter and do not interrupt me again."
He looked on as the transfusion was nearing its completion. He was so close. He could almost feel the power radiating from the experiment. He couldn't afford to wander at this point. "Curiosity often does kill the cat. This cat has a time limit. We just wait him out."
Plans have a way of changing when you make rash decisions. That was what ran through his mind when he realized that gunning it to the lab without a plan, ammo, and another person in a weakened state would only hinder the mission.
The lab was going into lockdown. He had to get out before that happened. He grabbed Sakura's hand and yanked her in the opposite direction of the lab.
Sakura gasped, thinking that he meant to take her back to her holding cell and was about to ask him so had he not cut her thoughts off at the pass.
"Change of plans," he said tugging her along a corridor. "Follow me and don't ask any questions until its safe."
He ran at such a pace that Sakura had difficulty breathing, let alone have the ability to ask him anything. He led her through corridor after corridor, each one getting seemingly darker than before.
Sakura tried to get a mental image of the layout of the place, but quickly got disoriented. She heard the alarms and the footsteps echoing from all around her. She had no choice but to follow Shin.
Shin knew there was only one way to get out without notice and he had to take it. He went to the engineering room and opened the heavy iron door before shoving her inside. He followed her inside before closing the door. The hum of noise from the broiler room shook the small area.
"Why-"
"Still not safe," Shin said kneeling down on the floor and opening up a latch. He pulled the square door up, revealing an underground chamber that smelled suspiciously like a sewer, with the smell hitting her senses like a bullet.
"Jump down," Shin ordered.
She was about to protest when he jumped down before her. Sakura was left no choice as she dropped down after him. The smell hit her head on and left her paralyzed. Shin grabbed hold of her once again and headed toward a large pipe with clear water before she could get sick. He jumped in and dragged her with him. The ice cold water from the pipe dragged them through the dark tunnel before ejecting them from the end and into an embankment.
Sakura nearly fell on top of him as she was unceremoniously tossed from the pipe. She was soaked through and shivering. Shin didn't fare any better. He landed in the mud and his entire back portion was dirty.
Both were coughing up the water they ingested.
Sakura rolled away from him and lay in a puddle as the past few minutes circled her head. What the hell had just happened?
"What was that!" she yelled before coughing up more water. She was still heavily disoriented and rolled over as the contents from her stomach bubbled from the ride.
Sakura gave in to the nausea from before and promptly vomited whatever was left in her stomach.
Shin could still be heard coughing and rummaging around. She didn't pay much attention as her head was spinning and she now had a bad taste in her mouth. Gathering as much control over her body as possible, she forced herself to get up.
Sakura recovered much faster than he did, raising her concern when his coughing fit had him turning away from her and wiping his mouth. He quickly got up and walked back to the pipe and stood beneath it, allowing the flowing water to wash the mud off him.
Sakura found her bearings and walked over to him as he emerged from the water.
"Why are we outside?" she asked. "It might be impossible to get back in now that we're out."
"I know the layout of this place thorough and through. If we stayed, there wouldn't be anywhere we could have hidden that he wouldn't have checked," he said before taking hold of her hand and pulling her along.
"What's he doing to them?" she shouted, stopping in her tracks. "Did you see what he was…" she couldn't continue as the fear of what might be happening to them made her head spin. "We can't wait out here! I need to get back inside!"
She turned to walk in the opposite direction. Shin yanked her back and held tight. "We're not going anywhere now. You don't even know where they are."
"I can't just sit here and wait. I need to get them out," she shouted.
"Think for a second!" he ordered. "You go walking back in there and Kabuto will just subdue you again. Then where will you be? He wants you. Don't give him the opportunity to get to you."
Sakura knew exactly why he wanted her. The horror of what Kabuto had told her earlier came back and hit her body with a force like no other. The contents of her stomach came surfacing once more. She pulled away from Shin and barely made it to the shrubbery surrounding the pipe before she vomited violently.
She was reaching her physical and mental breaking point. This was all a nightmare and she didn't even know if anyone knew where they were. Sasuke, her father, Naruto…she didn't know where any of them were.
Shin approached her heaving form. He didn't know what else he could do but stand behind her and let her get it all out. This was to be expected. They had been keeping her hydrated, but since she refused to eat, the medications that lingered in her system were being rejected. He should have brought her a protein bar or something. He wasn't thinking in light of the revelations. He needed to have a clear head on his shoulders from now on.
"….shit…," she cursed as she cupped her hands underneath the gushing pipe and washing her mouth out. "What kind of meds did you use?" she asked in a near groan.
"Sedatives and hydration fluids. This is why I kept prompting you to eat," he chided.
"Like I was going to listen to you then," she hissed. "Listening even now is still questionable. I'll get the whole damn story from you another day. I need to get to my kids."
"Now that you've begun to get sick, it's going to continue for a while," he informed. She looked at him questioningly. "You've had nothing but meds for almost thirty-six hours."
Sakura's eyes widened. "We've been here that long?" She had no sense of how much time had passed since the abduction, but almost two days?
Being raised as a "cops" daughter taught her all kinds of things about abductions. Mainly that the first forty-eight hours were the most crucial in locating missing persons. She knew this was an extraordinary circumstance, but then again everyone she knew was in extraordinary positions. That it would take this long for them to find her sent all kinds of doubt into her system. It made her feel sick again, but she held it down. Dehydration would serve no purpose now.
"You need to rest for a few minutes," he said as he assessed her. "Your weakened state will do them no good," he added when she looked ready to argue again. "They're alive…for now. I will get them out, I promise you. But we have to wait."
"Wait for what?" she nearly shouted.
She was ready to stomp down those halls and mercilessly take down anyone who stood in her way, even though she knew it was reckless. Was she expecting Shin to shove her into a pipe? Hell no. Now that he did the experience left her winded, soaked through, and cold.
"You're exhausted," Shin stated. "Rest a bit."
Sakura didn't have the stability to argue with him. The burning need to reach her babies was overwhelming, and though she hadn't eaten in what felt like eternity, she was still felt ready to gag.
She took several deep breaths to calm her beating heart.
"Breath slower or you'll start to hyperventilate," he warned. She sent him a glare, but did as she was told. Breathing the cold air was brutal on her sinuses but it helped control her stomach.
Shin led her to a low hanging tree immersed in the vegetation surrounding the water pipes. He took the time to try and process everything he had learned in just this past hour. Kabuto had manipulated him the entire time. His brother had survived ROOT life and made it to adulthood. The woman he had been tracking had married him. But the most damaging thing that topped everything else was that he had a nephew.
After a few moments of relative silence, save for the roaring of water coming from the pipe, Sakura gathered enough control over herself. She wanted answers.
"Do you know what he has planned for them?" she asked. Shin looked at her and debated whether or not to let her get any answers. One question inevitably leads to more, and eventually she would get to the root of his involvement in all this. Best tread carefully.
"I know what his end goal is," he replied. "Kabuto thinks he can revive the dead and play with DNA like they're Legos waiting to be built into whatever he wants. He's got the intellect and the history to back that assumption up. But he's been waiting for the chance to get the Sharingan for the longest time."
Sakura stilled at the mention of Sharingan. It was then that she remembered what Kabuto had told her when she regained consciousness.
"One the one hand you have a true Uchiha, born with both the genes of the Sharingan and the cursed mark, only the carrier is a girl. I need the strength of a boy."
There was no mention of the Sharingan in Sai's book. Kabuto claimed her father was a Sharingan user, and that Suki also had it. She was too shocked to register the foreign term at the time, but now…
"What is the Sharingan?" she asked. "Kabuto said he needed it and that Suki and my father have it. What is it?"
Shin stared at her with stoic interest in her lack of knowledge on the topic. If she didn't know about that, what else didn't she realize existed out there?
"You really have no idea of the dark secrets around you," Shin muttered, more to himself before he decided to tell her.
"You think?" she asked dryly. He almost smirked.
"The Sharingan is a…technique, if you will," he began. "To be more precise, it's a genetically altered mutation of the human eye that offers the "user" a variety of abilities," he explained, pausing to see if she was following him. She nodded for him to continue, though he could see the shock of that news in her eyes. "How this type of ability was created is unknown, but the Sharingan eye can see every detail, slow down perception of movement, memorize events in sequences, and even allows the ability to mimic and control an opponent. It's an inherited ability unique to only one bloodline: the Uchiha Clan."
She braced herself for what he might say. It still didn't help dial down the shock. "They're born that way." she stated.
He nodded. "According to the research the ability exists from birth, but the Sharingan first emerges later in life, when the user is under extreme stress or emotional instability."
"…What does it look like?" she asked hesitantly.
"A red iris and split pupils formed a variety of ways, each unique to the user."
Sakura closed her eyes in reflection. So that's what she had seen when Sasuke was shot. The Sharingan emerged then. Then she remembered his blood red eyes scaring her and haunting her dreams thereafter. Now she knew that was no trick of the eye.
She also just realized that it was probably the only thing that saved him that day.
"There are more abilities out there," Shin continued. "The phenomenon is known as Kekkei Genkai, because they are bound to one bloodline and passed genetically. The Uchiha's possess the Sharingan, and all those born from a user are carriers."
"That's why he needed Suki," she whispered.
He nodded again. "Yes. She became a necessity as soon as he realized your son wasn't a blood born Uchiha. He never planned on taking the girl until he discovered that she was the one with the Sharingan in her blood."
Sakura couldn't imagine Suki possessing such ability. The thought of her beautiful green eyes morphing into the Sharingan terrified her. "He plans on infusing that into Sora."
"At the Uchiha girl's expense," he added. "Her safety isn't Kabuto's concern, but she holds the Kekkei Genkai he needs. She hasn't unleashed the ability yet. It emerges at different times for all users. The girl may not survive the process."
Sakura snapped at the thought.
"She will survive! And her name is Suki," she shouted. "She's my child now. And I will not let her die do you understand me?"
Shin simply nodded; the apathy in regards to Suki's life still present in his eyes. Sakura noticed alright, which raised a new question.
"I have another question. Why do you hate Sasuke?"
He visibly tensed at the name. He knew she would get to the root of the matter. "He took something from me that I'll never get back. Vengeance was all I had to live for."
"And what did he take from you?" she asked, receiving no reply. He was staring into her eyes, thinking about how much they reminded him of his loss. "What could he have possibly taken that wouldn't make you care that by killing Sasuke, you would orphan a little girl who had already lost her mother?"
"That baby was the reason Aya died!" he shouted with more force than he intended. "She was never supposed to be with that Uchiha but she was forced! She never would have done so otherwise. I blamed him and I forced myself not to care about that child's well-being. Revenge was all I cared about!"
He cursed at his loss of control as he stared into her wide green eyes; the very same shade of green that haunted him every night since Aya's death.
After what seemed like an eternity, Sakura spoke. "Suki's mother," she whispered in shock. "That's what Sasuke took from you." She realized the truth of it when she saw the pain in his eyes. "You were in love with her…,"
"She didn't have a choice," Shin said abruptly. "I know she didn't have a choice, even though she told me otherwise. I saw it in her eyes. It's all because of him!" he seethed.
"How do you know that?" she asked. "How can you be so sure he forced her to marry him? That's not something he would do."
"And you know him so well right?" he asked cynically.
"I know what kind of man he is," she persisted. "Everyone has a past and though I don't know what was in his, I know who he is today. You must be mistaken about the marriage. You can't take it out on Sasuke without knowing what really happened."
But Shin wasn't ready to listen to that. "I promised you I would get the kids out. Don't expect anything when it comes to Sasuke Uchiha," he warned. His hate was still beyond his control, clouding any reasoning. It was all he had to live for in these past years. "It doesn't matter now that I know everything isn't as it seems. I still have beef with Uchiha but I have even more with Kabuto now."
Sakura knew she would have to do what she could to diffuse his anger when the time came, but the focus on the children was more important. "So what do we do?" she asked.
"I created my own entry on the other side of the premises. The main lab is in the central part of the building. By now, that's where Kabuto should be keeping them, but this entire layout is maze. It's tunnel after tunnel of confusion if you aren't familiar with it." he said before quickly turning away as another coughing fit erupted from his throat.
"Shin…" she reached out to him, but he quickly side stepped her and regained control of himself. "Shin what's wrong with you?" she demanded.
"It's nothing," he said. "We need to move quickly. I should get you something dry to wear."
"Forget the clothes," she said just as thunder erupted from overhead. Rain began to fall, soaking them through once again. Shin guided her further into the tree canopy and crouched down with her there. The tree provided sufficient enough protection from the downpour.
"Lockdown is in full effect now," he said letting his gaze go to the seemingly natural landscape. "It'll take him thirty minutes to determine that we're not in there before he sends the security outside. The opportunity to get back inside will be when they come out. Once that happens we need to get in and recommence lockdown to prevent them from getting back inside."
"What about the CIA?" she asked. "How would they get in in?"
Shin gave her a calculating look. "They won't. Precautions were taken to ensure that they wouldn't find you. They don't even know where to begin tracing you."
"What precautions?" she asked, suppressing the fear at that bit of info.
"Too many to get into," he dismissed. "We've known who we were dealing with since the Gala. The CIA hasn't been able to identify us for months, and there's nothing to suggest that they'll figure it out anytime soon. They have no leads so hoping for them to come isn't going to help matters. You have no choice but to trust me for now."
All kinds of emotions surrounded her mind in seconds, but she chose to focus on determination. "Fine," she whispered.
She had no choice. She had to trust that he would get them out of this mess. Learning about their true connection to each other clearly changed his attitude toward her and the children, but Sasuke was another issue that could be addressed later.
Right now she had to get a handle on herself. She closed her eyes for a few minutes to process everything she had learned. Had Shin not been watching her so intently, he would have missed the way she frowned before her eyes opened wide. He was about to give her instructions on his plan, but something clearly troubled her.
"What is it?" he asked. Sakura continued to look out into the night's air, but didn't answer him right away. Finally she turned to him with an indecipherable face. She searched his eyes and hardened her resolve.
"We have to get out of this," she said. "All of us. Whatever you've done in the past, whatever you intended to do in the future, it doesn't matter anymore Shin. What matters is what's happening now."
"So you'll trust me," he said.
"Yes…," she whispered. The last time she was told to trust someone, she was left alone to her own devices. But Shin was her only chance now.
Kabuto entered the room. His eyes zeroed in on the little Uchiha girl. She was still unconscious and hooked up to the monitors like she was supposed to be. When he first began this endeavor, he never considered taking the girl. They boy was all that mattered, until he realized he lacked Uchiha blood. That's when the girl became necessary. When he saw them at the Gala for the first time he naturally assumed they were of the same blood.
And Sakura let him think that.
He spent years pining for her ever since he laid eyes on her for the first time in university. If there was anything Kabuto deemed worthy of respect, it was intelligence and he recognized a great mind like Sakura immediately. How could he not notice a young, beautiful prodigy like her? He watched her closely and felt his admiration for her grow into an obsession. She was the embodiment of perfection, even though he forced himself to realize she wasn't perfect. Still, he couldn't control his desire to have her for himself, and if it was one thing he could not stand, it was lack of control.
Orochimaru watched him like a hawk when they had worked together. He would know if Kabuto showed any weakness in front of him. So he forced himself to stay away from her, until the time came where he was safe enough to take her. Years later, he came back to finally pursue his goal only to find her with two little brats that he thought belonged to none other than Sasuke Uchiha; Orochimaru's own obsession.
The wheels started turning in his head the moment he saw those two raven haired children. Now the time was near. Sakura escaping didn't bother him. He knew she wouldn't leave those two brats behind. And his little minion didn't bother him either. He was secure in knowing that he carried an expiration date without the medication he had been providing him.
He looked at the girl again. The process was almost complete, and he would have no further need for her blood. But given that his cherry blossom had escaped, he would need something to lure her into his trap. He placed his scaly hand on the glass incubator and stared down at the sleeping child. He believed he had the proper bait for that.
Sakura didn't realize she drifted off to sleep until she woke up to the sound of coughing. She was warmer than she remembered, and she saw a small fire burning in the center of their makeshift hideout. Shin was sitting near the entrance, coughing nonstop.
"Shin?" she whispered.
He managed to get control of himself quickly and ceased his coughing. Sakura saw him wipe his mouth once more before turning to look at her. She moved to get closer to him, but he motioned for her to stay where she was.
He got up and came closer to her. Sakura assessed him as he added small twigs to the fire to keep it going. He pulled a blanket out of nowhere and handed it to her.
"How did you-"
"I infiltrated the supplies unit while you were out," he said quickly as he wrapped it around her shoulders.
"You went back inside? Why didn't you-"
"Because you needed to rest and it still wasn't the time to get the kids back," he said in a clipped voice. "Sakura, I'm going to get those kids out but I need to you listen to my instructions and keep a level head."
She opened her mouth to retaliate, but closed it when she couldn't think of anything to say. He added some more twigs to the small fire; enough to keep her warm but not big enough to notice in the shrubbery. It was still pouring rain outside and a few droplets of water leaked from the thick branches above them.
Sakura wrapped the blanket around shoulders and assessed him carefully. His complexion was paler than she remembered, and there was a slight pinking hue around his mouth. He could feel her watching him and knew the inevitable questions would soon come.
"I know that you're sick," she began. "I noticed before, but this has been going on for a long time hasn't it?"
He stopped what he was doing and simply stared at her. When it was apparent he wasn't going to reply anytime soon, Sakura continued to dig.
"It's bad isn't it?" she asked. Silence was all she had gotten. Soon enough she realized that silence was confirmation. Using her keen observation skills, she began to analyze him as best she could. His ashen complexion spoke volumes. If she had to guess right off the bat, he had some sort of condition of the blood.
"It's chronic," she continued. "It's probably what contributed to your hair color. It's affecting your lungs and you're coughing a lot. The hue around your mouth means that there's some blood coming up with your cough."
Shin stayed silent, watching her piece together his illness. She was good, he'll give her that much. "Are you done with my physical exam?" he asked wryly.
"I don't think I'll ever be done," she returned. "Tell me this Shin, does Kabuto know about your illness?"
Shin decided to tell her everything. There was no point in keeping it from her. "He found me at a clinic in China. He told me he was a doctor working on a blood treatment that could help me live on. I participated in his experiments and stayed on when I saw that they worked. He had created specialized pills that regenerate blood cells without the need for transfusion. I need one pill a day to stay alive. In return I'd work for him, though knowing that he knew who I was the entire time changes things."
"One a day?" Sakura repeated. "When was the last time you-"
"Eighteen hours ago," he answered. He saw her face fall and answered the next question before she could get it out. "I didn't manage to stock up before all this went down," he said, turning back to the fire and poking at the embers. He didn't want to see the look of pity that was inevitably etched on her face by now. He couldn't stand that; not after everything he put her through.
"What happens if you go longer than twenty-four hours without the meds?" she asked. He looked back at her to find her with her eyes closed, as if in concentration.
"I become toxic," he answered.
Her brow furrowed at the news. It was worse than she thought. Kabuto had kept him alive long after his body was supposed to fail him. He was entirely dependent on those pills at this point, and even now at eighteen hours post administration, he was showing signs of withdrawal. It was really bad indeed.
After a while of not saying anything, Shin gave her a good look.
She was physically drained. The small fire he made to keep her warm did nothing to dry her clothes and hair. How the hell did he think he could manage this with her in tow? He didn't think, and that was the problem. A change in her demeanor caught his attention. She looked like she was going to be sick again.
"I'm beginning to rethink letting you back in there," he said. She brought her hand up to her mouth to prevent gagging, but still managed to glare at him. "I'd be putting you right back into all that and it's too great a risk."
"Don't even try it Shin," she warned. "There is no way I am staying outside or running away. They're my kids and I have to get them back."
"I'll bring them back to you I swear I will," he promised. "But we have to think things through. You're unarmed, exhausted and somewhat drugged. Your fatigue will slow you down."
"My condition isn't as bad as it looks. I'm running on adrenaline here," she said.
"No you aren't. The adrenaline rush ended when you passed out," he said reaching into his bag and pulling out what looked like berries. "Eat these and get something into your system."
Sakura didn't even recognize her hunger, but her body did. She sat and ate what she could, all the while trying to get a hold of herself. She had a berry midway to her mouth when she paused and put it back down.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said before picking up the berry and placing it in her mouth. Shin wasn't in the mood to humor that lie, as everything they did from now on was crucial to their survival.
"I know something's up," he said. "Tell me now if it's going to affect you when we get back inside."
"I'm fine," she insisted, slowly munching on more berries. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" he asked as he poked at the fire and added more small twigs.
"About Sai," she said, watching him stop his actions and slowly turn to look at her.
It was the elephant in the room between them; the less immediate but probably most prevalent topic of discussion that was just now surfacing. "This may not be the best time…or the most appropriate setting," she began glancing around their makeshift hideout. "But…can you just tell me something about him; something from his childhood? Anything would work."
"You want to talk about this now?" he asked.
"I just need a distraction," she whispered. "Just tell me something about him, please."
Shin sensed there was still something else brewing in her mind, but decided to comply with her wishes.
"…First of all, his real name wasn't Sai," he started.
"What?"
"Sai wasn't his birth name. I'm pretty sure it wasn't at least," he said, toying with the fire once more. "My brother and I were involved in some sort of accident. I don't remember what happened. All I was told was that we were found hurt and abandoned near a deserted town. The only thing I remembered was my brother. I even forgot both of our names. We just called each other brother from then on, until we were given code names by the organization."
"So…Sai and I trained for a special division of the CIA," he continued when she said nothing. "He looked a lot like your boy. He was a lackadaisical kind of kid. Always making pictures in the dirt and cutting out carvings in tree bark. One day, I saved enough to go into town and buy him a sketchbook…," he said meeting her eyes. "On the last day I ever saw him, he told me he had a drawing he wanted to show me, but it wasn't finished. Because of my illness and some unforeseen circumstances I can't get into right now, I had to abandon him that very same day and let him think I was dead. I never saw what he drew that day…until now."
Sakura remembered the drawing of the two boys. From that alone, she knew that Sai loved his brother very much. Shin obviously loved him too.
"He never mentioned you," she said. "But obviously…he never forgot you."
Shin stared at her and she stared back. He didn't need to ask her about Sai's future, but the need to know was there in his eyes.
"I met him in high school," she said. "Our meeting wasn't by chance. He was a specialized CIA Agent assigned to protect me," she said recalling the night her father confessed the arrangement. "I thought it was strange. He didn't really know how to be around people, let alone talk to them. It got to me on more than one occasion. But there was something about him," she said, closing her eyes and remembering the pull she felt toward him. "There was something there I couldn't ignore; a loneliness about him that I could relate to. I really can't say. But it was there, and it was real. He was there for me for everything good and bad. He gave me a beautiful son, and before I knew it I lost him. To this day, I don't know how he died or why. All I know is he's gone and now I can't help but wonder if something about his CIA life was the cause."
Shin's gaze didn't leave hers when he said "I know that it was". Sakura looked at him questioningly. "His end came at that time for a reason, of that I'm sure. It's just one more thing I have to avenge."
The group of men dressed in dark grey science coats monitored the progress of the subject closely. Kabuto had made his sentiments known as far as what he expected from them, and no one wanted to disappoint him. He had also made it clear what would happen should the experiments fail with this test subject. Failure wasn't an option.
"How much longer until we stimulate activity?" one of the scientists asked. The lead tech skimmed over the vital signs before answering.
"Subject appears stable," he said. "But we don't know how it'll react to stimulus and there's no way to predict how it would, given its age."
"Either way, we don't make a move without Kabuto's say so," the other one said. "Try it and who knows what he'll do."
"I know what he'll do," another one said. "I saw him do it to that red haired psycho a while back. She survived his retaliation, but I guarantee you we wouldn't so hold your horses," he warned before a beeping sound caught their attention.
The one closest to the sound checked the readings. "Adrenaline is spiking. I don't understand. We didn't provide a stimulus."
"How much has it spiked?"
"Too much. The other vitals are rising as well," he said as more lights flashed on the board. The other scientists gathered around the monitor and tried to control the levels, but they couldn't be overridden.
"Pump a sedative into the tank. It's waking up," the lead tech said. The shrill sound of activity rising made the tech scramble to grab a vile of sedatives and run into the holding cell. The others watched from the screen as the tech was seen racing to the chamber. The camera zoomed to the test subject, who still looked completely asleep.
They zoomed closer to the face. The subject's eyes suddenly opened a split second before the tank exploded into the cameras lens, blacking out the image. Every scientist in the room scrambled into the holding tank to see what was going on.
It would be a decision they would soon regret.
Shin and Sakura waited in the shrubbery by the entrance he mentioned earlier. True to his word, the Sound operatives made their way outside heavily armed with strange looking weapons that screamed shoot-to-kill.
Shin waited until he was sure the last guy was out before tossing a rock in the opposite direction. The sound drew their attention as they ran toward it, letting Shin and Sakura make a break for it into the door before it shut directly behind them.
"Lockdown has recommenced. We don't have much time now before they realize we aren't out there." he said.
"Then let's get moving," she suggested.
He nodded and led her through the passageways, displaying his knowledge of the layout. Sakura immediately began to have doubts when she noticed that they didn't run into any resistance. It was eerily quiet, and Shin didn't seem the least bit phased. Doubt began to creep up on her. She wanted to question whether he was as unnerved as she was, but didn't when he squeezed her hand. She took it as a sign of assurance, because she had no choice but to trust him.
Even if he turned on her at the last minute, she would take him on.
The lack of noise made her more sensitive to his breathing, which was getting more ragged by the minute.
"Mommy," came the cry of a girl.
They stopped abruptly at the sound. Sakura and Shin turned trying to locate the voice, but all they could see was corridor after corridor.
"Suki," she whispered. She was about to shout out her name when Shin's hand clamped around her mouth. The look he gave her forced her scream down.
"This could be a trap," he whispered harshly.
"If Suki got out I need to get to her."
"Has she ever called you mommy before?" he asked. That made Sakura actually stop and stare.
It was true. Suki had never called her mommy, not even once by mistake. It was always Aunty Sakura this, Aunty Sakura that. Never once did she think it was okay to call her mommy. Why now? Unless…
Shin could see the desperation to get closer to the little voice calling out to her. If the girl Suki escaped, it wasn't on her own or by accident. That bastard had probably let her out on purpose to lure them where he wanted them. "Don't move," he said tensely.
"Mommy!" the new panicked shriek sent Sakura's maternal sensors bolting toward the noise with Shin's caution thrown to the wind. Shin cursed and ran to catch up with her, wondering where her speed came from.
She turned the corner and ran right into a dark room. She heard Shin call out to her seconds before the door shut behind her. Sakura wheeled around and pounded on the door when a light came on behind her. That's when she saw her.
Suki was in the center of a large glass chamber wearing what looked like a white hospital gown. She was lying on the ground and still as death. Sakura's heart dropped into her stomach as she ran and pounded on the thick glass wall.
"Suki!" she screamed. The little body made no movement, sending her heart into an even more panicked state.
"Suki wake up sweetheart please wake up!" she shouted pounding on the glass like there was no tomorrow. Every second she stared at Suki's unmoving form increased her panic. That is…until her little body shifted ever so slightly, and Sakura could see that she was breathing.
"Suki!" she shouted as she continued to pound on the glass to get her attention. Suki continued to shift and rub her eyes as if she was just waking up from a nap. She yawned and blearily blinked her eyes open. She finally registered the noise and looked up.
"Su…" the name froze on her lips as Sakura stared at Suki.
Fear gripped her heart and squeezed at the sight before her. Gone were her beautiful green eyes. What stared at her now were two red orbs…with three coma-like irises. Those same eyes opened wide as she scrambled to her feet.
"Aunty Sakura!" Suki screamed before launching herself at the glass door. She pounded on the glass with her tiny fists, shouting and crying at the same time. Everything looked funny and moved slowly, but Suki was able to get oriented and make sense of it somehow.
Sakura snapped out of her stupor and crouched down with her hands splayed on the glass and her forehead pressed against it.
"Aunty Sakura," Suki wailed.
"Oh sweetheart," Sakura whispered as tears streamed down her face in sheer relief that she was alive. "I'm right here baby I'm so glad you're okay," she sobbed.
She began to look around for a door or latch to get her out. There was no visible door, and Sakura didn't have time to register how she got in there. What mattered was getting her out, the quickest way she knew how.
"Stand back Suki do you hear me? Get away from the glass," she said motioning for her to move.
Suki ran to the other side. Sakura gathered her strength, flexing her fist and letting the juices flow in her blood before charging toward the glass. She sent a roaring punch toward the thick cut glass wall. Her fist connected solidly with it. The thud shook the wall, but all it did was make a slight crack. Shaking it off, Sakura went back to get more momentum and sent another punch hurling at the same spot.
Suki watched in fear as Sakura charged again and again at the wall, each time hitting the same spot over and over again. She was running on pure adrenaline now, not even caring when the punches tore through her gloves and broke her skin, leaving red smudges of her blood tricking down the glass. She didn't care. She would do anything for her baby.
Suki was too scared to do anything but watch as Sakura continue her assault. Her tears sent a new strength into Sakura's bones, and with one final punch, her fist connected at the weakest point in the dent, freezing her in place as the crack ripped open the remaining wall, shattering it to pieces and showering her with sharp glass chards mixed red with her blood.
Sakura wasted no time in running over to the frightened Suki and enveloping her baby into her blood stained arms and holding on tight.
"Suki!" she screamed and cried at the same time. Suki held on to her tight and cried her heart out. Sakura held her close and sobbed uncontrollably in relief. She kissed the top of her head. "I'm here sweetheart," she said smoothing out her hair with one damaged hand and rocking her back and forth. "Mommy's here. It's okay…shhhhhh."
Sakura held onto her tight until Suki had calmed down enough to talk to her. Sakura smoothed her hair back and stared into her eyes. So Suki had unleashed the Sharingan.
"Mommy," Suki sniffled before burying her face back into her embrace.
"Yes baby. Mommy's here," she soothed, reinforcing to Suki that from now on, she was her mother.
"Mommy," Suki hiccupped in acceptance.
"It's okay now sweetie, I'll get you home. We're going to get out of here soon," she said before looking around the darkened room and not sensing anyone else near them. "Suki, do you know where Sora is?"
"No," she said helplessly. "Everything looks so different," she said, closing her eyes in fear of how everything looked in front of her. Sakura remembered the properties of the Sharingan that Shin had described, but she looked into Suki's eyes regardless.
Blood red irises with split pupils stared back at her in fear. That fear was the only thing that negated the fearsomeness and physiological manipulation those eyes were capable of.
Sakura held her close. Now that the surge of emotion had settled, things began surfacing. The heighted awareness picked up once more when she realized a few things.
A child's voice had called out to her, yet Suki was unconscious when she arrived.
And now they were sitting ducks.
Sakura scrambled to her feet with Suki in her arms. She turned back to the door that closed on her when she entered the room and cursing when she found it was locked. She could hear a faint thumping on the other side, which she assumed to be Shin. When the door began to give, she instinctively moved back as the door handle shot off and swung open.
A furious Shin was on the other side.
"What part of don't fucking move didn't you understand?" he growled before assessing this room; one he recognized to hold little significance which only confirmed that this was a trap and that they were now screwed over more than usual. He glanced back at Sakura as she held the Uchiha girl with profusely bleeding hands.
Suki stared at the man in fear. When Shin saw her eyes replaced with the Sharingan, he knew that the transfusion process was complete. Kabuto didn't need the girl anymore; another bad sign.
"I had to get her," Sakura whispered. "But she was unconscious when I found her. Who was calling out to me?"
"We're not going to stick around and find out," he said before grabbing her and heading out into the maze of halls. "It's way too quiet around here and I don't like what that implies."
Before she could fathom what he meant by that, the sound of a gunshot echoed in the hall behind them. Suki screamed and Shin wheeled around firing a shot of his own and caught a glimpse of their attacker.
"Shit," he cursed as he spotted an operative gunning it after them and firing shot after shot. He wondered when the bastards would make their move. Shin turned left abruptly and continued to run down the hall. The assailant followed them with bullets ricocheting off the walls until he led them where he needed them to go.
Shin thought it was odd that none of the shots had found them, almost as if he wasn't even trying to get them. He turned the corner and into the large open space of an arena and cursed again. The operative exited after them and raised the gun to shoot them, before three bullets took him from behind. One landed in his head before he dropped dead. Sakura screamed and turned Suki's face away, praying she hadn't seen the man go down.
Shin watched as a figure emerged from the shadows. He stood with his eyes wide as the person became clearer. Sakura saw an older looking man walking with a cane, wrapped in gauze covering various parts of his body. He stopped and stared at them.
"That's enough of that business," the man said looking right at them. Shin tensed beside her before putting himself in front of them and glaring at the man in recognition. "I see you remember me," the man said.
"How can I forget?" Shin replied. "So you're the one behind this…Danzo."
The man known as Danzo simply smiled sardonically at him. "Don't look at me with such contempt," he sneered. "I'm not the only one that benefited from this, though I'm sure your time is nearly up if your face is any sign."
Shin wiped the blood off his mouth, staining his pale skin with a faint pink color. "Pity," Danzo continued. "Death by binding seal would have been quick and painless. Your brother certainly benefitted from it."
Shin felt Sakura tense at that bit of news. He held her back when she tried to move forward.
"You killed Sai," she whispered. "You killed Sai!" she shouted. Danzo gave her an assessing look.
Kakashi's daughter looked weary and beaten down with her tattered clothing and bloody wrists. But her eyes burned green with anger and determination, and a cold fierceness he had known Kakashi to possess. He hated her more now than ever before.
Danzo finally noticed the little girl in her arms, and the Sharingan staring right back at him. That fool Kabuto may not think there was any more use for the child but he certainly could use another pair of eyes.
They watched in horror as he unraveled the bindings on his arm. Sakura once again covered Suki's eyes when they saw his arm covered with Sharingan eyes.
"Oh God," she whispered.
"Now it's time to finish things," Danzo said before lunging for them with incredible speed.
Shin pushed Sakura out of the way and collided squarely with Danzo.
"Run!" he shouted.
Sakura stared in horror as the deceptively strong man known as Danzo struggled against Shin. Shin's final shout to get moving penetrated her mind as she sped off into the maze of halls once again to get out. Suki clung to her, whimpering in fear at what she had seen earlier. Her eyes had registered things she didn't understand, but she felt something when she saw all those eyes. She felt the people behind them.
Sakura continued to run, her gaze lingering on the many passing rooms in search for any signs of Sora. They passed a hall when Suki gasped and grasped her shirt.
"What?" Sakura gasped, clutching Suki closer and looking around frantically for any sign of a threat. "What happened?"
Suki was looking straight down the darkened corridor, her eyes searching and sensing a faint but familiar signal. Somehow she knew that Sora was there somewhere.
"Sora," she whispered. Sakura's heart leapt.
"What? You see Sora?" she asked looking down the corridor. She couldn't see a damn thing, but she knew that the Sharingan may have let Suki see something. It was her best chance yet.
Suki shook her head and pointed in that direction. Sakura grew confused by the look in Suki's eye. Sakura stood in the center of the large divide, panting from all the running and desperately trying to keep it together. Suki may have sensed something, but the uncertainty of what she was seeing made it hard to decide to follow.
"Do you sense anything else Suki?" she asked looking at Suki's face. She shook her head.
"He's running away," she said. That snapped Sakura's gears back in motion.
"Tell me which way," she said as she ran into the darkened corridor. Her eyes took their time adjusting to the dark, but Suki didn't have that problem.
"There," Suki said pointing. Sakura ran all the way toward the end, when a glowing blue light began to emit from the left side of the hall. She slowed and followed the light.
She could smell the smoke, and another familiar smell. Fear gripped her heart as she stepped into the room. Smoke ghosted the floor over fallen bodies as the air sizzled with electricity. The smell of scorched flesh permeated the air, triggering her nausea once more. Sakura covered her nose as she gripped Suki tight.
It was a massacre.
The room was littered with debris and people. White lab coats stained with blood from the impact of shattered glass from the large container situated in the center of the room. Something had escaped from there.
She caught movement in the corner of her eye. Before she could blink, a white scaly hand held her arm in a fierce grip and swung her around.
"I knew you'd be back," Kabuto hissed. Sakura gasped and released Suki a second before she was pulled into his hold. Her back hit his chest as his reptilian arms engulfed her in their tight hold.
"Get your hands off me!" Sakura screeched, thrashing unsuccessfully in his surprisingly strong hold.
"Mommy!" Suki screamed. Her eyes assessed the scary man holding her, and she was frightened even more.
Kabuto got a strange look in his eye when he noticed Suki. Before his thoughts could manifest into anything, Sakura found her strength and reared back, sending them both into a pile of debris. Kabuto hissed and rolled over with her as Sakura shouted at Suki to get away.
When she looked back, Suki was nowhere to be seen. Sakura rolled with Kabuto onto the floor, bumping into fallen bodies and struggling against each other. Kabuto was heavy, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins allowed her to squirm away from him, but not for long.
"Do you think that after all this time, I would let you slip from my grasp?" he asked pinning her down by the arms. Her legs were effectively held down. "Did you?" he asked, shaking her.
"Get off of me you bastard," she screamed, struggling against him.
"I still have grand plans for you." His eyes practically glowed against his pale face. "One little hiccup isn't enough to stop me. I'll get you back where you belong before finishing that little brat."
"Look at you!" Sakura shouted. "Look at what you're doing. Have you truly gone insane?"
"You call it insanity, I call it ingenuity," he replied. "A new race will be born and Lord Orochimaru's work shall continue," he said before looking at her in a way that made her skin crawl. "It's all going to start with you," he said before lowering his face toward hers.
Sheer horror at having him kiss her allowed her reflexes to deliver a swift head but to his face. His glasses shattered and his nose began to bleed. Sakura used her momentum to push him off as he clutched his bleeding face. She tried to scramble to her feet, but his arm pulled her back.
"Step out that door and I can guarantee you your son dies," he huffed into her ear. That stopped her struggling. "That's right. Think before you do anything further," he warned as the blood from his face dripped onto her chest.
"What did you do to him?" she whispered. He chuckled in her ear and grazed the side of her face with his cold scaly nose, further smearing the blood and chuckling as he did so.
At that moment, she thought she noticed movement in the corner of her eye. Her thoughts went to Suki. She may be hiding there. Kabuto didn't seem to notice it, but if it was Suki she had to keep him distracted.
"What did you do to my son?" she repeated. Kabuto stopped nuzzling her face, though his arms gripped her tighter from behind.
"Would you like to sssee him?" he hissed. Sakura suppressed the shiver that threatened to appear before nodding. She had to get to Sora, and if this was the only way then so be it. Her only fear was for Suki. She was so scared and confused. Sakura couldn't imagine what the world looked like through Sharingan eyes, but she had to get Kabuto away from Suki. She was useless to him now, and Sakura knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill her.
"Behave," Kabuto warned. He nudged her forward into the hall, keeping a tight grip on her arms. "It's such a pity," he began. "You had such potential. You and I could have achieved great things together. I'd have thought that with enough time, you would come around and see reason Sakura," he said as they walked along the darkened corridor.
Sakura didn't like the way he was talking about her. It sounded like he had given up on her. He was being exceedingly rough with her too. A sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach. She remembered Sasuke's words about the stages of obsession.
"…..you're going to do something that will disappoint him eventually… when he realizes that you're not as perfect as he might have thought you were, he'll react."
In the beginning, Kabuto spoke of her with a sort of reverence. Now it was almost like he was…
"I'm very disappointed in you….Sssssakura," he said before shoving her forward.
Sakura reacted without a second thought. She dropped a second before she saw the shine of a blade protrude from his scaly hand and swipe the air where her head used to be. Kabuto lunged again, swinging the blade down towards her. Sakura rolled to her side, but not before the tip of the blade managed to nick her arm.
Sasuke was right. She had disappointed Kabuto, and if he couldn't have her he was going to make sure no one else could.
She dropped and kicked his shin, using her hands to swing herself on the ground as she did so. He stumbled back, getting caught on his robes. Sakura used the seconds to scramble to her feet. She propelled forward, only to scream when she felt the searing pain of the blade imbedding in the back of her right shoulder. She stumbled to her knees as she simultaneously reached for the knife and pulled it out. She turned and faced Kabuto as he approached her at light speed. Sakura stared at him, her heart pounding a mile a minute. Kabuto had her cornered and he knew it. He pulled out a gun from his sleeve and pointed it right at her.
Her breath stilled as time seemed to freeze. The reverberating sound of a gunshot ricocheted throughout the corridor. Blood splattered on the walls, along with her screams.
Suki ran down the corridors as fast as her small feet could carry her. Her eyes adjusted to everything differently than it did before, but tears streamed down her face as she did so. She didn't know where she was going, but somehow her eyes memorized everything, giving her a mental map of the place. She never turned anywhere twice.
She remembered feeling Sora nearby, but she couldn't feel him anymore. Suki was scared the bad man got to him.
"Sora," she yelled. "Onii Chan!" she cried again, hoping to hear from him. Suki continued to run before she sensed someone up ahead. She slowed and came to a stop. Someone was coming right at her, and it wasn't anybody she knew. When she got closer, she saw that it was a woman.
The woman paused in her walk when she saw the little girl right before her. Her face broke out into a menacing grin.
"Hello little brat," the redheaded woman said. Suki saw all the bite marks that covered her body and the fear returned. The woman's face looked funny, but Suki didn't know what it was. Her movements were funny too.
"Where's my brother?" Suki asked as she clutched her gown. The woman stilled.
Karin escaped her confinement after all the hubbub. She saw her chance to escape after that bastard Kabuto ran after that Haruno bitch. She didn't expect to run into this little brat, but she saw a golden opportunity before her grand escape.
She chuckled ominously before slowly approaching the girl. When she got closer, she could see the Sharingan in her eyes…just like Sasuke had. Even now, after everything she had been through, her obsession for him did not waver. The jealously and the rage consumed her at the thought of Sasuke with another woman. Now the child stood before her, mocking her with those eyes she got from her Sasuke. It was time for payback, long overdue.
"Don't look at me with those eyes," Karin seethed. "I'll see to it that those eyes never see the light of day again!" she shouted before lunging at the child.
Suki saw her coming in detailed perception, but her fear paralyzed her on the spot. Time stilled before her as the woman's outstretched hands reached for her; her cry's echoing throughout the corridor. Karin's eyes widened with insanity at the thought of finally getting her revenge.
And she never saw him coming.
The small Sharingan eyes staring up at her in fear were now blocked by the bigger, more dangerous Sharingan that seemingly materialized before her and blocked her path, ready to kill her. She didn't even have time to blink as the Katana swung straight through her heart, killing her within seconds. The last thing Karin saw was the Sharingan, and she wouldn't have had it any other way. The katana was easily pulled out before her limp body dropped to the floor in a pool of blood, blocked from view of the small child.
Suki stared up at the dark figure before her. Her new eyes registered everything within a split second before her heart started pounding again. The man turned around and looked down at her with eyes just like hers.
"Suki…," he said in that familiar voice; the one she knew and loved. He saw the fear in her eyes, and the Sharingan that he never thought he would see on her. "…Tenshi…," he said more clearly; his voice betraying tenderness.
Suki's eyes welled with tears. "…D….Daddy!" she wailed before running to him. Sasuke tossed his katana to the side before he knelt on the ground and enveloped his daughter into his arms and held her tight. Finally, he had her back.
"Tenshi." His voice was hoarse as he kissed her cheeks. Suki clung to him as she cried all over him. "I got you," he said as he stroked her hair. "I got you."
"Daddy!" she sobbed. Her little hands clung to his shirt, her body shaking as she realized that her father was with her at last.
Sasuke just held her in his arms, even though he knew he would need to get her out of here soon. But he was just as shaken at what he had witnessed only seconds ago. He and the dobe successfully located the new Sound base and infiltrated it. When he saw Suki's chakara signature on the move, he wasted no time getting to her.
But for now, he finally got to hold his baby girl again. He kissed her cheeks once more before standing with her in his arms. Suki still choked and sobbed, but Sasuke used one hand to pull her face away from his chest to get a good look at her eyes.
"Hi Tenshi," Sasuke said soothingly, attempting to calm her. A thousand questions filtered through his mind, but he had to calm her down. "I'm here for you now, and I'm not leaving you ever again," he said kissing her forehead. "I promise."
Suki hiccupped and wiped her eyes with her hands. "Daddy…," she choked. "I... (Sniff)… missed you," she said heartbreakingly. He took hold of one of her hands and kissed it before holding it on the side of his face.
"I missed you too," he said realizing now just how much he missed his baby. Suki calmed down after a few minutes and took a good look at him.
"Daddy….your eyes," she said placing both her hands on his face.
"You're eyes too," he said. The rage over what she had to have been through to get the Sharingan began to bubble. He could feel his body shake in anger over it.
"What the hell happened here?" came a voice from behind them. Suki looked over her father's shoulders and saw another man with blond hair and blue eyes that made her heart thump with joy.
"Uncle Naruto!" she shouted.
Naruto ran toward them as his gaze locked onto hers in surprise. "Suki? Thank God your….whoa," he said when he realized what exactly he was staring at. "Well, she definitely looks a lot more like you now. Like father like daughter," he said when he reached them. "Hey sweetheart," he said patting her head affectionately.
"Tenshi, have you seen Sakura and Sora?" Sasuke asked. The sweet relief he felt after finding Suki was short lived as he realized time was still running out for Sora and Sakura. Suki nodded her head.
"I can't feel Sora anymore," she said. "But the bad man was fighting mommy," she said, surprising both Sasuke and Naruto. "He was hurting her," she added as the tears began to build once more. "She told me to run away."
Sasuke visibly tensed at the news. Suki's gown was stained with blood, and he knew it didn't belong to her…which meant that Sakura was hurt.
Kabuto's psyche must have finally snapped and Sakura was in real danger. And they still had to find Sora, but there was no way he was keeping Suki here to witness any of it. Naruto caught Sasuke's eye, instantly understanding the message.
"Tenshi," Sasuke began. "I have to find Sora and Saku…mommy," he corrected, squeezing her closer to him. "I have to bring all of you home. You have to go with Uncle Naruto right now."
"No," Suki screamed hysterically. "Don't leave me! You promised!" she yelled. Her tiny fists pounded onto his chest.
Sasuke was going to hate himself for this for the rest of his life, but time was running out. He held Suki close, whispering soothing words into her ear, promising never to leave her ever again. When she looked back into his eyes, he took his chance and used his much stronger Sharingan to overpower her thoughts. Suki's eyes slowly closed, until she was in deep sleep.
He had no other choice.
Naruto watched him subdue her. "So," he began. "How often did you use that to put her to sleep as a baby?" he asked. Sasuke did nothing more than glare at him. Naruto shrugged and turned to the corpse behind them.
"She looks familiar," he said. "And what's with all the bite marks?"
"Remnants of her days as a Sound operative working with Orochimaru," Sasuke answered, before forgetting her completely. "Kabuto has her," he said referring to Sakura. "He's not going to let her live. She's not good enough for him anymore," he said, making Naruto curse.
"Suki said he already has her," Naruto remembered. "We need to move."
"Not we. You need to take Suki," Sasuke said as he handed her over to him. "Get her out of here dobe. Flag down the CIA and get her out," he said just as Naruto's communicator alerted him. He checked the signal and grinned.
"No need. My guys are finally here. It's time to get this show on the road. Believe it!"
The CIA had finally arrived at the coordinates Shino had traced. He brought the entire squad with him, braced and ready to annihilate any and every person who participated in Kabuto Yakushi's sick and twisted schemes.
The Sound Operatives found lurking outside the perimeter were subdued in no time. His team saw to their disposal. All ten of Kakashi's hounds were unleashed on the grounds, searching for evidence of Sakura and the children.
"Report your location," Kakashi ordered through his communication mic.
"Clear," Neji and Lee reported.
"Our side's clear," Kiba and Chouji said.
"My side is clear, but this looks like the entrance," Shikamaru said. "Report to the South side."
The squad assembled to Shikamaru and immediately understood why it was the entrance. There was a swirling hole on the side of the wall; the signature move for one of their own. Tenten, who was watching from the CIA base, rolled her eyes.
"Ch, leave it to Naruto to make a grand entry," she muttered to all of them via communication system. She was itching to get back in the field and unleash her weaponry, but she had to monitor them through the base with Ino. Tsunade had given strict orders for them to stay and guard the mission from base in light of the dirty Agent fiasco.
Hinata was on sight for medical needs.
"Alright guys," Tenten said. "Proceed and disperse with tracking. I'm going to make a map of the layout as you do."
"You heard her," Kakashi said just before they heard sound of footsteps coming toward them.
They braced their weapons, ready for a fight, when an obnoxious shout called out.
"Jeez, put the guns down, it's me!" Naruto shouted just before he appeared out the door…with an unconscious Suki in his arms. "I think shit's hit the fan in there. We heard gun shots and alarms are ringing all over the place. Get in and head towards the noise."
They didn't waste any time doing so.
"Hinata is here with Medics," Kakashi said. "Take Suki to her," he ordered before he and Naruto ran in opposite directions.
Kakashi followed his team into the darkened corridors of the layer. It didn't take them long to find their first sign of trouble.
"What the hell happened here?" he asked to no one in particular as he surveyed the damage. The area was a mess.
"Kakashi!" Neji shouted from across the area. "You better take a look at this." Kakashi made his way over, and saw what he was talking about.
"So this was what he was all about," he said when he saw the containment chambers. He walked toward the broken glass chamber. A greenish liquid had spilled in a pool on the ground, and what he recognized as air-mask dangled from the interior of the chamber. Something or someone was in there, and had only just recently left."
Neji surveyed the area thoroughly. "Pattern of glass and splatter indicate that it was broken from the inside out," he noted crouching down and observing a trail of splatter heading in one direction. "Whatever was in there went that way," he said shinning his light into a corridor.
"Not before causing serious harm to three people," Kakashi responded. Hinata rushed in with Naruto beside her. "Hinata, assess those three on the ground."
She nodded and used her medical knowledge to survey the fallen men. "They're alive, but knocked out," she said. "Some kind of chokehold was used...but…" she broke off as she closely assessed the marks on their necks.
"What is it Hinata?" Kakashi asked. She looked troubled and locked her gaze on Kakashi.
"The marks came from small hands…a child's hands," she specified indicting the size of the wounds.
"A kid did this?" Naruto asked. "You don't think it was-"
"Sora," Kakashi said fiercely. It had to be him.
The communicators crackled with static before Tenten's voice was heard. "All units: Activity reported in the central sector of the area."
"All of you head there now. I'm going this way," Kakashi said as he followed the direction of the water. If his grandson was here, he was going to find him.
Sasuke unleashed his fury upon the numerous masked attackers. He could count fifty easily and knew the organization was larger than he thought. It didn't matter though. He would find that bastard Kabuto.
He dodged the bullets that came his way, noting the electrical field that surrounded each one. Kabuto had been working on some new toys. He braced his Katana with electricity to ward them off, when a flash of green appeared before him.
"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee shouted before he used his legs to knock down an entire row. He turned and gave Sasuke a look before deciding to salute him. "Uchiha Sasuke. Let us fight alongside each other!" he shouted before almost diving into a group of five more.
Naruto appeared with Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Akamaru. He turned to Sasuke and gave him a grin.
"Suki's safe with the CIA," he said before turning and knocking down two assailants that headed straight for him. Naruto managed to unmask one of them and flinch. The face was disfigured…and dead.
"Don't unmask them dobe," Sasuke said. "They're all dead. That bastards reanimated them somehow," he said as he swung his Katana through another wave of them. They weren't difficult to fight. They were just numerous.
The guys oriented themselves in a crude circle by Sasuke, tackling the waves as they came.
"Now I've seen it all," Naruto shouted as he ran through a line of them, downing them instantly with his arms alone.
"I'll say," Kiba said, flinching himself when Akamaru easily ripped a limb off one of them. "They aren't stable at all."
"Where is that bastard Kabuto?" Neji asked as he surveyed the area and subdued attackers at the same time. They seemed to swarm the place "Where are they coming from?"
"Looks like there's only one way to do this," Naruto said. "Take cover," he shouted before jumping towards the center of the mass.
Shikamaru's eyes widened. "Not here!" he yelled.
Neji's eyes also widened when he realized what he meant to do. "You're not thinking to-"
"Shit!" Kiba cursed before gunning it behind a wall with Akamaru. Neji, Shikamaru and Lee followed suit. Sasuke only had time to dive behind them when a flash of blue filled the space followed by a sonic boom. The room shook as bodies were thrown back against the wall before slumping down in heaps.
Smoke and dust ghosted the floors around Naruto as he breathed heavily and surveyed the damage. His arms were smoking, though he held no weapon. Sasuke emerged from his spot and raised a brow at him.
"Hehe…I'm not really supposed to use that indoors," Naruto said grinning.
"You Idiot! You could have killed us all!" Shikamaru shouted from the floor.
"What the hell was that?" Kakashi's voice said through their ear pieces. The blast was felt throughout the layer.
Tenten followed suit. "Someone tell me he did not just do that indoors! You just compromised the integrity of the structure."
"I got them all didn't I?" Naruto responded. "Now we can find Sakura and Sora."
"Is Sasuke with you Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "Keep him there. The rest of us are headed toward your location."
Sasuke sheathed his Katana and surveyed the damage. He had to find them fast before the CIA decided to do it on their own. He began to move, when he sensed the presence up ahead. Naruto followed his gaze.
"Sakura!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke held his hand up, silencing Naruto and gaining everyone's attention.
He saw Sakura slowly walking toward him from the shadows of the entryway. Something was off, and slowly the Agents around him noticed it too as she got closer. She was looking at her feet, purposefully avoiding their gaze. Her breathing was short and shallow.
It had been nearly two months since he had last seen her. The vision he had of her all those nights ago on the bench faded as she emerged.
"Sakura," he whispered.
He saw the blood splatter covering her front. Her arms and chest were soaked red with splatter marks on her neck and shoulders. Her walk was tense, fearful, and forced. Sasuke didn't look into her eyes. If he did, he would have missed the gleam coming from an object behind her. It was then that he saw the man walking right behind her, and the gun in his hand pointed at her back.
"Uchiha Sasuke. So very nice of you to come," Danzo said as he and Sakura emerged into the light. Sakura visibly tensed when Danzo said his name, but she still didn't look up. Sasuke gave her a thorough once over, realizing the blood on her front didn't come from her, but someone else; someone who was right in front of her and shot at close range, similar to what happened to him.
Sakura refused to meet his gaze, even though she felt his eyes on her.
"Danzo you bastard," Naruto growled. "Let go of her!"
Danzo only gave a smug look in reply. He moved the gun from her back, pointing the barrel at her temple. Everyone tensed at the move, knowing the slightest provocation could end her life.
"Stand down, all of you," Danzo ordered. "I'm just itching for a reason to kill her," he said, nuzzling the gun on her temple.
Sasuke looked at Danzo murderously as he forced the gun on Sakura. He could see her quiver every time it touched her. To Sasuke, it was the same as any man touching her, and his fury ignited. He stepped away from the group towards her, stopping only when Danzo shifted the gun on her.
"Give it up Danzo," Naruto snarled. "We know you're the one that's gone dirty. We've got the place surrounded. There's no way you're getting out of this."
"You fail to register that her life is in my hands," Danzo replied, pressing the barrel into her pink locks to emphasis his point. "She and I will be leaving without barriers. Any moves to stop me will result in her immediate death."
"You bas-"
"Don't!" Sakura shouted. She shut her eyes, shuddering as she tried not to fall apart. "Don't get in his way," she whispered, confusing everyone. Hearing her voice again, laced with fear, did something to Sasuke. He could feel the stability shifting within him. His control was slowly slipping from him.
Danzo gave Sasuke a pointed look. Kakashi emerged from recon and registered the entire scene within seconds. Danzo appeared, irritated with his arrival. His plan to exit with his hostage in tow was getting more delayed by the second.
The gun slid from her head, down to her chest. "I could take her heart, but that would be too messy, and again, far too quick for my liking," he said, letting the guns barrel slide further down her body. It wasn't done in any type of sexual manner, but it was purposeful, and Sakura's heart sunk at where he was going to stop it.
Sasuke's Sharingan eyes watched as Danzo abruptly stopped the guns barrel at her lower abdomen. "This wouldn't be so quick," he began. "Tell me…Uchiha. Would you risk me killing her…and the child she carries now?" he said pressing the gun into her lower belly.
Sakura's eyes met Sasuke's then. His heart lurched with fury and panic when he locked eyes with her. She nodded her head to confirm the truth to him, the one she realized in that brief moment of clarity with Shin.
She was pregnant.
AUTHORS NOTE:
You know I love cliffys and hoopla. DON'T KILL ME! Next chapter will be shorter but coming sooner! The end draws near and therefore the updates will come fast. SO PLEASE REVIEW THIS CHAPTER! I LOVE THEM!