This is a filler chapter, I'd say, because it's a prelude to the big fight you're all anticipating and waiting for, but I hope you'll like it all the same.

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Rain.

Cold rain.

It's bloody summer!

Ooh, what was that on the left?

Rain. And a boulder being pelted by rain.

Damn country.

Her clothes were sodden wet and clinging to her and, had she been a human, she was pretty sure she would have caught a cold by now. Finally, the village gates came into view. She walked up to the guard and told him, "I seek an audience with Yahiko-san, Nagato-san and Konan-san."

The guard looked at her for a moment, but despite his enquiring stare, she would not remove her hood.

"Alright. Who wants to see them?" he asked her, his voice laced with suspicion.

"Ah, tell them we met once, when I weeded out my rats, that I helped to take out their rats but not in person, and that now I want their help to get rid of the biggest rat yet. They should understand. And so the vixen shall be waiting right here," she finished, jumping on a nearby boulder and settling on it, then opening an oiled paper umbrella and, looking in the distance, smoking leisurely from a pipe, the smoke curling up and disappearing in the rain.

Nonplussed, the guard let his companion take over and left to fetch the trio.

"I say it's her."

"Do you really think so?" asked a young woman with blue hair to her darker-haired teammate.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure the rats she alluded to in the message were Danzo on our part and the fake Konoha-nin on her part. Remember how we met her? And how giant foxes countered Danzo's salamander summons? No one has the fox summons that we know of."

"But we know of a fox in human form who roamed the earth six years ago, who could very well have ordered those foxes to help us, don't we?" finished the third person of the party, a young man with spiky orange hair. "Anyway, we'll get to know for sure. There she is."

From behind, all they could see was a back covered in a long cloak, with an umbrella propped open on her shoulder, and a plume of smoke trailing toward the sky.

"And so we meet again," came a voice they recognized from long ago. "'Lo, kiddos."

"Sakura-sama!"

The figure shook her head lightly.

"Ah, don't call me '–sama', it makes me feel old. Besides, I would feel uncomfortable having you call me that."

They nodded in acceptance.

"Sakura-san, then. You have a favour to ask of us?" asked Yahiko.

"Indeed, I do. But this is not for all ears to hear."

"Come in, we'll be better at ease inside."

She surprised them by putting a hand on Nagato's shoulder and saying, "Guide away."

And then they noticed she had not opened her eyes once.

"So, what is it that you need from us?" asked Yahiko, once they were seated comfortably in a rain-free area–would wonders ever cease?

"Not much. I'm aware that since I sent my foxes to counter Danzo's summons, thus helping you defeat him, a certain man has contacted you a number of times. He tried to manipulate you into becoming nuke-nin and founding an association to capture all the tailed beasts. Fortunately for me," she added with a smirk, "you refused. However, he still returned to offer you to defect many times."

After a moment of silence in which the three younger shinobi exchanged meaningful glances, Konan spoke up.

"What would you have us do?" she asked cautiously.

"Nothing too hard. I don't even wish for you to defect. Your place is here, and apparently, Jiraiya-kun has taught you well, if you refuse to abandon your comrades."

"Eh, you know sensei?" asked Yahiko, eyes sparkling.

"Mhm. I sure do. And I even saw him not too long ago. He's still a master pervert."

They all chuckled, not surprised in the least.

"So, anyway, what I want you to do is to tell that suspicious person that you have heard rumours of a tailed beast that is going straight for Konoha. That should keep him off your back and will give me the edge that I want. Can you do that?"

"Sure, that's not too complicated. Is that all?"

"Hai. I'll take care of the rest. He'll never be a nuisance again," replied the blind woman with a dark, feral smile.

Sakura lounged on a tree outside Konoha, from which she could jump off and be at the village under five minutes if she ran. In other trees around her, the Akatsuki, two demons and Gaara were sprawled, crouched or otherwise sitting on large branches as they waited for the dispatched foxes to bring them news of a certain Uchiha Madara. For now, all they could do was observe and try not to be seen by any patrol.

"It's boring, un," muttered Deidara as he moulded some clay birds.

"That's a fucking understatement," snorted Hidan.

No one replied anything, resorting to nodding instead. Finally, a good five minutes later, Zetsu murmured: "I sense them."

At once, everyone tensed in preparation for battle; Sakura jumped to the ground and waited for the foxes to appear, which they did a moment later.

"So, Narabi, what news do you bring me?" she asked calmly.

"He's not far, probably going to visit the Uchiha. Do you still plan on luring him out of Konoha?" asked the fox.

"Hai. I don't want to injure anybody by mistake, and if we're out of Konoha, he'll have less chances to turn people against us. It's safer for everyone."

The foxes nodded and dispersed with a last call of, "Then we're gonna do our part and lure him out! Good luck!"

Sakura rolled her shoulders and looked up at the trees.

"I'm going now. Don't be seen until he takes the bait, guys."

"Don't worry about us, Sakura-chan. You're the one who'll be in danger, remember? Don't forget you're alive now, and what that entails."

Walking off, she replied, "How could I forget?"

The Hokage Tower was calm, basking in the sun, the sun was shining, the wind was blowing–

"Yo."

To his defence, Minato didn't jump two feet in the air as a russet fox appeared in the middle of his office, but he did take out a few kunai and throw one at the animal in shocked automatic reaction. Fortunately, the fox jumped aside, so the kunai found itself embedded deeply in the floor and not in flesh.

"Whoa, calm down, man. My fur doesn't need a trimming, thank you very much. Hmph. Humans have no manners. In my time, they would have at least offered me tea. How sad the world is becoming," it sighed aggravatingly. "Anyway, just a word to warn you that there's gonna be a weeding today, so you shouldn't interfere, ne? Well, my message's delivered, so I'm gonna go back now. And learn some manners, human."

With a poof of smoke, the summon disappeared as soon as it had appeared, leaving behind a baffled Yondaime.

"Kuso. Get me my team and Sakura-san's ANBU team!"

Sakura made her way through the underbrush, body tense and taut at the unnatural silence. The forest only ever got this silent when a dangerous predator approached, and considering the fact that as a demon, she was considered part of the forest inhabitants, it could only mean that Madara was near. She forced her ears not to twitch on top of her head; giving away that she knew he was there would be a very bad move indeed. Continuing innocently on her way, she stretched her senses out. Small pinpricks on the edges of her senses indicated that her preys were closing in. Good. Now she only had to take them surreptitiously where she wanted them. Smirking internally, she approached a lake and stopped on the shore. Memories swirled in her mind, of the last time she had been there. That time, she had crushed a snake, she mused as she toed the sand that had swallowed the Sannin. And now it was time to crush rats. Maybe she should await her enemies with a little gift…

When Madara stepped out of the forest, his quarry turned around slowly, as though waiting for him. The demoness did not move except for a small cocking of her head to the side. Her smooth voice was deceptively calm, like sleeping water.

"At long last. Let's not talk unnecessarily, shall we? You want my powers, I want your death. Let's fight."

And then he realized that the Uchiha who had followed him were all engaged in battles with shinobi who looked like they could stand their ground against anything the Sharingan-wielders could dish out, leaving him alone with a demon out for his blood. Unbidden, a chill ran down his back at her feral smile. The prey had become the predator.

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Short, I know, but leaving you hanging in the middle of a battle scene would be even more cruel, so don't hate me. Instead, review!