I Do Not Own Naruto

Chapter 43

Apparently Shikamaru had been planning for this day and had a place in the Nara family forest to dispose of Hidan. Because of this Naruto was sitting in the village; again with Shino, Kiba, Hinata, Sai and Kakashi while Ino, Shikamaru and Chōji happily dealt with Hidan in the Nara family forest. Apparently Sakura's victim had been happy to talk but what he had claimed made no sense to Naruto.

"Who does Sasuke work with in the Akatsuki?" Kakashi had demanded.

"That blasphemousness brat has never and will never be a part of the Akatsuki, he's been a pain in the ass ruining everything!" Hidan had retorted and that had further confused Naruto.

If Sasuke didn't work for the Akatsuki then who did he work for? Naruto didn't know how he should feel about this or what he should be doing about this all he knew was that he was irritated beyond belief about this. None of this was making any sense to him and he didn't like it at all. Why couldn't just one thing make sense about this? Just one thing. He sighed as he shut his eyes and let his head fall back against the wall of the hallway.

If Sasuke didn't work for the Akatsuki, and if Sakura worked with Sasuke, then what were they doing? Sakura wouldn't help with anything too dangerous and she wouldn't do something that would go against the Leaf. She just wouldn't. It wasn't in her character to do so, if she was anyone else he'd have suspected but Sakura would simply never move against the Leaf. And she most certainly wouldn't help the Akatsuki after what they had done to her parents; if anything she'd have wanted Pain's death at her hands for the slaughter he had inflicted on her mother and father and the civilians of the Leaf.

So why would Sasuke move against the Akatsuki? If Sakura was working with Sasuke then they were working against the Akatsuki but why would Sasuke be moving against them? That didn't make sense to Naruto since Sasuke was brothers with Itachi and Itachi ran the Akatsuki. He rubbed his forehead in aggravation because none of this was making any sense to him. Shouldn't Sasuke be working with his brother rather than against his brother? He would assume that the reports were correct and that Sasuke worked with the Akatsuki but Sakura would never aid him if he did so obviously Sasuke didn't. This was all giving Naruto one massive headache and it was confusing him to no end.


"He came to me," the voice hissed in the darkness. The elder frowned a bit as he walked with the snake through the darkness.

"For what?"

"Your men sliced off his arm. He needed a new one," Orochimaru supplied as they walked the winding tunnels beneath the foundation of the Leaf where only a few came and fewer existed. This was his empire, his legacy and for the last eight years his legacy had been threatened by an Uchiha. The last Uchiha that he had trusted had gone rogue after carrying out his orders to slaughter the entire clan but to leave Sasuke alive. Danzo had brought the boy into Root, he had high hopes that this Uchiha would be as talented as his brother. The boy had more power though, and had escaped from his custody a few months after being locked into Root. Then Sauke Uchiha had disappeared like smoke only to reappear five years later with raw power and untapped potential which the boy used against all of them.

"And…?" Danzo asked slowly as they walked through the halls.

"And the Leaf's prized healer oversaw my actions so I did not get a chance to implant it." Orochimaru admitted, Danzo frowned as they stopped.

"The boy must die, he's beginning to mess with plans beyond his realm of knowledge." Danzo said firmly. The boy had been a pain in his ass until lately when he had become a threat. And Kami knew his superior would not tolerate this threat, the best part was that Sasuke did not even know he was now getting in too deep and into something far more dangerous than the Akatsuki. The Master of those plans would not be happy if the boy destroyed all of thos plans though. Still Danzo had a feeling that the Master would be most impressed with the Uchiha survior's power, but Sasuke was going to have to die soon either way. Danzo looked at Orochimaru then.

"Next time, healer or no, destroy or devour him; do not let him get away. He is threatening major opperations now, and your mark makes him yours." Danzo said coldly as they walked the tunnels again.

"I've been in need of a new body, I will make the preparations," Orochimaru announced as he walked away. Danzo just stood there when the menacing chakra formed behind him.

"The Uchiha will be eliminated soon sir," Danzo promised. The chakra dissipated then and he walked back towards his quarters and tried to think of the fastest way to eliminate the Uchiha if Orochimaru failed. Poison was becoming his only option, the problem with poison was that Haruno Sakura knew how to cure almost all poisons. She would have to be eliminated if she was not retrieved, or killed first by the Akatsuki. He rather liked the thought of her dying, she was annoying and rude to him since Sai had escaped Root, but she couldn't know any of what he was really doing when not even Sai had known.

Either way, Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke both had to die.


Kakashi stood silently in Tsunade's office as he awaited her reaction to everything that he had told her. It wasn't good news but at the same time it wasn't bad news if you asked him. At least Sakura wasn't tied with the Akatsuki, she was fighting against the Akatsuki which would probably be her saving grace at this point.

"She's moving against the Akatsuki with Uchiha Sasuke?" Tsunade clarified.

"Yes, that's what it appears like."

"And what do you think?"

"I just want to know what's going on, the only way we'll do that is by catching Sakura again."

"Or she'll return, either way it isn't good until we know what's going on," Tsunade leaned back in her chair then as she thought about this. He just wanted to find Sakura and demand answers on what she and the Uchiha were doing. At least there were four dead; well three dead and one out of commission; Akatsuki members who were no longer a threat to Naruto or the other jinchūriki. Still it would be nice to know what Sakura was doing with the Uchiha and why she hadn't told them.

"Watch over her, don't intervene with whatever she and this Uchiha are doing but keep a close eye on her. I want a full report on what she's doing with the Uchiha, something is going on here and I want to know what." Tsunade said firmly.

"We aren't to bring her in?" Kakashi asked carefully.

"No, watch her, keep track of what she's doing and do not intervene with her or the Uchiha unless she should need the help or protection. I want to understand what's going on here and to do that we'll need to watch over them; don't try to capture them and do not put her in the bingo book." Tsunade said firmly.

"Alright, when should we bring her home?"

"When she comes home," Tsunade decided. "Or when she gets in over her head."


Woo-hoo! Updates today will consist of Never Be the Same, Rain for Tears, and Only Tears; starting Saturday I will begin finishing Why Should I Worry and then work on my Trying Not to Series! =)

That's all for now folks!

Enjoy Healing Pain! =)