The mission to the Land of lightning went badly for Sasuke and Sakura. Despite of repeated warnings, Sasuke had stubbornly decided to tag along with Sakura after her near capture in Sunagakure. Sakura had quickly put an illusion on him- making him look like an irritated Shizune. As expected, they had a run in with a group of Kumo ninjas in the border of the land of Lightning. Sakura made quick thinking and came up with the most ridiculous excuse that she could come up with to avoid confrontation. They definitely should have thought before posing as hardcore fans of Killer Bee's obnoxious rap songs- because soon after they found themselves in company of Omoi and Karui, who had taken it upon themselves to welcome Killer Bee's guests to Kumogakure since the Hachibi jinchuriki was not present at the moment. This turned out bad the moment Karui had set her eyes upon Sakura- whom she had previously encountered in Konoha. There was an uproar. Sakura and a disguised Sasuke found themselves in the Raikage's court attempting to explain their venture in the Lightning country as a last-ditch attempt to find Naruto. Sasuke wisely spoke as little as possible while Sakura was almost reduced to groveling in front of the Raikage for a chance to meet the eight tails Jinchuriki.

-' And why should we not inform the Hokage that two of his missing nins are trying to infiltrate my village, Haruno?' , The Raikage asked.

-'Because then you would betray your own brother, Raikage-sama'. Sakura answered patiently. 'I told you. We have information that Akatsuki is after the Jinchuriki. I presume Naruto has already made contact with your brother. Surely you do not want Danzo to know about that?'

'Uzumaki Naruto is not within these borders, Haruno. Neither is my brother. Even if he was here, I would not have allowed him to meet with you Konoha-nins after what happened the last time I allowed one of you past these borders'.

'But Sasuke Uchiha released your brother, didn't he? Naruto would never hurt another Jinchuriki. You should know that he is friend with the Kazekage-'

'May be you should search there for your friend.' The Raikage's voice was icy.

Sakura knelt down in front of the ruler of the Village hidden in clouds. 'Please Raikage-Sama'. She pleaded. 'You know how the Godaime Hokage was murdered. You know Shizune-san and I were her last loyal apprentices. Please do not turn us down. If you know anything about Naruto, please tell us. We must reach him before Akatsuki does. We can protect your brother as well.'

The leader of the Village hidden in clouds looked at Sakura with scrutinizing eyes. Then he turned to his grim faced advisor. Sakura waited with bated breath. After some time, the Raikage sighed.

'Get up Haruno. Apprentice to the Godaime Hokage of Konoha should not kneel before anybody. Naruto made contact with me before he whisked away my brother to protect him from Madara Uchiha. Officially I cannot say anything to you that jeopardizes my position with the Daimyo. I cannot even let you stay in Kumogakure for more than what is absolutely necessary. In fact, as far as I am concerned this conversation has never happened.'

-'Then you know where Naruto is?'

'Patience Haruno. You must understand the position that your reckless stance has put all of us in. I don't know where Naruto is. I deliberately didn't ask him anything- so that I can deny what he is up to, the next time I meet your Hokage. My advisor here- Baku- he has the Byakugan. He can see the Sharingan, you know…Shizune-san?' Both Sasuke and Sakura paled. The Raikage continued.

'Danzou has a sharingan planted in his right eye that can influence other people's actions'.

-'Kotoamatsukami'. Disguised Sasuke murmured beside Sakura.

'Aa. The only person to have that particular ocular power was Uchiha Shisui.' The Raikage nodded.

-'So you mean to say that he had influenced the Daimyo to take actions against the Godaime'. Sakura asked.

'I do not insinuate anything. Remember, the only power to resist Danzo at the moment is a country without a Daimyo.' The Raikage paused. 'Kage rules the village. Daimyo rules the country. We cannot go against our Daimyos. But there are shinobi countries who do not recognize a worthless feudal lord to be their leader. If you want to search for your friend, search there'.

'Understood. Raikage sama'. Both Sasuke and Sakura bowed and turned to leave.

'One moment Haruno. Next time you bring an enemy of this land to my presence, at least have the decency to not dress him up as Senju Tsunade's apprentice. The name still holds value in the Cloud.'

'Raikage-sama-'

'You are dismissed. Darui- show them out. Make sure they do not linger in Kumo'. The Raikage went back to his paperwork.

Omoi and Karui escorted Sasuke and Sakura till the southern borders of the Land of Lightning. It was already late in evening. Both missing ninjas were tired of continuous travel and constantly being on the edge in the Raikage's presence. Sasuke made some fire while Sakura skewered the rabbit that she had hunted. After they had eaten their fill, the couple sat in front of the fire to make further plans.

'Land without a Daimyo. Even Sound doesn't have a Daimyo, ne- Sasuke?'

'It doesn't, Sakura'. Sasuke patiently crossed out Sound village in the map that Sakura took out of her pouch. 'But surely you do not expect Kabuto to welcome Naruto in the Sound after all the spying he had done for Danzo and Orochimaru?'

'No. But you know where that leaves us Sasuke'.

'Aa. The Rain. The Rain country has historically followed only one leader'.

'Yes. I believe before Pain, it used to be Hanzo of the Salamander. Hanzo had conveniently replaced the Daimyo after the Second Ninja War'. Sakura quipped.

'Hn. Remember what Itachi said about the Rain?' Sasuke was circling Rain in the map with a pencil. 'Konan of Akatsuki does not hold any allegiance to Madara. She can give shelter to Naruto and other fugitives.'

'But how do we get to Rain, Sasuke? Itachi has helped Konan in making Rain unplottable with his genjutsu'.

'Not if you know what to look for, Sakura.' Sasuke flashed his sharingan. 'The genjutsu will offer cover against Danzo's spies. But not against Madara. I think Konan has some jutsu that lets her know the moment an intruder sets foot inside the Rain country'.

'She must be using a lot of chakra to keep up the protection'. Sakura mused.

'Not difficult if you have the power of the Rinnegan'.

Sakura looked up startled. 'You mean… she transplanted-'

'I am sure Itachi has given her the suggestion. A clan tradition after all'. Sasuke scoffed bitterly. Both of them sat quiet for some time. Then Sakura whispered.

'Sasuke….'

'Hm?'

'Before Itachi's surgery… when he wanted me to transplant his eyes…'

'Clan tradition as I said, Sakura'. Sasuke interrupted somewhat coldly. 'In the Uchiha clan, one who gets the Mangekyo sharingan, must transplant his closest kin's eyes to his own body. Otherwise the person will go blind.'

'That means… Itachi will…'

'He is going blind, Sakura. That's why I made him stay back. I don't want him to get involved in this war. It's time he deserves some peace, don't you think?'

'Yes Sasuke. I think you are correct'. She sighed.

After sitting beside the fire for some time, Sasuke pulled out his sleeping bag and nodded at Sakura.

'Get some sleep, Sakura. I will take the first watch'.

'Aa'.

'The tracker. The tracker makes them hard to find.'

'Use the Inuzuka dogs. Sniff them out.'

'Are you sure they haven't gone to Sand?'

'No. She is not stupid. She knows we have Sand under surveillance'.

'Cloud is the next best option'.

'Can't you get her scent to the dogs?'

'They are staying just out of range'.

'Wait. The dog has caught some scent.'

'Boar. What can you sense?'

'I sense two chakra signatures. Resting. Not very far. In the Cloud border.'

'Get closer. Check if it is them.'

'Should we call in the platoon?'

'Yes. Remember everything is for Konoha. The girl is an enemy'.

'For Konoha'.

Leaning against the trunk of a tree in front of the dying campfire, Sasuke was dozing off. He was tired. He really wanted to get some sleep. Yet he halted before waking up his sleeping teammate. The wind was cold. Sakura has curled up inside her sleeping bag like a little caterpillar. The sky was cloudy. It might rain tonight, Sasuke thought. Once again, they were too tired to travel to a village and seek shelter. Their funds were tight. Sakura will have to take up medical assignments to pay for shelter and civilized food. It might be a good idea to take a break… Ssauke was dozing off… when the air simmered and shifted. Sasuke sat up straight. Someone was nearby. He had slacked off. Even in his sleep deprived state he could pick up on chakra signatures. Shinobi. He shook Sakura's shoulders. Green eyes opened sharply. The medical ninja took a few seconds to take in her surroundings before she leapt out of her sleeping bag with a Kunai in her hand. Sakura had better sensory skills than Sasuke. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the chakra signatures and paled.

'35'. She whispered.

'Cloud-ninja?' Sasuke whispered back.

'No. I know some of the chakra signatures. It's ROOT'.

The platoon was too close for them to make a run for it. Sasuke and Sakura stood back to back and prepared for fight.

'Katoum. Fireball jutsu!' Sasuke's giant fireball caught one of the ROOT member's cloak. They could not hide from his sharingan. But they were too many in number. The missing ninjas were surrounded.

'Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke. You are apprehended under the order of the Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha. Come quietly with us and we will spare your lives'. The commander of the platoon stepped forward. His mask was blank. Sakura moved in front of Sasuke.

'Really sorry Kenji-san. But I do not recall enjoying your hospitality the last time you extended the offer. Tell me, how many weeks did it take to get your femur reattached?' She was baiting them. She was bidding for time. They were outnumbered. She hoped she gave Sasuke enough cover to weave a genjutsu.

'Haruno Sakura. You are not as powerful as you think you are'. The commander blankly stated.

'May be. May be not. But how did you come across us?' Sakura was desperate for an opening.

'Accident. Your carelessness. It was foolish of you to visit Cloud, especially after a prison break in Konoha'.

'Prison-break… so you were not after us… were you? Fascinating.' Sakura laughed, although there was nothing humorous about the situation. 'I wonder whom are you chasing after. Wouldn't happen to stumble across Naruto himself, would you?'

Another faceless shinobi touched the commander's arm. 'She is wasting time.'

'Aa. There's nothing she can do in this situation. They are outnumbered'.

'Do not underestimate the Uchiha'.

'The Uchiha does not understand that ROOT does not fall for simple Genjutsu'. The commander raised his voice.

'May be not'. Sasuke stepped forward. 'But even you… ROOT shinobi are powerless before the Sharingan. Out of your platoon, at least ten have broken ranks and are going back to Konoha thinking they have a fresh lead'. True to his words, the commander felt chakra signatures moving away.

'Your teamwork fails to disappoint.' He chuckled. 'But you do not have the Mangekyo Sharingan. You are outnumbered and tired. How long are you going to keep this up, Uchiha?'

'You underestimate us.' Sasuke replied nonchalantly then leapt aside because the earth shook and a large fissure appeared where Haruno Sakura has struck the ground with a fist. The Root Shinobi were struggling to keep their balance when Sakura and Sasuke took to the trees.

'Katoum. Gokakyo no Jutsu!'. Sasuke threw fireballs after fireballs towards the following ninjas. Answering water jets from the ROOT pursuers were narrowly missing them.

Blue chakra glowed around Sakura's hand, as she punched, kicked and cut through the enemy ninja's lungs and heart tissues.

'Chidori!'

Chirping of thousand birds filled the forest. Two ROOT shinobis fell. Sasuke has drawn his sword. He engaged with a Katana wielding ROOT ninja.

Ink snakes coiled around Sakura's body. The attack made her so nostalgic that she forgot to hit back for a moment. A shuriken almost reached her shoulder before she remembered herself and quickly substituted herself with a log. Sasuke was fast with the Sharingan but even he found himself blocked by an enemy ninja. He saw pale eyes glowering at him from under the mask.

'A Hyuga'. He mused.

'The Hyuga clan has sided with Danzo then?' He asked lightly, dodging the ROOT ninja's attacks.

'We are loyal to Konoha, Uchiha'. The Hyuga answered in a monotone.

'Which Konoha, Hyuga? One that can massacre your clan as easily as it did with mine?' Sasuke asked softly as he shot more fireballs at his opponent, which he dodged. More ninjas came up. It looked like the diverted ROOT ninjas have joined the fight. Flames have caught the trees. Air was simmering with heat. They were outnumbered. Sasuke found himself back to back with a bleeding Sakura. Her opponent had a stolen sharingan implanted in her arm. She managed to severe a tendon in Sakura's arm before she landed a fast killing blow in the other Kunoichi's chest. Even the Sharingan did not help her against the medical ninja's speed and precise control over chakra or her knowledge of chakra vessels in a human body.

'Sasuke. Now!'. They had perfected this technique in their training sessions. Sakura quickly substituted herself with a log and flickered out to some distance from Sasuke, who shot a giant fireball to the sky and formed the seals for a lightning jutsu.

'Kirin!'.

Thunder rolled across the sky. A lightning dragon pounced upon the ROOT ninjas from the sky. Six of them fell at once. Drained of chakra, Sasuke took advantage of the distraction and flickered to where Sakura has just killed a pursuer. They ran. Sakura shouldered Sasuke's weight and flew across the branches as fast as she could manage. Her pursuers were gaining ground.

'Kuchiyose no Jutsu'.

Katsuyu appeared in front of her.

'Katsuyu sama. Heal Sasuke. Give him some of your chakra'. She panted as she turned around to face at least ten ninjas who were still following them.

'Sakura-'

'Leave when you are healed, Sasuke. Search for Naruto. Be the teammate that he deserves. I will hold them back'.

'Sakura'.

'Take care'. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. 'Please do not let me down'. She left Sasuke and moved forward to meet the approaching ninja. She let out a breath of poison which incapacitated two ninjas at once. Then she engaged with four more. 'Suitom! Water prison'. Quickly imprisoning two ninjas in a cage of water she stationed a clone near the orb and fought the two remaining ninjas with all techniques that a medical ninja of her caliber possessed. But she had miscalculated the numbers of the opposition. Even as she engaged with two ROOT ninjas in a fierce Taijutsu battle, the ROOT commander himself advanced towards the still healing Sasuke who was drained of chakra after his lightning jutsu. The commander was a ninja of unparalleled skills. Sasuke tried to counter his Earth jutsus with fire. But he was falling short of chakra. The commander repelled Sasuke's Chidori Nagashi with a Gale Palm. Wind and water! Two chakra natures. Sasuke fought his best while Katsuyu continued to lend him chakra. But he could not keep up. He was overwhelmed. Then all of a sudden, rain tore through the clearing. Even as Sasuke fell back against Katsuyu, he could see rain piercing the ROOT commander like needles. Dark cloak stained in blood covered his vision. Sakura stood in front of him. Sakura faced the ROOT commander in a fierce battle of wills. The ROOT commander's skin melted where the rain touched him.

Acid.

Sakura's poison breath mingled with rain to form acid. The commander retreated.

'Gale palm!' Wind tore through the rain. But the medical ninja did not cower back. Even as he was busy fighting off the rain, she landed a kick on the commander's chest. His heart muscles were torn. The commander was dead.

'16 palms.'

The Hyuga opponent had attacked Sakura with renewed vigor. Sakura flew back and hit a tree near Sasuke. Her spine was severed by the Hyuga's precise calculation. They have miscalculated.

'Run! Sasuke!'

Bloody spittle bubbled in Sakura's lips. The Hyuga advanced. Beside Sasuke, Katsuyu vanished as Sakura's chakra was siphoned off to keep herself alive.

'Hold on Sakura'. He whispered as he carried the nearly unconscious medic and tried to make a run for it. But he was outmatched. A punch to his leg threw him down. The chakra pathways to his legs were severed. Pale eyes gleamed from beneath the mask. The ROOT shinobi advanced. Sasuke shielded the medical ninja's body with his own and gathered the remaining chakra that he had in one hand in a final stand..

'32 palms'.

A feminine voice rang through the clearing. The ROOT shinobi faltered.

He staggered back in face of a new foe.

'Hinata-sama!'

'Will you raise your byakugan against me, Hira? Will you disgrace your clan is such a manner?' Hyuga Hinata lifted her hood from her face.

'You have disgraced your clan the moment you turned your back on Konoha, Hinata Sama'. The ROOT ninja answered blankly.

'Hira-Kun. I sense much hatred within you. This is not about the village. This is personal. You wanted to hunt me down. You have personally led the hunt. Why Hira-kun? So that you can lead the main family once both the heirs are dead?'

'You know nothing, foolish girl. Danzo-sama has given us branch family members a new purpose. You will die along with the traitor Uchiha, Hinata-sama. Your eyes will be retrieved by the shinobi loyal to the village.'

'Ah. You really are confident Hira-kun. But I am Neji-niisan's disciple. I will not back down from your challenge'.

'Another traitor.' The Hyuga man growled. ' He deserved his traitor's death, Hinata-sama., and so would you'.

Hira Hyuga attacked. Hinata was a spiraling blur of chakra.

'32 palms;

'64 palms'

'128 palms'.

Chakra roared out of Hinata's hands as the veins lining her eyes crunched. The ROOT shinobi collapsed. Hinata turned to stand before a stunned Sasuke, who was crouching protectively over Sakura.

'Relax. Sasuke-kun. I mean you no harm'.

'Hyuga Hinata. The ROOT shinobi was after you?'

'Aa. I managed to break out of the prison where they are keeping the rest of my clan.'

'Hina..ta..chan'. A weak voice gurgled against Sasuke's chest.

'Sakura!'

'Sakura-Chan!'

Sasuke gripped the front of Hinata's cloak. 'She is out of chakra. Please help her'.

Hinata laid a hand on Sakura's body.

'Her spine is severed. She is low on chakra. I cannot heal an injury of this scale'. Sasuke paled. 'But I know someone who can'. Hinata smiled slightly. 'Karin-san?'

Sasuke became white as a familiar red head emerged in the clearing.

'You know what to do'. Hinata said with a smile. The red head did not spare a glance towards Sasuke as she knelt at Sakura's side. She held her arms at Sakura's lips.

'Bite, Sakura. I still need to repay my life-debt to you'. The red head whispered. Sakura's green eyes shone as the ghost of a smile crossed her lips. Wordlessly Sasuke held her up, supporting her torso with his own body. Sakuras jaws closed down on Karin's wrist as healing chakra replenished her own exhausted reserves, healing her broken spine.

'We are even.' Karin whispered.

'Karin-' Sasuke started.

'Be quiet please. This has got nothing to do with you'. Karin continued to look into green eyes.

Sakura sat up and smiled.

'Aye Karin. We are even.' Wordlessly she pressed her palms on Sasuke's leg and healed it with her replenished chakra.

'We need to move'. Hinata said.

'Are you searching for Naruto too, Hinata-chan?'

'Yes Sakura-chan. We tried to get into Cloud. But we had to be careful of the ROOT platoon. Karin helped by sensing their presence. She is a very talented sensory ninja, as you should know already Sasuke-kun'. Hinata's tone was mildly reprimanding. Sasuke looked at the ground.

'But Naruto is not there in the Cloud, Hinata-chan.' Sakura hastily intervened. 'We believe he has received shelter in Amegakure'.

'Rain country. It makes sense'. Hinata murmured. 'Hope you do not mind if we tag along?' She asked.

'Of course not. You saved our lives, Hinata-chan'. Sakura smiled.

'We should at least move for a few hours before we settle down somewhere and regroup', Sasuke said.

'Yes, Sasuke-kun. We do need to regroup. Two more friends will be joining us. Will you be able to travel?'

'Yes.'

'Then come along. Carry Sakura-chan if you can. I have a place in mind'.

With a small smile and a pat on Karin's shoulder, the young Hyuga took off.

'Haruno and Uchiha are alive. They are together.'

'How many did they kill?'

'20. Injured 10.'

'Where are they heading?'

'Towards the Rain country it seems'.

'The Hyuga and the tracker have joined them'.

'Send a platoon. Do not engage. Follow them into the Rain. We must find out where Uzumaki Naruto is'

'Yes, Danzo-sama!'