Trigger warning: blood, scenes of torture, death and sex

Heretics.

They were fucking heretics.

Even if she wanted to do something so reckless, Sakura was unable to make a single move against them as the silver-haired man kept her in a constant state of blaring agony. One brain aneurism after another, her blood vessels exploding. Her vampire healing abilities determinedly attempting to heal the damage just for more to be inflicted within a fraction of a second, never granting mercy or easing up. Not even as she convulsed on the ground and blood filled her mouth and gushed from her nose and ears.

And then… the sweet bliss of relief.

"Ready to talk?" the man demanded despite his partner's warning to lay off.

Hateful green eyes glowered up at him the moment the torture was paused, the mouthful of blood that flew between them reaching its target and prompting him to flinch back in disgust.

"Like I'd tell you anything," she rasped, only raising to her knees rather than her feet since it was obvious the pain would resume.

And resume it did.

But with a mansion full of vampires who possessed enhanced hearing, even with Sakura biting back her shouts and cries, it was only a matter of time before somebody intervened. The most realistic one to expect was Gaara being the light sleeper that he was, though the conniving side of Sakura gave a huff of dry amusement as the guard dog dashed from the mansion furiously, summoning his demon side effortlessly.

There were some bonuses to keeping him around, it seemed.

"Stop," Naruto ordered coldly, uncaring of the consequences as he placed himself between them. It wasn't until Kakashi glanced up to meet the golden glowing of his eyes, however, that the torture faltered and allowed her a moment to try and catch her breath, her body wracked with spasms from the aftershock. "She's not the one you've got a problem with."

Her eyes rolled shut for a split second at the heavenly sensation of being utterly relieved – damn near boneless. Now wasn't the time to relax, though, and so she forced herself to drag her ass out of the dirt, body trembling with effort. Due to the poison that she'd ingested the day before, the healing process was slowed considerably and for what felt like a humiliating eternity, she could only hold herself up on all fours, head dropping low in a show of exertion.

Fucking vervain.

"Sasuke's hybrid," came the brunette's uneasy mutter and Sakura could tell from the ever so slight slip of her right foot that the woman was debating whether to run or not. Smart move would be to leave while they still could, she thought groggily, and it wasn't because of the soft-hearted Naruto. "Kakashi…"

"Hybrid or not, magic affects him too."

Naruto grit his elongated teeth. "If you can't find Obito, then it's because of Madara."

That caused Kakashi considerable pause and his charcoal eyes narrowed. "Madara is here?"

"He was. But you need to back off if you want answers."

"Oh? That so?" he drawled, and Sakura's stomach clenched horrifically in anticipation just before the resuming of the torment, much like the rest of her body as blood vessels once more exploded one after another. "This usually helps me get my answers faster."

"Oi, you're gonna piss off a lot of people screwing with her–"

"The fact they're not out here already tells me they don't possess the means to walk in the sun like we do." Cold gaze darting to the mansion, Kakashi raised a single eyebrow, muttering, "They're harmless."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

The new voice had the woman flinching and stepping closer to Kakashi, covering his back as she met the cold, murderous gazes of the Sabaku Clan and Ino.

It was evident from their dressed down appearances that they hadn't hesitated to rush from their respective beds. But out of them all her eyes were drawn to the wildness in Gaara's expression more than anything else. The awakening of his demon side's eyes was amplified by the blood they'd rolled around in a few hours earlier that was now dried and crusty, completely on show due to his wearing nothing but dark jeans that were hanging precariously low on his hips, and Sakura's breath caught when those hateful eyes narrowed.

She'd never seen him so pissed before.

"You have five seconds to back away from her before I have you tear each other's hearts out of your chests," muttered Gaara darkly. "Know that is extremely generous on my part."

Not one to wait around, Temari snarled, "Four."

"Three," Kankuro continued.

Ino's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Two."

The sudden dropping of both heretics as they were subjugated to the same agony she'd been going through only moments before had her looking to the patio doors in barely concealed horror, because she knew. She knew exactly who'd disobeyed direct orders of remaining hidden within the mansion, protected behind their powerful barrier.

That horror almost made way for fear as her suspicions were confirmed by Mitsuki keeping his hard golden gaze fixated on the pair of heretics, fist outstretched and clenched tightly. It didn't even offer her any comfort to witness that behind him were dozens of her clansmen and their furiously glowing eyes, all itching to be set loose and aid her but held back by the sun.

"I don't do warnings," Mitsuki uttered and damn, he did an amazing job of hiding the strain he was putting himself through, but she could see it clearly and it had her stomach flipping with a type of fear she'd only felt once before.

The day was a rarity, that was for sure. For starters, the play area was vacant, allowing Mitsuki to charge around freely and have sole use of the equipment. No lines and forced patience for him and even better, no know-it-all parents questioning how much free rein she granted the toddler or rolling eyes judging his spectacular tantrums.

Boy, those tantrums…

Sakura strongly suspected that they were a learned behaviour from herself. Try as she might to avoid expressing such negativity in front of Mitsuki, all vampires were cursed with heightened emotions. Bottling them up was a new level of self-control she couldn't even glimpse at yet.

However, she had reason to believe that there was an oddness to Mitsuki's tantrums that was unignorable. Over the years both as a human and a vampire, Sakura witnessed countless children and their impulsive, emotional outbursts – both neurotypical and neurodivergent. Mitsuki's were… unusual in both circumstances, to say the least. That or they were simply surrounded by shocking coincidences.

Flickering lights (granted, her mansion was centuries old, and she hadn't had it updated in at least a decade). Painful headaches that on two separate occasions brought Sakura to her knees when Mitsuki cried or shrieked (her hearing was impeccable and that boy could hit notes even the world's best opera singer failed to). Windows seemingly bursting and weather changes when he truly lost his shit, such as hurricane grade winds that demanded they all took cover (that one really couldn't be explained and left Sakura uneasy and in a state of denial).

"Mama," came Mitsuki's happy yell, and she felt her stomach flutter both from the affection used with the name, and the way he suddenly swung back to hang off the bar by the backs of his knees. "Look!"

Part of Sakura was wary of growing too close to him. Although it'd been almost a year since coming across Mitsuki and even with their abilities to compel officials to grant them access to restricted files and data, they'd yet to locate any relatives. It was like he appeared out of nowhere – like he never existed prior to their meeting.

"You're lucky I can't die from heart attacks," she teased.

Surely he had someone out there? Somebody had to be looking for him and missing him? Mitsuki was… Gods, he was a magnificent kid who provoked many sleepless nights as Sakura lay awake, crushed by the reality that he wasn't biologically hers. At any given moment, there could be a knock on her door demanding she hand him back. Then what? What exactly did she go back to?

Mitsuki was everything she could have hoped for in a child, and she knew she wasn't the only one to be affected by his presence. Ino was attached also and when Sakura said her right-hand spoiled him, she meant rotten. With affection, with gifts. Name it and Ino ensured he never went without. They were both finally healing from their traumas as their hearts helplessly opened up to the child.

The sound of footsteps approaching had Sakura sighing. Apparently compelling humans to leave them be was immoral and disrupted the natural flow of day-to-day life.

That old man Sarutobi always had way too much to say.

Drifting closer to Mitsuki to alert him it was almost time to go, she mentally whined about the damned hunters who were a major pain in her ass.

For a while, Danzo was the main issue. He had too much influence over Sarutobi, and she disliked how effortless it was on his part to get a foot into their discussions or agreements. Fortunately (at first it was, anyway), Danzo threw a tantrum about the mantle being passed onto Sarutobi's grandson and took a humongous step back from the hunters to work alone for the most part. Sakura had foolishly thought things were looking up for them.

But then that pain in the ass Konohamaru chirped up, stronger than any hunter who came before him.

Being the grandson of Sarutobi Hiruzen, she of course met him countless times throughout his lifetime and each meeting, she came away with a growing dislike for him. As a kid, he was a sarcastic little shit with zero respect for his elders – the latter could still be said to that day. Only now he had awoken his hidden abilities and had yet to be humbled in the way she deeply craved. That brat was lucky he was–

Those approaching the playground had stopped moving.

They hadn't entered the play area or continued their walk – she could hear their heartbeats and smell them. Several of them.

Why were they lingering like that?

Suspiciously, Sakura's eyes narrowed and she brought Mitsuki off the monkey bars to keep him close to her chest, dismissing his whining and ensuring all movements were slow and exaggerated while turning as she sensed eyes on them.

Still, nothing.

"I can smell you," she warned aloud when nothing happened, finally silencing the upset toddler. "Come out before I lose my patience."

"Now, now," came a teasing reply. "That's no example to be setting for a child."

"I don't do warnings," Sakura growled lowly, unsettled at the shift in the air that had Mitsuki perking up. It was rare for her to ever cross paths with witches, but she knew the sensation was supernatural and they were the only beings capable of creating it. "Who are you?"

"We're here about the child."

A mixture of fear and desperation had her tightening her hold on him.

Too many coincidences, her survival skills screamed in a voice similar to her lover's. What was the likelihood of Mitsuki's relatives being witches? Gods, it made Sakura feel so naïve and stupid for not considering it.

But still, she held on tight and when the woman revealed herself, Sakura felt herself automatically shifting to her demon side, especially when Mitsuki began to stir in response to the magic disturbing the weather.

They definitely had some form of connection, but…

"Come near him and I'll tear your throat out."

That didn't matter.

He was hers.

She wasn't letting them take him from her.

"We mean him no harm," she insisted placatingly. "Quite the opposite, actually. This boy's magic has been calling out to us for weeks now, though we struggled locating him until recently."

They'd been able to sense him? Was it the tantrums? Damn it, why had she never anticipated that? His tantrums, to society's standards, were anything but normal. To assume they were mere coincidences simply because she was in denial and didn't want to lose him was reckless on her part.

Refusing to be distracted, Sakura never took her eyes off the purple haired woman even as three others came to stand by her side.

"We know better than to underestimate a vampire's emotions," came their careful insistence. "I promise, we mean no harm."

"I've already seen how a fight with you would turn out for us," the redhaired woman added, chin dipping. "We have no interest in starting a war with the originals."

They knew about…?

Sakura's jaw clenched.

"Mama?" Mitsuki called out to her, and she felt the suffocating weight in her chest ease up slightly once a chubby hand touched her cheek.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Anko," she greeted with confidence. "A part of the coven that child will one day lead."

Any ordinary day, Mitsuki's power was great enough to drop every single vampire in that mansion. Simultaneously, too. But she could tell from the minute trembling of his hand that he was finally hitting a wall, that the past month of continuously draining his powers was catching up on him.

In an instant, Ino was by her side and leaning over her, only bringing Sakura closer when Kakashi managed to fight through the torture. His demon eyes activated like he was itching to prove Mitsuki was out of his league, venomous and furious and it had her heart lunging straight into her throat.

There was no telling how old the pair were and as they all knew, the older a vampire was, the more powerful. And they were heretics also, meaning an endless supply of magical energy.

Her weakened Mitsuki was outmatched in all areas.

Ignoring the fact that she too was declining and barely even managing to heal, Sakura pushed her right-hand aside and shot off from her position of being collapsed on the ground the second she sensed movement. Despite the difference in power, despite revealing such a devastating weakness to the others, she simply couldn't control that desperate urge to flash in front of her son. Fangs bared and demon eyes shifting with murderous rage, she surprised them all when she lowered herself into a crouch, keeping every inch of him well guarded.

Unlike ordinary vampires who couldn't cross the threshold unless invited in, they could drag him out with their magic.

Fortunately for her pride's sake, Gaara also sensed the killing intent and rushed the brunette without hesitation, gaze icy while ramming a hand into her chest. Her shout of pain was what finally caused Kakashi to pause, his eyes wide with horror.

"Rin–"

"Don't move," warned the redhead. "You may be heretics but you are still far below us."

"You should know your place considering your connection to the Uchiha," Temari stated coolly.

"Mama–"

"Stay back, Mitsuki," Sakura warned quietly even as she trembled.

She could sense his growing frustration but was grateful for his lack of arguments, hand eventually lowering once he gave in with trying to take Kakashi down. Still, Sakura couldn't bring herself to move from her defensive crouch and was only grateful for Ino's return to their side, features set into a rare stony glare.

"Let her go," Kakashi demanded.

Kankuro's arrogant scoff was the only response for just a few seconds, then Rin's knees threatened to buckle at the obvious tensing of Gaara's arm. No vicious enjoyment showed in his stoic face like it usually would – just hard hatred that had Sakura's stomach clenching, for she'd never witnessed such a deep level of anger from him before. Not even on the rare occasion of mentioning his bastard father.

Another cruel jostle of his arm had Rin biting back a pained shriek, her brown eyes squeezing shut. "You dare to order me around?"

"K-Kaka–"

"Stop," he tried again.

His sigh was one of disappointment and she heard more than saw Naruto's wince when Rin was tugged backwards, Gaara's other hand outstretched in invitation. "Stop me yourself. I'll even give you a fighting chance by only using one hand."

This would be over soon, Sakura noticed and eased herself out of her crouch, offering a minute nod to Ino's questioning stare. Thankfully, she didn't show just how badly the vervain was affecting her in front of the rest of the clan by offering any further assistance – they would certainly jump ship if they believed she was screwing herself over. Nobody willingly poisoned themselves, after all.

Kakashi threw a hand up, expression soon conveying how intensely he was concentrating. Certainly a hell of a lot more than he had to with her or even fighting back against Mitsuki, and she heard her son's breath catch at the magic he could no doubt sense in the air, prompting her to look his way. His attention soon moved to Gaara's cold face, and she once more had to wordlessly hold him back as he attempted to move closer, his awe and respect unmistakable.

Fucking originals always showing off, Sakura mentally scoffed.

"Better hurry," her lover taunted and looked to the back of Rin's head just as she grimaced and bit back another cry of pain. "I am not known for my patience."

Nobody dared to move when Kakashi ditched his magic to charge at the original, his demon eyes emphasising the fury and desperation that was already so obvious to them all. The precision and strength behind his rapid movements informed Sakura that she wouldn't have stood a chance against Kakashi physically either – not with vervain in her system, anyway. He was a seasoned fighter with remarkable power, and she narrowed her eyes in intrigue at the impressive strategy that would have ended the fight in mere seconds, had his opponent not been an immortal original.

Just as the heretic reached his partner, she was cruelly yanked out of reach and in a move much too fast for the lesser vampires to see, Gaara brought Kakashi to a sudden halt, his spare hand now buried deep in his chest also. The redhead was forced to look up at the straining Kakashi to meet his eye, but that was seemingly the only advantage the other man had in that moment.

"Know your place," he ordered. "You are nothing more than a watered-down version of us."

"Y-You can't… compel us," Kakashi managed to snarl.

Maybe not the only advantage, then, Sakura thought to herself, undoubtedly intrigued.

Was that because they were heretics, she wondered? It had to be. Sakura knew that they couldn't compel witches, which was what they started out as before turning.

"That's fine," Gaara assured them both. "I don't have any uses for either of you, anyway."

Something she shouldn't have been feeling clenched tightly in her chest when Rin desperately grasped Kakashi's hand, scared brown eyes looking to him and somehow finding comfort despite the dire situation. That painful sensation only doubled at his quietly uttered apology and tight squeeze of her hand.

Why…

Why the hell did she feel sorry for them?

Gaara's brutal nature was well known in the supernatural world and only fools opposed him. Sakura had witnessed it countless times during their fifty years together and she could safely say that it never struck her as powerfully as it did in that moment. Hell, she oftentimes joined him in said brutality.

Why now?

"Sakura," came his gentle murmur.

Although Sakura wanted nothing more than to continue exploring the changes in their relationship that came with being a vampire, she sat up at his insistence and allowed the sheets to pool around her bare hips. There was no mistaking the heat that entered his gaze as it roamed her skin, but it was greatly overshadowed by his sincerity that wordlessly asked she took notice.

There was no growing used to the intensity of heightened emotions or how effortlessly Itachi managed to bring them to the surface.

"I have something for you."

"A gift?"

"I suppose that is one way of looking at it," he responded, eyes warm with his amusement. "However, I would like to think of this as more of a show of our future."

A show of their future?

Anticipation fluttered within her stomach and made sitting still impossible, begging Sakura to scoot closer until she was nearly seated on his lap. She savoured the delicious sensation of a hand coming around her waist, electrifying her skin, and tugging her further forward to straddle him, their eyes locking and threatening to disrupt their train of thought.

That was when he revealed an ancient jewellery box, the wood displaying its grand age but for the most part appearing relatively untouched, like it had never been used heavily. If anything, it was likely kept in storage for most of its life, rendered unimportant as its contents never rested there for long. The language carved into the wood was foreign to her, though Sakura vaguely recognised the uchiwa symbol – it was the emblem for Itachi's clan, from way back before villages and towns were established and clans were stuck in never-ending battles for territory.

"This will allow you to remain by my side always," he told her softly, gauging her reaction before easing the lid up to reveal the contents, the hinges creaking.

There was no hiding the impact when she met his eye once more. "Itachi…"

The daylight ring felt as though it was scalding her suddenly and Sakura clenched her jaw.

"How touching–"

They were all surprised when, without warning or any of them registering the movement, Naruto managed to separate them all without ending their lives. He looked to Gaara with pained reluctance, shoulders dropping as he came to stand over the pair of heretics knowing everyone was looking at him disbelievingly.

"You…"

"They're scared for Obito," he argued the second Gaara's fury broke through the momentary surprise. "Just like you're worried for Sakura-chan."

Of course the mutt intervened. His soft heart wouldn't allow him to stand idly by, not even if it meant going against someone like Gaara or potentially ostracising himself within her clan.

"We haven't heard from him since he set out for Konoha," Rin was quick to tell Naruto earnestly, hands lingering over Kakashi as the pair stood together. She refused to be parted from him, keeping the silver haired man against her at all times, hold growing ever tighter at the unwavering stares boring into them. "Please, if you could just tell us what happened so that we can be on our way."

Dismissing Naruto's defiance with a roll of his eyes, Gaara looked through him at the pair of heretics, stating coolly, "You must be delusional to believe I will offer my knowledge or assistance."

"You tortured Sakura," added Ino furiously. "Like hell any of us owe you anything."

She was glad to find the uncomfortable pang in her chest vanished shortly after Naruto saved the pair, taking the small amount of sympathy she'd briefly harboured for them. It certainly helped when recalling how quick Kakashi was to resort to such brutal methods.

"We apologise for that," Rin said while looking their way, eyebrows knitting together. "Please know that going to such extremes was never our intention."

"So why did you?" Temari demanded in a drawl. Chin tipping to gesture in their direction, she then questioned and effectively reawakened the burning rage within Sakura, "Why go after the kid?"

"We–"

"I'll tell you why," muttered Kankuro. "It's because you saw another opening. Something to hold over her."

The rage was definitely swelling to unmanageable levels and like she could sense that, Ino discreetly brushed her fingers to Sakura's, briefly meeting her eye with concern. Thoughts of remaining in control and not losing her shit filtered through, but she was beginning to believe she was too far gone by that point. It was taking every ounce of self-control she possessed not to lunge for them.

They wanted to use her son against her, just like she always knew her enemies would.

"One move against this boy and I swear you will never see your precious recluse again."

"Understood," Rin replied sincerely and gave an extra tug on Kakashi when he refused to respond. "I don't believe in harming children. I promise, Haruno-san. Your child won't be harmed by us." At her furious glance to Kakashi, Rin also looked up at him, teeth gritting at his stubbornness. "Kakashi! Agree already."

It didn't ease the suffocating rage when Kakashi eventually agreed – the reluctance in his body language kept it boiling ferociously. Was it maternal instincts? Could they be heightened just as emotions were? Maybe it was the ripper gene she was indirectly suffering with? Sakura was unsure. All she did know was that her body itched to lunge and tear their hearts out.

"Go inside, Mitsuki-kun," Ino ordered calmly, quietly, barely taking her eye off Sakura's rigid muscles.

"Ino-oba–"

The coldness in her expression finally cracked and she looked over her shoulder at him softly, murmuring, "This is no place for a child. Please, go back to the coven."

Instinctively, Sakura shifted when Mitsuki did, keeping him covered while his back was turned to the threat, only vaguely thankful when the rest of the clan copied her example and kept his retreating form covered with their own bodies. But even then, she was unable to relax until finally, she heard him returning to the witches' quarters.

It was a maddening sensation of her chest feeling as though it was about to implode – only, it wouldn't kill her even if it did happen. Instead, the pain promised that she would be left with a gaping wound that could never fully heal, leaving her to suffer through an eternity of agony. And until that dreaded point, Sakura was left with a chest that wound tighter and tighter by the second, restricting her breathing and leaving her lightheaded. The anticipation was sickening.

With her son returning to the safety of his coven and their quarters, Sakura resigned herself to closing the distance between herself and the heretics once more. Being fully aware of her clansmen watching and listening, she stood tall and proud, even though it wasn't until she was coming to a halt that her body finally healed fully.

"Give me one good reason why I should assist you."

Kakashi's mouth opened, but Sakura's attention returned to Rin when the woman beat him to the punch. "Obito isn't like the rest of his clan–"

"Rin–"

Green eyes narrowed and moved to his. "Let her speak."

"He's good," she blurted, expression puckering with a delicate, desperate frown. "Despite the hell that clan has put him through for over a thousand years, he's a good man who just wants to spend his eternity living in peace."

"Hence becoming a cowardly recluse," muttered Temari, smirking over at him when her brother snorted.

There wasn't much that she knew when it came to Uchiha Obito, other than what Temari already stated: the guy was a recluse. Cowardly? Sakura couldn't really say. During their time together Itachi barely spoke two words about his relative. He rarely spoke about any of them, other than Shisui and Sasuke.

"This is a waste of our time," snarled Kakashi, yanking himself free of his partner's grip. "They have no intentions of helping."

"Calm down, Kakashi," pleaded Rin, hand coming to his chest and tangling in his shirt just as the man turned to leave. "We need to think rationally about this."

"Obito is–"

"I'm worried too," she snapped seriously and gave a firm tug of the material. "But we cannot go into this blinded by our emotions. You know what Madara will do to us if he finds out that Obito didn't kill us all those years ago like he was supposed to."

His reason for becoming such a recluse… "He ordered Obito to kill his own lover?"

"Lovers," corrected Kakashi without a shred of hesitation, looking down on her. "We managed to find a life for ourselves before Obito was dragged into your drama with Itachi-san."

"So you understand our concern," the brunette irked her by insisting. "After all, is it really so different to your own situation?"

"Idiots," groaned Ino, speaking for their own flinching clan.

"We're not supposed to talk about it," Naruto added, eyeing her seething form and the response the others had to it. "Just Itachi's name alone is taboo around here."

The woman wasn't much, Sakura deduced when she had Rin shifting uneasily simply by holding her gaze with an unblinking, furious stare. Her magic was an issue, but for the most part, it appeared she was pampered. Rin was no fighter. If she involved the coven and had them ward her against the heretic's magic, then it was no contest. She could take her.

No, the real issue was that Kakashi guy. From what she had witnessed so far, he was clearly skilled in many areas.

Sakura had the other woman deflating with helplessness by uttering, "Miles different. If I could put an end to the entirety of that damned clan, I wouldn't even hesitate."

"Please," Rin tried once more, this time with an air of exhaustion. "We just want the man we love back with us."

"This could be your get out of jail free card," she challenged. "Freedom from any ties to that clan."

Kakashi's jaw clenched at that, though he took her by surprise by responding levelly, "Do what you want to the Uchiha Clan, but leave Obito out of your feud. He isn't like the rest of them."

Oh, she intended to once their mutual enemy was out of the way, but in the meantime, she regretfully needed them alive. Sakura knew when to pick her battles – when to fight and when she needed to recruit quality allies. Sadly, for her case, Itachi was one of the best within his clan and possessed the in she needed to get to Madara (with a bonus of tormenting him in the process).

"Obito means nothing to me," Sakura informed them without hesitation, much to Rin's visible heartache. However, she had them hooked onto her every word by following the statement up with an airy, "You two, on the other hand, could prove useful."

That clearly pissed Kakashi off, but he wisely held his tongue. She suspected it had a little to do with Gaara coming to stand beside her, though knew that for the most part it was the possibility of help in retrieving Obito.

"I don't do favours," Sakura announced and gestured to the mansion behind them, bringing their attention to the vampires standing to attention and awaiting orders. "Everyone here has a part to play. You want my assistance? Earn it."

Rin's intake of breath was more understanding than fearful, and she murmured to Kakashi, "This isn't a clan. It's an army." Sakura smirked, eyes narrowing fractionally when their attention was back on her. "What do you have in mind?"

Going against Madara was going to be no easy feat, but the tables could be turned if she played her cards right. From inside rebels exposing weaknesses and relaying his plans to originals able to contend with his millennia of fighting experience, and now not only an entire coven of Orochimaru's descendants, but two heretics. If she managed to bring them onto her side for the war against Madara, then Mitsuki could stay out of it entirely. She could keep him safe.

"What are the chances of Obito being with Madara, Naruto?" she questioned without looking his way.

In response, he offered a troubled sigh. "I don't see any other reason why he wouldn't have returned to you guys." When she looked over her shoulder at the hybrid who'd chosen to stay close in case of another skirmish, Sakura saw that his shoulders were tensed, and it was without a doubt down to his sharing potentially sensitive information about the clan's past. "He regularly tortures the rest of them when he's pissed off, and Sakura-chan managed to really get under his skin."

The words didn't come as a surprise to the two heretics and she quirked a brow at the setting of their jaws. Pain shone through their gazes when they met each other's eye, however, Sakura was pleasantly surprised to find no reluctance there. They didn't hesitate to offer themselves up to her.

Love made a person desperate, after all.

"What do you have in mind?" Kakashi repeated Rin's question.

Her smirk widened upon sensing Gaara's silent pride at cornering not only one, but two powerful heretics. It seemed Itachi's words were true: not many could resist her once she applied pressure.

"Join us," Sakura demanded and gestured to the Sabaku clan, Naruto and Ino. "Madara has your recluse and I want Madara dead."

"Dead?"

"Originals can't–"

"Die. Yes, I've heard that many times now," came her groaned response and she rolled her eyes, hand coming to her hip. "As you saw with the young boy, I also have witches on my side–"

"You want to subdue him with magic."

"Precisely. All the better if I don't have to drag my coven into this. They're not expendable."

A flash of smirk had her attention drawing to Kakashi. "And we are?"

"You're heretics – the limited edition of our kind," she stated. "Put yourselves to use instead of wasting away. Living in fear of being discovered is no way to live."

That was her in, Sakura noted at the indecision that rippled across Rin's open expressions and the discreet pressure to her lower back that was disguised by Gaara's moving away told her he agreed with the findings. It also implored her to keep pushing that button because soon enough, they would cave. The temptation was too great to ignore.

"With Madara gone, what's stopping the three of you from living freely?"

"And the rest of them?" Kakashi drawled.

"They won't bother us."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I have Uchiha Sasuke's life in my hands," she announced haughtily, delighting in the widening of their eyes as they glanced over at Naruto's dejected, telling features. "And as I'm sure you're all aware, Itachi would never allow any harm to come to Sasuke."

"And both Shisui-san and Mikoto-san would do anything to protect Itachi-san and Sasuke-san," Rin thought aloud. Her voice was unsteady with hope and she looked to her companion.

"Fugaku-san will always favour Mikoto-san over Madara, too," added Kakashi, sighing.

It was a domino effect.

Rin's eyes became glassy, chest quivering. "We could really free Obito from them all, Kakashi."

The silver-haired man returned his attention to Sakura, carefully concealing his own hope and eagerness though thanks to Gaara's relentlessness for the past fifty years, she could see through it all. Not only did Kakashi want to free Obito, but he was desperate to live freely too, and why wouldn't he? How many years had they spent living in fear and keeping their shoulders well checked? That was not a life worth living even if it was for the sake of the person they loved. How feelings of discontent or even hatred hadn't festered between them was beyond her.

Though, if they had and they could simply hide them, then she would exploit those feelings too.

"Well?" Sakura pushed daringly.

Kakashi barely spared his partner another glance before heaving a sigh and extending a hand that was firm in its grasp of hers, bringing a playful smirk to her lips when she tugged him closer. The stormy grey of his eyes somehow darkened at the proximity and lack of distance between their bodies, dipping lower for less than a second before returning to hers, stroking Sakura's ego and assuring both herself and her clan (which was much needed after that dreadful month of being a prisoner) that she sure as hell still had it. People couldn't resist her. It was a talent.

"Just know I intend to get my payback for that terrible greeting."

"Try it, rookie."

Naruto's shoulders dropped with his heavy, relieved sigh, blue eyes meeting Ino's when she came to stand by his side to pat his shoulder. "Has she ever been told no before?" The chuckling wasn't reassuring in the least and prompted him to pout. "So it's always like this with her?"

"Oh, this isn't even the half of it. Just you wait until someone does try to tell her no."

The curt nod in their direction had her clan dispersing, however, if they knew what was good for them then they wouldn't stray too far. Just because it seemed to be semi-fine for now, did not mean they weren't going to clash. There was every chance they would end up tearing each other shreds before the day ended.

"Understand neither of you will be invited in," Sakura had no qualms in telling them with a cheerful smile, releasing Kakashi and allowing him to return to Rin's inquisitive side. "You can either live in the gardens like wild animals or find yourselves a hotel."

"I want to get this over with," Kakashi shot back. "Obito has been stuck with Madara for long enough."

"Rushing in blind is foolish," scoffed Gaara.

"What else do you propose?"

His jaw clenched.

"We're going to need outside help," Sakura noted, inwardly groaning at the trip she now had to make. "Someone who knows Madara well enough to infiltrate without rousing suspicion and feed us information, since we don't even know where he's hiding right now. Even better and playing in our favour is the fact Madara's itching to get a hold of them."

Her right-hand woman's grimace was full of loathing and regret and weariness – quite the combination, Sakura had to admit. "Please don't say it."

"We need to persuade Itachi and Shisui back here." She looked to Naruto the moment he perked up, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Up for a road trip?"

A/N - Today has been a whirlwind. So first off my baby is stuck in a cycle of not pooping for upwards of 12 days, in extreme pain and not drinking, sleeping or playing as much anymore and even after two months of hounding them, the doctors didn't take me seriously. Then when my partner (her dad) took her to them today instead, they believed him immediately and prescribed a gentle laxative and referred baby to the paediatrician. Wtf?

THEN, my bank card was cloned/account was hacked and I had all of my son's disability money stolen, as well as the last of my own money and left me unable to buy any formula. Luckily, the lady on the fraud team was amazing and didn't rest until she got my case sorted as a high priority. The money is already back with me and not only the fraud team, but the stores too are going after the person who did it.

AND THEN just as I thought my day was looking up (money back, baby finally getting the help she needs), I'm accused of being a misogynist by someone who didn't even bother to finish reading the story that gave them that opinion. I'm genuinely so hurt by that comment, because I never ever considered how the messages I try to get across in my stories could be viewed in that light and I certainly never intended to give people the impression that what I write is my own personal opinion.

I'm just ready for today to be over.