Kabuto had made good use of the time prior to capturing Sakura, single-handedly subduing each and every stationed ANBU agent that had been near Sound's borders.
He hadn't stopped even once since he collected the unconscious girl, and they had nearly reached the underground bunker that was Orochimaru's hideout.
The entrance to a circular labyrinth was in sight now, and he slowed to a walking pace as he passed through the stone arch, taking every correct turn until a trap-door was in view. He shifted Sakura's weight onto one arm while he unlatched the door, and then made the descent of the stairs leading inside. He took Sakura into a small room with what appeared to be an operating table with various straps attached where the arms and legs would rest.
He carefully set her down and placed her wrists and ankles within the open straps, buckling them securely.
"Can't have you blowing this place up with that monstrous strength I know you've got," Kabuto said to her, knowing she would wake up at any moment now. He knew she wouldn't be happy about being restrained, but he figured that waiting until she woke up to determine the next step would be better. He turned to leave her alone in the room, closing the door behind him.
/
An hour had passed and Sakura began to stir awake from the unwelcome blackness of sleep she'd been forced into. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dimly-lit room.
She attempted to lift her hands to rub her eyes, but found she couldn't move.
"What the fuck?" She gasped, snapping upward only to be jerked back against the table by the restraints.
"Oh, hell no," She hissed at the realization of what she was lying upon.
"Sorry, you know how it is though," Kabuto's voice carried through the darkness from the corner of the room at the foot of the table Sakura laid on.
"Right. Almost forgot that you're afraid of me, but not a dozen or so black-ops agents," Sakura sneered, her fists clenched. She had half a mind to break out of the straps, just to prove that she could, but actively chose not to.
Kabuto stepped forward so she could see him now, and the contemptuous look on his face as he moved close enough that she could see the deep-gray color of his eyes.
"Please, don't flatter yourself. See how far it gets you," He said lowly, forming a hand sign before placing his other hand over her abdomen.
Sakura could feel the energy being drained from her, knowing that Kabuto was siphoning her chakra somehow. While she knew he simply did not trust her enough to let her be free with the risk of her pulling something unexpected, it didn't stop her from feeling pissed off.
"You… You son of a bitch," Sakura growled weakly, squeezing her eyes shut.
Kabuto quirked an eyebrow at her words but didn't reply, removing his hand and reaching for the straps around her wrist, easily unbuckling the lock. He repeated the motion with each restraint until Sakura was free from them.
"Better?" He asked flatly, watching as Sakura pulled all of her limbs towards herself and turned to look at him once more.
"Maybe if you hadn't done that, it would be better."
"Well, maybe if you learn how to watch the way you speak to me, it will continue to be better," Kabuto replied pointedly, adjusting his glasses.
"And if you chose not to take these things so personally, it might be easier for you. I mean, would you allow someone you didn't trust to wander freely around your home, not knowing what they might decide to do?" He continued with no expectation of an answer from her.
"And I thought you were smarter than that," He added on with a hint of snark.
Although she knew he was right, she still didn't appreciate the way he kept throwing out those shitty little remarks. Normally not being one to tolerate it, Sakura had a feeling that things were going to be difficult from this point on. Keeping her temper in check had always proven to be a difficult task — that and any intense emotion, really.
She pretended to ignore his words, giving him a look of complete and utter annoyance before turning her head away from him in silence. It made her blood boil when she thought she heard him chuckle, but she ignored that too.
"While you're sulking, I'll explain to you the details of what your stay here will consist of, if you will listen," Kabuto began evenly, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Sakura nod slightly in acknowledgement.
"Good. Now, I want you to observe a few subjects who have been poisoned, and then extract said toxins and run tests on them to find out which of each other they will bond with to make them more… effective." He explained carefully.
'Deadly, you mean.' Sakura thought, clenching her jaw.
"Patients, not subjects," Sakura hissed, still very annoyed.
Kabuto raised his eyebrows in irritation.
"Right. Anyway, I will show you what happens to a patient when they are exposed to one specific toxin that I've yet to fully understand. You're probably even somewhat familiar with it already." Kabuto moved around the edge of the table to where he could see Sakura's face again, noticing the way her eyes followed him.
She sat up slowly, removing her black gloves and tucking them away in her tool pouch.
"Throwing me straight into the thick of it, huh?" She asked with an air of disgust, her brow creasing.
"Time is of the essence. Especially now that I've learned what happens once the subje— patient… containing this specific chemical expires." He said, looking at her over the rims of his glasses.
He knew that what he was about to say next would most likely shock her.
"So the man who is currently in Konoha Hospital — I found him in that condition and brought him here to conduct some research. I'd never seen anything like that, and since you seem to know a lot about this sort of thing, I thought you may be the best candidate for assisting me with further studies."
Sakura processed what he was saying, her mind going a mile a minute. It was very unlike him to ask for help, let alone from someone such as herself, the whole thing was downright odd. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to understand what was so important about this whole ordeal that would make a man as brilliant as Kabuto come to her. But she had tried to do the same thing; this was all a bit confusing.
"So you expect me to believe that you had nothing to do with this?" She asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"And why the hell did you leave him at the border of Otogakure?" She added with narrowed eyes.
Kabuto kept his expression blank as he made to reply.
"That's the thing, the toxin is contained within those orbs under the skin. When the victim dies and decomposition begins, the poison takes the form of a gas and emits from the pores. I don't have an antidote for it yet, so you can imagine why I wanted him out."
Sakura stiffened, knowing that man would die in the hospital. It irked her greatly to imagine anyone being near him when the worst of it happened. She had no way of warning them now, but there was always the possibility that her mentor would figure it out in time.
"So, with that all said, It's simple. Stop overthinking it and do the rational thing — you're already here, aren't you? Obviously you can guess that I'm not going to allow you to walk out of here if you were to decline," His words held a menacing quality as he turned his head slightly, the dim fluorescent light hanging above glinted over the lenses of his glasses.
Sakura felt a cold shiver run down her spine. This was the side of him she hadn't been looking forward to experiencing for herself, and she would be damned if he had it in his mind that she would become another guinea pig.
"Fine. I'll help you with your little project," Sakura started, hopping down from the table to stand.
"But let me make one thing clear — I'll speak to you however I damn well please. Deal?" She said firmly, her expression hardened.
Kabuto gave a short sigh before he answered.
"Whatever,"
"I'll leave you to do whatever you must. We'll begin the research tomorrow."
With that, he turned to exit the room. Sakura rolled her eyes at the clicking sound of the lock on the door after he had shut it.
What an interesting time this was already proving to be.