Chapter Nine: Delivery and Rescue
"He's getting heavy," Sakura grunted, laying the bound and gagged Naruto on the ground. "I need to take a rest."
"Let me carry him some," volunteered Deidara. "Sasori has his puppets, so we'd better split the burden between just the two of us."
"Okay," said Sakura stepping back from Naruto. Deidara picked him up. "We'd better hurry. I don't want anything to jeopardize this mission.
"I don't want anything getting in the way of my seeing Sasuke again. I can't wait!"
"Remember what I told you about Orochimaru. Don't trust him one bit."
"I wonder how Sasuke is doing now?"
"From what you told me about the cursed-seal Orochimaru gave Sasuke, and from what I know of Orochimaru when he was with the Akatsuki, I'd say Sasuke is very powerful."
"I wonder if I could get a cursed-seal too?"
"Are you planning to join with Orochimaru?"
"I'll do anything to be with Sasuke. You know that."
"Yes. You'll even betray your old friends. I better watch our myself, shouldn't I?"
"I wouldn't betray you Deidara," lied Sakura. Actually, both women knew Sakura was not telling the truth.
"Regardless," Deidara actually seemed sad to be losing her star pupil. "I will miss having another woman with the Akatsuki. I'll be all alone again in that respect. Remember what I've taught you. You'll do well."
"You think so?" asked Sakura with some false modesty.
"Of course. Look at these bonds you've created," Deidara gestured towards the mesh-bands binding Naruto. "I could never have made anything so intricate and delicate, yet so strong. You are unique in your talent of being able to control chakra like none other I've ever seen.
Of course, I take credit for teaching you how to use your talent. You'd never have learned the things you know now if you'd not left Kohona Village. Those second-rate teacher's would've never been able to hone your skills like I did."
Sasori jerked sharply as if something had stung him. Both women looked at him quizzically.
"What's wrong?" asked Deidara.
"We better get moving," stated Sasori. "We're being followed."
"Huh?" said Sakura. "How do you know?"
"I set some traps behind us. I can sense when they go off. Someone is definitely following us. I don't know who or how many. It could be Jiraiya."
Thinking Jiraiya was following them was enough of a threat to goad the three along at a faster pace. All Sakura could think about was delivering Naruto to the Akatsuki and getting on her way to find Orochimaru and Sasuke.
Meanwhile, no matter how hard Naruto struggled against his bonds, they held tight. He couldn't believe what he was hearing! Sakura betrayed him and Kohona Village for Sasuke! How could she? What would make his old friend do such things!
Not only that, but Sakura was a member of the Akatsuki! She was an S-Ranked criminal! How could she? (he kept thinking "how could she?" a lot). How could she? How could she?
Naruto's mind raced around in small circles mulling over the fact that his old friend and team mate was now a top-ranking criminal bent on destroying him. How could she?
In spite of all of his training with Kakashi and Jiraiya, Naruto couldn't break the bonds Sakura had forged with her chakra. Indeed, these bindings were the work of pure genius. No wonder the Akatsuki had welcomed her into their ranks.
During the time Naruto considered all these things, the three traveled with incredible speed. They knew they were being pursued and didn't want to lose their hard-won prize. Before long, they ended up in the Akatsuki headquarters.
Sakura had placed a loose black sack over Naruto's head before they got too close to the headquarters, so he had no actual idea where they were or who they were meeting with.
"Here is the last of the demon people," he heard Deidara say to someone.
"Very good!" answered someone.
Sakura stated, "Master, I believe I've fulfilled my part of our bargain and I'm free to go?"
"A bargain is a bargain, Sakura. We wish you'd stay. You could partake in the bounty we're about to collect from these demon people."
"No thank you. I have no taste for that," said Sakura. "I'd like to be on my way now, if that's okay with you. I've waited for this day for a long, long time."
"Go then with our blessings."
Naruto could hear Sakura leaving. He tried to call out to her for the umpteenth time again, but to no avail. His gag held tight. All Naruto could do was make more muffled sounds. Someone, probably Sasori, hit him again to make him shut up.
"If you don't mind, master, I have a date with Itachi. He owes me for a favor I once did. Is Itachi around, by any chance?"
"Yes. He's in his quarters. Is he expecting you?"
"Probably not, but he knows he owes me. I'll make sure he pays." With that said, Naruto heard Deidara leave the room.
"I want to watch," stated Sasori.
"Indeed. I didn't know you had such blood-lust in you, Sasori."
"You have no idea, master. No idea."
"Hmm…. Well, we're not ready yet. To be honest, we didn't think you'd actually succeed in capturing him – Itachi and Kisame never did. I must say, you surprised us.
Would you mind putting this one," the voice continued and something poked Naruto in the side, "in cold storage with the others? I'll let you know when we're ready."
"Yes master." And with that, Naruto felt himself being lifted once again and carried. Naruto was roughly thrown onto a bed of straw and then… in spite of his last thoughts being "How could she?" …blackness.
Jiraiya and Kakashi crept nearer to the Akatsuki headquarters. Jiraiya had caught up with Kakashi just moments before, the frog-boss having carried him at tremendous speeds, covering the distance from Kohona to Kakashi's location a relatively short amount of time.
Kakashi had dispatched a dog to tell Jiraiya what had happened right after he awoke from his feign-death technique. He was glad he had called upon Jiraiya now, looking at the Akatsuki headquarters before him.
"In their haste to get Naruto here, they didn't bother to cover their tracks very well," whispered Kakashi. "I'm surprised they'd be so sloppy."
"I don't think they cared if we followed them here, Kakashi," said Jiraiya in a low whisper. "I sense a great power inside. Even I may be outmatched by what we find inside."
"I'm not going to let them have Naruto," stated Kakashi firmly.
Jiraiya laid a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, "I know. I won't either."
With that said, both ninja's slowly crept up on the Akatsuki headquarters.
(to be continued in Chapter Ten: The Master of the Akatsuki)