Chapter 09

It was getting really late when Sasuke and the others arrived at Henta's house. Sasuke was more than relieved that they've finally reached the lecher's home. Sasuke kicked the door open and it slammed against the wall with a resounding crash. The hinges squeaked at him in protest, but as usual, the young Uchiha didn't give a damn.

It wasn't his house, anyway. And besides, he needed to let go of the girl in his arms... now.

No, it wasn't because his arms were already cramping up. Sakura was as light as a feather. He could even lift her up with only one arm!

So... why the hurry, then? Sasuke decided not to think about it. It would only make things even harder for him if he did...

Sakura let out a low moan before she shifted again in his arms. This forced Sasuke to drop his gaze down to her. But as soon as he saw what was down there, his head immediately snapped back up again.

Sasuke cursed her inwardly. She should have zipped that damn dress back up before she decided to faint on him! He thought of zipping it up himself so that he wouldn't see that dangerously exposed skin of hers anymore, but damn...

There was no damn way he'd touch her there!

Her... current state... was distracting him like hell! Just when did she start growing those deadly breasts... err... curves anyway? He swore that if he lowered his head a little bit more, he would be able to see that small triangle of skin that was...

"Hey... Sasuke!" Naruto's voice broke his thoughts, thoughts that were suddenly turning dirty. "What's the hold up?" The blonde's head peered over his shoulder. It was then that Sasuke realized that he and Sakura were blocking the way. With a grunt, he moved aside and let Naruto walk past them.

"Hey, you! Stop sleeping and wake up!" Naruto barked at Henta who was now sprawled on the floor. The fox boy sighed heavily and dragged the lecher by hauling his shirt up again. He dumped Henta near the table and deliberately let him crash on one of the chairs. "Forget you!" Naruto snapped at him and stalked off somewhere.

Sasuke frowned at them both before his sharp onyx eyes scanned the area for a comfortable place to drop the sleeping girl in his arms. He spotted Henta's couch and immeadiately walked towards it. Gently, he lowered Sakura on top of the cushions before he let out a sigh of relief.

Now... to pry Sakura's hands from his shirt.

Such a simple task and yet, here he was... sweating like a damn pig.

Fucking hormones...

Carefully, he grabbed both her wrists and started to pull her hands away from his shirt. For the next couple of minutes, Sasuke continued to pry her fingers away from him over and over again, but much to his extreme annoyance, her stubborn hands still refused to let him go.

After another few seconds of useless tugging, Sasuke eventually got pissed off. He glared at her sleeping face and was about to yank her hands off of him when Sakura chose that time to finally let his shirt go...

...only to reach up, grab his head, and crush it against her breasts.

Everything happened so fast that it took Sasuke a few long minutes to realize that his face was stuck against Sakura's chest. He couldn't breathe properly... and he wasn't sure if it was because his nose was buried against her soft skin, or if it was because her unique female scent overpowered his senses. He cursed and struggled against her hold. Suddenly, she uttered something to him. The words that spilled out of her slightly parted mouth froze him in his spot.

"Henta-san..." She purred in her sleep.

Sasuke's vein twitched. She was dreaming about that fucking lecher?

"Go... to... hell..." Sakura's grip around his head tightened even more and Sasuke suddenly found it very difficult to breathe. He gritted his teeth and with a grunt, he freed himself completely from Sakura's headlock.

"Damn it... Sakura." He muttered and immediately distanced himself from the still sleeping kunoichi. Sasuke stared at her for a moment before he cursed out loud and decided to walk out of the house for a while.

Hot. It was too hot inside that damn house.

Sakura woke up at Naruto's screams. What is it this time? She grumbled inwardly and opened her eyes to see what was going on. She saw Naruto yelling curses directly at Henta's ear. Surprisingly, the pervert, who was sprawled on the floor, still wouldn't wake up.

Her gaze shifted to Sasuke who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He was watching the scene with his usual air of indifference. When he noticed her stare, he glared at her and turned his head away.

Sakura blinked. He was... mad at her? She tried to recall what had happened earlier, but everything was a blur inside her mind. The only thing that she remembered was when Naruto suddenly appeared out of nowhere and knocked Henta out cold before he could explain everything to them. After that, she couldn't hold off the pain in her head any longer and let herself succumb to the darkness.

Sakura looked down and realized that she was lying on Henta's couch. Someone must have brought her here, but who? She tried to remember, but all she could remember was an arm encircling her waist in a protective manner. Unconsciously, she glanced at Sasuke who lifted himself off the wall as he headed towards the kitchen.

No. She told herself inwardly. It couldn't possibly be Sasuke-kun... She tried her best not to feel very disappointed, but she found herself frowning at the thought. Why would Sasuke bother with her anyway? Sakura then turned her attention to her other teammate. I guess... I'd better thank Naruto for carrying me here later.

Sakura watched in mild amusement as Naruto shook the sleeping pervert by the shoulders. "Wake up! Wake up! I said, wake up! Damn it!" The upset fox boy growled and was about to get ready to punch Henta's face when Sasuke suddenly splashed both of them with extremely cold water. "H-Hey!" The blonde sputtered in protest.

This instantly woke Henta up. He sat up straight and started coughing like mad. "C-Cold... Ouch!" He yelped when Naruto whacked him on the head.

"Pervert! What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto yelled at him in frustration before he let him go and stood up. "You've got some nerve kidnapping Sakura-chan and putting us inside that damn bathroom!" He pointed an accusing finger at him. Henta opened his mouth as if to say something, but surprisingly, he lowered his head at them instead.

Sakura curiously narrowed her eyes at Henta. She stood up and walked near her teammates. "Henta-san..." Sakura spoke in a much gentler tone. "Explain your..."

She was cut off when Isaaru suddenly thundered downstairs. "Big brother!" He cried out, tears flooding his flushed cheeks. "Please don't hurt, big brother!" He pleaded to them and threw himself at his brother. "Big brother not mean no harm!" He sniffed and began to wail loudly.

Naruto and Sasuke winced at the loud noise that the child was making. Sakura, however, felt her heart melt at the sight. Her dark mood lightened a bit and she smiled at the little boy who was clinging tightly around his big brother's arm. "Don't worry, Isaaru-chan." She said gently, her anger towards Henta momentarily forgotten. Soon enough, the child stopped wailing. "We won't hurt him..."

For now. Inner-Sakura grumbled inside her mind.

"Sakura-chan..." Henta suddenly spoke and lifted his gaze to her. He looked at them with a pained expression on his face. "Fine. I'm going to tell you everything."

"Uhh... is this really necessary?" Sakura heard Henta groan when Naruto tightened the rope that bounded both Henta's arms on one of the chairs. "I'm not gonna run away, you know..."

"Shut up." Naruto snapped at him. "You're lucky that I didn't tie you up inside that stinking bathroom of yours..." He said before he took his seat beside his pink-haired teammate. After Isaaru was put to bed again by Sakura, the four of them had gathered around Henta's table. Sakura was sitting between Sasuke and Naruto while Henta was sitting across from them.

An uncomfortable silence lingered in the atmosphere as the trio glared at one particular pervert.

"Okay..." Sakura broke the awkward silence. "Start explaining, Henta-san."

Henta gazed at her with an expressionless face. "I did this for my sister." He told them bluntly.

"Sister?" Naruto asked in surprise. "What's up with your sister?"

Henta shrugged. "Who cares? There's no way I can help her now, anyway."

Sakura's vein twitched. "Henta-san..." She tried to contain her temper. "You said you're gonna tell us everything."

"I know." Henta looked at her, his eyes mocking. "But I didn't say I'm gonna have to make it easier for you guys."

"Say what?" Naruto growled angrily. "Do you want me to stick a kunai inside your skull, pervert?"

Sakura shushed the fox boy up as she sent Henta a death glare. "If you know what's good for you, Henta-san..." Her voice was low and threatening. "You're gonna have to answer our questions."

Much to Sakura's satisfaction, Henta squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze. "Fine, I will." He grumbled under his breath and frowned at them.

Sakura's lips twitched into a smile. "Now then, Isaaru-chan said that some men took your sister away. Those three thugs from before... Are they the ones who took her?"

Henta nodded grimly. "Yeah. Those bastards dragged her out of the house as if they own her." He spat out. "They took her from us and brought her to the idiot who's running this damn village."

"To the idiot who's running the village...?"

Henta snorted. "Yeah. He's a dirty son of a bitch. He loves to screw all the women in the village as if they're his whores..." His words were venomous. "And we can't do anything about it..." He muttered quietly to himself, but team 7 heard it loud and clear. "Can you let me go now? I still have some business to attend to."

Naruto's answer to his request was to slam his fist against the table. "What the hell do you mean you can't do anything about it?" He snarled at Henta.

Henta met Naruto's fierce glare with his own. "We can't! Who knows what he'll do to us if we turn against him! I'm not the only one who's gonna get in trouble here, you know!" His gaze shifted to the room upstairs before he looked at them again.

Sakura knew what he meant by that. He couldn't bear to risk his little brother's life. "Is that why you kidnapped me? To trade me for your sister?" She asked him. She knew she couldn't blame him for doing what he could in order to save his sister, but what he did was just plain wrong! There has to be another way to save his sister without having to resort this!

Henta looked at her guiltily. "I know! I know! That's why I'm sorry, Sakura-chan..." He murmured something under his breath. "You understand me, right? I need my sister back. I just can't stomach the thought of letting her marry that bastard."

"Marry?" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed in surprise.

Henta snorted. "Yeah. He's gonna marry my sister tomorrow."

"And you're gonna let Sakura-chan marry him, you pervert?" Naruto growled furiously at Henta.

"She's my sister, you idiot!" Henta snapped angrily at Naruto. "I'll do anything to save her, even if it means I'll have to sacrifice the love of my life!"

"Love of your life?" Naruto gritted his teeth.

"Stop it, Naruto!" Sakura forced the upset fox boy to sit down. "I understand what you're trying to do, Henta-san... That's why I forgive you for that." Henta's lips twisted into a smile. "But why does it have to be me?" There are millions of beautiful girls out there. Why choose her?

Henta stared at her in disbelief. "You're perfect, Sakura-chan. It's as simple as that." He grinned at her and winked. "And... I'm running out of time." He chuckled nervously.

Sakura frowned at him. So that's why... Secretly, Sakura was quite relieved that he chose her and not some innocent girl who couldn't fight to save herself. That would have been bad...

"Anyway... that Shin bastard loves beautiful and sexy women. As soon as he sees you, he'll fall head over heels in lust with you! And believe me..." He smiled at her malisciously. "I know a pretty and sexy girl when I see... and touch one."

"Wh-What?" Sakura was shocked. Something in that tone on Henta's voice made her realize something. Her eyes widened and she let out a strangled gasp. "So, you weren't groping me just for the heck of it?"

Henta chuckled. "Of course! I need to see if your sexiness is for real, you know!" He stuck his toungue out at her in a teasing manner.

"Why you...! Damn, sick pervert!" Naruto barked angrily at the smirking Henta.

"Let me guess..."

The trio turned their heads towards Sasuke. The young Uchiha was staring at them with an expressionless face. "The ninjas who attacked us from before..." He said, his voice serious. "They attacked you because you messed around with their master's daughter and tried to kidnap her."

Henta smirked. "Of course. Anyway... That reminds me..." Henta continued. "I saw lots of beautiful girls in your village." He rubbed his chin and smiled thoughtfully. "I saw one with long blonde hair and a sexy body just like yours! Too bad I couldn't get near her. She's one dangerous chick, I tell you!"

Sakura knew who he was talking about. "Ino-pig." She muttured under her breath.

"Then there was one with her hair tied up in two buns! She's a really cute girl! Too bad there was this weird long-haired guy who kept on glaring at me with those creepy white eyes. I couldn't hide from him! It was as if he has eyes at the back of his head!"

Sakura shook his head at him. Neji would kill him if he touched Ten-Ten...

"After that, I saw this sweet girl with short bluish hair. She also has those creepy white eyes, but..."

Naruto bolted upright. "Hinata-chan? How DARE you touch, Hinata-chan!" The fox boy's eyes were blazing. Sakura had to hold him down to prevent him from leaping across the table.

Henta was surprised. "You know that girl? Well... I couldn't get near her either. There were too many people. And besides, she's far too innocent for me..."

"Damn right!" Naruto glared at him with slitted eyes.

"And then, there was this one heck of a woman!" Henta's smile widened. "She was beautiful! She has blonde hair and damn, her breasts were huge!" He exclaimed with a dreamy sigh. "I couldn't stop staring at them until she threatened me with those scary fists of hers..." His smile disappeared and it was replaced by a dark frown. "She's a terrifying woman."

Sakura slapped her hand against her forehead. Henta sure has guts... Going after Lady Tsunade? Was he insane?

"Then that lady led me to you. And to think that I was just about to give up at that time... Who would have thought that I'll have a beautiful girl like you accompanying me home? Talk about luck!" Henta smirked. When reality crashed down on him, he let out a defeated sigh. "But then again, what's the use? It's not like my plan worked out in the end anyway..."

All of them turned silent once again. Henta chuckled. "Damn... I should be really angry with all of you right now for ruining my plan, but I can't find the heart to lash out at you guys..." He turned to look at Sakura. "In fact, I'm quite glad that you guys stopped me..." He lowered his head so team 7 won't be able to see his face. "To tell you the truth, I can't stomach seeing Sakura-chan marry that bastard either."

Sakura felt pity for the guy. "There has to be another way to save your sister!"

"Yeah!" Naruto exclaimed. "Why don't we just bust through that bastard's house and get your sister back? Those guys aren't that tough!"

Henta lifted his gaze and gaped at Naruto as if he was crazy. "Not tough?" He asked him in disbelief. "Do you want to die? I tried to sneak inside that damn house once and I almost got myself killed!"

Naruto snorted. "That's because you're weak!"

Sakura sighed. "Okay, Henta-san..." She stood up and untied the ropes around Henta's hands, freeing Henta from the chair. "We'll come up with a plan to save your sister. Just leave it to us."

"Sakura-chan..." Henta looked at her gratefully. He grabbed her hands and stared at her with dreamy eyes. "You're doing this for me? You love me that much?"

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "No. Actually, I'm doing this for Isaaru-chan."

Naruto snatched Sakura's hands from Henta. "Don't push it, pervert."

"This is pathetic."

Three sets of eyes turned to look at the young Uchiha. He was still at the table and was glaring at them with a bored look on his face. "We came here to stay for the night, not to give a damn about anybody's problem."

Sakura was surprised at Sasuke's rudeness. "Sasuke-kun..." He ignored her and stood up from his seat.

"Go to sleep." He muttered grimly to both her and Naruto before he turned to walk upstairs.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura was about to go after him when Henta grabbed her wrist. "Henta-san! Let go!"

"Sasuke-san's right." Henta's expression was as dark as Sasuke's attitude. "Don't bother helping me anymore..." He murmured before he let go of her. He stood up and turned to walk out of the house.

"Hey, pervert!" Naruto called after him. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna bring my sister back myself." Henta spat out and slammed the door in front of their faces.

Naruto gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Sheesh!" He glanced at the equally upset Sakura. "Damn Sasuke... Why did he have to be such a jerk?" He glared at Sasuke's retreating form at the stairs.

Sakura didn't know what to do. She was torn between going after Sasuke and Henta. She wanted to help Henta get his sister back , but Sasuke would get mad at her if she did! What in the world is she going to do?

Suddenly, the door burst open, surprising both Sakura and Naruto. Henta came rushing back inside the house with a panicked look on his face. "Damn it!" He cursed and grabbed Sakura's arm. "Hide! Hide!" He hissed at her and dragged her upstairs.

"H-Hey!" Sakura mouthed a protest.

"What the? Let Sakura-chan go, pervert!" Naruto growled at Henta and reached out to grab her teammate. Sasuke met them at the top of the stairs. He saw how Henta was pulling Sakura and scowled down at the upset pervert.

"No!" Henta warned both of them not to interfere. "Shin's coming! We've got to hide Sakura-chan!"

To be continued…