Chapitre 9: Reasons and consequences

"Uchiha Karasu, you are under arrest because of trying to kill Shinarui Imachi – you know your policies." Two swords were drawn out of their scabbards, one on Karasu's neck and one holding his sword out of piercing Imachi. Imachi had closed her eyes ready for the hit after seeing the katana. When she heard a familiar voice, she opened her eyes and saw a pair of brown and emerald green eyes. "O-Okaa-san? Sakura-neechan? Is it you?"

Tsunade didn't yet pay attention to her question and whispered to Karasu: "I trusted you, Karasu. And here you are ready to hurt her and use to your selfish purposes." Then she punched his stomach. He fell unconscious immediately. Then she moved on to Imachi. First her face was twisted of anger and she tried to hit Imachi. She groaned and dodged it.

"What the hell are you doing? I was almost killed and here you are trying to KILL me!"

Sakura crouched next to Imachi and said with a silent voice: "Well… She was sick of worry and now that you decide to show up after five days and six nights, fighting with the most popular Konoha ANBU captain, I really wouldn't be surprised." She still stared at Tsunade and said: "So what! I heard from that asshole that you were going to trash my engagement with Itachi! And what are you going to do about it! He's the man I love and he's the only one who I understand!" Tsunade yelled back at her: "He's an S-rank missing nin! He killed his whole clan and now you say he, of all the people, could feel such thing as love? You know what, Imachi! If you feel love, you need a heart! And he hasn't got any!"

She spitted to the ground and said: "Say, do YOU have any heart? You have lied to me about my past about fifteen years and then I hear it from the guy who tried to rape and kill me! " She stood up and said: "I can't believe he really did it! It was your order, an S-rank mission and he didn't succeed in it!" Sakura sighed when Tsunade yelled at Imachi's face: "You damn ungrateful twerp! You really have no sense of gratitude! You realize he risked his life to bring you back! We can maybe arrest him for trying to kill you, but we can't arrest him from disobedience! He actually DID succeed his mission. You are back at Konoha."

Sakura pulled an antidote out of her pocket and injected it to Imachi. "What the … Sakura!" Her vision started to blur the third time inside five days. Before drifting off to unconsciousness, she heard Tsunade say: "I'm sorry. I hope Genma forgives me."

'I've got to make it in time! If he works for the Boss, it'll be bad!' Not even Itachi was sure what was exactly going on. That guy, whoever it had been, had used the same technique that Akatsuki's Boss used. But this guy wasn't the Boss for sure. More likely it would've been Zetsu than the Boss himself. But this guy's head was too little to be Zetsu's. He had aimed his jutsu to Konoha, but even for him, it would be too dangerous. It may have been a leaf shinobi, who could have returned there. But he was a missing Nin and he had no right to return there.

Now, most probably, she was in Konoha and in the worst scenario, she was already under monitoring in Konoha's Hospital. 'How could I let myself be fooled like that? Of course they were all trying to get her back…' After a few hours of thinking about her and travelling at the same time, he had arrived to the Valley Of The End. He kept a good distance, just in case if there were ANBU team near. His purpose was not to fight any meaningless fights.

He decided to keep a low profile and he approached with caution. He was standing at the edge of the waterfall. It was the same waterfall where he had met her. And it was the place where Kisame had been destroyed. Then he caught a sound with his ears. It was three women and one man. He came closer and closer until he could see them so he could read from their lips.

"Demo, Godaime-sama! I was just threatening her. I had no intention to offend her. I needed just to keep her in place until there would be some help. There won't be a chance that I'd manage to make her stay here alone…"

"Karasu, you know the rules… Although you returned her, you really were going to stab her. And God knows what you'd do after that! I'm afraid that we'll have to put you under some supervising."

"Karasu, believe me. It won't be that bad! It's just a routine." Sakura said while looking concerned at his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Okaa-sama. My mission, no matter if it succeeded, was an utter failure. I didn't obey all the rules and acted untowardly against my escort."

Itachi's blood was boiling. 'So it was THIS guy. As stupid and stubborn as Sasuke is.' No matter he could easily defeat Sakura and Karasu; the Hokage would be a hard bit to chew. There's no way he could beat someone as powerful as Hokage. Maybe if he would receive help from Imachi, but at her current condition, it didn't seem like a profitable idea. He followed with his eyes how the Fifth punched Karasu's stomach and how he fell unconscious.

And he saw also how Sakura injected Imachi AGAIN with an injection. He had hard time to hold himself steady and not to beat those bitches up right there. He saw how Hokage sent a bird flying and he cursed. 'If I don't go away now, the ANBU squad will surely notice my presence.'

Not too soon he sensed someone coming and he departed quickly.

Meanwhile the ANBU team took Karasu away and medical team took Imachi to Konoha Hospital.

Bird's singing. The overwhelming light of the afternoon sun. The scent of hospital. The cold feeling caused by the thin set of clothes hospital offered. And even the scent of lilies caressed her nose. She opened slightly her eyelids and shut them again. "Darn. It's so bright", she whispered. Trying again, she opened her eyes. Her eyes ached just to watch how bright it was outside. Her eyes finally got clearer and she already knew that she was in hospital care.

She shouldn't use that new technique; after all, she had never used it in actual combat yet. Now she knew that her limit was two hits. Her head still on the pillow, she turned to look straight at the blossoming flower. It was a white lily. She smiled a little. Though she was in the tendrils of disappointment, she was glad that she hadn't yet been abandoned by her friends in Konoha.

The other table had a can of water inside it. She reached with her hands to it. Her whole body was so weak. What in the world had that injection Sakura had given her contained? She took a strong hold of the can and poured the fresh and ice cold water to the glass. Slightly moaning of pain she placed the can back and took the glass. She drank the whole glass in a fading second and sighed. Finally her dry throat could talk.

She pushed her blanket aside and let her tired legs drop onto the floor. Her legs were still recovering and she had to wait quite a long time before the pain gave up. She took one of the curtains to her hands and closed it. Another one. Leaning to the wall, she walked back to the bed.

She thought that she'd look awful. Her skin was so pale that only snow would be whiter. Her black hair had been combed and her previous haircut had been tidied up. Her hands and legs were cold and the cold floor didn't make things any better. And she was wrong about the clothing. She had her black tank top on and black shorts. 'God. Did I wear anything else than black… ' She scanned the room for anyone else, but it seemed that this room was the room number 6, intensive care. "What a waste, there could be people in more critical condition than I am…"

She rose up again from the bed and made her way to the door. The only thing in the room was her bed. And those two little tables. She opened the door as slowly and silent as she could and stepped to the doorway.

Since she didn't see anyone, she took the advantage to escape. No way could she let this opportunity slip away. She didn't care if she was half-naked, if she'd just get away from here. She started to tip-toe down the corridors until she got to the reception.

'I really can't escape in any way… I think I'll just have to do something to lure them…' She saw an elder and walked next to her, saying: "Are you waiting for hospitalising, obaa-san?" The lady nodded and she smiled her widest and cutest smile and said:" Then please, please accept my room. I just got out of the hospital, but it seemed that there was no one to be seen."

She took the old woman's hand and helped her to sit on the wheelchair. The receptionist saw them and said: "Oy! Where are you taking that lady to?" She didn't even stop by her steps and yelled back: "They told me I was well enough to leave my room and they gave me something to do. I must bring this old lady to hospital care." The receptionist seemed to believe and she smiled.

When she had brought the old lady to the nurse after she found some better clothes and made sure that she was under monitoring. Since she had taken the old lady's hand, she knew that she had a young lung cancer. She stepped to the light of Konoha's sun. 'Now now… What to do?'

She decided to disguise herself and she went into a clothes shop. There was really no one in the shop at the time. She sighed of relief and quickly picked a black jacket and red pants. But she noticed that she had no money. She cursed and searched quickly if there were someone in the shop. The clerk had gone to shuffle some clothes and put them in order. She quickly took the clothes and walked away, without making even the slightest sound.

When she was out of the shop she turned of the nearest corner and got into an empty alley. She quickly pulled her clothes on and again fused with the crowd of people walking on the streets. She was heading to the Valley of The End. She had some business to do.

"How did you manage to let her escape! Didn't I tell you that she must be kept in the hospital until I've finished their engagement's undo?" Shizune tried to calm her down with no progress and said: "Please, Hokage-sama! I'm sure she's just having a walk to awake her senses and catch some fresh air…" Tsunade almost crushed her studying table and yelled: "Send one Jounin after her, damn it! Shizune you must do what I say!"

Imachi smirked. She knew exactly what her mother was going to do. She knew her too well that she'd fall in her traps. At the moment she'd make Shizune send one Jounin after her and she would set the limits. The limits were from the village to the Valley Of The End. Neji Hyuuga would be sent to scan the whole area and she'd just go far enough that he wouldn't see her.

She had to run a little faster if she was going to get out to the Valley Of The End in time. When she heard the rumbling of the waterfalls, she smiled a cocky smile and with one sharp jump, she was through the waterfall. She saw that the place was pretty ruined after her first appointment with Itachi and Kisame. She sighed and said: "Well, at least I'm out of Konoha now." Before leaving the cave to step to the edge of The Sound, she picked up the red ribbon Karasu had ripped out. Next time she'd definitely show him. But now she had to find Itachi.

A/N: I hope that the paragraphs are working now. Okay. If there's anything you want to ask about the characters, feel free. Well, tell me if I still have something to fix. And thanks for everyone who reviewed