Fire: Chapter 7! Chapter 7! Chapter 7!

Kakashi: How is this helping?

Fire: I'm excited because Sasuke's going to be back soon!

Kakashi: What about Naruto?

Fire: (confused expression) …

Kakashi: You know…Naruto?

Fire: Naruto…? Do I know a Naruto?

Kakashi: Blond boy, blue eyes, about… (raises his hand to a little over his shoulder) …this tall with a loud mouth, and orange and black jacket and black hitai-ate?

Fire: Oh! That one!

Kakashi: He's going to be back too, right?

Fire: Yes, of course! Now, give me a review!

Kakashi: (sighs as he pulls a review out of the Big Bag of Reviews) Why do I feel like a drug dealer?

Fire: Yay! A review! (reads the window avidly)

Kakashi: Tell us about it.

Fire: Some people are annoyed that Sasuke and Naruto aren't back yet. But like I said, they will be back soon.

Kakashi: How soon is soon?

Fire: About chapter nine, but that's because there's something very important that's taking up all that space otherwise Sasuke would have been back in chapter eight. That was when he originally returned, but I added a few things to make the story more comprehensible.

Kakashi: What about Naruto?

Fire: What about Naruto?

Kakashi: (sighs) Just go on to the next review.

Fire: Kabuto isn't out of character. If you analyze him in the anime and manga, he is relatively nice to people he's allied with, mean to his enemies, and completely obeys Orochimaru, even if he has to kill their previous allies. The bottom line is Orochimaru is law, and everything he says must be obeyed. That includes the latest manga chapters. Read carefully. I'm sure you'll get what I mean. There is a lot of evidence to back it up. Just pick a chapter/episode! So if you think that he's too nice, that's because he is! Combined with the fact that he's a little afraid of Sakura, confused about whether she is an enemy or an ally, and that he has to follow Orochimaru's orders to keep an eye on her, he virtually becomes Sakura's servant. It's supposed to parallel the way he acted around Sasuke. The example is in episode 134 of the Naruto anime and chapter 238 of the Naruto manga, where Sasuke arrives at Otogakure no Sato. Note the strange behaviour exhibited by Kabuto.

Kakashi: I hate him.

Fire: That's because Kakashi is a control freak and doesn't like the fact that Kabuto is usually in control of the situation whenever they're around each other. But that's a part of Kakashi's psyche. That will come up later in this story. Other than that, Sakura will become Orochimaru's slave. That hasn't been proven in the series yet, and there is no information to back that up. All that we know is that one of the side effects is that the user will lose their humanity if they use the seal for prolonged periods of time. That means that the more you use it, the more likely you're going to die. The fine print says that the user will lose his or her free will. That just means they will lose their ability to think for themselves, so they could be slave to anyone. And don't forget that this is after prolonged exposure to the cursed seal. There are other side effects, but I don't want to bring them up. Kakashi's going to yell at me, then Sasuke's going to kill me. But what I'm trying to say is that as long as Sakura doesn't use too much of the seal's power, she won't come under its control.

Kakashi: Make Fire stop. (calls up into the rafters to unseen slaves) Roll the chapter!

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Chapter 8: Hail of the Sakura

The pain was still intense after a few days. Sakura couldn't imagine how Sasuke had lived through it. She could barely move even though the seal had already settled itself in her skin like a more painful permanent tattoo. But she could handle it. She could handle the pain that cut through her body like a hot kunai through flesh. She could handle it because she had no other alternative.

The jars were hers. There was a note attached. Orochimaru had given them to her like a constant reminder of her goal here. They sat precariously on her bed, staring back at her with their unblinking eyes. But, that was just her imagination. The jars didn't have eyes. Those watery blue eyes and those coal black eyes didn't belong to the boys she had known just three months ago.

Sakura hadn't seen the pale Sannin after he sank his teeth into her shoulder and left her to...die? Was he trying to kill her?

The pink-haired kunoichi walked to the two jars as her mind bubbled with overflowing thoughts that ran into each other like psychedelic kaleidoscopes filled with ideas. There was the overpowering feeling of weakness in her body, and at the same time, there was the overpowering feeling of strength in her mind. She could feel the desire to have Sasuke back fill her body, but the desire not to kill anyone for the sake of him filled her body as well. There was the extreme hatred for Orochimaru, and the knowledge that she needed him to get what she really wanted. There was...

There was only confusion.

Sakura grasped the two jars in her hands. The hard ceramic was cool in her hands as she sank onto the hard bed. It was the bed of prisoners, not of a proper guest and master, another reminder of her true status here. She was a prisoner of her goals.

"What should I do?" She asked herself as she stared down at the two jars. In one hand was Naruto. And in the other jar was Sasuke. She could definitely see which was which. Naruto's jar had the red Uzumaki spiral, and Sasuke's jar had the red and white Uchiha fan. It only depressed her more to see the two urns.

'When I die, will there just be a snake?'

The thought slowly formed in Sakura's mind.

'Or a slug?'

Sakura's mind rolled to the side as she placed the jars neatly on the ground. She wanted to treat them with more respect, but there was really no other place to put them. All the shelves were covered with books she had to read. The lone table on the far side of the room was stacked high with even more books and scrolls. And the stalagmites of books that grew from the ground offered no available space into which Sakura can clear a shelf or table for her friends. Sakura just hoped that she didn't lose them, or trip over them and spill everything onto the ground.

But, she had other things to worry about. As soon as she thought about it, she could see that there was no way around it. She had already come so far. There was no reason why she couldn't just continue.

'Please forgive me, Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-shishou.' She had entertained the thought of returning home after this. After she killed Orochimaru, after she gained revenge for Naruto and Sasuke's deaths, she thought that she could go home. She could finally return to Konoha and die there.

But she couldn't do it now. If she did this, she could never bring herself to face them. She could barely have faced Kakashi-sensei on that cold August day outside Orochimaru's compound. It had taken all her strength just to say no. Because she wasn't Sakura now, not the Sakura that he was searching for. She didn't want him to see what she had become, what she was going to become.

To obtain her goal, she would have to kill someone.

Orochimaru was pleased as soon as he saw the kunoichi. He had gotten what he wanted. Those ashes had tainted her, as he had planned. Those ashes had made her think. Now, the girl was...different...from what she was before the cursed seal. She was slightly more...slightly more...

Orochimaru couldn't think of the exact word for it, but she was different. And she was different in a way that benefited him. The hesitation that he saw in her movements before, as she held the books he gave her–the useless books that had useless information, the books that would have gotten her nowhere had she studied them without his guidance–was gone. She stood with unwavering determination on her face, waiting for the knowledge that she knew only he could give her.

He had called her to him. She hadn't just come to him because she wanted something, but he could tell that she wanted it now. The power that he had to offer her…this special brand of power that only he could give her…she needed it, and she couldn't see any way she could continue without it.

"Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto handed the jar that Orochimaru had ordered taken from Sakura's room to the Sannin. It was the only jar out of the two that he was interested in.

"What did you call me here for?" Sakura stared hard at Orochimaru. Her eyes had the same hardness and determination that she held long ago in that chuunin exam, when she decided that she would become stronger...except now, she hadn't really become as strong as she had wanted to be. She had wanted to be strong enough not to have to depend on her team. She had wanted to be strong enough to protect herself on her own, if not everyone else as well. She had wanted power for a lot of little things that were important to her, that were still important to her in a lot of different ways. Now, she needed it for another reason, and she didn't have time for Orochimaru's strange misleading requests.

"I think it's time I taught you something..." Orochimaru said slowly, almost as if he was choosing his words carefully, thinking of what to say so that she would actually understand him, "...useful."

Sakura stared at the man in suppressed disbelief. He had said useful. She doubted that it would really be useful, but she wasn't going to show her doubt. If he was lying, she could leave. There were plenty of other sources from which she could draw power. Akatsuki was one of them. If she couldn't kill Orochimaru first, she could begin with Akatsuki. She had already killed Akasuna no Sasori. Technically, they should welcome her into the organization. She would replace the man she had killed.

And she could destroy them from the inside.

She was fed up with wasting time. That vision had renewed her determination once again, and this time, she wasn't going to allow it to fade away. She wasn't going to let the comfort of this place, the routine of going through useless books, and the attachment of having a sensei again to draw her in when all of it was going toward nothing.

And Orochimaru saw it in the girl's shaking body. She wanted to leave. She has been waiting for so long that she could wait no longer. If he didn't teach her something soon, he was going to lose her.

But he had already decided to teach it to her, just as he had taught it to Sasuke. This was a technique that would break her soul and let out all the evil that ran through those supernatural veins. This technique was going to harden her, so that she could do what he wanted her to do. She was going to help him destroy Konoha. She would help him kill Tsunade. And then, he would dispose of this igniting explosive note.

Orochimaru wasn't an idiot. No matter how others saw him, he was still a genius of Konoha and a Sannin. He was powerful, even if he was the weakest of ten Akatsuki members. He was intelligent, even if his plans hadn't succeeded. But none of those were faults of his. There would always be someone more powerful, no matter how powerful he was. There would always be uncertain variables to overthrow his plans, no matter how well thought out they were. Even the plan he had in mind at that moment, as he stood in front of Sakura, could still backfire on him. But if he didn't try, he would never succeed.

"I have decided to teach you a powerful kinjutsu." He held the jar out to the girl and she stared at it with eyes that softened for only one moment. She understood, even if he hadn't told her. "You will resurrect him with the power I have given you." Because without the cursed seal, this girl could never hope to do what he asked of her.

The mark of power engraved on her shoulder glowed with the pulsing of Sakura's heart. 'He can't be serious!' Her mind was calling out in aggravation as the world crumbled away from her body. All she saw was Orochimaru's face in a curtain of darkness. All she felt was the throbbing ache of her heartbeat as the whisper of Sasuke's return haunted her. 'Bakemono.' The Sannin was a monster for making her consider it. 'Bakemono!'

And relief washed over her, a sad relief as she realized that this was truly her last chance. He was dead, but she could bring him back. She had to bring him back. This was her last chance. She might never get to see Sasuke again.

Tears pricked her eyes before Sakura bit back the flowing emotions within her, bit through her lip to drip blood across her mouth. No matter what, she refused to cry. Even if the prospect of seeing him again was tearing through her soul, she refused to cry.

'He–' And as she looked up through the emotional vortex within her, she could see clearly. 'He's serious.'

The sign of the Uchiha clan rested against her palm, but neither Sakura nor Orochimaru needed to look to know that it was there. The boy was useful enough for Orochimaru. So, he was useful enough for her. Besides, Orochimaru knew something about the blond jinchuuriki that Sakura didn't know. It was best to break her with this and leave the other where he was. That was a complicated equation that he never wanted to touch.

"Fine," she said sternly so that the tears which threatened her at this unwelcome and welcome surprise didn't overflow.

She wanted to do this. She wanted Sasuke back. Yes! After all this time, after discovering that he didn't love her, after discovering that he wanted to be with Naruto, after discovering that he was with Naruto, after discovering that he was dead...after all that...she was still thinking about him! She wanted to bring him back. She wanted him to be with her again. She wanted to see his face again, and she wanted to be able to touch him again.

"Call me tomorr–"

"We begin immediately."

And Sakura glared at him. His tone allowed for no argument. 'He's evil.' She was tired. She had awoken from the cursed seal's fevered nightmare not long ago. She still hadn't recovered. The seal was still draining her chakra.

She could die.

"Fine." But she wasn't going to pass on this opportunity. She wasn't going to back down. If she did, Orochimaru might never offer it again. This was her one chance. And she had to take it. "We can begin immediately."

Lee was pacing at the gates, waiting for Kakashi and his team's return to Konoha. He was denied the permission to go with them, but that didn't mean he was no longer interested in whether Sakura-san was there or not. If anything, it only made him more anxious to know. He wanted to know! He wanted to know if Sakura-san really was there!

'Sakura-san...please tell me that it's not true!' He couldn't believe that she would just go to such a horrible man as Orochimaru. He knew that she hated him. She could never forgive him for what he had done to her, to her team, and to Konoha. So, why would she endure it? 'Onegai shimasu, tell me that you're not with Orochimaru!' Even though he wanted to know where she was...even though he wanted to find her right now and bring her home, he just waited. He had to know first. Was it true?

"Kakashi-sensei!" A green-clad arm shot up and waved vigorously as soon as he saw the tuft of grey hair in the distance. "Kakashi-sensei!" Lee was shouting so loudly that there was no way that the man couldn't have heard him.

Kakashi stopped as he saw the green-clad figure at the gates. For a moment, he thought that it was Gai, waiting for another challenge, and he was about to run away–he had a report to give to the Hokage and he didn't have time to deal with Gai–but he distinctly heard the words 'Kakashi-sensei' and knew that it had to be Lee. Gai would never call him 'Kakashi-sensei.'

"Don't tell me that you want to know the outcome of the mission," he said tiredly as he looked at the young man. Lee nodded in stern determination. Kakashi could see that he wasn't going to be able to talk his way out of this one. "The mission was–" Kakashi stepped out of the way as he felt a dangerous presence approach from the side...

"Dynamic Entry!"

...and crash into the gates.

"I'm going home," Kurenai said as she saw the mass of green splattered against the tall Konoha gates. This was too much for her to handle, especially after a gruelling mission.

"I'll go with you," Asuma said, even as he continued to stare at the sight, his eyes round enough to pop out. After a moment, Kurenai dragged him after her.

Anko and Jiraiya were already gone.

"Kakashi, that move was cool and youthful. I wouldn't have expected anything less from my ETERNAL RIVAL!" Somehow, Gai was back on his feet with blood gushing from the small wound on his head.

Kakashi turned away from the man's blinding smile and thumb's up. "Lee, how would you like to emulate me for a while?" He asked with a pleasant smile. If he wanted to be like Gai, he would want to be like anybody!

"Uh...no, Kakashi-sensei," Lee said slowly as he saw Gai slump from the corner of his eye. "I just wanted to know if you've found Sakura-san." He took a step back from the grey-haired man. That was a strange request, but the thought of himself dressed with a grey wig and mask, giggling into an orange book, was ridiculous.

"Lee..." Gai was staring at his student from the sidelines. Lee wasn't going to abandon him!

"The mission was successful," Kakashi said with a tinge of worry in his voice, his eyes distant as he spoke. The jesting words he had exhibited only a moment before was suddenly replaced by a more serious tone. "It has been confirmed. Haruno Sakura is in Oto no Sato."

The ex-ANBU watched as Lee's face brightened at the news...then fell into unfathomable depths of contorted worry and apprehension. It was true. The kunoichi was in Otogakure. Sakura was with Orochimaru. And Lee couldn't think of any reason why she was there.

In the Hokage office, at the top of the Hokage tower, Tsunade screamed at a young shinobi who had come into her office, asking to go to Oto no Sato to retrieve Sakura. It wasn't the first, the second, or even the twentieth young man today. "Get out! Get out! Who do you think I am!" She wasn't a travelling service. She wasn't booking free trips to Otogakure. "I have work to do!" Tsunade was growling to herself in frustration when the door finally closed after the annoying boy.

And it opened again before a moment had passed.

"Hokage-sama–"

"I said get out!" Tsunade shouted as she pulled up a heavy paperweight with her hand. She held it over her head for a moment before she saw who it was. "Lee?"

Round black eyes stared at Tsunade in silence before Lee threw his arms up in defence. "Don't hit me, Hokage-sama!" He shouted.

Tsunade looked at the paperweight in her hand for a split second before pulling it behind her back. "Lee! What are you doing here?" He was just here not too long ago. She didn't really expect him to come back, unless...

"Hokage-sama, I want to go to Otogakure no Sato, onegai shimasu!"

Tsunade sank back into her seat with a sigh, the paperweight rolling silently from her hand to the ground at her side. She should have known. Everyone was coming to see her about that today.

Just the day before, Kakashi had come back with the news, and she had thought nothing about his telling Lee that Sakura was in Otogakure. She had never thought that it could spread out into the village this quickly. She had thought that it would have taken a little longer before people heard. She had hoped that it wouldn't spread this far until the rescue team actually left for the mission.

"As Hokage, I cannot just assign anybody to this mission," Tsunade said slowly, her hands coming together in an arch in front of her face. She looked at Lee over that arch of fingers. "I will consider it...if...you can prove to me that you will be a vital part of the team."

Tsunade had thought about denying Lee outright. She hadn't given a single one of Sakura's fanboys a chance to prove that they might be able to bring her back. But then, those young men didn't even know Sakura! As one of Sakura's friends, Lee couldn't be handled as just another fanboy.

Lee was staring at Tsunade now. He couldn't believe what the woman had said. "I promise I will bring her back!" He already thought that the woman had said he could go. "I won't come back without Sakura-san!"

'Well, he certainly has ambition...'

Tsunade smiled at the young man. He was a strong shinobi. He had strong ties to Sakura, and to Team Seven. He wanted to go. She couldn't deny him permission again. He might actually be able to persuade the kunoichi to return.

The woman pulled a mission form from the short pile of three forms at her side. She had set her mind on it. This time, she was just going to allow four shinobi on the mission. Kakashi was one. "Go. Bring her back," the blond woman said as she stamped the form and handed it to a wide-eyed Lee. "I'm sure you'll be able to help."

Lee took the document with the Hokage's official stamp shining red at him. He couldn't believe it. He had half-expected to fail. There was no doubt in his mind that he would succeed, but his heart was on the verge of feeling that there was nothing he could do to help. And those contorted emotions only shone brighter with the surprise on his face.

"The mission will begin when the other members of the team are chosen. Be ready to leave at any time."

Lee allowed himself to stare in wonder for a little while longer before he straightened himself and held his hand out in a thumb's up. "I will be ready, Hokage-sama!"

End Chapter 8

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Fire's English tidbits for those who care:

Today will be about the use of double negatives. If you're confused about what those are, here's a short explanation. A double negative relates to the redundant use of two negative elements. Those of you who have studied English and those of you who are native English speakers will realize that this is incorrect grammar, and it is so obviously incorrect grammar, so why am I talking about it? The answer: although a double negative is incorrect, the use of a double negative can be termed a writer's device. The double negative is used to create a sense of optimism and determination, especially if you're writing about someone overcoming obstacles. In that case, the double negative is a positive statement where two negative elements are used to create a positive force. For example, "Sasuke cannot not kill his brother." This normally denotes incorrect grammar. The correct use should be "Sasuke can kill his brother;" however, the two statements mean completely different things. The first statement says that Sasuke will not give up until he has killed his brother. Not doing it is not an option. The second statement merely denotes that Sasuke has the ability to kill his brother. Whether he does it or not is not even in consideration. But like all devices, use the double negative sparingly. You don't want it to lose its effect.

Fire's babbling:

Sasuke: Lee's in this story more than I am!

Fire: (cringes) You'll be back next chapter, I promise!

Sasuke: I better!

Kakashi: Why do you keep forgetting about Naruto?

Fire: But it's complicated. Even Orochimaru said that it was complicated! He said that there was something about him… Well, I can't tell you about it yet since it's going to come up later. But it's complicated, very complicated!

Naruto: Nani!

Fire: But don't worry. We can work around it.

Kakashi: That means that you might not return, Naruto.

Naruto: No!

Sasuke: No! My dobe has to come back!

Fire: We'll see. Now, review, even if they're complaints about Sasuke and Naruto not being back yet. I know that it's taking a long time, but Sakura was thrown off track by Orochimaru. This is what happens when you let the characters have a little freedom.

Orochimaru: I will destroy Konoha.

Fire: We'll see.

Kakashi: You're not going to let him destroy Konoha, are you?

Sasuke: What about me and Naruto!

Fire: Next chapter, we bring back someone very important. See you then!

Sasuke: MORE IMPORTANT THAN ME!

Fire: Important to the storyline. Ja!

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