The air was tainted, and as she breathed in the dirty atmosphere, her eyes glinted with a knowing spark.

I got in.

Tossing her pink hair to the side, Sakura tucked her clothes from beneath her, shaking slightly like a flower in the wind. Grasping her garments, she closed her eyes and pulled her shirt over her bare chest. A plan was a plan, a sacrifice was a sacrifice, and Sakura was just Sakura. Stubbornness caused this new chain of events to occur and Sakura knew that even with her fresh scars, she couldn't regret her decision. Orochimaru should have known better.

A new mask enveloped the once helpless little girl who would always be thrown to the side. This now strong willed woman was reborn, a smirk coming to her lips as she scanned the Snake's lair. Sakura really was too humble, having never rewarding herself for that marvelous brain of hers. She had successfully infiltrated Orochimaru's personal quarters without him knowing.

Can't disable genjutsu?

Sakura snorted but couldn't help but realize sadness lingered in her smile. Her memory flashed backward to the limited time she was captured in Orochimaru's grasp. No, it wasn't as bad as it could've been. At least she didn't lose her…

Her body suddenly tensed, she felt a large amount of charka come her way. It wasn't like anything she felt before, yet under it was so familiar. Could it be?

---------

He was infuriated.

How could she do that to him? Not even send information about it. Not one single letter!

"A… Ano… I knew… That you'd be mad…."

She was stuttering, as always when she was nervous. It was his weakness, seeing her like this so frightened. His animal instinct could already tell him that he was causing her to break down. She was never emotionally strong. She could, of course hold on by thinking of Naruto.

Naruto. He was the cause of all this.

Barking came from inside his stuffed sweater and his eyebrow rose in irritation.

"Shut up Akumaru," he muttered, his head starting to throb.

"Look… Kiba, I'm… I'm sorry I didn't… Tell… Tell you sooner," the shy ebony haired girl muttered, looking away with regret. She should never have blurted out that she was dating that loud mouth blonde.

"I'm… I mean… I just need someone to help me…"

Kiba raised his eyes towards her from Akumaru in silence. He watched her sadly look to the horizon, and he could feel her pain through and through.

"I'm sorry Hinata… It's just… It's him! Of all people! I mean- I knew you looked up to him, but to take it this far?"

Hinata did not look back at him as she sighed quietly. She thought that maybe Kiba wouldn't be the best person to turn to when she had a dilemma. The problem was that Shino wasn't around so she couldn't ask him for advice. The dog lover realized his mistake and shot a breathe of air into the open as to relieve his stress.

"Sorry again Hinata," he said quite softly this time around, "I just lost my head for a moment."

The Hyuuga was delighted once more as she gave an easy smile toward one of her close friends, "It's… It's all right Kiba-kun. I know you didn't mean to."

This time, he smiled back.

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The blonde sighed as she brushed her hair to a silky perfection. There was no way this could be happening. The lazy genius had actually gotten himself into some deep trouble. For once in her life, Ino doubted Shikamaru. She held in her breath and looked to the window, silently remising of the past. Closing her eyes, she could feel herself being swept away to summer days and winter nights. The occasional Genin trips outside of Konoha in the spring and cozy evenings inside during the fall.

Team 10 would go everywhere together and sometimes join the other teams. She remembered the Chunnin times. They were less as joyous as the time when they were Genin, but growing up was more fun than being grown up and she felt it could've been worse. They were finally separated, the three of them and were overloaded already with missions. Unable to maintain a happy relationship with her friends, those moments crumbled Ino to dust. There was one event, however, that made all the terrible moments whisk away from her mind. That one single feeling of bliss that still brings a shudder to her shoulders.

Ino lost her sense of reality as she brought her fingers up to her lips, caressing that which touched more than eternity. A tear rolled down her cheek and the blue eyed angel sniffed, placing her brush down and wiping away the sign of weakness away.

Looking to window all she could see were the clouds in the sky of which were the same ones that somewhere in the world, chocolate eyes were gazing upon.

Unable to withstand the tension building up inside of her she clutched her shoulders and laid her head down on the pillow of the bed she was sitting at.

"Please Shika, come back home," she whispered in between sobs.

---------

Her hair was up all right, but not in the same way as usual. Looking for a change, the brunette had tied her hair into a simple high ponytail instead of the two buns she always wore. She came to the door and hesitated, knowing full well that once she stepped inside she was likely to not come back to her home for more than two weeks.

Her steps echoed anyway.

"Ah, TenTen, welcome." The Hokage, thankfully awake and not drinking looked up from her usual stack of papers to greet the weapons expert.

"Evening Tsunade-sama." TenTen breathed out as if she were not nervous.

"Come, come, have a seat." Tsunade smiled and waved her hand to the seat in front of the desk. The eighteen year old walked stiffly to the chair, struggling with excuses to blurt out.

My dog's sick!

Ah… I have a part time job now!

No… Oh! I was hired on another private mission out of Konoha!

Though it was no use. Nothing could save her from the hell of another mission. Being part of ANBU was so overrated.

"Now, I understand you already heard of Squad Shikamaru's capture?"

Her eyes cast down, TenTen nodded slowly. What surprised her more about this confrontation was that the Hokage was addressing her about it. What does this have to do about a new mission?

Tsunade gave a small sigh and let some frustrated feelings out as she pushed the papers out of the way, "Look," she started seriously, clasping her hands together on the desk and leaning foreword. Her eyes were intensely digging into the poor brunette's orbs, "This is a very dangerous situation for everyone who is at that Sound Village."

TenTen's throat ran dry, but her expression told Tsunade she was ready to take on anything.

"TenTen-san, I would like you to select another squad and lead one into Orochimaru's lair for a rescue mission."

"Me, Hokage-sama?" TenTen choked, her eyes almost giving way to emotion. This was her chance to lead a squad for once, but at a very heavy cost. Hazardous was the mission assigned to her, and not many good ANBU members were left in the Leaf Village. All of the experienced ones were away on secret assignments.

Tsunade nodded, "Yes you. I will pick the leaders as I see fit. Right now, you're in charge. I need you to go out and get as much ANBU members you think will be capable of this mission and bring them back here."

"Do I have a time limit?" asked the brunette, already standing up from her seat, and her heart pounding from anticipation. She would get to infiltrate the Sound Village and bring them all back. Maybe Sasuke will even come… The best part, though, was that-

"TenTen, are you listening?" the Hokage warningly interrupted the brown-eyed beauty's thoughts. TenTen jumped, startled at the Hokage's sudden harsh tone.

"Ah yes! Could you repeat it?" she asked shyly, her hands awkwardly raised to the back of her head as she grinned in apology. Tsunade sighed deeply and set her fingers on the desk, laced together.

"You have two days, since we're in a hurry. Normally I'd give you a week, because that would give time for more of the advanced ANBU members to return from their missions… For now, this is the time limit unless I tell you otherwise." TenTen nodded in agreement with a determined frown placed on her face where only a second ago her grin was.

"I'll do my best! Thank you!" she had bowed and turned to leave when a sudden cough hesitated her.

"TenTen?" Tsunade started slowly, her voice hard but unsure. TenTen turned, almost regretting having so when she saw the serious face of the blonde.

"I don't recommend asking Kakashi on this mission…" The brunette blinked and had to take a minute to register what the Hokage was saying.

"Ah… Ha… Hai…" With that, TenTen left with a hundred more pounds weighing her heart down.

---------------------

Night had fallen over the area, making the shifty shadows that slinked through the trees look more eerie than they would during the sun hours. It was time to go back to Konoha. The former sensei knew that his mission statement told him to return in four more days, but he had completed his mission with a fault and was more than anxious to return to his Hidden Leaf Village. Little did he know what news awaited him upon his arrival.

It was almost midnight and slipping through the gates was child's play to the sharingan user. He made his way to his house, not yielding for any detours and secretly hoped that she was still leaving her cooked meals for his many returns to the village.

His breath grew thin when he realized that the note left on his dining room table was not a usual, "Went on a mission, be back in a week" note. A death sentence lay in front of him and nothing could bring him from the anguish of the last line written and signed by Tsuande herself.

Don't look for her.

Bringing a hand to cover his mouth, he sat with a plop on a nearby chair, reading and rereading the handwritten letter. Like damned he wouldn't look for her. She was closer to him than even Sasuke, whom he had seen almost as a son. No, this was a serious matter and he could not let it pass by without doing a single thing. Muttering under his breath, he reminded himself of his personal motto, "Abandoning your companions makes you worse trash than not completing your assigned task."

He was now being ordered to stay still and wait for future orders, but learning from one of the famous Hokage's himself, he knew better than to let this go unresolved.

Slamming his hands down and pushing the note off his table, he looked to the time and pulled back up his mask. It was time to visit one of the best trackers in the village.

---------

"NANI!" the blonde stared at the brunette standing at the foot of her bed.

"You heard me! It's time to stop blubbering and save your boyfriend!" A frown was set and Ino knew TenTen was being serious.

"But I'm only just a jounnin! I-I'm not skilled enough to…" his dark eyes flashed through her mind, sending trembles down her spine.

The shy Hinata appeared from behind TenTen, "Naruto always said… That it doesn't matter what rank you are… It's the… The courage you hold inside of you…"

Although it didn't look it, the heiress was also shaking in her knees. TenTen nodded with a small smirk forming on her lips, "That idiot is right fro once and now it's time for us to pay him back and help him and his team out of there."

Ino fingered her bed sheet's lining, contemplating on what she should do. She was always the insecure one and perhaps it was time to step up to the plate and become the Ino she had shown everyone else. The sassy blonde who'd brag about her looks and skills in combat, yell out to the boys she considered attractive, and force herself on Shikamaru when she knew he'd hate it the most. The blonde looked up, her blue eyes shimmering with a newly found bravery.

"I'll do it."

----------

The Uchiha was not patient enough to look for her in the endless twists and turns of the Sound Village. No. He was smarter than that, but apparently so was Sakura. For some reason, he could pinpoint a single trace of her charka and he already figured that she did not want him to find her. He had already acted out of his character before and looking for her was something else he wouldn't ordinarily do. Perhaps it was the sudden change in the atmosphere or maybe he was imagining it, but was it really perhaps he liked her?

No…

He was only fooling around when he cornered her that night and implied a certain attraction. It really was fun to manipulate someone so gullible as Sakura, but inside he knew she was only playing along with him. So those few nights they had together after so many years without seeing each other were meaningless? For the time being, he supposed so, but an entity that roared in his stomach told him the opposite.

He guessed that being far away from someone for a long time prolonged the eager tenderness that swirled inside him all those years he had been with her as a Genin. And now, it was all seeping out like a newly cut wound. She was killing him inside out damn it!

Now with nowhere to start and no idea of where she might be, for the first time in his life, Sasuke felt lost. Like a lost child looking for his mother who had protected him from under wing for so long. It was dangerous in the lair of Orochimaru and she could already have been killed. Doubting his recent thoughts, he considered the knowing smirk Kabuto had always given him ever since the first day of his training.

"Sasuke," he had started, "Are you distracted? Who was that girl you had last spoken to before leaving the village, hrm? Perhaps a girlfriend?"

Kabuto had to be hospitalized by the best of the Sound medic-nins after that training session.

His thoughts were stopped abruptly by a sudden heightening in his charka sensors. A giant inferno of power masked underneath a flimsy exterior.

"Naruto…"

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Caro: Longest chapter so far! Took the longest to write also because I've been so busy! No need to worry though, because summer is coming with plenty of chapters rolling inside of it. ; Be looking forward to a GIANT plot twist, full of yummy drama and strong helping of shock that will leave you wondering whether or not what I write is true or not. Mwahhahahha!

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Lady-valasia: I didn't hurry, but it's here.HAha

Angel Of Dark Water: I won't stop, don't worry, ahah. Remember this story will have about or more than 30 chapters.

thisismystory: Oh! I tried to contact you by email so you coul do ch11, but you never responded. And sure, you can do it. And yes! I'll start on that AU story right away! Whoo. Haha, yes, I treid bringing in more of the characters, but this resulted in less sasusaku. Not to worry though, since equalibrium will occur, resulting in the most and best sasusaku yet:o Perhaps next chapter? heehee

Chidori vs Rasengan: Ah yay. I try my best ;;

metrogurl803: thanks and I'll try to update soon!

latoya: Ah, no, I didn't. :) Though one part of it was inspired by another story I've read. Guess whoch part. Haha.

ilovesasukeandrobin: don't worry, more will come!

xx.faith: maybe, maybe not. :) Maybe the next few chapters will cover everything that's happened so far and what's a lie and what's true.

Heartless Ghost: Summer's a comin' so yes, I will update sooner than usual. Whoo!

Neji'sgirlfriend: Gasp! More on that later. (mwhahaha)

cherry blossom: Thanks! I'll update sooner next time!

Saisune221: I'm a big fan of sasusaku also! My number one pairing right in front of naruhina. :

BloodRuby: AHha tahnks. I really love twists. Gives more feeling to the story. And don't think there isn't more coming.

Sanji and Katsume: I WILL:D thanks. much love back ;

Maiden of the Dark Light: Sorry tos ay, but since I'll be introducing more of the characters there will be less screentime for sasusaku. Doesn't mean there won't be a final blow to it and some more mushy scenes, though. xD And yeah, I'm a busy person and updating is ahrd during the shcool year. Summer is coming, so more updates! Poor Oro is going to get it coming anyway. xD (woops whoever reads this gets a majot spoiler. silly me. > )