Sakura grabbed a kunai and slid it into her boot before turning to head downstairs. She made sure to carry as little as possible while still having a few extra things on her for this mission. If these enemies were as dangerous as they seemed already, then they were in for a hell of a battle. There was no ifs, ands or buts to it, they would be facing them and a battle would ensue. But she was ready to fight to save her clan. And for her Village.

She opened the door and found Madara waiting patiently. He turned to her, hand on his hip.

"Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded in response.

"Let's go," she said before rushing off, leaving him to follow.


They met up with the group near the entrance of the Village. Hashirama was already waiting, the most serious look she had ever seen from him since they had met. For some reason he changed his mind and decided to send a team. Her only guess was he didn't want to waste time figuring out why things were changing so drastically. Instead they had to act and so here she stood as one of eight, waiting for orders to head out to Tanzaku-gai to rescue the Uzumaki and eliminate the enemy at any cost.

She looked around at the group, surprised at who was gather. She was glad Fume, her student was there. He figured out how to reverse the Chakra from enhancing the poison and took care of everything, leaving her to do what she needed to with Roiki. It seemed the Senju really were talented and it wasn't just Hashirama who was powerful. It was also a bit ironic considering he looked like a younger, short haired version of Hashirama with gray eyes. The fact not many Senju were left in her timeline actually started to make her sad.

"Madara you will lead the first team, while Roiki leads the way. Tobirama you will lead the second team and follow for backup. When you get the chance split up and find anyone who has been taken hostage. Not just our allies," he told everyone. "I will see you all soon."

"Hai," they all said in union.

The first team consisted of Madara, Sakura, Roiki and Yamanaka Yu. Roiki had remember some landmarks that would help them find their way to the secret place the group had taken them before he escaped. Madara was one of the strongest in the village, naturally, so he took it upon himself to be the leader. Yu was skilled in most of the Yamanaka techniques while also mastering his Taijutsu. His mix of skills would come in handy for dealing with multiple enemies. And of course lastly, Sakura was the medic for their team.

The second team consisted of Tobirama, Sarutobi Haizo, Uchiha Aiji and Senju Fume. Tobirama was leading so that his sensory ability could help him keep track of the first team and the Shinobi they were heading out to save. Fume had great Taijutsu abilities and was their teams medic. Aiji, being an Uchiha, could use multiple techniques and would be able to learn to use the enemies techniques against them. Haizo was chosen because off his abilities as a Sarutobi and he volunteered when he found out what happened. For them it was a perfect opportunity to get everyone to start working together.

Sakura was hopeful with the teams. She took a deep breath and let out a slow sigh, mentally preparing herself. With all the information Roiki had told them, she had to prepare. Something wasn't right about the entire situation; something she could not put her finger on. They all rushed off, jumping through the trees towards Tanzaku-gai. Once they stated to pick up speed Sakura noted that Roiki seemed drained, as if he still needed to recover. But she healed him completely and he had time to regain his strength. Was it because of the poison?

"Sakura-chan, I am not so sure about this. I think something is wrong here," Madara told her, catching up.

"Why?"

"Something is not right. It is too convenient for him to have a memory up until a specific point."

"You automatically assume he is working for them?" she snapped.

"You misunderstand. If he does not remember escaping then, what if they placed him there on purpose and we are heading into a trap?" he suggested with worry.

She had not thought of that. It was possible. He did remember so much but at the same time from when he was knocked out until they found him there was no memory no matter how hard he tried. They would have to be on guard and would need the second team to go into hiding and use a surprise attack. It was the only thing she could think of. It wasn't Roiki's fault that is for sure. And with them being twins, it was more likely he would return to them thus leading a team. Did the enemy really plan that far ahead?

"We need to press on. They have no idea what team is being sent to investigate. Which means they may not expect all of us. We should split the teams up a bit and have a few surprise attackers who can assist from the sidelines," she suggested as they speed up through the trees.

"Smart thinking," he complimented with a smirk.

"The only problem with that plan is if they have a sensor. We do not know our enemy and have barely any information on their fighting style," Tobirama chimed in from up ahead, slowing himself to be in the conversation.

"We have to take a risk," Sakura told him.

"Perhaps we do. But also think, who is going to try to find the hostages?" That was a good point.

"Leave it to me," Yu said picking up speed to catch them. "I am a Yamanaka after all. I can use my Mind Reading technique to find where the hostages are and we can send someone to retrieve them. A few people it is required." It seemed like everyone was either picking up speed or slowing down so they could all get in on the plan.

"That is a good plan. They may be expecting us so any hostages will be guarded most likely," Sakura commented.

"What do we know about them other than they can hide their Chakra and have a deadly poison?" Fume asked.

"Nothing," Sakura sighed.

"Sakura-sensei," Roiki said slowing down a bit more. "I thought of something. They conceal their Chakra while in the shadows but when they attacked us they had no choice but to use their Chakra. Tobirama is much more skilled than I am and is probably a better sensor. What if he stayed on the sidelines and sensed those who tried to conceal themselves and went after them? That way those we fight on the battlefield are our only enemies. No surprises," he suggested, speaking rather quickly.

"It is a actually a good plan," Tobirama stated. "So Yu and I will be on the sidelines. Aiji, you will stick with Yu and take the enemies out as I give their locations. If by chance this does not work you two immediately get an enemy and find the hostages location. If it does work then take out as many as you are able before retrieving them."

"Hai," Aiji and Yu replied.

"What if that does not work and they can conceal their Chakra enough to where even the best sensor could not find them?" Haizo asked.

"Then go find the hostages and get Miyo and Uzashi to the battlefield at once. If it comes down to it then Fume will go as well, one medic for each team sent out," Sakura said with no hesitation.

"Why those two?" Haizo asked.

"They are special Uzumaki. Those two can find you even if you hid your Chakra and lived under a tree," Roiki replied.

"Not funny Roiki, seriously," Sakura commented.

"What does that mean?" Madara asked.

"You don't want to know trust me," Sakura told him.

"They have another trait from a different clan that heightens their sensory skills. Their clan had many sensors that used their abilities a different way but being part Uzumaki helped those two enhance them," Tobirama informed them.

"What clan is that?" Fume asked in curiosity.

"The Anoyo clan. They were also referred to as the Miwaku-shi. Some were afraid of the clan because they seemed to know things about people only the deceased knew. It frightened them and eventually they were wiped out. The last two survivors known were their parents until now. The are half Uzumaki and took the Uzumaki name for safety," Tobirama explained.

"Why... was I never told?" Sakura whispered, taking in the new information. She had always wondered why they were so powerful but never realized it was from something as strange as that.

"No one knew. Miyo told me who they were before you all returned to Uzushiogakure. She said something was going to happen and others needed to know the reason. I suppose she meant this. They were the real targets. Why she insisted on going when she knew something was wrong, I do not know. But I do know we need to be on guard," he replied.

She sighed, it all started making sense. Everything she has ever done and how Miyo seemed to know so much at such a young age. She looked over to Madara who looked lost in thought, and somewhat distraught. The others were starting to communicate to get their strategies together, at least that much was working out. A thought struck her when looking around, why send the same message to Konoha? If they had them as hostages then they would not need to lure in anyone from another village.

"Hold on, If they are the targets then why did they go after the Konoha team? We would not have known if they were the targets," Sakura announced.

"That is true," Fume agreed.

"Maybe they did not know Miyo was back in Uzushio. The messages were sent at the same time," Madara answered.

"That would not make sense either," Roiki interrupted.

"Yeah. We would never have sent Miyo anyway. I would not have allowed it," Sakura answered.

"We will just have to figure it out when the time comes," Tobirama replied. "For now all we have are conclusions. But it all comes down to those two." He then picked up speed.

"Why is he in such a hurry?" Madara asked with a grunt.

"I guess... he really wants to save Miyo," Sakura whispered.


The team increased their speed dramatically, getting extremely close by nightfall. They stopped to set up camp for a short time in order to fully prepare. Sakura set by the fire, trying to warm up. It was getting pretty nippy around this time of year after all. She sighed, trying not to fall asleep. She didn't want to overuse her seal just yet just to stay awake. Her Chakra had to be reserved for the fight they all knew was coming. That was when the seal would probably need to be used. Out of nowhere she was grabbed and held back. She looked behind over her shoulder to see Madara.

"You need rest."

"I can manage," she grunted.

"Even so we all need to be well rested so we can focus properly," he told her, holding her and leaning against the tree so she could lay back.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"I should be thanking you," he said with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around her to keep her warm.

The two really didn't need to say much else to each other. It was such a strange feeling being able to be so comfortable around someone. Especially Madara. Everything she went through and he was the one she ended up with. It was an odd thought but she would not have had it any other way. Even when they were in a situation that they were now, she was not as stressed as she used to be. With him around she felt at ease. She let out a small sigh and closed her eyes. Time to rest up and prepare for what was to come.


Author's note: Well it is getting close to the good stuff. Next chapter will be exciting and I hope you enjoyed this one. Sorry for the late update. It sucks not being able to barely move when you're sick..especially on New Years -_- I swear someone out there hates me. But I am getting stuff done as much as possible because I was suppose to update on New Years.

Happy Belated New Year everyone.