Sakura stared at the giant gates, anger and frustration swirling inside her. She didn't understand why her teammates still thought she was weak. She was trained with the Godaime! She surpassed her! She had her insane strength and extreme medical knowledge. It was frustrating that her team still thought of her as weak. She glared at the town over her shoulder.
'I'm leaving. And no one will stop me. They won't realize I'm gone until sometime tomorrow. Probably when we meet at the bridge.'
"Who cares. They'll probably be glad I'm gone so I'm not a burden anymore." She thought aloud.
"Why aren't you at home?" a voice said, startling her slightly. She immediately recognized the voice and kept her face blank and voice empty as she turned to them.
"What do you want, Sasuke?"
He was slightly taken aback, she could tell by the slight jerk of his shoulders and widening of his eyes. He was surprised she wasn't smiling, staring at him blankly, arms crossed, and saying his name without the affectionate –kun. He recovered quickly.
"I asked you why aren't you at home?" he repeated, getting irritated. He couldn't understand why she was looking at him like that. Like he was lower than dirt…so far beneath her. It irked him. It didn't look right on her. Not to mention she was taking too long to answer.
She thought about her answer before deciding to just tell him an outright lie, that was partially true.
"Couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk."
"Yeah? Then why were you glaring at the gate and mumbling to yourself?" he asked, glaring at her slightly and stuffing his hands in his pockets. Her eyes slowly narrowed, and she decided to hit below the belt.
"Because it reminded me of when you left and broke up the team." She said angrily. He stiffened and looked away.
"That doesn't matter anymore." He said stiffly.
"Yes, it does. Because everything you do now is watched and recorded. If you think that you're off the hook just because you came back.."
"Willingly." He cut in.
"…and claimed that you made a mistake and want to repent for your crimes," she continued as if he hadn't said anything, "They're not going to let you off that easily. Your punishment doesn't end for a while."
"And how would you know? You weren't there when they told me my punishment." He said accusingly. She smirked.
"I was one of the ones who helped sentence you."
His eyes widened.
"You turned on your teammate?" he asked, now fully glaring at her, feeling a little betrayed. She held his glare.
"You turned on us first. And how's this for irony? You left us for some bastard snake and when we come to get you a couple of years later after the first attempt of getting you back, we kick your ass and drag you back. You left us for someone who didn't make you stronger, but weaker." She stressed the word weak and her voice grew colder with every word. He was also growing angrier with every word she uttered.
"Answer me this one question, Sasuke." She said, her eyes telling him she was serious. He felt his anger subside and ice filled his body at her words.
"What would you do if I left Konoha for good?"
The words rang in his head, over and over. He couldn't stop staring at her with disbelieving eyes. He didn't want to believe she would really leave, and he didn't want to answer her question. But her voice and eyes told him she was serious. That she would leave without a moment's hesitation. What's going on. He thought to himself.
She stood there, her patience waning.
"Are you going to answer or not?"
Her voice jolted him from his thoughts and he looked at her impassively. Her eyes narrowed fractionally.
"I'm not waiting anymore." She said, voice cold. He glared.
"I don't care." ' Why am I lying?' "Do what you want." ' Don't go' "If you go, you won't be a burden anymore." " You're not a burden! Why am I saying and thinking two different things?' he mentally yelled.
He was confusing himself. Saying one thing full of annoyance, yet saying another thing full of sadness. He was starting to feel abandoned and he didn't like it. He always figured Sakura would be a forever part of his life. She was always there, whether he wanted her to be or not. So why now? Why was she abandoning him now?
"A burden? That's what I am?" she lowered her head so that her bangs fell over her eyes, outing a shadow over her face. He stared at her, and flinched back when she raised her head and glared at him, her eyes glistening with tears. She walked towards him, raising her right hand, which started glowing a bright green. He tensed and took a small step back. He didn't know what jutsu she was using, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't like it.
She stopped when she was arm's length away from him. She locked eyes with him, and before he could react, her right hand had made contact with his chest. He gasped and fell back, clutching his chest. Sharp pains ran through his body, his mind was numb, eyesight blurry. His body was tingling, as if he was electrocuted, and his stomach was churning violently. He looked at her for a moment before collapsing to his knees.
"Something wrong?" she asked, voice sickenly sweet, "feeling sick? Body tingling? Can't think straight? Can't see anything?"
He glared, gasping and coughing as his lungs started constricting.
"That was a medical jutsu. Used correctly, and for the right reason, it can heal paralysis. Used for the wrong reason, and it confuses the body, making it think it's been electrocuted, that it has to vomit because of something in the stomach, shuts the mind down as if in a coma, and constricts the lungs as though you're drowning. Painful, isn't it?"
He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He could stare at her with a blurry sight, faintly wondering if she was going to kill him. She bent down and placed her hand on his shoulder, and in a second, he was fine. He blinked. It felt as though that was just a passing nightmare, a phantom pain.
"With your answer, you helped me finalize my decision. I guess this was an okay goodbye. See ya." She smiled, before vanishing with a small poof.
He sat rooted to that spot, before slowly standing, shaking with fear.
'Why am I afraid of her? Is it because of what she did to me? I don't hurt at all, and it feels as though it never happened. But I know it did…' he looked in the direction of her house, and headed there. He wanted to make sure she was lying. To see if she was already gone.
He wondered if he should wake Naruto. He was always better at these things. He thought bitterly to himself.
Upon arriving at her house, he had a sense of dread. None of the lights were on, and it was oddly quiet. He walked up to the front door and gently pushed on it. It swung open, and the smell of blood flooded his nose. He walked in slowly, and closed the door behind him, his eyes darting around, sharingan activated for better vision.
He tensed at the sight of blood staining the floors and walls. He walked carefully through the living room towards the hallway. He glanced in the kitchen and froze. Two bodies lay on the ground, a large pool of blood around them. His own parents in that same position flashed through his mind. He shook his head and headed for the stairs, ignoring the fleeting images of his parents' dead bodies.
He paused at Sakura's doorway, hearing a soft, dull thump. Muffled voices were heard, and he gently opened the door, pushing it all the way open. The first thing he saw made him swell with hatred.
Sharingan met with Sharingan
Itachi stared at Sasuke in amusement, watching him try and control his temper .
"What are you doing here, Itachi?" Sasuke asked. Itachi didn't answer immediately.
"…visiting…" he said, stepping sideways. Sasuke immediately spotted Sakura.
"Sakura! What are you..? Why are you talking to him? What is this?" Sasuke exclaimed. Sakura kept a blank face and didn't answer. She merely looked up at Itachi.
"We were talking. We made a deal, little brother. That's all you need to know." He turned to Sakura, "We need to go."
"Yes, Itachi." She nodded and grabbed his shirt, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Where are you taking her?" Sasuke asked, but they disappeared halfway through his sentence. He glared at the spot where they had stood, and ground his teeth.
"Damn it! This is not good!" He growled. He ran out of the house and headed towards Kakashi's apartment.
Five minutes later, he was banging on Kakashi's door, yelling at him.
"Kakashi! Get up and open your door! It's important!"
The door swung open when he went to hit it again, and Sasuke lost his balance, and yelped when he tripped forward. Kakashi caught him by the back of his shirt and straightened him out.
"What is it, Sasuke?" he asked, concerned. Sasuke looked up at him with a defeated look.
"Sakura…she…" he trailed off, trying to figure out how to word it.
"She what, Sasuke? She what?" Kakashi demanded.
"She went with Itachi!" he yelled, clenching his fists and bowing his head towards the ground. Kakashi's eyes widened (he doesn't have his headband on).
"What? You mean she went willingly or was she kidnapped?" he questioned. Sasuke didn't answer, he couldn't. Kakashi disappeared inside, and came out a second later with headband in place.
"We need to see the Hokage." he said, his voice harsh.
"What? Sakura's with the Akatsuki now?" Tsunade yelled, slamming her hands on the desk, instantly breaking it in two and sending papers everywhere. Shizune flinched.
Sasuke and Kakashi flinched backwards and stared hard at the ground, avoiding the furious gaze of the Godaime.
Tsunade sat down, trying to calm herself and started to think rationally. Why would Sakura leave? She wouldn't do it without good reason. Hmmm…come to think of it, she'd been really depressed and distant lately. Why? Her gaze landed on the two in front of her. They might have said something that was belittling. She knew Naruto would never say anything mean to Sakura. He adored her. He probably tried to help and encourage her.
"You two.."
They flinched. She smirked, but it vanished quickly.
"Have you two said anything to Sakura lately? She's been down in the dumps and distant these past few weeks."
They didn't immediately answer, and both looked off to the side. She wasn't ready to be patient.
"Shizune!"
"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" she asked, rushing in.
"Fetch me Naruto Uzumaki!"
Naruto walked into the office 20 minutes later. He looked around, and knew immediately that something was wrong.
"What's going on, obaa-san?" he asked, crossing his arms behind his head.
"I need you to answer me something."
"Yeah…what?" he asked nervously. He noticed Sasuke and Kakashi tensed.
"Have these two said anything to Sakura in the past few days?"
Naruto froze, and closed his eyes, thinking back. Tsunade waited patiently. She knew if she told him to hurry up, they'd end up arguing and Naruto would forget. He opened his eyes.
"Yes! They've been indirectly calling her weak!" he yelled, glaring at the two. Sasuke glared back. Tsunade felt her temper flare quickly.
"You've been calling… my student… weak?" she growled. She slowly got up and walked towards them. Naruto stood to the side, fuming silently. They nodded meekly.
"She surpasses me in everything…and you call her weak? She screamed. They didn't have time to blink when they suddenly hit the floor. They lay there for a moment, not daring to move lest they were hit again.
"Hey! Obaa-san!"
She looked at him.
"Yeah?"
"Why exactly did you ask me that?" he asked. Tsunade's glare hardened. Sasuke and Kakashi stood slowly, and Sasuke refused to look at anyone.
"Because Sakura has gone with Itachi to the Akatsuki."
Naruto stood there a moment, his face oddly blank. Sasuke risked looking up at him. Naruto clenched his fists, and lowered his head, a red, swirling chakra started to surround him. Kakashi's eye widened, and he started to rush forward, but Tsunade pinned him with a glare. Sasuke stared at Naruto with shock.
'What kind of chakra is that? It doesn't even seem human!'
Naruto looked up at them with blood red eyes. They stiffened.
" This is all you fault!" he yelled, " Why would you do that, anyway? Do you have any idea of how hard Sakura-chan worked to surpass obaa-san? Answer me!"
"Tsunade-sama! We have to suppress the seal!" Kakashi said, glaring slightly. Tsunade stayed quiet, and merely watched as Kakashi was held to the floor by his neck not a second later. Kakashi coughed as his air supply was cut off. Sasuke took a few steps back, watching with wide eyes.
"N-Naruto! Get a hold of yourself!" Kakashi gasped. Naruto's eyes darkened angrily.
" I'm still in control. But you would do good not to ignore my question, or any other thing I say or ask." He growled, " Now, answer me."
"Hard."
" She had to work extremely hard! Obaa-san would train her from dusk to mid-afternoon. Then Sakura-chan would train by herself afterwards until sometime in the morning! Why do you think she's been late all those times? It's because she was training all night and part of the morning. She just finished with obaa-san a few days ago!" he turned to Sasuke, not yet letting Kakashi go.
" You. It's mostly your fault, too. You've called her weak and annoying since we were 12. You let her crush turn to love, and never told her whether or not you loved her back or not. Maybe if you had told her, she would've either moved on or been happy with you. But now look! You never told her and now she's gone! Probably for good! What do you have to say now?" Naruto demanded. Sasuke was quiet for a couple of minutes, looking down. When he looked up, his eyes were full of determination.
"We go and bring her back."
Naruto glared.
" You sure you're not saying that just so you can get close to your brother?"
Sasuke flinched, glaring at Naruto. A glaring contest soon took place, but Sasuke looked away first. It was hard to look in Naruto's red eyes for too long. Naruto looked at Tsunade.
" Well? Can we go after her?" he asked.
"No." she said, sitting back down.
"Why not?" Kakashi asked, moving to stand by his students.
"First of all, we still don't know where they took her. Second, the risk of losing my three greatest ninja is too high. Even if we did know where she was, how well do you think you'll do against 6-8 S-class missing nin, who are now Akatsuki members, the group that, individually, is stronger than all three sannin"
The three bowed their heads, knowing she was right. The only one who would most likely stand a chance is Naruto, with the Kyuubi's help. Naruto slowly started to look like himself, the red chakra receding. He looked at them with determined blue eyes.
"How long until you announce that she's missing or dead?" he asked.
"I'll send tracker ANBU in a few minutes, but it'll be three weeks before I claim she's missing-nin, and five weeks until I claim she's dead." Tsunade said, grabbing papers and folders off the floor, and looking for the list of ANBU to see who's available whose not.
"Now, get out of my office so I can start!" she yelled. They bowed quickly and left.
Sakura followed Itachi through the halls, barely looking around. She could sense that wherever they were headed, there was a strong person waiting.
They stopped in front of a huge door, and Itachi glanced at her. She held his gaze, her eyes empty of anything but curiosity. He knew she trusted him to take care of her, and that she hated her home village. He noticed that she still had her leaf headband on, the leaf still intact. He reached forward, and pulled a kunai from her pouch. He raised it to the headband, and easily slashed a line through the leaf, as if cutting it in half. She hadn't even flinched. He smirked slightly.
"The leader is inside." He said, glancing behind her. She looked, as well, and saw two people coming towards them. One with blond hair over his right eye, and one with blue skin and the face of a shark.
"Kisame. Deidara." Itachi acknowledged, nodding at them. They nodded back. Kisame smirked, and looked at Sakura.
"Is this the girl he wanted to see?" he asked, lifting her face up to see her better. He seemed to study her, his eyes roaming over her face. He let go after a few minutes, and looked at Itachi.
"She looks like she's dead inside." He said. Itachi looked away from Deidara.
"Blame my brother and her sensei." He said. Kisame scoffed.
"Which one? The sannin or the pervert?"
"…the pervert…"Itachi said shortly. Deidara took his turn to study her. He smiled.
"She's pretty. And unique, yeah." He said brightly. Itachi smirked slightly, and grabbed her shoulder.
"Come. He is ready to see you." He said, steering her inside the room. The door shut behind them.
"Kisame looked at Deidara.
"Did you notice her eyes?" he asked.
"Yeah. Empty. Like a shell, yeah." He answered. Kisame suddenly smirked.
"You know, we could pay them a visit." He said. Deidara looked up at him.
"Yeah? And teach them a lesson for messin' with our cherry blossom, yeah?"
"Already protective of her?" Kisame teased.
"Hard not to be, yeah? After all, you suggested it."
Kisame glared.
"It's just that feeling she gives off. The feeling of hopelessness, of having no one to depend on. I sensed that she trusted Itachi a bit, and that's good."
"Yeah. If she can't trust her own home and friends, then we'll show her we're trustworthy, yeah."
"So. We leave now to 'visit' them. We don't kill them…"
"But that doesn't mean we can't break a few bones." Deidara chuckled.
"Yeah. But we leave the Kyuubi brat alone. I don't feel like dying yet, by him or the leader."
"Right, yeah."
Deidara nodded.
They disappeared.
Sakura stood beside Itachi, both bowing low to a man she could not see. All she could see was his eyes. His familiar green eyes.
"Hello, Dear Niece. I'm glad you considered my offer."
