In various place around the elemental countries, there exist places where people can meet in complete privacy without having to worry about anyone or anything spying on them. It was unknown where, how, or who designed these places, but no one, not even the strongest, crafty, or most fastest ninjas in history, have been able to get into or spy on those that enter these places. Though, because the location of them was unknown, they were mostly regarded as rumors and nothing more. If a place is so well hidden that it can completely avoid detection or had worry about being spy on if you did not know exactly where you go, you would probably never find one.
However, that was not the case with Sazanami's partner. For some reason, he had managed to stumble upon on these places and learned how to locate others. Thus these became their meeting place and, for someone so young, his partner sure did have a lot powerful and deadly people after them.
"Hello, Sazanami-san, it's good to see that you have managed to make it here," a blue eye girl with long blond hair kept in ponytail that ran to the almost all the way down her back greeted him politely. The tone that she used was elegance and made her seem like she was from some noble family.
"You know, it's possible for you to cut the act already as no one's going to see us here. This place is famous for give complete privacy, after all," Sazanami told her.
"Of course I know that. I was just doing it because it annoys you and it's funny how well something like this actually works," the girl laughed as her voice was completely different from before sounding more like something you hear from a tomboy.
"If you are going to drop the act, then why haven't you dropped that Henge already so we can discuss serious business? I finally found that flower you've been looking for," the brown haired bounty hunter told them.
"Alright then, tell me everything you know," the blond asked as it was at this moment that all the game and playing around stopped. Her face went completely serious and then in puff of smoke revealed that she was really Naruto Uzumaki, who had for the last four and half months seem to just vanish off the face of the planet and no one knew where he went or what happened to him.
As for how Naruto even began his partnership with Sazanami or when he even left Konoha for that matter all started three months ago when rumors of a new pair of bounty hunters made their way towards Konoha.
Flashback to three months ago
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'Sakura-chan, where did that bastard Sasori take you?' Naruto thought as he walked through Konoha.
It had been a month since Naruto had taken part in the mission to rescue the current Kazekage, former jinchuuriki, Gaara of the Desert. Officially the mission was a success thanks to efforts of Naruto and Chiyo. Usually went a person has the demon sealed up inside them, removing it leads to that person's death. Gaara was no exemption to this rule and he did die right after he had the Shukaku was removed from his body; however, Chiyo giving her own life and Naruto helping her when discovered her life alone was enough that Gaara was brought back from the dead. However to Naruto, the mission was a failure, and while he was glad that Gaara was still alive and all, he had failed to up hold the rule that he learned the day he truly became a genin of Konoha. The rule being 'Those that do not obey the rules are trash however those that abandoned the teammates are worse then trash.'
Naruto had been funk since then as it was his fault that Sakura was now probably the prisoner of that Akatsuki member or worse. If only he had listened to Kakashi-sensei and did not run off in anger like he had, then Sakura would probably still be here with them. After bringing Gaara back from the dead, he went back the area where he had left Sakura. There was nothing there but signs of what looked like a pretty big battle that occurred and blood splashed across the ground in different places that was later confirmed to be Sakura's along with her forehead protector.
Naruto's ears then perked up when two people walked by talking about the latest rumor which never caught his attention until now.
"Did you hear the story about that new pink hair bounty Hunter the Pink Death? I think that's what she's being called. She's said to have monstrous strength from the huge sword she swings around as easily as person using a fan to cool themselves off in the summer sun," a villager said.
"I know. I heard she took out the Nagare gang by herself and that she's called the Pink Devil because not only she does she fight like in battle but is she as seductive as one too," a second village said.
After hearing this, Naruto rushed off to Tsunade to demand to be sent on a mission to see if this person was Sakura. She was the only pink hair girl he knew with the exception of that snow kunoichi that attacked Team Seven three years ago during their mission in the Land of Snow.
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"Denied," Tsunade told Naruto as she rejected his attempt to get a team together to look into the rumor which might possible lead to Sakura's whereabouts.
"What do you mean denied, baa-chan? Sakura-chan is your apprentice! You should want her back as much as I do!" Naruto yelled in anger though simply mentioning that Tsunade did not care about Sakura, who she almost thought of in the same capacity as Naruto, turned out to be the wrong thing to say.
The whole Hokage building then shook as Naruto was seen flying off into the distance after getting punched in the gut by a fully serious and pissed off Tsunade.
"Ummm….Tsunade-sama, don't you think that you overdid as that? That might have been a little too much, even for Naruto," Shizune asked cautiously.
"That kid does not understand it. It's not that I do not want to look for Sakura; it's that keeping her as MIA rather then a missing-nin thanks to this new pink hair bounty hunter with strength similar to hers difficult nothing as it is. Then there is the fact that Aktasuki could be waiting for Naruto to come after her and lure him into situations where the idiot would probably pick Sakura over his own life," Tsunade sighed.
"Though, you know, Naruto is even more serious about looking for Sakura then for Sasuke and you never hear him talk about the Uchiha anymore," Shizune pointed out.
"That's because Sakura is more important to him then Sasuke. Naruto has managed to gain many people that he considers precious to him ever since he has become a ninja, like Sasuke, you, that old perverted teammate of mine, and me for example. However, among those people, there are those that he considers his most precious people and Sakura happens to be on the top of that list or at least within the top five. Sasuke is close to him but the one major reason he even wants to get Sasuke back is because Sakura asked him to do so. Sure Naruto has his own reason, but I think that Sakura asking him bring Sasuke back and later saying they would do it together is what had made Naruto train so hard for all this time," the Fifth Hokage sighed.
While Shizune looked toward the hole Naruto made with worried expression on her face, both Naruto and Sakura had been very dear to her as well, with both of them becoming like young siblings for her.
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The next day…..
"Tsunade-sama, bad news," Shizune said as she rushed into the Hokage Office.
"Do not tell that idiot did what I think he did," the blond woman asked but feared that she already knew the answer to the question.
"I am afraid so; it seems that Naruto had left the village alone to go search for Sakura himself, but luckily, it seems that no one knows that he is missing yet," Shizune reported.
"That's good. If someone else had found this out first, my plan would not have worked," the slug sannin sighed as she pulled out a scroll from her desk and then stamped with the Hokage's seal.
"Tsunade-sama, is that what I think it is?" Shizune asked.
"Yeah, this should protect the brat from becoming a missing nin but when he gets back I am going to give him a punch that make the one I gave him the other day seem like a love tap!" Tsunade growled. She could not believe that he had done something this stupid.
Somewhere outside Konoha…
Naruto stood looking back with his hand to his forehead where his hiate was once wrapped around. He stopped wearing it, not only because he did not want people to know where he was from as that could alert hunter nin (unknown to Naruto though Tsunade expected this so he was not one at least not at the moment). Another reason he had stopped wearing his hiate was he believed that he really did not deserve to wear it anymore as he left one of his teammate behind. According to Kakashi-sensei that made him worse then trash and he felt that until he found Sakura and brought her back, he should not wear his hiate again. Also, along with him he had Sakura's forehead protector with him as a reminder of who he was looking for and the mistake he had would fix even it cost him his life.
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End Flashback
Thus, that's how Naruto began looking for Sakura himself and to avoid being noticed while he was doing, Naruto proved once again why he was called Konoha's number ninja at surprising people by realizing that simply using Oiroke no Jutsu but putting clothes on, taking away his whiskers marks, and changing his hairstyle and attitude left everyone none the wiser. It was a month after he left Konoha that he ran into Sazanami and the two teamed up as Naruto helped him in clearing his good name so he wanted to help him in finding his missing teammate.
"Shinobi Fight Clubs, I've never heard of them before," Naruto said as Sazanami told him where he saw Sakura.
"You are not supposed to, as the first two rules are not to talk about it," he explained.
Then how did you learn about these Fight Clubs if no one is suppose to talk about them?" then Naruto asked curiously.
"The first two rules may be not to talk about Shinobi Fight Club but they do not say anything about making sure you are not followed to them. I simply followed after a person that later tried to 'convince' me to get the information I was looking for as well as what they knew about your friend's role there."
"So, are you sure that it was Sakura you saw there?" the blond asked as this was the best solid lead they had in months.
"Of course, though she seemed aloof and cold as she never talked or displayed the slightest hint of emotions. She also was acting very brutal as she punched her opponent, Aoi Rokusho, through the roof and then held out her huge sword which impaled him once he came down. Throughout the whole time, her expression never changed from its expressionless state even once," Sazanami told him.
"Who's the guy that she was with? I am sure that guy is Sasori or can lead me to the guy since Sakura's strange behavior might be his fault," Naruto said anger causing his body shake as it was not possible that her personality could naturally change that much in just four months.
"Never seen him before but he was very protective and possessive of your teammate and she was hanging on his shoulder or sitting on his lap between her fights. He also had another girl that same hair color and eyes. But she was always few feet behind him," Sazanami informed.
"Well to find out who this guy is, all I need to do is get Sakura away from him and then figure out how she can be changed back to her normal self again," Naruto told him. It was time to pay this guy a visit and then drill them for Sasori's location if possible.
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I would like to thank:
King Hawke, RANMACAT, and clockworkchaos for review my story
kenzuka for adding this story to their Alert List
King Hawke for beta reading Chapter 08
