When their eyes met that day, an uncomfortable exchange between them occurred. Blinking rapidly as her eyes readjusted to the unimaginable sight before her, Sakura gulped as she eyed the masked shinobi that had wheeled Sasuke inside and was now standing guard like the placid drone he was programmed to be. She assumed his looming presence meant he was to oversee the procedure as well, no doubt having been briefed on her and the subject's personal ties to one another. He was insurance. Insurance that Danzo would get his way… again.

Sakura's mind raced as she reviewed his file, her chest tightening as she read over every detail. She was to inject a starting dose of Thiopental and wait until the subject became complacent, then under the effects of the truth serum, the ANBU agent was to extract all information about his past whereabouts to determine if Orochimaru and his protege, Kabuto, were still alive. After the information was extracted, Uchiha Sasuke was then to be terminated using the new toxin she was concocting for him. It was obvious to her then, what angle Danzo was playing at. He felt threatened.

With two of the three legendary sannin dead, it was eating him up not knowing if the third lay out there somewhere, just waiting for his turn to show up and claim his right as Hokage. The geezer had always been jealous of her shishou's team and the respect that earned them each their famous title. Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru were three of the best ninja the shinobi world had ever seen, it was only natural that someone like Danzo should be afraid.

Very afraid.

For if the snake user was still out there, hiding somewhere in the darkness, he was sure to be waiting for the most opportune moment to strike at his prey. For someone like Orochimaru, Danzo would be an easy meal, picked clean before he could comprehend what was going on. Sakura could only hope Sasuke could fill in the blanks for her, granted he would even talk to her now.

Having not seen her raven haired teammate for a couple of years, Sakura looked down at the somewhat familiar figure. He had certainly grown into his body in his latter years. Now he was much taller, and more developed from what appeared to be years of vigorous training. Even his hair had grown much longer judging by the sweat soaked bangs clinging to the sides of his battered face. The rest of his body exhibited various lacerations and deep bruises, his otherwise porcelain skin was caked with the remnants of mud and dried blood, no doubt belonging to some of his would be captors. Apparently catching the infamous Uchiha had been a struggle of epic proportions, never knowing the man to let himself be caught under any circumstance. His shirt had been ripped open, its tattered remains still bunched around his waist as he lay immobile, but conscious, on the gurney.

Besides the curious absence of a particular curse seal she knew the man to have at the junction of his neck and shoulder, he certainly seemed to be the Uchiha Sasuke she once knew. Noting the fleeting glare of bewilderment and unease behind his otherwise cold and vacant stare, Sakura blinked away the tears welling up in her eyes as bittersweet memories flooded her mind. Showing some iota of emotion, letting him know that she had not changed sides during the power struggle their hometown was currently under, she swiftly wiped away the moisture, pinching the corner of her verdant eyes as if in frustration.

As she feigned reading over the the files again on their new test subject, the wheels inside her head were spinning with a speed that would rival even the genius, Nara Shikamaru.

This was her chance.

She knew she wouldn't be able to make it out of the dark recesses of this hell hole alive with only herself and the lack of weapons kept around her… but with Sasuke, they just might have a fighting chance.

But there was only one way to find out. Going into medic mode, Sakura nodded to the ANBU as if understanding the orders on the papers before her, quickly glancing down at her old teammate, hoping we would catch her cue.

"If you're going to stay and watch this part, then I expect you to help. You know who this is don't you?" she asked the observant party, the creepy smile of the ANBU mask turning her stomach as she kept her tone authoritative and unyielding.

"If you think I can handle this bastard on my own, than you are sorely mistaken. Now if you'll please assist me, I'd like to get on with my day. Hand me that syringe on the table beside you, I need the larger gauge needle for this specific injection. A little goes a long way, but a lot goes even farther," Sakura remarked with a devious saccharine sweetness.

As the idiotic ninja turned his back to reach for that specific syringe, he left his guard down long enough for her to summon chakra to her hand. With a quick hit to the base of his skull, it was lights out for this unlucky fool. With his dead weight hurling him down towards the metal table that held all her instruments and utensils, Sakura had to act fast and catch him before a ruckus could be heard by the two ANBU that always guarded the outside of her laboratory door.

Slowly lowering his body to the floor, she made quick work of all the straps and restraints securing Sasuke, ripping them completely off with her chakra enhanced strength. Breathing out an unbelievable sigh of relief, Sasuke sat up hesitantly and eyed the rose haired medic in confusion.

"We don't have much time, Sasuke. Grab what you can use, and we can make a break for it. I can't-"

"Sakura?" he questioned as if just putting a name to the face, "What the hell is going on?"

"Sasuke, I know you have questions, but it can wait. We need to leave. Now."

Hearing movement from outside the door, Sakura snatched what was left of the toxin loaded syringes from a drawer behind her, and her stash of soldier pills. Quickly shoving the items into the pouch at her waist, she grabbed a frazzled looking Sasuke, and pulled him off the gurney and onto his feet.

"They know something's up. We have to hurry."

"Hurry, where?! Where are we?"

Pulling them both over towards the far corner of the testing lab, they hid in the shadows behind the door, their bodies pressing closely together as to not be detected once the door was finally opened.

"We are trapped in a labyrinth of underground tunnels Danzo has built beneath the Hokage tower. I haven't been allowed out of this room in so long, I'm not sure if it's still the same as it once was out there. He's re-designed a lot of the original construction..." she trailed off, looking up at him desperately, trying to ignore the warm puffs of his breath against her cheeks.

"But, if I have to blast my way through every wall in order to get us out of here, I will."

Just then, footsteps were heard as the ANBU guards unlocked the door and stormed in. Grabbing Sasuke by the arm once again, they quietly stepped around the door, fleeing out into the hallway, Sasuke following closely behind. When they ran down the tunnel towards the stairwell, they were met by a four man team of ANBU descending the stairs and heading straight in their direction.

"Here!" she called over her shoulder, handing Sasuke a small round object from her side pouch. "Eat this. Quickly! You must be running low on chakra 'cause you look like hell."

"Thanks," he deadpanned, shoving the soldier pill into his mouth, chewing forcibly as the acrid taste filled his senses. "I-Is this… gonna kill me?! It tastes like ass!"

"Shut up and chew! We have to get out of here and I need your help to do that!" she whispered acidly around the pill she was chewing herself.

Within seconds, Sasuke looked down at his hands astonishingly, feeling the rush of energy swell from his bloodstream and into every fiber of his body, his knuckles clenching as he stood with his back to her now. The ANBU they had slipped past earlier were now coming up from behind, effectively pinning them between two teams of the faceless assassins.

"This isn't gonna be easy. I'll cover your rear."

"Perv," Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes at his poor choice in words at the moment.

"Crazy ass woman," he added detestably, his fingers quickly forming the seals for his Chidori.

With the air now charged with the sudden burst of electricity, the chirping sounds filled the stone walls they were trapped between, the flickering blue light signaling the start to their escape.

Sasuke was the first to make a move, charging at the closest ANBU unlucky enough to meet the wrath of his lightening. The commotion from behind only goaded her on as Sakura summoned chakra to her feet, stomping as the ground beneath her shook, dislodging a huge slab of stone into the air and kicking it into the team of masked nin before her. Hitting the most forefront ANBU square in the chest, he toppled backwards, falling against his other comrades as they tumbled over like bowling pins.

With one down, the other three charged at her, one with his katana out, ready to strike. The azure glow of her chakra blade around her arm halted the sword's attack as they locked in a stand still. Moving to take an opportunistic cheap shot, her foot swept up between the man's legs, as he and the blade quickly fell to the ground. With two of her four down, she chanced a quick glance over her shoulder to find Sasuke fending off the last ANBU, quick on his feet as he eluded each brazen attack betwixt the narrow halls as if it were nothing.

Giving her a surge of urgency, she turned her attention back towards the nin in front of her. One was on the floor looking for pieces of his manhood after her chakra laced kick nearly left a footprint in his nether regions, the other, was sputtering blood as the massive stone lay pressed against his chest. Out of the remaining two, she grabbed the ANBU closest to her, using his shoulders as a springboard as she somersaulted over him, her toes barely grazing the roof of the cramped space they were fighting in.

Sakura, landing atop the shoulders of the second nin, clamped her legs around his neck, and with a quick twist of her lower body, the medic broke his neck with swift precision. Catching her footing as the body beneath her fell, she eyed the last mask as it stood in defense, waiting for her next move. But before the man could finish forming the hand seals for his jutsu, Sakura had to hop back, away from the bright ball of fire coming towards them, catching her assailant in the blast of Sasuke's Katon Gōkakyū no Jutsu.

After the heat from the blaze settled, the panting kunoichi looked up through her protective crouching stance just as Sasuke extended a hand to help her to her feet. Taking the calloused hand, she was pulled up and nodded thankfully to her partner, turning her nose up at the stench of burning flesh. Ascending the stairs three at a time, they ran up the never ending spiral staircase until their ears started to pop from the relief of pressure.

They were getting close.

When they came to the door at the top of the stairwell, they halted, listening closely for any kind of movement. To their dismay, it was quiet… too quiet for their liking. Something peculiar was going on, and judging by the way Sasuke narrowed his eyes, he had picked up on it as well.

"What are you thinking?" Sakura whispered, glancing at the walls around them.

"I think they know we're coming. We weren't exactly quiet. They'd be piss poor shinobi to have missed the ruckus you and your stampeding feet made down there."

"Shut it, Sasuke. Sorry I couldn't chuck boulders quietly enough for you, but I'm strong… which isn't exactly new information around here."

"Maybe not to you. Seems Orochimaru was right about you and Tsunade. You're quite similar. Don't tell me you've picked up other annoying habits from her as well? I've heard some interesting stories…"

At the mention of her former mentor, Sakura's brow creased in remembrance. Pushing those thoughts aside, she sighed, sending him a sideways glance.

"So… if they knew we were coming, we're about to walk into a trap, right?"

"Probably."

"Great," she huffed, sliding her fingers across the wall behind her, tapping lightly before pushing her ear flush against the dewy slate.

"What are you-"

"Shh! I can hear vibrations…"

"Do we have company?"

"No. It's mechanical."

Stepping back, she looked at Sasuke while channeling mass amounts of chakra to both her fists.

"If memory serves me right, these tunnels were a new addition Danzo installed under the Hokage tower after he took over."

"Yeah, you mentioned that already…"

"Well," she snapped, "I've worked in this building for years, the bottom floor to the hospital is mostly triage, but the back of the ground floor holds all the generators for the entire building and most of the village. If I can hear them, we must be close."

"And?"

"Baaka! If they expect us to walk through that door, they must be ready for some sort of ambush, knowing we'd take the most direct way out of here while fleeing. They may not all be push overs like those sorry excuses for ANBU we ran into."

"Yeah, they weren't much better than street urchins. Konoha seems to have lowered its standards since I've left. Well, that, or I'm just better than expected."

"Settle down there, Mr. Ego. Danzo is desperate for subordinates, those were probably gullible criminals he dressed up to scare those who know all too well what those masks represent and run at the site of them."

"So, what? You're just gonna punch through the wall and escape through the maintenance shafts or something?"

"Or something," she responded flippantly, "Once I bust through, I'll destroy the generators, then, it's lights out. You have a summons, right?" Sakura smirked, raring back her fists.

She didn't need to look at him to know he felt underestimated as she heard the low grumble of a scoff. It was good to know they were finally on the same page, each of them obviously having something to prove to one another. With a double punch through the thick stone walls, Sakura cleared a path for them as they raced through the cover of the resulting dust cloud and into the generator room. With a few more punches and a good swift kick to the breaker box just in case, the whole building went black. With one last punch through the back wall of the machine room, Sakura nearly fell over at the influx of fresh air hitting her face.

They had made it.

It had been so long since she had been above ground, having been kept away like some sort of creature stowed beneath the surface to live out its remaining days. Taking in a deep breath of the cool night air, she gazed at the stars, their beautiful twinkling comforting her the slightest bit given their situation at the moment. With all the noise she had just made, Danzo would soon send his men flooding to the generator room in hopes of getting the lights turned back on for the building… and getting his prisoners back. Without so much as a word, Sasuke fell into place as he bit his thumb between his teeth and slammed his hand down onto the sodden earth.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

With a loud pop, Sakura felt the ground tremble as Sasuke's summons appeared. It was very dark outside, so it was hard to tell what it was exactly, not to mention it didn't talk or make a sound. Only the trembling of movement could be felt through her feet as the soil in front of her seemed to shift under its weight.

"S-Sasuke?" Sakura prodded, gripping onto his shoulder frightened at the prospect of what he had just pulled out of thin air.

"Yeah? What are you waiting for? Hop on, we've gotta go."

"Hop where, exactly?!" she whispered in ire extending a hand, motioning towards the dense black she looked at.

Just then, a pair of glowing yellow eyes about the size of the holes she had just punched through the walls swooped down to meet her gaze. Whimpering slightly in squeamish fear as she felt a tongue flick out and barely tap at her forehead, she dug her nails into the flesh of Sasuke's shoulder.

"What… the hell… is that?! That had better not be a-"

"Snake?" Sasuke lilted into her ear with irritating smugness at having caused her to once again return to her girlish ways.

"S-Snake?!"

"What'd you expect? A bunny?"

Growling in frustration, Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, choosing to forego her lecture at the moment with the giant serpents' mouth so close to her face. She thought it wise to keep quiet and not give the creature any means of retaliation at its summoners request… should he choose to do so. It was Uchiha Sasuke, after all, so there were bound to be lingering trust issues.

As Sasuke hopped upon the flat of the reptile's head, he extended another hand, showing her it was alright to follow him, but before her hand could meet with his, she was grabbed from behind. Inhaling through her teeth, she bit back the slight pain as she felt the cold steel of the kunai press down against her jugular.

"Don't move, Haruno," the dark voice cooed sickeningly in her ear.

Rolling her eyes at the laughable effort in trying to intimidate her, Sakura played her first card, whimpering just a little bit and delicately squirming in the man's arms. She just needed to stroke his inflated ego in hopes of deterring his attention while she reached for her side pouch.

"Ah! No!" the deceptively wilting flower whined with all the femininity she could muster.

At the sound of a perverted groan against her neck, Sakura wiggled her free fingers into the pouch, and uncapped a syringe.

"Mmm... it's been awhile since I've felt a woman's body so close to mine, my little cherry. It's a good thing I found you before the others arrived. Seems I get you all to myself now," the man breathed, nuzzling against the nape of her neck.

As his head delved into the crook between her neck and shoulder, she swung her arm up and over her head, jabbing the toxin loaded syringe deep into his own exposed neck. His screams almost deafened her left ear as her thumb pressed down on the plunger administering the poison, pulling out of his hold as he dropped the kunai, falling to the ground in pain.

"Please!" she heatedly spat over the nin currently twitching in the fetal position, "As if you'd be so lucky, ya creepy jerk!"

"Sakura!" Sasuke called, his snake swooping down as he grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her atop its head.

Slithering through the streets, the two reunited teammates quickly made their way towards the city gates in hopes of escaping further onslaught.

Once they blasted through the large tori gates south of the village, the serpent made haste through the dense surrounding forest, seeking a safe place to hide while they regained their bearings. Even though they were both seasoned shinobi, they shared an anxious look as realization struck them. They had just barely escaped certain death back there.

As the gargantuan head lowered them to the ground before its conspicuous form disappeared in a poof of smoke, they raced up the trees to the towering branches above, looking back at their village. They could see the emergency spot lights searching through the streets for any signs of their whereabouts, the ANBU undoubtedly on their trail as the giant serpent didn't exactly make a clean getaway.

After sharing an awkward silence, Sasuke grabbed the rose haired medic by the shoulders, looking down on her with concern, feeling the pressure of the enemy closing in on them by the second.

"Where is everyone? You can't be the only sane one left. Where are the rest of the teams? The jonins? What's going on?"

"I don't know... I was working in the hospital one afternoon when they came for me. They locked me up... and... and-"

"And what?!"

"He killed Tsunade, then he killed Shizune right in front of me. That's how he kept me under his thumb, I was scared... and I thought that-"

"Thought what, Sakura?! Hurry!"

"I haven't seen the other's. No one else was at the hospital that day, and I haven't seen anyone else for weeks, months even. When no one came for me... I thought they were all..."

As her words trailed off, she looked down at the branch they shared as she struggled with what else to say. She had thought that someone, anyone, would have come for her. That the other jonins in the village would have fought back against Danzo's regime... but she knew nothing. She saw nothing. She had been isolated for so long, she almost couldn't remember life before this point, feeling like a mindless droid herself most times. Her heart grew colder by the day. She had felt abandoned and let down. The other's had to have been dead to not come and find their comrade... their friend.

"I-I think they are all dead."

Sasuke looked at her as if she had started speaking a different language, not following a word as he tried to make sense of it all.

"They're not dead, Sakura. I will find them... and Danzo will pay."

"But you don't know what he's capable of! He's-"

"I know enough, Sakura. Trust me. I may have let you and the village down by leaving all those years ago, but I have learned the ugly truth behind this town, and that crusty old fuck is the ringleader behind it. All of it."

"What?" she gasped, suddenly confused as to what he was referring to. How did someone who's been absent for years know what was going on? Feeling left out again, she pulled on his shoulder as he moved to run.

"Tell me, Sasuke! You owe me at least that much, you arrogant bastard! Don't go running off again without letting me help you this time. If you have a plan, I want in on it."

"No. This is a suicide mission. I can't have you there. This is personal," Sasuke seethed bitterly, his jaw clenching.

Even in the darkness, Sakura could see the angered lines on his face appearing across his pale flesh. All he was missing was the foam at his mouth, little more than a rabid dog chomping at the bits to be let loose. It had frightened her in the smallest of ways, but not as much as the hurt she felt at still not being seen as any use to him.

"But I can help!" she pleaded, her voice cracking under the strain of her willingness to do so.

"No. Don't argue with me. Look..." Sasuke persuaded, pointing eastward, "Follow the forest and run until you can't run any longer. When you feel like you're too tired to go on, keep going. You need to get far away from here, I can't promise you'll be safe if you stick around. You reek of that place, and they'll have their hounds easily trace you down and drag you back. Or worse..." he paused, taking a breath to look down at her reassuringly. "If you come across any body of water, walk through it. It'll throw them off your trail long enough for you to-"

"I'm a ninja too, you baka! Don't you think I know how to keep someone off my trail?! I'm not a twelve year old crybaby anymore!"

Grabbing the kunoichi at the elbows, he looked down into her honest orbs and flashed her the faintest of smiles, calming her ferocious attitude.

"I know, Sakura. Now go! I can hear them coming. If we split up, it'll be harder for them to catch us both. Now run, and don't you stop running!"

Leaping away from her, Sasuke hopped through the branches, the wood moaning beneath his feet as he fled.

"Oh, and Sakura..." he paused after turning around, gazing at her begrudgingly defeated form as if it would be the last time they would ever see each other. "Thank you."

With a slight nod, he was gone.

Again.

After muttering the same spitefully eloquent phrase he had used on her before, no less.

Hearing the faintest flood of footsteps approaching, Sakura took off in the opposite direction, heading east. With each stride, she sent chakra streaming into her legs, willing the muscles to flex harder, pushing herself to top speed as she threaded her way through the dense canopy. She would not get caught again. She would never return to that building... at least not while Danzo was in charge. And even if he wasn't, Sakura wasn't sure she'd ever escape the horrors she had endured while in captivity.

She had been scarred. Marred for life. A wound even she couldn't heal. And the only thoughts that filled her mind were of escape. Speeding through the night she ran like her life, what little she had left in her, depended on it.

It was still dark outside when she reached the coast. Stopping to catch her breath, she could hear the far off dinging of buoys out on the waters surface. Following the lights of the various ships and boats docked along the creaking wood they were tethered to, she trudged over toward them, careful not to be seen.

She had ran through every stream she crossed and was exhausted and sopping wet. As her heavy feet brought her closer to a large shipping vessel that was about to deport, she could feel her chakra running dangerously low as the effects of the soldier pill she had ingested hours prior were causing her system to crash. She needed a safe place to rest. Eyeing a stack of shipping crates, Sakura carefully slipped onboard and sank between the wooden containers, her head falling back as her mind tried to catch up with her body and its flight responses.

She didn't care where this boat was going, she was just eager to leave. Ready to put some considerable distance between her and the country she called home. As angry as she had been with Sasuke for telling her to leave, she was more angry at herself for listening to him. After all these years, he still didn't think she could help, and this time, she wasn't absolutely positive she could in her state. That horrible tyrant of an old man had rattled her, and her resolve. For the first time since before her training with Tsunade, she was doubting herself and her abilities.

Her train of thought was soon interrupted by the bellowing blow of the ships' horn as she felt the engines kick into gear. Sliding down, farther out of view, Sakura laid low as she heard the distant chattering of the crew as they readied the ship to launch. As their voices faded, the tired medic released a heavy sigh, pulling her knees into her chest as she cradled her face in her palms. She had escaped, and deep down, a part of her was relieved.

Sliding her hands through her hair, she yanked off her soggy hitai-ate, her heavy lids observing the metal forehead protector as her dirty fingers traced over the emblem in detestable sorrow. She felt like a coward. A coward who chose running away over staying to help an ally. But she couldn't ignore the part of her that was all too happy to flee the horrific reminder of home.

'Home' she laughed. She no longer had one. She didn't even dare peeping out from her hiding spot to venture a last look as the ship made its way out to sea. Sakura never wanted to see Konoha again.

Clenching her forehead protector in her fists, she looked down at the reminder, sneering as if the gesture was burning her hands just at the contact. Withdrawing another syringe from her side pouch, her teeth gripped a hold of its cap as she lowered the angled needle down to the metal plate. Slowly, but surely, she demonstrated her resolve, etching a strike through the leaf engraved on the plate that had meant so much to her. Recapping the syringe and placing it back in her pouch for safe keeping, the deserting medic now stared down at her handiwork.

Sakura had made her decision.

She could no longer be part of a village that had abandoned her and all hope of remaining the thriving nation it once was. She had been betrayed, by her own kind no less. Used as a tool, treated like an animal trapped in a dungeon... she felt like the monster she had to become in order to survive. Shoving the headband into her pouch, she closed her eyes as the tears welled up. So much had happened in the last few hours, she wasn't even sure how long it would be before the reality of the situation would set in, and at the moment, she was too numb and weary to care.

With the pitch and yaw of the ship as it moved out into deeper water, Sakura felt her body calm as she curled up against the crate, the waves lulling her to sleep. A sleep that was filled with distant memories of who she was, and where she came from.

She was no longer Haruno Sakura of Team 7, protege of the Godaime, and chief medic... she hadn't been for a long time. Now that she was finally free from the confines of her home-turned-prison, she would make the best of her new life, wherever it took her.

She was, for the first time in her life... free.