Chapter SIXTEEN

No one looked any more reassured by the additional information Sasori had managed to pry from Sakura, and honestly, he could not blame any of them. If what Sakura said of Gaara's prowess was true, and she really had no reason to lie, the fact that there was little to no intel about him was honestly worrying.

He could control sand, could shift the very earth they stood on if he so wished, and had apparently used this power to kill people at Orochimaru's command. Sakura's powers, while impressive, were easier to miss. After all, many different kinds of power would create the destruction her fists could rain down. The power to make the ground turn on someone was less easy to disguise.

"Gaara and I were both located at the Southern Hideout. There was...something happened, something I wasn't privy to, that required a change around in stations. I covered the Northern base while Kimimaro was sent to the South in my place. If your invasion had been any other time, you would have found Kimimaro where you found me."

"Kimimaro is the one who created the bone barricade, correct?" Konan asked. "You mention he helped the other occupant escape."

Sakura nodded. "The North is Jugo's domain," she explained. "He's more like Gaara than me, I guess, in that he can't fully control himself. Kimimaro is to him as I am to Gaara; Kimimaro helps him control himself."

"How exactly does helping someone who suffers from a lack of self-control driven by overwhelming chakra work?" Kisame asked.

"Honestly speaking, it's more like making sure the damage doesn't get too out of hand when they do lose control," Sakura admitted. "Kimimaro's body is close to indestructible with his bone abilities, and I am similar with my chakra manipulation. Gaara's chakra is extremely erratic, but it's not something I cannot disrupt with waves of my own. And we're close, so I guess Orochimaru-sama...Orochimaru hopes that the thought of putting us in harm's way will make them more docile and obedient."

"Both Gaara and Jugo require you or Kimimaro," Itachi says slowly. "So when Kimimaro was sent away, you were sent in to replace him?"

Sakura nodded.

Sasori watched Nagato watch Sakura. He had a feeling he knew what was coming, had a feeling everyone here more or less had a general idea of the announcement to come. He was honestly a little surprised Sakura was currently present, but he was as pleased about that as he was that Sakura was willingly divulging information.

Perhaps Gaara's appearance had shaken her more than he had initially thought.

"Sakura, am I correct to assume you can help Jugo control himself?" Nagato asked.

Sakura nodded hesitantly, probably not understanding where this was going. "Yes," she said. "We have all been together for a long time."

Nagato glanced over at Yahiko, who pulled out a map and spread it out on the table in front of them all. "Two weeks from now, we will commence an operation against the Tani Hideout located along the western border."

Sakura sat up straighter and a murmur passed through the gathered members. Sasori glanced down at the papers that had been handed out. "That's the one said to be the research lab, right?"

"Medical checks and physical testings, everything along those likes are usually held there," Sakura supplies. "The smaller ones are done at the subject's home hideout, but the Tani Hideout is one of two with all the large equipment."

Yakiho smiled reassuringly. "Orochimaru is not stupid," he said slowly. "I doubt he'd stick to his past schedules and whatnot after we so cleanly took down the North. Still, we have an inside source that relayed to us the times of an upcoming medical check of the Jugo you mentioned."

Sakura's eyes widened and Sasori felt a weight on his sleeve. He glanced down and blinked at the small hand clutching at him. He wondered if Sakura even realized she had reached out to him.

"You're going to get him out?" She breathed.

Nagato nodded. "According to the intel we have, Kimimaro is still located at the South. We are assuming this is a continuation of what you mentioned earlier that had him being set South in the first place. Jugo's status has been observed, and we will continue to receive update up until the day. This operation will consist of taking over the Tani Hideout, the rescue of the victims and the extraction of our spy."

Sasori grabbed something to eat on his way back to his room. Sakura trailed behind, lost in thought. Sasori half wanted to prompt her to ask, he knew she had questions, but he waited for her to gather the thoughts. Even if she probably could have asked people who would most likely know the answer at the meeting, the fact that she had waited until they were alone to ask him filled him with warmth he was unfamiliar with.

It wasn't a bad feeling.

"Will you be a part of the infiltration team?" She asked, after a while.

Sasori thought for a second. "I don't know yet," he said honestly. "Probably, though, because you'll be going."

There was a hitch in Sakura's breath, but he didn't turn her way. "I am?" She asked, a little incredulously. "Did Nagato say?"

Sasori smiled a little as he shook his head. "No, but it was a little obvious. He wants you along to pacify a possibly violent Jugo."

"Oh."

When he glanced over he could see that her brows were furrowed. "I don't see why not," he said slowly. "You were at the heart of the planning, Sakura."

Sakura still looked doubtful, but she did not argue against him. "Jugo is really kind," she said softly instead. "He really likes animals, and they like him too. He told me they talk to him, tells me what they say sometimes."

There was a small smile on Sakura's face, like she was looking at something he could not see, something in her mind. Perhaps it was a memory of the past, and from the way she looks, it was of something good. It was reassuring to know that in the pits of the snake pit, surrounded by murder and blackmail and pain and torture, there were things that could make her form expressions like that.

Sasori found himself smiling as well.

Sakura enthusiastically accepted when Nagato relayed to her further details of the plan a few days later, the most important of which being that she would be a part of the team. Sasori nudged her knowingly as they left the man's office and he was met with the rare sight of a full-blown smile on the girl's face. He spent the rest of the day helping her pack her supplies, knowing that unlike their previous outing to the Northern Hideout, this was several times more dangerous.

This was an attack against a fully functioning base, after all.

Sakura turned towards him, the hilt of a knife held out towards him. Sasori blinked, then realized what it was. "Keep it," he told her.

"I can use chakra now," Sakura pointed out, but she lowered her hand.

Sasori shrugged. "Nothing wrong with having extra weapons," he pointed out.

Sakura tossed the knife into the air and caught it by the handle. "Right." She spun in absentmindedly in her hand before she slipped it back into its sheath and attaching it to her thigh strap.

He had seen her watching Itachi spin one of his own knives around and attempt on her own in the comfort of their room. It was amusing if anything, and if anyone could be considered not endangered playing with knives, it would be a girl capable of healing herself through the worst injuries possible even while unconscious. It appeared she had managed to grasp the skill.

Sasori watched Sakura hold up the spare uniform she had been given, the one that was a few sizes too big despite it having been the smallest they had available. "Your size arrived, by the way," he said, but he had a feeling she had something else in mind.

"Is the uniform mandatory?"

"I doubt there is an official rule stating so," he said slowly. "Though I doubt anyone's ever been against wearing it."

Sakura looked down at the uniform again and Sasori felt himself smile. He turned to the bag he had retrieved while Sakura had been seeing Nagato and tossed it onto the bed. "Here," he said. "I went to pick it up earlier today; we kind of forgot."

Sakura tipped the bag over and stared at the clothes they had retrieved from the Northern hideout ages ago. They had sent it off to be cleaned, then Sakura had used chakra, and things had gotten hectic very fast. In all the excitement, they had both forgotten. "I can wear this?"

Sasori nodded. He folded up the uniform she had disagreed and folded it up. "You can."

Sakura hugged the article of clothing to her chest and closed her eyes. "We will rescue Jugo?" She asked quietly.

Sasori turned away from her, allowing her the moment. "Yes," he replied. "And Gaara, and Kimimaro. We'll stop Orochimaru so that no one is hurt by him again."

Hi, Darque here...If there is inconsistent tense, it's because I've been writing a LOT with present tense I kept forgetting this one is in past tense. I reread a few times, but sorry if I missed anything.

Also, I'm sorry about the long wait, lots of stuff happened, I dropped out of Uni (and got into another one), fainted from anaemia, went to hospital (ambulance and everything), got a backache from sleeping on the hospital bed (First-time bed :D), flew back to attend my new Uni, was stuck for two weeks with a tracker on my wrist, and yeah, it's been a busy while. I am alive now, though, so that's that.

Things will be picking up, hopefully from next chapter (I have scenes written out, but I dunno if I can fit it into the next chapter).

Also, Sasori and Sakura weren't the only ones who forgot about the clothes. I did too :)

Also also, I posted a BNHA fanfic, so if you're interested here's the summary:

In a crueller world, Ochako realizes that hoping will never get her anywhere. She willingly takes her first step into villainy and is unknowingly led the rest of the way in by a man who buys her loyalty. Years too late she realizes the truth, and she can only hope that if she cannot be a hero in all senses of the word, maybe she can at least be one for those she cares for.

Read and review! Thanks for reading!