"Hokage-sama! Urgent news! The guards sensed incredibly powerful chakra signatures coming towards-"
The messenger didn't get to finish his report thanks to an empty sake bottle appearing out of thin air, flying towards him with the kind of accuracy only a well seasoned shinobi can muster.
"Agh…." He managed to dodge the bottle by falling into a perfect split onto the floor. A frightened expression on his face.
"Hm. If I wasn't so stressed that would have been amusing."
The blonde raised an equally blonde eyebrow as she addressed the shaking man before her. She turned her back towards the messenger, her eyes facing outside of the tall windows in her office, searching for what exactly was approaching leaf territory.
"I am fully aware of the nin coming to konoha."
"..." The poor guy was still in a split position on the floor, wary of what his Hokage would do next.
"Yes. They are all rather...formidable. However there is something that makes me wonder if they are even a threat to us at all…"
The messenger was instantly hit with curiosity at the woman's words. Yet he knew that questioning her thoughts might earn him another sake bottle. So he decided to tiptoe around the subject carefully and kept his eyes on the open window to his left in case he needed a quick exit.
"...Forgive me Hokage-sama but what makes you say that?"
His question didn't seem to bother her, much to his surprise. Rather, it seemed to be exactly what she expected to hear because a small smirk appeared at the corner of her pink lips.
"Because they're all travelling with a very familiar chakra signature. One that i've been missing for months now."
Another bottle appeared out of thin air. This time however, it was not directed towards him but the Hokage's lips. She took a long swig from her drink before smacking her lips in satisfaction.
"Well this will either be interesting or a pain in the ass."
The messenger barely had time to react before she ordered an entire battalion of ANBU and jounin to halt the incoming nin and gauge whether or not they were a threat. All the while, her eyes never leaving the forest and her mind wondering what exactly the hell her student had been getting up to these past few months.
When the large gates of konoha were within sight, Sakura smiled, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. It's been months since she last saw her village and the familiar view instantly brought warmth and the feeling of comfort to her otherwise stressed nerves. However the happiness she felt at nearing her home was immediately clouded with her fears and worries. How would the village react to having two groups of missing nin suddenly arrive? Team Hebi was definitely a surprise yet not an unwelcome one considering how long the village has been searching for her long lost teammate. The Akatsuki, or rather, the former Akatsuki on the other hand was a whole other matter entirely. She quickly glanced behind her as her thoughts strayed to the men she had been (romantically - Inner added with a smirk) involved with.
Her eyes immediately locked onto Deidara, all blonde hair and mischievous blue eyes. He caught her gaze and responded with a smirk, earning him a blush which pleased him greatly. A few paces behind him was his partner, Sasori. His red hair making him easy to spot as he jumped from branch to branch with ease, his eyes searching the area for any sign of konoha, obviously impatient to get to their destination. Close to her was Itachi, his red eyes always on her form. Clearly his possessiveness hadn't faded in time. Rather, it actually increased. He made sure to always be within her vicinity, especially when Sasuke was around.
Her green eyes darted to the side and saw one of the largest in the group, Kisame. His expression carefully guarded, no doubt anticipating the welcome they would all receive at the gates of the village. However despite his serious demeanor, she felt some anxiety dissipate at his strong presence. The only one truly smiling in the group was Hidan, his silver hair slicked back and in place as usual despite the break neck speed they had all agreed on. His eyes seemed eager and thirsty for whatever was going to happen once they all arrived.
Sakura inwardly groaned at the mess that would occur soon. Just how could she explain this to her mentor? Would she accept them or have them jailed? The possibilities were endless and not looking so good. Despite their fervent declarations of affections and allegiance, she still couldn't erase the feelings of worry that seeped in her mind. There was no predicting how the village would react to having such dangerous and powerful men who were recently affiliated with one of the most infamous groups known to shinobi kind, within their walls.
As if sensing her anxiety, Naruto appeared next to her, a cheerful smile on his whiskered face.
"It's gonna be alright Sakura-chan."
Although they both knew that what he just said was not a guarantee, his attempt to cheer her up brought a small smile to her lips. But before she could thank him for his support, several chakra signatures flared to life, alerting Sakura and everyone around her. They froze and all fell into defensive positions, their eyes scanning the area while hands were already at their weapons.
Suddenly, the green trees were filled with ANBU and jounin, surrounding the group in a tight circle. Their masks and faces betrayed no emotion. The only similarity was the calculating eyes surveying the area, deciding whether or not they posed a threat to the village. However the quiet air was crackling with tension, giving Sakura the answer she was looking and also dreading for.
"Stop where you are!" A gruff voice echoed in the woods.
"We already did you fucking dumb ass."
Hidan rolled his purple eyes, his voice a low growl as he swung his scythe in dangerous circles in the air.
Sakura immediately sighed, already foreseeing the possible bloodshed now that the silver haired nin was getting riled up. True, his devilish smile and wild eyes excited her. Yet his unpredictable and devil may care attitude would get him and ultimately all of them in some serious trouble.
"Calm down guys. It's just us…" Shikamaru began before wincing slightly, realizing his poor choice of words.
"...with a couple of…" The Nara heir was actually an excellent speaker and knew how to get out of sticky situations with the use of his sharp mind and quick tongue, yet even he found the situation difficult to explain.
The silence stretched, effectively raising the awkwardness and tension.
"Akatsuki!" One of the leaf shinobi snarled, anger dripping from every syllable. Although Sakura didn't recognize his voice or features, the hatred in his tone was evident. The man's hand strayed towards his inner pocket, brandishing a sharp kunai and looking just about ready to use Hidan's face as target practice.
"Hn...you are incorrect."
Leave it to Itachi Uchiha to be remarkably calm and cool in a potential battlefield.
"We have defected from that organization. Therefore I believe the correct term is former Akatsuki." He stated matter of factly and slowly. As if he were talking to children instead of grown men armed with deadly weapons.
The silence that followed was deafening. It seemed no one wanted to break it as the konoha ninja digested the information given to them.
"But...why?" One of the nin scoffed, unbelieving of the words coming from the Uchiha's mouth.
"And even if you were telling the truth, why would missing nin come to our village?" Another masked nin questioned, his voice clearly confused with the entire situation. Not that she could blame him. Even she'd be stunned to see two groups of highly dangerous nin just outside the gates of her village looking like they owned the place.
Sakura decided now was the time to finally speak, to explain the adventure she had undergone which all started with a few scrolls and crushing parts of a certain orange haired man's office. Yet before she could even part her lips, a smooth voice interrupted her, fully intent to voice out his thoughts.
"Your village holds no interest for us. It's the woman who lives within it that is our concern."
Sasori eyed all of the konoha nin critically, no doubt calculating where to strike if ever this whole encounter went badly.
"The Hokage will want nothing to do with missing nin." An ANBU snarled, his knuckles white as he held onto his kunai, prepared to strike at the collection of dangerous men before him. Grunts of agreement went around, their minds clearly on a different woman who was blonde and had a drinking problem worse than most alcoholics.
"Tch...I guess you're all dumber than I thought."
Hidan muttered darkly, his scythe still swinging in the air.
"Hidan, stop aggravating them. You're only making this worse." She murmured, her eyes never leaving the masked nin. The last thing they needed was a brawl.
"Ooh I love when you use big words babe." He replied with a roguish wink, his attention momentarily focused on something else besides blood shed and being a total ass. Unfortunately, the men around them were already uneasy and the rude demeanor of the jashin worshiper merely fueled the flames.
"What he means is that you don't have to worry bout' the Hokage yeah." Deidara cut in helpfully, hoping to dissipate some of the tension.
"But you claimed to be concerned about a woman-" the masked nin was abruptly cut off by Sasori who was obviously impatient for this whole exchange to finish.
"Not that one you fool."
The puppet master vanished from his perch on a low branch and reappeared next to Sakura, a possessive expression on his usually stoic face. His attention was focused on the pinkette, uncaring of the numerous ninja poised to fight.
Some men wondered at this odd behaviour. According to the bingo books Sasori was as cold as bloodthirsty shinobi come yet here he was, looking completely at ease.
"Tch...enough with this bullshit. Let us through you fucking assholes..."
He twisted and swung his scythe before pointing it towards an ANBU member, a dangerous glint in his purple eyes.
"...before I kill every single one of you."
Sakura actually face palmed.
Yep, they were royally screwed.
A shuriken flew across the tree branches, aimed for the silver haired man with deadly accuracy only to be obstructed by the red blade of Hidan's scythe. The harsh sound of metal hitting metal seemed to echo in the woods. When he lowered his weapon, a feral smile was on his face, his tongue coming out to lick his lips slowly.
For a second, No one moved.
Then suddenly all hell broke loose.
All leaf nin seemed to strike at one, their hands finding weapons and already throwing them against an opponent. Blades and poisonous darts flew in the air, pushing those in plain sight to take cover. Although Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Sakura and Naruto were present and still technically considered leaf citizens therefore should be listened to, they were ignored. The attention was focused on the wanted missing nins instead.
Sasori commanded his chakra strings to hold as many as seven leaf nin at bay, their expressions full of shock at the alien sensation of being controlled against their own will. Many grunted and attempted to break free using brute strength, only to fail and end up yelling in frustration. While the puppet master skillfully used his fingers to control the shinobi, Kisame cursed at how unlucky they were before unsheathing his immense sword, already slicing the air and cutting a wide arc, effectively backing up the konoha nin near Sakura. They all shifted uneasily, wary of the mist nin who was a stable stance with his weapon pointed against them. Alright, his attempt to protect here was in fact sweet however making the situation much worse. Now it seemed as if they merely wanted a brawl, not to enter the village under peaceful terms.
She wanted to scream in complete and utter frustration as the fight seemed only to escalate around her. Inwardly she was yelling, questioning as to why Kami seemed make life all the more difficult for her. It was simple. The plan was to come back, explain as quickly and efficiently as possible as to why she was late in accomplishing her mission and how she managed to bring home not one but two groups of missing shinobi in the process. Yet of course things would all go to hell before they even entered the gates.
A guttural howl ripped the pinkette from her thoughts. Green eyes looked around for the source of such a pained sound only to lock her gaze with a masked face, which was currently facing Itachi. The red in his eyes were a vibrant color, reminding her of freshly spilt blood. She could only imagine what kind of hell the poor ANBU member was going through.
Loud explosions went off around the forest, making the entire area shake and shudder with the sheer force and volume of the clay bombs a certain blonde artist was using.
I have to do something. Sakura thought as she crouched in a defensive stance, her eyes scanning the battlefield for anyone who needed medical attention.
Kisame already had five nin on their backs while Sasuke and his team took down an entire ANBU squad on their own.
No shit sherlock. Inner responded, her voice dripping sarcasm.
Not exactly helping here.
Yeah you're not.
Seriously! Just shut up! I don't need to hear any of your shit right now. At this rate they'll destroy the forest. Konoha will be next.
Well someone's starting to sound like a certain jashinist…
Don't even mention him. HE started this mess!
Oh? Inner smirked before continuing, completely ruthless and fully intent to slap the pinkette with the ugly truth.
You're wrong there. Hidan didn't start anything. We're in this mess because you love them.
…
What? No snarky comeback? I guess as cliche as this sounds, the truth hurts doesn't it?
Sakura didn't reply. She simply shut Inner out and focused on the task at hand. But not before seeing a smug smile on Inner's face.
Once free from her (literal) inner turmoil, the pinkette was able to observe the battleground once again. Green eyes watched as Naruto and the rest of the konoha shinobi in their group were all busy trying to contain the battle, disarming the leaf nin who tried to hurt anyone, all the while trying to explain that this whole thing was a huge misunderstanding. Sadly, no one was listening. Almost everyone had their eyes on a target, killing intent evident in their gaze.
She needed to get their attention. But the question was how? These were all highly trained and very intelligent shinobi. Yet they were all rendered into immature, impulsive boys incapable of listening to common sense when riled up. Clearly, attempting to speak to them civilly was not working. The only response they received were more weapons and angry glares.
Sakura was close to pacing the Goddamn ground-
That's it.
Ground.
For the first time the whole day, a smile graced the young kunoichi's lips.
Sasuke was angry. Yet oddly enough, his rage was not directed towards his older brother. Rather it was focused on a pink haired woman who was currently in the middle of the war zone.
Her eyes were full of frustration and turmoil while her mouth was turned down in a small frown as she took in the sight before her. All the unnecessary fighting and senseless violence. She seemed so pure and innocent out here in the battlefield. All pink hair and soft fair skin. Yet Sasuke knew of all people that appearances can be deceiving. The blossom's case was certainly no different. He'd seen firsthand how intensely the fire within her burned, especially when provoked and fueled.
The very thought of dominating and claiming such a fiery woman excited him to no end.
Another aspect He noticed was that despite her unfocused expression and vulnerable state, no harm seemed to near her. Strange considering there were weapons flying left and right along with explosives and chakra filled jutsus.
With his excellent eyesight it only took him a mere three seconds to realize that the entire former Akatsuki had formed a perimeter around her, effectively creating a protective circle around Sakura.
The youngest Uchiha almost scoffed at the pathetic sight.
Just how far would these men go to protect his once fangirl?
He understood lust and the desire to claim a woman. But declaring open fire against a whole shinobi village? Even he wasn't that cocky.
Before he could further ponder as to how idiotic the men vying for Sakura's attention (excluding him of course, considering he was above the standard of an average male in his perspective) a loud, earthshattering (quite literally in this case) sound filled the woods. Sasuke abandoned his opponent and jumped high, high into the air just when the ground that was below his feet, exploded, thoroughly surprising the living shit out of every other nin in the area. All except for a pink haired woman who was actually the cause of said explosion.
He smirked at her bold move. Of all the methods to garner the attention of everyone in the vicinity, she certainly chose one that made a statement.
He liked that.
Someone so bold, daring and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal.
Perhaps they were more alike than he originally thought.
The explosion was unexpected to say the least. Shikamaru coughed the dust and dirt that managed to get into his lungs thanks to the earth being smashed and crumbled to bits. He never was fond of such a brutish and flashy method of attack. His preference consisted of calculated plans and stealth, hence his shadow jutsu. He pegged the pink haired kunoichi to work the same, with a carefully formulated plan, not to just use her fists to remedy a situation much like other men. Since growing up Sakura was no longer the type to make a scene, in the village or the battlefield. Yet he wondered maybe that was the point, to get everyone's attention.
His eyes quickly scanned the forest, noting that several craters marked the area around the colossal one Sakura had recently made. Those were probably made by one of the mad artists. He continued his inspection and found everyone generally alive and unhurt. Yes, a few minor scrapes and some broken bones there, but nothing life threatening. Many were already up and dusting themselves off, ready to continue the fight when a strong, clear voice echoed throughout the woods.
"Stop!"
All movement ceased at the sound of a grunt of pain. It was small and barely there but unmistakably female.
Shikamaru ran closer to the voice as he tried to see past all the dust clouds. Once he got close enough to see what was in the middle of the crater, he froze, his eyes wide with disbelief and fear.
One of the ANBU had his arm around the Sakura's waist, holding her form upright while the other arm pointed a kunai over her heart.
"Akatsuki and Team Hebi stand down or i'll-"
His voice was interrupted by Kiba, his lips parted in a feral snarl as he took in the sight of his childhood friend being held captive.
"What?! You'll kill a LEAF nin?! She's on our side you idiot!"
The reply he got was just as angry and filled with hate.
"Is she really on our side?! She came back with missing nin! And they haven't laid a single hand on her, only us! They're fucking protecting her! How do you explain that?!"
The dagger dug deeper, ripping past the fabric of Sakura's shirt. All the while she bit her lip at the brief flash of pain as the tip made contact with her skin.
"You're the Hokage's apprentice! Why the hell are you acting so cozy with these Akatsuki or whatever the hell they are now?!"
The masked nin was so concentrated on his tirade and questioning her that he failed to notice the men advancing towards them. Shikamaru held still, knowing that he didn't even need to get involved when Sakura had so many people loyal to her. He can only hope that the end result wouldn't be death. Think of all the paperwork that would involve, having to explain the logistics and why there were so many casualties so close to home.
The Nara heir watched with equal parts worry and curiosity as the pair were suddenly circled by the former Akatsuki, all wearing the same expression of rage.
"Let her go." Itachi's sharingan eyes cut as deep as knives, making the nin holding Sakura swallow nervously. She felt the hands holding her loosen for a split second before tightening once more.
"N-not before she answers my question!"
All eyes moved to the pinkette, who looked as if pained. Although Shikamaru doubted it was because of the blade digging into her skin. He knew she could take more than that without flinching. Rather, it was the answer she had to give, the choice she had to make. Obviously she cared for these men, otherwise she wouldn't have let them come along. Yet even he knew the repercussions her decision would make. The last few days he spent observing the former Akatsuki, taking note how they followed Sakura everywhere and their behaviour when with the pinkette and when away from her. Away they were volatile and generally gloomy. Yet when near her, it's as if they weren't infamous and dangerous nin, simply a man in love.
No, he wasn't aware of what exactly happened during the course of Sakura's entire mission. Yet he deduced that she wasn't a victim or captive the whole time. She was much too resourceful and capable of a kunoichi for that. So the only other explanation is that she wanted to be with them, which is not the easiest thing to explain to an entire clearing of tense shinobi.
"Well?! Spit it out Sakura-san! Who are you loyal to?!"
As he screamed the last few words, the dagger cut deeper, creating a small wound. Blood stained the fabric of her shirt, drawing the attention of every male in the vicinity.
Shikamaru shook his head, foreseeing that this battle didn't end, it had only begun.
"That's it. Now you're dead." Hidan muttered darkly, his scythe already under the masked man's jaw, its blade slicing through skin. His horrified gasp was cut short by Deidara who looked just about ready to explode.
"You're not going to make much art but hell, i'll enjoy this anyway yeah." Already the mouths on his hands were munching on the white clay, his blue eyes pinning the man down.
"Enough talk, I fucking need to make him bleed."
Kisame grit his teeth before responding.
"Agreed. You're gonna pay for hurting angel."
Sasori brought our several puppets all at once, hundreds of daggers jutting from their wooden bellies.
"Foolish boy, let's see how you like a kunai in your body."
Itachi suddenly disappeared, only to reappear a second later holding a pale Sakura in his arms. Once the woman of their affection was safely out of harm's way, all males made their way towards the masked nin who was still trapped thanks to Hidan's scythe. His eyes were wide with fear and his fingers twitched in anxiety, dreading the pain that would come.
"Don't guys."
All of them froze.
Sakura sighed before continuing, her green eyes focused on all the men she'd come to care for.
"Please. He's still a part of my village, my home. If you kill him, it's like killing a part of me."
Still no one spoke. It seemed as if the whole woods was listening to the quiet exchange between Sakura and the former Akatsuki. Her voice had an instant effect on them, stilling their movements and calming them down.
"Sakura-chan...he hurt you." The blonde in the group argued.
"Because he doesn't understand the situation. We…I need to explain everything, properly."
The puppets suddenly poofed into nothingness and the men relaxed, turning their backs to the ANBU man cowering in fear.
"You're fucking lucky that my woman isn't as crazy as I am."
Hidan put more pressure on his scythe for a split second before drawing back his weapon entirely, leaving a nasty cut which bled heavily, soaking the man's shirt a bright red.
The males neared the pinkette, unaware that they were once again creating a protective circle around her. Yet before anymore drama could happen, another voice rung out in the clearing. Another ANBU member, his mask white and covering all emotion save for his voice, which sounded tired, intrigued and much calmer than the previous one.
"I think it is clear that you mean Konoha no harm Sakura-san. It may be too soon to say for your...acquaintances however for now...I believe there is no threat towards the village."
Shikamaru sighed in relief at the masked nin's words….
"Follow us. The Hokage will want to speak with you."
...only to pinch the bridge of his nose in slight irritation.
This was going to be a lot of paperwork.