Sakura woke in Shisui's arms, she hadn't recalled falling asleep or passing out. She pushed her way out of his embrace looking around for Madara, he was nowhere to be seen. She settled back into the warmth Shisui provided and tried to recall every detail from the night. She was interrupted by Shisui.
"Sakura, what was that thing, was it trying to take you somewhere?" He hugged her to him as he asked her.
"It was." She hesitated, should she tell him? She had kept it a secret for the last three years, she thought it was her imagination but Shisui saw something, he referred to Madara as a thing.
"Did it look like someone to you?" She asked him a question instead of answering his.
"I couldn't make out any details but it looked like a shadow of a human, do you know what it is?" He looked down at her.
"I think it was." She took a deep breath, "Madara Uchiha." She could feel his grip tighten around her.
"Madara Uchiha of the warring states era, you mean one of the founders of Konoha." Shisui pushed her.
"Yes, he talks to me sometimes, comes to me when I'm alone. He doesn't always talk sometimes he just watches me. I don't know why. This is the first time he tried to reach for me though, tried to get me to go somewhere with him." She sounded crazy, she knew, it sounded crazy even to herself.
"Where did he want to take you?" Shisui asked her kissing the top of her head.
"Into the cave, we were standing beside." She told him.
"I didn't see a cave Sakura, there are no caves here that I know of," Shisui confirmed what she had thought, that the cave hadn't been there before.
"I thought he was in my head, I thought I had imagined him, like a dream. I see ghosts from my past every day, sometimes they talk to me, but most don't. I thought he was just another ghost." Sakura told him.
"You need sleep, I'll take you back to camp."
He picked her up and flickered back to camp and laid her in her bedroll then went to find Itachi and tell him everything he had seen and what they talked about.
Morning came and with it more questions. Itachi found her by the river washing her face before they left to continue their mission.
"Sakura, Shisui told me about last night. How often does he come to you?" He asked her, no hint of disbelief or mocking in his voice, only concern.
"Usually when I train alone, sometimes when I read but always when I am alone, the first time was three years ago in the land of waves." She told him what she had told Shisui.
Itachi wanted to ask her more but he could tell she was holding something back. He didn't want to pressure her, he knew she kept secrets, things she couldn't or wouldn't tell them.
Itachi nodded, "I think until we can understand why he is coming to you, you shouldn't be alone. Shisui, Sasuke and I would be happy to train with you. You told Sshisui he had never tried to take you anywhere or make physical contact with you before last night. I think because the situation has changed and as I said, we don't know what he wants with you, it might be best if you stay close to others and not go off on your own."
Sakura understood why he was saying this, "If, if he comes again, I will just ask him what he wants from me, maybe, maybe he will tell me?" She said hopefully.
Itachi smiled at her," Maybe."
They went back to camp together and the two teams left to continue their mission.
Evening the next day brought them to stand on the main road of a small village. It was a favorite summer village of the Lord of the Fire country, who liked to visit with his family, who had commissioned their mission.
"I am Hama", an old woman introduced herself to them as they entered the village's main building. "Thank you for coming, which one of you is the healer, I will take you to the sick myself."
Sakura stepped forward, "I am the healer." She smiled at Hama.
"You are so young! Follow me then, we will see if you live up to your reputation." and the old crone walked out of the room leaving Sakura to follow.
Kakashi went with her while the others unpacked their things at the inn.
Hama led them to a grouping of small little homes on the edge of the village. Each house had its own yard but shared a well in the center of the grouping Sakura noticed. Hama told them as they walked that this was the center housing for the councils of the village, mostly retired but a few still served on the board. In other words, important people Sakura mused.
They entered the first house to a sickly sweet smell in the air, of semi rotted meat. Kakashi stiffened at her side but didn't cover his mouth. They were led into a small bedroom, richly decorated with a small unmoving figure laid out uncovered.
"The ones who are ill tend to run high fevers, vomit frequently, cry out in pain. can not keep much down and are wasting away. They float in and out of consciousness and do not remember who or where they are, possibly due to the high fever and lack of sustenance." Hama told Sakura as she stepped forward to place chakra infused hands on the small elderly woman in the bed.
"Her chakra is being blocked, she is a retired shinobi?" Sakura didn't know there were shinobi in the land of fire that weren't in Konoha, unless she was an old missing nin.
"No, she chose a different path but she had a great reserve of chakra I am told." Hama gave Kakashi a wary eye. "Not all who have the gift of chakra chose to use it."
"Indeed, some use it to heal others like I am right now." Sakura said to the old hag.
"I can smell the blood on you child, young as you may be, make no mistake, you are a monster." Hama made her opinion of them clear.
"Yes, well, monster or not, I am going to save them, I do not expect your gratitude, I can see you will have none, but I am a ninja, and I will fulfill my duty. You may leave." Sakura told Hama and she left.
"The well Sakura, do you think it might be poisoned?" Kakashi asked her after Hama had gone.
"Yes, I will need samples and we will need to board it off and not let anyone use it till I get the test results. I can feel a foreign substance in her blood, blocking her chakra, it is most likely poison, I will need to check the others." She walked out of the bedroom and headed for the next house.
Three hours later found that each person, 5 in all, were all former council members and close friends of the Lord of the land of fire. They were indeed poisoned and it had come from the contaminated well. It was after midnight before Sakura laid down to rest in the small inn room provided to her. Kakashi lay asleep on a pallet across from hers.
She would need to make an antidote and see if the well could be sterilized and the poison drawn out so it could still be used. She had withdrawn a few samples of the poison from the well and matched them to the samples she had drawn out of the sick. It was a complex poison but not unlike one she had seen before. In her other life, Sasori of the Red Sand, had invented it, it had almost killed Kankoro.
Where were the Akatsuki now, was Obito still controlling them or did he die under that rock, where did Madara come into the picture. There were so many questions, so many things she didn't know, so many things she still had to change somehow. Sleep was impossible. She got off her bedding and walked back outside into the warm summer night. A masked figure dropped down beside her, Shisui.
"Can't sleep my little flower?" He teased her.
"No, too much is on my mind." She smiled at him.
"Hum, like deadly wasting poisons or spirits of the long dead come to lure you into caves?" His voice was slightly muffled through his mask but she could tell he was smiling.
"There is a group of, missing nin from different countries that have banded together out there somewhere, to the world they seem like terrorists, rogue evil nin set on destruction but, " She hesitated, "Their ultimate goal is world peace. They are just willing to kill a lot of people to get there."
"My little enigma, we never asked you, you know. How you knew about the coup or Danzo. Kakashi told us you killed Gato in the land of waves." He paused here and watched her for her reaction.
"They needed to be killed, they were evil, selfish men, the world is better without them in it." She defended herself.
"I agree, but that doesn't explain how you knew about Danzo or went off mission to kill Gato. It's like you have your own private missions, that no one but you knows about." Shisui reached out and tucked a strand of flyaway hair behind her ear. "Trust us Sakura, you don't have to do it alone, whatever it is you're doing."
He hugged her then. "Itachi and I trust you. Sasuke trusts you, and you can trust Kakashi."
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck putting her head on his shoulder, her face buried in his neck. "Thank you Shisui, let me think a few things over, then, maybe we can all sit down and talk."
She sighed into his neck and his heart skipped a beat, his grip around her waist tightened, "Whenever you're ready beautiful."
"I think I will try to get some sleep, after all, thanks Shisui." She kissed his mask and went back inside to lay down.
Itachi dropped down beside Shisui, "She carries a lot on her small shoulders."
"Everything she has done has been for the good of Konoha or the good of something or someone. She killed Gato, now that little town is thriving, the bridge brought commerce and wealth to those once poor destitute people. Danzo is dead, out clan is safe because of her. We owe her more than she knows. More than our clan knows." Shisui looked up to the window of the room Sakura and Kakashi were sharing.
"How does she know these things, It is almost as if...she has been here before. Her chakra levels, her insane skill at such a young age, it seems impossible under normal circumstances." Itachi said.
"But under extraordinary circumstances?" Shisui smiled at his cousin, "Such as time travel?" Shisui was grinning now. "She might be older than us then after all."
"It is possible, but I don't think we should push her. If that is the case, she will not tell us openly." Itachi was looking at the stars overhead.
"It is possible, my body flicker is warping time after all, just on a smaller scale. It would explain a lot." Shisui rubbed his hand through his hair, making it stick out everywhere.
"Hn." was all Itachi said and they went back to their watch.
Morning came and Sakura was hard at work drawing the poison out of her patients with the buckets of water, back and forth for hours on end. She took a break at mid day with only one patent left to draw poison from. Sasuke and Kakashi had spent the morning testing the water and then using their chakra to purify the well, they were exhausted as they sat down for lunch. Sakura's hair had come loose in her efforts and she tied it up over her head in annoyance. Sasuke was sitting next to her massaging her sore hands while the others ate.
After lunch, she went to find her last patient and began the tiresome extraction, an hour later she was done and was feeling the afterglow of her efforts. Hama found her sitting outside of the last house running her fingers through her tangled hair.
"It seems you do live up to your name little girl. I am impressed. I heard your friends saying that you have encountered this poison before. Might I ask where you encountered it?" Hama sat close to her on the small bench and it made Sakura a little uneasy.
"It was long ago, in the land of wind, another life." Sakura laughs and waves her hand in the air as if dismissing her joke.
"Indeed, and who was the wielder of such a genius poison, for you admitted it took some great skills to make it." Hama pressed her point.
"It doesn't matter who made it, only that I was familiar with it and I have cured those affected by it." Sakura didn't like Hama, and she didn't like the questions she was asking.
"I think it does matter. I do not remember encountering a pink haired medic nin in my travels and certainly not one who could find an antidote to my poison." Hama looked her dead in the eye.
Sakura jumped to her feet and drew her katana, "Sasori."
Three masked figures fell beside Sakura from the rooftops.
"Who are you little girl, and how do you know so much about my poisons? You said you encountered my poison in the land of wind, in another life, what does that mean." Sasori said through the guise of the old Hag, a puppet no doubt.
"I told you, it doesn't matter!" Sakura leaped into the air coming down on the chakra strings she knew were there cutting them with her katana she had infused with chakra.
"He is a puppet master, the best in the world, his specialty is deadly poison, he is a prodigy, do not underestimate him!" She yelled to Itachi, Neji, and Shisui.
They nodded but were already in motion.
Sasori stepped out from the shadows of the houses where he had been controlling the puppet Hama, "So, you do know me. Pity, I don't have time to find out how."
Several scrolls fell to the ground and unrolled, he called his puppets out and the fight began.
Sometimes she forgot how strong her boys were until she saw them in action. Itachi was a graceful fighter, almost beautiful in his movements, weaving in and out of the chakra lines with ease, sending his crows out with a flick of his fingers.
Shisui was more confusing to watch but no less graceful. He body flickered here and there, in and out, up and down, he was amazing when he did make contact, puppet parts went flying past her head.
Neji was darting in and out cutting chakra strings so Sasori had to constantly reconnect losing precious seconds.
Kakashi appeared beside her smiling his crinkle smile with Sasuke not far behind.
"Sorry, we're late Sakura," Kakashi said before he jumped into the fight kunai flying, Sasuke drawing his own katana and going after the closest puppet.
"Looks like I'm outnumbered but before I go." Sasori pulled out a small scroll and a little black bug with wings flew out of the seal heading straight for Sakura, she dodged it and tried to get away but it landed on her shoulder and bite into her neck sucking out some blood and then flew back to Sasori to be sealed away again in his scroll.
Sakura dropped to the ground in pain grabbing her shoulder where she had been bitten.
"No!"Sasuke screamed and went for Sasori head on only to be stopped by Kakashi in time to see the razor sharp flash of the sword that almost took Sasuke's head off.
"I must go, enjoy suffering slowly little girl, thank you for your blood, we will meet again if you survive." Sasori turned and then vanished in a burst of smoke.
Itachi and Kakashi fell down beside Sakura and turned her over, trying to get her to unclench and lay flat but she refused and stayed hunched over and drawn in upon herself.
"Sakura, sakura are you poisoned?" It was Sasuke speaking to her she could hear the terror in his voice as he bent over her.
"Yes", she grits out, '' my bag, get my bag, blue tube, I need the blue one." She bit out in between the spasms of pain.
Sasuke raced to her room and back holding her bag, he dumped it out on the ground next to her finding the blue tube and uncorking it dumped it into her mouth.
It took everything she had to unclench her teeth and swallow. After a few minutes, the pain had subsided enough for her to lay flat but the poison wasn't out of her system yet.
"Two bowls of water, I need to extract the rest, hurry." She told anyone who would get the water for her, Itachi went.
"Can you, can you do this on yourself?" Neji asked her, he had seen her do it with her other patients, it seemed unlikely she would be able to complete the process while maintaining consciousness.
"Yes, because he doesn't think I can do it, that's why I have to." Words forced through her teeth.
Itachi smiled at her."I know you can do it Sakura, just tell me what you need us to do."
"Make sure I don't knock over the bowls of water and don't get in my way." She tried to smile but couldn't. "Okay, don't talk to me I need to concentrate." and she punched chakra into her hands and started to push water into her body with one hand and pull out the poison with her other hand.
She couldn't help it, she started screaming incoherent words, the pain was too much as she worked. Her team and the Anbu looked at each other with worried expressions. They caught some of the words she had said like, 4th world war, damn puppet master, again, fucking Akatsuki, stupid Madara, and I killed him once do I have to do it again.
It seemed like hours before she finally stopped, passed out on the ground before them. It had taken three times as long but she had done it.
Kakashi had carried her back up to their shared room and put her to bed. He came back down to the lobby of the inn to find the rest of them there talking in low voices. "You heard what she said right?" He asked them.
"Yes", they all said or nodded.
Kakashi looked at the Hyuuga, "This stays between us."
Neji nodded hesitantly.
"This is now an Anbu only mission, I vouch for Sasuke. Sakura is an unofficial member, Itachi and I are captains but I am the senior captain and am pulling rank, this stays between us." He said again.
Everyone nodded more firmly this time.
Each took turns sitting with Sakura, each was worried about her. It had taken a lot out of her. She had already used a lot of her chakra that day extracting the poison from the sick villagers. It was clear that the villagers were poisoned to draw Sakura out. Sasori had made it clear he wanted to test her abilities first hand. He had taken some of her blood, no one could come up with a viable theory as to why he might want her blood, only that it couldn't be for a good reason.
She slept through the rest of the day and the night waking the next morning. Shisui and Sasuke were sitting in the room playing cards when she opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She felt weak still but she was hungry.
"How do you feel?" Sasuke asked her holding her hand.
"Hungry." She said and as if on cue her stomach rumbled.
They laughed and Shisui left to go get her some food while Sasuke sat with her.
"Sakura you're amazing, I can't believe you took the poison out of yourself right after a battle, after you worked all morning on the others." He held her hand tight as he shook his head in awe.
Shisui returned with soup and Kakashi.
Her mouth started to water at the sight of the soup. Shisui went to hand her the bowl but she couldn't lift her hand to take it.
"I'll feed you." Sasuke said and took the bowl from Shisui who frowned at him clearly he had wanted to be the one to feed her. Kakashi rolled his eyes and sat in a chair in the corner.
Sakura rolled her eyes and obediently opened her mouth when Sasuke spooned up some soup and held it in front of her face.
"This is stupid." She muttered as he spoon fed her another bite.
Sasuke didn't say anything but smirked as he lifted the spoon to her mouth again.
"So, Sakura, want to tell us what's going on now?" Shisui prompted.
"When we get home. I can't yet, but I will. I need to recover and I need to think. Something, I can't tell you, it might affect things that are supposed to happen, or cause things to happen that shouldn't. I will tell you, just give me a little time, I want to make sure I do it right." She smiled weakly.
Shisui nodded. "I understand."
"Well I don't." Sasuke began but was shushed by Kakashi.
"Let her rest Sasuke, she has been through more than you know." Kakashi was looking at Sakura in a way that made her a bit uncomfortable, like he was trying to figure something out.
Kakashi, Sakura thought, what would it mean to him to know Obito was alive, if he was alive and what he had become, he had little time to process it during the war, what would he do when she told him? Later, she thought, I need to rest now.
Sakura sighed content, the soup had been delicious and now full, she was tired again, her eyes closing on their own. A muffled laugh from the left and she laid back down and fell asleep.
"She really is remarkable isn't she?" Shisui said looking down at her.
"Yea." the others agreed and left Shisui to sit with her while she rested.