Capitulum XIV – I eat men like Danzo for breakfast.

Shit definitely hit the fan last night.

Her original plan of seducing Sasuke into admitting they still had chemistry completely backfired. Instead of a confession from Sasuke, she was the one to affirm her feelings for him. Sakura hadn't planned on telling him that, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing. Hearing him say that he thought their marriage had been worthless just hurt too much. She felt the need to prove him wrong, to remind him of all the happiness and love they had shared, to assure him that what they had was real. After betraying him, Sakura knew that he would doubt her feelings for him. But she never thought Sasuke's doubts would go so far as to make him view their marriage as meaningless.

She replayed the incidents of last night in her head over and over again, trying to figure out whether or not she could have handled it better. Sakura wasn't sure if confessing her feelings was the right choice. She had stormed off after telling him and Sasuke had left her suite shortly after that without saying a word, so she had no clue how he had taken it. Their relationship, if one could even call it that, had been precarious from the start, but now things had become even more complicated.

It was the first time in years that Sakura actually found herself mad at Sasuke. As much as it hurt her to hear him say her wedding vows were worth nothing, it angered her just as much. Sakura knew she didn't really have a right to be mad because of this; after all it was her fault that Sasuke had doubts about her feelings and intentions in the first place. Still, it aggravated her that he had dragged their most precious memory together through the dirt as if it really did mean nothing to him.

Her oppressive thoughts were interrupted when Sakura heard a voice next to her. "We'll be arriving at the gallery any moment now. Are you nervous?"

She looked into Gaara's green eyes and tried to hide her worries with a smile.

"Please. I eat men like Danzo for breakfast."

Sakura heard a deep chuckle escape his lips. Ever so subtly, he grinned at her with pure mischief in his eyes. "I'm sure you do. But in case anything does go sideways, I'll be there." Gaara's hand reached out to touch her own. His warm fingers encircled hers and he gave Sakura a reassuring look. A gentle smile spread across her lips. "Thank you."

The door of his car was opened and Gaara helped Sakura step out onto the red carpet leading into the art gallery. Buzzing crowds and flashing cameras surrounded them as they made their way to the entrance of the building. They were immediately greeted by a waiter offering them champagne. Grabbing two glasses, Gaara and Sakura headed towards the lobby to meet with the others. There was a stage on the other end of the hall and rows of empty seats in front of it. The auction hadn't yet begun; the guests were still strolling around the gallery, inspecting the art works or dancing to the music of the string quartet.

Sakura let her gaze roam around in search of familiar faces, but she couldn't recognise anyone. She suddenly felt Gaara's hand on her back pulling her to him. Setting down her glass on the tray of the waiter next to her, Sakura rested her left arm on Gaara's shoulder as they started swaying to the sound of the violins.

"I never took you for a dancer.", she joked while grinning up at him. "I never took you for someone who could scoff two McDonald's menus plus a giant sundae. It seems there are still things we both don't know about the other." Sakura had to laugh thinking back to their lunch. She prided herself in being a foodie, but every now and then even she resorted to fast food.

"Well, you know all that shopping and walking around left me hungry. By the way, thank you again for the dress, I really love it." Gaara lowered his eyes to look at Sakura's dark green satin gown he had bought her during their shopping spree through Sapporo. She could feel her cheeks heat up from his gaze. "Well I can't have my escort running around in a potato sack now, can I?" Sakura bit her lip to keep herself from laughing. Instead she grinned and leaned into him. Letting out a sigh, she swayed to the melody of the quartet and allowed herself to enjoy the serenity of this peaceful moment, before their mission would begin.

Looking at their intertwined hands, she said, "Thank you for spending the day with me, I really had great fun. I didn't even know I needed this distraction." – "Let me guess, tough day at the office?" Sakura snorted and pursed her lips. A look of annoyance immediately graced her face. "You have no idea. My boss is a jerk." – "That's bound to happen when you work with your ex-husband, little one. But you have to give him some time, he'll warm up to you eventually."

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. Letting her gaze aimlessly wander through the crowds, she asked, "Why is everyone telling me to give him some time? He was unequivocal when he practically told me he hates my guts and I'm sick of running after him, because this isn't easy for me either. You know, I might just give up on winning him back."

Sakura's voice became a whisper and she turned her head to face Gaara so the other guests around her wouldn't see her sad expression. The music stopped suddenly and she could make out a voice asking the visitors to take their seats as the auction was about to begin. She watched the crowd head towards the stage as she looked for Sasuke, when Gaara's voice made her turn around again.

"The mission has begun. Danzo is here somewhere, but we have to draw him out. I will provide a distraction and you guys prepare for the assault. My men have snuck in weapons and other gear you might find useful; you will find them in the lockers down in the basement. Once you're ready, we'll proceed with our plan. Alright?" The comforting look on Gaara's face disappeared and was replaced with the expression of a cold and calculating criminal mastermind.

Sakura nodded and was just about to leave the lobby, when she felt his hands cup her face. "Don't worry too much about Sasuke, he'll come around eventually. As much as I hate to admit it, you two belong together, so get those thoughts out of your head and concentrate on our plan. I refuse to see you battered and bruised at the end of this mission, you hear me?" Sakura was just about to say something when she felt Gaara's lips on hers giving them a short peck. "Be careful.", he said before spinning around and heading towards the stairs.

Sakura could hear the sound of glass shattering somewhere behind her, but paid it no attention as she watched the red haired man disappear into the crowd. She stood there, stunned for a moment, before shaking her head and leaving for the basement.


He tried to concentrate on Karin's fingers wrapping the bandages around his right hand, but he couldn't get the image out of his head. Sasuke was beside himself.

How dare he. What in the world gave him the right to do what he just did? And in front of his own eyes, no less. As Sasuke clenched his fist, he imagined wrapping his bleeding hand around that bastard's neck.

Karin's voice interrupted his sadistic thoughts and he looked into her eyes. "The next time you watch someone kissing your ex-wife, can you at least not hold a glass in your hand and break it into a million pieces? You can't run around shooting people when your one good shooting hand is bleeding." – "I have two good shooting hands, one of with I will use to kill that Sabakuno bastard.", Sasuke growled.

After Karin finished bandaging up his hand, they stood up and made their way out of the bathroom. The crowd of guests has moved to the stage since the auction had already begun. Sasuke let his gaze roam around his surroundings, going over the plan in his head again. "You go wait in the parking lot and get the car ready. This won't take long." As he watched Karin nod out of the corner of his eye, he spun around and headed towards the lockers in the basement.

Walking down the stairs and turning around the corner, he was suddenly met with a half-naked Sakura. "What the hell do you think you're doing?", he snarled. Sakura discarded her evening gown and grabbed a black catsuit out of the locker. As Sasuke watched her slip into the tight outfit, she answered coldly, "You don't expect me to go on a killing spree in a floor-length satin dress and high heels, do you? Also, what the hell happened to your hand?" - "None of your concern.", he growled.

Opening another locker, Sasuke found a sniper rifle, a Kevlar vest, a box full of ammo and all kinds of other equipment they might need for their hit on Danzo. He grabbed the vest and threw it to Sakura, while strapping a submachine gun around his torso. Sasuke snatched the sniper rifle and together, they silently made their way to the rooftop of the gallery.

As soon as they opened the door a cold breeze hit them. They walked over to the edge of the roof to look down at the back alley of the building, where they expected Danzo to come out any second. The sudden noise of Sasuke's radio beeping disrupted their silence. Gaara's voice could be heard on the other end. "You guys ready?" Sasuke grasped the small object and pushed a button. "We're in position. How the hell do you know Danzo will take this exit once you start the distraction?" – "It's the exit I would take as well. It's the closest to the main street. He'll be there, I'm sure of it." With a menacing voice, Sasuke answered, "You better be."

He lifted the rifle and threw it to Sakura. His eyes were met with her surprised look as she eyed the rifle now in her hands. "I thought you wanted to kill him." Sasuke let his gaze fall on his wrist watch, when he said, "My hands aren't steady enough. I had too much to drink last night."

"I wonder why.", he heard her dry remark next to him. As he watched her adjust the rifle scope, Sasuke waited for the commotion to start. Right on cue, they heard screams of the guests in the lobby, people yelling that they smell gas and needed to evacuate the building immediately. Only a few moments later, the sound of an engine roaring up filled the night. Sasuke looked down into the back alley and spotted two black cars headed for the main street. They came to a sudden halt, however, as they found their way blocked by Gaara's men.

"He's in the second car.", Gaara's voice informed them through the radio. Sasuke watched Danzo's security detail getting out of the front car and arguing with Gaara's men to let them through. They were armed to the teeth and had their faces hidden by white porcelain masks with animal faces painted on them.

"As soon as he steps out, shoot him in the head.", Sasuke commanded keeping his gaze fixated on the action happening below. The door of the second car finally opened, and Sakura's eyes followed the movement of the men in the back alley through the scope of her rifle. She could see an older man in an expensive suit stepping out, but he had his back turned to them. "I can't see his face, do we need visual confirmation first?", she asked Sasuke. "No, it must be him. Kill the bastard."

Sakura exhaled all the air left in her lungs and held her breath in order to calm herself and slow her heartbeat. Bending her finger, she watched the man below her turn around just as she pulled the trigger. The bullet shot through the air and hit the target right between his eyes. As Sakura watched a trail of blood run down his face, she cursed. "Fuck, it's not Danzo."

Sasuke didn't even have time to react, as the men below found their position and started shooting at them. They both ran for cover and sprinted towards the door to get back into the building. Rushing down the stairs, they heard the crackling sound of the radio, followed by Gaara's loud voice. "What the fuck just happened?" Sasuke grabbed the device and held it to his mouth, as he yelled back, "You tell me, fucker. I thought you were sure Danzo was going to take this exit." – "He did, those are his men. It's not my fault you didn't wait for the guy to turn around. But he's got to be here somewhere." Sasuke pushed the radio back into his pocket and lead Sakura to the parking lot of the back alley.

They both took cover behind a pillar and turned around the corner to watch the gunfight between Danzo's security detail and Gaara's men. The sudden noise of heels clicking made them both raise their weapons. "Whoa, easy guys, it's me." Karin approached them with a concerned look. She watched the two of them relax and lower their weapons. As Karin crouched down in front of them, she looked at Sasuke questioningly. "This totally escalated. What do we do now?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sakura fumbling with something strapped to her leg, only to realise she was holding a smoke bomb in her right hand.

Grinning widely, Sakura declared, "Now, we kick some ass."

She reached back and threw the bomb right into the middle of the fighting crowd and waited for the smoke to engulf the men. All three of them stood up, sprinted towards the smoke cloud and started taking out Danzo's confused and startled guards one by one. Sakura drew out a knife she tucked into one of the many pockets of her catsuit and went for everyone with a white mask on his face, while Sasuke opted for the more direct approach of shooting everyone in the head with his submachine gun. Karin punched her way through, leaving a trail of unconscious bodies behind her until she came face to face with the tallest of the men.

Hitting his jaw with her clenched fist, she knocked off his mask and watched him tumble back. As the smoke started to dissipate, Karin caught a glimpse of his face and her eyes widened. She turned her head towards where she thought Sasuke was standing and yelled, "I found Danzo. He's here." Two strong arms quickly wrapped around her and pulled her back. Karin struggled to get out of Danzo's grip, when she felt the sudden pain of a bullet piercing her left shoulder. It wounded Danzo as well, for she heard him gasp and felt his grip loosen. As Karin's body was falling to the ground, she could faintly make out two silhouettes approaching her, before everything went black.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock as she watched Karin's body hit the floor in front of Danzo. She could feel the rage bubble up inside her, and with a scream she lunged at him. Evading his punches and landing a few of her own, Sakura managed to land a hit on his wounded shoulder, but failed to see his right hand punching her in the stomach. A searing pain went through her body and Sakura had to gasp for air.

She suddenly felt Danzo's foot pushing her to the ground and his hands gripping her hair and holding up her head. Her eyes took in the sight in front of her; bodies lying on the floor, blood splatters everywhere and Sasuke standing in front of her, pointing his gun at Danzo and glaring at him with furious eyes.

"Did you really think I would be this easy to kill, boy? You're a fool, just like all the Uchiha.", Danzo growled as he gripped Sakura's pink tresses even tighter. "That's no way to talk about the family of the man you're working for. Tell me, what did Madara promise you to make you rid Tokyo of all his enemies?"

A loud laughter filled the back alley. Danzo spat out the blood from his mouth and looked at Sasuke with a deceitful grin while shaking his head. "You're so naïve, Uchiha. You think you have the entire world figured out, don't you. And yet you allowed yourself to be fooled by this whore." Looking down at Sakura in disgust, Danzo snapped back her head to the point it hurt. "If a stupid little girl like her is able to cloud your judgement, then it doesn't surprise me you still haven't figured out my plan." He observed Sasuke's expression and paid no attention to the woman beneath him.

That was when Sakura pulled out another knife, reached back to Danzo's hands and sliced through her hair. Exploiting his momentary confusion, she crawled away and yelled, "Shoot him, Sasuke!"

The sound of a bullet whizzing through the air could be heart, followed by a loud thump of Danzo's body hitting the ground. Out of the corner of her eye Sakura could make out Sasuke walking past her and approaching a stertorous Danzo. "You fool… Do you have any idea of the things I've done to come this far, to be able to stop him. Now he has no one opposing him… Except for you and your incompetent little henchmen maybe, but you are worth nothing.", Danzo spat as his hands covered the bleeding wound on his belly. Sasuke looked down at the man lying on the ground to his feet. "What are you talking about?" A chuckle escaped Danzo's lips and blood spilled out of his mouth as he spoke.

"I wasn't working for Madara, you stupid little brat. I pretended to help him… I told him I would kill everyone in Tokyo that stood in his way, but in secret… I kept up their work. I was going to destroy that Uchiha bastard from the inside out… But you managed to eliminate the only force capable of stopping him, you created a power vacuum that Madara will exploit immediately… No wonder your cursed family is no more, you Uchihas are so easily manipulated… Just like your brother, he was-"

A fist suddenly hit Danzo's face and shut him up. At the mention of his brother's name, Sasuke couldn't control his rage anymore. He was beside himself. There was only Danzo's bruised and battered face in front of him that bled more and more with every punch. Sasuke felt the rage and thirst for vengeance seethe inside him. No one insulted his brother, least of all such a scumbag as Danzo. All Sasuke saw was blood; he completely lost himself.

Then, there was her voice. She called out to him.

The sound of her screaming his name stopped him for a split second, before he clenched his jaw and landed another hit. He could suddenly feel her arms wrap around him, pulling him away from the beaten up man on the ground. Sasuke's livid eyes were still fixated on Danzo, but he could feel his rage lessen. Sakura's voice was faint at first, he couldn't even make out what she was saying, but now it has penetrated his mind.

Suddenly he became aware of her; she was standing in front of him, her arms still wrapped around him and her anxious eyes searching his own and her voice asking him to calm down. "Sasuke-kun, please, he's not worth it. Don't listen to him."

A rattle could be heard from Danzo. He looked up at Sasuke with a grin and said, "Yes, Sasuke-kun, listen to your whore."

Those were Danzo Shimura's last words. Because in that exact moment, Sasuke put a bullet in his brain.

"Burn in hell."