Author's Notes: Wow, three chapters posted in one day! LOL, please don't get used to it, this is a rare treat! I hope you are enjoying the story so far!

Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned Naruto. I simply play in their world.

Reviews! Reviews! Read, review, post. Rinse and repeat!

The Edge of Rage

Chapter 4

Twenty-four hours ago...

Sasuke came to an abrupt stop within the promised fifteen minutes and despite the foot gear she now wore, Sakura managed to keep up with him. They were on the outskirts of the forest and already she could smell the cooked food and many perfumes from the city. The sun was just rising above the edge and bathed the white sandstone walls golden with its light.

Soon the gates would open for the festivities and Sakura would begin her hunt.

"Remember, you are not to engage your target."

Sakura nodded her head. She was posing as a rich merchant's daughter sent by her father for some new wares. She would make a circuit among the gem sellers and hopefully that would flush out the people stealing the missing women and take her back to where they were being held.

"I understand," she told him, the traces of their earlier flirtation gone from both their tones. "Just make sure you are not seen anywhere around me."

Sasuke graced her with the famous Uchiha smirk. "I am Uchiha, I will be seen only when I choose to show myself."

The pure arrogance in his voice did not rankle Sakura but oddly comforted her. Now here is a partner I could trust with my life.

Sakura blinked as the thought brushed across her mind. Where did that come from? This is my first mission with Sasuke.

"Haruno?"

Sakura shook her head at the question in his voice. "Nothing, I'm fine." she assured him just as she saw the first of many people travel to and from the city.

"That's my cue. Time to go find our missing people."

Sakura turned just as Sasuke pulled with red and white mask over his face. His mask was shaped like that of a wolf.

"I will be watching over you, Nekko-chan." His voice growled out from behind the mask and abruptly he was gone from her sight. There was no disturbance of the wind, no shifting of leaves to give away his position.

He simply disappeared.

Nekko-chan. It was what the other ANBU called her, for her mask was that of a cat. It had surprised her, she had not thought he would know of her nickname among the other black ops. Oddly enough it was Sai who had given her name first and others had picked up on it.

Enough, she told herself and shook off the warmth his words had caused in her, time to concentrate.

Sakura squared her shoulders and without so much as a backward glance, she left her hiding place and sauntered up the trail, slipping neatly in between the early travelers that no one noticed that she had joined their group until she was past the opening gate and already wandering away from the small party.

Time to flush out my prey. Beware hunter for you have now become the hunted.

Two hours later...

"That is a rather interesting jewel around your neck, my lovely."

Sakura turned to the voice of yet another gem seller. Two hours she had canvased the city, pretending to pick out jewels for her non-existent family, dropping hints that she was looking for Kana but so far no one seemed to have taken the bait.

It still might be to early, Sakura reflected even as she smiled at the merchant and walked over to his table, it's not even noon yet. This could take longer than I thought.

"Thank you for the compliment," she told the merchant with a flattering smile, shifting her body so the duster flared and gave the man a glimpse of the clothing beneath the coat.

There was a definite gleam to the man's eyes and it wasn't all on the jade at her neck. "Tell me," she continued even as she pretended to look at the gems on his table, "have you been here long?"

"Many, many years lovely lady. Are you looking for something specific?" he asked, though his eyes never lifted higher than her chest.

Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. What is it with males and cleavage? But this also worked to her advantage. She had found that a suitable distraction allowed her to slip in questions about Kana and the missing women without causing suspicion.

And while they watch my breasts, I can watch their face to see if they are lying to me.

So far all the gem sellers she had met had not seen Kana. She wondered if the woman even managed to look through the market before being snatched away.

"Oh well this is my first time to the festival," Sakura replied, fingering a lovely garnet pendant, "Normally my father sends my brother to the festival to pick out our gems but I begged to go this time."

"I can see why your father would wish to keep a treasure such as yourself hidden away but forgive this old man and indulge me my question. Why did you wish so come to our market this year?"

"Oh my friend Kana is here picking out gems for her sister's wedding. I rarely get to see her, though we are from the same village, and I wanted to spend time with her. But I have not been able to find her..."

Sakura trailed off as she sensed a slight shift of focus from the man. He was no longer so avidly interested in her cleavage as he was pretending now.

Hmmm, perhaps I have found something after all.

Smiling sweetly Sakura bent over his table, as though leaning over to peruse the gems, which pushed her breasts tighter against the fabric of her top. The gem seller swallowed hard, his eyes now glued to her chest.

"You say you have not seen your friend? Well the festival is very large but perhaps I can be of assistance? Do you have a description of this...Kana?"

Sakura kept the smile on her face, even as she clamped down on her rising temper.

He knows something. He appears to be distracted by my body but his voice is too calm, his tone too smooth to be taken over by lust that he is visibly displaying.

"Oh yes! Let's see Kana is about this high," Sakura stood up slowly and held up her hand to just barely above her shoulder, "she had long, beautiful chestnut hair that she always keeps braided and lovely hazel eyes and she is as thin as a willow tree. Oh and she has a birthmark the shape of a star on the left side of her neck."

"A tall, willowy woman with chestnut hair and star-shaped birthmark..." Sakura picked up a chunk of amethyst even as she watched the merchant out of the corner of his eye. There, she saw the beginning of sweat start to form just near the temple but the day was still relatively cool.

"Tell me did this...Kana, wear the same symbol like your pendant?" The merchant asked, pointing to her top.

Sakura let her eyes widen in delighted surprise "Yes, she would have! As I said we are both from the same village, Konoha, and the leaf is our symbol. Tell me have you seen here? I was suppose to have been here days ago but I was late and I'm afraid she left without telling me!" Sakura put a petulant whine her voice, the same she had heard from other rich daughter's when they wanted something.

"Why yes, I have seen such a woman. In fact I believe it was just yesterday that she was at my stall looking at this lovely emerald."

Found you, Sakura thought with concealed triumph. Kana had been missing for over a week. There was no way this merchant could have seen her the day before.

Unless he is one of the people who 'marks' the victims. Kana's birthmark is unusual enough that he would remember marking a woman like her.

"Really!" She exclaimed, setting the chunk of amethyst down, "Did you speak to her?"
"At length, was there something you wished to know?"

Sakura picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it delicately around her finger. "Well I left so quickly because I was so late that I forgot to ask my father where Kana said she was staying at. You said she was looking at the emerald? Did she tell you if she wanted it delivered to where she was staying?"

Sakura gave him her most innocent and beguiling smile and immediately noticed when his genial tone and smile suddenly took on a sinister cast. "Why most certainly...but I fear I must ask for your name. I do believe the woman Kana did say she was meeting up with a friend and mentioned her name, so I must be certain you are she."

"Oh, of course! How silly of me not to tell you my name. I'm Yuuki."

"Wonderful! That is the exact name she mentioned to me. But tell me, why do you not ask your father for her lodging? Surely he is here in the city with you?"

But Sakura shook her head, "Oh no! I came here alone. I told him I wasn't a child anymore and warned my brother that if he so much as followed me I would make sure that the woman he has been pining for would know all his disgusting habits."

The gleam in his eyes told Sakura everything that she needed to know. He knew where Kana was, and if she missed her guess, she would be joining her very shortly.

"What a heartless sister!" but the merchant laughed as he said it, as if sharing in the joke, "but for Kana's friend I will tell you so she does not worry. Go to the Blue Diamond Hotel, that is where she directed me to send her package."

I hope Sasuke is getting all of this through the transmitter. What I wouldn't give to have someone from the Yamanaka clan with me right now!

But in lieu of a sensory nin she would have to trust in the technology around her neck to relay the information to Sasuke.

"You have been most helpful! Thank you!" Sakura gushed at the man, keeping up the charade of the hapless merchants daughter.

The gem seller waived a hand at her. "Think nothing of it, my lovely lady. Tell me, has anything caught your eye? A certain gem to make a man you favor notice you?"

His tone was light, sounding once more like a gem seller but now knowing his identity, Sakura caught the undertones of the seemingly guileless questions.

So this is how he finds if a woman is a virgin or not, hmm? Very well, I shall play along. Sakura forced a blush to her face and fingered the chunk of amethyst once more. "Oh...no," she replied back rather sadly, "My father is much to stern and my elder brother scares off any male I might set my eyes on."

She heaved a dramatic sigh, causing the male eye to wander to her cleavage again and this time their was no feign of lust in his eyes.

"Besides, I have been told many a time that I am too plain and my eyes are a strange color and no male wants a female who is so pale, like milk."

The merchant gave an indignant snort. "Nonsense! Your hair is like the finest jet, your eyes the purest jade and your skin like the most flawless of diamonds. You are a rare beauty, lovely lady."

This time Sakura didn't have to feign the blush on her face. "Oh, you are so sweet! Why if you were a younger male I would say you were flirting with me, but no. You must have several granddaughter's by now?"

The seller waived her off. "Be off with you now! You wound this heart of mine looking upon with such young eyes! Remember, go to the Blue Diamond and tell them Hiroto sent you!"

"Oh I will, I cannot wait to see Kana!" With a jaunty wave Sakura left the merchant's table and lost herself in the crowd. She would wait at least half an hour before going the Blue Diamond. She wanted to give the man time to warn whoever was there that she was coming and she wanted to make sure that Sasuke was receiving the intel through the transmitter embedded in her necklace.

Sakura found a quiet spot off the main path that seemed to be crawling with people. Making sure she looked like one more tourist she stopped at the nearest vendor to grab a drink and sat under one of the few tree's in the city that offered shade, looking as though she were resting and getting out of the glare of the sun.

Leaning back against the cool stone wall, Sakura lifted the cup to her lips and making sure no one was watching her, lifted her other hand to her necklace and pressed the underside of the necklace.

"Urufu-san, can you hear me?" she murmured softly over the rim of cup. Since Sasuke's mask was that of a wolf, it seemed a fitting name to use.

"Loud and clear Nekko-chan. When will you go to the hotel?"

Sakura's lips turned up unconsciously at the sound of his voice. "In another ten minutes," she replied, "I want to give that fat seller a chance to tell the others to expect me."

"I agree. I will follow behind. Be careful."

Sakura pulled her hand away from her pendant and drained the cup before throwing it into the trash. It was time to see if her acting had fooled that disgusting old man. Pushing off the wall, Sakura leisurely wandered through the stands and past more vendors selling anything from food, to drink to cheap trinkets for children.

Once or twice Sakura leaned up against a stall and inquired where she might find lodging for the night and confirmed that she was heading in the right direction. Eventually the crowds began to thin out and there were less vendors and more buildings the further she walked. Fifteen minutes later Sakura saw the hotel.

It looked for all intent and purpose, like any other hotel. There was a sign out front that showed a glowing blue diamond on a white background. She noticed that it was a little further away that some of the other hotels and that there were many alleyways that led to and from the hotel.

With an inward sigh, Sakura made her way to the hotel and walked through the glass door. Greeting her eyes was a white and blue desk where a young man with short brown hair and amber eyes awaited her. He wore a dangling tear drop diamond from one ear. His clothing was nothing more than a plain white shirt with the cuffs turned back to show off tanned arms.

Sakura forced her legs to keep walking to the desk, even as shock threatened to stop her short. The young man behind the desk was no civilian.

He was Shinobi.