Hello, everyone! The second chapter is here! I hope that you guys are enjoying my story so far. Let's hope that y'all will continue to enjoy it later on.
I don't have much to say this time. So, I guess I'll just let y'all go onto the story now. Please review!
Bye!
~SG~
P.S. There will by cursing in the story because I'm too lazy to censor it. I will give y'all a heads-up though, so it shouldn't strike completely out-of-the-blue.
Disclaimer: I do not own the show Naruto, or any of its characters. That privilege belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
The Fifth Kazekage observed quietly as chaos overran Tsunade's office. Sea foam green eyes flitted between the increasingly irritated Hokage and the seemingly frantic shinobi in front of her desk. The Konoha ninjas, with the addition of Temari and Kankuro, took the Akatsuki alliance better than either village leader predicted; however, the group is still widely in opposition. Gaara was dragged from his thoughts by the Kyuubi container.
"What about you, Gaara?" Naruto intoned. "The Akatsuki almost succeeded in killing you, and yet, you're willing to form an alliance anyway?"
The former Ichibi jinchuuriki leaned forward, red bangs covering his eyes and tattoo, "I'm well-aware of the dangers of allying with this particular group. However," Gaara paused, collecting his thoughts, "I believe that this step could prove beneficial to both the Sand and Leaf villages."
Karin snorted, "Yeah, because having a highly dangerous group of S-Rank criminals in the village is a good thing."
"Although, Karin's sarcasm was unnecessary," Ino replied, "I have to agree that this seems like a bad idea."
Tsunade and Gaara shared a quick glance. The busty blonde cleared her throat, gathering the attention of everyone present. "It wasn't an easy decision for us to make, but we have thought it out carefully."
The Kazekage picked up from there, "The Akatsuki will only reside in the Leaf Village while the treaty is being signed. Once that is finished, they will return to their own home."
"Okay, say that they actually do honor the treaty," Shikamaru began. "What are the conditions for the alliance?"
And this is where the real trouble starts, Tsunade thought. Looking straight at the original members of Team 7, the Hokage began the explanation. "The Akatsuki will be doing missions that we, Gaara and I, deem too dangerous for our own shinobi, as well as giving us any necessary assistance that we may need. In return, we will supply them with another source of income and a highly trained medic."
Surprisingly, Hinata was the one to voice the question on everyone's mind. "Who i-is the m-m-medic-nin that will be joining th-them?"
With a final shared glance between green and gold, Gaara replied, "The medic ninja that will go with the Akatsuki is Haruno Sakura."
The room full of highly trained and seasoned shinobi was shocked speechless. The thought on most people's minds was that the two leaders were playing a cruel practical joke. None of them could believe that the pinkette would be tossed into a den of wolves, such as the Akatsuki. The majority of Konoha 12 may have viewed Sakura as weak, but she was still an important friend to them, even though they hadn't seen her since they left to search for Sasuke and Team Taka.
Naruto stunned everyone when he began laughing. It started as a soft chuckle, then transformed into a boisterous bellow. "Ah ha ha, that was a good one, Baa-chan. Sakura becoming a member of the Akatsuki, ha ha. Seriously though, who is it?"
At Tsunade's silence, the crowd in her office realized that she wasn't joking. Ino stepped forward, intent on getting the Hokage to change her mind. She could handle anyone else going, even herself. Anyone but her best friend, Sakura. It would be too dangerous for her.
"You can't allow this, Lady Hokage," the icy-eyed blonde stated.
"Oh, really?" the Hokage questioned with a quirk of her eyebrow, her eyes seeming to mock the younger blonde.
Ino raised her head defiantly. "Tell the Akatsuki to pick someone else, anyone else, but Sakura."
Naruto nodded emphatically, "Ino's right. Just tell them to choose another medic. If they want the alliance bad enough, it shouldn't make a difference to them."
"I can't do that," Tsunade stated firmly.
"Why not?" Sai, a creepy smile plastered on his face, questioned.
"Because they didn't choose her," she revealed, "I did."
"You can't be serious," Naruto shouted, stepping closer to the desk. "Why would you do that?"
The blonde jinchuuriki's movement was halted by Kakashi's hand on his shoulder. "I don't mean to be rude, but there is something that should be mentioned, in case you were unaware when you made your decision."
His eyes focused on amber orbs, seriousness swimming in the black depths. "Several months ago, Konan, the sole female member of the Akatsuki, left to be with a civilian merchant. If Sakura were to go with the Akatsuki, she would be the only girl in an organization filled with highly dangerous male criminals."
This information brought forth an even bigger wave of protests. Konoha 12, their former senseis, Temari, and Kankuro were horrified by the thought that the girl they all knew, and some loved, was about to be forced into an all-male criminal organization.
The shouts were quickly eradicated when Tsunade slammed her hand onto her desk as she stood, a crack forming in the middle of the wooden furniture. Molten amber orbs glared at the other occupants of the room. "I do know about Konan's departure."
Ino opened up her mouth to protest, but quickly changed her mind when the golden glare flashed to her.
"Now let me make one thing perfectly clear," the Hokage growled out. "I am in charge. What I say, goes. So, if I decide that Sakura should go with the Akatsuki, then she goes with the Akatsuki."
After a beat of silence, Neji asked the question lingering on everyone's mind, "Why?"
Tsunade straightened up, "That is none of your concern."
Warning: Foul language up ahead.
Even though there was more that the group wanted to know, the Hokage and Kazekage thought it would be best for the younger shinobi to get ready for the Akatsuki's arrival, while the two leaders conversed with Temari, Kankuro, and the former instructors.
The young shinobi were silent as they descended from the Hokage Tower. The grating voice of a particular red-haired young woman broke the conversational lull. "What's so bad about this Sakura chick going with the Akatsuki?"
Everyone stopped in their tracks, stunned by her bluntness. Karin took in the wide eyes of everyone, except for Sasuke, Suigetsu, and Juugo. "What?"
"Well, she's our friend, and she is about to be forced into very hostile territory," Ino responded.
"Wait a minute," Suigetsu piped in, "isn't Sakura that weak fan girl that Karin replaced?"
Oblivious to the glares of Sakura's friends, Karin laughed. "I remember now. We haven't met her yet, but she didn't seem to be very well liked."
"Just like you," Suigetsu retorted.
Taka's sole female member glowered at the violet-eyed swordsman. "Oh, shut up! It's not like you have any room to talk!"
The two hot-headed members of Team Taka continued to argue, while Ino thought about their callus remarks. Sakura was her best friend. They didn't always get along, but they stuck together. Yes, the pinkette was weak compared to the rest of their generation, but she was the best medic in Konoha. Konoha 12 assumed that her busy work schedule was the reason that they hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Hokage's apprentice in eight months, not to mention the three years that were spent searching for the missing Uchiha. But Karin and Suigetsu's complete disregard for Sakura's worth pushed the pale-haired blonde over the edge.
"Alright, I don't know where you got the idea that Sakura was disliked," Ino snapped, "but you're dead wrong. And I will not tolerate you two badmouthing her."
Karin backed up a pace, her hands held up in surrender. "Sorry, we didn't mean to offend you."
"Yeah, we were just going off of what we'd been told by Sasuke or you guys," Suigetsu offered.
That statement brought the ninjas up short. They couldn't really deny that they had said some less-than-flattering things about the former kunoichi of Team 7. They didn't mean anything by it; they still liked her. The shinobi of her generation viewed Sakura as an asset that was best utilized in the medical field, not on the battlefield. Despite this common misconception, Konoha 12 still viewed the pink-haired young woman as an important friend. Naruto sighed, guilt weighing heavily on his mind.
"It's okay. After all, we're mainly to blame for your error. However," he declared, determination blazing in his blue orbs, "I will not allow anyone to speak badly about Sakura, even if they doubt her capabilities."
"Hn," Sasuke replied, "whatever. Let's go get ready to meet the criminals."
The group continued toward their respective homes following the youngest Uchiha's statement. They stopped in their tracks when the coarse language of a particular immortal reached their ears.
"I guess the little fuckers wanted to look pretty for us," the Jashinist laughed uproariously.
Deidara grinned, elation glittering in his pale blue, seemingly grey, eye, "Too bad we got here earlier than expected."
The Leaf ninjas stood stock-still, alarm racing through their systems. As the remaining members of the Akatsuki caught up to the outspoken idiots, brown orbs, peeking through the slits in a porcelain wolf mask, shone with merriment.
'This should be good,' Ryoko gleefully stated.
How long do you think it will take for a fight to break out? Sakura questioned mischievously.
'I bet the overzealous religious freak attacks within 15 minutes,' responded the she-demon.
Naruto will lunge at the bombing specialist in 5 minutes tops, Sakura calmly retorted.
The inner being chuckled, anxious to win the bet. 'If I win, you have to let me out for half an hour. If you win, I'll leave you alone for a full day.'
You're on, the ANBU stated, confirming the bet's conditions.