Author's notes: Okay soo i got some good feedback on the last chapter! I think the biggest issue was spelling Itachi's name incorrectly! Yes, ive realized. Lol. I actually realized after putting it on fanfiction. -- IM SORRY. lol. Okay well im doing something ive never done before. I'm going to reply to your reviews! I'll be doing it every so often and be letting you know at the end of the chapter if im doing it!
harunosakura:Naruto is a good friend! He loves Sakura! And thanks for adding my story to your favourites! Hope you continue reading and enjoy the story!
AppleBlossom69:Hah. I know. typo. And im glad you love it !
Sakure-hime9: Hah, i updated as soon as i could ! Tsunade is worried about losing Naruto and the rest of them if she sends them on a mission to retrieve Sakura because she doesn't want the same thing happening the last time when she sent them to save Sasuke.
Arlesace:Thanks! Hopefully you keep reading and find out! Hah.
Aiko Akane: Thanks! ANd i know his name is spelt wrong. lol.
Staring.out.my.flooded.window: Thanks !
Tamora: Thanks sso much !
It's people like you guys who make me want to continue writing this story!
--
Chapter 3: A Rock And A Hard Place
------------------------------------------------------------------
Run. Look Away. Call for help. Run Home. Scream.
All these actions were running through Sakura's head.
Fear. Anxiety. Anxiousness. Anger.
Sakura experienced all these feelings at once.
She sat there staring into Itachi's eyes. She didn't know what to do. Her mind said to run, but her body wouldn't let her. She couldn't move. A few moments of silence passed as the rain hit the ground. Another flash of lightning and roaring thunder occurred at Sakura snapped out of it and quickly averted her eyes away from him, for she knew about his eye tricks.
"You're scared." she heard Itachi state rather than ask. "Why should I be scared?" Sakura asked bravely. No answer. She continued to look stare at his nose avoiding his eyes just in case. "Why haven't you run." he asked looking at her with his unchanging emotionless facade.
"There's nothing to run from." Sakura said bravely sitting back. She looked up at the sky as the rain fell and lightning crashed down again.
"What happend?" she asked still looking at the sky. Itachi gave her a confused look. "Your wounds, what happend?" she asked again as she closed her eyes and felt the raindrops against her face. He didn't answer. "The great Itachi Uchiha suffered a wound. Never thought I'd see the day." she said with a smirk.
Itachi continued to watch her.
What a waste of time.
"I did it myself." he stated in a rather bored tone. Sakura looked over at him. "Why?" she asked. Itatchi slowly rose to his feet and looked out into the dark forest. Sakura stood up as well, the rain dripping off the tips of her hair. "So that you would find me, and heal me." he said.
Sakura looked at him confused and shocked. "But...why?" she asked. Itachi looked at her annoyed. "You will be tested tomorrow. If we like what we see then you will be accepted. If not and you don't end up dieing, I'll kill you myself." he said coldly as Sakura stood more confused than ever. "Wait, what are you talking-" Sakura stopped as Itachi dissapeared reappearing behind her.
There was a pause when suddenly Sakura felt pain in the back of her neck and she collapsed to the ground. Itachi watched her lifeless body and began to walk away as the rain poured down on him. He stopped and sighed, he turned around and picked her up. He sprinted to a nearby cave and placed her inside, shortly dissapearing.
--
There was a knock at the door. Nothing. Another knock, and still nothing. Finally the door slowly opened and a timid woman stood in the doorway. She had long violet hair and her eyes were opaque. She held something in her hands. She looked around the messy apartment. "Naruto-kun?" she called hesitantly taking a step inside.
She stepped through the fallen bookshelf and around the broken glass. She made her way to the bedroom where she was almost certain he would be. She knocked again, no answer. She slowly opened the door and stepped in.
There she saw Naruto Uzumaki sprawled out on the floor. She made her way towards him as she placed the hot bowl of ramen on the bedside table. She knelt down beside Naruto and examined him. His face was stained with dry tears, his eyes red and puffy from crying. He had a piece of paper and a picture frame with a picture clutched in his hands.
She sighed as she stood up and walked over to his bed. She pulled off a blanket and the two pillows. She placed the pillows under his head and pulled the blanket up over him. She looked at him for a moment longer before letting out a sigh and heading out the door closing it with a soft clicking sound.
---
Jade eyes slowly opened as Sakura regained conciousness. She sat up and rubbed te back of her neck as it was throbbing a little bit. She cursed under her breath and slowly stood. She looked around and noticed that she was a in a cave. She was certain she did not enter a cave last night and figured that someone must have out her there.
She took a few steps out of the cave and looked up at the sun placing her hand above her eyes to shield them. She let out a sigh and stretched her arms. She headed into the forest and began thinking. She thought about last night and how she had encountered Itachi.
She wonderd what he ment by "testing her." She sighed once more. She had no idea what was going to happen and decided not to worry about it too much and focus on getting further away from Konoha.
She walked through the forest for hours and finally stopped by a riverside. She bent down beside the water and cupped her hands. She dipped her cupped hands into the water and brought it to her mouth drinking. She also used the remainder of the water to wash her face.
She heard her stomache make noise as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a slice of bread and she began nibbling at it, making sure to save some so she would have enough food until she got to the next village. Satisfied, she put the bread away and stood. She turned to continue walking through the forest when she stopped
Out of instinct, she leapt to the side avoiding several kunai that whizzed past where her head was only seconds ago. She looked around for the person who had attacked her when she again lept to the side avoiding more kunai.
She reached into her back pouch and pulled out several shurikan as she leapt into the air and spun in a 360 degree angle throwing her shurikans in every direction and height. She landed on one knee and looked around. She sensed chakra and pulled out a fuuma shurikan running in the direction she sensed the chakra.
She fanned out the shurikan and threw it into the air. She leapt up standing atop the shurikan as she pulled out a kunai and threw it with speed and precision as she heard a grunt and saw blood drip to the floor. She leapt backwards off the shurikan catching it in her hand.
She looked through the tree's and caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure behind a tree. She pulled her fist back and charged forward punching the tree as she effortlessly snapped it in half.
The tree collapsed to the ground and there was no one there. She rolled to the side as a barrage of shurikans and kunai ambushed her. She suffered minor injuries, however one of the weapons managed to slice one of her arteries.
She was bent down on one knee panting. She held her hands over her side as a pale green glow appeared and her wound began healing instantaneously. Before she could finsih, she found her self jumping into the air avoiding yet another attack.
She landed on a tree branch and finished healing her serious wound. She then scoped the aera for her attacker but there was no sign of anyone. It was then she saw something, or someone crouched down near the riverside covered by tree's and bushes.
She pulled out several kunai's with pieces of paper attatched to the end with symbols on them. She held them in her hands and threw them in the area where she saw the person.
There was an explosion as the attacker dressed in black leapt out of the way and looked down at what he thought was Sakura. However Sakura was on the recieving end prepared. She pulled her fist back and the attacker turned his head and spotted Sakura.
She thrusted her fist forwards and the man was sent hurdling into the ground, a small crator forming around him. Sakura landed on top of him holding him down. She grabbed him by the collar and held her fist with her other hand.
--
Cerulean eyes scanned the room. Naruto layed on the floor staring up at the ceiling. He let out a sigh before finally deciding to get up and take a shower. He lazily stood and noticed something sitting on the table beside his bed. He approached it and pulled off the lid. The smell entered his nostrels. Ramen.
Naruto didn't know how, or who brought this here. He sighed and picked up the chopsticks layed out beside the bowl as he began to eat. It wasn't hot, but it was good none the less.
After eating Naruto headed to the bathroom and began undressing. He turned on the shower and stepped in. He placed one hand on the wall and stared at the ground. He clenched his hand into a fist. All he could think about was Sakura, and how, like Sasuke, she too betrayed them...him. Tears began to roll down his cheeks and onto the tile as the drain slowly swallowed them up.
---
"Who are you!?" Sakura asked visciously as she shook the man. The man stared up at her with a smirk. Sakura pulled back her fist and punched him in the face letting out a cry of anger. The man let out a grunt of pain as blood began dripping from his mouth and nose. "I'm going to ask again, who sent you!" she yelled once more staring into the eyes of the ninja she held.
He didn't answer and simply stared at her. Sakura glared at him. "Fine." she said dropping him to the ground and continuously punching his face until it wasn't even recognizable as a human's head anymore.
Sakura began breathing heavily as she looked down at what she had done and then at the blood on her hands. She stared wide-eyed and couldn't believe she had done this. Her, Sakura Haruno, the kunoichi who used to be afriad of killing, even hurting someone. She definatly changed.
She got up and began running through the forest. She wasn't crying, and this surprised her. She was actually grinning at what she had done. She stopped and fell to her knee's. The grin dissapeared and she stared at her bloody hands. "Why..." she said to herself.
She sensed seven different chakra traces heading towards her. She quickly got up and began sprinting through the forest. She landed on a tree branch and noticed a kunai with a tag on it as she quickly jumped off landing on the ground and the branch exploded.
The even ninja headed towards her as they all threw kunai and shurikans. Sakura pulled out her fuuma shurikan again and deflected all of their weapons. She lunged forwards as she grabbed a kunai thrown her way and turned it throwing it straight back at the owner piercing his throat. She jumped into the air and kicked the kunai deeper into the mans throat.
She then turned and slashed another ninja's throat with her fuuma shurikan. That bloodlust feeling was comming back to Sakura and a grin was now plasterd on her face and her eyes began glowing an even more immense jade colour.
She pulled out another fumma shurikan now holding two. She fanned them out and spun into the air comming down ontop of two ninja slicing them in half. She landed on one knee and looked around. There were three of them left as they all unsheathed katana's.
They attacked Sakura simultaneously. She blocked and deflected their attacks with her two fuuma shurikans. She then managed to counter one of the ninja's attack and slashed his stomahe where she knew a major artery was.
The other two ninja's ran at her on either sides with their katana's. Sakura backflipped into the air and landed ontop of their katana's. She smirked as she kicked both the ninja while flipping off of the blades.
They were knocked with extreme force into tree's as the tree's broke and collpased ontop of them. Sakura landed on the ground and looked around. She smiled and turned to walk away, feeling...good.
--
"Excellent." he said as watched the whole display. "I want you to recruit her." he said turning to exit.
"As you wish." he said turning and exiting the hide-out with the shark-like man he called his partner.
--
She stopped by a small stream as she dipped her hands in and began washing the blood off of her hands and face. She let out a sigh pulling out her hands and looking at them. She then reached for a kunai and spun throwing it.
The man stood there holding the kunai between two fingers as he looked at her. Sakura looked up at him and slowly stood. "You again.." she said as she crossed her arms and then noticed the shark-like man appear beside him with a grin.
"You've passed." Itachi spoke. "Passed?" Sakura asked. Itachi nodded. "You may come with us." he said turning and beginning to walk away as Kisame followed him and Sakura stood where she was. "Wait...what? Where are we going?" she asked catching up to them.
Kisame and Itachi stopped as Kisame sighed. He turned and faced her. "Look Kid, our leader had his eye on you. We tested your strength you passed the test and now you're a part of the Akatsuki." he said annoyed. "Part of the..what!" Sakura said stopping. "Well you arn't technically..but you will be soon. So just shut your trap and follow us." he said as he continued walking with Itachi.
Sakura nodded and silently followed them. She didn't know what to do. She knew joining the Akatsuki was an even greater offense then leaving Konoha. She knew if she tried to run that they would hunt her down and kill her. Or if she got there and they changed their mind, they would kill her. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
She let out a sigh as she stared at the back of the two cloaked figures in front of her wondering how long it would be until they arrived at the hideout. She wondered where they had relocated since she destroyed their last hideout. A small smirk appeared on her face when she thought back to that day.
Her and elder Chiyo fought against Sasori. After a long excrucitaing battle they finally won taking the life of Sasori and destroying the Akatsuki hideout. Shortly after they met up with Naruto and Kakashi where they found Gaara and Team Gai. Chiyo gave life back to Gaara and in turn sacrificed her own.
Sakura stopped smiriking when she remembered this and continued following the two in front of her instead of thinking back to previous memories.
--
The practice dummies were torn to shreds. The training grounds almost completely destroyed.
"How could they do something like this to him. Both his teammates abandoned him.." the silver haired jounin said with a sigh. "I never would've suspescted Sakura to run away and abandon her village like this... she was the one that was most compassionate and cared about her friends most...and she was the one to leave them in all this pain." the white haired saninn said sitting beside the silver haired jounin.
"Believe it or not, even Sai seems hurt about this. Him and Sakura...well they were close." the silver haired jounin said with a shrug. "Who knew the only one without emotion is one of them who is suffering the worst." "Hn. Where is Sai?" asked the sannin. "I don't know." Kakashi sighed.
"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH !" Naruto yelled smashing yet another practice dummy.
"How much longer are we going to let him do this?" Kakashi asked. "His chakra will run out soon enough and he'll be to exhausted to even think about it." Jiraiya said with a sigh.
Hinata stood under a tree watching Naruto beat himself up and completely destroy the training grounds. She held her hands clasped together by her chest as she watched. It hurt her to see Naruto like this. Sakura and Sasuke had done this to him. She promised herself were she ever to encounter either of them, she would make them pay. This was a side of Hinata that was never revealed until now.
--
He sat in a dark room staring at a picture. He sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was a girls clip with a lilly on it.
Flashback.
Sakura walked out of the store with something in her hair. "What's that?" Sai asked lazily looking at it. "It's a clip! Isn't it pretty?" Sakura asked with a smile showing off the clip. "No. It's ugly, like you." Sai said, soon regretting it as Sakura raised her fist and punched him straight across the face sending him flying into a bunch of boxes.
End Flashback.
Sai sighed as he put the clip away and looked back at the picture of him, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi.
--
A few hours later they finally stopped. They stood in front of a waterfall. Sakura could feel the mist against her skin and welcomed the feeling. Itachi made a handisgn as the water fall parted and they began walking through as Sakura followed them.
They walked along a narrow dark hallway that eventually opened up to what looked to be like the inside of a mansion. Sakura stood in the middle and looked at everything in awe. She turned back and continued following Itachi and Kisame as they led her to a room and opened the door. They walked in, she followed. It was a giant dark room.
There were steps and someone seated at the top. Itachi and Kisame parted different ways as Sakura was left standing in the middle.
"Sakura Haruno." the voice called as Sakura looked up at the man that began to stand. He had spikey hair, much like Naruto's, and his eyes looked like never ending swirrls. She assumed this was their leader. "We have brought you here to offer you a deal." he said. "A deal?" she asked.
He nodded, "We've lose quite a few members. Orochimaru, Deidara...and of course Sasori." All the members looked at her as they said this. Sakura couldn't help but smirk knowing she was the reason for his death.
We have been observing you for quite some time now. We do not have a medical ninja such as yourself in the Akatsuki and are quite interested with your skills and abilities. Therefore, we extend and invitation to join the Akatsuki." he said standing at the top of the stairs.
"And if I refuse?" Sakura asked. "Well...we kill you." he said with a smirk. Sakura didn't say anything as she stood quiet for a moment. She thought about this. The Akatsuki is the biggets threat to Konoha and all other countries. They killed Gaara. They will eventually kill Naruto. But perhaps...if she joined them she could convince them otherwise. Sakura looked up at the leader.
"I accept." she said as he smiled and nodded. "Wise choice." he said as he turned and sat back down in his chair. "Itachi will be your guardian." he said leaning on his hand. Itachi shot a look to the leader as the leader smirked. "Since he recruted you, he will watch over and train you until I think you are good enought o be on your own and assigned a new partner. For now, you,Itachi and Kisame will be a threeman team. She will accompany you on your missions and learn in the field as well as here on the training grounds. " he explained. " Since the only vacent rooms were that of Deidara and Sasori, they have not be cleared out and therefore you will have to share a room with Itachi until we can have one prepared for you. You will be the Akatsuki medical nin, you will tend to our injuries whenever we need you too. You, as welll as the others, will help clean up the hideout. And you will prepare dinner for us each night at 6:00 sharp. You will be given your ring and cloak when it is finished. That is all." he said waving his hand.
All the Akatsuki members, except the leader and his partner exited the room. Sakura quickly eited too following Itachi. He led her to his room as he opened the door and entered. She hesitantly followed closing the door behind her.
Itachi took off his cloak and draped it over a chair as he entered the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Sakura could hear the water begin to run as he began taking a shower.
She sighed looking around the room. There was a bed on the left against the wall, a bookshelf along the right wall and a window on the wall furthest from the door. In front of the window was a desk and a chair where Itachi had put his cloak. There was paper and a pen on the desk. The bed had four posts at each end that raised up towards the ceiling. The top of each post was connected with a designed piece of wood draping over the bed finishing it. Sakura sighed as she walked over to the bed and sat down.
A few minutes passed when she heard the water stop. The door opened as Itachi walked out wearing his ninja outfit. He looked at Sakura and sighed as he grabbed his cloak and put it on.
Sakura sat silently and watched him. He pullled out the chair to his desk and sat down. He stared out the window. There were a few moments of silence before Itachi finally spoke. "It's almost six." he said picking up the pen and began writing on the paper.
Sakura looked confused for a moment. So what ? It was almost six...why did she care. When it finally kicked in. Dinner! She quickly stood and exited his room shutting the door behind her and she stood in the hallway. She didn't know where the kitchen was.
She turned right and headed down the hallway as she opened two large doors. It was the dinning room so the kitchen shouldn't be too far away. She continued opening doors as she finally found the kitchen. It was huge.
There was an island in the middle of the room that had a rack above which pots and pans hung from. There were stoves ontop of it and ovens beneathe. The fridge was as wide as three people lined up beside each other and as tall as Kisame.
She looked around the kitchen once more before pulling back her sleeves and sliding on an apron. It was time for her to get to work.
--------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes: Well, there you go. Sorry it took so long. I had a project to work on for the past week and omg. It was the project FROM HELL !
lol. well review and i shall update ASAP !