With a tumble, trip and a thud Sakura bolted through Lady Tsuande's doors, her face flushed with tears as she threw herself on the paper riddled desk.

"Lady Tsuande!" Sakura cried uncontrollably, her arms folded over her face that was buried in the cherry wood desk as Sasuke entered the room in a more reasonable matter.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?!" Tsuande's eyes darting from Sakura to Sasuke "…where's Naruto…" a chill running through her voice as her amber eyes grew wide with fear. Sasuke slowly presenting the specimen sample she had asked for.

"Naruto's been taken hostage, Tsuande-Sama…" Sasuke said while handing his superior the sample of ash and tar. "This is all we could retrieve from the battle grounds before we were attacked again. We were hoping the sample could tell you who were up against."

"Naruto's dead…" Sakura whispered through her tears as she subconsciously leaned on Sasuke for emotional support who distantly comforted her.

"At this point…I'd rather him be dead…" Tsuande retorted, her voice stiff and rigid as she examined the sample the two other Shinobi brought back to her. Her eyes grew with hostility before she slammed her hands down her desk, sending papers fluttering to the ground. "DAMN IT!" She cried, running her hands through her blonde hair and cursing under her breath before turning towards the two young Shinobi that stared at her awkwardly. She exhaled heavily and braced herself for the explanation she was about to give. "It's Orochimaru…" her voice riddled with distain. It was a common fact that in the village of Konoha that everyone knew about Orochimaru but few knew of him and the great power he possessed and obsessed over. Tsuande was one of the few who knew what he was capable of and it chilled her to her very bones. "If Orochimaru discovers that Naruto possess the nine tailed fox…" Her thoughts trailed and she refused to finish her sentence, the situation in its entirety was frightful. She slowly shifted her eyes to two Shinobi who looked at her with hopes of orders, Sakura had ceased her crying and Sasuke's face was more stern than usual. "You will leave first thing the morning with another team to accompany you…"

"How will we know where to find him?" Sakura asked, her voice shaky and distant.



"I have a way…" Sasuke sneered before Tsuande dismissed them to be alone.

"Please…" Tsuande whispered to the fading night as she clutched the pendant that hung delicately between her breasts "Please…4th Hokage…please….help guide me."

-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

Sakura retreated to her bed where emotional and physical exhaustion consumed her as silent tears spilled from her closed lids where she dreamed of the days when all three of them young and naïve to the pain reality caused. As Sakura slept, Sasuke lingered at a distance on a branch, the night's shadows cloaking him diligently as his Sharigan penetrated the forests darkest crevices.

"Show yourself, Itachi." Sasuke growled through the night as his Sharigan shifted and changed, his brother's image slowly uncoiling itself from the depth of night.

"Well…little brother….it's been a long time." Itachi's cold voice swam through the shadows, Sasuke's eyes glinting with rage.

"Shut-up!" He growled to his older brother "where the hell is Naruto, I know you have something to do with it!"

"What makes you think I have any interest at all in that snot nose loud mouth brat you call a friend?" Itachi glowered at his younger brother, both of their eyes red with hunger. "Friends make you weak, little brother; you'll never be able to finish me the you dream of."

Sasuke smirked with amusement "Want to test that theory? Tell me where to find Naruto and when I arrive…I'll give you something worthwhile."

Itachi's eye's gleamed at his younger brother who smiled with confidence at his superior "the years have made you arrogant, ignorant and cocky, Sasuke. But all the same, if you desire to fulfill your death wish by my hands, so be it." With his words he threw Sasuke a parchment that was neatly rolled and bound by a delicate piece of string and before he turned to vanish into the still shadows of nightfall he turned to glance over his shoulder at his younger brother "bring the girl…and no one else." With his final words Itachi vanished, leaving Sasuke with coordinates and a feeling of satisfaction.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-

When dawn broke over the horizon Sasuke was there to wake Sakura at the earliest possible convince.

"Sakura…" Sasuke whispered as he shook her shoulder in an effort to wake her. Slowly her eyes opened as she groggily awoke from her sleeping state.

"SASU-" Her voice was quickly silence as Sasuke moved a bandaged hand over her lips to muffle her voice, pulling his index finger to his lips in an effort to inform her to be silent. Slowly he pulled the parchment his brother had given him from the ties in his cord belt and handed it to her.

"This is where we will find Naruto, dead or alive, I'm not sure…but this will lead us to him. Hurry, we must move swiftly." He turned towards the door as Sakura scrambled to get dressed.

"What of the others?" She whispered as she attempted to not wake her sleeping roommate, Ino.

Sasuke merely shook his head "There's only room for two on this journey, Sakura."

Her face froze with his response Only room for two…but that means were disobeying orders and…how will Sasuke and I ever get along?! Ever sense Kakashi-Sensi saw us in the woods he's been…well…an ass! The thoughts rolled through her mind as she laced her shoes and stood to leave. There was no time to argue or question anything…she would save that for a later time, if there ever was one. They left silently, their bags packed for a long journey and with their departure Sakura glanced back only once to eye the gate that provided the entrance to her wonderful home and she prayed she'd see it again.

AN: I have not forgotten the angelic plot line...incase you were wondering :wink: