Summary: As everything she had ever known is turned upside down, Sakura strikes out with her newly founded team in a perilous time when friend and foe alike can become complications. AU. MultiSaku. Sakura centric. SakuraHarem. Sequel to "no good gift (goes unpunished)." Multi-chaptered.
Pairing(s): SakuraxNaruto, SakuraxSasuke, SakuraxSai, SakuraxGaara, SakuraxDeidara, SakuraxSasori, SakuraxKisame, SakuraxItachi, SakuraxHidan, SakuraxKakuzu, SakuraxTobi, SakuraxMadara, SakuraxPein, KakashixSakura, KibaxSakura, ChojixSakura, ShikamaruxSakura, HakuxSakura, ZabuzaxSakura, LeexSakura, NejixSakura, ZetsuxSakura, KimimaroxSakura, KabutoxSakura, ShinoxSakura, SuigetsuxSakura, JugoxSakura, ShisuixSakura, IzunaxSakura, KotetsuxSakura, IzumoxSakura, GenmaxSakura, KonohamaruxSakura, YamatoxSakura, BxSakura, CxSakura, DaruixSakura, MenmaxSakura, JiraiyaxTsunade, OrochimaruxTsunade, (implied) AxTsunade
Genre: Adventure/Romance/Friendship/Humor/Angst
Warnings: some cursing (they are teenagers!), general OOC-ness, dark and sometimes suggestive themes
Notes: So, here we have the newest chapter, not too long after the last! Happy early birthday to me! Lots will happen as the ball is starting to really roll. We're over a third of the way through the story now. I hope you guys enjoy and let me know what you think of the developments!
Chapter Summary: In which team bonding occurs; ladies take action; plans are enacted; and misinformation (as per usual) proves to lead astray.
Songs I Listened to While Writing: "Lost Cause" by Imagine Dragons, "Who Run the World?" by Beyoncé, "Empty Hands" by Art of Sleeping, "Things We Lost in the Fire" by Bastille
"the gifted and i"
-11/26-
Of Lovers & Liars
Naruto eyed his companions with wary eyes, fidgeting edgily. They'd just touched down in Missouri and he was feeling his nerves unravel and fray. Naruto wasn't used to traveling in a large group, especially one that was as conspicuous as his. With a groan, he stretched his arms above his head, popping his back.
"How are you feeling Sai?" he asked, turning to the silent, dark boy.
Sai blinked. "I am well," he replied, eyes blank.
Naruto's smile fell. The disappearance of Sakura, paired with Sasuke's defection, were causing Sai's limited emotional capacities to regress even further. He wished desperately, not for the first time, that Sakura was there to help him navigate the oddness that was Sai.
"Sai…" he said hesitantly. "You know I'm here for you right? Team Seven is still together."
"Team Seven is not together," Sai replied in a matter of fact tone. Naruto barely suppressed a groan. "Sakura has been kidnapped and Sasuke has left of his own volition. How can we be together if they are not present?"
Naruto scrubbed his face with a rough hand. "Look," he began, blue eyes blazing. "I know you're having a hard with all of this but I want you to know one thing: Team Seven is always together." He patted his chest before gesturing to Sai's as well. "Even when we're apart, we still have each other."
Sai cocked his head to the side, the picture of confusion. "How?"
"You know the times when you remember your teammates or when you get a strange, tight feeling in your chest?" Sai nodded. "That's when we're together. You are experiencing the genuine Team Seven by reliving your memories or emotions. As long as you keep all of us alive in there," Naruto thumped Sai in his chest, "then we are together."
Ino popped her gum angrily, eying her cellphone. Karin was late, as per usual. She sighed, turning her gaze to her companion who was pushing her fingers together in discomfort.
"Don't worry Hinata," she said. "She's bound to be here soon."
Hinata nodded distractedly, eyes flitting around the room. "Are you sure we won't get in trouble for this?" she whispered dubiously; terrified.
Ino rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. This is important."
Hinata privately agreed, but she still didn't like the fact that they were in a public coffee shop to discuss their plans. Still, she knew they couldn't discuss it in any of their compounds; there were always listening ears.
"Hey guys!" a voice rang out.
The duo looked up to see Karin sauntering their way, carrying a duffle bag over her shoulder.
"It's about time," Ino muttered.
Karin waved her irritation away. "What's shaking?"
"Nothing yet," Hinata replied. "Y-you might want to go ahead and order though."
Karin nodded agreeably, making her way to the counter to order the barista around. Ino smirked, turning her attention back to her phone as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. Hinata looked around, relieved to find that there were very few patrons at the time and none were nearby.
"So…" Karin began, flopping down into a seat and propping her chin on her hands.
Ino raised her brows. "Well, as you all know, Sakura hasn't been replying to any of our messages or calls. More than that, no one is willing to tell us about what's going on." She smirked, a red slash of her lips. "So I did some digging."
"What kind of digging?" Karin asked.
Ino bared her teeth in satisfaction. "A little bit of hacking and a smidge of flirting can get you very far in life," she stated. She turned her phone to the others. "Dad's been very tightlipped about everything around me, but he's been talking to Shikaku and Chouza, as well as the Yamanaka elders…" Her face fell. "Sakura's been taken."
Karin gasped. "Seriously? There is no freaking way that Pinky would go down so easily!"
Ino nodded in agreement. "Right? Everyone knows that Forehead is, like, one of the top Academy students, if not the top student. There's no way she went down without some serious foul play."
Hinata frowned. "I-I overheard a little bit about it. Neji has been sent out in a team to recover her."
Ino nodded. "Yeah, Shikamaru and Choji were sent too. They sent a lot of the students."
"You know why though right?" Karin asked, bracing her elbows on the table. Both shook their heads. "Sakura was kidnapped outside of Konoha. Technically, anyone can rescue her."
"So?" Ino asked.
"They can demand a Debt of Gratitude," Hinata gasped, catching on.
Karin nodded. "Exactly. Any favor that is of equal value to the deed that earned the debt. Being rescued from a rogue organization? The sector could demand her to stay there as a resident, permanently."
"B-but!" Ino spluttered. "Debts of Gratitude can't be demanded except in wartime!" Realization dawned suddenly. "Konoha is going to war," she whispered. "If Sakura can't be recovered soon, Konoha is going to fucking go to war with Akatsuki!"
Hinata nodded. "Add that to Sound attacking Kumo…all of the sectors will be on high alert. War is bound to break out the moment that the other sectors realize that one of the two Gifted women has been kidnapped by a rogue organization."
Karin's eyes narrowed as she turned to face Ino. "You want us to go out there and get her back." It wasn't a question.
"Astute," Ino replied with a slight smile. "That'll be useful on the road. I talked it over with Shikamaru before we left. It makes sense. Karin, you happen to be the best damn Sensor out there. You're better at tracking than Kiba or Akamaru. All of us have been trained in multiple disciplines of martial arts and in espionage. We are suited for the task, especially as a small group.
"Shikamaru thinks that they might be following the wrong lead," Ino informed her friends quietly. "He tried to talk to the Headmistress about and his team leader, but both are too focused on Akatsuki to think about the big picture."
She took a deep breath. "Sasuke defected," she stated, knowing that it wasn't common knowledge. From the unsurprised looks her friends gave her, Ino knew that they'd heard the unfortunate news. "Unfortunately, that means that a lot of people are focused on getting him back at the same time. Shikamaru thinks that Team Seven hopes to encounter Sasuke by tracking Akatsuki." Ino rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows that Sasuke is obsessed with chasing down his brother."
Hinata nodded. "They are worried about both of them," she said quietly. "Unfortunately, seeking out two people at the same time is a luxury." Her eyes hardened. "Especially since one of them made a choice." It was obvious that Hinata wasn't a fan of the youngest Uchiha.
Karin hummed in agreement. "Sakura needs help and nobody is making wise decisions about finding her." She turned fully to Ino. "Count me in."
Ino smiled before turning to their other companion. "What about you Hinata? You ready to hit the road and kick ass and take some names?"
Hinata's eyes flashed. "We're her best hope right now, what with everyone too focused on a war that may not even come to fruition. I'm in."
Sasuke woke with a sudden jerk, body jack-knifing in the bed. He looked around blearily, completely disoriented. He was in a small, white-washed room with Spartan decorations. Sasuke felt his heartbeat kick up a notch at the unfamiliar surroundings before he abruptly remembered.
He was in Sound.
Sasuke did his best to calm the shortening of his breath as his vision tunneled with black spots. Rationally, somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke knew he was suffering a panic attack. He'd had them before, starting after his brother's defection. The stress of losing a precious family member and trying to reconcile the new Itachi with the old had tipped the scales of his already high anxiety. This was his first time trying to deal with an attack without help.
Sasuke's vision completely blacked out at that thought. In the past, he'd always had friends with him during these times of distress to call him back from the edge and soothe him. He had people to bolster him and never judge him. Now…
He had turned his back on them.
Sasuke would receive no help.
He scrabbled at his chest with both hands and tried to center himself. He focused on a stain on the wall opposite him as Sasuke grounded himself. If he happened to think of pink hair and green eyes, well, there was no one here to judge him. After a few, agonizingly long, minutes, Sasuke was able to breathe easily again. He shook himself and stood, making his way to the mirror.
He roughly wiped the salty wetness from his face, angry at his impotent weakness. Sasuke felt useless. He stared at the man in the mirror. Sasuke felt practically unrecognizable with blood-shot eyes, spinning with Sharingan that he quickly deactivated. He was unshaven and unkempt; a far cry from the pristine Uchiha image that he tried to uphold at all times.
With a heavy sigh, Sasuke left the room in search of Orochimaru.
Sasuke, after wandering many identical hallways, found the man he was looking for. He stood speaking to some of his lackeys and from the look of his face, Orochimaru seemed angry.
"Orochimaru!" Sasuke called.
The man turned, yellow eyes brightening with delight. "Sasuke!" he returned, striding over. "It's good to see you." Orochimaru turned back to his lackeys with a gesture. "My men have information that might interest you."
Sasuke looked over at the two expectantly. They fidgeted beneath his blank stare before one of them finally said, "There has been Akatsuki sightings up and down the Iwa sector. It is believed that one of their bases, probably their main one, is located there."
Sasuke nodded curtly and Orochimaru lazily waved a hand at the lackeys in dismissal. "I require a team," Sasuke said, as kind as ever.
Orochimaru nodded. "You are welcome to check the barracks for people who suit your skill set. Unfortunately, I can only spare two at the moment, with everything escalating as it is. After you have made your selection, you may begin your training." At Sasuke's surprised look, Orochimaru chuckled silkily. "Of course, as a newly founded time, it is important that you work out your kinks as a team before field work."
Sasuke frowned. "One week. Then I leave."
He sauntered away, unheeding of his rudeness.
He needed to find his team.
Sasuke managed to find the barracks after getting lost a few times along the way. His Sharingan automatically activated as he scanned the milling crowd to find two particular individuals.
"Sasuke!" a voice exclaimed in surprise.
Sasuke turned, catching sight of Suigetsu making his way over to him, heedless of the way that his sword almost decapitated a few of his comrades. "Suigetsu," Sasuke greeted. "I was looking for you."
Suigetsu, eyes still wide with astonishment, nodded absently. "What the hell are you doing here man? I thought you'd be with Sak-" He cut himself off, blushing, "with your team."
"That's why I'm here," Sasuke replied scathingly. "You are my team."
He offered no explanations.
"Alright, then," Suigetsu said bracingly, wary of Sasuke's sour mood. It would be best not to bring up Sakura again. "Any particular reasons for that?"
"You want to take on the Seven Swordsmen, yes?" Sasuke inquired in lieu of an actual response.
"Obviously," Suigetsu replied with an eye roll. "It's all I ever talked about while…while in Konoha."
Sasuke nodded briskly. "I will be engaging Akatsuki, specifically Itachi and Kisame to avenge the Uchiha name." Suigetsu nodded; this had been Sasuke's spiel since the Akatsuki defection. "I will also ascertain Sakura's whereabouts."
"What?" Suigetsu yelped, eyes widening. "What happened to Sakura?"
Sasuke turned away, fists clenching as his Sharingan spun. The memory still stung and rankled. He had been so careless. "She was…compromised in Kumo. Akatsuki has her and we will get her back." He cleared his throat, composing himself as he turned back to Suigetsu. "I need your skills to engage Kisame. Jugo will also accompany us when he returns from his scouting mission. His brute strength will suit our mission nicely."
"Don't you need a Sensor?" Suigetsu queried tentatively. "It'll be hell without one."
Sasuke shrugged. "I can't think of one with any worthwhile skill. Besides, none here in Sound would have encountered Itachi; the Academy hasn't had a Sensor in over forty years."
Suigetsu grinned. "You're right about the Academy…" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Konoha does have a Sensor though. Best one I've ever met. She's about our age too."
Sasuke smirked. "We'll have to collect this 'prized Sensor' then. Name?"
"Karin Uzumaki."
Kimimaro woke to a sterile room. He tried to sit up in a panic, eyes rolling wildly as he found he couldn't move.
"Calm down," an exasperated voice demanded.
Kimimaro turned his head, catching sight of Kabuto hovering above him. Obviously, not much of a comfort. As his heart rate spiked, Kabuto shook his head and placed a hand on his side, flooding Kimimaro with his Gift.
It was a peculiar feeling; incredibly invasive, cold, and clinical. To be honest, it was an accurate reflection of the user in question. It was the complete opposite of the way that Sakura's Gift felt. Kimimaro felt a pang of sorrow at the thought of her.
Her Gift felt warm and loving.
It felt like home.
Kimimaro shook his head to clear his thoughts and returned his gaze to the medic. Kabuto was giving him a long, penetrating look that reminded Kimimaro just how intelligent the man was. Kimimaro watched warily as Kabuto stepped back and gave him his space.
"How are you feeling?" Kabuto asked, eyes shining with curiosity.
Kimimaro sunk back into the bed with a deep sigh, rubbing his temples. "Like shit," he replied honestly. He felt like he'd been hit by a semi.
Kabuto nodded understandably, pushing up his glasses. "You were hit with the Uchiha's signature move, the Tsukuyomi. The fact that you're already up again is a miracle."
Kimimaro laughed drily. "I feel very miraculous at the moment." He huffed, before continuing under his breath, "At least the Uchiha doesn't know…"
Kabuto's eyes took on a calculating glint. "What doesn't Sasuke know?" he asked silkily.
Kimimaro closed his eyes, trying to get around the pounding of his head to speak coherently. "I saw…Sakura. She was…taken."
Kabuto nodded. "Yes, that's what Sasuke said as well. That certainly wasn't a secret."
"No!" Kimimaro exclaimed, before stiffening and grabbing his bed sheets to ride through the intense throb that hammered through his head. "No…" he finally continued in a softer tone. "She wasn't taken by Akatsuki."
"Who then?" Kabuto inquired anxiously. If it wasn't Akatsuki who had taken Sakura…well, that was quite the game changer.
There was a long pause as Kimimaro tried to recollect himself. Kabuto looked on with bated breath. "Konoha," Kimimaro finally murmured, before relaxing back into the bed. It had sapped almost all of his strength to have held that short conversation.
Kabuto moved away, lost in his thoughts. The fact that Kimimaro had managed to keep such vital information from Sasuke was astonishing. The Uchiha technique was known to pry secrets from unwilling victims. No one escaped unscathed. Then again, it was undoubtedly Sasuke's first time using Tsukuyomi. It was unlikely that he knew how to use it properly, especially as the technique had been banned after the Akatsuki defection. Kabuto scoffed to himself. Since the defection, most of the clans in Konoha had decided to hide their techniques away; an idiotic decision in Kabuto's mind.
"Konoha, huh," Kabuto mused.
He turned back to Kimimaro who had opened his eyes though he was incredibly pale. Kimimaro's eyes tracked Kabuto as he moved closer but he was much too exhausted to say anything. Kabuto sidled up beside his patient and laid his hand over his eyes.
"What are you-?" Kimimaro began.
"Hush," Kabuto replied, placing his other hand over Kimimaro's mouth.
He ignored Kimimaro's struggle and pulsed his Gift into the man's body. The machines around him went wild, fluctuating up and down. Kimimaro thrashed around, but Kabuto merely held tighter to his eyes and mouth.
"It's fine, it's fine," Kabuto soothed, as Kimimaro's struggles became weaker and weaker.
Finally, after several long moments, Kimimaro stopped struggling.
The machines flat lined.
Kabuto relaxed, pulling his hands away, and going over to the sink to methodically clean them. He turned back to the still body on the bed. "No personal feelings Kimimaro. I actually liked you." He shrugged lithely, looking unconcerned. "You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Blood oozed out of Kimimaro's nose and eyes. It looked exactly like the most negative possible side effect of the Uchiha technique: death by hemorrhaging. Kabuto exited the room, placing a suitably mourning look on his face. It wouldn't do for anyone to cotton on to his plans.
He gripped his shaking hands together to control the anxious tic. Everything was fine. The plan was coming together. Everything was fine. Sound would still be chasing after Akatsuki for Sakura. Orochimaru wasn't ahead of the game. Kabuto was the only one who knew the truth.
He had made sure of that.
Everything was fine.
Everything was fine.
Everything…was fine.
He would make sure of that.
Kakuzu rolled his shoulder and his eyes simultaneously, moving as far away from Hidan as possible. The idiot had been going on for the past half hour about their incapacitated target and it was starting to rub Kakuzu's senses raw.
"Shut up," he finally hissed.
"I can't fucking help it if this dumbass is so much dead weight!" Hidan replied in a growl.
"Need I remind you that you are the one who insisted on knocking him unconscious?" Kakuzu returned, fed up with Hidan's childishness.
"It was his fucking eyes," Hidan said with a shudder. "He was way too fucking scared."
"If all I could see was your face I would be terrified as well," Kakuzu replied drily.
"Shut the fuck up, stitches," Hidan muttered grumpily, dragging their target along the ground.
"Don't damage him," Kakuzu warned. "We need to collect the bounty."
Hidan grunted before suddenly throwing the man to the ground.
"What did I just tell you?" Kakuzu exclaimed angrily.
Hidan shushed him, pulling his scythe from his back. Kakuzu, recognizing Hidan's readiness for battle, fell silent and expanded his senses. Hidan, with his Gifts, had always been the first to realize when they had company. Kakuzu faintly heard footsteps beating against concrete. A small platoon, made up of three separate teams.
Kakuzu turned to Hidan, eyes narrow. Hidan, after securing the bounty, nodded in turn and the two took to the trees. They were off the beaten path and it had paid off as the unwary platoon made its way toward their location, never the wiser.
"Why the hell are we doing this?" a short man with curly black hair complained to the platoon leader.
He was cuffed by his companion. "Shut the hell up, Rima!" the brown eyed man hissed. "Ōonki himself has sent us on this glorious mission. I won't have you fucking it up with your big mouth."
"Yeah, well he could have at least pointed us in the direction of the target," Rima blustered on, unheeding of his companion. "The target could be in any of the sectors or even out of the fucking country. Ōonki is a geezer."
"Silence," said the man in the lead, a man with long blond hair. "We will acquire our target in due time."
Kakuzu's eyes narrowed. Target? That could only be one thing: a bounty. He felt a smile build as he thought of how large a bounty it had to be for a Kage to commission it. Who though?
His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a loud voice proclaiming, "Sup bitches?"
Hidan now stood in the midst of the Iwa platoon and Kakuzu could barely restrain his sigh. He wasn't worried for the idiot; of course not. No, Kakuzu wanted to collect some more information on this elusive "target." Kakuzu dropped from the tree lithely, standing beside Hidan as he drew a design on the ground.
"Must you make such a big fuss every time?" Kakuzu inquired of his teammate mildly.
"Do me a favor and shut the fuck up," Hidan grumbled, even as his skin bled black.
"A-Akatsuki," the loud mouth, Rima, stammered, pointing a finger at the duo.
"Astute deduction."
"Fucking moron."
"Apprehend them!" the leader called. "They may have information on the whereabouts of the target!"
Kakuzu grabbed the leader of the platoon with his threads, watching placidly as Hidan began to decimate the rest. To his credit, the leader didn't plead or beg, though he turned a delicate shade of green at the carnage around them.
"I need answers," Kakuzu stated softly.
"O-of course," the man stammered. "What do you need?"
"Information." Kakuzu's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Who is your target?"
"Y-you don't know?" the man inquired with wide-eyed surprise. "I thought everyone knew."
Kakuzu tightened the grip on the man until he gagged before releasing slightly. "Obviously I did not know," he said, voice acidic. "What is the target's name?"
The man clawed at his throat until Kakuzu finally obliged. "T-the Gifted female," he wheezed out, finding it hard to force air from his lungs.
Kakuzu felt his threads release the man completely in shock. The man dropped into an undignified heap on the ground; a loud groan ensuing. Hidan lifted the man clean off his feet, holding him up to his eye level.
"One second fucker. I can't believe my fucking ears. Did you seriously just say your fucking target is the damn Gifted female?" Hidan asked in a deadly quiet voice.
The man just nodded, too terrified to actually speak.
Hidan's eyes narrowed. "Which one?" He didn't respond. Hidan broke one of his fingers with a quick snap. "Which one?"
"S-Sakura," the man replied through tears. "S-she was taken from h-her team in Kumo. All sectors h-have mobilized to get her back."
Hidan dropped the man and stalked away, cursing the entire way. Kakuzu followed, after ensuring that none lived to tell the tale.
"All sectors now think they have a fucking claim to Pinky," Hidan hissed, eyes burning with anger. "The dicks are going to try to force her to stay with them. Fuckers."
Kakuzu nodded, brain firing rapidly. "We need to return to base, immediately. Leader isn't going to like this."
"Understatement of the fucking century, seriously!"
"...shut up Hidan."
-11/26-
Complete
-11/26-
Ladies kicking butt and taking names, what more could you want? So glad that the ladies could finally make their first appearance! Their adventures are going to play a large role in the story. They have received some pretty phenomenal training, just like Tenten, though they have yet to test their skills. We'll see how they fare.
As for Sasuke, well, I could definitely see him having high anxiety and panic attacks. He is a highly neurotic individual and thus, more susceptible to anxiety. His panic attacks were first triggered by the Akatsuki defection and the subsequent pressure that was placed on him by both himself and his clan.
We also have our first on-screen death. Kabuto is proving to be an amoral individual who does what he feels is necessary to reach his end goal. Unfortunately, that means that Kimimaro paid the ultimate price. The stakes are rising and no one is safe in the end.
Now, Akatsuki is at least slightly caught up on the details. Slightly. They are undoubtedly going to throw their hat in the ring as well to get Sakura. Unfortunately, the only active player in the game who knows about Sakura's true location is Kabuto and he isn't talking. We'll catch up on Sakura's side of things in the next chapter!
Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
-jay