A/N:Thanks for all the reviews x3 they pwn:D thanks all again! I changed the pairings and added some to make the storyline a little more interesting. X3 I hope the feelings put into this story reach out to all readers :D!!

Oh yeah, this'll be a chapter with mostly SasuSaku since I found it to be quite interesting.

Newly Decided Pairings/Added Pairings:

NaruHina [Main

SasuSaku [Main

TemaKen [Not much of it

ShikaIno [Later Chapters

Naruto Shippuuden: New Enemies, Old Friends

Chapter Five: The Deal

Sasuke stood firm and watched as eleven familiar shinobi stepped out from the dense forest. He watched as Sakura approached him slowly as she said, "Sasuke-kun." He looked away and lowered his sword. "I'm not going back," he said without even thinking about why they had just come back from the Rain Village. There was a long silence when suddenly Sakura hugged Sasuke so tightly he even forgot that he did not need them anymore. Surprisingly, he felt warmth for once, the longest hug that Sakura had given him eased him a little. At the corner of his eye, he knew that Karin was scowling in jealousy. Pushing her lightly, Sasuke frowned and asked, "You're not taking me back?" Sakura turned around and looked at Kakashi, who stepped forward. "We would, considering the fact that your team is outnumbered, but we have another mission to do. Naruto has turned on us, Sasuke," drawled Kakashi, his eyebrows furrowed. Sasuke smirked slightly. The dobe has turned on his home village? The village he swore to protect, the village in where he wanted to become the Hokage? This was not right. "He turned on you?" repeated Sasuke, trying to conceal his excitement and utter surprise about Naruto's sudden turn around.

Kakashi nodded and folded his arms. "Which of course leads us Konoha shinobi to a dilemma; to take you, or to save Naruto," continued Kakashi flatly. "But I have an interesting offer for you." Sasuke looked to his former sensei and raised an eyebrow in interest. He withdrew his sword and smirked. "Speak," he said with much boldness in his voice. Kakashi clapped his hands together and began. "I was wondering, since both sides' targets are within the Akatsuki; why not call it a truce for now, Sasuke-kun?" Kakashi had a cheerful look on his face whenever he was revealing a brilliant idea. "How do I know you won't bag me halfway on the journey?" challenged Sasuke, feeling the fun of it with a sly grin on his face. "Of course we won't," reassured Kakashi almost firmly. "I keep promises, Sasuke-kun." The Uchiha glanced at his three team members and nodded. "Sure. It's a deal then."

"Now we shall … find a better spot to discuss matters," said Kakashi, glancing at the cleared area in the trees.

As they made their way there, Sakura walked beside Sasuke and looked at him, as if she could not get enough of him after all these years. "What's with the staring?" asked Sasuke, somewhat a little annoyed. Sakura smiled at him and shook her head. "It's been so long since I saw you, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura, her voice light and ethereal. Sasuke was shocked; she did not seem to want to stick on him anymore, it was as if she changed over the many years. "Of course … me too," said a suddenly uncertain and somewhat nervous Sasuke. "It has." Sakura sat down next to him, followed by Karin; much to Sasuke's displeasure. "Alright, shall we start?" asked Kakashi, then nodding when all has settled down. "It looks like we both have something in common now, Sasuke-kun. Itachi and Naruto are our targets. If we see any of them, we attack them regardless of whether they are what we want. Understood?" Almost the whole group nodded their heads except for Team Snake. Well, it was not their habit to be nodding heads every time. "Understood, Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke raised his eyebrows and nodded lightly. "It's getting dark. We might as well take a rest first," suggested Yamato, eyeing Sasuke suspiciously.

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The moonlight shone brightly on the certain area where the group was resting. Most of them were not sleeping, especially Sasuke and Sakura, who were standing at the edge of the nearby riverbank. He frowned slightly after pondering over Naruto for a very long time, suddenly realizing the impact that he had left on Sakura. She was downtrodden and disappointed, Sasuke could tell. "I didn't think the dobe would …" started Sasuke slowly, but decided it was best if he did not speak right now. He could hear a soft gasp from Sakura and predicted the obvious. Tears flowed down her cheeks rapidly, which made Sasuke feel uneasy. He did not like to be around people who were crying, let alone Sakura. He sighed and muttered, "You never change, do you?" Sakura looked up at the teenage Uchiha and forced a weak smile on her face. "I'm not sure whether to be happy or afraid, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura with a shaky tone. Sasuke glanced at her with an eyebrow raised and nodded in agreement. "I … know how it feels," said Sasuke flatly. "Itachi's right there, and so is Naruto." "I didn't mean that, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura, still looking at him. The Uchiha turned his head and smiled slightly. It was the first time in over a decade that he smiled once again, and it shocked even himself. "Then what do you mean?" he asked, knowing where this was going.

"I think I've … fallen in love with both of you. Both the dobe and the teme," teased Sakura, blushing slightly. Sasuke almost gasped. She admitted it so easily, and what's more, she had finally fallen in love with the dobe! "Sakura … you know I don't … love," Sasuke struggled to say, with a faint shade of pink appearing on his pale face which was even visible even under the moonlight. He had to say, she had changed his attitude towards people. Strangely, he felt good when she hugged him, and it made him shudder when he thought about him becoming a second Naruto. Sakura chuckled softly, and nodded with a firm smile. "I know. I just felt like I had to tell you," drawled Sakura almost cheerfully. Sasuke's smile was reduced to a shy, small one. "You're still …" started Sasuke, but Sakura put her finger on his lip. "…as annoying as ever?" finished Sakura with a smile on her face. Sasuke caught hold of her hand and lowered it. He leaned over, his other hand on the back of her head and the other on her waist and brought her closer. His lips caught hers as he pushed her lightly and kissed her lovingly. He was in love, he knew. Sakura slid her hand up to his hair and enjoyed the silky feeling. His tongue slid its way in and traveled all over her mouth, tasting her immensely. She pulled away and blushed madly as he smirked and caressed her face gently. "You know this doesn't last," whispered Sasuke into her ear softly, with a slight trace of concern for her. "I know … but I just want to remember it. Don't you?" whispered Sakura back, wrapping her arms around him and falling into one of his emotionless embraces. "Perhaps …"

"This isn't going to change anything."

"Why not …?"

"If it does, you'll end up with me instead of Naruto."

"Do you want me to?"

"…" Sasuke thought for a moment, and then replied glumly, "No."

"Do you mean that … Sasuke?"

There was a long silence.

"I … don't know."

Sakura's expression sunk to sadness as she pulled away reluctantly from Sasuke's firm grip. She crouched down and gazed at her own reflection in the clear, still water. Sasuke remained at the same spot, his face emotionless yet mixed with obvious disappointment.What a pain. "I'm confused, Sasuke-kun," said Sakura softly, swaying back and forth, gazing at her reflection. Sasuke did not say anything, he merely sighed. You don't know how confused I am too. "I … I don't know how I fell for Naruto," continued the kunoichi. "But … I know I love you more." Sasuke raised an eyebrow, apparently a little annoyed yet relieved at her words. "So, the dobe's just a crush?" asked Sasuke, approaching her. A small smile was formed at the corners of her lips as she nodded lightly. "I guess so." Boy is it troubling to be a teenager stuck between two guys. He did not budge, he was satisfied by just looking at her from this spot, but he knew that this love was not to last. "This … isn't going to last, is it, Sakura?" Sakura turned her head to Sasuke with two eyes that shimmered under the silvery moonlight. Her expression was unreadable, probably because she knew it too. She finally stood up from her crouch and turned to Sasuke. "I don't wanna be too optimistic. But all I want is for now to be … perfect," replied the pink-haired kunoichi. Sasuke walked towards her and felt her rest on him, her head on his shoulder. Sighing, all he could do now was to put his arm around her as a warm comfort.

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Sasuke awoke with a start. He looked around the campsite and realized that many of the shinobi were still sleeping, except Kakashi, Gai and Yamato, who were standing in a corner discussing something. He glanced to his side; Sakura was sound asleep, leaning against his firm chest with a peaceful look on her face. He brushed away her hair from her face gently with an empty expression. He was not used to smiling, nor was he used to laughing, let alone joke with people. That was Sasuke alright, the Uchiha who knew nothing of love. She stirred slightly, her expression turning into uneasiness. "Naruto …" she whispered, gripping tightly on Sasuke's collar. He frowned and soothed her by running his hand down her hair. "Sasuke-kun …" she murmured, opening her eyes slightly. Sasuke gazed at her with tired eyes, feeling jealous all of a sudden after thinking about Sakura with Naruto. If he did not return, that is. He pulled her closer and kissed her gently on her forehead, thinking that it was the least he could do after staring at her uneasy look. Soon, dark clouds loomed overhead. He looked up and felt a wave of irritation run through him. This is never going to be easy, is it? Soon, the rest of the shinobi awoke, including Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo. "Sasuke-kun!" gasped Karin when she saw him with his arm around Sakura. Suigetsu chuckled deviously. "Looks like your love has someone better," mocked Suigetsu. Karin glared at her teammate and sent him a hard punch on the face. He smirked at Karin and rubbed his sore cheek.

"I think it's time," said Kakashi, overlooking all the shinobi. "I believe it's time to explain the plan."

All of them sat up, huddled together to form a large group.

"We'll be splitting into two separate groups, one group for one target. That'll make things cleaner," started Kakashi. Yamato stepped forward and said, "I'll be in charge of Team One, consisting of, Neji, Sai, Hinata, Shikamaru and I. The rest will join up with Sasuke-kun's team forming Team Two." He folded his arms and nodded to Kakashi. "Alright, we all have a rough idea of where the Akatsuki hideout is, so the two teams will head in from East and West. There are two gates each. Approach with caution, and all the villagers are probably inside their houses, so it won't need any stealth," continued Kakashi dismissively. He walked over to Team Two and said, "I'll be in charge of Team two whilst Yamato will be in charge of Team One. Any questions …?" No one budged. "Alright, let's move out!"

The two teams have two goals to achieve that morning, and it's to retrieve Naruto and eliminate the Akatsuki.

TBC

Yeah, Chapter five done in a short time :D