Author's Note: My disclaimer is at the beginning, enough said.
I am feeling in a good mood as of late, so I have decided to do an extra long "1 and a 1/2" chapter. I didn't have room to title it completely, but its called "Hidden Faces and Impending Trouble."
Special Thanks to:
Takara Makoto:He's supposed to. Lol
Minniemousemom: Thanks.
Recap:
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He smiled slightly wider, his golden eyes appearing thoughtful. "You must be the guests Torin was expecting. I'll take you to the entrance then, and then we can head to where ever you're rooms are," he said, turning to walk down a hall as he gestured for her to follow. As she caught up with him, he nodded to her. "I am Niro, by the way. Niomaru."
Sakura smiled in return. "My name is Sakura… it's a pleasure to meet you."
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"You learned what you wanted. Release the genjutsu," she said quietly, her voice full of malice as she felt a burn of hate in her chest….
With a mere 'hn' Itachi continued on. His mind was focused on what had been revealed in the genjutsu. The only thing that mattered was getting Sakura back. Yet as he stepped on a branch, he felt a dim flash of memory over the mental connection. And it made his eyes darken in fury.
He could hear each of her thoughts, and it was enough to drive him mad. But the stoic Uchiha merely continued on, his feet hitting each branch with a new sense of urgency. She was his alone, and he would not allow his enemy to take her from him. With a slight pause he wondered when he had assumed that possessiveness. And yet he had no answer.
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"Come now, you don't know anything?" Kabuto purred as he pushed Yichi into the room. "Nothing what so ever?"
"No. I merely know its name," she replied, staring at each of them. Kamille's storm like eyes narrowed in disbelief and he rose to his feet. Approaching the kunoichi, he drew out four senbon that glinted wickedly in the dim light.
"Let's play a game, Yichi…"
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"I don't play games with criminals," Yichi replied acidly as she stared down Kamile with more than just a hint of malice reflecting in her lilac gaze. She could feel her chakra beginning to respond to her fury, and it was not a pleasant sensation with the chakra restraints melting against her skin. Yakamichi chakra melted everything, metal was no exception. The only problem aws that it was only melting by degrees because it drained the majority of the burning chakra.
"How odd… I seem to recall you playing several drinking games with our dear friends in the Akatsuki…."
Kamile's eyes flitted to the man behind her as he shifted sharply, bringing what felt like a full chakra scapel through the vertebre of her spine. As she felt to the ground, losing control of her legs, Yichi cursed the ninja to hell and back.
As she felt Kabuto's arms catch her from behind, Yichi thrashed until a low growl reached her ears. "God damn it. Stop f-ing struggling bitch. We're trying to get you out of here."
Freezing as she recognized the tone of voice, Yichi felt a small flash of hope. There was only one ninja who could curse in that string. Allowing him to set her down, she glared at each of them irritably. There was a small pause as she noted the fact that the storm gray of Kamile's fingers moved stiffly for one who was human. Except she could feel with familiarity that he was not. Sasori and Hidan, it seemed had infiltrated Torin's base.
"You are so dead…." She whispered icily. "Leadersama will probably kill both of you for letting that-"
Hidan cut her off. "We were out on a f-ing mission. Which was s-ty by the way. And Leadersama already gave us a whole haul over for not recognizing that there were duplicates when Itachi and Kisame were out. Besides, I'm immortal bitch."
"You won't be when I'm done," she vowed as "Kamile" hefted her onto his shoulder. Hidan, disguised as Kabuto chuckled dryly.
"Bitch, I'd love to see you try. But first, let's find the pink bitch and then get out of this god damn shit hole."
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Sakura followed Niomaru cautiously. Something in her senses was warning her that there was something off in the way that he had immediately accepted her story, in the way that he casually chatted with her. The uncomfortable feeling that she had experienced when Itachi was irritated was very similar to what she sensed now. But she silenced that thought. It was probably only her… guilt. And she could read something more in his eyes, despite their masked sparkle.
As a flicker caught her eyes, Sakrua twisted sharply into a defensive stance as she stared down the stone hallway. But no one was there. Sweeping it over with her eyes, she slowly relaxed into a normal stance. Ignoring her guide's questioning stare, she turned back and they began once again through the halls.
The base was far more extensive than she had initially realized. Several passages crossed with theirs and continued past the point where Sakura could find the end. More so, the one that they were walking through twisted and turned endlessly. It had similar qualities to Orochimaru's former base. Which, she reasoned, it could very well be.
As they finally reached the end of the hall, where it formed a "T" with another, Niomaru paused. "I don't see her. Do you think she went off somewhere?" he asked.
"More than likely. I'll send out a chakra pulse and then she should come here," Sakura replied charging her chakra to send out a pulse through the base of her Yakamichi. Torin, if he was around, wouldn't recognize it because it was stronger than the chakra that she usually used in her battles.
But there was no answer, despite the fact that she could feel the sensation of Yichi's chakra. It was close enough that the pulse should have reached her, but she had never felt it connect. And if her sister was close, she would have responded or at least connected with it.
"She doesn't appear to be in the base," Sakura said with a frown as Niomaru's eyes flicked to her. "Perhaps she went out to get some air. She doesn't enjoy being trapped of-"
Sakura froze as she felt the slick, snake like feel of his chakra. He had concealed it before, she realized with a sinking feeling. And she had underestimated him. Turning to stare at the walls, she thoughtfully counted the tiles across the floor. There was no clear number from the floor to the wall. Her medic mind registered it before she even had to say the words. "Genjutsu."
"Precisely." Niomaru replied, his golden eyes glittering with a small challenge. "The question, however remains if this is the genjutsu… or if were you were was."
Staring at the vibrant gold eyes she watched as Torin's face molded into Niomaru's features sot that the man before her was a strange mix of the two. "This hall is a genjutsu. Your appearance is not," she answered. "That's why I can't sense my sister." Forming seals, she released it to reveal the truth.
He smirked, twirling a kunai over his elongated fingers. "Exactly. I've personally made it so that you cannot sense each other. Because what would the fun be in that if you could communicate?"
Yet as he spoke, Sakura felt a faint pulse strike her feet, twirling up around her. It was a vibrant lilac chakra, and only one kunoichi could produce it. Her eyes widened as she stared at the walls around her and then she acted on split second decision. If Yichi could pulse her chakra there was a chance that the girl might be able to get out. Sending a reply pulse of fighting energy as a warning, Sakura lunged for Torin, pulling out a kunai. She would just have to distract him.
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Itachi's feet were methodical as he continued through the forest towards the hideout he knew. If Torin was not there, then someone who knew where he was would be. The S-class criminal was a creature of habit, a fact that would lead to his down fall. His irritation was plain as the group continued through the outcropping of trees towards the mountain sides. He had not expected to be carting so many extra people. If it were only himself and the Kyuubi container, than the journey would be taking half as long.
Yet as he thought of this, his foot stumbled and he had to flip to make it to the next branch. A flick of his eyes noted that Hinata had grabbed her shoulder and that the demon girl was biting her lip. So… they had felt the flux as well. "Sakura has been enganged in battle," Itachi stated as the two girls nodded.
"With Torin," Kiri confirmed, her eyes dark. "But something is up. I can feel her… but I'm picking up someone else too. Its kind of a lilac like chakra, not light like Hinata's, but silvery almost. And dark."
"Yichi," Itachi supplied as Neji looked at him sharply. "A… partner… of Sakura's. She is the former Mizukage and a Yakamichi, hense the odd color to her chakra."
Kiri flinched. "It's stronger too. Closer at least. And it's slightly off, not battle flared but more of a caution."
"Meaning that she is expecting a battle," Neji surmised. "We need to be ready incase any ninja have been alerted around us. Hinata and I will activate our Byakuugan to keep a watch for the others or anyone else."
"The Nibi host should stay with Kakashi, as her skills are limited," Itachi said impasse as they continued. "Any ninja are to be left for myself and the ky- Naruto to handle."
As the other ninja nodded, Itachi set his sights ahead. Their feet moved at a double pace as they moved to take on whatever was coming their way.
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