Author's note: Thankyou once again to all who reviewed the last part.

Takara Makoto: Thanks for you're constant reviewing, and you're wish has been granted in this chapter.

TeenageCrisis: It's true... that's in the next chapter though ;)

7: Updated as you asked, hun.

I hope you all enjoy this next part as it's a bit different than the others. Now on to "Yichi's Story".))

Feeling the chakra rise in the air, he got to his feet and was about to head through the door when an ear splintering crash split the air and the wall beside him exploded into a mass of rubble and debree. "Sakura!" Itachi growled, looking at the pink haired nin through the hole.

"Actually," Yichi replied, cracking the knuckles in her fist, "That one was me."

Smiling innocently, Sakura finished restoring the wall under Itachi's curious gaze. She could feel the intensity with which he was staring and it was slightly unnerving to say the least. She had never been one to enjoy drawing the spot light attention, nor did she enjoy being scutenized. But there was something about his gaze that made her… uneasy. As Yichi put in the last brick, Sakura turned to Itachi, "There you go, good as new."

"Good… now, let's go, Sakura…" Itachi said, turning to walk off.

Yichi intervened, her lilac eyes flashing. "Actually Uchiha, I wanted to speak with Sakura… You're up for guard duty anyway, and I doubt you want to leave her with the others," she mused with a dangerous smile. "Besides, it's not like we'll get in trouble."

Feeling the slight annoyance in Itachi's thoughts, Sakura shot him a slight pleading look. She had been good, and she did not want to spend time under those charcoal eyes. Finally though, the Uchiha sighed and ran a hand through his messy black hair. "Fine. But what ever happens is on you're head." He relented before walking off to the entrance.

Sakura watched his retreating back cautiously before turning to the Yakamichi girl, who was smiling. Her eyes glimmered in a bubbly sort of way now, more open and friendly. Motioning with a tilt of her head towards a room marked with a white phoenix on the door, Yichi walked in and opened the door to reveal her room. It was decorated simply in lilac, silver, and black, elegant and yet with an undertone of power to its design. Sitting on the bed, she gestured that Sakura could make herself at home. As the pink haired medic sat on the end of the bed, Yichi sighed.

"Earlier, I told you that could couldn't understand why I had done what I did. But I've realized that you can't possibly know because I've never told you my story," the angelic nin said quietly. "So that is what I wanted to talk with you about…"

Yichi's lilac eyes stared off into space. "As you know, I was the Mizukage of Mist for several years. During that time, I tried to change the village from the Bloody Mist village ways. They disgusted me. Some didn't agree with the changes, but I had the power of Isonade, the three tailed water demon. Those who would not leave voluntarily were forced to. The village rested comfortable despite the wars which constantly threatened," she told, her hands weaving pictures with her halo bands as she spoke.

Continuing after a pause, she took a deep breath, and a look of discomfort appeared. "One day, after a particular threat on the village, I decided to patrol the border. All of my ANBU were busy with the gates and small skirmish clean up after one of our recent battles. I had been advised to take one other ninja with me, but I was stubborn, sure of my power. That was my greatest mistake," she added. Angry splotches appeared at her cheeks, red against the soft silver complexion. "I was intercepted by a rogue ninja. It came down to a battle. His blood was horrible, like acid to the touch and the more we fought the more it splattered over me. He was also a master of the snake taijutsu style, able to bend his limbs around me. Eventually we got into a lock, my angelic aura burning his flesh nearly through, and his blood spilling over my body, burning me in return."

A shudder ran through her thin form and she rubbed the goosebumps which appeared on her arms. Sakura watched with concern, uncertain if she should ask the girl to stop. The memories seemed to almost bring back the mental anguish. Taking another deep breath, she continued, "That was the worst part of the battle. I was bent at the worst of unnatural angles and then he dug his nails into and through the tendons and muscles of my legs, messing with their structure until I could no longer move with them. And the acid was moving through my blood stream, despite the fact that I was healing it as it was happening. Eventually, he summoned a horrendous screeching creature, and I lost consciousness.

"When I awoke, I was strapped to a table of stone with diamond cuffs securing my wrists above my head. I was wearing nothing save what was left of my skin. And then the torture began. As Mizukage I had access to documents regarding the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist as well as valuable secrets on the village. He wanted the blades…"

She paused and formed a seal that Sakura recognized as a genjutsu release. As her skins smoothness vanished, Sakura gaped in horror, her hand flying to cover her mouth. Scars, deeper than any she had seen, some deep enough for her to place a hand in littered Yichi's skin like a demented yarn. Some had aged to silver, but most were a livid red which bulged against her smooth skin. The worst, though, was that of her left eye. From the marks, Sakura guessed that her head had been cut open on the side and the eye extracted. Because only chakra filled the socket. "What…what did he do?' she asked trembling slightly as her finger reached out to brush the damaged skin.

"He stared with my right leg. He first stabbed a scapel through it, and then he cut apart my Achilles before tying it back together and snapping it back into me. When that didn't work, he then pulled out one of my finger nails. Just one… and then he moved on to my head. He cut off all of my hair, forcing my head sideways as he bolted it to the table with a spiked vice. From there, he sliced open my temple, right along here," she answered, drawing her finger along the jagged mark, "And then popped out my eye. He crushed it, cut it off and then cleaned the fresh wound with alcohol. It was the worst pain I had ever felt. But he didn't stop there… oh no. I was dying from the blood loss, losing consciousness. But he drugged me, forcing my body to keep me awake and sensitive. I specifically remember the last bit of it… he pushed alcohol dipped needles up my finger tips and ripped out each of my finger and toe nails one by one."

She swallowed, her eyes darkening with shame. Sakura felt sickened as Yichi described the horrors as though she had been kicked in the gut. Gently she touched the younger girls shoulder. Tears spilled from the lilac eyes, as the girl bit her lip. "I-i-i… I couldn't take it. I gave up and gave in… He broke me into some kind of slave. For about two years I worked for that bastard. And then I fought back." Yichi's voice grew hard. "I killed the bastard. And I have no regrets for it. The Akatsuki picked me up about a week later, and told me they had use for my skills. I joined up, and I haven't left since."

Silence hung unbroken as Sakura swallowed, trying to breath. She wasn't exactly sure what she could say to the girl, and she wasn't sure she should say anything. Yichi's tears stopped as she swept them away irately. "Do you want to know the sickest part of the ordeal?" Yichi asked bitterly. "All of it. My entire abduction, the torture, everything… it was all ordered by the other leaders of the five nations. Your beloved Hokage knew about it... and she didn't do anything. "

Mwahahaha... evil cliff hanger again. R&R....