Chapter 3
Hinata blinked watching Naruto, Gaara, and her cousin walk by her.
"The Hokage will see you now Hinata-chan." A female voice said. She nodded to Shizune and opened the door walking inside.
: Hic: "Oh heey Hinataa what's up?" Tsuande asked taking another sip of her sake bottle.
"H-hai…um Hokage-san you're—drunk?" Tsunade giggled leaning forward slouching on her desk.
"No silly! I'm fine see." She straightened herself up, but still looked like she was going to bust out laughing.
"Tsunade-sama how much sake have you had?" A confused expression crossed on the Hokage's face and she tapped her cheek in though.
"Well just a few before Neji and Gaara got here and only one or two after they left."
"Hokage-sama! That's about ten bottles!" Her eyes widened at Tsuande and she sighed knowing she wouldn't find out anything about Sakura now.
She shook her head and left to room to find Shizune; the only one who could cure Tsuande's drunk phase
--
"Anything? Anything!" the blonde jumped around between Gaara and Neji with an upset expression; he couldn't believe they still hadn't found a lead.
Neji forced himself to stay calm.
"Naruto it'll take some time, she isn't, she isn't in this area any longer." Naruto huffed crossing his arms in a pout.
"Then why not look for FOOTPRINTS?"
"Don't you think I've though of that? She didn't leave any." Neji sighed, Sakura was more clever than he'd though.
"She used the trees." Gaara spoke in a low voice causing both Neji and Naruto to look over at him.
"Eh! What do you mean the trees?" Neji nodded to Gaara ignoring Naruto as he activated his Byakugan; a smirk forming on his lips as he nodded to the sand ninja. "There are small imprints on the bark." 'Foolish.' "She's heading to the Rain Village."
Gaara frowned and took off in a mad dash racing through the forest Naruto and Neji running after him.
'Soon cherry. Maybe I'll kiss you as punishment.' Gaara revealed in his thoughts; the small promise not a pleasant on. Naruto shuddered at the icy gleam in Gaara's eyes and the cruel grin spreading on his face. He looked over at Neji to see a scowl instead of his normally cool expression.
'What's their problem? Oi, I better get to Sakura-chan first; the look kind of freaky.'
He sped up his chakra and dashed ahead t catch up with the other two.
--
Where was she now? Land to land; the trees gone now, well she wasn't in Konoha anymore. Running, running, still running. Sakura's breath was heavy, her legs aching in pain, terrible pain.
'I feel like I'm g…going to collapse. No keep going! Run damn it!' Don't stop. Find Sasuke.'
"Sasuke." She murmured in a choking voice; stumbling into a rock, her head hitting against the stone as her knees crumbled beneath her. Fresh tears filled her tearstain eyes; blurring her vision as she gave a cry of pain; her legs motionless in the dirt. They'd given up.
"I'm sorry Hinata-chan, Tsuande-san. I hope one day you'll understand."
Her breathing was heavier as she leaned against the rock rubbing her tears away weakly. "I can't return now. It's too late." She licked her lips to stop the annoying dryness and distract her mind as she glanced at her surroundings. It was a barren area, not sand, but dirt. It clouded the area; rocks big and small everywhere. It was like a wasteland aside from the feeling of hot moist air after a rain shower.
"Where the hell is this anyway?" she grumbled feeling dizzy from all that running.
A cool hand suddenly clamped over her mouth and she gasped in surprise; eyes wide and she tried to push the arm away.
"Well, well what to we have here…a stray cat?" the chilling voice whispered darkly into her ear.
'The hell? Get of me!' she took hold of his arm gripping it with her super strength; finally able to peel his hand away from her mouth.
"Leave me alone. I'm not a stray bastard," she hisses struggling to stand and glare at him, but her legs still wouldn't obey.
Itachi gave the frustrated kunoichi an amused look., lowering his fingers through her tangled pink locks.
"Oh really?" he stated icily as he tangled his hand in her hair being sure to yank back her strands as painfully as possible.
"Ack, let go of my hair!" she growled not liking the forest of death memories he was reminding her of. He gave a small smirk at her cry of pain; yanking her hair back roughly so that her head fell against his firm chest.
"Then little kitten, where are your friends? Your family? Your headband," he hissed softly.
Sakura gasped out at the stinging pain; wishing she could her legs to cooperate enough to see her captor and punch the living daylights out of him. Mental pain filled into her green orbs as she thought of everyone back at the Leaf Village, reaching a small hand up to where her forehead protector would usually be.
'That's right…I left it.'
Itachi narrowed his eyes when he saw Sakura raise her hands taking it as a sign of attack. He released his hold on her hair and roughly snatched her arms pulling them into a painful position behind her back so she couldn't use them; an emotionless expression still on his face he pulled her away from the rock and shoved her body to the ground; pinning her.
"You should know better than to try anything, stray," he growled; pushing her deeper into the ground.
"A-ah bastard," she coughed from the dirt trying to fill up her lungs lifting up her head with all her strength as she spoke through gritted teeth. "I wasn't attacking you!"
"Why should I believe you?" Itachi asked in the same cool emotionless tone from before; like he didn't care about the question or her answer. Sakura struggled to breathe, dirt smirking against her clothes and face as he continued to push her deeper into the ground, her face getting hot from the intense emotion in the air and his warm breath on her ear making her shiver. She didn't like it one bit. It was really pissing her off!
"JUST GET OFF!" Sakura yelled; using all her strength to break on of her arms free from Itachi's hold and punch the ground.
For a moment nothing happened and Itachi was about to mock her so called 'skills', but then he heard a 'crack; and the ground began to quickly collapse beneath them. Itachi jumped back releasing Sakura; staring at the large hole where he'd been seconds before, and the kunoichi who'd drawn a kunai in that instant and was now hanging loosely at the edge of the giant hole tugging herself forward.
'Interesting.' He eyes her with interest as a blue light formed around her legs and she started to slowly heal her legs from their numb state. 'A medic too?' His lips curled into an amused smirk.
"Finally stupid legs…alright you!" she stood up a bit shakily; turning to face the one who'd caused her so much trouble, but she could only stare.
"S-sasuke-kun?" it was like she was a completely different person; her frown and anger where gone only to be replaced by a soft confused stare. 'But Sasuke-kun wouldn't attack me right?'
Itachi's amusement vanished when she spoke his little brother's name.
"Wrong." Before she could even blink he'd grabbed her in his crushing hold; tilting her head back to his lips.
"Itachi-sama, you best remember it when you wake up."
'Wake up?'
She tried to say something but he hit a pressure point at her neck before she could utter a word; causing her to fall into instant darkness and forward against him. He looked down at her smoothing back her bangs before hurling her over his shoulder.
"Eh what's that?" Kisame muttered looking over at the thing hanging on his partner's shoulder.
"You said you've wanted to get a pet," he replied calmly not the least surprised by the shark man's appearance. Kisame gave a sharp-toothed grin walking over Itachi to get a better look at their new pink haired 'pet'.
"Can I torture her? " he asked eyeing Sakura like she was a new toy; which she was. Itachi started walking; keeping the kunoichi balanced on his shoulder with one hand as he side glanced to the other Akatsuki member.
"If you wish, just don't kill her she's going to be very handy to us."
Kisame pouted when Itachi said not to kill her; giving a slightly confused look to Itachi.
"Handy, her?" Itachi gave a small smirk barely nodding to his partner.
"She's a medic and she has surprising strength." Kisame grinned; a glow in of eagerness in his expression. "And they let her go?"
Itachi's smirk broadened and a cruel smile formed on his lips.
"She's a stray."
Kisame's eyes seemed to glow with excitement. 'Tch, idiots.' "And now she's all ours now..." Oh how he'd enjoy 'playing' with their new kitty.
(( SEE! Just as I said, in two days…okay it took three ; but yeah! THANKS SO MUCH for the reviews the really made my day and helped me write this chapter, Next chapter should be done Tuesday—I know a lot of you can't wait to see how Neji and Gaara deal with Sakura when they find here he he I won't let you down! –Grins- anyway please review; next chapter should be done by Tuesday! Now I've got to get some sleep xx –chea night ()
