Tsuki: Hi hi, Tsuki-chan here (obviously)! Well, Lee will most certainly not be doing this chapters disclaimer, instead, we have to have Sasuke again~! Yay Sasuke-san…again!

Sasuke: *sigh* how many times do I have to do this?

Tsuki: *slaps him really hard on the back* Cheer up Sasuke-san! The girls love it when you talk, I should have no problem getting more people to read my story if you do! *punches fist in air* Kiya! Score one for Tsuki!

Sasuke: Hn… Tsuki doesn't own…

Tsuki: Hm? Tsuki doesn't own what?? You have to talk Sasuke! *crooked smile and laughs*

Sasuke: …Sharingan! *Tsuki screams. Screen cuts out…again*

^..^

The clock struck midnight, no bells or alarms sounding. It didn't matter though, he needn't an alarm, after all he had been awake since she disappeared. It was the time to leave now, and he stepped out into the garden after asking one of the guards if he could. Sasuke had been on good behavior now, so they let him. Idiots… He scoffed and kicked a rock to the side as he less-than-casually strolled down the garden pathway.

He knew just where they were, they'd be just on the outside of his garden, waiting silently. All he had to do know was get out, but it would be a bit more difficult to with the chakra restraints on. Sasuke waited, making sure no one was around. Of course they weren't, they probably were just inside the house talking, a job can only go on for so long before the workers slack off. He made his way over the wall like a ghost, and just as they should be, there stood his old sensei and best friend. They nodded, and Kakashi took out a key he had snatched from Sakura's dresser. It was the key to open the restraint cuffs.

When those were off, they flash stepped to the gates. It was easier than they thought to escape. No one even got in their way, but no one dared to ask Sasuke if it was this easy when he left.

The gates creaked open, and they made their way into the night. Running fast, they hadn't time to conserve energy. For at any moment, the ANBU may well be out searching for the missing nins. The sun would rise in a matter of hours, and they decided they would have to take time to rest later on. Though they had hope and ideas, they did not precisely know Kabuto's, more importantly Sakura's, whereabouts. Of course in any situation similar, this one alike, they will need to stop and collect their bearings. This was planning to be in only a few hours.

Naruto nervously glanced at Sasuke, who looked at him wondering why he was being given that incredulous look. He gestured to the Uchiha's eyes, and Sasuke realized with slight embarrassment that he still had his kekke-genkai fully active. He deactivated it, deciding it may indeed be better to not waste chakra, even if it wasn't draining any energy.


"Lady Tsunade! The Uchiha has escaped!" An ANBU burst through the door to her office, yelling the alarming news. Tsunade smirked.

"Has he really?"

"Yes, not just that but Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto have been reported missing! We are sending a team out now to locate them, but it is believed they have left to retrieve a Miss Haruno Sakura." Tsunade put her hand up dismissively.

"I wouldn't worry too much. They'll come back on their own. Don't bother retrieving them, their just doing a free-of-pay mission is all. Now then, you are dismissed."

The ANBU looked at her disbelievingly. "But Lady Tsunade…"

She glared. "I said go!" He nodded and left. So they've decided to do it. Well I guess I knew that from the start of this whole ordeal. Maybe it's for the best though; I just hope that Sasuke doesn't lose control… Especially when he sees the condition Sakura's probably in…


They hadn't gotten terribly far from the village, when Kakashi suggested they stopped and made camp. It was better to stop early in case they passed where ever Sakura was being held. There had been no sign of any ninja from Konoha yet, which was surprising. They had been almost sure they would've been on their tail by now. They set up no fire though, just to be safe. They doubted they would sleep much either.

Sasuke sat on a tree limb and Kakashi on a rock, reading his little orange book. Naruto just looked around, bored with nothing to do, and joined Sasuke.

"Hey man, what're ya doing?" He asked, and Sasuke grunted in reply. "… Listen Sasuke, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, well, I mean I wasn't really…"

"It doesn't matter. All that matters right now is getting her back." Naruto nodded.

"Hey you never answered my question, whether you liked her or not."

"I don't like her at all." He said, and Naruto looked at him like he'd just seen a ghost.

...

"I love her."

"Oh…"

"That was cheesy, Sasuke."


"Well boys, I think we've had enough rest. Let's head out." Kakashi rose and put his book away. Sasuke kicked Naruto to wake him up.

"Huh, wha? Yeah let's go!" Naruto shot up and smiled, apparently very happy to begin the search again. "So you find out where she is?"

"Just over there." He pointed west. "Back at their camp there's a building I saw during our mission. I thought about it for a while and realized that'd be the perfect place to keep her hostage." Sasuke nodded, his eyes not leaving the direction his ex-sensei pointed in. The trio began to make their way towards the indicated area when they saw a girl, with short pink hair.

Kakashi halted them, but they couldn't see her face, she was crying too. "Sakura? Kakashi, is that Sakura?"

"Yes, I recognize the chakra signature. Why'd Kabuto leave her out here?" Sasuke sensed it too, it was her. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts, and Kakashi ran towards her.

"Sakura, it's us, get up. We're going to take you home, it'll be alright." She sniffled, but didn't budge. "Sakura, come on. It's okay."

"Is it sensei?" Kakashi noticed something was a little off.

"What's wrong?" Suddenly Kakashi felt his stomach slices, and he looked down. A large gaping wound was there, and 'Sakura' looked up at him with a crooked smile, and… black eyes?

"I don't know sensei, you tell me."

"You're not…" She hit him in the chest with a kunai and he flew backwards. The girl got up and she was no longer Sakura, she looked exactly like Kakashi! The real Kakashi got up, and held his wound, gasping for air.

"Sensei!" Naruto jumped in front of Kakashi before the fake one got in another hit.

"Naruto, you and Sasuke go, head further west until you see a solid cement building, and she will be there." Naruto nodded and he and Sasuke fled, knowing perfectly well Kakashi could hold his own.

"Aw, you came back for me?" The fake Kakashi turned to a brown-haired girl now, with black eyes, and her head twisted around until her face was upside-down. "So nice to see you again." A snake-tongue flickered out, and her face returned to normal. She took steps near him, a lion tail swishing impatiently.

"Hana, I remember you from the mission. You were an ugly little thing." Hana frowned.

"Lovely thoughts." She sprinted towards him, but just before they collided she jumped into the air. Kakashi looked up, but she had already brought her leg down on his shoulder, forcing him to fall down with force. With her leg still on his shoulder for that split second, Hana gained momentum and brought herself up just enough to drive a kunai where her foot had been.

As she did so, Kakashi grabbed hold of her leg and twisted it around until he heard the crack of bone, then used it to throw her off. She hit the tree on the other side and groaned in pain, her snake tongue flicked. She seethed, and turned back into Sakura, beginning to try to heal her leg.

Kakashi would not have it though. "It isn't wise to stop in the middle of battle." He threw kunai towards her, paper-bombs attached and the exploded. She screamed but he couldn't see anything in the cloud of smoke. My sharingan will be no use against someone else who can copy everything I do… I'll have to hold her off with simple jutsus. As the smoke cleared, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah!" Fangs sliced into his arm as Hana bit down with cougar teeth. The cat was a lot harder to hit than the human. Nonetheless he managed to swipe her off and get in line enough for a jutsu.

"Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" A wave of flame headed towards Kakashi, but she evaded, side stepping in time and turning to a hawk. The bird flew upwards and then down, her talon slicing clean through his cheek. He grabbed her by her broken leg, and cut it clean off in turn. The hawk screeched and Hana returned to human form as she fell from the sky. Her left leg was missing, muscle, and bone were shown and blood flowed violently. Shreds of her skin were left in chunks on her leg and her entire face was contorted in pain.

Her form switched again, to young boy, with a ski mask, then to a red haired girl. "You wouldn't hurt me, would you Kakashi-san?" The Rin-imposter said innocently. Kakashi's anger flared and a sudden wave of sorrow and rage swept over him. She opened her mouth to speak once more, but a knife flew down her throat, pinning her head to the tree behind her.

Kakashi, bleeding and sweating glared at the dead girl. "You're lucky I didn't meet you in battle last time, I would've run you through then. But this is what you get for helping take Sakura, dear Hana." Chidori collected in his palm, and he calmly walked up to her, the sound of thousands of birds filling the air. Reaching his hand down, he shoved it into her stomach, blood splattering everywhere, from her mouth and eyes even, which were frozen in fear, dead though she was. Her rib cage was now torn open, a gruesome sight, and Kakashi almost felt ashamed…Almost.


"Naruto," Sasuke looked to his friend as they made their way to the place Kakashi had explained. "Who was that…thing?" Naruto knew who he was referring to.

"That was Hana; she's one of Kabuto's minions. She was a rogue from the Wind Country." He shuddered. "She gives me the creeps. I don't know how but she was able to change her form to almost instantly to anything! But when we fought, when she changed to me, she seemed so much weaker. I guess she can only take on some of the strength… But man, I was just about to hit her with rasengan, it was so great, but then she was…" Sasuke interrupted him.

"Naruto." They were there. It was nothing too big, just a cement house. It was built into a cliff though, so who knew how far back it went.

"Sakura's in there?" He nodded. "Ready?"

"…Always." They stood for a moment, they weren't afraid of who they might fight, but who they might see… And in what condition?


A terrible one.


^..^

Tsuki: Well I'm stopping there; I'm going to turn in for the night. This was my first attempt at a fight, and I don't think it went too well, but that's okay. Anyway yup, I'm cutting you off here for a bit! The next chapter won't be up for a while, but hopefully not too long.

Ciao people, and remember to review!