Without further ado, chapter 8 everybody. Enjoy.

0000000 This chapter has been edited. Slightly. Lol. Enjoy.

Sakura could do nothing but stare at the blue nin with a slightly dumbfounded expression as he prattled on excitedly about the spar, walking with almost a bounce in his steps beside her.

"Well, Pinky, I can tell you that the purpose of Leader's suggestion of a spar is actually five percent deciding your team… and ninety-five percent of seeing your ass handed over to the other members on a platter. Technically, you're already guaranteed on my team since you'll be healing Itachi's eyes-"

"My ass handed over?" Sakura interrupted, stopping her movements as her eyes narrowed at his statement.

The Mist nin grinned, his teeth looking almost feral. "Actually, it wasn't me who said that. It was Hidan. I'm actually banking on you winning. It's a darn huge bet so you better not disappoint me," he said, and proceeded to chuckle upon noticing her shocked face.

Wait a minute… He'd bet on her?

Seeing that the girl had a slight amount of confusion on her face, he decided to explain further. "Well, Pinky, you may look like a small little thing and your hands are tiny-"at this, the girl gave an indignant scoff, ready to retort, but he cut her off, "-but, looks aren't everything, as I've learnt. I bet you got some stuff hidden up your sleeve. And you're not a wanted missing nin for nothing, know what I mean?"

Sakura nodded in agreement; she knew firsthand not to underestimate any shinobi. It was wiser to overestimate than underestimate, in any case.

"Plus," he grinned, leaning closer so he could whisper in her ear, "It's nice to just contend against everything that asswipe Hidan says. And, seeing as Pein-leader had compleeeete faith in you, I'd thought I'd do the same."

Sakura chose to ignore the last statement, giving an eye roll as they continued their walk, which had led to a slow hike upward to a hall. Yellow lights adorned the ceiling in a classy manner and the pink-haired nin couldn't help but marvel silently at the architecture, sighing appreciatively. It was sheer splendor. For a moment, she felt as though she was somewhere else. Somewhere more beautiful and peaceful.

"Seeing that this hall is extremely huge and gorgeous, I'm guessing this is the entrance hall?" she piped up, arching an eyebrow curiously at the man beside her. Her eyes shone with appreciation as she scanned the hall, which had, oddly enough, a few couches to lounge in, a long oval table and a pool table.

"You got that right, pinky. It's a pretty mean entrance hall, don't you think?" he responded, giving a wide smile, baring his sharp teeth.

Sakura jumped slightly when she saw his razor teeth. It made her feel slightly unsettled. "You have got to stop smiling too widely," she muttered and looked away. Running a hand through her hair, she took her hairband and started to tie it up in a classic bun.

Kisame's shoulders bobbed up and down in laughter as he snickered. "What can I say, kunoichi? I love showing my teeth."

"Smile at me one more time like that and I'm going to saw your teeth one day, Seabass."

"Try me," he smirked, and the conversation ended abruptly when they opened the entrance doors, she was greeted by a large clearing. It looked like a training ground and probably was, seeing as to how Tobi and a shirtless Deidara were sparring across the clearing.

"Pein made a clearing of the entrance, so it'll be difficult for those annoying enemy nins to infiltrate into the building- though, I think it'll be quite stupid if they snuck in via the front entrance," Kisame explained, upon seeing her scrutinizing the field. "An added bonus is that it makes an awesome training ground."

"I see." It was all Sakura could say as she watched the spectacle in front of her. Not too far from her, Deidara and Tobi were engaged in a basic taijutsu spar, throwing kicks and punches that were too fast for her to catch. The blonde artist's face was slicked with sweat even though the atmosphere in Amegakure was chilly, and muscles rippled in his upper body visibly as he moved to counter Tobi's punches and kicks. A bead of sweat trickled from his forehead, down to his jaw, where it fell onto his chiseled torso and travelled downwards and-

Okay, maybe it was time to stop staring. Sakura's eyes snapped away from the fight before her and noticed her companion had walked a good ten feet ahead of her and was watching her with a bemused expression.

"You coming, kunoichi?"

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered as she trudged along with him to the large tree at a corner of the clearing that sheltered a bored-looking Hidan and an indifferent Itachi. The silver haired man was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his scythe placed lying down next to his form. He gave her a leer as she advanced closer, raking in her form and Sakura had to fight the strong urge to punch the leer out of his face. The Uchiha was leaning against the tree, his arms folded as he watched her impassively, giving her and Kisame a slight nod in acknowledgement.

Kisame sat down next to the standing Itachi, opting to lean against the tree trunk as he watched the fight. For a moment, Sakura stood rooted to the spot, unsure of where to proceed until an apple came flying through the air to her. Instinct took over and she caught it with one hand. Her eyes flew to Kisame's.

"Aren't you gonna sit?" Kisame raised an eyebrow as he took a large bite of the apple in his hand with a loud crunch.

Sighing imperceptibly, the rosette-haired nin sat down next to him, taking a reluctant bite of her apple as she hid her discomfort. It was then that Hidan turned behind to look at her and the Mist nin.

He grinned, his eyes shining with excitement. "Sharkface, let's double the money on this one."

The blue-skinned man stiffened, his eyes suddenly cold and calculating as his eyes shot to her in an appraising look for a second. Sakura's jaw tensed visibly as she noticed Itachi looking in on the scene with a rather curious look on his face.

As though sensing Itachi's stare, Kisame turned to Itachi for a brief glance before focusing on Hidan once more. "We're betting on Sakura," he explained with a grin. "You know, if she wins or loses."

"Must you tell everyone?" Sakura said through gritted teeth as she saw Itachi's smirk, his gaze steady on her.

"Fuck yes! It's going to be majorly awesome," Hidan's eyes were bright with glee as though he was already sure she would lose and he would win the money.

Sakura was just about to interject when Deidara and Tobi entered the fray. "What's going on, yeah?" Deidara asked, his blue eyes curious as he held a towel to his neck.

"Nothing-" Sakura started, but Kisame had already beaten her to it.

"Betting on Pinky. And in answer to your question, Hidan, I agree for a double."

"One more word, Seabass, and I'll-"

"Seabass? Seabass? Jashin-sama, that is priceless! That's one fucking awesome nickname!" Hidan laughed, his body shaking with mirth.

"Wait a minute, yeah. Who is she fighting anyway?" Deidara cut in, his eyes narrowed.

Silence reigned across the clearing until Tobi piped up.

"Weeell, Tobi thinks Deidara-sempai fighting Sakura will be a bad idea, because Deidara-sempai likes her too much." At this, the blonde nin gave him a threatening look and Tobi was effectively silenced.

Sakura swallowed the lump in her throat. Their eyes interlocked and his eyes darkened, as though he was recalling a particular memory. Sakura shivered; whether it was from the chill air or his gaze, she was unable to tell.

Fortunately, the rest were too preoccupied arguing to notice the exchange, and it wasn't long before Sakura noticed a figure that had stealthily arrived to stand beside her. Glancing at his boots, her eyes slowly trailed upward to notice the orange-haired man. His violet irises were focused on her, studying her intently despite the argument going on.

"She should fight all of us! Then we could see who fucking sucks and who doesn't!"

"Are you an idiot, yeah? Do you want her to die of chakra exhaustion? One opponent is enough-"

"She will fight Itachi," Pein stated calmly, as his eyes addressed the bickering group before him, and to Sakura's amazement, the bickering ceased almost instantly. "This is a good opportunity for her to know his fighting style, and vice versa, for Itachi as well. Anyway," he continued, giving her a smirk, "They are both nins from Konoha. It will be quite interesting to see their abilities against each other."

For a long moment, there was silence as they digested his words. Itachi was undoubtedly one of the strongest in Akatsuki, and although neither of the members admitted it, they knew it inherently.

"You are royally fucked," Hidan informed Sakura cheerily, humming a nondescript tune before grabbing his scythe and jumping up to the tree branch above.

Sakura sighed, readying her gloves as she noticed Itachi walking calmly to the middle of the clearing. Outwardly, she wore an air of nonchalance. Inside, she was a mess of nerves, jittery and nervous. She had almost opened her mouth to say no when Pein had suggested Itachi to fight her, but she managed to calm enough, biting her lip to keep herself from refusing.

She tightened her bun and stood up, stretching her body in her black ninja outfit – a black, form-fitting sleeveless top with a tight, black short-sleeved mesh shirt underneath, and a matching black skirt and shorts to match the top. She noticed in her peripheral vision that Deidara was looking rather worriedly at her.

Then Hidan spoke. "Going to run like the coward you are, bitch?" he sneered.

Sakura froze, and a look of pure, unadulterated anger flashed momentarily through her features. Whatever she had been worried about disappeared, leaving a burning anger in its wake. Her fists clenched and unclenched as she bowed her head slightly, and when she looked up, her expression changed to a rather steely look of resolved determination.

"I am not a coward." Her voice was soft, but clear and the rest of them heard it and Hidan fell oddly silent. She walked forward briskly to the Uchiha, who had already stood still, waiting for her.

She was a good four hundred feet from the rest and thirty from Itachi when she stopped walking.

A brief bout of wind blew over the clearing, letting loose strays of hair brush over her face as she regarded Itachi with a cool, calm expression. His tomoe spun lazily in his eyes as he waited for her to make the first move.

Then the fight began.

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Running towards him, Sakura made a set of handseals, making a bunshin and they both lunged for their opponent, throwing a set of punches and kicks as Itachi deftly kicked the bunshin into nothingness and met her hit for hit, his moves faster than hers at an alarming rate that she could barely keep up with her vision focused on his feet, wisely avoiding his Sharingan gaze.

Noticing she was going nowhere, she flipped backwards until she reached a far enough position.

"Quitting already, bitch?" She ignored the foul-mouthed shinobi from afar as she pressed her index and middle finger over her closed eyelids, activating her doujutsu. Her eyes opened to reveal a shocking glowing yellow, and it was lucky that she opened them soon; for Itachi was already in front of her, his hand coming to meet her face. She noticed a brief look of shock pass over his features and his widened eyes bore into her yellow ones as she took the opportunity to dodge and attempted a kick on his feet, crouching momentarily.

Itachi was Itachi, and he deftly avoided it, jumping up in the air as he made a set of handseals. Sakura was sure she could look into his eyes without much worry, seeing that the doujutsu accelerated her ability to sense genjutsu and dispel it. Also, his eyes were deteriorating and she suspected he would not use them unless necessary.

A fire blew out of his mouth and Sakura made an earth wall as a shield. She saw Itachi jump over the wall and prepared herself; however, another Itachi appeared to her left of her wall and to her right and all of them threw an astonishing number of shurikens.

"Fuuton: Fuusajin!" She swept her arm and a great gust of wind blew at her opponents and their instruments, flinging them back momentarily.

However, the clone closest to her exploded with a loud boom, causing thick, jagged shards of earth to impale onto her left arm and leg. Sakura cursed; it was his Shadow Clone Technique and she should have suspected it earlier. Her feet backpedaled to a safer distance from him quickly as she thought of her next move. However, the black-haired man appeared on her left side so quickly she could have sworn her neck almost snapped from turning so quickly to face him.

She parried with him in a dance, her left arm and leg hurting with every movement, the shards digging deeper into her thigh and arm as her wounds bled more. However, her doujutsu enabled that she kept up with him blow for blow, and her adrenaline pushed her.

She was not a coward. She would fight him with every bit of strength she possessed.

It was then that she decided to stop using her fists but her fingernails. She surprised him halfway through the hits with a quick change of her punches to swipes, her fingernails glowing an eerie blue with her chakra scalpels. Her chakra was going to be used up soon at this rate, but she didn't care. They engaged in an even deadlier dance this time, and Itachi seemed to be warier of her hands.

Then he seemed to disappear, and the surroundings grew eerily quiet.

For a moment, Sakura stopped her movements, feeling slightly disoriented. The sky began to darken, and a cold gust of wind blew in the air. She turned and noticed the members watching from afar had disappeared.

Then her senses picked up on an odd chakra buzz, tingling through the air. Her yellow eyes flashed and she knew; it was a genjutsu.

"Kai!" she said, her yellow eyes glimmering as the world fell back to normal. Her eyes widened as she suddenly felt a cold breath blowing at her ear. He was behind her. He grabbed her hands tightly placing them behind her back, and she felt a rush of warmth from his torso as he prepared himself for his next move.

Before he could do anything else –and she dared not think what he was about to do then-, she activated her chakra scalpels and he released her.

Jumping back, Sakura turned to look at him. His eyes were narrowed, his palms dripping with thick, red blood dripping in rivulets as he regarded her with darkened eyes.

"Not bad," he said evenly, and that was all Sakura heard before his bunshin tackled her from behind, catching her in a stranglehold. Choking, the pink-haired nin did what she knew best.

She tapped the ground with her foot, and chaos ensued as the earth and sand shifted, causing a huge crater to form in the clearing, the ground vibrating with extreme intensity. The bunshin lost his balance and resolved his hold on her and she jumped free, looking for Itachi's chakra with her doujutsu through the dissolving cloud of dust. She had to act fast. She had little chakra left.

There! She found him. Sakura pulled out her trump card, hoping he would not catch on to her idea. Her hands made a final set of handseals she knew would officially drain her chakra and make this her last move.

"Fuuton: Fuujin!" Her mouth opened and her palms came together at her mouth as a cloud of dust exited at an alarmingly fast rate. He flipped backwards diagonally to the side, managing to avoid most of the dust. Briefly, he wondered whether she knew the Sharingan had the ability to see chakra even in spite of the dust. Maybe she didn't, and Itachi gave an amused smirk as he watched the girl still blowing dust from her mouth.

Then he realized. The dust was a special kind; it could catch fire.

He saw Sakura click her teeth, and it was already too late. It was such a small click; yet, the spark was enough. The dust cloud exploded in a magnificent explosion of fire, incinerating everything in its way and sending shards of earth into his body that was now flying back.

His back hit the tree, and he was unconscious within a few seconds on impact.

A few seconds later, the pink-haired girl's knees buckled as she dropped unceremoniously onto the ground in the middle of the crater, unconscious and severely drained of chakra.

Not too far from the clearing, lay three open-mouthed Akatsuki members, one grinning blue man and a very amused, triumphant Leader.

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Yes, he was half-blind and underestimated her intelligence. So Sakura won. But it's still a win nonetheless, no?

You know you want to review. Come on, don't you just love the fact that she actually kicked his ass?

I know I did. Hehe.

Anyway,

New poll: Which pairing has produced the sweetest story ever?

Review and I'll give you more fluff. (Dangles fluff bait in front of computer screen suggestively) XD