A/N: Just realised that this is my most reviewed story which… wow. I'm honestly so happy that even one person took the time to review so thank you all so much for the feedback. Sorry this chapter took so long.
Kisame chucked a pebble at Sakura's head. She caught it and sent it flying back with just as much force. Kisame caught it and idly threw it at her again.
"He always takes so long." he grumbled. "When it comes to relaying information from HQ I wish he'd let you handle it instead of having a damn meditation session."
Itachi chose that moment to open his eyes and climb down from his rock. Kisame grinned unrepentantly, but Itachi didn't seem to care. Sakura still found him difficult to read, but after spending a good few days in their company she was almost certain that Itachi was distracted by something.
"There was an attack on Konoha."
Ah. That would do it.
"I offered to investigate the aftermath and the Leader agreed. However he wants Sakura back at base for another mission."
For a second she felt disappointed. Aside from Konan, Itachi and Kisame were the least stressful members to be around. Part of her was also curious to see Konoha for the first time. She had a connection to that place, one she didn't quite understand, and she wanted nothing more than to run straight there to figure it out. But Sakura knew that as always, she needed to play it smart. If she followed Pein's orders and stayed alive, one day she would set foot in this mysterious village.
Just not today.
She bid farewell to Itachi and Kisame, which involved a polite bow and being tossed into the air, respectively. Then she turned and began the long trek back to Ame.
After a while it stopped snowing, and after another while she was walking through familiar rain. She made her way to the main tower and flickered in to where she could sense Pein and Konan. To her disappointment, Sasori and Deidara were also there. They all noticed her presence, but Pein didn't bother greeting her.
"Sakura will be going with you two to offer assistance with your mission."
Having literally just arrived a second ago, Sakura had no clue what the mission even was, but she already knew she didn't want to do it. Sasori looked just as annoyed as she felt.
"You're telling me I have to babysit the pretty boy and the brat as well?"
Deidara looked ready to argue at the babysitting comment, but Pein cut in before he could start.
"If you don't think you're up for the challenge I can send Zetsu along to make sure you won't kill each other."
The three of them grimaced at that. None of the members aside from Pein and Konan liked Zetsu, mostly due to the constant spying. The Akatsuki were a paranoid bunch, and as Zetsu's main function in the group was to observe everything and everyone related to Akatsuki interests, it didn't exactly make him the most popular member. Black Zetsu was bitter and hostile about it, but White Zetsu didn't seem to mind the animosity, happy to chatter with anyone around regardless of how they felt about him.
"That won't be necessary." Sasori growled. "Deidara and I have managed this far, and if the brat isn't too irritating I won't add her to my collection."
Sakura was well used to Sasori's jabs, but for some reason that one got to her. Maybe she was still shaken from her conversation with Itachi, or maybe she was just tired of him, but this time she couldn't help but respond.
"My apologies Sasori-sama." she bowed, her tone perfectly polite. "I understand how difficult it must be for you to be around me, knowing that if we fought I would win. Please understand that my presence is never intended to hurt your pride, and any damage to your ego is merely an unfortunate consequence of our difference in strength."
Sasori's eyes narrowed and his tail flicked out. Sakura readied herself to jump over it and smash his puppet to splinters, but she never got the chance.
"Shinra Tensei."
In an instant, Sasori and Sakura went from lunging towards each other to flying away from each other, crashing into opposite walls. Sasori immediately fell to the ground but Pein held Sakura a little longer, pushing hard enough to hurt, before dropping her.
"Pull yourselves together." His voice was tight with anger. "This organisation has no use for childish behaviour, so save the squabbling for your free time. Sasori, clearly I misjudged your level of professionalism. Now take Deidara and complete your mission."
Sasori's eyes were filled with hate, and for a second Sakura hoped he would try and lash out at Pein. But instead he swept out of the room without another word, Deidara following after him with a grin on his face. Sakura felt her adrenaline fade as she was left with Pein and Konan.
"I understand that Sasori has a petty grudge against you." Pein began. "But as a weapon it is your responsibility not to antagonize him, and what you said was deliberately provoking. Don't let it happen again or the consequences will be more severe."
"Yes sir."
Pein sighed and looked at Konan, who stepped forward.
"We were planning on sending you with those two but since that's not happening, Kakuzu and Hidan are wandering around the edges of Tsuchi no Kuni on an assassination assignment. Go help them with their mission."
Sakura nodded and flickered away quickly in case they changed their minds.
Pein sighed once Sakura left. If he wasn't a dead body, Konan had a feeling he'd be rubbing his temples the way Nagato did when he was stressed.
"She's growing up so fast." he said quietly. "As inconvenient as it was I sometimes find myself missing the days when she was terrified of us. I fear she's going to start slipping away from us soon."
"Nagato." Konan felt like rolling her eyes. "She's a teenager. Human or weapon she has hormones and they're starting to act up. It doesn't mean she's going to betray us, just that she'll be more moody and snappish for a while, the way she was with Sasori today."
"I don't like it." Pein almost sounded petulant. "If she's going to start acting out I feel like I should kill her before she becomes a problem."
This time Konan really did roll her eyes.
"If you did that would be incredibly foolish. She's too smart to let her emotions get in the way of her loyalty. Just give her time to adjust."
"Well." Pein raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure sending her to Kakuzu and Hidan, our two most calm and stable members, will definitely help with that."
It took her five hours of sprinting to locate the zombie couple, and by the time she caught up with them they had already finished their mission. She found them on the main road leading eastward, a dead man slung over Kakuzu's shoulder. As usual, he looked grumpy, but didn't seem particularly bothered by Sakura's presence. Hidan looked delighted and greeted her with a swing of his scythe.
Sakura dodged, gave a polite bow and then nimbly sidestepped his follow-up strike.
"Kakuzu-sama. Hidan-sama."
Hidan gave a maniacal cackle and continued his attempts to murder her.
"Cut it out." Kakuzu grumbled. "I'm not putting up with this all the way home. Just wait until she falls asleep and sacrifice her then."
"Jashin-sama demands her blood now!" Hidan roared, swiping and missing Sakura once again.
"Curb the bloodlust or I'm cutting off your head and leaving your body here for the crows."
"As if you could." Hidan growled, but he nonetheless he stopped attacking.
They walked peacefully for a while, or as peacefully as it could get with Hidan huffing and glaring at both Sakura and Kakuzu. When it became clear that they weren't headed back to Ame, Sakura looked at Kakuzu curiously.
"We completed the mission but I still need to collect the bounty." he explained. "I also got a tip about a rogue Iwa jonin living near here. We'll get him too before going back to base."
Sakura nodded, knowing better than to argue with Kakuzu when money was involved. Hidan however, had yet to learn that.
"Are you fucking kidding me? You told me this was all part of the official mission, you lying bastard! I'm not doing shit if it's just about making you a little richer!"
Kakuzu ignored him, up until Hidan threw his scythe at him. He batted it away and then sighed, turning to Sakura.
"Cut his leg."
Sakura considered it, then shrugged. Orders were orders.
Hidan yelped as she threw the kunai, snapping at her as he dodged it.
"You think you can hit me you little bitch? I'll cut you to pieces before you can- Ow!"
The first kunai she threw was stuck in a tree. The second kunai she threw was sticking out of the back of Hidan's leg after bouncing off the first one.
"Shit! That hurts! That fucking hurts! Kakuzu this is all your fault!"
Sakura ignored him and looked at Kakuzu.
"Would you like me to completely sever his leg or are you satisfied with the cut?"
His mask made it hard to tell, but she felt like Kakuzu was surprised. Perhaps he hadn't expected her to harm another member, or perhaps he was surprised she actually managed to do so. After a moment his expression returned to his default grumpy face.
"That's fine." he muttered. "Maybe next time he'll think before annoying me."
As they walked along, with Hidan limping behind them and screaming bloody murder, Sakura got the impression that she and Kakuzu had just bonded for the first time.
"You don't seem scared of him."
Sakura glanced back to where Hidan was trying to burn a hole in Kakuzu's back with his glare. He'd taken the kunai out of his leg but it had yet to fully heal, which meant he was still furiously hobbling along without being able to fully catch up with them.
"I understand how dangerous he is." she replied. "But for him to kill me he needs to hit me."
"And you don't think he can cut you, even now when your back is turned to him?"
"I'm always prepared for an attack." she explained. "Dodging them is a speciality of mine. I wouldn't have survived this long if I hadn't learnt to be quicker than those more powerful than me."
"I see." Kakuzu hummed. "I wonder if we could increase our funds with that skill. Find a knife thrower and send you around for civilian entertainment. We could make a fair amount of money from that."
Of course that was where his mind went.
Privately, Sakura thought that there was no way Pein would agree to waste her talents as a circus attraction, but she didn't bother voicing her disagreement. Kakuzu was incredibly stubborn when money was involved, to the point of clashing with Pein over Akatsuki funds. Sakura had been there when Kakuzu refused to divulge the location of his bank accounts for 'security reasons', despite the fact most of the money in those accounts belonged to the Akatsuki. Konan had to talk Pein out of planning an assassination, which turned out to be the right call. Kakuzu was miserly and stingy, but as long as the money kept flowing in he was loyal.
Kakuzu suddenly stopped, drawing Sakura from her musings. To their left, a small cottage lay at the edge of a large forest. It was isolated and easily ignorable, the perfect place for a rogue shinobi to settle down. Kakuzu dumped the body off his shoulder and onto the ground, and then turned to Sakura and Hidan.
"Remember," Kakuzu muttered. "The man is mine, seeing as some people can't help getting into a frenzy and disfiguring the body beyond identification."
"Fuck you." Hidan huffed.
"I heard a rumour he has a wife. You can have her and any possible kids we find. But remember that this man has evaded custody for years, so we'll have to be cautious and clever to capture him."
"Got it." Hidan nodded.
He marched over to the door and kicked it down, whooping as he charged inside and swung his scythe.
"Time to die motherfuckers! Your day of reckoning has come and Jashin-sama is thirsty for your suffering!"
"I hate him so much." Kakuzu growled, as he followed Hidan inside.
Sakura waited outside, deciding that they probably had it covered. She didn't feel like getting in the way in case she landed on Kakuzu's bad side, just when they were moving from irritation to tolerance. Besides, someone needed to guard the dead body.
After a few minutes she saw smoke, and soon the majority of the house was up in flames. Sakura thought she heard a scream, and she saw a figure move through the window. Kakuzu emerged from the house dragging a man with a hole in his chest, and Hidan walked out soon after with a woman slung over his shoulder.
Sakura averted her eyes as he began preparations for his ritual. She was in no way a squeamish person, but Hidan's fanatic adoration of all things violent and painful was not something she felt like watching for fun. She looked at Kakuzu, hoping he'd give her something to do. He was busy rifling through the dead man's pockets, but he paused for a second to address her.
"We didn't see any children, but if you want you can check."
She considered it. Search through a burning house for a child that may not exist or…
"Jashin-sama, I offer this sacrifice to you!" The woman screamed as Hidan cut her. "As soon as I taste this offering we will bond through our mutual pain! I'm getting aroused just thinking about it!"
She turned and marched into the house.
Smoke was everywhere, making it difficult to see or breathe. She quickly checked every room that wasn't completely engulfed in flames, and found the first floor empty. The heat was beginning to become unbearable, and she considered going back outside. But then she heard the woman screaming and Hidan chanting and decided that she should probably check the second floor too.
The first two bedrooms were empty, but in the final room overlooking the forest, she found someone. A young boy, curled up in a corner of the room. Sakura wasn't sure how long he'd been hiding there, but it was clear the smoke had done some damage. He stared at her with glassy eyes, too dazed to be scared.
"Are you a demon?"
"Something like that." she replied, crouching down to lift him up.
Now that she'd actually found someone, Sakura felt unsure of what to do next. If she brought the boy outside Kakuzu would probably let Hidan sacrifice him. Should she give the boy a mercifully quick death now? The boy's chakra was weak enough to be unnoticeable, so if she left him here and lied to Kakuzu that she found no one, she'd probably get away with it. But if she left him he'd most likely die, either from the smoke or the fire. Was killing him really her best option?
Sakura hesitated, and then made her decision. With the boy in her arms she leapt out the back window, landing soundlessly on the grass below. The boy didn't say a word, which Sakura was grateful for. He seemed to have some sense, but she couldn't trust him not to act out and get them both in trouble. She put him down and began making hand-seals.
"Doton: Retsudo Tenshō." she whispered.
The earth swallowed the boy all the way up to his head, and Sakura clapped a hand over his mouth so he couldn't cry out. She quickly covered his head with fallen branches from the forest, making it look as natural as possible just as Hidan appeared from behind the corner of the house.
"Oi Sakura, did you find anyone?"
"No." she replied, praying that the kid was smart enough not to make noise.
"Alright then." Hidan turned and walked back around to the front of the house. "Kakuzu's getting impatient, cranky old bastard that he is, so let's get going."
She followed him, careful not to look back. Someone would be along to investigate the fire, and they would most likely find the boy. It honestly didn't matter what the child told the authorities, since the man's death and his killers would become public knowledge as soon as Kakuzu handed him in for the bounty. The boy in no way interfered with the Akatsuki, so saving him wasn't a betrayal, just a small act of kindness.
She had far too much blood on her hands to think that one good deed would make any difference in her life. But when she came around to the front of the house and saw the remains of Hidan's victim, Sakura didn't regret saving the child. No one deserved to die that way.
The Akatsuki were coming. He didn't know who exactly, or when they would hit, but Sarutobi could sense it. He didn't like being in the dark and the most irritating part was that they had a man on the inside, and yet he only gave them scraps of information.
The Hokage understood that Itachi was playing the long game, and that any information that was too sensitive could blow his cover. But the damn leader of the Akatsuki was so secretive that Itachi wasn't even able to give their name to Jiraiya, never mind where they were based. Sarutobi understood, he really did, but it didn't make it any easier knowing they were out there plotting their next move while Konoha fumbled blindly trying to find the smallest clue.
After the mess of the Chunin Exams and Orochimaru's attack, Sarutobi was no longer content with his lack of knowledge. He didn't believe it was a coincidence that his former student had once been a part of this shadowy organization. Orochimaru may not have been successful in toppling Konoha, but if there were more people out there like him it didn't bode well for the village, or for any of the nations.
He sighed impatiently, glaring down at his paperwork. He'd decided to get all his extra work done today in hopes that Jiraiya would visit, but he should have known not to expect any consistency from his student. Just because his last three visits had all been five months apart didn't mean anything. Jiraiya would come and go as he pleased, that was the one thing Sarutobi could count on him to do.
He sighed, pushing his paperwork away and standing up. Immediately, he sensed two ANBU hone in on him.
"Calm down there's nothing wrong."
They stayed on alert as he shuffled over to the door of his office, but he ignored them.
"I wonder if my grandson is still awake at this hour. Perhaps I'll pay him a visit."
He could almost hear their protests, but none of them actually dared argue that he stay behind and finish his paperwork. Being the Hokage carried a lot of weight and stress, but there were some perks that made the job a little easier.
"You, in the boar-mask. Where in town can I get the best sake?"
She was resting against a tree with a safe enough distance between her and Hidan when she felt something rustling behind her.
At first Sakura was on alert, but she relaxed once she realised who it was.
"Zetsu, anything wrong? You're missing your other half."
As always, his unsettling grin kept her on guard, made even creepier by the fact only his white half was here with her. Any trace of fatigue left her as she sat up and gave him her full attention. She had already known she wouldn't be sleeping tonight, because even though she'd left Hidan and Kakuzu way back at their own campsite, she couldn't be certain Hidan wouldn't follow her.
She was still trying to gauge how serious he was about murdering her. Hopefully he would stick to attacking her while they were forced to work together but she didn't know him well enough to be certain. He may be the type of member to obsess over his prey, and if he'd chosen Sakura that could mean trouble. In all their previous spats he'd never taken the fight seriously, so if he followed her and attacked her tonight with all his strength and skill she would need to be ready for it.
Hence the campfire that was still burning bright, despite it being well into the early hours of the morning. Zetsu subtly leant away from the fire before answering.
"Nothing wrong. Leader just told me to keep an eye on the zombie squad, but all they're doing is bickering so I left my other half with them and came to chat with you."
"I'm not exactly known for my conversation skills, so unless you want to talk about work..."
"Actually, I kind of do." Zetsu did that creepy laugh of his, and Sakura scooted an inch closer to the fire.
"I saw you save that kid today."
Sakura sighed. Of course the universe wouldn't let anything be easy for her.
"You're as observant as ever. I rescued the child, what of it?"
"Just curious." Zetsu shrugged. "Why did you do it? You could have left him to die."
While White Zetsu was far more tolerable than his dark side, Sakura still had to be careful. If she said or did anything suspicious he'd go running to the Leader and rat on her.
"True I could have left him, but why would I when he's harmless and I can easily get him to safety? He was a weak, insignificant child. His death wouldn't have benefited the Akatsuki in the slightest, and I don't kill without reason."
"Kakuzu asked you to search the house for people, yet I heard you lying to Hidan. Wasn't his order a good enough reason?"
"We were there on a side mission, not official Akatsuki business, which means that all orders given are questionable to me. Besides, if I'd given Hidan the child we would have had to hang around longer waiting for him to do the ritual all over again."
Zetsu looked sceptical, and Sakura felt a mixture of panic and annoyance flow through her. This was the second time recently that someone challenged how well she was functioning as a weapon. If they would all back off and let her do her damn job in peace she wouldn't have to waste her time making excuses to a fucking plant.
"If you want I can go tell Kakuzu right now." She didn't mean to sound challenging, but Zetsu was bothering her and she wanted some peace and quiet. "I can say for sure that he'd be grateful we didn't waste more time, and annoyed that I even bothered talking to him about something so trivial."
Zetsu's smug and teasing grin slowly morphed into a more serious expression as he considered her words. She continued on before he could interrupt.
"Hidan will be pissed, but Hidan's always angry at me so it really makes no difference. In fact, the only difference saving that boy made is that it stopped us from wasting even more time on an unofficial errand. This way I can get back to Ame sooner and get ready for my next real mission."
Her breathing was slightly erratic when she finished talking, but Zetsu didn't comment on it. The way he stared at her was different, like he was seeing her in a new light. Sakura hoped it was a good light.
"You truly are the perfect weapon." he said softly. "Loyal to a fault. I almost want to say you'd follow Leader into hell, but you're too pragmatic for those kinds of ridiculous scenarios."
"I better be perfect, what with all the training Pein-sama invested in me." Now that Zetsu wasn't so nosy she relaxed back into the tree. "He gave me a purpose, and if I can't be what he wants me to be then I'm useless."
Zetsu said nothing, and she watched as he slowly sank back into the ground. Normally, White Zetsu was one of the easiest Akatsuki members to read, whatever mood he was in clearly shown on his face. But now Sakura couldn't tell what he was thinking, or what he was going to tell Pein. His words had seemed positive, but it could have been an act.
Before her conversation with Itachi, she would have been a lot more nervous about his opinion. Now, she just felt jaded.
At this point, if Hidan tried to attack her tonight, she'd go straight for the eyes. Kakuzu might even congratulate her if she actually managed to permanently blind him.
By the time they reached Ame, Sakura was ready to punch Hidan all the way back to his home village. All she wanted was to rest for a few hours and recharge, but when she found three people in the main debriefing room, her heart sank.
Pein and Konan were in deep discussion with Madara, who was lurking in the darkest corner of the room. Sakura had never actually seen him talk without the dramatic lighting to make his words all the more ominous. It would be comical if his chakra wasn't so sinister.
She flickered in quietly and hid in the opposite corner. They all knew she was there, and Madara was the only one who hesitated to keep talking. It was only a brief pause, and then when it became clear Pein wasn't going to make her leave, he continued.
"We have the funds and we have the information. You know that now is the time to strike."
"I do." As usual, there was a hint of annoyance in Pein's voice.
"So it's settled then."
"Konan and I discussed this last week." This time Pein's voice had a definite edge. "We already agreed to gather the members."
Sakura couldn't see him clearly, but she had a feeling Madara was smirking under that mask of his. Over the years she'd figured out that he enjoyed these power plays, manipulating the conversation so that he was the one giving orders instead of Pein. The Akatsuki leader could never fully mask his irritation at being told what to do, and Pein could also never twist the conversation back under his control. He didn't have Madara's gift of subtle manipulation nor did he have Madara's way with words.
"Good work." Madara drawled "We need to act now before they figure out our goal."
"Glad we're all on the same page." Konan cut in, her tone cold and professional.
Madara tensed, adding further credibility to Sakura's theory that he disliked Konan, although she still hadn't quite figure out why. Maybe it was because Konan shut him down whenever he tried to antagonize her, and because he could never get under her skin like he did with Pein. Konan had no tolerance for bullshit, and though he tried Madara had never been able to crack her composure.
Sakura stopped trying to figure out the dynamics of the trio when she realised what exactly they were talking about.
"Once all the members are gathered, we will explain their new assignments to them and begin capturing the jinchuriki."
Jinchuriki.
Her lungs tightened as she remembered the terrifying chakra surrounding a blonde haired boy. She remembered feeling suffocated and scared when she glimpsed the demon inside, the panic as her brain went into overdrive trying to process all the irrational, instinctual fear that chakra created in her. Yet she also remembered his bright blue eyes from the first time they met, the eyes that looked at her with more weight than they should have.
Naruto.