Weee I love that you guys love this! I was SO inspired by your reviews that I drew a little something for you lovely people :D
It's not much and it's basically my first proper photoshop work haha…

Anyway I had an anonymous reviewer who had trouble picturing Haruno-taichou…so I she's the first one from this story that I decided to draw up for all of you! It's over here pandapawzz. deviantart . com (without the spaces!) Hope you like it!

pandapawzz . deviantart #/ d54mnm7- coloured version (take away spaces)

pandapawzz . deviantart #/ d54mo2y - line art :D (take away spaces)

Anyway enough talk…enjoy!

Chapter 3

Night had fallen and the air had gotten noticeably colder. The winds in Iwa may have been harsher than Konoha's but could never outdo the winds that ripped through Suna in the evenings. The vast expanse of land were covered in rocky formations that seemed to just shoot out of the ground in random positions, with only small patches of forest and grass littering the area here and there. The terrain was definitely much harsher than that of the land of Fire, not to mention how much harder it's going to be to keep out of plain sight.

Sakura crouched lower in her position from behind a particularly large rock formation, not wanting to alert the small platoon of Iwa chuunin scouting the area of her presence since it would not do her any good to place her village under suspicion. It was the Tsuchikage's trust that Danzou wanted after all. She had crossed the border between Takigakure and the land of Earth just moments before she had sensed a small platoon headed her way, causing her to hide her presence without being able to properly scope the area.

Plump lips were pulled into a small frown when the group of three chuunin had landed just a few feet in front of the rocky formation she was currently using as a barrier, frowning further when they decided to stay put and chat for a little while. Sakura thanked her perfect chakra control as she was able to mask her chakra so well it was almost non-existent, the only way of sensing it was to have an incredibly skilled tracker at one's disposal.

"Man the Tsuchikage gave us such a lame mission tonight!" Sakura closed her eyes as she strained her ears to listen to the conversation taking place.

"Well think of it this way, there's three teams on rotation tonight for scouting duty…which means there are two other teams who're going to suffer with us," This caught Sakura's attention. Scouting duties were standard in every hidden village and usually one or two shinobi were dispatched at a time…but having three teams was going a little over board under normal circumstances. Something wasn't right.

"I don't blame Tsuchikage-sama for increasing security. Sato Seiji is growing more powerful and his criminal activities are beginning to affect the hidden village as well...he's no longer keeping to the smaller villages on the outskirts," Emerald orbs snapped open as soon as those words had reached her ears. Sato Seiji was her target and to be causing enough damage to cause the Tsuchikage to increase security within the outskirts rather than the village perimeter meant that this man was more powerful than she had first thought. She was beginning to see the 'suicide' in this mission.

"C'mon boys, let's keep moving before Tanaka-sensei catches us idling around," Sakura made no movement as they left, keeping still for a little longer before darting out her hiding spot with a speed that could almost rival Konoha's green beast. He had been the one to teach her after all.

"Danzou-sama did not elaborate on the extent of this man's power…" Her quiet whisper had her thinking back to Byakko's words of concern that broached the topic of her on-going loyalty towards the current Hokage. A small sense of doubt flashed through her mind but she had discarded it as soon as it came, knowing that to doubt Danzou would amount to nothing and only cause her the pain of punishment.

Something akin to fear flickered through jaded emerald orbs as she weaved her body through openings and crevices of jagged rocks. The mere thought of Danzou's punishments had her body trembling with a fear that had been brutally beaten into her flesh. She vowed to herself that she would never go back there. Not to the place where she spent every night curled in a ball, bleeding and crying for her team mates to protect her like they had once promised. Never in her life had she been so desperate to want to be protected by the very same people she vowed to protect.

It was her goal to have them watch her back for once and she thought that she had finally caught up when Tsunade had congratulated her for reaching a level where she was finally on par with her mentor, not to mention she had only been seventeen at the time. But that year of torture had made her realise how painfully weak she truly was and how large the gap in power between her and her team had really been. Sakura shook her head to rid herself of such bitter thoughts as it was best to keep her concentration solely focused on her mission at hand. After all, how embarrassing would it be to get caught by a couple of chuunin when you were an Anbu captain?

"Never again," Those two words were devoid of any emotion but the meaning they held was there.

Sakura continued run towards the land of Earth's eastern border, weaving through the rocky terrain with the intention of finding the small village that that was situated near Sato Seiji's headquarters. Sakura narrowed her emerald orbs as she propelled herself through the tight crevices of the massive mountains made of solid rock, pure skill being the only thing keeping her from smashing head first into the gargantuan formations.

'Sato Seiji, currently in the top ten criminals wanted by the Land of Earth's daimyo and highly ranked within the shinobi bingo book' Sakura's mind dragged up everything she knew about the man and it had finally dawned on her that she knew close to nothing about his skill or criminal activity. It troubled her slightly to know that she would have to take this man down within the next week without having the necessary information to use to her advantage. Sakura calmed her mind and decided that this is what it was meant to be a shinobi. They were merely tools used to carry out other people's dirty work…they did not need to know the full story. No, all they needed was the order and they would carry it out without question.

It was at that moment that Sakura felt another couple of unfamiliar chakra signatures heading her way. With a swiftness that only a captain could have, the kunoichi pushed off the rock she had just landed on and began to scale the larger formation until she reached the peak. Masked lips let out a small sigh before the woman decided to lay herself flat against the surface, making herself as inconspicuous as possible.

Once they had passed and it was safe once again the kunoichi stood from her position and scanned the vast terrain before her, taking note of how rough the area really was with its numerous stone mountains covering almost every inch of land there was. Sharp orbs fixed themselves on a small area just a few miles ahead, the stone mountains wrapping around the outskirts of the small village as if protecting it from the outside world and encasing it within its cold walls.

"This must be the eastern village I'm looking for…thought it is quite the distance from the hidden village itself, so what does Sato want with a shinobi village?" Sakura couldn't stop herself from assessing her situation and coming up with various options that just don't seem to fit. There was an irritating feeling in her gut telling her something was definitely not right but she decided to brush it aside, knowing that she wasn't here to play hero for anyone. No…she was just here to carry out the orders she was given by her Hokage and nothing more.

Sakura looked towards the moon and decided that she still had time before sunrise to do some scouting of her own. The petal-haired kunoichi closed her eyes and focused on her chakra reserves, satisfied with finding that she still had a decent amount left despite a full day of nonstop travel. Sakura opened her eyes from beneath her mask before whipping out a kunai and slitting the top of her thumb.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu," Sakura watched silently as four wild cats the size of large wolves popped into existence before her and four pairs of sharps orbs slipped shut as they bowed to the woman in respect. Sakura had always favoured felines as they exuded a sense of pride and ferociousness that she admired…not to mention their every movement not only radiated grace but also a fluid kind of elegance.

"Sakura-sama, how may we be of assistance?" The smooth velvety tone of the black panther like cat walked up to Sakura and peered up at her with a calculating gaze as the crimson bandana wrapped around his neck fluttered against the chilly breeze. Sakura smirked beneath both masks and gave the large wild cat a soft pat on the head before straightening her back to regain her stern composure. She took note of the different ways each feline had worn their red bandanas before squaring her shoulders, getting ready to give her instructions.

"I'm looking for some sort of headquarters situated near this eastern village. Spread out and cover as much ground as you are able to before dawn. Stay around the perimeter of the village and if you are to come across anything suspicious, do not engage. Return to me and I will go alone from there. If we find nothing then we are to meet back here at dawn, am I clear?" After receiving four silent nods Sakura gave the signal and they had all disappeared within seconds, going their own ways.

…

…

They only had an hour or two before dawn. Sakura let out a small irritated sigh as she continued to scan the area she ventured into, already knowing that there wasn't much of a chance that they would find anything tonight and it only proved increase her irritation as she knew it would only prolong the completion of her mission.

Sakura landed on a boulder and scoped the area, sighing when she only came face to face with another sea of stone mountains. Masked emerald orbs shifted towards the horizon and could see the sky slowly fading from its darkened hue to a softer and greyer one. Sakura gave one last try and gently sent her chakra outwards to see if it came across any disturbances. She was not an incredible chakra sensory ninja so she couldn't sense everything she could have. With a quiet sigh the kunoichi turned to leave, it was then that she felt a slight shift in the air pressure to her left.

With lightning reflexes Sakura ducked in a circular motion before bringing up her left leg in a swift roundhouse kick that sent her attacker crashing against the closest rocky surface, all within one swift motion that had been executed with an incredible amount of grace and power. Sakura's senses heightened to extreme lengths with the unexpected presence of danger and sped towards the man she had sent flying, waiting for him to awaken. She grew suspicious when he didn't. Sakura may not have been an exceptional chakra sensory ninja but she sure as hell was more than competent so why had she not sensed this man?

Sakura had an idea but she couldn't know for sure unless she checked her assailant's body. The petal haired Anbu captain waited for a few minutes before she deemed it to be safe to approach the man, calmness within her every move as no traces of fear were evident within her body. A gloved hand hovered over the man's heart before glowing in a medicinal kind of green that sent out chakra to probe the internal workings of his body. Sakura's suspicions were confirmed and her eyes narrowed at the information, making sure to keep her senses sharper for anymore surprise attacks.

"His body lacks the ability to use chakra…his chakra coils are similar to that of a civilians yet this man knew how to fight, not to mention hide his presence from me," Sakura had found that the man was on the brink of death with the many fractures and organ ruptures he had obtained from her attack. He wheezed and coughed up blood as he gazed deeply into the porcelain mask of his opponent.

'I couldn't sense him because he doesn't possess any chakra…is he one of Sato's men?' Sakura tilted her masked face as she stepped up closer to the man embedded within the rock's surface, only stopping when she was a few inches away.

"You're one of Sato's men are you not? Why did you attack me and what exactly are you?" Sakura had figured that without the ability to use chakra there was no way he could have cushioned his landing enough to make it somewhat survivable. She watched the man let a bloody grin play on his lips, causing her to sneer beneath her mask at the unpleasant sight.

"A woman? They still teach women how to fight? Che, what all you useless creatures should be worrying about is the domestics-" His insults were cut short when a kunai appeared beneath his chin, pressing harshly into his jugular. He hadn't even seen her move…

"Answer me," Her deathly calm tone had sent a shiver down his spine before he snarled at her, barring his blood stained teeth. Observant emerald orbs could already see the signs of his body shutting down and knew she didn't have much time so she sped up the interrogation.

"Answer me and I will let you live. I am also a healer," Sakura could see the hesitance in his beady orbs but knew he had no choice but to comply unless he wished to see death. The man had caved under the pain of his injuries, knowing he didn't have much time.

"Y-Yes I work under Sato-sama. We are normal people who specialise in martial arts and we do not possess chakra of any sort. I was on my way back to the base when I spotted your movements so I attacked, assuming you had ill intentions…and I was correct," Sakura frowned at the dirty glare he was giving her and pushed her kunai against him harder before lowering her arm back down to her side…she had one more question.

"Tell me…where is your base?" Sakura watched his eyes widen with incredulity before narrowing into a feral glare.

"I won't tell you filthy shinobi anything," Sakura didn't react and simply brought her kunai down onto his leg, digging it deep within his thigh before slowly withdrawing it once again.

"Where is it?" Her voice remained calm despite his constant string of foul words.

"Go fuck your-" The kunai was slammed into his left arm before being pulled it out at an agonizing pace. This woman was ruthless. The pain of his injuries was beginning to make him weak and Sakura knew it wouldn't be long before she got her answer.

"Where is it?" Sakura watched emotionlessly as he struggled to breathe. His eyes now held a sense of terror and it amused her greatly, her dark amusement only proving that she truly was no longer the same kunoichi she had been four years ago.

"I-It's just another 20miles further up from here…o-our base lies beneath the earth…now please…heal me," Sakura nodded and stepped closer to the man, watching silently as he closed his eyes in relief.

"You have been most helpful. Now…allow me to relieve you of your pain," Sakura saw him nod faintly before stepping back a little. Without another word the petal haired captain impaled the kunai deep into his throat with a speed that could only be obtained through years of training. She watched uncaringly as he his eyes snapped open with the emotions of betrayal, anger and misery passing through them in flashes that had abruptly ended with his last breath.

"Foolish man, I cannot risk you alerting your leader," With that Sakura called her summons to her before giving them new instructions.

"Destroy his body, I don't need his comrades discovering him and becoming suspicious," Sakura stepped out of the way as she let her cats puff out of existence with the company of her victim's lifeless body.

This was what Danzou had created from within that dark and torturous cell she was left to rot in. A shinobi who could be deemed as the perfect tool and by eliminating her emotions he had succeeded in breaking her. Only to shape her into the being he had in mind. Someone who could hunt, kill and destroy without questions if he gave the order. A fighter without a personality and only had the goal of carrying out his wishes. She fought with precision, power, speed and the overwhelming intent to kill. He had succeeded in killing Haruno Sakura. All that was left was Haruno-taichou, a mere shell of what the young woman used to be…and more importantly, she was a killer who slaughtered with no remorse. She was a perfect tool who served an imperfect man. It truly was a deadly combination.

"I'll do more recon tomorrow evening but for now I'll head to the eastern village for shelter," With that in mind Sakura turned to leave, her face still void of emotion even after killing a man in cold blood. The old Sakura was dead…and she was never coming back.

…

…

"Make sure Kakashi gets this," A strong arm lifted the falcon up as obsidian orbs watched the bird disappear into the sky.

Once the bird was out of sight the dark haired shinobi turned and continued to make his way into the small village that was situated within the land of Sound. It was mainly for the travellers and merchants who crossed through Takigakure, Otogakure and Shimogakure to get from Iwa to Kumo for trading purposes. Ever since the elimination of Orochimaru, the villages within sound have begun to prosper and the animosity within the land itself had lessened considerably.

Many women who were bustling around the busy market area had temporarily paused their activity to stare in awe at the mysterious young man who had entered their small village, several pairs of eyes drank up the alluring combination of his pale complexion and dark features. Many kept their curious gazes on him, wanting to observe the fine male specimen that had suddenly wandered into their streets. Several women swooned at the sight of two toned arms that swayed a little as their owner continued his calm pace, lines dipping and curving here and there to show the impressively defined muscle wrapped in flawless skin. He seemed to exude a masculinity that had women of different ages blushing his way.

Deep charcoal orbs observed the small merchant village through thick ebony locks that framed his face in a way that only accentuated his aristocratic features. Long ebony hair was roughly tied at the base of the young man's neck, the shorter layers sticking up in a charming manner while the rest fell and ended at a spot between his muscular shoulders. His attire consisted of a sleeveless navy tunic top that was loosely tied at the waist, showing off the smoothly toned planes of his chest, and a pair of black standard shinobi pants that were wrapped around the calves by bandages. The sleek sword attached to his waist had only added to his appeal as it made him look dangerous despite his cool demeanour.

Sasuke could feel the numerous pairs of eyes watching him and he continued to ignore them as he looked for a stall to buy food from. It has been years since he's last stepped foot in sound and if he were being completely honest, he would never have done so if he had a choice. But this was the fastest way to Iwa from Kumo and he could not afford to prolong the meeting with Kakashi's informant, they needed his help if their plan was to go smoothly. Sasuke's dark orbs caught sight of an onigiri stall and decided that it would do for the rest of his journey.

"O-Oh! H-Hello sir, h-how may I help you?" Sasuke didn't even need to look at the stuttering woman to know that she was blushing furiously from his presence and it did nothing but cause a small flicker of irritation to rise within him.

"I'll take five tomato onigiri and five salted salmon onigiri," Sasuke dipped into his weapons pouch to take out a couple of bills. The action had caused the material of his top to fall off of one shoulder, revealing more of the delicious cut of his shoulder to the woman who was doing her best not to drool at or touch the magnificent sight. Sasuke straightened up and stared back at the woman with unfeeling orbs, supressing the irritation he felt at being shamelessly ogled at.

"How much?" His stern command snapped the poor woman out of her stupor and she began blushing madly from being caught.

"T-that's three ryō, s-sir," Sasuke nodded and handed her the money before collecting his small package wrapped in banana leaf, putting it in his rucksack before leaving without another word.

His growing irritation had only further increased after leaving that stall as several women continued to badger him with words of buying something from their little shops or even if he could just visit so they could be graced with his presence. Sasuke was about to disappear into the treetops when a certain weapons stall caught his attention. It hadn't been the weapons themselves but the little green book that the man had been waving around to the public. It was the newest edition of the shinobi bingo book.

"Excuse me; is that the newest bingo book that's been printed?" The man's eyes shot up to Sasuke's, silently taking note of his taller and more intimidating form. Gathering his courage, the small man nodded eagerly at Sasuke and handed it to him as he began to speak about the small forest green book.

"You bet it is! This edition is by far the most intimidating! Newer names that is far more interesting than the previous! The shinobi world is truly getting more dangerous," Sasuke tuned the man out as he began to skim the contents page, eyes widening a fraction when they had landed on the list of Surnames under the letter H.

"How much?" His deep baritone voice held a slight sense of urgency that had the small man spluttering to give the price. Once Sasuke had paid he brushed off the flirtatious attempts of the younger women around him and took to the treetops, not stopping until he had a decent amount of distance between him and the merchant village.

"I must be seeing things," Sasuke slowly leaned against the tree he was situated on and made sure his footing on the large branch was steady before flipping the book open to that very familiar name.

Sasuke's stare had hardened when his dark orbs scanned over the unfamiliar profile picture and would have never believed it was the same girl that had professed her love for him many years ago if it weren't for the long petal mane that was tied into a high ponytail. His body had gone rigid and disbelief was clear on his handsome features.

'This can't be…Sakura?' His thoughts were going over so many things about the weakest member of team 7 and still couldn't comprehend why she had been placed in the bingo book. His entire team had been in the bingo book long before he had re-joined with them two years ago but never had their only female teammate's name been printed, despite being a renowned medic and apprentice to the Godaime herself. Sasuke pushed off of the tree and straightened his back, disbelieving eyes carefully scanning the information provided, making sure to go over every single word without mistake.

"This can't be possible…" Sasuke began to glare at the page he had been reading and did not understand how the weakest link in their team had a bounty of over fifty million ryō, which was almost as much as the bounty over Sai's head. Of course Sai's bounty wasn't very far from his own or Naruto's or Kakashi's. This new information had unsettled him as he recalled Naruto and Kakashi speaking about her once and how it was the right decision to leave their blossom within the confines of their village, thinking it was safer for the young woman. Sasuke was in full agreement not because he had her safety in mind but rather he did not want her getting in their way.

"She's an Anbu captain under the Root faction? 216 A-rank solo missions completed and 89 S-rank solo missions. Specialises in Genjutsu, Taijutsu, Iriyou-nin jutsu and other abilities unknown…" Sasuke stored the knowledge in the back of his mind and couldn't even begin to grasp the severity of the situation. He looked at the profile picture and noticed the porcelain mask that completely covered the kunoichi's face, he still couldn't be sure this was the Sakura he knew…the Sakura Naruto, Kakashi and Sai always spoke about. Sasuke sighed before drawing blood from his thumb and summoning another one of his falcons.

"Bring this to Naruto and the others, immediately," Sasuke tied the booklet to one of the large bird's legs and waited for the bird to disappear from sight before taking off and getting back to his own route.

'Root…how have things come to this?' Sasuke shook his head, trying to clear his head enough so that he isn't too distracted from his current mission. Memories of Naruto mentioning the petal haired kunoichi resurfaced and so did the memories of his decision two years ago.

Their paths had crossed almost two years ago in Kusagakure when he was attempting to gain information on Danzou. The fight he had with the Dobe had caused enough damage to land both of them in a civilian hospital for more than a month and during their time there he was forced to hear out the blonde and why they should join forces in taking down the old man. He would have left the blonde's company as soon as he was able…if it weren't for the offer the demon vessel had made.

…

"Sasuke, I need your help…I need to take Danzou down and free Konoha," Sasuke remained silent in his bed but began processing this new bit of information in his mind, he did need more man power if he was planning on taking on the whole of Konoha.

"Sasuke, that damned man brought Konoha to its knees…I need to do this for the village! For Sakura-chan…" The guilt and misery that was present in the blonde's voice had caught his attention.

"Where is she? Is she not a part of Team Kakashi?" Sasuke watched with narrowed orbs as the blonde looked away to hide the pain from his usually sunny features. His words seemed to have triggered something within his old teammate as the blonde whispered in a tone that sounded so vicious that it had him tensing with the anticipation of an attack.

"She is and always will be!" Feral cobalt orbs flickered from their normal colour to a ferocious red; this had Sasuke raising a fine eyebrow in response. Naruto was guilty of something…

"You abandoned her," It wasn't a question and the downcast look of his old friend had been enough confirmation to his words.

"She would have gotten in the way," Sasuke's voice was so uncaring and devoid of any emotion for their female teammate that it had Naruto snarling at the arrogant young man.

"That's not it! We…we had our mission and-"

"Save it. I don't particularly care. I will accept your offer if you promise me Danzou," Naruto stared at the young man opposite to him and all his anger seemed to have disappeared as a wide grin split his face.

"As long as you kill the bastard I don't care. Welcome to the team teme! Wait what about your team?" Sasuke didn't even glance back at the noisy blonde before closing his eyes to go over his decision.

"They will assist us," Sasuke ignored the enthusiastic babbling of the tall jinchuuriki across from him and decided to carefully plan things out from here. He couldn't get too comfortable with his old team as he wasn't planning on staying after Danzou's death…

"I can't believe you agreed so easily teme!" Sasuke scowled inwardly as he heard the hope within the blonde's voice. Little did he know that he too, had plans of his own…

"Sakura-Chan's gonna be so happy when she sees you!" Sasuke eyes opened after hearing the name and closed once again in annoyance. He had no plans in ever reuniting with the kunoichi as it would only prove to bring him more trouble.

"Hn,"

…

Sasuke's thoughts were brought back to the present and he began thinking of team Taka. They were also sent on separate missions that were given by Kakashi but they barely travelled together anymore as they were often split to complete missions that required each of their specific abilities. Though when they did gather, it was for only a few days until they were dispatched again to do some recon or make money so they could carry out the steps of Naruto and Kakashi's plan to overthrow Danzou.

Sasuke sighed and increased his speed. Thinking about bits and pieces of his past and the reasons why he was where was now was only proving to give him a headache. All he could think about right now was killing Danzou and if Naruto could make it happen faster than he would not waste the opportunity.

"Danzou," The mere mention of the name ignited a rage within Sasuke that can only be quelled with the wretched man's death. He was going to avenge his brother…and he was going to love every second of it.

A sudden thought interrupted his sadistic musings and he couldn't help but become curious about his pink haired ex-teammate. Danzou was the leader of the Root faction and they were deathly loyal to the sadistic man…so how and for what reason did Sakura make her way into the cold hearted faction? If he remembered correctly, Naruto had bragged about how caring and passionate the pinkette had been so it made no sense for her to suddenly change and enlist herself under Danzou's command. Did she do it to get stronger? He scoffed at the thought and knew that he could easily break her if he wished to. It was then when he had been struck by an unexpected thought…

'If she's one of his captains…then it is possible that she will defend that sick bastard' the thought itself had somehow caused rage to flare within his chest and he couldn't help but let out a small snarl in response.

…

…

…

"It seems as though she will be getting in the way…"

Oh finally my finals are over! Haha anyways review and tell me what you think!

Your reviews really do motivate me guys so leave me one! Haha I mean they motivated me to even draw for you hehe! Tell me if you liked the picture! I'll probably be drawing the rest of the team as well! Maybe I'll draw Sasuke for the next chapter hehe

Oh and yes, Sasuke is not too much of a crazed psychopathic murderer guys! Yay!