A/N: I'm so thankful for the review, alerts, and favorites of this story! Go and check out Keeper of Secrets! Its another Naruto fanfic that really deserves more attention! I'm so thankful that all of you enjoyed the first chapter. Personally, I don't think this chapter turned out as well as the first… but enjoy!
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Pein, fearless leader of the Akatsuki.
Deidera, the skilled bomber from Iwagakure.
Keisame, one of the seven legendary swordsmen of Kirigakure, the village hidden in the mist.
Konan, leader of Amegakure and partner of Pein.
Hidan, Jashin worshipper with bloodthirsty tendencies.
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Sakura was unhappy. She had come to the Akatsuki to become stronger, and to prove to people she wasn't weak like they thought. She wanted to show Konoha who the superior one was. But as of right now, she didn't know if she made the right choice.
It wasn't that she didn't like the Akatsuki, because she very much enjoyed the company of most members. There were a select few who she felt didn't take anything seriously. And that would not roll with Sakura, because she had come here with the serious intention of getting what she wanted.
"Ay, Bitch. I'm fucking starving. Get your ass in the kitchen and cook me some shit to eat!" Hidan's voice yelled from the other side of the room. Sakura rolled her eyes. Hidan was the only one who was never serious. Kisame and Deidera could joke around, but Hidan enjoyed life as if he had no cares in the world. It irked Sakura to her boiling point. He only added to the fire by calling her 'Bitch' all the time.
"You have legs. Get up and do it yourself." Sakura retorted, going back to the pages of her book.
The book was about hidden secrets or plots that were unheard of. It had been a possession of Itachi Uchiha, the late brother of Sasuke. Sakura had no worries about reading the book. It was truly interesting and she would guess if Itachi were alive, she would still be allowed to indulge in the books schemes.
Sakura was at a part where Itachi himself wrote about his plans with Sasuke and himself. She was just at the line explaining what the Konoha Elders had told Itachi when Hidan decided to interrupt her. Again.
"I'm no fucking lady. Cooking is a woman's job. Make my fucking sandwich, Bitch."
Sakura's was almost at her boiling point. Just ignore him, she thought to herself. She would not let this immortal asshole get to her. She continued to read and as she found what the Elders had done, she gasped.
All she could think of was, how could the elders do this to Itachi? To Sasuke? To the Uchiha clan! They ordered Itachi to slaughter his own family! To wipe out his whole entire clan! Only because there was rumor of an uprising! A meticulous rumor!
Sakura was beyond furious with her home village. She was purely disgusted. She would never go back there. Konoha was evil and terrible. Having information about the Uchiha Massacre only fueled her determination more.
She would not rest until Konoha was destroyed by her own hands.
"Ay, Bitch. What's wrong? Go think about your problems after making me that fucking sandwich!"
And by then end of all of this, Sakura would make sure Hidan never finds his head after she rips it off with her bare hands.
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Pein stood at his office window. Rain harshly fell down over the city of Amegakure. It was his doing of course, being Ame's own vision of God. He only wanted peace. He wanted to rid the world of the terrible, and would not stop until he succeed.
This thought came to the young kunochi. Haruno Sakura. She was an interesting one, Sakura. She was the face of innocence, but Pein knew what power she held. He thought she would be a very helpful tool to use.
She knew all about Konoha. She knew every detail about the ninja there, about all the medical research, and about the secrets paths inside the village.
She knew everything, but why would she leave her village?
Pein would not voice the question to the young ninja. It did not matter to him. All he needed to know was that she would never back betray the Akatsuki. He only needed that.
But that didn't stop him from being curious.
Why would she come to us? What could she possibly gain by betraying her people? Pein wondered.
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"OY TEME!" Naruto yelled.
He had just woken up. He had been forcibly awakened by someone throwing a rock right in between his eyebrows. Naruto had woken with a start, sat up and shouted a few select curses. Once he saw Sasuke at the other side of camp, he yelled.
Sasuke stood, his side leaning against a tree, and scoffed. He didn't want to deal with Naruto. He was still as annoying as before.
Annoying. He though. Was Sakura still that annoying?
The Uchiha could not help but feel a small- miniscule- tug at his heart. The guilt and pity he felt right after he left Sakura those years ago was still there. It was buried deep into the black hole of his heart, but it was there.
"Hn. Dobe." Sasuke said before looking the other way.
Naruto, secretly loving how Sasuke wasn't acting like a heartless avenger, hopped onto his feet and stomped over to Sasuke, just as he had all those years ag0.
Naruto started yelling again. "LISTEN HERE YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR-"
Kakashi had been in the trees silently observing his two former students. He would never admit it made his heart swell to see the two bickering as they had years ago. But that made him think about his last student, the one he had always neglected.
That made his heart tug in a totally different way.
Kakashi truly regretted how he treated Sakura when she was his student. He only focused on Naruto and Sasuke, never on Sakura. He taught them that those who do not care for their teammates are lower than trash, when he- in fact- did not show Sakura he cared enough.
He didn't even do anything when Sasuke defected and Naruto went to train with Jiraya. He just sat there, waiting for them to come back. He never looked for Sakura and asked her if she wanted to spar. He merely said hello everytime they saw each other.
Sakura took it into her own hands and became the Hokage's apprentice. As proud as he was for Sakura, he could not help but know it was his fault that Sakura changed teachers.
If you could even consider Kakashi as Sakura's teacher.
Kakashi was stabbed with the harshest guilt possible. He realized, being the clever ninja he was, that part of the reason Sakura left was also because of him. He had not taken the initiative to teach her. That basically said he underestimated her from the beginning. That he believed that she was weak like how everyone else thought.
He needed to find her as fast as he could and apologize.
He could only pray to Kami that she would forgive him.
Kakashi dropped down from the tree branch he was nestled on and silenced the boys.
"Naruto. Sasuke. Pack up. We're going to the base."
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Sakura was tired. Insanely tired. She had just come back from sparring with Deidera and Hidan. Deidera, she discovered, only was good at long range battle. So when she managed to hop onto his clay bird, Deidera was panicked.
The bomb artist ended up jumping off the bird and making it explode, the explosion narrowly missing Sakura. That would explain the ashes over her face and small burn marks on her arms and legs. She did manage to beat Deidera. Just not in the spar. After they finished and were walking back to the base. Sakura grabbed Deidera by the collar and beat him to the point where his soul was rising from his body.
Sakura merely shrugged and clapped her hands together, cleaning them. Then she told a battered Deidera, "That's what you get for almost making me explode."
Hidan had definitely made Sakura's spirits lift. Even with Hidan's rituals and scythe, Sakura was the stronger, better ninja. She had her special poisoned kunai with her, and her exploding tags ready.
Hidan didn't even land a hit.
The spar ended with Sakura as the winner. Somehow, Sakura had attached charkra strings to Hidan's head. She was able to get close enough to cut Hidan's neck three fourths of the way off and then used the strings to pull it completely off.
Hidan only cursed at the "evil pink haired bitch" for making him lose,.
That earned him a slap in the face too.
She was as happy as she was tired. She had beaten an original Akatsuki member. See Konoha. I'm not weak.
She could show everyone that she was not the fragile, emotional Sakura Haruno who couldn't defend herself. She was Sakura Haruno, the kunochi who had surpassed Hokage Tsunade and had been placed in the Bingo Book. She would get her revenge. She would prove her point.
Sakura was currently in her bedroom lying on her bed, staring at the Akatsuki emblem painted in the center. She loved the way it glowed dangerously. She was dangerous. And now, everyone would know it.
When Konohagakure was in flames, she could proudly say she had proven everyone wrong. A pain tug in her heart surprised her. Was she mistaken for leaving Konoha? Should she have stayed, and endured the pain for the rest of her life? Would she have married Naruto, just like everyone wanted her to?
Expectations is why she left in the first place. No one had any high expectations for her. She was even talked down to at the hospital. Even when it was known she had surpassed Tsunade, the greatest medic ninja in the world! What more could she have done?
The answer was, there was nothing she could have possibly done. She tried- so hard- to prove her worth. To make it known around the world that she was not to be messed with. She wasn't able to do it in Konohagakure, so she came to the place she was sure would help her. It's the same as Sasuke had done those years ago. What he wanted wasn't possible in Konoha, so he left and went to Sound with Orochimaru.
She chuckled to herself. It's very ironic. Sasuke left, without her even though she begged that she would go with him. And now, she was living her own version of it. Only a much better version.
A prompt knock was heard at her door. "It's open." She called, a kunai hidden and ready if it was an intruder.
The door opened and Sakura watched as Suigetsu came in.
Suigetsu had decided to stay with the Akatsuki after escorting Sakura. He was welcomed back without any delay.
"What is it Suigetsu-san?" Sakura breathed. She didn't really feel like talking to anyone. Her chakra was low and she only wanted to sleep.
"Leader-sama wants to talk to you."
The ninja raised her pink eyebrow. "About what?"
Suigetsu seemed slightly nervous, which was very strange. He was always arrogant and blunt, but he seemed hesitant to say the reason.
"Suigetsu." Sakura said, warning him of bad things to come if he did not tell her.
The sword wielder stared at the ground as he spoke. "Konoha nin were spotted near Ame."
Sakura's eyes widened.
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Tsunade was a wreck. It had been a week since Team Seven had left on the mission to retrieve Sakura, and Tsunade was running out of sake. On top of that, she had the biggest hangover today.
The door opened and Shizune peeked inside, only to shut the door quickly as a stapler smashed against the wood.
And Tsunade did not like being disturbed during a hangover.
She rested her head on her desk, sighing at how cold it was against her flushed skin. She was getting old for this.
For the last week, Sakura had been on her mind. She still could not come up with a reason why her apprentice would even think about defecting, and why should would actually go through with it! Tsunade knew Sakura had loved Konohagakure, but she did not know why she would leave the safety of it. But she knew it had to do with her friends. She just didn't know what.
Boys, she thought, please bring Sakura home. We need her.
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Konan was worried, although her face never showed it. Pein had been slightly flinching since he sent Suigetsu to bring Sakura. Konan knew what the news was being the leader's partner, but was Pein really that unsure about her reaction? And even then, why should her reaction matter? She would obediently carry out any order given.
"Nagato." Konan asked, her weariness getting the best of her.
"It's nothing Konan." He gruffly replied back, his foot tapping impatiently.
Konan sighed, but decided not to push further. Pein did not want to speak, so she would not force him.
A tap was heard against the door and Pein said powerfully. "Enter."
The door opened and Sakura walked in, a silent and nervous Suigetsu following.
Konan raised her eyebrows at that. Suigetsu and Pein were both nervous? Maybe it was more serous than she had thought. She looked at the rosette and saw nothing but an emotionless mask.
Oh no. Konan thought. This must much worse than I thought.
"Haruno." Pein said.
"Pein-sama." Sakura nonchalantly said back, her face still without emotion.
"You're old team from Konoha was spotted heading towards Amegakure. Will you do this mission?" Pein asked, his question coming as a command.
This time Sakura smirked, her eyes twinkling dangerous. "Of course Pein-sama. I'm doing what I do best."
"And what would that be?" Konan asked, braving entering the conversation.
Sakura's eyes darted to Konan's, her smirk widening into a devious grin. "Destroying whatever gets in the way of my goal."
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A/N: And that's it! I really do think the first chapter was soooo much better. Review and comment on what you think. And what about Sakura? Will she really fight her former team? Will she succeed in what she wants? Remember, nothing is what it seems ;)