I'm not dead! I'm sorry I hadn't updated for so long, I was busy! And don't worry, I'm currently working on chapters to my other stories too!
Tell me what you think – this chappie is longer than the previous, as my way of saying sorry, and Thank You for staying with this story for so long!
ENJOY!
~::~
When Sakura awoke the next day, she was distinctly aware that something was wrong.
Even without having to look around, she knew that Neji wasn't with her. Neither was anyone else, for that matter.
Swiftly removing the IV needle from her arm, she stood up, grasping the metal frame of the bed when her knees buckled.
Ignoring the fact that she was still in a hospital gown, she walked over to the window and jumped out. A quick flash of pain shot through her as it has been a long time since she last came outside, but she quickly straightened herself and walked over. She immediately sensed something was different as the streets seemed deserted and she couldn't spot a single ninja walking the streets.
She searched for any familiar face, but to no avail. Finally, she spotted two Chunin carrying tall stacks of books and she ran over to them.
"Hey, sorry, but where the hell is everyone?" she asked them, not bothering with any greeting.
The black-haired man looked at her and arched a brow at her attire. "Did you run away from the nut-house, or what?"
The other chunin swatted him over the head. "Ignore him. He's an idiot. But didn't you hear?"
Sakura's patience was running out. "Hear what?" she ground out from between clenched teeth.
"Uchiha Sasuke deflected from the village! The Hokage sent a group of genin to bring him back!" he snorted, "As if that would do any good."
Sakura ignored his last statement. Her heart was hammering madly and her breaths became shallow.
"Where did he go to?" she asked weakly.
"To the bloody snake-bastard. He left for power, or some other nonsense."
Oh no… Not Orochimaru…
Sakura's knees buckled and she hit the floor.
"Hey-! Are you alright?" the brown haired guy exclaimed, dropping his books and rushing over to her.
She ignored him, and instead asked another question.
"Who did Tsunade-sama send after him?" her voice shook at the end.
Knowing Orochimaru, he wouldn't let Sasuke get to him alone. He most probably sent a group of his lackeys to retrieve him. They probably had the curse mark too. Sakura groaned.
"Eh, I think she send a group of four genin with a newly-made chunin to lead them. We're lone on staff, you see. It will be a miracle if they-"
"I said, Who did she send?" Sakura hissed.
"A-Akimichi, Inuzuka Kiba, a Hyuuga and that weird Nine-Tails' demon brat, with some lazy-ass Nara as their leader-"
"Oh, fuck." Sakura grumbled.
Chouji… Kiba… Naruto… Shika-chan… Neji… God, Tsunade send them to their death.
Are you just going to give up like that? They are strong! You can't lose hope in them so easily! Did you not hear what the Sage said? You need to be strong! Otherwise… we might just as well give up right now.
Sakura sobered up at her Inner's words.
You're right.
"I wish to go with them." She told the chunin.
"Wha-! You can't! The Hokage-!"
"They are my friends. My precious people. Do you think I will just let them go like that?" she hissed.
Fury overtook her senses. All that mattered to her right now was going after them.
"We can negotiate with the Hokage, then maybe… maybe she would…" Kotetsu suggested weakly.
Sakura regarded them with a cool glare.
"Well? What are you still doing here?"
Two men burst into the Hokage's office, startling her from the paperwork.
"T-Tsunade-sama! Some weird Ame genin demanded to go after Sasuke Uchiha's retrieval team!"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
"We don't know! It's that weird chick that floored the Hyuuga on the chuunin exams! Sakina, or something like that! She has pink hair!" Kotetsu frantically explained.
"Sakura? But what does she want?"
"She wants to go help out the retrieval team you sent out after the Uchiha-!"
"Tell her no."
"But Tsunade-sama-!"
"Tell her no, twice."
Sick of being interrupted, Kotetsu just hung his head. "Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Where is the girl?" Tsunade asked. She found out about the close friendship between the Ame girl and some of the genin from her village, mainly when she saw 'The laziest boy alive' and 'Walking Ice-cube' as she dubbed them, by the rosette's bedside every time she came to check up on the girl's condition. Sometimes the shy Hyuuga heiress would be there too and that blonde Yamanaka girl often came and moaned that the sleeping rosette should 'better wake up or I'll drag her shopping again'.
"We left her just outside the office, Hokage-sama, while we went in to talk to you." Izumo offered.
"Right. Go fetch her."
The two chuunin walked to the door and opened them, but the corridor was empty. No sight of the pink-haired Ame girl.
"What? But we told her to wait outside! She-!"
"You'll find, Kotetsu-san, that I rarely do as I'm told." A voice spoke from above them.
The three ninjas craned their necks to look up, and saw the very girl they had been talking about sticking to the ceiling with chakra on her feet.
She had somehow managed to exchange her hospital gown for her usual attire and she now wore a sleeve-less black shirt with a collar, a black skirt with red trimmings that stopped a few inches above her knees and fishnet leggings together with her knee-high black ninja sandals. She had bandages wrapped around her forearms and her red magatama necklace lay in clear view by her collarbones.
Sakura jumped off the ceiling, landing gracefully in front of Tsunade. Her face was schooled into an expressionless mask that even the Godaime couldn't see through.
"I expected that to be your answer, Hokage-sama. I can't say I understand your reasoning, as that would be lying, but I won't go against your decision. However, I do have one more thing to ask of you." When the Hokage didn't answer, Sakura went on. "I will leave the Village Hidden in the Leaves. My team can join me if they wish to do so, but whatever they choose, I must still go. I don't want to overstay my welcome. And that brings me to what I would like to ask of you." The rosette pulled out four identical scrolls. She laid them on the Hokage's desk. "As my final wish, I would like to ask for those scrolls to be delivered to four specific people. They are all addressed, so finding their receiver shouldn't be a problem. However, I do ask that they do not be opened. Until. Their time. Comes." Sakura whispered the last part.
Tsunade smiled lightly. "Right. You may leave, and your wish will be fulfilled, but there's just one more thing I need to say." Tsunade rose from her chair and walked over to one of the wooden cupboards stuffed in the office.
Pulling open one of the drawers, she pulled out a green vest. A very familiar green vest.
"Congratulations. You have been promoted to Chuunin-level, together with your team and Nara Shikamaru."
Sakura smiled. But there was something unsettling about her smile. She took the vest from Tsunade, before she bared her teeth in a slightly feral smile.
"Arigato, Tsunade-sama. However, you'll soon discover that you shouldn't have done that." then, before Tsunade or anyone else could stop her, she disappeared in a swirl of red petals.
Tsunade picked up one of the petals that had dropped onto her desk. Her eyes widened.
The flower petal was wet.
Bewildered, the Hokage wiped off the scarlet mixture, revealing a pale pink petal underneath. Bringing one red-stained finger to her nose, she sniffed.
Tsunade paled. "Oh no…"
Blood.
Sakura cursed. She forgot to put up the glamour Genjutsu onto her petals, so now they appeared like they normally did when she was in Akatsuki – blood stained.
She doubted it would take long for the Hokage to figure out who she was.
She sighed. So much for being able to live without fearing her own shadow.
Suddenly, the door banged open and Umi walked in. Sakura could vaguely see the shaped of Shiso and their sensei behind her.
"Saku-chan! You've been released from the hospital!" Umi cried, launching herself at the stunned rosette.
But Shiso was always more cautious of his surroundings. He immediately noticed the large scroll on Sakura's bed, and the numerous clothes and weapons she possessed gathered around it.
"Are you going somewhere, Sakura-chan?"
Sakura sighed, her green vest slung carelessly around her shoulders as she turned to face her teammate. "I need to leave the village, Shi-kun. Should you wish to come with me, I would be honoured. But even if you choose to stay, I still need to leave."
She swept her gaze over her sensei, then Umi, who was smiling lightly but there was a strange air of seriousness around her, and then back to Shiso.
"There's no way you're leaving without us."
They have been travelling for three days now, and although all of them showed some signs of fatigue, they were too stubborn to stop. Finally Kaimei sensei demanded that they have a break, when Umi almost tripped over her own feet. They stopped in a clearing, their makeshift camp set up and a small fire flickering cheerfully in the middle.
Although tired, there was one more thing Sakura needed to do before she let sleep take over.
She concentrated hard, groping around in the dark recesses of her mind for that connection Itachi had taught her about. Finally she found it and pulled. A startled gasp left her lips as she felt her mind being sucked into another space. It was almost like the Body-Flicker Technique, but this time it was not her whole body flickering from one place to the other, but her mind.
When the earth once again stilled and the pounding in her head receded, Sakura opened her eyes.
She was faced with a tall, round building of red brick and high windows. Next to it was something that resembled a hospital. Sakura saw a puddle nearby and walked over to it. She didn't see the usual pink hair, emerald eyes, emotionless façade. Instead, she saw golden eyes, black feathers, and a strong, predatory beak.
A crow.
She possessed the mind of her crow.
All hail Itachi. That man is a genius in all aspects of that word.
Slowly stretching out her new wings, Sakura gave a testing flap. She then increased the flapping until she felt her body being lifted from the ground. She flew over to the window which she knew was the Hokage's office and looked inside.
It was empty, with only a cracked bottle of sake, piles of paperwork and a suspicious-looking file on the desk.
Sakura flew in using the gap in the open window, and settled on the desk. Nudging the file open with her beak- which by the way gave her the weirdest feeling ever – she scanned over the text, and gave a quiet, surprised caw at what she realised was a patients' file.
What's worse, it was the patients' file of Sasuke's Retrieval Team.
Inuzuka Kiba:
Unconscious.
Injuries: Major scrapes and bruises, two broken ribs, internal bleeding.
State: Stable.
Sakura's eyes widened, then she relaxed. At least his injuries weren't life-threatening.
She moved over to the second page and scanned over Naruto's file. He was almost the same as Kiba, but he was already conscious.
Che. Thank the Nine-Tails' chakra.
Then came Neji's file. Sakura tensed as she read over it, another strangled caw escaping her.
Hyuuga Neji:
Unconscious.
Injuries: Four broken ribs, punctured lung, internal bleeding, external wounds.
State: Under Observation.
Sakura relaxed.
Chouji's file was similar to Neji's, and Sakura had a feeling that they were both still being healed.
Shikamaru's file was absent.
For a moment, panic overtook her senses before she realised what must have happened.
He was the leader of the group. If they separated to fight their own opponents it's possible that Shikamaru was the very last to leave the group… Or they got help.
She froze when she heard footsteps on the corridor outside of the office. She quickly shut the file and flew over to the window, disappearing from sight just before Tsunade walked into the office with a bunch of ANBU.
But what she didn't realise, was the single, black feather she left in her wake.
Sakura gasped as she once again found herself in the clearing, propped up by a tree-trunk. Eyes wide and her breathing laboured, she tried to calm her frantic heart. She looked around and noticed Kaimei-sensei staring at her with concern in his eyes.
"You okay Sakura?" he asked.
"Yeah, sensei. I'm fine. I'll take the first watch if you don't mind." She stated.
"Sakura…" Kaimei sighed. "You need to sleep. Don't think I haven't noticed."
"Please, sensei? Just three hours and I'll go and try to sleep."
They both knew that she was lying. Insomnia haunted the pinkette ever since she left the hospital. She stayed up all night keeping watch, not waking Umi or Shiso when it was their turn. But it seemed that only Kaimei noticed.
"All right. But tomorrow you must sleep. Promise me that."
"I promise, sensei."
She didn't sleep. She sat for two hours straight, her back straight, her expression unreadable. Eyes trained on a single spot between the trees, she thought of her past.
Memories, flashback blinking in and out of her mind, and she realised that she lacked something. Every two images her mind conjured from her past, she felt one was missing.
Every two steps forward she had to take one step back.
She tried to concentrate on the memories, but all she saw where white or black splotches of something covering her vision.
Sakura dismissed it as exhaustion and the beginnings of paranoia.
That's when she heard it.
The unmistakable sound of a twig snapping.
Che. And I thought ninjas were meant to be stealthy.
She was aware of the fact that someone had been following them for the past few hours.
Now she could finally confront them.
Sakura rose from her perch against the tree trunk and walked in the opposite direction than the sound had come from. If a confrontation was to take place, she would make sure it was as far away from her teammates as possible. She owed them as much.
A few minutes later found Sakura in a clearing, the moonlight serving as the only source of light.
Without looking back, she quickly swiped a kunai knife from her pouch and threw in behind her. She heard the tell-tale sound of someone catching their breath as the knife struck home, ebbing itself in a tree-trunk, millimetres from an ANBU's head.
"Come out you cowards." She commanded. Her voice was icy cold. But that was to be expected. She was a killer. A criminal. A machine. She was her Father's daughter.
Ten figures stepped out of the shadows, all dressed in Konohagakure's ANBU gear.
Damn.
"You wear Konoha's chuunin vest. Pray tell then, why were we ordered to hunt you down and with specific orders to bring you back alive?" a gruff voice questioned.
While in the protection of shadows, Sakura smiled. "I will answer your question if you answer mine; who am I dealing with?"
The ANBU seemed to consider her request for a moment before he sighed.
"Ibiki Morino." In truth he didn't expect her to recognise him or his name, so he was surprised when she laughed.
"Of course… ANBU Captain, Head of the Torture and Interrogation Department, a jounin at 16… How fitting…" she chuckled. "But I'm afraid that won't make any difference…" she sighed in false sadness, and Ibiki saw the barely concealed mirth and sadism in those emerald pools.
"GET HER!" He roared.
But it seemed his command was too late. The girl had already attacked two of his men, a swift punch to the nose crushing the skull in, and a well-aimed kick to the abdomen.
He was losing.
Fast.
Sakura unsheathed her katana, her grip on them steady even when her entire body was trembling with adrenaline. She dove in and drove the sword into one of the ANBU's chest, killing him instantly.
For my ninth birthday, my father told me that if aimed well, a single strike to the back would be enough to kill a grown man. That was his birthday present for me.
She slashed at another ANBU, her katana meeting no resistance and soon the ninja collapsed to join his fallen companions.
Well, let's test his theory.
Pulling out her second sword, Sakura skilfully drove them into another two's abdomen.
Six down, four to go.
Suddenly, her foot caught on a piece of wire. Before she could react, a barrel of kunai shot towards her. A standard genin-level trap… And I fell right for it.
Sakura looked around anxiously, but she already knew that there was no way out.
Are you going to give up so easily? A teasing voice spoke in her mind. Sakura gasped quietly. It wasn't her inner. I thought you had a mission to accomplish? How can you do that if you're dead?
The teasing banter of the Sage awoke an unthinkable anger in her, raw hate for anything and everything that got in her way…
Before she knew what she was doing, she had already turned around, one hand raised palm-up in the air, just as previously foreign words came out of her mouth.
"Shinra Tensei!" she yelled. A huge, repellent force pushed all of the kunai knifes away from her, redirecting them back to where they came from. In a matter of seconds, the four ANBU were all on the ground, dead, dying or badly injured.
Sakura heard a groan come from one of the bodies. She walked over and ripped off the mask. Ibiki Morino's face was revealed. Sakura smirked.
She moved her hand atop of the man's chest, pouring white chakra into him.
His eyes cracked open.
"I'm healing you, just so you can give the Godaime a message from me. Disobey my command and I'll kill you." She threatened. The ANBU interrogator nodded weakly. "Tell her, that Akatsuki No Sakura did this. Describe me to her if you must. Tell her that next time, she shouldn't trust strangers, or rather, should check the Bingo Book she so conveniently hides in the drawer of her desk. Tell her, that she better start believing in ghost stories." A maniac glint shone through the pinkette's eyes. "She'd just become a part of one."
Tsunade looked at the Rookie 11 gathered before her. 4 teams. Only one chuunin.
She sighed.
I better tell them what the council decided about Sasuke… Naruto won't take it well…
Just then the door to her office burst open. All attention was immediately directed towards the intruder. Tsunade's eyes widened.
There, bloodied, bruised and barely conscious, stood Ibiki Morino, probably the fiercest man Tsunade had ever known.
"Ibiki? What happened? Where's your squad? Why are you so wounded?"
The man was gasping for breath as he looked up at her, and she knew the answer simply from the desperate, broken look in his eyes.
Dead. His squad is dead.
"Who did this to you?"
The man was only able to get out three words before he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Three words that froze Tsunade's enire body.
"Akatsuki…No…Sakura…"