Are you ready for the revised chapter 4? Cause I am! Here we go! I do not own Naruto though. If I did then Sasuke wouldn't be such an ass.
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The ride back was filled with Sakura trying somewhat desperately to convince Naruto to keep his mouth shut and not tell Sasuke about what happened.
"Please Naruto. Don't do this to me. Look I'm begging you, don't tell Sasuke."
The blonde's eyes darted to look at her before quickly returning to the road and shook his head in disbelief.
"Do you realize what you are asking me to do Saks? You are asking me to lie to not only my best friend, but also my co- leader." he said with a hint of anxiety as he gripped the steering wheel tighter.
"...I thought I was your best friend." Sakura pouted. Yes, she realized that this was most likely pathetic, but she was running out of time and options.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
Too bad that her comment only earned her an amused glance from the man beside her.
"Why Sakura Haruno, are you trying to guilt trip the Master Guilt-Tripper? That's cute, but also kinda sad."
She sighed and sunk further down in her seat, almost strangling herself with the seat belt in the process.
"It was worth a try, besides I'm not asking you to lie to him. Just not tell him everything. If he asks where we were, tell him we were at the park. I'll even allow you to tell him about those two guys we saw. All I'm asking is for you not to tell him that I went out on my own. He will never let me see the light of day again, Naruto." She was pretty much pleading at this point, dignity be damned, while Naruto looked torn.
On one hand he didn't like seeing Sakura upset, but he didn't want to see her hurt either. She was one of his best friends and like the little sister he never got the chance to have. When he weighed the risks of each option, siding with her was not the best choice because not only would that expose her to more danger from Orochimaru and Madara, but it would be HIS head Sasuke and Gaara would be after. Nope, for the sake of self preservation, and her safety of course, he'd have to squeal.
He just hoped that Sakura would forgive him for it later.
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She couldn't believe Sasuke. Naruto the Backstabber had blabbed his mouth to the other man, which led to Sasuke shooting her one of his patented death glares and her being dragged to their room.
Sakura flinched as she sat on the bed facing Sasuke, who was pacing the length of the room in agitation.
"What the hell Sakura? Are you trying to get yourself kidnapped? Cause that's what it looks like." The raven haired man's tone was cold and accusing, making the woman sink back into the bed.
"Sasuke-"
"I placed those guards there for your own protection damn it! Then you go and give them the slip-" He stopped mid-sentence and slowly turned his glaring eyes to the woman.
"Sakura, how did you manage to give some of our best men the slip?"
Sakura looked anywhere but at him. She really should have expected this. How could she have believed she could keep her abilities a secret from the man in front of her? He was a freaking genius for crying out loud! If she told him though, there goes any chance she has at freedom.
Sakura sighed.
When had she begun to see her home as a prison? It should be the one place she couldn't wait to return to at the end of the day.
"Sakura."
The pink haired woman turned her head and finally met her boyfriend's onyx gaze.
"I-I-I just really wanted to go out without an entourage with me and they weren't paying attention. Sasuke don't you think you are taking this a bit too far?"
Sasuke stopped in front of her and to anyone else, he seemed cool and unattached, but Sakura wasn't anyone else. She could see the way the lines around his eyes pulled and the way his mouth turned into a deeper frown. He thought she was losing her mind.
"Sakura. I'm trying to save you. For me, there is no 'bit too far'. I will go as far as necessary to protect you. I don't care if you end up hating me for it, as long as you are alive to do so."
Sakura blanched at his tone, or lack thereof.
"Sasuke! You can't keep me here like some prisoner!"
She got up and stood in front of the man she loved. Since he was a head taller that she was, she had to tilt her head up to look at him. Sasuke looked taken aback at her tone and by the fact that she was getting in his face. His Sakura wouldn't even think of doing something like that. What happened to that woman?
"If that is what it takes. Until this is over, you will not leave the mansion under any circumstances."
He watched in slight fascination as her pale pink lips pulled back into a snarl. Her green eyes darkened slightly while narrowing at him. Sasuke remembered this look, but never in all the years he'd known her had Sakura leveled that glare at him.
It was almost exclusively a look for Naruto.
"Now you listen to me, Sasuke. I will not be a prisoner in my own home. The sooner you realize that, the better off we will be." She said in a low, dangerous voice that meant business.
Sasuke kept his neutral mask up in place when his jaw just wanted to land on the ground.
"Sakura, quit being annoying."
He watched as the woman in front of him froze. In high school, Sasuke had always called her annoying. It was most common before they had started dating, but every now and then it would slip out. Every time it did he would see her flinch and look away sadly, but now...Sakura looked at him with flinty eyes that held extreme irritation.
"Well then. Since I'm so annoying, I'm going somewhere else for a while."
She turned on her heel and strode to the closest, pulling out a duffle bag and started stuffing it with random clothes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sasuke made a move to grab the bag away from her, but she jerked it back.
"What does it look like I'm doing Sasuke? I'm going somewhere else. Now stop trying to stop me!"
"Were you not listening to me? You are not leaving Sakura. You are going to stay were I can protect you."
Sakura made her way to the door, but Sasuke took hold of her wrist. She stopped and looked at the offending hand, then back up to the owner.
"Sasuke, let go of me."
Sasuke gazed into her green eyes. He knew that look she had. It was the same look she wore when Karin told her that she would never get his attention. The same one she had when her parents made her choose between them. It was a fiercely determined look that made her look both beautiful and deadly at the same time. Nothing was going to stop her at that moment. The best course of action was to let her go and cool off, blow off some steam.
"At least tell me where you are going." He said as he released her wrist.
Sakura hoisted the bag higher up on to her shoulder, seeming to debate on whether or not to tell him.
She sighed.
"I'm going to visit Temari, Shikamaru, and Gaara in Suna. I want to be alone Sasuke. If I even think you are following and watching me, I won't tell you where I'm going next time. Are we understood?"
"Okay. I won't have you followed, but don't go getting into dangerous situations."
Sakura's green eyes widened. She had not expected him to cave so easily.
"And when you get there, tell that Lazy ass he still has work to do. I don't care if his girlfriend is the sister of our ally's leader."
Sakura giggled and kissed him goodbye. Sasuke held on to her for as long as he could before he had to watch her walk away.
Again.
Now it was Sasuke's turn to sigh.
Of all the women, why did he have to pick the one that would give him the most trouble? He was going to have a heart attack before he was 30 if she keeps it up.
Grabbing his phone from his pocket, Sasuke dialed a well known number and waited for the person to pick up. On the third ring he heard the click and a man's voice.
"What do you need Traitor? I'm in the middle of something at the moment." Sasuke could hear gun fire in the background and rolled his eyes.
"Sai, you and I both know you are finishing up. Quit screwing around because I have another job for you, but this one requires that you stay out of sight and have no contact unless absolutely necessary. I will require reports every night, is that understood?"
"Of course. What is the assignment?" Sai's unaffected tone came out of the speaker.
"Follow Sakura. I have already texted you the information you will need and I need you to start immediately."
"Yes Sir." The line went dead and Sasuke felt some sense of relief. What Sai lacked in social grace, he made up for in his stealth and tracking. He was the best man for the job, other than himself. If Sakura found him, there'd be absolute hell to pay.
But as the saying goes, better to ask for forgiveness that for permission.
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Sakura found herself on a bus to Suna with a tired heart.
She loved Sasuke, really she did, but sometimes his overprotectiveness rubbed her the wrong way. Before she had left, Sakura never questioned his judgment on things and to her, his word was law. If being out on her own taught Sakura anything, it was that you can't hide from danger forever. You had to get strong, meet it head on, and fight. Sasuke just didn't understand that she wasn't the same girl as when she left, which could be used to her advantage.
In those first few months away, Sakura had no idea what to do. She had figured leaving would be enough and that was all she had to do. She got a job at the local hospital and one night, while walking back to her little apartment, she was attacked by some random drug addict in an alley. She managed to get away on sheer luck, but from that moment on Sakura realized that she had always let Sasuke and the others protect her.
She didn't have a clue on how to protect herself.
The next day, she signed up for self defense classes and even found a class that taught her how to use a gun. For the entire two years she was gone, Sakura went to the classes and the firing range, trying to better herself. All the while thinking that if she could do this, then she could protect her family.
Sakura sighed as she took in the desert surroundings. Gaara and Temari were her cousins on her mother's side. She had never understood why her family had moved away from Suna when she was a freshman in high school. This is where she grew up and spent her childhood. The desert was Sakura, Temari and Gaara's playground. Hide and seek was a bitch to play for Gaara and Sakura due to their hair color. Sakura's pink locks and Gaara's deep red hair stood out like beacons, pinpointing their location to everyone. Temari was lucky enough to have sandy blonde hair that blended in well with the surrounding area.
Needless to say, neither Gaara nor Sakura ever found her.
They had to always go and get Kankuro, Gaara's older brother, to find her, which was a chore with in itself. The brown haired boy never wanted to go out and do anything because of his obsession with building model cars, guns, and whatnot.
Sakura always thought that the older boy was boring, but he always helped them find his and Gaara's older sister.
The bus stopped, announcing that they had reached Suna. Sakura stood up from her seat and made her way to the door, bag in hand.
Shivers went up Sakura's spine as she walked passed a man with longish grey hair that was tied into a low ponytail and glasses. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes. They remained emotionless and calculating. They seemed to study her every move and made Sakura uncomfortable, but that wasn't what unnerved her the most.
She had seen this man somewhere, she was absolutely sure of it.
But where?
She wracked her brain, trying to figure it out as she stepped off the bus, when suddenly she was attacked by a familiar blonde woman.
"Sakura! It's been too long!" Temari yelled in the other woman's ear. She held Sakura at arms length as if to check her well being. Her expression turned to one of pure irritation.
"And just what were you thinking taking off without telling anyone? I swear Sakura you had better have a good excuse as to why you cut us all out, or Gaara's going to have your ass. And if he doesn't, then I will..." Temari growled cracking her knuckles threateningly.
Sakura sighed.
"Temari, it was for your guys own good. It was dangerous to be around me at that time, so I did what I thought was best. I'll tell you the whole story on the way to the house."
Temari and Sakura headed to the car when a chill ran down the pink haired girl's spine. She whipped her head around to see the man from the bus duck just out of sight behind the nearest building. A wary feeling flowed through her veins followed by a spike of adrenaline.
Was that man following her?
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Kabuto hurriedly hid behind the building next to him in an effort to avoid being detected. He was sent to confirm the rumors about Sakura Haruno coming out of hiding and to make a positive identification of the girl. His mission now complete, he could call his boss with the information. He dialed the familiar number and waited for his boss to answer.
"Yes?" hissed out a cold voice.
"Sir, I have made a positive identification of Sakura Haruno. She is indeed out of hiding and currently staying in Suna with the Subaku's."
A dark chuckle could be heard coming from the phone.
"Excellent. Start with the plan then, Kabuto. And failure will not be permitted this time."
"Yes, Sir."
Kabuto hung up his phone, gazing at the pink haired girl as she slid into the car.
"You will not escape me again."
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Orochimaru hung up his cell, looking at it with a disturbing smile.
"Who was that, Orochimaru?"
The pale man looked over at his guest, who was looking at him with disinterested onyx eyes.
"A little bird just informed me of the blossom finally blooming." He said taking a sip of champagne.
The man smirked.
"Well it's about time. How long have we been looking for that little girl?" He asked shooting Orochimaru a look clearly putting all blame for this on the Snakes.
Said man chuckled.
"Come now, Madara. She was better at hiding than any of us had anticipated. There is no need to lay blame."
Madara Uchiha leveled a glare at the gang leader.
"While that may be true, it was your people's fault that she got away in the first place. This time I will be sending some of my best men to be sure of this missions success."
Orochimaru waved a hand carelessly.
"If it makes you feel better. Either way, she will not get away this time around."
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Sorry it's so late! Let me know what you think. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!