Yo guys! I know it's been awhile and some of you probably thought I was dead in a ditch somewhere, but here I am with some recently acquired time on my hands. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Sakura found herself seated in a ridged straight backed chair that was created for to sole purpose of making its occupant extremely uncomfortable. She shifted a bit, trying to keep her butt from going numb as her cousin's sea foam green eyes glared holes into her skull. Sighing internally, Sakura wondered what in the seven layers of hell was she thinking, running off to Gaara's when he was almost as bad as Sasuke! If the glare he was directing at her was any indication, he was just as angry at her too. Seriously, doesn't he know he was scaring her with that look?

Gaara inhaled deeply through his nose.

" I can understand your reasoning to a certain extent, but I should think you would have considered our feelings on the matter." He said while crossing his arms and leaning his back against his desk.

Sakura opened her mouth with her standard reply. What about it was so hard to understand?

"Gaara, they were in danger-"

" Sakura I don't give a damn about them. I was talking about us, your own flesh and blood. You could have come here and we would have protected you." Gaara's voice was calm, but the hard undertone betrayed just how upset he was.

How much her choice had hurt him.

Temari and Shikamaru shared a glance and Shikamaru sighed.

"This is such a drag." He whispered and Temari silently agreed with him. This situation was going from bad to worse.

"How can you say that about them? I thought you guys were allies!" Sakura could feel her temper start to spike. After everything they had been through together, all the fights and jobs they had been on. They always had each other's back and for Gaara to sit there and tell her to her face that he didn't care about them made her insides burn in anger.

"We are! But when it comes down to it, you are more important to me Sakura. I would choose your safety over the alliance any day." His eyes turned hard as they frowned at each other, each willing the other to be the one to back down first. Unfortunately for them, both had inherited the stubborn gene that ran in the family.

"Naruto is your best friend, Gaara. You would do that to him?" Sakura whispered. Since she had introduced Gaara and Naruto to each other, they had become very close. He knew that the blonde would do anything for him if he asked and visa versa.

"I would." Was his stoic reply.

"Gaara, I wanted to protect you guys too. If I came here then I would have brought Akatsuki and the Snakes right to your front door. I would never forgive myself for that. It's like you said, you guys are my blood, the only family I have left as far as anyone is concerned." By this time tears were falling from her eyes and there was no way she could stop them. Sakura stood up from the chair and faced her cousins with as much composure as she could.

"If it's an apology you want then fine. I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I cared enough to want to keep you guys safe. I'm sorry that I chose solitude over watching my family die." With that she ran from the office and into the night.

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Sakura found herself walking aimlessly around Suna's deserted streets alone and trying to think about her next move. It was one thing to say she was going to take out Orochimaru and Madara, it was another entirely to actually do it. A plan was needed and it had to be fool proof, no room for error. This may be suicidal, but Sakura was not too keen on dying anytime soon. That means every outcome has to be considered, every move calculated accordingly.

Damn this was getting to be a pain in the ass.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. Someone was following her. Sakura's eyes darted around trying to pinpoint were they were, but everything was covered in shadows and it made her skin crawl. She hates nighttime, so why was she stupid enough to run out here without thinking? She had no weapon and no way to defend herself if it came down to it. What the hell was she going to do now?

"You know, it's not very smart to daze off in the middle of a deserted street."

Sakura's head snapped to her left, sending a jolt of pain racing up her neck as she faced where the voice sounded from. A man with white hair and glasses came out of a alley slowly with a silver gun held loosely in his hand. He was the one that she saw on the train on her way to Suna a few days ago. He was following her.

"Who are you?" She asked wearily trying to keep as much distance between them without making any sudden moves.

The man chuckled like her question was amusing.

"You have made my job very difficult for me. Did you know that? I have almost lost my life countless times because I had failed to catch you. So could you do me a favor and come quietly?" He nonchalantly raised his gun at her and walked forward with a calm smile on his face.

Sakura started to panic. If she ran he would undoubtablely shoot her, but if she did nothing she would be taken and she just wasn't ready for that.

What was she going to do? Her brain refused to work and no ideas were coming to her. After everything, after every counter measure, was this really what her efforts amounted to? Being kidnapped without anyone knowing? Dying alone?

Her attention was drawn to the right of the man when something in the shadows moved and the gun was ripped from his hand. He stumbled back and glared at the man that now separated him and his prey.

"Sorry but I don't think she is going anywhere with you, Kabuto." His smile was as empty as his eyes as he stared him down.

For a moment Sakura was confused. Who was this guy? Then he turned around and Sakura felt irritation flood her system.

"Sai what the hell are you doing here?"

He smiled his fake smile at her, clearly still as socially inept as always.

"Good to see you again too Hag. I'm here because Sasuke told me to watch you and it's a good thing he did too or this would have gotten messy."

Kabuto used this moment to make his get away, but not before shouting a warning.

" This isn't over. Now that we know you are back, we will just keep coming."

Then he was gone.

Sai stood there for a moment until he turn to Sakura, who after the adrenaline left her system, was on her hands and knees in the middle of the empty street. He went to help her up but she just swatted his hand away with a muttered, "Don't touch me".

"Sakura-"

"NO! Sasuke promised me that he wouldn't send anyone after me. Why did he lie to me? I trusted him Sai!" As Sakura sat there, she knew that now wasn't the time for her to dwell on his betrayal of her trust and she knew that she should be grateful for it even, but she just felt this ball of anger in the pit of her stomach.

Sai sighed and ran a pale hand through his black hair. What was he going to do now? Sasuke had specifically told him to stay out of sight unless necessary, though he thinks that this situation would be considered 'necessary'. Sai got his phone out and hit Sasuke's name and waited as it rang.

"What is it Sai?"

"We have a situation here Traitor. Sakura-" the phone was violently ripped from his hand as an angry woman started in on the man on the other line.

"Sasuke Uchiha you've got some nerve lying to me like this!"

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Sasuke held his phone away from his ear when Sakura yelled at him. Damn Sai.

"Sakura, you are over reacting-"

Apparently this was the wrong thing for him to say to her.

"Over reacting!? I'll show you over reacting, Sasuke! How could you do this? I trusted you and you lied to me!"

Sasuke sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to her rant.

"-how would you like it if I lied to you like that, huh Sasuke?"

"Sakura I'm sorry, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't let you go off and have no way to know you were safe. I had to."

There was silence on her side of the line for a few moments were all he could hear was her heavy breathing.

"Sakura?"

"Sasuke I understand. Just please don't lie to me again. I-I don't think I can handle it if you do. I need to know that I can trust you Sasuke."

"Ok next time I will tell you, but Sakura what happened? Sai was told not to let you see him unless it was necessary. So what happened?"

"Sasuke don't get upset-"

The fact that she was leading with that almost guaranteed that he would get upset.

"Put Sai on the damn phone, Sakura."

There was a rustle on the other end and Sai's impartial voice came on.

"She was approached tonight by one of Orochimaru's men. He had his gun on her, so I had to step in."

Sasuke had to fight the urge to get in his car and drive to Suna.

"Which one was it Sai?"

There was a moment of silence and Sasuke could tell that he was hesitating.

"Sai. Which. One. Was. It?"

"It was Kabuto."

Sasuke sucked in a breath. So he sent his right hand to get her? Damn it.

"Who was with her?"

Again there was silence on the other end and this one left his with a cold feeling in his bones.

"There was no one with her Sasuke. She was alone."

He gripped his phone like it was his life line. She was alone. No one was there with her and he wouldn't have known if something had happened to her until it was too late. He should have followed her himself. Damn it all to hell.

"Don't worry Sasuke. I'll go where ever she does. I won't let her go anywhere alone."

Sasuke knew he could count on Sai and even though he wanted to be there himself, he had other matters that called for his attention.

"Make sure that nothing happens to her Sai. I mean it."

The line went dead and Sasuke put his head in his hands and sat down on the bed he and Sakura share. He looked over to her side and ran a hand over the bed spread.

He just wanted her next to him again.

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"So you are telling me that you let her get away?"

Kabuto flinched at the acid the voice contained. He knew that they wouldn't be pleased. He had returned to inform them of his failed attempt at getting the woman. Again. If this keeps up he knew that Madara and Orochimaru will find a way for hime to disappear.

Permanently.

"You are dismissed, Kabuto. I am very disappointed that couldn't catch her even though she was alone."

That grated of Kabuto's nerves.

"With all due respect, my Lord, she was not alone."

Madara turned his black eyes to the white haired man.

"She wasn't alone? Who was with her?"

Kabuto lifted his head to look both men in the eyes.

"It was that ROOT member."

Orochimaru leaned forward as if this interested him.

"One of Danzo's children?"

"Yes, though these days he only takes orders from one Sasuke Uchiha. It seems that he planted the boy as her guard."

Madara grunted as Orochimaru leaned back into his chair.

"Well this certainly complicates things a bit. While I can't say that I approved of Danzo's methods, he raised some nasty fighters."

"Agreed. So what do we do now?" Madara stirred his drink with a finger.

"Hmmmm, I think we need to give her a reason to ditch her guard dog."

"And how do you suppose we do that, Orochimaru? What could we possibly do to make her angry enough to come looking for us?"

The snake man smiled as he snapped his fingers. A man came scurrying into the room with a thick folder. He handed it to Orochimaru before hurrying out of the room again.

"I think this may help our little Blossom come to us."

Madara glanced through the file a smirk gracing his aristocratic face.

"I hope you are right."

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And there is Chapter 5. Hope you all enjoy it! Please leave me a review!