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A/N: Hello again readers! It took me a long time to decide how to progress this plot line, and even longer to actually sit down and do it. Haha. I hope the last chapter was a little more interesting than usual, or at least enough to make you want to continue reading. This one was really fun to write. I plan to pick up the pace around now. And also, just as a side note, this isn't going to be on of those twenty plus chapter stories. I'm probably half done. Hope no one is terribly opposed to that.
This chapter is dedicated to all of my reviewers. Thanks for staying caught up. It means a lot to a writer!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Redemption
Chapter Five- Betrayal
With every step he took, Sasuke questioned Ayato's words. He hadn't trusted the boy ninja when they were in town of course, but now that everything was silent and he could think properly, he was sure that they had made a mistake. For all they knew, they could be running right into an ambush, not to mention that they didn't even know where most of their team was. And the trade factor for Hinata was really bothering him too; this was the most suspicious part. Sasuke believed in equivalent exchange. There was no way that the kidnapper wanted absolutely nothing for Hinata. There would be no point in kidnapping her, and definitely no point in killing her.
Sasuke glanced at Sakura, but saw only determination on her face. Her hair blew behind her wildly and he realized there was something about her that was different from the Sakura he left on a bench all those years ago. Strength. If he was going to make this argument again, he was going to need to compose his thoughts and speak clearly. Not that he didn't always, he thought smugly. But she wouldn't stop without a fight. This Sakura was dead set on taking this plan seriously.
He looked back ahead and realized that he was about to collide with a tree. His eyes widened in shock and quickly threw himself left to avoid the tree. A split second later it occurred to him that he should have gone right, because he was about to slam into Sakura. Out of pure coincidence, Sakura happened to look in his direction a moment before they collided. In a last ditch effort to avoid Sakura getting hurt because of his stupidity, Sasuke enveloped her in a protective hug and spun upside down so that his back would receive the brunt of the damage. The impact coupled with Sakura on his stomach temporarily knocked the breath out of Sasuke. She quickly scrambled off of Sasuke to let him breathe and helped him sit up.
Sakura's eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed. "Sasuke! Sasuke? Are you okay?"
Cough cough
"Sasuke?!"
Cough cough cough
"Damn it, Sasuke! Answer me," she demanded, and at the same time whacked his back a few times. "Do I need to do CPR or something?!"
His eyes widened slightly. Now it was Sasuke's turn to blush.
Cough cough. "N-no! I'm fine! Just give me a second," he wheezed.
Sakura sighed in relief and slight disappointment. "Good. Well. Now that you can speak…you can start with telling me what the hell just happened." She smiled.
Shouldn't have said anything, he thought vaguely. It's not like he could just tell her that he got distracted by her of all things, and almost hit a tree. That would be like throwing away his pride. Uchihas did not hit trees.
He coughed again and cleared his throat. "I…it was nothing. Don't worry about it. We should finish this mission," he said, the last sentence pure sarcasm.
"Look Sasuke, I'll ignore the fact that you almost hit a tree," she started trying not to laugh, and then proceeded to narrow her eyes, "but this is important. You need to take it seriously."
"Sakura, this is a trap! Can't you tell? I'm sure that this Ayato took advantage of our team being separated and sent us straight into an ambush. He's probably delayed them rather than told them what we're doing," Sasuke explained.
Sakura scoffed. "And what about Hinata then? Why would he tell us that?"
"…I can't explain why he would just give us Hinata back, which makes it all the more suspicious. I don't think she's even there. It's a bluff."
They stared at each other for a minute in silence. Finally Sakura looked at her feet. It was starting to rain. Her hair hung in her face and Sasuke thought she might be crying for a moment. Suddenly she looked up, her face full of resolve; there were no tears. He must have imagined it. Sasuke finally realized that the old Sakura was gone and wasn't coming back. She had really changed, and he was oddly proud. It was the weirdest feeling he thought he'd ever experienced.
"Sasuke, it's like he said. Can we really afford to be sure about that? I don't think I'd forgive myself if we didn't go and she died because of it. And just to be clear, I don't trust him either, and I think there is some sort of trap, but we should still go. We can just be more careful….okay?" The last word was almost a plead. She moved a few feet closer to him. "Please?"
He looked away, blushing. "Fine. But we do this my way, alright?"
"Okay. Good. Then we should go; we've wasted enough time here." She turned to start again and paused, looking back at him. "And by the way, Sasuke, thanks for catching me."
He nodded.
The rendezvous point was on a cliff. The woods ended a few meters from the edge. Sasuke had them stop before leaving the trees and scouted the area. The leaves rustled in the wind and rain. They glanced at each other. No one was there.
"Diversion," he whispered. Sakura nodded. He couldn't say he didn't see something like this coming, but at the same time the look on Sakura's face was killing him. She was heartbroken.
"Uchiha! Haruno! Do you think you're clever hiding in the trees? You better come out before this poor girl has to die," called a voice in a singsong voice.
Sasuke's face jerked up. Where had that voice come from? He jumped down from the tree he was in and entered the clearing. Sakura did the same. Ayato was standing there, alone.
Sasuke's face contorted in confusion and rage. "How the fuck did you beat us here?"
Ayato laughed. "Calm down, Sasuke. I don't know, maybe you paused for a break? Or maybe I just took a shortcut…I dunno." He smiled mockingly.
Sasuke was ready to beat the crap out of the boy when he felt Sakura's hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke," she whispered. "Look at his feet."
Sasuke looked down cautiously. There was a large, lumpy duffel bag by the boy's feet. Ayato smiled. "Ah yes. Your friend is probably very cold and wet in there. I don't think my boss particularly cared for her condition. I suppose I should give her back."
Ayato lifted the bag and handed it to Sakura. She dropped down to her knees and undid the bag. Sakura pulled Hinata out of the bag. She was indeed wet and unmoving.
Sasuke glanced down. "Is she alive?"
Sakura nodded. "Yes, but they've used an herb mixed with chakra to keep her asleep." She glanced up at Ayato. "It's usually used to insure someone does not fight back."
Ayato smiled.
"Can you fix it?" Sasuke asked.
Sakura looked from Ayato to Sasuke. "Yes. Just give me a moment."
No one said anything, and Sakura made the only noise. Her hands dug through her bag for a few moments before retrieving the medicine she would need.
Sasuke wouldn't take his gaze from Ayato's form. The cloak he wore a couple of hours ago was gone; presumably it would have slowed him down, especially in the rain. He was wearing a black shirt and pants. His ninja sandals were also black. There was no identifying headband in sight.
Sasuke was the first to speak. "So. Who are you?"
Ayato laughed softly. "Didn't I already tell you Sasuke? I'm Ayato."
"Stop calling me that," Sasuke hissed. "And you know that's not what I meant."
Ayato sighed. "Of course. But you are asking the wrong question. You don't want to know who I am; you want to know who my boss is. See, because I am no one. As far as the world is concerned, I don't exist. But I know all about the world, and it's time for everyone to wake up." He grinned at this statement. "And as for my boss…I don't think I have permission to tell you anything about him, or his intentions for that matter."
Sakura glanced up. "That must be lonely."
Ayato frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Nobody knowing who you are? That must be the most lonely existence."
"On the contrary, it is helpful. If no one knows me, then they have no power over me and don't expect me. It makes it easy to do jobs," Ayato responded, but Sakura could see his hesitation.
She smiled. "That doesn't make it any less lonely."
Ayato opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He had no response. He closed his mouth and looked away. "The end justifies the means."
Sakura sighed and looked down at Hinata, continuing her work. "Do you actually believe that?"
Ayato gave nothing away. She decided to try again.
"Who are you protecting? A friend? A brother?"
Ayato stiffened. "I don't know what you're—"
"Oh come on, Ayato. Some men like power, some destruction. You aren't one of them. You are doing this from a completely different reason. Cut the crap and spill."
Ayato looked back at her, shocked. Suddenly Hinata gasped heavily and they all looked down at her.
Sakura helped her sit up and pulled a blanket out of the medic bag, wrapping it around Hinata. "Hinata? It's Sakura. You're safe now. How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly.
Hinata moaned and rubbed her head. "I'm cold, and hungry," she murmured. "Where's Naruto?"
Sakura smiled in spite of the situation. "Let's worry about you right now Hinata. I'm sure Naruto is fine."
Sasuke, however, wasn't so sure. He was watching Ayato, who looked somewhat guilty.
"Actually," Ayato said, "I wouldn't jump to conclusions."
Sakura jerked her head up, suddenly angry. "What the hell have you done with our team?"
Ayato smiled cynically. "I don't think there's really anything you can do about it now."
"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!"
Ayato cringed in fear. Her chakra was fearsome, and it reeked of murderous intent.
"If I help you…..will you help me?" It was a timid plea for help.
Sasuke would have been perfectly satisfied with beating the information out of him and then leaving him to die, but Sakura was more rational.
In a much softer voice, she asked, "it's a brother right? Younger probably."
Ayato nodded. "He's sick. My boss said he'd cure him if I helped, and leave him to die if I didn't. You're an amazing medic aren't you? You were trained by the sannin Tsunade herself. Can't you cure him?"
Sakura smiled. "I can try, but I need your help first. Tell me where my team is."
Ayato sighed heavily and looked at Sasuke. "The annoying one, Sai, and the cousin, Neji, are still in the town. They are being distracted." He paused and looked at Sakura. "The Jinchuuriki, Naruto, has been taken."
"Of course. Hinata was the distraction. In return for her, he takes the Kyuubi," Sasuke mused. Ayato nodded.
The next thing he knew, Sasuke socked him in the face. He stumbled to the ground holding his face as blood leaked out of his mouth and nose.
"Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.
"It's a small price to pay for my brother. And besides, I was expecting it." Ayato said. The rain quickly washed away the blood and Sasuke and Ayato watched each other.
"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.
"They won't do anything to him yet, so calm down."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"
Ayato laughed. "Really? Sasuke, I work for the guy, don't I? He's told me his plans."
Sasuke smirked. "Well maybe he doesn't trust you and saw this betrayal coming."
Ayato smirked right back. "I don't think so."
Sakura stood up, supporting Hinata. "Okay boys, that's enough. Ayato, tell us what you know."
"Well, he's going to wait until he has the Ox before he extracts the Kyuubi. He won't have the Ox for a few days. He plans on holding Naruto in a state similar to Hinata's until that time."
"What if he gets the Ox early?" Sasuke asked.
"He still won't act yet because there won't be enough people until the predetermined day."
Sasuke and Sakura nodded. Hinata wobbled and looked at Ayato. "When is that day?"
"A full week from now. You can spend two days getting back to Konoha to drop off Hyūga and report your mission, and then have five days to save Naruto. Fair?"
Sakura nodded. "We can do it," she said to Sasuke. Hinata looked worried. Sasuke sighed.
"It sounds reasonable enough. But the question lingering is: what about you?"
Ayato smiled sadly. "I can get my brother while you're going back and meet you there in three days instead of two."
"So we won't have five days, but four," Sakura commented.
"I suppose so, yeah," Ayato said.
She nodded. "We can still do it."
"We'll be cutting it close," Sasuke said.
Sakura looked at him sternly. "We can still do it," she repeated.
He looked away and closed his eyes. "Fine."
Hinata looked around at all of them. "In that case, we should get going," she said softly. "Maybe we can get there a little earlier." She looked down at her feet. "I want to hurry and get and Naruto."
Sakura looked at Hinata sympathetically. "Right. We should go and stop by to pick up Neji and Sai, and then hurry back to Tsunade."
She looked at Hinata again. "Hinata, speaking as a medic, you shouldn't be running or straining yourself."
Hinata protested.
"So," Sakura said, interrupting her, "Sasuke I'd like you to carry her back until we get to the town."
Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, okay."
Sakura smiled at him, thinking that maybe he really had changed. She turned back to Ayato again. "And one more thing, before we go."
"What's that?" Ayato asked.
"You never told us who you're taking orders from. I like to know my enemy, after all."
Ayato smiled without any humor. "Pain-sama."
A/N: Well, that's it for this chapter! I wrote this in just one day!!! I guess my writers block is gone? Anyway, this chapter was fun and I hope you all liked it too. Please review!!!!
