Dark Beginning…continued….

"I don't like the look of this." Neji looks around, aggravated.

"Me either," agrees Shikamaru, fingering his weapon pack. "I mean, look at them. Look at Sakura! She looks…psychotic." It was true. The very way she stood; grinning deviously, bearing her white fangs and holding the giant serpent's head made Sakura look exactly that…psychotic. Her presence was enough to send a chill in the air. The situation was appalling to the Leaf Shinobi. This would not be the mission that they had thought possible. It would take more than introductions to get Sakura back…if they could ever retrieve their comrade. Kyo hisses softly, not in the form of a threat, but in pleasure at his master's presence. There was no good or evil to him; just Master Sakura. However, when Anko proceeds in taking a movement forward in the direction of his mistress Kyo's hiss grows louder and all together severely menacing. Anko moves back and Kyo grows a bit more relaxed. It becomes apparent that the retrieval team would also have to consider the danger of the giant creature. Definitely something that put them all on edge.

The tense silence was too much. Naruto steps forth ignoring the displeasure in Kyo's threatening sound, a suffocating fear rising in his lungs. "Sakura please," Naruto pleads, a strained expression wearing his face. "You've been tricked! Orochimaru brainwashed you. You're Sakura Haruno, chunin of Konoha – the Leaf Village, apprentice to Lady Tsunade our Hokage, and member of Team 7. Sasuke was a member as well before he joined him," Uzumaki growls, pointing a finger at Orochimaru, who smiles innocently. But when Sakura narrows her eyes and continues her evil smirk Naruto becomes even more frustrated. She was so deep in the trap that she believed that evil and murder was the way to live. The pink-headed girl that the Leaf Shinobi knew might have had a foul temper, but she was no dark, homicidal puppet. "I'm NOT gonna let this happen! You're gonna remember the truth if I have to beat it out of you!" Naruto makes another slight approach, but this time, Kyo doesn't just hiss. The gigantic snake positions itself slightly in front of Sakura's right side. He raises up full height and releases a frightening sound of warning. He would not stand for this. Sakura whispers something that the others cannot hear and Kyo relaxes slightly, his yellow eyes staring hard at the "invaders".

Kakashi warns," Careful Naruto. Just keep your head."

Hinata, who was behind her crush, swallows uncomfortably. "Yes Naruto," she whispers shyly, one hand stretched for his shoulder and the other clutching her chest, "please calm down. You can't—"

"And what do you know?" Naruto yells at Hinata. He faces her with cruelty.

The Hyuga female takes a step back, surprised and afraid of his sudden anger. She winds up backing into the arms of her cousin Neji, who snarls out in defense of Hinata. He threatens, "Watch yourself, filthy dog!" Tenten puts a restricting grip on Neji's arm while Choji stands in between them. For the moment the current dilemma is forgotten. Sasuke, bored, grabs Sakura's shoulder and looks into her eyes. He leans in close, about to kiss her when Orochimaru lets out a sigh of frustration. Sasuke smiles and vanishes, leaving Sakura disappointed. She shoots her father an annoyed look as he cackles.

Anko notices Uchiha's sudden disappearance and regains everyone's attention. "Enough! One of them is gone!" This was not the time nor place to quarrel amongst themselves. Their lives were on the line, focus was the main priority. Why did Lady Tsunade have to send the Chunins? Immature and big-headed! As the group falls back into line, Sakura states, "Perhaps we should let them argue, father. Maybe we won't have to kill them." To the others, "Sasuke was bored so he left." She shifts her weight to the right. "We don't need him anyway," Sakura hisses.

Ino pulls out a kunai and stands up front. "I say we finish this!" Yamanaka explains. "Let's bag her and go home. Sakura couldn't have gotten that strong right?" Ino's jealousy was starting to get the best of her. Jealousy and ignorance always played a major role in Ino's life lately. Since Sakura's vanishing she had gone to Lady Tsunade, asking to be trained. But Tsunade refused, stating that Ino didn't have what it took to become a great shinobi. Her thoughts were too clouded, to primal. To act without thought would get her killed someday, and Tsunade was not willing to train someone so incoherent in their ways. The Hokage was not going to back up a gratuitous situation. This made Ino angry at Sakura for having taken away from her everything she wanted…that she desired. Despite the fact that she did not really understand what she desired. Ino could not grasp that she could not handle what she wanted. Yamanaka lacked, despite her perception and care for others, a true knowledge for her purpose.

But before any of the teammates can respond, Sakura slides her left foot slightly forward and lowers her body down a bit. She raises her left hand in front of her face; the thumb, index, and middle fingers standing upright, and lifts the right arm, pointing it straight out to the side. Sakura's eyes are crazed, thirsty for blood as she says, "Stupid girl!"

"Stupid?" yells out Ino.

But the ground begins to quake. Orochimaru's hands fly into different positions and they finally settle on one. "Hmm…this'll be fun," he says ecstatically.

A roaring wind flies though the area. The Leaf Shinobi grab hold of one another and brace themselves against the sudden force. What was happening? Eyes face the enemy. Who was summoning up this power? Orochimaru? Sakura? Both? Kakashi, Naruto, and Anko stand ready. This fight was more personal than the others could have originally imagined.

A spark flashes around Sakura's finger. Then another. Soon enough, white lightning dances around the once Konoha shinobi's hands. It was Chidori…no, it was something else. Something different. Her eyes thirsty for death and her white fangs bared eagerly, Sakura yells out in insanity, "I'm stronger than you realize…I am your NIGHTMARE!"

Anko yells, "Kakashi!" Kakashi releases a shadow clone, as does Naruto. The clones run towards the two enemies. But Orochimaru releases a Wind release: Great Breakthrough as he had done before. Kakashi yells out, leaping into the air as the clones are destroyed, "You can never get me with the same thing twice!" He releases a fire ball jutsu. Orochimaru dodges.

Sakura, her hair beginning to rise from the lightning, cackles, "Escape from this!" She lunges her arm forward and a great force of chidori-like-lightning heads for the group. But before the attack can deal its damage, Shikamaru whips out a scroll and tosses it on the ground, commits some hand seals and then taps his foot on the scroll. "PORTABLE WATER FIELD!" Immediately a large amount of water surrounds the group as the lightning strikes it. The shield deflects Sakura's attack.

From within the bubble, Hinata states, "It doesn't seem like she's through using that jutsu."

Naruto says with defiance, "Then let's take her down before she has a chance to use it again!"

Neji, his byakugan activated, explains, "She has a weak spot. But we'll never get to her unless…"

"Unless?" whines Choji.

Kakashi, seeming to think the exact thing as Hyuga, begins to instruct the course of attack. "Choji, Hinata, Anko: you take Orochimaru. He may be crazy, but he cares about his daughter. Naruto, Tenten, see if you can distract the snake." Neji frowns at the idea of Tenten being stuck with Naruto. He shoots Uzumaki a warning glance as if it say, "If anything happens to her I'll kill you myself."

Ino asks with annoyance, "What about us?"

Kakashi responds, "There's no way that we can get to Sakura to try to regain her memories, much less fight her, while she's still in complete control. So, Shikamaru, I need you to use that shadow technique to try to keep her still. It won't hold her for long with this new power of hers, so Ino, you use your Mind Body Disturbance technique to give yourself absolute command over her body. Neji and I will move in to take her down." He frowns. That was easier said than done. He was sure that the others would have a bit of a problem with Kyo and Orochimaru. He might have to be in three places at once. And Kakashi was positive that Neji would be a bit too focused on Tenten, seeing that Hyuga didn't trust Naruto to take care of her. But he shakes his head. They would have to do the best they could and hope that enemy reinforcements didn't show up. The last thing desirable was more complications.

"Let's do it!" Naruto states with a smile. Kakashi nods. Naruto was handling the fact that his Sensei also loved Sakura very well. It was almost as if nothing ever changed.

"Let's do it," Kakashi repeats. Within moments, the water shield is down. Orochimaru summons his Sword of Kusanagi…great, another complication.

Sakura looks at her prey with a maddening expression. She had lost her mind. Her hair continues to stand up as the Lightning continues to flow freely upon her hands. Sakura laughs loudly, an insane twinge in it. She truly was a nightmare.

To be continued….