Okay let's continue, shall we? This may be a pretty long chapter so be prepared.
Disclaimer….Only me and my Ryuu… But he is busy at the moment planning for destruction so he won't be in this chapter.…..Oh and one more to the threesome! There is Koji who you will meet this time and he will be important later in the story.
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2:26 am found the shadow of a man leaping frantically through the many towering trees that filled the forest to its rim. Desperately, brown eyes searched for a place to hide, but it came to a futile attempt. He was conveniently being chased towards a more barren area of the forest where plants, bushes and other vegetation was scarce on the forest floor. The trees wouldn't hide him from his pursuers and it looked like he would be forced to fight them head on. He wasn't a fool, though and decided that had to be used as a last resort……Sadly he was running out of options. The pair of hunters weren't easy to ditch but he seemed to had borrowed enough time to search for anything that could help him. The pounding of chakra through his legs burned from the constant sprinting. Black hair ruffled slightly in the cold night breeze and he gripped his kunai tighter, preparing for any traps or creatures that lurked in the night.
Suddenly his sandals landed on a branch and effectively coming to a stop without any sound made. There was another chakra signature nearby and he looked around, trying to pick it up. Another breeze picked up and the chakra returned. It wasn't hostile and it was alone-both of which were obvious signs that it wasn't the two men that were out to kill him.
Decided it would be best to pursue this person, he jumped to a lower branch-still high in the 80ft trees- and followed the aura that drifted from the wind. It was only minutes later that he found the source giving off just a light chakra that told him whoever it was, was asleep.
Glancing in a nearby tree, he saw the shinobi-or more like kunoichi who had caught his attention.
Long pink locks hung in a high pony tail with the tips resting over her shoulder that sported a thin strip of her tank top. No doubt she was cold. But her even breathing told him that she was in fact asleep.
If he waited around too long, then the others would find him…or worse off, the unsuspecting kunoichi. He couldn't let that happen. He vaguely remembered the rude awakening that he had received only an hour ago from the two brutes. It wasn't pleasant to be stabbed twice before you realized that it wasn't a dream. With this in mind, he unconsciously gripped is bleeding shoulder. What a cheap shot that those bastards had taken! He couldn't let them do that to the young woman below.
If it all worked out, then he may be able to convince her to fight with him. If those two had teamed up then surely they could as well….
With a cunning grin, he leapt to her branch and landed with hardly a sound, but a step forward erased his smirk. In the branch above the sleeping woman was a small sparkle that had barely caught his attention. The sparkle only belonged to that of a kunai and he was seemingly impressed that she was smart enough to put up a trap….then he mentally scolded himself for not thinking about it too.
Brown eyes looked down by his feet to see a string that was no doubt the trigger and he carefully stepped over it before crouching in front of the girl. "Hey," he whispered. "Wake up." He added it with a nudge.
The woman shifted her weight but didn't wake. Now that he was closer, he could see that there were beads of sweat that formed over her creased brow. The weather was chilly so how was she hot? Goosebumps lined her arms but then again she could have a fever. He pulled off a glove from his left hand and placed it on her forehead, but she didn't have a fever or illness. Perhaps it was a nightmare?
Again he raised his arms to shake her, but the two deadly chakras caught up to him. Cursing to himself for his lack of speed, he saw that she was starting to wake up. Not wanting her to give them away, he covered her mouth while being welcomed with bright emerald eyes that looked on in terror. He couldn't help but wonderer if that had been his expression when the two had stabbed him but he pushed the useless thought away and leaned to her face, clearly not pleased that the two had found them and currently making their way over.
"Don't even dare, or I'll rip your throat out now…"
Sakura's mind was thrown into neutral and she could hardly register anything through the dark of the night and the closeness of her captor. All she knew was that it was bad….Her instincts took over and she pushed her fist in an uppercut, efficiently knocking the man back on the branch.
There was a growl from him as he stood back to his feet and wiped blood from his mouth before turning a predatory glare at Sakura. Emerald eyes narrowed dangerously as she crouched into a fighting stance. Apparently attacking your competitors was more then allowed. She took this time to examine the man before her and it was then that she recognized him as the man from the room before the exam had started. He wore a dark traditional green jounin vest and his hands where tight around a kunai.
The man shifted his weight and allowed his brown eyes to examine the fiery kunoichi before him. Her pink hair was still in a high and neat ponytail that stood out against the black tank top and pants that melted into the shadows of the night. The only thing that stood out was a blood red sash that hung charmingly around her thin waist and her forehead protector sat just above her collar bone. She had one hell of a right hook and the look she sent him was nothing short of a dare. It was clear she was daring him to step towards her or maybe even to try and attack her.
"There's that sneaky bastard!" yelled a new voice that shattered the tense silence of the two. So much for his plan at staying hidden…
"Look what you did, princess. You gave me away," he pouted playfully. But the jester told Sakura that it wasn't an innocent playfulness. Suddenly two kunais shot through the air at amazing speed, coming straight at the jounin.
Sakura glance down to see two other shinobi on the ground who watched for their weapons to bite into their target's flesh. Spinning her head back she watched as the stranger spun sideways with one foot then ducked effortlessly under the second. His speed was incredible and his grace just soaked at his movements. Anther onslaught of weapons came at them both this time and Sakura had to quickly dodge under senbons, shuriken, and kunais that searched hungrily at her. She didn't pay attention to the man who, like her, was dancing lightly on his feet and it wasn't until they both flipped and spun, inevitably running into each other on the branch. Both fell with a "humph" but Sakura only flipped back to her feet and deflected a few more weapons.
A growl was heard from the men beneath her and they knew that throwing weapons weren't going to cut it….That was a bad pun…
Without a word, they started running up the side of the tree at a dangerous speed with weapons bare out to their side.
Sakura took a step towards them, but a hand caught hers making her turn to see the man. "What is it?!"
"Well princess," he said with a dashing smile as he slowly got up from the ground until he was on one knee in front of her. "This isn't what I was expecting to charm a kunoichi like yourself but will you assist me in taking out these two brutes?" He added a dashing smile at her and continued to hold her hand as if proposing for marriage.
All of Sakura's anger seemed to melt away and she couldn't help but smile back. "Why of course," she said mockingly.
The man before her stood to his feet-the two attackers leaving their attention for a moment. "Then it should be easy."
"I need a name, though," she said smartly and pulled her hand away from him.
"Ah…Yes that is important. The name's Koji." He held out his hand and smiled again.
Sakura shook it happily but released as soon as the two men jumped to their branch. One in front of Sakura, the other in front of Koji. She smirked darkly, challenging the tall man to come at her.
"Don't go easy on her just because she's a woman, Ko," the man in front of Koji ordered.
Sakura narrowed her eyes but refused to retort. They obviously didn't know who she had trained with….With out hesitating she pulled her kantana out of its sheath from her back and flipped it in a single circular motion with her hand.
"Shut up, Shin," he said quietly as he stared at the kunoichi.
"Do you think you can handle him on your own, Princess?" Koji asked mockingly over his shoulder as their backs were together.
"What are you trying to say? That you need help with taking out your guy?" she shot back.
Koji chuckled. "I may….He has the worst breath," he added a hand swatting at the air in front of his nose, and Sakura couldn't help keep the laugh in.
"Enough! You are about to die and you insist on joking?!" The man named Shin charged as did his friend. The fight was on as Sakura blocked a strong attack with her blade. Ko only pushed harder with a sick grin, but he truly underestimated Sakura's strength.
Summoning chakra, she gave a huge push, sending him stumbling back. Sakura took this time to swing at him, but he jumped to the side of the tree before pushing off with his feet and charging at her through mid air. Sakura was too slow to recover as he swiped at her, letting the blade stab into her side, but he was welcomed with a cloud of smoke.
"Damn it!" Suddenly, Sakura flipped from under the branch he was on and kicked him, sending the leaf nin falling off the side and to a lower branch with sickening crunch. She rushed to the side off the branch to see if he was unconscious, but the branch below was empty.
Move!
Sakura threw her hands into a signal and pushed chakra through her body. Looking up, she saw Ko had appeared on a branch above her while hanging upside down like a bat. Without a warning, he dropped after her while spiraling with an abnormally large Shuriken.
"Earth style: Illusion water!" Suddenly, she was slowly sinking into the wood of the tree like water until she had completely vanished. Ko flipped in midair and landed hard onto the spot that she had once occupied.
She was a tricky one…
Shin wasn't having much luck with Koji who he had expected to be weak. The cocky arrogant attitude was well placed seeing as he was able to back it up with skill. Still, he was going to put him in his place. He tossed a few explosive notes and missed the onyx haired nin while sticking to the branch. A loud boom broke the branch off, knocking both of them off and to the forest floor. Shin flipped a few times until he was at Koji as they trade a few attacks in the air. Suddenly, he elbowed the brown eyed man, knocking him unconscious. With a wicked grin, he spun their bodies so that Koji was under him as they freefell to the hard ground. Pushing chakra through his body, he spiraled while keeping a tight hold of the limp body until the impact came. The compact made a sickening thud as Koji was slammed to the ground, sending dust and leaves to fly around them.
A loud crashing sound erupted through the forest air and Shin looked up just in time to see the enormous branch they were on hurtle towards them from the air. With a bloodthirsty grin, he jumped out of the way, leaving the branch to crash onto Koji's body. More dirt erupted through the air and he stared proudly at his work with his light brown hair hanging spiked in crooked angles.
Ko looked frantically around for Sakura but her chakra was non-existent as if she was never there, but he knew better. A sudden chill went down his spine and his instincts knotted in his stomach. He had the strange assumption that the roles were reversed and it was him that was being the hunted…..
His nerves increased tenfold and he jumped to a different tree while looking for her still.
The forest seemed quiet except for where Shin was with Koji, leaving him alone. He jumped to a different branch and waited to try and calm himself. The cold tendril of wind wrapped around him and the darkness seemed to blind him to the point where he couldn't tell what were shadows from the small moonlight.
A spark of chakra tickled his senses and he glanced around. His heart started to beat harder against his chest and he backed till his back was against bark.
"Come out, bitch! Just fight me!" There wasn't an answer but instead another spark before disappearing again. "Why are you hiding? Are you afraid of the dark?!"
"Don't be a fool…I own the night," whispered a lyrical voice against his neck. He spun around but it was too late as she kicked him from the tree, still in her jutsu and he was flying towards the ground where he turned and landed safely.
Sakura jumped to the ground and started walking towards him but a new presence welcomed them as Shin landed in front of her. "And then there was one…"
Sakura furrowed her brows. "Where's Koji?"
"You're little boyfriend?" he chuckled. "Six feet under."
Sakura narrowed her eyes before charging at him.
Sakura and Shin traded a few blows, her with a kantana and him with a long arched dagger. She jumped back a few feet from an attack before charging at him again. Before she reached him, her foot sunk into the ground as the rocky earth started to weaken and turn to a sand substance, pulling her under like water.
Sakura was sinking fast and she had dropped her blade on the ground. "Damn it," she muttered as she struggled to get out of its hold, but Ko only laughed as he stood above her.
"Got some bad news for you, pinky. That sand trap will only suck you in faster the more you struggle," he grinned.
Sakura glared daggers at him as she was to her waist. "Don't underestimate me," she said shortly. With a few quick hand signs, she took a deep breath and focused before blowing between her fingers. Flames shot from her fingers and she blew all around her in a circle as the heat hardened the ground and effectively sending the two men jumping back from the burning fire. Sakura took this time to wiggle her hip out of the ground and again she used a few hand signs.
"Stupid bitch needs to learn when to quite," Shin muttered as he sent three clones after her. Sakura jumped back and then again before she sent a punch to one, making it disappear in a poof. The second pulled a kunai and stabbed at her, but she spun around so the blade hit the tree. Both clones followed to the tree but before they could wrap around to attack the kunoichi, the said tree busted from its roots and was sent hurtling at them, making them both disappear. The rumble of the tree was multiplied as it hit another and another, efficiently ripping other trees from their roots and boulders. A rain of shuriken suddenly hit her in the back letting the realization that not only was she fighting two shinobi, she was in the middle of a death trap.
She fell to her knees for a moment and pulled the easiest shuriken from her shoulder blade. With a grunt it released its hold on her flesh and the pain grew for a moment. It was then that Ko took the time to shoot a boulder at her from another ninjutsu and she narrowly moved her body in a roll that pushed the weapons deeper into her back.
As she sent a glare at Ko, a shadow smothered her form from the full moon shining as a skylight. Sakura looked back just in time to see Shin raise an arm with the kunai before dropping it down to her. The blade sunk into her shoulder but Shin was rewarded with a cloud of smoke.
"Substitution!"
Both men spun around in search of the pink haired kunoichi, but she hid her chakra well.
Unlike before when she had hid, there was a small hint of her chakra linger, but now it seemed to have disappeared all together…
Sakura sprinted away from the two men and back towards the trees that she had last seen Koji. She wasn't willing to waste anymore chakra on the two men that she had left in a genjutsu for fear that it would effect her performance in the rest of the test. Not to mention that she was worried for her new companion.
Finally, she came onto the scene where a large branch lay crumbled on the forest floor. Rushing over, she could see Koji halfway under the branch as he tried to push out from under it. "Koji!" she yelled in relief and kneeled next to him.
"Hey princess," he said in a hoarse voice from the pain. "You mind helpin' a friend out?"
Sakura summoned chakra to her hands and lifted the branch enough for him to wiggle out. Dropping the branch, she kneeled over him once again and quickly let her hands hover over his body as he lay there catching his breath. "Uh…what are you doing?"
"I'm checking to see what your injuries are. We have to get out of here before they find out they're in a genjutsu and I don't want you travelling if you have inner bleeding." Once satisfied that he was ok, aside from multiple broken ribs and gashes, she stood up.
"How do you know?" he asked as he carefully stood up.
"I'm a medic…I'm Haruno Sakura." She introduced, remembering that she knew his name but he didn't know hers.
"Ah," he smiled as they started walking. "That explains a lot…You're the Hokage's apprentice!"
Sakura smiled. Her wounds in her back from one of the traps burned but her body was automatically healing it lightly. Once they got a safe distance away, she would have to heal Koji.
Casually, the said man slung an arm around her shoulders and mumbled something about kicking Shin's ass once they meet again. Sakura knew that the arm around her shoulders wasn't in an affectionate way but instead for him to ease the ache in his ribs. It was basic medic knowledge to stretch the rib muscles to keep them from giving into the pressure, and she was slightly surprised that he knew about the medic trick. But she pushed it away and decided on focusing on any traps that may be lurking in the leaves as they jumped from the destructed forest and into the safety of the dark.
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The morning slowly peaked from the top of the Hokage Mountain before the light actually stretched to the forest. Sakura and Koji had finally found a small clearing that was secluded from any other "kill happy" competitors. She had stayed up to heal his ribs, but had stopped after him telling her to save her chakra. A few were still fractured, but he had been stubborn as he continually insisted that he was fine.
She could only furrow her brows, knowing that even fractured ribs were quite painful, but she knew he was right. She had to save her chakra for the rest of the test. Of course, Koji didn't think of it as such. "If you use all your chakra then I would feel guilty and have to take care of you! Kami forbid that I had a female that I couldn't protect!" He had added it with a pout and she had laughed to herself. He reminded her of Naruto the way he always seemed to make her laugh, though his antics were considerably different. Instead of the loud and goofy attitude Naruto used, Koji's was charming and arrogant. His jokes weren't loud and they didn't need an act of clumsiness to add to the effect.
She had to admit that she enjoyed his company. They had each gotten two hours of sleep before they decided to start again, this time staying together. There were two scrolls after all but even so, she couldn't help but to remember Kakashi's lesson. It was the bell test that seemed to be so much like this, but deep down she knew that it wasn't going to be as easy as "Teamwork" to pass. This was Anbu after all and even though you had to work on teams, you had to accomplish a mission no matter what. Even if your team was caught as hostage or they had died…the last Anbu had. To. Finish. It.
The rest of the day, they had travelled together, telling stories of past missions and their friends. Koji began to tell her of a friend of his name Osamu who had been like brother. Apparently, Koji wasn't a Konoha leaf nin. He was assigned to Konoha only a year and a half ago from Suna, but she never would have guessed it. Then again it did make sense seeing as he had only heard of Kakashi and what she had done to Sasori and how she helped Gaara. He told stories of his friend that he had, Osamu, who had died shortly after Koji had moved from Suna. Osamu's death was tragic and his whole team was taken out from some Sound-nin on one of the missions.
As he spoke about it, his voice dropped considerably and he let his cheerful mask slip, making him look older then he really was.
Sakura then told him of her sensei Kakashi and how he was always late, blaming it on the road of life or old ladies. She bluntly said that the way he went on about his excuses made it sound as if old ladies threw themselves at him. At this Koji laughed and the heavy mood was lifted.
"So what about the Akatsuki?"
Sakura looked over at him. "What do you mean?"
"Well, the whole village knows about the Akatsuki being teamed with Konoha shinobi. I was wondering what you thought about your team mates."
"Oh. Well, they're not a bad bunch of guys. Actually they really are down to earth," she explained as they jumped through branches. "I have Hoshigaki Kisame and Uchiha Itachi on the team and although it was a little rough the first two days, I have to admit that they are pretty cool. Strange, but cool."
"Aww, princess, I'm gonna get jealous…"
Sakura shook her head at him. "Well you should be. Kisame has a liver of steel and Itachi can make you look like a genin if you fought him," she teased.
"A genin? Wow that was a blow to my pride." He held up a hand to his chest. "You wound me."
"Maybe not that low, but Itachi is skilled. He can fight on par with Kakashi and even though his sight is bad, you wouldn't know it."
"So you are healing him I suspect?"
"Of course," she scoffed. "I couldn't let him suffer like that and it settle well with my conscious….I can't have a blind teammate."
Koji smiled to himself know that there was more to the first half of the statement then she let one…perhaps there was more then she even was aware of. He could feel his smile grow…It would be interesting to watch her connection with her new team unravel…
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Tenten sat and watched Neji and Kakuzu spar together. Neji had taken the second half so he could spar the winner and of course Tenten had lost. She was tired of dodging all those tentacles and to make it short, she was sore! She never had worked some of her back muscles like that! Not even when training with Neji or Lee….
Lee. She missed him. His loud obnoxious personality kept things interesting, though she didn't mind. Her, Kakuzu, and Neji had already figured out where they stood together. Although Kakuzu was much older and stronger, he respected both of Neji and Tenten. They in return didn't bother him unlike his previous partner, Hidan.
Not to mention that Neji had a very interesting view on life. Some wasn't what Kakuzu would agree on but the basic idea was very much like his own. They would talk as they sat at the table in their small apartment and discuss fate and money. He knew the Hyuga's had very much money, but he preferred to work on his own to get it as in bounties. It made it more fun for him as well.
Due to his good behavior and willing to adjust, they had agreed that they would try and get small missions to collect bounties as long as Kakuzu didn't try and kill anyone.
The deal was golden!
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Shikamaru sat with a hand to his chin as he stared at the chess pieces in front of him. It was a tricky move and he struggled to figure out the next move. Zetsu watched in fascination at the young man in front of him. The game had been long and brutal but it was coming to an end with neither pulling ahead. It had been years since the tall Akatsuki had played chess. There were few times when he had played a challenging game with Pein with the title of winner mostly going to the cunning Ame-nin. Of course Zetsu had always held his own within the first half but it was still inevitable that Pein would come out the victor.
This game however was different. Shikamaru was smart…maybe too smart, but there was no doubt that they were on par. It was constantly going back and forth, neither getting a lead over the other.
But over all it kept things interesting and neither would take notice of the hours passing by. Occasionally, Zetsu would break the comfortable silence and question, "Shouldn't we train?"
"This is training. It's training your mind to out think your opponent and to strategize," he would say as if saying it a million times before. "Besides, training is too troublesome right now…"
Zetsu wouldn't argue seeing as the boy had a point. It wasn't like he actually sparred with anyone anyway. In fact, his daily exercise would be when he went out for a mean on occasion, normally travelling all the way to Grass Country for a fresh meal seeing as he was forbidden to eat any one from Suna or Konoha…
It was a shame…Hidan had said that he would pay a hefty price to Kakuzu if the said nin could talk to Zetsu about disposing of a certain blonde kunoichi. Of course Kakuzu had thought about it thoroughly, know that it wouldn't take long to convince Zetsu into doing it, but the deal with Neji and Tenten came to mind and he had a hard time figuring it out. If he went for it then Pein would be there in a heart beat and kill him then for going back on the agreement and that was enough to make Kakuzu shy away from the thought. But another thing came to mind…
If Hidan was willing to go through the trouble with Pein then obviously he was suffering with the blonde known as Ino….REVENGE!
In which case, he refused to help Hidan which left Zetsu to go out of the Fire Country to get his meals…He didn't mind too much however. It seemed for the most part relaxing to get out every now and then.
"Checkmate."
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Kakashi sat on the couch with an arm over the back. They were in Itachi's apartment to see if he had word on Sakura's test yet but like Kakashi, he hadn't. Kisame was out again, looking for some sake at the store while the Uchiha stayed with Kakahsi and Tobi. Itachi had pulled up a wooden chair from the table as he listed to Tobi talk about Kakashi and training.
"And then Tobi and senpai fell into the water, but he said Tobi was a good boy!"
Or at least, he acted like he listened. Kakashi had long ago blocked the one sided conversation out of his head as he thought about Sakura. He wasn't sure what the test was exactly, but he couldn't help to be worried. He had trusted her and her skill. She had taken out Sasori, fought and kept up with Orochimaru and Kabuto, trained under him and Tsunade and was teamed with Itachi and Kisame from Akatsuki.
So why was he worried?
Well he cared about her. She was more then a team mate, she was a best friend. Ever since the day before, he couldn't stop worrying about her.
"She'll be fine, Hatake," Itachi said shortly, effectively cutting Tobi off.
Kakashi looked to Itachi and gave an eye crinkle. "I know, it's just that I have been with her on almost all the missions. It's just a little different."
Itachi held back a smirk. "You're acting a little protective aren't you?"
Kakashi gave him a questioningly look.
"I understand. I felt that way with Sasuke when he went to the academy but you have to trust her. You and I have made it through the test, and I'm sure she won't have any problem."
This time it was Kakashi to hold back a smirk. He hadn't expected Itachi to be so sure over it… Actually the fact that he seemed to care made him just as shocked. "You aren't impress with her skill are you?"
Tobi sat on the ground and played with the hem of his shirt as he listened to the conversation.
Itachi blinked, ignoring Kakashi's attempt at teasing him. "Her skill is very high. Her genjutsu and hand to hand is nearly top level as with her healing, but she lacks ninjutsu. That is her weakness."
Tobi just looked back and forth between the two, wondering who they were talking about; his hem of shirt completely forgotten.
"As is caring for others whether enemy or friend."
"She will have to learn to over come that on her own."
Kakashi sighed. "I'm afraid you're right."
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Night came all too soon for Sakura and Koji as they set a few traps around their camping area. They hadn't eaten all day but their progress kept there mind from it. In fact they had made till they were nearly to the tower, but it was too dark to get any closer. Instead they both agreed to start off in the morning after a good nights rest.
"So Shin and Ko just attacked you when you were sleeping?" Sakura asked.
"Yup. The cowards."
Sakura shook her head as her stomach rumbled. Koji looked to her. "I could go get us a squirrel if you're hungry."
Again she shook her head and smiled. "No it's ok. I'm hoping to be out of here by tomorrow anyway."
Koji couldn't help but laugh. "And where are you expecting this scroll to be at?"
"I don't know, but I don't think it's in the tower. That would be too easy."
"That's true." They sat for a while, listening to the night come to life as the sun died down. It wasn't long until Sakura fell asleep, leaving Koji to take first watch grudgingly.
Thirty feet away, in a thick shrub sat a man watching the pair through round spectacles...
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After a few hours, Sakura was woken from her slumber and it was her turn to take watch. This night they had a small fire, just enough for a small wave of heat to roll towards them. It attracted a few bugs but kept the larger blood sucking insects away.
Sakura didn't care too much as she stared at the sky, thinking about Kisame and Itachi. They weren't anything like she had thought of them…In a way, they were much like Naruto and Sasuke. Kisame was loud at times and opinionated-always putting in his two cents in. Though unlike Naruto, his addiction wasn't to the yummy noodles of Ramen but the hot liquid of Sake.
Sasuke was always the leader of the three-with the exception of Kakashi. He was like a protective brother and that was all that Sakura thought of him as now. The child-hood crush was gone and dead. Now she would only retrieve Sasuke for Naruto because the blonde needed him. They were both each others crutch that they leaned on.
There wasn't any reason for him to come back for her, but she really didn't mind anymore. In fact, she was indifferent about the whole situation. Though there was a question that had popped up in her mind more then once, but she violently stepped and squashed the idea-metaphorically/mentally of course.
What if he returned and was looking for someone to help rebuild his clan….
Well, she thought with her resolve, he better not expect me to do it.
You are actually serious, inner commented.
Of course I am.
But why? Why now?
Because….
Why? Inner had a point. Why was she completely over Sasuke now of all the times? She was becoming a Anbu where she would have many chances to try and bring him back, but that wasn't why she was taking the test. She had wanted to take it to prove that she was strong. If she passed then she would be the first to actually be Anbu from her rookie class. But status wasn't what it was about either…
Why was she doing this? Why was she in this forest? Why was she over Sasuke?
Why, why, why?
Perhaps it has something to do with your new team?
Sakura furrowed her brows. Was it because of that? Itachi and Kisame were a new chapter in her book…a blank page to start over. She had changed her clothes and her fighting style to more sword play then hand to hand. She had improved considerably and yet she didn't know why. Perhaps it was because of Itachi and Kisame…
The sharp tips of two fangs touched her skin tauntingly and a new layer of fear pulsed through her skin...Suddenly a shadowy figure stood only a couple feet away...making Orochimaru freeze at the sound of the deep velvet voice.
"She obviously doesn't want to go with you."
Slowly, Orochimaru backed away to face the new arrival while Kabuto twisted Sakura to act like a shield. Emerald eyes widened at the sight of onyx hair, and crimson eyes with a waving cloak proudly possessing red clouds.
Sakura didn't know why she thought back to that, but it only made her confused, albeit a little comforted.
Suddenly two chakra signatures appeared to her left and she hastily sat up, trying to think of a plan…..
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"I can sense them over there," whispered Shin as he crouched lower.
"Don't worry. I'll kill her this time," assured Ko. They stealthily hid their chakra and looked through some bushes at the alert kunoichi and the sleeping Koji.
"This time, I'll kill her and you handle the arrogant prick."
Ko gave a displeased look but didn't say anything else. With the signal from Shin, he set off ten clones before all eleven ran to the camp in an ambush.
Sakura stood to her feet and blocked a few attacks, but a kunai came behind her from another clone and slit across her throat, letting blood pool out freely as she fell to the floor, lifeless and limp. Ko grinned triumphantly that he killed her before Shin and another clone stabbed at the now awoken shinobi. "Sakura!" he yelled out and kicked a clone, sending it into a poof. He ran to Sakura's limp body but another clone got in his way before turning to smoke after he stabbed through them.
He reached Sakura's body and blood pooled around her face, caking half of in with scarlet mud. "Sakura-come on!" He checked her pulse to find it still as the man behind him snuck up with a blade ready. Ko sunk the kuani into his unsuspecting spinal cord, killing him instantly as he fell over Sakura's cold body.
With a victorious grin, he turned to Shin walking out of the bushed with a puzzled expression.
"That wasn't so bad! Now it's only you and me left!"
"There's something wrong," Shin said more to himself. "The first two were easy to dispose of….these two were stronger last night."
"We caught the off guard," shrugged Ko. He turned to walk away back from where they came from.
Shin didn't look so convinced as he looked around the clearing. There was something amiss…
Walking over, he tapped Koji's body with his toe and suddenly, a barrage of kunais hurtled towards him. He dodged out of the way in time and looked to the bodies. The trap wasn't theirs and it was perfectly place. Ko had turned around once the trap caught his attention, but everything stayed oblivious.
With a hand sign, Shin summoned chakra. "Release!"
Suddenly, the clearing changed to reveal it empty except for the kunais and themselves.
His face pulled into a snarl. "It was a trick!"
Ko suddenly felt stupid and searched for the others chakra, knowing that they hadn't went too far.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Koji where hiding behind a boulder and tree. "Let's go," Sakura mouthed, but Koji shook his head with all sleep and humor gone. Quietly, they watched as the two men searched the area until they started off in one direction. Sakura sighed in relief and moved to head in the opposite direction when Koji pulled her hand.
"Follow me."
Sakura followed as they stalked behind the shinobi. They hid in the shadows, careful not to disturb any leaves or twigs that would give them away. Carefully, they got closer to the two shinobi who continued to search unsuccessfully. Still, Sakura wondered why they were taking this risk. To her it was unnecessary and Koji was a fairly logical thinker. What had him so determined to follow?
Finally Shin and Ko came to a stop at a river that was only a hundred feet from the tower. "They must be in there," Shin said as they started towards it. Sakura had never been on this side of the tower and it looked deadly. The cold steps up to a strangely placed door were dark and ominous. It reminded her of the stories she read with hidden tunnels…
Tunnels….
A sudden flash reminded her that there were monitors in the room that showed the forest and…tunnels…That was where the scrolls were at!!
Cha! One for us and zero for those pricks! Hells Yeah!
Sakura had to resist pumping a fist into the air victoriously. She still had to find the tunnels and get past those two "pricks" as inner so correctly called them.
Koji didn't wait for her to say anything as he suddenly dart forward after the two shinobi, shocking Sakura at his bold attack. Shin didn't seem as surprised as Ko, but he jumped out of the way all the same. It was suddenly a two way battle and Sakura was too confused as to what to do. The grace that Koji had before was nothing compared to what he had now. It was fluid, making her jealous she could have that flexibility. It was almost snake like, the way the wiggle and worm their ways in strange angles.
But something seemed different….A little…off.
What was it?
Sakura jumped into the fight, hoping that she would be able to tell what had her on edge. She took on Ko as he pulled out a kunai and charged her, but she was nimble as she dodged the sloppy attack.
Koji was busy with Shin as they battled until Koji sent a kick into his stomach, sending Shin busting through the door and into the long hallway that was the tunnels.
Sakura was finally able to punch Ko, sending him flying backwards and she felt the skull burst from her chakra. The sickening feeling seemed to stick to her hand and she tried to keep the thought out of her mind as she turned to see Koji smirking at her. But his smirk was different….It was….darker; one that said he knew something she didn't. She watched him turn back to the tunnel where Shin clambered to his feet from the debris of the door.
Sakura gave a wary glare at the back of Koji's back…If she stayed quiet and didn't voice her concerns then she would be able to figure it out. There was a sudden spark of chakra outside in the forest, turning her attention to the trees and the many shrouded crevices that could be used to hide it. Did she imagine it?
Turning back, she saw Koji break the jounin's neck, letting his body fall limp, much like Ko had in her genjutsu.
"You coming?"
Sakura blinked and walked hesitantly inside, careful for any traps. Koji hadn't called her princess and since he had woken her up…he seemed different. It wasn't his fun attitude. They turned a few turns, letting their eyes linger on a camera in the corner here and there. Obviously they were getting some where. Suddenly they turned and there were two doors that were closed to reveal nothing. "Which one?" Sakura asked as she turned from one door to the other and back.
"Good question…" he pointed to one door. "I'll take this one and you take the other."
Sakura hesitated before nodding and walking to it. Carefully, she opened the door slightly incase it was rigged. Nothing…She opened it a little more…Still nothing….
BOOM!
Suddenly, she was thrown into the room she was opening as Koji's door exploded. Sakura's skull hit the cobblestone floor, sending her sight into black before clearing enough for her to see debris falling over her. Splinters and small stones fell from the ceiling and she was vaguely aware of the tower shake under the pressure. Sakura struggled to sit up as her right eye burned as if on fire. She winced when she realized it was the blood from a head wound and the salt from the liquid made the sting. She resisted the urge to wipe her eye and make it worse as she clambered and climbed to her feet. Her shoulder was dislocated and the smoke and dust clogged her lungs.
She coughed a few times, trying to get a barring on where everything was at. She was in the room she had opened and Koji stood in the corner, completely engrossed in something in his hands. Sakura glared at him slightly, wonder what was so important to just leave her on the ground after HIS explosion. Inner was pissed!
This fucking creep was all gentleman like earlier and then he just leaves us?! What about the whole "Kami forbid that I had a female that I couldn't protect"?!
Sakura wondered the same thing…
His clothes were battered and soot stained as he turned to look at her with the same smirk before tossing her a scroll. Sakura caught it on reflex with her usable arm and blinked. The scroll was a dirt covered paper that was rolled and locked with two blue ends that were hard like steel. "This is the scroll?" she asked, looking up to him.
She resisted jumping back when she saw his chest inches from her face. "Yup! And all we have to do is get out of here."
Sakura said nothing, still trying to keep her vision from blurring from the pain and the blood to stop with her healing. The wound at her temple was deep and she knew it would take a while to heal. There were so many nerves in the temples and eyes which was the cause for it to take longer to repair correctly.
Before her mind could register, Koji had picked her up bride style and was carrying her out to the tunnels. "Hey-Let me walk, I'm not handicap!"
He just chuckled, making her narrow her eyes. This guy was starting to piss her off.
Unlike Itachi! Inner teased. She too was pissed at the strange acting Koji, but she couldn't resist the tease.
Itachi is different.
How so?
He was helping me train…
And what about the blush?
I…Just shut up! My head hurts and I don't need to listen to you!
There were soft giggles but inner dropped the subject.
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The three instructors watched the monitors in the room. They explosion was a nice touch of reality and the girl who had indeed chosen the correct door, was injured. But the man should have taken the grunt of the damage…Why was he fine?
"Who is that carrying Haruno Sakura?"asked the tall arrogant man who looked down his nose at the monitor.
"Uh…let's see," said the blonde until he found the name on the list. "Omasu Koji…"
The man flinched at his name as anger filled him "Omasu? From the Sound Village?"
"It says here he is from Suna."
"That's not right. Omasu is a small clan in Sound….Ask the Hokage if she authorized the transfer of a man named Omasu from Suna."
"Hai."
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Itachi stared out of his window and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. That was one thing he truly missed. When his sight had slowly diminished, so had his ability to see the stars. Only the bright ones were recognizable but it wasn't the same. Sighing he looked around his room then back to the stars. He had to admit that it real had spiraled down from when Sakura left. Everything seemed different. There was nothing keeping Kisame entertained except for his many runs to the market for more Sake and even he was bored. It was nearly a week that they had been with Sakura and somehow she fit in the puzzle. There was suddenly a place for her with them and he had even looked forward to training with her again. It was a fresh breeze for both of them; something they didn't mind.
Deciding there was nothing to do, he stepped out of his room and walked to the living room where he casually put on his sandals and opened the front door. Kisame was at the door way, ready to open it with a bag of sake in hand and a few vegetables peaking out of the bag in the other with a box written over the top "FrootLoops".
"Hey," Kisame grinned and stepped inside while Itachi looked to him. "You going on a walk?"
"…Perhaps I'll train instead," he mused, knowing that he was bored here in Konoha.
"Yeah? Well, I'll come with." He stepped from the kitchen before gripping Samehade and they walked out of the door; locking it behind them.
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"Lady Hokage will be down in a moment. She ordered that we keep them in the sighs of th cameras," reported the blonde.
"What did she say," asked the tall man.
"She said that the Kazekage didn't sign any papers for transfers since the treaty years ago. Koji isn't from Suna."
"I don't understand," said the warm brunette jounin who shook his head. "Why don't we just go retrieve them?"
"Because," interrupted a new voice. The three men turned to see Tsunade with Jiriaya standing faithfully beside her. "If we make it obvious, he would flip and do something that he would regret."
"You mean, take Haruno as a hostage?"
"Or kill her," Tsunade said quietly. Taking a deep breath and crossing her arms over her chest she glared at the monitor. "Sakura is a smart girl and by now she has figured out that this man isn't who he says he is…" There was a pause. "We will have to be discreet about this…And Sakura will do the rest."
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Sakura was deep in thought. Koji had hardly said anything the whole way. She was curious he wasn't talking away like the day before, but something else came to mind. With her head clearer, she was able to think easier and something just clicked.
From the blast, Koji's fractured ribs would've broken and yet here he walked without even a bead of sweat on his brow. And his wounds…he should have wounds…
What was this?
Subtly, she moved her hand over her stomach as he carried her and just allowed her fingers to brush against his shirt, enough for her to send an undetectable amount in to his ribs. What she found made her gasp and soon after another hit over her head made her fall into darkness.
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YAY!!! Another Cllify! Sorry, but I did warn you in the beginning of this fic that it would be darker and not you ordinary/boring story line. If you have read my other fic then you know what I mean. EVERYTHING I put in my stories is in there for a reason!
Recap….Remember the conversation with Itachi and Kakashi just a bit ago? Hint-hint if you haven't figured it out. Tobi was interested and there was a man in the shadows watching Sakura….Not to mention that Koji isn't who he seems….
Next time, we'll get back to a lot more of Itachi so stayed tuned!!!
Thanks to my loyal reviewers! You guys rock and I will answer any questions for you.
As for the rest of you….. :p ' REVIEW PLEASE!!! Or I will purposely wait a while to update…I have another story I could be working on and the Sequel so I don't HAVE to work only on this. Plus my new KakashixOC story!! Yeah that will be a kick ass one for those interested!