Disclaimer; I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 4; A Snake's Determination
Sakura Haruno simply stared at Orochimaru in complete shock. This was beyond impossible. Orochimaru wanted her to join him?
The dark outlaw stroked her cheek with a hand, his eyes flickering with their normal amber light. In a smooth purr, he added, "I know that such a noble ninja like you would never dream of betraying the Hidden Leaf Village… But think of the power I can give you, Sakura." He tucked a strand of her pink hair behind her ear and breathed, "I don't know why you attacked Sasuke like that. Last I heard you were in love with him. But with the power I can give you, next time you attack any ninja, he will be dust before your feet."
She closed her eyes, still struggling to grasp what was just happening. This opportunity was absolutely perfect for the mission. But to agree to work for this slug? How would she bring herself to do it? Her dignity would barely allow her to do it.
"Well?" the legendary sannin purred at her. He's amber eyes flashed at her. Clearly, he was waiting for an answer.
For the sake of the mission, she would do it. But it had to be realistic, or Orochimaru would suspect something. If this were for real, Sakura knew that she would need a lot of convincing. So she would have to play that card.
Lifting her head and opening her fiery eyes, Sakura growled, "I will never betray the Village Hidden in the Leaves like that!"
An arrogant smirk crossed Orochimaru's face. "I wouldn't have expected anything different from you, Sakura. But it will only be a matter of time. Oh, soon you and I will be seeing eye to eye…" With that, he turned and left the dark room. Kabuto studied her through his glasses for a moment and followed his master.
Once again, Sakura was alone in silence. She sighed. Once again, they had decided to use chakra draining chains, so Sakura felt completely beat. She felt like an empty shell, depleted of any energy.
Before too long, she had dozed off and was in a dreamless sleep. As she slept, a silent figure entered the room. He stood in the shadows for a while, his black eyes gleaming, before turning once more and exiting.
Naruto burst into the room of the Fifth Hokage and raced up to Tsunade's desk. He stopped and gasped for breath before yelling, "We did it! Sakura's been captured and we know where she is!"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes and hissed, "You don't need to be so loud! The entire village doesn't need to know about this mission!"
His blue eyes wide, Naruto gasped, "Sorry, Grandma Tsunade…"
She just shook her head. "Where are the others?"
"They're all still near the base, just camping out. I came back to tell you, and now I need to know what our next move is."
"I'll have some high ranked ninjas of ours go with you when you go back to your squad. You need to show them where Sakura is, and then you can all come back. We have more than enough missions to keep you busy," Tsunade ordered him.
"What?!" Naruto stared at her in defiant shock. "You're assigning us off this mission! Why?!"
His defiance was sparking a bit of anger in the Fifth Hokage. "Because we have a lot of missions waiting for you, Naruto. We are still short handed."
"But Sakura's in danger in Orochimaru's hands! Let me stay on this mission!"
"No, Naruto. I'll have them update you and your squad, but you are not going to be part of phase two of this mission."
"Come on! I won't accept no for an answer! Let me continue on this mission!" Naruto yelled at her furiously.
With just as much anger, she responded, "No! This is no way to respond towards your Hokage! You will do what I tell you, not whatever you decide!"
Fuming in fury, Naruto twisted around and snapped, "Send your chosen squad to me when you're ready for us to go." Then, he stormed out of the room, leaving an irritated Fifth Hokage behind him.
Shizune entered, holding Tonton, Tsunade's pet pig. She was the Fifth Hokage's assistant, and had been drawn in by the shouting that had been coming from the room. "What's going on, Lady Tsunade?" she questioned. "What was that all about?"
"Oh, that was just Naruto being the stubborn child he is." She sighed and rubbed her temple with a hand. "He doesn't like how I unassigned him from Sakura's mission."
Her assistant leaned down and put Tonton on the floor. The little pig ran up to her owner and leapt into her lap, oinking softly. Then, Shizune walked up to Tsunade and murmured, "Don't let him get to you. This is for the good of the mission. He'll realize this eventually."
Another sigh escaped the Fifth Hokage. "Oh, I don't doubt at all that he'll get it eventually. It just that before he does, I'm afraid he'll do something stupid that will jeopardize the operation."
"I understand…" Shizune murmured. "You're probably right. Naruto will probably do something that will put the rest of this mission at stake. We just have to try and prepare."
Tsunade nodded. "Yes. We do." She looked down at the stacks of paperwork piled on her desk. "Now, I just need to decide who to assign to this mission."
"Really? How about…"
Neji and the others crouched in the edges of the forest, watching the entrance to one of Orochimaru's hidden lairs. Hinata and Kiba had stayed back at their camp, which was a couple miles away, hidden deep a grove of trees. The others were watching, waiting for Naruto to come back from the Leaf Village so that they could find out what their next move was. All of the other ninjas were starting to get restless from hiding in the bushes for so long, but they had to make sure they knew exactly what was going on. If Sakura was in too much danger, they would bust in and get her out. But now they just had to wait in silence.
The sun slowly crawled through the sky. Tenten had found amusement with sharpening her many weapons. Lee was silently doing pushups and sit-ups. Shino was content to watch some insects crawling across the ground, and Neji just kept his gaze on the tree that hid the secret entrance to Orochimaru's hideout.
The sooner Naruto was back, the better it would be for the squad. They had been doing fine on their own, for the most part anyway, but everyone was anxious to get this mission up and running. Sakura had been captured, yes, but they still had a lot to do. It would just be good for the mission if they could share this location with the other Leaf Village shinobi. Besides, the longer they stayed here, the sooner Orochimaru's men would find them and attack them.
This was simply a game of time. The longer this took, the lower the chances of no lose were. But they couldn't do anything to speed this up. It all depended on Naruto.
Sakura woke up from her pleasant little nap. She had little to do when she was awake, so a nap to pass the hours didn't dampen her spirits in the least. She felt a little better, a little more energized. Of course, that feeling would be short lived. Any of the chakra that she could have saved in her sleep she would lose to the chains eventually.
She stared off into the shadows, lost in thought. Because of this, she didn't notice Sasuke's entrance until he spoke.
"Sakura."
Her green eyes snapped into focus on his handsome face. Instantly, the hatred and fury built up in her and she glowered at him.
Sasuke's unreadable black eyes stayed the same, even at her reaction. He stared at her fiercely for a moment, and then began to speak again. "Sakura, I don't know what that was about. The way you attacked me…"
She said nothing, only continuing to glare at him.
"Sakura, I'm not an idiot. I know what hate is like first-hand. I have more than enough of that to recognize it in others… And you are burning with hate for me."
It was true. Sasuke hadn't been a fool. He knew what was going on in her head. He was reading her like an open book. Yet she still said nothing.
The rogue ninja walked up towards her, stopping a few inches away from her face. He narrowed his eyes and stared directly into her burning eyes. "Sakura, I don't know what has gotten into you. You hate me now, and I don't know why. But I really don't care. I'm warning you Sakura. Do not mess with me. I will destroy you."
The kunoichi curled her lip in dark anger, but said nothing to him still. With a sigh of exasperation, Sasuke turned and walked away.
Once she was sure he was gone, Sakura lifted her head again. She had to admit, Ino had a good reason to be in love with him. He could easily be the dream of any girl. His handsome face, muscular body and arms, and cool attitude made him the crush of half the Leaf Village's shinobi of the same age. But his actions meant more to Sakura than his striking form. He had thoughtlessly tried to kill her far too many times.
Closing her eyes, Sakura leaned up against the wall and sighed. He held a legitimate threat, and Sakura didn't doubt for a second that he would carry through on it. But she wouldn't dwell on it. All it would do is put her in a nasty mood. She just had to release those thoughts.
Sasuke Uchiha would not get to her.
After a while, a ninja came in and fed Sakura. It wasn't the best food she had ever tasted, but it still was excellent, considering she was completely famished. But they didn't let her stretch her legs at all. In fact, he just fed her as she was chained to the wall.
Sakura slept soundly all night, and awoke again in the morning. Kabuto was standing in front of her.
"You're awake now, Sakura?" The ninja smirked at her, his glasses gleaming in the light.
With a sigh, Sakura murmured, "Now what do you want?"
"Orochimaru sent for you, that's all." Kabuto approached her and leaned over to wear the chains attached to the wall. He carefully unlocked the chains that held Sakura. She felt the pressure loosening until they held her no more and she fell to the ground. Slowly, she pushed herself up to her knees and turned and glared at Kabuto.
He leaned down and grabbed her arm to pull her to her feet. The kunoichi pulled herself away from him, and staggered slightly. After all, she hadn't really used her legs in several days, and it took her a minute to adjust to standing again.
"Come along." Kabuto turned and started to leave. Narrowing her eyes in annoyance, Sakura staggered after him.
As Sakura entered the hallway, two Sound ninja came up behind her. She glanced back, trying to ignore the guards that kept her moving along. With Kabuto in front and the security in back, Sakura had no choice but to continue along.
The long passageway snaked through the earth as they continued along. Sakura studied the pathway, her eyes, the torches lighting the hall slightly, although it mostly just casted long shadows. They continued on at a brisk pace.
Soon, they emerged in a good sized cave. Large shadows dappled the floor. In the darkness, a pair of amber eyes gleamed. And next to them, a pair of red eyes.
Sakura tensed at the sight. As her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she could make out some sort of chair where Orochimaru was sitting. Next to him stood Sasuke. This time, he was wearing a long sleeved white shirt and dark blue pants. He had on black armbands that covered his forearms. His sharigan eyes were gleaming in the shadows.
"Sakura, come on in," he hissed at her. Sakura silently approached him and blinked slowly. She avoided looking at Sasuke, even though his eyes were fixed firmly on her.
"What do you want? I already said no."
The legendary sannin laughed. "Oh, you are a persistent one. Almost as persistent as I am." He stood up and walked over towards her. Sakura said nothing, just rolling her eyes and shifting to a more comfortable position.
Kabuto stepped to the side, although the other Sound ninjas stayed put behind Sakura. Orochimaru circled her and murmured in her ear, "Surely you realize what use my power would be to you."
"I'm not interested. That would require betraying the Leaf Village."
"Oh, Sakura. Still loyal to them? I bet they've already forgotten about you. Surely if they cared they would have found you by now?"
Sakura lowered her gaze. If being captured wasn't her mission, this might have struck home. It could have been true, except the plan was to not save Sakura. It was to use her from the inside.
Everyone noted her hesitation, and Orochimaru decided to worm his way in through this kink in her armor. "My ninja haven't even reported the slightest sign of any of them. If a single Leaf shinobi was within ten miles of here, I would know."
Sakura's eyes widened. How could this be? They were supposed to be following her, keeping an eye open to save her. Surely this would mean that they were in the area! Even the Leaf Village ninja weren't good enough to go undetected for so long… Could it be true? Where they really waiting for her or not?
"Don't be naïve, Sakura. They're not real allies. Surely if they were a rescue mission would have come by now? Or at least a ninja or two to come and look."
The young kunoichi squeezed her eyes shut. No. Naruto and the others would never abandon her like that. He was here, she just knew it. He was keeping an eye open for her like he has always done. But still… A squad of such size couldn't go unnoticed for so long…
"Come along, Sakura. You know that joining me is your best option. Don't be so foolish. Just join me."
Sakura opened her eyes and looked at him, then murmured, "No. I have not given up hope on my village. They will come. They will find me." She shook her head at him, then looked away once more.
A soft chuckle escaped Orochimaru. He blinked at Sakura and purred, "Still haven't convinced you? Perhaps you need some time to reflect on these… Truths." He gestured toward the two guards behind her. "Take her back. She isn't ready yet."
The two men grabbed her arms and led her away. Orochimaru gazed after her with his smug eyes before returning to his seat. Sasuke stayed completely silent, his unwavering gaze fixed firmly on Sakura's back as she was escorted off.
They brought Sakura to a different place this time. It was a small jail cell, hardly much to be excited about. Except this time they didn't chain Sakura to the wall. Instead, she was attached to the wall by a single chain on her ankle. She could move about a foot from the wall, but that was all. She could just reach the bars of the end of the cell.
Sakura positioned herself so that she leaned up against the wall and just stood there in silence.
It didn't take long for what she expected to happen. Sasuke soon came in and stood in the doorway, his black eyes unreadable as ever.
This time, Sakura decided to speak to him. "You," She snarled.
The tall ninja narrowed his gaze at her. "Orochimaru doesn't know you like I use to. And I know that you would never betray the Leaf Village." He stepped forward stopped right in front of the bars. "What sort of game do you think you're playing, Sakura?"
She shot him a look of pure hatred. "Like I'd tell a traitor like you."
"Sakura, what are you even doing here? I know that you are far too wise to get captured by accident. Something greater is going on."
She defiantly stared at him but said nothing still.
"Don't play games with Orochimaru. You will only get burned, Sakura. Whatever you are doing, stop. It will only make things worse for you than they already are." He turned his back to her and snapped, "Besides, you'll only get in my way."
As he turned to leave, Sakura hissed, "I would never want to get in your way, you little rat."
Sasuke froze. "What did you call me?!"
"I only called you what you really are. Nothing but a rogue."
Sakura could feel the chill in the air from Sasuke's rage. "Don't mess with me."
"What are you going to do, without your master to hold your hand for you?" The kunoichi could tell she was treading on dangerous ground, but she didn't care. The only thing she felt was her all consuming hatred for the ninja in front of her.
Exhaling sharply, Sasuke swung around in anger. His eyes flashed red. "You've gone too far, Sakura! I don't care if Orochimaru gives me permission. I will destroy you!"
White electricity started to flicker in his hand. Sakura's eyes widened when she realized what this was. Sasuke really must have been mad. He was using his Chidori.
The soft chirping sound from his attack filled the air. It was this sound that gave the Chidori its name. After all, Chidori meant 'One Thousand Birds.' The orb of electricity was growing larger and larger. Sasuke's eyes flashed with fury as he glared at her. This attack was known as an assassin attack because of its speed and damage it inflicts. If Sasuke was really going to use this technique… He was trying to kill her!
His chakra was so strong, Sakura could see in glowing in his palm. He took a couple steps forward until his face was inches from the bars. But Sakura didn't back away. She stepped forward until she was only a few inches from the bars as well. The bright light from the Chidori gleamed on both of the ninjas faces as they glared at each other, until Sasuke lifted his hand with the Chidori.
"I warned you not to mess with me. I don't care what Orochimaru thinks. I've had enough of a pathetic, annoying loser like you. You had some nerve, Sakura. I don't know what I did to you that has made you hate me so much. But nobody insults me like that and gets away with it." Sasuke lifted his arm and pulled it back. Chirping loudly, the Chidori shimmered with its voltage.
Sasuke closed his eyes, and snapped them open again. He said nothing to Sakura. All he did was plunge his arm forward.
A/N; Here ya go! Another chapter! Hope you enjoy it... Man, I got a nack for trying to kill Sakura. Second time in the first four chapters that I leave off like that... Hm. Gotta love those cliffies!
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-Cynder7777