To Love and to Love Again Chapter 34: Momentum
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER AND AUTHORS NOTE: I do NOT own Naruto. The awesomeness of the Naruto Manga and World is the creation of Masashi Kishimoto. This is Purely Fanfiction. All things Medical in this entire fanfiction should not be taken as serious medical advice or facts. PLEASE CONSULT AN ACTUAL DOCTOR FOR ANY MEDICAL INFORMATION/QUESTIONS. THANK YOU AND ENJOY!
The CIA adheres to a certain protocol that goes beyond what is normally known in law enforcement. This was for very specific reasons, as their entire identity is in the shadows. They were to remain focused and emotionally detached from the crisis before them in order to properly execute their mission.
But the ties that bind never dissipate and true to human nature, people bond. The agency was a family, whether they cared to admit it or not.
And when one of their own is in danger, all hell breaks loose.
The site was quarantined from the public, which wasn't hard because it was so secluded and unknown to the general populace. Having someone see the placing crawling with CIA Agents wasn't the issue. The issue was having them witness the supernatural phenomenon they were currently trying to contain.
"He's pushing level 4 on the Kyuubi scale," Yamato shouted over the roar of the person before him.
There were several Junior Agents present who stood guard and watched the scene, as they had only ever heard about it in rumors. Nothing in their training had ever prepared them for this. The Senior Agents familiar with the situation were on guard. What stood before them, shrouded in a bloody orange glow and seemingly shape shifting his body was Agent Naruto Uzumaki, screaming like a dinosaur on the rampage. It was the most fearsome other-worldly thing they had ever seen.
"Naruto!" Hinata shouted as Neji held her back. "Let me go to him!" she screamed. When she found out about what had happened, she rushed over with the other Agents only to find Naruto in the Kyuubi state.
"Let Yamato subdue him Hinata. He can kill you at this stage!" Neji said over her shouts.
Yamato glanced at the fear stricken Hinata before looking at his palm indicator. The number had stayed at four and had not risen in the last five minutes, which was good. Naruto was injured after all, which may actually save them at this point.
"Increasing Wood Release Flow," Yamato said as he upped the power on the specialized wooden planks that currently held the mutating Naruto in a bind. Naruto released more feral growls into the sky, making Hinata shriek with grief at the sight of him in such agony. "He won't last much longer in this state. Response team stand by on the ready," Yamato ordered.
After thirty seconds, Yamato checked his palm reader once more and saw the number start to drop. As it did, the glow around Naruto began to recede, and his screams became less wild and more human. The Agents that were trained to handle this event stood by and were ready to bind and sedate Naruto before he relapsed. Yamato, Jiraya, Kakashi and Asuma were the only Agents that knew how.
Shikamaru stood with them, using this chance to observe and learn the containment procedure for the future.
When the glow subsided completely, Naruto slumped to the rain soaked ground, still bound in the wood binds. Hinata yanked herself free from Neji and ran to him, dodging the four Senior Agents that tried to stop her.
"Naruto! Naruto open your eyes please!" she screamed as she held his face in her hands. The thick wood binds blocked him from her completely. "Get these off of him!" she yelled to Yamato. He complied and pulled the wood binds back, allowing Naruto to fall against Hinata instead of the muddy ground.
"Hinata get away from him he's still unstable!" Neji said moving toward her.
"No! Naruto," she pleaded as she hovered over him. "Please wake up! Open your eyes! I need to see your eyes!" she said as she smoothed out his hair and cradled his face in her hands. His eyes opened abruptly as his hands grabbed her by the arms and pushed her back onto the ground. The Agents around them sprang into action but were stopped when she shouted at them.
"Stay back!" she shouted. "Naruto, its okay it's Hinata," she said to his startled red eyes.
His fingers were digging into her arms but she didn't care. Slowly, his eyes became less red and clouded as he focused on her face before him. Hinata knew he was back to normal when she saw the cerulean blue orbs she loved so much staring back at her.
"H...Hinata..," he said before realization hit and he jumped off her in shock.
Hinata rose to sit and launched herself into his arms, sobbing as she did so. Naruto wrapped her in his arms and held her close; fear, shock and remorse infiltrating his system at what had happened. He looked around and saw nearly everyone around them, including Yamato. If he was here, then that meant he had a relapse.
"Naruto, we need to examine you," Yamato said, not needing to explain what he meant nor trying to console Naruto about it. He knew Naruto was back to normal now, but he still needed his levels to be checked.
"I lost it again, didn't I?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. He looked down at Hinata. "I…I almost…"
"You're back, and that's all that matters now," Hinata sobbed. Naruto pulled her back to look at her tear streaked face. He almost hurt her. He almost lost complete control of his body.
"I'm so sorry Hinata," he said before she wrapped herself around him once more. She clung to him as relief washed over her. She had seen Naruto relapse before, but it had been nearly five years since the last episode. Judging by what had occurred earlier today, she wasn't surprised it triggered his condition.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. You're okay," she soothed. Naruto kissed her before getting to his feet. Hinata helped him stand as he took in his surroundings. There was noticeable damaged that was obviously done by him. For one thing, and entire line of trees were knocked down at their base.
"How long was I like that?" he asked as he caught Yamato's gaze.
"A little more than twenty minutes," Yamato replied. "Not surprising considering how long it's been dormant," he added.
Naruto nodded before his eyes registered the car, and the events that triggered the relapse came flooding back to his mind. Yamato was prepared for him to recall the events and cut his trail of thoughts before another episode could ensue.
"That body was not Sakura Haruno. She's still alive Naruto," Yamato stated.
"What do you mean it wasn't her?" Naruto shouted.
"We have confirmation that the burned body you saw in the woods was not that of Sakura Haruno," Yamato repeated. "Tsunade is still trying to identify the victim, but she knew right away it wasn't Sakura. The corpse was too tall to be her and showed signs of childhood injuries that Sakura did not possess. It was a decoy, Naruto and it worked," he said, watching the emotions play out on his face.
The relief was short lived as the next worst truth took over. "Then that means that that bastard has her," Naruto deduced. "Why the hell did it take so long for you guys to get here? Where's Kakashi Sensei?"
"Right here Naruto," Kakashi said as he made his way over to him. "There's a lot we need to discuss, but you need to go and get checked out." He was oddly calm considering his greatest nightmare was in motion.
"The hell I do!" Naruto exclaimed. "Sakura was kidnapped on my watch! No way in hell we're wasting any more time!"
"First we need you to get examined," Kakashi repeated evenly. Naruto was struck by how controlled Kakashi was when he was a complete wreck.
"Naruto," Yamato said as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you want to help us, do what we say and get examined. The rest of the team is out trying to locate Sakura."
Naruto continued to look at Kakashi, unable to say the words as an immense guilt consumed him. Kakashi's calm demeanor didn't help matters. If anything, Naruto would have welcomed a punch to the gut for what he let happen at the very least.
"Do not mistake our control for anything other than necessity," Yamato said. "We are just as determined to get her back, but to do so we need you fully functioning."
Naruto was anxious and still reeling from the Kyuubi outburst. But the memories came flooding back to him like a storm.
"She figured it out," he whispered to the confused trio. "Sakura figured out who was behind all of this. It's the Sound Organization!"
Kakashi didn't show any outward reaction other than his eyes narrowing. "What?" he asked.
Naruto thought back to their conversation in the car, right before everything went to hell. Sakura figured some things out and confided in him.
"Sakura figured out that I was CIA," he explained. "She told me she knew for a while and she chose today to confront me about it, but only because she needed my help. She said Sora had been subconsciously drawing the man that attacked them: Sai's brother. She had the drawings to prove it and believe me they prove it."
"How do they prove it?" Yamato asked perplexed. "How could Sakura possibly know how to connect him to Sound?"
"Sai's book," Kakashi answered. "That had to be it. She wouldn't let me take it from her and something in there had to lay it all out there for her."
Yamato looked surprised. "Sai left evidence behind? How's that possible? We searched everywhere and eliminated all traces of his life here."
"Well he found a way, intentional or not," Kakashi stated before looking at Naruto. "Go get checked out Naruto, before we lose any more time. We know where to start looking now."
Naruto nodded before being ushered away by lab techs and Agents alike. Yamato stayed behind with a grave expression on his face.
"Kakashi, Sai was working for ROOT before the protection detail, and we still don't know when that ended, if ever," he pointed out. "His death was under mysterious circumstances and not even Tsunade could determine the cause. The last mission he had was protection detail that ended with Sakura."
"Sai's involved more now than he ever was," Kakashi said. "He's tied to this somehow, but we just don't know where to start."
"We start laying out all the pieces," Shikamaru said as he approached them. "Itachi and the Akatsuki division have been investigating Sai's death for a few months now. I've been helping out and I think we have enough to at least try to piece things together. But you've got to let Itachi in on the investigation. Whether he aided Sasuke in escaping isn't as important right now."
"When has anyone ever been able to stop Itachi?" Kakashi asked wistfully "Get all the files he's been working on and start analyzing them. The rest of the unit is to begin tracing all former Sound bases as well as operatives thought to be dead. What's left of the former Sound Organization has started up again."
Shikamaru nodded and turned to leave.
Kakashi watched him go before turning to evaluate the scene. The car was swept from top to bottom by the lab techs, allowing them to confirm a few things. Drops of Sakura's blood stained the car, enough to show that she at least had minor injuries most probably sustained from the broken glass. She was alive for now; that much they knew.
This bastard wouldn't have taunted her for as long as he did only to end it so abruptly. What frightened him about it was that he definitely had something in store for her. But the thing that capped him the most, that he refrained from telling Naruto, was that the children were missing too.
Kakashi was far from calm. He was destroyed.
He kept thinking that all it took to fool the CIA was a simple waiting game. Now that Yuhei Kurenai was indisposed due to her pregnancy, he was able to manipulate the security system and bypass the Agents with a simply paralytic. Child's play really.
Taking the kids was almost too easy. He expected more from the CIA and was almost disappointed in the lack of a challenge. This was his second attempt at kidnapping, and this time he got off scot free. It was a good thing those kids were as young as they were and lightweight. Carrying them through the underground sewer system would have been hell otherwise. They were now contained in the biogenetics department to be fully assessed by the lab rats.
He willed himself not to feel anything at the sight of the two kids as he handed them off to the lab. It came as a surprise that the boy was not an Uchiha, as he looked more like it than the girl. But even so, there was something about the boy that bothered him. He couldn't place this feeling, but it was more like he looked familiar to him. Shaking it off as nonsense, he looked on at the girl.
This one looked more like that Haruno woman than her real mother, which made it easier to feel nothing toward her. Innocent child or not, she was still the reason Aya was dead.
"We're about to being the assessment. Leave the lab," one of the lab rats said to him. He looked at them, daring them to make him move as he saw no reason why he couldn't be present for this. He was still curious to know exactly what Kabuto planned to do to them.
"Bosses orders," another one said. He noticed none of the other techs were beginning to work. They wanted him gone alright. That didn't settle well with him. He glanced at the two kids, who were still knocked out from the paralytic. He didn't care. He wouldn't care. Without another word he turned and walked out with the image of the two kids on the forefront of his mind.
She was cold. That was the first thing she realized as she began to feel the things around her. She was laying down on something flat, and cold.
She heard a familiar rhythmic beeping sound somewhere near her. She tried to move, and found that her arms were bound beside her in familiar hospital restraints. Something was wrapped around her index finger with a wire going up the length of her arm. She groaned as she tried moving her legs. Those weren't in restraints, but what she did notice was that they were bare.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a large stone wall. The room was dimly lit with candles and smelled heavily of antiseptic. It looked like some kind of stone dungeon, but smelled like a hospital. She tried to get up, but only got far enough to see that her clothes were gone and replaced with a garment that brought all kinds of nightmares back to the surface.
She was wearing her white silk nightgown; the one she had lost months ago after the attack.
"Oh my…," she whispered as realization hit her full force.
"Oh my indeed, Sssakura," came a voice that made her jump.
She turned to see a figure surrounded by shadows in the doorway. He was wearing a hood, so she could only see the shape of him. "I've waited so long to sssee you." His serpentine voice made her skin crawl.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked, summoning up all her strength and yanking at the restraints. She turned her head to the side to see the thing on her finger was a heart rate monitor. She realized she was still drugged. The throbbing in her neck and the spinning in her head told her as much. She gasped when she felt the bed begin to rise as she was gradually lifted to a standing position with her feet touching the ground.
"You fill that out so nicely," he said indicating her gown. "So much better than what I had imagined you would look like," he added as he continued to hover by the doorway.
Sakura took time to breath evenly and try to get some semblance of stability. Things were still spinning and nausea was making itself known. Whatever he laced her with was strong and didn't agree with her.
"I told him to be careful with you," he said mostly to himself when he saw just how disoriented she was.
He began to approach her. Sakura didn't know if it was the drugs, but something about the way he moved was unnatural. The fact that he was completely cloaked like the grim reaper didn't help.
"Stay away from me," she huffed, making him stop.
"I have stayed away from you," he replied. "…for far too long. I couldn't contain myself anymore Sakura. I had to have you now more than ever. It's the perfect time," he said as he stood a mere two feet before her.
She couldn't see his face as the room was too dark, but she could certainly smell him. He smelled like blood mixed with rubbing alcohol and formaldehyde; a scent combination she knew all too well in the hospital setting. She forced herself to hold the fear.
"Who are you?" she asked quietly. That seemed to make him stir.
"… You know me." His voice sounded like a smirk. "You've always known me. When I first saw you all those years ago, I knew you were the one. But you never saw me. Not really," he said walking toward the side of the room.
"That doesn't answer my question," she growled.
"Oh but it wouldn't be fun if I didn't let you figure it out on your own," he teased as he circling her like a shark. "I never dreamed that this would be how we met once more, but everything worked out so perfectly."
"I won't play this game with you," she said making him stop before her. He was dangerously close and his scent was overwhelming. Sakura fought the urge to vomit as she forced herself to look at him. His head tilted upward ever so slightly.
The light from the candles caught on a reflective surface on his face, but it was that familiar upward tilt of the glasses with his fingers that made Sakura gasp in shock as the light released, and Kabuto's eyes stared right back at her.
"The game's over, and now it's time to collect my prize," he said sinisterly.
To her credit, Tsunade didn't flinch when she saw the corpse for the first time. Shizune documented all the findings as they swept through the body from head to toe. Tsunade knew instantly from the height of the body that it wasn't Sakura.
That was the only thing that saved her sanity. Knowing that it wasn't the girl she had thought of as a daughter made working possible, but she still couldn't help but pity the person.
It was a female, about Sakura's age. The only good thing Tsunade could understand from the body was that she was burned after she was dead. At least she didn't suffer that, but there were other injuries. Someone had played crazed surgeon with this person. There was evidence in the bones of multiple procedures done in the chest and pelvic region, as well as the eye sockets.
The necklace she was found with was taken to the lab to be analyzed.
The sound of the door opening caught her attention as Anko Mitarashi made her way over. She took one look at the corpse and stilled only for a brief second before proceeding.
"What is it Anko? Have they found anything on that necklace?" Shizune asked.
"Shino is still analyzing the data," Anko answered. "Have you determined anything from the victim?" she asked, trying not to let the smell activate her gag reflex.
"Yes," Tsunade said as she moved the beeping computer. "Preliminary testing suggested that this woman was held in captivity for quite a while. That got me thinking and I compared her findings against the list of people that have gone missing lately and I have several possible matches. She could have been one of these people, but we'll have to identify her first to be sure."
"Are you saying that whoever took Sakura is responsible for the mass disappearances?" Anko asked incredulously.
"That's not all they were responsible for," Tsunade said as she gathered the lab work together "Inform Kakashi that we have new information. This just got uglier than it already is."
After he was analyzed and declared stable, Naruto joined the entire team to be briefed on what they had found. Everyone was there.
Granny Tsunade stood beside Kakashi at the front of the room. Gaara, Temari and Kankuro came and stood at the side of the room. Asuma and Kurenai were present along with Anko, Shizune, Guy, Yamato and Danzo from ROOT.
The rest of the team included Neji, Lee, Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji. Naruto took his seat at waited.
"The clock is ticking and we don't know how much time we have left, so listen up!" Tsunade ordered as she grabbed everyone's attention. "At 9:00 am this morning, Sora Arisugaki and Suki Uchiha were abducted at Konoha Leaf Academy. The use of an airborne paralytic rendered offensive maneuvers useless as all security was subdued allowing the suspect entrance."
"It was my fault they children were taken," Lee said dejectedly. "If only I had noticed the level of silence in the classroom sooner."
"Placing the blame on you will not help matters Lee," Kakashi said.
"This opponent is not to be taken lightly," Tsunade said. "The execution of the paralytic was done in a way where you wouldn't have noticed it until it was too late; exactly as they had intended. You were all sitting ducks."
"How did he manage to bypass the security system at the academy?" Kurenai asked. "I set it up myself. No one can spot where I placed the detectors and the illusions are spot on."
"Unfortunately those require maintenance and no one is on par with you in that department," Kakashi answered. "This isn't on you as well Kurenai. You've had your hands full lately," he added, casting a look in Anko's direction.
"No one here is to blame for anything," Tsunade said firmly. "We are dealing with one slimy son of a bitch here and we will find out who he is. Now pay attention to the rest of the timeline. At five minutes to 10:00 this morning, Sakura Haruno was abducted on the way to the dojo in the mountains with the use of an explosion. The Base was unaware of this act for forty-five minutes, meaning communication was tampered with somehow. Naruto," she said gaining his attention. "I want you to tell us exactly what happened right before she was taken."
Naruto looked around the room of people determined to get Sakura back.
"She totally blindsided me," Naruto began remembering the way she so cleverly got him to confess. "She figured out I was CIA. As a matter of fact, I think she figured out most of us," he said looking around. "She wouldn't tell me who else she knew of, but she confronted me first, and she did it for a reason."
"And what reason is that?" Tsunade asked.
"She showed me a bunch of drawings Sora made over the past few weeks. It was the same character over and over again with a symbol on his arm. Sora said the man that attacked them had a "d" shaped tattoo, but when Sakura found Sai's book, she figured out that it was that musical note thing that Sound used as their symbol. Sai's bastard of a brother is with that Organization," he said creating a stir within the room.
"How can that be proven?" Danzo asked. "You've no other evidence than the doodles of a child. Where is the book you claim Sai had hidden in his home?"
"It's missing," Kakashi answered. "Sakura had it with her at all times, mainly so that I wouldn't take it away," he said remembering how her trust in him was completely destroyed. "But we have to assume that it's in the possession of her abductor. That book holds a lot of secrets of the organization and who knows what else. No one but Sakura and Sai knows what's in that book."
"This guy has been after Sakura for months now," Shikamaru said. "Whoever he is, he's got something planned for her that's for sure. But why take the kids? What does he get from them?"
That was the question no one wanted to answer.
"Maybe it was a way to lure her in if his initial plan failed," Tenten thought. "She's a mother to both of them and I have no doubts that if he contacted her using them as bait, she wouldn't hesitate to go after him."
"Yes, but he didn't try to lure her anywhere," Shikamaru countered. "He ambushed her at approximately the same time the children were taken. Kind of defeats the purpose."
"Unless he planned to use them to make her cooperate," Ino said. "He has all three of them now and he wants them for something. What if taking the kids was a way to make her do what he wants or risk harm to them?"
Tsunade had no time to hesitate. What she theorized would shock them all, but she knew it had to be said. "Sakura is still alive, and I think I know why," she said pointing the hologram showing the information she composed from the autopsy of the corpse. "The body we found in the woods told me a lot. She was more than just a decoy."
"How do you suppose that?" Kakashi asked.
"This woman is identified as one of the missing people from the country. She was reported missing about a year ago. The autopsy shows that she underwent multiple surgical procedures to the brain and pelvis. Lab work shows that she was pregnant at one point, but delivered by botched cesarean. It's probably what killed her. She wasn't burned alive."
"She was pregnant when she was abducted?" Tenten asked horrified.
"All types of people were reported missing, but she was not known to be pregnant upon disappearing," Tsunade clarified. "She was either too early to tell, or it happened after her abduction. I'm still running lab work and a DNA scan to determine more, but she already tells us a lot. Whoever took Sakura is skilled with medics."
"So he's some kind of doctor?" Shikamaru asked.
"Or someone with a Medical background," she elaborated. "The cuts on the body indicate a lobotomy and a cesarean cut; things only someone with medical training can accomplish. Some form of manipulation was going on here. The fact that the spectrum of bodies includes all types just makes his true objective unclear, but he plans to use her for something and I have no doubt he intends to do her physical harm, intentional or not."
None of them wanted to hear it, but they couldn't deny that that was the most likely scenario. Kakashi was reaching his breaking point. Everyone in the room could feel the tension rolling off him in waves.
"What do you have on the necklace?" Kakashi asked. Shino stood and walked to the front of the group.
"The findings were odd. I had to run tests twice to make sure of what I found. The necklace was made out of real diamonds but I found two sets of tracking devices planted on it."
"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked.
"I mean there are two devices that are sending signals to two separate receivers," Shino answered. "They are completely independent of each other, and placed at different times. Leaving the necklace on a burning body was meant to convince Naruto that is was Sakura Haruno, but I'm sure the perpetrator also wanted to destroy the evidence of the tracking device. Because the necklace was burned, only one device on the necklace was salvageable," he said pulling up some of their findings.
"According to the timeline, Sasuke gave it to her a few months ago," Shino continued. "One of these signals must go to him. The other one was placed more recently, but disguised as a diamond itself," he said pulling up an image of a diamond. "It was a small device that was coated with diamond dust. It looks just like the real thing, but lucky for us, it's the diamond dust that protected the device from burning. We're trying to get a location on where the signal was being sent, but it will take a bit more time."
"How much time?" Kakashi asked.
"I'm not certain. It depends on how accessible the information from the device will be," Shino replied. "But keep in mind that there is no way of knowing if this surviving transmission is from Sasuke or the perpetrator. Once we find where the signal is going, we follow it and see who it leads us to."
"Hold on," said Neji. "If this perpetrator wanted Sakura, I can understand why he would want to track her. But why would Sasuke do the same thing? And wouldn't he have noticed any interference if a second device was planted alongside his?"
"No," Shino answered. "Both devices are immune to interference, which is why both Sasuke and the perp were unaware of the act."
"It still doesn't answer why Sasuke wanted to track her movements," Shikamaru said. "We don't know what made him do it in the first place."
The questioning looks from everyone made Naruto want to laugh.
"Are you kidding me?" Naruto asked. "It's because he's in love with her! I know none of you want to believe that there's any good in him, but he loves Sakura and left to protect her. You all saw how he changed when she showed up. He must have found something that can solve all this. That's the main reason he left."
"And are you sure it wasn't because I finally figured out who he was?" Anko asked. "It's too much of a coincidence that the moment I find out he's on the run."
"I don't know how he escaped, but he's human just like the rest of us and he's in love with her," Naruto repeated.
"Deciding the fate of an assassin is not determined by his supposed love," Danzo stated. "His crimes speak for themselves."
"Love makes people do crazy things," Naruto thought. "So he tracked her. He knows who he is, and he knows we were all out to get him. He probably didn't even know the CIA was right under his nose until someone tipped him off. Heck, we didn't even know he was one of our most wanted, so no one's to blame here," he said noting how it still touched a nerve with most of them for being so blind to his identity.
"The point is," he continued "If he was going to protect her he couldn't afford to get arrested, so he disappeared. But I can bet that he's not just sitting around. Sasuke is after this guy, and he's got a bigger reason to protect her than the rest of us. Sakura's your daughter," he said to Kakashi. "And she's our friend but to Sasuke, she's the love of his life; something he never had before. And like I said, love makes people do crazy things. If he gets to this guy before us, then it's going to be just like Orochimaru all over again. We'll find him dead."
"That's if you find him," said Danzo. "And who's to say that Uchiha will stick around after that? The price for his actions is his own life. You forget that he is responsible for countless crimes against the nation in the name of the Sound Organization."
"I know Sasuke, and so do the rest of you," Naruto stated. "He's our friend and a changed man. We all noticed it years ago but we didn't know what he changed from. He's not a Sound Operative anymore. He even killed Orochimaru and stopped everything before we did. That has to mean something!"
"Your friendship means nothing in terms of his sentencing," Danzo said dismissively. "We will not ignore his past crimes."
"We are all aware of the repercussions he faces," Tsunade said. "But our main priority now is finding Sakura and the children and finding out who is responsible for putting the nation in a panic for who knows how many lives. Shino get back to work on tracing the signal from the device. I don't care who it leads to so long as we have something. Shikamaru, keep investigating Sai and all possible ways he and that brother of his can be involved. The sooner we figure that out, the sooner we have a reason for all this madness. Shizune and I will continue to evaluate the body found in the woods. In the meantime, the rest of you are to go through Sakura's history and narrow down possible suspects that went to the same university, had the same classes or just had any possibility of coming across her. Whoever this guy is, I'll bet he found her in medical school and became fixated on her. Now that he finally has her and the children, time is running out. MOVE!" she barked.
Everyone dispersed heading toward their assignments. Naruto saw Kakashi staring at the information laid out on the table, his fists clenched tightly on his sides. He couldn't imagine what was going through Kakashi's mind at the moment. His worst nightmare had come to life, and there wasn't a thing he could do about it.
He saw Anko go to him and say something he couldn't make out. Whatever she said made Kakashi turn to her and give as much of a hopeful expression that he was capable of at the moment, before placing his hands on her rounded abdomen. It was weird seeing them as expectant parents, but even in the midst of all this chaos, they still had something to hope for. The next generation was getting started and it wouldn't have been possible without love, even in the most impossible of times.
Love really did make people do crazy things. And maybe…just maybe…
"Naruto," Hinata said when she saw him lost in thought. "We need to get back and help with the analysis."
Naruto snapped out of it. "I'll be there in a bit. There something I need to do first," he said before giving her a kiss and running in the opposite direction. Hinata watched him go, and trusted that he would be okay. She just hoped he wouldn't get out of control like before.
She couldn't believe it. His face was still in the shadows, but the eyes behind the lenses that stared back at her were otherworldly. He was unmistakable.
"Kabuto Yakushi…it's you?" she asked. "Wh..what did you…what are you…" she was so overwhelmed, so confused, and so shocked at this discovery that it seemed like the drugs in her system were about to send her into overdrive.
"Shocked are you?" Kabuto asked. "I'm not surprised. You'd all but forgotten me after you graduated, but I hadn't forgotten you. Try not to move around so much. The sedative doesn't seem to be agreeing with you and I don't want your blood pressure spiking any more than it already is."
Sakura could hear the monitor change decibels as her heart changed pace. Her body was under a lot of stress, but barely able to move due to the sedative and who knows what else he laced her with. If she wasn't careful she might pass out and the last thing she needed was to lose consciousness around him.
"What did you do to yourself?" she asked, still startled at his almost inhuman appearance.
"I'll explain all that in time," he said with a smile.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked. Kabuto began circling her again. It made her nervous every time he was behind her, because she couldn't see what he was doing.
"I know that was probably the biggest question you had, right next to who was doing it," he began. "But I believe the correct question is why am I doing this to you? You see Sakura," he said as he continued to pace. "Ever since I was a child, I had been gifted with the ability to excel at biological sciences. I thought science shouldn't be limited to keeping humans alive, but to improve the race. Take the DNA apart and create super humans that had no flaws and abilities that would place us at the top. Not many people recognized that ability or shared my views, and I was all but left for dead after a freak accident destroyed my life. But there was one person who recognized my abilities and decided to harness my mind to serve a greater purpose. His name was-"
"Orochimaru," she finished. Even drugged, she knew that was the only person who would share such views. Kabuto didn't seem surprised that she knew that, which bothered her even more.
"Yes. Lord Orochimaru was a brilliant scientist but he was more than that. He was a visionary. People feared his brilliance and they tried to destroy him, but he outsmarted them. He would not stop his work not matter what. I helped him get away and set up somewhere else. He accomplished many great things but was destroyed far too soon; just before his ultimate goal could be accomplished."
"Eternal life didn't pan out well for him then," she said. "After what he did to all those people, he got what he deserved."
Kabuto only smirked at her. "He would have succeeded, had it not been for a pest that ruined everything."
"Sasuke," she said. Kabuto shook his head, confusing her.
"Now that's where you're wrong," he said tauntingly. "I must say it was shocking to see him back at that Gala with you. With all my research abroad, I hadn't had the power to locate his whereabouts or see what he was up to. And then I saw his name on the registrar along with you. I couldn't believe my luck. I had you and the Uchiha together in one place, but you were together in more ways than one, weren't you? I even sent you a nice card and a rose as well, which I'm sure you mistook for Uchiha's. I looked into you both more and that's when I learned you were not married. You played along nicely I must say. It certainly was convincing."
Sakura could feel his resentment and only then did she remember Sasuke's words about obsession.
"The jump from stalking to killing isn't a long one. It's all about the stages of obsession. He may think you're perfect right now, but you're going to do something that will disappoint him eventually. And when that time comes, when he realized that you're not as perfect as he might have thought you were, he'll react."
"No matter," Kabuto continued. "He didn't even recognize me at the Gala because I never made myself known to him while he was with the Sound Organization. He must have thought the CIA took care of everyone else, which they did, save for me. I knew we couldn't trust him. Sasuke was indeed the strongest, most lethal operative we ever had as well as the perfect vessel. But before he destroyed everything, there was another pest that interfered with our plans and was swiftly taken care of. I believe you know him as well. He went by the name of Sai."
Sakura stilled. The swimming sensation in her head continued, but Sai's name coming from his lips did something to her.
"Yes, your 'real' husband," he said mockingly. "Did you know your Sai was something along the lines of an executioner? He may have been CIA, but I'll bet you didn't know they have their own set of assassins. And you welcomed him with open arms. Now there's an ironic pair if I've ever seen one: a doctor and a killer. You seem to have a distinct attraction to death, regardless of your oath to save lives," he said circling her once more.
Sakura was frozen in place. The only indication of life coming from her was the beeping monitor.
"Sasuke was the greatest threat to the CIA," Kabuto continued "So how do you kill a killer? Easy, send another killer, and they sent your Sai. Your father's organization sent your husband to kill the man you now love, and you know how that turned out don't you?"
Sakura found clarity at this point. The drugs still left her weak and disoriented, but her mind wasn't able to ignore what he was telling her. Slowly, her fingers began to flex.
"So why am I doing this to you?" he continued. "Because every which way I turned, you were right in the middle of this. You are the only woman with skills that can match my own. There is no one that can compare to you. I chose you to serve in a much greater purpose. You're everything I need."
"And what exactly do you need from me?" she asked quietly. Kabuto's gaze lingered down her body before meeting her eyes again.
"I need Orochimaru's cells. I've tried harvesting them myself, but the effects were not what I had hoped," he said looking down his appearance. "Now I must create a new body. His curse mark fused his cells with the user, and it was for this purpose that I was seeking out a former carrier."
"But I'm not a carrier," she said looking at him as thoroughly as she could.
"No but someone you know certainly is," he replied.
"Sasuke," she said, but was surprised when he shook his head again.
"Sasuke was not my first choice, as I didn't want to handle more than I could at the time. Though if I'm being completely honest, I had no idea that Sasuke Uchiha was the man Orochimaru had recruited all those years ago. He didn't seem to trust me with the identity of his next vessel, and he was right not to. But that is beside the point," he said looking at her in a way that was almost mocking.
"Uchiha wasn't my first choice because there was one other carrier, who was much less of a hassle to obtain but currently indisposed. You may know her. Your father certainly does. Anko Mitarashi was the first surviving carrier of the mark."
Anko, her father's secretary? But wait, that was a ruse so she was really an Agent. Sakura practically forgot about the woman until now.
"The CIA seems to have gotten its grasps on anyone they could, even her. Your father certainly took great pains to protect her, even going so far as to seal away her cursed mark. Did you really think you were the only one he kept tabs on? You may be his child, but you're not about to be the only one."
Sakura was beginning to get more confused. It was so much to take in and she was getting more discombobulated by the minute. Her confused face amused him all the more.
"He didn't tell you? My my my, the things your dear father doesn't let you know. Anko will not due for my plans any longer, as she is carrying your father's child," he said making her gasp. "Though the thought of a child with both the cursed mark genes fathered by a Sharingan user appealed to me, it was not through a true Uchiha that it came about. But as the saying goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself," he said before walking toward her.
It took everything she had not to flinch when he stood not a foot away from her. The damned nightgown didn't help matters. His yellow serpentine eyes swept over her body from head to toe. Just a little closer and she could head-but the shit out of him and put her forehead to use for once. But that still left her chained to a wall.
"How does it feel, knowing that your father has another heir on the way and didn't even bother to tell you?" he asked provokingly. She knew he was trying to get a reaction out of her, and she wouldn't budge. "I can imagine your frustration. This is not how I wanted to go about this Sakura, but you left me no choice. I can't wait anymore."
"So what do you WANT WITH ME?" she shouted trying to shake her chains loose. He didn't even flinch at her shouting. "Dammit you played with me for almost a year so you better tell me what the hell you plan on doing!"
"You've done half the work for me. You gave me raw materials," he said turning the monitor on and showing her the sight that made her heart stop. The two little bodies that lay on the exam table sent her heart into overdrive. Sora and Suki! He had Sora and Suki!
"NO!" she screamed. "What did you do to them you bastard!" she screamed while shaking her restraints. Both of the kids were hooked up to monitors and IV's with a large machine between them.
"I'm testing their blood. It was quite a shock to me when I realized they weren't actual siblings. The resemblance was uncanny. It presented another problem. One the one hand, you have a true Uchiha, born with both the genes of the Sharingan and the cursed mark, only the carrier is a girl. I need the strength of a boy," he informed before looking down at himself.
"You see, my body is no longer usable. I'll do what Lord Orochimaru could not. I'll transplant myself with his DNA into a new vessel. If this transfer of DNA doesn't work on your son then we will proceed with plan B: make another boy. That's where you come in my sweet," he said giving her the most sinister of smiles making her want vomit. "I wouldn't have anyone less than you carry Lord Orochimaru's perfect vessel of a child."
"YOU SICK BASTARD!" she screamed shaking her restraints again but to no avail. The drugs were still in her system making it impossible. The restraints were beginning to dig into her wrists, making her bleed. The atrocity, the insanity of his mind was unbearable. He was plain crazy and she knew none of this would work. There was no such thing as body transfer.
Kabuto held her down. The sensation of his cold scaly hands on her skin sent her into a rage. She reared her head back as much as she could and thrust it forward, catching him in the head making him fall back in pain.
Sakura continued to thrash before a needle was inserted into her arm making her go still and lose consciousness. Kabuto got off the floor, wiping the blood from his forehead.
"Feisty one isn't she? And clever, getting me to rant and rave like an idiot," he said to his minion, who was currently checking for bleeding on Sakura's forehead. "She has that effect on me I suppose. Prep her for the lab. There's still work to be done."
When the signal disappeared, he thought his heart might stop. The rage he felt when he learned just who was responsible for all this burned inside him until he feared losing complete control. Sasuke approached the woody are where the signal abruptly stopped eight hours ago. Some serious damage was done here, and he had no idea what it could have been. There was evidence of an explosion, and something else he couldn't place. But there was one thing for sure.
He wasn't alone.
He could feel the presence behind him, and he knew who it was. He didn't expect anything less of him, given who he was.
He stayed still as the figure approached from out of the woods behind him.
"Somehow I just knew you would show up here…Teme," Naruto said to the man before him.
When he turned, Naruto got the first glimpse of the real Sasuke. Cloaked in black with a sword on his side, Sasuke turned until he faced him, eyes ablaze with his Sharingan.
Naruto had only seen the Sharingan one other time in Kakashi sensei. But Sasuke, with full-fledged Sharingan was something else. But it was the rage behind the eyes that was the most frightening. Lethal didn't even begin to describe how Sasuke looked right now.
Sasuke took in the sight of Naruto in his real colors. Dressed in his gear, Naruto was outfitted in all black combat attire with an orange overcoat, and a gun that screamed CIA. His blue eyes showed his intent to confront him.
Naruto didn't know what he wanted to do more. Clobber his ass or just shoot him first. After everything he did, the real bastard was here. Sasuke actually had the gall to smirk at him.
"Dobe," he said. The seconds of eye contact between the two spoke volumes for them.
They both moved in the blink of an eye. Naruto surged forward, gun raised before him as Sasuke pulled out his Katana. The shine of the blade from the moonlight gave off enough reflection to block his advance for a split second, but Naruto was at the ready.
Sword clashed with gun in a metallic force that reverberated throughout the forest. They pushed against the force of impact, each going in the opposite direction of their starting point. A mere second had gone by.
They stood with their backs to each other. Naruto felt the small trick of blood coming off his right cheek. The cut was barely a scratch, but it made its point.
Sasuke didn't feel the similar cut on his left temple, but he knew it was there. The dobe wasn't half bad after all. He heard Naruto give off a chuckle before turning.
Naruto just gave him a smirk of his own and wiped the blood off his cheek. "Not bad. What else you got?"
Sasuke looked at him with mild amusement. If the dobe thought he was capable of taking him on, he had another thing coming. The only thing holding Sasuke back was the information he retained when he discovered Naruto's file.
"You came alone," Sasuke stated, not even questioning the possibility that Naruto would involve anyone else.
"Ch, I didn't want anyone else getting first dibs at you for what you did," he said. "That pleasure's going to be all mine. Believe me when I say the list of people you've pissed off is long and they're not ordinary people…" Naruto said as the anger resurfaced. "…as you already know."
Sasuke smirked and allowed the small trickle of blood to escape the cut on his head. He knew he wasn't dealing with just anyone, and the dobe was probably the most extraordinary out of all of them. But still, he wouldn't take any chances. "And you really think you have what it takes to stop me now?"
Naruto stared dead on into his damned Sharingan. The challenge was there alright, and he had no doubt Sasuke would give him a run for his money, but that wasn't the issue here.
"You know it. I outta kill you right here if it wasn't for Sakura," he said.
Immediately, he saw the atmosphere around Sasuke charge with rage at the mention of her name. The killing intent was so strong Naruto actually had to stop himself from taking a step back. The bastard was pissed.
"The kids…," Sasuke said, asking what he probably already knew. Naruto nodded. The rage masked the fear behind those blazing red eyes.
"That psychopath took them too," Naruto answered. Sasuke quickly turned and headed toward the forest. Naruto cut him off at the pass.
"We're not finished here," he said. Sasuke looked at him will all the malicious intent in the world, but that didn't stop him. "You know where they are, don't you?"
"If you value your life…you'll walk the other way," Sasuke warned. Naruto simply met him glare for glare.
"She's my friend, and you're a pain in the ass but still my friend too," he declared before smirking. "You didn't think I would just to let you get away and have all the fun did you? I'll kick your ass later, but right now I'm coming with you," he stated with his classic grin. "Believe it!"
AUTHORS NOTE:
Stuff has happened!
Okay I must address some concerning things I've gotten from some readers. First of all, do not take anything medical in this fic as actual facts. Consult a real doctor for medical questions, not me or this fic.
Also, I got one startling anonymous review from someone who told me they read my fic and they want to be a parent now because of how I portrayed my kids in the fic. Though that may be innocent enough, I will say this. PARENTING IS HARD WORK AND NOT AS FLUFFY AND EASY AS SORA AND SUKI WORLD. RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANOTHER LIFE IS TREMENDOUS! BE RESPONSIBLE!
I'm done freaking out. I know it's been a while since my last update but I would love your reviews, especially now that stuff has happened and some of it may be confusing, but it'll get more understandable later :D