To Love and to Love Again Chapter 38: Walls Will Fall
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!
She was barely holding onto her sanity. Her body trembled as Danzo held her at gun point. She had very little hope, even though she knew that Sasuke and the CIA were standing right in front of her. She couldn't look them in the eye. She wasn't even paying Danzo much attention as he taunted them with her safety. Her mind was focused on only one thing: her children.
She shook as he slid the gun down her front, purposefully stopping at her lower abdomen. He knew. He knew everything. He was the mastermind behind this.
Kabuto lunged with the gun aimed directly at her. Sakura saw his face, deranged with insanity as his body loomed over hers a split second before she heard the shot. The bullet shot out of his chest, showering her with his blood before his body fell on top of her.
She screamed against his weight as blood pooled on her from the gushing chest wound. Her hand brushed against the gun he still held and on reflex she grabbed it from him before Kabuto's heaving form was unceremoniously pulled off her and thrown aside.
Sakura took her chance and rolled to her knees before pointing the gun at the new intruder.
And there Danzo stood, pointing another gun down at her.
"You," she said scathingly as if it were a curse. She noticed the blood stains on his clothing as well before she remembered Shin. "What did you do to Shin?" she asked as she kept her gun aimed at him.
Danzo wanted nothing more than to shoot Sakura Haruno where she lay, but at this point she was the only insurance he had to make it out of here. "If you don't wish to meet the same fate, you'll do what I say," he answered before looking at Kabuto.
"…You…traitor," Kabuto wheezed. "….kill you…," he choked as he struggled on the ground. Sakura was amazed he was still alive.
"You're usefulness has reached its end," Danzo said, admiring his arm riddled with Sharingan eyes. Kabuto had helped him transplant and experiment with the idea. "Take comfort in knowing that you were my favorite recruit. I'll let you bleed out in peace," he settled before motioning for Sakura to stand. She stood slowly, weary of the gun pointed at her as she tried to think of a way to escape.
As if sensing her train of thought, Danzo stepped closer. "Try to escape and I'll shoot the progeny that grows within you now," he said, smiling when she couldn't hide the shock on her face. "Yes, I know about it. So does he," he said motioning to Kabuto on the floor. "Why do you think he gave up on you?"
Sakura didn't even spare a glance at Kabuto, but it answered why he snapped. She was tainted in his mind. He must have discovered her pregnancy in her blood work, and that was why he kept taking so many samples. He was making sure.
"I should have killed you the first time you ruined my Agent with a child," Danzo continued. "Sai was the best assassin there was. I trained him to be the perfect tool; one that would take orders without question. I sent him to kill you and he didn't mutter a word of protest," he said conversationally. He didn't even seem concerned that she was pointing a gun at him.
Sakura's heart stopped at that revelation. She showed no outward reaction to that statement, but it didn't stop her blood turning into ice.
"You will not shoot me Sakura," Danzo said confidently.
"What makes you so sure?" she asked, not liking the way he smiled at her. "And where is Shin?" she asked again.
"Dead," he answered simply. Sakura almost tried to call his bluff when he added. "And…if you don't wish the same fate on your son, you'll drop your gun." He knew he had her when he saw the fear in her eyes. "Or are you willing to take a chance with the boy's life?"
Sakura's hands shook as she dropped the gun. Danzo almost laughed.
"This is why I knew you wouldn't shoot me," he said. "Family is weakness. Having a bond with another person, even an imaginary bond, holds you back from true power. Kabuto wanted you. You were his weakness and I used that to get him give me this arm. You had a gun aimed right at me and here I stand unharmed because I'm holding your greatest weakness in the palm of my hands," he drawled.
He approached her and circled her like a predatory shark ready to strike. He knew she wouldn't dare make a move against him.
"You see Sakura…true strength comes when you sever the bonds that hold you back. My Agents adhere to this rule. Sai adhered to that rule…until he deviated. He found a weakness in you and you gave him the ultimate weakness in a child. His death is on your hands," he accused.
"Where is my son?" she whispered. His words about Sai tore at her heart, but she couldn't afford to think he was bluffing about having Sora in his possession. Up until now she thought Kabuto was the real worry, but he was just a puppet and Danzo was the puppet master.
"Do what I say and I won't kill him," Danzo said pointing his gun at her back. "Now walk!" he ordered.
Sakura dropped her gaze from Sasuke, unable to hold onto it any longer. She hated her weakness, hated having to be saved and hated that she couldn't protect her children, born and unborn, from danger. She had failed them.
Sasuke's eyes absorbed every little detail about her: her sunken face, ashen complexion, every visible wound and the blood that seeped from them. Her hands were covered in blood; hers and someone else's. He could see the torn skin of her knuckles under the ripped gloves she wore. Her entire form radiated damage.
Sakura…his Sakura…
She was harmed…
She was touched…
And that was unforgivable.
The dark aura he began emitting soon became tangible.
Naruto and the guys caught each other's eye. Every Agent in the room sensed the noticeable shift in atmosphere. Even Akamaru picked up on it and gave off a low growl. Sasuke's wrath was evident as it permeated the air. It put everyone on edge.
He was the infamous Sound Assassin. His capabilities knew no bounds.
Kakashi was acutely aware of Sasuke's growing rage. He knew better than most what Sasuke was in danger of unleashing. Even though they knew of his power as a former Sound Agent, Kakashi didn't know the extent of his control with the curse mark.
"Danzo," Kakashi said drawing his attention. "You have no other option. There's nowhere for you to run. We've got you and you know it. Let her go," he ordered. Sakura didn't show the slightest hint of reaction to her father's voice.
Danzo met Kakashi's gaze. The Sharingan eye that looked back at him still sent a wave of apprehension his way, which frustrated Danzo to no end. But he had to remember that it didn't matter anymore.
He had more than enough borrowed eyes to take them all on, and what they didn't know pleased him.
"Kakashi," Danzo stated. "Your reign as the leader of the CIA should have ended long ago. It's time for a new path to be taken."
The Agents involved were startled at the statement. They locked eyes once more. The source of all this madness was just an internal power struggle? They felt their own rage increase over Danzo's audacity.
"Like any of us would follow you as a leader," Naruto shouted. "Give it up old man! You're history!"
None of them liked the smirk that appeared on his face.
"I won't tolerate insubordination," Danzo said. "I'll have to take care of that sooner rather than later."
Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "You're talking as if you already control the CIA."
Danzo smirked before replying "I do."
"What the hell is that walking mummy talking about?" Tenten shrieked as she looked back at Ino.
Tsunade burst through the doors in a rage.
"That bastard!" she shouted as she pulled up all of their information systems on display. Shino followed closely behind. "Shit! I don't have access to anything," she said as she tried maneuvering through the system.
Shino also began to analyze their system controls before locating the problem. "There," he said pointing to an encrypted file located in their mainframe. "That's impossible. It's the bug virus; my bug virus," he stated. "How did he get access to my files," he asked before working his fingers over the systems to remove it.
"Tell me you can get rid of it Shino," Tsunade pleaded.
"I created that virus. It wasn't meant to be removed," Shino stated. "It was made to completely shut down an enemy system without fail."
"If our systems fail, every Agent and every mission we have will be compromised. Get it out!" she ordered. "Kakashi!" she said grabbing a mic and relaying their predicament to him.
Ino and Tenten tried their best to assess the situation from their standpoint. They pulled up the CIA daycare center and saw the live feed. The Hyuga triplets were all asleep in their cribs and guarded by Kurenai. Akio and Akira Nara were in the playroom with Jun Inuzuka. In light of Sora and Suki's abduction, the Agents had to bring their children to base for protection detail.
"The kids are fine," Tenten said, breathing a sigh of relief. She sent a message to Kurenai letting her know of the internal threat. Ino continued to survey the feedback from the field Agents as Tenten sent the alert through the base.
"He created an entire underground layer," Ino said as she assessed the view from the guys. "It's convoluted around a central sector. We have Agents scattered all over the place," she added. "How the hell does Danzo think he's going to get out of this alive? And what makes him think that any of the Agents there will obey his command?" she asked in afterthought.
It was only after Ino spoke that thought out loud that Tsunade made a startling discovery.
"He doesn't," she whispered, gathering their attention.
"Doesn't what?" Ino asked.
"He knows this group of Agents won't obey him. They're the CIA's best and their loyalties lie with Kakashi. It's a given," she answered.
"I don't understand," Tenten said. "Then why is he acting like he's got them right…where…he wants them," she finished, her eyes widening in revelation as she assessed the layout of the base. "Oh God it's a trap! It's an underground grave!"
Tsunade's eyes widened before grabbing the mic. "Kakashi! Subdue that bastard and get everyone out! He's going to blow the place up with all of you in it!"
Kakashi and the other Agents received the news simultaneously. So Danzo had more than one trigger finger here. The minute he left he'd try to eliminate this group of Agents.
The only ones out of the loop were Sasuke and Sakura. Danzo began to move toward the last corridor with Sakura held tight in his grip. "If I meet any resistance, she dies," he reminded as he pulled her along. Sakura didn't dare look anyone in the eye as they did.
When he opened his eyes, he felt a surge of energy rush through his body and slowly take over. He broke through the glass and stood there with a small hospital gown clinging to him from the liquid. He sensed the approaching bodies as they neared him.
His body reacted without a second thought. They lay on the ground now, unmoving and unable to hurt him. He stared at his small hands; disbelief at what he had done to them forcing them to shake with adrenaline.
He ran. His focus was on the presence he sensed deep within the layer. He didn't know how he knew who it was, but he kept running.
He could feel the strength in his arms and legs as they propelled him through the corridors as his eyes took in every detail. Everything was happening so fast and he couldn't process exactly what was going on, but he knew there was danger here.
He stopped at a room with the heavy scent of blood. That's when he saw the large snake-like man slumped in the corner in a pool of blood. Kabuto's eyes suddenly opened and zeroed in on the boy.
Sora stood his ground as the body twitched uncontrollably and moved toward him. The big yellow eyes opened wide and swerved with an open mouth to strike like snake.
"Sssasuke…," the body hissed as the face seemed to change form into someone else; someone with long black hair and evil looking eyes.
Sora didn't even think twice as his body took over. He leapt in the air just as Kabuto lunged. His hands grasped the sides of his face and twisted midair before pulling it back. The sickening snap of bone could be heard before the body slumped for good.
He looked down at his hands that were covered in scarlet blood from the body before him. The event triggered something uncontrollable within him. He suddenly felt out of control and continued to run.
The sensations grew stronger as his eyes guided him towards the mass of energy he could feel. He got closer and that's when he saw it.
He saw a man…holding a woman with pink hair.
Danzo proceeded to back away from the hostile group of Agents surrounding him. The fools, he thought. They could have taken him down already if they weren't so concerned for this one woman. She was an even bigger fool for assuming that he had her son in his possession.
Danzo wasn't concerned about Kabuto's little project with Sai's son. He didn't have the patience to see if the experiment worked, and now he didn't have any more time. He needed to eliminate every last Agent here before he could return to the CIA base and assume his position as leader, unopposed by anyone.
The virus he implanted within the system controls would shut them down, disabling communication and effectively giving him his window to kill Kakashi's lead team.
He backed away and almost made it into the corridor when he felt the burst of energy behind him. A force collided with his back, pushing him of balance and making him falter in his step as a blur of black and white zoomed past him.
Sakura acted and shoved the gun away from her a split second before Danzo pulled the trigger on reflex. The bullet barely grazed her left hip, but the residual burn from the guns barrel seared onto her flesh, forcing her to cry out in pain and drop to the ground.
Her cry ignited a flurry of action.
The agents acted by firing shots in his direction. They were momentarily stunned when he seemingly phased before them and out of range. He appeared on the opposite side of the dome; his arm unwrapped and filled with glowing red eyes.
"His arm…," Kakashi whispered as he took in the sight. Danzo's right arm was embedded with multiple mature Sharingan eyes. His skin was pale and wrinkly as if he had absorbed too much water. But the most sickening thing about it was that the eyes blinked and moved, as if they had come to life.
Sakura clutched her side as the burn throbbed. A giant ball of white fluff was suddenly by her side. She looked up to find Akamaru hovering over her protectively and growling up a storm at Danzo on the opposite side of the dome.
"Stay with her boy," Kiba ordered as he and the guys braced themselves for a fight.
Kakashi was by her side in a flash. He crouched down and brought her into his arms. "Sakura."
"Daddy," she groaned, clutching onto his arm as the movement irritated her injury. Blood stained his arm and clothing as she did. Kakashi saw just how extensive the injuries on her hands and arms were. She was covered in blood, making it difficult to judge how much of it came from her.
Rage consumed him at how much his daughter had suffered because of Danzo. "I'm going to get you out of here," he told her.
"No!" Sakura yelled. "Sora," she whispered trying to find him. "Daddy he said he has Sor-"she stopped mid-sentence when she looked up and caught sight of the look Danzo was giving her. It was pure hatred laced with aggression.
"He doesn't have Sora," Kakashi countered. Sakura looked up at him, finally seeing his left eye in Sharingan form. She followed his gaze to the adjacent corridor, where she couldn't see a thing.
Kakashi was about to move from his crouched position towards the corridor when Tsunade signaled to him once more. "Shino is still trying to disarm the virus, but the girls have laid out a map of the place. It was built for easy demolition with trigger points everywhere. Get everyone out fast before it caves!"
Kakashi reached for Sakura and panicked when she wasn't there.
"Sakura!" he shouted when he saw her walking toward the corridor he had sensed the presence from. She was clutching her side as she tried to stay upright.
"Sora…," she whispered, somehow knowing he was the one that bumped them earlier. She stood at the entrance of the corridor…and nearly dropped to her knees in shock.
Sakura's eyes widened when she saw him. He turned and looked at her, his eyes red with Sharingan. But his body was half covered in black marks that were slowly spreading.
Her baby boy looked at her with eyes that weren't his own.
"Sora," she whispered.
Sora looked at her for a moment, his glowing red eyes and spit tomoes shining in the darkness. For a second, Sakura saw the rage vanish and replace itself with recognition.
"Mommy…," he murmured. His little hand reached out to her as his body moved a step in her direction. He stopped as the Sharingan quickly processed all her injuries and blood, quickly consuming him with anger.
Sora clutched his head, screaming into the air as a fierce charge was felt through the room. His back arched, his scream blood curdling as a wave of dark air surrounded him. Black markings slowly began to ribbon their way onto his skin, branding him.
He shot out and ran past her into the rumble of bullets and smoke.
"Sora no!" she shouted, gaining Sasuke's attention. Sasuke turned and stared in disbelief at what he was seeing. Sora couldn't control the feelings surging within him because unlike Suki, Kabuto had implanted the curse seal on him.
"Sora," Sakura screamed, trying to move toward him.
Danzo saw the approaching child with two fully functioning Sharingan eyes for the taking. The momentary distraction would be his undoing. Sasuke swung his Katana straight down his bicep, slicing down his monstrous arm before turning and knocking Danzo into the side wall with such force the room shook.
He turned, unleashing the full force of his eyes and speed to intercept Sora as the child charged toward him.
Time seemed to still between the gaze of the two interlocking Sharingan.
Sasuke saw the curse mark quickly spreading over his small body, consuming Sora's mind with its darkness. Sora's eyes registered Sasuke a split second before he veered to the left away from him and looked around in fright.
Sora panted, trying to get a grasp of what was happening to him. He could hear his mother screaming his name and he could see Sasuke standing right before him.
Rubble began to fall from the ceiling as the ground began to vibrate.
Sasuke knew there wasn't much time. This layer wouldn't last long with all the blasting they've been doing and Sora would soon succumb to the curse mark. He was far too young to control it.
"Sora, look at me," Sasuke ordered.
Sora looked up, just as a shadow loomed from behind him. He turned, not having had time to react before seeing Danzo's face propel toward him. Sasuke moved within the blink of an eye, grasping Danzo's arms and twisting them behind him.
"What would I do if you killed my child?" Sasuke said menacingly in answer to Danzo's taunt. Danzo looked back, his eyes widening when he saw the tomoes had fused into pinwheels. Mangekyou Sharingan stared down at him, paralyzing him on the spot. "I'd do this," he said before pulling Danzo's arms off their sockets with a sickening pop. Danzo's shouts echoed through the corridor, triggering Sora's instability once more.
"The buildings no longer structurally sound! Get out of there it's going to crumble!" Tenten's voice rang through the CIA mics. The Agents locked and loaded, unable to get near the commotion in the center.
Sora's screams rang through Sakura's ears as she tried moving toward him, only to be pulled back by Naruto just in time to miss the pillar that would have crushed her.
"All units evacuate," Kakashi ordered as he went against his own orders and tried to move toward Sora. Sakura summoned every last ounce of strength she had to pull herself as close to the crumbling center as possible.
"Sora! Sasuke!" she shouted as the middle of the dome divided them with debris. She saw Sasuke turn, but Sora wasn't in her field of view.
"Get her out of here Naruto!" Sasuke shouted before dirt and rocks caved from the ceiling before them.
Naruto grabbed hold of Sakura and held onto her screaming form tight. "Naruto up here!" came a shout from above. He caught sight of CIA Agents above the opening in the dome and wasted no time using his harnessed energy to catapult Sakura and himself up above the crumbling foundation.
Sakura didn't have time to wonder about how they were jumping through the air so easily. Sasuke and Sora were still in that building.
Naruto had landed squarely on the ground just as the sound of a blast shook the surface, knocking them to the ground. Waves of electricity combined with the rainfall, igniting the night's sky. Naruto moved her out of harm's way, pulling her back towards the waiting group of Agents.
"Sakura!" Kakashi shouted as he emerged from the side of the rubble. Sakura couldn't see reason as everything happened faster than she could process. Why was this happening? Why didn't they let her go to Sora?
"Sora!" she screamed as the building began to cave within itself. Flames licked the ground and coated the rubble shooting out of the sky. "No!" she shouted trying to run toward the chaos. Kakashi grabbed hold of her and held on tight as she struggled and cried out for her son.
She was oblivious to everything and everyone surrounding her as she struggled in her weakened state to run towards the flames. Her emotions had taken over. Kakashi began dragging her away towards the medical ward when he spotted them.
They all watched as a black figure could be seen coming out of the chaos. The light from the fire illuminated him until Sasuke made his way toward them as he emerged from the fiery pit. His movements were lighting fast. When he came within view, he could be seen carrying an unconscious Sora in his arms.
Sakura stopped her struggling when she saw Sasuke walking toward her with Sora in his arms. She stopped screaming when she knew that Sora was okay.
She stopped moving when her body decided to give out.
The last thing she could have sworn she saw before her eyes gave out was Sasuke walking toward her...as a winged beast.
AUTHORS NOTE:
REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW if it intrigued you enough.
On a side note, I read Chapter 614 in the manga yesterday morning and I will not give out any spoilers…but WHAT THE F***! Unacceptable Kishimoto. UNF******ACCEPTABLE! I still love you for creating Naruto…but F****! TOO MUCH!