Hello readers! Sorry for the long wait. Please bear with any spelling and grammatical errors present; I'm not perfect.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but I do own this fanfic.

Chapter 5: Out For Blood

Coal colored orbs stared down the road through the tinted plastic of the helmet as he sped down the streets, cutting off every vehicle in his path. Dull pain in his chest had been developing ever since he left, but he ignored it, hoping it would fade away on its own. As tempted as he was to turn around, he had a personal mission that needed to be accomplished. He promised himself he wouldn't return until he finished what he set out to do or die trying. He pulled into an entrance of a dark alleyway before killing the engine. Dismounting his motorcycle, he pushed it deeper into the passage until he reached a dead end. Lifting a small aluminum cover on the top of the gas tank, the lights of the screen turned on. After entering the password, he pushed a key and the solid wall in front of him opened up to reveal a large open space. The hidden garage was large enough to park an SUV and dimly lit to avoid drawing unnecessary attention.

He pushed his bike in, pulled the kickstand out to set his bike down, and took off his helmet. Not wanting to draw any suspicions, he set the duffle on the seat. He pushed a button on the top panel of the screen and the left side of the fiberglass frame popped open. The hidden pocket had one automatic shotgun, a rifle, and a slot for his sword. After storing what wasn't needed, he took the screen out of its compartment and walked out as the wall closed.

Exiting out of the backstreet, he strolled toward the large law enforcement structure. Having been in the building countless times before, whether it was secretive or not, he was acquainted with the departments within the corrupted system. To his luck, there was nobody around to prevent him from going to his destination. When he reached the basement, he was pleased to see a trainee at the desk.

"Stop yelling dickless," the man hissed into the cell phone. "My ears are ringing."

He was dressed in a black suit with a white dress shirt and black tie. His complexion was unusually pale, letting his jet–black hair and dark eyes contrast well. His short and simple hair cut was clean and matched his lean built, portraying him as an agent that worked for the secret service or private sector, but that was a complete lie. His face was void of emotion, unable to read like a porcelain doll.

"I'll check the collected evidence to see if I can find anything." He pulled the phone away from his ear temporary before placing it back against his ear. "I'll try to sneak the stuff out." He listened to the person on the other side of the line as he headed down to the basement. "Call you later dickless."

After hanging up the line, he pocketed his device and headed toward the evidence room. He rubbed the back of his neck for a little stress relief. The whole situation turned from manageable to a disaster. He questioned why he was stuck with doing grunt work when his skills could be useful elsewhere or given the time to relax with a sketchbook. On a night like this, it was easy for a lower-ranked agent to handle a simple task. When he saw the trainee seated at the desk, he pulled out his identification card and showed it to the rookie. The seated trainee officer immediately got up from his seat and saluted his superior.

"I am going to retrieve some level six evidence," he said.

"Another officer is inside sir," the trainee said. "But his clearance identification card is identical to yours."

He raised a brow slightly in bewilderment, and then it hit him. "No worries," he lied. "My partner must have grabbed my spar card by accident instead of his own."

His dark orbs shifted to monitor and saw the security camera was running on a loop. He knew who had impersonated him and was aware he had ordered to apprehend him if possible.

"It's going to be a long night, go grab yourself a cup of coffee."

The trainee nodded and left his post without question, thankful for the much-needed break to get a caffeinated beverage. He didn't need a witness around if things were going to get ugly. Unfortunately, all he was currently armed with was a small-caliber handgun and that would most likely not be enough if his colleague was equipped with better choices. Discharging their weapons indoors would only alert unnecessary attention they wouldn't want, but there wasn't any other option.

When he reached the room, he scanned his card on the reader and the door unlocked. Pulling his gun out, he pushed opened the door and pointed the weapon, but there was no one inside. On top of the table was the open evidence box he was supposed to attempt to sneak back to headquarters. The ceiling vent had been dismounted, likely used as an escape route. He switched on the rest of the lights and checked to make sure no one was inside. Placing his gun back in its holder, he pulled out his phone and redialed to the last person he had spoken to.

"It's Sai, Sasuke was here."

Sasuke parked his bike under the fire escape of a six-story apartment building and took off his helmet. After dismounting, he looked up to calculate the distance between him and the locked fire escape ladder. He would have to make use of the wall to reach the first bar. Once he had taken a few steps back, he sprinted toward the wall then placed his right foot on the wall to get the extra boost he needed for the jump up. He grabbed onto the end of the locked ladder dangling before him as if it was second nature. Making use of his strength and training, he pulled himself up effortlessly to climb further up to a particular residence. As soon as he reached the window of his destination, he peered into the dimly lit room. His once onyx orbs turned crimson and spotted an unusually tall man; his broad built made him the perfect human wall. His orange hair was cut short and simple with a ruffled look.

Quietly lifting open the window, Sasuke quickly slid into the confines of the room and hid in the shadows. Reaching back, he pulled out his gun to make the first move. He had to make sure the person he was dealing with was sane. With unimaginable speed, he appeared behind the man with his gun pointed directly at his target's head.

"I figured I would see you sooner or later Sasuke."

He continued to keep his aim as the tall man turned around. "It's been a while Juugo."

An understanding smile came across Juugo's face as he held out a glass of whiskey out for his old acquaintance. He had been mentally unstable for years and it wasn't the first time he had a gun pointed at his head. Fortunately, the advancement in medication had helped him maintain his sanity.

"What do you need?"

Sasuke placed his gun away and took the alcoholic beverage. "Information," Sasuke answered. "About a certain doctor."

The room was a complete mess, the perfect reflection of her emotional state. Clothes were scattered everywhere, unable to distinguish the clean from the worn. Various photo albums were open and were either sitting on a pile of clothes or floor. She hadn't left the confines of the bedroom, even when her body craved nurturance. Mikoto had noticed the decline of her health and would bring a little something for her daughter-in-law to hopefully nurse herself back to health. The monarch never forced or questioned anything when it was barely touched, always quietly leaving a tray with some food and water on the bedside table then come back to collect it later. Sakura had attempted to keep herself busy with unpacking and organizing their once packed belongings, hoping to keep her mind from focusing on the absent she felt in her heart. Unfortunately, a majority of her attempts usually ended with her breaking down, especially when she came across something that belonged to her husband. There was nothing she could do to prevent the void from growing day by day.

She hadn't had a night of peaceful slumber. Since the night he left, she had been plagued by frightening nightmares and he would always be there. She had already woken up both adults in the apartment the first night with her screams but kept to herself why. It always started with the two of them together happily and then it turned dark. Sometimes she would witness him getting shot over and over again in front of her eyes, blood splattering all over her; other times she saw him kill with no mercy as if he was possessed by a demon. Nothing made sense to her and it was driving her insane. He had been gone for four days now and each day she was slowly losing herself.

Her delicate fingers ran over the photos in the album she had been flipping through the past hour. It was full of photos from their senior year in high school. It was the year her relationship with the stranger that was now her husband had gotten very serious. Looking back at all the moments they shared with their family and friends, she couldn't comprehend the fact that her husband was a killer or any of the others in the photos were as well.

The sudden knock on the door made her jump and brought her out of her thoughts. Emerald orbs looked over as the door opened and the familiar face of her long-time friend popped in.

"Hey Sakura," she said softly before entering in.

Tenten had been dreading this day for a long time, the day Sakura found out about everything. Naruto had practically dragged the brunet away from her workout, hoping that some girl bonding would do the trick to get the pink-haired woman out of her misery after his attempts failed. The last time she had seen Sakura was when the family was at the cemetery and she didn't dare to say anything then. She felt ashamed for having kept so much of her profession a secret, but she had sworn to Kakashi she wouldn't reveal a thing when she first took on the assignment of protecting her. Seeing the depressed woman before didn't make her feel any better.

They had been friends for years and she didn't want the once oblivious woman to think their friendship was built on lies. They had first met each other during junior high at an all-girl private school and kicked it right off, hanging out often afterward. Though their friendship was genuine through the years, their meeting had been planned since Sakura needed someone to guard her when Kakashi or Tsunade couldn't. Besides, it was better to have someone physically by her, especially when the danger couldn't be anticipated beforehand. As the years went by, the threats and dangers began to increase in difficulty, especially when there were multiple fronts. With Tenten being a year older as well, Sakura would be venerable if there wasn't anyone around. To increase her protection unknowingly, Tenten told Sakura she was transferring to Konoha's most prestigious private high school because she didn't want her last years of high school to be full of girl drama. Hating the idea of spending her remaining high school years in an estrogen filled environment as well, Sakura convinced Kakashi, who was already in on the plan, to have her transfer with Tenten.

Once transferred out of the all-girl school to the prestigious private high school during her second year, the brunet was no longer the only one assigned to protect Sakura. Most of the agency's younger recruits attend the same school and it only made things easier when she was already acquainted with some people, especially Naruto. Sakura's childhood best friend was there too, but their friendship was rocky a majority of the time. Then there was Sasuke.

"Christmas is coming up," the brunet said in attempts to lighten the atmosphere. "And I know you need to shop for some gifts as much as I need to."

"I'm not allowed to leave the facility," Sakura said.

She silently cursed at her stupidity for failing to remember that little detail. "How about getting a work out in?" she countered. "That baby weight –"

Tenten immediately shut her mouth, knowing she failed at making small talk. She didn't want to bring up the topic of children after what had happened. Sakura had frozen on the spot at the mention of a child as tears gathered in her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, Tenten went over to her side and hugged Sakura as she began to cry. She could tell the weeping woman had so much bottled up that it was slowly rotting her away. There wasn't much she could do to mend a broken heart but to lend her shoulder out for Sakura to cry on.

"I'm sorry Sakura," she whispered, trying to comfort the grieving woman.

The female agent rubbed her friend's back to soothe her as much as possible. She couldn't blame her for feeling so alone though she had family and friends around. Everyone had practically become a stranger in her eyes after all that had happened.

"They say talking helps," she spoke gently. "And I'm here to listen."

"The nightmares… they just… won't go away…" Sakura said between sobs. "He's standing there… right in front of me… and the next thing I know… there was blood everywhere…"

"They're just nightmares Sakura," Tenten said. "Sasuke will be back; he's too stubborn to die."

"He won't." She trembled, trying to muster her word. "He told me he might not be coming back!"

—xXx—

Tenten closed the door quietly behind her as she exited the bedroom. She has listened to everything her friend had to say and it made her feel even more guilty, especially when Sakura questioned their friendship. She eventually spilled her secret on a needed to know bases despite not having consulted the senior agent she had sworn secrecy too. Sakura had eventually cried herself to sleep after pouring out what she had bottled up and listened to her. When she reached the living room, she was greeted with the slight of Naruto, Kakashi, and Itachi waiting for her.

"You were in there for a while Tenten," Naruto said. "Is Sakura-chan doing better?"

"I hate secrets." She signed in response. "And she needs to be here."

Crimson orbs stared at a particular entry in the back alley. After getting the needed information from Juugo the first night, he had gone on a hunting spree. As soon as the sun had set in the horizon, he became the predator seeking its prey. He had spilled more blood the past few days than a pack of hungry wolves in a month. Noticing a man heading to the door, he chose to use the opportunity to get in. Armed with the needed weapons, Sasuke snuck behind the unsuspected person and hid in the shadows. He watched as the middle-aged man knock on the door then peered around to make sure no one was following him. When the door was beginning to open, he began his strike.

Sasuke slammed the head of the man standing outside against the door to force it open more. Drawing out his handgun with his right hand, he fired a shot into the head of the greeter. His left hand reached for one of the kunai blades and stabbed it into the throat of his first pray. Pulling the blade out, he tossed it directly into the head of the approaching man. Sasuke rushed forward, extracting the kunai out the skull of his victim as he passed. Spotting three new targets as he entered the room, he fired his gun into his new victims, emptying the magazine in the process.

Seeing several heavily armed assailants coming, he ran behind a pillar in time as they opened fire. Aware his nine-millimeter wouldn't stand a chance, he tucked his gun away and pulled the automatic swung over his shoulder. After his enemies wasted their ammunition and pulled out the magazine to reload, Sasuke stepped around and pulled the trigger. Immediately his targets were dead on the ground, lying in a pool of their blood. Sasuke kept his aim steadied and held the kunai blade in his left hand for close combat purposes.

He continued down the hall quietly with his eyes scanning for possible hidden threats that had yet to make their appearance. When he reached the end of the hallway, the lone agent stood before a locked door. Keeping his hold on the gun and finger on the trigger, he kicked down the door and found the coward occupant hiding under the large cherry wood desk. Releasing his hold on the rifle, he flipped the desk over to reveal his final kill. Mustering what remaining courage he had, the man pulled a small pistol out to fire but dropped the gun the moment a blade pierced through his wrist.

"Where is he?"

He held his tongue and endured the pain; he would not betray his leader, even if it meant his death. Irritated by the lack of response, Sasuke twisted the blade of his sword. A blood–curdling scream echoed through the empty facility.

"Answer the question."

"Never!"

Sasuke withdrew the blade and stabbed it through the man's left thigh, millimeters away from the artery. Another pain-filled screamed echoed through the hallway.

"He's not here!" The blade twisted slightly. "He contacts us!"

Torture was the best method to get information, especially on someone untrained. Knowing there was more to what was being said, Sasuke removed the blade once again and stabbed it through the man's other leg. He dragged the sword through the muscles for just a second to induce more pain.

"We meet every once in a while," he spoke quickly through the pain. "There's a meeting tomorrow."

"Where?"

"In the… back lot of…" Sasuke twisted the blade once again. "The police department… at midnight."

Satisfied with the answer, he tucked the sword away. Pulling out his cell phone, Sasuke turned the device on and dialed a familiar number.

"You better have a good reason for calling now," a female voice said threatening.

Immediately recognizing the voice belonging to Tsunade, Sasuke didn't say a word and pulled out his loaded handgun. He pointed it directly at the suffering man before him with a blank expression written over his face. The dying man stared into the crimson eyes of the demon before him and pleaded for his life to be spared. The trigger was pulled and the bullet drove itself into the skull of its target.

"What just happened? Answer us Sasuke!"

"Send a cleanup crew."

Sasuke hung up and turned off his cell phone, having provided them with enough time to track his current location. He turned around and walked out of the facility, picking up loaded magazines he could use. Tomorrow night would initialize another attack.

His golden orbs watched the webcam video with great interest. Every kill was prescience and merciless, exciting him for what was to come. Years ago he had witnessed the power of the young Uchiha, but now it was something indescribable. A sly smile made its way across his lips.

"The perfect grim reaper."

Sasuke hid within the shadows waiting for his newest prays to appear. He had taken every precaution of sneaking into the facility and seceded in avoiding all the cameras and personnel. Yesterday's kills were unexciting and he was looking forward to an actual challenge. As the number of lives he had taken grew, he was slowly losing himself to the demon within. The only thing that would prevent him from entering the darkness and into the light was out of his reach, but the anchor around his neck was a constant reminder. Besides, it was better she didn't see this side of him, the side that hunger to kill and shed blood with no mercy. He was the reaper of lives in human form.

The sound of a person whistling caught his attention. His once onyx orb turned crimson and then began to spin slowly as he pulled out his empty silver handgun. Wanting to avoid being tracked, Sasuke pulled out a loaded magazine filled with the very silver bullets his previous victims had used. Even though it was after hours and there would rarely be anyone in the offices above, he screwed on the silencer as a precaution. Once the shadow came to view, he prepared himself to strike but stopped when the shadow paused.

Several more shadows appeared and all stood in a group. Sasuke wasn't able to figure out how many people there were, but he estimated there had to be at least ten. Words were exchanged, but he was too far to eavesdrop in on the conversation. The sudden sound of a single gunfire and flash caught his attention. He focused his sights ahead and watched one of the shadow figures fall. What he had stumbled across wasn't an ordinary meeting; it was to clean up the unneeded presences lower in the hierarchy within the organization. Though he didn't need to get his hands dirty, he couldn't let the chance of getting valuable information slip through his fingers. The time to strike was now and he needed to save the most knowledgeable for last.

Reaching into his duffle bag behind him, Sasuke pulled out a white mask shaped to look like a hawk with some red markings. He needed to hide his face in the open as he killed in front of the security cameras; he didn't have the time or the resources to disable the cameras. After placing the mask over his face, he let the engine of his bike roar to life to make his presence know. With his loaded gun in his left hand, Sasuke sped straight and made a sharp right turn to face the gang of fifteen. Immediately spotting one holding a gun, he knew which was the leader. One of the fifteen stood back while the others came forward as a shield, drawing their machete blades out.

Finally, some real action had made its way to him and he would be able to get his hands dirty. Sasuke parked his bike with the engine still on and dismounted. His crimson orbs analyzed the fourteen, picking out the order on which they would fall. He pulled out the kunai blade strapped on his thigh and tucked his gun away. He shifted his right leg back and stood in an attack position, blade held backward toward his forearm. Behind the mask, a smirk spread across his face as he motioned with his left hand for his prays to attack first. Two stayed behind to guard their superior as the others ran toward him with their blades raised, ready to slice him into pieces.

The first to approach was ready to bring the blade down until Sasuke caught his arm and slid the victim's throat with his kunai blade. Taking the machete, he tossed it at the head of his next target. The third to approached him sung the weapon in an attempt to slice Sasuke's arm off, but he was too slow. The predator dodged the attack and jabbed his steel blade into the man's temple. Adding to the adrenaline pumping through his body, he pulled the kunai out and tossed it directly into the skull of one that stayed back. Sasuke dodged the next swing that came at his throat, then grabbed the man's head and quickly dislocated it. Drawing out his sword, Sasuke blocked the attack aimed to cut off his left arm. Pulling out another kunai blade, he slashed open the chest of his fifth victim.

The demon in human form continued to dance and slice his way through to reach the one with information. No one was able to lay a finger on him as he passed through; in their eyes, he was immortal. Blood splatter everywhere, painting the ground with red and staining his mask. The enemy tried to predict his next moves, but the devil standing before them was unreadable.

Sasuke stood up straight ten feet away when only two were left standing. He tucked the kunai back and slid his blood cover sword back into its sheath. With his lightning speed, the youngest Uchiha prodigy grabbed the kunai he had thrown earlier and stabbed it into the back of the neck of his remaining victim. Before his main target could comprehend what had happened, Sasuke had his gun pointed.

"Where is Yakushi Kabuto?"

The room was in complete silence as they watched the recorded security footage of last night's slaughter. The precision of his blade work and speed was something to be praised, but this was not the time. The drawn sword was a dead giveaway as to whom the reaper was. Several minutes passed before the final victim was shot point-blank in the head. The masked figure looked up toward the camera and tilted his head slightly. He was sending a silent message then raised his gun and shot out the camera with a single shot.

"I'm surprised Danzo hasn't ordered his men to hunt Sasuke after the stunt he pulled!" Jiraiya said, crossing his arms in frustration.

"There is a reason why he hasn't acted," Sai said as he sketched out a real tiger in the sketchbook he held. "Danzo thinks Sasuke is dead."

"It seems Sasuke pulled some strings and the coroner identified a set of remains to be his and Sakura," Tsunade said. "Knowing that man, he must have his doubts about it." She dumped a folder with some official papers within onto the large desk. "The reports are legit hence we can't allow Sakura to leave the facility."

"If Danzo finds out the truth," Minato said as he sat back in his chair and looked at the three other occupants in his office. "This could turn out into a full out war between our two divisions."

"What do you suggest we do?" Jiraiya questioned.

"We will have Itachi out on the field to help locate Sasuke," Minato said. "Continue monitoring Danzo for us Sai, we can't let him step in on this matter."

—xXx—

She sat in the middle of the king-sized bed, skimming through one of Sasuke's notebooks she had found on the bookshelf. She had stumbled upon them when she was making room for their photo albums and her medical textbooks. Curiosity had gotten the best of her and couldn't help herself to see what was written within. His neat handwriting and sketches covered the pages with detailed information regarding various training exercises, weapons, and technology. She grabbed another and flipped through the pages to find information on the anatomy of the human body. It was filled with specific facts of where to target the human body with a certain weapon to cause either minimum or maximum damage and even death. She couldn't believe the accuracy of what she was reading. The fact that her husband was knowledgeable in this stuff frightened her.

"I see you found Sasuke's notebooks," Kakashi said as he entered the bedroom. "He was never one to share his knowledge with Naruto."

He thought his lighthearted comment would lighten the somewhat tense relationship between them, but she paid him no mind. His lone eye surveyed the surrounding. It was a bit more organized than the last time he had checked up on her and knew it was a sign she was slowly recovering. Then again time would only tell. He grabbed the chair by the desk and pulled it over toward the bed before taking a seat.

"I was hoping we could talk."

"Is it true?" she asked, turning her gaze over to her father. "That I was an assignment to everyone? To you?"

Kakashi sigh, knowing it wasn't going to be an easy conversation. He needed to be very selective with his choice of words.

"I adopted you because I wanted to," he answered honestly. "You don't need to know—"

"Stop keeping secrets!" She set the notebook aside and held her gaze. "I'm tired of being kept in the dark! Just tell me the truth you've been hiding!"

"Sakura, I —"

She couldn't hold back her or frustration anymore. "You have no right to lie to me Kakashi!"

He flinched when she called him directly by his name. She had only done that a few times in the past and it was always when she was livid with him. This time was no exception. He had taken care of her since infancy, treated her like she was his flesh and blood, but he had built a wall of lies to protect her, to give her the normal life she deserved. He chose not to give her his surname because of his occupational hazard, however, danger still seemed to find her. It only appeared to get worse not only as she got older, but when she was together with Sasuke. They had all lied to her from the beginning, wanting to protect her from the harsh reality of the world around them. She was a doctor that cherished life and here, death dealers surrounded her.

"I am willing to tell you everything you need to know," he said, finally giving in. "But not everything you want to know."

"Why?"

"There are certain things I don't even know the full details of or can't tell you," he answered. "And other things are better left for someone else to tell you."

As much as she hated the idea of not being told everything, she nodded her head in agreement. Knowing something was better than not knowing at all.

"I never knew this branch of law enforcement existed until the day I was retrieved by two of their agents. The first thing they brought to my ears was the fact my father was a member and had suffered serious injuries." His eyes were half-lidded as he recalled the memories. "He had requested to see me one last time before his time was up. After his passing, I was approached for recruitment due to my relationship with an agent, in addition to my advanced intelligence and physical capabilities. I was five at the time and considered a prodigy."

"Why did you accept?"

"I had no other family and this was the closest thing I could have connected to him. Even though he was gone, I still idolized him, even to this very day. I trained, read all his notes, studies his style, and excelled." He sat back against the seat. "Minato–sensei saw potential in me and took me under his wing along with two others even though he was young. When I turned fifteen, I was promoted into a higher rank and out on an assignment to find them."

She was a little confused about whom he was referring to, but then it clicked. He had to be talking about her birth parents. They had never discussed the topic of her biological parents and the thought never crossed her mind to find out about them. To her knowledge and understanding, it was a closed adoption and the details from either party wouldn't be accessible.

"Were they part of this?"

Kakashi sighed and shook his head. "The complete opposite." His lone eye stared at her sadly. "They were high priority criminals that were apart of a large organization that was based in Otogakure. The group was involved in various experimentations that entailed human test subjects. Their victim selection was never bias, males and females from fetuses to the elderly."

Sakura was speechless and felt sick to her stomach. She never thought that something as revolting as human experimentation existed and was something found only in fiction. Clinical trials were the closest thing to human experiments, but it was all in a controlled environment supported by data. She couldn't understand how anyone would be willing to put another human being through scientific torture. What bothered her the most was the fact that her birth parents had partaken in it.

"Ever since then, they were my team's priority to hunt and capture." He closed his eye as the memories came flooding back into his mind. "After years of failed attempts, we finally brought them in one by one."

"She was close to eight months when we brought her in and had conducted experiments on herself." Kakashi looked over at his daughter. "She was mentally unstable and Tsunade–sama assumed it was schizophrenia endued from the experimentations. He, on the other hand, was more of a problem. Before we could capture him, he gave me this."

Kakashi reached over to the band that hovered over his left eye and slowly lifted it. For the very first time, he would be showing his daughter the face he kept hidden. Sakura's hands immediately flew up to her mouth as she gasped in shock. The wound had started above his eyebrow, when down his eyelid, and ended right at the top of the mask he wore. She was a medical profession and instantly knew that deep of a cut had blinded her father when he had received it. Seeing his hand touch the vertical scar, she knew it brought back painful memories for him.

"I was considered lucky, compared to my best friend," he said with regret. "Obito and I had gotten separated and he was captured. He was beaten and tortured for twenty-four hours before we got to him. In the end, he took a bullet that skinned his jugular vain just enough. Tsunade-sama did everything they could, but with his organs were already slowly shutting down and it became increasingly difficult. He was hanging on a thread and it was because of the life support he was on."

"Before we were forced to let him go," he said in a whisper. "The two of us underwent an extensive transplant upon his request."

Kakashi opened the closed eyelid to reveal the same crimson pattern eye she had seen from Sasuke. She was completely bewildered by what she saw. To her medical knowledge, the typical eye transplant was never a whole eye, just the cornea. The eye's complex web of muscles, blood vessels, and nerves connected directly to the brain have proven the task to be near impossible with no success. Sakura had so many medical questions she wanted to ask but knew this wasn't the time to ask them.

"The idiot said this eye was a gift and a way for him to see the mission through without being physically here," he continued. "Eventually, we were able to capture our target and he's been locked up in maximum security ever since."

"What happened to her?" Sakura questioned, unwilling to refer to the woman as her mother.

"Tsunade-sama had kept an eye on her in the medical ward the entire time, making sure you were healthy." Kakashi placed the band back over his left eye again. "Eventually, when she gave birth to you, Tsunade-sama gave her the right every mother wanted. She was compassionate when she held you at first, but in the end, we had to pry you away from her when she attempted to smother you."

She was shocked by the news of her birth mother attempting to kill her. Wasn't every mother supposed to love their child more than their own life? How could she have been driven to wanting to kill an innocent child? Then again the woman who was her mother didn't cherish life one bit if she participated in human experimentations.

"Unfortunately she never regained her sanity and only grew worse," Kakashi said. "She was placed into an institution under our jurisdiction instead of prison due to her mental state. Several months later, she passed from a drug overdose though we still don't know how she had gotten that quantity of medications."

"For the first two months, Tsunade-sama took care of you," he continued. "But you needed a long term guardian to care for you to oversee your development before being placed in an orphanage. We needed data on the effects of the experimentations since you were the only child to survive as long as you did after birth."

"What do you mean I was the only child to survive?" she questioned. "Were the experiments that dangerous?"

He nodded. "We had gone through their research and found that many pregnant women were tested on. Unfortunately, the mothers either died from the experiments or shortly after birth. The babies that were born, if they didn't during pregnancy, survived no longer than two weeks, a month tops." He pointed at the young woman in front of him. "You, on the other hand, exceeded all expectations."

"Since I was placed on mandatory leave and awaiting evaluation for reinstatement, I volunteered to be your temporary guardian until you would be placed in an orphanage at eight months," he carried on. "Little did I know you would grow on me and I would end up signing adoption papers."

His lone eye saw a small smile grace her lips. He had never pictured himself ever settling down, let alone having kids, but Sakura had certainly made an impact in his life. Then again as a child, she was easy to care for and was well behaved. Having seen his parental abilities, Minato had recommended he try being a mentor by taking on his own team of youngsters. Unfortunately, none had ever passed his notorious inauguration challenge until the hyperactive goofball and emotionally stoic duo came along.

"As you got older, my enemies wanted to harm you to get to me," Kakashi said. "In addition to being assigned mission, I had Naruto and Sasuke to train and mentor. I had Tenten tasked with protecting you when I couldn't be present and was happy you became friends with her. It was reassuring to know she would be around, especially when you decided to have sleepovers whenever I was gone."

She recalled as a child having seen Sasuke once or twice, but never interacted with him until they met in high school. She had more interaction with Naruto, especially since his father was also Kakashi's mentor. She could only imagine the craziness her father had to endure when putting up with the two opposite personalities as kids. Thinking back to her school days before transferring, she didn't have much in common with the girls until she met Tenten. Yes, she did have friends at the all-girl school before the brunet came into her world, but it wasn't the same since the friendships never let her be herself. With the female assassin, everything was easy, she didn't have to keep up with all the other girls or put up an act.

"Thank you, daddy."

The man looked at his daughter and let a small smile appear under his mask, happy to know their relationship was being worked out. Kakashi continued to tell his daughter things on a need to know bases. There were things he wasn't obligated to tell, feeling it was better felt for the man she was waiting for.

He gathered all his weapons and organized his artillery, making sure he didn't miss anything. In a couple of hours, he would attack the man that stuck a torn in his family's lives. He had all the information gathered, and this time he wasn't going to let the snake get away with what he had done. Deep down he knew it wasn't going to end easily. The game of cat and mouse would continue if the scoundrel wanted it to. Luck had been on his side the whole week and it was due time for it to run out. It would be a miracle if he survived the ordeal with manageable wounds. One thing for certain he wanted to see her, but he knew it wasn't possible at the moment. The closest thing he would be able to get was to hear her voice.

Pulling out his cell phone, Sasuke was well aware the moment he turned it on they would begin to triangulate his location. If he made a call, they would have his exact location and he wasn't willing to throw Juugo under the bus for sheltering him. In front of him was a small flip phone he had collected during one of his sprees. It was loaded with a smart card that provided a five–minute window before tracing began. Putting his device away, he was contemplating whether it was worth the risk or not.

All he could imagine was her tearful face begging him to return to her side. He was driven by his desire for vengeance and it was blinding him from what mattered most. He knew he was to blame for her grievances and had walked away only to have her shed more tears.

Giving in to his selfish desires, he picked up the device.

PLEASE REVIEW!

Sorry for the extremely long wait for the latest chapter. I kept debating over how the chapter should go. Defiantly filled with a lot of Sasuke action that will continue in the next chapter.

Indeed Sakura is surrounded by a lot of secrets and more is to be revealed in the chapters to come. To clarify things, her birth parents were criminals and she had been exposed to the experimentation during pregnancy development. The effects of the experiments will be revealed in later chapters. Her mother died from a drug overdose while in an institution and her father is locked away under maximum security.

I can't reveal too much since more will be uncovered as the story goes on.