Hello readers! Sorry for the long-awaited chapter. There will be some spelling and grammatical errors present.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this plot.

Chapter 7: No More Secrets

Tenten drove her bike to the location of Naruto's signal, tossing aside the reason why they were out in the first place. The distress signal meant the person was under attack or in danger. Since there was no reply from the sender, things must have gotten out of hand. She had a feeling something happened but wasn't sure whether it was bad or good. As snow began to fall, she was forced to decrease her speed to avoid an accident. Neji followed closely behind her aware his teammate's worry surrounded the presence of Sakura. The young pink-haired woman was new to the world of their organization that even the littlest thing could traumatize her for life. When they arrived at the location, the missing vehicle bewildered both.

"The car's gone!" she reported in.

"Naruto-kun is located close by," Hinata said. "And so is the car."

The female agent parked and dismounted her bike. She pulled off her helmet and surveyed around. There weren't any tire trails to follow since the snowfall had increased. Neji did the same and pulled out his gun. With no signs of either Naruto or Sakura, there was a chance they walked into a trap. They heard the sound of a high-powered engine approaching and turned around to find a black truck pulling up. The passenger door opened as the vehicle stopped in front of them. Kakashi jumped out, looking for the SUV containing his daughter.

"Where are they?" Kakashi asked.

"Hinata reported Naruto and the car are here," Tenten answered.

The silver-haired man cursed under his breath. "Change in the objective," Kakashi reported into his communicator. "We have to locate Sakura immediately."

Itachi exited out of the driver's side of the truck with a calm demeanor. He walked toward the spot the SUV was originally parked at and looked closely for clues. The fresh powder falling from the sky had covered their tracks enough to prevent anyone from following them. Along the covered sidewalk, dark orbs spotted a spec of blood in the snow. He looked closely and saw there was barely a trail left. Pulling out his gun, he followed the trail to an alleyway entrance. The streetlights did little to illuminate the dark area that he let his onyx orbs turn crimson. His vision improved, allowing him to see deeper into the darkness.

"I've located Naruto," Itachi said into his communicator.

Kakashi headed toward the alleyway and went straight to his former student. The blond was slumped against the brick wall with a small blanket of snow covering him. Parked right by him was the black motorcycle he was all too familiar with whom it belonged to. He checked Naruto's vitals and was relieved to know the man was in good health, just knocked out. Spotting a blinking light beside the young agent, Kakashi swept away the snow and found the tracker box that was supposed to be inside the car's glove compartment. Looking back up at his student, he saw a red spot with some dried blood on the side of Naruto's neck and examined it closely. It was a needle puncture inserted in with precision.

"Sakura."

"How certain are you of this Tsunade-sama?" Minato asked as he rubbed his temples.

He was running on very little sleep as is and with this latest development, he'd probably get even less. He knew when he accepted the position of director from his predecessor that it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. The burden of making the difficult decision ultimately fell onto his shoulders, even with the support of knowledgable consults. Sensitive information is first brought to his attention to process before deciding on who needed to know.

"I have no doubts about it," she answered. "I've already reached out to our sister branches to compare the intelligence collected."

"If what you say is true, we have to put everyone on high alert again." He opened the report before him. "I'll have to set up an emergency meeting with the other directors to make sure they're fully aware of what's going on."

"We also suspect that it's on a larger scale than what happened almost six years ago," Tsunade added.

The director sighed as he sat back in his chair. "What about Fugaku and Izumi? How do their deaths tie into all of this?"

"Likely revenge," Jiraiya speculated. "Itachi and Sasuke were the ones that found out about the initial incident that started everything."

"That doesn't explain Izumi's death."

"She must have found out about Mizuki's involvement and was killed to keep his cover," the white-haired man said. "It's the most logical explanation."

Minato closed his eyes to process his thoughts. The sister branches of ANBU in other states were facing the same kidnapping and disappearance crimes as Konohagakure. A drug of some sort that enhanced human capabilities beyond their limits was being tested on victims and circulating the black market. A branch of law enforcement they were all familiar with was likely involved with covering up the crimes to hide the perpetrator. Interrogation resulted in a name that had currently lead them to a dead-end, but Sasuke seemed to know more than he's willing to share.

He wished he could consult with his predecessors to gage what choices were available during this situation. The closest he had were the two before him and he trusted their judgment and advice. There was one other person he trusted to help him delegate his thoughts who was unfortunately no longer around.

"I'll brief the directors at dawn then let selected few in our branch know." He opened his eyes and looked at the senior members before him. "Let us put a face to our ghost."

She drove the vehicle slowly through the snow-covered road, following the directions the global positioning system displayed. The medic had not been told where they were going, but she trusted her husband. As she turned off the main road and onto a dirt path, Sakura glanced over at Sasuke in the passenger seat. Not long after they had left the scene, the drained assassin dozed off. She wanted him to stay awake, fearing that he would never wake up, but his even breathing continued to reassure her.

When the headlights landed the large mountainside, she slowed the car down, stopping before a dead end. She looked at the GPS and it showed they had arrived at their destination. She looked around her surroundings and noticed they were encompassed by the forest with only the headlights of the vehicle to illuminate the dark. Uncertain about the location, Sakura turned to her husband. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder to wake him, but the moment her hand came in contact with him, his eyes shot open, revealing his spinning red orbs. Sakura jumped back, unused to his reactions that related to his assassin instincts. Seeing his wife's shocked expression, he let his eyes fade back to the onyx ones she was used to.

She had followed her husband's clear instructions. After their call had ended, she packed whatever medical supplies were in the room, and a few days worth of clothes for both of them. She found the ammunition magazine with the tranquilizer bullets he had mentioned and carefully extracted smaller dosages into five separate syringes. She worked quickly since she had invited Naruto over earlier, never expecting it to all work. After subduing Naruto, she ran past the blond to aid her husband. He was wounded badly but knew she didn't have much time to treat him thoroughly and attempt to get away from everyone else.

He turned his gaze away from her and took in their surroundings. Realizing where they were, Sasuke reached over to the GPS and pushed an option displayed on the screen. She heard some rumbling and saw the mountainside before her produce an opening. Without hesitation, she drove the car slowly into the small space. The moment she applied the brakes, she felt the vehicle shake slightly as something locked onto the wheels. They sat in their seats as the vehicle was lowered down. Curious, Sakura looked up and saw the mountainside opening close as they were lowered down somewhere. A few seconds later, they came to a complete stop. The lights within the carport began to turn on automatically, slightly blinding her after having been out driving in the dark. Once her vision cleared up, she switched off the headlights and then the engine.

Sasuke opened the door and slowly got out, leaning against the car for support. She hurried out and went over to the other side of the vehicle to help him, but he shook his head, telling her he was fine on his own. She bit her lower lip as she watched his battered form walk to the exit, doing her best to keep composed. She grabbed her backpack and the duffle bag she had pack, leaving the second duffle Itachi has given her and the other containing her husband's weaponry. She quietly followed him from behind, watching his injured form, ready to drop everything to help him.

When they exited the garage into the living room, Sakura was mesmerized by the interior design. The floors were all a bright hardwood maple brown without a spec of dusk. The walls were painted a creamy white and had various familiar family photos hanging up. The place was fully furnished and felt homey even though it was underground. The young doctor desired more time to take in her surroundings, but her priority was to care for her injured husband.

Sasuke continued toward the hallway to his room as Sakura stared at him worrying. He looked like a zombie, completely unresponsive to his surroundings as he walked. It was her first time seeing him physically broken that it scared her. She had tried to prepare herself mentally when Sasuke had called her, but it wasn't easy. She had been unknowingly protected her entire life from the hideous world only to be thrown into it all in one night. A single tear slide down her cheek as the memories from that night came back to her. She wanted to lock them away, but her heart wouldn't allow her to forget.

New tears began to slowly flow from her eyes thoughts about her beloved daughter Suki filled her mind. Sakura quickly reached up with her gloved hands to wipe away the tears. She had to be strong not just for her own sake, but for her husband's as well. Taking several deep breaths, she calmed herself before heading toward the bedroom with the backpack full of medical necessitates. When she entered the bedroom, she was surprised to see that it looked almost exactly like the one back in headquarters, minus the walk-in closet. Sakura took off her gloves and jacket, letting her body settle into the warmth of the residence. She seated herself on the bed and began to take out everything that was in the backpack to place on the nightstand.

As she moved several strands of her short hair behind her ear, she felt her cheeks were still lightly moist from her earlier tears. With no desire of leaving any evidence of her crying, she went into the bathroom to wash her face. Water still flowed from the showerhead when she entered, the steam from the running hot water was thick and moisture fogged up the mirror. She went over to the sink and turned the faucet, not wanting to disturb her husband as he bathed away his ordeal. As she rinsed her face off, Sakura wished she could wash away all emotional discomfort that filled her. While she dried off her face, she didn't hear the shower switch off and her husband approached her from behind.

"You cut your hair."

Sakura immediately turned around to face the man behind her. His body was completely exposed to her, allowing her to see every single cut and bruise he had received over the past few days. He was drying himself off with a towel before wrapping it around his waist. A light blush came across her cheeks as she nodded. He came to a stop in front of her, staring into her emerald orbs. She reached up with her right hand and stroked his cheek. Just seeing him standing before her felt like a dream that she had to be sure he was real. Her slender fingers trailed down his face to the silver chain around his neck that held his wedding ring. Unable to hold back any longer, Sasuke crashed his lips upon hers, ravishing her. Though surprised by his sudden action, Sakura kissed him back, pouring all the emotions she had kept bottle up for him to feel. When her lunged demanded oxygen, she broke the kiss, and her husband trailed his lips against her jaw to her neck.

"Stop Sasuke-kun," she said, placing her hands against his chest and pushing him gently back. "I… I can't… not yet…" He withdrew and looked at her with slightly saddened eyes. "I mean you're hurt and -"

He placed a single gentle kiss against her lips, stopping her from finishing her sentence. She was an open book to him that he didn't need her to finish speaking to know what was on her mind. He stood back and released her from his arms. Without another word, Sasuke exited out of the bathroom giving his wife time to collect herself. Sakura quickly gathered herself together, feeling horrible for having denied her husband the closeness he desired after having been separated for so long. She dearly wanted to be intimate with him, but her body still needed time to recover from giving birth and her emotional state wasn't all that great either. Sakura exited out and found Sasuke sitting in his boxers on the bed, cleaning and applying some ointment onto his wounds. She sat beside him and took the supplies from him.

"Let me do it."

Sasuke didn't say a word and let Sakura care for his injuries. Time seemed to pass slowly and neither said a word. It was her first time seeing him beaten up badly that it scared her. The bruises on his body were purple and blue, covering most of his pale skin. He had open wounds that needed to be treated properly before being bandaged. He would hiss at times when Sakura either dabbed a disinfectant soaked cotton ball or applied ointment over his cuts. Luckily the cuts didn't require a needle and thread but still needed adhesive butterfly stitches to close. She didn't understand how his body was able to endure through so much without passing out from the pain. She had never seen a single scare on his body and was certain he would have marks left over this time. He needed a thorough examination to ensure there weren't any fractures or broken bones but knew he would be against because it required going to a hospital or back to headquarters. After securing the final dressing around his torso, she wrapped her arms around his body, minding his wounded body, and leaned her head against his back. He instinctively placed his hands over hers.

"I'm glad you're safe," she whispered.

Itachi sat at the table in the debriefing room with a hot cup of coffee in one hand and his cellphone in another. He read the coded message he had received, relieved to know everything had worked out as planned. Sasuke had called to ask him to make some arrangements and he didn't hesitate to help. Knowing his actions would be watched closely, he had advised Sasuke to involve Sakura since no one would expect her participation. Though disliking the idea, Itachi had made several valid points that left no room for disagreement. The couple was at their family's safe house, far away enough to allow them to spend the needed time alone with one another. Having heard some interesting information, he wrote back in code to tell his brother what he needed to know and pressed send.

"You shouldn't have done what you did Itachi."

The said man turned his head slightly to see the silver-haired man walking towards him with his cup of coffee in hand. He raised a brow in response to his senior.

"And what have I done?"

"You know exactly what I mean." He was slightly glaring at the nonchalant man."We had orders to keep my daughter safe and under twenty-four-seven surveillance."

"Hn."

The older man couldn't only sigh. "Do you know why I was opposed to Sakura dating your brother?" Itachi didn't say a word to allow the man to continue. "I wanted to give her a chance at a normal life away from all this danger that surrounds us." He rubbed his temples. "Sasuke made her the happiest woman alive and I didn't know if I could tear her away from what made her happy."

"You know you've sheltered her for far too long Kakashi," Itachi said. "We scripted her life to keep her away and it was inevitable that it went off script."

"I always knew she would find out someday, but not like this."

"We've kept our secrets from her just as you had requested. Now that we've been exposed, she needs to know the truth."

"That's what I'm afraid of, the truth."

He laid on his back staring straight up at the ceiling of his dimly lit room. There was a lot on his mind and it prevented him from getting any sleep. Their accommodation was set to a warm temperature, allowing him to wear just a pair of sweats to bed. He shifted his eyes to the figure lying against his bare chest. The tiny lamp on the bedside table illuminated his wife's face and arm. Though injured and in pain, he craved her warmth and kept her by his side. His right arm was wrapped around her waist possessively. She was dressed in an oversized button-up sleeping shirt that reached down mid-thigh. Her legs were neatly tangled with his right, mindful of his injuries. Occasionally he would tenderly stroker her side, momently making her jump and wake from her slumber. He had noted she was tense and uneasy since reuniting with her.

He turned to look at the digital clock on the light stand. It was seven in the morning and he had gotten no more than two hours of sleep. Sasuke shifted his weight slightly and hissed at the sudden discomfort that shot through his body. His hold around Sakura tightened as his muscles tensed, causing her to wake. Her medical instincts kicked in and she tilted her head up to look at him. Her left hand reached up to touch his forehead to ensure he didn't have a fever then to his neck to check his pulse rate. His eyes were shut tight and his left fist clenched as he waited for the pain to subside. He has opted not to take any of the pain meds offered to him, wanting to stay as clear-headed as he possibly could. When his body began to relax and his heart rate normalize, she turned her gaze away from his face to rest against him peacefully once more.

"I'm a member of the special assassination and tactical squad."

Sakura looked up at her husband. "Sasuke-kun you don't —"

"You wanted to know who I am," he said, cutting her off. "Then I'll tell you."

What he said was true. That night she had demanded him to tell her everything, but he stated it was better she didn't know. She sat up on her knees and looked at her husband. It was a conversation she needed to look him in the eyes to hear. She took hold of the hand that was once around her waist into her lap and quietly waiting for him to continue.

"We secretly protect Konohagakure from exceptional threats, conduct high-risk missions into enemy territory, and deal with extremely influential individuals and groups. We are responsible for carrying out tracking, surveillance, assassination, and tasks that require our specialties. We solve screw-ups and corruption either overlooked or unknown before they get out of hand. We are known as ANBU."

"Father joined a year or two before Itachi was born after resigning as chief of police. Mother never told us his reasons for doing so, but brother and I suspected it had to do with the corruption within the system he couldn't correct."

Sakura understood that corruption was everywhere, but the extent of it differs is various institutions and situations. But wasn't it the government's job to respond and deal with terrorist-like treats and activities? Why does a shadow organization need to exist and step in where they lack? She had so many questions she wanted to ask but knew there was a time for it later.

Her gaze went down at the hand she held. "Why did you join?"

"I joined because of Itachi," he simply answered, not wanting to expand into the topic. "Father had us trained at a young age to ensure we were prepared and able to protect ourselves in the event of anything. I started training around seven and at ten, Kakashi took the idiot and me in as his students."

She didn't have to ask to know who the idiot Sasuke was referring to was. She continued to look at the hand she held and drew circles with her right index fingers on his palm. There were burning questions she wanted to him to address but was hesitant to ask. Sakura was scared of what the answer may be, not knowing if she would be strong enough if the answer was something she was unprepared for.

"When I first met you," she started hesitantly. "Was it because of a mission?"

"We were tasked to protect you." He shifted his gaze toward her to gauge her reaction. Sasuke didn't necessarily answer her with a yes or a no but spoke the truth. "In addition to capturing an enemy group who had been stocking you."

He said no more to let her process his words and ask her any follow up questions. Sakura remembered the first time she had met Sasuke like it was yesterday. Tenten had suggested that she tag along with her to hang out with some of her friends she had made before transferring to the all-girls junior high school. Though totally against the idea initially, she didn't expect to meet with Naruto and her childhood best friend. After reuniting with the two, the knucklehead had introduced his little sister to his best friend. After a year of friendship and having to transfer to Konoha's most prestigious high school upon Tsuande's recommendation, Sasuke had asked her to be his girlfriend.

Counting back to when they first started dating to their current marriage, they had been together for nine years. For nine years she had felt completely safe in the presents of a killer, that even now she still felt the same. Sakura was raised by one and surprising as dangerous as he had described himself to be, she felt safe when her father was around. She was oblivious to it all until it came crashing down; with no time to gather her emotions, she didn't know if she should be furious, content, or depressed. Then one question popped into her mind; how much of her life was scripted to protect her?

"Was a majority of my life planned around being protected at all times if dangerous situations occurred?"

Sasuke nodded guiltily to answer. Sakura immediately tossed his hand away as if it were smoldering hot. She now understood why her father didn't want to tell her everything. He had known he would be painting almost everyone she knew as a bad guy.

"Then what about us?" Anger and hurt filled her. "Did you start a relationship with me because you were ordered to? Did you marry me because it was a mission to protect me?" She didn't allow him to answer and threw out her questions. "Do you even love me as I do you?"

Despite the pain, Sasuke sat up immediately and crashed his lips fully onto hers. His left hand held the back of her head as his right gripped her left arm to keep her from escaping as he poured his feeling out toward her. Sakura was completely taken by surprise but instantly melted into his kiss. He licked her lips and she replied by parting them. His right arm wrapped around her petite frame and pulled her in closer to his body, her clothed chest pressed flush against his bare one. Their tongues danced together before he finally pulled back. His forehead was pressed against hers as he stared into her half-lidded eyes. He had taken her breath away with that kiss that she could only imagine the passion intimacy they could have gotten into if she hadn't denied him earlier.

"Don't ever doubt my feelings for you," he said quietly with a hint of anger. "I've gone through hell to keep our relationship despite all the disapproval and threats."

She stared into his dark pools and thought about their past. She recalled the weekend after their first date, Sasuke had shown up to school with a cut lip, a small wound by his left temple, and some bruising on his arm and torso. When she had asked about it, he had told her it was some intense judo training and she completely bought it. Naruto had given Sasuke the silent treatment for about a week before he finally cracked. Her best friend had tried to convince her that he was a bad choice due to their personalities being opposites, especially his attitude and behavior. Her father had been indifferent about the man until they started dating. Kakashi had blocked all forms of possible communications that enabled her to talk to Sasuke until she spent a whole weekend at his place. Tsunade was always openly opinionated with her dislikes of his arrogance and inability to communicate like a normal person. When she broke the news of becoming engaged, Naruto and Tsunade flipped out and her father had been no different. She thought it was probably because Sasuke hadn't asked for her guardians' blessing but now knew better.

Sakura brought her hands up and cupped his face. She knew her family and friends didn't completely approve of her being with Sasuke in the beginning, but never imaged it had been that bad. He had never pointed any of them out to be the bad guy and shouldered it all on his own. He made reasonable excuses for everything and she never ended up questioning them. There were so many signs, but she was completely dense about it all.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just… all this…"

"I know."

Sasuke didn't say another word and held her close. Telling her the truth was more difficult than he had imagined it to be and he had only just started. He wanted to be completely honest with her but knew it would take some time for her to be able to accept everything.

"Why are there so many secrets?"

He didn't answer her, not knowing what to say. He then remembered the coded message his brother had sent him. It was time they learn the truth about Sakura's background.

It was mid-morning as certain agents filled the smaller lecture hall like room. Minato, Tsunade, and Jiraiya stood at the front, making sure all that were summoned arrived. Kakashi stood by the entrance, waiting for the signal from the director to close the doors to ensure no one unauthorized would enter. Once everyone was was present and seated, Minato gave the silver-haired man up top a slight nod. After securing the entrance, he took his seat among the others in attendance to hear what their boss needed to say.

"For all of you present," the director started. "This will sound familiar."

He pushed a key on the dashboard and a photo of Sakura came upon the large screen behind him. No one said a word, but he saw the look of confusion on the faces of everyone except for Kakashi and Itachi.

"Your main priority when not on assignment is the full protection of Uchiha Sakura."

The director wasn't surprised by the baffled expression he received upon announcing their main task. All those present had been part of Sakura's protection for years without question when her life was threatened years ago, but to be called upon once again to do so was unexpected. Yes, they knew the recent attack on one of their own meant everyone needed to be on high alert, but to single out the pink-haired woman specifically was unexpected.

He had consulted the seniors beside him on revealing more detailed information to allow the team a better understanding of their task. Though against it, Tsunade and Jiraya knew they had to be transparent with the information to ensure everyone had a full grasp of the situation they were now in. The records regarding Sakura's birth, infancy, and medial details were highly classified information that only a small handful of people knew about. Those that had been assigned to protect the pink-haired woman only knew she was the daughter of Hatake Kakashi and prized pupil of Senji Tsunade. The Uchiha family had been given slightly more detail due to Sasuke's relationship with her. The situation was no different from the past, but the danger level had certainly escalated.

"I want all of you here to listen closely," Tsunade said seriously, taking the floor. "What we're about to disclose to you is highly classified information. If I get wind of anyone one of you slipping up, I will personally punish you." She slammed her palms down on the table before her to ensure she had everyone's attention. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

She took in a breath before continuing. "As all of you remember," she began. "Otogakure's civil unrest years ago was initiated by the deaths of several political figures that Orochimaru murdered after betraying us. He took control of the city for his scientific benefits and hurt all of us at ANBU." Her hands clenched into fists on either side of her as memories of that time came back. "All branches suffered losses in their ranks. Our family and friends were killed in action by those who swore loyalty to him."

Tsunade allowed a moment of silence to take hold of the room as everyone recalled those devastating times. Everyone had lost someone they knew. The death of their previous director, who came out from retirement to assist was the biggest loss of all. It was a piece of their organization's history everyone wish would never happen again.

"Orochimaru wasn't just targeting Sakura because she could be used as leverage against us," she continued. "He was after Sakura because of her unique DNA. She holds the code that could make genetic manipulation a reality, possibly even stabilizing cloning."

No one was a stranger to Orochimaru's science experiments or his greed for creating and becoming the ultimate human being. What they didn't understand was how Sakura fitted into everything.

"As all of you are aware, Sakura is Kakashi's adopted daughter. If any of you went snooping," she eyed Shikamaru in particular, who mumbled troublesome in response. "You found a generic birth certificate and closed adoption papers that were filed. Unfortunately, they're all forged documents to cover up who she really is."

The busty woman pushed a key on the dashboard and two portraits appeared on the screen. The man and woman looked to be in their late thirties to early forties. The man had dark peach skin, jet black hair, and dark hooded eyes. Even though they were looking at a photo, some in the room felt uncomfortable about the static gaze the man had that seem to peer into one's fears. The woman was a beautiful short haired blond with light hazel eyes and fair skin.

"These two are Sakura's actual birth parents, Takashi Riku and Kazumi Shiro. The names on the birth certificate, Haruro Kizashi and Mebuki, were the last alias they used before capture. They are both labeled as S-rank criminals in our books and their research was the bases for what Orochimaru was doing. He was a chemist with and minor in genetics and she was a geneticist with a minor in obstetrics and gynecology who both graduated at the top of their class. ANBU had plans to approach them upon graduating to join, but a billionaire had hired them to join his extremely well-funded research company."

"It wasn't the money that drew them in," Tsunade stated. "It was a challenge of an impossible case that just happened to be the CEO's son. The boy was consistently sick with something in addition to the genetic illnesses he inherited. Even I was puzzled with what was wrong with the boy and could only say his body was degrading." She turned to look at the photos, disappointed about the path their life headed. "After about a year and a half, they had made a phenomenal breakthrough. Their solution was to enhance the human body so that there would be no flaws. They were ready to move into the human trails but were denied due to insufficient data regarding longterm effects. Unsatisfied, they left the company taking their research and data with them to start testing illegally."

"They were consistently on the move, conducting their experiments wherever and whenever they could. Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Amegakure. Daycares, treatment centers, hospitals, shelters, homeless. They weren't biased on who they conducted their experiments on as long as they got more data," Minato said. "It took us some time to figure out their movement pattern, but when we started getting close to apprehending them, Riku and Shiro weren't able to fully conduct their experiments and opted to test on themselves."

"While they were on the move, Orochimaru had encountered them and assisted them in evading us many times," Jiraiya brought up. "We also speculated he assisted in performing some of the experiments. When he started to conduct his own trails, he used their research in addition to what he was already pursuing to create."

"Sakura carries no resemblance to her birth parents because her genetic makeup was altered by the experiments," Tsunade said, bring the topic back to the pink-haired woman. "Before Shiro had conceived, she had been exposing herself to trials. Once she was pregnant, she continued to conduct the experiments, and eventually, the fetus in her womb changed and adopted. Unfortunately, we still haven't fully uncovered all the effects of the exposure. One thing that does make Sakura unique is her immune system. Her leukocyte count is normal on a daily basis, but when a foreign substance or disease attackers her body, leukocyte count skyrockets and produces a cure. Usually, this can be fatal for a normal human being because the body could be attacking itself."

"What's le…lego… letgo… whatever Sakura-chan has?" Naruto asked, having a difficult time wrapping his thoughts on the science.

"Leukocyte is the scientific term for white blood cell dobe."

The screen automatically split and displayed a live webcam feed of Sasuke. The young agent was seated on a coffee color leader sofa, dressed casually. Seriousness was written all over his body language, indicating he wanted to get down to business fast.

"You have a lot of explaining to do brat!" Tsunade yelled. "Deifying orders and kidnapping your wife from our safety! Where's Sakura?"

"Processing what she just heard."

Tsunade was beyond livid at this point. "How much did she hear?" she asked angrily, hating the situation. They had planned to tell Sakura the truth of her birth parents when she was ready and not throw everything out at her. "How much does she know?"

"Everything that was said," answered Sasuke. "She knows the truth about her biological parents."

"Then do you know who's been targeting her Sasuke?" Minato asked, taking over. "Certainly you have gathered information when you went out on your own."

"The man we're looking for exists."

"Our systems only found the name Takushi Kabuto regarding the accident that claimed the boy's life," Minato countered, hoping Sasuke would elaborate more. "We have no way of finding this person if he's using the name of the deceased boy."

"I met him once, years ago," Sasuke said, frustrated with the siltation. "Orochimaru saw him as an assistant to his works and covered his tracks for him."

"You failed to mention that little detail to us," Minato said. "Why didn't you tell us? What other information have you been hiding from us?"

"I only confirmed my suspicions recently," Sasuke responded. "The research Orochimaru was conducting is being continued and it's different than before."

"We need more physical evidence to determine that the research is continuing," Minato said. "What we have currently has shown minimal similarities to the original case. As you are aware, the place you directed us to was blown up and brunt to the point that there's little for us to collect."

"Tch. Give me two days and I'll make sure we have the evidence we need."

The video feed ended leaving everyone to wonder what the young Uchiha was planning.

Sasuke's clenched his fist tightly to the point his blunt nails were digging into his skin. The scumbag he had been after purposely destroyed the location to keep his research safe. He had been so close, only to be thrown off course completely and forced to start from the beginning again. He wanted to release his anger upon something, but he needed his body to rest and heal if he was going to carry out what he promised. The only issue that bothered him most was the fact that he would likely need to get Sakura involved. He knew she wouldn't be willing to partake but also feared what could happen. Her oddly colored hair was a dead give away to whom she was if she was spotted out in public.

Getting up from his seat with potential solutions crossing his mind, he walked to the kitchen and found his wife standing in front of the stove, waiting for the water to boil in the kettle. She was dressed in a light gray off the shoulder tunic dress with black leggings. She stood almost completely motionless with her arms wrapped around her body. He quietly walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slightly chilled body. She jumped in surprise when she felt the warmth of her husband against her, knocking her out of her thoughts.

He pressed a gentle kiss against her right temple before burying his face into her now short tress; it was his way of asking if she was all right. She didn't know what to say or how to react. Part of her still felt tormented by the truth. He could tell from her distressed look at she was trapped trying to accept the bitter news of who her birth parents really were. Even he had been curious but never imaged the facts to be so secret.

"Why couldn't they be like every other civilized person?" she questioned quietly.

Sasuke turned her around to face him. Tears were threatened to spill, but she wouldn't let them. She had spilled more tears in the past week than she ever had in a year and it was all because of the secrets that were kept from her. She held hatred toward her biological parents, but was in some ways thankful, for if they didn't do what they had done, she probably would have never met Sasuke. Though deep down she always wondered what if…

PLEASE REVIEW! To all of those that have reviewed, favorite, and follow, I thank you very much. I hope to complete the next chapter faster than I did with this one. The next chapter will contain little hints of Sasuke's next mission with Sakura involved. So please stick around!