Chapter 2: Illusion

Pulling the door shut, Sakura locked it with a turn of her small silver key and slipped it in the clip on her bracelet. Her spare key was in her pack, safe from anyone who wanted to steal it to break in. Running a hand through her soft hair she gazed at the star lit sky and made her way down from her apartment, heading for the main gates. The scroll was also included in her pack from the earlier summoning; which was earlier than usual.

Climbing down the steps, she walked through the empty streets; taking glances at the closed shops and saw that Ichiraku's was still closed. Smiling to herself, she turned a corner and saw that no one was there at the large doors yet. Breathing in the fresh, cool air she leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky, watching the stars glitter. About ten minutes passed by and Genma hadn't arrived yet. Shifting out of her position, she kept glancing back at the main road, worried that something had happened. About to take a look back, she heard a loud and tired voice coming from that direction. Breathing in a sigh of relief, she faintly smiled and watched as her team and Genma stepped out of the shadows, all with exhausted faces.

"I didn't know that you were also assigned to this mission," Sakura greeted, stepping up to them brightly. She noticed that Naruto still had a nightcap on, his eyes drooping.

"Yep, Lady Tsunade called us in at the last moment," Kakashi-sensei explained, grinning as he stood in the front the team.

"Why is it so early?" Naruto complained, an annoyed look on his face as he glared back at the Hokage tower. Sasuke frowned as he stared at his friend with the blue nightcap, swiping it off, chucking it back at him.

"You're not supposed to have that on," The Uchiha snapped, dark bags under his eyes, showing his irritation and exhaustion. Naruto glared back at the black chicken haired ninja and shoved it in his face.

"Shut up!" He yelled, his annoyance surrounding everyone; all except Genma. He was completely unharmed by the loud bickering of the teammates. Kakashi looked like he was about to murder someone in that duo while Sakura tried hard not to knock them both in the head as a vein twitched in her temple.

"Stop yelling at me! It's three in the morning and I have only gotten two hours of sleep!" Naruto bellowed, his arms waving frantically in the air.

"You're making my ear's bleed with your screeching so why don't you shut your mouth and be quiet!" Sasuke hissed back, his eyes narrowed down to slits and his sharingan glowing in the dark. Sakura's fists shook as she lowered her head, a scowl forming on her lips.

"Enough!" She loudly said, her eyes flashing dangerously as the two friends stopped immediately to look at their friend. They both turned to her and looked at each other, glaring. Sakura huffed and walked up to them, grabbing a fist full of their uniforms.

"I. Have. Had. Enough. Of. Your. Bickering! Now be quiet so we can get going on this mission!" She said in a deadly voice, shaking the two of them like a couple of wet rags. Releasing them, she sighed again and pulled at the tufts of her hair, straightening them out as she walked back to Genma's side.

"She's right. You two," Kakashi-sensei interfered, stepping in to look at the two teens who still gave cold glares to each other. "Keep what you are going to say to yourselves. You're Jounin's now and I don't need to tell you both off to let you know that bickering will never solve anything." He said in a serious tone, his knowledge of war and peace showing in that single gray eye of his. He was raised in the war and knew much of it as he grew up.

Naruto grumbled under his breath as he crossed his arms, stuffing the nightcap into his pack in one quick motion. Sasuke closed his eyes and in the next minute that passed, he looked like nothing had happened in those few moments that just happened. Instead, his gaze traveled over to a stressed out Sakura who stood beside a calm and quiet Genma; jealously ignited in the pit of his stomach, catching him off guard.

He was never jealous of anyone other than Naruto.

Blinking away his astonishment, he found the others looking back at him. Sakura had an eyebrow raised in curiosity while Naruto had an innocent look in his clear blue eyes. Kakashi was facing the trees on the outside, chatting with Genma quietly.

"C'mon Sasuke," Sakura said softly, smiling. Again, a twinge of pain stabbed his heart as the suffix "-kun" disappeared from his name, possibly to never come back again. He walked up to his friends silently as they headed out through the gates, the crickets singing their song.

Kakashi-sensei led the team and soon they were rushing through the air silently, jumping on branches as Sakura explained the details of the mission they were assigned. Naruto was zoning out as his eyes started to close frequently. Suddenly, he lost his balance and slipped off a branch. The pink haired kunoichi noticed immediately and grabbed a branch below, swinging on one arm to catch the sleep deprived ninja.

Landing on the ground, she slung his arm over his shoulder while the others on the team landed down in front of her, concerned for her safety and the sleeping one. Sakura put Naruto against a tree, his head shifting its position.

"He's okay, just a bit tired that's all." She said back to her teammates, turning around feeling a bit sleepy herself. "Why don't we let him sleep for a bit?" She added, a look of hope in her eyes. Kakashi-sensei gave in and nodded, setting his things down next to the blonde ninja, sitting beside him.

Sakura kept her distance and sat on a branch above the two ninja's, gazing up at the stars that would soon disappear in few hours time. Her eyes going distant, Sasuke silently sat across from her, his thoughts scrambled in his mind. Every time he looked at her, there was a sadness that passed in front of her face each time. It made him want to go back into the past to take her with him on the mission they went on for years.

"Sakura," He quietly spoke, catching her attention. She lifted her head and gave him a smile, greeting him.

"Sasuke," She replied in the same tone, kind and friendly.

"Can I…ask you something?" Sasuke asked, trying not to choke on his words. He wanted to know the answer, yet the question was the most difficult thing to ask.

"Go ahead," The pink haired girl said with a nod, waiting for his question.

"Did…did something happen while Naruto and I were gone?" He asked, his onyx eyes filled with that guilt he felt when the look of surprise passed in front of her peaceful looking face.

"N-no, nothing in particular happened," She replied quickly, keeping her eyes from meeting her friend's.

"Sakura," He softly said, wanting her to tell her what the problem was. She met his eyes and was faced with a hardened gaze, a barrier in front of them.

"I'd rather not talk about it Sasuke," She firmly said, serious. "Besides, you already know." She finished, jumping off from the branch as Kakashi-sensei motioned for her to come down. Sasuke watched in silence as the girl he knew three years ago, changed in front of his eyes; from the annoying fangirl, to an understanding, emotional teenage girl.

Illusion

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, walking up to the one eyed Jounin. He grinned and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I told you already; I'm not your sensei anymore. Kakashi is fine." He said as he nodded.

"Well what about Oji-san?" The kunoichi suggested with a quirk of her eyebrow. His hand slipping off her shoulder, he sighed and waved his hand, telling her to go on.

"I'm not that old." He replied, walking back to his spot next to Naruto. Rolling her eyes, Sakura turned away from him and jumped up onto a high branch, leaning on it as she looked out into the mountains in the horizon.

She spotted Genma down at the trunk below her tree and saw him sleeping with the toothpick in his mouth. Smirking, she shook her head and continued to look out at the horizon till a bright flash hit the world and soon, the sun was starting to rise from behind those tall mountains, its rays hitting the clouds like a beam of light, truly giving a beautiful and peaceful feeling into the air. Hearing a rustle below, she saw Kakashi-sensei getting up from his spot, an awoken and hyper-active ninja by his side.

"Alright, let's get going. Sakura," Her teacher looked up at her as Sasuke, Naruto and Genma stood by his side.

"Hai!" She replied, a determined look on her face.

"When we get to the next town, buy what you need for healing. Who knows who we could jump into," He replied, giving her a nod of approval. The pink haired kunoichi nodded and jumped ahead, the others following her.

About an hour passed and no one in the group complained of the stabbing pain in their side from staying in the air for so long. Sakura had a few soldier pills in her pocket, once in a while taking one to keep her stamina up. Landing on the ground, the five of them stopped at the edge of the town they visited and walked in, seeing that it was a lively place to be.

"Okay, I'll go and get my supplies; you can go get some ramen or something. I'll meet up with you later," Sakura said, starting to walk away from the group and into the crowd of people.

"Right, Naruto, you and Sasuke check this place out. Genma and I will find a place for us to stay." Kakashi instructed before disappearing in a puff of smoke, followed by Genma doing the same.

The two friends exchanged glances and shrugged, walking together off into the town. They bumped into a few people along the way, looking at shops and people shopping. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as he glanced back, feeling a sinister presence around.

Itachi? He thought with widened eyes. Shaking his head, he refused to believe it. This isn't the feeling of him. His chakra isn't this…deathly and cold. It has a different sense to it. He added, glancing around for the person who could possibly be the culprit.

The only thing that crossed his vision was faces of extremely happy people; too happy. Grabbing Naruto's shoulder, he turned him slightly and leaned close to his ear, whispering what he was now realizing. The blonde nodded and looked around, his eyes wandering for the strange chakra. However, in the shadows of a darkened alley, a tinge of purple rose through the air and yellow snake like eyes flashed in the dark, a low maddening laugh coming from it.

"We meet again, Sasuke-kun." He hissed, smiling.

Illusion

"Ugh!" Sakura cried out as she was shoved to the ground, the bag of medicine crashing to the ground, glass breaking and leaking out of the container. Looking up, a shadow covered her from the sun but she couldn't see who the person was; the sun was in the way.

Rolling on her back, she jumped to her feet and instantly put her hands out in front of her, getting hit with a punch on her crossed arms. Shoes skidding on the ground, she put her hands down and glared back at the person in front of her. The dust cleared and she blinked as the surrounding people soon turned into dark hooded figures that held in their hands, torches. The village that was supposed to be a happy and joyful place, faded into a murdered, bloody town.

An illusion! Sakura thought as she gritted her teeth, watching the people who circled around her. Had Kakashi and the others noticed? Do they know where she is? Shaking her head, she got rid of the thoughts, clenching her fists.

It doesn't matter now! I can fight them myself! She thought, glaring at a young woman with a dark shade of purple as the color of her hair. She wore a cloak over a jounin outfit and it stood clear that the village she came from Sound.

"I've caught you finally," The Sound ninja sneered as she ruffled her hair with the back of her hand. Narrowing her eyes, Sakura leaned forward and tried to stare her down.

"What do you need from me?" She asked quietly, fully alert with the hooded figures that surrounded the lone apprentice. The ninja smirked and pointed at her with a gloved hand.

"Just to give something to you," She replied as she snapped her fingers loudly. Reacting instantly, Sakura leaped back as the figure around her pounced into a pile in front of her. Turning around, she burst through the wall and found herself at the edge of the abandoned village, seeing none of her teammates. The crack of a branch made her whirl around to see the Sound ninja standing in front of her with a syringe in her hand, the clutch pulled back.

"Now, just hold still and it'll be over." She softly said, approaching the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura appeared under her and slapped the syringe out of her hand, grabbing her by the wrists, delivering a punch into her stomach. She flew back into the streets of the village, dust floating in the air. The pink haired teen picked up the syringe and looked at the substance curiously.

It was a blue and bubbly kind of liquid; to just think about it going into her made her shudder. Stuffing it into her shuriken pouch, she took a glance at the unmoving figure on the ground and stared at it. Widening her eyes, she dashed to the side just in time to avoid a barrage of weapons landing in the spot where she stood.

It was a Bunshin! Sakura thought angrily as she made her way through the buildings of the town, trying to find her teammates. Think! Calm down Sakura; just try to find their chakra. Her calm side talked, keeping her sane. Closing her eyes for a moment, she located four intense chakra's at the other edge of the village. She could sense the hooded figure's chakra there as well.

"So they're trying to split us," She murmured, running through the streets as fast as she could, trying to outrun her pursuer behind her. Letting a wave of chakra out around her, she hoped with everything she had that her friends had sensed it. Turning around, she whipped a kunai out and clashed with the Sound ninja's own.

"What's in that syringe?" Sakura demanded, switching to taijustu, landing a punch on her face. She kicked her stomach and they both flew back.

"Something to transform you into the most useful weapon to Sound," The jounin replied, smirking as she pulled another syringe from her pouch. It was filled with that same bubbling liquid from before. Narrowing her eyes in disgust, Sakura appeared under her again and made an attempt to knock it away when she grabbed her by the wrist, pulling it down. The kunoichi's knees buckled underneath her and she saw the needle coming down and took out a kunai to block it. Hitting against the sharp needle, it snapped and the liquid spilled onto the ground.

Sakura dodged her punches and landed one on the bone of her jaw. She crumpled to the ground and spat out blood, wiping it off her chin. The Sound ninja smile as she looked up into the pink haired kunoichi's eyes.

"You're really the Fifth Hokage's apprentice," She said as she stood up, wiping the dirt off her cloak. "You'll be a great experiment for me,"

At the mention of "experiment" a memory flashing in Sakura's head, back in the time when Sasuke and Naruto were still genin's. Bits and pieces of it came back; the curse mark, Sasuke's other side, and the preliminary Chunin exams. Orochimaru's face was the last to come up, his yellow snake like eyes glowing in the dark. Sakura stared at the Sound ninja and widened her eyes, taking a step back in fear.

"A-are you a student of Orochimaru, one of the three legendary Sannin?" She stuttered, actually surprised that she asked the enemy that. The purple haired ninja grinned and clasped her hands in front of her.

"So! You know my sensei huh?"

Illusion

As soon as the town's cheerfulness started to fade around them, Kakashi knew that something was wrong in this place. He glanced over to Genma and saw that he realized it as well. They both walked out of the hotel they were in and saw darkness everywhere, lit by torches with purple fire. Suddenly an explosion sounded from the other side of the town and as the two of them were about to make their way over there, hooded figures appeared out of nowhere, carrying shurikens and kunai's in their hands.

Black and blonde obscured their vision and soon the four of them were back to back, facing the opponents that now faced them. Naruto was grinning as he looked at the others, charging in. Sasuke pulled out his katana and used chidori, sending sparks out to the figures. Kakashi did a head count and realized that Sakura was missing. Fear for some reason gripped his heart as his eyes scanned the darkness, hoping to find a pink haired girl come running out.

"Where's Sakura?" Genma asked the inevitable. Everyone turned as they exchanged glances, soon growing wide with realization. The two best friends turned to each other and to the other end of the town, sensing a strong chakra. It was a warm and powerful one, one that they both recognize instantly.

"Sakura!" Naruto cried out, heading towards that direction. Sasuke had an arm held out in front of him as he attempted to stop the hyper-active ninja but failed.

"Dobe, wait!" Sasuke said as he turned to his teacher. Kakashi had his headband lifted all the way up as he turned to his student so that the Sharingan he had was seen.

"Go ahead, we'll catch up." He said, returning to the fight that was in front of him with Genma. Sasuke nodded and dashed off in the direction of his two best friends who were both in trouble.

"Hey, stop!" The idiot Naruto yelled out as he spotted Sakura being held down on the ground with her arms behind her back, her face pressed into the ground by a Sound ninja. Surprisingly, it was a girl. She smirked and pulled out a syringe with mysterious blue liquid and placed it near the pink haired girl's neck.

"Your friend is going to change once I inject this in her. She'll be a part of my experiment." She explained as the needle got closer. There was a rush of air and Sasuke had her wrist in his hand, tightly gripped as he smacked the syringe away from Sakura.

"You're not going to hurt her," He said in a low and threatening voice, aiming the blade of his katana against her throat. Sakura twisted under her grip and kicked her in the chest, climbing to her feet-with the help of Sasuke.

"Thanks," She said, barely giving him a thankful glance as she focused in on the enemy. The Uchiha lowered his eyes as he felt the connection the two of them had before slip away, getting farther and farther; out of everyone's grasp to bring back.

"Oh I'm not?" The voice of the ninja came from behind Sakura, sweet and bliss. Ducking just in time, the pink haired teen whirled around and blocked the blows she received from her as Sasuke did his best to provide backup.

Suddenly, someone appeared behind her at lightning speed and jabbed her pressure point, paralyzing her arms and legs as she sunk to the ground, only to get caught by the hair by the Sound ninja. She gasped and looked around for Sasuke, seeing his side bleeding as he got up to his feet. Naruto jumped in beside him and clenched his fists as he met Sakura's eyes.

"Your opponent is us! Let her go!" He demanded, his eyes blazing with rage. The ninja smirked and swung Sakura's head around, reminding her of the time in the Chunin exams where the other Sound ninja grabbed her by the hair. The others noticed it too as they widened their eyes in realization. Sakura jammed her elbow in the ninja's stomach and fell to the ground, still trying to get the movement in her limbs.

Before she knew it, she was on her feet and next to Kakashi who looked extremely angry. Genma had his hands on her shoulders protectively as he watched the Sharingan user step up to be the next opponent.

"Hmp, all I want is the girl. None of you will get to see what horrible things might happen to her if you don't just hand her over. C'mon, she's your friend; you wouldn't want to see her bleeding to death now would you?" The Sound ninja tried to reason, putting a hand out.

"We'd never do that!" Naruto angrily yelled, swiping his hand in front of Sakura. The Jounin smirked and disappeared, only to reappear beside Sakura. She gasped and pulled out a knife when a hand simply touched Genma's shoulder and he started to widen his eyes. Suddenly, he put his hands against his ears and sank to his knees, eyes tightly shut in pain. Sakura was about to aid him when a hand slapped across her face and she slammed against the ground, rocks hitting the air.

She blinked her eyes open, only to see her friends on the ground, blood forming into pools around them as shuriken and kunai stuck out of them. Widening her eyes, she got up on her side and reached out to them in a desperate need to save them when a boot crashing painfully against her bone. Hearing it snap, she let out a pained yell and tried to pry off the foot with her weak hand, blood trickling down the side of her hand when something sharp hit her neck. She knew that it was in her now.

"Sakura," She heard Naruto whisper in pain from far away from her. She met his eyes and saw complete defeat, for the first time in her life; she never saw that light go out. With her sight getting blurry, she breathed silently and brought her chakra in her clenched fist. She refused to see that blank light again! She didn't want to see Naruto like that…

So I'll change it! She thought as she opened her eyes, bringing her fist down on the foot that was on her hand. With her fist against it, she felt the bone crack and heard the ninja yell in pain. Just like she expected, her foot came off. Pushing up against her broken hand, even if it hurt, she jumped to her feet and kneed her in the stomach once more and sent her crumpled to the ground.

Rushing over to her friends, she reached her sensei first who took a glance at her broken hand. Putting one hand against his ear, she healed him as much as she could before she moved on to Sasuke and Naruto. They were beside each other. Healing one at a time, she took glances back at the unmoving body on the ground where she landed and sighed before moving on to Sasuke's wound.

"Sakura," Naruto quietly said, sitting up. She looked at him, her eyes sad as he put a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I'm sorry," He whispered, looking away from her. She nodded, understanding and turned to a sitting up Sasuke. His attention was directed to her, his onyx eyes full of concern.

"I have something to tell you." He nodded, telling her to go on before she passed out.

"That girl over there," Pointing her head to the Sound ninja. "She was also a student of Orochimaru," Sakura whispered, her breath starting to come out in gasps. That substance was starting to react to her cells, and was now flowing through her bloodstream.

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked hesitantly, switching his gaze over to the purple haired girl. Sakura gave him a nod and looked at her sensei that was also waking Genma up. They both walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder, quiet.

"What's gonna happen to me?" She whispered, starting to feel dizzy. She fell back and was caught in Kakashi's arms.

"We'll bring you back to Konoha so Lady Tsunade can see you," He replied, giving her a nod with a sad smile.

"Oh, you are so wrong." The Sound ninja got up to her feet, limping on one foot and wiping dried blood off of her chin. She grinned at them just as two hooded figures landed beside her, supporting her weight.

"That Sakura right there, she'll be so different and powerful before you even know it." She gave them a cold smile and made a hand seal.

"She'll be the best experiment that Orochimaru gave to me. When she's fully changed, I'll come and take her back." Those were the last words of the Sound ninja before she disappeared into thin air. Sakura stared at the empty space, frightened. What was going to happen to her, now that there was a suspicious liquid inside her? Her hands shook by her side, but she forced them to stay still. However, pain in her right hand started to creep into her mind and she clutched it to her chest, wanting to keep it safe. Before she knew it, her eyes slowly closed, the last image in her mind, her friend's and teacher's worried faces as she blanked out.

End of Chapter 2

Hi Naruto fans out there! I'd like to say thank you for the reviews I've recieved from filipinochick, icelandgrl, and .. I love the story you have right now, (.) and I'm waiting for you to update! (icelandgrl) I'll check out your stories as soon as I can filipinochick! Filipino's UNITE! Ha! Well, I'd also like to say thanks for the people who put this story on their Alert's or Favorite's list. It means so much that you really like my writing. I hope I can somehow have this as a career in my life:to be an author. So please help me out by reading and giving me advice on my writing! It would help me out so much! Thanks you guys once more!

-FallenWing21