A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you had great holidays and and a fantastic new year. I know I did. I haven't had much time to work on this story due to the minimal amounts of free time that I get. So I (once again) apologize if updates take a while. I'm trying to shoot for at least two updates a month so let's keep our finger crossed, yes?
Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I was simply blown away by the response considering that I thought the feedback for my fist chapter was good. So thanks, and if I haven't personally replied to a review yet just know that I appreciate all of the thoughts you guys send in.
xx LCF
Disclaimer: Naruto, as you know, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the plot to Storm and the actions I force the characters into. XD
Edit 6/20/17
Hey everyone! Don't mind me, I've just cleaned up and tweaked a few details around.
Storm
Chapter 2: Fallen
The nothingness that engulfed Sakura was broken by the sound of rushing water and crackling wood, punctuated by two bickering voices that were steadily gaining volume. Cracking her eyes open, the darkness gave way to the hazy images of a steady fire and distorted shadows that danced on stone walls. As Sakura began to regain her senses, the world suddenly spun violently, and she closed her eyes tightly to keep from getting nauseous.
In this state, her hearing picked up despite the heavy pounding in her skull, allowing her to catch bits and pieces of a conversation taking place a few feet from where she rested on the ground.
"You imbeciles, look what you've done this time! I can't believe the two of you would think to bring her here!" Hissed one voice furiously. Despite the rough quality of tone, it was unmistakably female.
Another voice broke in, this one much deeper and obviously annoyed. "Don't drag me into this! This was all Juugo's idea. I told him to leave her, but no, he just had to bring her here and make sure she'd live through the night."
"If you were so concerned about her life then why didn't you dump her at a nearby village?" the girl snapped.
"That's what I told him, he's the one who insisted on bringing her." The other voice retorted.
A frustrated cry left the girl's mouth. "Shut up, Suigetsu! I wasn't talking to you!"
Having heard enough, Sakura peeked through her lashes and was glad to see that the world finally stopped spinning. However, that relief was short-lived when she took note of who exactly she was with.
A knot settled in her throat when she caught sight of the white-haired Akatsuki from before as he bickered with a red-haired girl wearing the same black cloak he did. The kunoichi shoved her glasses up her nose rather roughly before she placed a hand on her cocked hip and quite literally looked down her nose at the other Akatsuki member, the giant one with the orange hair, that sat a few feet away and paid her no mind. There was a beat of silence followed by an irritated huff.
"You're lucky that he's not here right now. If he knew that you two brought back some injured kid, he'd have killed you both. Not that you idiots don't deserve it."
The white-haired male frowned at her. "How many damn times do I have to say that it was Juugo's idea?!"
The girl let out what could only be called a growl of frustration. She was really starting to grate on Sakura's nerves. "It doesn't matter whose idea it was! She's here, and she shouldn't be and he'll have all our asses because of it!"
The man, who Sakura presumed to be Suigetsu, looked like he was ready to retort before his violet eyes fell on their seated comrade. He seemed to think better than to keep up their bickering, and instead pressed on in a new direction.
"Where'd he go off to, anyway?"
The girl looked over at him with ill-concealed impatience. "He said there was business he needed to take care of. He should be back either tonight or tomorrow night at the latest; but we'll keep moving if he doesn't return within that time frame. He'll find us when he's finished whatever it is he's planning, and if not I can always locate him once we've set up camp."
"Who made you boss?" Suigetsu snorted.
The kunoichi visibly bristled at the comment before she bit back.
"He did, so if you've got a problem with that then you can take it up with him when he comes back." And as an afterthought she added, "—And I'm telling you now, I won't be healing your little pet and I definitely won't be taking responsibility for her if he returns and she's still here. You two take care of her and get her gone as quickly as possible and we'll act like this never happened."
"Thank you," Came a third voice, one that had not joined Suigetsu and the kunoichi's argument. The one Suigetsu had called Juugo, and the reason she was alive.
"Whatever, just mind your mouths. She's awake." The kunoichi spat out as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Sakura suddenly felt the weight of three pairs of eyes settle on her at the statement, and was surprised that the kunoichi was able to detect her state of consciousness. She had been regulating her chakra steadily in the hopes of not alerting them of her coming to, but it seemed that the kunoichi was an exceptional sensory and had seen straight through her ploy, though thankfully hadn't managed to detect the transformation jutsu that was still blessedly active.
Sakura would have to be careful around her.
Giving up her pretense at being caught, Sakura opened her eyes fully to meet the Akatsuki members head-on. She shifted slightly under their impenetrable stares, and winced when a sudden jolt of pain coursed through her. Sakura stilled and watched warily as the large male stood from where he was sitting and walked over to where she lay.
"I advise you not to move too much, kunoichi-san. You were gravely injured when my teammate and I found you."
His tone was gentle and slightly soothing. Like how one would speak when they approached a frightened animal that had been cornered with no means of escape. Which was a very apt description of the situation that Sakura found herself in. The man, Juugo, moved slightly, and she braced herself for the worst, but was surprised when he merely withdrew a canteen from the depths of his cloak and held it out towards her. His head tilted slightly to the side as though asking for permission.
Sakura swallowed thickly as she tried to ignore how parched her throat was.
She eyed him warily, her transformed eyes continued to flicker between the proffered canteen and his face in an attempt to gouge his intentions. There was no way for her to know that the water hadn't been spiked, and no way for her to truly know his intentions at face value. But despite her wariness, her acknowledging the dull ache in her throat brought back her desperate thirst.
Sakura swallowed thickly.
The Akatsuki seemed to notice this and moved the canteen a little closer to her lips before Sakura pressed them together tightly.
"Just take a drink. If you're going to be safe with anyone around here, it's Juugo. He's the one that saved your ass from becoming vulture fodder. It wouldn't make much sense if he killed you now." The white-haired man called out.
Sakura glanced at the smaller male as he shot her a pointed-toothed grin.
Her gaze slowly traveled back to Juugo as he continued holding out the canteen to her with an almost hopeful look on his face. It could have been a trap or a ploy to make her gain a false sense of security, but she also had to think about how if there was any chance for her to escape, it wouldn't happen if she was stuck bedridden due to dehydration.
After a few more moments of debating with herself, her thirst and practicality won over her trepidation, and with a sigh of defeat, Sakura slowly made to sit up. She shifted slightly on what she recognized to be a sleeping bag, and was immediately flooded by another bout of searing pain as it bloomed on her side. She locked her jaw to keep from crying out, determined not to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing that at the moment she truly was vulnerable. Not that they thought otherwise of her, anyway.
A large hand slowly reached out and rested gently on her shoulder as he propped her up slightly, making the blanket that had been tucked under her chin to slide down her torso. Juugo's other hand came up as he lifted the canteen to her mouth. After a moment of hesitation, Sakura tilted her head back slightly and allowed him to place the canteen between her lips. The cool water was like heaving in her parched mouth, and in her relief, Sakura briefly forgot her surroundings and chugged the water greedily. Once her thirst was momentarily quenched, she kept still as Juugo gently placed her back down on the sleeping bag. Just as Sakura was about to thank him, she caught a glimpse of her exposed torso.
Blotches of purples, blues, and sickly yellows danced across her skin like a macabre painting. Out of habit, she directed her chakra to her wounds to asses the damage, and was surprised to find that it didn't bend to her will as it normally did. Immediately, Sakura's eyes flew to the redhead who currently looked down her nose at her. Her lips were pulled down in distaste, as though she couldn't stand to even be in her presence. Sakura's own face glowered back as she briefly wondered how she'd failed to take note of the girl's chakra interfering with her own.
She'd have to be exceptionally careful with the sensor, indeed.
"I've sealed your chakra. You won't be able to access it until I say so." She snarked.
A tense moment passed between the two kunoichi before a rough bark of laughter pulled Sakura out of her thoughts.
"Don't be such a bitch, Karin. She's just a kid. Besides, I don't think Juugo would appreciate it if you mistreated his guest." Suigetsu ribbed.
Karin scowled. "I don't remember asking for your opinion, Fish Face."
Sakura remained still, her eyes glued to the figures before her. There was no doubt in her mind that they were Akatsuki, but of all the members she'd had the misfortune to come across before this, they were decidedly the most unconventional of the bunch. Still, unconventional or not, they were deadly.
She fought the urge to let out a cynical laugh at the thought. It really seemed like there was a greater force that was out to get her considering all the abysmal things she'd had to go through concerning the last three years of her life. As if Danzou forcing her away from her home, living her life on the run, and practically being declared an enemy to her own village with every Root agent she took out wasn't bad enough. She just had to go and run into not one, but three Akatsuki members all at once. A trio that would turn into a quartet within the span of twenty-four hours.
Fantastic, Sakura grumped.
Despite trying to remain calm and keep her head, Sakura could feel a heavy dose of trepidation begin to seep into her system. She was alone in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no chakra at her disposal. There was just enough regulating in her system to keep up her henge, but if she tried to use that little bit, her transformation would unravel and she'd be exposed, and that most definitely was not an option.
Sakura wasn't a fool. She kept herself up-to-date with all the goings-on in the shinobi world. She knew that only weeks after her forced defection, Akatsuki had waged war against the Five Great Shinobi Nations when they refused to hand over the Eight-Tails and Nine-Tails. It was common knowledge no matter where she traveled. But what most didn't know, was that the news both saddened and relieved her. Because while war was never something to be relished, to her it mean that Naruto was still safe.
Now Akatsuki had her in their grasp, and if they suspected her to be anything other than a young kunoichi caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, it would all but spell her friend's doom. Because once news of her resurfacing reached Naruto, there would be nothing to stop him from coming after her-especially if he knew she was caught in Akatsuki's clutches. Sakura had no doubt that they'd use her as bait to lure him out, especially considering that Sasuke was now among their ranks.
If her true identity were to be revealed, he could easily contribute his knowledge of their bond. Whether he would include himself in those tales from their youth remained a mystery, but the thought left a bitter taste in Sakura's mouth.
She was so caught up in her musings that she failed to notice Juugo approach her once more, this time with a roll of bandages in hand. She frowned when she caught sight of him, not at all comfortable with what she knew he wished to do. Apparently the tall Akatsuki member could read people very well, as he began to talk once more in quiet tones to try and soothe her steadily rising anxiety and anger.
"You won't be able to move for a while, kunoichi-san. Especially now that my teammate has made it clear that she will not heal you. Allow me to help you until you are once again able to move freely on your own."
Sakura watched Juugo for a long moment with a critical eye. There was nothing sinister about his gentle gaze at all. In fact, he seemed genuinely worried as he cast her side several furtive glances while he waited for her acquiescence. The growing possibility of his sincerity not being an elaborate set up was not as far off as she hoped it to be.
"How bad is it?" she asked after a terse moment.
The other two Akatsuki looked at her, surprised, as though they hadn't expected her to speak. And she hadn't wanted to, but after being a medic for so long, and knowing that this was quite possibly the worst place to catch an infection, made her speak up. She would not cripple herself and her chances of escaping.
"Your abdomen is heavily bruised, and you have a long gash on your right side which has yet to be properly mended. I managed to stop the bleeding, but if you move too suddenly I'm sure that what little that's healed on its own would most likely reopen."
Sakura frowned pensively as she took in his information. It wasn't a bad diagnosis, but it wasn't incredibly descriptive either. There were other kinds of complications that could have started to develop during her unconscious state that one who wasn't well-versed in medical ninjutsu could have easily overlooked. Judging from how each breath she took was punctuated with a sharp pain, Sakura was willing to bet a few of her ribs were at least cracked. The burning of her inflamed side was most likely a symptom of the infection she was sure had found residence in the laceration. She looked up at Juugo, who had situated himself beside her before he gently pulled back the cloak that covered her and revealed her naked torso. Well, naked save for the bindings on her breasts and her injuries.
She was wrapped in several linen bandages, the corners of the gauze had been placed on the most serious parts of her injuries peeked out from under the layers. The spots of dried blood on the wrappings themselves were few, which indicated that her bandages had been changed at least once while she'd been unconscious. Sakura tried to ignore the small knot that formed in her throat at the thought of being so vulnerable in their presence.
She was once again pulled from her thoughts when Juugo's steady hands came to her shoulders once more as he gently sat her up. One hand easily kept her balanced while the other pulled the end of the bandage that had been tucked into one of the many folds. He unwound it with the kind of precision that came from experience, and it told Sakura that he'd had his fair share of having to look after injured teammates.
As the dirty bandages came away, she was immediately displeased with the sight of her injuries. True to her diagnosis, her gash was infected. The laceration had a distinct greenish color around the edges and the skin beyond that was a puckered red that oozed out something she'd rather not give a name to.
Juugo pulled out a bag of dried herbs from his back which Sakura noticed sat near where her head had been. It seemed that he'd given her his sleeping space, allowing her a small comfort while he stayed somewhere else. She found herself observing him as he retrieved a small pestle and bowl along with his canteen of water. Catching on to what he wished to do, Sakura frowned slightly at his actions. The paste he was about to make was one that would soothe the burning on her side that was caused by the infection and served as a natural antiseptic and created a barrier between her injury and any outside entities.
The thought that he would go so far for her despite not knowing who she was, despite that he was Akatsuki, spoke volumes. He wasn't like his other teammates: wasn't like Karin, who Sakura had come to dislike within the short time of being conscious. Nor like Suigetsu, who was overly playful in the same way a Great White shark was. All sharp jabs that could tear you limb-from-limb.
In fact, Juugo was the opposite with his calm nature and soft voice. His gaze seemed anything but misleading, and the manner which he had taken great care to not jostle her or keep her from injuring herself further only proved that he truly did care for her well-being to a certain extent. It was this train of thought that made Sakura realize that he really had saved her life, especially since his teammates had pointed out that he didn't have to bother with her at all. He could have just as easily left her to die, or passed her off onto the doorstep of whatever local inn they found first. But instead, he had chosen to look after her, to make her his responsibility. Sakura felt her resolve waver at the notion.
How could someone that was a part of the most infamous band of nukenin whose leader was hell-bent on taking over all five nations by means of using the power of the extracted bijuu, be capable of such compassion?
She had been so intently focused on her musings, that she nearly missed when Juugo took a torn piece of cloth and dipped into the salve before he approached her.
"That's not necessary," She murmured before he reached her. Her eyes landed on Karin, who raised her brow in appraisal. Sakura looked away first as she continued. "I know medical ninjutsu. I can heal myself once my chakra is restored."
"Is that so?" Karin interrupted. "If you know medical ninjutsu then why didn't you use it beforehand?"
"Because," Sakura replied through gritted teeth. Her patience was starting to run dangerously low. "I didn't exactly have access to it from the span of my passing out to now, have I?"
Karin's eyes narrowed to slits. "Why you little-"
"Just unseal her chakra, Karin. If the kid's able to heal herself then she'll be good to go in no time, and our fearless leader won't have to know she was here." Suigetsu interjected.
The kunoichi scowled at Suigetsu but said nothing for a moment before she huffed angrily. It seemed she was torn in her decision, not that Sakura could blame her. On one hand, if they took Sakura at her word, she'd be able to heal herself and be out of their hair within the next few hours at the most. On the other hand, there was no way for them to know what would happen should Karin restore Sakura's chakra.
She isn't going to do it. Sakura thought numbly as she began to wrack her brain for ways to escape the small cave they were staying in and put as much distance between herself and the missing-nin as she could.
Finally, after a few moments of internal debate that seemed to drag on forever, Karin seemed to have made her choice. Sakura braced herself as the redhead approached, her hand curling into fists and ready to dispel the henge so she could use what meager chakra she had at her disposal to defend herself. Karin, having seen Sakura's response to her approach rolled wine-red eyes.
"For crying out loud, kid. Put those away before you hurt yourself." She snapped before her hands flew into a series of hand signs.
Sakura, who'd bristled at Karin's words, was prepared to unleash a verbal lashing when the other kunoichi's hand flew out and struck her open-palmed against her solar plexus. A surge of boiling hot chakra rushed throughout Sakura's chakra pathways. She closed her eyes sharply at the invasion, focusing what little chakra she had with all her might to maintain the henge she'd placed on herself. When she was sure her hold wasn't going to waver, she opened her eyes to see Karin staring her down with a haughty expression on her face.
Already, Sakura could feel as her strength returned to her as her chakra began to flow naturally once more. However she frowned when she noticed that only a fourth of her reserves had been restored.
"The rest is still sealed. Why?" She snapped.
"Don't whine, kid. I've given you enough to heal yourself, if you can, and until you can prove to me that this little encounter we've had will remain mum, you won't be getting anymore." Karin replied waspishly.
Sakura frowned severely. "Trust me when I say, I will be more than glad to never speak a word of this encounter once you let me go."
The other kunoichi said nothing as she sent her a leveled glare that Sakura was quick to brush off. Now that she had part of her chakra at her disposal, she was far more interested in healing what she could of her injures.
And if Sakura smirked at Karin's displeasure over her obvious dismissal when the other kunoichi wasn't looking, well, Sakura had to find some kind of entertainment where she could.
The sun beat down mercilessly upon them that day. Which was strange considering the fact that they were up north in one of the expanses of land that sat nestled between Fire Country and Lightning during springtime.
The air was oppressing with its humidity and the gust of glacial wind that broke up the heat didn't help much either. It was a constant bout between hot and cold, and after experiencing it for nearly seven hours, Naruto had grown sick of it.
For the umpteenth time since he was put on watch, Naruto looked back longingly to the group of tents that were encamped within the stone walls of their current homebase. But much like every other time Naruto caught a glimpse of camp, he was abruptly remind of Konoha in the ruins in which they'd left her. He forced his mind to clear the images of desolation and instead focused on keeping his comrades safe.
Letting out an impatient breath, the eighteen-year-old jinchuuriki turned and glared at the expanse of forest that sat before his post. Of all the things that Naruto had learned (forced himself) to get accustomed to in the three years they'd been at war, he found that keeping watch was the one that took a toll on his person the most. He'd never been the best with patience, probably never would be, so it made little sense to him that his superiors would continue to have him carry out this particularly mundane job. Even if it was something all active duty shinobi had to do, and vitally important to their safety. So he did what he always did when he was assigned guard duty.
He cheated.
Like he did at the start of every watch, blue eyes had slipped closed as he sat with his hands folded in his lap and allowed the nature chakra that surrounded him to seep into his own. He'd welcomed the familiar tingle in his eyes as he merged them together seamlessly and built up in his system until there was enough to activate sage mode and use it to keep tabs on the dozens of familiar chakra signatures of the comrades he had come to know. It was simpler this way, and he didn't have to keep a constant eye for danger. If there was ever an ambush, all he had to do was take note of the unfamiliar blips that appeared on what he'd dubbed to be his "chakra radar", and alert one of the commanding officers immediately.
As he took a steadying breath, he caught sight of a familiar signature that quickly made its way to his outpost.
The corners of his lips twitched up into a smile as the figure finally reached him. The sound of nin-sandals clacking on the wooden deck of the bungalow where he was posted resonated in his ears. When he opened his eyes, his smile bloomed into a full-blown grin.
"Hey Hinata-chan."
The kunoichi in question smiled softly at him as she tucked a wayward lock of dark, glossy hair behind her ear. "Hello, Naruto-kun. Kakashi-taichou says you're dismissed from watch, and that we have a f-fifteen minute window before we're to officially change posts."
Naruto tremendously enjoyed the way her cheeks reddened, with no doubt in his mind that she knew exactly why his former sensei had given them such a large window of time to switch. Blue eyes watched raptly as she walked forward in full shinobi regalia. Her long hair was pulled back, leaving her bangs free to sway with every step she took towards him. Her headband engraved with the kanji for shinobi rested against her collarbone, partially obscured by the high collar of her flak jacket. It shone dully in the meager light that entered their post.
The Kyuubi jinchuuriki held his hand out for her to take before he gently led her down to sit between his legs, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder as she leaned back into his chest. They sat in silence for several moments as neither said anything, merely content in being in each other's presence. The flex of her chakra told Naruto that she'd activated her bloodline limit, and that despite her relaxed position, hadn't allowed her guard to drop for a moment. Naruto bent at the neck and pressed a lingering kiss to her temple and grinned wryly when he felt her face grow hot.
Even after two years of being together, she still reacted to him like she had as a genin.
"I've missed this," she whispered after a few moments of comfortable silence. "Two weeks was too long for a scouting trip. I missed being able to relax in your arms."
Naruto was ready to tell her that he'd missed her too, that his heart ached for her whenever she wasn't near, but Hinata pressed on before he could.
"I miss Shino-kun, and Kiba-kun, and Akamaru. I miss home."
A familiar ache bloomed in his chest at her words. "I miss home too, Hinata-chan. I miss eating at Ichiraku's, and spending time in my apartment. I miss going to the training grounds to train, heading to Hokage Tower for a new mission. I miss…" he faltered slightly, but he was sure that Hinata knew him well enough now to guess what he'd wanted to say.
Sasuke and Sakura-chan.
The silence that followed was excruciating.
Naruto held onto Hinata tightly, urging the thoughts—their faces—to go away. Because it hurt. It hurt so much that sometimes he let it get the best of him, and because of it he'd failed to protect a comrade in the midst of battle on more than one occasion.
All it had taken for Naruto's world to shatter was losing two of his most precious people within the span of three years.
Sasuke's defection from Konoha had been, and still was, a hard hit on him. He was perhaps the only person that had ever come close to being like a brother to him, and he had hoped that somewhere deep down, Sasuke thought the same of him. Sasuke's confession that he'd become his closest friend constantly left a bittersweet taste in Naruto's mouth. He rejoiced in knowing that after all this time, that despite their intense dislike for one another in the beginning, that Sasuke had grown to care for him as much as Naruto did. But that sentiment was overshadowed by his friend's thirst for power, and finding out almost three years later at the tender age of fifteen that it was because of this bond with the last Uchiha, that his friend had felt it necessary to try and take his life in order to get closer to completing his goal had felt like a punch to the gut.
Needless to say that Sasuke has proved to be strong enough to defeat Itachi without the aid of the Mangekyou Sharingan. But the moment he'd done so, fate had thrown yet another roadblock between his and Sakura's goal to bring him home, and Akatsuki had been much faster at arriving to his side. The masked-nin who later revealed himself to be Madara spirited Sasuke away and thus set him on the path he was currently on now.
However, despite how hard Sasuke's defection had hit him, it was Sakura's disappearance that had put the icing on the proverbial cake that was his life before it shot to the very pits of hell.
When the news had spread that Sakura had a warrant for her arrest and later deemed a missing-nin from Konoha by order of the Rokudaime Hokage, everyone had been worked into a frenzy coming to her defense. Team Kakashi had promptly assembled of their own volition and combed through what was left of the village looking for any signs of familiar pink hair in hopes that the news was false.
They'd found none.
It wasn't much later that Naruto (with Kakashi, Sai, and Yamato in tow) had barged into Danzou's newly built office and demanded an explanation.
The door to the Hokage's newly reconstructed office burst open with a thunderous bang. The three Root members that had been situated around the Rokudaime's desk tensed and went into defensive formation. Naruto had barged in, ignoring the calls of his teammates and squad leader and made a beeline towards Danzou. The Root operatives were quick to move, but each paused uncharacteristically as Naruto's eyes turned red in his outrage.
"Where is she?" he bellowed. His hands slammed onto the desk, and this time Root didn't hesitate to intercept him. They were stopped, however, when wooden columns erupted from the floor of the circular office and encased each of them.
Danzou appeared unfazed by the goings-on around him and merely looked to Naruto with a mild look of displeasure in his visible eye. After a moment he looked towards Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai; each regarded him with blank expressions that hid the turbulent feelings they no doubt felt.
"Answer me!" the blonde yelled, which compelled the acting Hokage to look at him once more.
"Haruno Sakura has left the village of her own volition after failing to report to me when summoned and interfering in matters regarding the village's welfare." He replied gruffly.
"That's a lie! Sakura-chan would never leave the village like that. And she sure has hell would never do anything to endanger it! Konoha's her home; everything she's ever done has been to protect it. Why would she interfere in matters that would be good for Konoha?"
At this, Danzou leveled a hard glare at Naruto.
"Haruno Sakura is not, nor has she ever been, a priority of mine. I do not bother myself with questions of 'what if' or ponder over the circumstance of her departure, only that she had done so without my express consent and has eliminated a handful of my operatives before doing so. My men merely informed me of her interference and her refusal to acquiesce to the orders they were within their rights to give."
"More like a squadron of shady assholes tried to arrest her and probably bring her in for interrogation!" Naruto yelled as his temper flared dangerously. His canines started to elongate considerably, and he could feel the beginnings of the Kyuubi's chakra bubbling beneath his skin violently.
Yamato, Kakashi, and Sai all looked at him warily; the former visibly readied himself to restrain him in case the seal weakened further. It had only been a mere seventy-two hours since Naruto's battle with Pain, and he'd yet to fully recover his reserves completely. The last thing they needed was for the strongest bijuu to be unleashed while they tried to recover from Pain's devastating attack.
Danzou watched them all, unfazed. His sharp eye scrutinized them as they stood before him rigidly, all aware that they'd broken at least six laws by being in his office as they were-with the Kyuubi jinchuuriki threatening his livelihood no matter how indirectly, and with his guard incapacitated. Yet, it was because of the position they were in, that despite their rage, the men of Team Kakashi felt a trepidation felt trepidation begin to stir within them. By placing the Hokage in this position, they were also putting themselves at risk, both in the eyes of the law and his own personal agenda.
"Naruto," Kakashi warned.
There was no doubt in his mind that after this was over, if Danzou allowed them to walk out of his office, that there would be hell to pay and the price would be steep. He could easily demote them all in a heartbeat and strip Naruto of his ninja rank altogether under the guise of protecting the jinchuuriki in their possession. They were playing a dangerous game, and if they wanted a chance to get Sakura back they needed to remain in the Hokage's good graces, even if it disgusted them to do so.
They had to. For Sakura.
At his senpai's nod, Yamato released the guards but refused to let the seal on his hand fade as he focused it on Naruto more intensely. Sai merely stood several feet from them, the brush he'd subconsciously drawn out was returned to his pouch along with the chakra-laced ink as he watched the scene before him with an expressionless mask. It was only Naruto who'd yet to relent his pursuit as he dug his fingers into the surface of the desk, his claws leaving marks on the polished surface.
"If that is all gentlemen, I would kindly see to it that you are escorted out of this tower. And I hope in the future that you think twice before barging in and threatening your Hokage all for the sake of one kunoichi, no matter who she is." Danzou dismissed.
Naruto was hauled off his desk and shoved roughly back to his team.
The Root members all grabbed them by the collars and shoved them out of the Rokudaime's office and the tower. The flex of their chakra settled beyond the double doors of the entrance let Team Kakashi know that they were not taking any chances on keeping unwanted visitors out.
"Dammit!" Naruto cursed as he slammed his fist into the stone wall of the building.
"Calm down, Naruto." Yamato said. "We're not going to be of any help to Sakura if we can't keep our heads on straight"
"He's right." Kakashi agreed, pulling the blonde from the wall and pushing him down the bustling street. They were starting to garner attention. "We've got to think this through. If we're rash, he'll demote us all and any chance we'll have to find Sakura will be gone."
Naruto said nothing as he walked, his shoulders slumped in the same manner they had been when he'd learned of Jiraiya's death. He only paused when the weight of Kakashi's gloved hand came down on his shoulder and bleak blue eyes met steady charcoal gray ones.
"We'll get her back, Naruto; Sasuke too. We don't ever turn our backs on our teammates. Got it?"
"Got it." He replied, feeling comforted by the words despite himself.
The memory had haunted him for the longest time. A bittersweet reminder of just how much pain the bonds he shared with Sasuke and Sakura could bring. But no matter the pain, in the end it only served to push him harder towards his goals. Come heaven or hell, he'd fight and he'd die to get them back.
It was the only way.
The blond exhaled loudly as he pulled Hinata closer to him, relishing in the warmth her small frame gave off and relaxing slightly as he caught her faint scent.
"I'll get them back." He vowed, "And when I do, everyone will see that no matter what, our bonds are the strongest things we have."
"I know you will, Naruto-kun. I believe in you." She replied. Her opalescent gaze was transfixed on his own as a soft smile curved her lips.
They both stood, knowing that their time together was coming to an end, and shared a brief kiss. "Be careful, Hinata-chan." He murmured against her temple when he pulled her back into his embrace.
"Always." She vowed.
"Dammit," Sakura grit through clenched teeth as small beads of sweat rolled down her temples. The green glow of her healing chakra began to dim slightly from her lack of reserves. She'd been healing healing herself for the past few hours.
The moment she felt all of the chakra that had been restored to her to be completely replenished, she began to work tediously on her wounds. The first thing she fix being her fractured ribs, followed closely by the gash along her side. The process was tricky, considering that she first had to draw out the infection before she was able to properly mend the wound. That alone had taken longer than she liked, and as a result she hadn't been able to heal the gash completely before her chakra began to fizzle out. By the end of it all, Sakura had just enough healing chakra to close the wound to where it would keep her injury from reopening upon movement. She was still susceptible to infection though, so she needed what little of her chakra she had to replenish soon.
Sakura wrapped up her healing when she felt her reserves come dangerously low. Her exhaustion from the intense healing session was bone-deep, and she frowned at the dive her endurance took as she slumped against the stone wall that Juugo propped her up on.
Easy girl, she mentally chastised herself. You took on an entire squad of hunter-nin by yourself and had to force your body into overdrive. Not to mention having your kidneys work in overdrive to help process the toxin out faster.
She was pulled from her thoughts as Juugo approached her. He'd been watching her as she worked, making sure that she was alright and in slight fascination of her glowing hands. He crouched down once he was before her, once again offering his water canteen and urged her to take a few sips.
"Thank you," Sakura said once she drank her fill. She was still wary of his intentions, but so far he was the only one present that cared whether or not she had lived or died, and she felt she owed him the benefit of the doubt. Juugo nodded silently as he took a seat beside her. It was only the two of them right now. Suigetsu had gone off in search of dinner, and Karin went to secure the parameter of their camp, leaving Sakura in Juugo's care.
After another beat of silence, Sakura spoke up apprehensively. "Do you still have that salve on you?"
The large man nodded silently before his hands disappeared into the depths of his traveling cloak. When he withdrew it, he held a small pot that housed some pale green paste.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the open front of her shirt that put her wrapped torso on display.
Sakura scrutinized him for a moment. She knew that she could trust him to a certain extent, and knew that he wouldn't have offered his help in order to get the upper hand. What was there for him to gain? Her chakra was gone, and she was still gravely injured. She wouldn't stand a chance if he were to attack her now, not with the rest of it sealed away. It was that train of thought along with the orange glow of his eyes as he looked at her, unable to hide the apparent worry he felt.
How can he look at me like that? She wondered. For an internationally wanted criminal, he was too kind. Too empathetic.
She nodded slowly and allowed herself to be lowered back down onto his mat and unwound the bandages that covered the gash. She watched as he took great care to not touch the areas of her injury that were still rather tender. Once he'd uncovered the paste, he began to spread the salve over her inflamed skin. The effect was instantaneous. The aloe and several other herbs he'd added soothed the irritation and stopped the itch that she'd been hard-pressed to ignore. Despite her previous apprehension, for typical first aid out in the field, Juugo really knew what he was doing.
Once he finished spreading the salve, he brought out a fresh roll of bandages and bound her injury once more to make sure that the wound was protected from the elements. He finished up by simply closing the front of her threadbare tunic and replaced the cloak that had been serving as her makeshift blanket.
"You're very skilled in medical ninjutsu for a kunoichi your age." he started. "I've seen some at work before, and most wouldn't be able to draw out the infection half as well as you did."
Damn, Sakura cursed. Her lips pressed into a thin line, but showed no other indication that she'd been taken by surprise at his astuteness. Instead she played dumb and kept her voice as steady and as pleasantly surprised as believable.
"Really? I've only ever done this a few times. Usually I make sure to avoid getting hurt, since it drains me so much."
Juugo nodded. "A good choice considering you're out here on your own. If you won't mind me asking, why exactly are you—"
Whatever Juugo's question had been, it was cut off by Karin's piercing scream.
Instantly Juugo was on his feet and out of the cave without so much as taking a second glance at Sakura as he did so. Sakura's brows pulled together at this before she realized that this was her chance to slip away.
Standing on shaky legs, she gathered her things and left the cave where they'd made camp. She would find time to work on the seal later, her priority right now was to get out alive and put as much distance between herself and Akatsuki as she could. Placing her filthy cloak over her shoulders, Sakura slipped out of the cave that was hidden behind the waterfall. The torrent of water that thundered into the quarry made the rocky ledge along the side of the entrance dangerously slick.
Using what tiny bit of chakra she had left to spare without compromising her henge, Sakura navigated over the slick stone haphazardly before she slipped into the safety of the forest. It was dark out, and she realized with a pang of surprise that she didn't know just how long she'd been with Akatsuki. It could have been a few hours or a few days, but there was no way of knowing without asking, and that sure as hell wasn't going to happen.
The shadows the trees and night sky provided were the perfect cover. Steadily, she navigated herself through thick underbrush despite her exhaustion. She was so far gone, however she was still weak from her injury and lack of chakra that she'd failed to notice Suigetsu coming up behind her until it was too late and she was overtaken.
"Where exactly do you think you're going, kid?" he asked, looking down at her with a dangerously relaxed expression as she came to a halt.
"I'm leaving," Sakura replied stonily, unaffected. She knew he wanted her out of their hair before their fourth teammate returned. He would let her go, she was sure of it.
Before the missing-nin could say anything however, Karin's voice pierced the air once more. Clearer than her first cry now that the din of the waterfall was gone.
"SUIGETSU!" She yelled, her tone laced with fear and desperation that made the white-haired male's body stiffen.
"Sorry kid, shit's going down and we can't let you go just yet."
"Whatever happened to me being gone before your teammate came back?" she bit back.
Suigetsu grinned at her, "That was the plan before Karin deemed you untrustworthy. Not that I blame her. It wouldn't bode well for us if the big guy found out we'd been compromised by you. So you're staying, like it or not."
Sakura didn't have a chance to reply before she was suddenly swept off her feet and tossed over his shoulder like a sack of rice.
"Hey!" she protested.
"Just shut up and keep still unless you want to die in the next twenty seconds." He warned, his playful tone gone as it took a more serious edge that Sakura had yet to encounter.
Despite her anger, Sakura wisely kept her mouth shut, and within moments, the pair had caught up to Juugo and Karin. The other two were nestled in a small clearing that lay hidden in the shadows, with Karin heaving slightly as she helped carry a man's slumped form while Juugo took his other side. Suigetsu promptly dropped Sakura at the base of a nearby tree, his warning gaze met with her heated one before he smirked at her and headed towards his teammates.
"Lay him off on me, Karin. Oh, and keep an eye on our little prisoner. She was trying to run off while all this happened, be glad I caught her."
The kunoichi frowned at Suigetsu's tone before she turned and fixed Sakura with an icy glare. She gently eased the arm off her shoulders and passed the unconscious man off to Suigetsu who took him easily.
"Hey, you gonna be alright?" Suigetsu prompted to the figure.
Sakura's eyes weren't able to make out the features of the man clearly in the darkness, but the coppery smell of blood was unmistakable in the air.
"Don't be such an idiot, Suigetsu. Look at him. He's bleeding out everywhere and barely conscious!" Karin snapped.
The moment she finished her sentence was the moment Juugo and Suigetsu helped their injured teammate out of the shadows and further into the clearing. The light of the moon bleached the world of all color, making Suigetsu's white hair practically glow and Juugo's orange color fade to brown.
Sakura froze when her eyes landed on the man suspended between them.
No. It couldn't be. It can't be…
The moment the thought ran through her head, the control she'd kept over her chakra wavered and blared like a siren to the member who had yet to register her presence until that moment. His head snapped up and she froze beneath the murderous gaze of blood-red eyes.
Sasuke.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he moved lightning quick despite his injuries. He wrenched himself from Juugo and Suigetsu's grasp and appeared before her in a flash, his katana drawn and poised at the throat as the smell of blood invaded her nostrils.
His sharingan revolved dangerously before melding together and taking a different form, his Mangekyou. He looked down the length of his blade at her, nothing but pure killing intent rolling off of him in waves and leaving her paralyzed before him.
"Sakura."