-xxx-

"Is she truly worth the starting of a war?"

"There would be no innocent in my path that was safe if it meant she would be mine."

-xxx-

Ch.5 You Must Play to Win

When the bargain was struck, the king had some of his men escort the young woman of Konoha back to her room in his large palace. She spoke to no one as her world seemed in a permanent daze. She still thought herself to be trapped in a nightmare of her minds own creation, but as she felt the harsh Suna wind whip through her hair, she knew it all to be real. She had shown weakness to the most dangerous man in all of the kingdoms. She had knowingly sealed her own fate. In her moment of weakness, she had played the game in the king's favor and he knew this as much as she did. She had placed herself at a precarious disadvantage.

The members of the king's guard finally reached her quarters, and locked her inside. It seemed the king knew of her brash temper and felt that he should keep the game playing in his favor for the time being. It was safer if she was kept away from others. There was no denying her ingenuity.

She found her way over to her balcony, gripping the warm stone edge tightly. She cursed under her breath as her grip tightened. She cursed the king for his blatant abuse of power. She cursed the men around her. She cursed the roots of all hierarchy. But most of all, she cursed herself. She cursed her weakness and the lack of choice she had in the cruel king's game. If it were on her merit, she would be back at her home with her father and friends, living out her days happily. But because of the selfishness of one man, her life was now a game of chance. A game she would have to win if she wished to survive.

A part of her bargain with the king was that her native men would leave the city. She would have no allies in the king's territory. She would be alone, like a lamb left for slaughter. And to play alone, was a very dangerous game. She would have to map out her moves carefully, but she would also have to gain momentum to win. Her mind spun like a spinning wheel as she planned her paces two steps ahead of the king's own moves. She would have to use every asset she possessed if she was to be victorious.

Placing a delicate hand to the emblem that hung from her neck, she knew just what she had to do.

-xxx-

"Ser Kakashi, you have one day's time to leave the capital. I suggest you collect your fellow knight and make your preparations quickly. I do not have an affinity for those who use time unwisely," King Sasori spoke towards the Konoha knight as he made his way back to his temporary throne.

Kakashi stood silently for a few moments before he spoke. "I beseech you not to underestimate our lady, my king."

Amusement subtly graced the king's features once again as he took a swig from his beverage. "Though your words are heard, they play no importance to me. For your lady is entangled much further than she knows."

No further words were exchanged as the silver haired knight was escorted away from the king's private sector. A short chuckle was heard from the occupied seat next to the king.

"You certainly don't play fair, my king," Deidara countered as he consumed from his own wine cup.

"A necessity to win, my lords. Surely you'll take note," the king spoke as his eyes trailed back to the arena where the next fight was taking place.

"You planned for the battle, did you not?" Pein questioned taking note of the empty seat to his side. "You intended the demon of the mist to fight one of her own knights, knowing he would surely be defeated."

The king remained silent, but the men around him knew his answer as the smirk remained evident across his tanned features. "But how did you know her reaction before it occurred, my king?" Itachi added in with evident curiosity.

"As I mentioned before. You cannot have power without its counterpart; weakness. To hold power, you must know your opponent's weakest points. Lady Sakura's are the bonds she holds so dearly to her heart. When the bonds are threatened, she loses her bearings and irrationality becomes her mindset."

"And how is it that you know all of this?" The Ame leader questioned quietly as his attention moved to the king.

"Before playing a game, you must first understand your opponent, especially if your intention is to win."

-xxx-

When the sun rose the next day, Konoha's princess had devised a tentative plan of action to proceed to the next turn of her game with the scorpion king. She knew that his demand for control of each situation he presented himself with was vital to his character. He controlled his people, he controlled countries, he controlled some of the most powerful pieces on the game board; but he would not control her. Of that much, she would make sure. Now that her own allies were further from danger, she could afford herself to be a little more daring.

To pull Sasori's own control from his grasp, she needed to start at the very roots of what he ruled. To do so, she would have to start small. She knew that the king's well devised manner of control came from the precise number of pieces he could anticipate. If she could add more pieces to his line of sight, his attention would be distracted enough for her to strike once again and hasten the game in her favor. But this task was not a simple one. The princess would need to find the exact pieces to ploy into the game without their knowledge, and the king's knowledge. The pieces also needed to each serve a specific purpose if they were to play.

To find these pieces, she would have to be patient and act like nothing from the tourney had affected her. She knew this would allow her to remain two steps ahead and irk the king in the same instance. For now, her goal was to gain momentum. To do so, she knew she would first have to gain attention. More so than she was receiving now. She would use the old tricks and the new. It was only a few years ago that another of her close friends, Ino, had taught her the simplest tricks to gain the consideration of a man. And now, she would finally put them to use. If only the woman with the teal eyes could see her now. She would be so proud.

-xxx-

The king had requested her presence for breakfast. To this fact, she was unsurprised. She knew the king would go out of his way to inconvenience her with his presence whenever he could. Assuming others would be around, she dressed especially for the occasion.

To any other woman, the dress she now donned still carried modest qualities. Compared to the dress she wore for the tourney, it was designingly diffident. The fabric was an effervescent sage in color as it reached the floor. The fabric was structured around the bodice, tightening her figure further. Her arms laid bare except for the small piece of fabric that hung loosely around the tops of her forearms. Her shoulders, neck and upper chest remained exposed as her paleness complemented the starkness of her gown. The flowing carnation colored locks that usually rested in waves reaching to her chest, was now pinned in an elegant bun heaving towards one side of her head. A few waves danced down to grace her protruding collarbone in a delicate caress. The opportunity that her hair was pulled back gave onlookers a view of her swan like neck.

As she made her way down to the dining quarters, her breaths were deep as she prepared herself for her first move. Two castle guards pulled back the entrance doors once she arrived, allowing her to bask in the sight of some of the king's most powerful pawns.

"Good morning, my lady," the king greeted from his seat at the head of the long dining table. His nutmeg eyes bore straight into her soul, but she held her resolve. She knew he was expecting fear from her eyes, and she would not give into his pleasure of showing it to him. "I hope that you are well rested after yesterday's events. We were all certainly missing your presence during the rest of the tourney."

His first stab at the occurrence from the previous day was expected, but still unwelcome. He was toying with her. That much she knew. "I am. I find myself rather glad for the time alone," she answered back, skipping the greeting she knew was formally expected, but also pointless in its meaning. "Being around so much male self-worth can provide someone with excruciating head pains."

The entirety of the room knew to where her comment was directed, but could not help but be enthralled by her audacity anyway. The lone female noticed an empty seat between Pein and Itachi, making her way towards it. The pierced leader of the country shrouded by rain stood from his seat and pulled out the empty chair for her to be seated in. Giving him a thankful smile, she sat as he pushed her towards the table carefully. No response was formed in reply to her bold commentary.

Sakura noticed that Deidara and Kisame were also in attendance at the meal, with Kisame taking his respected place slightly behind the king at full attention. She noticed the large man would not meet her eyes, and for the moment she was happy for it. There was another man at the table that she did not recognize. But she was sure she would soon be acquainted with.

"You look absolutely enchanting this morning, Lady Sakura, yeah," Deidara practically purred from his position directly across the table from her own, his words drawing her from her thoughts. It was not unknown to Sakura that his eyes stared a little too longingly at certain parts of her.

"Your words are sweet, Lord Iwa," she began in reply as she lifted a glass of colorful juice to her lips, swallowing the sweet nectar and parting her lips in relish as the glass left them. Her eyes turned back to the blonde, noticing that he was watching her throat carefully. "But even though your reputation as a charming speaker precedes you; you shall not gain my favor as easily as other woman I know you've chased."

If any of the men had been drinking anything in that moment, she was sure they would have choked on it. It took a moment for the stone native to compose himself before he brushed a tanned hand through his sunshine locks with amusement playing against his young features. "The chase is the thrill, my lady," he reasoned as a smile that border lined dangerous and playful in a single instance reached his lips. "But let me assure you that I know it will take much more than sweet words to woo your favor, yeah."

"A smart notion," she replied with a challenging smile of her own before she began to eat some of the fresh fruit from her plate. She had baited Deidara perfectly. The rest he would proceed with on his own. He was the easiest step she had to overcome before proceeding towards the rest.

Upturning her emerald eyes in the direction of the unacquainted presence, she provided a small smile as she noticed his attention. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting. I am Sakura Haruno, of Konoha."

"Kakuzu, from Taki." The man's voice was deep and rough. A tone she had never before heard in her life. It was just as unique as he was.

"Ah, the land of waterfall," Sakura mused at his introduction. She had never been to the country that based its main profits from their strict military forces and cultural customs unmatched by most other lands. "I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of meeting anyone whom hailed from Taki."

"Kakuzu is the treasurer to the capital. He handles all of the finances and money related needs of the king and his city," Itachi furthered the conversation as Sakura took in the man's appearance.

Even as his position was shrouded by the large table he sat at, Sakura knew that his height was comparable to Kisame's. His skin was a deep set tan color and his hair the color of rich brown soil. From the skin he exposed, dark black scars ran the contours of his skin contrasting in colors. His clothes were that over a dark neutral variety, playing with the rest of his limited color palate. The only thing that stood out about the man now before her, was his eyes as green as the forests she remembered from her home.

"A very important position," Sakura admired as she watched the man who was taking in her own appearance lightly. "I'm to assume you are kept busy with the amount the capital spends."

If she was looking in Pein's direction after she made her comment, she would have seen the faintest trace of a smirk dancing at the corner of his mouth. If she would have looked in the king's direction, she would have seen him boring his dark eyes into her person as if trying to suck away her very soul.

"My time and effort is used efficiently, if that is what you are probing for," his answer was not playful like his counterparts. It seemed that the treasurer from Taki was not a conversationalist. His voice was cold with no inclination of playing into her exchange. A piece loyal to his master. One that would be difficult to acquire if she chose to do so.

"It would certainly have to be in order to keep up," she challenged back as she leaned further into her chair, deciding she was finished with her breakfast. "I hope that exertion can stay with you in days to come."

Before he had the opportunity to retort with another strict comment, she rose from her seat and gave the men before her a small smile. "If you'll excuse me, my lords," she turned towards Sasori and gave a short curtsey with a challenging glint in her emerald eyes, "my king. I plan to spend my day exploring the city further. I thank you for the gift of your time."

As she began to depart, she found the Ame leader also rising from his seat. "I shall escort you to the courtyard if you will allow it, my lady," he announced as he moved to stand at her side, providing his arm.

"Of course, my lord. That would be appreciated." Taking his arm, the pair left the grand hall of the castle and made their way towards to the front courtyard that would allow passage through the streets of the city.

"You understand his intentions and his position." She was sure the comment was open ended and he expected a reply, but she found his boldness interesting to say the least.

"I do."

"And yet you bait him with words that could have you killed where you stand."

"I do."

"Why?"

A small smile graced her lips as she kept her eyes on the halls they walked through. "A man who is considered a close friend of the king is not a wise choice to indulge my thoughts. Especially thoughts as dangerous as my own."

"A political ally is not a friend," he ventured to further his inclination of her secrets.

"Isn't it though?" she questioned as she spared a glance at him from the corners of her viridian eyes. "You pledge your loyalty to the king, trade goods with him, drink wine with him, tell tales with him. You share secrets of those whom you do not support and you plan strategies to defeat your shared enemies. To solidify the fact, you accept the invitation to sit at his side at his personal tourney, where you are a guest of honor. You may protest otherwise, but from where I am standing, I may not believe it to be true."

"A friend requires a certain emotional connection, which the king and I do not share," the leader of rain replied simply. It was as if he could counter every point she made with the unassuming one of his own.

"Yet the two of you are still allies in strong standing. That much cannot be denied," she retorted as she finally gave him her full attention. "You have agreed to political eminences to support each other."

"Support of a political ally can retract as easily as a life can be taken. The king knows this just as well as any other well versed noble, but it does not stop him in his quest for death. Though the king is a powerful ally, he is not the only one available." What the pierced man was spewing could be considered treason against the crown. His words were senseless. The most powerful ally in all the nations at this point in time was the king. He could provide anything that was needed for those that sided in his favor. There was no one more powerful, as much as the Konoha native hated to admit it to herself. She had to look at each situation from a standpoint other than her own.

"You shouldn't be saying such things, my lord. It's not safe. Especially when we are in the king's own kingdom, let alone castle. It is truly dangerous."

"My words are just as dangerous as the ones you speak every day. They are just as dangerous as each day you stay in the capital. But of that fact, I am sure you are aware." This man was trying to make a point to her, but to what point she was unsure. His words were now supporting the opposite of everything his position stated that he stood for. He was one of the king's most powerful allies. The land of rain had some of the most quality trained fighters and unique supplies to back them up. Their force was a powerful one, and it made the king all the more fatal.

"What is it that you are trying to say, my lord? Your words are weighing heavily on the border of treason," she spoke lowly as she noticed their pace had slowed through their walk towards the front gates. She has assumed to understand the movement of all the king's important pawns, but this was purely unadulterated in her assumptions.

"And why should my words have weight on your conscious?" he questioned as he stopped their paces completely. Sakura tried to pull herself away from the man with hair the color of the setting sun, but she found that her arm was held tightly in the crook of his arm. "Until proven otherwise, I am a dangerous enemy whose fate you should care nothing for. What you should consider is what my words represent."

"I'm afraid I can't hear your thoughts, my lord. You'll have to be more unambiguous," she shot back with slight impatience caught in her tone. This man was running his words around her in circles and she was finding it hard to keep up.

"How do you see your ideal world, my lady?" his question was unexpected. She wanted to question his motives, but knew he would avert her to another circle with his words.

"I long for a world where everyone can live peacefully. A world where everyone can have a chance at happiness and not fear that a new day will bring them new sorrows," as she spoke, her words were hushed but passionate in the same resonation. She felt Pein release the grasp he held in the crook of his arm, only to allow his hold to travel to her thin wrist. The pads of his fingers played against the delicate skin of her pulse. Her eyes trailed up his pale neck and masculine jawline to face his stormy eyes of gray that were trained on her as she spoke. "I desire a world where the darkness and decay of this existing one hold no place."

He did not respond right away. One of his hands allowed his fingertips to trace up the length of her arm leaving a chill to tingle down her spine. His touch danced over the loose strap of her dress and up the curve where her shoulder met in junction to her neck. The path led to her jaw where he provided a light caress. She felt something in her stomach tighten with the way he so carelessly touched her, but looked upon her with a storm so great she thought it would sweep her away completely. There was a passion in his eyes she never thought they could contain. It left her with the feeling that she had been deprived of water for weeks.

"Venerable desires, my lady. Will you allow them to remain as simple feelings of longing that ache so hollowly in your chest, or will you prove to make your reveries a reality?" She felt her lips part faintly at the man's words. He spoke with such passion that she thought of an igniting flame and she felt her own chest start to ache. But passion without drive was as love without feeling. Like hunger without surfeit.

"How is one to make their dreams a reality, when they are smothered before even given the chance to breathe?" She felt the weight of his grip on her jaw as she spoke, finding that his stature was much closer than she had recalled it being. "I am a sheep with a murderous shepherd. I hold no power over these dreams we so casually speak of."

"The king may see you as naught but a lamb, but you are a queen in more ways than you or he recognize," he spoke so lowly that she felt his words reverberate through her bones. He was now close enough that she could feel the heat of his own body through the pale charcoal tunic he adorned. "You are a powerful piece to this game, my lady. That much you should realize."

Her jaw tightened at his words. It was unsurprising that this man shared her thoughts on the setup of a game board. Once again he had astonished her with his inclination to her very thoughts. The question now posed; what was his motive?

"You have still left me very much in the dark to your intentions, my lord. What is the purpose of our conversation in this moment of time?"

The push in her tone followed with a small sliver of amusement to reflect from the piercings in his lips. "Must every conversation have a purpose?"

"You do not seem to be the type to hold purposeless chatter."

"And what type do you perceive me to be, my lady?" she noted that his tone was challenging and almost playful in a sense, as if he were teasing her. He found amusement in that fact that the answers to her questions were left shrouded in the dark.

"I perceive you to be a man who strives to get what he wants, whatever that may prove to be. So what is it that you want, Lord Pein?" His name falling from her lips was like honey added to a sweet brew of tea. As she fell into his gambit, he swept his hand from her jaw to the back of her neck where her pink tresses were pinned delicately away. He pressed her closely enough that he could brush his lips so briefly against her ear.

"I long to create the world you dream of," he whispered into the shell of her ear. His breath ignited another fuse down her spine. "In order to do so, I need someone who can play the game better than I can."

"You intend to exploit me for your own purposes," she hissed back quietly, losing her sense of modesty.

"Ah, but that would not be true, my lady. For you just confirmed that we have shared ideas on how this world should be," he replied to her hiss with his even cooling tone as if attempting to douse the spark in her words. His face pulled away slightly so that their eyes could meet once more. It was as if when he looked at her, he was trying to put her under a trace. His eyes were hypnotizing.

"Beside the fact that you wish to have power over me like a guileless game piece, you have shared nothing with me, my lord."

"You are no simple pawn, my lady. Never think of yourself at such a low stature. Your piece is particular, such as a game of chess. Though the king is more renowned due to title alone, the queen is the most powerful piece in the game. In this instance, you are the queen, Lady Sakura. I would never dream of controlling you. Only supporting you."

She found his hold on her not uncomfortable, but she would not admit it aloud. She put blame to the fact that he spoke his word with a blunt elegance that was unlike any she had ever encountered. He was selling her to whatever purpose he held. And she was giving in like a drunk to fine wine.

"You wish to betray your king," she finally found her ability to speak once more. She felt his opposite hand move to rest at the high curve of her waist, as if he was anchoring her to the ground. In that moment, she appreciated it.

"As do you," he countered to her dangerous conception.

"I do not wish to betray him," she added back in a low whisper, though deep in her heart she cared not of the fate of the king. "I only wish to survive and return to my home."

"A selfish but understandable notion. Allow yourself the chance to hope for survival as well as peace."

"An impossible feat," the pink haired princess told the lord holding her in his grasp. This man could not see the clear picture as she could. Though peace throughout the nations was priority, she could do nothing if the king found pleasure in letting her blood coat the courtyard. Peace was a delicate matter, particularly when survival was uncertain. "I cannot work towards peace if I am dead."

The short glimpse of amusement passed over his pale lips once more as he bored his soul into her own through the open windows of their colored eyes. "I simply leave you to ponder the idea. We shall discuss this later, for now I leave you with the words we discussed. Know that you have my support if you decide to play the role of a queen."

His movement was stealthy as she registered the cool texture of one of his metal piercings dancing along her smooth temple. He stepped away, giving her a short bow, before he left her presence completely. She pressed her body against the cool stone wall that stood behind her, letting out a stiff exhale. Sasori's pawns were nothing like she anticipated them to be. Some of them not pawns at all. Some of them much more dangerous.

-xxx-

The city was unaffected by the tourney that had taken place on the previous day. The streets were still bustling, people still bartering, and brothels still brewing. The city was a well-oiled instrument for destruction, whether its inhabitants knew so or not. She felt the suns kiss bear down upon the exposed skin of her shoulders and she held a small appreciation towards the fact that she could still feel pain in some way. As she wandered through the busy streets, she did so with no set purpose. After her confrontation with the Ame leader, she was unsure which path she should pursue next.

Enjoying the sound around her instead of the painful silence her chambers provided, she found herself on a street she found oddly familiar. Her memories brought back the face of the religious man that forced his colorful language out into the open days ago. She wondered if he could be any use in her quest for freedom. The doubt was high, but she recalled the way Deidara's temper immediately flared at the simple mention of the encounter. She wondered if there was more to the foul man than she perceived at their first meeting.

Knowing that he was banned from the brothel on the street she currently occupied, she moved down to the next, doing her best to search out an unfamiliar man in an unfamiliar city. Sooner than she had anticipated, she located another pleasure house and made her way to the entrance. Though she would never dare to enter a brothel in her own city, she found that she could not afford to care in a city she wanted nothing more than to escape from.

As she walked through the brothel doors, the air around her was hot and smelled of sweat and wine. She didn't bother questioning to aroma to herself, for she knew the reasons as to why it smelt the way it did. An average looking burlier man greeted her at the front and gave her a surprised glance.

"A beautiful enchantress of the highborn court. What a pleasure to have you in my establishment." It was obvious that this man was not used to ladies of high statues in his business, but she was sure the same could not be said about royalty of the opposing gender. "What is it that I can service you with today?"

"I am looking for someone," she explained to the man. "He's a regular patron of yours here. Silver hair and violet eyes. Revoltingly coarse mouth."

She watched as recognition flooded his features before he masked it into a blank expression. "I'm sorry, my lady. Regardless if I did know of whom you spoke of, our patrons have the right to their upmost privacy."

The man needed to learn to cast away his emotions properly. He also needed to improve on his ability. Luckily, the lady's ability was high above parity. Giving him a sweet smile, she gave her best act. "I completely understand, sir. It is nice to know how seriously you take your patrons here. I will be sure to mention so to the king when I return to him this afternoon. Though he we will hard-pressed to know I could not find the man he was looking for."

The small wrinkles around the older man's eyes stretched momentarily following his eyes. "T-the king requested his presence?"

"Indeed," she replied simply as she gave a short inclination of her head before turning towards the exit. "I appreciate your assistance in this matter."

As she reached the door, the man called back to her. He missed the triumphant tilt of her lips at his trapped response. He asked her to follow him as he led her back into the dimly lit halls around her. Soft moans echoed through the rooms as they passed them and she shifted her thoughts elsewhere to avoid thinking about what was happening not so far from her. The burly owner stopped at a particular door and knocked three times. At first there was no response, though she could hear a few muffled screams emanating from the room. The man knocked again. A loud curse sounded from the other side of the door before a familiar voice continued.

"This better be of the highest fucking importance for you to interrupt my sacred fucking-" the comment had continued until the room flew open and violet eyes moved to her figure. His smile was animalistic in the dangerous way that blew chills down her exposed neck. "The prodigal bitch returns. You're ready for me to bestow the fucking gifts of Jashin to your erotic hips?"

Sakura noted that the man was chaotically dressed with slacks hanging dangerously low on his hips. Any lower and he would be fully exposed. She had no doubt what he had been doing prior to her unannounced arrival. On the other hand, the owner was absolutely appalled at his language, especially towards a woman of nobility as he was about to speak before Sakura stepped in for herself. "Charmed to see you as well, you filthy monastic. I need a moment of your time, if you'll spare it."

His pearly teeth were now exposed at her request. "I'm a fucking celebrant, you searing whore. But I'll need longer than a fucking moment to take you in all the ways Jashin is demanding me too."

"How utterly charming," she replied in low monotone as she forced her temper to stay in check. His words crawled across her skin like spiders itching to be killed. The silver haired man yelled at the whore currently occupying his room to 'get the fuck out' as he invited the Konoha native in. The room was plush with a sitting area and a large bed, as customary of most brothels in wealthy cities. She watched at the loosely dressed celebrant roughly sat himself down in one of the chairs in the sitting area and poured himself a hardy glass of red wine.

After he had consumed the entire glass in just a few gulps, his magenta flecked eyes stared her down as he leaned back comfortably along the piece of furniture. His arms rested across the back as he drank in her appearance while she took a seat opposite to himself. She was now wondering why she had even sought this man out in the first place. It was doubtful he would be any help at all. This experience would show nothing but lewd commentary and lecherous gazes. As if she hadn't been receiving enough already in the king's own residence.

"Jashin finds you fucking intriguing," Hidan finally spoke. The dim light in the room was playing across the contours of his skin. Though he was incomparably foul, his physique was near perfection.

"And, pray tell, who is Jashin?" she questioned as she indulged in pouring herself a glass of wine, though not as much as the man had poured for himself. "I have heard you utter his name on more than one occasion, but am left with no explanation. Nor does Jashin even know me."

"Jashin knows everyone. Even you, Lady Sakura." She was slightly surprised to hear her name uttered from his lips, but did her best to keep the emotion to herself as he continued speaking once again.

"The one true god. The god of death, chaos, pure destruction," Hidan began his passionate explanation. It seemed to be the only time his crude language lessened in his speech. "He is paid in the blood and death of those whom still walk this world. I make sacrifices to please him and he grants me gifts fools of this world could only pray for in their wildest fucking dreams."

Sakura had known that the god he worshiped would not be one of positivity and forgiveness like most in the world worshiped. There were always extremists would stop at no lengths to please a god they followed under, but Jashinists procured on a heavy level to most who worshipped.

"So you kill and sacrifice those lives to this god you follow?" she clarified as she took a sip from the robust wine that Hidan had chosen. Though not generally in her tastes, she would take its numbing boons to make it through the presences of a Jashin obsessed convert.

"That's fucking accurate."

"So why here? Why in the capital city where protection is said to be the highest and under the nose of your own king?" His boisterous laughter was the initial response to her questions as his rows of perfect teeth parted to allow the sound to escape. "You cannot fucking believe that I support that ginger dick as anything but a sadistic bitch sitting in a fucking chair. He holds no fucking power over me. In fact, I do nothing under his fucking nose. He is fully aware of the lives I take in order to please Jashin. I would even go fucking far enough to say he supports my bloody endeavors. What does that say about this so called fucking protection he provides? He would slaughter them all himself, publicly for that matter, if he felt fucking inclined to do so."

The harsh sincerity in the Jashinist's words made her heart clench painfully. As if noticing her inner panic, he let out a short chuckle and slowly made his way back to pouring a new glass of wine before joining her on the furniture she occupied. "Don't act so fucking surprised, bitch. You're well informed on his pure tenacity to get whatever the fuck he wants. The underground has been whispering about the bloody events at the tourney."

"The mist demon's antics are hardly avoidable, I suppose," she murmured back as she took another gulp from her glass, letting the liquid quench the sudden thirst that bloomed in her throat.

She heard a chuckle tumble from the celebrant's throat as he dared to move even closer to her seated form. The length of his naked arm inches from one of her exposed shoulder blades. "You are obviously a fucking novice to this hell hole of a city, bitch," he chortled as he took another healthy swig of his own wine. Her head turned slowly, her chin barely meeting the skin of her exposed shoulder as she rose a delicate brow in his direction. One of her arms rested casually against the arm rest of the furniture, while the other cupped her glass. Her hand was circling the red fermented liquid in her glass as she waited for the man to elaborate on his commentary.

"Of course, the fucking city knows of the bloody fucking mist scum. What I'm referring to is the little birds who know all about your fucking commotion with the damn king," he added with a sinister smirk before consuming more of his inebriating drink.

This man was becoming increasingly frustrating as time ticked forward. "You'll have to be more unequivocal, Hidan," she directed towards his previous comments as she hissed his name. The obvious thinning in her patience in her tone playing through.

The sound of his name dripping from her lips with disdain was enough to procure a bolt of heat to his loins. His smirk widened as he flashed his pearly teeth once again. "Fucking pleased to hear my name coming from your lip, you conspicuous wench. Say it again."

"Careful, you insatiable lecher," quipped the young princess as her jaw clenched slightly to avoid the harsh commentary threatening to spill. "Comments like that will earn a shot to your windpipe this time around."

He thought about pushing further into the breathtaking sparks of anger that fused through the pools of green her face supported, but decided to grace her request instead, knowing more opportunities would come. "The fucking birds I refer to are in the possession of the city's highest spy master. Nothing happens in this fucking hellhole without his knowing. He sees everything, including your fucking stunt within the high court seating at the damn tourney yesterday."

So there was a spy master, and a good one at that, whom lurked through the shadows of the capital collecting secrets. An interesting piece indeed, and a useful one. The problem posed that most secret sellers stayed loyal to whom they served, and in this situation was most presumptuously the king. Approaching with a proposal would surly send word back to the king and her movements would be spoiled. But remaining ignorant to this information would be wasteful.

"And how is it that you know of what these little birds are saying so soon after the tourney?" the pink haired temptress inquired as she turned his body slightly towards his own, allowing better view along the curve of her neck and the trail it took into the front dip of her sage colored attire. "You don't seem to be a man prone to inconsequential city gossip."

"Unfortunately, the little fuck is an acquaintance of mine," Hidan scoffed with a scowl as he took another gulp of his wine. "He's hardly fucking avoidable when he comes searching for me."

"I suppose someone combing the city brothels to find you would certainly be tedious," Sakura insinuated with a small smirk as she took in another sip of her wine. She was, of course, referring to her own search for the foul mouthed religious.

"Jashin will have surly blessed me if I ever meet your fucking ass in a brothel again," the man answered as he finally made his anticipated move to touch her skin. The hand that had been ghostly behind her back tangled itself in her pinned up tresses, while his other tossed his empty chalice across the distance of the room before looming over her and caressing the length of her porcelain throat. "But Jashin will surly damn me to hell if I don't fucking relish in the opportunity now."

"We're not finished yet, Hidan," she voiced as the worshipper moved his tongue to grace the column of her throat, leaving a trail of his saliva in its path. Her anger was brimming beneath her skin, but she needed one final piece of information. "I require a name."

He scoffed against her skin as his teeth grazed along the side of her neck. "The only fucking names you need are mine and Jashin's."

Hidan did not register the close crashing noise, as he was too preoccupied with the lady's neck, until there was a sharp edge applied to his own. Though most would have become defensive or even nervous, Hidan could not help but to express his amusement and pleasure of the situation he was now faced with. "You are one feisty fucking woman, Sakura."

"I need his name and where I can find him," she instructed once more as she held the sharp glass of her now broken wine cup to his throat. His face had not moved away from her own as he was threatened. Not only because it would pierce his skin, but he found pleasure in the soft skin of her throat. "Do not force me ask again."

His chuckle caressed her pale skin as his tongue danced across it once more. "You will not fucking find him no matter how hard you look. He has to fucking come to you."

"His name, Hidan."

A wide smile now pressed against the skin of her neck as she felt his nails dig into her own flesh.

"Zetsu."

-xxx-

Author's Note: So I was partially writing this during down time on my family vacation and my family was like, "What are you doing?" And I'm like, "Hi. Bye. Get off me. Let me live my life." So they did and you are now given this.

I would like to thank all of the reviewers for their kind words in response to my last AN. You really pepped my spirits and made me understand why I write Sakura the way that I do. So for that, I sincerely thank you and love you and all that mushy nonsense. You begin to realize, as an author on FF, that you simply can't please everyone. Just like everyone can't like ketchup on their macaroni and cheese. Or dipping their French fried in their chocolate frosty.

You have the pleasure of being introduced, briefly, to Kakuzu in this chapter and there are mentions of Zetsu in the future. I think both of their positions in this realm fit superbly to their characters. Extended scenes with both Pein and Hidan in this chapter. Pein is…difficult to keep in character, whereas Hidan is not. He's just so fun to write because he's so lewd and profane. There were requests of more Uchiha interaction. What you ask, you shall receive. Just perhaps not in the way you intend. Insert smirking evil face here. Please leave me your thoughts on this chapter. What did you think? What are you hoping to see in the next chapter? Or perhaps, who are you expecting to see or see more of in the next chapter? Thanks for reading. See you in the next chapter!