…I do own something—but it's not Naruto…

Chapter 4: Harnessing the Kyuubi

Naruto didn't know what to say. He just stood there, holding the parchment Sai had handed him. He had seen the newest member of team seven scribbling away in the fading evening light. But it had surprised him when Sai walked over a little later and handed him the picture.

For Naruto, he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry.

Sakura stared back at him from the drawing…but it was not an average picture of the young woman.

Sai smiled awkwardly. "It's how I remember Sakura-chan best."

The artist had drawn her as he remembered her from a split second in the past. Her eyes were angry yet determined her stance relaxed and strong, one arm slightly out-stretched. It was the image of her after she had hit Sai for the first time. He could almost hear her saying the words 'As for me, I don't want your forgiveness'.

Eventually, Naruto grinned. "Thanks, Sai."

He wasn't sure just how long he sat there, with his back against the tree, staring at the picture. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her. It was his job to protect Sakura. He glanced over at Sasuke. Even if it meant saving her so that she could be with someone else.

From across the clearing, Sasuke did not miss Naruto's casual glance.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru crooned. "Perhaps this adventure will help us in more ways than one."

The Uchiha's dangerous eyes met the sannin's. "Hn."

"We will keep them around to help us defeat Akatsuki, and then, we will use your—our—power to suppress the Kyuubi and kill them. Konoha will easily be ours with them gone."

The Uchiha did not reply.

Orochimaru was accustomed to his silence.

Sasuke stood and cast a look back over to Naruto. What is it that he keeps staring at?

"Sasuke-kun!" Kabuto grabbed his arm. "Don't walk away from Orochimaru-sama!"

With a swift movement, Sasuke disengaged the medic from his arm and sent him flying back against a tree. Without a word, he walked over toward the blond.

Naruto was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't even notice Sasuke until the Uchiha's shadow fell over him.

"Eh?" Their eyes locked in a temporary war of wills before Sasuke's gaze flicked down to where the parchment lay open on the ground.

Immediately, Naruto rolled it up and placed it in his pack.

"Let me see it." Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

Across the camp, Kakashi glanced up at them over the cover of his book. He prepared himself to jump in at a moment's notice.

But instead of arguing, Naruto reached back into his pack and held out the picture.

Sasuke took it, more forcefully than he intended, and opened it carefully. The image inside mirrored the look of Sakura that had been ingrained in his mind. But the expression captured in the art held a more dangerous aura. To Sasuke, it looked as if Sakura had been physically proving a point, drawing a line that wasn't to be crossed.

It was mesmerizing.

A few meters away, Orochimaru and Kabuto spoke together in hushed tones. They were watching Sasuke closely.

"We cannot wait too much longer, Kabuto-kun." The sannin whispered. "It's bad enough that Sasuke-kun already knows about his family history. If he meets with Itachi too soon…our plans will all fall apart. It has taken me many years to figure out a way to use Itachi's plans against him. It will be hard to betray him if our own plans do not go as they should."

"But how will we convince Sasuke to harness the Kyuubi if he won't let you take over his body?"

Orochimaru shrugged. "There is no option. In order to maintain my immortality, I must have a new body. Sasuke has been molded to be that perfect host and all our future plans rely on me obtaining the sharingan."

"Do you think Sasuke will commit to the body-transfer now? His unquestioning obedience has been slipping greatly of late."

Orochimaru shook his head. "His memories are surging to the surface and his seal is weakening. We'll just have to convince him again of the reason he is with us." He motioned to the drugs in Kabuto's bag. "Perhaps we should give him something to remind him of just how much he hates his brother."

The smile on Kabuto's face grew.

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Sasuke tossed restlessly on his blanket. His dreams were tearing him apart again.

It had been a long time since he had had a nightmare. The sleep aids Kabuto gave him had kept them at bay—but now he was having another.

They were all the same.

The same images in his mind from when Itachi killed their family. The strange red world he had found himself in. The power of the mangekyo sharingan.

This dream was particularly vivid. The images seemed longer; deeper; more intense than they had been in a long time.

And when he awoke, drenched in his own sweat, he silently cursed the man who was the cause of it all.

Itachi.

He looked around the slumbering camp. Kakashi and Kabuto remained awake. It was a testament to the fact that both groups distrusted each other. Nearby, Orochimaru's eyes were closed, a chilling smile still touching his lips.

Sasuke doubted that he was asleep.

The loud snoring, however, told him that Naruto had no reservations about sleeping in their company.

Naruto. Even allied with him for now, Sasuke was not sure that they could defeat his brother. The images of the dream had served to make him remember the helplessness he had felt at the hands of Itachi. Perhaps he should allow the transfer to happen now and not take the chance of facing the older Uchiha before then.

But as much as Sasuke wanted to better his chances, a part of him wanted to see if his own ability could compare to that of his brother. Maybe he didn't need Orochimaru after all.

It was that thought that had prevented him from allowing the switch sooner.

He glanced back over at his former best friend.

It had made so much sense to Sasuke when he had discovered that the nine-tailed fox was inside Naruto. It explained just where all his power had come from. And it had thrilled him immensely because he knew he had the power to suppress the beast.

The fox had warned him not to kill Naruto. For a while, Sasuke had thought on that. At first, he assumed that it had something to do with the demon valuing its own life. Everyone knew that if Naruto died, so too, did the Kyuubi.

But when he had mentioned it to Orochimaru, the snake sensei had become visibly agitated, as if Sasuke had unwittingly been clued into some larger plot.

But the Uchiha had been unable to gain any more information on it from his Sound companions.

And now, as he looked at the snoring form of Naruto, Sasuke was filled with unease. He could out do the fox's chakra—of that there was no doubt. But he also knew that inside of his old comrade there was an impressive chakra all its own. He had sensed it, briefly, while he was inside Naruto's mind. He wondered if the other young man knew of his potential yet.

Sasuke glanced at Kakashi. If their ex-sensei was still as lax of a teacher as he used to be, he doubted that Naruto had improved much at all.

Sakura. The name popped into his mind. Kakashi had missed her potential too. What was it Naruto had said? She'd been training with Tsunade? Sasuke hadn't expected that. But he should have. Kabuto had explained to him before that medical jutsus required impressive chakra control. And apparently, Sakura's was so rare that she was able to replicate the Hokage's extreme strength. And though Naruto had been known to embellish from time to time as Sasuke remembered, he seemed truthful when he said they expected her to surpass the Fifth.

All that conversation over a simple picture.

He had listened to the blue-eyed youth go on and on, himself remaining silent. And afterward, he had reluctantly handed back the parchment and returned to his companions.

Sakura was strong now. But was she strong enough to withstand what she was up against?

Sasuke lay back down.

He needed to defeat Itachi. The question was—

--could he do it as himself or did he need to go through with his prior bargain?

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After eight hours, Sakura felt her eyes growing heavy.

She rubbed the slowly drying blood from her lip and kept her hawk-like stare on Itachi.

She hadn't even seen him move the first time. And when he had hit her, it was as if he had materialized out of thin air in front of her. She had swung back, of course. It had been almost a pure reaction—but he had vanished just as quickly.

The second time he had done it, she had seen his eyes change slightly just before. Now she was watching for that same tell-tale sign.

Why was he doing this? She couldn't understand. Why not just leave me here and wait for Naruto? Why torment me?

She had almost hoped that Kisame would come during the night and interrupt this sick game. But he didn't come. No one came. In fact, she hadn't seen any other Akatsuki members since finding herself in this prison.

Itachi watched as her eyes fought to stay open. "Why are you so afraid of me, Sakura-san?"

The abrupt question after so many hours of silence snapped her awake like a cold bucket of water.

"I am not afraid of you."

"Are you lying again?" His eyes took on a dangerous gleam. "I know you are afraid. But that doesn't explain to me why you seem so eager to end my life."

She jingled the chains. "Is this not reason enough?"

"No."

Sakura frowned and looked away. Silence was the obvious way to avoid him. She would revert to that again.

"Your hate is so strong I can almost taste it." He stood and stepped forward.

Sakura stared at the spot where his feet had stopped. He was just over her invisible line. She licked her lips. Step a little closer.

But Itachi was well aware of what he was doing. He wanted her to attack him. If she insisted on futile battle, then he would be happy to oblige her. There was still something about her that he needed to know.

"I'll ask you this once and after that I'll figure out the answer myself." He let his words sink in. "Why is your hate for me so strong?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but instantly, Itachi was an inch away from her, his finger pressed --in warning-- against her lips. "Think before you answer me, Sakura-san."

The red of his eyes intensified.

This was his way of testing her. And as he had expected, her response was a violent one.

The Uchiha had shifted his body in time, only catching the end of Sakura's power swing. He winced and back handed her, causing her to knock her head against the stone wall.

She slumped to the floor.

Itachi knelt down, lifting her chin with his fingers. Her green eyes were crinkled in pain but they were still open.

Itachi shook his head. "I warned you, Sakura-san. No one can say I didn't warn you."

She didn't have time to close her eyes once she realized what he was doing.

The world around her went red and all she could see was the giant moon hanging ominously in the sky.

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Author's Note: If you want to see the picture Sai drew of Sakura…it's the picture of her in manga chapter 286...saying "As for me I don't want your forgiveness." If you aren't sure how to look up this picture…got to youtube(dot)com and do a search on 'Naruto chapter 286" click on one of the options and watch carefully.

coming soon: Chapter 5: Itachi's Discovery