Sakura spared a second to take in Karin's new appearance. She kept her glasses but her hair was now up in a high pony tail. She wore a long violet dress with slits up the side to reveal her creamy legs and with no sleeves, one could see her smooth arms too. A navy blue sash around her stomach kept her from looking too plain. For some reason, the sash reminded her of Sasuke's hair. And she didn't like it on the Uzumaki.

Her eyes then darted back to the man. Arrogance leaked off him in waves. He had hair as black as night but pupil less scarlet eyes drew your attention, though the moment she saw the scarlet, her eyes dropped instinctively, just as Sasuke had taught her. He had a handsome face, reminding her of pictures of some of the Uchiha men Sasuke had about. Her gaze was then drawn to his outstretched hand. Inside it lay a mostly squished slug.

"Kagura!" Sakura gasped.

The slug shuddered slightly, some of her yellow entrails leaked onto the strangers hand.

"G-Gomen, Sakura-sama," the slug whispered.

Karin held out her cupped hands and all forty-two scout slugs dropped. Dead. Squished.

Sakura shook angrily. Sakura tried to release the summoning but before the slug disappeared, the man clenched his hand shut. As the slug poofed away, her scream echoed in Sakura's ears. Katsuyu would come upon her dead daughter in the Shikkotsu Forest and Sakura's heart went out to the mother. Though she has many children, none are more important than the other and with her maternal instincts on overload, she couldn't help but shed a tear.

"You bastard!" She hissed. "Why have you been stalking me and my child!?"

The man smirked while Karin frowned.

"It's all to do with the Uchiha clan, you see," he began. "I've heard about the Uchiha clan being born and bred on blood and I can't help but to agree."

"You're part of the Uchiha clan, then?" Sakura wondered. "I guessed so from your appearance and eyes, though they aren't the Sharingan. If you really are from the Uchiha clan, why are you doing this? My husband and daughter are the only Uchiha blood left, aside from you. Why would you do this to family?"

The man cackled suddenly, causing Sakura to flinch, her arms wrapping around her stomach protectively.

"Family?!" He laughed again. "Why not? My father abandoned my mother and I when the Sharingan didn't develop within me then my mother gave me away for wicked experiments!"

His eyes grew cold as he glared at Sakura.

"So don't talk to me about 'family', bitch."

Her jaw clenched as she stood her ground.

"So you want revenge, is that it?" Sakura scoffed. "You Uchiha men are all the same."

"Revenge is the ultimate motivation to gain power, deary."

Within his eyes, a black diamond formed, spinning and in a split second, he faded into the shadows only to reappear from Sakura's. She -naturally- tried to move away, but the man grasped her elbow in one hand and her face in the other, yanking her into him. His smirk never faded as he inspected her.

"Well, I can see why he chose you. You're very beautiful."

"Kuromaru," Karin snapped.

Kuromaru cast a look over his shoulder.

"Don't be jealous, love. I'm not into sloppy seconds."

Before she could stop herself, she spat in his face. Horror gripped her heart but instead of wavering, defiance shown brightly in her eyes.

"You're very brave, kunoichi," he hissed, whipping the spittle from his face. "I'm going to destroy Sasuke and everything he cares for. It's what the Uchiha's deserve."

His nails dug into her face, puncturing her skin.

"Would do you think, Saku-chan?" He cooed cruelly.

"Fuck you, Uchiha reject."

The moment she finished her insult, he had slammed her through a large tree that was nearby. Blood spilt down the side of her mouth from both the assault and her ailing health.

"I'm going to break you. I'm going to kill you slowly and cause you unimaginable pain. So much so, that it will drive you insane and make you forget who you are and those you love. All you will know is pain."

She struggled but there wasn't much a heavily pregnant woman pinned to a tree could do.

"We could include Sara-chan too, if you'd like."

Nope. Not happening.

Sakura smacked her forehead into his nose, breaking it. The attack caused him to stagger slightly in surprise but not enough for her to get away safely. Clutching his nose in pain with his left hand, his right one gripped her head then smashed it back into the tree repeatedly. The head trauma caused black spots to swim in her vision and a wave of nausea to wash over her. If Kuromaru hadn't been holding her head to the tree, she'd have swayed.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Looking up, Sakura caught sight of the black diamond swirling to life in Kuromaru's eyes before Sarada's fist went through the now intangible man.

"Sarada-"

"It's okay, kaa-san. I'm here," she spoke, glaring at the man.

"Stay back, Sarada. He's too strong," Sakura pleaded.

"And let him hurt you? I don't think so."

Then she was off, trying to hit him. Kuromaru humoured her. Though she could not touch him, he dodged her attacks just as easily, mocking her. The small Uchiha grew more frustrated as her attacks all but hit him.

"Meinu!"

Bolt had arrived, intent on helping Sarada protect her mother, when a red-haired woman blocked his path.

"Move, hag!"

"Hag?!" Karin snapped before those two fought.

Sakura got back to her feet, just as Kuromaru countered one of Sarada's attacks, landing a solid punch to the girls' gut.

"Sarada!" Sakura gasped, catching the girl as she stumbled back.

She had such spirit, much like her parents but in the end she was still only eight, still learning in the Academy.

Sakura glared up at the amused invader. 'It's like Obito's ability to render himself practically untouchable, allowing physical attacks to slip through him then rematerialize at will,' her sharp eyes caught.

Now that she wasn't his primary focus, she could look into his eyes without so much risk to herself, if there was any. There. She could see his eyes.

'They aren't exactly the Sharingan as I noticed earlier...maybe a mutation of some sort? He mentioned some sort of experimentation earlier.'

Sakura moved forward, slow and sluggish, but she needed to protect Sarada.

"Kaa-san, no!"

Like before, he humoured her. When she saw him choose to counter one of her attacks instead of dodging, her hands lit up with the chakra scalpel and just as he was about to make contact, she spun and slashed the muscles in his arm just as he became tangible. He grunted in shock at having actually been injured before he was glowering with so much anger, she froze for just a moment but a moment was all he needed. With speed he hadn't shown to possess earlier, he stabbed a kunai into her thigh and twisted cruelly.

Sakura couldn't stop the scream of pain that escaped her lips as she went down. He didn't wait as he followed up by lodging a kunai in her back. Then he stumbled back. He had been so angry, he hadn't seen the small child leap over her mother and kick him.

Having seen that attacks could hurt him if timed right, Sarada followed her mother's example but when he had stabbed Sakura, Sarada felt as if ice washed through her. She started gasping as her survival instincts kicked in. Fight or flight but running was never an option. Not when her mother and unborn siblings was in danger. All sound died as she stared at Sakura who was in pain, the only sound being Sarada's own gasping breaths. She was border lining hyperventilation.

Then everything lit up and slowed. Everything suddenly became clearer, more vivid as if she had been seeing everything through a fog her whole life and now she was able to see his next moves.

'What is this!?'

When she saw the kunai he planned to stab into her Sakura's back, she moved, faster than she had ever before.

Sakura was gasping for breath before she sent healing chakra to her back and used it to force out the kunai as she yanked the one out of her leg.

"You!"

Hearing Kuromaru's enraged yell, she looked up to see he was in front of her now but glaring at Sarada who was still behind her. Confused, she looked over her shoulder and her eyes widened.

"You have the Sharingan!" He growled.

It was true. Crimson eyes glared at Kuromaru as Sarada's small body stood close to Sakura protectively. A single tomoe spun angrily. Then she was flying at him, intent on landing a hit anywhere, so long as he was in pain.

"How can someone as weak as you have the Sharingan!?" Kuromaru cursed, finally letting loose.

Sakura could only watch as Sarada was beaten down, being unable to move.

"Leave her alone!" Sakura screamed at him.

Bolt wasn't fairing too well either. Karin had broken his arm, leaving him practically useless. With a hard kick to the side, Bolt crashed into the small bridge over the pond, knocking his head on the stones in the water and leaving him unconscious. Sakura crawled to him and healed the large gash that left the water scarlet. Pulling the small boy into her lap, she healed his injuries but there was nothing she could do to wake him. He'd wake up on his own eventually.

Sarada's high pitched scream turned her blood to ice as Sakura's eyes shot back to see Sarada being held with her arms behind her back and being pulled out of their sockets. Kuromaru looked so much like Sasuke, back in the Forest of Death when they were taking the Chunin Exams, her heart ached with hatred. Sakura threw one of the kunais as hard as she could, where it caught him in the side.

"Let go of her!" She repeated.

Slamming her fist into the ground, instead of jumping away, he simply went intangible, taking Sarada with him. He took the kunai from his side and slashed at the girl in his hands. Sarada pulled away at the last second but he managed a large cut down the left side of her face and just missing her eye. She screamed again, tears falling down her cheeks and mixing with her blood. When he went to attack her again, she managed a couple of hand signs before her body was replaced with a log just as the kunai cut into the wood where her heart would have been.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura couldn't see him but she heard him. Naruto was coming and she could sense others. Sarada reappeared near Bolt who was placed further away from the battle but she was shuddering, going into shock.

"Kuromaru, we need to leave!" Karin yelled.

He cursed but appeared by Sakura and grabbed her. He then appeared from the shadows by Karin. He appeared before Sarada, intent on taking her.

"Kaa-san!" Sarada whimpered, gasping and fighting off unconsciousness.

Sakura managed to break free of his grip before they could return to tangibility and with a swipe, she took out his eyes, knowing that was the source of his power. He screamed and clutched at his eyes. Sakura turned to Sarada with the limited time she gained, still intangible.

"You were so brave, darling," Sakura murmured affectionately as her tears fell. "I love you so much, Sarada. I'm so proud of you."

"Kaa-san," Sarada cried.

Sakura hushed her. "Shh, honey. You're going into shock. Hold on, sweetheart. Can you do that for me?"

Sarada nodded, trying to calm her breathing.

"That's it, sweetie. Just breathe. Naruto's almost here."

Just then, Naruto landed on the roof, followed by Hinata, Kakashi and Ino.

"You bitch!" Kuromaru hissed before knocking Sakura out.

The last thing she saw was Sarada's terrified Sharingan.

"Sakura-chan!"

Then Kuromaru, Sakura and Karin were gone.

"No..." Sarada whimpered before she lost consciousness but not before hearing the roar of the Hokage.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sasuke led Suigetsu and Jugo back to the Snake's hideout.

"Well that was a waste of time," Suigetsu groaned.

"Do you think he was leading us on for a reason?"

Sasuke said nothing, deep in thought.

The sound of footsteps had them all looking up to the snake Sanin as he stepped out of the shadows.

"We're back," Jugo announced.

Suigetsu coughed, which sounded suspiciously like 'obviously'. Jugo glanced at him but the sword wielder was staring at Oochimaru, frowning. Jugo followed his gaze to spot the dead serious expression the Sanin wore. Sasuke paused in his strides, observing the man's features.

"What is it?"

"I just received a letter from Tsunade-hime-"

Sharingan eyes swirled to life. "What happened? Are the girls alright?"

Orochimaru allowed a pause as he tried to find the right words but realising there was no easy way to say it. So he just told him.

"Sakura-hime has been taken."

CLIFFHANDER!

I'm so bad with action scenes!

I apologise, everyone, for my shitty fight scene.

I also updated this chapter. I went back and fixed it and added in a little more!

Now, in case you were wondering...

When Sakura took out his eyes, she took out his power to become tangible again or to go intangible again. It didn't mean they'd no longer be intangible because they were already in that mode, if that makes sense.

Not much to rant or talk about today. I had to finish this chapter quickly because I've got work soon xD

Oh and I keep switching between Mama and Kaa-san for Sarada with Sakura.

Hope you enjoyed it.

Love you all,

-Me :3