A.N.
Bless all of those who have reviewed, faved, and followed my story. I really, truly appreciate it!
If you have not kept up with the manga from here on out there may be spoilers.
Disclaimer: Naruto does NOT belong to me.
Sayuri and any characters that have not and will not appear in the manga and/or anime are completely original.
Please Review!
"Edo Tensei…Release!" Kabuto's voice broke through the silence. A bright light fell on Itachi as he turned to his brother and slowly began to approach Sasuke.
"Before I say goodbye…I will tell you what you wanted to know." Sasuke looked at his brother expectantly. "What I did that night before leaving you is exactly as Tobi said. I always lied to you. I always kept you away because I didn't want you to become involved…but now that I think about it. I think that you could have been able to change our father, mother…and the entire Uchiha." Itachi reached out a hand to Sasuke as he came closer. "If I had been honest from the start and told you what was really going on…maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. But I failed…and no matter what I say now, it will not change your mind. So I'm going to tell you exactly what I think."
Itachi pulled Sasuke's head forward, hitting his forehead against his own. "You don't have to forgive me…No matter what you decide to do…from now on. I will always love you." Itachi turned his head slightly to glance back at Sayuri and grinned down at the girl who fought to keep her tears back. "Take good care of her, little brother."
Sign
"Captain Sayuri!" the brunette turned looked down from the roof. "Look!" her eyes followed the man's hand to the dark sky that was slowly illuminated by slivers of bright light. She smiled at the sight. The jutsu was over. They did it! She felt a dull ache in her chest just then and a tear rolled down her cheek. Slowly she moved to swipe it away wondering why she felt so sad.
XXX
Sasuke kept his gaze up at the roof of the cave seemingly frozen in place. Sayuri bit her lip and approached him slowly as to not alarm him. Gently she laid a hand on his shoulder and waited until he turned to her.
"I know I'm not my original, but I have all her memories." She took a deep breath. "Itachi was someone very dear to me, and although I never had any siblings, being with him made me feel as if I did." She let him go and took a step back forming a seal in the process.
She was stopped by two hands holding on to hers. Sasuke had his head down watching his hands cover hers. "There's nothing I can say to you either…so that you can stay."
She shook her head sadly. "I'm sorry, Sasuke." She pulled a hand away from him and placed it atop of his. "I said it before and I meant it…I won't let you destroy Konoha." She pulled away from him completely this time and quickly made the tiger seal. "I care about you Sasuke…please don't do this." She smiled sadly before her form disappeared leaving only a pile of dirt on the ground's cave.
XXX
"Have you gotten any word from the Kages?" Sayuri asked their communicator.
"No, ever since they got into a fight with Madara we lost contact with them." The man sighed.
"Captain Sayuri!" the girl in question turned to the young blue haired boy. He leaned forward trying to catch his breath all the while Sayuri watched him with amusement. "The…Feudal lords are…inside." He said in between pants.
Sayuri nodded and smiled. "Good to know." She turned on her heel decided on checking the perimeter when Chojuro quickly got in her way, arms outstretched.
"Wait!" he cried. Sayuri raised an eyebrow. "The Clan Heads want to have a talk with you."
"All of them?" she questioned and the boy nodded. "Great, what could they possibly want now." She mumbled under her breath as she made her way to the safe house.
She opened the door and was greeted by chatting grown men, laughing as if this was some sort of merry reunion and not a war. But hey, if it kept them from becoming hysterical and petulant, she had absolutely no problem.
"Lady Sayuri…" the brunette cringed at the name, regardless she turned to see Arashi standing off to the side, arms crossed over his chest. He wore yet another elegant kimono, one that complemented his eyes.
The head of the Uindo clan walked over to her and offered her a smile. Sayuri only nodded in acknowledgement and followed the man to the other side of the house. Once inside she saw the three other men sitting around a rectangular table. Arashi took the empty chair on the right, leaving her with the empty seat at the head of the table. With a small sigh she quietly sat down, placing her hands on the smooth wooden furniture.
"You look…" Koji from the Lightning Country began, taking in her form.
"Dirty, tired, frustrated, annoyed, horrible…" Sayuri smirked at them. "…Take your pick." She was so not in the mood to be dealing with them right now. She had friends out there fighting to keep their way of life safe and here she was, in a nice cool room having a chat with a couple of ninja that really should be helping out and not cowering in fear.
"I was going to say well, but I supposed those apply too."
"Cut to the chase." Sayuri replied. "Why am I here?"
"Not in the mood to chat, Lady Sayuri?" Ryu mocked. Sayuri rolled her eyes. The man from the Hidden Rock Village would forever get on her nerves.
"Lady Sayuri," Hideo began, he moved to pick up some lint from his blue robes. "We wish to ask you to stay here with us."
"Excuse me…?" she replied slowly, brown shaded eyes narrowing slightly.
"It is what is best for the safety of our agreement and for your clan." Added Koji, his jade eyes on the girl.
"What treaty?" Sayuri moved her hands to her lap and straightened. "Do you mean when you forced me into agreeing with you about this war? Which, by the way, you're not doing anything about! There are people out there, dying because of the decision we made and you expect me to sit here and wait patiently?!"
The four men said nothing as the girl continued to rant.
"You're all a piece of work, you know that?" she huffed and stared them all down.
"A war would have broken out regardless. Madara would have made sure of that." Explained Ryu, meeting her glare with one of his own. "What we need from you is to stay here. If you were to die we'd have to look for another clan suitable enough to take your place, this wouldn't sit well with your village. Think about the good of the many."
"The good of the many…" A small chuckle left her lips and soon it turned into full blown laughter. "The good of the many would be for all of us to fight in the war."
Hideo shook his head. "You don't understand, Lady Sayuri." She turned to the purple haired man. "If something were to happen to the Kages we are to take their place until someone more suitable arrives, however if we were to die then everything would go into chaos. The people wouldn't know where to begin. They would have no idea how to run a village or how to keep things in order."
"Then you go out there and fight, and make sure that nothing happens to the Kages because we are first and foremost ninja under their rule. Just because we are clan heads does not mean that we get to sit back and watch everything unfold hoping for the best outcome. We go out there and make it happen!"
Sayuri stood making the wooden chair scrape noisily. "And what clan is it that you're talking about?! My clan is gone, there is only me. And if I die, then I die. I'm sure you can find a suitable replacement, it's just a matter of sorting through the bunch." Having said that, the brunette turned to the door.
"Lady Sayuri!" Koji called out appalled. No one had ever talked to him, or any of them for that matter, in such a way.
Sayuri stopped, hand on the door knob and turned to the four men. "Oh, and one more thing…stop calling me Lady Sayuri! It's just Sayuri or Captain from here on out." She turned back to the door opened it and slammed it shut behind her before stalking off to the entrance, ignoring the feudal lords curious looks.
Once outside she took a deep breath. God this was frustrating. Feeling someone's eyes on her, Sayuri turned to see Chojuro standing a few feet away. He offered her a small smile as she walked over to him.
"Any news yet?" Chojuro nodded.
"Just one. The Allied Forces have arrived at the scene of the battle with Naruto." He looked around him and crossed his arms in thought. "That would explain why I stopped feeling dispersed chakras in the area.
Sayuri hummed and nodded. "From what I can sense, it's getting pretty serious." She mumbled sensing a large amount of chakra flare before receding back to its original state.
"I feel horrible." The boy whined. "We should be out there too."
Sayuri nodded. "I know, but right now protecting the lords is our duty."
"Right!"
Just then the brunette gasped raising a hand to her head. The boy beside her became alarmed and called her name several times but received no answer. Chojuro looked around him trying to find someone to help him, until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm fine Chojuro…"
"A-are you sure? I-I could call a medic if you'd like." The boy looked at her, worry etched on his face.
Sayuri forced herself to smile and shook her head. "No I'll be fine. It was nothing." She started walking, the swordsman fast on her tail. "Uh…" she paused and looked over her shoulder. "Why don't you do me a favor and take a look around the perimeter. Tell me if something seems weird."
"Yes ma-I mean Captain Sayuri!" He saluted before rushing off.
Once she could no longer sense the boy anywhere near her, Sayuri's shoulders slumped. So that's what the sad feeling she felt when the Edo Tensei had been released was. Itachi had been with her clone and so had Sasuke. Sayuri shook her head trying to clear it. The sun of the new day was high up in the sky and she couldn't afford to feel sorry for herself. She needed to protect the nobles until the war was over. Maybe then she wouldn't feel as empty as she was feeling now.
Yeah…and how exactly would you begin with that? Sayuri bit her lip. No, she can figure that out later. Right now she needed to move them group to another safe house.
"Chojuro…" she said just as the boy landed before her. "Anything?" Taken by surprise by her ability to tell where he was, the Hidden Mist ninja shook his head. "…Good. We need to get moving."
"Right!" The two began to walk side by side towards the safe house all the while Chojuro kept sneaking glances at her. From what he had heard before, Sayuri was easy to sneak up on unless she was on high alert for something. So it wasn't much of a surprise that he just knew something was wrong with the girl, she seemed more tense than usual but he was never one to pry so he let it go.
XXX
Samurai and ninja alike stood frozen, their eyes on the dark sky. Their entire day had been completely uneventful while they guarded the feudal lords until now. Everyone felt a cold chill run down their backs as they each held their breaths.
"That…that feels…" Chojuro whispered from beside her, his eyes on the darkening sky. The door to the safe house burst open just then.
"What in the world is that?!" Demanded Ryu Kusaki as he ran up to the brunette, he stopped a few steps behind her.
The five clan heads now stood out in the middle of the forest their eyes set on one specific point in the sky. They had been feeling small random bursts of chakra throughout the day, all of which they had known belonged to the allied forces. Word had finally gotten to them that they had been fighting against Madara and Tobi.
Yet this immense power did not belong to them it was too atrocious…it felt suffocating, and evil. It was at that point that they felt it. Something big was moving quickly to the west. They all took a collective step back.
One…Sayuri began counting the minutes that they stood there. Two… Behind her the four older men clenched their fists at their sides. Three… The samurai all removed their head gear to get a better look at the night sky. Four… The feudal lords had grown curious and all clambered up to the windows trying to see what the shinobi saw.
And then they felt it. The ground under them shook. The tremble resembled that of a massive earthquake. The feudal lords screamed in alarm as their safe house shook around them, while all the shinobi could do was stare in horror as they heard HQ deliver one last message to everyone, no matter if they were on the battlefield or not.
"Shit!" Sayuri quickly turned back to the safe house as she formed five had seals faster than she had ever done before. A large dome made out of rock slowly emerged just in time to stop the large gust of air from slamming into them.
Everyone around her bent forward, clutching their heads and squeezing their eyes shut expecting something to hit them. Two minutes passed and the rumbling stopped. With a heavy sigh Sayuri fell to her knees, the jutsu coming undone around them.
"Captain!" the ninja and samurai exclaimed seeing the brunette panting on the ground. Sweat dripping down her cheek as she clutched a small hand to her chest.
"Sayuri!" The four clan heads rushed to her, gathering around her trying to get her attention.
Her eyes stared at the ground before her in a mixture of shock and fear. She vaguely registered the fact that she was being pulled up to her feet. She could not focus on the faces of the people before her. Her heart was beating frantically. Sayuri closed her eyes trying to calm her nerves and the face of a pale eyed, brown haired, young man smiling down at her came to mind.
"Neji…" she whispered and she felt as if a cold hand was clutching her heart tightly. She didn't believe in omens but for some reason she feared for his safety.
The heiress shook her head. No, Neji is a genius. He was perhaps one of the few ninja that didn't need luck in this war, he was too strong to be in any real danger and even if he was in trouble he was smart enough to get out of it. There was no need to worry. Neji is ok, Neji will be fine. Sayuri kept repeating that sentence like a mantra.
Neji is ok, Neji will be fine. Sayuri blinked and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and was met with the worried looks of the feudal lords and ninja alike. She glanced around her and noticed she was in the safe house. Funny, she didn't even remember when they brought her here.
"Captain?" called Chojuro.
"I'm fine." She smiled at him and turned an apologetic look to everyone in the room. "I'm sorry for worrying you." Sayuri tugged on her sleeve in nervousness. Neji is ok, Neji will be fine. Neji is ok, Neji will be fine. Neji is ok, Neji will be fine.
"Are you sure?" asked Arashi as he approached her with a glass of water. "You look a bit…sick."
"It's nothing." She shook her head as she sat down on the chair that Chojuro had brought for her. Neji is ok, Neji will be fine. She continued to chant and reached for the glass of water only to freeze when it cracked just as she was about to touch it.
"Uh…" Arashi stared, wide eyes at the glass in his hand, Sayuri's hand hovering just a few centimeters before it.
The room fell silent and Sayuri gulped, her hand trembling slightly. Quickly she snatched it back and clutched the hand to her heart.
"That's a bad omen…" Hideo mumbled as he kept his mint blue eyes trained on the glass of water.
Sayuri gripped her sleeve in worry until she felt something tugging on her senses. Her head turned to the left as the feeling grew stronger. Her eyes narrowed as she frowned. Beside her Koji stepped up next to her looking in the direction that she was, but felt nothing.
"What is it, girl?" he asked and watched her stand.
"Someone's entered Konoha's border."
"Friend or foe?" asked Ryu.
"If it was a friend, I wouldn't be worried." She replied as she stood.
The people in the room turned to her. She felt the summoning jutsu tug at her once again and hesitantly turned to the group of people in the room.
"Go." She turned to Chojuro in slight shock. "You should go. It's your village. I'll take care of things here."
Sayuri turned to the ninja in the room, all of whom nodded in agreement. "All right…" she turned back to the young swordsman. "After I'm gone I need you to make preparations to leave once again. That attack whatever it was came from the main battlefield. That means they're trying to prove that they can hit anything they want." Chojuro nodded. "They, however, can't find you if they can't sense your chakra." She turned to the ninja then. "So make sure to keep it hidden."
"Understood." They all stood at attention before her.
She nodded and formed a single hand seal. "Good luck everyone." And with that she was gone leaving smoke behind her.
XXX
Sayuri gasped as she opened her eyes. Her brown orbs darted around the room disoriented.
"What's wrong sis?" Konohamaru asked as he rushed to her followed quickly by Moegi and Udon both of whom looked to be on high alert. The three had bee tasked by her to keep watch at ANBU headquarters until she got back, and they had followed her orders diligently.
"Sayuri?" Moegi asked uneasily as the older teen stood from her spot.
"Tell the ANBU that we have intruders. I'll be going after them, tell them not to interfere only to stay on high alert in case they begin an attack."
The Genin looked up at her startled. An intruder? Now? The three children frowned. They didn't have time to ask silly questions, they needed to do as they were told.
"Roger!"And with that the three disappeared out of the window.
What do you think you're doing Sasuke…? Sayuri clenched her hands and stepped out of the center of the seals. She quickly removed her vest and picked up a monkey mask on the desk by the window tying it firmly in place, finally she pulled on a white hooded cloak. For a second her gaze fell on the full moon before she leapt out of the window as she headed out.
XXX
"Intruders?" one ANBU asked alarmed. This man had been among the few new recruits. He and his fellow ANBU were the fresh batch of ninja that were being trained by Sayuri herself while the other more experienced ninja went to war. And although they knew it was an honor to be nominated into the ANBU and to be trained by the heiress of the clan that had started the organization in the first place, they had to admit they were nervous.
Sure the other ninja were used to being told that they needed to kill on sight, or that someone had broken into a high security building, but this…someone entering the village while everyone else was at war? This made them all nervous.
Not only that but to be told that their commander had told them to stay out of it? That was their only clue of knowing that whoever this intruder was, they weren't someone that newbie's like themselves could handle.
"What should we do?" asked one with a dog mask.
"I think we should do as she said." Replied one wearing a monkey mask.
"But what if she ends up needing us?" The one wearing a cat mask asked.
"What if—"
"All right that's enough!" Konahamaru scolded. "You are ANBU not Genin act like ones and do as you're told. I'm sure big sister Sayuri can handle these goons on her own." He frowned and crossed his arms, praying to the gods that he was right.
XXX
"What are we doing?" Sasuke asked as he looked around the area. "You got what you needed so let's move."
"Patience, Sasuke…" Orochimaru smiled. "There is one more thing I need to collect." The members of team Taka stood before the closed gates of Konoha. Neither one of them knew what the snake ninja was planning but they all felt that whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.
Suddenly the ground below them shook as roots suddenly spiked up around them and shot up into the air, standing still for a millisecond before shooting back down onto the ground, the sharp ends pointed towards the four men. Barely managing to escape the four fought to prevent themselves from being impaled, but no matter how many roots they cut down, more seemed to appear from the ground.
"Enough!" Sasuke yelled growing impatient. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Suddenly the entire area was engulfed by red flames. The roots fell to the ground with an audible thud, the flames slowly spreading out around them. The moisture in the area suddenly became visible before falling to the ground effectively putting out the fire.
"Leave." Sasuke froze, recognizing the voice of the new comer. The four men turned to see a hooded ANBU standing a few feet away from them.
"Who are you?" Asked Suigetsu, getting into a defensive stance. When the ninja did not answer he gritted his teeth and tensed, ready to take the ANBU out until he saw a single hand in front of him. He turned to the Uchiha questioningly as he stared at the ninja.
"Unless you want to die, I suggest you stay where you are Suigetsu." The Uchiha ordered as he narrowed his eyes.
Raising a brow the mist ninja turned to the figure before them. Could he really be that strong?
"Well if it isn't the lovely Lady Sayuri…" Orochimaru smiled and bowed as Sayuri's eyes steeled at the honorific. "I was expecting you sooner."
"Wait!" Suigetsu exclaimed pointing at the ANBU. "You're a girl?!"
Behind the monkey mask, brown eyes narrowed. "Leave…now." She ordered. Tone hard enough to make chills run down Suigetsu's back.
Black eyes slid to the grinning Orochimaru. Sayuri…? That's who he was waiting for? He tensed.
"Oh my! Such a cold welcoming from the Fire Country's princess."
Suddenly the man was on his back, sword at his neck. "You know…I really have absolutely no problem killing you." Just as she was about to strike, Juugo shoved her away as he stood before the snake Sanin.
"Forgive me, but I can't allow you to kill this man." He turned to Sasuke who stood still as he watched the hooded ninja straighten up. Eyes shifted to the girl as she completely ignored Sasuke and kept her masked face tilted at the man behind him. From the moment the girl appeared his team leader grew completely unwilling to act, it was as if he was in a trance.
Orochimaru stood up and dusted himself off before walking around Juugo, a smile on his face. "Lady Sayuri, I came here to collect something I left behind."
"There's nothing for you here." Sayuri clenched her fists.
"That's where you're wrong." The snake grinned.
Sayuri gasped as a large snake suddenly emerged from the ground, wrapping itself around her body completely immobilizing her. Damn…She grunted as she tried to struggle free and cried out in pain as the snake suddenly bit her neck.
"Orochimaru!" Sasuke angrily called as he watched the events unfold.
The Sanin simply smiled. "Don't worry, Sasuke, it's just a chakra suppressant, so that she doesn't try to escape."
Suddenly the snake disappeared as the girl fell to her knees. She shook as she attempted to stand before falling forward. Quickly the Uchiha caught her and pulled her against his chest. Slowly he pulled back the hood and removed her mask. He stared down at the messy brown hair, some of it sticking to her cheeks. Without thinking he brushed some strands of hair away from her face ignoring the glare she directed at him.
"Let me go!" she hissed as she attempted to move her arms but only managed to lift one up before it slumped down to her side uselessly.
Ignoring her request the Uchiha turned to Orochimaru, Sharingan activated. "What do you want from her?"
"Heh." The pale man smirked. "Three years ago on exactly this date I injured her in the forest of death. I struck her abdomen and pushed some of my own chakra into her wound." Golden eyes slid over to the glaring Marihasha. "When I attacked the village I had planned to use her as a bargaining chip against the village in case something went wrong, not only that but to experiment on her as well."
"You're sick!" Sayuri spat still trying to struggle.
Orochimaru laughed. "I wouldn't really say that." Sasuke shifted away from the man. The fact that his grip tightened around the girl did not go unnoticed by the ninja around them. "I'm not planning on using her in that manner anymore."
"Explain." The Uchiha ordered.
"Throughout the years the wound I inflicted has been collecting chakra for me." His gaze slid to the brunette in the Uchiha's arms. "Let's just say that you're my fuel source for what we're about to do." Sasuke stood with Sayuri still in his arms. Juugo, noticing the Uchiha's alarm and moved to stand in front of him.
"I'm not letting you anywhere near her!" Suigetsu's purple orbs shifted from the Uchiha to Orochimaru. This was getting interesting. He smiled as if he was watching some sort of drama.
"If you want the jutsu to work I need chakra. Don't worry, Sasuke. It won't kill her."
Sayuri gritted her teeth. "Like hell I'm letting you take my chakra!" She attempted to move but found it impossible. Her entire chakra system was blocked; there was only enough flowing to keep her alive and conscious.
"It won't kill her…" Sasuke echoed.
Sayuri looked at the Uchiha. He wasn't seriously considering letting the snake take her chakra!
"I give you my word." The tall snake sanin smiled.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, Sharingan flaring and quickly turning into the Mangekyo. "If I think you're hurting her I'll—"
"Of course" The snake smirked. "I know how protective you are of little Lady Sayuri."
"Sasuke…" she called, panic taking over. The Uchiha glanced down at her for a few seconds, an emotion that she could not quite read in them. He gripped her closer to him just as they entered the village.
"Don't worry." Whispered Sasuke, his warm breath ghosting her ear. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
Please review! :)