Sasuke Uchiha was by no means a patient man. He could be patient but when it ran out, he exploded like a forest set aflame. And so he counted his time bit by bit. Soon, it would be time to get rid of Orochimaru. The man had been his main focus that he had almost forgotten about Madara. He did a little digging around and discovered that he was currently using a different identity, Tobi as he was called in the Akatsuki. So far, the red-cloud criminal organization was silent and he didn't like it one bit. It meant more trouble as he didn't know what the man was up to. He had to take care of him as soon as possible. The man's true agenda was still a mystery.

Then there was Danzou. He loathed the man for ordering the assassination of his clan and he was sure as hell that he was going to pay for it. Finally leading him to Itachi, his older brother. He had last seen him three years ago. In the previous timeline, he had been going over his family's possessions which were stored in a cabin just outside the Uchiha district when he came across his brother's medical report. He was shocked to find out that Itachi had an incurable disease which ate away his respiratory system. No one had been able to cure him and he hadn't sought for any help.

That explained why he was barely able to defeat his brother. No, he didn't defeat him. The illness did. Deep down inside him, he knew he was never truly able to beat Itachi at his level but he had been an arrogant teenager going through puberty so a lot was bound to happen. He had to find him because he wasn't going to die in this timeline, he was sure of it. And he would get the respect he deserved because he was a true hero of Konoha.

The other issue he needed to solve was the night the Kyubi attacked sixteen years ago. It had been rumoured that the Sharingan had been at hand and that's when the village's distrust towards the Uchiha had been begun. It actually started way back but that was an excuse to topple the once paramount clan. He believed that none of the Uchiha who were Konoha citizens were actually capable to do that. They were but they didn't.

It had been an outsider.

And Itachi wasn't alone then night his clan was massacred. He couldn't have done all that by himself. He had to have help from a far extraordinary shinobi, one who was also an Uchiha who knew the clan just as well as Itachi did. He was going to find out even if meant spilling blood over it.

He was perched on top of a mountain as he waited for the messenger bird to arrive. Two hours later, the hawk came into view and came to rest beside him. He took the note, read it twice before burning it to a crisp. He jotted down his own short response and the bird took off towards Konoha.

The time had come that he would meet his team again after three years.

Sometimes, Sakura felt that life was unfair. That everything seemed too good for other people. Eventually, everything had turned good for Naruto. He had come back after three years and was taller than her by at least a head. Then Gaara had been kidnapped and Kankurou was poisoned. Lady Tsunade sent Team 7 to help in retrieving Gaara and healing Kankurou. And they did just that. Sakura created the antidote and removed the poison in less than an hour. She went up against Sasori, the master puppeteer and came out as the victor. If it weren't for the fact that he was a criminal, she would've found him attractive.

She also pitied him because of his background. He lost his parents at a young age and Lady Chiyo was too heartbroken to tell him the truth. In the end, it broke the family apart. When they rejoined with Naruto, Gaara was dead and he blamed Lady Chiyo for all this. Even though he was emotional, he had no right to do so. In the end, the poison mistress gave Gaara her life force. Naruto even lended her his chakra to do the jutsu. And as everyone around her celebrated the revival of the Yondaime Kazekage, she was cradling the woman's dead body to her chest. Didn't anyone feel grief for losing her? Was she the only person who cared about her?

At that moment, she hated Naruto with every fibre of her being. Why was he so dense? Someone must've sensed her thoughts because she caught Gaara staring at her with a pained expression. She looked away and focused on calming her raging heart. No amount of apologies would ever make her forget this moment, a moment where a true hero and patriot of the Hidden Sand Village was treated like nothing.

As soon as she finished briefing the Hokage on the mission, she went home for a quick shower and a meal. Her parents weren't home which was just fine. After dressing in her civilian clothes, she headed to the Hokage Tower. She arrived to find Shizune arguing with Lady Tsunade. The older woman refused to put away her sake. "I will do so if you admit that you like Genma," the blonde said as she took a large swig of the bottle. Shizune stared at her in wonder. "How is that even related to sake?" she asked, though her ears were red. "Both my students are good at what they do yet don't have a man. What kind of master am I not to teach you romance?" Tsunade said as she smiled lazily at them.

"A master who should really stop drinking because we might copy your bad habits," Sakura said as she moved to take the bottle but Tsunade pushed her away with her enhanced strength. "You need it more than I do," she replied as she pointed at the youngest of them all. "With the path you're headed, being an ANBU and all, you might need more than a few gulps of soju," the blonde said as she slumped in her seat and promptly fell asleep. The two cleared her desk and put away her soju. "You should head back home. I'll take care of her," Shizune spoke with a smile.

Sakura looked at Tsunade then back at her. "Do you believe what she said, about me being ANBU and all?" she asked quietly. Shizune was silent for a while before she replied. "I'm worried about the outcome of it. You haven't told anyone except me and Lady Tsunade. Even your team doesn't know so I'm wondering how you'll cope without a shoulder to lean on. It almost destroyed Kakashi but because of you guys, he was finally able to regain a bit of his sanity back," she told her honestly. "I won't sugarcoat it, it's difficult but every time I think of Sasuke and how that snake is responsible for everything that happened to him, my blood just boils until I can't control it anymore," the pinkette forced out as she tried to control her anger which spiked at the mention of the Snake Sannin.

"Is that why you're investigating Itachi's case?" Shizune asked. Sakura opted to remain silent. "I'm not going to tell you to stop but be prepared for anything, Konoha's more than just what you see," she said. "Don't worry, I know that which is why I started investigating the matter. None of it makes sense. His record was spotless, he had the Will of Fire burning inside of him. So why the sudden change of heart? To test his powers? That's a bunch of crap and he wouldn't be able to do it all by himself and so I need answers. If I want to help Sasuke-kun then I need to know everything that pushed him to leave," Sakura said. She left the Hokage Tower and headed to the hospital where she would be until her services as an ANBU operative named Midori were required.

"Why do I have to be on a team with you, yeah? You're annoying as a fly," Deidara grumbled as he watched Tobi jump from tree to tree. "Leader says we have to be on a team. And Tobi likes Deidara-senpai and so Tobi is happy," the masked shinobi replied with a cheerily tone. Deidara rolled his eyes and moved farther ahead. Madara stared at the blonde fly away from him. Having to relive Tobi was an exhausting experience. He didn't need to do it again but it was vital for his master plan, the Infinite Tsukuyomi. His ideal world. Everyone's ideal world.

He hadn't heard from the Uchiha brat ever since the encounter in the Forest of Death. That was the last time the two talked to each other. Sasuke had become a very important asset the moment he time traveled. He had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. The next stage of evolution was the Rinnegan. He needed the eyes of Sasuke Uchiha in case Nagato's failed. An extra pair of eyes wouldn't hurt. He was going to drive him over the edge. It was simple, really. He would need to kill the one person whom he treasured the most. His brother. Itachi Uchiha. Since he knew the truth about the Uchiha massacre, there was no doubt that he would do everything in his power to save Itachi's life. He was bidding his time. The weasel had a terminal respiratory disease which had no cure. He had been secretly feeding him pills to quicken his dying process.

If Itachi didn't notice it, he was stupid. Or maybe he did and wanted to die as quickly as could. The kid had potential but was sometimes too smart for his own good.

"Tobi you baka! Hurry up already!" Deidara shouted. He had gotten lost in his train of thought and thus slacked behind. "Sorry senpai," he apologized in a squeaky tonel. "I'm going to kill that idiot with my own hands, " he added quietly in his normal baritone voice. For now, he focused on his current mission. To capture Yugito Nii, the Nibi jinchuriki. Then he would be left with only the Nine Tails, Eight Tails and Five Tails. He had already captured the rest and he had done so quietly. He chuckled deeply as he increased his pace to match Deidara's.

"Deidara-senpai, please don't leave me!"

Enjoy the chapter.

I noticed that I hadn't include Obito much into the story yet he's the villain. So I hope you like his part. Sasuke doesn't know that Sakura turned 'dark' after he left. So I'm guessing he'll be surprised when he discovers this, if he ever does. I'm getting to the climax of the story. I'd really appreciate to hear your thoughts on this story. Please read and review. Thank you for the support.

Tozoonana

AfricanFire