Sakura fanfic Chapter 14

On the day of her lightning trial, Sakura had been granted two new summons. It was an idle suspicion at first, that the dragon and phoenix which appeared when her foundation solidified could, in some way, be connected to her. But Sakura was a curious shinobi, so she tried to summon them both, and the dragon and phoenix appeared before her.

While the form of the phoenix burned with flames eternal, sunrise in it's eyes, the dragon was long and winding, scales shifting and shimmering in the light of the afternoon.

"Hello, little ningen," said the phoenix.

Sakura bowed towards her betters. She was quite amazed. "It is an honor."

"It is, indeed, little ningen. Since you have been passively granted our summons, read these scrolls before you summon us," the dragon dropped a dozen scrolls in Sakura's outstretched hands. "You must donate a drop of your blood to seal the pact."

How intriguing, thought Kaguya. There might be more to this human than even I thought.

Sakura held out her palm and slashed the skin,—very much a Naruto-like move rather than a pre-timeline Sakura move. Hot, crimson blood poured from the wound and she held it out to the two creatures. They both grinned. It wouldn't do if their new master was squeamish. She seemed, by this single gesture, robust and unafraid. White light enveloped her as she felt her soul form two sacred pacts,—one with the Order of the Dragons and the other with the Phoenix Dominion. Each had their own separate, varied powers, and summoning certain creatures required sacrifices to perform great feats.

"Now that I have a solid foundation, what's next?" Sakura wondered aloud as she chewed on a sweet piece of dango she'd picked up from a nearby town in the Land of Tea.

What are you talking about? You've only just finished the first level of the Chaos Theory. So, while you continue to cultivate that, you should practice your nature release which has undoubtedly been strengthened, replied Kaguya.

"Say, Kaguya, I have a theory. You have all my past memories, correct?"

Yes, she answered, brow raised.

"You must know I have an eidetic memory. Is it possible to use the Sharingan's copy skill on… memories?"

Kaguya looked pleased. Hmmm. A good idea if I've ever heard one. Why don't you try, little human? I will unlock your chakra.

Sakura felt an intense pain in her forehead before the feeling of being full, filled up, overrun with familiar waves of power washing over her. The pain that had burned her before—the result of flayed chakra coils,—was gone. Instead, it was as if she was… excited by her new body; there was a harmony between them. Sakura was reminded that chakra was not a completely different power source from her divine consciousness, which meant she could only partially hide one while using the other. Or while use both at the same time. Nota bene.

Sakura closed her eyes and sorted through the countless jutsu she'd seen in her two lifetimes. She decided to start small. She recalled her mission in Nami no Kuni, and even though Kakashi's ability to fly through hand signs had seemed impossible to match then, she had actually seen him perform them. Hand signs were not a problem for her now. They were mostly a thing of the past. And a good thing too, for the jutsu required forty handsigns to complete.

Now, Sakura was well aware that shinobi as talented as Hatake Kakashi worked on their jutsu in order to compound these elaborate handsigns into smaller bunches of handsigns, and that it was really their chakra control which allowed them to perform these kind of jutsu in battles. She had done it in her last life, but this was a completely different situation. So she put her mind to the task.

Sakura closed her eyes and summoned the enormous form with her chakra, moulding it, suiting her chakra to the image in her memory, combining it with what she knew of the jutsu, putting her hands together in the final hand sign in order to direct her chakra:

Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!

Her eyes widened as the dragon, shaped out of the water of a nearby river, appeared just as she had willed it, snapping into existence and flooding the clearing.

"…no way."

Sakura immediately set to work. She had a long term plan but this would prove to be a marvelous boon to her quest.

As she experimented, Sakura discovered she couldn't copy everything she'd seen. Kekkai genkai, of course, were off limits (like Haku's mirror technique, though she could manipulate her ice release to mimic the jutsu). Jutsu with mechanics she failed to understand were much more difficult to copy, for one reason or another, like fuinjutsu. But there wasn't much that went beyond Sakura in this regard, and she sure she could go toe-to-toe with an enemy, justu-for-jutsu, just as Kakashi had done with Zabuza in the past. It was a thrilling thought, but not an efficient battle strategy. She wouldn't collapse like Kakashi had, for lack of chakra, but there were simply more artful ways of disposing of enemies.

Sakura was a fan of psychological torture when facing an enemy, especially a powerhouse. Powerhouse shinobi were easily unnerved if Sakura scattered their perception of her, like light through a prism, and so it only worked farther in her favor that she was easily underestimated.

All of this was made more powerful by a single jutsu, a more powerful variation of Tobirama's (and later, Naruto's) Shadow Clone Jutsu: none other than Hashirama's Wood Clone Jutsu, a technique she'd already mastered. Wood clones were superior to Shadow Clones for a number of reasons: first, Wood Clones can communicate with the user in real time; second, the Wood Clone carries a chakra equal to the caster and can take real damage; and third, they are almost impossible to distinguish from said caster, unless one possesses something like Madara's Sharingan.

What the Wood Clone Jutsu amounted to was essentially: Sakura could genuinely be at two places at once. If Kakashi had the opportunity to see "One Thousand jutsu," she had the capacity to see hundreds of thousands—even millions. She could send Wood Clones scouring the earth, and then reap the jutsu they witnessed.

This, of course, would be a waste of time, but it could absolutely come in handy at the right moment.

Feeling satisfied, she made her way to the coordinates she'd given Kakashi in order to meet the infamous shinobi who'd slaughtered his clan and went rogue.

It was time to meet Itachi.

…

Uchiha Itachi arrived at the clearing on the border of Tea exactly on the hour, exactly at the coordinates given to him by Hatake Kakashi. He didn't sense anyone, but he was sure his summoner wouldn't be late, so he spoke aloud to himself. "Of all the messages I've received, one through my Tsukuyomi is most unique."

Nothing.

He was a patient man, he could wait.

"Aniki!" Sakura yelled happily, bursting out from nearby bushes before glomping Itachi, nearly becoming a permanent fixture on his legs.

Itachi found himself reeling for a fraction of a moment, though not a shadow of his true emotions made an outward appearance. He quickly recovered and immediately moved to kill the shinobi impostering as his little brother. However, his hand was met with empty air.

Little Sasuke flickered away with ease.

"Aniki?" Sakura asked, with big, wide, childlike eyes.

"…you are not my otoutu," Itachi said after a brief pause. Then, his eyes widened imperceptibly and his eyes lingered on the slash mark through the still-henged shinobi's hitai-ate.

"Kisame is dead," he concluded.

Sakura twirled a strand of her hair around her finger as she released the henge and returned to her 14 year old body. "He should be dead, by all rights, but I just put him to sleep for a little while… He seems to have a weakness for big-breasted women and sake. It wasn't difficult. What a pity, I thought I could shake you up a bit."

Sakura's long, luscious, pink hair had the sheen of godliness. It never tangled, despite it's natural abundance. These days she braided it in order to tame it between cuts. She allowed several strands to frame her face, which had lost much of it's previous baby fat belonging to her pre-teen era. Sakura bore crimson nails and lip stain, which never seemed to budge nor fade. Technically, Sakura was supposed to be a ghost in the wind, so she couldn't sport the Haruno crest.

Instead, Sakura wore a short, black skirt which split at the sides to allow movement, and also included black shorts to wear underneath; the skirt climbed higher than the white pants she had worn in her previous timeline, thereby hugging her hips and emphasizing her tiny waist. As a top, she chose a breathable, red (she was a little homesick and red was her favorite color, considering almost every outfit she wore in her previous timeline had red in it as well) midriff which hugged her silhouette, ending just at the top of her inky skirt/shorts combination. Her black, weighted boots, and gloves had all been replaced for heavier iterations. As usual, there were weapons pouches strapped to both thighs. Sakura's look was a little darker this time around, perhaps a little more like predator than prey.

Perhaps it was the influence of Kaguya and her divinity… but Sakura was fairly sure her physical appearance was being altered to reflect perfection. This meant in every capacity; especially in prowess, pure ability, and natural allure. There was something about her skin that shined brightly and never dimmed; her eyes glowed with a strange, captivating energy; she possessed hair that seemed unique in all the world; and more than anything, under even the most discerning gazes, Sakura's exquisite beauty was impossible to deny. She thought the red top was appropriate enough for a fourteen year old, especially with her mental maturity being far above her physical age, and the way godhood had changed her.

Over the last few months, Sakura had wracked her brains, attempting to divine a way to persuade Itachi to willingly ally with her and eventually return to Konoha. She had trained extensively,—she was propositioning Uchiha Itachi, for Kami's sake. Sakura entertained many ideas but the essential plan was this: showing Itachi memories from her past life, memories of exactly what Itachi wanted to prevent unfolding as he had feared.

She's younger than I thought she would be, Itachi thought.

"That's right, Sushi-chan is just sleeping. If I wanted to kill him, then he'd be but a pile of ash," Sakura said nonchalantly, waving in the general direction of Kisame's drooling form, sleeping soundly on the surface of a table in a tea house west of their location. But slight contact with her Murderous Bone Ash would have annihilated him.

"What is it exactly that you want?"

She had to have duped him quite thoroughly, and how is it that I didn't sense her approach? thought the former Uchiha heir.

"Uchiha Itachi," pronounced Sakura, "I am here to return you to Konoha, not as a missing shinobi, but as one who has carried the mantle of a most burdensome mission."

"What?" Itachi hissed. His deepest secret had made it's way to the surface in but a few minutes.

Sakura jaw curved into an uncharacteristic smirk. "I managed to keep your little brother safe from Orochimaru while you were away, so I hope you appreciate my efforts. I ripped out Orochimaru's heart, but he isn't dead yet. He can only be killed in his final form," Sakura explained, watching Itachi's silhouette with rapt attention. She pushed on. "Orochimaru can only switch bodies every three years, and those three years will be up before long. Just over a year, I believe. Isn't Sasuke's safety what you bargained for when you accepted this mission? And you're abandoning it now?"

"What reason have I to believe you?" Itachi said, indifference etched into his visage. However, Sakura could tell very easily that he was on edge.

"None," state Sakura, amused at his suspicion. "Which is why I brought evidence."

Itachi is a whole different breed than Sasuke, she thought as she observed Itachi.

Sakura closed her eyes and activated her dojutsu; her viridian orbs suddenly spinning, dawn-kaleidoscopic, as if green fireworks were exploding in her irises. She opened her lids, looking at Itachi, who had activated his Sharingan. Just like in a game of cards, Sakura held the better hand. After all, she was basically the incarnation of the Mother of Chakra with an autonomous mind; it would've been an insult to her if Itachi's Sharingan had trumped hers.

Itachi's eyes widened a little in confusion as they entered Sakura's intricate mind palace. They seemed to be in the main hall, Sakura sitting lazily on a throne, legs crossed, with Itachi kneeling before her. He tried to get up, but failed to do so, for some great, unseen force keeping him down.

"This is my kingdom, Itachi-san. I call the shots." After a moment of watching the Uchiha struggle, Sakura sighed. She put a hand on his shoulder and his movements stilled. "Ah. My name is Haruno Sakura of Konoha. Nice to meet you, Itachi-san."

Though her words were polite, she introduced herself with all the geniality of a boot greeting an ant.

"Now that you've settled down a bit, I think it's time I show you the important memories from my brain."

She brought me here to show me her memories? Wondered Itachi. I've never met someone whose Pupillary technique was superior to mine…

Sakura snapped and suddenly Itachi was back in Konoha. She showed him memories from both her lives, guiding Itachi through everything from Sasuke's defection to his maniacal dream, to his fatherhood, and the ways he was different in this timeline; the possibility that Sasuke would stay in the village because he wasn't marked by Orochimaru (yet), and the bonds Sasuke had made during his time in Konoha thus far.

Itachi remained impassive. After a moment, he said, "you are my otouto's… paramour?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "No, I absolved him of that obligation when I left the village. I burned that bond, quite literally. Anyway, do you believe me now?"

"You have lived two lives. How is that possible?" Itachi prodded.

Sakura shrugged and smiled. "I suppose Kami was on my side when I was able to return to the past. Otherwise, I am not sure myself."

Sakura wasn't going to tell him jack shit.

"I'd like to avoid a battle, if that's alright with you, Itachi-san. You are sick, very sick. I am the best medic-nin this world has ever seen. If you come with me to Konoha and help me destroy the White Snake, I promise to heal you; and above all, I promise we can save Sasuke."

"How? I've already sent him on the path of hatred," asked Itachi, bitterness sliding into his tone in a way he didn't like.

"Yes, you have. I'm impressed with your resolve, Itachi-san, really. You dedicated your heart, but your means and methods were flawed. Do you see that now?" Sakura asked, looking down at him from her throne.

"…yes," whispered the Uchiha.

"Well, you were but a 13 year old when you slaughtered your clan, and I wouldn't expect someone at that age to see the dire problem in that plan. The fact is, if Sasuke kills you and learns the truth, he will turn on Konoha. He will lose his mind… that is, unless you return with me."

Itachi managed to glare up at the teenager. "Return to Konoha?"

"Yes, but not yet," Sakura grin was as blinding as the sun. "First, my mission is to infiltrate the Akatsuki. And you're going to help me."

Sakura casually broke the genjutsu. She raised her hand and thick, steel-like roots shot up from the ground, winding around the Uchiha, constricting him within the span of a half a second.

Mokuton?! Thought Itachi as he was, on the inside, reeling.

"How are you able to use Hashirama's jutsu? I've always been led to believe that Mokuton was the product of the first Hokage's kekkai genkai. I've never seen it replicated, and with such ease at that…" The trapped man couldn't keep a little bit of awe and clinical interest from his voice.

He doesn't seem to be panicking about his current situation. Perhaps he's warming up to the idea.

Itachi was silent. Then he spoke once again. "How were you able to counter the Tsukuyomi?"

"Aren't you a little too chatty for an Uchiha?" Sakura mused. "Sorry about the restraints. As for your query, let's just say I have unusual mental fortitude."

Itachi had many questions. This girl, this enigma, was the last thing he expected from this life. He was curious about her pupillary technique.

She saw how his eyes lingered on hers.

"You are to speak of no one of my eyes or my two lives; those are two secrets I'd like to keep out of the bingo books, thank you very much," Sakura said sternly.

She has a domineering way about her, Itachi thought. Almost like Madara. His own prowess was not something to be ignored. Within a moment he was free of Sakura's Mokuton and easily flash stepped within her guard. Itachi grabbed her chin and yanked it up so their gazes met.

"Sakura-san, Sasuke is not the only Uchiha that needs taming."

Sakura was quiet for a moment. Unafraid of his proximity,—it was actually sort of… invigorating in a way,—she stared back. "Already trying to antagonize your little brother, Itachi-san?"

Itachi didn't even move away, in fact, he lowered his head until she could feel his hot breath against her ear, the heat spreading to her neck. She inhaled sharply. If Itachi moved in any direction, his lips would meet hers.

"I saw your memories. What you had with my otouto was but a fledgling crush and I, too, remain unmatched in this world. Is it so odd to think we may get along in a particular way?"

Itachi didn't seem to see the problem.

Sakura slipped under his arm in order to escape Itachi's form looming over her, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

Tsk, tsk, Uchihas.

She pressed a hand to his taught and trained chest. "You can't seriously be propositioning me… So this must be a test. I'm afraid that I have a specific type, Uchiha Itachi. I'd like my partner to be both better looking and stronger than I am."

A small, imperceptible smile graced the renegade Uchiha's face. He took several steps backwards. "It seems you were serious about your offer. How do you know that you are stronger than me?"

Sakura tittered and placed a hand on her hip. "If you're anything like your teammate, which I suppose you aren't, then I don't think I have anything to worry about, Itachi-san. How do I know I'm stronger than you?" She looked at Itachi unwaveringly. Eyes as mysterious as the green light at the end of a dock, Sakura's next question came out slightly more aggressively than she intended.

"Would you like an explanation or a demonstration?"

A beat. The latter, then, she thought. Sakura smirked, the look in her eyes a curiously quieted manic, as if she would enjoy what came next,—and canceled her "Quiet Kage" technique.

Sakura's unbound presence was a quaking force; it was as powerful as the energy which kept Itachi down in her mind palace, except with an added, animalistic kind of terror echoing through it. Itachi fell to his knees, wheezing, causing his throat to burn as his lungs were already compromised. Sweat collected on his forehead and down his back.

What is this force? This presence? Even the tailed beasts don't come close to this kind of power, thought Itachi urgently.

Sakura watched as the Uchiha fell before her, without even having touched him. "We may not technically be within the confines of my mind, Itachi-san, but I want you to remember something: wherever we are, wherever we go, and whoever we face, everything you see around you is my domain as well. And when we're alone and reporting to me, you are to call me Haruno-taichou."

He raised a brow but said nothing. Is this what people feel when they face…me? I'm nowhere as… verbally expressive as her but, there is a similarity.

Uchiha Itachi was a smart shinobi. In the span of less than half an hour, this little, teenage girl had completely upturned his life.

Sasuke, Sasuke, he thought. In the span of a second, she had played a terrifying hand. He surmised that if he didn't go with the girl willingly, she would drag him back to Sasuke and Konoha despite his protests.

Sakura mounted the nearby wooden structure,—the vines with which she had bound Itachi. Throwing her hands out wide, towering over him as she issued her command thinly masked as a request, she spoke: "Uchiha Itachi, help me infiltrate the Akatsuki and thwart the White Snake. Save your brother from his greatest predator and punish those who sent you on this mission of madness. I speak of Danzo, and if we must ruin the reputation of the Sandaime, then so be it."

Slowly, Itachi, as he watched her candy floss braid swinging in the gentle breeze, and her eyes a-light, assented to Sakura's proposition. "I had always planned to die young, yet you come here promising me life and… purpose. I do not know whether to be suspicious or grateful."

"The intelligent mind can entertain both ideas simultaneously. You don't have to trust me, but you can certainly trust in my abilities, and surely you could tell from those memories that my loyalty to my teammates is anything but false," Sakura waved away his suspicions as if they were small concerns. "Ah, I brought a scroll from the Hokage. Read it, tell me if you have a problem with the contents,—I've been given permission by the Hokage to act on herbehalf on this mission,—and we will amend the contract. In summary, it is a promise not to harm you or your brother on behalf of Konoha, a promise to eliminate our collective enemy, as well as an apology." Sakura handed the scroll over to Itachi. "Please keep in mind…I'm a somewhat impatient young woman, Itachi-san."

He reviewed the contents of the scroll. It amused him that they were already, though formally, on a first name basis. The girl spoke the truth. It really was a means by which he could redeem himself. "May I have tonight to consider your offer, Sakura-san?"

"Yes. Don't think too hard—this isn't exactly a Chinese riddle. I would equate it more to a one question I.Q. test. I would think for a man such as you, the decision would be very easy. I will return for your answer tomorrow morning." Then she left in a storm of petals, leaving Uchiha Itachi to bask in the bold cherry blossom scent.

….

They met again over breakfast at the nearby teahouse. Kisame was still out like a light, but he trusted that the girl—Sakura—hadn't killed him.

"So, have you decided, Itachi-san?" asked the pink haired shinobi, blowing on her hot tea before delicately sipping from the cup.

"Ah, yes. I don't think I had much of a choice in the first place," remarked Itachi a little wistfully.

Sakura smiled at him.

At least he knows, she thought.

"I look forward to working with you, Itachi," Sakura said, notably leaving out the suffix now that they had agreed to ally with one another.

Itachi returned with a light bow. "And I you, Haruno-taichou."

They finished their meal in relative silence. As they were getting up, Sakura left him with his first instruction:

"Once Kisame wakes up, return to Akatsuki headquarters. I will make my appearance very soon."

Before he had a chance to respond, the teenager had disappeared into a fragrant storm of cherry blossoms.

…..

Sakura kicked open the door and made her entrance. There she was, a sight to behold: Green eyes bright, long, pink hair flagging in the wind, sporting a Leaf Hitai-ate with a line through it, indicating her nuke nin status. Her garb was dark and streamlined, as if she was already one of the Akatsuki. Sakura held her head up high; she was proud and undaunted.

She may be dead inside but she was one hell of an actress. Pein immediately snapped his gaze towards her.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Your mother," she answered Pein without missing a beat. She shifted in the doorway. "I heard one of your members has gone dark, and I'm looking for a family worth my while. So… I demand a combat trial."

There were scoffs heard around the room, but Pein kept his eyes trained on her.

"Why should we even consider you for recruitment? You can't be older than 13."

Sakura pursed her lips in annoyance. "I'm actually 14, thank you very much. What have you got to lose? Murdering some scrawny, pink-haired runaway won't dirty your reputation any further… that is, if you can, in fact, win in a fight with me."

Itachi had to admire her audacity. It had been a while since he'd seen such spark. He wondered if her skills would live up to her attitude.

"Why are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sakura pointed to the line through her hitai-ate. "I left my village as a nuke nin."

"Why did you leave your village?" Pein pressed. He was most wary of Konoha-nin.

Sakura sighed. "I didn't want to become part of ROOT and that bastard Danzo was closing in. I'm sure you can verify this information easily. Besides, Uchiha-san joined when he was around my age. Why can't I?"

A chorus of laughter arose from the shinobi facing Sakura.

"Little girl," interjected Kisame, "are you seriously claiming you are on Itachi's level when he was 14? He slaughtered his entire clan. The Uchiha clan, no less."

Sakura looked bored as she stuck her pinky into her ear, seemingly cleaning it.

"Oh no, not at all," laughed Sakura, putting her hands up in a gesture of surrender. Her self depreciating smiled transformed into a dark smirk. "I am saying that I could match, perhaps even best, Uchiha-san as he is now."

Deidara let out a pffft before Kakuzu slapped him on the back, and his giggling turned to coughing.

"I have another reason for leaving Konoha, Pein-sama."

His orange brow rose.

Sakura looked up at the man. She had studied his beliefs with obsessive persistence; she knew what she said next would truly be the deciding factor in whether Pein would bother recruiting her… or sicking the entirety of the Akatsuki on her. It was time to perform.

"It is my fundamental belief that peace can only be achieved through war; that the only thing in this world that can unite people is pain. Konoha meanders on, blindly, as if the bowels of the village aren't already squirming with warring vipers. The elders sit, squabbling in their complacency. One day, Konoha will fall due to its own obsession with peace… a complacency that atrophies shinobi so that true peace, true prosperity, is impossible." She closed her eyes solemnly. "I do not wish to capitulate to such a pathetic set of principles… as if I were a sheep."

"What of your nindo, your loyalty to Konoha?" Pein questioned.

Sakura smiled bitterly at the man. "It is possible to believe in something and fail to live up to it, Pein-sama."

Pein stared her down. "From what little information we have on you, you're strong, I'll give you that. And your healing skills are admirable. But that isn't enough to get you in, my dear."

"Haaa…. I expected no less from a group like you. How bothersome," Sakura complained, looking as if she'd just been met with a slight inconvenience.

Sakura shrugged, muttering to herself: "Well, I gave you a chance."

A beat of silence.

"I don't match your standards, is that right?"

She rubbed the back of her head, letting a small smile grace her face. "I guess I'll just have to impress you, then."

Sakura's eyes flickered into a glowing, kaleidoscopic green and she released the bounds on her presence. Winds whipped around Sakura and her terrifying existence slammed down on every member in the room. The members of the Akatsuki grabbed their heads as they were pinned against their chairs by some unseen force. The blessings of the animal kings spread indescribable fear into the ones she faced, a reaction they could neither control nor wish away.

What is this presence? Pein wondered, alarmed, but calm.

A wooden structure. How serendipitous, she thought. Sakura slapped her palms together and at the bidding of her will, the seated Akatsuki's wooden chairs wrapped around them like anacondas, constricting but not painfully so; she wasn't attacking them. Not seriously, anyways.

Senjutsu?! was the communal reaction.

It was the thought of every member except for Itachi, and he could read it on their faces. This girl was good, very good.

"That's not my only trick," sung Sakura, smiling to herself. With nary a glance, the Akatsuki were caught in her genjutsu. Now she really had the upper hand. The group found themselves in the great hall of a large palace, kneeling before Sakura who sat, rather casually, in a large chair—no, it was a throne.

"This is my domain. I can separate you and make you see whatever I so choose; your worst nightmares…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "or, perhaps your wildest dreams?"

She laughed from her throne and they silently listened as her chuckles echoed across the hall. Sweat pooled and ran down their backs and slipped down their chests,—nobody could get a word out.

I didn't even see her perform a single hand sign! thought the puppet-master.

"I can hear your thoughts, dear Sasori-chan. Perhaps this isn't enough." Sakura plastered a worried look on her face, knowing, of course, none of them could protest. "So, how about that combat trial?"

She left the question hanging in the air.

Suddenly the group was back in real time, still bound in wooden constraints.

"Here, let me help you get out of those," Sakura said with a sugary smile.

She sent her divine consciousness in the form of flames, a purple, unrecognizable energy, to burn the roots of her Mokuton. Amaterasu would be too recognizable, though the properties of her divine consciousness, if controlled correctly, could be similar.

"I'd suggest not letting those flames touch you," Sakura advised the group.

"I really am putting on a show for them, aren't I?" She said to Kaguya.

Yes, I rather like this version of you, returned Kaguya, almost purring.

"It's a rather hungry iteration of fire," said Sakura, with strange, analogous embers reflecting in her own eyes.

"Holy shit,—" yelped Kakuzu as the strange flames encroached on his skin.

"Ditch your cloak, idiot," she deadpanned. "This fire doesn't die down until it's consumed everything it's touched."

It was time for Itachi's little performance. "How can you perform the Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi? You are no Uchiha."

"You're correct on that account. However, that was neither the Tsukuyomi nor Amaterasu. However, there is no one like me in this world, so let's end the third degree. I think I qualify for a combat trial, wouldn't you say?" Her chin jutted out stubbornly. She would get what she wanted.

Pein gave her a long look, undoubtedly trying to size her up.

Sakura grew impatient under his stare. "You'll never understand me, so stop trying and accept me already."

"How impertinent,—"

Sakura grinned.

With a snap of her fingers, she brought lightning down from the heavens. The bolt struck exactly the place Pein had been sitting, ruining the chair and ceiling but forcing him to approach her. The now-destroyed chair smoked with the heat of the heavens.

Sakura nodded at the leader. "Yes, I am quite impertinent. Still don't want me on your team?"

Pein groaned internally. "Fine. Deidara, you'll be facing… what was your name?"

"Haruno Sakura," she returned impassively.

Deidara gave her a once over and grinned. "Wonderful. I always enjoy an opportunity to show off my art."

The group walked outside the mostly-destroyed structure until they reached a reasonably empty clearing. Pein and the rest of the Akatsuki took their positions on the sidelines as Sakura and Deidara faced one another.

"Begin."

Immediately, Deidara jumped backwards, creating space between himself and the kunoichi. Long distance fighting did favor him, after all. He let his hands chew on a piece of chakra-loaded clay and tossed a flurry of spider bombs at Sakura's unmoving form, watching them stick to her and detonate with wild joy. The explosion was deafening, and the fire and smoke obscured her body completely.

Deidara laughed openly, turning to Itachi. "Seems like kids from Konoha aren't all that tough."

Itachi knew better. His expression didn't change.

Amongst the smoke and fire, slowly moving with the wind, a slow clap resounded in the clearing. It only took a few seconds for the smoke to clear, revealing Sakura's unharmed form standing tall, expression one of amusement.

"You need to try harder than that, Deidara-kun, if you want to blow my mind."

Good thing I cloaked myself in my divine consciousness, she thought.

"You're better than I thought, kid," commented Deidara with a smile. "Ready for the real battle now?"

"I've been ready for the last three minutes, Deidara-kun," she said sweetly.

And thus the battle began.

Sakura summoned thick, heady branches which shot up from the ground and snaked their way around Deidara's body. She appeared, crouching on his trapped left arm, and slapped an exploding tag on the black material of his cloak. Sakura looked sideways at the man, writhing in her trap, and what Deidara saw in her eyes enraged him. There was no delight, no smirk, no winning gleam,—it was the lento of brutality and nothing more. She vaulted up into the sky as she detonated the exploding tag, watching from upsidown as the explosion blew her roots apart as well as Deidara's left arm, observing the screaming shinobi's eyes widen in pain and disbelief.

No wonder Pein chose him—Deidara is weak,—not simply as a fighter, but because his pride makes him invincible in his own mind, Sakura thought.

Mortals, commented Kaguya mildly.

"You bitch! You have no elegance, no grace, no finesse,—I swear I'll fucking kill you," shrieked the Akatsuki member, face and ponytail now flecked with blood.

"Is that so…?"

A pink, indifferent brow rose.

Deidara shoved his right arm into the pack around his waist that housed his clay and immediately made for the upper atmosphere. He stared down at her from his clay bird smugly.

"Unless you can fly, pinkie, I don't see how you're getting up here."

Sakura looked up into those desperate, blue eyes with a look of studied boredom.

"If only he knew," she thought.

Then show him, chided Kaguya.

Though I cannot yet levitate, the skill is unnecessary, thought Sakura as she closed her eyes, disappearing from her spot on the ground as she rematerialized on top of the clay bird.

Deidara whirled around, black, cloud-covered cloak swishing with the movement.

"What the—,"

Time slowed for a moment as Sakura thought out her battle plan: If I simply destroy the bird, he could right himself and land safely, and we wouldn't want that. I've been theorizing about this, but the power of the water lily gives me immense control over water, and the human body is 60% water.

Sakura gave him a curious look before she shot off the necessary blast of chakra from her feet for shunshin, almost sliding on the clay as she ghosted under the nuke nin, touching his right leg lightly as she passed.

Deidara's leg exploded as her divine consciousness and chakra charged the water inside. The strange combustion was an ugly scene, but Sakura quickly turned and perched on the head of the bird, watching the blonde, self-proclaimed artist writhe in pain and fall backwards.

"…How?" He choked out. "You… you're worse than that bastard Sasori. You don't know the Art of Killing. Your explosions aren't worth anything,—"

He coughed on the blood rising in his throat, and Sakura watched it pour from his mouth onto his chin, and disappear down his high collar.

Sakura felt no need to respond. She felt no glee at her handiwork… just satisfaction and indifference. It was simple. She had a mission and he was in the way. Deidara had to die.

She stared at the half crazed shinobi, watching as he once gain grabbed for his chakra infused clay. Her pink hair flagged in the wind, and her eyes looked at him as if he were inconsequential.

"You've already lost."

"Fuck you!" He flung an enormous bomb at Sakura, aiming for her head as contemptuousness filled his heart. Sakura's eyes widened—this was nothing to be underestimated.

Remember your divine consciousness, reminded Kaguya.

Sakura steeled herself, stretching her hand out towards the bomb before using a word of command to direct her second source of power:

"Negate," she whispered.

The bomb detonated against a thin, purple shield of energy which curved around the length of her body and the explosion was blasted back the way it came. Wind, fire and ash burned Deidara's open wounds as they blew past him. He was on fire. Debree lodged itself in the bloodied stumps he'd been left with and he howled in pain. Deidara immediately sent chakra to his hand in order to cling to the clay bird in the wake of the explosion, his own bomb used against him, though he was barely hanging on.

"What… What are you?" demanded the blonde.

"I am Kami. I am death," hissed Sakura, standing over him, her image a strange and terrifying looming form. Her expression remained bored and tranquil and that boiled his blood,—the blood he had left, anyways. Rage overtook Deidara,—if he was going to die, he would take this arrogant, flagrantly tasteless girl with him. He pulled the fastest shunshin he'd ever performed and clung to her back with his remaining hand and foot. His warm blood spilled over her shoulders, into her hair and down her back. Deidara breathed heavily into her ear, warm and intimate. She could feel his blood run down the inside of her thigh and into her boot.

"I don't need my limbs to kill you, little kunoichi!" He screamed.

He's going to self-destruct, she surmised easily.

Sakura grunted as she reached behind her and grabbed Deidara's ponytail. She wrenched him from his slippery grip on her back and just as he was about to explode, flung his flailing body at the group of onlookers observing the battle. Deidara looked at her with surprise and such human contempt; after all, she'd foiled his suicidal attempt at killing her, but most of all, Deidara knew better than anyone that once an explosion started, it could not be stopped. Sakura watched with curious eyes as time slowed once again with her Sharingan,—Deidara arched his back in mid-air and a his whole body lit up with the force of combustion. Sakura rocketed high into the air with a chakra-enhanced jump in order to avoid being caught in the tremendous blast,—so tremendous, in fact, that even if she had managed not to die in the blast, the lack of oxygen created by the combustion would have suffocated her. She made no mistake when delivering the final blow,—a shinobi would do anything to get the last blow. Sakura landed a ways away, still crossing her arms in front of her face to shield her eyes from the destruction.

The Akatsuki had scattered immediately and Deidara, or what was left of him, decorated the area in a wide radius; his final work of art.

She reappeared in the clearing, noting the raining blood, and nothing else—for the rest of Deidara had been obliterated in his final explosion. There were bits of him here and there, but ironically, the artist left nothing of himself behind. His ring, which landed not 5 feet in front of Sakura, was the only proof Deidara had existed at all. She picked it up from the grass.

"I suppose this is mine now?"

The group returned to their spots in an instant. Disgust showed on most of their faces but Sakura simply held her palm out in the bloody rain. Red looked good on her.

"No, we will forge you another one… Sakura," answered Pein. He scowled. "Why did you do that?"

Sakura shrugged as she landed, the clay bird decomposing quickly after its creator had been destroyed. "I didn't want you to miss out on all the fun, I suppose."

A beat of silence.

"So, did I pass? Am I powerful enough to join your little group?" She said it so simply, so casually, that it unnerved Konan.

What kind of girl is she?

Pein sighed. "You pass. Itachi and Kisame will be your wards during your probationary period."

The orange-haired man looked at her for a short while. "That energy you used to deflect Deidara's bombs… It wasn't chakra. What was it?"

Sakura returned his stare. "I was under the impression that this was a group that respected privacy. We work for a common goal and keep our secrets close, no?"

"Alright, alright. Enough. If you do anything suspicious, trust me, Itachi and Kisame will know, and eliminate you on site."

Sakura nodded and gave a light bow. "I suppose I should call you Leader-sama now?"

Itachi nodded slightly while Kisame shifted his sword's position in disbelief.

Konan, who had always wanted a little sister, approached Sakura and draped the traditional Akatsuki cloak, black decorated with red clouds, over her shoulders and she and some of the other members tried to stifle their laughter. It was just way too big. Sakura grunted, annoyed by the overly large collar; she held her arms in front of her, noting the way the sleeves extended far past her hands and how the fabric pooled on the floor.

"Welcome to the Akatsuki, Sakura," said Konan, smiling a bit. Sakura returned the gesture with her own.

"We can get that cloak fixed. I never thought we'd have such a short member," said Kisame, ruffling her hair.

"Oye! You were one of the first to fall for my genjutsu, you oversized fish." Sakura took to smoothing over her hair.

He only grinned at her attitude, revealing pointed, vicious teeth. "That's the spirit… And I'm a shark, not a fish."

"Looks like we've picked up a pretty vicious tiger cub," commented Hidan.

Sakura only rolled her eyes.

"What was your name again?"

"Haruno Sakura, formerly of Konoha. You can call me comrade." She strode forward and offered her hand to Pein.

Even Itachi thought he would admonish her, but instead, Pein grasped her outreached hand and shook it.

Impressive, thought Itachi. She used the element of surprise to create a strong impression, and explored that opportunity by sweeping us all up in her consistently astonishing power. Additionally, she knew exactly what to say to our leader in order to persuade him that she belonged among the Akatsuki. Pein never stood a chance.

He watched as Sakura followed Konan to her temporary room, carrying the overly-large cloak with her as she went.

…

Sakura summoned a dragon,—one of Seiryū's children, to secretly deliver missives to Konoha. She thought hard about what to write, if anything at all. There was a great emptiness in her, in this regard; that is, in the aspect of how she felt about her former teammates… and how to address them. Finally, she settled on a short message for both her teammates and sensei.

"Master! You finally called for me. How can I be of service today?"

"Xinglong, it is nice to meet you…I have messages you must deliver. They are of the utmost secrecy, so you cannot fail," Sakura instructed, tying the small, pinkie-sized scrolls to the small dragon's leg.

The young dragon smirked. "Didn't you summon me because my scales have the ability to take on and mimic my environment? Where should I deliver these?"

"To Konoha," she whispered. With that, Xinglong took flight, choosing to fly into the foliage rather than the upper atmosphere for the sake of stealth.

…..

Naruto: How is your training going? I'm cheering for you.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto whispered as he read the note. "I knew she hadn't abandoned us but…" He closed his eyes, reveling in the joy of an unexpected communication. He sighed. "I guess it makes all the shit I'm getting from everyone worth it."

With that, Naruto placed the note in the safest of scrolls—Jiraiya had been teaching him fuinjutsu,—and went to bed, dreaming of times past.

…..

Kakashi woke at the sound of knocking on his window.

This better be good, he thought. It's 3 o'clock in the morning.

He trundled over to his bedroom window and opened it at the sight of a dragon.

"I'm here to deliver a message, Hatake-san," spoke the serpentine like animal. Kakashi nodded sleepily and untied the scroll attached to the dragon's claw, and just like that, the creature turned tail and vanished. Kakashi noticed the remaining scroll.

Must be for Naruto or Sasuke, he thought.

Kakashi: Thank you for giving my message to Crow-san. Don't you dare neglect Team 7. How is Sai-chan doing?

Unmistakably Sakura, Kakashi thought, and his heart felt just a bit lighter.

…..

When it came to Sasuke's note, Sakura's ink strokes were filled with a kind of paralyzing indecision. She wrote what she could.

Sasuke stared at the small missive in his hands, delivered by a dragon of all things in the middle of the night. He stayed under the moonlight pouring in from his window, reading the note again and again. In the months following Sakura's departure, he had been utterly blindsided by the amount he missed his teammate.

What does it say? Asked elder Sasuke.

The paper was but a tiny scroll, so he didn't expect much.

Be well.

It was short. Too short. But all the same, he felt undeniable joy because he was, in some way, lingering in her mind. Though, it's brevity actually bothered Sasuke in a way that alerted his senses. The penmanship was indicative of emotions he would not have normally associated with the Haruno Sakura he knew. He wished he could have heard her say it, not just because he wanted to see her, but so he could divine what in the world she meant by "be well".

"Can I write a message back?" Sasuke questioned the dragon who'd entered his home via window. The dragon nodded, its scales shimmering silver under the moonlight.

"I miss you."

Sasuke tied the message onto Xinglong's claw and watched him disappear into the night, lingering at the window for long minutes after he'd lost sight of the dragon.

….

When Sakura unfurled the message she wasn't expecting, she blanched. "He… misses me? How human."

Sakura realized what she'd said and slapped a hand to her mouth. Of course it was human. You're human too, you idiot! And human you shall stay!

Don't you think there is something paradoxical in pursuing the path of immortality and insisting on remaining human? You'll have to confront it eventually, Kaguya warned.

"Oh, shut it, Kaguya," said Sakura into her pillow, before drifting off to sleep in her new bed.

…..

Sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter! I'm not one of those writers who can pump out a chapter every week so… I have a question for those of you still reading:

Would you rather I take time to build up chapters, and then release them in a rapid style, or would you rather I continue as I am?

I really want to thank you guys for your continued support! I want to know all your thoughts!

Please read and review! It's like the carrot and the stick, you know?

….Yes, this is still a SasuSaku fic. :)

Ever Yours,

—Peregrine Passage