4

"They're here," Captain Hyuuga said, while walking in big strides toward the group. She stopped in front of the Uchiha. "They were surprisingly reasonable. As I suspected, they're chakra wielders, but they're not shinobis. They want to exchange prisoners at the bridge crossing the Monokuri River. In two hours from now."

The way she was looking at him was odd, as if she was waiting for his blessing. However, the Uchiha didn't let any of his thoughts appear, not any semblance of approval, or disapproval.

"I want you at the meeting," she continued, unflappable. "Your brother will take your place."

He nodded and walked to her side quietly.

Something darkened inside Chiho Hyuuga's purple eyes, making Sakura warier than ever. Something was off. The sudden quietness. Her bone-chilling eyes. Sakura didn't know what made her shield her prisoner, but before she could do anything, the Captain pushed her body out of her way in an abrupt motion. She then headed straight away for her target, and grabbed Ryuu by his hair. He shuddered in fear and pain when she plunged a kunai deeply into his shoulder.

Ryuu screamed, "Fucking bitch! She—she stabbed me. Kami-sama! Are you people nuts?"

He felt on the ground, overwhelmed by the pain, which wasn't nearly enough for the captain. She swiftly threw her kunai to his right thigh and said, "Now the package's secure."

Sakura was stunned, looking back and forth between her now bleeding prisoner and the Uchiha, in search of some sign, anything that would scream disapprobation. But she didn't find any, she didn't find anything at all. No pity. Not any compassion. All of a sudden, it occurred to her that they were Anbus. Assassins. They would kill Ryuu in a blink of an eye if they were ordered to. They wouldn't feel anything, they wouldn't care at all.

"Bandage him! But don't heal him, Haruno," Chiho ordered, before disappearing with the prodigy.

With a colossal effort, she'd managed to prevent the disgust from showing up on her face during the whole ordeal. Now, though, she felt too sick to put on a mask. She went to the ground and pulled medical supplies out of her satchel.

"There's too much blood," he groaned, "I feel like my…soul is leaving my body!"

"Don't be dramatic."

"How can you be so calm?" he asked. "I'm literally bleeding to death!"

"I'm a medic, remember? And no, you won't die from this."

"Except you're not healing me," he gasped, as she pressed on his wound with a clean white cloth. "Sakura-san, you must help me."

"I'm not having this conversation with you again, Ryuu," she said firmly.

"More blood will be spilled. Yet again. And for what? Lies? I just want— I just want to avoid any unnecessary violence."

Ryuu wanted to save himself, that was more than comprehensible.

"It sounds like your people aren't up to the task."

"My people know how to fight, but they're not soldiers, we've not been trained for war like your people," he explained.

Not my people, she wanted to say.

"One of your guys tried to kill me," she reminded him.

"There's always…an exception to every rule," he said, "believe it or not, my people are rather pacific. Until a certain point, of course. What would you do if your loved ones were taken away from you? Wouldn't you want to do anything in your power to save them?"

"I would give my own life to save them," she answered, without the slightest hesitation.

"So, help me."

"We're meeting your people soon. You've heard the captain's orders, so from my perspective, everything's coming to an end. You'll be given back to your people and the baby will be returned to his family. Everyone's happy. No bloodshed."

"Except that they're not going to return the baby."

"How do you know that?"

"I've just told you," he sighed. "They'd do anything to save him, including sacrificing their own lives. So now, think! Why would they suddenly change their minds and let him go this easily? Doesn't make much sense, right?"

"But they want you back, though."

"Wouldn't you want to save your friend?"

The blood had stopped flowing out from his tight. There was truly only one outcome for her, if she decided to help him, whether he was lying or not, helping an enemy wouldn't result in a well-deserved promotion. Wait—she'd never been after congratulations, as a matter of fact, a revival of Team Seven had never been part of her plans. So why on earth should she go along with all this masquerade?

Principles whispered a voice that she decided to ignore.

He's neither a murderer nor a threat to Konoha.

What was the worst that could happen? What had she to lose?

"Alright. I'll help you," she said at last, nevertheless hoping that she wouldn't regret it later. "But if it fails, you'll be on your own."

She moved back her hands to his wounds, and removed the bandage she had just tied to his tight—there was no need for it anymore—inwardly rejoicing at the idea of going against her captain's instructions.

Soon, there wouldn't be any injuries left.

"Someone's coming," he whispered.

"I know."

"Incredible," he murmured, touching the result of her work, it looked as if his skin had never been torn open a few minutes earlier. "We could use someone like you back home."

"Thanks," she glanced behind her shoulder, and let out a sight when she recognized the silhouette approaching. "Getting rid of him won't be easy."

Ryuu stared anxiously at her.

"I'll find a way," she whispered. "Your foot, quick."

It took a few seconds for him to understand, "So all this time, you could have—"

"Sorry, I had no choice, but if you want freedom, you'll need both feet."

"You think so?"

Unlike his brother, Sasuke had chosen to lead the march, not seeming to care much about not having the prisoner in his line of sight. Sakura had been looking at the black crest on his back for a little while, searching for a way to make her plan work. They needed a distraction, anything that would allow them to leave without being noticed.

She felt a hand lightly grab her elbow. Ryuu. He looked quite distressed and started mouthing words to her: "We must go!" She then lifted her arm, urging him not to do something stupid. They only had one opportunity, after all.

Sakura needed to set the plan into motion right now. That, she understood. However, she felt like she had to wait for the perfect timing.

"Are you still mad at me for yesterday?" she asked, in the most genuine voice.

"This isn't the time," he hissed.

She made a gesture at Ryuu, pointing her finger toward a tree. He seemed to hesitate at first, but then he took his courage and carefully walked backward to the position.

Now everything rested on her. She closed her eyes, made some motions with her fingers, and prayed to the gods. When she noticed a new being at her side, she stopped following her teammate and looked at the pink-haired figure behind him. It looked nothing like her, Naruto would have certainly laughed at her poor excuse for a clone.

Sakura gasped as she felt the memories of her clone enter her mind.

The former captive looked at her, "What's wrong?"

"He's coming for us," she announced, "'told you I wouldn't be able to maintain the illusion for long."

"I think we're getting closer, but we must hurry."

"You should go ahead on your own," she shouted. "It may give you a better chance at escaping my teammate. You don't need me anymore anyway."

He stopped still, going back to her side. "You're wrong. I still need your help, Sakura-san. And… I want you to know the truth. Besides, I can't say I'm much of a runner."

"I used to have more endurance," she sighed and muttered, "I was enjoying retirement…"

"Retirement?! Are you using some jutsu to look younger ? Don't tell me you are all winkled under your disguise!"

"Baka. I'm twenty-one."

Ryuu raised his eyebrows in disbelief and said, "Me too!"

Both spooked by the noise of a scared wild rabbit going through shrubs, they glanced fearfully at each other, and they proceeded on their way.

The forest was finally behind them, as they started their ascension across the meadows. The wind was blowing strongly in the opposite direction, making it seem like the rich green grass and flowers were performing an endless dance. They were now walking along a path leading to the top of the hill.

Sakura glanced at their surroundings, and asked, "Are we close yet?"

From where they stood, they could see the river down the left side of the hill, as well as what looked like a small wooden bridge.

"There should be a cliff over there," Ryuu said, after a short while. He jumped over a rock and looked over the distance. "Yeah, I can see the entrance, let's go!"

She glanced behind her back, just to make sure they wouldn't be surprised by her really angry teammate. Sasuke was going to kill her for this. She then followed Ryuu. Leaving the main path, they quietly hurried through the grass, until they reached a steep cliff. At first glance, it looked like they were just rocks down there, but when Sakura looked carefully, she noticed some sort of wooden structures built against the cliff.

"Come," Ryuu said, "let's go down."

Soon, they arrived in front of an abandoned mine's entrance, which turned out not to be so abandoned after all. Two men were guarding the entrance. They were standing just slightly inside, which was why seeing them from the cliff's top had been impossible.

The guards looked utterly speechless, "Ryuuzaki-sama?!"

"Quick," he urged on. "Lead me to Kanao, I'll explain everything later."

They followed one of the guards, who immediately went inside the mine. The corridors inside, dimly illuminated by torches, were more cramped than expected, especially with the men and women scattered along the walls. They all looked like they were ready for war, holding tightly their weapons and giving her the evil eyes, as she went past them. She started counting them, but quickly gave up when she understood there were way more than twenty people gathered inside this hideout.

The more they progressed inside, the more people there were. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say there must be at least a hundred individuals. It made her question her captain's sources. She certainly didn't remember her saying anything about a whole regiment hiding in this area. So whoever had given her information about the abductors had either lied or been completely blind.

Ryuu suddenly stopped at an intersection where a tall woman with a single brown hair braid was looking at a map in her hands. Like all the others, she was dressed in dark green attire. She lifted her face when she noticed them.

"Ryuuzaki-sama!" the woman exclaimed in astonishment.

Ryuu took the map from her. "Kanao! You must call back the men, right now! Cancel your plan!"

"How did you manage to escape? We had a plan set up to save you," she looked at Sakura, narrowing her eyes, "and who's this?"

"Not a foe," said Ryuu, reading her thoughts.

She scrutinized her from head to toe, until her eyes suddenly widened. "Konoha insignia! She's one of them! Why did you bring her here?" she made a quick gesture to some men by her side, "Grab her. Quick!"

And the fun begins now.

"No, wait!" Ryuu yelled. "It's thanks to her help that I'm free!"

"I'm not taking any chance, not after everything we went through," she said firmly. "Lock her up somewhere. Come with me, Ryuu!"

A bunch of men led her to what looked like a room meant for storage, that was separated from the main railroad by thick metal bars, it certainly could be used as a cell. Unfortunately for her new friends, there was no way to lock it up properly, seeing as the key was missing.

They started piling up rocks in front of the door, which made her wonder why they were so wary of her, almost as if they were afraid. What did they know about Konoha?

Is this how foreigners think of us? Are we dangerous?

They must have heard about our exploits during the war.

She looked at her attire and cursed it, wearing a jōnin uniform—one that she shouldn't even be wearing in the first place—came with being easily recognizable, thanks to the reddish Konoha symbol on her dark blue sweater. But it was really just a way to redirect her frustration on something—or rather on Tsunade and her way of forcing her will on her. If they had searched and found her forehead protector, they would have known anyway.

"That's enough," one of the men suddenly said, satisfied with the outstanding mountain in front of her cell.

She smiled as a vision of herself smashing and fragmenting the ground appeared in her mind. Her past self certainly wouldn't have had any trouble showing them how vain their attempt to keep her locked up was. However, it was all in the past. She wasn't even sure she still had the ability to use this jutsu—not that she had any reason to.

After all, Ryuu wouldn't leave her in this cell, right?

She leaned against the bars, trying to get a sight of her new friends. Unfortunately, her little chamber was too much inside the rock cavity to let her see the right and left sides of the mine's corridor. She could hear a commotion coming from there, people marching.

Are they leaving?

And just when she started thinking of Ryuu and whether he had fooled her or not, his face suddenly showed up right in front of her.

"Ryuu!"

"We don't have much time," he said while putting down a bag at his feet. "I promised you the truth, didn't I?"

"Are they— Are you leaving?"

"It's only a matter of time until they come. Thankfully, my nephew's safe, en route to my clan's village," he explained. "How crazy as it sounds, my people were going to use a real baby to get me back. They found a woman, a local, willing to lend us her baby for money. Can you believe that?"

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, you're going to be in trouble for helping me, right? You'll need proof."

"I don't think…anything will help my case," she answered bitterly. "I'll be fine though, you don't have to—"

"Found it!" he shouted. "Please look!"

There was a picture in his hand, one that portrayed a young man holding a baby in his arms. It was unmistakably Ryuu, with his cheerful face and his spiked brown hair. The baby, on the other hand… She couldn't tell if it was the same kid they had been looking for. The baby looked way younger in this picture, and she couldn't say she had really had a good look at his face during their journey.

Sasuke's photographic memory may come in handy if he doesn't kill me before…

"See! I didn't lie. Do you think it'll be enough to make them stop looking for my nephew?"

She smiled, and as she was about to grab the picture, a bunch of men barged into the place, looking like they were running away from a disastrous fate.

"Ryuuzaki-sama!" they shouted, waiting no time to seize him unceremoniously. "It's going to blow up!"

He protested harshly, but it was too late. In a matter of seconds, they were gone, and so was the picture. She heard more sharp footsteps echoing through the mine, voices screaming names and orders, until all that remained was silence.

Just like someone who had seen too much already and had experienced all the catastrophic outcomes only a chaotic crew like team seven could experience, she just sat on a wooden crate and started contemplating her shadow.

Soon everything would be plunged into darkness.

"You've been awfully quiet throughout this mission, Captain Uchiha."

"My brother distracts me," he admitted, though it was only partially true.

They had been waiting for five minutes now, standing still on a small wooden bridge, while remaining on alert, expecting the captors at any moment. Somehow, the silence was starting to feel out of place, as if something was missing.

Itachi heard something slither behind him and noticed a purple snake at his feet, one that was somewhat familiar.

"My masster has a message for you."

"Speak."

"The package and Haruno are gone. North-East, Monokuri Hill."

Chiho's eyes flared up in recognition. "I knew it!" she walked to the tiny snake, "find Naruto Uzumaki, and tell him to start heading to Ginza with the civilians."

The snake went pale, "Uzumaki-" he gulped, "I'm afraid I only answer to my massster, Lady."

"And your master answers to me," Itachi reminded the pet. "You'll go to Uzumaki."

"I—delivering your messsage will be my pleasssure, Uchiha-sssama."

Once he was gone, Chiho Hyuuga turned to him. There were small wrinkles around her eyes, betraying her composure. "Am I really going to be judged on this? This can't be normal! I'm not supposed to babysit my team."

"A captain's job is to be able to manage any situation, Chiho-san."

"They're not Anbu. Not yet. This just shouldn't be part of my evaluation, and we shouldn't be here to begin with."

Team seven—or what remained of it—was certainly not a responsibility anyone would love to have, but their presence here had nothing to do with them. Even in her ironic blindness, Hyuuga must suspect something else was at work. The Godaime rarely mobilized Anbus she wasn't familiar with, and as far as he knew, Chiho wasn't on the Godaime's chosen list. It could only be the work of someone with enough power within the ANBU, someone's whose goal was to undermine Chiho's career.

"Is this an official complaint?" Itachi inquired.

"You're the one assessing me, Itachi-san—"

A sudden loud noise interrupted them, catching them off guard. A flock of birds flew above them, high in the sky, fleeing an impending danger. A cloud of gray smoke going eastward could be seen coming from up the hill.

It was an explosion, at the very opposite end of their current location.

They left the bridge swiftly, running through the forest border without looking back until they finally entered the verdant meadow covering Monokuri Hill. It didn't take long for them to reach higher grounds, letting them spot the most unexpected sight. Down the hill to the east, more than hundreds of men were traveling hastily, disappearing inside the forest. They were all wearing dark green attires, leaving no doubt about who they were. Why so many mercenaries would hunt a kid? What was even more concerning, was the fact nobody had noticed this large group of foreigners traveling within the fire country.

Hyuuga's keen eyes were focused on their prey like she was a falcon about to pounce, until she eventually said, "Two hundred and thirty-four."

They went back on track and ended up finding a place down a cliff, covered in a mass of rubble. It seemed his brother had found the place sooner than them, judging by the huge snake whose head was stuck inside what looked like a mine. Sasuke was waiting impatiently on the side. He stared at them when they started approaching him. But before they could exchange any words, the snake abruptly dislodged himself from the mine, and delivered, in front of them, a not-so-shaken and unscathed Sakura Haruno.

So she did it on purpose, after all.

The captain went forward and immediately asked her, "Explain yourself, Haruno."

Her eyes widened, as she realized who was speaking to her.

She cleared her throat and said, "The Lady and her uncle," she was wiping some dust from her dark blue pants, "They're both liars. The baby—" she coughed, "the baby doesn't belong to them, it belongs to the clan that had been chasing them for days."

A clan.

That would surely be more fitting to the situation, considering the kidnappers didn't seem inclined to leave anyone behind—unlike real mercenaries—and that would also explain their number.

"Haruno," she sighed. "I'm asking you to explain yourself," she repeated. "We already know our clients aren't trustworthy."

"They've been lying to us about everything, isn't it enough for—"

"Again, you're not answering," she interrupted. "Tell me. Right now. What made you think dismissing orders would be a good idea? We had a plan, and we would have retrieved the kid without any issue if you hadn't decided to go against my orders!"

Itachi took a step back from the two kunoichis and walked to his brother, who seemed more concerned with whatever was wrong with his vile giant pet – he didn't understand how Sasuke could trust anything that had been bonded to the despicable Sanin. The mere sight of it should have awakened unpleasant memories, and yet, here he was, taking care of it in a way that could only allude to something deeper.

"What were you thinking, brother?"

He didn't say anything, although with the very annoyed look on his face, one that was halfway between a snarl and a pout—something only Sasuke could do—he could tell, he hadn't been thinking at all, which wasn't surprising in the least. Everything regarding team seven had been utterly disappointing and underwhelming.

A swirl of smells, mostly a mixture of snake's gut and something else familiar, caught his sense, contradicting his point, and yet, at the same time, making them even more true. Even though his body was towering over her, the green of her eyes stung him like the smoldering rays of the sun. It felt intense and so overwhelming that he had to make a conscious effort not to back away.

She should have gone back to Konoha.

"This wasn't his fault!" she screamed at him. "Sasuke trusted me, and he was right to do so. If you want to blame someone, blame me! And stop antagonizing him every time something goes wrong!"

It was odd to find himself in such a situation, portrayed as a threat to his own blood, and being screamed at, like a kid that needed discipline. He couldn't remember the last time it had happened, if it had ever happened at all.

There was one time, actually.

She opened her mouth again, but a gasp escaped her lips, as Sasuke grabbed her forcefully. "Are you out of your mind!?"

His brother took her aside, whether to protect him from her or the opposite, he couldn't say. As he watched them whisper and argue with each other, he wondered what kind of relationship they really had. Sasuke never mentioned her. But considering the way Sasuke was holding her in place, while she kept giving angry glances at him and mouthing words he couldn't quite catch, they were surely comfortable enough together.

"Haruno!" the Captain yelled. "I wasn't done with you!"

They both reluctantly came back towards Hyuuga, whose arms were crossed on her chest. She sighed deeply, and asked, "You said you could prove your claims? How?"

"There is—there was a picture of them. The baby and Ryuu. But—"

"And I guess you don't have it," she finished.

"I almost had the picture in my hands, Captain, I assure you. But when they escaped, things got… chaotic, with the mine's collapse and all…"

"Anything else?"

"There was a woman whose baby was supposed to be exchanged for our prisoner. As I said before, we were never going to retrieve the baby. He's been long gone, possibly even out of the fire country as we speak. There was…really no way our plan could have succeeded."

"Is this woman long gone too?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "She's a local though, I believe they've even paid her."

"Let me resume: we're in no way close to getting back the child, a child who potentially belongs to a clan based on a picture we don't have. The only witness that can prove your claim is nowhere in sight, and we don't have any way to bargain with this clan since our prisoner's been freed, thanks to you, Haruno."

"I'm ready to face the consequences of my actions, Captain."

The kunoichi was a bit too eager to face them, to such a degree, that it made him think of two possibilities, either she was more manipulative than he had been, or she was just really foolish and incompetent.

"But I know what I've heard and seen, and I think we should interrogate our guests again."

"No. Here's what's going to happen. The plan won't change, we're escorting them to Ginza, as intended. And then, there's a high chance that everything regarding this mission won't be in our hands anymore. You may speak without proof, but facing hundreds of mercenaries has never been part of the contract."

It wasn't so uncommon to discover a threat had been underestimated by contractors, or even the opposite. Hiding information was another matter, especially when it endangers the mission's success. Unfortunately, it was often difficult to prove that something had purposefully been hidden, contractors could simply claim they didn't know anything.

"When it comes to your doings, Haruno," the kunoichi continued, "as your captain and with the obligations that come with it, I'm dismissing you from this mission. From now on, and until we go back to Konoha, you'll be traveling with us as a civilian under our protection. Am I being clear?"

"Hai, Taicho."

"One more thing, Haruno," Chiho said. "I don't want to hear a single word from you during the rest of the trip."