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Covenant
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Synopsis: Four years into the Fourth Shinobi War, Orochimaru offers to turn.
He all but requests Sakura by name to be the contact.
It is, quite clearly, a trap—least of all because he's supposed to be dead.
But what is a losing side to do except take the hand that's offered?
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15. The Mouse
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"SUIGETSU, BRING some food here," Sasuke ordered, his sights on her.
Suigetsu left to obey him in her periphery. Sakura stepped closer to Sasuke, letting her unrecognizable chakra flare through the room.
"What do you mean I can't leave?"
He wore a grey piece of cloth tied around his head that held his hair back. The accessory allowed the purple of his Rinnegan to fall upon her in full force. His gaze narrowed until he glared, chakra rising in response to hers.
"It's self-explanatory."
He was so beautiful this close it was hard to remember why she was upset with him. The contained threat that lurked behind his controlled manner—the tips of his midnight hair wisped out at the end—the fuzz on his jawline, the height of his cheekbones, the soft marks of scars across his pale, otherwise unblemished skin. It was almost enough to blank her mind of anything except his body, near enough to share her heat.
Almost. Sakura silenced her traitorous contemplation of the man.
"Sasuke, I swear to—"
"The base is under lockdown, dear Rei. No one is permitted in or out," Orochimaru interrupted. "Madara's orders."
She leaned sideways to look past Sasuke at the Sannin, but the man showed no hint of deception. Each heartbeat drummed in her chest as if waiting for a battle to start; the air in the room froze over.
"Am—I caught? Does Madara know?"
"No," answered Sasuke. "He shut down every base yesterday, not just this one."
She released a breath of relief. "Then what's going on?"
"Madara suspects a traitor." Sasuke reached over her to place the scroll back on the shelf, unfinished jutsu and all.
As his chest moved closer, she shut her eyes, his earthy smell washing over her. Was he doing it on purpose? Sakura leaned back with a scowl and sat on the chair behind her, resting her forehead in her hands. Thoughts were more rational with the new distance.
But rational thought led to trepidation—this was bad. Very bad. The hysteria of a panic attack flickered at the edges of her mind.
"...Why now? Why when I'm here?"
"He doesn't know you're here," Sasuke snapped. "I won't repeat it a third time."
His nasty nature broke against her without strength. Sakura didn't have the headspace to concern herself with Sasuke's sharp edges. It was easier to remember that she was supposed to dislike him when he revealed them, anyway.
"Orochimaru? Why now?" she repeated, feeling stranded in the dark. Anxiety coursed through her thick as ice.
"There's no other explanation for the Allies' recent success in finding so many of the storage rooms. The first two wins in Fire were chalked up to luck. The coordinated attack in two different countries simultaneously proved a leak. Madara's probably been searching for the traitor since the battle ended without any luck, so the natural step is to lock down the bases and investigate thoroughly."
So her own proposition had inadvertently trapped her. She bit out a curt laugh. Of course it would. Of course, she'd done this to herself. She'd built a trap and placed the cheese when she was the mouse to catch all along.
There was no way out but through their help now.
Sakura met Orochimaru's gaze. "Don't sell me out." And for good measure: "They'll never send another contact if you do."
The smile he flashed nearly looked sincere. As sincere as any smile could look on the man's distorted, tattooed mug. He stood straight as a die, his arms bent behind his back like a doorman.
"Our boats are tied, dear Rei. Fear not."
It was true enough, and Sakura nodded slowly. "Then how long will I have to stay? Does Konoha know?"
"Konoha is aware. You'll stay until we come off lockdown," said Sasuke.
He'd claimed his sleeping mat, back rested on the wall with her flower scratchings, feet stretched out in Orochimaru's direction. It always amazed Sakura how easily his rigid body seemed to slip into a state of respite.
"I can't stay here very long...especially if there's a battle. The Allies need me." The last time Madara shut down his bases lasted over two months. Sakura wasn't keen on being stuck with the enemy for any prolonged amount of time.
"They'll learn to fight without you." Sasuke finished the sentence just as Suigetsu reentered the room. "They're too reliant on medics, anyway."
"Quite right, dear Rei. Just as I told you the other day."
Suigetsu held a tray of vegetables, some sort of brown meat in a porridge-like substance, and bread. Sakura's stomach growled when the smell hit her nose.
"Eat." Sakura shot him a pointed look. "If you want," he enunciated with a barely-there roll of his eyes.
"Thank you, Suigetsu," she said with a cloying smile.
"Anything for our doctor."
He set the food on the desk before her. It wasn't the most appetite-inducing meal, but it smelled alright, and she hadn't eaten in days. The four of them settled awkwardly into a silence filled only with the sounds of her chewing. If she weren't so hungry, she might've been embarrassed.
"Go finish your rounds," Sasuke eventually directed Suigetsu. "And prepare her a place in the lab, Orochimaru."
"Ooooh, alone time, huh? Alright, play safe!"
Suigetsu laughed suggestively, expertly spurning the daggers in Sasuke's grimace as he exited. With a graceful bow, Orochimaru tracked the younger man out, hiding the grin on his face.
Sakura dug into the food and ignored the heat pooled in her seal now that she and Sasuke were alone. Alone because he'd ordered everyone else out. Alone because he chose to stay.
She shook the thoughts of intimacy from her mind. Her psyche was unstable and all over the place these days—she was genuinely concerned that she wasn't well after Tente—
"I'm worried," she admitted quietly, interrupting her brain. She tore the bread into pieces as she ate it between words. "I can't get caught here, Sasuke. I'll be killed—or worse."
His head rested against the wall with closed eyes. As usual, he chose not to reply.
In other situations, his manners would anger her; in this one, it made her want to cry. Sakura needed reassurance. She needed something—she felt so abandoned in this enemy base, with no way out and no release date in view.
Ino would hug her and rub her back in a motherly way. Kakashi would pat her head and assure her she was doing well. Tsunade would say something apathetic but reassuring like You can fight your way out whenever you feel like it, or What's there to be worried about? or I'll get you out quickly, so don't panic.
But none of those people were here.
...Tenten could be here if Sakura leaned into it. Her mind lingered on the idea for a second before driving it out. She couldn't let herself break...not here. Not now.
Here, the only person she had to lean on was Sasuke.
So she swallowed a piece of bread, watched him with the thought, Talk to me, and plowed it into her seal.
"Please, Sasuke. You can't let me get caught here." Please talk to me, I need you right now.
"You'll get out," he said after a moment.
"Promise me."
He cast her a slightly disapproving look. "You're too old to ask for promises, Sakura." Her heart fluttered, and his eyes closed again. "Promises in war are worthless. But logically, your getting caught would end the Allies and probably my life. As Orochimaru said, our boats are tied."
Pulling off another piece of bread, she scrutinized his calm facade and the steady movement of his breaths. He didn't seem the least bit worried. Could she trust him?
Naruto would. In an instant. It wouldn't even be a question for him.
"Call me Rei."
"Aa."
The bread now half-finished, she ventured to pick at the vegetables. The food was…exceptionally bland, if she were being generous. Sakura wondered who cooked it.
She'd only seen one other person in this base besides the three men in the agreement; the one who'd had the unfortunate task of fetching Sasuke and Orochimaru when Tobi visited. Though, there had to be more shinobi housing here, or people tasked with maintaining the base.
Sakura couldn't imagine Sasuke, Suigetsu, or Orochimaru cooking. Especially not cooking for each other—or for her.
She let her mind wander on these useless things before reining it back.
"...Will I have to meet Madara?"
"Maybe. He'll likely conduct base visits or summon us together for a single investigation. We'll pass you off as a medic Suigetsu picked up after the battle in Wind."
Voice barely more than a whisper, she asked, "Is that believable?" while pushing a potato back and forth on her plate.
"Yes. We get recruits frequently enough. Orochimaru will brief you on your backstory."
Sakura observed him. Talk to me, she thought again, pressing it into the seal a few times so it would stick.
"Why don't you brief me? We've got time now."
The proposal seemed to spin in his mind. Then his shoulders dipped in decision.
"You grew up in Suna. The Kazekage murdered your family in his youth. You've hated him ever since. You wanted to join Madara but were too young to recruit when the fighting started, so you joined a mercenary group instead. Suigetsu saw you during the battle helping our army and—took an interest in you. You agreed to come to this base as our team's healer-in-training."
"How old am I supposed to be?"
"Fourteen or fifteen. Pick one, it doesn't matter."
Sakura frowned. "And what kind of interest is Suigetsu supposed to have in me?"
"The kind you're thinking."
"...Disgusting," she mumbled, shoving a piece of bread between her teeth. The story was believable enough, so long as Suigetsu could keep up the despicable act.
Which—her frown deepened—he probably can odiously well.
"And you'll need to call me Uchiha-sama," said Sasuke, something nearing a smirk in his voice. "Why don't you test it out? We've got time now."
Flushing like a tomato, she coughed as a tear of bread lodged in her esophagus. Here was genin Sasuke, floating up from her memories, presenting himself in this grown man's devastatingly handsome body.
She squeezed her eyes shut hard enough to hear the muscles strain, then gradually opened them, testing if this was merely another hallucination. But grown, devastatingly handsome Sasuke remained relaxed on the wall, the cave didn't fade away like a fantasy, and her heart still hammered in her chest with growing speed.
"Was...was that a joke, Sasuke?" she stammered.
"Uchiha-sama." His lashes were dark as sin on his cheeks, his face devoid of all emotion.
The light atmosphere of the room would give her wings with how fast the blood was now rushing through her veins. This felt like another sort of battlefield, one dangerous in a different type of way—one that required a distinct kind of fighting. Her complexion might've burst into flames any second. Her heart threatened to stop altogether, stare zeroing in on his resting form.
"Are you joking around right now, Uchiha-sama?" she said, voice low, forcing it to remain steady. "It hardly seems like an appropriate time for that..."
It could've been her imagination. It could've been, truly. Mind far from stable, circumstances far from ordinary—despite their history and all the hurt amassed between them, Sakura still desperately desired this man's acknowledgment. So she could've imagined it.
But she was studying Sasuke like a scholar unearthing the past century's most coveted sculpture, and she would've sworn on her mother's grave that the corner of his lips curved up into what couldn't be anything but a smile.
"Of course not. Uchiha don't joke."
Her throat went dry. All reasonable thought left her.
Sakura shifted to gape in disbelief at her plate, if only so Sasuke wouldn't see whatever unbecoming expression she now wore. There was movement from his corner, but she kept her vision drilled on the table. The deep pitch of his voice was searing into her memory like a hot-iron brand—the teasing smile burned the back of her eyes with its aching familiarity.
So different from the bloodied corpses and rotting flesh that haunted her; he was warm body and quick temper, dark and dangerous orbs, long fingers and broad frame. Alive, right here beside her. Alone, right here beside her, because he chose to stay.
Sasuke Uchiha was a battlefield of a different sort—yet, similarly, one she was abruptly certain she'd never escape either. Ever.
And it almost felt like he was leisurely, deliberately, undoubtedly sinking his claws further into her.
"I'll sleep a bit," he said, though it barely registered in her ears. "If you want—stay here 'til Orochimaru comes back."
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Sakura spent the next two days in the lab with Orochimaru. It felt like she was sinning against her younger self every minute of it—because, well, the man's company wasn't all that unpleasant. When he wasn't up to any tricks or feeling slighted, the Sannin was a surprisingly good conversationalist and talented teacher.
Orochimaru treated her like one would expect a master to treat a new student, and even though Sakura was a master in her own right, the man held vast knowledge of things beyond what she specialized in. He answered medical queries with detailed explanations—provided meticulous demonstrations of the various jutsu used during his work. He even permitted her to read the activities log. In truth, working in Orochimaru's lab was an intellectual's dream.
As Orochimaru tested on a dead bird on the operating table, she flicked through one of last month's logs at his desk. While she was pleased to understand new concepts, his work often edged closer to kinjutsu than Sakura was comfortable with. That was to say—virtually all his experiments were kinjutsu.
Sakura was hardly one to judge anymore—it wasn't like she was a shining beacon of moral superiority—but at least her falls from grace were typically forced upon her by the lesser of two evils. Orochimaru's was more like a deliberate dismembering of his own wings.
Pausing briefly in his work, he said, "You remind me of Kabuto. He was always fascinated with learning, too."
She swatted away the immediate revulsion that rose within her at the comparison. He'd been twisted, but she wouldn't deny Kabuto was a generational genius. She supposed Orochimaru was paying her a compliment.
"What happened to him?"
"I took over his life force."
Sakura analyzed him over her shoulder. "...You mean you killed him?"
"An unfortunate turn of events, truthfully. I broke a jutsu his body was under before he could, so I was released instead. As I had no body of my own to release into, I had to borrow his." Orochimaru shrugged as if he was lamenting an inconvenience and not confessing to slaying his student. "Such is the way of the shinobi. He was a brilliant student, though. It's a shame."
Selecting to let the issue of murder slide, Sakura ruminated over the new information. So—Kabuto did die before the last shutdown, while Sasuke and Suigetsu lived. And Orochimaru killed Kabuto. Or did Kabuto also live past the initial reports, then die later when Orochimaru took over his body?
"So when did—"
A pop of a teleport jutsu made Sakura jump in her seat and left the question unfinished. Suigetsu stood in the middle of the room, wearing the most serious expression she'd ever seen on him.
"Our base is being summoned," he said.
"To where?" asked Orochimaru.
Suigetsu regarded at her. "Madara's main base. He's gathering most of us there."
Sakura closed the log and faced them. "Can I leave when you all go?"
The two men shared a look that didn't look at all promising.
Sasuke appeared with a second pop. "Pack up. We're leaving within the hour."
Heat she unsuccessfully resisted climbed up her neck. It was the first time seeing him since Orochimaru collected her from the bedroom. She'd slept on a mat in the lab for the past two days.
"Uchiha-sama, may I be permitted to return—"
Sasuke affixed her with a lour, a command—Quiet—soaking through her thoughts. Her brow raised in curiosity—was he able to pass orders through the seal, or was she imagining it?
"Madara sent guards to escort this base. They're here already," he explained, "so let's not waste time. You'll come with us, Rei. Since Orochimaru can't, you'll be our healer."
"Why can't he come?" she asked.
"I'm not permitted to leave this base without an explicit command. A general summons wouldn't override my orders. Unless I was requested?"
"You weren't."
Anxiety bubbled up within her. Being confined to this lab with people in the agreement was one thing—she'd only very recently become comfortable enough with these three men. Traveling to Madara's home base, bound to board many more enemies, was far riskier.
Panic gripped her lungs and stalled her next exhale. Her hand flew to her chest.
Breathe, the seal whispered.
"Stay close to me or Suigetsu and Madara will welcome you."
"Yeah, don't worry," said Suigetsu. "I'll make sure to introduce you to everyone. Once the traitor's caught, we can come back."
She kept her sights on Sasuke, fighting the compression overtaking her chest and throat. His black eye turned red. The tickle of a genjutsu edged her mind. Counting the seconds of her inhales and exhales, she rejected the attempt.
Nearly imperceptibly, his mouth twitched down. "Go pack for both of us, Suigetsu. And see about some clothes for your toy."
"I'll find something to my taste." Suigetsu snickered, but his presentation remained solemn.
He strode from the room. As the door opened and closed, Sakura caught a glimpse of an Akatsuki-cloaked shinobi outside in the hallway. Suigetsu punched him lightly on the shoulder before the men were shut from the lab.
Sasuke stalked toward her, coming so close his knees brushed against hers. Sharingan spinning, he stared down at her, and a genjutsu pressed on her mind once more. It was obvious he wanted her to let him in. Still, even without consciously fighting it off, her chakra automatically dispelled it.
Irritation steamed off him in waves. "You'll have to learn many things before meeting Madara." I need to tell you something, she read between the words. "Any misstep reflects poorly on me."
Was he endeavoring to converse with her via a genjutsu? So the guard outside wouldn't hear? Her finger tapped the desk in thought.
"Yes, Uchiha-sama. Let me get a scroll. I'll copy down what you have to say and learn it on the way."
She reached for a pen and flipped open the log book, turning to the back page. I'm impervious to genjutsu, she wrote.
Sasuke read the words. "Explain to Rei the procedures, Orochimaru." Leaning over her, he snatched the pen and scribbled: Think of a way around it.
"Of course," started Orochimaru. "When you first meet Madara, remember to—"
Orochimaru's voice continued to drone on in the background as Sakura racked her brain. She wasn't sure how to allow a genjutsu to set, but the seal they shared had compulsion tendencies that, in any other occasion, her body would shrug off instinctively.
Perhaps...
She took the pen back, writing, Try casting it through the seal. Or on the seal.
Spinning in the chair toward him again, she craned her neck back to see his face. Mismatched eyes bound to her covered neck. The chakra in her seal stirred and fired through her pathways.
The lab around them fell into inky black darkness. It felt weightless and warm despite the abyss that swallowed them. They stood before one another, alone in the silence. The distance between them was difficult to measure in this strange space—he was right in front of her, but as she reached out, she couldn't touch him.
Looking down at her outstretched arm, she realized she wasn't in her transformation, either.
"It worked!"
"From this moment on, don't break character if we aren't alone. They'll be watching you closely because you're new," warned Sasuke.
"I understand." Fixing him with a suppliant gaze, she implored for what had to be the third or fourth time, "Don't let me get caught, Sasuke."
"I said you won't be. Don't make any mistakes. Stay close to one of us the whole time. Act meek—remember, you're an untrained medic."
"The Allies will out you if I'm captured," she reminded him.
Shock crossed his brow; he concealed it with a glower. "Don't threaten me, Sakura. Your army doesn't scare me."
"Madara will be your problem then, not the Allies."
"Listen here." He walked toward her, moving closer while not moving at all—her brows knit at the contradiction of this space. "If you want to return to your precious Kage, do as I say and keep your mouth shut."
The abyss around them hissed with his irritation. It was his genjutsu, after all—but it was within her, and though his aggressive nature wasn't bothering her much at the moment, she felt his emotions twisting into her own.
She held her ground but dropped the fight—mostly. "Fine. Stay close, act meek and powerless, be a perfectly silent little doll. Is that all, master?"
"...I have a reputation within the army. I can't worry about the endorphins from your seal, so obey my orders the first time, and don't make me repeat myself."
"Oh, I didn't realize you'd been worrying about me this whole time, Uchiha-sama."
She didn't know what came over her. Maybe it was the way he'd brushed his legs against hers and looked down upon her with his birthright. Maybe it was how he'd held the scroll above his head days ago as if daring her to jump on him to get it. Maybe it was his fingers on her neck in the sunset of Earth Country or how they'd shared those quiet stars high in the tree after the chaos of battle.
Maybe it was inevitable from the day Tsunade had ordered it—from the moment he'd brought them alone to this space removed entirely from the world or anyone who hoped to find them.
Or maybe all roads led here from the first day Sakura Haruno saw Sasuke Uchiha: An innocent 5-year-old girl without any earthly idea of the 16 years of suffering she'd endure if she fell for that chubby-cheeked Uchiha boy eating a rice ball.
She really didn't know—but then she was batting her lashes at him and funneling the thought, Desire me, desperately into her seal.
The words rang out all around them—desiremedesiremedesireme—her voice echoing in the nothingness they swam in. His eyes moved around the space, searching, then settled back on her with a question. Boiling blood bubbled up to her face, reddening her. Was it because they were inside the seal?
Scowling in shame, she turned away, unwilling to meet him. "Kai!"
She blinked back into reality. Sasuke still stood over her, vision narrowed with the same inquiry. She turned away from him here, too—to hide the blush blossoming across what felt like her whole body.
Orochimaru's voice faded back in. "—should have an assigned room. You aren't permitted into other's rooms without permission. If you—"
"That's enough," said Sasuke, lingering a moment longer before backing away. "The rest we'll address as they come up."
Halfway to the door he paused, rotated, returned to her side, leaned back over her, and silently ripped the last page out of the notebook. It burst into black flames between his fingers.
He peered at her again, nearer to her in this position. It only confirmed her previous sentiment—this close, to look too long at him was painful. She slid her eyes to the corner of the room, and he straightened.
"We're leaving. Come."
The seal buzzed with the command. Hormones hummed through her synapses as Sakura stood to follow him silently. Her mind ran a thousand miles a minute.
The Akatsuki guard bowed to Sasuke as they exited. "We have twenty minutes, Uchiha-sama."
"Very well."
With a hung head, she matched his footfalls a step behind, ignoring the calculating gaze of the guard and Orochimaru's smirk on her back.
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Two guards escorted the three of them through the wet forests of Water Country. Their route was unconventional, winding around locations Sakura knew to be refugee towns or Allied camps. They moved as fast as expected of jonins, so she pretended to struggle with the pace. Suigetsu slipped back to encourage her when she fell behind, demanding the group slow down a little more every time.
"Uchiha-sama, why bring such an inexperienced healer?" one guard finally broke when Sakura stopped them for the eighth time. "Other bases brought their own. No one would mind sharing. If you'd like, my partner can accompany her back—"
"And leave her with that snake?" Suigetsu scoffed. "Not happening. You must not know Orochimaru. If anyone's gonna corrupt her, it'll be me."
He sent her a dark grin filled with darker promises, and Sakura contained her disdain. Instead, she ducked her head in faux embarrassment like she thought perhaps a teenage girl might under an older, attractive—maybe, to someone else—man's attention.
The familiarity of the neck dip seized her heart when she realized she'd performed the same submissive bow under Sasuke's attention only hours ago. The rosiness spreading across her face was unexpectedly real.
She thanked God Sasuke was ahead of her, and prayed he couldn't read her thoughts like he could in the genjutsu.
The guard watched the exchange with aversion written on him. "How old is the girl?"
"Is she your medic or mine, bro? Exactly. So don't worry about it."
"While she's stationed on my base, she belongs to no one but me," Sasuke snarled. Sakura almost missed the next branch. "Now shut up, and don't question me again."
"Yes, Uchiha-sama," the guard muttered.
The rest of the trip ensued in without chatter. By the time the group reached the teleport location four hours later, the guards' annoyance with her was visible in their posture.
A kunai with a port tag dug into a nondescript tree trunk high in the canopy. The five of them stood around it while Sakura pretended to pant.
"We'll go in twos," said the second guard, who hadn't spoken until now. "It'll take us to Madara's base."
Sasuke grabbed Sakura's elbow. "I'll take the medic. It seems the run drained her chakra."
Both guards glared at her.
"We'll follow shortly. Please wait for the whole party before entering, Uchiha-sama."
"Aa." He towed her forward and grazed the kunai.
The teleport jutsu swept them away. Sasuke's chakra washed over her, paying the price it would've otherwise extracted from her own. They landed lightly in a tall-grass field, Sakura without any chakra loss. She frowned at that—Sasuke hadn't needed to cover the teleport since he should know she wasn't actually low on reserves.
He removed his hand from her arm and an Akatsuki cloak was draped on her shoulders the next second. She peeked at him in astonishment. Cloakless, his black shirt clung to the sweat on his chest as he tugged the hood over her head. The repulsion that polluted her veins at wearing the enemy's uniform drowned out any embarrassing thoughts she might've had in this situation.
"Keep your head down." The seal tingled. "You'll be chakra-suppressed."
"Yes, Uchiha-sama."
Without another glance, he stepped away. Sakura's scalp crawled under the hood. Half a minute later, two pops, and a guard arrived with Suigetsu. The last guard popped in a moment after that.
"I'm hungry," Suigetsu whined, lacing his hands on the back of his head. "Hurry and open the base already."
One of the guards grumbled and ambled to the tree line. The other guard turned to Sakura.
"Dominant hand out, girl. All those not cleared are ordered to wear suppressors." Deferring to Sasuke for permission, he pulled a metal band out from under his Akatsuki robe and waited.
Sasuke nodded his consent. "Show him your wrist."
She lifted her right hand, hormones coating her brain. The band closed around it. Its effect was instantaneous—like a salt mine to the rivers of her chakra, it rerouted her channels' natural flow towards it, siphoning off her active supply and draining her of virtually all usable amount.
Then the guard turned to Suigetsu. "Since you insisted on the addition, you'll be suppressed for the time being too."
"Seriously?"
"Next time, leave your pets at home," admonished Sasuke.
"Ugh. Whatever." Suigetsu thrust his left hand out with a pout. The bracelet clasped shut on him.
"Come," called the guard at the forest's edge.
Sakura fell into step behind Sasuke, holding her breath. So far, no one had noticed anything strange about her, but it might be another story once they were before Madara. Her transformation may have fooled Sasuke and Orochimaru, but the Uchiha patriarch was on a different level than most shinobi. Than all shinobi.
A gap in the trees revealed a wide hole in the ground, the staircase within spiraling down into empty darkness. Pursuing Sasuke's footsteps, Sakura stayed mute, tracking how far underground they went. They were at least two miles deep when the staircase opened into a small foyer. The pressure burst her ears.
The two guards bowed to Sasuke. "We'll return to our posts. Please find a servant for your rooms, Uchiha-sama."
Servant? Sakura thought, expression blank. An odd term—even odder if the practice was seriously utilized on Madara's side.
Sasuke pivoted away and prowled into one of the cave hallways with a measured gait. From his confidence, it was apparent he'd been here before. She was too nervous to study her surroundings, and he was moving too fast for her to get a clear look at anything anyway.
"Sasuke, see what you can do about this suppressor. I'm an easy target like this."
"As I said, pets aren't for traveling. You should've known there'd be consequences. Stop complaining."
Suigetsu groaned, then shot her a wink. "Well, don't worry, Rei. I still won't let anyone touch you but me." He swung an arm around her smaller shoulders.
Sakura entertained the urge to throw him into the wall with a saccharine smile. "Thank you, Hozuki-sama."
"Call me Suigetsu."
"Enough," Sasuke barked. "Stop fawning over a child."
With a chuckle, Suigetsu released her.
The scent of food hit her nose as they rounded another corner. She peered from behind Sasuke into a large dining hall with stone tables and chairs. Food stored in metal containers buffet-style adorned the opposite side. It smelled ten times better than what she'd been nibbling on in Orochimaru's lab. Sakura's mouth watered before she noticed the stares glued to their group.
At least 40 shinobi were already sitting and eating. Their heads bowed in deference as Sasuke strode through the space. Sakura lowered her own head and followed, careful not to tread on his heels.
"Make a large plate. We may not eat again for a while," Sasuke said under his breath when they reached the food tables.
The seal thrummed. Until this trip, it hadn't occurred to her just how many sentences from Sasuke's lips were in the form of small orders. She supposed he had been relatively mindful of how he spoke around her.
Don't overthink it, she reminded herself.
Whatever foods Sasuke put on his plate, Sakura heaped as well. Suigetsu went after with two plates for himself. The room was full of whispers, none too dangerous about herself beyond Who's that girl with the Uchiha?
The trio proceeded to a back corner to sit. Sakura sat closest to the wall. Sasuke slid in beside her. In a huff, Suigetsu fell into the seat opposite them. The transformation made her frame so slight that Sasuke's position blocked her from most of the curious spectators.
These two men beside her could end her life with a single word. They could turn her over to Madara here—let her be tortured until she broke. Sakura was utterly dependent on their loyalty to the agreement until she got out of this base.
The anxiety coursing through her devoured her hunger, and she stared at her plate with sudden nausea.
"Eat," Sasuke ordered. It settled in her seal.
With a sigh, she lifted her chopsticks and obeyed. The pleasing sensation that followed cleansed away the nervousness well enough. They ate in silence, which was unusual for Suigetsu. He fiddled with the bracelet in-between bites, plainly distressed by it.
Sakura assessed her situation—in what was possibly the understatement of the year, she was in a highly perilous predicament. Her chakra was suppressed, in the enemy's home base, surrounded by an overwhelming number of his followers. The only prospect of survival was Option One: Madara didn't sense her identity, and Sasuke kept his word and kept her safe.
There was no Option Two.
She had to rely entirely on the man who'd forsaken their home, tried to kill her twice, hunted her—and his—best friend, and murdered thousands of her comrades.
She stabbed a piece of chicken with her chopstick. All that was left was to have faith in her old teammate and trust in her transformation.
...This agreement will be the death of me.
"How do I look?" she asked across the table, eyeing Suigetsu, hoping he understood what she was asking.
"Just as cute as the day I saw you in Wind," he said conversationally, yanking at the band on his wrist. "You'd look better in my robe, though. Give that one back to Sasuke and take mine."
She returned to her food, satisfied the transformation was holding. "I can't return a gift from Uchiha-sama."
"Smart girl." The approaching voice made Sakura's insides squirm.
Stay calm, the seal hummed.
"What do you want?" Sasuke asked roughly.
"I can't say hi to my cousin?" Obito stood behind Suigetsu, and she felt his sights hover on her hunched shoulders. "I heard your base arrived. Who's the kid?"
"Ask Suigetsu." Sasuke resumed his meal. He played his part a bit too well for her comfort.
"Picked her up in Wind Country. I liked her, so I kept her."
She peered at Suigetsu from under her lashes as he leered at her. He played his part a bit too well, too.
Obito walked around, stopping beside her, fingers roughly grabbing her chin to tilt her towards his inspection. The distinctive orange mask stared back, but both eyes now had cutouts. She didn't dare look into his Rinnegan. He pushed her chin to each side, dissecting her—she allowed it without resistance. After a minute, his hand fell away. Sakura dropped her gaze down, releasing her breath.
"She's a decent medic. Since we can't bring Orochimaru, I thought I'd keep her close," Suigetsu rambled on.
"You experiments have questionable tastes. You pick that up from your master?"
"Careful." Suigetsu pointed his chopsticks at Sasuke. "The old snake isn't my master anymore."
"You're letting him fool around with a kid, Sasuke?"
"I don't care what he does."
Obito scoffed. He strolled back to Suigetsu's side and took a seat.
Sasuke spared her a glance. "Eat, medic."
She picked up her chopsticks and fell into the endorphin rush. With the constant barrage of feel-good hormones, this meeting wasn't nearly as terrifying as it should be.
"I'm organizing a training session later," Obito said, watching Sasuke. "Come in two hours."
"Aa."
"Hey, can you get this suppressor off so I can join? Why am I being treated like a suspect?"
"You brought someone new to a classified summoning. Even if just for private tendencies, it's against the rules. You aren't the only one who brought an addition. The guards suppressed everyone who asked for a plus-one—it wouldn't be fair if I only took yours off."
"Technically, Sasuke brought her! He's in charge of our base."
"The request came from you. I only agreed because I hoped to see a beauty." Obito gave Sakura a once-over and grimaced. "Instead, you bring someone fresh out of Academy. How disappointing."
Suigetsu smiled in that creepy, toothy way of his. "She's fourteen, not fresh."
Obito's lip curled. "Leave this creature in his room, Sasuke. Bring the medic if you want, I guess." He shrugged. "You can remove her suppressor briefly if you need healing. The other bases brought real healers, though. I'm sure any of them will share if it's you."
"Is that it?" Sasuke asked. Go away was written all over his shoulders.
"Pleasant as always, cousin. See you later." Obito stood and left the table without pause.
When they'd finished their meal, Sakura slightly over-stuffed, Sasuke flagged down a girl dressed in a plain grey dress. She shuffled over and bowed.
"Show us to our rooms," ordered Sasuke.
"Yes, Uchiha-sama. Follow me."
The girl led them from the dining hall through a maze of increasingly deeper hallways. They passed unfamiliar shinobi and more grey-dressed people, everyone bowing to Sasuke's imposing figure. Sakura pulled the hood tighter and observed what she could when no one was around.
From the smell of the air, it was evident this base was more extensive than Orochimaru's. The earth surrounding them was more brown than grey—suggesting they were on the mainland. Despite being mostly surpressrd, she sent slight ripples of her chakra out of her feet with every step, trying to make a mental layout of the base until her seal pulsed a—Stop that—through her.
She'd learned enough, though. At least 200 enemies were within their vicinity. The cave had four distinct layers—they'd descended to the deepest one. The dining hall was on the top floor. The levels circulated through the ground without much organization, blocking out rooms of various sizes according to the veins of the rock.
There were only two exits. One they'd entered and one in the deepest room on the bottom level. A room they walked closer and closer to. Four passages from the exit room, in front of two identical doors, they stopped.
"Here are the rooms assigned to your base, Uchiha-sama. Do you require anything else?"
"Leave," Sasuke demanded. The girl bowed lower than she'd been, turned quickly on her heel, and sped away. "The medic will stay in my room until your suppressor gets removed, Suigetsu."
"Oh, is that why?" Suigetsu yawned. "Whatever, I'm gonna nap since I'm apparently not allowed to do anything. Get me when I'm needed." Opening the door on the right, he stepped in and shut it with unnecessary force.
Sakura clamped down on the ridiculous excitement that gurgled in her gut. Technically, they shared a room whenever she came for information. But somehow, this felt different—or something had shifted, and it simply was different.
Or she was putting meaning into meaningless things, as she was so prone to do when it came to this man.
Sasuke entered, holding the door for her. "Well? Hurry up."
Steeling herself, she proceeded into the room. It was small—even barer than Sasuke's room. A single sleeping mat lay in the center of the floor. A heatless fire burned in a cutout on the opposite wall for light. A door on the right wall opened into a tiny bathroom with a second door on the other side, implying they'd share it with Suigetsu.
She revolved, scanning, as Sasuke lay his pack on the floor.
"Anyone nearby besides Suigetsu?" Sasuke asked, hushed.
"I don't know," answered Sakura.
"That was your chakra in the walls on our way here, wasn't it? Weren't you checking the numbers?"
"Oh. Sort of..." She turned to the closest wall, smoothed her palm to it, and fanned her chakra out around them. "There's no one close. It's only the three of us in this passage, at least."
"Alright. You're doing well."
His praise shone on her like sunlight, but fright crowded in, in this tight, vacant space. The walls were too close. The ceiling was too low. The room was a little more than a cage, locking her in and closing around her.
"How long do we have to stay here?" she whispered.
"Probably two or three weeks at most."
"Weeks?"
Sinking to her knees, she pressed her forehead to the cool stone of a wall, a tether to the present. The odor of decomposing bodies wafted in the air. On her back was the battlefield, rotting corpses stacking atop themselves in every free space. Wails of ghost pain echoed louder each second.
Weeks. Two or three weeks. Could she last that long without getting caught? Could the Allies last weeks without her? What if there were battles? What if people were dying because she wasn't there? People depended on her—she had responsibilities—she couldn't do anything trapped here—
Hands were on her back, crawling up her legs, gripping her shoulders—dragging her down into the earth to indict her with failure—accusing her of letting them die. She couldn't breathe—
"Stay calm," Sasuke's voice rang over the cries of extinction. "Your transformation is excellent. It just fooled Obito. You've no reason to work yourself up."
Sakura squeezed her eyes shut, shifting to rest her back against the wall. The battlefield dissipated into barren brownstone as she focused on the present to stave off the panic.
She was in a room. In a cave. It was damp. A chill in the air touched the skin differently than the summer warmth under the sky. It smelled of sulfur and disuse.
Counting her breaths, she asked, "Are you taking me to your training?"
"Yes. It's safer to stay with me." Sasuke had pulled a weapons scroll from his bag and was unsealing them one by one, reviewing their sharpness. "Keep in mind that you're an average medic if anyone asks you for healing."
"So what should I do?"
"Don't be so fast...and don't numb anyone. Don't pull poison out."
Sakura rarely spent any time with average healers. Even the weaker medics on field medical were considerably better than average. Belatedly, she conceded she had no idea what a lesser medic even did.
"...What else?"
"Don't regenerate anything. Just seal wounds. Set bones, don't mend them. Do what a normal healer does. Do I need to spell out your own job for you?"
"My job is—" She shut her jaw on the words medical commander and scrutinized the ceiling. "Sorry, Uchiha-sama. I understand. I'll try my best."
Sasuke's movements stilled. "Heal me first. I'll direct you where to heal, and you'll understand."
"Okay." Her vision dropped back to him. "Um, well…"
"What?"
She hesitated. She needed affirmation from him—something more—something they needed privacy for her to receive, even with no one around to listen. How could she ask for what she wanted?
"You said there were things I needed to know before meeting Madara." Sasuke met her gaze. "Orochimaru didn't finish explaining. Could you write the rest down?"
He studied her. Then his eye bled red, and her seal throbbed as his genjutsu detonated. The inky black of the covenant's space settled around them.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I'm worried, Sasuke. It's—"
"Mm... I told you—"
"Just," she held up a hand, "let me finish. I don't understand why you're doing this or what motivated you to support Konoha again—but if there's even a little corner of your heart that still thinks about me as someone you once cared about, please get me out of here. Don't let me fall into a trap... Don't betray me."
Sasuke's face was neutral as he started. "You were always so dramatic. I said I'll help the Allies win, and I will. They'll stop cooperating with me if I lose you to Madara. No other considerations are at play here, so don't go painting yourself as someone who matters to me." He'd turned away and was scowling into the abyss by the end of it.
Unwilling to acknowledge how much his cruelty hurt her, she adopted the nasty expression she could see on his profile. "God forbid anyone matter to the great Sasuke Uchiha, right?"
"Least of all you," he growled.
The genjutsu abruptly ended.
When the real world fell upon them, Sakura wanted to shout and cry at the same time.
What the hell was his problem? Couldn't he be even the slightest bit thoughtful in this situation? Couldn't he see that she was anxious? Worry and fear were expected responses to this dangerous position she'd plunged into! What if their roles were reversed?!
Why did he have to be so fucking impossible?
Yanking her pack off her back, she launched it on the floor with excessive strength. It was immediately apparent that Suigetsu packed it as she rummaged through its contents. Her options ranged from short red dresses, to crop tops that were barely bras, to skirts scarcely more than strips of fabric. She cursed, all her emotions dropping on this mostly extraneous problem.
"I need clothes. That cover things...!" she said, nearing a yell. "Suigetsu packed underwear!"
Sasuke stood, and she glowered at the contents of her bag so she wouldn't look at him either.
"Stay in this room," he ordered. "I'll get you something."
Then, to her surprise, he tossed her a book as he passed her. She caught it skillfully, turning it in her hands. The History of Juinjutsu. The implications tumbled in her skull—along with the fact he'd brought this specific book with him. At the timing of his passing it to her.
He stalked out, irritation made evident by a brisk shut of the door.
.
.
The training area Obito prepared was above ground, miles away from the base entrance. Sasuke moved at a slower pace that others would assume she, an average medic, was capable of—herself a few steps behind under the Akatsuki cloak. At least 40 other shinobi jumped between branches around them toward the grounds.
Sakura surveyed the landscape. Sloping hills, coniferous trees, temperate weather, and probably near the sea for the salty sting of the air. Pine needles scattered the patchy dirt. Roads beneath them were inlaid with the double-lines of merchant carts. The smell of the setting stirred a memory she couldn't quite place.
She'd been here before, though; that was certain.
Madara's army largely avoided Sasuke, she noticed. Hundreds of other attendees to this presumably mandatory summons and only Obito had approached him since they'd arrived. Even the shinobi around them now kept their distance, though they matched his slowed pace, careful not to overtake him.
Their eyes stayed off his daunting figure and strayed to her instead. It was easy to see the wondering in their evaluations.
Sakura concluded several things from how others here treated Sasuke, Suigetsu, and her for having arrived with them. The most important one was that Sasuke was untouchable, in any and all sense of the word. That status seemed to trickle down onto the others from his base—even onto her, an otherwise unknown nobody.
The next was Suigetsu's popularity within the army. He'd woken up and followed Sasuke and Sakura to the base's exit, pleading his case to join the training. Although he was ultimately ineffective, he'd wrangled quite a few supporters to his case and seemed downright affable with almost every shinobi they passed.
And lastly, she'd extrapolated why the three men devised a plan with an express focus on Suigetsu's interest in her.
She'd always found it peculiar that their home base in Water seemed to lack any real medics beyond Orochimaru—who could undoubtedly heal but whom she'd hardly classify as a healer. Sasuke's evasive answer—There are healers—when she'd wondered why a medic hadn't ever handled his shoulder never quite settled right with her. And why did Suigetsu pack those specific clothes—for a young medic?
The gradually uncovered truth made her stomach flop and urged a jerk of the hood more firmly over her head.
Three more jumps and Sasuke came to an abrupt stop on a branch. Landing softly beside him, they watched the accompanying shinobi pile into the miles-long clearing before them. A number double their travel group's size had already gathered in the clearing before Obito, unmistakable in his orange mask.
Sasuke pointed to a spot below them, in the shade of the trees off to the left. A far trimmer group of men and women were assembling there.
"Go wait with the healers." Gather, if you can, whispered through her mind, but the spoken directive already hummed with the expectation of obedience.
She'd have to ask if he was giving those orders or if they were her personal thoughts passing as divine commands in her cracked mind. She would ask—later. Now she was still angry with him for his gratuitously brutal behavior earlier.
Did he have to be such an ass?
Peeking at him, she was surprised to find him regarding her. He raised a brow, nodding towards the medic group as if saying, Go on.
She bowed as she would to a Kage with a quick, "Yes, Uchiha-sama," and hopped down.
Sasuke leaped into the clearing a second later, striding into the space beside Obito.
At least 50 pairs of eyes landed on her as she joined the group of primarily women, late teens to early twenties. Most wore very little at all, faces painted in civilian makeup, hair tied in elaborate fashions. Some men scattered through the group, burly and shirtless or small-framed and tightly dressed.
Sakura wasn't the youngest, which turned her stomach even more—but she was the only one draped fully in an Akatsuki cloak. She was probably wearing more than six of the kunoichi here combined.
These were healers in Madara's army.
Sakura kept her head down, ignoring the blatant stares and poorly concealed whispers. Groups of shinobi dispersed through the clearing as the training started. She watched Sasuke, almost embarrassed by her subtle excitement at the opportunity of seeing him fight her enemies—even if only for training exercises.
"Hey. You."
Sakura sighed. It couldn't be directed at anyone besides herself. Her gaze slid to the sound—Yep.
A woman around her age, her real age, was walking toward her with a defiant gait. Her outfit was all fishnet and thigh-high heels, save for the fabric trying its damnedest to hide what should be hidden. Pitch-black hair swung at her hips; teal cat-eyes skimmed Sakura with veiled puzzlement.
Sakura thought the woman would be much more beautiful if she wasn't trying so hard to be...whatever this was.
"You came with Sasuke, right?"
Facing her opponent, Sakura dropped her shoulders in deference. Sometimes winning the long game meant showing one's belly early.
"Yes, I'm stationed on Uchiha-sama's base." She paused. "But I came with Hozuki-sama. He couldn't come to the training, though."
This seemed to please the woman, as Sakura had intended. A red smile bloomed on her lips. Others in the group relaxed and lost interest in the new girl, turning to make different conversation.
"Oh! I heard he got suppressors—it's no wonder." The woman snickered, holding out a hand. "Chisaki."
Sakura shook it loosely, hoping to give off shy vibes. "I'm Rei."
"Rei-chan, welcome." Chisaki threw an arm around her petite frame and pulled her further into the group. Sakura reigned in the queasy sensation sweeping her chest at being paraded about by an enemy. "We were shocked to see Sasuke bring a healer, and so young! But, well, Suigetsu always had a twisted taste. No offense, Yuuri."
A girl lounging on a low-hanging branch—no older than 12—shrugged. "Whatever."
Chisaki sat on the ground, legs bent sideways, patting the space beside her in an invitation Sakura accepted.
"So what's it like, being stationed with Sasuke?" she asked. "Oooou, the things I'd do to be his healer!"
A second woman filled Sakura's other side. "I'd take Suigetsu over Sasuke any day. You're lucky, kid. He looks like he'd be way more fun than the Uchiha. Plus," her voice lowered as she ducked in closer, "can you imagine all the sick shit that brother-slayer is into?"
"Exactly," Chisaki purred. "Very sick shit—count me in."
Sakura flushed from the exchange. How dare they so casually talk about Sasuke's past, as if they knew anything? Her indignation covered the growing mortification. Considering she'd be sharing a room with Sasuke within the next few hours, she should probably not imagine anything these women suggested.
Someone pinched her cheek. "Aww, look! The girl's a prude." Chisaki plucked her hot skin twice before letting go.
"A prude?" The young girl on the branch scoffed loudly. "That's half your job as a healer. It's better to get over it quickly, or your master might get upset."
"Nah, some of them love the shy act." Chisaki laid on her back. "I could see Suigetsu being into that. Like a dom...or a power top!"
Howls of laughter ascended at that. Then, as the group drifted into aimless chatter, Sakura was largely forgotten. Sitting down, she was too small to see around the group that watched the fighting, so she settled on listening for any helpful information.
There were tidbits.
They were in the Land of Tea. Hidan's base was late. Madara left yesterday but should be back within two days. A large enemy base was close to Konoha's former city walls because a disproportionate number of the healers seemed to be stationed there.
None of it was anything to hang an Allied victory on, though.
The sun dipped on the horizon, and finally, the training came to an end. Fighters trickled into the healers' group, pulling them away.
She monitored a few pass green hands over patients' bodies—analyzed their technique. Some of them were highly proficient; most were better than average. The young one, Yuuri, was healing another teenage girl. Sakura was most surprised to see she was likely top ten skill-wise in the group.
She scanned for Sasuke and found him staring down from the branch they'd shared earlier, waiting. She stood, brushed herself off, and bounded up to him.
He held his hand out. "Suppressor."
Obeying, she lifted her right arm from under the cloak. He touched the bracelet; chakra zapped it, and it unclasped into his palm.
He pocketed it before laying himself horizontally on the thick branch. Sakura took to her knees, so close his head was almost laid in her lap, and slanted over his chest. Her hands flicked green. Multiple abrasions, left shoulder dislocated, sprained ankle, bruised lung, two broken toes—warming her chakra, she pressed it into him.
Fingers caught her wrist. Sasuke's scowl was severe, grip squeezing into her flesh so hard she hissed and jerked away. Her mouth opened to shout at him before she realized—
She wasn't supposed to numb him. She wasn't supposed to even know the technique existed.
Right.
Rei was a 14-year-old kid who lacked substantive training in healing. She'd nearly forgotten where she was and the part she was playing in the face of an injured ally.
Her brows knit at that. Ally?
"Sorry, Uchiha-sama. Can you tell me what needs treatment? I'm... I'm still not very good—"
"Sure. Listen closely." His hand dropped away as his eyes closed. "Close up the cuts I have. I've also got a bruised lung and two broken toes. Heal them some. And my shoulder, do you know how to pop it back into place?"
Sakura held back a frown. "I've heard from Orochimaru-sama that popping joints back like that can cause—"
A muffled pop cut her sentence off as he sighed and jerked his shoulder forward forcefully. She glared down at him, unable to stop herself.
"You've wasted enough time." His lashes fluttered, slits of dark onyx and ringed purple peeking up at her. "Hurry and do what I've said."
The order settled into the seal; her head swam in the endorphin rush when she placed submissive healing hands back over his chest. Her mind transfixed on the job. All other thoughts were walled out, easy enough to do since it was what she practiced the most: moving without thinking—moving very slowly, without thinking.
Definitely not thinking about the man under her, watching her work.
.
As always, thank you to my beta-reader Leech :)
have a good week!