Ta-da! The last installment in the CherryBlossom123 trilogy! The title doesn't have much to do with this story, but I wanted to use another screen name like the last two books.

So, I hope you guys like this book!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Read on!

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Near the Village Hidden in the Rock, Midnight

Sakura and Kisame kept a steady pace, trying to get to Leader's hideout before sunrise. It was not a hard journey, but both were so worried about Itachi that the atmosphere was very tense.

Kisame sighed. Who knew what had happened to Itachi? Battling a jinchuriki and an exceptional jonin was not exactly a walk in the park. He and Itachi weren't the best of friends, but Kisame still hoped that he was okay.

Sakura, though, was out of her mind with worry. She babbled away and tried not to talk about him, but somehow always came back to the subject of Itachi. She was making Kisame even more nervous.

Soon, they arrived at Leader's hideout. It appeared to be just a slab of rock, nothing special about it. However, Kisame made a few hand signs and tapped the wall, and a deep crevice formed.

The shark man grinned nervously and gestured for Sakura to go ahead of him. Sakura hesitated, but trudged on, into the blackness of the mountain.

"Stay close!" Kisame warned, taking Sakura's arm so as not to lose her.

The two walked silently through as the entrance behind them closed up. Sakura shivered. It was very creepy, walking blindly in the dark.

Then, the passage opened up into a cavern, and Sakura gasped.

It was hollow all the way up, and there were tunnels running all around. She wondered who had made this.

Kisame nudged her and they headed down one hallway.

"Now, don't speak to Leader, okay? Just let me handle the talking."

Sakura nodded. She was very glad that she didn't have to speak to the infamous 'Leader.' He sounded quite frightening.

When Kisame stopped in front of a tall pair of doors, Sakura gulped. Hesitantly, Kisame knocked on the door.

"Come in…" A regal voice echoed. Sakura's eyes were wide as she followed the blue man into a great chamber.

At the end of the room was a high chair, but Sakura could not see who was sitting in it because the whole room was swathed in shadows. Kisame quickly bowed, and Sakura followed suit, not wanting to get this powerful person mad.

"Report, Kisame?" Leader asked.

Kisame shifted uncomfortably. "We were ambushed at a small inn on the way and Itachi ordered us to go on without him. We're not sure what has become of him."

Leader tut tut-ed. "And who were the said ambushers?"

"The Kyuubi and the Copy Ninja, come after Sakura," Kisame said grimly.

"That's right. Sakura." He turned slightly and his softly glowing eyes looked Sakura up and down.

"So you are Sakura?" Leader asked, somehow amused.

Sakura nodded, keeping her eyes down.

"Look at me, girl."

Sakura looked into the shadows.

"Another one from Konoha, huh?" Leader snickered. "What a bunch of traitors. I'm surprised. And you. You were even on the same team as Naruto, weren't you?" Leader asked, almost contemptuously.

Sakura was puzzled at his attitude, but nodded slightly. She also wondered why Leader had called Naruto by name. Neither Kisame nor Itachi had done as much. Who was this 'Leader'?

"Hmm… Well, what is it you want, girl? Have you deserted your village, or are you still a captive?" Leader asked.

Sakura looked at Kisame for approval to speak, and then spoke quietly. "I… I am a missing-nin. I wish to become part of the Akatsuki."

Kisame gaped at her, but Sakura had already decided. She would ask Leader for a place in the Akatsuki, for she no longer had a place in Konoha.

"And why is it you have turned from your village?" Leader asked, with more than a hint of curiosity.

Sakura gulped. "I… I love Itachi."

Leader snorted. "Very funny, girl."

Sakura shook her head in earnest. "I'm telling the truth! I do!"

Leader laughed a bit. "Are we talking about the same Itachi?"

Kisame couldn't help but smile a bit. Leader was actually pretty funny, but he was very powerful. No one dared challenge him.

"I'm serious. I love Itachi. I don't know what has become of him, but I will wait for him. And since I already know several of your secrets, I doubt you would let me go," Sakura said, gaining more confidence with each word.

"True," Leader agreed.

"I have important medical skills, and I have trained under Tsunade, of the Legendary Sannin. It would be in your advantage to accept me as a member, rather than killing me. And," Sakura added rather slyly, "I don't think that Itachi would appreciate it in the least I were killed."

Kisame nodded slightly, and mumbled, "That's for sure."

Leader didn't say anything for a moment or two. Then, he sighed. "Tsunade-baa-chan, eh?"

Sakura started at the honorific. Only Naruto called Tsunade 'granny.' She wondered again who Leader really was.

"Well… I-" Leader started to speak again, but was interrupted by an urgent knocking on the chamber's door. Kisame and Sakura turned to look.

"Come in." Leader shouted.

None other than Tobi limping in, dragging an unconscious and severely bleeding Deidara behind him. Tobi registered Sakura and Kisame dully, and turned to Leader.

"He… he's scarcely alive. We were ambushed… They were Konoha ninja. We barely escaped…" Tobi said between deep breaths.

Sakura's eyes widened when she heard that the ninjas had been from Konoha. Then, she remembered that they were missing-nins, and that Konoha was theirs and now her enemy.

Sakura's medic training kicked in and she hurried over to Tobi.

"Gently lay him down. Don't move him anymore." Sakura helped Tobi lower Deidara to the floor. As she stripped Deidara of his Akatsuki robe and mesh shirt, she assessed the blonde's condition.

Kisame offered to help, and she told him to get fresh bandages and a bucket of hot water.

Leader stared impassively from the shadows, not volunteering any help or words of wisdom.

Tobi sat down with a plunk and removed his own cloak. He had been stabbed in the stomach, and was bleeding profusely. Sakura also noticed that his left leg bent at a funny angle when he sat. It was probably broken.

When Kisame got back with the bandages, Sakura swathed Deidara's wounds and applied a bit of chakra to the openings so that they would close up. Then she used the majority of her chakra on the internal damage and a bump on his head where he'd probably been dropped.

Finally, Sakura sighed. "He'll be okay now. Let's have a look at you, Tobi."

Tobi obediently let her heal up his stomach wound and then Sakura started work on setting his leg, which was indeed broken. Tobi never even flinched.

Sakura's eyes were drooping and her vision swimming from loss of chakra. She applied just enough chakra to assure that Tobi's leg would heal correctly and told him not to put weight on it.

Then, Sakura added that she would finish healing them up tomorrow morning. Tobi nodded and Kisame helped him up and left with Tobi to his room. Once the two had left, Leader clapped slightly.

Sakura blushed.

"Very impressive. I see your claims about learning under Tsunade-baa-chan were not exaggerated." Leader praised. "For now, we will let you live. I'll think about it, and after Itachi arrives, I will decide what to do with you."

Sakura nodded. At least they were going to let her live to see Itachi again. She smiled inwardly and though how ironic it was that she was so desperate to join the same organization she had been taught to hate all her life. Funny how life never turns out how you planned.

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Whew. Long-ness.

How was that? Any ideas as to who Leader is?

Also, note that I made up the stuff about Leader's hideout and that who Leader is going to be is also another figment of my imagination!

I'll probably update next weekend, since I'm writing the rough drafts to another story, plus I have to write this one, and I've been slightly swamped lately with exams and whatnot.

So keep reading and review!