Title: Additions

Fandom: Naruto

Type: Multi-chapter story

Rated: PG13

Word Count: 4, 014

Summary: Three toddlers are found in an eerie forest by a pair of Akatsuki members. When they are brought to base, they are decided to be kept. Thus, begins the humorous journey of the S-rank criminals to raise the three children into beautiful killers. AU, kinda

A/N: Thank you so much to Dotchi13 for beta-reading this chapter! (the mistakes I made were incredibly embarrassing! / ) Anyway, continue reading, and please enjoy ^_^

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It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.– Charles Spurgeon

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Pein sat down on the sofa as Tobi arranged the groceries into the compartments, cabinets and fridge. Just then, Konan emerged from the right hallway, looking satisfied with herself.

"Don't disturb those little angels, alright?" Konan said to Pein, walking across the main room to enter the left hallway. She receded into the darkness quickly.

"Tobi is done arranging the groceries, Leader-sama," Tobi exited the kitchen and gave Pein a small, polite bow, "Tobi will excuse himself now." The masked man quickly disappeared into the left hallway.

Silence settled around the orange-haired man as he pondered on what to do. He had no intention of leaving on a mission for the next few days, nor did he feel like eating or reading a book. His eyes swept over the room, until his gaze rested on the entrance of the hallway on the right. Its darkness was almost beckoning him to approach.

The latest additions of the Akatsuki suddenly came to mind. He was assigned to train Sakura. Which one was Sakura, again?

Lifting himself off the sofa, he walked towards the hallway on the right. He entered the blinding darkness before approaching the first torch a few meters away from the entrance. From there, the hallway was not dark anymore.

He checked each room before approaching the tenth door. As he reached out of the handle to slide it open, he paused. There was movement in the room, but it was strangely quiet.

For some reason, his hand balled into a fist and he rapped on the door.

"Yes?" A loud voice called out, and Pein slid the entrance open without further ado.

The three girls were sitting next to each other, facing the large wardrobe, their newly-bought clothes out of their boxes and neatly stacked in their individual compartments. Their eyes were wide, round and twinkling with curiosity at the amber-haired man.

"Are you a member of the Akatsuki?" The blonde asked. She was incredibly cute, even to the stolid man.

"I am the leader," He spoke neutrally.

The dark-haired girl's lips parted into a smile, "Oh, pardon our behaviour, Leader-sama." Pein noted how soft and gentle her voice was.

He stood there for a while longer, staring back at their curious gaze with his stoic one. Now, he knew which one was Sakura—with pink hair, it was pretty obvious to him. The grey-eyed man looked away and applied energy to his arm to slide the door shut. However, before he could do so, a small hand grasped his thick, strong forearm.

He looked down to find his soon-to-be student at his feet, holding tightly on his arm. 'What incredible speed,' He thought to himself, impressed, as he released his grip on the door handle, 'It took her half a second to reach the door…and I did not hear her movement.'

"Leader-sama," Sakura said although Pein was lost in his thoughts.

'She would be a good apprentice,' He mused, 'I see much potential in her already.'

He opened his mouth to reply to her call. However, before he could do so, Sakura pulled him into the room with such strength it lifted the leader off his feet.

"Come play with us!" Sakura chirped, unaware her unintentional use of chakra took Pein's breath away.

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Konan admired the platter of sandwiches she meticulously made and put together for the three girls. She glanced at the watch and realized it had been an hour and a half since she had left them alone in their rooms.

'Well, their time's past over,' She smiled to herself, 'Time to bring them and the members out for introduction.'

She contemplated whether she should leave the platter of sandwiches on the kitchen counter or not, but after much consideration, the blue-haired woman concluded it was better for her to bring the food along, in fear another member would take the sandwiches away.

As she approached the hallway, faint bubbles of laughter and giggles increased in volume from the hallway she headed for. Konan stopped walking and waited for her three girls to emerge from the corridor, although she did not expect they would come out to the living room on their own.

"Come on!" Ino squealed, sounding exasperated, her words bouncing off the walls of the long hallway, "Could you walk any slower?"

It took a few minutes for the group to exit the hallway and step into the main room.

Pein, his stoic barrier broken down by his irate expression, had Ino sitting on his shoulders, Sakura tugging on his arm, and Hinata pushing him from behind. He wore a rare expression of irritation and exhaustion.

Konan stifled a giggle and her lips curved into a smile, "Hello, girls. Are you hungry?" She pointed out the platter of sandwiches resting on the coffee table.

The girls' attention was easily directed to the food and they pulled away from the orange-haired man. As Ino climbed down from him, Pein released a small sigh and massaged his temples, relieved he was freed from the girls.

"Are you okay?" The giggle found its way out of her mouth as the blue-haired woman approached him.

Pein remained silent for a few more minutes. His grey eyes met her amber orbs as he uttered softly, "Sakura can use chakra."

The information absorbed into her brain slowly. When she finally processed the small amount of information, she blinked, "What?"

"My soon-to-be apprentice can use chakra without knowing," He explained softly to the surprised woman, noticing the three additions were eating peacefully on the sofa, "I'm not so sure about the other two, but Sakura owns immense strength and speed. She suddenly appeared next to me and pulled me off my feet."

Konan was speechless for a few minutes, but she quickly recovered and lowered her voice, "That's impossible."

"I have a feeling they know what chakra is," He told her, his voice serious.

"I don't believe you," She argued quietly, her lips tugged downwards into a frown. She stared at him for a few seconds, broke off the gaze and said, "Training could start after I introduce the girls to the members and their mentors. That would be within and hour or so."

"Good," He nodded approvingly, "Would you like me to summon the members? They are all present, although some of them are due for missions."

Konan nodded briefly and attended to Sakura, Ino and Hinata. It wasn't long before the main room soon became crowded with the other members of the Akatsuki.

"Alright, girls," The amber-eyed woman stood up as the men line up horizontally in front of them, "These are the members of the Akatsuki."

After telling the girls the members' names and a brief greeting from each of them—excluding Hidan, Konan knew what he would say had she given him the chance to speak—the members regrouped into the mentor teams they were assigned to.

"K-Kisame-sama," Hinata squeaked shyly as she looked up at the towering humanoid shark.

"Hello, Hinata-chan~" He kneeled down and stroked her hair, emitting a carefree aura similar to that of an older brother, "Will you be a good student?"

"I will try," A smile played across her face.

Ino, watching the close bond Hinata and Kisame had already built over their short period of being part of the organization, was pervaded with jealousy. She looked up at the mentors she got—a unique-looking man which looked a lot like a monster, a tall, tan-skinned man with arms which appear to have been stitched, and a young boy which looked a lot like her in a way.

"Aww, Hinata-chan is so cute!" Ino's attention was redirected to Hinata's mentors again. She watched a man with daker hair and an orange mask bend down to pat Hinata on the head, "Please be kind to Tobi, okay?"

Hidan, annoyed by his childish behavior, opened his mouth, "Shut the fu—"

"You say one bad word in front of Hinata, and I'll kill you," Kisame glared, shutting the Jashinist up.

Ino's jealousy only flared. How could Hinata get such kind mentors?

"I have to say, this girl looks like a younger, female version of you, Deidara," Zetsu grinned, baring his sharp teeth and startling Ino by the two voices he spoke, "In a way, that is. Your features are much darker compared to hers."

"When you talk like that, you sound perverted and scary," Deidara twitched an eye, his voice audible with annoyance. He got on his knees and tucked a lock of Ino's blonde hair behind her ear, his lips curved into a handsome smirk, "We all know she's really cute, but you don't have to analyze her like that. You'll creep her out, yeah."

"I agree with Deidara," Kakuzu agreed quietly.

Ino blushed at the attention the blonde man gave her, and quickly glanced at Sakura.

She was talking to Itachi, the handsome man who was with Kisame the night they were found in the forest. The dark-haired man listened to her attentively with his handsome face set into a calm expression and his hand on her shoulder. His lips hinted a slight smile.

Pein was a small distance away, having a chat with Konan. Sasori watched the conversation between Sakura and Itachi with a bored look, his arms folded and his face expressionless.

"Do you guys have any missions today?" Deidara looked up inquiringly at the two other mentors of Ino.

"Hidan and I will be gone for a few days," Kakuzu told him, his voice deep and rough, "The mission will start in half an hour."

"I don't have a mission," Zetsu spoke, watching Ino.

Deidara returned his gaze to the young girl, "It's sad Sasori-danna and I have a mission today, yeah. I wanted to train you this evening, but we'll train some other time, okay?"

His handsome grin made Ino's cheeks burn. She stuttered, "Y-Yeah, okay."

Before Deidara could utter more, Konan took her turn to speak, interrupting the conversations the girls had with their mentors. The blue-haired woman clapped her hands twice to capture their attention and she said, "Okay, boys. Meet and greet is over—under Pein's orders, those with missions will have to go and prepare now."

A few teams left the main room—Hidan and Kakuzu, Sasori and Deidara and Kisame and Itachi. Zetsu simply disappeared into the wall whereas Tobi had to leave on a solo mission. This left Konan, Pein and the three girls alone in the main room.

"Wow, the organization is as busy as always," Konan smiled once everybody was gone. She looked at the leader, "Now that we have these three, could you schedule the missions differently? Give each member at least two days off each week, so they could train the girls."

Pein nodded, "I will do that later. For now, Sakura and I will head out for training. Are you okay with that, Konan?"

Sakura gasped at the sudden training notice as Konan smiled, "Of course, Pein. Just be back before midnight—not any more than that. The girls will have to wake up everyday at six in the morning."

"Understood," He said, shifting his gaze to the pink-haired girl.

She bit her bottom lip, restless, her eyes looking away to avert her mentor's gaze. Pein turned around and headed for the exit, "Follow me, Sakura."

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She followed the leader of the organization a great distance away from their hideout. Sakura walked behind Pein, past vast villages and over fast-flowing rivers, indulging in breathtaking views and landscape she had never seen before. For a few hours, the two traveled on foot to their unknown destination—yet that alone was wonderful experience for the eight-year-old.

Pein stopped once they reached a vast field. Lush, green grass spread out as far as the eye could see, surrounded by a trees which led to a dense forest. The wind blew strongly in the area and the trees swayed in the breeze, startling birds and bringing nature's harmonious events into motion.

Flocks of birds emerged from the trees, opening their wings and leaping into the air. The musical flap of their wings pervaded the Pinkette with serenity as they soared into cloudy sky.

As she stared in awe at the beautiful field, Pein asked her, "Do you know what chakra is?"

"Of course I do," She answered with a smile, glancing over her shoulder at her mentor, "Ino and Hinata know about chakra, too. Why do you ask?"

"What could you do with your chakra?" Pein ignored her question.

"Well, I can increase my strength," She shrugged, returning to the landscape, "I can walk on water and do all that basic justu, like subsituition jutsu and making shadow clones."

"Who taught you about chakra and when did you learn to control it?"

This time, instead of being immediately answered, he received no reply. Sakura's back faced him, disabling him from seeing her facial features, although her sudden silence was suspicious. After a few seconds, she turned around to look at him.

Her eyes had a small glint of confusion, her hair swayed flawlessly in the wind, her lips curved into a frown—her expression had every hint of her being puzzled, "I'm sorry, Leader-sama, but I don't know."

Her words were genuine. Pein knew that. His doubt washed away as Sakura released a small sigh, "I wish I remembered. I don't understand how we could've ended up in that forest, not remembering our families, but knowing each other, and how we know about chakra but don't know when we learned it or from who we learned it from."

Her lips curved into a sad smile as she stared off into the sky, "It's like a jigsaw puzzle."

Pein watched her as she sudden burst into a giggle, "Strange, isn't it? I haven't seen a jigsaw puzzle since the forest, yet I know what it is and how difficult it is to put the pieces together."

Silence settled between the two as the wind blew again. The hours they spent to get to the field had costed them much of the evening, and the sky was now absorbing into a deep purple and gold. The calm atmosphere they were in reminded Pein of a song composed of flute notes. Just like the song, the environment calmed him and made him forget his melancholy.

Suddenly her little hands flew to her forehead and she asked, "Leader-sama, do you think my forehead is big?"

Pein was caught off guard by such an abrupt question. He remained neutral, but he blinked, raised his eyebrow, and then smirked.

"Yes, it is," He nodded, approaching the girl to stand beside her. Once he was close enough, he pointed to the red ribbon around her head, "It may be big, but that red ribbon which pulls your fringe back makes your large forehead a huge advantage."

"Really?" She frowned, unsure, "Ino gave me this. I don't remember when, but she gave me this. She told me I look better with my fringe being pulled back, instead of hiding it. To her, hiding it with my hair made it look twice as big."

Pein did not respond. The day gradually got darker and the peaceful evening calmed down into a quiet night. Once the sky had completely transformed night-blue, the orange-haired man decided to start the training.

"Do you know how to throw a kunai?" He inquired.

"That's so easy," Sakura giggled.

Pein was suspicious of her knowledge. Although he first suspected somebody was (stupidly) using the girls to manipulate the Akatsuki, he decided it was a matter of coincidence they knew the basics and that they actually lost their memory.

"Is that so?" A smirk played on his face as he tossed a kunai towards the eight-year-old. To his amusement, she caught it perfectly by the handle.

Taking out another kunai, he approached a nearby tree and stabbed the kunai into the bark. He chipped off some wood, making a mark on the trunk. As he took a few steps to the side, he explained, "Throw the kunai straight into the target, without hitting me."

"Hey, I know how to throw a kunai," She smiled sheepishly as the kunai shifted in her grasp, "But I'm not perfect. Don't kill me if I miss and hit you, Leader-sama."

"You won't hit me," He said confidently, folding his arms, "Just throw."

Immediately after he uttered his orders, Sakura changed. Her posture transformed into that of a shinobi, her eyes suddenly darkened with concentration, her arms and legs tensed with contained energy and her childish aura altered into one of a focused kunoichi.

Her sudden change amused the ring-eyed man. 'She had great potential,' He told himself, suddenly enthralled on training her.

Her fingers furtively gripped the handle tightly, the blade of the kunai dark and cold. With great speed, her arm moved forward and she relinquished her grasp on the kunai—and the blade darted foreword like a bullet. The rush of energy was halted as it came in contact with the tree trunk.

Pein glanced at the kunai, "You aimed a bit too high. The kunai is a few inches higher than the target."

"So what?" She pouted, "Not like a few inches makes much of the difference."

"it makes all the difference," He shook his head, "You will learn in a life and death situation," At this point, he grabbed the kunai and pulled it from the bark, "I will show you."

He threw the kunai and it darted towards Sakura. Surprised by the sudden action, the pink-haired girl stood paralyzed with fear, unable to dodge the fast kunai. However, it flew past her ear and dug into the ground behind her.

She blinked and looked over her shoulder to see the kunai implanted in the ground. At that time, a thin slit appeared on her cheek and a drop of blood trickled down. Her body was invaded with anxiety and shock—the kunai missed her, how could it have hit her?

"If you are trapped and your opponent was coming at you, and all you had was your kunai, that few inches make all the difference whether you live or die," Pein spoke seriously, "The Akatsuki and reality are no game, Sakura. Mercy does not exist here."

She swallowed her fear as Pein took out another kunai, "Pick up that kunai behind you. I will throw mine and you will dodge. Try to hit me with your kunai," He smirked, knowing that she would never be able to do so, "If you get injured, it is all part of the training."

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The best way out is always through. – Unknown

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Pein and Sakura walked by the riverbank. The area around the fast-flowing river was clear and grassy, allowing the moonlight to kiss their skin. The sounds of water from the river were quiet and calming. The sound of crickets filled the night air.

Sakura had scratches all over her arms and legs. Some were dry whereas others still trickled with small drops of blood. Her injuries were minor and they were not painful. She was exhausted from her intense training.

Pein had inflicted much damage on Sakura. He, was quite tired as well, but not as exhausted as the sleepy Pinkette. They had been walking for about an hour in the dark, solemn night—and the leader predicted they would reach the base in half an hour.

"Leader-sama," Sakura tried to stir up a conversation, "Thank you for teaching me today."

Pein did not reply, instead he kept on walking. The day's training was not so eventful—they had a night full of kunais and shurikens. Sakura had perfected her weapon aiming, throwing and dodging to a masterly level within the few minutes, although she received plenty of wounds.

They eventually reached the base and entered. The main room was occupied with a few of the members who were tried from the days' mission—this included Sasori, Deidara and Kisame. Konan was heard humming a song from the kitchen.

Pein and his student entered without a sound. They were noticed by the three men in the main room but were not greeted, in fact just acknowledged by a nod. Kisame shook his head with a small smile at the sight of Sakura's scratches, whereas Sasori smirked and Deidara chuckled.

"Is Sakura back yet?" Konan called out from the kitchen.

"Konan-san!" Sakura chirped cheerfully, as she climbed onto the sofa. As she settled on the empty spot next to Sasori, she called out again, "We're back!"

A giggle sounded from Konan, "That's good, are you hungry?"

"Very!" Sakura grinned.

Since she was next to him, Sasori stole the opportunity to study her scratches to learn the extent of her training. They covered her arms and legs and a single scratch crossed horizontally on her cheek. He detected some dried blood and dirt clung to her sleeveless top and slightly torn shorts.

Noticing the red-head was analysing her wound, Pein spoke quietly, "She can now use simple weapons to a good degree."

"You did quite some damage," Sasori replied, taking a sip of his drink.

"All part of the training," Pein looked away and proceeded to walk out of the main room. He had to get out of there before Konan came out from the kitchen and kill him for the wounds on his apprentice.

Pein's objective as he was throwing the kunais and shurikens at Sakura was to impale a blade into one of her joints, such as her knee or elbow. Though their training was very simple, he had concluded a few things about his apprentice.

She was naturally fast, aware and quick. Pein's objective was not completed—not once did he manage to injure Sakura in her joints. This was because of her fast dodging. She could leap great distances away, could dodge multiple shurikens easily, and could catch an oncoming kunai with her hand (much to Pein's surprise).

As he receded into the hallway, Konan screamed from the main room, "Oh my god, Sakura! What happened to you?"

He diverted his thoughts back to his training anatomy.

Sakura's performance during the training, from attack prospective? She was well-trained with only a few flaws.

Pein's fingers lifted up to his face and he faintly touched the small slit on his cheek. Despite it being only one wound that Sakura managed to inflict on Pein, it was extremely extraordinary to him. She was a child, an immature little girl, yet she managed to injure him (although it was slight, it was still an injury). She managed to injure him, the leader of the Akatsuki, an S-Rank criminal, and she threw the kunai with her own speed, skill and concentration.

The girls had a deep history associated with techniques. If Sakura's basic skills were this good, who knows what she was capable of doing with her chakra and with jutsu techniques.

'She has great potential,' Pein told himself again.

It was strange. He was cold and stolid—how could he suddenly feel so dedicated and enthralled to teach and raise Sakura into the Akatsuki member she was meant to be?

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Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.– Franklin D. Roosevelt

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A/N: I post this a month and a day after the last chapter :D All thanks to your supprot, faves, follows and reviews!

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