The pink-haired girl sighed and finished putting her hair into a bun in the back of her head. She looked at the black haired man sitting in front of her. "Itachi-sensei, are we doing anything today?"
"Yes. We are going to Kohona today." Sakura's eyes lit up. Now she could show off how strong she had become. "We just have to wait for Orochimaru to get here."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Why do we always have to work with him? He takes forever to get here."
The door opened. "Well you don't have to wait anymore. I am here now." The snake-like-man said from the doorway. Behind him stood his ever-faithful bitch, Kabuto.
Sakura nodded and looked down, catching sight of another pair of feet. "Who's the new guy?" she asked as Orochimaru and Kabuto sat down.
"Has it really been so long that you've forgotten me, Sakura?"
Sakura's head snapped up. When she saw who it was, her eyes went wide but quickly narrowed. "Hello Sasuke didn't expect you." She looked over to Itachi. "I'm not working with him." She muttered to her teacher.
Itachi just laughed, knowing that his brother showing up had taken out half the fun of going back to the girl's home. "You can still surprise Naruto."
Sakura sighed but nodded. She looked over to the boy sitting across from her. Sasuke's hair had grown out a little. He was wearing a black shirt much like his old one but tighter and without the fan on the back. His leaf headband had been replaced with a sound one that hung around his neck. The girl blinked when she saw that the boy had a second headband tied around his waist. It was her's. She couldn't believe he still had after five years. After she had left them like she had.
She looked around to see the men had all left and it was just her and her old teammate. She stood up and walked behind him. "So Sasuke. You went to Orochimaru I see. What happened to you and Naruto after I left that made you do this?" she asked, dragging red painted nails across his neck.
Sasuke pushed her hand away. "Our team fell apart after you left. At first Naruto wouldn't stop looking for you but after awhile Kakashi said that you were most likely dead. Naruto locked himself away for a bit then when he came out he started over training himself, saying that you weren't dead and he would find you and save you. Guess he was right. After a while I just left and went to Orochimaru."
Sakura raised an eyebrow but quickly dropped it. "Come on, Itachi-sensei will tell us what we're going to do."
Sasuke scoffed quietly, " Yes, your master awaits. He will probably end up killing you when all of this is over." he mumbled before walking to the door, " I hope you have not become a pawn for something as pathetic as 'love', Sakura." With that, he left the room.
Itachi was standing next to Orochimaru going over their plan, " Okay, the Akatsuki will surround and annihilate the outer village and slowly work our way in. The Sound ninjas will be in the town causing a distraction so we can get in undetected. That's what I have worked out."
Orochimaru smirked, " Leave it to you to think up something that will leave no survivors." He reached over and caressed Itachi's cheek, " I guess that's why I lust for you so much."
Itachi chuckled darkly, " Shall we get a move on? I would like to leave at sunset and infiltrate before dark."
Sakura walked into the room where Orochimaru and Itachi were, " Itachi-sensei, I-" She broke off when she saw the two men. She didn't want to interrupt. Right when she was about to leave, Orochimaru leaned forward and kissed Itachi. Sakura covered her mouth to stifle a gasp. She realized then that she did love her teacher. The girl quickly moved out and then loudly knocked on the door. "Itachi-sensei, I was wondering what the plan was." She mumbled.
"Hold on, I'll be right there." Itachi said quickly.
There was movement in the room and Itachi opened the door, "Come in. Oh, wait. Bring Sasuke here so he can here the plan as well."
"Fine." Sakura muttered grumpily before walking away. She looked around and found Sasuke in front of a window.
The moonlight shone down on his sorrowful face and made his hair shimmer slightly. His skin looked almost ghastly white. He looked like a porcelain doll, sad, but beautiful. "Sasuke, Itachi-sensei wants to go over the plan with us." Sakura said, snapping them both out their silent reverie. 'He's still so beautiful. He looks even more like Itachi-sensei.' Sakura thought.
"Hmm? Oh, okay." Sasuke turned to face Sakura, "Where is he?"
Sakura looked at Sasuke and noticed that Sasuke was being very protective of his right arm. "What happened to your arm?"
"Nothing." Sasuke pulled his long black arm warmers tight, "Let's get going."
Sakura and Sasuke went back to Itachi's room and learned of the plan. Soon the two groups were on their way to Kohona.
XxXxXxXxX
Sakura stood next to Itachi and Kisame, waiting for the signal from the sound ninja so they could start attacking. Soon a bright red flare could be seen and the faint sounds of people yelling from the middle could be heard. The Akatsuki spread themselves out and started their quieter attack on the rest of the town.
Sakura quickly killed those that remembered her. She didn't care how close they had been, because she had been taught not to care. When she was done with her area she went to Itachi and saw a little girl crying. She was on her knees and begging the man to let her go.
"Please, don't kill me! Please."
Sakura glared at the girl. "He won't," With a small flick of her wrist the girl lay dead at their feet. "I will."
Sakura looked at her teacher and got a small nod of approval before they walked towards the center of the village. When they got there they saw that Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto were the only ones left of the sound ninja who had come. Kisame was standing on the other side along with the rest of the Akatsuki. Sakura walked over to Sasuke and watched the few Kohona nin there look at her with wide eyes. "So Sasuke, any sign of our friend. I would have expected him to have been here by now."
"Well sorry to keep you waiting…Sakura, Sasuke." The two turned around and saw that the blue eyes they were use to were now glaring at them and the usually smiling boy was frowning down at them from one of the roofs.
Naruto stood up from where he had landed and looked down at his ex-teammates. He quickly glanced around to see how many of the others were in place. When he saw they were all ready he gave a quick nod before jumping down. "So you both came back. And together at that. Too bad you aren't welcome here."
Sakura knew something was up and kept looking to her sides while Naruto was talking. Seconds after he had finished talking she ducked, pulling Sasuke down. "Hello, Lee-san." She said to the green-clad 18-year-old standing in front of her and Sasuke, right where Naruto had been moments before.
She let go of Sasuke and moved to the side so she had the wall of a house behind her and she could see her sides. "Well since your little whatever is up, why don't you all come out, nee? And no tricks. I've learned how to counter them." 'most of them'
She looked up above her and smirked. "Ino, where's your boyfriend?"
"Right in front of you." Shikamaru's voice made the pink-haired girl snap her head back down and she was about to take the few steps she would need to be out of the reach of any shadows but Shikamaru had already used the shadow possession jutsu.
Sakura's eyes widened, 'This is NOT good! I got better so Shikamaru must have gotten better as well!' She tried to think and think fast, but it all seemed clouded.
Shikamaru dashed to the side with a speed that no one would expect from Shikamaru. He moved to an empty area and threw himself at air. Sakura was right by a wall, therefore slamming into it.
A crack was heard and Sakura bit back a scream. She wanted to cradle her now broken arm, but she still couldn't control herself. Shikamaru's loose movements didn't help her arm.
"What's the matter?" Shikamaru said darkly, "Does it hurt you little brat?" he spat. He ran in the other direction, causing Sakura to slam into a fountain and fall into it. He broke contact for merely a second.
Sakura carefully pulled herself out of the fountain only to feel that strange feeling she got when her shadow was no longer her own. She glared at Shikamaru, "You low bastard!"
"Not low, intelligent." Shikamaru reached down and made a couple of mock movements. He made Sakura pull out a kunai, "What luck. My pouch is on the opposite side to yours. Now I don't even have to bleed." He whipped his arm in a motion to his stomach and the kunai went right through Sakura's flesh, tissue and some muscle. The girl winced and bit her lip to stop herself from crying out. At the corner of her eye she could see Itachi watching both Sasuke and her. I have to try to be stronger…for Itachi-sensei.
Sasuke quickly glanced at Sakura when he heard her muffled scream and rolled his eyes. She had known about all the rookies from before she had left and she still fell for their trap. Idiot.
"Why did you come back, Sasuke? You're not welcome here anymore. Neither is Sakura. And you both know it." Naruto stared at the other teen, the person he hadn't been able to stop thinking about since he had left.
Sasuke didn't even bother looking at the now white clad figure who had spoken to him as he watched Sakura fall to the ground, holding her arm and stomach at the same time. "I came back to see you, Naruto. And because my master wanted me to." He watched as Kabuto ran over to sakura and healed her, asking if she was ok.
Sakura just brushed off Kabuto and walked over to the other two. "Since it seems none of us are happy to see each other why don't we have a fight? Where we first met as a team?" Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other then to Sakura. "To the death of course." They nodded. "Tomorrow at noon. Bye." With that she disappeared, Sasuke following right after. Lee and Hinata gave Naruto a worried look but he just walked off.