Eh heh, hey guys. Remember me? Been a heck of a long time since I updated. As you may know, life does get in the way as well as lovely distractions. I sometimes even forget to work on my stories.

I'm terrible, aren't I?

I'm still looking for someone to beta read. If you want to do it, contact me! As of now, this chapter has not been beta read so please excuse any mistakes you may find.

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone. I wish I did, along with a puppet, a pony, dogs, cats, your soul, and a dragon.

Edit: Made two mistakes that are now fixed.

Puppet Master of Life – Chapter 7

"Ah-Ahchoo!" Sakura still had the blasted cold from yesterday and she didn't feel good at all. She groaned miserably while sniffing her stuffy nose. It had been a nightmare to fall asleep since it got even worse. With a groan, she put her head on the table. Her father looked at her while cooking breakfast.

"Sakura? You shouldn't push yourself if you're sick."

"But-"

"No buts. Go and get some rest. I'll bring you some soup and water."

Sakura got up and wobbled a little bit while walking to her room. Her father scratched his head before sighing. "Getting a cold at this time of the year."

./-+-\:.

Seven kunai embedded themselves into the ground after a blurred figure dodged. The figure went toward the attack with a sword but that was soon met with one as well. The sound of metal against metal clanged in the air before both of them were like a blur going this way and that. They blocked each others attack without hesitation.

It was like music. Pardon the cliche metaphor.

"Not bad, Sasori."

Sasori smirked before explosives sounded off beside the other. It was no surprise they escaped so easily. Strings guided a puppet toward the other figure with weapons bared like a dragon's jaw ready to snack upon its' prey.

The figure poofed into smoke but that didn't make Sasori surprised either. "Expected from one such as you...Kakashi." His brown grey eyes moved to the left so that he could look at silver haired ninja.

"You've improved your short distance Sasori. But, may I ask something from you?"

Sasori summoned his puppet back into his scroll before turning his head toward Kakashi. He didn't need to answer for Kakashi to continue.

"Why did you decide to team up with Konoha?"

Sasori stared at Kakashi who simply stared back. The wind blew against them but it was not enough to distract them.

With a smirk that made him look arrogant, Sasori answered him, "Even I don't know."

Kakashi let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding before walking out of the forest toward Sasori. "You may know this but we will need your help when they, the Akatsuki, does come. That is why I trained you. You're the first puppet master to have short distance attacks."

"Don't think I can stand them off of my own."

"Of course not. You will have back up. Naruto and Sakura."

Sasori lifted an eyebrow. Kakashi knew why. "You will have them back you up because you three balance each other out. It's indeed quite shocking to realize. They may look young - as ironic as that sounds - but they know how to fight, which I'm sure you know with Sakura."

Sasori smirked. "Yes, I know."

./-+-\:.

"Hidan, are you finished yet?"

Hidan had killed more people on the way to their target since Hidan had so nicely volunteered to go after Sasori that Kakuzu had no other choice but to go with him. So, there was the idiot, in Kakuzu's words, laying down on his back in the circle once again.

"No, I'm not fucking finished yet so stop your whining!"

"Could have fooled me-"

"I said shut the fuck up!"

Kakuzu sighed, "Must you whine and must you do this every single time you kill someone? We're already two days late."

"Oh, is that so? I'm sorry, Mr. I-must-be-on-fucking-time but may I remind your stupid self why I fucking do this?!"

Kakuzu really needed to find earplugs and since he couldn't kill the bastard, he was surprised he hadn't gone completely and utter mad by now.

"Suit yourself," he said before walking without Hidan.

"Hey! Where the fuck do you think you're going?!"

Kakuzu didn't answer, which made Hidan become crazy-mad. "Damn you to hell! Get your fucking ass back here right now! Hey! I know you can fucking hear me!"

./-+-\:.

"Ugh." Sakura was in bed and had finished eating the food her father sent her, along with some medicine. "Of all times to get sick." She whipped her head to the sound of footsteps outside the door and smiled when her father came in.

"How was the food, Sakura?"

"Good. Thank you, father. I'm still feeling dizzy." Sakura felt his hand upon her head, patting it before brushing it with his fingers. "Get some rest," he said with a smile before taking the tray and headed back downstairs after closing the door shut.

Sakura took in a breath before letting it back out before the beckons of sleep pulled her from reality.

./-+-\:.

A tag exploded on contact of the ground while a figure blocked the smoke from their eyes with their wrists and squinted to watch their opponent. Another kunai soon whizzed toward them quickly but a simple jump to the side dodged it but what they didn't expect was three more coming. The figure made a poof sound when the weapons made the target.

"Great job Sasori. You're getting better." Kakashi walked out from his hiding place behind a tree while Sasori also stepped out from the opposite.

"I believe we can take a break." Well, mostly Kakashi since Sasori didn't really need to take them. Sasori just smirked, "Mainly you need a break."

Kakashi just smiled before chuckling before walking towards the noodle place. When Kakashi was out of sight, the Sasori that had walked out crumpled into sand since Sasori was already on his way else where.

It was obvious to where he was going to those who knew what happened the days before.

Meanwhile, Sakura's sickness was getting better all thanks to Naruto bringing ramen to her. It had soothed her throat with it's hot liquid and the taste was delicious.

It seemed like food tasted heavenly than before when you were sick.

Sakura slurped on a noddle, causing it to splash some of the liquid on her chin and nose. Naruto had seen it and laughed but chocked a bit while doing so since he was slurping more than one noddle, as per usual.

"Careful Naruto."

Naruto just waved his chopsticks at her, "It takes a lot more than this to actually choke me."

Sakura snorted, "You pig." She smiled while Naruto just did his famous smile at her. "Thanks again for the ramen, Naruto."

"You're welcome, Sakura. I just couldn't let you go a day without it, heheh."

Sakura shook her head while she slurped more noodles from the bowl. She was so glad she and Naruto were friends. At first, he seemed...

She couldn't quite put her finger on it since her view of him changed so much. It's like she couldn't believe what she thought of him when she first saw him.

The smile disappeared from her face while she thought about it. Had she ever said sorry? Did she need to? Maybe Naruto knew already?

Naruto had noticed her frown and slurped up the last bits of noodles. "Sakura? Are you okay?"

Sakura looked down at her bowl for a while before looking up at Naruto. Maybe she was thinking too much?

"Hello? Sakura? It's me, Naruto," he said while moving his arms around to get her attention.

Sakura smiled, "Yes, I know. Just...thinking."

Naruto leaned in suspiciously, "That frown said something else. Still sad over Sasuke?"

Now that earned a glare from Sakura. "Sasuke?! I still feel like punching him a hundred feet in the ground - maybe more! - considering what he did when he left." Sakura crossed her arms on her chest and huffed, "Really, knocking me out and left me on a bench."

Naruto laughed nervously. Sakura still had her temper but it rarely came out - unless he provoked her. It was better seeing her this way rather than frowning. "Heh, yeah. Sasuke can be-"

"A huge jerk."

That wasn't even close but it was as far as she would go.

Naruto brought his hand to scratch the back of his neck, "At least he's back, no?" Sakura just glared at him like an idiot. "I'll take that as a no," said Naruto before sighing.

Truth was, Sakura was glad but her anger directed at him was far more.

"Well, I got to go train now. See you tomorrow Sakura," said Naruto while getting up before leaving. Sakura waved at him before closing the door and cleaned up.

"Hmph, didn't even help." Despite those words, a small smile was on her lips while she took the dishes to the sink and washed them.

With the last dish going into the drying tray, Sakura wiped her hands on the rag hanging nearby before cleaning up the rest of the things on the table.

She was so busy that she didn't see the figure that had come into the house silent as a mouse. "What a rude friend you have," they said while smirking, knowing full well how Sakura would react.

Sakura halted at her actions of washing the server bowl that had held the noodles before she put them away. That voice mocked her in thinking that she would snap.

"You're quite pathetic if you're thinking you'll get a rise out from me, " she said before continuing on cleaning the bowl. Sasori closed in his eyes in amusement while his chakra strings seemed to slither toward her like a snake before it would attach themselves on her elbows.

Sakura's eyes widened in shock and surprise before the sound of a bowl clattering upon the other dishes made her cringe. "Would you stop using your chakra strings on me? Especially if I have something that is fragile in my hands." Sakura had said the last part with irritation.

She had lost count on how many times he had done this...not like she was doing so before.

"Why are you here anyway," asked Sakura before she turned around to face him while leaning against the counter. She would've crossed her arms but some certain man wasn't going to let her.

"Do I need a reason?"

Sakura opened her mouth to speak but stopped before snapping at him, "Yes. People do things for a reason."

Sasori lifted an eyebrow at her, "Are you sure about that?"

Sakura rolled her eyes while making an irritated groan. "Must you answer back with questions all the time?"

A smile sneaked it's way on Sasori's lips, no doubt in amusement. "Yes, why do you do as such?"

Sakura glared at him. "You're annoying." Before Sasori could reply back with another sentence to annoy her even more, a bird's call gained Sakura's and his attention.

./-+-\:.

"Konoha, the place of the nine tailed kid," said a smirking Hidan while he and Kakuzu came upon the huge walls. "And that puppet master," finished Kakuzu.

"Ha! Hitting two birds with a stone," he said before swinging his scythe down to make the wall crumble. Since they were both immortal, they didn't even bother to hide.

It was time to do what Akatsuki did best: Kick major ass.

./-+-\:.

Sakura had rushed upstairs while Sasori looked out the window from where he stood.

Just what was going on?

When he heard footsteps come down the stairs, Sakura was in her attire and headband before running toward the Hokage building where the others were gathering to get instructions.

The clone crumpled into sand while the real Sasori was on his way as well since he was, indeed curious. When he heard an explosion to his right, he halted sharply before looking at the direction. Sasori stayed low while the smoke cleared.

Seemed like some buildings had gotten damaged while the wall got most of it. When he saw Hidan and Kakuzu, he narrowed his eyes. He wasn't really on equal terms on any team members, besides Deidara - who was dead.

There was no doubt they had probably heard that he was here as well as the boy who held the nine tailed fox within him.

Immediately, he would go toward them to have a distraction. While he did so, he summoned two of his puppets. One was a different bird shaped for speed and air to ground attacks while the other was his father.

Sasori guided the bird toward both of them. He had seen Kakuzu in action before but not Hidan. He knew that, unlike he, they were considered as immortals.

Hidan swung his scythe toward the bird, which moved out of the way quickly. "Damnit, fucking weapon is so god damn slow." Kakuzu wanted to rub his temples. It was just not fair - ha - that he was partnered up with this whining and loud man.

"So, how are you liking your new home, Sasori?!" It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who had said - more like shouted - this question.

Sasori didn't answer and opened the compartment to send needles to them. They were coated in a brand new poison and only he himself knew the antidote. They shot out of the puppet like a machine gun and it was no surprise that Hidan and Kakuzu dodged them.

While they were busy with that, he would send his other puppet towards them. The hands moved to the sides to leg out blades. One got Hidan in the back, which caused him to get pissed off.

"That fucking hurts!" Hidan would try and reach behind him to get the blade but Sasori just pulled it out before guiding the puppet away. Hidan's expression was the infamous one that he made when he went over the edge.

Kakuzu felt like sighing since it meant more whining from Hidan.

"Do you know how much that hurts? You're fucking dead! Dead I tell you!"

Yup, the good ol' whining. Sasori just kept on smirking - mostly in amusement - which made Hidan even more pissed.

"You little shit, you think this is fucking funny?! I'll rip out your fucking intestines and swirl you the fuck around!"

Kakuzu cleared his throat, "He doesn't have any Hidan."

"Lungs then!"

"Not that either."

"Bones?"

"Not even that."

"What the fucking hell?!"

Sasori guided the blade even further into Hidan still with that annoying smirk upon his lips. Obviously, it made Hidan even more pissed off but that's what Sasori wanted.

"Fucking kid! I'll kill your sorry fucking ass!"

Kakuzu interrupted once more. "He's not a kid either."

"What the fuck? He clearly is one of those bratty fucking kids!"

Sasori chuckled, "Age clearly has nothing to do with it." His strings moved away from the blade to take out his puppet scroll. It scrolled open and it summoned thirty three puppets all at once. He had changed the opening of the extra strings, caused by a generator inside him, to his back so that others wouldn't expect it.

Since his clothing and head could block some of it behind him, no one would know. That is, of course, they were behind him.

Hidan just started laughing, "A brat always plays with his toys!" Kakuzu and Sasori looked at him in a puzzled way.

"What? I can say a sentence without cussing."

It was the end of the world. Okay, not really.

"That blade must have knocked you out."

"Shut the fuck up!"

Guess not.

"A brat may play with their toys but a complete fool always cussing in every sentence is lower than a brat."

Hidan was not pleased. "You're going to die you butthead!"

Wait...what?

"You're going to die you little fuck!"

Much better.

Kakuzu and Sasori was now not taking him seriously. Luckily for Sasori, a certain blond haired ninja showed up along with his pink haired friend.

"You two again?!" That was, no doubt, Naruto. Sakura was just looking at Sasori's puppets. He was sure busy during those years while he fooled everyone about his so called "death".

Hidan just grinned wickedly before cackling like mad. "Oh this is great! I get to rip you all to fucking-" Kakashi and the others arrived just now which made Hidan finished slowly "-...pieces."

Well, this was surely a problem for the two Akatsuki members.

"If you stopped whining, Hidan, we would have already killed the kid."

Hidan tsked, "All right. So, how do we escape, hmm? Got any ideas smart ass?" Kakuzu just looked at Hidan, who was even more pissed off than before. "What kind of partner are you, huh?! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING PLAN FOR US TO ESCAPE YOU PATHETIC BASTARD!"

Needless to say, those that were near were confused. However, Kakuzu did have a plan. So, with a swish of his cloak and cleverness, he would send his infamous attack of black wires - or was it strings? - towards those around before he did the oldest trick in the book.

Yup, you got it.

Smoke screen!

Everyone felt silly. "How the hell did they get away so fast? I can't even sense them nearby!"

"They must be fast runners."

"They are S ranked ninjas after all."

"Let's go eat, I'm starving."

"Yeah, I haven't eaten anything yet."

Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi were still there while the others - not including Sasori - left. Even when a dramatic wind, they still didn't budge.

"What just....happened," asked Naruto.

"No idea," said Kakashi.

"We've been fooled," chipped in Sakura.

Sasori wasn't surprised. In fact, he had put away his puppets while the three of them chattered. "Didn't expect anything less from the both of them," he said calmly while he started to head to his place. Well, for now.

Life of a ninja was really odd, that's for sure.

./-+-\:.

"Teh, so much for kicking ass." That was no doubt Hidan. Kakuzu, on the other hand, snorted, "Fighting against that many people is not smart. Therefore, we had to retreat."

"I KNOW THAT YOU FUCKER!"

Kakuzu wished he had ear plugs. It was always whine, whine, whine, bitch, bitch, bitch. If he didn't know any better, he would think that Hidan was a complete spoiled brat.

"We're not going back just yet, Hidan. We still need to retrieve a certain red hair ninja."

The smirk on Hidan's face would make any predator shiver.

./-+-\:.

"I wonder where they went," said Naruto.

"Probably waiting till another time I suppose," said Sakura.

Sasori was outside near his place repairing his puppets. It was an easy task that he didn't even think about how to do what or where to do what. It was also completely natural and on reflex.

He didn't speak at all toward anyone while he worked on his puppets but that didn't mean he hadn't listened. Nor was he not thinking of a plan.

If he recalled correctly, those two idiots, Hidan and Kakuzu, had weaknesses.

"I wonder," started Sakura. "If they were going after you, Naruto, they would've went toward you and not Sasori."

"Huh, now that you mention it...," said Naruto while the both of them looked at the ex sand ninja.

Sasori just kept repairing away like he didn't hear them.

"So, Sasori, why did they?" No doubt that was Sakura.

A smirk just appeared on Sasori's lips, which meant that it wasn't good. "Aren't you two nosy."

Sakura glared at Sasori. "Listen, stop putting up this arrogant act and tell us. If you don't, we won't know why they're-"

"Me."

Sakura and Naruto blinked. Him? They both thought at once.

"Why?" Sasori didn't look at Sakura but he did continue talking. "They want me dead since I got away from them."

"So, let me get this straight," started Sakura. "You are being tracked down to be killed just because you left them?"

Sasori looked over to her and nodded.

"Okay, Akatsuki is insane. They're going to waste their whole energy finding you while they'll be finding...Naruto."

Now it all clicked. "Talk about hitting two birds with one stone," mumbled Sakura. "I still can't believe they got away so quickly," she continued while rubbing her forehead.

"They are S rank ninjas," piped up Naruto.

"True, but still. No one could sense them nearby when they did a smoke bomb."

"What do you think they were doing the past years," asked Sasori.

"Uhhhh."

"Hunting down other people like Naruto?"

Sasori felt like rolling his eyes. "Training."

"Them?! Train?!" Naruto shot up, "Shoot, I need to get back to train! See you guys later!" With that, he shot out toward the training grounds, leaving Sasori and Sakura behind in the dust.

"So eager."

Sakura blinked and looked at Sasori after he said that. "He wants to be the Hokage someday."

"Someone like him?"

Sakura glared at Sasori and shot up before slamming the table in front of her. "Despite that the Kyuubi is inside him, no one in this village is afraid of him."

"That doesn't mean he'll be Hokage."

"Then what did you mean by "someone like him"?"

"My, I am surprised you don't know," he said while standing up and summoned the puppets he repaired back into the scroll before facing her.

"Tell me, I hate guessing games."

Sasori just smirked. "All the more better." Now that made Sakura's right hand go into a fist.

"So, you like games, huh? Let's play one. I win, you tell me."

A childish way do play a game, really, but that's what happens when one is angry.

"And if I win?" The damn smirk widened on his lips.

"If you win,...um." Yeah, so what did he want anyway?

"You'll become my puppet."

Great, back to this again. Sakura shook her head, "No."

"Then I won't-"

"Just tell me!"

Sasori narrowed his eyes at her. How dare she demand such a thing from him. "You sure are quick to anger."

"There you go twisted the words on me once more. I'm off to train now."

Strings shot toward her and stopped her but only for a while since she canceled it. Now that made him dumbfounded.

"I told you not to control me with strings!"

"Train with me. You'll want to since I'm their match."

Sakura just stared at him in silence for a couple of minutes. Then three, then five, and then ten.

"Why? It's obvious I'm close to your rank already. What makes you-"

Something grabbed her leg and she twisted it out from her grasp. When she looked down, she saw a puppet's hand. She was downright shocked and surprised. "What the - since when do you have puppets like this?!"

Sasori was just smirking. "My point exactly."

It was indeed fun to mess with the pink haired female ninja. Even more amusing when she was blinded by complete rage - like now.

Lifting up her foot, she gathered chakra in huge amount before stomping down on the ground hard. The rocks below shifted and cracked before it caused a huge mess.

The puppet was sadly destroyed.

It was now Sakura's turn to smirk while crossing her arms. "See? You're easy to combat with - even if Kakashi taught you some new tricks."

Sasori was now getting serious. "Don't underestimate me." Two more puppets from behind her in the ground shot out toward her. Sakura was thankful for having the ability to hear since she turned around just in time to knock them back. Only when she did, she felt the familiar pain from a sword.

A stupid move.

Right by her knuckles was a deep cut going from her glove and to her skin from the blade jutting out from the puppets. She kneeed down and cupped it with her other glove. "Ow," she hissed out while she wagged her hand before turning her head to look at Sasori with a murderous glance, which only made him smirk more.

"You...are going to get it. So. Bad." Sakura stood up and ripped a piece of the outer layer of her skirt before tying it with her left hand and teeth. Tightening it in place, she wiggled her hands before wincing just a bit. Now she had to be careful with that hand. It was a good thing her swings were equal on both arms, thanks to training.

Sasori was just smirking, which annoyed her even more. "All riled up just because of a cut? Come now, Sakura. The fight with you and my grandmother against me was even worse."

"So sorry for being human," countered Sakura while she brought up her fists and got into a stance. Her sandal-like heels slid on the ground while doing so, causing some small dust to go in the air.

"Yes, humans. They whine about everything," he said with a smirk before shooting a puppet toward her. Sakura took out three kunai in each of her hands and threw four at the puppets. The two left over would be sent toward Sasori who dodged but didn't notice until the last moment there was a tag on them.

Explosions went off around him and his puppets. While there was smoke, Sakura would use that as a cover before jumping upward and behind Sasori to kick him forward with her left foot. She had also become quite fast.

Sasori was, of course, not even battered by that attack - despite being thrown upon the ground and trees. "Hmm, not bad."

A bird soon flew over the area they were at, cawing out to those below. Sakura knew what that was. Running toward her destination, she jumped upon the buildings while heading her way.

Sasori had watched her, noticing how quick and agile she was while she moved up upon the roofs of the buildings nearby.

"One day, you'll be mine," he said with a dark, amused look.

./-+-\:.

Figured I stop here since there's nothing like having that picture of Sasori smirking darkly inside your mind.

If you noticed it sort of...dragged on or became weird at the end, that's my fault to add some humor and a fun scene with them.

So, tell me what you think. Hope you enjoyed it! I have no idea when the next chapter will be out but do know that I won't give this up at all.