Of Blossoms, Teachers, Foxes, and Brothers

Disclaimer: And again, I don’t own Naruto. *le sigh*

Summary: (For those of you who do not already know this) Sakura is on a mission (from God, no, I’m kidding. If anybody tells me what that’s from, I’ll dedicate the next chapter to you!) Sakura is on a mission, Itachi kidnaps her. Kakashi and Naruto run to her rescue. Meanwhile, Sasuke is with Orochimaru and hears of Sakura’s kidnapping. He runs after Itachi, thinking that this may be his last chance at revenge before Orochimaru takes his body.

Pairings: SasuNaru (It will be equal. I cannot see Sasuke being uke, and Naruto being uke is getting tiresome.), KakaIru, possible others.

A/N: I love reviews! ^^ This chapter is to Bookworm. *see review responses below* There is and will be Yaoi! You have been warned. No lemon in this chapter though. However, there will probably be some lime, KakaIru is already underway! *giddy* On with the fic!

I hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 2
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One week later

The forest was beautiful. Thick trees, sunlight filtering through the tall branches, the smell of rotting wood and plants. The sounds of birds singing and bees humming filled the air. It was a warm, beautiful day in the forest.

Sakura was sick of it. She had been out here for a week looking for those goddamned herbs. Tsunade-sama hadn’t been kidding when she told Sakura that these were some of the hardest herbs to ever find. Her patience was wearing thin and her Inner Sakura was peaking through.

‘Kuso! Why can’t I find them? Tsunade-sama said they would be here.’ Sakura wandered further into the forest. After a while she noticed some things were similar, almost like she was walking in a circle. Sakura prided herself for having a great sense of direction so she knew immediately that a genjutsu was being used on her. She didn’t know who was using it on her, and she didn’t want to warn them that she had figured it out. While she kept walking, she quickly formed a plan of attack.

Sakura brought her hands up into a seal and shouted “KAI!” The genjutsu wavered, but held firm. Sakura felt panic raise up in her throat but quickly forced it back down. She could feel now that this ninja was incredibly powerful. But she hadn’t been studying under Tsunade for nothing.

She quickly raised her hands in the same seal and forced her chakra into her release command. Again, it wavered, but before it could go back into its form, Sakura concentrated her chakra even harder and the genjutsu finally dispelled.


Looking around, she realized that she wasn’t in a forest anymore. Rather, she was in a sand desert. ‘How’d this happen?’ Sakura wondered. ‘How long have I been under this jutsu? And who did this to me?’ Sakura realized that she had been led to go into the Wind Country which was almost exactly the opposite direction she needed to go. Sakura scanned the area around her and found an enormous source of charka standing behind her and to her left.

‘He’s not even masking it from me. Cocky.’ Sakura gathered her strength and chakra in her left arm and threw it down to the ground, forcing it to split and spraying sand everywhere. Using this diversion, Sakura spun to her right while her hands flew through seals, moving lightening fast. She quickly created a shadow clone, while still partially concealed by sand, and darted toward her target. Sending her clone before her, they both attacked. Sakura’s clone attacking with shuriken and kunai ready, Sakura preparing her Chuusuusei Biribiri. She learned the “central nervous system electrical shock” from Tsunade. All she had to do was turn her chakra into an electric pulse and strike her enemy on the base of the neck. It would disrupt the flow of electricity to the nervous system, confusing the communication between the brain and body, debilitating the enemy. The trick was to move fast enough to get to the neck.

Sakura was surprised to hear laughter. However, she didn’t let it effect her speed as she raced to make her hit. She squinted through the sand, and as she burst through, she nearly stopped in shock. This caused her to hesitate, making her lose the momentum she’d been building up.

‘He looks almost like Sasuke.’ This made Inner Sakura scream, “THAT BASTARD! KILL HIM!!” Sakura agreed whole-heartedly and bounded into action.

The man had long black hair. He was tall, thin, and pale. He resembled Sasuke very strongly. She barely registered his quick movements, blocking all shuriken and hitting her clone, making it poof into non-existence. Sakura raised her arm and was about to make contact when the man disappeared. Sakura didn’t even see him leave. She blinked and quickly scanned the area. ‘What the…’

Sakura’s thoughts were cut off abruptly when the man grabbed Sakura’s shoulders and spun her around, making her lose her balance. The man also delivered a kick to the stomach, forcing Sakura’s breath out in a ‘whoosh’ and shoving her to the ground. The man leaned over her, his face composed and calm.

‘He doesn’t even look winded,’ Sakura thought. ‘Who is this guy?’

Gasping in air, Sakura asked, “Sasuke?”

The man’s mouth quirked up at the side. Sakura saw the straight nose, the pink lips, the long eyelashes, and his… Sharingan! But, Sasuke’s Sharingan was different than this. Too late she realized that she wasn’t looking into the normal three tailed Sharingan, but the Mangekyou Sharingan. She only knew of one person alive who could do that. And Kakashi-sensei had told her to never look into those eyes. Ever.

Too late to break eye contact, Sakura watched the world around her fade into her worst nightmares. Only one word escaped her lips.

“Itachi.”

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Elsewhere in Wind Country
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The building rumbled the building around him. His first thought was, ‘It must be an earthquake.’ Then he thought, ‘No. Mother feels a great chakra disturbance.’ He pondered this thought as several Sand ninja rushed into the room.

One bowed his head politely, “Kazekage. We felt a quake and we are here to check on your safety. Is there anything you’d like us to do?”

“Check for injuries. Take them to the hospital.”

Another Jounin bowed his head and asked, “Do you know what caused it?”

“No. I will find out.” The Kazekage dismissed the ninja and asked a guard to summon a ninja named Kankuro.

Several minutes later, Kankuro entered the Kazekage’s office. He hadn’t changed much over the years. He still had his puppet, his best weapon, strapped to his back. The purple makeup accentuated his eyes and lips. Sometimes, the Kazekage just thought Kankuro resembled a clown.

“Sabaku no Gaara.” Kankuro bowed his head respectfully. Gaara, on the other hand, had changed dramatically. He had grown to be at least six feet two inches. His read hair had grown out to brush his shoulders. The gourd was still attached to his back, though it didn’t look nearly as large because of Gaara’s growth spurt. His eyes were still a vivid light green and still surrounded by dark circles from lack of sleep. He had finally gotten Shukaku, his demon, under his command, which would allow Gaara to sleep, but Gaara now found it difficult to relax into such a state. He would be able to sleep sometimes, but most nights he would stay awake, either training or working or meditating. Gaara walked to the front of his desk.

“Kankuro, I want you to form a team and go out and see what caused the quake. It wasn’t the earth.” Gaara met Kankuro’s eyes. “It felt like it was coming from the direction of Fire Country.”

Kankuro again bowed his head and said, “Very well, Gaara. We’ll be back soon.”

And Gaara was left to think about why something like this had happened. Nothing that caused this could be good.

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3 days later
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Gaara looked away from the window when his office doors were swung open. Kankuro walked in with his team, all very dusty. All of them bowed their heads in respect. Kankuro stepped forward.

“Sabaku no Gaara, there are signs of a powerful battle that took place about one to two days walk from here. It happened around the same time as the quake. The earth is all torn up, like one shinobi forced a lot of strength into it. There was an obvious victor, but we cannot find anything to point to where the two shinobi would have gone.”

Gaara had only heard of two people who could literally tear up the earth with their strength: Tsunade and Haruno Sakura.

“Kankuro, I want you to go to the Fire Country and request council with Tsunade. Ask her if Haruno Sakura had a mission in the Wind Country.”

“Hai.” With that Kankuro and his team were dismissed.

As Gaara turned toward his window, he found himself hoping that his Sakura was alright.

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In Konoha
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Kankuro entered Tsunade’s office and bowed his head. Tsunade had always been intimidating to the puppeteer. “Godaime. I have been sent from Sabaku no Gaara, Kazekage of Wind Country to inquire about the whereabouts of Haruno Sakura.”

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow at this. It wasn’t everyday that Gaara would actively request information. He must have a very good reason to ask. “Why would Gaara want to know about Sakura? What are you not telling me?”

Kankuro explained. “We have reason to believe that two powerful shinobi battled outside the Hidden Village of Sand. An earthquake was felt almost two weeks ago and we investigated because the Kazekage felt a chakra disturbance at the same time. Two days walk outside our village we found the earth torn apart, an obvious point of origin where a person struck the earth. There were signs of battle and evidence suggesting that the victor captivated another shinobi. Sabaku no Gaara gave orders to come here to inquire about Haruno Sakura.”

Tsunade’s eyes widened in shock. She too only knew of herself and Sakura being strong enough to tear apart the earth with a single blow. There were four important questions to answer. One, who was Sakura fighting against? Two, why was Sakura fighting? Three, why was Sakura in Wind Country when she was supposed to be in the opposite direction in Tea Country? And Four, where was Sakura now?

“Kankuro, I thank you for coming this way and informing me of this matter. Haruno Sakura was sent on a mission to Tea Country. However, the events near Hidden Village of Sand sound as though Sakura was there. It’s true that only I and Sakura have the strength to tear up the earth like that. We have to find out why Sakura ended up there, who attacked her, and where she is now. I’m going to send Uzumaki Naruto and Hatake Kakashi back to Hidden Village of Sand with you to track down where these two shinobi could have gone.” Tsunade nodded to one of her ANBU guards to find Naruto and Kakashi. As the ANBU disappeared, Tsunade gestured absently for Kankuro to sit down while she drew out scrolls and started to write all of the details the mission would need.

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In another part of Konoha
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Iruka and Kakashi were sprawled out lazily on a grassy meadow watching the clouds. The day was a warm one, and the clouds were brilliant. Both shinobi understood why Shikamaru found such a fascination with clouds though it was rare when either of them found the time to observe them.

The Jounin had brought the Chuunin out to the meadow for a long picnic. They had started dating almost immediately after Iruka’s dinner and neither could have been happier. Much to their surprise, the village accepted it with smiles and it didn’t look like many of them were surprised at all with the couple. In fact, most of them seem to have expected it. Kakashi and Iruka laughed at this.

After the food had been consumed, the dessert lingered over with many kisses and touches, the two men had lain down on the grass. After a couple of minutes, and a bunch of shifting around, Iruka was in the arms of Kakashi and both were smiling and relaxed. It was absolute heaven.

They talked about everything and anything. They argued even more. Iruka couldn’t understand why Kakashi was always late and Kakashi couldn’t understand how Iruka was always on his case about it. Over the last 3 weeks, Kakashi had gone on several high class missions only to return to a frantic Iruka who would tend to his wounds and aching muscles. It was those moments that made the missions bearable. He truly missed his dolphin when he was gone. And he would show it when he returned.

He smiled as he remembered last night. He had come home from a five day mission to a worried looking Iruka. Immediately he gathered his Chuunin in his arms and kissed him like he’d never get enough. Iruka proceeded to massage the sore muscles and ended up laying in bed with Kakashi, talking about the mission, and what was going on in Konoha. They held each other as they drifted off to sleep, neither having a care in the world other than each other in that moment.

He unconsciously tightened his hold on Iruka and when the Chuunin shifted, Kakashi immediately loosened the grip, muttering an apology.

“What are you sorry for? It felt nice.” Iruka smiled and nuzzled his face against Kakashi’s chest.

Kakashi had an evil thought and decided to go through with it. He removed his arms from Iruka’s body and proceeded to push the brunette down onto the grass, following to lie on top of him. Iruka’s eyes widened in surprise as Kakashi ripped his mask down and devoured Iruka’s mouth.

‘I’ll never get enough of this,’ Kakashi and Iruka both thought. Kakashi ran his hands along Iruka’s body as he felt the brunette’s hands glide into his hair and hold his head in place. Iruka nipped and tugged at Kakashi’s lips enticing a moan from the white haired Jounin. Hearing the moan, Iruka felt something stir low in his stomach and heat shooting straight to that spot between his legs. Kakashi’s body was resting right between Iruka’s legs, so even if Iruka wanted to hide his growing erection, he couldn’t.

‘Oh sweet Kami, I want so much more,’ Kakashi thought. He deftly pushed Iruka’s black T-shirt up to play with his chest and nipples. Iruka bowed his back, offering his chest to Kakashi and moaned low and long. Kakashi gasped at the feeling in his chest spreading like a warm liquid throughout the rest of his body. It seemed to pool right at the apex of his thighs. ‘Kuso! I don’t want to scare him.’ Kakashi started to shift so Iruka wouldn’t realize Kakashi’s situation when he felt a similar hardness press against his hip. The Jounin ended the kiss and lifted his head up, an eyebrow raised and a smile tugging at his lips. Iruka had the decency to blush and pulled Kakashi’s head down for more. More than happy to comply with his love’s wishes, Kakashi delved his tongue into Iruka’s hot mouth, feeling the strong teeth biting down on his slick muscle. Kakashi groaned loud and decided to let Iruka know just what he did to him.

When Kakashi brushed his erection against Iruka’s, the Chuunin arched his back and let out a soft howl of pleasure. Kakashi moved his lips up to Iruka’s ear and whispered erotically, “You do this to me. Nobody else. Love me.” Iruka tightened his arms around Kakashi, meeting his eyes and trust up against Kakashi’s hardness. Kakashi’s eye lids fluttered down as a moan escaped his lips. He resumed his meal of Iruka’s mouth and began to grind down against Iruka.

‘Oh, Kami. I don’t know how long I will last. I wonder if I can get Iruka back to my place. I wonder-’ Kakashi’s thoughts were cut off by one loud mouthed blond.

“What are you DOING?! Sheesh, ANBU ask me to find you, Kakashi, and you’re all but-”

“That’s enough, Naruto.” Kakashi said calmly. As soon as they heard Naruto, they froze, and then quickly sat up and away from each other, blushing furiously.

Naruto then gasped and pointed at Kakashi, “You’re not wearing your MASK! Wow, Kakashi! Why do you cover yourself up? You’re hot!” Naruto smiled widely as Kakashi swiftly pulled his mask and forehead protector back into place. “Haha! Wait till Sakura hears about this!” Naruto proceeded to grin and laugh, clutching his stomach. Iruka just about had enough. He was embarrassed to be caught in such a position with Kakashi, and he was mad that it had ended.

“UZUMAKI NARUTO!” Iruka bellowed. After he was sure he had gotten Naruto’s attention, he continued. “ANBU asked you to find Kakashi, correct?” At this Naruto seemed to remember why he was there in the first place.

“Uh, hai! ANBU asked for Kakashi and me to go see the old hag.” Naruto smiled and stuck his tongue out.

“Naruto,” Iruka said warningly. “You and I both know that that’s not how you address the Godaime.” Kakashi stopped Iruka from continuing by standing up and holding his hand down for Iruka to take.

Once they were standing, both obviously had calmed down, Kakashi turned to Iruka and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stay longer, would you take the stuff back to my place? You’re more than welcome to wait there.”

Iruka smiled. “I’ll take it all back to your place. I have some papers to grade though, so I will go back to my place. Stop by once you’re done. I would like to know what the Godaime had to say.” Iruka winked at Kakashi and blushed.

Kakashi smiled. He turned toward Naruto and they both bounded toward the Hokage’s office.

After five minutes, Naruto burst through the doors of Tsunade’s office. “Tsunade BAA-CHAN!” Naruto proceeded to duck the empty sake bottle that Tsunade chucked at his head. The bottle was then caught by Kakashi and returned to Tsunade so she could try again. Tsunade smirked at this as Naruto screamed that Kakashi was a traitor. Kankuro watched in amusement. ‘Naruto hadn’t changed much,’ he thought. ‘Still loud.’

Once the commotion settled down, Tsunade stood and handed a scroll to Kakashi and another to Naruto. When both shinobi gave her a questioning look, she took a deep breath and began to explain.

“This is an extremely important mission. You two will be joined by several very strong shinobi from the Hidden Sand. First you are to go report to the Kazekage there and await further instruction.” Tsunade paused. At the confused look on Naruto’s face, she sighed and continued with news that would shatter Naruto’s heart. “It appears that Sakura has been taken as prisoner of an unknown shinobi.” Tsunade closed her eyes as they threatened to fill with tears.

“What?” Naruto barely whispered as his world shattered around him. Sakura…

Kakashi placed a comforting hand on Naruto’s shoulder. He turned to Tsunade. “When did this happen?”

Tsunade replied, “About two weeks ago. The Hidden Sand felt a quake and the Kazekage felt a chakra disturbance at the same time coming from the direction of Fire Country. After investigating, the saw signs of battle and the earth torn up. One of the shinobi defeated the other and it looks like they have been taken.” Naruto interrupted at this point.

“Wait, you don’t know for sure that it was Sakura? It’s possible that Sakura wasn’t even involved.” Naruto grasped onto that hope.

“This is true Naruto, except for two facts. Only Sakura and I can tear up the earth like that with a blow, and Sakura was due back from her mission a week ago. I was already worried when Kankuro brought the news of the attack.” At Naruto’s crestfallen face, Tsunade stood up from her desk and walked around it. She stopped in front of Naruto. ‘He has grown so much taller,’ Tsunade thought. They were nearly eye to eye now, Naruto just a little bit taller. Still, Tsunade placed her hand on Naruto’s chin, bending his head down and kissed his forehead in a motherly fashion. She placed her other hand on Naruto’s chest, where she knew her necklace rested. “I did not give this to you because you won the bet we made.” At the reminder Naruto cracked a small smile. “I gave this to you because I believed you were going to be a great ninja. I gave this to you, the necklace that chooses the future Hokages, because I knew that you’d make a great Hokage. Your fellow ninja and friend needs you right now. Aside from the mission you had when you were twelve to bring Sasuke back,” Naruto flinched at the name, “this mission is probably one of the most important ones you’ll ever receive. I am confident that you and Kakashi will bring Sakura back safely.” Tsunade stepped back from Naruto and regarded two of her best shinobi. “Inside the scrolls will be more detail. I expect you two to leave as soon as possible with Kankuro. You are dismissed.”

Once Naruto and Kakashi left the room, Tsunade turned to Kankuro. “You may stay here and rest for the night. I suspect that Naruto and Kakashi will want to leave at dawn. I suggest meeting them at the gate a little before dawn.” Kankuro nodded and said his thanks to Tsunade before being dismissed as well.

Left alone in her office, Tsunade let the tears come. She wept silently for the broken heart of her favorite blond and for the fate of her pink haired apprentice.

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Dawn the next morning
*************

Kankuro was waiting for Kakashi and Naruto at the gate. When they showed, they quickly left Konoha. Kakashi showing up on time spoke of the grave importance of the mission. Nobody said a word, each one lost in their own thoughts.

Kankuro was excited that Tsunade had sent both Kakashi and Naruto. There were rumors in the Hidden Sand Village that these two were among the strongest ninja’s in Fire Country. He wasn’t sure if Naruto knew that the Kazekage was none other than Sabaku no Gaara. Naruto had changed the course of Gaara’s life during their battle after Orochimaru had attacked the Sandaime. He was very happy to know that the rumors were true. He was even more surprised to find out that the Godaime was looking at Naruto to become the next Hokage. ‘That should be interesting,’ he thought.

Kakashi was deeply worried about his former pupil. Sakura was such a sweet and intelligent girl. She grew up beautifully and fulfilled many goals in her life but she still had so much to live for. When Kakashi had stopped by Iruka’s house, Iruka knew immediately that Kakashi was preparing to leave on another mission. Iruka felt Kakashi withdraw into himself and no matter how much coaxing he did, Kakashi would still remain remote. He understood that Kakashi had to be objective during a mission. No ninja could allow personal feelings on a mission. If they did, they had just signed their death warrant. When Iruka asked Kakashi what the Godaime had to say, Kakashi just replied with, “I’m leaving in the morning on an important mission.” Iruka was frustrated with this answer. He could feel that Kakashi was trying harder than ever to bury his emotions regarding this mission. Iruka was more than a little worried.

“Kakashi, what’s wrong?” Iruka asked quietly. He did not expect an answer. So when Kakashi opened his mouth to speak, Iruka was surprised.

“Somebody kidnapped Sakura. There was a battle outside the Sand village and the Kazekage felt the disturbance. They sent Kankuro here to ask about Sakura, as there was evidence to a technique that only Tsunade and Sakura know. Sakura was due back from her mission a week ago. Tsunade is sending Naruto and me to talk with the Kazekage and go after Sakura.” Kakashi felt drained. He collapsed on the couch and Iruka began to stroke his hair.

“Sakura…” Iruka whispered. “You’ll find her. I know it. I have faith in both of you.” Kakashi met Iruka’s eyes and gave a hopeful smile.

Now, Kakashi remembered Iruka’s words of confidence and felt a new surge of hope. It was true that Naruto and Kakashi were damn good ninjas. They would get Sakura back.

Naruto felt himself reeling in emotions. He tried to fight them, but every time he failed. He was worried sick about Sakura. She was like a sister. He couldn’t lose what little family he had. This event was also bringing back memories of him chasing after Sasuke. He had vowed to bring Sasuke back, but failed. He had failed himself, Sakura, the village, and most importantly, his best friend. He couldn’t allow himself to do that again. Especially with Sakura’s life on the line.

Finding his determination, Naruto forced back all other emotions. He would not lose Sakura like he’d lost Sasuke.

As the three shinobi headed west, elsewhere somebody was hearing the news of Sakura’s kidnapping.

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In Sound Country
**************

A messenger bearing a scroll approached Orochimaru. Taking the scroll, Orochimaru waved his hand, dismissing the messenger. Not wanting to lose his life, the messenger swiftly left the room.

Orochimaru was beginning his final preparations to take Sasuke’s body as his own. Sasuke did not know of Orochimaru’s plans. Orochimaru knew that if Sasuke had known, the Sharingan user would have left a long time ago. Orochimaru had been training with Sasuke when the scroll arrived. He left Sasuke to open the scroll. Once he read the contents, his eyes widened and a large evil grin spread across his face. His snake-like tongue darted out to lick his lips as he chuckled. Turning to face Sasuke, Orochimaru’s chuckle evolved into a full laugh. Sasuke knew that this only happened when Orochimaru was thoroughly pleased, and Orochimaru was only thoroughly pleased with the most evil of things.

Seeing Sasuke’s blank face and knowing that Sasuke wanted to know what was in the scroll, Orochimaru decided that there was no harm in telling Sasuke. Orochimaru was planning on taking the Uchiha’s body in the next 24 hours so he was fairly certain that the brunette wouldn’t have a chance to do anything about it.

After another chuckle Orochimaru started with, “Your brother is a fascinating creature.” Seeing the desired effect on Sasuke at the mentioning of his brother, Orochimaru laughed again. Sasuke’s face, though still emotionless, turned hard. Orochimaru could see a glint of anger in Sasuke’s eyes. ‘The boy is spirited. Too bad he won’t ever be able to avenge his family.’

Orochimaru handed the scroll to Sasuke, prompting him to go ahead and read it. Sasuke opened up the scroll and began to read.

“Orochimaru,

I have completed the first task. Sakura was relatively easy to capture. I’ll be in Sound Country in about 3 weeks after you receive this.

Itachi.”

Sasuke’s face remained stone hard and blank but the glint in his eyes increased. His thoughts were moving so fast through his head. ‘He’s coming here. He has Sakura. Why is he coming here and why does he have Sakura? Doesn’t matter. This is my chance to finally avenge my family.’ Sasuke rolled the scroll back up and handed it back to Orochimaru. Without being asked, Orochimaru explained why Itachi had Sakura.

“Your brother is bringing Sakura to the Sound Country as you now know. This is the first part in a plan to ruin Konoha village for good this time. We know that Sakura is Tsunade’s most prized pupil so we’re confident in knowing that Tsunade is only going to send her best shinobi. The rumor today is that among her best shinobi is Naruto.” Orochimaru saw Sasuke flinch a little at this, but nothing else gave away what he was thinking. “In fact, it’s also rumored that she has her sights on him as her successor.” No other response from Sasuke other than his cold eyes glaring. “We’re sure that she would send Naruto, seeing as how Sakura is a close friend of his now, since you betrayed him and the village.” Orochimaru said this to raise some emotion into Sasuke. He wanted anger, damn it! After a moment, seeing that Sasuke wasn’t about to respond, he continued. “Once we’re sure that at least Naruto is on his way with other strong ninja from Konoha, I’m going to move in and destroy Konoha.” He waited. Sasuke was bound to ask the question.

“What does Itachi get out of this?” Sasuke hated to ask. He hated how Orochimaru could predict his feelings and responses.

Orochimaru gave his evil laugh again. “Your brother and the Akatsuki have wanted Naruto for a while. Do you have any idea why?” Sasuke shook his head. “Well, I do. Remember, 19 years ago, the Nine-Tail Fox Demon, Kyuubi no Kitsune, attacked Konoha. The Yondaime sacrificed himself to seal this demon into a newborn child. Do you have any idea who the child was?” Although Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion, he again shook his head no. “It was Uzumaki Naruto. Your rival, your best friend. What kind of best friend wouldn’t tell you about the demon he was?” Orochimaru whispered the last bit, leaning in close to Sasuke’s face. Suddenly, his presence receded and he left the room, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

‘So, Naruto had the demon in him this whole time. That would explain his fast healing and strange chakra.’ Sasuke shook his head. ‘Why didn’t he tell me? He was my friend. The only friend I had. Maybe he wasn’t a friend at all.’ Sasuke came to this conclusion and moved on to more important thoughts. ‘Itachi. He’s coming. He wants Naruto. I don’t care if Akatsuki gets Naruto or not. Well, not anymore.’ Sasuke tried to convince himself. ‘Itachi is mine to kill. No plan is going to stop me.’ Another thought entered Sasuke’s mind. ‘Orochimaru is hiding something from me. My senses are saying I’m in danger. More so than when I first got here. I should leave immediately, go after my brother.’ Reaching his conclusion, Sasuke left the training rooms and moved to his own. There, he grabbed only some clothes and all of his weapons.

Security was a bitch to get through. Sasuke decided to not tell anybody where he was going. He had a feeling that once Orochimaru found out he was gone, he’d know where Sasuke went. Sasuke went around all ninja and guards surrounding Orochimaru’s place. Sasuke had been observing the guards for years. He knew that the time would come for him to escape, and he wanted to be ready.

Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke watched as a guard left his post and another one replaced. Knowing that both guards would be distracted momentarily, Sasuke didn’t hesitate to slip right past their senses. It was almost too easy.

As Sasuke raced through the forest on his way toward the Fire Country, he began to plan a way to get to his brother and finally kill him.

He was very annoyed by the fact that he couldn’t get a certain blond out of his thoughts.

TBC…

Whew! That was a chapter… *dresses battle wounds*

Coming up next: Kakashi and Naruto arrive in Hidden Sand Village. Naruto finds out that Gaara is Kazekage. I may put a sparring scene in there between the two vessels. ^^ We’ll follow Itachi and Sakura for a bit; get some insight on Itachi and what he’s thinking. Follow Sasuke as well. He’ll come to some discoveries of his own. Kakashi and Naruto will quickly follow Itachi’s path. Depending on how long the next chapter will be, I may put in the meeting of the two brothers and then Kakashi and Naruto stumbling upon them. Or it may not happen that way… we’ll see. ^^

A/N: So what do you guys think of Gaara’s thoughts on Sakura? Didn’t go into much detail, but the fact that he thinks of Sakura as ‘his’ is pretty straightforward. Reviews would be greatly appreciated. And now, review responses!

Review Responses:

Bookworm: I completely understand having a fried brain. @.@ Thanks for reviewing anyway! I’m really glad you like the beginning so far. And I share your frustration with stories that are never finished. I promise that I won’t do that. This story is going to haunt me until I finish. I also have to say that yes, I cannot see Sasuke being uke at all! His personality is a dominating type. As for your dream, feel free to write me an e-mail about it! I’m not much into mpreg, but I’m interested in your dream. I may write a short story about it. ^^

Mimi: *Hugs* me = happy! I write this for people’s enjoyment.