Dark Truths Undiscovered

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters. Nor do I own the songs used within.

Thanks Meadow for the reviews J Yes this is a AU, kinda. I guess I am just stretching the timeline of the story a bit. Hope you all enjoy.

~

Sakura crouched in the treeline, her green eyes flowing over the open fields below.

This was Sound.

Orochimaru’s domain, now Sasuke’s.

She wanted to rush in and take him back if she could, but that was not what this mission was about.

A week ago, Itachi announced another recon mission at the edge of the area. She was to go along. The more familiar she became with the area, the better.

She suspected it was his plan to let Sasuke catch the trace of his chakra. The younger Uchiha would no doubt come out to engage him in combat.

But then, they weren’t not certain of the level of control over Sasuke or his abilities. This was another of Itachi’s goals, though he hadn’t told her. Oddly enough she found that reading him was becoming possible for her, but then again, only because he allowed it.

She watched him carefully looking for any weakness that she might use in the future. She noticed that he rarely spoke to the other Akatsuki, unless issuing orders. He was cold and distant. He never carried on conversations and seemed disinterested in their opinions on most things.

Save one. The weirdo with mouths on his hands. All things considered, Deidara wasn't bad at all. Just...odd.

He talked to her however. She was certain if that was a good or bad thing. She chalked it up to the fact that he was still mostly an unknown to her. She didn’t understand how he operated and so he was probably speaking to her to make certain that she didn’t screw up.

She felt him, not far from her position. Kisamie had also come on this mission and she found that she hated the sickly feeling of dread she felt whenever he was near. However the Uchiha’s presence was enough to make him keep his distance.

Sakura however had not missed the resentful looks the shark had tossed at Itachi’s back.

There was movement in the field and she narrowed her eyes following it. A group of Sound ninja were gathering. Perhaps they had been discovered? She searched for the wild haired thing, and while several could be called that, none of them stood out to her. None of them was Sasuke.

They were some distance from Orochimaru’s compound, and she wondered what they were doing. If they had noticed the eyes on them, they should have taken some action by now.

Right?

She tensed when she felt a trickle of chakra move past her, and started. This was not the work of the Sound nins.

This was distinctly Kisamie.

His chakra was barely detectable but present, and seemed to move towards the position of his two companions. She growled softly.

That son of a bitch was trying to give them away! Why? It was an outright betrayal of Itachi. He had to know that the Uchiha would kill him for this.

She had no more time to mull it over. The sound nin were gone and she tensed again. While she was glaring towards the hidden shark, they had made their move. She cursed herself for a fool even as one seemed to appear before her very eyes.

The brawny male slashed out with kunai at her which she easily avoided, back flipping some distance away. He pressed his hands together forming a myriad of seals.

The air around her shimmered and she smirked, “Won’t work! Release!”. The air shimmered a moment more and stilled.

He forced more seals, pressing his hands to the ground. The earth seemed to roll with a shockwave and she lost her balance, catching herself on her left hand to pivot away and keep her freedom of movement.

“Give me back Sasuke!” she shouted, forming her own seals.

Chakra glowed across her knuckles and she focused it into needlelike form, flinging them at her opponent. He dodged all but one, but one was enough. Sakura used her medical training well, focusing on the areas of the body where the flow of chakra thinned. To form a block of it, no matter how small gave her an advantage.

It was something that Neji had once pointed out when they sparred.

She moved swiftly, finishing the Sound nin off, but in her haste to do so, she failed to see one very important thing. Kisamie emerging from the shadows behind her. She saw the reflection of him in her victim’s eyes and spun to face him.

He had hefted that horrible sword of his off his shoulder.

“You should have listened to me when you had the chance” he told her, “Now I won’t give you a choice.”

She glared at him, crouching for battle. “Itachi is going to kill you.” she reminded him.

To her surprise he chuckled, “He won’t. The trouble with killing Itachi is most people don’t know how he works. In this situation however, Sasuke does. The outcome will be more than beneficial to me.”

Jade eyes snapped wide. The shark was far more clever than she had given him credit for. She leapt back, turned on her heel to rush to where Itachi had been. Did this mean Sasuke would be there to fight him? To kill him? Why did she feel the stab of panic in her chest at the mere thought of it?

‘Because’ she told herself, ‘I’m going to kill him myself.’

Kisamie however, had other ideas. He blocked her escape with a snarl, she barely managed to avoid the shaving blade. She knew only too well that thing could cause vicious wounds. She didn’t have time for those at the moment.

“Why?” she rasped out when he managed to catch her shoulder, though only just. Pain seared through her, and she forced herself to dodge again.

Kisamie laughed, “He is so perfect isn’t he?” he asked in turn, “Perfect weapon, perfect mind, perfectly disgusting. Arrogant, thinking he is so much better than everyone else. I served with him for years and did he ever truly acknowledge me? No!”

He swung viciously at her, and she stumbled back. Her rose colored brows furrowing.

“Jealousy?” she asked incredulously, “You would betray him and your precious group for that?”.

He swung again and again, the edge of his blade shearing her armor vest.

He snarled, stabbing the weapon into the ground causing the earth to crack and heave under her feet, then she found herself pinned by the blade.

“The younger Uchiha will not treat me so.” he told her. Sakura met and held his eyes, and laughed in his face.

“Is that what you think?” she asked, “Is that really what you believe?”

Kisamie frowned, slightly thrown off by her reaction. Sakura focused her chakra into her legs and kicked out at the blade knowing she would be wounded, but that damn thing would go flying.

A fair trade she decided. Connecting with the sword, she grunted in a combination of pain and satisfaction as it sailed through the air, beyond his reach.

Pain was simple, it would be dealt with later. She flipped up onto her feet. “You know nothing” she told him, “Itachi might be cold, he might even be cruel, but Sasuke….. Well now… Sasuke won’t treat you better… in fact you’ve never been his friend so you don’t know….”

Kisamie dodged a kunai, “Know what?” he asked her.

She smirked, preparing to move, “Sasuke…. Doesn’t hold his ‘friends’ all that close. In fact… you might find yourself in more danger the closer you get. He will break you.”

Kisamie had barely noticed her canting her body toward his. Her hand on the hilt of her sword.

At the last moment she twisted, unsheathing her sword. She thrust upwards, burying the tip of her blade in his ribs. He roared his pain and grasped her wrist in a crushing grip. She yelped at the pain of bone grinding against bone, she could almost feel the small fractures spider through them.

But she held on, digging the steel deeper. A thin trickle of blood appeared near his mouth and gills and she smiled with triumph, twisting the blade harshly. Kismaie threw her away from himself, pulling the blade free with a grunt of pain and a dark scowl in her direction.

“You haven’t killed me yet you little bitch.” he bit out.

His arm lashed out and though she knew she was out of range, she gasped when she felt multiple points of pain. Looking down she noted the graying scale like object protruding from her. Not even her armor had been able to stop them.

They burned fiercely and she doubled over as they began to move, slowly pressing themselves deeper into tender flesh, rotating to cause more damage. She tasted the metallic tang of blood on her tongue and glowered at him.

“That all you got?” she asked him.

Apparently not. For he released another volley, of which she was only able to avoid half. The rest bit into her back and shoulders. She couldn’t get away, not like this. She knew that.

Oddly enough she found herself hoping Itachi was safe. He would have to the one to save Sasuke, even if that meant one of them was going to die.

She lay panting on the ground, willing the jagged toothed bastard closer. She had a few more tricks up her sleeve. She just had to get him closer.

‘Come closer…closer…’ she silently chanted, ‘Closer.’

And she nearly wept with relief when he did.

Staggering across the clearing towards her. He knelt over her, his lips, bloodied stretched into a malicious smile.

“Not so strong now are you?” he asked. Reaching out to touch her soft candy hued hair, she gritted her teeth and jerked her head away. He said nothing, withdrew a dagger and cut off a cherry colored tress.

“I wish to see the truth of your words” he told her, “ I want to see how bloodthirsty the younger Uchiha is. If his friends are the fire that rages in him, then I think he might like to see this.”

Sakura moved her lips soundlessly. Like so many others he bent closer, intent on hearing her.

Fool.

She lifted her hands, feeling chakra flood into them. Her intent to kill tainting the usually pure color. He noticed it as she touched his chest. He howled in pain and fell back, skittering away from her. Back, back, until his flight was blocked.

Tipping his head back , he met the swirling red of Itachi’s eyes. The uchiha seemed unharmed, his gaze cold and tinged with mockery.

“As though I would fall to such pitiful schemes.” he said quietly, “You think I haven’t known about your secret dealings with Sound? You were the tool to draw closer to them. But now I have the bit of information that I required.”

Sakura blinked, feeling the scales dig deep once more. What was he talking about now? Itachi waited for Kisamie to rise, “You have outlived your usefulness.” Kisamie’s eyes widened, and he suddenly looked away.

“Your hateful eyes can’t effect those who don’t meet them.” he muttered.

Itachi said nothing, “I have no need of the sharingan against you.”

Sakura watched in wide eyed wonder and horror at the simplistic beauty that was Itachi. He expended no additional energy. His blade was swift and true. His skill level far beyond compare.

It was over before it had really begun. “Do not underestimate my protection.”

Face down in the grass and leaves, the shark fell. His eyes fixed wide open. As though shocked that he would be a victim of Itachi, though his actions had left no other end for him. Sakura sensed no one else in the area.

Just the two of them. She let her chin rest on her chest, having pushed herself into a kneeling position.

“You… you knew” she panted. Lifting her eyes to him, she tried to veil her pain. Itachi said nothing, coming to stand over her. His eyes were dark now, calm.

He took in the blood that covered her and made a small sound of impatience, “Can you move?” he asked.

She nodded, making her way to her feet, only to stumble and sway. She pitched forward and he was there, her forehead colliding with his hard chest. Unable to hold herself up she began to slide down him. His arm banded around her waist, keeping her upright. His grip was firm but she was just able to feel the gentleness.

“If you persist in fighting this way it hardly makes sense to bandage you.” he told her.

If she hadn’t known better she might have thought he was teasing her. She said nothing as once again, she was lifted into his arms, bloodied and confused.

“S…sasuke?” she asked in a soft voice, almost dreading the answer. She felt the tension in his muscles for a moment and then he looked ahead again.

“Not here.” he told her.

She sighed with relief. That meant he was still alive then. A clap of thunder sounded overhead and she grimaced. They were too far from the mansion, they’d have to find shelter somewhere else. She hated being wet and wounded. She bit her lip when he leapt into the trees moving with a speed and grace she envied.

~

Sasuke sat in the dimly lit room, listening to the rage of the storm outside. It soothed him, calmed him in ways he could not describe. Perhaps because it drowned out the clamoring behind his eyes. He wondered when his brother would come. He barely glanced up when a returning patrol entered.

“Sasuke-sama” the tall woman said in throaty tones. He lifted a brow but remained silent. She bowed her head, “Itachi slaughtered our men, and his traitor. Just as you expected.” She waited for his response.

He smirked in the flicker of the candles, “Then why are you still here?” he asked.

Her eyes said it all, she feared him. Feared the power he held, but she was diligent. There was something amiss. She stepped forward, extending her hand to him. His dark eyes glimmered as they moved from her face to her gloved hand and the cheery pink locks held in them.

He felt his heart lurch, even as he took the hair from her. “What is this?” he asked.

She nodded, “We found it clutched in Kisamie’s hand. The woman was taken by Itachi after the battle. I know nothing else of her Sasuke -sama.”

He fingered the silken locks, “I know her” he said darkly, “Leave me.”

So Sakura was with his brother. Wasn’t that an interesting revelation. He wondered why that was.

His first thought had been, oddly enough for her safety. However, if Itachi had taken the wounded woman then that must mean they traveled together.

He wondered how that had come to be, and what the fox vessel thought of it. He’d always been protective of Sakura, possessive even. A

lone now, with only dancing shadows to bear witness, he lifted the bright strands to his nose. Inhaling the delicate scent of the girl he had left behind so many years ago.

The scent was only slightly altered, a fuller scent, warmer, womanly, yet there was still that sweetness that had always been hers alone.

With a nostalgic smile he mused to himself, “She still uses the same shampoo.”

The appearance of Sakura so close to his borders left no doubt that he himself was the target. He had long ago given up on Konoha and so it seemed they did the same. Leaving him to face the demons of his own making.

And he had.

Taking control in an iron grip. To defeat Itachi had to have hatred, his brother had given him that. He needed power greater than his own, Orochimaru had given him that, and then learned that his pet project, his future container was beyond his control in his current condition. Sasuke no longer thought much of the snake user taking over his body. He was far stronger than he looked and he looked nearly unbeatable.

Still, Sakura presented a small problem.

Where she went, Naruto was sure to follow and even he wondered about the Kyuubi and just how strong his opponent, his rival, his best friend had become.

He should have killed him when he had the chance, but he had knelt over that whiskered face and found himself unable to do so.

Unable to take the power that he knew he needed. Instead he had left his forehead protector on the wet rock beside him, and bid him a silent farewell. Willing the blonde to forget him forever. He had closed off that part of his heart then, willing it and his memories to die. And they had, except in dreams and in time even those faded, dimmed.

Until a bright handful of pink curls and the memory of startling blue eyes rushed in on him again. If Naruto came he would have another chance to kill him, he wanted that of course. And then he didn’t.

Deep, in that locked corner of his heart, he didn’t want to face that situation again. But the vengeance of the Uchiha had to come first. He could not fail.

‘Damn them all.’