Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Forced Fate ❯ For Love of Sakura Part I-Dangerous Encounter ( Chapter 2 )

Two Years Later…

Sasuke was a bit nervous traveling through the Fire country. He was journeying through the thick forest that surrounded Konoha, and though he wasn't in the hidden village's actual territory, he was close enough that there were liable to be quiet a few Konoha ninja traveling through this forest going to and from missions. His odds of coming into contact with one of his ex-fellow shinobi were too great for his comfort.

If he'd had his choice, he wouldn't have traveled near Konoha at all, but his mission was in the Wave country, and unless he was willing to go hundreds of miles out of his way there was no avoiding it.

He remembered studying the map, trying to eke out the best possible route to take. He'd nearly groaned at what he saw. The Fire country laid right smack between the Sound and Wave villages, and it covered so much area that even a very indirect route wouldn't allow him to bypass it. There was no avoiding it, not reasonably anyway, and to top it off he'd have to travel through it for quiet a while. He really had groaned then. Sasuke recalled an observing Kabuto laughing, and when Sasuke scowled at him he only laughed harder.

He grinned at the memory, but didn't linger in his thoughts long; he needed to stay focused. He put all his senses on alert, tuning them to the sight, sound, or feel of any impending company. He only hoped he'd be able to get enough of an advanced warning to steer clear of anyone.

He desperately wanted to avoid any encounter with ninja from his former home, and so he traveled high up in the trees, as fast as his feet and chakra could possibly take him. If he was sensed or spotted the Leaf ninja would definitely engage him.

Sasuke doubted he'd be welcomed with open arms, but then he didn't exactly want to see any of them either. They'd either want to drag him back or kill him, and Sasuke wasn't about to have either; there would definitely be a scuffle. He would fight anyone who opposed him if he had to, but he wanted to avoid that at all possible cost; the quicker he was away from here, the better.

Using his chakra to enhance his speed was a bit risky; nearby ninja would be able to detect his use of power, and he'd definitely be detected, Sasuke had no doubts of that. He was very, very strong. On the other hand he had a lot of distance to cover through this territory, and walking would cause him to inhabit this forest for days on end. Surely that would increase his chances of exposure ten times more than merely using chakra would. So, fast travel was the lesser of two dangers.

This was his second time skirting the forests around Konoha. The first was his journey to the Wave. He'd traveled the same as he was now, high and fast, and he'd had no trouble. He was only hoping it would go the same now.

He was returning from an assassination mission. A businessman from the water country had been receiving death threats. He'd wanted to conscript ninja from Orochimaru to find the identity of the killer, and dispose of him. 'Real quiet like,' he'd asked. Apparently two of the businessman's brothers had already been murdered after receiving similar threats, and it was time to take action before he himself or his wife and children were eliminated.

In his letter to Orochimaru, the businessman had praised the sound leader's ninja for their deadly reputation. They were known for being ruthlessly efficient and extremely discreet. Or so the man had been told, apparently they came highly recommended by a good friend of his.

He appealed to Orochimaru stating that he wanted to deal with no other village than Sound. He'd even promised to pay whatever price was necessary to get the Sannin to accept. Whoever the businessman's source was, he must have said some pretty flattering things. It was nice to know that their new village was growing in reputation and popularity with the clients.

Orochimaru had been ecstatic after reading the letter. Sasuke had heard his master ranting to Kabuto about things like more clients coming to the Sound meant less going to the other villages. The snake man had voiced that in just a few short years the sound was already considered one of the most powerful villages. The two had speculated on what fortune a few more years might bring; perhaps the sound village would surpass Konoha in strength and greatness, and Orochimaru's name would bring more respect than the Hokage's. The thought of the Sound village being regarded higher than the Leaf was blissful to the snake.

Sasuke knew that Orochimaru harbored resentment towards Konoha. It was obvious in the way he nearly spat the name of the leaf village, and then there was the fact that he nearly destroyed it and killed the hokage. He didn't know all the details as to why Orochimaru hated the village, but Sasuke didn't need to to recognize the intense hate and bitterness in his teacher toward everything Konoha. It mirrored his own feelings toward Itachi.

It was that shared bitterness and hatred that caused a bond to form between Sasuke and his master. Though they both suffered from different circumstances and different culprits, it still bred the same feelings, and because of that they could understand each other on some dark primitive level.

Back during the Chuunin exam, Orochimaru had recognized Sasuke's suffering, rage, need… He'd seen it all, told Sasuke he could see it in his eyes, and offered to help him, to give him what he needed. He'd promised all that Sasuke had wanted, and so far he'd been true to his word.

As one of the Sannin's pupils he was never sheltered from dangerous missions, and was encouraged to gain as much strength and power as he could. Orochimaru showed him so many techniques.

Sasuke liked having someone teach him so many things, and encourage him to learn as many as possible, push him to perform them to perfection, and force him to become as powerful as he possibly could.

"Kakashi," he whispered. He felt like his praise of Orochimaru was a betrayal to his old sensei, and he felt guilty. Guilty because he'd found a peace with the old Sannin he hadn't known in a long time. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate all the Copy Ninja had done for him, because Sasuke did. He was grateful for the one-on-one instruction Kakashi had given, grateful for him sealing Orochimaru's curse, and grateful for the concern he'd shown for him, but in the end they just couldn't understand each other.

Like everyone else in the Leaf village, Kakashi only spoke to the goodness in Sasuke, and hardly talked of the bad things. Whenever anyone in Konoha spoke of bad things it was a quick 'the life of a shinobi sucks, so you might as well get happy already'… 'Sure, your whole family was slaughtered, but the market has free cupcakes today, so you shouldn't be mad'… 'Your brother pretended to love you then tortured you, but you made three friends so you should forget about it'… "Not good enough," he mumbled. The good side rarely outweighed the bad.

Was he supposed to believe that Itachi should be allowed to live and roam freely because Sasuke had a few friends? Friends he couldn't even bring himself to be consciously nice to most of the time? It seemed as though his anger was thought unrighteous, that he had so much good in his life that Itachi's deeds should seem like another life.

Kakashi stroked his goodness with a soft voice, 'new friends', 'nothing good ever comes from revenge', 'revenge will only bring you more pain'. He had looked at Kakashi with longing eyes, begging him to say 'what Itachi did was unforgivable', and 'I'm sure there isn't enough anger that could express how you feel'. Instead he'd said 'we're both unlucky'. Unlucky couldn't even begin to describe it. That statement made it sound like he'd lost a coin toss or something, and he'd quickly lashed out at his teacher.

Even Sakura had said that revenge wasn't going to make him or anyone happy. Why didn't anyone understand that he wasn't happy anyway? He wanted to scream. Wasn't there anyone who understood him? He stopped dead in his tracks… he couldn't breathe. One name whispered in his mind, in his own voice… 'Orochimaru, Orochimaru-sama understands you'. Isn't that what he'd been implying all along? Yes, but he didn't really realize what he was saying until now. It was frightening, but the moment his inner voice said it he knew it was true. The only one who'd said they understood, the only one who put Sasuke's feelings into words, and the only one who accepted him in spite of it… or maybe because of it, was Orochimaru. He didn't want to breath, didn't want to move, that's not who he wanted acceptance from.

At the Sound he wasn't chastised for his anger, aloof attitude, or his need to be as strong as possible. Orochimaru understood. He understood Sasuke's anger and need for revenge, and even if it wasn't understanding of the brotherly or fatherly sort, it was understanding nonetheless. It was refreshing, and Sasuke felt as though that was something he'd always been missing in Konoha. And it wasn't as though he wanted to be coddled. He only wanted someone to understand him, if even just a little. He longed to hear someone say 'I understand Sasuke. I would be furious too'. He had been so tired of hearing 'forget about revenge', 'revenge won't make you happy', 'love everyone around you', 'stop being angry' … he rolled his eyes, 'blah, blah, blah'. Why was it so hard to understand that he was hurt and pissed, and angry and pissed, and betrayed and pissed, and mostly he was just pissed. And didn't he have a right to be?

He ranted to himself until his fists were leaking blood from being clenched so hard, and his jaw was sore from gritting his teeth. His eyes burned dangerously with pent up anger.

Why wouldn't Konoha let him be angry? Throughout his whole childhood after the Itachi incident no one lectured him about the wrongness of revenge or anger. No one acted concerned about his standoffish behavior. Not one person argued that wanting power and being the strongest was wrong as they watched him strive for it all through his academy years. And Why? Because then he was their star pupil, he was praised for being the strongest. He was something to brag about, their village trophy. All that he was, and all that he'd accomplished was celebrated by the village until someone else coveted him.

Orochimaru had seen his behavior and demeanor for what it was; he'd praised it, wanted it, stroked it, promised things… With Orochimaru's interest came the awakening of Konoha, and their introduction to Uchiha Sasuke. Suddenly the Leaf village was very aware of what Sasuke was. Gone was the boy who strove to be the best in everything, gone was the boy who was the most powerful of his peers, gone was the brooding boy with the perpetual frown, and gone was the aloof arrogance. Now he was a power hungry, dangerous, anger ridden weapon with no real emotional ties to the village.

They'd missed what was under their noses all along, and when they finally saw it they became concerned. But it was too late. Orochimaru's plans were laid and if Sasuke fought against the snake's manipulation he'd lose; hadn't he already?

Orochimaru would stroke Sasuke's darkness, whisper to it, tempt it… No amount of friends, or evil suppressing seals would hold Orochimaru's ambitions at bay. He understood Sasuke, and he knew how to win him. He was a master strategist and he loved the game.

Orochimaru made sure Sasuke felt weak, powerless, helpless, and he stoked the fire of Sasuke's anger as often as possible. And if none of that worked then all the Sannin had to do was mention Itachi, and Sasuke would be mindless with rage and easy to manipulate.

Sasuke knew deep down that Orochimaru had manipulated him, but somehow that didn't seem to matter. He had wanted Sasuke, had wanted him for everything he was, and everything he wanted to accomplish. The logic was simple, the snake man wanted what he wanted and he would do what was necessary to get it; Sasuke understood that. He could relate to that. Wasn't that what he was willing to do with Itachi? Wasn't that why he was with Orochimaru now? Yes, they understood each other, they'd use each other, and when the using was over only one of them would remain. Sasuke smiled wickedly. "That someone will be me."

He glided from tree to tree, taking in the scent of the fresh forest air. 'Mmm', that was a scent very familiar to him. "Konoha," he whispered. The anger and sadness began to wash away as he breathed in the familiar fresh scent of the Fire country. He smiled as the warm breeze drifted over his face and fanned his hair. Sasuke closed his eyes allowing himself to stop on a large branch and enjoy the feel of being so close to home… 'Home?' He snapped his eyes open. Where had that thought come from? The sound was his home now, not Konoha.

It was true he'd hoped to one day call the hidden village of Leaf home again, but it wasn't right now and hadn't been for two years. Sasuke frowned, remembering when he first left Konoha. So many of his peers had given chase to him, and many either died or were hurt very badly; at least that's what Naruto seemed to allude the last time they'd met.

How foolish was he, thinking he could ever go home to Konoha? They probably considered him a traitor, a betrayer, a deserter... Sasuke stood dumfounded for a moment; a familiar feeling clenched his gut. 'Home'… He lowered his head, pushing his fist into his stomach in attempt to ease the disquieting flutter he felt there. 'I can never go home again.'

But then was it ever really his home? Sasuke thought about it… Yes it was… before the destruction of his clan it was home. His entire family surrounded him then; they made up nearly the entire police force for god's sake. His family was a very big presence in Konoha. Back then he definitely considered the Leaf village home.

'But what about after they were gone?' Did a familiar scent make it his home? Was that all he had to go home to… the smell of the air? So what, so he liked the fresh air around here. Other than that what was there? Three faces flashed in his mind… Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi… He ignored them. There was no point in dredging up old friends if he was never going to see them again. Right?

He remembered back to his childhood after the death of his clan. He marked how his attitude had changed, how the people around him had changed and reacted to him. It was revealing really, and strange that he hadn't noticed the pattern before. Only now when he reflected on his life there did he see how they'd failed him. He didn't blame them for the way things were back then. He didn't even blame them for the way things were now. He was only angry with them for not understanding, for not being able to see, and for probably labeling him a traitor for doing what he felt he had to. They couldn't help him; they'd had years to do it, but they never did.

The fact was Sasuke's sour demeanor and angry attitude as a child clashed with the peaceful times Konoha was experiencing. They celebrated in a peaceful village after suffering so many years of death, desertion and destruction. With wars and the nine tails running loose, many families were torn apart, friends and loved ones were lost; terror infiltrated every corner and crevice in the village until the people were blinded to everything else. They'd even lost their beloved fourth hokage. They'd seen so much misery and darkness that when light and peace finally came they wanted to bask in it, forget about the darkness for as long as possible, even if that meant ignoring the darkness trapped within others. And that's just what they did.

They'd turned a blind eye to blackness and turmoil, only focusing on the good things. He didn't blame them; he only hoped they didn't blame him for not being able to celebrate with them. As light and good as it was for them, he was surrounded in his own nearly impenetrable darkness.

They didn't want to face the tragedy of the Uchiha family; it was too soon for them. They weren't equipped to handle it. His tragedy wasn't acknowledged. He was treated like every other child that was born during those peaceful times, and that would have been okay except that he wasn't like them. Peace hadn't lasted for him like it did them, and that made him different. His attitude screamed that he was different, but it was ignored. They'd tried to shove him into a mold they thought he should be in, instead of opening their eyes and really seeing him.

It seemed as though his whole life they had watched the hatred and anger eat him from the inside out, and yet they denied it was ever happening. Sasuke's frowns would be answered with a smile and a pat on the head. They'd assumed he frowned for no better reason other than he was a brooding child. They'd accepted his loner attitude as a product of being an elite Uchiha, even agreeing that he should be arrogant because he was a member of that select family.

He couldn't really blame them. Who would want to dwell on one upset child when their own families had already seen so much sadness and heartache? Why wouldn't they want to concentrate on themselves and their family's own happiness? Especially when it was easy for them to pretend the Uchiha tragedy never really happened. It wasn't personal to them like it was to him. It was a horror story, or scary movie to them… something surreal that they could forget about as soon as they were tucked safely away in their own beds.

They weren't the ones who had to walk down the empty Uchiha section of the village, sit alone at the dinner table… "Huuuh," he sighed irritably. He didn't need their pity anyway; he just didn't want their anger. He just wanted to be him, and to deal with things in his own way. That was fine, they weren't able to help, but at least they didn't need to criticize and blame. If they didn't want a part in helping, then they shouldn't have a part in accusing.

To this day Sasuke still didn't know what his father truly thought of him. He'd had so little time with him, said so little words to him. Not because he didn't want to, he didn't get to. Itachi was the lucky one to receive all that, and then his bastard brother didn't even appreciate it. "Rrr." He couldn't hold back the growl. He clenched his fists, wishing so much they were wrapped around his brother's neck.

Back then he'd been happy to have his brother. If he didn't have his father, then he had his brother, but that had been false. The only living member left of his family, and he'd been pretending to love Sasuke. Irony could be cruelly funny. He barked out a short mirthless laugh. No, he couldn't push it aside or forget it like the other villagers, and when he thought of those rat bastards judging him while they sat around their dinner tables laughing it pissed him off. "Assholes, all of them. I don't need them anyway, and I certainly don't need their damn village." He whispered viscously. He couldn't wait to get back to the Sound now, to see the people who accepted him, to those like him… to Orochimaru who could validate him and put him at ease. As hard as it was to believe, he'd found some peace with the snake Sannin.

He began skipping through the trees again at a breakneck pace, stamping out the reminder of his old home and friends with new memories. Thoughts of those back at the Sound began invading his mind, easing his anger a bit and calming him.

Orochimaru, Kabuto, Tayuya… yes, she'd survived, she was the only one of the four that returned and she would have died if it weren't for Kabuto's incredible healing skills. None of them were the loving hugging type, but neither was Sasuke, yet they were close. They all seemed to understand and accept each other. There was no room in their lives for fluffy words or coddling, they'd seen too much, done too much, and been through too much to be able to appreciate such things. Things like that only rang false and garnered mistrust and uneasiness. So, they treated each other accordingly and became close.

Sasuke allowed himself a small smile. His mission had been a success, and now he was on his way back to the Sound, gliding from tree to tree. There had been no need to send other shinobi on this mission with Sasuke. His new sensei had the utmost faith in his abilities as a ninja. He'd grown unbelievingly in strength since he left Konoha.

A few years ago Sasuke wouldn't have even been able to fathom being able to attain so much power in such a small amount of time. He didn't even think twenty years in Konoha could have given him the strength he'd attained in just a couple of years with Orochimaru.

'…'

Sasuke stopped dead in his tracks as he felt the sudden swelling of two enormous chakras, one of which felt vaguely familiar to him. The two weren't friendly to each other; he could feel their bloodlust thicken the air around him, pressing against him. Two people were fighting nearby; one of them he possibly knew. He tensed.

He was awfully close to Konoha right now. He didn't want to confront anyone he knew from his old village. Whoever was fighting might try to drag him back to Konoha. A thousand thoughts ran through his head. His mind screamed for him to run away… fast, but something deep inside his soul whispered for him to go check it out, and somehow that whisper sounded louder and more urgent than the scream. A very desperate, very strong urge clamped down around his heart, something primal and instinctive awoke inside Sasuke and he couldn't resist the pull.

Fear and desperation raced through him, but he couldn't tell why. He wasn't exactly trying to dissect his feelings right now either. He was obeying that instinct deep inside him that pleaded for him to hurry.

He approached quickly but cautiously. As dire as he felt the situation might be he couldn't carelessly rush into an unknown situation like an idiot, like Naruto would do. No, Sasuke was never an idiot, not blatantly anyway, and so he'd assess the situation before plunging in… if he would plunge in at all.

Suppressing his chakra, Sasuke danced in the shadows from tree to tree until he caught sight of the combatants. Sasuke froze… one of them was Akatsuki. He'd know that black and red cloak anywhere…

'Akatsuki'… 'Itachi,' his mind whispered. 'What if it was Itachi?'

One of the chakras suddenly disappeared, the familiar one he should know, 'what happened to the other chakra? There were still two people fighting, both were still present, so where did the one's power go?'

Sasuke was desperately trying to assess the situation. He knew one fighter was a member of Akatsuki, but he still couldn't make out the other. He crept closer, the ground getting moister the closer he got. 'Why was the ground wet? It certainly hadn't rained recently.' He briefly questioned, then threw it aside as immaterial at the moment. The key right now was the identity of the other fighter. He had to get closer.

He knew he had to use extreme caution here. He shouldn't be approaching at all, not when one of them was Akatsuki, and the other a possible Konoha resident, but some unidentifiable feeling that dwelled in the wild and instinctual parts of his heart, body and soul had forcefully urged him on. And now that the thrill of possible battle thrummed in his veins. He'd never turn back.

He felt so exhilarated and alive, and the thought of testing his new powers against Akatsuki in real combat was too elating to ignore. That had always been a weakness with him; wanting to test his strength against the strongest he could find, and these chakras had felt enormous. How would he measure up against that? He smiled wickedly. He couldn't wait to find out.

Orochimaru would probably be furious with Sasuke if he knew he was about to willingly fight a member of the elite deadly group… no not probably, definitely… he'd definitely be angry, but Sasuke couldn't resist, wouldn't resist. As furious as Orochimaru would be, he'd understand. He most assuredly wouldn't like it that Sasuke had done something so reckless, but he'd understand why he did. The two were frighteningly alike in some ways.

His body and blood were singing for battle. His heart was pounding in eagerness and excitement; he was close enough to make out that it was a woman and a man fighting… well he was pretty sure the other was a man; something seemed odd about him. 'So, the Akatsuki was a male.'

He crept closer. 'Did that woman have pink hair?' He shook his head. 'No, not possible.' He watched as the woman was pounded into the ground by a giant sword? Club? 'What was that thing?'

Closer…

The woman got up… slowly. The man seemed to wait for her before attacking again. 'Why?' 'Was he toying with her?' Sasuke kept his eyes on the battle as he slowly crept forward.

The Akatsuki member swung for her again; she dodged… barely. Her movements seemed severely diminished. Her posture and actions looked sluggish.

The man kept swinging his giant weapon and she kept dodging, but he was getting closer and closer to hitting her with each swing… she was tiring. 'Why doesn't she do something other than dodge?' 'Why wasn't she forming any seals?' 'Was she out of chakra?' He couldn't feel any coming from her. Then he remembered feeling that huge burst of power suddenly vanish. Her power had vanished. 'Why?' 'How?' So many questions…

Closer…

'Oh god…she did have pink hair.' It was her; it was Sakura. Now that he saw her he knew that was her chakra he'd felt. It had seemed so familiar, but it was so strong, far beyond the Sakura that he knew, and that was why he couldn't attach it to the smiling girl he used to know. But it had to be her… familiar chakra, pink hair; he didn't know anyone else with pink hair, and he was so very close to Konoha.

Closer…

She was viscously pounded with that giant weapon, and thrown to the ground several feet away from her attacker. A crater formed where her body was pummeled into the ground, earth scattered in all directions… she didn't get up…

Sasuke waited…

No movement…

He couldn't see her anymore, just the crater. 'Please tell me she dodged.' 'Please tell me she dodged.' He mentally chanted the phrase like a mantra as he worked his way forward through the shadows. 'Dammit', why didn't he have his sharingan on? He would have seen if she dodged it then.

He watched as the Akatsuki member started toward the crater. Sasuke's heart clenched as his mind recalled little things Sakura used to do and say. 'I like you so much Sasuke-kun.' 'I'll do anything for you.' 'If you leave me I'll feel all alone.' Sasuke's mind nearly snapped as images of a pink haired girl bearing her soul to him flashed in his head. 'Oh god did I have to remember that?' Memories of a desperate crying girl begging him not to leave, begging him to love her, take her with him, acknowledge her, anything, something… pulsed in his head.

If he would have reached out his hand to her two years ago she'd have taken it and left with him. She'd have gone anywhere with him, done anything for him; she was always his for the taking. He only needed to say the word and she'd have been eternally, irrevocably his. Maybe she still was, he didn't know.

Sakura was always by his side, no matter what, and though he never really possessed her and claimed her as his own, it was well known that he wouldn't tolerate anyone touching her. He'd proven that during the chuunin exam when he broke that Sound nin's arms. That bastard had hurt her, made her cry… He was seething all over again at the memory. 'How dare anyone…' It was an unspoken rule that she was his.

"Tsss." Sasuke hissed dangerously through gritted teeth. A murderous light shone in his eyes. This was no longer about battle and testing strength. This was about blood, and Sasuke would have it. This Akatsuki bastard would die today for daring to touch something precious and sacred to him. He activated his sharingan; time slowed.

The man raised his sword for a strike…

"Sakura, I'm coming," he whispered, moving into action with lightning speed, gathering a kunai and shurikan in each hand.

The giant weapon began its descent. This would be the killing blow…

'No mistakes Sasuke.' He demanded to himself before flying into action.

He whipped the kunai at the man's back, his body quickly following behind it. His speed shamed Lee's; Sasuke was death in motion.

As expected, his opponent felt the incoming threat, sensed the enormous spike in chakra behind him, felt the murderous intent of that power, and abandoned his killing blow to dodge the new attack.

'Good,' Sasuke thought. 'Step one complete.' Sasuke flipped in the air, planted his feet against the trunk of a tree, and threw his shurikan as his foe dodged the kunai. Using his sharingan Sasuke foretold which way the Akatsuki ninja would move to avoid being hit…

The Akatsuki man barely gained his feet as the shurikan flew toward him. He shifted to avoid the new threat.

Sasuke smiled maliciously as Sakura's attacker dodged the shurikan. 'That's a good puppet. Dance for Sasuke.' He vaulted himself from the tree, aiming for his opponent's new trajectory, and slammed his foot into the other shinobi's abdomen forcing him backwards.

The ninja elite landed on his ass; Sasuke landed soundlessly in a half crouch, and there he remained as the other ninja corrected himself and faced him.

Sasuke gasped at what he saw… beady eyes, gills, foul gray skin… 'Kisame'. For a moment, Sasuke's mind blinked in astonishment. He hadn't really expected to recognize his opponent. For a fleeting moment he'd entertained the thought that it might be Itachi, but as he'd gotten closer he knew it wasn't.

Kisame's eyes widened slightly when he saw Sasuke's sharingan eyes, but he quickly recovered. "I won't kill you if you leave now boy." A deep voice yanked Sasuke from his mental stuttering.

'What?' 'Was he kidding?' Sasuke thought, and started to laugh. It was a menacing condescending chuckle. If he was angry before, he was completely livid now. The last time he'd seen Kisame, the gray-skinned freak, he'd been with his brother.

Itachi's face flashed in his mind. Thoughts of his sibling combined with the sight of Sakura brought immeasurable blinding rage to life inside him. He smiled wickedly, thinking only of blood… spilling blood, killing, maiming… "I'll be damned if I'm going to run from Itachi's bitch."