Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten Ties ❯ The Shadow of The Moon ( Chapter 5 )

To Fantasystar: I'm glad you like my story! I thought it was rather unpopular coz I haven't received much of the reviews *pouts* But anyway, can Sakura use the sharingan? Hmm.. look out for it (sorry for this `answer') And you're right! As the sword has the life of its own and knew that Yuya is trying to get her hands on it, it has sealed itself up until the next deserved owner shows up.. which is you-know-who *winks* Thanks for your review! Here's the next chapter!

 

Chapter 5: The Shadow of The Moon

 

“Have you got the details?” Yuya's mellifluous voice lingered in the air until Sakuya stepped out from the shadows.

The crescent moon hung high above them through the skylight; shafting beams of moonlight into the lounge they're in.

“Yes.” Came Sakuya's one-word answer.

A curve was formed at the corner of her lips as Yuya said, “Good. Come here.”

Sakuya casts fleeting glances at the other three present Akatsuki members standing at the sides before striding her steps to stand right in front of Yuya.

“Here's the plan…” Yuya murmured, flashing her violet orbs intently on Sakuya's emerald ones.

Then Sakuya saw it. She saw the swift movement of Yuya's right hand thrusting right into her chest, particularly aiming for her heart.

(The organ-wrenching technique… …) Sakuya realized mentally and damned herself for letting her guard down.

The organ-wrenching technique is a type of close range genjutsu where the user thrusts his hand right into any part of the victim's body, wrecking the intended vital organ with killing chakra molded on his hand. The speed for using this technique must be super fast in order to achieve the desirable result - instant death with your targeted organ ruined or worse… pulled out.

Sakuya grimaced with pain. In her case, Yuya is playing with her. She tried to speak, but the ever tightening of her chest forbids her to do so. She chokes instead, rising her feeble hands to grasp Yuya's.

Yuya then slanted her body wittingly towards Sakuya, her hand still clutching playfully on her heart, whispering, “You overheard our conversation about your real identity as one of Konoha's kunoichi, Haruno Sakura. From it, you realized that you were nothing but just a puppet to Mizu Yuya. You were shocked… devastated… lost… and what's worse..?” Yuya emited a snicker that kind of scared Sakuya.. Then she finally releases her deathly grip on Sakuya's heart, sending her sprawling on the ground, gasping desperately for breaths.

“You couldn't remember any of the single events you overheard and guess what…?” Yuya crouched down with her head slightly tilted to look at a pallid Sakuya innocently.

“You were discovered.”

Right after Yuya's statement, a couple of shurikens darted towards her. Sakuya immediately leaped away from where she was with noticeably slowed speed; as her body was still not ready, resulting one of it slitting her left thigh, sending vivid redness spurting out of it.

Sakuya scowled. Her blood has turned black already.

(It's coated with poison…) Sakuya realized.

Her eyes perfunctorily darted towards Itachi, who is still standing at the side - unmoved.

“You have no time to look away, Sakura.” Her attacker sneered, especially emphasizing on the name.

It was Seira. A vicious kunoichi who wasn't as vulnerable as she looks, and she attacks using hair empowered by her chakra. She was the type where all men will be drawn to her naturally with her `needing-protection' look. Sakuya wondered why she used shurikens this time but suddenly a raw realization hit her.

That it wasn't Seira who shot the shurikens at her just now.

It was Itachi.

(Damn that # fellow!) Sakura cursed in her mind as she dodges a series of hair attacks from Seira.

At of the corner of her eyes, she could see Yuya smiling in a hentai way below them, with her hands tucked behind her back. Then Sakuya saw something sharp flash across her eyes and not long after, she felt excruciating pain on her right arm.

She shrieked the pain out loud.

Her flawless smooth skin on her right arm was slashed… almost ripped off by a weapon called Samehada.

She damned herself again for being distracted.

Kisame smirked dangerously behind her before she quickly dodges another immediate hair attack from Seira from the front, which the latter shows no leniency in hitting Sakuya's vital body parts by shooting strands of lethal hair directly at Sakuya.

Sakuya landed quite adroitly on the ground, barely steps away from Yuya, who have made herself comfortable on her fuzzy white couch by having one leg crossed over another.

Sakuya glowers at her.

She is sure guarded against this temperamental woman behind her now. And things are certainly not looking good.

She is now faced with three… no! four extreme shinobis with her own defense creeping away from her. The suppressed poison from the shuriken was beginning to act up and she has no time to heal herself from it.

She twisted her lips as she draws one conclusion.

She hated Haruno Sakura.

She hated being her.

But Sakuya hastily pushed that thought aside and instead, did a quick evaluation of the situation she's in.

(Confronting them now would be foolish… the only way out now is…)

As if reading her mind, Yuya rose from her couch and whiz right behind Sakuya, murmuring, “Shadowed by tragedy and burdened by amnesia… what would you do now, Sakura? What would you do when only the word Konoha rings in your head…?”

Sakuya bit her lip. She knows the answer alright. But what was disturbing her was Yuya's unbelievable speed. She had only known Yuya has crept up behind her when she heard her voice.

(So many years and our differences are still so wide…? If she was to attack.. Wouldn't I be…)

“Look out…” Yuya's melodious soft voice warned behind her.

Sakuya immediately perked up as her eyes caught Kisame diving his Samehada straight at her. Blood splatter all over when the saber-like weapon stabbed seemingly through her abdomen.

But then Kisame winced. Then blood spewed nastily from his gap.

“The technique-reversal technique… …” Kisame realized and plunges to the ground from the wound in his abdomen.

The technique-reversal technique is a genjutsu where the user channels the techniques used on him back to the attacker.

Oblivious to Kisame, Sakuya had formed the seal of this technique and escaped…

Yuya licked the splattered blood off her lips amusingly as she turns her attention to the silhouette outside the window, leaping further and further away from tree to tree.

“Seira.” Yuya said with her back facing the stunned kunoichi. “Escort Sakura on her journey back home.”

The scantily-dressed kunoichi lowers her head in understanding and vanish abruptly into the air.

“Damn it, Yuya!” Kisame dragged himself up with the help of his Samehada as he spits, “What the hell have you been training her!”

“You know…” A pair of sharp violet eyes greeted him as he felt his cells rejuvenating inside him by a pair of healing hands.

“Blood do run in families.”

Yuya then averted her gaze intently at Itachi, who meets her violet orbs with his crimson ones.

“You do know what I mean, don't you… Itachi?”

“Are you referring to Sasuke?” Itachi answered with his usual remote politeness.

Yuya shrugged and walked away from Kisame, who is back to normal.

“He's been trying to bring you down over the years…” Yuya's voice was somewhat irritated. “Why don't you do him a favor and get this family feud over and done with…?”

Itachi remained silent. But inwardly, he knows Yuya's forbearance for this younger brother of his has reached the max. Over the years, Sasuke has been ceaselessly targeting at their members to draw him out, thus wrecking most of the plans that the Akatsuki has in mind. Out of the now eleven members, only Sakuya is spared from the agony of the infamous Sharingan.

But Itachi knew better.

The Uchihas never spared.

He simply doesn't know the existence of Mizu Sakuya. To hold on her promise to Itachi that he would be the one to kill Sasuke, Yuya had left him alone, allowing his rampant actions against the Akatsuki and instead, created Sakuya and kept her discreetly secret all these years, reserving her only for utmost missions.

“So?” Yuya's light-hearted but questioning voice interrupted him.

“He is still not strong enough to fight me.” Itachi said as a matter of fact.

“So when will he be strong enough?” Yuya retorted with a hint of displeasure. “When Orochimaru gets his body?” Yuya eyed Itachi carefully. “For all I know, it's time again for him to perform that jutsu and this time! …”

Yuya's sudden raising of her voice startled Kisame a little.

“I don't want my cherry to be involved.”

Itachi quirked an eyebrow. Yuya was bothered alright.

Yuya exhaled sharply as she looked at the handsome elder Uchiha. “Your cute little brother proves to be one big pain in the ass for my cute little niece.”

“I thought you had performed that jutsu on her?” Kisame interjected from the side.

“Sasuke-kun is still going strong in her mind.” Yuya said in point of fact. “There is this slight possibility that memories might be revoked if she meets him again…”

Yuya paused intentionally and runs a hand languidly through her long silvery hair. “…At the expense of her life, that is.”

Kisame scowled while Itachi remained deadpan.

“As I said… Naruto is different from yesteryears. We had dragged this mission long enough for him to become what he is today. If we were to get the Kyuubi this time, Sasuke-kun must be out of the way.”

“If you get what I mean, gentlemen.” Yuya concluded.

“Understood.” The Uchiha prodigy stated.

-+-+-+-+-+-

 

Sakuya was getting tired now. She has been on the move for close ten hours and has struggled for a solid nine. The sun shone bright and strong on her, making her perspire down to her toes. Her skintight red and black combat outfit has plastered doggedly on her skin, making her all the more irritated.

(What kind of stupid plan is this… …?)

She had to get out of the sun, she concluded. She had to find someplace shady and relatively safe for the day before she dies of dehydration and exhaustion prior reaching Konoha.

Sakuya inspected her surroundings. Below her was too open. Above her proved much of a hassle to leap. The only ideal area would be one of the concealed branches up ahead.

She sighed as she landed wearily on one of the branches, taking a moment to rest. She looked at her bruised left thigh as well as her injured right arm. Then she flinched from the vehement callings from her body.

Not a place on her body was left unhurt.

She tried to heal herself among the thick canopy of trees in crowded darkness nine hours ago, only to find another attacker waiting silently for her in one of them.

Gaara of the Desert. If she remembered correctly. A kind of transient shocked expression was registered on his face when he met her face to face but it was not long after he launched his attacks using sand from his Goddamn gourd.

His sand caught her left leg on one of the spars, and nearly crippled her if not for her quick wittedness.

Then that damned Seira took advantage. She would always strike right after Gaara, shooting strands of her damned hair right at Sakuya's wounded areas.

But then, Gaara would actually nullify her attacks and tried striking Sakuya himself, thus creating chances for Sakuya to escape when the two started to argue who would actually be the rightful one to kill her.

Then, after struggling for God knows how long from the two, Itachi and Kisame, out of the blue, joined in! Talking about adding more odds into her situation!

But again, Gaara would nullify their attacks and started attacking her himself.

Sakuya breathed heavily as she felt the poison spreading through her body. At this rate, she is really going to die. She shook her head.

(Focus! I need to focus!)

She molded healing chakra in her hands and began to draw out the poison in her left thigh when she heard some shuffled voices. She immediately plastered herself close on the tree trunk to prevent herself from being detected.

“She couldn't have gone up far.”

Sakuya rolled her eyes upon hearing Seira's seductive voice.

“She must be in hiding nearby.”

Sakuya frowned upon that voice. (Yuya must have healed Kisame…)

And damn her for that.

A a cold tetchy voice was next, which she reckoned was Gaara. “Tell me before I kill you, you Uchiha bastard! Who is she?”

“You overestimated your ability.” came a same-level cold reply.

“DAMN YOU!” Sakuya heard Gaara spat and the sound of sand whooshing here and there was then heard.

(Just a bit more…) Sakuya darted her focus frantically between her thigh and her surroundings. (Don't come here until I'm healed…)

Just as Sakuya was concentrating between detecting their exact locations and healing herself, a kunai suddenly flew towards her and she in the quickest response, leaped off from the branch and landed on the open ground.

But the kunai did slit past her right cheek. Sakuya wiped off the blood from her cheek and stared at her blood-stained finger.

(Damn! I was so distracted that I didn't notice that!)

She scowled upfront. Then she blinked.

She has expected to be any of her four attackers but what was happening in front of her was certainly out of her anticipation.

A raven-haired young man with sharp crimson eyes was fending off attacks from his adversary. Upon closer look, Sakuya realized his adversary was actually one of the Sound dogs. Visible injuries were inflicted all over him. Is Kimimaro his name? Sakuya couldn't care less, for her attention was fully captured by the tall raven-haired stranger. Contrary to that Sound shinobi, the cool stranger looks… fine. His clothes were not even soiled. Despite his fatigued outlook, Sakuya noticed he's got attractive features and not to say, his resemblance to someone she knows is uncanny.

Especially his eyes.

Sakuya reckoned he must have traveled through the night too because till now, his weariness fails him to acknowledge her presence as he scowls at his persistent pursuer in front of him.

(The kunai might have flown to my direction accidentally… He has the Sharingan… Could he be…)

“Distracted seems to be your middle name.” Seira murmured sarcastically behind her out of the blue.

Sakuya gasped and immediately leaped away from where she was as she faced the kunoichi once more.

She looked at her left thigh. It was almost healed if not for the accidental attack. But she could feel her strength is returning.

She smirked.

-+-+-+-+-

 

Sasuke turned slightly to see the pink-haired kunoichi sparing with the red-haired one. His frown deepened. From his view, she looked too much like someone he knows.

Or knew.

Whatever.

He had spotted her from afar when she was on the branch healing herself and he threw a kunai at her to warn her of the approaching threat.

He doesn't know why he did that. His hand just moved by his own.

He focused on his situation. He was getting tired now. He's been on the move for close ten hours already, bringing four out of the Five Sound down during the first hour. This Kimimaro proved to be persistent despite the injuries inflicted upon him. With the sun shining bright and strong on him, Sasuke mused whether he was being soft on him for the past nine hours. His blue and black combat outfit plastered doggedly on his skin, making him all the more irritated at the throbbing beating of his head.

He damned himself for letting his guard down last night. He was drugged. By Kabuto. That slick bastard had offered him sake, and began reminiscing past events to him, making him all worked up and gulped the whole sake down.

“Blazing Fireball!” Sasuke uttered and spited out hell of a fire out of his mouth.

Kimimaro barely dodged and appeared alongside in Sakuya's arena.

“Blazing Fireball!” Sasuke executed again and aimed at the arena.

Sakuya scowled. The fire was coming straight at her! What the hell was the man thinking? She leaped away amidst her fight with a burnt sleeve and yelled at Sasuke. “Watch your fire, mister!”

Seira striked immediately as soon as she said that, which she successfully dodged and landed on an area filled with…well, unusual sand.

She looked at the sand.(This is not good.)

And indeed, the sand started to bind her feet as soon as she tried to escape. She winced at the pain her feet were causing her and fall to her knees. But suddenly, the sand started to corrode, with black fire burning aggressively atop of it.

Suspiciously, Itachi appeared beside her and helped her up from her back.

“You get going now.” Itachi said with a soft voice.

Sakuya made the mistake of looking into his eyes as she saw the three commas of the Sharingan spinning.

(The Tsukiyomi… …?)

It's too late when Sakuya realized it.

Sakuya looked around. She couldn't recognize the place she was in. She's like in a portal where time and place have ceased to exist.

“Sakuya.”

Sakuya twirled around to find Itachi standing behind her. She opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by another Itachi calling her from the back.

“Sakura.”

“Sakuya.” The first Itachi repeated.

“Sakura.” The clone repeated too.

“Sakuya.”

“Sakura.”

“Sakuya.”

“Sakura.”

“Sakuya.”

“Sakura.”

Sakuya shrieked her frustration and covered her ears to block out the confusing addressing of her.

“Who exactly are you?” One of them spoke after a brief silence.

“Sakuya!” Sakuya answered immediately.

“No. You are Sakura.” The other Itachi contradicted her. “One of Konoha's strongest kunoichi. You were made use by the Akatsuki.. by Yuya… You were just a puppet.”

Sakuya was about to retort when she heard a voice inside her.

(Shannaro! He was damn right about that! You are Sakura! Haruno Sakura of Konahagure!)

As soon as the voice faded, Sakuya felt a sharp pain in her head that stretched all the way down her neck. She grabbed the back of her head desperately as her knees gave way to the pain and cringe repulsively on the ground.

“No. You are Sakuya.” The other Itachi agreed meanwhile. “An Akatsuki member whose powers are infinite. You were a spy from them. A spy to Konoha to get the Kyuubi back.”

Sakuya wanted to agree but the voice inside her prevent her from doing it so.

(He's lying! You are Haruno Sakura!)

(He's not! You are Mizu SakuYA!)

Or voiceS inside her that prevent her from doing it so…

(I'm a spy to Konoha to get the Kyuubi back! Ignore that baka bitch, Sakuya!)

(Who are you calling bitch, BITCH! Sakura! She's trying to invade our mind! Do something before she succeeds!)

Sakuya scratched hard on her head, almost ripping her hair off as she tried to get these voices out of her head… but they just kept on coming and coming… and coming and coming…

“Sakuya.”

“Sakura.”

“Sakuya.”

“Sakura.”

“Sakuya.”

“Sakura.”

Intolerable to the inner and outer intense psychological agony of whom exactly was she anymore, Sakuya finally passed out…

-+-+-+-+-

 

Not from afar, a team of shinobis with the forehead protector bearing the Leaf symbol was concealed among the canopy of trees, quietly observing the group of wanted shinobis fighting out each other.

“Kakashi, isn't that..?”

“Yeah. I know.”

Gai narrowed his eyes at the pink-haired kunoichi collapsing on the ground. He knew Kakashi saw it too. She has just been attacked by Itachi's Tsukiyomi but the million dollar question was… doesn't she look too much like Kakashi's former Team Seven member, one of Konoha's Four - Haruno Sakura?

“What do we do now?” Kurenai whispered beside them.

“Wait.” Came Kakashi's terse reply.

However calm Kakashi might sound, Gai knew he was uptight to witness the scene too. They had never expected to encounter them. He, Kakashi, Anko, Kurenai and Shigure, their medic were on their way back from their mission when they heard strange noises nearby. That's when they decided to check it out. And man, what a chaotic fight they found…

“Uchiha Itachi, you finally shown yourself! Meet your doom!”

The five jounins heard Sasuke's roar when the youth detected the murderer of his clan in close proximity. Itachi just stood there, unmoved, holding on to the already collapsed Sakuya's right hand in his left.

Sakuya stirred and slowly got her lethargic eyes open when she saw a shadow above her. She suddenly felt herself being yanked to her feet as she stared into the Sharingan again.

She screamed.

-+-+-+-+-

 

Anko and Kurenai gasped mind-bogglingly as they witnessd the scene of the pink-haired lass being attacked the second time by the Sharingan. Uchiha Sasuke had charged at his brother at full speed, but the sly elder Uchiha had dodged, yanking the poor girl up to be his shield.

Kakashi stiffened. Maybe they shouldn't have waited. It's been what? Eight years? Eight years down the road and his former student still remained as vengeful as before… or perhaps, it has gotten worse…

He recognized the feeling throbbing within him now.

Disappointment.

He quickly brushed that aside. Shinobis are not allowed to feel any emotions. Expecially not when there are so many menaces around.

But truth be told, his heart went out for the pink-haired girl, not to say her uncanny resemblance to his another former student, Sakura. Or maybe, she was Sakura. Kakashi had heard rumors through the grapevines that Sakura had survived and is serving the Akatsuki now. Although no official announcement was made from the Fifth, most conjectured the rumor to be true. But either way, she wasn't going to survive now, he concluded.

He closed his eyes as he recognized another feeling throbbing within him now.

Sorrow.

He had never expected them to turn out the way they did and he felt responsible for it.

His brows furrowed into a disturbed frown as a realization smack him in his face.

He had failed as Team Seven's sensei.

-+-+-+-+-

 

Sasuke cursed. Everything happened too fast and all he can do was to go along with it since he had already executed his Tsukiyomi. He doesn't want to waste it on this pathetic, half-dead woman though, as the technique drained most of his chakra, which wasn't going to help in his battle with Itachi.

Four words described his helplessness.

It was too late.

Sakuya staggered in her steps.

What was this goddamn place? Darkness loomed all over and she stretches out her hands for directions, only to realize she can't even see her fingers, which means…

She was as good as blind.

She collapsed to the cold hard ground in fatigue and quivered uncontrollably caused by the previous attack. She felt as if life was slowly draining away from her as she noticed she is in the same portal where time and place ceased to exist.

“I will die.” Sakuya murmured with a sense of finality.

“You might as well be.”

A voice interjected with a hint of arrogance and sarcasm.

Sakuya did not bother to ask who he was, for she already knows. Instead, she remained silent, saving her dignity till her last breath.

Sasuke's brows furrowed into a knot. Usually, his victims would scream for his mercy but she… a Sakura look-alike actually muted herself till what Saksuke surmised her last breath.

Whatever.

Better to get things over and done with.

But involuntarily, he hesitated. She looked too much like Sakura and it was upsetting him. He never imagined killing Sakura… ever. Speaking of which, he wondered why would not.

But the fact stayed.

He caused Sakura's death. She had died for him.

Suppressing the emotions aside, Sasuke focused on the task at hand.

He has to kill Itachi.

He cleared his throat. “You will wander around here for eternity; no one will be able to find you... ever.”

No response from her.

Sasuke felt his anger rising up. She made him look like a fool. Itachi would probably deride him at how weak his Tsukiyomi to not able to strike terror in his victims.

(Genjutsu… this is all genjutsu…. Focus, Sakura! You can do it!)

(Damn it, Sakuya! Focus! You know you don't want to die!)

Sakuya felt suicidal upon the emergence of these two voices in her head again. But suddenly, the excruciating pain in her left lung tore her away from them. She choked as she stared at the cold Sharingan eyes.

“For the next hour, your organs will be removed one by one until your last breath.”

She felt implausible when she saw her lung was extracted out from her body. She quivered even more uncontrollably as she felt another of her lung being removed from her body.

She felt her own body bathing in her blood as she felt her heart being removed this time. She tried to speak but the pain was searing her throat. Sakuya used all the strength she could to grasp Sasuke`s hands but the brutal treatments proved too overwhelming to overcome as her hands fall to her sides.

Feebly, Sakuya felt déjà vu against the threatening throbbing of her head now.

She felt the same feeling again.

The feeling of grief… sorrow when she studied the photo of Uchiha Sasuke. But this time, the feeling got more intense as she stared into the Sharingan eyes.

Tears started to trickle down her cheeks unknowingly as Sasuke started to recognize every bit of Sakuya's expressions.

“Sa..suke-kun.” Sakuya finally managed to utter.

Uchiha Sasuke froze.

-+-+-+-+-

 

Sasuke froze the moment he heard his name. He withdrew the Sharingan technique immediately as his dilated eyes centered on the lifeless woman in his arms.

He swiftly skipped up a few branches carrying Sakuya when he felt Kimimaro nearing them from his back.

Sasuke swallowed. He was losing her. He could feel Sakuya slipping deeper into the hands of death - a woman who once escaped death and didn't expect to get that lucky again.

Suddenly, he felt like yelling at her… … to hang on.

“Sakura…” he murmured instead and gave the young woman a shake of her shoulders.

He didn't get the response he wanted.

“She's already dead.”

Sasuke looked up and saw Anko and her team not afar from him.

He looks disapprovingly at Kakashi.

“Sasuke.” Kakashi greeted. Well, sort of… with his cold hard eyes.

Kakashi averted his gaze to Sakuya lying lifelessly on Sasuke's thighs and doubted again, his decision to wait. But then, he suddenly sensed foreign chakra and looks to his right.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” Kisame interrupted, appearing alongside with Itachi and Seira at his sides on one of the nearby branches.

“The famous copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi…” Seira smirked, readying herself to attack. “What an honor.”

“Stop it, Seira, Kisame..” Itachi said. “We have accomplished our intentions.”

The atmosphere suddenly hit the peak of somberness as the wind blew softly against their skins.

Sasuke glared at Itachi, who returned his glare with his stoic stare.

Seira glanced over at the still Sakuya and snorted.

“What did you want with Sakura?” Kakashi asked, posing the question to the three Akatsuki members in front of him.

“She found out things she wasn't meant to know.” Itachi answered and brushed his strands of grayish hair against the caressing breeze.

“Make yourself clear!” Gai interjected.

“Four years ago, she was brainwashed… yet somehow, she got to learn of her real identity and wanted to return to Konoha.”

“Of course we can't allow that.” Kisame chipped in smirking.

“You bastards…” Anko spat and looked over at Sakuya.

Blood trickled from her mouth then, which Sasuke hastily wiped it off with his hands. A traitor as he was, Anko thought he still have that humane part in him after all.

Sasuke digested the information he just received and once again, stared at his former comrade in his arms. Seriously, he can't believe what Itachi just said really happened to Sakura.

And somehow, it pissed him off.

“Our job is done. We shall take our leave.” Itachi gave Sakuya a final glance before teleporting with his two accomplices in a rustle of leaves.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He wasn't going to let him get away after pulling all these acts. He gave Kakashi a quick I-shall-leave-her-to-you glance.

Then he was gone with the wind.

Kimimaro, who was carefully situated in a safe corner just below them, gave the Konoha team a deadpan look before vanishing right after Sasuke.

Gloomy clouds shrouded the strong sun as gusts of wind hinted at the volatile weather moods.

The wind blew harshly at Sakuya's seemingly cold still body as she abruptly fell from the branch that Sasuke had carefully laid her on.

Adroitly, Kakashi managed to catch her and landed on the open ground with his ex-student tucked safely in his arms.

His team followed suit.

Shigure acted instinctively when Kakashi rested Sakuya gently on the ground at the corner, shielding her from downwind while the rest just watched on the medic doing his work.

Kakashi looked ahead, particularly staring at the menace redhead trudging his feet tenaciously towards them. The Sand youth has been sensible enough to remain where he was, a few branches away from Kimimaro, during the confrontation just now.

“Your battle is already ended. We will take care of things from here on.” Kakashi informed as he blocked his way to Sakuya's side.

Gaara stared right through at Kakashi, who stared right through back. The two `studied' each other for a moment before Shigure tore their attention away by muttering, “Unbelievable… ”

“What, Shigure?” asked Gai.

“..Hn.. Sakura-san… she…” was all Shigure could sputter.

Shigure's bewilderment was then self-explanatory when they see Sakuya slowly getting her eyes open…

As the wind goes and the leaves rustle, a masked feminine figure silhouetted against the shadows of tree branches watched them from a distance, hidden from them yet able to witness the whole event.

Then she was gone with the wind.

-+-+-+-+-

Meanwhile, Itachi and gang were busy leaping from tree to tree when Kisame asks concernedly, “Will she be okay… leaving her like this?”

After all, their mole did receive the Sharingan attack twice.

“She'll survive.” Answered Itachi crisply as he recalled seeing a twitch of Sakuya's fingers before they left.

Everything will go on as planned.

“What about your brother?” Seira interrupted, looking over her shoulders from time to time. “He's catching up.”

“I'll deal with him when the time comes.” Itachi stated calmly, looking ahead with his usual poker face.