Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Re-learning ❯ chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Sakura was currently hiding behind a tree and healing the long gash she had received to her arm. When the explosion hit she, Sai, and Kakashi had been thrown in different directions. As she plummeted to the forest floor a branch had sliced her arm. The pain is what caused her to gain her bearings and flip over to land safely on her feet. She looked around her. She could see Sai crouching behind a large bush. She did not notice any injuries on him that needed immediate attention. She could not see Kakashi-sensei. She finished healing her arm. Thankfully it did not require a lot of chakra as she knew she would need all she had for whoever had ambushed them.  She heard a chuckle come from in front of them.

"Oh Sakura-chan. It has been quite some time has it not? Why don't you come from behind that tree and let me get a good look at you?"

Sakura did not immediately recognize the voice yet it seemed familiar somehow. She pulled her gloves from her pouch, pulled them on tightly and slowly walked from behind the tree. She stood there awaiting her opponet. He came out of the cover of the trees. His head was down so she could not see his face. He wore a dark red cloak with two bright red markings on the hood that somehow reminded her of eyes. Something was dragging behind him but she could not see what.

"Did you miss me Sakura-chan?" He raised his head and Sakura gasped. He had changed from the last time she saw him. His hair was still gray but longer now. His eyes had purple markings around them and scales covered some of his face and neck. He still wore his glasses over his dark black eyes.

"Kabuto." she whispered.

"Yes Sakura-chan. Glad to see you remembered me after all this time." His voice was much more coarse than it had once been.

"I was told you had absorbed the remainder of Orochimaru. Seems like he took over quite a bit of your body." Inside she was desperately trying to come up with a plan. She did not dare glance to where Sai was hidden nor try to search for Kakshi-sensei. She held her face and body language neutral.

"I did integrate the remainder of his body with mine but he has not taken me over. I have merged with him increasing my knowledge and power. I am no longer anyone's underling. I am a powerful ninja that others will follow. I'm glad Naruto-kun told you about our meeting. Did he share the bingo book I gave him with you all? I hope he did. He inspired me. After Sasuke-kun killed Orochimaru I was lost for a time. I did not know what to do once my master had been eliminated; but thinking of Naruto-kun's never ending quest to better himself gave me a goal. I would re-shape myself and my life. I would no longer live for anyone but myself." Kabuto's eyes seemed to glow behind his glasses.

"What do you intend to do now?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, I need someone to finish my studies. Don't worry it's not you. Although I do need Naruto-kun to get this other person. And in order to get Naruto-kun I will need you."

"Sorry Kabuto but I have no intention of going with you nor will I ever allow you near Naruto." she had a pretty good idea who he was looking for. The way he said it.....well, it did not bode well for Sasuke.

"I'm afraid you do not have a choice Sakura-chan." There was movement behind Kabuto and a snake came up beside him. Sakura could now see it was what had been draggin behind him. It seemed to be attached to his body. What was it? A tail of some sorts. That thought made Sakura want to cringe in disgust. What is it with these evil guys and snakes? "Oh....Kakashi and Sai? You can come out as well. I'm sure Sakura could use the company."

Sai stood from his position behind the bush but made no move to come forward. "Tsk tsk Kabuto. I thought you were smarter than this. Absorbing Orochimaru? That isn't gaining power. You are still relying on the strength of others. And I have to add....it did nothing for your appearance." Kakashi said from his position a few yards to Sakura's left. He was leaning on a tree casually as if they were old friends talking. He even had that grin that closed his eye. Sakura smiled at him. Trust her sensei to smirk in the enemy's face.

"Say what you want Kakashi but you and the artist are not needed. I will simply get rid of you here and take Sakura-chan with me. She will be all the bait I need to draw Naruto-kun out."

"You expect to take all three of us on?" Kakashi said. He stood up straight.

"Of course not. I have no need to engage in such violence. I have others for that." Kabuto clapsed his hands in front of him. "Edo Tensei." Three coffins began rising fom the ground in front of Kabuto. Sakura's eyes grew impossibly wide. No. It can't be. She remembered this technique from when Sora was at the village. She knew there would be the corpses of someone he resurrected and they would be fully under his control. Who would Kabuto have brought back? It can't be Orochiamru because he is merged with him. Sakura tried not to show it but she was very nervous. For Kabuto to have done this his power must have grown immensly. She clenched her fists slowly gathering her chakra and waited.

The lids to the coffins dropped and Kakashi visibly stiffened. There in front of him was Itachi, Sasori, and Deidara. This is bad. This is very bad. Kakashi thought to himself. He only had Sai and Sakura with him. Not that they weren't powerful but to take on three former Akatsuki members and a deranged, mutated med-nin they would need many more allies. It had taken everything he had to only wound Deidara before and he didn't know if he could have gotten rid of him without the help of Gai and his team. He knew Sakura had killed Sasori but she had the help of Chiyo-baa-sama from Suna. Itachi. He had never been successful in any encounter with him. He glanced to his two team mates and was glad they were looking at him. He gave them the sign and with that they all began running.

"Now that isn't like you Kakashi, to run from a battle. No matter. Itachi, Sasori, Deidara." With the call of each name the person's head lifted and their eyes opened. "Go after them. Kill Kakashi and Sai but bring Sakura back alive." The three men took off after their targets. "I'll follow at my own pace." Kabuto said as he blended into the foilage.

Sakura forced chakra to her feet as she jumped from another branch. "What should we do Kakashi-sensei? They will be coming after us. If they are even at half the power they had when they were alive it won't take them long to reach us."

"I know. I'm afraid I don't have a good plan you guys. We are going to be in a little over our heads here."

"That is true." Sai said though he didn't sound worried. Then again when did he ever? "It is also true that they will catch up soon. We will not out run them so we must turn and fight."

"We are going to fight. Just try to remeber to keep a cool head and think through your battle. You both are very strong shinobi. Perhaps we can injure them enough to make an escape. Can't believe I'm gonna say it but I wish Naruto was here." he shook his head as that statement left his mouth.

"I do too sensei. Though he'd still be in that clearing charging at them by now." Sakura said with a little laugh. "I think we've gone far enough. No sense in wasting any more chakra by running. We should save it for the fight."

"Alright everyone take your positions."

Sakura dropped down to the forest floor. She quickly pulled a kunai from her pouch and waited. She could hear their footsteps as they ran towards her team. An explosion came from her right near where Kakashi was. "Thought you could run from me, mmm? I owe you a debt of pain Kakashi!" Kakashi jumped back from his hiding spot in the forest. Sakura could see he had a few burns on his leg from the explosion Deidara had set off near him.

"I was not running from you Deidara. As you can see I was waiting for you." Sakura could hear the loud bird-like chirping as his raiki formed in his hand. "You should have stayed dead." Kakashi lunged at Deidara and they left Sakura's sight.

She had to physically stop herself from following them.  She wanted to help her sensei but she knew Sasori and Itachi were close. She heard more footsteps and looked over to see Sasori coming from the forest. "Haruno Sakura. I would like you to come out and fight me again. Now that my grandmother is not with you I wonder how you will do." Sasori's puppet arm extended into the bushes to his left and Sai jumped up narrowly missing the flying appendage. "Not who I was looking for but I guess you'll do."

Sai whipped his ink and scroll from his side quickly drawing three large beasts that jumped from the page.

"Ah, another artist. Let's see how you match up." Sasori brushed his cloak from his shoulders and held his arms in front of him. Panels seemed to open on his forearms and hundreds of needles shot out. Sakura was about to rush out and help him when she was grabbed from behind one hand covering her mouth so she could not scream. She tried to get away but the grip was like a vice. As the needles shot at Sai he summoned a large bird from his scroll and flew above the trees. Sasori went in chase of him.

The arms were still tight around Sakura but they had made no motion to harm her. "Please don't scream or attack me. I wish you no harm." The strong voice said and the hands around her fell away. Sakura took a couple steps forward and turned around. In front of her was a very large man with orange hair. He looked to be only in his mid-twenties and had kind eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Jugo. The birds told me of the explosion and I came to see what was going on. When I got to the clearing I saw the three empty caskets and I felt a chakra that was all to familiar. You are from Konoha right?" Sakura nodded yes to his question. "Let me ask you. Did you meet up with Kabuto?"

Sakura did not know this man but he really seemed to mean her no harm. His mannerisms were almost shy and he seemed very kind. She wondered what he was doing here at all. "Before I answer that let me ask you something. What are you doing here? And how do you know Kabuto?"

"That is a very long story but I am here with someone. It seems you did meet with Kabuto. That was Sasori I saw just then correct? I was told he was dead."

"He was dead."

"Oh dear. That is not good. Kabuto must have learned Orochimaru's Edo Tensei. I wonder what his plans are." Jugo seemed to be talking more to himself now. Sakura was getting annoyed.

"Look I don't have time to go into this with you nor find out how you know all of this but can you not see it's very dangerous here?"

"Yes I realize the danger fully. Are you a friend of Naruto's?"

Sakura was on him in an instant clutching the front of his shirt and lifting him from the ground. "How do you know Naruto?"

"I'm sorry. I told you I meant you no harm. Perhaps I shouldn't be telling you this but I am a member of Sasuke's team Taka. Naruto is here now fighting with Sasuke."

Sakura's grip relaxed. Naruto......Sasuke.....they're here. I've got to get to them. A rustling in the bushes snapped her out of her daze and reminded her of the danger they were in. She pulled Jugo closer. "I've got no choice but to trust you for now. Listen to me well Jugo." She spoke as low as she could while making sure he understood her. "Kabuto is here and he has revived some of the fallen Akatsuki members. I know Sasuke and your team joined Akatsuki but he is in danger. They are after him. Please Jugo get back to them and tell Naruto what is going on. We are all going to be dead if we don't work together for the time being. I will hold off whoever is behind me so you can get away. Will you do it?"

"Yes. I understand."

"Good now hurry, please." Sakura turned around and threw several kunai's and shuriken into the forest. She heard the clang of metal on metal signaling they had been deflected. She searched behind her with her chakra and noticed Jugo was no longer there. She only hoped he had went to Naruto. She hated to tell him about Sasuke being in danger but seeing as how Jugo was his team mate it was the only way she knew to get him to help. She did not want to think about the fact that she just asked one of his partners for help but she did not have a choice. If they didn't get assistance soon she feared they would all be killed and no one would be able to help Naruto. She refused to allow her 'brother' to die because of her pride. She only hoped the threat to them would be enough to get Naruto away from his fight with Sasuke. She clenched her fists at the thought of that. They were fighting. She knew that this fight was supposed to be their last. They would wind up killing each other. Everytime she thought about it she began to hate Sasuke a little more. Arrogant bastard. She would love to get her hands on him and punch him with her chakra at full strength. I'll show him I'm no longer weak. Prove to him strength could be gained without leaving the village and throwing his honor away. She felt somone's chakra run up behind her. She spun around to meet her attacker head on; instead she felt the world around her fall away as she met his spinning sharingan.


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