Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Moon On Fire ❯ The New Mission ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: This story contains some spoilers! If you haven't gotten to at least chap 375 in the manga I suggest you do so or don't hate me for spoiling the fun! This first chapter is mainly to set things up so bear with me it gets much better I promise! It's my first Naruto fic so reviews are requested and welcomed whether they be kudos, suggestions or criticisms; just no flames please if you hate it that much just don't read it! As for pairings…I just haven't decided who's going to end up with who yet so don't ask! Thanks for reading!

 

 

Chapter 1

The New Mission

 

 

 

When Sasuke awoke that morning and looked out the window across from his bed, rays of bright sunlight washed across him. But he did not feel their warmth. He did not see the clear blue sky or hear the chirp of the birds that landed on the windowsill. Not that he paid too much attention to any of these things on a daily basis anyway but this morning especially, he was too focused on the heavy feeling that had come over his heart.

 

“Something isn't right.” He thought with a scowl on his face. He had never been one to believe in ESP or silly things like that but he believed in his own intuition and it was practically screaming danger and chaos at him. He scowled harder at the beautiful day outside, as if he was daring it to shed its pretense of light and beauty and show him what horrors it had waiting for him. But the blue sky and singing birds mocked him; they would not give up the secret. He stayed that way, frowning intently for several minutes, trying to pinpoint the source of the awful feeling that made his stomach turn like nothing had for a long time but he finally gave up when the alarm clock beside his bed came alive with loud, shrill beeps that drilled into the headache he hadn't known until that moment that he had. He silenced the alarm clock with a little more force than was necessary and stalked to the washroom to change.

 

XXX

 

“Alright, where's Sasuke-kun?” Sakura's tone of annoyance hid her worry. Team Kakashi was leaving on a mission this morning and they were to have assembled at the front gate at 6:30 sharp. It was now closer to 7:30 and even Kakashi had shown up. Which made Sakura worry even more. Sasuke was never late to begin with but no one was ever later than Kakashi!

 

“Teme! What the hell is he doing to make us wait like this?” Naruto growled from where he was leaning on the wall by the edge of the great gates playing somewhat carelessly with a shuriken. Unlike Sakura, Naruto's annoyed tone wasn't hiding worry, he was just annoyed.

 

Kakashi didn't say anything, his face was characteristically stoic as he leaned against the other side of the great gate wall, reading one of the many issues of his favourite perverted novel series. One would think him a statue if not for the occasional turning of a page or sudden blush that would appear on the part of his face that wasn't covered by his tell-tale mask when he hit an especially `good' part. Naruto and Sakura exchanged deadpanned looks with each other before glaring at their sensei. But either Kakashi was too involved with his book or he was just ignoring his teammates. Either way, Naruto and Sakura's frustration rose with each passing second until Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

 

“That's it! This isn't like him. I'm going to find him.”

 

“Bah! Leave the baka be Sakura-chan. He's a big boy, he can find his way here on his own.” This time Naruto's annoyed tone was hiding something as he saw Sakura glare at him. He looked away from her gaze, his attention completely leaving the shuriken and he didn't notice when he grasped it hard it the wrong way and it drew blood from his thumb. He knew Sakura loved Sasuke. She'd even been the president of the Sasuke fan-club, back when they had all been green little genin. And that had been a long time ago.

 

It had been three years since they had brought Sasuke back to Konoha barely alive after facing off against and still failing to defeat his older brother Itachi. Naruto remembered how passionate he and Sakura were about bringing their friend home again and how close they had become during the search. She had spoken to him more kindly and he'd noticed a different, softer look in her eyes when she looked at him. Naruto had even begun to entertain the idea that if he saved Sasuke, then Sakura would finally see him the way he wanted her to. But she'd reverted right back to “Sasuke fan-club” mode when he'd been found and she'd been harping after him ever since. Leaving Naruto right back where he started. At the wrong end of a truly strange love triangle.

 

“Sasuke-kun isn't you Naruto. He's never been this late before and I'm starting to get worried.”

 

“The hell Sakura-chan! I'm not late either! I was right on time this morning!”

 

“Oh yeah? What about the other day when you were supposed to meet us for lunch and you kept us waiting for twenty minutes?”

 

“I ran into Shino and he insisted on telling me why bugs were better than dogs cuz he'd just gotten into a stupid fight with Kiba! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get away from Shino when he starts ranting about bugs?”

 

“About as difficult as it is to get away from you when you start talking about ramen.” A smug voice suddenly sounded from above the two squabbling ninja.

 

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura practically squealed as her favourite raven-haired ninja landed in between her and Naruto.

 

Sasuke looked from Naruto's scowl to Sakura's heart-filled eyes and had a pretty good idea what he'd just missed. He shook his head and turned to Kakashi. “So where are we headed?”

 

For the first time, Kakashi looked up. He saw his team was finally assembled and reluctantly put his book back into his pouch. He gave no indication whatsoever that he knew Sakura and Naruto had been fighting. “Our mission is taking us to the Village Hidden in the Sand.”

 

The scowl disappeared off of Naruto's face in a flash. “The Hidden Sand village? You mean we're going to get to see Gaara, Temari and Kankurou again? That's awesome! It's been so long!”

 

“ We're not going for tea Naruto.” Sakura chastised him. “What is our mission there Kakashi-sensei?”

 

“Information.” Kakashi said simply but he was staring hard at Sasuke when he said it. Sasuke didn't miss the hint.

 

“Itachi?” The word was both a question and a curse coming from Sasuke's suddenly dry mouth. He hadn't heard hide nor hair of his older brother in the three years he'd been back in Konoha. Of course he'd left Itachi in no better shape than he himself had been in after their battle. But like him, Itachi had managed to survive and now it seemed he was on the move again. Sasuke felt the rage bubbling just underneath his skin and forced back a wince at the sudden pain behind his left shoulder.

 

Naruto's insistence on chasing after Sasuke when he abandoned everyone and everything he'd ever known eventually made Sasuke realize how wrong he'd been and where true power comes from. His brother had told him to hate and become merciless, only then could he hope to defeat him. Stupidly, Sasuke had listened and had played right into his brother's hands. He broke all bonds with his friends (or so he thought) and willed his heart to become cold as stone. As cold as his brother's. But it hadn't worked. After all the time he'd spent with Orochimaru and even with the power of the damned curse mark Sasuke had become an even more formidable fighter. But he hadn't been able to turn his heart to stone. He had rarely killed and try as he might, he couldn't forget his friends completely. Even when attacking his friends he had been unable to kill them. He told himself that he didn't want to give Itachi the satisfaction of knowing Sasuke had done what he had said. But in reality, he just couldn't bring himself to end the lives of the only people who'd ever given him the feeling that he might be able to live a somewhat happy life. He had considered his feelings for his friends to be his weakness, a barrier to his gaining the ultimate power and so something to be shoved aside and eliminated. And so he had. But he had learned too late exactly why Itachi had left him alive all those years ago. He had intended for Sasuke to live and grow powerful not so he would be able to defeat his older brother, but so that he would gain the Mangekyou Sharingan. Itachi wanted this more than anything because his own Mangekyou Sharingan was causing irreversible damage to his eyes and he intended to take Sasuke's eyes and eliminate the blindness which was his fate! Sasuke had barely escaped with his eyes and life intact and after waking up in Konoha he realized what an utter fool he'd been. He'd left everything behind for what he had believed was a righteous cause but what had actually just been an elaborate trap set by his brother. Fortunately his friend's hearts held nothing but forgiveness for him, even after everything he'd put them through. And finally Sasuke, although still fully intending to one day defeat his brother, had learned that physical strength only got one so far. True strength came from having friends who believed in you and something (other than revenge) to fight for. He had let go of some of the darkness in his heart and accepted his friends help. It was that acceptance that allowed him to remain calm now at Kakashi's words. If he was to face Itachi again, he knew now that his friends would be by his side. And instead of getting in the way and making him seem weak, he knew they would be his strength. And this time…surely this time…

 

“He was there?” Sasuke croaked out still staring at Kakashi.

 

“Apparently he was there four days ago.” Kakashi answered back not taking his eyes off Sasuke. Neither Sakura nor Naruto had spoken. They both knew what this meant to their friend. Sakura saw Naruto take a step closer to Sasuke without even seeming to think about it and she hid a smile. Naruto had been rather protective of Sasuke since he'd been back, even though it annoyed the hell out of Sasuke. But Sakura couldn't blame Naruto after what he'd been through. She actually understood completely, as she herself had felt rather protective of Naruto during their all-consuming search for Sasuke. She understood Naruto's feelings and she loved him for it. She took a step closer to Sasuke as well.

 

“Just four days? Where did he go?” Sasuke could hear his voice rising as anticipation flooded him.

 

“No one knows I'm afraid.” Kakashi said with a sympathetic look. “He disappeared as quickly as he came.”

 

“They knew a member of the former Akatsuki was there and they didn't bother trying to capture him? After what that organization did to their Kazekage?” Sasuke asked incredulously.

 

“They were too busy with what he left behind to follow him.” Kakashi said darkly.

 

“Left behind?” Naruto finally spoke up incensed. He was definitely no fan of Itachi's after what he'd done to Sasuke but the incident with Gaara and the Akatsuki had sealed his hatred even more. He himself had barely escaped Gaara's fate at the hands of Itachi and the other members before the organization was finally brought down. And now Itachi dared show his face in the village of sand? “What has he done?”

 

“The details are sketchy at best right now, we'll know more when we reach the village.” Kakashi turned his attention to Naruto, seeming to notice him there for the first time. “But from what the Godaime heard from the Kazekage, it seems he was working late when he heard noise coming from the roof. He investigated only to find Itachi on the roof standing over an unconscious, unknown girl. When Itachi realized he'd been discovered, he fled leaving the girl behind. She is actually a large part of the reason team Kakashi has been dispatched.”

 

“Who is the girl Kakashi-sensei?” came from Sakura.

 

“They've not been able to determine that yet Sakura. It seems the girl is trapped in a genjutsu and non of the medical Nins there have been able to break her out of it.” A look of comprehension dawned in all of their eyes and both Naruto and Sasuke looked at Sakura. If anyone could break a genjutsu, it would be her.

 

“Okay so I get why they want Sakura but we're going after Itachi right?” Sasuke demanded more than questioned. Beside him, Naruto nodded in agreement.

 

“After where?” Kakashi asked. “I told you, no one knows where he went. Gaara's first concern was for the girl's health, which obviously wasn't great at the time and still isn't now.” Before Sasuke and Naruto could start he continued. “But don't worry. Once we get to the sand village I'm sure we'll have more information. Sakura can break the genjutsu and we can question the girl. She may be able to tell us much. So if there are no more questions….” He said this last in a tone that said there would be no more questions. “It's three days to the sand village. I suggest we head out.” And with that, he turned around and walked through the gates.

 

Sakura looked at Sasuke who was absentmindedly rubbing a spot over his left shoulder but she followed Kakashi and gave Naruto a look that said to do the same. Naruto looked at Sasuke and growled low, “Don't worry, we'll find him.” And then he took off after Sakura. Sasuke watched Naruto for a moment and then smiled grimly to himself. It seemed his intuition had been right this morning.

 

XXX

 

They stopped on the precipice of a cliff for the first night. The four teammates sat around the fire deep in their own thoughts.

 

Kakashi watched his students/teammates for a while before realizing they were just fine sulking by themselves. He turned his attention to his book but continued to covertly observe the chuunins under his supervision. Finding and successfully retrieving Sasuke from his self-induced darkness had come as a great relief to Kakashi who had been worried about his former student. He'd worried about all of them actually, but most especially Naruto for he knew how hard Sasuke's actions were on him.

 

“Frankly,” Kakashi thought to himself, losing all focus on his book. “I'm surprised Naruto was able to forgive Sasuke so easily. After all, he did almost kill him twice. That does tend to put a strain on a friendship. But then again, I've underestimated Naruto several times. And Naruto sees something in Sasuke that the rest of us were never able to. The people in the village always saw Sasuke as the genius rookie from the Uchiha clan who would turn out to be Konoha's greatest asset. It's what I always saw him as. But Naruto saw someone different. He didn't just see the last surviving member of one of the village's oldest clans. He saw the lonely and hurting boy that he was, reflected back at him in Sasuke. Naruto and Sasuke are more alike than either of them will ever admit. It really is no wonder that the biggest loser and biggest genius of their class became the best of friends.” Kakashi brought his attention to his book again as one last thought flew across his mind. “I'm so proud of all of them.”

 

Naruto was thinking about Gaara. It had been over 4 years since he'd last seen him after rescuing him from Akatsuki's grasp. He and Gaara had shaken hands then. A normal sign for respect and goodbye for anybody but coming from Gaara it was practically a miracle. It had meant the world to Naruto. Their bond as Jinchuuriki and as friends was sealed and Naruto realized he was excited to see Gaara again. “I wonder how he's been doing all this time? I didn't hear much from him after we defeated Akatsuki, but he was probably still bitter they managed to get his bijuu from him.” he thought ruefully. He brought his attention back to the fire lighted camp reality only to realize that he'd been staring the whole time at Sakura who had been staring the whole time out of the corner of her eye at Sasuke. Naruto sighed, rolled his eyes and stared into the fire.

 

He couldn't say that he was beginning to get tired of watching Sakura chase after Sasuke and ignore him, it'd been going on far too long for that. He'd loved Sakura since…well…since before he could remember really. But even though Sasuke still showed no interest in Sakura beyond friendship, she still continued to delude herself into hoping that he would one day change his mind. No, he wasn't beginning to get tired of it, he was damned tired of it. Enough so that he'd found himself thinking how bad would it really be if he finally gave up and moved on. The more time passed, the harder a time he was having convincing himself to remain concentrated on his obviously one-sided love. That's not to say that it still didn't break his heart. But he couldn't help the way he felt. And he wasn't sure he wanted to either. He shifted into a more comfortable position and allowed the dancing fire to seduce his mind away from Sakura and his pain once more.

 

Sakura was worried about Sasuke. He hadn't changed much since his return to Konoha but he'd been even more sullen than usual today. “Not that I blame him.” Inner Sakura stated logically. “It's been three years and suddenly we're off to get information that could once again lead us to Itachi. Sasuke must be feeling upset and nervous. I wish I knew what to say to him to make him feel better. I wish I knew how to say the things I've wanted to for so long. I know I've been acting like a lovesick little teenager again lately. I can't help but think I'm making up for lost time.” But inside she knew that wasn't it. She couldn't explain why she felt so out of control when Sasuke was around. “You think I'd be able to just come out and say it considering how easily I confessed to him the night he left to join Orochimaru. But for some reason, I just can't bring myself to tell him I love him. Of course it doesn't help that Naruto is still constantly butting in at the opportune moments.” Sakura looked at her blonde friend and stifled a small gasp. Naruto was looking into the fire and his eyes were sorrowful and deep. The firelight reflected in them could have been coming from within him. She didn't understand why, but her heart hurt at the expression on his face. It wasn't like him. Just before her concern could move her to action however, she convinced herself that Naruto was fine. “He's always fine. Nothing ever gets him down for long.” She ignored any feelings to the contrary and resumed her stare-a-thon at Sasuke.

 

Sasuke was thinking about Gaara too but not in the same way as Naruto. The last time he had seen Gaara, the sand Jinchuuriki had almost killed them all. Granted that had been a long time ago and Naruto had delighted in telling Sasuke how Gaara had changed, become Kazekage and that they were great friends now. But Sasuke could think only of how Gaara would receive him. After all, he hadn't had the chance to know the `new' Gaara so the upcoming reunion troubled him somewhat. He was also preoccupied with the heaviness that still smothered his mind and heart. The news about Itachi had worsened his troubled heart considerably. Especially since there was something bothering him about what Kakashi had said concerning how fast Itachi had disappeared. Had it been because of his eyes? It had been almost three years since he had returned to the leaf village, and Itachi himself had admitted his eyesight would not last much longer when they fought. Had he found another way to reverse the Mangekyou Sharingan's detrimental effects? And if not could he even see anymore? He had a very good idea that he would get those answers when they reached the sand village but that only served to trouble him even more. Fortunately (or unfortunately he couldn't decide) those thoughts were constantly being interrupted by the knowledge that Sakura was sitting not four feet away from him and she kept staring at him. It was making him uncomfortable. Especially since he knew what Naruto felt for her. And what he didn't feel for her.

 

Sasuke loved Naruto like a brother. He'd been more like a brother to Sasuke than Itachi had ever been. And he loved Sakura like a sister….but that's where it ended. He had thought about Sakura almost as much as Naruto when he'd been away and his longing to see her had been something he tried his best to bury down in the depths of his heart. But he couldn't give Sakura what she wanted. The worst part about it was that he found he couldn't tell her so. Most of it was that he didn't want to hurt her. He had sworn to himself that he would never hurt his friends again. But there was another part, the Sasuke from before he had left the village, the one that was Naruto's rival in all things as well as his best friend, that enjoyed receiving the attention that Naruto didn't get. He had spent so long being jealous of Naruto. Envious of how quickly Naruto seemed to gain strength while his own growth took so much longer. He had yet to admit it to anyone but that was one of the main reasons he left the hidden leaf village in the first place. If he couldn't defeat Naruto then how could he hope to defeat his brother? Of course he hadn't known then about the immense power that was housed inside Naruto but even if he had, it probably wouldn't have lessened his jealous feelings. It was probably the highest compliment he could give Naruto, but he knew Naruto would hate him for it. So it was a secret he would take to the grave with him. He looked at his best friend and saw the same expression Sakura had seen. Sasuke felt for Naruto. He had never been in love himself so he couldn't know how Naruto was hurting knowing that the woman he loved was in love with someone else. He sighed deeply and stretched. His shoulder had been bothering him most of the day. Not that he hadn't been expecting it; the curse mark, although sealed once and for all by the skill of the Godaime and his own will power, still liked to make its presence known whenever he got really angry. A love bite from Orochimaru that he would never rely on again, not even to save his friend's lives. He would never break that promise. He looked from the corner of his eye to Sakura again and decided to end the stare-fest. He stood up without a word and walked a little ways away from the warm fire to his cold, waiting sleeping bag. He climbed in and lay awake listening to the crackle of the fire, and willing his sense of foreboding to go away. It didn't listen. Sasuke did not sleep that night.

 

 

The next two days passed rather uneventfully other than the fact that the three younger teammates seemed far more tired than usual. None of them was willing to admit to the real reason why however and by the middle of the third day, they were within sight of the Village Hidden in the Sand. Or rather they were in sight of the large stepped wall that bordered the front of the village until it turned into a natural mountain range that protected the rear. The village could only be accessed by a narrow opening in the front wall that was several metres long and guarded heavily, especially near the top after having been penetrated from the sky so easily by the former Akatsuki member, Deidara.

 

“Alright!” Naruto exclaimed, energy suddenly returning to him. “It's been so long! I can't wait to see everyone again!”

 

“Remember why we're here Naruto.” Sakura lectured. Naruto shot her a nasty look that made her look back at him in shock. Then he turned away and started walking faster, kicking up a good foot of sand in the process. Sakura looked at Sasuke questioningly but he had suddenly become interested in an unusually shaped sand dune and avoided her gaze. She looked back to Naruto frowning. “What's his problem today?” She thought.

 

They were about 500 yards away from the village entrance when they spotted a dark figure sprinting towards them. Sasuke immediately took an attack stance until he heard Naruto cry out, “Hey it's Kankurou!”

 

Sensing the sand shinobi's urgency, the team quickened their pace and reached him within seconds. “Kankurou!” Naruto said happily. “It's great to see you again!”

 

“Naruto-kun. Sakura-san. I'm so glad you made it.” Kankurou said quickly. “You must come quickly. The girl is in danger. She won't last much longer.”

 

The group looked at him in shock. “But the letter said she was only in a genjutsu! Her body should be in no danger!” Sakura said. “Unless….” The look on Kankurou's face gave her the answer. “Take me to her right away.” And without another word she leapt off after Kankurou, leaving the other's standing dumbfounded.

 

“Um…what just happened?” Naruto asked.

 

“Itachi.” Sasuke muttered under his breath. “I don't know how but that bastard was able to use the Mangekyou Sharingan on the girl. The genjutsu she's in is probably tearing her apart.” He cursed intelligibly and leapt off after Sakura.

 

Naruto looked at Kakashi with a face that said he still didn't know what was going on. Kakashi sighed, realizing he'd have to explain. “The Mangekyou Sharingan is special Naruto I know you know that. The genjutsu it produces can cause a person's mind such realistic pain that the body reacts as though it's actually being harmed. This girl is obviously no ninja or she would have been able to guard her mind against that much damage. I'm surprised though. From what Sasuke said after his battle with his brother, Itachi should have lost the ability to use the Mangekyou Sharingan by now.” He looked towards the village uncertainly. “Let's go Naruto.” And he leapt off, Naruto close behind.

 

XXX

 

When Sakura arrived in the room the girl was being kept in, the sight that met her eyes was horrible! The unknown girl was lying on a hospital bed and she was bleeding from several different wounds that had opened up on her body. And as Sakura watched horrified, more cuts opened up on her arms and legs though no one had physically done anything to her. She was crying through closed eyes and whimpering in what was obviously terrible pain. Occasionally her mouth would open wide as though she was trying to scream but no sound escaped her. Gaara sat on a chair beside her bed, seemingly oblivious to everything around him, his hands making seals at an incredible speed. Sakura recognized his muttered words as a release jutsu. She had a second to wonder why the Kazekage was doing that instead of the medical ninja's.

 

“Gaara's been at that for a couple of days now.” Kankurou quickly explained. “He keeps trying to dispel the jutsu, hoping a weak spot will present itself and she'll snap out of it.”

 

“Why didn't you say how serious it was in the letter?” Sakura demanded. She wanted to look fierce to Kankurou but she could not take her eyes off the girl. “I could have been here sooner!”

 

“She wasn't this bad until two days ago. We could tell it was a bad genjutsu or our medical Nin's could have broken it themselves. We saw small cuts and bruises start but the medics just bandaged them as they showed up while we got hold of you. But she didn't start crying or bleeding like that until a few days ago.” Kankurou looked visibly shaken.

 

Sakura wanted to ask what had happened two days ago and why they had only bandaged the girl's wounds instead of healing them but the girl suddenly gave a loud yelp as a large gash appeared and ran down the front of her from her right shoulder to her left hip. Blood flowed freely and Gaara jumped back in surprise and shock. Sakura rushed forward, made the sign of the Tiger and practically screamed “KAI!” at the same time she struck the girl with her fingers on her forehead.

 

Everything went eerily still. The girl had stopped crying and she also wasn't moving. The blood still flowed from her wounds however. Sakura immediately set to work healing the gash with her medical jutsu. Her hands glowed a cool green as she slowly knit the girl's broken skin back together. She was still hard at work when Sasuke arrived in the room. He immediately recoiled at the sight.

 

“My God what has he done?” He whispered disgusted. Kankurou and Gaara turned their attention to him and it took Kankurou a second to come up with a name.

 

“Uchiha Sasuke.” It was Gaara who actually said the name and he just stared at Sasuke, his face reading no emotion whatsoever. But Sasuke could feel it. Gaara was not happy to see him.

 

The awkward silence was broken by the arrival of Naruto and Kakashi. Both wore looks of shock and disgust at the scene before them.

 

“Holy man it looks like someone was tortured in here!” Naruto yelled before receiving a whack on the back of the head from Kakashi.

 

“That's exactly what's happened you knucklehead. Now be quiet. Now that Sakura has dispelled the jutsu, the girl may be able to hear you.”

 

“Actually no, she's unconscious at the moment.” Sakura said quickly without looking up from her work. She had healed the large gash although she seemed to be having a hard time of it and was beginning to breath hard from the use of her chakra. “But I still need you to clear out of here while I work. This is turning out to be more work than I thought. I will need two able medical Nin's here right away to help.” She paused as she noticed a rather large bloodstain lower on the girl's body. She felt her stomach drop and added, “Preferably female.” She said the last to Gaara who nodded in grim understanding and passed the others to walk out of the room. He paused at the entrance and said,

 

“Kankurou, see to the medics. The rest of you, please come with me.” And he continued off down the hall. Naruto looked back at Sakura one more time but she was intent on her task. He followed Kakashi and Sasuke down the hall after Gaara.

 

XXX

 

Gaara's office was round with several pictures on the walls of past Kazekages including his own father. The only furniture was a desk and a few chairs but it still managed a warm and inviting atmosphere. Upon entering, Naruto once again thought it almost nicer than the Godaime's office back home. Tsunade's office was better decorated but the only atmosphere felt in there was frightening.

 

Once they were seated in the Kazekage's office, Naruto took a good look at his friend. If possible, Gaara looked even more pale than usual. And even though his face still registered no emotion, Naruto could swear he saw Gaara's hands shaking the slightest bit.

 

“Gaara what the hell has been happening here?” Naruto asked in a very uncharacteristically quiet voice.

 

Gaara did not answer for several seconds. His gaze was fixed on Sasuke and Sasuke's gaze was in turn fixed on Gaara. Sasuke was determined not to show any unease to his former enemy. When Gaara finally did speak, he looked at Naruto and Kakashi and totally ignored Sasuke.

 

“The way I found the girl happened just as I wrote in the letter requesting Sakura-san's assistance from Konoha.”

 

“Do you know where Itachi went?” Sasuke blurted out before he could stop himself. Gaara did not turn away from Naruto and Kakashi but his eyes moved to Sasuke with a look of pure malevolence, daring him to interrupt again. Sasuke gritted his teeth but remained silent.

 

“During the first couple of days, the medics noticed small bruises and cuts appearing on the girl's body and were perplexed by it but we healed her as best we could and we waited for your team to arrive. Two days ago however, something strange happened.” Gaara paused there and Naruto was surprised to see that Gaara appeared to be having a hard time relating the story. Whatever had happened, it must have been horrific for it to upset Gaara.

 

“A medic went into the room to check on the girl that morning and he swears he saw Uchiha Itachi standing in the room by the bed.”

 

“He was here again? And you didn't capture him?” Sasuke knew he was pushing his luck now but he just couldn't believe the great Sand Village would let a known `S' class criminal escape not just once but twice! Kakashi gave Sasuke a warning look but Naruto looked interested in the answer as well. Gaara looked from Sasuke to Naruto and sighed in resignation.

 

“We have determined that Uchiha Itachi was only in the sand village for a brief period the night I saw him. What the medic saw was the Uchiha's second self. A projection of his chakra not unlike Naruto's Kage Bunshin although this projection was not solid. The medic could see through the Uchiha in the hospital room and his attempts to incapacitate or otherwise capture him were unsuccessful. There was nothing the medic could do to stop the Uchiha's assault on the girl.”

 

“Yeah I know that form.” Naruto said suddenly. “When I was being held by the Akatsuki and they were getting ready to take the kyuubi from me, there were only two members actually there, the rest showed up in a shadowy sort of `TV reception gone bad' form.”

 

Gaara nodded in affirmation.

 

“He came back in that form to do further harm to the girl? Why on earth would he do that?” Kakashi said aloud but it seemed as though he was saying it more to himself than anything.

 

“What did he do Gaara?” Naruto asked although he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer.

 

“We are not 100% sure but we believe he worsened the genjutsu she was under by using the Mangekyou Sharingan. The medic reports that the Uchiha was focused on the girl intently and making hand seals so quickly he could not see what they where. Then all of a sudden the girl jerked on the bed as though she had been shocked and coughed up a large amount of blood. The medic looked to the girl for only a second but when he looked back, the Uchiha was gone. The girl continued to worsen rapidly after that. Larger cuts and bruises appeared and it's as though she's bleeding from somewhere new every minute.”

 

“That's not even the worst or weirdest of it.”

 

The group turned to see Sakura in the doorway being supported by Kankurou. She looked exhausted!

 

“Sakura-chan! Are you okay?” Naruto rushed to the door to take Sakura's arm and lead her to a chair.

 

“Was the girl hurt that badly Sakura?” Kakashi asked eyeing her condition.

 

Sakura just looked at Gaara. “You knew didn't you? That's why you were having such a hard time healing her.” Gaara looked at Sakura for a moment and slowly nodded.

 

“That is why we felt we needed you Sakura-san.” Kankurou said from where he still stood by the door. “We've never seen anything like this before and you're the single most talented medical shinobi in the five great countries other than the Godaime. If anyone can figure this out I'm sure it's you.” Kankurou said this last with true respect in his voice. He hadn't forgotten how Sakura had saved him from a deadly poison 4 years ago when the medics in his village were stumped and about to let him die.

 

“Um…are we missing something here?” Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“This girl Kakashi-sensei. It took a LOT of my chakra to break the genjutsu and it wasn't just because it was caused by the Mangekyou Sharingan. I noticed that it was taking a lot more effort than usual to heal her wounds as well. Then when I tried focusing on her internal organs, I discovered why. I don't know who this girl is or where she's from…but she doesn't have an ounce of chakra in her! Not one single speck!”