"I thought you might come to bring me back.", he said as he stood on a mountain cliff, looking on towards the horizon just past the forest below him. His back facing the one he was in love with. The one that begged and cried for him not to leave the village. The one he, 3 years ago, knocked out and left on a park bench unconscious before he left the village. The one person he wanted to express his love to, was there just a few feet behind him.

He turned to see her, sadness, grief, and pain written on her face. "Sakura.", he said, seeing those feelings show on her face and the way she stood. She looked up at him, as if she were to break down right in front of him. He had noticed her emotions. "Sasuke...", she said looking down at the grass covered ground, trying to find the words to say.

"I know I won't be able to change your mind.." She said as she placed a hand over her heart, "But I just wanted to let you know, that you're not alone.", finally looking up at him. He looked at her noticing the hand over her heart, then remembered the day he left the village.

*Flashback*

"Please Sasuke! Don't leave me! I can help you get your revenge, just please stay! But if you can't...then...take me with you, Sasuke." She said with tear filled-eyes, a hand over her heart as if to prevent it from breaking and shattering, but nothing could prevent that from happening.

*Flashback Ends*

"Sakura...", he thought, looking at her, as she was about to break down, "you've certainly grown..." "Sakura.", he said, addressing her attention. "You've grown but have you gotten stronger?" Sakura looked at him in shock and supprise. "What's he mean by that?", she thought. "I'll give you your chance to defeat me, but if you let down your guard, then you'll never get another chance."

Sakura looked at him, not interested in fighting the man she held close to her heart, but she couldn't just leave. Besides, instead of standing there, about to break down, she could get a few good punches on him, showing how strong she had gotten since they last met. "So Sakura, what do you say?", he said raising an eyebrow, curious if she had gotten stronger in those 3 years. She looked past him, onto the view behind him. Walking past him, Sakura looked upon the view before her, she was thinking on what to do. Does she fight him or walk away, not knowing if they'd ever meet again?

While looking towards the setting sun just above the horizon, Sakura was unware that Sasuke was gazing upon her. Watching her as she looked at the sunset, her cherry blossom pink hair just above, and slightly past her shoulders. He watched her as a warm breeze would slightly go through her hair, across her face, and she would carefully remove the unwanted hairs from her view, closing her eyes as the warm breeze reached her face. Her whole body was glistening in the light of the sun. Sasuke was in awe and secretly in love with her, and gazing upon her as she was, made him feel calm and lucky to be there with her. He hadn't noticed it yet, but he was blushing. He finally felt warmness in his cheeks and he shoke his head trying to compose himself. Sakura hadn't seen his "loss of composure" and turned to give her answer. "Alright..", she said closing her eyes focusing on the task at hand. Looking a little supprised, Sasuke just nodded his head and said, "Hn."

They both looked at each other before they started to fight. Sasuke threw a few of his chidori blades at her, making her jump and flip backwards a few feet. "Is that the best you can do, Sakura? You can't dodge my chidori forever, you know.", he said, smiling coyly. She just looked at him, then thought, "Now's my chance!" She gathered some chakra in her right hand and punched a hole in the ground, which made Sasuke freak out and almost fall on his butt.

Sakura just stood up and gave a smirk, "How's that?" Sasuke was supprised, "Holy cow! Where'd this come from?", he thought catching his balance. Then he remembered, "That's it". "I see, so Tsunade taught you.", he said. Sakura looked at him, she knew he would of guessed that by the type of attack she threw at him. "But that won't work against my sharigan." Sasuke's expression changed, and threw a lot more chidori at her. More than she bargained for. "He's getting serious this time. I have to get him before he gets me.", she thought as chidori flew past her.

*In the Leaf Village*

A meeting was held in the hokage's office. Lady Tsunade and the others was listening to a couple tell them about their problem. "I'm sorry you had to travel all this way. So tell us why you're here.", she spoke to the couple. "Well," the man spoke. It's our daughter, ma'am. She contacted us letting us know she was coming to visit five days ago but..." the man stopped.

"It's been a week and she never showed up." the woman said, with worry in her voice. "She always tells us if she going to be late, but this has never happened before." the man spoke with a strong but concerned voice. "We decided to meet her half-way since there's only one road to our house, to save on having her to walk the whole way by herself." the man stated. "So I'm guessing you're from a village close by then." Tsunade said, noticing they're clothes.

"Yes, well we originally lived here, about 2 years ago, but moved for more land to do our farming and harvesting. You see, we're farmers. We farm and harvest plants and fruit to help nearby villages besides our own to be made into medicine." the man said. "Well there's a lot of farming land in the land of fire, is that where you live?", Shizune asked. "Yes, and it takes 3 days to get to your village from ours, so that's why we came here." the woman stated. "I see, and what's your names?" asked Tsunade.

"I'm Kizashi and this is my wife, Mebuki.", pointing to the woman next to him. Tsunade gasped, "Then...you're the Haruno's!" Naruto was in shock, "Then...that means..." he thought. "You're Sakura's parents?" he asked, a little confused. "That's correct" Kizashi said. "Then we have to go and find her!" Naruto declared. "Hold on Naruto, Lady Tsunade hasn't made her decision yet." Shizune stated.

"I know but..." Naruto started say but suddenly decided to wait til Tsunade decided. "Well alright then." Kakashi smiled behind his mask at Naruto. "Man, this stinks and what's with Kakashi sensei? He's acting so casual about this." he thought as he pouted to himself. Captain Yamato gave him a look which creeped him out. "Nagh! Do you always have to freak me out like that, Captain Yamato?!" Naruto shouted to Yamato. "Naruto!" Tsunade yelled at him, "Pay attention and knock it off!" "Nagh! Sorry." Naruto said, clearly didn't want to be pummeled by Tsunade.

"Now, back to the matter at hand." said Tsunade, carefully looking at Naruto, who had stiffened up when he noticed that Tsunade was looking at him. "I know Sakura very well and I'm sure she could've stopped to help some travelers along the way." Tsunade stated, composing herself. "But..." She spoke again, the whole room got tense. "I'll be sending out a squad to make sure. Kakashi?...Yamato?..." Both Kakashi and Yamato acknowledged Tsunade. "I want you too to make a squad, since you both know Sakura and can track her down easily." They both nodded, "Right!"

*Back to Sasuke & Sakura*

After fighting Sasuke, it looked like Sakura was all out of chakra, but Sasuke?... He was showing signs of chakra loss too. "Dammit! How can she keep up with all my attacks so quickly?!" he thought, then smiled. "She really has grown stronger." While fighting with Sakura, he noticed something strange.

Something really strange. Like someone was watching them. Pushing that aside, Sasuke stood up and spoke, "So I guess I won this round." Sakura was shocked that he could still stand. "How?...How can he stand, after using up so much chakra?" she thought. "But I guess it's time to end this little charade." he said, although he still loved her, he had to get his revenge on the leaf village. Or atleast that's what he thought.

Sakura quickly gathered up her strength and jumped back a few feet, but wasn't quick enough. Sasuke was already behind her, ready for the strike. He went to use chidori but Sakura blocked his strike by quickly kicking him into a tree.

"Uhh.." Sasuke groaned and looked up at where Sakura was standing, but she wasn't there. It wasn't til a second later, that Sakura was sitting on him, with a kunai knife pointed straight at him. "You said not to let my guard down, right?...Sasuke." Sakura spoke as Sasuke was pinned down by her. Sasuke was supprised, and a little proud of Sakura at the same time. He just casually smirked, "Hn."

A long silence gathered in the air, til one of them broke the silence. "So..what are you waiting for? Go ahead and kill me." Sasuke said, with a little smirk. She was shocked that he would even say that. "Although, it won't change a thing. You'll just feel bad afterwards." he said closing his eyes and smirked. She gripped the kunai tighter. She wasn't angry at him for what he was saying, she was sad.

Sakura felt her heart twinge, like he was pulling on the strings of her heart. She couldn't just kill the man she loved so much. She wouldn't be able to handle it. She felt so sad and started to break down. Sasuke felt the grip of her left hand, that was placed on his chest just near his right shoulder, tighten. He was confused, so he looked up at her. "Sakura..." he thought sadly.

"She's so sad." He was feeling a little bad for her, but he wanted to get revenge on the leaf village so bad, that whatever feelings he had for Sakura, he had to push aside. "That's where you're wrong, Sasuke." Sakura said breaking the silence, her voice a little shaky but strong. Sasuke was shocked and a little confused. Before Sasuke could say anything, Sakura leaned down and kissed him. "Wha!" he thought, a little shocked.

"She's kissing me?...After all the stuff I put her through, she stills care for me? Sakura..." Then that's when he noticed that he was kissing her back. "What am I doing?! I should be fighting her not kissing her!...But still...I..." He then felt a tear fall on his face, so he opened his eyes. The tears weren't his, he knew that much. They were Sakura's. She was crying. "Sakura..." he felt sad for her. Sakura stopped kissing him and and hid her eyes so Sasuke couldn't see her crying.

But it wasn't possible, cause he saw tears roll down her cheeks and fall on him. "You're wrong...because...I...I.." she tried to speak but she was too upset. Her grip on the kunai got even tighter and her left hand was now clutching the fabric of Sasuke's cloak. Finally she found the strength to speak, "Because after I kill you...I...I'm going to kill myself!" she said, tears rolling down her face.

Sasuke was shocked, "Sakura..." he said sadly, as he watched as she was falling apart right in front of him. "It's the only way. The only way I can save you from hate and bitterness. And it's the only way to save the leaf village. I...I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I knew...that I killed the man that I loved!" Sasuke felt like he was an idiot all these years, that his revenge was only all the pent-up anger he felt towards a dreadful incident that happened in his childhood. He was going to kill innocent people who had no involvement in his clan's demise and his brother's.

Sasuke reached out and placed his right hand on Sakura's left cheek and wiped away the tears, which made Sakura look at him. Her eyes filled with tears. Then Sasuke started to speak, "Sakura..." but then felt that ominous strange feeling again. But this time it didn't disappear. "Finally, I've found you." a strange voice called out from across where the two of them were at. Both of them looked to see a man with black hair that was past shoulder length, and was in a braided ponytail and flung over his back.

He was wearing a white pair of hakamas with a white haori that only has a blue patch on his shoulder. He was also wearing a type of iron armor over his clothes along with a shoulder guard attached to the rest of the armor by a strip of red cloth. Both Sakura and Sasuke got up off the ground and faced towards the stranger. "Who are you?" asked Sakura, a little confused on who the guy was looking for. "Oh. My name? It's Fujikata Mishikawa." he said smiling at her.

"And you my dear are Sakura Haruno, am I right?" Sakura was creeped out and shocked, "H-how do you know my name?..." Sasuke was a tense, cause the auroa Fujikata was giving off wasn't anything good. As a matter of fact, it was pure evil. Sasuke could tell cause the grass just underneath Fujikata was dead but the grass around him was very much alive. "I don't like the looks of this guy, and how'd he know Sakura's name?" he thought, his hands clutching into fists. "Well that's very easy for me my dear. I know all about you." Fujikata said, with a grin on his face. "Okay...now I'm officially creeped out." Sakura thought.

It grew silent after that, til in one swift motion, Fujikata summoned vines from underneath Sakura and flung her on the ground just 20 feet to the left side of Sasuke. "Ahhh!" yelled Sakura in pain as she hit the ground. "Sakura!" yelled Sasuke, concerned and in shock about what just happened. "Why you!" Sasuke growled at Fujikata. "Sakura, are you alright?!" Sasuke asked her. Sakura couldn't move, it felt like her whole body was on fire. "I wouldn't try moving if I were you, the thorns from the vines I summoned, disperse poison that limits movement. And if you try to move, the poison sends shock waves of burning pain throughout your body. Too much of that, and you'll die." Fujikata stated, with an evil grin across his face.

Sakura looked down and saw that her legs were bleeding. "Oh no, if I can't move then, I won't be able to get rid of the poison, then I wouldn't be to treat my wounds." she thought, scared and in shock. Sasuke ran over to Sakura and saw the puncture wounds from the thorns, and noticed that she was bleeding. "Sakura..." he spoke, noticing that she was in pain, as she was wincing and tearing up from the pain.

"What do you have against Sakura?!" Sasuke shouted at Fujikata. Fujikata just looked at Sasuke, "Well you're one to talk, since you almost killed her 3 times. Me on the other hand, have a much better purpose for her in mind." he said smiling. Sasuke was shocked and confused on how he knew so much about him and Sakura. "That's none of your business!" Sasuke barked at Fujikata. "Oh it is my business since I'll be needing that girl for my plans." He said with an evil smirk on his face.

Sasuke was furious, he was even tempted to attack Fujikata. "I wouldn't do anything stupid if I was you." Fujikata said still grinning, then summoned more vines from underneath Sakura and started crushing her. "Ahhh!" screamed Sakura. "Sakura!" Sasuke was worried about her, he wanted to attack Fujikata but one wrong word or move and Sakura was good as dead.

"I think I'm done here. But I'm taking her with me." Fujikata said, then disappeared then reappeared behind Sakura, who was still being held prisoner by the vines Fujikata summoned. "No you don't!" yelled Sasuke, who charged at Fujikata, with chidori in one hand. Fujikata just lifted his left hand and summoned a blade from thin air. Fujikata blocked Sasuke's chidori and threw him back, and Sasuke hit the ground, still conscious but unable to move. "Now my dear, shall we go?"

Fujikata said, releasing Sakura from the vines he summoned and picked her up and carried her bridal style. Sakura had already passed out from the pain of the vines crushing her. Sasuke looked in pain as Fujikata carried Sakura away. He tried moving but he winced in pain from the blow he got from Fujikata. "Sakura!" he managed to shout, but both her and Fujikata were gone, disappeared in the darkness of the night. "Dammit!" Sasuke spoke, clunching his fists in anger. "How could of this had happened?!"

*An hour later*

"Can't we take a little break guys? We've been looking for hours." said Naruto, who was walking in the forests just a few yards from where Sasuke was. "You were the one who said we shouldn't stop looking for her, Naruto." said Sai, who gave his usual smile. "Yeah Naruto. So suck it up." said a demanding blonde Ino. "We're just as anxious to find Sakura just as much as you are, so quit wining." she said, annoyed by Naruto's complaining.

"I'm sure we'll find her soon, N-Naruto." said a shy Hinata, trying to reassure Naruto. "Yeah, you're right...We can't give up now, we have to find her." Naruto stated, his mood suddenly changing. Walking a few more feet, the teens were suddenly contacted by Kakashi, who was standing on one of the forest tree branches. "Guys, you better come quick. You've gotta see this."

The four ninjas soon caught up with Kakashi and Yamato. They cleared the opening of trees to a clearing of grass on a cliff. Naruto looked to the person laying in middle of the field of grass. "Sasuke!" he shouted and ran to him, Sasuke was badly wounded and unconscious. "Wake up Sasuke." a concerned Naruto spoke.

"Uhh...Naruto? What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked, a little confused on how the found him. "We're out looking for Sakura. She's supposed to be with her parents right now, but she never showed up at their house." the blonde stated. Sasuke then remebered all that had happened with Sakura. Sasuke began to tense up.

"Hey take it easy, Sasuke. Don't rush yourself." spoke Naruto. "Ino, can you heal him? asked Kakashi. Ino nodded her head, then Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai moved Sasuke to a nearby tree, and Ino started healing him. "What happened to you?" asked Naruto, confused on who beat up Sasuke. Sasuke closed his eyes then spoke, "He said his name was Fujikata Mashikawa." Yamato and Kakashi looked at Sasuke in shock, as if they knew the name. Sai had also seemed a little shocked, although he hardly showed very good emotion. "Have you guys meet him before?" asked Ino.

"Something like that." stated Yamato, "but let's get him taken care of first." Sasuke knew what that would mean, but he didn't care for his previous plans right now. He wanted to get Sakura back. Sasuke knew he had to tell them about Sakura. "There's more..." Sasuke spoke, getting their attention. A long silence fell upon the group before Naruto spoke. "What is it, Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up Naruto, then spoke, "He...he took...Sakura..." he said clunching his fists, which Naruto had noticed.

"What!" Naruto was supprised and shocked, "you mean she was here?!" Everyone one was in shock at the news they were given. "Wait...What was she doing here?" asked Kakashi. Sasuke looked at his old sensei then looked at the ground in front of him. "She..came to bring me back. She must of heard of my location from a nearby village as she was heading to her parents' house."

*Elsewhere, in a large temple not too far from Sasuke and the others.*

The temple was of oriental dark design with lit torches and two twin statues on each side of a slate throne chair. Sitting in the throne chair was Fujikata. Before him was a blood drawn ancient circle, and in the middle of the circle, laying unconcious and chained from wrist to ankle was Sakura. Past Sakura and the circle was a set of concrete stairs leading down to a platform, on either side of the platform was two black liquids ponds.

On each side of the big temple room, guiding the set of stairs and platform, were thick concrete columns, all were engraved with ancient text. Past the platform was a thick wall with cells built in the walls for holding prisoners. "I think it's time to start the game" Fujikata spoke out into the temple room, but he was alone, except for Sakura who was unable to hear or see where she was.

Fujikata reached out his hand and summoned undead guards from the concrete floor. "15 of you go get the guests of honor. The rest of you guard every inch of the temple and temple grounds to make sure no one else gets in." giving orders to undead guards.