Author Notes: Thank you to everyone who took the time to review! I also want to give a special thank you to cestlavie, who took the time to review each and every chapter. The feedback was so heartwarming and simply amazing so thank you! Chapter 15 is dedicated to you :)

Thank you MegaDarkly as always for your constant help!

Please note, this chapter along with the next two start a darker path for Lucy. There are going to be more mature and violent situations so just a heads up, this fic is rated M after all.

Chapter 15

..~**~..

..~**~..

Sasuke tossed and turned in his bed.

He couldn't sleep. How many nights had it been now? How many days since he had learned the truth from Madara?

He lay on his back in his cool, cavernous room, listening to the soft snoring of his teammates next door. Moonlight filtered through the only window in the wall, casting long shadows on the walls and allowing the warm summer breeze to caress his bare skin.

Dragging an arm over his arms, Sasuke exhaled sharply. And in the silence of the night, Madara's words echoed through his mind.

For the peace of Konoha and most of all Uchiha Sasuke, Itachi wanted to die as a criminal and traitor. He accepted disgrace in the place of honour and hate instead of love. And despite that Itachi died with a smile on his face.

His mind flashed to that terrible image of Itachi lying dead on the ground, smiling up at him.

He entrusted the Uchiha name to you, his younger brother, deceiving you to the very end.

Sasuke's fists clenched at the thought. Why, Itachi, why? You sacrificed our family, our clan, your life, why? All for the sake of Konoha?

Cold fury rushed through his veins and he sat up in an instant, feeling the need to hurl the nearest object across the room. He stopped himself, kicking the scratchy bedsheets away instead. Losing control in the middle of the night wouldn't get him anywhere. He needed to plan for the future. He needed to think about his next steps wisely, and lack of sleep wouldn't help him in the slightest.

Besides, it was making him see things. Things that made him question his own sanity.

He ran his hand over his face, rubbing his tired eyes, before he spotted a shadow standing still in the darkest corner of his room.

Sasuke cursed under his breath.

Ever since he had found out the truth from Madara, grief and guilt had swallowed him whole making him lose focus during the day and sleep at night. Dreams of his father and mother, of Itachi, the kind brother he used to be, plagued his thoughts, but this – this was a different kind of crazy.

His eyes followed the shadow. It always stayed in the darkest corner; tall, silent, the outline so achingly familiar Sasuke had been unable to move or breathe the first him he had spotted him.

"Nii-san," he whispered into the night. "I will avenge you. I will destroy Konoha and the Uchiha will be avenged. You will have peace."

The shadow remained still in the darkness. It never moved from its position. It never answered him and if he tried to approach, it disappeared.

"Peace?" the shadow answered and Sasuke's heart ached as he recognised his brother's voice.

Could it be?

Could it really be him?

His mind told him that it was impossible. His brother was dead, he was sure of it. He had seen the body. He had killed him.

Was Madara playing a trick on him? Or had he finally cracked under the weight of his grief?

"Nii-san?"

But the shadow was already gone.

He lay back down on the bed, eyes half-closed as he stared at the darkest corner of his room, waiting for a sign, for a word, for anything to let him know that the shadow had been real. That he hadn't been dreaming.

None came.

And for the first time in days, Sasuke fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

..~**~..

..~**~..

"The mission was simple," Kinoto's strong voice echoed through the training room, his tone flat, emotionless. Cold. "Make contact with the informant. Retrieve the scroll and bring it back. Intact."

The other trainer, Dajimu, reached for Four who was down on his knees in front of them and pulled his head back, revealing a bloodied and bruised face. One of his eyes was a nasty purple colour and was half-closed.

"Four failed the mission. He has admitted to his failure."

Yeah, because you beat the shit out of him.

"Now it is time for him to ask forgiveness from his team members."

Fuck, not this again.

Knowing what was about to happen, I retreated into my mind. I focused on a pop song, letting it occupy my thoughts. It usually helped keep me sane during these moments.

You shout it out, but I can't hear a word you say…

Kinoto and Dajimu grabbed Four's arms, lifting him to his feet. His one good eye remained open, staring blankly ahead as he breathed hard through his nose. The trainers held his arms back, holding him in place, and One was called forward.

One, a young girl and the prodigy of the team, landed a hard punch to Four's jaw. Blood splattered the dark cave floor and I shifted my focus to the burning torch flickering on the back wall.

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose, fire away, fire away…

Closing my eyes or turning my head was not an option. Not here.

I tried my best to ignore the awful sounds of my teammate getting beat to a pulp.

"Six."

I stepped forward, trying not to think of the bloodied mess before my eyes. Four, my handsome, funny teammate, who reminded me so much of Kiba.

You shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium…

I balled my fist and hit him square in the stomach. A cheap shot, but it knocked him out and he crumpled to the ground.

At least now his punishment was over.

They would drag his broken body away, heal him overnight, and have him ready to start fresh all over again by morning. I knew it all too well because two days ago, that had been me in his place.

I fucked up and I got the worst beating of my life.

I stepped back in line, ready to the dismissed by Kinoto. Our sensei.

Tora to be more exact. Turned out the Root operative was now in charge of training me and after a week in this hellhole, I had learned quite a few things about Danzou's supposed training program.

1. He lied. There weren't six members. There were fifteen, three teams of five. I was on Team Tora (how original) and they use numbers instead of names like we were bloody Cylons. My teammates were One, Two, Three and Four. I was Six. Fuck knows what happened to Five. I knew better than to ask.

2. I had no idea where we were, but we were definitely underground, perhaps under or close to Konoha. I had taken part in a few trainings and missions on the outside, but every time we went through a set of tunnels and came out in a forest outside of the village walls. So yeah, no idea.

3. I was the weakest on the team and Kinoto liked to remind me every single day.

4. Danzou, Kinoto and all the rest of them were assholes. Sadists to be exact. We did nothing but train, go on missions and train some more. If you were injured or tired, too bad. If you spoke back, you got beaten. If you didn't perform well, you got beaten. If you messed up, you got beaten.

5. The beatings were a core part of Root's beliefs. As Kinoto liked to remind us, the fastest way to get stronger was when your life was in danger. And mine was in danger of getting beat up all the time. There was no carrot in Root, only the stick; and boy did we improve fast when the alternative was some broken fingers or a punch to the gut.

It had been seven days since I joined the program.

Seven whole days and my skills improved in leaps and bounds, but at a cost. As much as I hated to admit it, Genma had been right. Root wasn't playing around.

When I sucked at shurikenjutsu, Kinoto lost patience and broke two of my fingers. This went on for three days until Four took pity on me and helped me practice until I got it right.

We became somewhat friendly afterwards, but even then friendships weren't encouraged in the program. Not when you had to turn on your teammate at the drop of a hat and punish them for messing up. Still Team Tora stuck together, we trained together, ate together, and slept in the same quarters creating a strange bond full of trust issues.

We didn't know anything about each other except our fighting skills. Other than that, we were all just numbers and faces.

"Six, training. Now," Kinoto growled and I knew I had displeased him as my teammates turned down the long dark corridor towards the break room for dinner while I followed my trainer to one of the dozens of rooms in this cold, underground cavern made for kenjutsu training.

I stepped inside, my stomach growling. With some luck, there would be something other than plain rice left for dinner once I was done.

Kinoto grabbed a couple of wooden practice swords hanging from the wall and thrust one to me. I caught it and immediately countered his strike. He always did that, trying to catch me off-guard before I was ready, and I hated him for it.

While everyone else got free time to eat, shower and rest, I had kenjutsu training.

Every night.

And it sucked.

Kinoto was nothing like Yugao. He was harsh, aggressive, and pushed me way beyond my limits every time.

"Focus, Six," he ordered, after his blade came down hard on my thigh.

Bite me.

"Yes, sensei."

Any other answer was a one-way trip to the infirmary. I had learned that painful lesson on day one.

Once training was over, I was dead on my feet, covered in cuts and bruises. My muscles burned from training all day. After a quick meal and shower, I trudged on to Team Tiger's shared dorm, ready to get some sleep.

All the curtains were drawn but I couldn't sense Four and Three. Four was no doubt still in the infirmary, as for Three… I wasn't sure where she spent her nights, but I sure hoped it was with one of the other trainees and not a trainer.

I lay down on my cot, an alcove dug out in the cave wall with a thin mattress, a duvet and pillow. Sleep would overtake me soon. Whatever drugs they put in our food worked wonders because I always woke up rested and full of energy.

Ready for another round of morning spars.

Ready for day eight.

..~**~..

Out of all the classes at the program, genjutsu was the most fun. Here, at least I didn't suck, although I knew better than to bring attention to myself.

"Six, Eight, pair up!"

Here Dajimu, leader of Team Ushi and a so-called genjutsu master, was our trainer and not Kinoto.

I went to stand before Eight, also from Team Ushi, a kunoichi with light-brown hair pulled up high into a ponytail and icy blue eyes. She was a well-rounded fighter without any special skills. Her genjutsu, however, was terrible.

"We're practicing genjutsu that will neutralise the enemy again," Dajimu announced, walking through the different pairs. One and Two, Four and Ten, then me and Eight. "Genjutsu that incite fear can mess with a shinobi's mind and neutralise them for a few seconds or a few hours. Powerful genjutsu can incapacitate an entire squad team. When the odds are against you, it can save your life. Begin!"

I let Eight go first. As always she cast the same genjutsu of snakes erupting from the ground. This time she had made them bigger.

I pulled out a kunai, pretending to be pulled into her genjutsu. Pretending was half the fun of this class; my acting skills had never been so good!

Also, I had found a way to trick my brain and see through the air shimmering with chakra.

Just like with magic eye images I had stared at for hours as a kid, if I relaxed my eyes just right I could see the genjutsu that was being cast.

But my brain was never tricked into thinking it was real.

"Kai!"

Dajimu's lips thinned as he stared down at Eight. He hated it when someone from his team lost to Team Tora. "Again. Try a different approach."

Yes, be more creative. Enough with the snakes!

He turned on his heel and Eight shot me a dark look before her hands flew through the seals.

At once the cave training room disappeared into a dark forest and I let myself be sucked in, hearing the leaves rustle behind me. I put my acting skills to good use and turned around, whipping out a kunai and looking slightly scared.

After a few seconds of silence, a gigantic black, hairy spider burst out of the bushes, scuttling towards me.

The vision of the giant hairy spider rushing towards me almost gave me a heart attack and I reacted on pure fear. I shrieked like a banshee and threw a kunai before remembering it was an illusion and released it.

If there was one thing, ONE thing, I was deathly afraid of, it was spiders.

Eight was looking at me with a smug smile, panting hard from the effort of her jutsu. I noticed my shriek had turned quite a few curious heads. Ten, the strongest genjutsu type of the whole program, a lean black-haired shinobi who was always stuck to Eight's side, gave a smirk while Dajimu looked rather pleased.

Great. Now they all knew my weakness and Eight would waste no time letting her whole team know about it.

She sneered at me. "Your turn."

Not only did her attitude piss me off, but I was also angry at myself for getting sucked into her illusion. Freaking spider!

The thought of that huge black hairy monster made me shiver in horror.

Eight was going to pay.

I wasn't going to let her go so easy. Dajimu had asked us to create genjutsu that would incapacitate the enemy and snakes and insects just didn't cut it. I didn't know why every shinobi kept using the same illusions, it was like they had no imagination.

Ten had once trapped me in a genjutsu with a ghost and it was so bland, I almost laughed. The Naruto world was still really pure when it came to horror and it was something I could take advantage of. I had scarier shit up my sleeve and I had no qualms about using one of my ideas on Eight.

She raised a brow at me as my hands went through the seals and I weaved my genjutsu. I watched as it hit her chakra flow and affected her five senses tricking her mind and body to believe the fake images I was feeding her.

First, Dajimu announced time was up and training was over. Eight watched everyone file out and as she made for the door, her sensei told her to stay put until he came to get her.

Now for the fun part.

The torches suddenly blew out and she found herself alone in the training room, surrounded in an eerie, grayish light.

The white noise of a broken TV filled her ears but when she looked around all she saw was a stone well on the other side of the room.

I watched with satisfaction as Eight jumped in fright, thoroughly creeped out by the eerie light and sound as well as the sudden appearance of the well.

Oh, you haven't seen anything yet.

I watched it play out. I watched as a pale wet hand reached out of the well, then another, followed by a veil of long, black hair. I smirked in satisfaction as Sadako crawled out of the well in a disturbing manner and headed straight for Eight.

I was so impressed by my own genjutsu that I didn't notice Eight trembling with fear beside me until she let out a horrendous, blood-curdling scream. It made my own hair stand on end and disrupted my focus putting an end to the jutsu. The kunoichi continued to scream in absolute terror, pulling at her hair as she fell to her knees.

"Eight!" Ten called out as I stood beside her in shock.

Her teammate managed to pry her hands away from her face. She was white as a sheet and petrified with fear. Guilt clawed at me for testing my Sadako genjutsu on her, but I pushed it away.

Don't show remorse, I reminded myself, knowing Dajimu and Ten wouldn't thank me for it. Just walk away and be proud that you bested her.

Holding Eight in his arms, her teammate threw me a hateful look, a promise of revenge in his dark eyes. I held his gaze, refusing to show any weakness and medics rushed into the training room as Dajimu dismissed us all for lunch.

I threw one last look at Eight over my shoulder.

Don't play with fire if you can't handle the heat.

..~**~..

"Damn, what the hell did you do?"

I turned to Four and winced, noticing his eye was still a nasty purplish colour and his jawline peppered with bruises.

There were a few reasons why I had bonded with Four so easily. First, he reminded me of Kiba with his rugged looks and easy smile, and second, he liked to swear even more than I did. He was street-smart and never held back during fights. From the little I knew about him, he hadn't grown up in the hidden village, but had learned how to fight for his life just the same.

The way he hoarded discarded food despite Root feeding us plenty and how he took extra special care of all his clothes and weapons, it was obvious he'd had a rough childhood.

Three had once called him a 'bandit' and Ten 'a street thug'. He was an outcast as well which is why he fit in so well with me.

"I made her see a ghost, it was nothing," I answered, grabbing my food tray before settling at the table with the rest of Team Tora.

"Nothing? It landed her in the infirmary!"

"Four, settle down," Two scolded him, already seated at the table with One. He nibbled on his rice, eating his food with such delicacy that there was no doubt he had been brought up in a more traditional manner.

He had shoulder-length dark blonde hair which he often kept braided and One had long light blonde hair which she often kept in a high ponytail.

The two geniuses of our team were always stuck together. I wasn't sure whether it was because they were related or just really close, but they often made me think of Ed and Winry.

Although perhaps Two was a bit too refined to be Edward Elric.

"Team Ushi won't let that go, they'll find a way to make you pay, Six," Two added, and I shrugged knowing it was inevitable but not wanting to worry about it over lunch.

"Well, what has she done now?" Three asked, joining the table in turn and sitting across from me. She was slightly younger than Four and I, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, with long jet-black hair often pulled back into one long braid and light gray eyes. There was a general sadness about her that was hard not to notice, like she had gone through some pretty traumatic events. "I just passed by Ten and Dajimu-sensei and they looked positively murderous after your training."

Four scoffed. "Nah, those are just their regular faces."

I ignored him. "I just used genjutsu against Eight and she couldn't handle it."

Three raised a thin, dainty brow. "Huh? Maybe you are special after all."

I tried not to react to her words and sipped on my miso soup. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you people, I'm not special."

"Clearly," Two added, his honey eyes looking at me with disdain.

I ignored him.

For some reason Three and Four kept insisting that Kinoto had been giving me special treatment since I'd joined and were desperate to find out why. I had a feeling Kinoto was trying to ease me in and gain my confidence in the hopes that I would be more willing to share my visions.

If that was the case then he had spectacularly failed.

Even more surprising was that Danzou hadn't interrogated me or made any move since I had first joined, but my gut was telling me that any day now, he would take action.

"Perhaps, but that still doesn't explain why Kinoto-sensei goes so easy on you," Three continued. "Like that time when he made you spar against One and you refused to hit her."

Because she's a ten-year old child!

Four's face split into a grin. "Or that time he shouted at you in shuriken practice and you said 'why don't you shove a shuriken up your ass, you bastard?"

Two shook his head. "I believe the exact words were 'you sadistic tosser'."

I snorted in my soup while Three and Four laughed. Even Two had a smile on his lips. One looked completely unphased as usual.

"Yeah, that was a good one," I admitted. "But he still broke my fingers for it."

"Six," Three cut in, looking at me like I was an idiot. "If any of us had said the same, he would have broken our necks."

Before I could react, a shadow fell across our table and my teammates tensed. None of us had weapons, they were forbidden outside of the training rooms, but that didn't stop Team Tora from glaring at Ten and his pal, Nine, a heavily scarred shinobi with short dark hair and built like an ox.

"What do you want?" Four asked in a strong voice. He liked to believe he was the leader of our team, but everyone knew Two was in charge. Kinoto always chose the blond boy for our team missions.

"Thought I'd come announce the news myself," Ten answered, looking much too smug with himself. "We'll be doing team exercises this afternoon. Dajimu-sensei will announce it shortly."

"Shit," Three grumbled under her breath.

Team exercises were anything but friendly. They were brutal survival training exercises and led to more injuries than any other trainings combined. The worst exercise was called the Chase. One team had two hours to chase down the 'rabbit', a ninja from another team. Five shinobi against one were impossible odds and once found, the 'rabbit' ninja would end up severely beaten.

Even One, our team prodigy, had been chased by Team Ookami on my second day. Team Tora and Ushi were mostly kids, but Team Ookami were older and borderline full Root members. I had seen them once in training and you did not want to mess with those guys.

One had done well and held the best record for the Chase, but even she had returned unconscious, her blood splattered skin covered in cuts, bruises and burns and one of her legs twisted at one odd angle.

It wasn't a sight I was about to forget.

Two narrowed his eyes. "The Chase?"

"Team Ushi," Ten said.

"The Rabbit?" Four dared to ask.

I stiffened as Ten turned his vicious eyes on me. "Six."

Oh. Fuck.

Pleased with themselves, Ten and Nine left without another word. The table remained silent for a long time after that.

"It'll be four against one," Four spoke up, trying to sound encouraging. "Eight's still in the infirmary."

I nodded my head, unable to say a word.

"Remember our training. Don't run in a straight line, whatever you do. They'll track you down in no time. Try to zigzag, double back, confuse them as much as you can."

Three gave a grim smile before she stood up and left the table without a word.

One and Two shared a look before they stood up as well.

So much for team spirit…

Four gave a loud sigh. "It won't be easy, and they will catch you in the end, but they'll only beat you until you lose consciousness. If you're hiding any other skills like that genjutsu trick, now's the time to use them. Team Ushi won't be fucking around and neither should you."

I stared down at my food having lost my appetite. "Thank you."

He finished the rest of his soup but getting to his feet. "Don't get yourself killed out there, Six."

Sure. Just let them beat me until I lose consciousness, right?

I remained at the table alone trying to ward off fear and panic. Ten's warning at least had given me more time to think of a plan. I thought about my chakra sensitivity, at least I had that. I would sense them coming.

Knowing that they're coming is even worse!

I groaned into my hands, pressing my fingertips against my eyes.

I'm so screwed.

..~**~..

Outside, the sun was scorching but the forest provided enough shade to protect me from the harsh rays.

I followed the group ahead without a word as we walked east in silence. I could no longer sense the hundreds of chakra signatures from Konoha, only the four members of team Ushi ahead and their sensei Dajimu behind me.

We soon reached a cliff edge, overhanging a large valley filled with trees as far as the eye could see.

I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves. This is where the Chase would begin.

"Get ready!" Dajimu ordered, before he dropped from the edge of the cliff down to the valley below.

The rest of Team Ushi headed down a path of rocks and boulders leading to the foot of the cliff and I followed suit, pushing chakra to the soles of my feet to keep up with their pace.

Once we all stood before Dajimu, he finally spoke.

"The rules are simple. Team Ushi has two hours to catch the rabbit, Six."

His unfriendly eyes glanced at me and I held his gaze, refusing to show any fear or weakness.

"Six will get a five-minute start and then Team Ushi can use any means necessary to pursue and find Six before the two hours are up. The rabbit must be returned alive and with all its limbs."

Ten gave a dark chuckle but I ignored the ninja beside me, mentally preparing myself to run for my life.

It was four against one. The odds weren't so bad, but Team Ushi was strong.

Ten and Nine were beasts; tall, bulky shinobi with strong taijutsu skills. At least I would see right through any genjutsu Ten sent my way. Seven was a younger, more subdued shinobi with short, dark red hair who was skilled in kenjutsu. I glanced at the tanto blade strapped to his back and was glad Kinoto had allowed me to bring my own sword, a wakizashi.

Dajimu never said Team Ushi had to return with all their limbs.

Finally, there was Five. The new Five. A kunoichi who had taken the name after Five from Team Tora had died. She was a ninjutsu powerhouse and not someone I wanted to face in close-combat.

"You're going down, Six," Ten said in a low voice as they all watched me. "You're going to pay for what you did."

"Try to last at least an hour," Nine added, twirling a kunai in one hand. "Don't spoil our fun."

I gave them a hard stare but remained silent, waiting for Dajimu.

"Begin."

I disappeared without missing a beat, using my new Body Flicker jutsu Kinoto had taught me on my first day. I had practiced it relentlessly all week and was able to use it a couple more times to get as far away from the cliff side as possible.

I stopped in the first clearing I saw, perfect for a trap. Noticing a tree with its bark coming down in strips, I hid several explosive tags and then infused more with my chakra to hide among the other trees.

I had the advantage of chakra detection and explosive tags was an excellent way of hurting my pursuers remotely. I shunshin'd away, working fast and effectively, creating three distinct traps before hiding several more explosive tags at random within the forest.

It wouldn't get them all, but after the first explosion, they would no doubt slow down their hunt and proceed more cautiously allowing me to set up the next step.

I suppressed my chakra and walked with care, making sure not to leave any tracks behind before jumping into a tree and hiding among the thick leaves.

I could sense all four chakra signatures still at the base of the cliff and waited for them to take off.

Breathe. Breathe, you can do this. You have a plan, just breathe.

I focused on their chakra and noticed Nine had taken point in their formation despite Ten being their natural leader.

Nine must be the better tracker, I realised and knew to target him first.

They reached my first trap in under a minute. I waited until Nine's chakra was closest to the tree before making the hand seal and detonating my trap.

A terrible explosion rang throughout the forest, shaking the ground and scaring several flocks of birds away. After a moment, I felt all four ninja still alive and scattered among the forest. Ten and Seven moved after a moment but Nine and Five remained fixed. The disturbance in Nine's chakra told me everything I wanted to know. He was seriously injured and out of the game.

I grinned. Take that fuckers!

They kept moving as one, more cautiously this time and I took off, putting as much distance between us as possible. I circled to their left and jumped into another tree, watching their next steps carefully. They continued chasing after me, following the tracks they could find. On the one hand, they avoided all of my traps, but on the other they were moving far too slowly.

I sat back against the tree trunk and waited. A good 20 minutes went by which suited me fine. The slower they progressed, the easier it would be to avoid them.

I was almost beginning to relax when suddenly three chakra signatures, became nine.

Clones!

I sat up in alarm. The three shinobi and six clones flooded the forest with three of them headed in my general direction. I closed my eyes, concentrating on every explosive tag I had hidden and activated my traps as the signatures came near them.

A series of explosion resounded throughout the forest, filling my nose with the smell of burnt wood and smoke, and I smiled in satisfaction as the clones disappeared.

Soon nine became five and I noticed that the clone technique had greatly decreased the redhead shinobi's chakra.

Five, the kunoichi, however, was still headed my way.

Damn, time for step 2.

I created a clone, giving it the rest of my explosive tags. "You know what to do."

My clone nodded and disappeared into the forest heading straight for Five. I sensed my clone approach and then Five take off like an arrow. My clone darted around the forest, avoiding Five's attacks no doubt before falling to the ground, feigning unconsciousness.

As soon as Five was close enough, I detonated the tags and felt her fly back from the force of the explosion. Her chakra levels were dangerously low and no doubt she had used a jutsu to protect herself.

In any case, she wasn't getting back up again.

Two down, two to go.

There was still plenty of time for Ten and Seven to find me and the explosion had caused them both to head into my direction.

I had one more trick up my sleeve but knew better than to launch step 3 with some much time left on the clock. I jumped down from the tree and ran in the other direction, keeping an eye on the remaining tags scattered throughout the forest. One of Ten's clones came close to my trap and I set it off.

The two teammates paused in their steps and Ten took off towards the explosion, leaving Seven alone.

Good, this will make things easier.

I moved in the opposite direction, getting as far away as possible, while Seven stayed on my tail. This cat and mouse game continued for quite some time with Seven catching up to me several times before I flickered away.

My chakra levels were getting low and with step 3 in mind, I jumped into a dense thicket of bushes, waiting for Seven to catch up.

Only thirty minutes to go…

The redhead appeared barely one minute behind me, sword in hand. The asshole pulsed his chakra signalling to Ten, who headed right back towards us.

I had maybe four minutes before the other shinobi turned up and the fight became two against one.

I weaved the hand seals using the last of my chakra to put Seven under my genjutsu.

My special Sadako genjutu that had worked so well on Eight.

I watched from my hiding spot as Seven stiffened on the spot, his green eyes growing wide with fear, his blade trembling between his hands. I knew the best plan would be to throw several kunai at Seven and take him out of the fight while he was under my illusion but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

Kill your emotions. Think only of your enemy. It's kill or be killed out there. Kinoto's words resonated in my mind, but all I could see was a teenager who was terrified of the horror movie I had planted inside his head and who was far too young to be a soldier.

If you don't take him out now, Ten will join the fight and then you'll have two enemies against you. They will pummel your ass into the ground. They will hurt you.

I clenched my teeth, indecision creeping up within me. If I threw the kunai, I could take Seven out without revealing my position. If I rushed out now, I could knock him out, but I would get caught by Ten.

Dozens of plans rushed through my mind and at the last minute, I grabbed a couple of kunai and threw them aiming for Seven's shoulder and leg. In my rush, the first kunai plunged into his sword arm, while the second nicked his thigh.

Damn it!

Ten rushed into the clearing as Seven let out a scream.

"Seven!"

The redhead fell on one knee, cradling his arm to his chest. "She's here… She's here…"

Ten's sharp eyes looked around, searching for me and I held my breath praying I wouldn't be found.

"Hold it together, we have less than twenty minutes left," Ten ordered, peering into the trees. "If we don't find her in time, Dajimu-sensei will have our asses."

Seven flinched and picked up his sword again, his one good hand still shaking.

"Stand back while I flush her out and then we'll attack together."

I tensed, readying myself for battle until I spotted his hands making seals.

"Katon, Ryuuka no jutsu!"

Oh, fuck!

I rushed out as a blazing fire spread across the clearing burning up every tree and bush in the vicinity. The heat of Ten's jutsu was at my back as I ran away as fast as I could weaving through the trees. A kunai wheezed past me, embedding itself into the tree ahead, and I spun around, throwing my own shuriken in return.

Ten was hot on my heels. I continued to run, panting hard, and sensed him merely seconds behind me while Seven struggled to catch up with us.

I stumbled across an opening through the trees in a panic and sensed one of my traps ahead. Finally, things were looking up again! I rushed forward, ignoring the stitch in my side, and headed right for my trap in a last desperate attempt, hoping Ten would keep following.

He did. A few more steps and he would be within range of my trap.

A few more steps and –

Something caught my attention and I looked over my shoulder.

A single white paper tag hugged the trunk behind me.

A white paper tag infused with Ten's chakra.

My heart jumped to my throat as I spotted Ten in the distance, his hands forming the snake hand seal.

No!

I leapt away as far as I could as the tree exploded behind me. On instinct, my arms went up to shield me from the worst of the heat as the blast hurled me through the trees before slamming me into a trunk.

Pain erupted throughout my back before I crumpled to the ground with a cry. When I opened my eyes again, my ears were ringing and my vision swam.

You idiot, Luce. Get up, get up!

I tried to push myself off the ground but a terrible noise erupted from the back of my throat instead. Pain like a thousand tiny needles spread through my arms and I noticed the awful burns along my skin.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered two chakra signatures approaching and staggered to my feet.

Run! Go, now!

I pushed whatever chakra I had left to the soles of my feet and ran as far as I could, for as long as I could.

You can do it, there's only 10 minutes left! Only –

A sharp searing pain hit the back of my leg, like a muscle cramp only a thousand times' worse. I stumbled forward and pulled three shuriken out of my leg as I propped myself up against a tree and unsheathed my sword.

Every move tore a grunt from my lips, every breath burned my lungs, but I didn't care.

I didn't care.

There was no way I was going down without a fight.

"You're looking a little burnt around the edges, Six," Ten taunted me, a hard look in his eye as he advanced towards me, kunai in hand.

"You're not looking too good yourself," I retorted, noticing his scorched gear.

I sensed Seven circling around us, aiming to attack from behind.

"You're weak," Ten continued, his face full of anger and hate. "You're the weakest one in the program, everyone knows it. You could never beat us."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why don't you go ask Five and Nine just how weak I am?"

Ten's expression turned positively murderous. "You'll be in worst condition once we're through with you."

My grip tightened around the handle of my sword and I swerved to the side, parrying Seven's blade from behind before kicking him out of the way.

"Fuck you."

They came at me together and despite all the training I had been through and all the rage within me, I lasted a couple of minutes at most before Ten's fist knocked me to the ground.

The last five minutes of the Chase were the longest of my life.

I tried not to focus on the pain my body endured. I tried not to focus on Ten's hard kick to my ribs and instead I let my mind wander within the forest. The smell of the burning trees from all the explosions, the rustle of the leaves in the warm summer breeze, the distant cawing of a crow, and somewhere perched high up in a tree was Kinoto.

From the density of his chakra I knew it was a clone. How long had he been there? I wondered as my mind slowly lost consciousness.

Look, Sensei. Look at your student being trampled in the ground. Aren't you proud of me? I took two of them down and almost made it to the end. Aren't you proud of me now, asshole?

..~**~..

..~**~..

Sakura settled her hands on the shinobi's shoulder, letting her green chakra seep into his body soothing his muscles.

As usual Itachi sat perfectly still beneath her hands.

Sakura focused her attention on the small tears in his muscles. He had been pushing himself again during training, but it was nothing serious. Nothing like the injuries he had sustained following his fight with Sasuke.

Tsunade had healed the most life-threatening ones and Sakura had spent every day since then treating Itachi and helping him with his slow recovery. It wasn't something she hadn't seen before. The use of the Mangekyou Sharingan had affected his heart and lungs in a similar fashion to what she had seen in Kakashi-sensei. The damage within Itachi was more severe, he had obviously overused his dojutsu, especially with his fight against Sasuke, but the worst was now over. She had repaired most of the tissue allowing Itachi to breathe without anymore difficulty and also to start training again.

She wasn't surprised when he had gone overboard on his first day and pushed his weak body to its limit. Whether it be Uchiha pride or just plain masculine stupidity she had seen enough of it among her teammates. But unlike Kakashi or Naruto, Itachi actually listened to the medical advice she gave and took the medication she prescribed.

He seemed to trust her which was unexpected and refreshing. She wasn't sure if it was because she was the Hokage's apprentice or because she had proved herself with her medical ability during the time they had spent together, but unlike other male jounin or ANBU she had healed, he never questioned her, followed her orders without complaint, and always thanked her.

Did he even know she had been Sasuke's teammate?

The subject of Sasuke had never once been breached. They had never been left alone together, ANBU had always been present so the few words they had exchanged had always been about his health and training. Itachi had once asked her about her medical training and asked a few questions about the Shousen jutsu, but that was the extent of it.

"Itachi-san, I can see you have followed my advice and haven't overexerted yourself during training." The green light died from Sakura's hands and Itachi slipped his shirt back on. "Try to take it easy for the next three days, some light physical training, running, kata, that kind of thing. Three more days and I promise your body will thank you for it."

She gave him a smile and he accepted her advice with a nod. His face was unreadable as ever.

Just like Sasuke-kun's…

"Thank you, Sakura-san."

Genma appeared at the door, a serious look on his face. His usual easy-going attitude had all but disappeared since Lucy had left to go training.

Sakura knew it was her cue to leave. She bid Itachi farewell and promised to return in the next couple of days. She left the room, heading for the living room where her pack waited for her, but as soon as the door closed, she slipped outside the cabin and circled back towards Itachi's bedroom hoping to catch some of the conversation inside.

What the hell is going on?

She had been in shock the first time Tsunade had mentioned Itachi's presence in the cabin and asked her to heal his injuries. Not only had the missing-nin already been taken care of by her blonde mistress, but judging by the comfort of his room and lack of manacles or restraints he was in no way a prisoner of Konoha.

Tsunade never clarified Itachi's current status with her only saying that it was 'complicated' and Sakura knew better than to prod. Since then she had tried her best to spy on Itachi and Genma's conversations and had only picked up that Lucy was somehow involved in all of this.

Had Lucy brought Itachi to Tsunade? How, and why?

None of it made any sense and worst of all she was unable to tell any of it to her friends, least of all Naruto. Tsunade had been very clear about it.

One thing Sakura knew for sure was that whatever had happened with the Uchiha massacre, it wasn't as black and white as she had previously thought. Obviously there was more going on, because if Uchiha Itachi had truly killed his whole clan on purpose and without any remorse, Tsunade would never have taken him in.

He would be dead. Sakura was sure of it.

"…it's been over a week!"

Genma's voice interrupted her thoughts. She stood as closely as she dared, chakra suppressed, and still she couldn't hear Itachi's voice at all.

"…get her out…"

Genma's words rang through her mind. Get who out?

Lucy?

Was Lucy stuck somewhere? Last time she had seen the girl, she had told them all that she was heading out to train. A special training, she had called it, as they were all sitting at Ichiraku's stand eating ramen.

Lucy had seemed a little nervous that night, and Sakura knew Naruto had picked up on it too. They had assumed it was the apprehension of leaving the village for an extended period of time to go train so Sakura hadn't worried about it because she had assumed the girl would be with Genma.

But when the Tokubetsu jounin had appeared at the village gates, ready to escort her to the ANBU hideout where Itachi was being held, she knew something wasn't quite right.

If Genma wasn't training her, then who? Where had Lucy gone?

Sakura returned to the living-room and picked up her pack just as Genma stepped out.

"Let's go."

They left the cabin, heading straight back to Konoha without a word. They had left the village during a critical time and Sakura could sense that Genma was just as eager as her to return.

Everything was such a mess.

Jiraiya had died but sent news of an impending attack from Pein and an encrypted message. Poor Naruto had lost his master and was once again all alone. Lucy was gone, Kakashi had already left on a mission and try as she might to help her teammate through his grief Sakura had been too busy traveling out of the village to heal Itachi. Finally, Naruto had left for Mount Myoboku the previous morning and saying goodbye had been hard for them both.

Neither of them knew what would happen next, but everyone was preparing for the worst.

As Sakura whizzed through Hashirama forest, she stared at the village walls looming ahead. She couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Something was about to happen. Something big.

She just didn't know what.

..~**~..

Tora-han = Team Tiger

Lots of pop culture in this one, Cylons from Battlestar Galactica, Ed and Winry from FMA and Sadako from the Ring. I remember watching that movie in broad daylight with people around and still being terrified. Another one is the Grudge, I saw the Japanese version first and was scarred for life!

Chapter 16 is on its way. More Sasuke/Itachi, Danzou, and Pein...

Please leave a review, all feedback/suggestions are welcome!