Story Title: The Caged

Author: XxToToXx

Full summary; She is taken prisoner after trying to defend her village from the Warring Uchiha Clan and used as a ransom for Konoha to surrender she expects to be beaten. She expects to be degraded, she even expects her death. But she never expects to catch the eyes of the eyes of the clan leader's son.

One

"They're back early..." Madara trails off. He looks down upon the village at the village gates which have been opened to let in the returning clan members to return from their latest battle. As suspected of the squad and even though they have sustained visual injuries, ten left and ten returned. He silently congratulates their victory over the opposing side. Though they came back a little bloodied, battered and limping, the soldiers still got the job done. He's about to go back inside and sit down until something catches his eye. A pink head, someone being lead by Shisui into the village. It causes the villagers to stop, point fingers and stare at the strange sight. He wonders just who that is and why they're coming into their territory.

"I had no doubt they would return. For three of them it was their first time being on the battlefield. I had my hesitations on letting them depart, so I assigned both Shisui and Obito to accompany them." He replies. Madara comes back inside and sits down on his mat across from him. He silently awaits for one of the returned men to come up and give him a detailed report.

"A wise move." Madara commends. "Tarishi has an exemplary Sharingan trick, have you-" The door slides open and shisui takes one step in.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation, Madara-Sama." He bows.

Madara shakes his head. "No need. You have information for me?"

Shisui nods. "It's the others who have returned home. They've seemed to have bought back a prisoner."

"Oh?" His eyebrows rise. "Is that so?"

Sasuke is stoic and is as still as a statue but instantly becomes displeased. Since when did they take prisoners of war? Better yet, how could they do that when both Obito and Shisui were on the squad? They weren't given orders to take anyone in, they never were. The Uchiha

were always taught to destroy their enemy, leave no survivors and take the victory as their own. They don't need anything or anyone for leverage seeing as though they already have power, strength and success. He eventually dismisses the thought and carries his eyes back to the map that's in front of him on the table, trying to come up with a plan that'll give them the next win. There are mountains in that area with shrubbery that's thick enough to cover them, but they'll have the river behind them if they go that route. If things take a bad turn they could easily get swept away in the current. Maybe they don't need the element of surprise on their side this time. Maybe they should go straight in for the kill head on. Yes, that can be a option.

Madara beckons his hand. "Bring him in." This must be the person with the pink hair. Good, all Madara knows is they would all better have a great reason to bring him here.

"Uh, it's a woman, Madara-Sama." Shisui says after clearing his throat. At that Sasuke's head jerks up.

"A woman?" He asks with narrowed eyes. Don't tell him that they were damaged by a woman. In his clan the women do get trained, more so when they have the sharingan, but they never step foot on the battlefield until absolutely necessary. They're the swords that the men leave at home to protect their children, they're the comfort they come back from war to.

Madara seems to think that this is strange as well, he would usually shun these kinds of things but his curiosity does start to get the best of him. "Very well. Do you have a reason for your actions?"

"The woman we took from the invasion is quite... rare. Albeit, she did not come very easily. We noticed that during the entire battle her body healed on it's own. When we did manage to get a hit on her it was deemed worthless. I have only seen this technique used by Tsunade and also, her strength surpasses that of the said woman.

"She was trying to protect the nine tails, which tells me that she is loyal to a fault. She risked her life to save him. She even withstood Risetsu's chidori and fought us til the very end."

Risetu's chidori is only rivaled by Sasuke's. So to say a woman withstood it and managed to survive from it almost seems to be like a fairy tale. The Great Tsunade is a woman of impeccable strength and skill, she has the strength of at least three hundred men. Could this woman they speak of have been her protege?

"Bring her in." Madara commands, having heard enough.

Shisui leaves out and comes back in a few seconds later with the captive in tow and Sasuke can't believe his eyes.

Beautiful, but..

How in the hell could they let someone like her get the best of them? She doesn't even come up to his shoulder with her height and she can't weight any more than one hundred pounds if that much. Her wrists are bound together tightly with both rope and chains, which Sasuke is confused about since they really didn't need to use both. They must have been taking extra precautions with her that's why. Her knuckles are bruised and bloodied and there's dirt on her face and arms. Her clothing has been singed with fire and has holes in this spot and that one, and some bruises beginning to form on the sun kissed skin.

When his eyes leave her abnormally pink hair and return to her face he catches her

"She won't tell us her name."

"It's not as though we need it, just as we don't need her." Madara says with a frown. "And your reason for bringing her here?"

"I feel that she can be resourceful. With her being so close to the container, this may work in our favor. Her reputation in healing is impeccable, far better than the medics we have."

"Even if this is considered, which I doubt it will be, Is she willing to participate?"

"I don't know." Shisui looks down at her with red eyes. "She won't speak."

"Can she speak?" Madara asks impatiently, eyes darting at her.

"She did so during battle to warn us to stay away from the Kyuubi. I figure we drain her of all intel, intel that we aren't able to get." Shisui informs him.

Sasuke grunts. "That's what we have the double agent for."

"Yes, be that as it may, the double agent is doing a good job, but he is not close to the container as she is. The bond they have and her loyalty for him could've gotten her killed today but personally I don't think she would have minded dying in his place." Shisui tries to reason, but Sasuke is the most stubborn out of the clan, there's no moving him once he's made up his mind.

"Are you seriously suggesting we keep her?" Sasuke asks. Questioning his superior is something that Sasuke is known for, especially when he knows it could be a risk to his clan.

Shisui shakes his head. "I'm suggesting we use her to our advantage."

"Put her in Rusika's care until we find use for her." Madara orders. "With her I'm thinking we could use her as a bargaining chip." Sasuke resists the urge to roll his eyes. They do not bargain.

"Hai." Shisui bows and then leads her out of the room. Once the sliding door is closed Sasuke looks at Madara in question.

"We have no use for her." Sasuke says once shisui has left the room.

"Shisui was right. She can be benefitted from. Though they're on the losing side now Konoha has had it's wins in the past, mostly from Naruto Uzumaki himself being on the field. From what I've seen and heard the boy fights on behalf of everyone he loves. He uses them as his strength to take victory. His emotions fuel him greatly, though that can cause one to make irrational decisions."

"Then he's weak." Sasuke says while standing.

He doesn't bring emotions on the battlefield. That isn't the place for it, any real ninja would know that. Once again he finds himself questioning Madara's decisions. He smells nothing but trouble coming from this.

—

The next morning he's awakened to the sounds of screams. Thinking it's an attack happening, Sasuke jumps out of his bed and follows the sound of the commotion to the maid's chambers.

"Uchiha-sama!" She says thankfully with wide, black eyes. She points to the chambers where a couple more women are running out. "Please help, she's gone mad!"

She? He frowns deeply at the realization. She could only be talking about one person and frankly Sasuke isn't in the mood and won't ever be in the mood to tolerate anything from her. He knew this was a bad idea bringing her back here.

"Go to the front with the others." He orders. He didn't have to tell her twice. They bring in the enemy and didn't even try to set up precautions! Just as she's ran off a figure emerges onto the deck. Now clean off all dirt, she stands on her long legs with poise and pride with a hand on her hip. Stark in nothing but her bandages and underdressings with her black shorts on, she isn't surprised to see him. Is she that foolish to try and go up against him? Does she have a death wish or is she really just that stupid? His red eyes roam down to her right hand where she's gripping a kunai tightly. Surely they checked her but she must've been hiding it well and just waiting for the right time to use it. Whatever she did she's got the other women terrified, sent them running into the streets screaming for help.

The gleam in her eyes spark up a challenge that he's more than ready to take on. Her frown is of the one she had thrown at him the day before after he said he personally finds her of no use. Which he doesn't. He doubts his men's judgement and reason now just because they actually bought her, a Senju follower, a woman who fights against them, back here to their home. His eyes narrow when she takes the first move, slinging the kunai at him with such a force and speed he wasn't anticipating. He steps to the left just in time and the kunai embeds itself into the cherry blossom tree behind him.

Then she charges at him and draws her fist back, intent on landing a punch on him somewhere some type of way. She's fast but Sasuke is a bit faster, he grabs her fist before it can make contact but her other free hand comes up. She swings and misses and he grabs that one too, but she swirls around and breaks free from his hold, sending a kick at his chest and a roundhouse to knock him off his feet. The latter doesn't work but he does step back a little bit from the impact. She's way more agile than he assumed. She hardly has any chakra left, that must be why she's keeping things simple. There's no such thing as backing down or surrendering for her the fire in her eyes is burning way too bright for defeat. Everything he sends her way she ducks, weaves or reflects it. Her fluid like motions may give her a little bit of an upper hand but not too much. What stuns him is when she has no other choice but to tap into her chakra and shield herself from his fireball justu. Though she withstands it even as Sasuke increased the intensity of it she is still weakened from her defense. He's never fought her before. He doesn't know her strengths or weaknesses, so he's got to be careful.

It takes all that she had left in her and makes her open for an attack. Sasuke wastes no time in lunging at her and getting a firm grip on her neck. She scratches and claws at him to be released but her efforts are futile and she must know what's going to come next because she looks everywhere except at him. That is, until he makes her. Jade eyes widen in surprise at the legendary black and red swirling before her and after a a second or two she's unconscious and limp within his hold. He takes the time now to run his eyes over her face- her high cheekbones, pink heart shaped mouth, and thick lashes. Her angelic features whiles she's sleeping contracts with those she has while she's awake. Fierce, fiery, full of determination and challenge...

"Don't tell me this is all you have." She has some courage. He can give her that much.

"See something you like?" Teases someone from the deck. Suigetsu grins down at the pair with wriggling eyebrows. "Don't tell me the almighty Uchiha doesn't want a piece of that for himself."

Hn. He doesn't. He isn't used to her appearance, so bright and full of light. The women of the clan all have such dark features, that's what Sasuke is used to seeing, not this. Since she's taken Madara's hospitality for granted, Sasuke has her moved to the jail cells where she will be monitored 24/7.

There is silence as he and Suijetsu walk back to Sasuke's home through the bustling village that morning. So many women and children, so many elderly that cannot fight for themselves. So many disabled and unabled people, so many innocent. Still, Sasuke doesn't think of them during his fights. He doesn't even think of his deceased parents. His main goal is to win and dominate. Win and conquer. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Who is that anyway?" Suigetsu asks with a smirk on his face. It's not everyday he comes across a woman like that in the Uchiha compound.

"Nobody." He says abruptly.

"She has to be someone. She sticks out here like a sore thumb. Let's not forget to mention how she stuck with you during your little fight." Suijetsu teases with a grin, showing off his sharp shark teeth, whistling at the women as they passed. "I'm thinking that if her chakra wasn't so low she would've given you a run for your money."

"You don't have enough brain cells to think." Sasuke replies coolly.

"You've got some exotic looking babe in your household practically, you've always been one lucky bastard-"

"What do you want?" He asks impatiently. A little boy, no older than the age of six or seven with black hair and even blacker eyes runs up to him and bows before running off with his friends. The action is normal to him. The villagers bow and greet him respectively every time they see him. Since his father was once the leader of the clan but eventually passed away during an attack on the village when he was smaller and with his older brother only God knows where, Sasuke finds himself alone. He's alone when he's alone, while he's in a conference, when he's training and when he's fighting for his name on the bloody battlefield. He's grown used to it over the years.

He doesn't know if he'll ever feel the way he felt when he was a child, when he didn't have a worry in the world, back when he had a loving mother, a stern father and a great big brother to look up to. He can recount back on the times when he was happy. He always wanted to succeed. Always wanted to make his father proud of him the way that he was always proud of Itachi. A lot of things came naturally to him and some things he had to work for. He's a Uchiha, failing is out of the question.

Soon after Madara's passing, which shouldn't be too long from now, he'll become head of the Uchiha clan. There is no better candidate after all anyway. It's rightfully his. Thought he says nothing but he finds some of the works of his clan to be plain old idiotic. As soon as he becomes leader a lot of things are going to change.

"I'll tell you if you tell me more about the chick."

"She's a captured Senju bought in for questioning. That's it."

"A what? And she hasn't been killed yet? What? Come on, I've known you long enough to know that you don't take prisoners."

"I don't know. I wasn't the one who bought her in."

"Damn..." Suigetsu isn't unfamiliar with the hatred that Sasuke has for the Senju and their culture and their followers. He doesn't even live here but he's sure that he would be way more welcomed than a rivaling Senju. He's confused on just whose idea this was.

"I came to tell you that his new hideout has been found."

Sasuke's steps slow down a bit at the news but he quickly picks his pace up. "Where?"

"In between Sound and Fire. They were smart and operate from underground. We wouldn't have done all those stake outs and shit if the guy we caught would've just given up his information but he killed himself instead. Death before dishonor i suppose." Suigetsu hunches a shoulder and licks his sharp teeth. "I came here to plan out our next move."

"We'll have to discuss that another time." He replied back and they stop at the Uchiha shrine. Here, Suigetsu is not allowed for he is not of pure Uchiha blood.

Suigetsu runs a frustrated hand down his face and whines. "What? You've been waiting on this information for ages!"

"If I strike now there's a good chance he'd be expecting it. Besides, I have an upcoming battle to leave for in the morning. A strategy is in order for that."

"Tch. Whatever you say. I'll be around whenever you want to discuss that." Suigetsu salutes him and then disappears in a puff of smoke. Actually, Sasuke's glad he's gone. It'll give him a little bit of peace of mind to think about other matters. Yes, it's true that he wants his revenge. He's an avenger. It's in his blood to avenge his parents death, who were slaughtered right before his very eyes when he was a child. The memory will be forever etched into his mind. That trauma at such a young age bought on his sharingan when he was only six years old. Back then he was weak, distraught, full of agony with tearful eyes and a weak heart. Even if he tried there was no way he could even last a minute against the assailant.

He thought that Itachi would come to save him, to save his clan from the slaughter, to help his fellow clansmen but he didn't. He was nowhere to be found. He always accomplished all of his missions no matter how hard and against the odds they were, he always made it out on top. Not that time though. The main time the village needed him, the main time that Sasuke needed him, the elder Uchiha went ghost and for that Sasuke would never forgive him. That's why he trains as hard as he does, to surpass the prodigal son of Fugaku. Eventually Sasuke had grown tired of living in his brother's shadow anyway.

Sasuke goes up the steps one by one, not in any hurry. It's the middle of September and the air is already starting to get a bit chilly the later it gets. He enters the shrine and closes the heavy stone door behind him. From an average person's eyes it's looks only like a place of prayer to praise Indra, but to a Uchiha with the blessed eyes it's much, much more than that. He eyes the statue that's carved in stone in the middle of the room and pressed against the back wall before doing the hand signs that were passed down from generation to generation. The stone statue shakes, then moves to the left to reveal a dark opening. He walks inside and the statue closes behind him. Torches are lit all around the room and bloody red eyes glow in the dim lighting. They've been waiting for him to come to the meeting and now that he's finally here they've sat up straight and are fully alert.

"A team of seven. Myself, Hiruko, Hyubi, Natsu, Sastsun, Jutson and Mykubi." Sasuke's voice echoes off the walls of the room. All who are called upon agree in unison and Sasuke proceeds to go over the battle strategy. Tomorrow at the break of dawn they leave for yet another battle. Hopefully this time Sasuke will have the pleasure of making the demon container fall to his knees and beg for mercy.

.0.

The jail is dark and the only lighting is that of the torches perched on the wall. "Tell me all you know of the Kyuubi."

"It's a demon that's inside a human body." She says nonchalantly. Sasuke's red eyes narrow at her sarcasm. He's expecting her to tell him something that he doesn't already know, something that will always give them the upper hand over the Senju. Does she not value her life at all? What of her beloved people? Doesn't she take their hearts as her concern? She stretches her long legs out and places her hands in her lap. Her head cocks to the side and she takes in his appearance, a strange expression on her face.

"Tell me something I don't know." He says whilst fighting his irritation. "If you ever want to see your beloved village again."

"What a threat." She's heard that so many times before. She often tells herself to let herself be killed it in order for her to protect her people, for her village to have a standing chance against them, so that she won't be subject to their torture and leak valuable info. Then her subconscious contradicts everything and tells her to remind her that she should live, she needs to live. She needs to live until she can't anymore.

"You think I don't know your antics by now? If I tell everything I know, I'd be a traitor to my people and not only that I would be a traitor to myself. I'm not going against my will and morals just to please you." She says with a rise of her head. "If you want me to eat them out just so you can win and destroy anything and everything in your path, sorry to disappoint you but it won't happen."

In a swift movement she's at the bars and her face is only a few inches from his. So close he could feel her warm breath fanning his face. Even in the dim lighting he could see that her eyes are not entirely green, as a fact they change in certain lighting. They start out a dark, forest green and then becomes lighter as it spreads out. He sees nothing but defiance in them and it's clear she won't work with them just as he'd expected.

"Then you would rather face execution?" Her green eyes don't shift at the word.

"If it means saving the ones I love, then that's fine." She says carelessly with a sigh. She turns and slides back down the stone wall. "But I do know something you don't know. He doesn't give up. He doesn't turn his back on his friends. He'll come for me, and though you may be of Uchiha blood I highly doubt you'll stand a chance."

"Emotions don't belong in the ninja world."

"You're wrong!" She shouts. "He loves, we love, I love. We fight to protect and to secure the lives of our people and our friends and family. We keep them in our hearts and minds every battle we fight. Unlike you, our emotions fuel us- make us stronger. Every loss, every death... it strengthens us. We fight with purpose. Winning isn't always everything. You wouldn't understand that though, you'd sacrifice anything for the sake of a win." She spits. It's not hatred but it's something else, a tone that he isn't familiar with. He has a feeling it's way more to her that she's putting on. "You're all nothing but cold blooded killers. Men, women, children... you're disgusting. You don't even have a ninja way."

He scoffs. "You speak as though you're top rank. I cant tell, seeing as though how easily you were taken down. You would risk your life for-"

"Easily?" She questions with a scoff. No, Sasuke wasn't there when she so bravely and foolishly created distance and a diversion between her and Naruto so that he can escape. He wasn't there when she took down three of his best men one by one. She wasn't there as she endured, destroyed and conquered. He wasnt there to see her fight even when couldn't walk, even when they bound her and traveled her back to the village. No,He wasn't there to see any of that but it doesn't matter. She was still taken down, she still lost. Just as she lost against him that day. Her reputation does not perceive her.

"If I have to die so that he can live then so be it. He's my best friend. If you think he's going to abandon me then you're wrong." She says with hope in her voice. Sasuke doesn't know just how deep her and the Kyuubi's bond is but if he's foolish enough to try and come to his territory to get her back then let him. He's more than welcomed to try and take her back. He uses to have half the mind to execute her and be through with her but now he's intrigued.

"That's just my ninja way. The mission is never that important to sacrifice a fellow ninja."

"If you think he's foolish enough to try and get you back, then you're the one who is wrong." He's never faced the Kyuubi in battle before but judging from the way this woman is speaking it just might be worth the while. Perhaps during their next battle he'll make himself present and show him just what he's made of. Unlike him, Sasuke isn't aided by emotions or the help of a demon inside of his body. He was trained mercilessly in all areas of battle. He doesn't have an anchor to this world that he would keep in mind to keep him here no matter what the odds but he is driven to succeed and to make his parents and fellow villagers proud of him. This Kyuubi will know the wrath of the Uchiha one way or another.

"I'll never betray my home. If that's what you're here for, then you may as well kill me now. You've never had an issue with doing it before." She says in the dark. "You don't know him." She just hopes she can get out of here without him risking his life to do it.

"Hn." He scoffs. She just doesn't know how right she is. For now though she's safe here until he says otherwise and Madara's word will be against his but that's unlikely. He wanted to drill her about her village, about the Kyuubi, but Sasuke figures that that's the wrong approach. After telling him her ideals he's gotten a better strategy. He will find out more about her instead.

"Naruto is a powerful ninja. He fights from the heart. I doubt someone like you can beat him."

We'll see.

.0.

"Sakura Haruno. Age twenty. Both parents murdered during a home invasion when she was thirteen. She's trained under both the Copy ninja and Tsunade herself. Also she is the captain of an Elite Black Ops squad. Her healing abilities are amazing and as we've seen, she's loyal and stubborn to a fault. She has indeed been well trained both physically and mentally. My Sharingan only lasted on her for three minutes before she broke free from it." Shisui informs him. "Also, there is a nin by the name of Ryuzetsu who seems to fancy her as well."

"I see." Madara mumbles. "She isn't going to give up any information. We may as well get rid of her and make her out as an example. This was a waste of time."

"I want the demon container for myself. If they're so close the way she says they are, I want to see if his reputation precedes him." Sasuke says. He's sent a message to Konoha about the captive earlier today. He said that if he wanted her back he would have to kill him. Sasuke would love to see that happen. "Those who have fought the container have never been strong enough to tap in and control the nine tails."

"Then we shall be handing her over?" Shisui asks.

"I know they'll want her back, whether it's dead or alive it really doesn't matter anymore." Madara pours himself more tea. "Surely they aren't about to go to full on war against us for one little woman."

"We'll see. If that's what they want, we'll be ready." Sasuke says, and turns away from the window.

"She reminds me too much of Hashirama." Madara mumbles to himself. "Not only her but the Kyuubi as well, always thinking that love and care could rid the world of war and evil. Foolish."

.0.

Blood against blood and hatred against hatred.

It's always the same old routine on the battlefield. His brothers have been trained well to a T. He was taught, all of them were taught to destroy their enemy no matter how old or how young they are. Sasuke will not disappoint himself or his village, or his parents memory. One by one and two by two he cuts them down, left and right with almost little to no effort, fighting against the pain of the broken ribs in his side. The Senju are angry, angry at the Uchiha Clan, angry at him. But where is the Kyuubi? And where is the man who fancies her as well? He will ruin both of them. His hands burn to have their blood coated in them. That will teach them a lesson, that will teach all Senju a lesson.

He admits, they are a bit stronger than the last time. Could what the woman told him be true? Do their emotions really aid them in battle? Tch, if they did that won't be enough. His blade is thick and heavy, sharp enough to slice a strand of hair. In a mighty sweep he decapitates one, and then another, sending their heads rolling off into the tall grass of the valley. His breathing is labored and even with his sharingan his vision is starting to become blurred. For a half a second, his guard is let down- that was all the man needed, that was all he was waiting for. Someone calls out to him, but he can barely register it in time, then a searing pain shoots across his back and he tumbles a few feet away- dammit. He curses. Upon raising his head he finds it was Hishiyama that had called out to him, to warn him of the upcoming sneak attack that he failed to dodge.

Hishiyama has picked up his slack for the time being. If only he could find the strength within him to get up. He grabs his sword from behind him and stabs it into the ground, using it to pull himself up- he falls forward again, head bowed and breathing shakily, he can feel the blood running down his back, the deepness of the cut and the burning pain from it. He grits his teeth together in frustration. Now kneeling on one knee, he pants from exertion. He certainly miscalculated this bunch as much as he hates to admit it. Something certainly has them field reeks of blood, ash and pure death. Some scents he's all too familiar with, as a matter of fact it drives him. He doesn't have any healing abilities, none of his team does. He does the best he can to focus on something else other than the pain that's shooting through his body.

No matter what the odds are, no matter how much pain he's in.. he won't let his people down. He won't let himself down, and he definitely won't let his parents see a failure.

He pulls himself to a standing position.

He is the son of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.

He yanks his sword from the ground and squeezes the holt in his hand.

He walks back into the chaos, gritting his teeth in pain as he goes.

The adrenaline spreads through him again.

He will not have a loss.

He will never be defeated so easily.

He breaks out into a run.

.0.

She hasn't eaten or slept in five days. Well, she has eaten but it wasn't much of a feast. It was

Only two slices of bread, a piece of fried meat and a half a glass of water. It barely did much to help with gaining her energy back. Her chakra is slowly building back up but it isn't nearly enough to break out of here. She needs nutrients, she needs water, she needs vitamins. It's not much she can do in this state. The half a cup of a water and stale bread just wasn't cutting it for her. How she wishes she was having a big steaming bowl of ramen with Naruto right now.

Naruto.

She buries her head in her roped and chained hands. It was for the greater good right? There was no way that Naruto would've been able to deflect that attack in time. It was either him or her, that's her best friend so she surely wasn't going to let it be him. Too many people seek him out to use him for his power and that's just not right. It'll never be right with her. She remembers his wide and almost watery eyes. It made her heart hurt but there was no way she was going to let them take him from her. Naruto is a good guy, with a heart bigger than the sun- despite all the terrible things he's gone through in his childhood. What these monsters have in store for him won't happen, not as long as she's around.

'No! If we have to go down then we go down together!'

'You idiot! Just go! I'll hold them off, I'll make it back to the village.'

His face falls. 'Sakura-Chan...'

'I promise. I'll be back.' she tries to give him a reassuring smile but it falters.

They guard her in pairs. The morning guards are quiet, only keeping light conversation of various matters between themselves. They don't bother her any, they give her her breakfast which she doesn't eat- rice and meat with a cup of water with a small container of fruit. She doesn't eat her lunch or her dinner. It doesn't affect her because she's fasted before during her training. Her stubbornness and unwillingness to give in only helping her all rebellion. The afternoon guards are loud and boisterous- bragging on themselves and the people they've killed. It made Sakura sick, but this is war after all.

She can take the foul talk, the degrading and the

But when one of them told of a familiar fight he had with one of her fallen teammates that was it for her.

"-chopped the bastard's head right off like it was nothing. I made sure to make it real painful for him too. He thought he'd return to Konoha with that reanimation scroll."

She was on her feet in no time and slammed her hands against the bars, creating a small dent in the medal. She completely catches them off guard- the sound of the impact resonates all over the dungeon.

The one who was talking glared red at her. "What's your problem, woman?" Then smirks and his eyes shine with mischief. "Oh, I see. Feeling a little sore about story time? Tch. Big deal. I've always overheard about the ninja with the pink hair from other people in the clan. Seeing as though you're here now you couldn't have been too much to beat. We've killed enough of you, just like you won't be any different." His eyes blaze red and he smirks. We were only told to watch over you- never said don't do anything else."

"Think it's about time we make her out an example." Said the other. He takes out the keys to the cell from his pocket.

That didn't deter her. "How about you ditch the eyes and fight me, stop cowering behind your precious blood limit, coward."

"Coward?" He seethed. He took one step forward before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"That's enough of that." The nin, Shisui says sternly. Sakura notices how the other man becomes smaller in his presence. His comrade is equally small. "We're holding her here for our own purposes. Nothing more and nothing less, stop slacking off." He said coldly.

"Yes, sir." They said in unison, bowing their heads simultaneously. After that he told him to go home the rest of the day and Shisui guarded her the rest of the time without saying a word.

There is only one guard at night time. He sits outside the cell door facing her in a chair, either sharpening his Kunai or reading. He's tall and lean white black spiked up hair and black eyes.

One day he looks up from his scroll he's reading. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about babies would you?"

Sakura blinks in the darkness. Babies? She swallows dryly, what type of question is that?

"You're a medic aren't you? No need to answer, that's just what I heard. But yeah, my kid

Is 3 months old. Every night he cries and cries. He isn't hungry, doesn't need to be changed, I always give him a bath before I put him to sleep at night. He isn't sick or anything, none of the doctors know the problem." He explains with a sigh. "You have a calm and peaceful aura around you, you know that?"

Why would he, a member of the Uchiha clan ask her for help and even compliment her afterwards? She tries to decide whether or not she should answer. But it's a child involved,

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"The mother."

There is a pregnant pause. "She died after giving birth. I tried everything- mixing a little sugar in his water, rocking him damn near all night, playing soft music and bathing him in lavender but it doesn't work." He sounds so defeated. He mind still tries to grasp what could possibly be the problem but she's come up with nothing at first before something clicks in her mind. "do you still have any of her stuff?"

"Like, clothes and what not?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I do." He nods.

"Let him sleep with one of her shirts or something. That should do it."

"It's not time for a shift change yet." He replies. Sakura is about to ask what he's talking about but then she realizes he isn't even talking to her. Sensing danger, she stands on her feet.

The cell door opens and an Uchiha stands before her, eyes blazing red with a scowl on his face. She mentally sighs, just what do they want now? She sits up on the floor and waits a moment before she stands up fully, just in time for a pair of shining red eyes to illuminate the darkness around her.

"Let's go." He says as he gruffly pulls her up from the ground by her arm and pushes her out of the tiny cell. She hasn't seen him before but they do change their security more often than normal. She has no clue on where they're going or why but it does feel good to stretch her legs out a bit.

"Go where?" She grunts.

"You're in no position to ask questions, Senju." He spits back, fiddling with the the keys in his hand until he found the right one. He opens the door wide and pushes her through it, walking close behind her down the torchlit corridor. She can see a bright opening as they walk down the hall, the bright sunlight almost blinds her. She's been in dark and dim lighting for so long the sudden light hurts her eyes and takes her a while to adjust. She's lead down one corridor and then another before they stop at a big door. He knocks once before walking in.

"No." She begins backing away after realIzation hits her. They want her to heal him, him- the sole heir of the Uchiha Clan. She shakes her head defiantly. "I won't." On a table in the middle of the room lays the man she fought, the younger out of the three met when she made it to the Uchiha village. She's shoved further into the room and she's given a closer look at the situation. His chakra level is extremely low and he's looking pretty bad. There are three other women in the room, wearing what appears to be medic apparel, are standing at his side. They look exhausted with sweat shining on their faces. She looks back down at the unconscious man, almost doesn't recognize him with his blood caked and dirtied face. He winces and coughs, blood spilling from his mouth. She's seen so much worse than this, but sometimes

It's still uncomfortable to look at.

The elder man- Madara, who is sitting in the corner, half hidden by the shadows, narrows his red eyes at her. "You will." His voice is as hard as steel, cold and strict. Did Naruto do this? Have they regrouped that fast? Clearing her head, she straightens her back and looks Madara square in the eyes.

"I refuse to aid the enemy." Wow, now she thinks that. A few minutes ago she was just helping that Uchiha with his child but he doesn't know that. But that's a child, a child who didn't ask to be here. Sakura always thought that if anyone was able to shift the scales of war, it would be them. She didn't get to enjoy her childhood and she doesn't have any children of her own, but parents should always consider their children before they make decisions. Come on though, Konoha can't be the only side hurting.

"Loyal to a fault." Madara scoffs darkly. Remembering what Shisui told him when she arrived.

"It's never a fault." She snaps back. "I refuse to heal him, even though that may cause my death. He'll take his rightful place in hell. At least the world will be free of one less evil."

"Bold words for such a little girl!" Madara. "If he dies by Senju hands- every Uchiha will slaughter the your grounds. No man, woman or child shall stand. This land will be painted red by your stubbornness and stupidity. Is that what you want?"

No.

"It'll be a battle of the century I'm sad I won't be able to take part in." That's one thing Tsunade always taught her- be hollow, never let the enemy know that they're getting to you. Sakura wants this war to stop just as much as the next person. She's lost so much, seen so many horrific things in her life- at one point it all has to stop. She may be shaking with anticipation on the inside, maybe even with a little fear- fear for herself, her comrades, for the village... Was there any fear at all of Madara Uchiha? Of any of the other Uchihia around here? She didn't know yet. She honestly doesn't know. He is only a man who can bleed just like she does but still, to his people he's a war legend. If so, still, why was he not able to kill Hashirama?

"You're only keeping me alive because you mainly want Naruto." She says. It's not hard to figure out, that's why Sasuke asked her about it before. Besides, no one can really control Karama but a Uchiha and their Sharigan.

"Smart. Heal him," Madara stands and unsheathes his katana. "Or die here now. I'll send your bead back to your beloved country." She's an Elite Black Op nin. She's stared death in the face many times and battled it twice over, and won thrice as much. She hasn't seen all of what Naruto has seen, she could never be as strong, but she will endure.

She'll be breaking her promise.

Madara is a cold blooded killer. She's heard the stories of how great a fighter he is

Only rivaled by Hashirama who he could never seem to beat. He won't hesitate to kill her she knows. But it's not her fault this idiot went out fighting and got his ass handed back to him. She just wishes she'd be the one to do it some day. She hasn't liked him since she met him. Too prideful, too big of an ego, too cold, too entitled, too much of a brat that and

Sakura has the feeling he feels superior above everyone else.

"Can't you see?" Sakura asks when the long and shiny blade is at her neck. "I don't hardly have any chakra left." The chakra she gained back after the fight wasn't much of anything. She used that up on Sasuke. Since her body can heal itself that takes up some of it too. She hasn't eaten anything since she's been here either, hasn't even drank any of their water. The blade presses into her neck still, and that one red eye is glaring at her.

"Then use your remaining." He steps back and sheaths his blade. The other nin pushes her to the bed and releases her briefly to take the bounds off her wrists. Rope and chains drop to the floor so that she can use her hands to work. He steps back, but not before giving her a glare that dares her to do anything other than what she's expected to. Her wrists are sore and bruised. Her body is healing slower than usual due to her lack of chakra. It's fine as long as they don't get infected. At that moment, Sakura weighs out her options. If she fights, whilst low on energy and strength she won't make it very far. She probably won't even make it out of the room lessing on the village.

She could always borrow some chakra... but she's under too close of surveillance to do that. Besides, doing something like what only comes as a last resort. An extreme last resort. There's no way out of this place alive, at least not right now. It's only been what? A few days? A week maybe?

She needs to learn her patience and keep her faith in her people. After realizing that she doesn't have much choice in this matter, she raises her hands over his body and they begin to glow green.

There's really no guarantee that that someone is going to come and save her. If she can't get through this on her own she's going to do the only things she can do.

Hope and endure.

.0.

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