Welcome To Section 9

(A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to get this up. I had finished it on the first but decided to scrap it because I hated the way it went. Again, I apologize for the tardiness of the chapter but I promise you'll love this one better than the one I was going to post. Enjoy and tell me what you think. PLEASE!!)

~xxx~

"So, what have you decided?" Batou asked with a smug grin as he sat down on the table, his back to Itachi. Really, that had to have been the biggest mistake anyone could have made… turning your back on the enemy, even if they were cuffed. Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Batou stared expectantly at her.

She sighed, turning her head to look at her captain. Itachi gave a slight nod. What the hell did that mean? Sakura took that as a sign to tell the giant to bugger off so they could talk… and she did.

"First of all, you left us alone for all of three minutes. Second, we hadn't decided anything yet and third… the guy in the next room could have told you that." Sakura snapped. If Batou could blink, he would have. "We have… five minutes left to discuss the issue, please allow us the available time. And may I please be released to tend to my superior's injuries?"

Batou sputtered for a moment, scowling at the pink-haired female sitting across the table.

"She's right, Batou. Take the cuffs off." The Major said while she uncrossed her arms and moved to the door. "If you try anything funny, you'll be held in a cell until we figure out what to do with you." The purple-haired woman said and left the room.

"Che, women." Batou scoffed and un-cuffed the girl from the chair. The door closed with a slam that resounded in the small space.

"That was not what I meant." Itachi glared at her through swollen eyes.

"What? Do you expect me to know your body language because I've known you brother for seven years?" she hissed at him. "With all due respect Taicho, but he had it coming."

"We are in a very unpredictable situation, Haruno-san. You would do well to remember that our lives are in their hands right now." Itachi said, his voice was cold and condescending towards her.

"I apologize Taicho." Sakura said as she stood up and stretched her legs. Damn metal chairs, so uncomfortable. "Let me have a look at you." She said while walking around the table and knelt next to his chair. Itachi turned the chair to face her, away from the prying eyes of the mirrored wall. "Well…" Sakura started as she looked over the more seriously damaged area; his eye. "If he were anything like Morino-san… I may have wet my pants. Thankfully, that is not the case." She joked with a warm smile.

"I do not recall having such an easy time in an interrogation," he paused as Sakura's glowing fingers prodded at his eye. "Ever."

"Easy?" she flapped, eyes wide in disbelief. "You call this easy? Look at you! You can barely see out of one eye. You're lucky he didn't knock out some teeth because it seems he's knocked a few screws loose in your head."

"You have healed worse, have you not?" Itachi asked as his damaged left eye, slowly, painfully began to heal. She nodded.

"That's the difference between his guy and Morino-san… the giant has more than one rule while Morino-san only has one." Sakura said as her gloved fingers traced his eyelid.

"And, prey tell, what is his one rule?"

"Information before death, not after." She answered immediately. It sounded an awful lot like Morino Ibiki, the most terrifying man in the five great nations. Sakura's eyes narrowed in concentration as she worked, trying to maintain her reserves for future use while healing a ruptured blood vessel was not easy. "What do you suggest we do, Taicho?"

Itachi contemplated for a moment, eyes fixed on the bridge of her nose.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." He said with the infamous Uchiha smirk gracing his bruised lips.

~xxx~

The blond man watched as Sakura's hand glowed green, holding her hand to the young man's face. For the last hour, Togusa had watched the girl as she sat in the room on the other side of the mirror. He had been unnerved when she glared at the mirror but that was the only real sign of aggression she had displayed thus far. Togusa listened carefully as the girl, Haruno-san, and her captain exchanged some words, though most were in hushed tones.

Once the Haruno girl was done tending to her captain, the raven-haired man turned to look at the mirror.

"Holy shit. Do you see that?" Togusa said, slapping at Batou's arm to get his attention.

"What are you talking about? I don't see--" Batou stopped just short of finishing his sentence as he stared at the man he, literally, beat the snot out of just moments before. There wasn't a scratch on him, save the slight discoloration of his bottom lip. "How did she do that?"

"I don't know. Her hand just started glowing and the next thing I know, the guy's as good as new." Togusa said with a shrug. "I tell you, I have a bad feeling about this case."

"Let's find out, shall we." Motoko said from her spot against the wall. The whole exchange between the two suspects did not go unnoticed by her sharp gaze.

~xxx~

"In exchange for the information we have, we wish to aid you in the investigation." Itachi smoothly replied to Batou and Motoko. They shared a look and didn't reply for a long moment.

"We accept your offer. However, the information exchange will take place tomorrow. I'm sure you're tired and wish to rest." Motoko supplied with her arms crossed. "The question is, where are we going to put you?" there was a new person in the room with them. A tall, blonde-haired man that looked to be just about thirty years of age.

"I have a spare bedroom." The man said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I can board at least one of them."

"Do you really want strangers around your kid, Togusa?" Batou questioned, cocking his head in the younger man's direction.

"I like kids." Sakura spoke up as she looked between the three of them.

"Alright, now what about the other one?" Batou asked as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Saito is getting ready to leave for the night. We can send the other one with him." Motoko announced. Saito didn't have a 'family' to worry about and plenty of extra space. Sakura let out a soft sigh; these people were talking as if they weren't in the room with them. Was it too much to ask to have some sort of acknowledgement?

"It's settled then. See you all back here at 900 hours." Apparently, it was. As one, the five people in the room moved. Sakura picked up her mask and followed Itachi out the door. The ANBU stood on one side of the elevator while the members of Section 9 stood on the other.

"I'm Togusa, by the way." The blonde said with his hand extended towards her. Sakura looked at his hand, up at him then at Itachi. Her captain gave a soft nod, telling her it was alright.

"Haruno Sakura." She said with a tight smile, forced but still friendly. She took his hand lightly and shook it before dropping her hand to her side. Togusa repeated the gesture to Itachi.

"Uchiha Itachi." He introduced himself with the usual monotone. This was going to be an interesting night. Sakura had been able to explain a few things before they went their separate ways, but it wasn't much.

~xxx~

Sakura followed Togusa into the garage, trailing behind him like a lost puppy. Well, in all technicality, she was.

"Have you ever ridden in a car?" Togusa asked, a tentative question to gauge the girl. Sakura shook her head.

"As I said, our technology isn't as advanced. A horse-drawn carriage is advanced in a shinobi village." She answered. Togusa stopped and turned to face her with a look that read 'you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me'.

"What is a shinobi, anyway?" he continued his query and continued to trudge toward his vehicle.

"We are ninja. The term 'shinobi' is used to describe someone of ninja status. Whereas 'kunoichi' is a term for a female ninja." Why did Sakura feel like a school teacher, quoting something from her academy days? "What year is it here, anyways?"

"2034."

"W-what?!" she and her captain were transported into the future… were she was like, oh, 90-something! Sakura growled as her hands tugged at her hair. "Why did I agree to take this mission?"

"Come on, my car is just down the isle." Togusa coxed as he continued down the long, cement parking lot. Sakura picked up the pace and followed him. He walked up to a light blue car and opened the driver side door, motion for her to do the same.

"Ano… I don't know how this works." She admitted with a tiny smile. Togusa chuckled and walked around, showing Sakura how to open a car door. "Oh… and here I thought it would slid open like in the sci-fi books Shino reads." Togusa raised a brow and reached into his pocket.

"I have to call my wife and let her know we have company." He said waving a small device before her and opened it. Sakura didn't listen to the conversation, she was too busy inspecting the interior of the car. Leather seats, vinyl dashboard with faux wood trim, polished to perfection and carpeted floor covers. The engine revved to life, making Sakura cling to the door. "Don't worry, I'm an excellent driver."

"Tell her how many accidents you were in last year. She'll think twice about getting the car with you again." Came Batou's booming voice from across the way. Sakura looked up and glared.

"He's kidding."

~xxx~

Itachi was having better luck. Saito gave a shrug and motioned for the ANBU to follow. Both men walked silently along the far wall of the parking lot, only the clank of Saito's heels could be heard.

"The Major tells me you're not from around here." The brunette offered with a shrug. Saito didn't like the silence.

"Aa." Itachi responded with a nod. "One could say that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It is meant to express that I am not from this time…" Itachi said, eyeing the cars as they passed. "This place is my home but farther in time than where I am from."

"Time travel is impossible." Saito countered, looking over his shoulder at the raven-haired ANBU.

"We believe so, too. But it is apparent that a jutsu exists that can do so."

"Jutsu…?"

Itachi nodded. "Yes. A technique that implements the use of chakra to summon, cast an illusion or harness the energy around one's self to defeat your enemy." Itachi explained. The eye patch-clad man gave him a blank look.

"Sounds complicated." Saito shrugged and approached his car. Itachi watched the man for a moment, his sharp mind absorbing the man's movements before doing the same.

"I never had a problem learning jutsu."

"What about your friend?"

"Haruno-san… is gifted in other fields." He answered as the car started and pulled forward. It was a smooth ride down the isle as Saito steered the car towards the exit.

"So, this 'jutsu', how does it work?"

"I do not know. It is something I am unfamiliar with."

"Got'cha." Saito sighed as they pulled out onto the quiet streets. "My house isn't far from here. We should get there in twenty minutes or so."

"And your comrade? How far away does he live?"

"Worried for your friend?" he asked with a smirk.

"Precisely." Itachi responded.

"Togusa lives in the other direction, about the same distance away."

"Aa."

~xxx~

It was just after one in the morning when Togusa pulled into the driveway. He could see the living room light on; his had wife waited up for them. Actually, Nana was peeking out of the window when Togusa opened the car door and stepped out. Sakura followed suit and hurried to followed him to the front door. A pretty dirty-blonde woman opened the door and greeted them with a warm smile.

"Welcome home, dear." The woman said as she stepped aside. Togusa gave her a kiss on the cheek before he stepped through the door, Sakura hot on his heels. She bowed low to the woman before speaking.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you, ma'am." The pink-haired medic said as she righted herself and smiled.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Haruno-san. I'm Nana." The woman said as her smile widened. "Pink hair? Oh, my daughter is going to love you." Sakura rubbed the back of her neck as Togusa gestured for her to come inside. "The guest room is all set. You can take a shower if you wish… are you hungry?" Nana spoke, her words almost jumbled together in excitement.

Sakura bowed again. "Thank you so much." She smiled again while standing in the hallway. "I'm starved actually." Nana was nodding as she closed the front door and locked it. She headed for the kitchen with Sakura as Togusa readied for the night. Once 'dinner' was served, Sakura ate quietly, eyes taking in everything she could.

"My husband explained that you're not from around here… what did he mean by that?" Nana asked as she sat across from Sakura.

"I come from a place call Konoha, it's a shinobi village in Fire country." Sakura said as she set down her fork. Togusa joined then just seconds later, glass of water in hand. "I was on my first ANBU mission when we were… transported here."

"ANBU? What's that?" the woman asked, leaning forward in her chair.

"I'm not sure how to explain ANBU to you. It's like… um… special forces I guess."

"Oh, I get it. So, you two are like elite soldiers?" Togusa question as his glass clanked on the table.

"Two? There's another like you?"

"Hai, my captain is with me." Sakura nodded.

"Well, I sure you're tired. I'll show you to the guest room." Togusa said as he stood from the table. Sakura stood with him with a smile.

"Thank you for the meal, Nana-san. Have a good night." She bowed again, earning a giggle from the older woman.

"Good night, Haruno-san."

~xxx~

Five hours of sleep wasn't bad but Sakura still felt like she had been run over by a herd of cattle. Just what had that jutsu done to her? Other than transporting her to another time, the full blast of said jutsu made Sakura feel sluggish and completely drained. With the sun just starting to crest the horizon at six in the morning, Sakura sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. It was far too early to be sharing information on the most deadly organization in her dimension.

The soft patter of feet brought Sakura back to reality as a soft knock rasped on the door. The door creaked open and a small head of dark blonde hair poked through the opening.

"It's true… you do have pink hair." The voice of a young girl called from the doorway. Sakura blinked twice as the young child bounded into the room and hopped onto the bed, sitting on her knees before her.

"Well, hello there. What's your name?" the pink-haired kunoichi asked with a warm smile. The child beamed up at her.

"My name is Keda. It's nice to meet you." The girl, no more than six, stuck her hand out, wanting to shake the hand of her pink-haired guest. Sakura took the girl's hand lightly and shook it.

"Hello, Keda-chan. My name is Sakura."

"You're very pretty, Sakura-san." The girl about cried as she scooted closer to her new friend.

"Why, thank you Keda-chan." Sakura chuckled as the girl started to play with her long hair.

"Can I braid it?"

"Sure." And this is what Togusa found when he walked passed the room five minutes later. But time was of the essence and playing dress-up would have to wait for another time.

~xxx~

Greetings were exchanged when they met at HQ. Sakura and Itachi stood off to the side, waiting to meet with Chief Aramaki to inform him about the Akatsuki. Motoko had explained that it was standard procedure to talk to the Chief and he would inform the others on the situation. The ANBU understood, of course. It was the same for them back home. Sakura was relieved to know that things weren't so different.

Aramaki was a small man, balding some with a white halo of hair and a serious look on his face… constantly. He sat behind a large oak desk with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the two, young shinobi sitting across from him. Sakura couldn't help but feel intimidated. She glanced at Itachi… but he was as cool as a cucumber, sitting with his legs crossed, hands on the armrests and blank look on his face as he sat back.

On her end, Sakura fidgeted in her seat, foot tapping, fingers wringing her shirt and biting her lip as she looked between the tow men.

'This is ridiculous. PULL IT TOGETHER, BAKA!' her inner cried while pumping her fists in the air. Sakura frowned, inner was right.

"I hear that you have important information regarding my investigation?" Aramaki asked, eyes sliding from Itachi to Sakura and back. "Well, let's have it."

"Haruno-san, your Bingo Book, if you would," Itachi said smoothly. Sakura hesitated for a split second before fumbling fingers reached into her medic pouch. Sakura opened the small, black book and flipped to the page that contained Hoshigaki Kisame's information before standing and placing the book on Aramaki's desk. The head of Section 9 turned the book right-side-up and slid it closer. The picture at the top matched the security photos exactly but the information under the picture only confused the older man as he read it aloud.

"Hoshigaki Kisame, wanted in all five nations. Nation of origin: Water Country, Village Hidden in the Mist. Affiliation: Seven Swordsmen on the Mist, Akatsuki. Classification: S-class, Missing-nin. Note: Known member of the criminal organization, 'Akatsuki'." The Chief looked up from the book with a bow raised. "And this is telling me, what?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame is highly dangerous. He specializes in Water and Earth jutsu which makes him all the more deadly." Itachi spoke with his eyes trained on the old man before him.

"How is that?" asked the Chief. He set the book down and folding his hands over the pages.

"He could flood the city in mere minutes." Sakura spoke with a tight nod. "I've seen him turn a desert into an ocean in the blink of an eye." Her gaze was intense as she looked Aramaki dead in the eyes. "And he's not only one here."

"You're telling me that there's more than one of these 'Akatsuki' fellows here?" he asked with an incredulous tone. "How do you know for sure?"

"We were on a mission for confirm the presents of the Akatsuki in Fire country when we came upon their location. Haruno-san confirmed the members as Akasuna no Sasori and Deidara of Iwa. They were sent here in the same fashion we were, via jutsu." Itachi intoned with his usual monotone. Aramaki eyed him as Sakura nodded in agreement.

"They were sent minutes before we were caught, giving them the opportunity to escape before detection." Sakura supplied. "If you turn the page, the information on the other two members is there." The Chief did just that. Eyeing the pages as pictures of a blonde and redhead filled his vision.

"And what are their specialties?"

Itachi turned his gaze to Sakura, imploring her silently to cough up information. Sakura took the hint with a heavy sigh.

"Sasori is a puppet master, specializing in exotic and difficult poisons. Deidara is… an explosives expert with a penchant for long range attacks. Sasori's body is a puppet while Deidara is as human as myself but his hands have," she paused for a moment, cringing as she envisioned the two men from her terrifying nightmares. "Deidara's hands have mouths in them, allowing him better access to his 'art'."

Aramaki stared at her with a mixture of disgust and disbelief in his gaze. "You have to be kidding?" Sakura shook her head. "I suppose it must be true since there is a giant, blue, shark-man hiding in my city." He offered with a shrug. "How do we go about finding them? If they are from your era then they wouldn't have cybernetic enhancements to trace."

"Their chakra." Itachi answered with a smirk. "We will be able to sense their chakra signatures within a three mile radius."

"Chakra? You mean Chi, right?"

"They are the same." Sakura answered.

"But we can't detect chakra. How will we know when they are around?"

"We can." Itachi supplied with a nod. Aramaki let out a reluctant sigh.

"Well then, welcome to the team. I'll have Togusa show you around and an apartment will be acquired for the duration of your stay." He paused, tapping a finger to his chin. "How long will you be staying?"

"We are unsure ourselves." Itachi answered as he stood with Sakura and bowed. Togusa, who had been waiting outside, stepped into the room and motioned for them to follow.

~xxx~

"… And this is the recreation room. The only person who seems to use it though is Batou." Togusa explained as the stepped into a large room that looked like the hall back in Konoha that hosted the second stage of the chunin exams. As if on cue, Batou peered from around the corner to see who had just walked in. He grinned as he spotted Itachi and Sakura.

"Well look at what we have here. Back to the future ninjas." He teased as he stepped towards them. "What do ya say we spar for a bit?" he asked Itachi who shook his head in the negative. He turned to Sakura and shook his head. "Nah, I might break you."

"Excuse me?" Sakura hissed, eyes narrowed to slits as she glowered at the white-haired male before her.

"Look at you, chicken wing. I'm afraid I'll snap you in half if we fought." Batou said with a sarcastic sneer. Sakura growled at him.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much."

Batou grinned as Sakura placed her hands on her hips, a heavy glare in her hard emerald eyes. "Fine, Pinky. Let's see what you've got."

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" she screeched and lunged at him only to be stopped by a hand. Itachi looked down at her with a slight frown. She was about to question him when his lips twitched slightly upwards.

"No chakra, no weapons… just taijutsu." Sakura grinned manically and nodded to her captain. She turned to face Batou who was now standing in the center of the room, taking off his jacket.

"Let's go, girly! I don't have all day."

"Do you know what the difference between you and me is?" Sakura asked as she stripped herself of her armor and medic pack.

"Other than the obvious?" he shot back while stretching his arms over his head.

Sakura chuckled; he really had no clue as to what he was getting into. "At least, when I break something, I can fix it myself. I don't have to look for my manufacturer's warranty and prey it's still valid." That said, Sakura lunged again with a mighty roar towards the hulk of an android in the center of the room. Batou was able to dodge a flying kick and spun to punch her in the back… but she disappeared in a flash.

"What the--" his question was cut short when Batou was hit from behind, sending him flying across the room. He landed with a thud but was not given the time to recover as Sakura's leg came into view from above. Batou scrambled out of the way as her leg came down. A loud crack sounded in the room, echoing off the concrete walls and metal support beams. She turned to face him, watching as he stood.

Batou raised his fists with a smirk.

"Ok… looks like I'm going to have to pull out all the stops."

"I'm sorry… did you actually start fighting? When? I think I missed it." Sakura said, feigning shocking with a hand over her lips. Batou growled at her as she cautiously stepped towards him, her fists clinched in front of her. Batou began bouncing from foot to foot, waving his body to the sides and faking a lunge every few seconds. Sakura was unfamiliar with this fighting style but kept her cool as he faked another punch.

Suddenly, his fist rocketed forward, towards Sakura's jaw. She was able to dodge the large fist flying at her and answered his challenge with a punch of her own. It connected his ribs causing him to stumble backward with a grimace. Without missing a beat, Sakura swooped forward and dropped. With a twist of her hips, Sakura swung her leg and clipped Batou below the knees. He fell back with a surprised cry as Sakura pounced on him, grabbing one of his arms and flipping onto his stomach. Somehow, Batou was able to wiggle his way out of the hold and stand up. He grabbed Sakura by the ankle and flipped her over. She smiled up at him and yanked her leg free before flipping away from him.

"Clever little minx." He hissed. Sakura continued to smile as she prepared to run at him. In a flash, she was gone. Batou tensed and turned to face the other direction. He thought she would appear behind him again but she wasn't there.

"Hello up there." Her sing-song voice beckoned from below. The second he looked down, it was over. Sakura's foot thrust upward and clipped him in the chin, knocking him to the ground and out cold. Sakura stood up and dusted herself off before walking back towards her captain. And stopped dead in her tracks. A large group of people was staring at her like she was an alien. "What? He's still breathing, so stop staring!"

Batou came to a few moments later and rubbed his chin as he sat up.

"Did someone get the number on that bus?" he asked gruffly as he stood on shaky legs. Batou took one step when his leg buckled. He thought for sure he'd face-plant the floor but a strong hand kept him upright. Batou looked over his shoulder and shook off Itachi's hand, having regained his composure. "What the hell is that girl, anyway? You sure she isn't an android?"

"You are lucky she was given restrictions." Itachi intoned casually.

"Oh? And why is that?" Batou questioned with a quirked brow.

"Because without restrictions - such as the ones I placed on her - would be detrimental to your health. But…" Itachi pause, more for dramatic effect than anything else. "I may consider letting her spar with you again with all of her abilities."

Batou got the message, loud and clear.

Don't fuck with the feisty, pink-haired kunoichi if you want to live.

(A/N: Sorry it took me so long to get this up. I think I may have to buy a wig after all the hair-pulling I've been doing with trying to write this chapter. Send all KB wig funds to Ohio please.)