Hello all. Sorry for the long wait. There will be some spelling and grammatical errors that weren't caught, so please bear with it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, but I do own this plot.

Chapter 12: Inner Demon

Darkness surrounded everything with very few lights dimly illuminating the surroundings just enough to make out the shape of things. The red emergency light flashed in the darkness, making the place look more terrifying than it already was. The metallic scent of blood was everywhere, invading the senses no matter where she went. She was a mess from head to toe; hair disarrayed, clothes torn, and covered in blood. Her left hand was placed against her abdomen, putting pressure against the wound she had received. She panted heavily, moving as fast as her injured body would allow to. She needed help soon or she would collapsed from blood loose and die.

She heard screams echoing her from behind and knew she needed to hide, but the question was where. Her body was getting weak and the lost of blood was slowly making her lightheaded. Needing to catch her breath, she stopped in the middle of the corridors and leaned against the wall. Once she felt slightly better, she continued walking and was suddenly grabbed as she passed an open door. The hand over her mouth muffled her screams for help as she struggled to free herself from her captor. Her attempt to escape was futile, only causing her to drain more energy from her already weakened state. He pulled her deeper into the darkness to stay hidden from whomever was attacking them.

"Stop struggling or they'll find us," a deep voice whispered into her ear.

The voice sounded familiar and she immediately froze, hoping the stranger was who she thought it was. She hesitantly turned her head to look back and stared into red orbs she was aquatinted with. Relief washed over her as she relaxed her tired body against her husband's. He removed his hand from her mouth to let her breath easier as he pulled her to a safe spot. Once they were hidden by the darkness, the assassin settled his wounded wife down. Her free hand held onto his, content she had found her husband in all this chaos.

"What's happening –"

She felt a piercing pain in her chest and looked down to see the blade of the sword plunged into her body. Her eyes widened as she turned to the wielder of the weapon, with tears slowly falling down her cheeks. Half his body was covered in black markings that were slowly spreading, glowing red as it moved across his body. The man she knew was her husband was shape shifting into a winged demon.

"Nothing you have to worry about," he said, then twisted the blade.

Sakura sat up immediately, panting as her mind processed the nightmare she had awoken from. Her left hand was placed on her chest, over the exact spot where the blade was in her dream. She took deep breaths to calm her nerves as her free hand rubbed her temples. Her emerald orbs studied her surroundings, afraid she was still stuck in the dream world. With her mind recalling the injuries she had in the dream, she had to examine herself to be certain of her consciousness. There weren't a scratch on her and the gash she had sustained was just an illusion. The wound she had sustained a few days back was completely healed without a signal scar left behind.

Her slightly trembling hand crumpled the bottom of the silk slip, nervous about slumbering again in fear the dream will start all over again. Tired eyes gazed over at the occupant next to her and she was relieved to see her husband sleeping peacefully. She was fully aware the nightmare was a hallucination her mind had produced, but everything felt all too real. The nightmares started two nights ago, after she had witnessed Sasuke kill with no remorse when they were fleeing the club. It was always similar; she would be looking for her husband in some sort of chaos and when she did find him, he ended up killing her. She didn't understand why she was having these dreams and it scared her for it seemed to be slowly getting worse. The first time she had these sorts of nightmares was a few weeks ago when her husband had left, but the sadistic side was only in her dreams. Now that she had seen his inner demon with her own eyes, she couldn't stop imagining it.

She jumped in surprise when she felt her husband wrap his arms around her. He grazed his lips along her bare shoulder then nuzzled against her neck. His radiating body heat was inviting, causing her to snuggle closer to him. Honestly she felt safe in his arms, but at the same time she was scared. He stroked her waist lovingly, relaxing her tense body.

"Another nightmare?"

"Yah...Sorry if I woke you," she replied.

"This is the third night," he stated. "Mind telling me what it's about?"

"It's nothing Sasuke–kun," she lied, trying to reassure him.

His arms tightened around her waist; he knew she was lying and wasn't going to take no for an answer. Itachi had informed him of Sakura's nightmare episodes during the time he was gone and assumed it was continuing again, but he wasn't sure if it was the same dream. She was skittish; there was no way she was going to tell him about her nightmare especially when it related to resent events involving him. She didn't want to push him away because of a bunch of stupid dreams she had. She needed to come up with a story that her husband would believe without questioning her.

"I was with our little girl," she said quietly. "We were in the garden together, picking tomatoes. Once we were done, she told me she couldn't stay." Her hands clenched the blanket. "They were taking her away," she said, turning to face him. She was trembling and holding her tears at bay. "I had her in my arms when she was pulled away and suddenly I was falling down a black abyss."

Sasuke's whipped away a tear that was threatening to fall; it pained him to see her cry. He didn't think the loss of their first child still had this much of an effect on her. Since that depressing day, she hadn't mentioned anything about it to him or anyone else and assumed she was alright. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his torso, finding comfort in his embrace. He held his wife close, rubbing her back to sooth her grief. Her heart ached for having lied to her husband, but also from the made up dream she had told him. The subject of her their deceased daughter was still a delicate topic, however it was convincing.

His dark eyes peered over to the digital clock to see that it read five o'clock. It was pointless for him to attempt to go back to sleep after hearing his wife's dream, besides in another hour he would be up to go train. He thought about heading out now, but he didn't want to leave Sakura hanging in her state. She needed to clear her mind and he knew the perfect solution that would benefit both of them.

"Get dressed," he ordered sternly.

Confused by the change in his tone of voice, Sakura looked up at her husband. She was bewildered by his words, but figured he must have good intentions.

He treaded tiredly toward the training facility, murmuring complains about it being too early. His attire choice, a plain white shirt and a pair of orange sweats, made it seem like he had recently rolled out of bed, which was exactly how he felt. The blond didn't mind sparing against his best friend when it meant he could pummel his rival, but the time Sasuke had always arranged for their early morning sparing was abnormal for his standards. Naruto sighed when his stomach grumbled, wishing he was in the canteen eating his all time favor food.

"Keep your arms up."

His brows rose when he heard the training tip coming from a familiar voice. There was no way Sasuke would be instructing a trainee since a majority were scared of him or didn't want to get beaten up. It was rare for anyone, except for that particular Uchiha, to be up this early for training; Naruto was only up early once to twice a week since they could go all out without worrying about bystanders or being scolded. He was curious of whom was sparing with the dark haired assassin, but decided he could take his time since there was someone already there keeping him occupied. Pulling out his phone, he turned on the screen to look at the time to see that it read seven thirty. It took a moment for the blond to process that he was late; he usually met up with Sasuke at six. Naruto sprinted down the hall and through the doors only to be surprised by the sight he was greeted with.

Sakura was dressed in a form fitting red camisole that revealed a little bit of her flat stomach and black athletic pants. She was barefooted with no protective patting on her shins or ankles. Her hair was tied back into a small ponytail with loose bangs clipped up. Her knuckles to mid forearm were covered by pink hand wraps for support as she punched and kicked the pads over Sasuke's hands. He sported a sleeveless navy blue hoodie and pair of black sweats.

Naruto watch with great interest as he studied Sakura's fighting physique. She had excellent form despite only having been trained in only basic self–defense. He figured Sasuke had drilled her earlier to correct her stance before beginning the spot training. The assassin would strike every so often, making her dodge or block, to ensure her guard was up at all times. The pink haired woman swung her right fist at the man only to have her husband duck, causing her back to be exposed. To quickly get her footing back, she stepped her right foot over and used the momentum her body generated to send a side kick with her left. Seeing the attack, Sasuke sidestepped and caught her leg against his side and pulled her into him. Unable to maintain her balance, Sakura fell against his chest. Her leg was held against his hip in a seductive matter that she didn't fell comfortable displaying outside the bedroom. Before she got a chance to protest, he claimed her lips in a passionate kiss.

"Get a room you two!" Naruto shouted, making his presence known.

Sakura immediately separated herself from her husband and pulled her leg back from his side. Her cheeks were flushed a light pink from having been caught in such a position and by Naruto of all people. Sasuke just sent a glare over at the blond, pissed that the moment he was sharing with his wife was interrupted. After taking off his shoes, the blond stepped onto the matted area to join the two he saw as siblings.

"Is this why you didn't wake me up teme?" Naruto asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he made his way over to the couple.

"Hn."

The blond crosses his arms over his chest. "So you rather train with Sakura–chan instead of me, your best friend and almost brother?" A cheeky grin spread across his lips. "Maybe the bedroom wasn't enough and you – Hey!"

Naruto stepped to his left and duck to avoid the pads that were tossed at him. Sasuke knew what his comrade was planning to say and rather not have false accusation blurt out; Sakura's grew beet red at the unfinished perverted remark. The dark haired man ignored the insults and profanity thrown at him as he turned his attention to his blushing wife.

"Still want to spar?" he asked.

She looked up at his dark orbs and nodded her head. "One more round would be nice." She raised her arms above her head and leaned to either side to stretch her muscles. "It's been a while since I've been able to do this," she said. "And it feels relaxing and exhilarating."

Sakura was content Sasuke had gotten her back into doing a rigorous workout. She was grateful to have a husband that was willing to do something like this with her; it was a major stress relief activity and she got exercise in at the same time. The last time she had been able to do this was before she had gotten pregnant. Once she become with child, Sakura had reduced her rigorous training to stretching and yoga.

"Get the pads on dobe," he ordered. "Let Sakura get some reps in for you to warmup."

Naruto lit up. "Alright!" He quickly grabbed the discarded punching cushions. "We'll take it easy Sakura–chan since we don't want you to get hurt."

The pink haired medic narrowed her eyes slightly at the blond; she hated being dubbed weak just because she was a girl. Didn't the blond recall Kakashi putting her through various self–defense class sessions when she was young. There was no way she was going to take it easy on the blond before her. The dark haired man stepped back with a grin on his lips; Naruto was going to get his ass kicked for sure. She stretched her muscles out to loosen them again and composed herself. Her emerald orbs were focused on her targets on either side of the blond; she couldn't help picturing his goofy face plastered on them to encourage her more.

"Alright Sakura–chan," he said. "When I say go – AH!"

Sakura launched herself toward Naruto, punching in a fast rhythmic pace. He had to tense his muscles and use more force than anticipated to keep the cushion steady. As she continued to punch her heart out, Naruto did his best to withstand being pushed back by her monstrous strength. Hell, he knew she was strong, but never imaged her to be this powerful. When she began to throw in a couple kicks, he was thankful his reflexes reacted in time from being knocked out. He had to dodge a few roundhouse kicks aimed at his head, but saw nothing of it. With every combo attack she threw out, Naruto was forced to take small steps back as she advanced forward. As her right leg came swinging toward him, he missed his footing. In order to avoid the incoming attack, he fell down on his back.

"Bag!" he shouted, rolling to the side to evade her fury. "Aim for the punching bag!"

Sasuke watched from a distance, completely satisfied that Naruto had suffered humiliation at the hands of Sakura. She continued to go all out on the punching bag, making the chain rattle against the support rail. Naruto sat up relieved he had fell when he did or he would be on receiving end of the medic's wrath. She pivoted around her target, never staying stationary as she sent blow after blow. She sent a strong roundhouse kick, making the training equipment swing far. As it swung back toward her, Sakura prepared herself by drawing her right arm back and then sent the final blow. The chain holding the stuffed bag snapped and it went flying toward the stationary blond. Naruto quickly laid flat on his back to avoid the incoming deadly object. He watched it fly over him before it smashed loudly against the wall and tore slightly, letting the sand filled within slowly pour out. The blond sat up and looked at the destroyed equipment behind him then turned to the petite woman that did it.

'I'll never turn on Sakura–chan... She'll pulverize me!'

"Sorry..." she said sheepishly, as she grasp for needed air.

"Damn Sakura–chan," Naruto commented, standing up. "What did the poor thing do to you to deserve that?"

"Uh...I guess I got carried away..."

"I'll say, I literally saw my life flash before my eyes." He pulled off the pads and tossed them over to a smirking Sasuke. "You knew this was going to happen and didn't bother to give me a heads up! What kind of a best friend are you teme? For all I know, you could have planned the whole damn thing!"

The smirk never left his lips. "Hn."

"Not funny teme. Shit, if I didn't duck, I would have to be rushed to the infirmary."

She walked over to Naruto and saw that he was fine, maybe just a little freaked out about the punching bag. "Can we go again Naruto?" Sakura asked with her fists up, ready to start.

"Ain't gonna happen sister." He took a few steps back to put some distance between himself and the firecracker before him. "I value my life too much and don't want to end up like that," he said pointing to the punching bag.

"Aww... Don't be a wimp now Naruto–kun," she taunted with a sweet smile on her face as she circled him. "You aren't scared of a girl now are you?"

"Don't Naruto–kun me," he said. "And I ain't scared of ya!"

"Come on Naruto," she begged. "I need to do something with the adrenaline rush."

"And be annihilated before I can live my life, no thanks." He turned to look at Sasuke in the corner of his eye. "I'm here to spar him," he said, pointing to his desired opponent. "So are we going to spar or what teme?"

"What about me?" Sakura whined, placing her hands on her hips.

"You'll kill me Sakura–chan," Naruto said. "Besides I'm here to kick teme's ass."

Sasuke suddenly appeared before his wife with his back toward her. On either arm was a black sleeve arm guard that extended from his biceps down pass his wrist, covering his knuckles. He unzipped the hoodie and slid it off his shoulders to reveal his toned upper body. Her mind went completely blank, captivated by his form, calm demeanor, and confident aura. He turned around and draped his hoodie over her.

"This fight is mine Sakura," Sasuke stated before stepping away from her.

Sakura sighed in defeat, knowing she wouldn't be able to win an argument against Sasuke or Naruto now. She stepped to the side and took a seat to observe the match that would take place before her.

"We got fifteen minutes teme," Naruto said, quickly removing his shirt. "And it will be more than enough time for me to beat you."

"In you're dream dobe."

A smiled graced her lips; the two grown men bickered like the past and it brought back memories of times when it was just the three of them hanging out together. It will always be a mystery as to how these two totally opposite personalities became best friends. The only traits she was aware the two shared was that they were both stubborn, competitive, and despised losing.

"Cheer me on Sakura–chan!"

She chuckled lightly when her husband sent a glare at the blond. "Good luck Naruto!" she called out, irritating the dark haired man. "Beat him up real good!"

Naruto grinned at Sakura then ducked to avoid a kick aimed for his head; Sasuke wasn't happy his wife chose to support his opponent and was going to make sure to win this fight. She wasn't aware of the agency's teaching and training methods, but she watched both men display knowledge of various fighting styles. Emerald orbs watched their movements carefully; every blow dealt, every block attack, it all displayed the skills they had acquired from being involved in ANBU.

As she continued to observe the match, she noted both men had different approach to fighting. Naruto was all over the place, constantly moving without a strategy and only the goal of beating up his opponent in mind. It was undeniable that what he lacked in brains, he made up in brawn. Although the abrasive approach wasn't recommended, it worked for the blond because of his seemingly endless amount of energy. Sasuke's fighting style was the complete opposite of his best friend's. He was calculated and precise with his movements, never rushing in unless he had a plan. He saved his energy by using his opponent's moves against them. Speed was his key advantage against the blond's predictable assault. By the time the match ended, it was a draw.

Both men were drenched in their own sweat, with droplets still rolling off their faces. Naruto laid flat on his back with his arms and legs sprawled out, to let his body relax and get the much needed oxygen it desired. He had placed a towel over his face to absorb the sweat, too tired and lazy to wipe it off. Sasuke sat up, slightly hunched forward, with his right leg propped up and his arm resting on top. Sakura draped a towel over her husband's shoulder then handed him an open water bottle which he graciously took and drank the entire contents. The two males had forgotten the last time they had sparred like this for it had been a while due to nonstop missions and Sakura's pregnancy at the time. Now that they were going to be living at headquarters until things were solved, the two agents would get more time to spar.

"Can I get some water too Sakura–chan?"

With Naruto being further away, she grabbed an unopened bottle and tossed it toward him. Unluckily for him, she didn't aim her toss and it land on his groin. The blond rolled over in pain, hands over his family jewels. Sasuke smirked; his best friend was getting unintentionally beat today by Sakura.

"Sorry Naruto! I didn't mean to!"

"What did I do to deserve this Sakura–chan?" he groaned out in pain. "Christmas Eve is tomorrow and I've been good this whole year."

The dark haired man rolled his eyes; the knucklehead needed to look up the definition of what it meant to be good.

"Let me make it up to you Naruto." She smiles sheepishly at the blond. "How about I treat you to a bowl of ramen?"

When the words treat and ramen reached his ears, Naruto immediately jumped up like nothing happened. He put on his shirt and packed his stuff into his duffle bag.

"It's a date!"

Sakura giggled at his actions then turned to her husband. "Are you going to join us Sasuke–kun?" she asked, taking off the sleeveless hoodie he had given her to put on her own jacket. He shook his head to answer her and she leaned over to give him a kiss. "I'll see you later then."

"Do you believe his report Kakashi?"

The silver haired man sat before his mentor, hating life at the moment and it was all because of the person he called his son–in–law. He has been in the hot seat numerous times already, but everything time it seem to get worse as his two pupils grew older. After the incident at the club, ANBU has been inactive to draw away unneeded attention. All they've been doing was gathering intelligence and following leads.

"Not a hundred percent," he answered. "Unfortunately all Sakura told me was Sasuke shot the assailants out of self defense." He placed an autopsy report on the desk. "I don't know whether we were lucky or unlucky that they were Oto followers who started undergoing treatment."

The director rubbed his temples. "If that side of him is to emerge, we need to be prepare."

"It won't be easy sensei," Kakashi said. "The last time it happened, he whipped out a whole enemy base using only Kenjutsu. We had a hard time snapping him out of that state once it was all over."

"There is potentially one thing that can control him." Minato leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes. "And we know for certain that it's a trigger and extinguisher."

He immediately stood up and stared at his mentor in disbelieve. "I will not put my daughter in harms way."

"It's not your call anymore Kakashi!" The silver haired man turned around to see Tsunade entering the office. She was completely serious, leaving no room for arguments. "We respected your wishes to keep Sakura away from all this, but now things have changed."

When she entered the dinning facility, she was surprised by the site before her. She had assumed it would have looked dull and boring, but this place was utterly gorgeous. Instead of functioning like a cafeteria where food was already made and sitting under heat lamps, the place was more like a restaurant. There wasn't a menu due to the chef preferring to cook extraordinary meals based on visitor's likes.

They sat in a booth enjoying their meal as Naruto scarfed down his food like there was no tomorrow; he was currently on his third bowl. Cerulean orbs looked over and noticed Sakura's eyes seemed distance as she ate. She didn't seem to notice she had the company of the blond knucklehead sitting right in front of her.

"Is there something wrong with the omuraisu and chawanmushi?" he asked, getting another bite ready. "Oji–san can always remake it if it doesn't taste right."

She shook her head. "It's delicious." She looked at the blond before her; he seemed so carefree. "Can I ask you something Naruto?"

The said man quickly slurped up the noodles he had gathered. "Anything Sakura–chan."

She placed her chopsticks down and put her hands down on her lap. "If Sasuke–kun wasn't himself," she began. "Would he... Would Sasuke–kun ever hurt me?"

Naruto choked on the mouthful of ramen he just ate. He pounded his chest a few time to get the food down his throat. "Teme may be a cold heart jerk, but he would never do anything to hurt you Sakura–chan." The frown on her face didn't change and the light in his head lit up. "What did teme do?" he shouted. "I'll go beat the crap out of him until he apologizes."

"He didn't do anything," Sakura said, trying to calm the hotheaded blond. "It's just... I don't know..."

"What's wrong Sakura–chan?" Figuring it was a serious matter, Naruto put down his eating utensils to listen. "You know you can tell me anything."

She released a sigh. "I've been having these weird dreams," she started. "And every time I see Sasuke–kun, he was... he wasn't himself."

"What do you mean Sakura–chan?" The agent moved next to the distressed woman and held her trembling hands. "Tell me what happened."

She didn't know what propelled her to speak of her nightmares and the incident at was the cause of it all. He wasn't fazed by the story of Sasuke killing without remorse, but the dream was a whole other thing. Naruto knew his best friend would never do anything to harm Sakura and she was aware of it too, but deep down in her heart there was a part of her that doubted it. He didn't blame her for feeling that way; he too had his doubts in the beginning when he first saw the dark side of his best friend.

"That's not the first time it's happened Sakura–chan."

She turned to look at the blond sitting next to her. "What do you mean?"

"We all have our own inner demons," he said. "And sometimes it consumes you before you know it." He sank into his seat and looked up into the ceiling. "That side of teme... I might have been responsible for it."

"How can you be responsible?" she questioned. "That doesn't make any sense Naruto."

"You see Sakura–chan, after a number of low level missions," Naruto started. "We have to go through a special week long evaluation to see how we would react in different situations before we can get either A or S ranked missions."

"Like a simulation test?"

"Yah, a simulation test," he said. "It's like the virtual reality stuff, but we're not aware of when it starts and ends. Since teme and I were always on the same team, we got the test done around the same time. Actually I started a few days before him and passed with—"

"Naruto..." He stopped his blabbering. "Just tell me what happened."

The blond sighed heavily. "On the last day of his test, I convinced Nami–san to change up the model of the test." He placed his elbows on the table and leaned his head into his hands. "When he told me he asked you out, I wanted to make sure he serious about you." He ran his hands down his face. "So the simulation was reprogramed to change the situation and to include you in it."

"The three of us," he uttered. "A digital you and me were with teme, on a mission in the woods. It was a successful mission, but teme and I were hurt badly because the aftershock of the blast sent us flying and whatnot. Later you brought us to a safe area and made shelter under some large tree roots, staying up to guard us as we tried to recover. Due to bad weather, extraction was delayed a day. You were tired out because you barely got an ounce of sleep since you were keeping watch."

"On the day of extraction, three enemy subordinates were scouting us out and when they were right at our doorstep, you had no choice but fight. You held your own against them," Naruto stated proudly. "But since you didn't get a chance to properly recharge, you were at a disadvantage. Right as teme was coming to, he saw you get shot and the next thing I knew, he was prepare to obliterate the people that hurt you. All he was focused on was killing whomever had hurt you instead of grabbing you and getting the hell out of there. Nami–san was working as fast as she could to reprogram the simulation, but teme kept over riding it. Kakashi–sensei and Itachi walked in while we were trying to fix up the error. They tried to help, but nothing worked that we had to create more enemies to keep teme busy."

"How did it end?" Sakura asked.

"Itachi suggested something to Nami–san," Naruto answered. "I forgot what it was exactly, but she rewrote a couple thing and had teme defeat all the enemy. After that, we had you get up with minor injuries and approach him. Seeing you alive somehow snapped him out of it!"

Naruto only told her an abridged version of what happened; he didn't want to tell her everything in fear it would only cause her to be more uncomfortable around the dark haired man. She sat quietly, staring down at her lap as she processed everything she was just told. Even though it wasn't reality, she was the subject of Sasuke's inner monster when it had first surfaced. When they were at the club, he reacted after seeing her physically harmed. Was this the reason he didn't want to take her that night he left? Was the sadist side the demon he didn't want her to see?

"There have been times when that side of him leaks out," Naruto said. "But teme has always been in control. It was only that one time when..."

"When what?" He scratched his head, unsure if he should be telling Sakura anything. "What happened Naruto?"

"Remember the camping incident?"

Sakura nodded her head, she remembered that week all too well. She was spending the week with Tsunade and Shizune to study and prepare for the premed entrance exams at Konoha University. Sasuke had decided to go with Itachi, Naruto, and some other guys camping up north despite the raining season. About two days into the trip, there was a mudslide accident in the camping ground vicinity. Recuse teams began to search all over for missing people had been swept away, including Sasuke and Naruto, in hopes that there were survivors. She wanted to volunteer to look for the two, but was forced to stick to her studies. Kakashi had joined the search team instead and by the time the two were found, it had been over a week and they had been battered by the elements.

"We weren't really camping Sakura–chan," he admitted, catching her attention. "It was a cover story... We were infiltrating Orochimaru's base, bring the final battle to him. On the night we arrived to set up camp, we were ambushed unexpectedly. Teme and I got captured and it just so happened there was a mudslide that was used to our advantage as an excuse for our disappearance."

"We were both held in an underground facility and tortured for information, but neither of us gave in," Naruto said, as unwanted memories flooded his mind. "He wouldn't kill either of us because we were too valuable. Orochimaru was getting impatient and desperate that he resorted to teme's weakness to attempt to extract information." He gazed up at the light above him as the images of that day came to him. "He brought a girl in that he had made to look exactly like you. Deep down we knew it couldn't be you Sakura–chan, but being in the state that we were in, it sure fooled us."

"When we saw her with her arms chained up above and beaten, we snapped trying to get free and all. Orochimaru started torching that poor girl right in front of us. Shooting, stabbing, burning her skin, cutting toes and fingers; he did it all with no remorse, but we still didn't give in despite wanting to save the impostor. With her mouth tapped up, all her pleads and screams were muffled. At this point, teme was more than ready to rip the man into pieces and then came the final straw. The snake took a long blade, stabbed it through her heart, and Sasuke–teme just snapped."

"He somehow broke free, grabbed his sword and went ballistic," Naruto said. "After he killed Orochimaru, teme still wouldn't snap out of it. He only calmed down when Kakashi–sensei got you on a video chat after me and Itachi had him restrained."

Sakura slowly began to piece everything together once she heard the truth. Kakashi had personally gone to tell her that Sasuke and Naruto had gone missing and the he would be apart of the search team to look for them. She wanted to abandon her studies, but none of the adults would allow her to do it. Though she was in complete disarray, she focused on her studies and constantly called her father to find out the status of their hunt. It had been over a week when her father finally called her via video chat to tell her that Sasuke was alive.

"Uchiha Sakura–san," Hinata's voice said on the intercom. "Please report to the office of director Namikaze Minato–san immediately."

"Wonder why tou–san called for ya?" Naruto questioned.

"Following agents please report to mission briefing room Alpha for assignment," she communicated. "Hatake Kakashi, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Sasuke, and Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto got up and held his hand out to Sakura. "Come on," he said. "I'll walk you to my old man's office."

When Sasuke arrived at the briefing room, the two older males were already inside. Tension was in the air and it puzzled him whether it was between his brother and team leader. The two got along well and rarely had any disagreements, but this time whatever it was must be bad. Naruto was in shortly after and was irked by the uncomfortable atmosphere.

"Who pulled the stick out of your ass and stuck it at Kakashi-sensei?" he whispered to the younger dark haired man.

"Hn."

They took a seat just as Jiraiya entered through the double doors with several folders in hand. He tossed one to each of the seated agents and turned on the eighty–inched screen in front of them.

"Alright boys," he began. "You're being sent out on a retrieval mission."

Once the screen was fully on, a photo of a woman with brown hair and dark blues eyes appeared. Besides it was another photo of a child with dark hair and eyes. Sasuke immediately recognized the pair from market when he and Sakura had reunited the girl with her mother.

"Matsumoto Anna?" Itachi questioned. "Isn't she supposed to be dead?"

Jiraiya rubbed the back of his neck, hating the position he had been put in. He was ordered by Tsunade to start the mission briefing while she and Minato attended to some minor business.

"We gave Anna–chan a new identity," the older man said. "The only ones that know besides myself are Minato, Tsunade, and Nami. Her new identity is Hana Namine. Both her and her adoptive daughter, Aya, need to be brought here for security purposes."

"Who is this Anna girl ero-senni?"

"Matsumoto Anna is the daughter of one of the top business entrepreneurs of Konoha," Jiraiya answered. "She was publicly disowned by the family when she came out of the dark about her relationship with a non-Chrome and her career choice in psychology." He spotted the blond's confused face. "If you're not aware Naruto, a Chrome is a human genetically enhanced during fetal development for excellence and success."

"Her father tried to have her killed shortly after she had gotten engaged," Jiraiya continued. "She survived the assassination attempt, but unfortunately her fiancé didn't make it. After retrieving her and staging her death, we gave her a new identity and she became the guidance counselor at the club. Right now they're in trouble and need our protection."

Itachi never tore his eyes away from the two photos. The last time he remembered seeing Anna was during the retrieval mission and the following days of debriefing, after that he had never seen her again; that was more than four years ago. He remembered his wife mentioning a woman by the name Namine, but never assumed it to be the same woman. He shifted his gaze and made eye contact with the white haired man. Jiraiya only nodded slightly and the older Uchiha's eyes narrowed slightly.

"This will be a five man squad operation," Jiraiya said.

"There's four of us here," Naruto said. "Is Sai meeting us there?"

"Sai won't be joining you on this one," Tsunade said. She stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "You'll have a new member accompanying you for this mission."

Sasuke caught Kakashi clenching his fists tightly and he had a feeling the silver haired man knew what was going on.

"Oh come on!" Naruto yelled. "No rookies obaa-chan! They'll screw is up and Sasuke-teme will literally make them crap in their pants."

A smirk made it's way across her lips. "Even if the rookie is her?" she said opening the other door.

The door swung open and there stood the last person the three younger males would have expected.

"Boys, welcome my newest apprentice... Sakura."

PLEASE REVIEW!

Sorry for the late update and not replying those of you that reviewed the pervious chapter. The beginning was started with a nightmare to lead into Sakura's worries about Sasuke's scary side. The manga chapter inspired the scene in the training facility when team seven reunited on the battlefield. With Naruto in the scene, it was only fitting to add some humor in it.

Now Sakura is officially a member and will be heading out on her first mission with the team. To find out how the mission goes and why Itachi was staring at the photos, please stick around.

omuraisu – fried rice wrapped in a thin egg omelets

chawanmushi – steamed egg custard