Chapter 4:

…

"Haruno Sakura, you are under arrest and are to be taken back to Danzou-sama alive for further instruction," Sakura's eyes widened a fraction with this new bit of information but her strength didn't waver. She had to get out of the village and away from this coup…she needed to find her missing team mates.

"Why not just kill me where I stand? What damned plan does that old bastard have for me?" Sakura's tone was controlled but the venom that laced the tone could not be missed.

"Do not speak of Danzou-sama in such a manner," Sakura inwardly shivered at their monotone voices as they all lacked emotion but held a certain degree of authority.

"I will never bow down to such scum!" Sakura had flickered out of view and reappeared above the nearest Root member to her right, aiming a perfect heel drop that she had learnt from none other than her beloved shishou.

…

Everything began to blur together so fast that she couldn't tell when one thing started and the other ended, before she knew it she was shackled to the cold hard ground inside a small cramped prison cell. Her world spun when she tried to open her eyes and a small groan left her blood stained lips when she tried to sit up.

She need to escape…the fate of the whole village was depending on the information Tsunade stored within her mind.

She needed to get out.

"Damn," Sakura forced her body to sit up through sheer will power. Her whole body ached from her fight with Danzou's elite Anbu group and she didn't need chakra to know that her several of her bones were not only fractured but also broken.

"These chains…" Sakura growled in frustration as she realized the chains binding her had been chakra bindings. They prevented the circulation of chakra and that fact alone had made it almost impossible to break out of this hellhole.

The bars of her prison cell ached angrily with the movement of someone opening the doors. Burning emerald orbs glared down her visitor, knowing what he was here for and hating the events that were soon to follow.

"Look how the mighty have fallen. No protection from your so-called loved ones, ne? I mean I understand since I killed your beloved mentor…but your team? Where are they now, darling?" Sakura's eyes widened with rage at the bastard's sickening voice, her breaths came out in short huffs of air as she tried to contain the burning need to decapitate the retched man with her own fists.

"You have no right to speak of the Godaime!" Sakura's hate filled words came out in a feral growl as she fought her shackles with so much force that they began to dig into her flesh. But she didn't care…as long as she could get her hands on this filthy being.

Danzou watched with slight amusement as the young woman before him struggled to rid herself of the chains just to get to him…he definitely needed to teach her about reality.

"Give up on your fantasies of escape and revenge. No one is coming for you…accept it," Sakura barred her teeth at the very face she wished to gouge with her own nails. Every fibre of this man was evil and he thought he could cover it all up with his bullshit on it being 'for the good of the village'?

"They will come for me and when they do…you'll be sorry-" Sakura's head snapped harshly to the right as her pained orbs closed instantly to try and force the pain away. Danzou had kicked her in the face and he knew how it stung her pride.

"Listen, you useless whelp of a kunoichi…you are weak and now that you have no one to baby you from the real world, you will need to learn how to survive alone. I am kind enough to teach you," Danzou remained calm as he executed a powerful kick to the battered teenager's chest. The shackles held her down harshly as they stopped her momentum and kept her from flying back into the wall. The pressure around her wrists and ankles were unbearable and she bit down on her lower lip in order to supress any sounds of pain that were threatening to escape.

"Placed in a genin team with the Kyuubi jinchuuriki, the last surviving Uchiha heir and the infamous Copy-ninja Hatake Kakashi eh? Always the unremarkable of the three students and never personally trained by the Copy-nin…do you realise your own worthlessness child? Your sensei did," Danzou made a signal with his right hand and within seconds two root members were stationed at her sides. Sakura choked down the fear and braced herself. She didn't want to listen anymore…

"Shut up! Kakashi-sensei…he was just worried for the boys more-" Danzou chuckled and he made a single hand motion before two kunai were stabbed into her shoulder blades. Her mouth clamped down in order to muffle the scream of agony that was making its way up her throat.

"Your only redeeming factor was your incredible chakra control…yet what use was it when you did not have the skill or chakra reserves to execute a simple nin-jutsu technique? Hatake knew he'd be wasting time on you so he moved right past you to teach the boys. Uchiha Sasuke inherited the man's original technique while the jinchuuriki was taught to create his own. What about you? Nothing," Sakura glared hatefully at the ground. She knows. She knows! She knew for the love of the Hokage…she knew.

When she remained silent the root member to her left slammed his heel down on her hunched back and she whimpered when a sickening crack echoed throughout the dimly lit room.

"Enough!" With a wave of pure rage, Sakura fought against her chains with more force than before and Danzou couldn't help but smirk when her right wrist had completely torn the metal free from the ground without the help of chakra.

Within seconds Sakura had used the freed chain to wind itself around the Anbu who had kicked her down, pulling on it harshly as soon as it had a grip. The man had his skull crushed against the damp ground as the feral kunoichi kept her palm pressed harshly against her victim's head. Sakura was about to free the rest of her-self when the remaining Anbu had proceeded to break her freed arm and nail it down to the cold ground with his katana.

This time she couldn't help the pained cry that tore through her being.

"Don't worry child, just as Tsunade-hime did, I too…see your potential," With a wicked grin Danzou had moved with a swiftness that Sakura's bruised orbs could not follow.

She could barely let out a scream when she heard the faint crack of her skull hitting the ground and before she knew it…the darkness was once again consuming her world.

…

…

Emerald orbs snapped open and within a single heartbeat the kunoichi was crouched in a defensive position on top of the old mattress, her kunai poised and ready for an attack. Her breathing was harsh and laboured as her dreams were constantly filled with memories of a hazy past she would give anything to forget.

With a quick scope of her surroundings, the woman remembered that she was in an inn at the eastern village and that she was currently carrying out a mission handed down by her Hokage. Emerald orbs had lost their anxiousness and once again returned to their normal blank state without losing their alertness.

"Weak…" The word carried no emotion as it passed her luscious lips; it meant nothing to the woman as she knew that she was anything but weak. Danzou had made sure of it.

Sakura looked out of her window and by judging the position of the sun she could tell it was already late afternoon. Without another thought the woman got up and headed to the washroom to change into her civilian clothes. Harmless attire that consisted of her deceased mentor's old tunic top and loose black shorts that ended around her mid-thigh. Though just because it looked harmless did not mean she did not have deadly weapons hidden on her person.

Sakura looked down at the old top and something soft and unguarded passed through sharp emerald…though it was gone as soon as it came and she couldn't help but frown at her show of weakness. Her mentor will always have a place in her heart, no matter how cold and jaded she became.

Once Sakura was done hiding more of her poisoned senbon she looked into the mirror and untied her long petal locks, allowing them to cascade down her back like a soft pink waterfall, ending at her waist. She couldn't afford to be seen as a shinobi so she cast a two layered genjutsu over herself, making it incredibly hard for a normal shinobi to see through it. She had Kurenai to thank for her vast knowledge in genjutsu but the woman probably regrets teaching her after learning she was now under Danzou's command.

Sakura dismissed the useless thought and checked her appearance in the mirror, satisfied with the waves of ebony locks and amber hued orbs. This was the disguise she entered this town with so it would be best to keep it up even if she did wish to change eye colour. Other than her hair, eyes and coverage of her Anbu tattoo nothing else changed as it would reserve more chakra and allow her to keep things as real as possible.

It was going to be dark soon and the night markets were already opening so the kunoichi grabbed a few bills before exiting her room and making her way down the stairs to the front of the inn. She could gather information while she looked for a meal and then later on she would check out the base and draw up her plan of action for the next few days.

…

…

Sakura walked through the illuminated streets where vendor after vendor called out to the people, persuading them into buying their goods and most succeeded as the village seemed to get more crowded by the minute. Sakura took this time to blend into the crowds, keeping her ears open for anything that would help her gain more knowledge on Sato's organisation.

Sakura kept her face void of any emotion as she caught the lusty gazes of several men around her. She began to regret not using her genjutsu to make a few more changes to her body. Her body was toned and slender yet it curved out in all the right places, telling everyone that she was no longer a little girl in the midst of adolescence…no, she was a woman in every sense of the word. She had managed to fill out her mentor's old tunic but there was still a little space since she wasn't as blessed as the blonde woman.

"Have you heard? They're saying that Sato and his group are starting to get impatient! I wouldn't know what to do if I were the Tsuchikage…" Sakura's eyes slid to her right and she came across a small grilled squid booth with a group of men who happened to be talking about her target. She decided that she'd eat there for the night. So with her mind made up the petal haired captain strode over and sat next to the men at the counter.

"Two large squids and green tea please?" After hearing her melodious voice the group of men turned their attention towards her.

"Comin up ma'am!"

"Hey miss you should be more careful around here," The first one was a tall and lanky fellow who was genuine in his concern for her safety…though she couldn't say the same for the other two who seemed to be eyeing her up like a piece of meat. Sakura inwardly sneered at the two.

"Oh? Why is that?" She put on a fake smile and turned her body to face the lanky man, showing that he had her attention.

"There's a crime lord on the loose and rumour has it that he is situated near our town…which is why we're constantly raided. My daughter was kidnapped just a few weeks ago…" Sakura pretended to look sympathetic but truthfully the information had not managed to stir up any emotion within her and, instead, served as Intel that she stored away.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…do they kidnap often?" Sakura needed more information to put this all together. There was no doubt that Sato Seiji was involved in the underground black markets but what she wants to know is how he's able to rile up the Tsuchikage so much.

"They not only kidnap, dear…they take money from villages like ours and recently there are rumours that they've been infiltrating the hidden village to steal forbidden scrolls," Sakura's eyes widened slightly and was glad that the men had probably passed it off as being fearful of the danger. To steal forbidden scrolls from a Kage…her target was truly a brave man. By stopping this man the Tsuchikage would have no choice but to recognise Konoha as an ally…which is just what Danzou wants.

"That's terrible…I better watch out huh? Well thanks for the warning sir…I'll get going now," Sakura gave the man a fake smile before excusing herself from the booth.

Sakura was making her way back to the inn when she heard a muffled sound coming from the dark alley up ahead. Her brow furrowed slightly before she moved to the nearest wall and proceeded to stealthily make her way towards the opening of the alley. She peered around the corner and emerald orbs narrowed slightly at the sight of two lean figures cornering a child, from what she could see.

"So this is the councilman Fuji's son? Bit scrawny, no?" From the sound of their voices Sakura could determine that they were indeed male and that their movements were too fluid to be that of a civilian. They must be shinobi.

"Who cares about his appearance…Sato-sama said to grab this boy for one of his clients. Apparently there's a guy out there who has it out for this Fuji guy so let's not keep them waiting," With a nod of understanding the two shinobi advanced on the frightened boy and Sakura stayed calm and unmoving, the boy's fate was not any of her concern. It was not part of her mission to save this child so she had no business with him. Though he did prove to be of help as they would take him to Sato…

'Perfect. They'll lead me straight to their base' Sakura hid further into the shadows when the two men exited the alley with a large sack thrown over the taller one's shoulders. She stared blankly at the child's covered form and decided that she would not save the child as it would not only hinder her plans but also make unnecessary trouble for her.

Sakura made to follow when a sudden pain shot through her head and it had her slumping back against the building as she gripped her head in pain.

'Monster…' Sakura's emerald orbs snapped open in surprise at the faint whisper that passed through her mind. It definitely wasn't a memory that had come back to haunt her…no it was something else.

'Monster…unfeeling…cold…jaded…filth!' Sakura bit her lip at the pain coursing through her head. She didn't understand where this voice was coming from and it was getting louder with every sentence.

'Leaving a child to die…what kind of cruel being have you become? We weren't taught to live like this!' Sakura pushed back the pain and took to the rooftops in order to catch up to the two men who had fled the scene a couple of minutes ago. The pain was making it harder to focus and she couldn't afford to lose her focus at the moment so she decided to push the voice back while keeping her pace steady at the same time.

'Go away' With that one thought Sakura narrowed her eyes further, trying to push back the mysterious voice that had surfaced randomly from within the depths her mind.

'You can't make me go away…I'm you. I am the manifestation of your inner emotions. The emotions locked deep within your mind' Sakura couldn't believe this…maybe her stress was finally getting to her? This was impossible. Inner Sakura had disappeared years ago…years before Danzou's reign!

'I have no need for such useless emotions. Now leave me be' Sakura's irritation rose as she realised that she was practically talking to herself but she was eased slightly by the fact that she had finally caught up to the enemy shinobi. She needed her focus more than ever.

'Emotions are what keep you human! What would shishou think if she saw us now?' The voice wasn't receding and it was beginning to make the pain in the pink haired captain's head throb twice as much.

'Do not speak of the Godaime-'

'No. You have no right to speak of her. She'd be disappointed with how you turned out…'

The taunting voice was becoming stronger and firmer with every passing minute and a form of a woman was beginning to manifest within her mind's eye. It was blurry and flickered almost constantly. Why was this happening now?

'You never cared when I slaughtered dozens…so why now?' Sakura crouched on top of the rooftop she had landed on and watched the two men stop and exchange a few words. She took this small break as an opportunity to rid herself of the irritating voice within her head.

Sakura froze as a chill ran down her spine. She closed her eyes momentarily to focus on the flickering figure within her mind…she could almost feel an eerie smirk stretching the figure's lips.

'His seal is weakening…' The figure seemed to be laughing but with a sudden pull of chakra; both the voice and the hazy figure were being pulled back to the deepest parts of her mind once again. Sakura was slightly disturbed with how unwilling the figure seemed to be but within a couple more seconds it was gone. Sakura shivered and placed a hand gently upon a small spot on the back of her neck. Slim digits were tracing the pattern of her master's very own seal.

That chakra that had pulled the voice back…it was Danzou's. Sakura sighed and rubbed the seal on the nape of her neck before sending some cooling chakra to her head to ease the pain and sharpen her focus.

It was at that moment when the men took off and she was glad that she could think properly once again because they were already out of the village walls, heading straight to the base at a much faster pace. Sakura narrowed her eyes before she leapt off of the rooftop she had been on and continued to follow after the shinobi, keeping a decent amount of space between them.

Sakura took note of the directions they were taking and ingraining them into her memory as she would need to return when the time was right. Her surrounding was nothing but rocks and craters with little bits of shrubbery here and there. It was clear that hiding would be a bigger problem in this terrain so the petal haired captain made sure to mask her chakra further just in case one of the brutes happened to sense her.

'Save him…' A scowl pulled at Sakura's lips and she couldn't help but snarl at the nuisance that plagued her mind. There was no way in hell she was compromising this mission for some nobleman's child.

Sakura increased her pace as she zigzagged through the open terrain, hoping the pattern would allow more coverage and that her speed would be enough to lessen any chances of someone catching her. They were nearing the area that her first attacker had told her of and she was slightly satisfied with the knowledge that the man had not tried to fool her. Though she would easily be able to pick up on any lies as there would be a small fluctuation within the person's heartbeats, something her medical skill wouldn't allow her to miss.

'Save him…for the sake of our humanity' her patience was being rubbed raw by the irritating voice and she growled under her breath before reluctantly recalculating her next steps of action in order to save the child without sabotaging this opportunity. Once she was certain that there was only a small percentage of failing this new plan, she shook her head and pumped more chakra into her legs.

…

…

"Aniki…Let's hurry. Sato-sama is probably sick of entertaining his client," The shorter of the two adjusted the weight on his shoulder before giving the taller one the signal to open the sealed doors.

"You're right…here we go," The taller of the two rapidly performed a number of hand seals before pumping a specific amount of chakra into his leg and giving the ground one hard stomp. A large slab of earth rose from the ground where it was covering the descending staircase that led to Sato Seiji's headquarters.

'So that's where it was…clever' Sakura narrowed cold amber orbs before waiting a few more seconds to see if the entrance required any more protocol. Once she was sure there was none, she took in a deep breath before standing from her position and loosening her tunic top to show a little more cleavage. She needed this to work.

Without another word, Sakura put up an innocent façade before stumbling loudly into the open, just a few feet away from where the shinobi had begun their descent.

Sakura inwardly smirked when both men had turned almost instantly the minute she kicked around some rubble and immediately made their way up the stairs once again, dropping into offensive positions as they poised their katana towards her.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" The taller of the two had snarled his words and seemed ready to attack. Though before he could move, his partner threw up his free hand in order to stop the other.

"Ne aniki…looks like we have a lost little civilian girl over her. She's quite the beauty, no?" Sakura acted horrified and stumbled back a little, trembling hands flying up to cover her exposed cleavage in an attempt at modesty. This had only made the two men relax in their stances and let out similar wicked grins. They couldn't feel enough chakra within her body to assume that she was a kunoichi so they had deemed her harmless enough to let their guards down.

"Now that you mention it…she looks just like what Sato-sama would want. Maybe if we give her to him as a present he'll let us have her afterwards eh?" Both men cackled evilly as they watched the frightened woman turn on her heel and make a mad dash for safety.

"Tsk tsk tsk…the little mouse thinks she can get away…" The shorter of the two adjusted the child on his shoulder before grinning at his lecherous companion.

"Well what are we waiting for? I think we've given her enough of a head start," With that both men broke into a harsh sprint, not caring whether they were late for their delivery.

Sakura smirked wickedly as she kept her pace to that of an adrenaline filled civilian. She wondered how men such as those morons had even become shinobi in the first place. At least her assumptions of the two being stupid were correct and that if she did things correctly she could return the boy to safety…and rid herself of that annoying voice.

Temporary amber orbs narrowed when she felt their chakras approaching at a rapid pace so she ran straight for the nearest direction that provided as much coverage as it could. She couldn't risk anyone from their organisation witnessing her taking out two of their members so she hastily made her way to the centre of a couple of large rocks that formed a partial wall of sorts.

Sakura smirked when she heard them land on top of the make shift wall, clumsily turning around with so much shock that she had purposefully tripped over in the process. Amber orbs widened in fear as the two men approached her quivering form with lecherous grins stretching both their lips. Sakura inwardly growled at how foolish these shinobi were.

'Have to get him to put the boy down…' Sakura concentrated on her façade and clumsily got to her feet, moving backwards until she hit the rocky wall. Her mind began to come up with different strategies before deciding that she needed to be able to show them that she had just enough fight in her for the shinobi carrying the boy to help out.

With a plan ready, Sakura let out a terrified scream when the taller of the two rushed towards her. With movements that were forced to go slower than they usually were, the ebony haired woman dove to the right and scurried back when the man had aimed a sloppy punch to her abdomen. After dodging the man's attacks with the pretence of being just slightly faster than your average civilian female, Sakura put on a face full of desperation before she aimed a solid chakra-less punch at the man's chest. The shock from the unexpected attack sent him stumbling back a few steps.

Sakura sent a glance to the shorter of the two and she had inwardly smirked when he began to look frustrated with how long it was taking to capture her. Just a little more before he joins the dance…

She knew that if she had blown her cover immediately the man carrying the child would make a run for it, hoping that he would get the mission done by himself. Sakura inwardly braced herself when she allowed her assailant to land a solid round house kick to her right side. She feigned a cough before her eyes caught the glinting katana tied at the man's waist. It was the last push she needed to get the other man to drop the kid.

Sakura's eyes narrowed dangerously for a moment as she locked her eyes on the glinting blade. With a small battle cry the dark haired woman dove for the blade and locked it into an iron grip before ripping it out from the man's waistband. The looks of surprises told her that she had accomplished pushing the other man into action. She waved the blade shakily at the two and began stuttering her words, much to her internal disgust.

"I-I'm not afraid to use this! I-I-I'll k-kill the both of y-y-you!" Sakura inwardly retched at the shaky pitch flowing from her throat. She would kill these men without mercy after they put the boy down. No one saw fear in the infamous petal-haired root captain's eyes, fake or not, and lived to tell the tale.

"Aniki this bitch is getting out of hand…Let me help you," The shorter shinobi tossed the boy to the side carelessly before brandishing his own blade and taking his place next to his 'aniki'. Sakura inwardly scoffed at their attempt at intimidation...she could almost laugh at the two. Once she was sure they were far enough from the boy Sakura stopped her shaking and straightened her stance before throwing the katana back to the taller man, his face contorting in confusion as he caught his stolen blade.

"This bitch has gone mad!" The brothers' laughs were loud and crude but they faltered when they stared back into harsh amber orbs, confusion was setting in when they watched a hollow smirk playing on the beautiful woman's lips. Their irritation slowly gave way to fear as the woman's aura changed from harmless to a deadly coldness that caused wave after wave of shivers to run down their spines.

"I have not gone mad gentlemen…I just figured that you'd need that more than me," Sakura's frightened façade had completely dropped and her gentle yet hard voice cut through the air like a kunai. She watched dryly as anger began to fill the shinobi and she couldn't help but inwardly scowl at their blatant show of emotion. Their carelessness would be the cause of their deaths.

"You arrogant bitch! How dare you underestimate-" Before the taller man could finish his words the dark haired woman had flickered out of existence before appearing at his left side, executing a chakra-powered roundhouse kick, that hit him squarely in the jaw, as she was airborne. Sakura marvelled at the sickening crunch that echoed throughout the area the moment her leg connected to his face, sending the man flying towards the nearest rocky formation.

Without another word she materialised in front of the airborne man, just inches before he hit the rock, and used his momentum against him by cocking back a fist that surged with her fiery chakra. Everything seemed to slow for the man as he watched her fists closing in towards his chest inch by agonising inch.

"One down-" Sakura let out a crazed smirk as she relished in the sound of shattering bones and the horribly beautiful feeling of one's fist passing through another's chest cavity. Amber orbs narrowed in satisfaction when she felt her fist break through the dead man's back, shattering the spinal cord in the process. She didn't want the carcass hanging off of her and soak the rest of her body so she used her momentum to spin, allowing the body to slip off and crash into the nearest boulder with a sickening splat.

"One to go…" Sakura closed her eyes and gave her arm a solid flick to remove the man's blood that had remained. The ferocious woman let out a gentle sigh before snapping her narrowed eyes at the last shinobi. She watched as fear enveloped his entire being and lifted a delicate eyebrow, features devoid of any emotion.

She would be lying if she were to say that she didn't enjoy ridding the world of these buffoons.

"M-Monster!" The last man cried out before making a mad dash for the boy's form. Sakura watched and inhaled a deep breath before letting an eerie smirk play on her luscious lips.

Before he could dive and grab the boy, the woman had materialised in front of him and stared him down with eyes that were completely haunting, the lack of emotion only increasing the fear clawing at his heart. The short man let out a sharp gasp before swinging his katana around haphazardly.

A sickening squelch was heard and the man looked at the bleeding woman in front of him and he couldn't help but feel the confidence returning to his body. He grinned wickedly before hacking at her again and again, feeling his pride growing in his chest with every slash. Before he could get in one more slash, he realised that the woman had yet to show any signs of pain from his attacks.

"W-What?" He stumbled backwards when the woman gave him a hollow smirk before disappearing in a puff of smoke. His beady orbs widened in horror as the fear came crashing back down to him with more force than before. The man gripped his katana as a crazed look formed within his eyes and without another thought he turned around and ran, only to see the terrifying woman cocking her glowing fist back.

"Not this time!" The man hissed before pivoting on his heel and jumping up, successfully avoiding the earth-shattering punch. But his ears caught the dreaded sound of a faint pop and his head craned downwards to see the smoke left behind by the clone. It was a damned clone. His eyes widened in his airborne state and he snapped his eyes up at the slight shift in air pressure.

Much to his horror the cursed woman had appeared in the air above him and with a speed that his eyes couldn't follow, she had thrown three poison-dipped senbon that were already being embedded along the column of his throat before he could notice. He could feel the poison rapidly spreading within his system and his body began shutting down as he fell to his death.

"You don't deserve such an easy death, scum," Sakura closed the distance between them in the air before moving her body elegantly in a spinning motion, using the momentum to aim a chakra-powered kick to the man's abdomen. She smirked in satisfaction when she felt her foot connect and shatter every bone in the man's body within a second, before watching the force of her attack send the man speeding down towards the earth. The man landed in the centre of the small clearing, leaving a decent sized crater and fissures that webbed out in random patterns.

"Not even worthy of a genin title…" Sakura scoffed at the bodies as she landed next to the boy's unconscious form. The captain had summoned her trusty felines, watching blankly as they snickered at the damage their human had inflicted among the idiots.

"Destroy the bodies. I have to return this child," Once the cats nodded and scattered she looked down at the boy in slight annoyance. This child had almost cost her the exact location of the entrance.

Sakura crouched down and removed the sack from the child, eyes roaming the boy's body on instinct to assess the amount of damage done. She only found minor cuts and bruises and decided that the boy could heal on his own…it would be wasteful to use any more of her chakra for the sake of this boy.

"Such a burden…" Sakura sighed as she bent down to haul the boy onto her shoulder but a sudden familiar pain surged through her mind once again.

'I won't let us fall over the edge…' To say that Sakura was annoyed was a great understatement. With her mind set on ridding herself of this self-righteous voice, the woman sat down with crossed legs and slapped her hands together in the seal for concentration. The pinkette closed her eyes and focused on the events transpiring within her mind.

'What edge?' Sakura's Anbu geared figure materialised in the darkness of her mind as she stood in front of the hazy image of the woman with an annoying voice. Long petal locks hung from the standard ponytail, swishing slightly as the owner shook her head in annoyance.

'The edge of sanity! This is not our way of the ninja! Think carefully and remember what we fought for!' The image of the woman became clearer with every passing second and jaded emerald orbs narrowed harshly as they clashed with a pair of fiery emerald. The woman had the same petal hair but instead hers cascaded freely down her back and her posture screamed dominance. This woman was an image of her old self…one she no longer needed.

'Enough of this nonsense…go back to the box I shoved you in and stay within its walls.' Sakura watched with uncaring eyes as the other Sakura's forehead glowed for a second before dimming, leaving behind the words 'Inner Sakura' etched onto its skin.

'Remember the reason why I am sealed and not completely gone!' Sakura couldn't remember for the life of her why she hadn't eliminated this nuisance in the first place so she had decided to stay blank and uncaring.

'With every innocent death and every drop of blood spilt by your hands…the emotions that you block and throw away all go to that 'box'. Feelings of regret, misery, betrayal, hurt…they've manifested into what you see now. Me. I won't allow shishou's teachings to be forgotten…' Sakura glared at the fiery woman and slowly made her way towards her, stopping only inches away from those fiery emotion-filled orbs.

'Emotions make you weak. I have no need for them and I have no need for you. Do not bother with preaching of change and feelings. I will not revert back to my state of weakness. It will not please Danzou-sama' Sakura watched the anger flare within the other image of herself and did not falter when the image had harshly knocked her forehead with her own, keeping it there for an intimidating effect.

'Danzou will die by our hands…I will make sure of it' the threat had caused an instinct to protect her Hokage to stir within her emotionless heart and she pushed the other emotion-filled Sakura back with her still-attached forehead.

'I will eliminate your existence in my mind before such a thing occurs' Sakura scowled at the haughty smirk forming on her other personality's face. It was starting to look eerie in its nature.

'You forget that you are not the only one that inhabits this mind' despite the gentleness within her voice, the threat that laced her words was as clear as day and that had destroyed Sakura's patience.

'Exactly…you forget that you are not the only one' With that Sakura swiftly removed her forehead from the other and gave the other a harsh round house kick that sent the image hurtling to the deepest parts of her mind.

Sakura's amber orbs snapped open and she gently shook her head to rid herself of any dizziness she'd experienced from the unfortunate encounter. Inner Sakura was gone…at least for now and she could get back on track with her mission.

Sakura bent to haul the boy over her shoulder but thought of his injured state and placed him on her back instead before hastily making her way back to the village. She needed to rethink her plans and maybe this boy could help with her plans of infiltration...

Sakura looked back at the unconscious six year old before increasing her speed as she had lost enough time as it is. Jaded orbs narrowed dangerously as she stared ahead and had decided that she would find a way to dispose of her emotions…entirely.

…

…

…

"I will not accept weakness,"

I'm sorry for the late update! Was finishing off a painting for a client…

Anyway enough of my excuses! I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter…I honestly had fun writing this as it feels like I'm finally getting somewhere! Hahaha

Please tell me what you thought in a review! I'd really like to know if I'm doing ok…

Yes it hurts me to write such a detached Sakura but…It's so interesting, No?