I do not own Naruto – VZ
"This….is….so…stupid." An irritated medic-nin complained from somewhere deep inside the woods.
The weather was against her today, because it was raining quite heavily. She sighed, long and deep.
Sakura didn't understand why her shishou requested (more like demanded) she deliver a scroll to her close friend somewhere in rain country. The fact that her sensei had assigned her, such a simple mission was beyond her. Although her sensei did stress how important the scrolls she now had in her possession.
But still!
Not to sound conceited or anything, but Sakura believed she was meant for more difficult and life threating missions. Her skills were a testament to that.
The pinkette huffed as she trekked through the muddy ground.
"Unbelievable." She muttered darkly. Here she was, trudging through the cold when she could be at home enjoying the comfort of her warm bed.
Sakura was so concentrated on how to steal her shishou' s stash of alcohol; she failed to notice a chakra presence a few meters behind her.
Only when a kunai embedded itself onto a tree inches from the medic-nin' s head, she realized a rouge-nin was attempting an assassination…on her to be precise.
Suddenly, her instincts and senses were clear and ready for a battle. In less than a second, Sakura pulled the kunai that was deeply ingrained into the bark of the tree. After which, she sent an exploding tag towards the ninja.
BOOM
Although the bomb didn't conflict much damage to the enemy, it did create a large amount of smoke. The medic-nin took this opportunity to flee. And with the grace and skill, only an experienced kunoichi would know, She executed a flawless backflip and commanded small amounts of chakra to the soles of her feet while doing so. Once that was done, the pinkette flew to the tree branches, effectively hiding her body from the rouge-nin' s line of vision.
Sakura watched as the ninja searched for her.
Black, beady eyes looked everywhere.
She thought she was safe, until the rouge-nin appeared out of nowhere and sliced her cheek with another kunai.
"What do you want?" She whispered with barely concealed anger.
"The scroll." He said simply.
Sakura rolled her bright, green eyes, Of course….She thought dryly.
"What's makes this scroll so valuable?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, little girl?" He mocked.
Sakura couldn't control her anger anymore, and evidently…neither could he.
Because his hands were flipping through many seals, so many Sakura failed to count.
This wasn't good , she could already feel his chakra beginning to grow in strength and size.
The konoha-nin flipped and jumped several branches away from the man.
Whatever the rouge-nin was planning, if Sakura didn't stop it, there was a very big chance she could lose the scrolls. Obviously, she can't allow that to happen.
Unfortunately, the pinkette knew her monstrous strength wasn't going to be of any help to her in this situation. Yes, blowing up the ground can subdue the enemy. But doing so when there is a village within the vicinity? Bad idea. Besides, Sakura was lacking in chakra reserves anyway. The long hours walking in the cold, hard rain has taken it's toll on her.
Then it hit her like a ton of bricks.
The scrolls!
The solution to her rouge-nin problem was right in her rucksack.
As she started opening the scroll, Sakura mentally apologized to her shishou.
Her fingers quickly did the indicated hand seals on the crisp old pages.
She could feel his chakra directed at her.
Whatever technique this was, it's definitely strong.
Sakura sent out a silent prayer to Kami, hoping she would make it out of this alive.
She let out her chakra with a battle cry, just as her enemy let loose his extremely powerful jutsu.
A loud explosion.
A burst of light.
Then complete and utter silence.
Several pairs of eyes looked upwards, where the sudden burst of sound had come from.
They swiveled back to their leader, who was sitting comfortably in a large chair at the end of the dark room.
"Kisame and Itachi, survey the area above the base. Kill anyone who pose a threat to the organization."
Both men nodded in understanding.
The last thing both Akatsuki members expected to see was an enormous crater in the middle of the woods.
Several trees were blown away, landing in heaps of bark and branches around the area. Piles of rock and ground were everywhere. Accompanied by the rain that fell heavily from the sky, the setting resembled a battlefield.
Kisame whistled at the scene before them.
"Looks like we missed a pretty good fight." He stated in his usual gruff voice.
His partner merely nodded in response.
"Ugh…" A small groan from inside the large pit in the ground alerted the two missing-nins.
Kisame readied his sword while Itachi activated his sharigan.
They both stalked towards the sound.
"You have got to be kidding me." The shark man said incredulously.
The Uchiha stayed silent, trying to assess the situation.
Inside all the rocks and piles of dirt and some smoke, lay a girl.
A very young girl, she couldn't be more than ten years old, maybe even younger.
The long vivid pink hair was quite peculiar as well.
The child looked like she was sleeping soundly, seemingly unaware of her surroundings. Surroundings that a kid should not be around , let alone napping in.
"So, do we kill her? Leave her for the animals?" The mist-nin said, slightly upset at the whole picture.
"….She is far from a threat to the Akatsuki, there is no need for her to die…..Assuming she is still alive."
Itachi said softly.
"Leader would want to see her for himself."
"Yeah, I doubt he'll believe us."
The Uchiha started walking away, towards the secret entrance to their underground base.
Kisame got the message. Soon, he was carrying the little girl in his arms. He noted how girly and fragile she looked, being carried around in his huge muscled arms.
He felt a stab of pity for the poor girl, yet also an underlying tone of respect.
"S'alright kid, if you were tough enough to withstand all that back there…You're strong enough to survive with us." He whispered to the unconscious girl he was carrying.
Little did he know, she heard every word both men had said.
Sakura could recall each time she felt a strong sense of fear or anxiety. Especially whenever she was fighting with an enemy. But all those times added up together could not measure up to the absolute dread she felt right now.
Sakura recognized those two chakra signatures in the woods, it was Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigako Kisame, members of a terrifying group commonly known as the Akatsuki. Yes, she felt fear for her own life. But more so for her friends. Especially Naruto. Were they still after the Kyuubi? What if they planned to use her as ransom.
She hoped not. Sakura knew how her teammate would willingly sacrifice his life for hers.
The pinkette was being taken into a dark room. She knew this because of the lack light and the click of a door being closed.
She could feel herself gently laid down onto a hard surface.
A table? The ground perhaps?
Well, it was much better than the rubble she used as pillows in the ground.
It was quiet for a while.
"Will someone please explain to me, why there is a child in my base?" A commanding yet curious voice sliced through the heavy silence.
A child? Sakura inwardly fumed at the cocky voice. She was a grown woman! Sure she wasn't as well developed as Ino-pig or Hinata-chan in the chest area. But she wasn't totally flat she regained all her chakra, she would give him a kick so hard in his nether regions…He could say goodbye to the possibility of having children. Inner laughed maniacally at Sakura' s ingenious plan of revenge.
A hasty cough was heard, followed by a gruff voice.
"We found her lying in a crater, which was most likely the reason for the noise earlier, leader."
Leader? So he must be Pein. Oh Kami….that must mean all the members of Akatsuki are present.
"I see. But why bring her here?"
"The crater was charka inflicted. From what I've observed, this girl's chakra is similar to that of the traces around the area."
"Are you saying she is the cause of this?" Pein sounded surprised.
"Yes, I am."
Again, silence.
"Interesting…"
"Do you have something to share Sasori?"
Sasori?! He was still alive? But how? Thoughts and questions raced through Sakura's mind so fast that it was beginning to hurt.
"The girl bares an uncanny likeness to the Hokage's apprentice."
"She does look like the chick who killed Sasori-danna."
"Deidara, Sakura Haruno is past the stages of adolescence. The child before us is cannot be her."
Pein said, although doubt laced his tone.
If Sakura was confused before, she was completely and utterly baffled now. Had the jutsu she performed changed her appearance? From what she's heard, she still has her famous pink hair.
"Tobi thinks the girl could be her younger sister!" An enthusiastic voice contrasted to the dark atmosphere of the room.
Younger? What kind of jutsu made someone look younger?
…..
No….
No no no no no no no…
Kami didn't hate her this much.
Sakura wanted scream at the top of her lungs.
Her shishou had sent her apprentice, to deliver her age defying jutsu!
And the medic-nin had used it to defend herself from of the rouge-nin.
Oh….no….
The two attacks must've clashed and melded together. Forming some kind of modified jutsu.
Causing Sakura to end up looking like a…..(from what the Akatsuki have called her)…..child.
The conversation did not stop, even if she did stop listening for a while.
"It's a possibility, although her chakra signature is the same from when we last fought." Sasori stated.
"A jutsu then?" The leader of Akatsuki asked.
"She does have a scroll with her, yeah."
Kisame didn't know how he missed it, but there was a scroll with the little girl. Who was clutching the object like how a child would with a beloved toy.
Sakura was torn. Either she continue to play dead and let them take her shishou' s scroll, or she protect it, but blow her cover in the process.
Oh to hell with it, her shishou was going to punish her enough for even using her most prized jutsu. Let alone let it fall into enemy hands.
With her last remaining strength, she did a back flip and thrust her tiny body into the air. As she did so, her hands formed seals. Suddenly, there were three Sakura' s all with scrolls. The three children landed gracefully. But not before commanding the last drop of her chakra to her fists and punching the concrete ground.
Smoke filled the once clean air.
The medic-nin used this to her advantage.
Just as she touched the knob of the door that led to her freedom, her body stilled.
What?
"It's rude to leave without greeting your elders isn't it? Haruno-san."
She could feel his strings slightly tightening around her limbs it didn't hurt much. But the slight pain was enough to dissolve her clones.
"Sasori." Sakura spat out with as much venom as a ten year old could muster.
"I'm touched you still remember my name." He smirked.
Smirked! The puppet master actually had the gall to act so cocky and arrogant. As if she hadn't defeated him on the battlefield. But then again, she was trapped inside a child' s body. So it did limit her chakra usage and stamina.
Viridian eyes only glared at him.
"Bring her here Sasori."
Sakura tore her angry eyes away from the red head. Only to meet with a pair of grey ringed eyes.
Against Sakura' s wishes, her own body betrayed her.
She hated being controlled like this, she loathed the strings that held her captive.
Step by step, she was getting closer to the leader of Akatsuki.
"You've destroyed my office, little girl." He only muttered.
Evidently, Sasori allowed her head a bit of movement. Because she was able to turn around and survey the damage she caused earlier.
"Wow…."
The room looked like a cyclone had just blown over.
"Indeed…."
Insert awkward silence here.
"So it's true, from what you've just displayed for us. You are the Hokage' s apprentice."
Sakura kept silent.
"So are you the Kyuubi container's friend?"
As efficient and deadly Sasori' s strings were, he couldn't force her to talk.
"As well as one of the students of the famous copy-nin?"
Pein received no answer.
"I do not wish to torture a child, especially one as pretty as you." A hand reached out to place a pink strand of hair behind her ear.
Sakura reddened.
"I am not a child." She gritted out.
The leader of Akatsuki stayed silent, contemplating her words.
"Keep her in a spare room." He ordered his followers.
"You will be our prisoner from now on, little girl."
The pinkette' s eyes widened.
"Not only that, but you will be Akatsuki' s personal medic."
Her jaw went slack.
"And you will heal our organization's members without complaint."
She started to feel faint.
"In exchange, I will allow you to live."
"B-but why do I have to-"
Pein cut her off with a ghost of a smile on his lips.
"This is payment, for ruining my office."
Sakura' s jaw literally dropped.
"You are dismissed." The pierced man turned away from her and focused on his paperwork instead.
With that, the strings pulled her and she was suddenly out the door and in a hallway.
"Welcome to Akatsuki, Haruno-san." The puppeteer said, whilst leading her into the heart of one of the most feared group of ninjas the shinobi world has ever known.
Hehe, just another idea I was playing around with in my head. I just had to write it down before I forgot!
Anyways, hope you like - VZ