Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura formed their original team seven. They had been sent to the Hidden Sand Village, to begin the rescue for the Kazekage Gaara.

On their arrival, things had been a mess. Half of their shinobi had been taken out. The Kazekages right hand man, Kankuro, his brother went after him. No one had known he went, nor was he aloud to go by himself. Temari was in a panic when they met up with her in the Kazekages mansion. She had just arrived before them, from the Chuunin exams preparation that week. All three walked up to the blonde with four pigtails, as she paced back and forth between the windows that overlooked the Hidden Sand Village.

"What took you so long?" Temari snapped once she noticed the three Leaf shinobi walk into the room. She stopped her pacing from in front of the big window.

"At least were here!" Naruto snapped right back. She gave him a deathly glare, but then went back to the worried face she wore when they first arrived. Then she walked towards them, and stood in front of Sakura.

"You're a medical ninja, right?" Sakura nodded to answer Temari's question, in which she already knew the answer to. "Follow me, Kankuro came back. He's not doing well." The blonde walked past Sakura, and the pinkette turned on her heel to follow. Naruto and Kakashi watched the two girls walk out. Both of them wanted to speak, but they were quickly ushered away with another sand shinobi.

"Fill me in." Sakura said, as they walked down the long corridor. She looked at her back to see if she could tell what she felt, but her oversized fan got in the way.

"We sent out a squad to track him, and when they found him he was already out. He had fought against one of them. The poison was already inside him, and circulating throughout his blood. We need you to take it out, or else he will die." Sakura was already used to situations like these. Being the only hope between life, and death. Lady Tsunade had taught her to be calm through these events, but she would still have a hint of fear that she would fail. Being the disciple to one of the Three Legendary Sannin, also put pressure on her shoulders. There was no room for messing up.

"Are there any medics." Sakura asked. There was a probability she would need a team to help. She already knew how to take care of a little poison, but who knows how long he was sitting their basking in it.

"We do, but none of them are available. Our whole entire front line got taken out, they are healing them to find out who did it. There is also one missing, they could have been a traitor. We're not sure, that's why we need your help." Sakura put her thumb to her bottom lip. She thought of all the variables that could have gone on the day before.

All of a sudden, Temari stopped in front of two white doors. Sakura looked up to see a neon light that read, "In Use." Knowing where she was, she passed Temari and went inside to find Kankuro lying on a narrow bed. He was unconscious, but there was obvious pain in his face. The pink haired medic went to his bed side and examined him externally. Temari followed behind and could only watch for the next half hour, while Sakura attempted to save Kankuro's life.

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Meanwhile in another area inside the mansion, Naruto and Kakashi were listening to orders from the main unit they were assigned to. They were being filled in with as much information that they could handle.

Naruto and Kakashi were going to be on a tracking unit to find one of the Akatsuki members. Sakura was going to heal Kankuro. If she finished early she would join her teammates. Suddenly someone interrupted their conversation.

"I'll be coming too." The old woman said. Her hair was in a gray bun, her wrinkles were visible. Her face was obvious to the many years she lived. She wore grey robes that hung down loosely.

"Lady Chiyo! You can't, you are one of the village elders. You have already served the village enough!" The shinobi who was talking to Naruto and Kakashi, protested against the old woman. Everyone's focus then went to Lady Chiyo.

Calmly she moved towards them, and said, "I may be old, but I'm useful. I want to be engaged with the rescue of the Kazekage Gaara." Everyone went quiet, than someone spoke up.

"But Lady Chiyo, you can't go out in-" She stopped him midsentence.

"I can still be of use. Don't doubt me just because of my age." She snapped. Finally they agreed. Lady Chiyo was going to be joining Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura.

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Once Sakura did all she could for Kankuro, the wait for results was long and dreadful. Then there was the twitch of his finger, than his hands began to move even more. His eyes slowly opened, his face more calm than before. The purple face paint no longer blocked his features. Sakura was shocked to finally take a clean look at him. He had strong high cheekbones, and a poker face look. Once his eyes opened, he looked around to lock eyes with Temari. She never left his side, then began to help him up.

"Guess I lost huh?" He tried to crack a joke. It didn't really work. Then he turned towards Sakura. "Thank you, for saving me." Kankuro said with a smile on his face. Sakura smiled back and said,

"I'm only glad to help." Then she faced her attention towards Temari. No words were needed to be spoken, only a nod of both their heads. Sakura left to join her teammates.

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They all met up in front of the mansion. Sakura noticed a face she did not remember. Both of her friends told her about the new member to their team. They were going to track the trail of the Akatskui. Lady Chiyo had an idea where they were, so they would check there first. It was the Barrier for seals.

They planned to extract the sand spirit, Shukaku from Gaara. If they did, he wouldn't survive the extraction. Kakashi used a summoning jutsu to have tracking dogs find them. Their plan was to split up. Lady Chiyo and Sakura would go straight to the barrier, while Naruto and Kakashi followed the dogs. Ironically, they had all met up at the same place. Lady Chiyo was right.

"How do we get in?" Naruto asked. Kakashi began to think, and then Lady Chiyo spoke.

"Sakura Haruno, the disciple of Princess Tsunade. You were trained under the greatest medical nin known. Her strength is undeniable too. You must have learned to defend yourself, right?" The pinkette nodded her head.

"I was taught her skills." They all turned towards the wall.

"Sakura, you know what to do." Sakura tightened the brown gloves she wore on her hands, and nodded with pride. Running up towards the wall with her fist aimed for the middle, the inhuman girl punched the wall with all her might. The rocks crumbled into pieces, sliding into the water below. Inside was a figure, dark as the shadows it stood in. Suddenly behind them, another figure appeared.

"I think you should leave Master Sasori alone. Catch me if you can." He said urging them.

"Follow him, Sakura and I will take care of the one here!" Lady Chiyo shouted to the spikey haired blonde and grey haired young man. They both agreed, than darted off after the unknown rouge ninja. Both of the women entered the barrier, knowing their battle would begin.

"I don't have your precious Kazekage." The man said. His voice was raspy and deep. It had a vicious feel to it. He was moving, even if you could not tell. With every swift movement he made, a sound emerged like chains rattling against each other. The man still stood in the dark, refusing to show himself in the light. His silhouette was short and thick.

"We've come to defeat you." Lady Chiyo said without a hint of fear. He chuckled to himself, and then moved forward. The light that came from behind the woman, shined on the man. His eyes were dark, and he wore a mask to cover his mouth. Dread locked hair ran down his head. Sakura was confused, on whether or not this man was real.

"Chiyo, I see you brought a little kid with you. How low." The mask moved as he spoke.

"Sasori. I see you cower inside a puppet." She spoke back, still in the calm voice she had since the beginning. He chuckled again, and then the mask fell off his face. His mouth was not a mouth, but only an opening like a puppet. Lines on the sides showed it wasn't human. Suddenly the puppets mouth opened, releasing senbon towards them. Both dodged them with ease, while making their way to the puppet.

"Sakura, we need to get him out of that shell!"

"How?!" Sakura yelled. The senbon stopped, for he had to reload.

"Come close, Sakura." She walked towards Lady Chiyo, and gave an ear to her. They whispered in secret, making sure he wouldn't hear what they said. All Sasori could do was watch Sakura nod in agreement to what Chiyo said.

"Got it." Sakura spoke once Chiyo was done. The pinkette then went into her fighting stance, and went straight on for the puppet, leaving the old woman behind. He had become confused, wondering if it was a trick. Nothing happened, so he began to shoot senbon at the girl, but still dodged every single one. With her getting closer and closer, he thought harder and harder.

Finally he found an opening for attack, and went for it. Sakura smirked, and jumped away. In a swift moment, she was above him, her fist extended for the shell. In a quick second, she smashed the puppet into pieces. The black figure that hid inside jumped away from the scene. Sakura looked around to find where he went, but he darted back into the shadows. Looking into the direction he flew, he emerged back into the light.

This was the real Sasori. His short red hair flew in all directions. His face looked so young, at least as young as Sakura. His eyes were laid back and calm. He wore a sinful smile on his face. Lady Chiyo stared in shock.

"You should be... How are you so young?"

"You know what I did. The reason why I'm rogue. The sins I committed in the Hidden Sand. How could you not know, you were there." Lady Chiyo remembered the times she spent with him in his youth.

"How could I forget my own grandson." It went quiet for a moment. She remembered finding him doing the unthinkable for a child his age. He reanimated his own parents as puppets, she found him in their deathly embrace. She had personally held a grudge against the White Fang of the Hidden Leaf. Her regret filled as she remembered not being able to help as she could.

While lost in her thought, he saw that both women weren't focused on him. Sakura was far away from Chiyo's reach, his move would be vital and dreadful. Still hidden in his Akatsuki coat, a blade receded from underneath. With vastly quick movements, he appeared before Sakura in a blink an eye. Chiyo realized what happened and responded, but not fast enough. He pierced Sakura with the blade in the side of her body. It had gone clean through.

"Sakura-Chan!" Chiyo yelled. As quick as everything happened, Chiyo summoned two puppets. Sasori noticed the puppets she summoned, were the first "human" puppets he made. His parents stood before him again, but were there to kill him. He detached the blade from himself, and let it sit inside Sakura's body. Blood seeped out, but she knew not to take it out right away or she would bleed out.

Chiyo went into full on combat with Sasori. Puppet versus puppet. Sakura then went to take out the blade slowly, using a healing jutsu to stich up the bleeding. Hopefully she could stop the bleeding, and help Lady Chiyo as soon as possible.

"There's poison in that blade. It is already in your system." Sasori managed to say, as he fought against his grandmother. Sakura still did not show a hint of worry. Her face was stone cold with determination. She watched them clash as her jutsu began to slowly work. Inch by inch, she would take the blade out. Each time blood would ooze over. The poison was A grade, she could feel the burn run throughout her veins. Her vision started to go blurry, everything seemed to be going by fast but slow.

Finally she achieved on taking the blade out. It hurt like hell, but she had to put that aside. Reaching into her side pocket, she takes out a high grade antidote for poison. It wasn't exact, but it could probably fight against the infection. She injected the fluid into her side, near the wound. Trying to get to the source was her best option. The cool feel of the helpful fluid went through her body. As she looked up, she saw that Chiyo and Sasori were still in combat.

They dashed back and forth between each other, fast movements between their puppets attacking one another. Sakura got up un easily, wondering if they would notice her. Their battle was fierce. Sakura still held her side using the jutsu. She was getting her strength back, but it was still to recover. The poison was still setting in with the antidote following it. After a few short seconds Lady Chiyo noticed Sakura awoke.

Since she looked away and didn't focus on Sasori she was cornered. Sakura still held the blade she was stabbed with in her free hand. Sasori looked his grandmother in the eye one last time before he moved. In the nick of time, Sakura sprinted across the cavern. She stabbed him in the chest with his own blade. A tear ripped in his coat. Lady Chiyo took her chance and stabbed him with her own puppets as well. He fell onto the floor, motionless as he always had been. They both looked at him. The battle was over.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Chiyo asked as she got up from the ground her puppets still separated them from Sasori's body. Damaged puppets lay all over the place.

"I think some of the poison is out. The antidote is slow but-" She hissed in pain once she didn't need to focus on not feeling it. Chiyo darted to her side to help her stand. In the corner of her eye she saw movement. Sasori wasn't dead, but his body remained. She grabbed Sakura and jumped away from the swing of another sword.

"But we killed you how...!" Lady Chiyo said, but trailed off. He smirked and took off the robe he was wearing, to reveal his chest cavity.

"I completed the ultimate human puppet. This time I used myself."

"It can't be! That's impossible." She stared at her grandson. The man who stood in front of her died a long time ago. Suddenly beside her, Sakura began to go limp. There was a red scratch on her cheek, purple poison seeped out. Her bright green eyes began to cross. Her lips moved making unheard words. The old woman lent an ear towards her.

"The heart." Sakura whispered before she faded away.

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Once Sakura had woken from passing out, she found that Chiyo was healing her. In front of her were the two puppets she first used. They were with Sasori. The man was on his right, the woman on his left. Both of them held a sword pierced through his heart. She had understood what Sakura was going for, the make shift heart he had made.

Her vision was still blurred, her head was still groggy. Every inch of her was sore from the poison that had taken its toll. The area where she had been stabbed hurt like hell, along with her cheek that got nicked from a poison dart. Chiyo helped her up once Sakura's strength returned.

"I see you're okay, huh Sakura-Chan?"

"I think, I'll be okay." She said, while holding her side.

"Then we better go meet your friends." She said. The two women got up, and made their way out of the now shambled cavern. They caught up with the two easily, for they hadn't wandered far off. In the field, there was Naruto and Kakashi. The sand shinobi who had recovered showed up. They all gathered in the middle of the field, surrounding a lifeless body. Lady Chiyo and Sakura gathered with the group of people. Naruto was arguing with other shinobi, Kakashi was quiet.

"Save him! Do something!"

"He's gone! There's nothing we can do! Get over it!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Naruto yelled. Without noticing, the old woman who stood beside Sakura walked towards the commotion. Sakura followed, hoping that there could be something she could do.

"Maybe I can help." Sakura said. Everyone looked to her. "There's a possibility he could still be alive. His body might need a little push." She knelt down beside Gaara, and began to heal. The light green aura, just like her eyes, it began to do its work. After a few minutes had passed, after she tried everything she could, she failed for the first time. Sakura hung her head down, the pink hair fell against her face. Suddenly, a light blue chakra aura appeared before her. She looked up to find Lady Chiyo, using a jutsu she has studied about but never witnessed.

"Lady Chiyo!" Someone had yelled. They too knew what the jutsu would do. As well as many others that didn't protest.

"Grandma.." Sakura said sadly, knowing nothing else to say.

"What are you doing? Is it going to help Gaara?" Naruto asked. Sakura knew what to do, so she continued to help heal Gaara with the green chakra she used before.

"It's a jutsu, to bring him back." Chiyo said.

"She's going to use her own life energy to help him. It isn't a normal medical jutsu." Her green eyes looked to the woman in front of her.

"If I can be of any help to the Kazekage, even if it costs me my life. I'll help." Was all she said. Naruto had finally gone quiet, knowing what was going to happen when she did this. Everyone stood quiet, understanding by what she meant. They had no right to express their opinion.

As time passed, life began to fill the once corpse of Gaara. Slowly he opened his eyes, and then Naruto rushed to his side. Sakura stayed with Lady Chiyo, as she lived her last moments of a long lived life. Her small body went limp in the pink medic's arms. Tears fell from her green eyes. Naruto turned around to find the scene. Everyone bowed their heads in respect.

Once they had taken care of the elders remains, Sakura left the grave and realized, Sasuke hadn't been in her thoughts at all that day. Usually if she thinks about him, it's every hour. When the time she doesn't, are the dreams she can't remember. Sadness struck her heart once again. On the way back to their home village, memories swirled around her mind.

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Back at the leaf village, Lady Tsunade had called Naruto and Sakura to the office. Kakashi was in the hospital, from injuries while fighting Deidara, the Akatsuki member they faced. What they didn't know, was a new team would be formed.

"Sakura, Naruto. I want you to use the information we got from the two Akatsuki members. You will also be assigned two more different team members. Please come in." The two lifelong friends turned around, to find two new faces.

"Hello, I'm Yamato. Your team leader." A man with unique big eyes stared into their souls. His brown spikey hair spilled over the leaf headband he wore. He wore a common chuunin jacket. There was nothing else that differed him from others, except the eyes.

"I am Sai. Nice to meet you." The other man, who stood next to them, was around the same age group as them both. He had pale white skin, and small slit eyes. The outfit he wore was very interesting. At least half of the top of his clothing was cropped short. It was revealing. He wore a sly smile on his face.

"They are going to help find Sasuke." Tsunade said. Sasuke's lean calm face entered Sakura's mind. His dark onyx eyes stared into her heart. His black raven hair blew in the invisible wind.

"Finally." She thought to herself.

Extended Note

{{I wanted this chapter to be focused on Sakura just living through a normalish mission. Usually she would be thinking about Sasuke, or a small event would trigger his memory. This time she didn't, and she realized this. Now that Sai and Yamato are introduced, they are going to go find Sasuke.}}