Weaker & Weak

Chapter 14

Sakura gasped at the pain that surged through her body. What?...

She was trying to master the technique she had found. She had already managed to summon the chakra to her hands but after a mere few seconds, her own chakra began sending waves of pain through her body.

She looked at her hands which were shaking slightly at the pain.

Yuuki walked through the door and Sakura shoved the paper away and pretended to look innocent.

Yuuki seemed to be too worried to notice. Sakura's face turned from one of innocence to curiosity.

"What is it?" questioned Sakura.

"...Sasori of the red sand has been killed. He was a member of Akatsuki." Said Yuuki.

Sakura still seemed confused, "How is this relevant to us?"

"Apparently he gave away some important information to the Konoha Shinobi who defeated him," Sakura's eyes widened at the word Konoha, "and the information was about Orochimaru. I have information that tells me that they will be headed near here. They were told that today is the day that a spy would meet them on the Bridge of heaven and earth at noon."

Sakura's eyes widened and she nodded in understanding. "We must leave this place now." Said Yuuki.

"How long do we have left?" asked Sakura while packing everything into a rucksack. "Two hours at most. Hurry...I will wait outside." Yuuki left the room

Sakura finished and exited the base. Yuuki and Sakura set off.

Sakura estimated that it had been at least 1 and a half hours since they left the base. They were nearing the Bridge of heaven and earth when Sakura stopped.

Yuuki turned around and said, "Is something wrong?"

"I...Can we just...just go a bit closer?" Yuuki drew her eyebrows together but seemed to understand.

She shook her head and said, "Sakura...we can't..."

"Please...just a bit closer...until I can see..." said Sakura. The desperation was clear in her voice. "Please...just let me..."

"...Fine...Only close enough to see and hear...not any closer...meet me at the inn in the village hidden in stars. Do you know where it is?" said Yuuki finally.

Sakura nodded and Yuuki leapt away.

Sakura descended to the ground and bean running east as fast as she could. In barely 5 minutes she arrived there and leapt into a tree.

Her eyes widened at the sight.

A body lay in the middle. It was obviously a clone and it was made of wood. Wood element...the first Hokage... Beside it was an Akatsuki cloak. On one side of the bridge was Hinata and two people she didn't recognize. She assumed that Hinata was her replacement. She didn't see Kakashi anywhere and she decided that the man in the Jounin uniform must be his replacement. Her gaze landed on a boy with pale skin and black hair. He looked like Sasuke and she realized that he must be Sasuke's replacement.

Orochimaru stood on another side of the bridge and her eyebrows scrunched together while she tried to figure out what was going on. Kabuto stood beside the discarded Akatsuki cloak. Finally, her eyes landed on Naruto. He had grown up. He must be taller than me now.

She laughed inwardly at this and looked at him fondly. Then her eyes widened in alarm as she noticed that his whole body was cloaked with orange chakra. Her mind recalled the dream she had 2 years ago.

Sakura eyes opened and she sat up. All she could see was darkness around her. She stood up and suddenly she saw Naruto standing in front of her. He turned around and walked away from her with his back facing her. "N...Naruto...Don't go!" she yelled. He continued walking and Sakura saw orange chakra begin to engulf him. If looked so evil.

"Naruto!" she yelled again but he continued walking further into the evil chakra.

She leapt closer to the scene in the hope of hearing something. She was now only a few trees away from the bridge with her chakra carefully masked. She watched as Orochimaru walked forward and she managed to hear them all talk.

"That's why they placed you in charge of him. It appears my experiments benefited Konoha, after all." Said Orochimaru.

Sakura's eyes widened at hearing this, Experiments?

"One would think my old village would've been more grateful to me? Don't you agree, my adorable little lab rat?"

Okay, that was creepy! Thought Sakura amused and freaked out as well. She leapt a little closer in the few seconds that her gaze was elsewhere the bridge snapped in the middle.

Hinata lay unconscious and her body began sliding off the bridge. Her body finally fell off and she saw Orochimaru's adorable little lab rat form hand signs. Sakura bit her lip as she watched some wooden pillars hold the bridge and Hinata up. Hinata still lay perilously close to falling off.

Sakura's gaze turned to the pale skinned boy, who was now writing on a scroll with a brush.

"Ninpou, Coujuu Giga!" she heard him say. A bird flew out of the scroll and he jumped on to it.

"Sai, catch Hinata!" Orochimaru's lab rat yelled.

Sai completely ignored him and flew upwards after Orochimaru and Naruto. Sakura leapt out of her hiding place and caught Hinata before landing beside the lab rat.

She was confused as to why the boy would leave his teammate. She couldn't help but think that Sai had another motive. He seemed to emotionless from what Sakura had seen. Kind of fake as well.

From her time in Konoha she had learned that only Root members were like that. Tsunade had told her. She also knew that Danzou was the founder and that Tsunade was weary of him.

"Who are you?" said the lab rat.

Sakura lay Hinata down and said, "You must be Kakashi-sen-...I mean Kakashi's replacement."

The man seemed weary of her but he must have realized that this information would cause no harm, so he nodded.

"I guess introductions are in order then," Sakura knew she was being foolish by saying all this, "My name is Sakura Haruno." She nodded at him.

The lab rat's eyes widened as she said this, "So...your Naruto's former teammate. The one who betrayed him...Other that Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura looked down and said, "I'm not his former teammate. I'm his teammate."

"Then you are correct. I am Yamato, Kakashi's replacement for this mission. We only came to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke and take him back to Konoha, but I guess I should take you back you too."

Sakura took a step back and shook her head. "I am sorry...but I cannot retur-" An explosion was heard from the direction Orochimaru and Naruto had gone. Sakura and Yamato spun around.

Hinata's eyes opened after a while and she sat up slightly.

"Are you all right?" said Yamato, kneeling down beside her and helping her up.

"Y-yes..." said Hinata. She clutched the back of her head. "Careful!" said Yamato.

"S-sorry. I'm fine n-now." stuttered Hinata with a weak smile. She turned slightly and spotted Sakura.

"S-Sakura-san...W-what are you doing here?" she gasped.

"Long story!" said Sakura still looking in the direction of the explosion.

"Um...I think I should go!" said Sakura coming to her senses, "but...I have to go help Naruto first." She continued.

Hinata broke into a relieved smile, "Sakura-san, a-are y-you coming back?"

Sakura shook her head and said, "I'm not but I need you to give something to Tsunade for me."

Hinata looked hesitant but then nodded.

Sakura reached into her rucksack and took out a blank scroll and a brush. She dipped the brush into some ink and wrote something in the scroll.

Once she had sealed the scroll she handed it to Hinata and said, "I'm counting on you."

Sakura jumped off before Yamato got the chance to trap her with his wood element.

Sakura quickened her pace and arrived where Naruto and Orochimaru were.