Chapter Text
They ran for three days straight, only stopping for the barest minimum of rest and food. Despite Naruto’s overwhelming positivity, even he could sense the serious tone Sakura had undertaken. Kubikiribocho rumbled at her back, the stillness of the air too telling as they hopped from tree to tree towards Takigakure. Something in Sakura’s gut had led her here and she couldn’t move onto Utakata until she knew that Fū was safe.
One of her many penpals, the woman was flighty and easy to distract and she hoped that Shibuki would be able to contain her until the Akatsuki were dealt with. It was bad enough they were traveling with one Jinchuriki, but deep in her heart she knew that Naruto would never be swayed to stay in one spot. Especially because he and Sasuke and Sai had something planned for Itachi.
A part of her wished she could’ve taken the rest of the swordsmen with her on this journey, especially since they’d grown so close together since their inception. She had no clue what kind of foes they’d come across, especially since Takigakure was in between both Orochimaru’s domain and the Akatsuki’s.
Sakura had to assume the worst, as would any shinobi in her situation really. She could only account for the bijuu that she knew directly. Gaara was safe in his home country who would sooner die than let anything happen to their Kazekage, something she knew the redhead would loathe to let happen. Naruto was right beside her, chatting as if they were on an Academy field trip rather than hunting down a lost Jinchuriki or a terrorist organization. He kept close contact with Killer B and Yugito, which meant the eight and two tails were safe.
Mental fingers tallied in her mind as they drew closer to Taki. They had the Sanbi contained and transported safely. Even if something had happened to Iwa’s Jinchuriki, kami forbid, they still had the majority safe and sound.
Familiar chakra buzzed around her as they crossed a familiar border and she braced herself as the fly-like buzzing grew louder and louder.
“Huh? What’s going on?” Naruto asked, turning around to look for the source. “What’s that sound?” His finger dug into his ear canal as if he could banish the budging.
Sakura sighed as she opened her arms, wincing as Fū tackled Sakura into a ferocious hug. The wings at the base of her back disappeared as her legs wrapped around Sakura’s hips and she trailed kisses around Sakura’s face. Her lips were soft and warm with the barest hint of mint as she kissed over Sakura’s eyelids, cheeks, and the corners of her mouth.
“Sakura-chan! You’re here! You’re not going to believe what we’ve seen. First, Shibuki got the missive from Mei-sama and he’s like, ‘no more missions for you, Fū, we need to keep you safe.’ So then I obviously snuck out because, hello! No one is going to stop me from having fun. But then I saw those clouds, you know the ones you told me to run from. They didn’t see me but I saw them, so then I ran and then you’re here now!” Fū rambled excitedly, thin arms wrapped around Sakura’s neck.
“Kami,” Sasuke muttered, “I didn’t think there was a person that could out energy the idiot.”
“Indeed.” Sai tilted his head a bit to watch Sakura become more and more flustered. He pulled out a small notebook to write in. “Do you think the more tails a container has, the more energy they’d need to expend? Killer B is quite rambunctious, but Yugito-san is much more subdued. Gaara is the same. Perhaps that would explain the exhaustion.”
“He’s exhausted because he can’t sleep or he goes into a murderous rampage,” Sasuke said dryly.
Sasuke watched Fū drop from Sakura’s waist and greet Naruto in the same manner, the blonde just as pleased to meet another Jinchuriki despite the circumstances. Her tan arms wrapped around his shoulders as he spun her around chatting excitedly. The two toppled over one another, dragging Sakura down with them. “Nevermind, they’re just idiots.”
“-plus I got special permission from Shibuki so now you and your friends can come with us to Taki! You can stay with me, Sakura-chan, but the boys will have to go to the diplomatic quarters.” Fū sniffed as Sakura helped her off the ground. She was quite a bit shorter than Sakura, who had grown several inches in their time apart. The kunoichi had kept her petite nature, but her hair had grown longer since their last meeting. It was pulled into a small bun at the nape of her neck with light blue strands falling in her eyes. “We can even go to the onsen too, it’s so pleasant this time of year.”
Sakura blushed heavily, her skin fiery-red as Fū nuzzled into her chest. “Fū-chan this isn’t a social visit, we can’t spend any more time in Taki than is necessary.”
Fū grumbled and tightened her arms around Sakura’s waist, a warm hand low on her back, “Then what’s the point?” She glared at the boys in the group through narrowed eyes. “Just go make them complete the mission and we can hang out. I’m bored and I miss you. Letters aren’t enough.”
“Hey! Watch it, you overgrown beetle! We’re here to keep you safe, not so you can lewd over Sakura. We’re on a time crunch,” Suigetsu protested, his fist up in the air towards Fū who stuck her tongue at him.
“Like you know what we need to be doing,” Chōjūrō sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. His goggles shifted slightly in the motion, humidity seeping into the tempered glass and fogging his vision. “We’re not on a cut and dry mission, Fū-san, we’re here to make sure the Akatsuki haven’t tried anything yet and you need to go back to Taki. Should you even be on the border like this? It’s not safe.”
“Quiet, cow pants,” Fū hissed with a flush. “So what? Maybe I’m not supposed to be here but who better to greet Sakura-chan than me? Besides, I can keep myself safe.”
Sakura sighed and trailed her hands down Fū arms in a consoling manner. “It’s not just about your safety, it’s everyone’s safety that is at risk. The more people protecting you the better.”
“Then you protect me,” Fū whined with a pout.
“I am protecting you,” Sakura sighed. “But Cho-kun is right, you really shouldn’t be here. The Akatsuki have already tried to attack three different Bijuu. It’s not safe out here.”
The forest seemed eerie, but Sakura couldn’t tell if it was her paranoia or an impending attack. She felt bad having to be so serious with her friend, but at the same time, she wanted to keep her safe. If she had to put her foot down, then she would. She pulled Fū into a tighter hug, just happy to see that nothing had happened to the girl while she’d been away. Taki wasn’t a weak village by any means and the built-in protection to the village should be more than enough to keep her hidden away. The only issue was that Kakuzu was a nukenin from said village and Sakura wasn’t quite sure if any of the protections had been modernized to keep him out.
She asked as such and drooped when Fū gave her a puzzling stare. “Well, that’s a good question actually.”
“No one in your village thought to see if it was still protected from said nukenin?” Suigetsu asked dryly. “You know, the missing ninja that is a part of the terrorist organization that’s trying to steal your Bijuu and kill you.”
“Well!” Fū threw her hands up in the air before she pointed an accusatory finger at Team Seven. “What about them, huh? I’d argue that Itachi Uchiha is more of a threat than Kakuzu! What’s your plan for him?”
Sasuke stiffened and curled his upper lip into a snarl, “Mind your business you overgrown wasp. You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Enough,” Sakura interrupted, placing her arms between the two as Sasuke stalked up to the woman. “Fū, you said you saw red clouds, that had to have been the Akatsuki. When was this? Where was this?”
Fū stuck her tongue out at Sasuke and turned towards Sakura with a more calm expression, “Well, I’d say about a few hours ago on the south-east side of the border?”
Sakura sucked in a breath, “Towards Iwa.”
She and Chōjūrō shared a nervous look. “Or they were leaving Iwa.” He said.
“Did you engage with them at all? Did they know you were even there?” Chōjūrō asked, concerned. “Which ones were they?”
Fū shrugged, “It’s hard to tell when they have those kasa covering their faces, but one wasn’t wearing his cloak right. I could see his entire chest! He had a weird necklace on and was carrying a red scythe.”
Sakura didn’t let her finish her sentence as she wrapped her arms around Fū and took off towards Takigakure with all her might. Trees blurred around them as Fū scrambled to adjust in the hold next to Kubikiribocho. The rest of her teammates had joined her almost immediately, sensing the imminent danger. Her heart fluttered in her chest and it took all her might to calm the organ into submission. She would be no help to anyone if she let her nerves get the best of her.
“What’s wrong?” Naruto asked as he jumped beside Sakura.
“She saw Hidan and Kakuzu, which means we need to get her back to the village to make sure she’s safe before we head towards Iwa.” She didn’t want to head towards Iwa, but it was better to chase the real threat than to chase a potential ghost. She mentally apologized to Mei for knocking Utakata down on the priority ladder, her heart clenching at the thought of being too late to help him. “Those two are effectively immortal, which means we can’t get distracted by trying to keep her safe and figuring out how to kill something that can’t be killed.”
She’d gotten the jump on Hidan once before, but she doubted that he would allow her to get so close to do so again. She shuddered at the thought of running into him even as her sword vibrated with the thought of getting to behead the man once more. Her back straightened as she steeled her resolve; she’d bested the man once before, she could easily do it again.
The whistling of electricity whirled through the air as a bolt of lightning struck down on the branch Sakura had been headed towards. She cursed and rotated mid air, throwing Fū towards Suigetsu and grappling with a thinner branch to avoid crashing into the ground.
The man caught her with a huff, taking the brunt of the force as they slammed into their own tree after being separated. Another bolt of lightning struck down as Naruto called out his own jutsu in retaliation.
“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”
Dozens of Naruto’s spread out in the clearing, convening on a black mass with a frilled lizard style mask headed towards them.
Suigetsu set Fū down but held her back at Sakura’s orders.
“Get her to Taki, now,” Sakura commanded, settling beside the two as Naruto engaged with the beast. “The barrier will protect her in case we can’t defeat them.”
“Absolutely not!” Fū protested, “No way am I leaving! I can defend myself, don’t think less of me.” Her face scrunched up as if she wanted to argue more but was quickly silenced by the look on Sakura’s face.
“It’s not about whether or not you can defend yourself, it’s about the fact that if you get captured or hurt, all of our preparation will be forfeit. We don’t know if they’ve captured Iwa’s Jinchuriki or not, and we won’t know until it’s too late because of the Tsuchikage. I’m not gambling with your life, Fū. With our lives.”
Before she could quarrel further, Sai’s pale arms wrapped around her stomach and pulled her back onto a large white falcon. The ink borders stuck out against the white base as its wings flapped to keep it stationary in the air.
“I believe I will be able to best assist in this manner,” Sai said with an eerie smile. “Neither of these two Akatsuki members should be able to follow once I’m airborn.”
“Have you been able to fly this entire time? Why the hell did we do all that walking?” Suigetsu asked incredulously. Once his arms were free of Fū he’d unclipped Kabutowari from his back and was now eyeing the two approaching Akatsuki members with keen interest.
“No one asked,” Sai replied, dodging the swipe from Suigetsu as he encouraged Fū onto the bird. “I will need assistance with getting to the village, but she will be delivered safe and sound.”
“Go Fū,” Sakura urged, pushing her delicate hands to grab onto the neck of the bird so she wouldn’t fall in flight. “It’ll be fine.”
Sakura turned as they ascended into the air, expertly dodging another bolt of lightning that came from the ground up. A black mass stared up at them, haunting as if it were waiting for more orders. He followed Sai and Fū as the ink bird soared through the air and away from them.
“This is all your fucking fault, Kakuzu! If we had gone with my plan, she wouldn’t be getting away,” Hidan cursed, stopping in front of the five of them alongside his partner. He put his hand up to his forehead to block out the sun as he watched the bird escape.
“Your plan was not a plan at all,” Kakuzu gruffed out, removing an invisible piece of link from the edge of his sleeve as he eyed them all with distaste. “You sending her to Takigakure will only delay the inevitable.”
“Screw you!” Naruto shouted, pointing a clawed finger at them, “You’re not going to get her so you better just give up already!” Sasuke held him back from charging forward, instead looking towards Sakura for the signal to advance.
Sakura tightened her grip around Kubikiribocho, her lips curling over her sharp teeth as she weighed the options between the two.
Hidan cupped his hand around his mouth as he spotted her, “Hey! Pinky! Long time no see.” His scythe sliced through the air, settling in his hand as he leered at her up and down. “You’ve only gotten hotter. Let’s say we catch up like old times after I sacrifice your teammates.”
“Don’t talk to her like that! Do you know this guy, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked as he shuddered at the look on Hidan’s face. “Don’t tell me you two, ya know.”
Suigetsu barked out a laugh, causing Sakura’s irritation to bubble further. Sasuke hissed at Naruto to shut up.
Chōjūrō shuffled beside her, nudging her with his shoulder as they stood side by side. She used the distraction to whisper her plan to him, hoping their mouths weren’t readable at this distance. “You need to work with the others on Kakuzu, I can handle Hidan alone.”
“Absolutely not,” Sasuke interrupted with a whisper of his own. His Sharingan flashed, the three tomoe spinning in irritation.
“He’s right. Suigetsu should work with Naruto and Sasuke for backup against Kakuzu.” He adjusted his goggles as he glared at Hidan from across the clearing. “We can handle Hidan together.”
She didn’t argue, but she wanted to. Hidan was dangerous, but Kakuzu was powerful. He'd deferred to him years ago for decision making and she didn't know what the man was capable of. He'd attacked with a beast that could control lightning chakra and didn't seem bothered by the fact that he was facing against the five of them. If fact he seemed bored. She wanted as many people against him as possible, especially since she knew what Hidan was capable of. Despite this, Sakura nodded and the five of them dispersed, three to the right and two to the left. She felt more comfortable with Chōjūrō at her back anyway.
'Like you wouldn't spend the fight wondering if he was okay or not.'
Sakura sliced Kubikiribocho through the air, meeting Hidan’s scythe in the middle as he jumped to meet her.
“I wasn’t lying when I said you’d gotten hot, Pinky. You sure you don’t want to join the Akatsuki? I’m sure Pein could make you a mascot or something.” He leered, licking his lips and cursing to dodge the swipe from Chōjūrō from behind. “Hey! We were talking here.”
“Not anymore.” Chōjūrō had unwrapped Hiramekarei, splitting the blade into two twin swords. His chakra tasted like home and the salt of the ocean in the air as he met Hidan blade for blade. “Keep your crude comments to yourself!” The blade in his left hand smacked against the three-bladed scythe while the blade in his right hand swiped towards his abdomen.
Hidan pushed back, expertly avoiding the two blades with surprisingly flexibility. He wiped some sweat on his brow, pushing the remaining sleeve of his cloak down to expose his toned chest. “Testy, testy. This your boyfriend or something?”
Sakura didn’t answer, instead met him where he’d jumped back with an arc of Kubikiribocho. The tip of the blade dug into his shoulder, her sword rumbling as it sucked the blood through the gaping wound in his skin. He didn’t seem phased, instead tugged her closer and dug it more into the meat of his shoulder. The glint of a black bar shone in the corner of her eye and it was only on instinct that she managed to avoid the steel pike from skewering her through her cheek. She ducked her head to the side and dug her teeth into the meat of his wrist, shark teeth tearing into the flesh to the bone.
Back and forth she and Chōjūrō worked in tandem against the immortal member, the man incapable of slowing down or stumbling from pain. It took everything in them to not get nicked by his blade, the extra effort taking its toll on the two.
A ways away, she could hear the crash of the others as they battled against Kakuzu, the taste of elemental ninjutsu heavy in the air. Shouts from Naruto and Sasuke both echoed through the woods and she hoped that Suigetsu somehow survived the fray. Her teammate was competent, Hideo had made sure of that, but Naruto and Sasuke were two different beasts entirely.
There was warmth on her back as a fireball blazed through the clearing, separating Chōjūrō and her from Hidan.
She jumped to end up side by side next to him, chest heaving from exertion as Kakuzu reconvened with his partner. He was much worse for wear, with three holes sticking out of his chest with the telltale signs of lichtenberg scars and shredded threads from wind chakra.
“You look like shit,” Hidan said as he wiped his mouth free of his own blood. Sakura had decked him in the face with the heel of her boot but had allowed him to avoid a beheading from Chōjūrō as a result. “Three kids too much for you?”
“Shut up,” Kakuzu seethed, his posture wilting and body shaking as he glared at them from across the clearing. “We will leave now. The Nanabi will have to wait. Leader will be displeased at our failure, so be prepared to take his wrath.”
“Like hell you will!” Sakura yelled out, stepping forward in front of Chōjūrō. “You started this fight, we’re going to finish it. Don't go running just because you're getting your ass kicked you coward.”
Naruto, Sasuke, and Suigetsu touched down in the clearing, echoing her statement. Naruto looked crazed, a wide split grin taking up much of his tanned face. Sasuke was the same, a smirk etched into his features.
Suigetsu quickly joined her and Chōjūrō, practically limping as he did so. “Your old teammates are fucking crazy, I’m never fighting with them ever again.” His form seemed warbly, as if his chakra was straining to keep his fleshy form. Kabutowari hung limply at his side but he seemed intact and still able to fight. His back straightened as he cycled his breathing, his vertebrae popping back into place.
“If you think you’re walking out of here alive, you’re sorely mistaken,” Sasuke said, the katana at his side lighting up with lightning chakra. “But you’re welcome to try.”
Kakuzu cursed, throwing Hidan in front of him as Sasuke pushed forward alongside Naruto. Sakura quickly joined, flashing through familiar handsigns to keep him from sacrificing his partner in order to leave alive. “Suiton: Mizuame Nabara!”
Syrupy liquid spat out from her mouth, stopping him in his tracks as it enveloped his shoes and up towards his knees. A beast split from his chest, covering the entire clearing in a white-hot katon.
“Are you fucking insane?” Hidan shouted, his arms covering his face as he sprung off of Chōjūrō and onto the treeline. “Where’s your sense of loyalty? I’m your damn partner!” He didn’t rush to Kakuzu’s aid, instead holding a defensive pose as he spat vitriol at him.
Kakuzu looked at Hidan and then at Sakura who rushed towards him with Kubikiribocho slicing cleanly through the air. The black mass from his chest erupted forward again, only to be stabbed and smashed by the hammer of Chōjūrō’s Hiramekarei.
“I don’t give a damn about you,” Kakuzu said, catching Kubikiribocho in the palm of his hand and straining at the force. She vaulted over and spun around, using the momentum to pull him fully onto the syrupy surface. Naruto had joined her quickly, using the opening for what it was.
“Rasengan!”
The ground swallowed the jutsu and Kakuzu whole as wind chakra cut through his threaded body like butter. His back heaved in an effort to escape before his body exploded in a mess of string and viscera. Sakura was covered in the aftermath, as was Naruto.
She stumbled away, cursing as her heel got caught in her own jutsu before Suigetsu lifted her out of it. Grass and dirt clung to her as her limbs shook now that the adrenaline of fighting an Akatsuki member was wearing off. Despite this, there wasn’t a scratch on her, only a deepset muscle soreness and aching chakra coils. She pulled Kubikiribocho from what remained of Kakuzu, his body shredded beyond recognition. Hidan had stayed back, his scythe poised for defense as he looked between the five of them and his deceased partner.
Sasuke let out a burst of chakra, igniting Kakuzu’s body to rid themselves of the possibility of him somehow living through all of that. The remnants of his hiden technique burned fiercely against the syrup and grass, the smell of burning flesh and stone suffocating the group.
Sakura limped towards Hidan, who refused to back down despite the snarl on her face. “If you want to live, you’ll start talking.
“Fuck you,” Hidan spat. He cracked his neck as he looked at the five teens, his eyes sharp and his shoulders tense. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”
“But you didn’t, and I could’ve killed you after you gave me the information I wanted. Tit for tat you asshole.” She pointed Kubikiribocho at him, daring him to try to argue with her.
Like his partner, he was in worse shape compared to the five of them. Sakura and Chojuro had made sure not to get injured, partly out of practice and partly out of what she’d heard the man could do. She wouldn’t risk anyone in the group getting sacrificed, even if it meant winning the fight. Thankfully it hadn’t come to that, but the war wasn’t over yet.
“Let’s just kill him,” Sasuke said, his eyes still bright red and fierce.
“He has information we need, there’s still more pieces to the puzzle we don’t know about,” Chōjūrō interrupted, his arm crossing over Sasuke’s chest to prevent him from advancing.
Sakura stopped only a few feet away, the tip of Kubikiribocho pressed against his chest. His scythe moved to retaliate, only to be knocked out of his hand by Chojuro.
“You can’t kill me,” Hidan reminded her with a savage grin. “I’m fucking immortal baby. That bastard was a fake, he might’ve been in his nineties, but I’m the real deal.”
“If I separate your body from your head and your limbs from your body and scatter you across the continent, what will remain of your immortality?” Sakura reminded him of the strategy she had come up with long ago. “I’ll let you live, just as I did before, in exchange for information.”
Hidan weighed his options, looking at the looming figures around him, effectively weaponless and defenseless. “Fuck you,” he spat again, but relaxed despite his words. “Fuck could you possibly want?”
Sakura pressed the tip in further, but pushed back as he moaned at the contact. “Where is the Akatsuki base located? How many bijuu have you captured already?” The first confirmations she needed, one a red herring and the other a burning question that itched in the back of her mind.
Hidan rolled his eyes, “Easy. Amegakure. The entrance is in a statue that looks like that bastard Pein, but the hideout is buried deep below the surface. You won’t find any Akatsuki besides him and Konan and maybe that freak Zetsu. The rest of the Akatsuki have been sent out to capture the bijuu. To answer your other question, we’ve captured two of the nine we needed.”
Naruto cursed behind her, “Which ones?”
“Whatever the two assholes in Iwa are, I don’t know their names. We were assigned the Nibi and the Nanabi. Fishface and the Uchiha were assigned the Kyuubi and the Yonbi. The Gobi was assigned to Konan and that was the first one we captured, figures.” His hand moved slowly to push his hair out of his eyes where the gel had melted from the sweat and heat. “Once we extracted those two bastards, we were instructed to go for the Nanabi after we failed with the Nibi.”
His eyes roamed over the group before landing back on Sakura, “I’m sure the reason why we failed was because of your ass.”
There were many things Sakura wanted to do and say, mainly towards the Tsuchikage for being such a vicious asshole and costing them two out of the nine Jinchuriki they needed to keep safe. She could feel Naruto shake beside her, his fury and pain difficult to contain. Iwagakure’s relationship with the nations was strained at best, especially towards Kiri and Konoha, but she had hoped once upon a time that the kage would unite against their common enemy. She had been foolish to think a man as old as him would agree to their cause.
“What of the Rokubi?” Suigetsu asked, surprisingly on topic.
Hidan shrugged, “Zetsu, probably. That plant bastard is too sneaky and no one knows where the slug is. Since every time we try to capture one of you rat bastards we get out-manned at every turn, they’re just assigning us to whoever is closest to the next bijuu.”
Sakura tightened her grip around Kubikiribocho. The Akatsuki, or at least Hidan and Kakuzu, didn’t know where Utakata was, which had the potential to be a good thing. There were too many variables, especially if the order of their operation was skewed. There was a positive in this, her preparation and efforts hadn’t been for naught. The villages were doing their due diligence in protecting their tailed-beasts and containers and they had prevented world domination successfully for now. Iwa was a lost cause and she refused to open that can of worms despite the look in Sasuke’s eye at the mention of Itachi.
The idea of getting closer to Kisame was tempting and she would lament between the two choices once they were able to settle for the night. Sai hadn’t returned on his journey to Taki, but it was only a matter of time before their interrogation session needed to come to a close.
“The list of members,” she finally demanded, “who is in your group and what are their last known locations.”
“I can tell you who is who but I don’t know where they are. Only Pein knows.” He held up his left hand where a glinting piece of metal shone against his bloodied skin. “Built in communication and tracker.”There was a flash of a kunai before his finger was severed clean from his hand. Hidan flinched and spat at Sasuke who’d been the one to slice the digit. “Asshole. All you had to do was ask for it! It wasn’t fucking glued on there.”
He picked his finger off the ground, holding the bloody finger to his stump in an effort to reattach it. The same chakra Sakura had seen from before oozed out of his flesh, sewing the digit back together after some time. It wasn’t quite medical chakra, but it wasn’t elemental either. He pushed the weapons pointed at him aside, shedding his cloak with a swiftness.
“Sasori, Deidara, Itachi, Kisame, Zetsu, Konan, Pein. Orochimaru is off in his backwater country touching himself and others, but he still has his ring. Kakuzu is dead, the bastard, and I never wanted to join this boyband in the first place.”
“You’re insane if you think we can just let you leave,” Chojuro said incredulously. “You just tried to kill us.”
Hidan ignored him and stared straight at Sakura with a raised eyebrow. He kicked his scythe up and held it in his hand, his posture waiting for her next move.
‘Might be interesting keeping him alive. If what he is saying his true, we’ll need all the allies on the inside that we can get.’
‘Can he be trusted to not go crawling back to the Akatsuki if we let him live?”
‘His partner just tried to kill him and sacrificed him to try to save his own skin. That’s as good a bet as any to make.’
Sakura found it hard to argue with her Inner, even if a part of her didn’t want to see a member of the Akatsuki, former or otherwise, walk off into the sunset. Despite this, she nodded, posturing her hand to get the other shinobi to stand down.
“Don’t make me regret this,” Sakura threatened. Hidan laughed, wiggling his eyebrows at her. “Keep threatening me gorgeous, it turns me on.”
“Go before I kick your ass,” Naruto growled, “and you better make it quick.”
Sakura didn’t look away until the man had blipped from her radar and looked at the charred remnants of the Akatsuki member buried in the ground. She could see the glint of metal around his middle finger, the silver pristine despite the soot and ash around it. “We should head to Takigakure to reconvene with Sai and let Shibuki know the news. Bring the body with us too.”
“Whatever you say, boss,” Suigetsu said, clipping Kabutowari onto his back before touching his nose, “Nose-goes on carrying the body.”