Nothing But the Truth

Chapter 11: Facing Danger

AN: Yes, I did copy and paste this note from my chapter of Blue Jays. Don't judge, I'm lazy. Alright guys here's another chapter for you. I hope you like it. Oh, as some of you may have noticed I did begin a new story. To be honest, I've been writing it for a while but I was just avoiding posting it. Some friends read it and insisted I post it, so I did. It's called The First Time. While Blue Jays and Nothing but the Truth take precedent, I will be updating The First Time as much as I can. I've posted a summary for it below at the end of the chapter. I would love if you would read it.

How about this, just review and let me know what you think about everything?

Nothing but the Truth

Chapter 11: Facing Danger

"There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid."

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

He had felt the first flare of chakra which made him perk his head up from his bed where he had been trying – and for perhaps the first time in his life, failing – to keep thoughts of a certain pink-haired kunoichi from his mind. Then, there was another flare of chakra and the house shook, and he realized that the chakra was from aforementioned kunoichi. Standing suddenly, he felt his stomach sink into his feet as his heartbeat grew louder in his ears.

"Itachi?" Kisame called from the hallways. "That's not a sparring session, is it?"

Itachi pushed his chakra outward, trying to grasp the situation, and found Deidara who half a mile away from Sakura. Sakura – Sakura was surrounded by eight (seven, six, five) people and judging by the way the numbers were dwindling, was fighting them. He rushed out of the bedroom, taking Kisame by surprise. "Let's go," was all he said.

Kisame was behind him in a moment of true understanding and Itachi was flying swiftly through the trees straight towards where he had felt Sakura when she had been battling whoever was attacking her. As he drew closer, he became more aware that Deidara was rushing back towards her as well. Had he really been stupid enough to leave her alone? Who was attacking her? Itachi flew into a large clearing, Kisame behind him, just as Deidara was reaching the same clearing on his bird.

"What happened?" he asked, trying not to let his voice betray the silent panic that was sweeping him from within.

"I went to go find a waterfall I had seen on the way in, yeah," Deidara explained breathily. Apparently he had been in quite the rush to get back as well. "Then I felt a whole bunch of chakra points flare up when I got a mile away and then Sakura's chakra started flaring and I heard a crash so I raced back here..."

He was practically hyperventilating now and Itachi held his hand up, commanding him to be silent. He quickly surveyed the scene before him with his Sharingan. There were two large craters in the center of the field and six dead bodies lying around, most of them dead due to hand-to-hand combat, it seemed. Sakura's wrinkled Akatsuki robe lay in a heap on the other side of the clearing. Looking at the trees, Itachi sensed which way Sakura had been taken with four others – seemingly male and very strong. Not strong enough to take him in a fight, but more than enough to take Sakura if there really were four of them.

"This way," Itachi intoned, flying into the forest. Kisame was not far behind and Itachi sensed Deidara flying above them, surveying the landscape. Is this what panic felt like? The way his heart was beating like it was having an attack, the sweat that was sheening over his neck and face, the way his legs were shaking – this was panic. The path suddenly split into two places, three of the criminals going one way, and another path with Sakura going the other.