Shades of Grey

Chapter 61

It was around four in the afternoon when Team 7 stumbled upon a house that appeared to have long ago been abandoned.

"That's where he took her boss." Pakkun informed Kakashi.

"Is she still there?" The Copy-nin questioned.

"No, but we should still investigate." The pug replied.

The team did not have to be told twice. Sakura had been here and if this place held any answers, they would find them. When they entered all was silent. Kakashi and Pakkun shared a knowing look. Neither of them, with their heightened sense of smell, wanted to spend another minute in that house. Kakashi saw Naruto head to the staircase.

"Don't go up there." The Copy-nin warned.

"Why? What is up there? Is Sakura-chan still there?" Naruto had an apprehensive look on his face.

"Not anymore." Kakashi gave a weary sigh.

"But she was." Sasuke spoke up. "What are you trying to hide from us Kakashi? What don't you want us to see?"

"There is nothing up there for us." The silver haired man cautioned. "The scent of her blood is heavy upstairs, but she survived. She left here with Itachi and his partner."

"There is more, or you wouldn't try to keep us from going up." Sasuke snapped before mounting the stairs.

When Naruto and Sai followed the Uchiha Kakashi was left with no choice but to go with his team. The sight they stumbled upon in the room at the top of the stairs was worse than the horrible scenes that the Copy-nin had imagined. There was a bed in the corner with rope that had been cut; obviously, it had once held Sakura's small form to the bed. The sheets that had been white were now a nightmarish crimson hue.

"Did they?" Naruto was unable to finish his question or keep the tears from gathering in his eyes.

"Don't ask me that." Kakashi's growled warning was answer enough for his team.

"Damn it!" Naruto yelled and punched the wall leaving a hole in it the size of his fist.

All eyes turned to Sasuke who crossed the room and picked up a book that had been carelessly dropped to the floor. When he looked at it his eyes bled to scarlet before dropping it as though he had been burned. Sai decided to retrieve it curious as to what could have triggered such a reaction from the Uchiha.

"Whoever sketched this was quite an artist." All present were surprised to hear how shaky Sai's voice had become.

Kakashi took it and glanced at the drawing he had indicated before quickly adverting his eyes. Drawn upon the sketchpad was a perfect rendering of Sakura. It somehow managed to capture her beauty, strength, and fragility as well as it did her broken and abused body.

"Wait a minute, did you say artist?" Naruto grabbed the book away and Kakashi saw the pained look that passed through the former jinchuriki's eyes as he looked at the picture of his best friend. Finally, he started furiously flipping through the rest of its pages before getting a triumphant look and holding out a sketch of a bird for all to see. "It was that bastard Deidara."

"Deidara?" Sasuke spoke for the first time since entering the room.

"We fought him." Naruto explained. "When we went to rescue Gaara, Kakashi and I fought him, and Sakura killed his partner."

"Yet you failed to kill him; allowing him to seek his vengeance." Sasuke remarked. "Letting him live to do this to Sakura."

"Vengeance can be a real bitch." Sai poked at the Uchiha.

"Your brother picked her up off the bed when he got here." Pakkun interjected before a fight could erupt.

Sai spotted the kunoichi's pack tossed into the corner of the room and retrieved it.

"Why would she have left that?" Naruto asked as he looked through it and saw that all of her belongings remained within.

"Because she doesn't need them." Sai told him. "Sakura lived, but the Sakura that we know may not have survived."

"Let's go." Kakashi ordered. "This place has nothing else for us and I can't stand to spend another minute in it."

Naruto and Sasuke complied but were surprised to see Sai carefully placing Sakura's things back into the abandoned pack.

"She may still want it someday." He explained as he walked past them.

Team 7 silently left the house that they wished they had never set foot in. After they made it several feet away Sasuke suddenly stopped and began a familiar series of hand signs. With all of them watching he raised his fingers to his lips and released the largest and most violent fire jutsu that any of them had ever seen the Uchiha use before. Not even the worst or most powerful shinobi that he had ever faced had suffered the wrath that he bestowed on that damnable place.

"Let's go." Sasuke said once he was satisfied that the house had been completely ignited. No one would ever step into that hell again.

Naruto reached out and squeezed his friend's shoulder in support before leaping into the trees to continue their journey. Team 7 was more desperate now than ever to find their missing friend.