Shades of Grey

Chapter 66

"Finally." Shikamaru sighed when Team 7's campsite came into view.

"Shikamaru what are you doing here?" Naruto asked as their friend came walking into their camp.

"Looking for you guys." The Nara answered as he took a seat by their fire.

"Did Tsunade send you?" Kakashi asked the young man.

"Sure did." Shikamaru confirmed. "She wanted me to let you guys know that I had a little run in with Sakura."

"What?" Sasuke who had been setting in a tree jumped down to join the conversation.

"My ANBU squad ran into her with her new team, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki." He told them.

"They are not her team." Sasuke growled.

"Could have fooled me." The lazy genius yawned. "They sure do work like one, a damn good one at that."

"What were they doing?" Kakashi questioned.

"We stumbled upon them when they were in a battle." Shikamaru replied.

"Who were they fighting?" Sai asked him.

"Don't know." The Nara shrugged. "But they were wearing an Akatsuki cloak and ring. Looked like an overgrown weed if you ask me."

"So, they do know that she is with them." Naruto sighed. Sakura was in even more danger than he had thought.

"How about you guys explain everything to me?" Shikamaru suggested. "I have a feeling that you guys know a hell of a lot more than I do."

So, they did; Team 7 told the Nara all that they knew. They left out some of the bloody details but held back nothing.

"That explains it." The shadow user sadly shook his head.

"Explains what?" Kakashi asked him.

"Sakura was different." Shikamaru sighed. "She was cold; robotic. When they were fighting, she did not hold back or hesitate even for a split second. It is no secret that no matter what they teach in academy Konoha prefers us to disable rather than kill. Sakura disabled that Akatsuki member and did not even blink an eye when Itachi killed him while he was laying there choking on his own blood. He wasn't even a threat anymore, but she didn't care."

"He would have been if they would have allowed him to recover and rejoin Akatsuki." Sasuke remarked.

"It was more than that." The Nara directed his eyes to the stars. "She made it pretty clear that if we got in their way we would be eliminated. There was zero room for interference with their mission. She has completely emotionally shut down. It is as though all that matters to her is being the perfect textbook shinobi."

"That is because to fail their mission means certain death." Sasuke informed them.

"Explain." Kakashi ordered.

"I know Itachi." Sasuke replied in a quiet voice. "His course of action will be to eliminate the threat before it can fully manifest. Right now, they are going to be hunting down every Akatsuki member that they can."

"I figured as much." Shikamaru nodded. "It's not a bad plan as long as you are strong enough to carry it through."

"They are." Kakashi confirmed. "If anyone could hope to complete such a mission it's the three of them."

"But don't you see this makes it even more important than ever to bring her back!" Naruto blurted. "Sakura isn't like that; she isn't some cold killing machine. She needs us to save her before all of this damn mess changes her forever."

"It is too late for that." Sasuke growled in his anger. "She was willing to kill Shikamaru and his squad. She was perfectly content turning on her friends if doing so allowed her to complete her mission. If that doesn't show you what he has turned her into then I don't know what will."

"I told you that she didn't want to fight us." Shikamaru rose to the kunoichi's defense. "You know hoe stubborn Neji can be he was making threats, and she was just letting us know that wasn't acceptable. Even the other two were not looking for a fight. They were satisfied just standing in the background and letting Sakura handle the situation."

"Because fighting you would have been a waste of chakra." Sasuke scowled. "Sakura has managed to do what I never did. She has cut all of her former bonds; if you forget that it could cost you your life."

"You are wrong." Sai insisted. "She is just suffering and overwhelmed; she has shut herself down for protection. Do not forget Uchiha she has never and will never be anything like you. Sakura is no traitor. She left to protect her village and precious people, not to sever any bonds."

"We will find out one way or the other." Kakashi cut in to stop the argument that was sure to ensue. "All of us will see with our own eyes exactly what is going on when we find her."

"So, you still plan on that." The Nara had known that they would.

"Our mission was to bring her home safely to Konoha, not to make sure she made it safely back to Itachi and Kisame." Naruto insisted.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru poked the fire with a stick. "Alright we will find her, but I am not so sure that she will be willing to come back. If she refuses you have no choice but to walk away, by orders of the Hokage."

"I guess that is as much as we can ask for." The Copy-nin looked down at his callused hands. "At least we are still being allowed to find her."