Zetsu's Uncannibalized Daughter

Chapter 9: Dinner

He took a pair of gloves from the medicine cabinet along with tissue and alcohol and a face mask. "This is going to be the death of me." He whispered, nearly gagging as he wiped Sakura's butt clean.

Zetsu ran towards the new headquarters with Sakura in his cloak and a severely beat up Tobi hot on his trails. The fact that no one except Tobi was present when baby Sakura began walking wasn't very pleasant for the rest of the Akatsuki. Sakura peeked out of Zetsu's cloak, just then her eye turned yellow as if to signal the start of a fight. "Gabbah, baduh duduu gah!" Sakura suddenly started squirming.

"Sakura, stay still. You'll fall."

"Zetsu-senpai!"

Zetsu ducked just in time before a kunai hit him straight on the head. Zetsu turned his head towards the direction of the kunai and his eyes lied upon 15 Konoha's Anbu ninjas. The number was no problem. The problem was that they had to act as if they're carrying the real baby.

Tobi quickly stepped in front of Zetsu and Sakura before the Anbu could take another step towards them. If they're going to protect a clone, they might as well act as if they're protecting the real one.

"Katon: Gōkyakū no jutsu!"

The large fireball ran towards the crowd of enemies. The skilled ninjas simply dodged and carried on with their attack.

The Anbu leader took a glance at Sakura, signaling his teammates. A few moments later, Zetsu and Tobi felt drowsy. Soon enough, their knees buckled under their weight, energy leaving their body instantaneously.

"Z-Zetsu-senpai!" Tobi weakly called out. Zetsu glared at the two Anbu ninjas coming for him. He wrapped an arm around Sakura in his cloak. Soon enough, darkness engulfed his sight.

The two Anbu ninjas grabbed hold of Sakura. They've succeeded in taking the 'kidnaped' child. "Do we take him with us?" One asked. "Of course. Tie him up."  Tobi ran full speed towards Zetsu and took the chance to at least touch him to send chakra. Just as an Anbu stabbed Tobi, Tobi sent a kick aiming for the head and grabbed the drowsy Zetsu to a safe place.

Meanwhile...

Juzo and Itachi ran a few miles from the borders of Konoha with Sakura settled in Juzo's cloak. Both men stopped in their tracks. "They're here." "Hn." Kunai knives were thrown towards their way. Juzo and Itachi jumped away. Itachi blocked Juzo from the sight of the Anbu ninjas that appeared before them. "You're back, Itachi-san." An Anbu stated. "Hn."

The next few moments remained silent with everyone remaining unmoving. With a nod from the Anbu leader, his followers made a series of hand signs. Juzo jumped back as Itachi also made his, creating 3 shadow clones. With his Sharingan activated, Itachi ran at full speed towards the opponents. Engaging in a hand to hand combat, he failed to notice an Anbu pass him and make her way towards Juzo.

"Call for reinforcements!" The leader ordered.

Juzo grinned and grabbed Kubikiribocho with one hand while the other supported Sakura. "Hold on tight now, Sakura." He ran full speed towards the Anbu and aimed for her neck. He made Sakura turn away before blood splattered all over his cloak. "We're running!"

Itachi nodded at Juzo's way as he did the finishing blow against his opponent. The two weren't able to get far. Juzo fell in a hole as soon as he took a step. He threw baby Sakura upwards for Itachi to catch. Itachi peered on the hole Juzo was in and found him with a broken leg. "Take her and go!" Hesitation colored Itachi's face. Juzo stabbed the wall with his weapon and used it to pull himself up. He landed on his good foot, facing the approaching enemies. "Go! I'll hold them back! I swear I won't forgive you if something happens to her!" Juzo's grip tightened in his weapon until his fist turned white. 

"I'll return by dinner." Juzo turned to Itachi with his goofy grin. It didn't take long before he turned back to his opponents and slicing everyone that gets in his way.

Itachi's hold on Sakura tightened as he clicked his tongue and ran at full speed towards the base. It took him a whole hour to reach the new base and spotted Pein, Konan, Zetsu, and Tobi waiting by the entrance. "Please." He said, handing Sakura to Konan.

"Where's Juzo?" Pein sternly asked. "Fighting. I have to go back." Before the two could utter another word, Itachi disappeared, smoke taking his place. "Zetsu, accompany Itachi." "Yes." With that, Zetsu sunk to the ground.

Itachi arrived at the exact place where he last saw Juzo. The eerie silence of the forest raised Itachi's suspicions for more traps and ambushes. He looked around and followed the trail of destruction. A fierce battle surely took place in the forest. Trees were uprooted and blood splattered everywhere. But there were no signs of corpses nor Juzo. Itachi masked his chakra and infiltrated the village. He stood by the window of the Hokage's office and listened.

"The Akatsuki member is in the interrogation room. His weapon is getting ready to be returned to the village hidden in the mist." A voice said. This is all Itachi needed to know. The sun is nearly setting, all Itachi had to do is wait for night time before he moves. 

The moon rose and Itachi first went to take back his partner's weapon. He went into the building and went to the storage room. There, he found the weapon wrapped in cloth. He grabbed it and ran for the interrogation room. He waited in the shadows for Ibiki, the one interrogating Juzo to leave the room. After an hour of waiting, the door finally budged, revealing Ibiki with a frown on his face. It seems like he didn't get what he wanted to get.

After waiting for a few more minutes to make sure that the coast is clear, Itachi finally went in, only to find a severely beaten Juzo chained on the wall with his leg twisted in an unnatural way. "It's almost dinner time." Itachi's monotonous voice echoed in the walls. He grabbed a kunai and broke the chains with it. Itachi handed him the weapon. Juzo smiled as he grabbed it. The door swung open to reveal a grinning Ibiki. "I knew it was unusually noisy." He said. 

Itachi and Juzo prepared to fight. They both stepped back as a mushy mass grew on the floor around Ibiki. He fell on his knees before he even got the chance to jump out of the way. His chakra was sucked out of him just as Zetsu emerged from the ground. Itachi carried Juzo like a sack of potatoes and ran at full speed out of the village. The two ran through the forest in silence. The thing that broke the silence was a bloody cough from Juzo. Itachi abruptly stopped and gently settled him by the tree. The life in Juzo's eyes slowly drained away. 

Juzo panted and opened his mouth to speak. "I've been...poisoned...in the last...fight. That's why they...didn't pursue our...escape. Don't take me back. The poison...will spread...from my corpse. There's no...saving me." Juzo gave Itachi a bloody smile as he looked up at him with lifeless eyes. "The...Kubikiribocho...has always been my...partner." Juzo's weak shaking hand lifted the weapon towards Itachi. "Give it to th..at snot-nosed...brat. Go." Subtle pain colored Itachi's eyes as he took the weapon and started walking away from Juzo. "Tell her...I'm sorry. I...won't be arriving for...dinner..." With that Itachi ran away from Juzo's lifeless corpse. His emotionless face contradicted what he was feeling. His grip tightened on the weapon until his fist turned white. He took a peek back at Juzo and found a faint smile on his lifeless face.

To Be Continued...

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A/N: Hey guys! I'm back from a REALLY long break! I'm so sorry I took too long :( I changed my writing style a little here so that you guys won't be too overwhelmed by the change :3

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