(A/N: Play music for more effect.)

"I've known that you were following us for quite some time," Sakura stated in a monotone voice, waiting for the figure to make their appearance from behind the trees. Slowly, he emerged. Even in the pale moonlight, he was unmistakable.

"My dear Sakura-chan, it's so nice to see you," Orochimaru said, chuckling to himself. He held out his arms mockingly as if to embrace her. She made a small, disapproving frown and stepped away. "With emotions, nonetheless," he added dryly. "I hope you haven't forgotten your mission, remember?" She remained silent, watching his cool demeanor cautiously.

"...Interesting technique you used back in Waves, Sakura-chan! Hageshī gōmon, was it?" Seeing Sakura nod stiffly, he continued. "Hm, thought so. 'Intense torture'. You put that man through a lot. Have you ever wondered where that thought came from? It almost..." He smiled widely, like a snake ready to swallow its prey whole. "just popped up in your head."

"What is your purpose of being here, Orochimaru?" Sakura asked monotonously, her face not betraying her tone.

This is Orochimaru?!

"I only wanted to tell you the truth, Experiment 528." He emphasized the last phrase. "You see, I was the one that graced you with life. You were stolen from me," the pale-skinned man frowned mockingly. "They thought you were a monster, and wanted your knowledge, your power hidden within you!"

"What power do I have that I am not aware of?" She asked, still not trusting the pale man.

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura." He made a 'tut' noise. "Why is it that so many talented people have taken the time to teach you, of all people? A girl with no name, found from one of my hideouts? Because—" Orochimaru grinned. "You were made from Lord First Hokage's own DNA! Your Hokage and the rest of the village hid that fact. Take Kakashi for example—he refused to accept that you are a brilliant prodigy, and pushed you aside for Naruto Uzumaki, whom we both know is inferior to you! He is afraid of the power you wield. They don't see you as Sakura, they see you as...Hashirama! They think that if they pretend to be close to you, they'll see your power—power from the nearly extinct Senju clan!"

Don't listen to him! He's trying to manipulate you.

Sakura froze, not denying what he had said, which made the snake-sannin smirk. "You see, Sakura-chan, they used you. You thought you were using them, but you gave into those emotions, even for just a small amount of time, and they became a weakness. Those emotions left you vulnerable, and Konohagakure took advantage of you!" Orochimaru watched her fists clench in satisfaction. "You. Are. Weak."

The pinkette was not breathing at this point, so genuinely confused by the words being fed to her—"What must I do to be strong?"

"Oh, Sakura-chan, you were always a bright one, sensible too," he gushed, then continued, "What I made you for: Destroy Konohagakure. Of course, you'll have to pretend this conversation never happened, and revert to being entirely emotionally detached, collecting information on the village. I will be making a move soon enough."

Sakura nodded, her pink hair looking magenta in the dark, as she was now ready to follow Orochimaru's commands. The dark trees that towered over her nearly covered the full moon that cast its pale light down on her.

"I'll be keeping an eye on you, Sakura-chan. Fight hard, and impress me. Also, I'll be watching the Uchiha. His beloved Sharingan is quite interesting."

He began to move back into he shadows, but then stopped. "Oh, yes, I almost forgot. I have these."

The Sannin pulled out a few yellowed scrolls. "These have the hidden Senju techniques. By now, you must know of the existence of your kekkei tōta, Shokuton. You've unleashed it unintentionally, of course, when our dear Sasuke-kun was injured by that Haku boy's kekkei genkai. Remember those vines?"

Sakura nodded again, recalling the surge of power she felt when she saw Sasuke and Naruto on the ground.

"Shokuton is a more advanced version of Mokuton, which is what Tenzou uses," he explained briefly. "The rest is all in the scrolls, Sakura-chan. Farewell."

The genin watched as Orochimaru disappeared into the shadows, then looked down at the scrolls in her arms.

"Destroy Konohagakure," the leaves seemed to whisper as the wind caused them to rustle.

:::

"Mou, Sakura-chan, you haven't spoken a single word since yesterday, dattebayo! Are you feeling down?"

He reached over to feel her forehead, but the pinkette snatched his wrist quickly. "Ramen-boy," she spoke, her voice as hard as diamond, "Refrain from physical interaction with me."

The blonde winced, and pulled his arm away forcefully. "Kuso," he muttered, rubbing the bruised wrist.

"Tch, what's what you get for trying to touch Sakura, Dobe," Sasuke smirked, then a flash of concern showed in his face when he saw the bruises before replacing it with a mask of indifference. "I think you made your point," he said dryly.

She made no comment, and kept walking. They had passed through the first village they came across, and bought two day's worth of food so they wouldn't have to stop at another village other than their destination. Surprisingly, they didn't run into any trouble. The princess was from a small village, though.

:::

At night, their third time that trip, they camped out in a forest with the same sleeping arrangements. Princess Hikari still complained about the branches and leaves that got caught in her hair and dresses, and made Naruto or Sasuke hold her bag, much to their annoyance. But most of all, Sakura began distancing herself, and the others noticed it too. She didn't speak, and was always reading something she refused to let the others look at.

Sasuke was concerned. So was Naruto.

When it was Sasuke's shift, Sakura opened a scroll and resumed reading about the abilities she had. It was because she was made to be the one to use Shokuton.

When it was her turn to watch, Sakura took that time to train. She could perform two C-ranked jutsu already, and was studying away and attempting to raise her chakra levels by meditating while reading. Slowly but surely, it was. By accident, she also discovered she could control most plants when she focused hard enough. Small things, but she could make the tree branches move towards her direction whenever it got too hot in the direct sun when they took breaks.

:::

"Thank you for delivering my daughter back," the king said before turning to the brunette they had escorted. "Hikari-hime! I missed you so much!"

"Otou-san!"

Naruto whined quietly to Kakashi that he missed Konohagakure already and wanted ramen. Sakura also wanted to get back to the village, so she could train. Anko, whom she had ran into earlier the week before she was assigned to escort Hikari, said the Chūnin Exams were coming up. Impassively, Sasuke watched the two embrace, wanting to leave. The sooner, the better.

The person following them was Orochimaru! What is he up to? Why did he wait until now?

Sakura had begun distancing herself! How will the others respond?