I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

That boy...he's much stronger then what I anticipated. If he falls into the Akatsuki's hands...he could end up being a very dangerous person to go up against. It would be better if I could get rid of him now! Orochimaru jumped off of the brown snake with his tongue stretched and ready to lash out as Jiraiya if he attempted to stop him. Just as he predicted, his old teammate soon followed as they free fell.

The Snake Sannin grinned and wrapped his tongue around Jiraiya's ankle before pulling and causing him to crash into the ground, while he landed safely on the ground. He unraveled his tongue and opened his mouth once again, a small snake coming forth and also opening its mouth, revealing a long katana that glistened from the sun.

He continued to fly towards the jinchūriki, ready to end the boy's life until—!

"You've done a bang-up job with that poor girl," Tsunade snarled as she stood still in front of Naruto protectively to avoid tearing anything else from the sword piercing her. "She's a complete mess. No emotions. It's just as bad as ROOT."

"My Experiment #528 is a true shinobi—one that will follow through without questioning the order given to her. She has all the knowledge she could ever need already implanted in her," Orochimaru boasted, then chuckled as he retracted the Kusanagi from her chest.

Kabuto made sure not to look like he disagreed with his master's words from where he was on the ground. Sakura had felt emotions, but with a little persuasion and reasoning, she was back to the emotionless girl.

"Aren't you glad, Tsunade-hime?" The Snake Sannin asked. "I am helping you revive the diminishing Senju clan! My success has unearthed a kekkei genkai that hasn't been seen or used in centuries! Shokuton genes are very strong in the First Hokage."

The Slug Princess shook even harder from where she was. Her old teammate had the nerve to use her grandfather's DNA and create a little girl to use like a tool? A little girl that didn't truly understand what the consequences were for her actions, only wanting to plead her maker. It was a sick, blind, obedience the pink-haired girl held to the man.

"Poor Tsunade-hime," Orochimaru said in a sickly sweet tone. "You're still shaking like a leaf because you're afraid."

"No," Tsunade thundered with confidence and authority, "I am shaking with anger because of your monstrosity and audacity to experiment using my grandfather's DNA! I'm shaking because I now realize that I must protect my village, because it is my duty as the Fifth Hokage of Konohagakure! I will protect every single person belonging to my village, whether they be a civilian, a genin, or an S-class shinobi!" She looked back at the small genin laying there, looking so vulnerable and weak, then softened. "That's my nindō way!"

Tsunade looked to Orochimaru, who was utterly surprised. Her shaking has stopped, the man realized as he watched the purple diamond on her forehead uncoil and become curled lines on her face, stretching to her arms and chest. Where had had slashed her was now steaming in small streams that were eventually reduced to nothing. His questioning stare made the Fifth Hokage laugh loudly.

"Oh, this? You're not the only one coming up with new jutsu! I've been storing chakra inside my forehead for years now, which has the special ability only those with the best chakra control can achieve; it allows me to increase cell production and reproduce them at a faster rate and heal large wounds." Tsunade smirked and wiped a smidgen of blood from the corner of her mouth with her thumb. "So, basically, for that tiny reptilian brain of yours that couldn't possibly comprehend the simplest of ideology, I'm invincible in battle."

Shizune frowned from beside Naruto. But each human has a limited amount of cells they create before they die, and what she's doing speeds up the process. Her cells' telomeres will continue to shorten faster than the average woman her age. Tsunade, you'd better know what you're doing!

Tsunade began drawing a character on her wrist with her blood, causing Kabuto and Jiraiya's eyes to widen. "Orochimaru, get over here, quickly!" The grey-haired medic got into a crouch before doing to same to his master's wrist.

"It'd better work this time," Jiraiya muttered under his breath, tracing the same pattern.

Simultaneously, all three Sannin slammed their palms to the ground, a trio of large clouds of dust polluting the air. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

:::

Sakura deftly back flipped, avoiding a kick from her opponent. "Give up," she said monotonously. "You will not beat me."

"The hell, I will," Sasuke scoffed as they both stopped to breathe. "Why are you doing this?" By now, his forehead had a cut on it, his hair getting mixed in with the drying blood.

Sakura tilted her head questioningly. "What is it I am...doing?" She had paused in the middle of her sentence to spasm slightly, making his forehead crease in worry.

"Sakura..." He watched her body twitch visibly, and convulsed as if electrocuted once or twice. Suddenly, she stumbled, and clutched her head.

"I have to," he heard her mumble. Slowly, her eyes—her real eyes—blinked, and then took in the disaster around her. Behind, three oversized animals formed a large triangle, and when she looked ahead of her, Sakura saw a beaten up Sasuke that stared intently at her. Again, she held her head in her hands and then let out a quiet groan.

"Sakura...?" Sasuke ventured, slowly creeping closer to her, still wary. "Are you okay?"

"Shinobi code states: 'A shinobi must follow their commander's instructions,'" Sakura muttered, then proceeded to name all the killing points and how hard you should throw a kunai if an enemy is however so far away and you are hiding in a tree twenty feet above them. She recited all the things she had been forced into knowing, her head pounding like she had when Sakura had been stuck in that vat of glowing green substance—

"Sakura!" Sasuke caught Sakura as she lurched forward, then turned to look upward at what was happening. His stomach clenched when he saw Naruto with Jiraiya on top of a giant red toad one of them must've summoned. He tried to loosen the pressure in his jaw, but nothing seemed to release the pressure in his body. Sasuke winced, feeling the burning sensation on his neck, and then began to panic when he felt the heat spread. I can't afford to when Sakura is with me, he told himself. Slowly, the marks crept back into its original form. Sasuke gave a quiet sigh of relief, then continued to watch the quickly-ending fight.

The large purple snake disappeared, along with the toad, and the slug, making everyone within twenty feet of eachother. Quickly, Kabuto stumbled over to Orochimaru, and then made quick signs to leave. Right before a white cloud enveloped them, the grey-haired man smiled coldly, then said, "We'll remember this, Tsunade-hime. And tell Sakura when she awakens, we won't forget her betrayal, either. She'll never be anything more than a traitor; keep that in mind when you say you want to keep her." The two were gone right then, leaving the group alone.

Jiraiya and Tsunade turned when they heard a groan from Naruto, who was beginning to move. Meanwhile, Sakura, who was lying next to Naruto, didn't move an inch. She only lied there, almost motionless other than her chest moving up and down.

What will happen to Sakura?!