Bleach, Naruto 1. Discovery

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Dedicated to the lovely **MnC21**(Monica) who is so awesome to have thought of this plot! Just think of me as a writing tool that brings her amazing ideas to life, hehe. Anyways, moving on I hope everyone likes this story and please review! :)

**_"Shinobi and Shinigami Chronicle"_**

******_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Bleach or the plot (wow, that's strange to write), they belong to their respective owners!_**

* * *

_******Chapter 1: Discovery  
Reccommend Song: Do You Remember by Jay Sean ft. Sean Paul & Lil Jon**_

"Hitsugaya-taicho!" sang the lieutenant of the tenth division as she strode into her Captain's office with a bright smile on her face, which made Hitsugaya question the mental stability of the woman. The white haired captain of the tenth division chose to ignore his lieutenant in hopes that she would get bored and eventually go away, too bad for him that Rangiku was on a mission to gain her captain's attention.

"Oi, it's rude to ignore a woman. I'm hurt", Rangiku mock pouted and a vein in Hitsugaya's forehead began to throb as he focused intently on his paperwork, trying to block out the pestering woman in front of him.

"I'm gonna cry, Hitsugaya-taicho!" whined Rangiku and Hitsugaya snapped the pen in his hand as his head snapped up in annoyance. Rangiku gave her captain a cheery smile and if looks could kill she would've been burning in the depths of Hell right about now.

"What do you want, Rangiku!" snapped Hitsugaya in a clearly irritated tone and Rangiku made a thoughtful look, before a sheepish smile crossed her face and she rubbed the back of her head.

"Ah, I've seemed to have forgotten", the busty blonde admitted in a innocent voice and Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed to the size of slits. Rangiku smiled nervously when she felt the room suddenly drop a few degrees and she mentally racked her brain for what she had been sent to inform Hitsugaya.

"Rangiku", Hitsugaya growled out her name and the lieutenant's face turned a sickly pale color in her fear, she needed to say something or she wouldn't survive much longer. Rangiku slowly began to inch her way back towards the door, gulping when she saw the physical materialization of Hitsugaya'sreiastu form above him in the shape of an angry ice dragon.

"Oh yeah! Captain Commander wants us to head to Karakura Town to investigate the sudden spike in hollow activity!" Rangiku suddenly exclaimed and she sighed in relief as the dragon disappeared and the temperature of the room returned to normal.

"I thought, Kurosaki and Kuchiki could handle everything in Karakura?" Hitsugaya questioned and Rangiku shrugged her shoulders in response. Hitsugaya stood up from behind his desk and gave Rangiku a serious look.

"When do we leave?" he asked and Rangiku once again Rangiku formed a sheepish expression on her face, which made Hitsugaya cross his arms over his chest and raise one of his eyebrows at his lieutenant.

"An hour ago", the blonde replied before she bolted out of the room, leaving a momentarily confused Hitsugaya behind before her words finally registered in his mind and he gritted his teeth in rage.

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**"RANGIKU!"**

* * *

"Rukia that does not resemble a rabbit in the slightest", Ichigo told the small, black haired shinigami as he stared at the picture that she had drawn. He had turned it in every direction possible and he still couldn't see the rabbit that she had supposedly drawn.

"Shut up! It's there, your just blind!" snapped Rukia as she kicked Ichigo off his bed and crossed her arms over her chest in an angry pout, the substitute Shinigami hopped off the floor and glared at the violent Shinigami, who simply ignored him.

"Ichigo! You have a phone call!" Isshin's voice echoed up the stairs and Ichigo sent one final glare at Rukia, before he exited the room. Rukia lied back on the bed and looked at her drawing with a slight frown on her face.

"Stupid Strawberry", the small shinigami mumured under her breath and glanced out the window, just in time to see Rangiku hop on the window sill in her gigai with a frantic look on her face. Rukia quickly sat up and opened the window, while Rangiku wasted no time rushing in.

"Rangiku-fukutaicho, what's wrong!" exclaimed Rukia as she watched the older woman try to collect herself and Rangiku closed the curtains of the windows, before she sat down on the bed beside Rukia with a sigh of relief.

"Hitsugaya-taicho is looking for me and I'd rather not let him find me until he is calmer", Rangiku explained to Rukia in a cheery tone and Rukia stared at the older woman with an incrudlous look on her face, how could she be so calm?

Ichigo walked back in his room with his signature scowl on his face and his eyes widened slightly when he saw Rangiku sitting on his bed next to Rukia. He looked at Rukia with a silent question burning in his eyes but she just shook her head at him; he wouldn't want to get involved.

"Hey Ichigo, how's lfe been treating you?" asked Rangiku in a chipper voice and Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck, before he shrugged.

"Everything's the same", Ichigo admitted and Rangiku looked thoughtful, before she shivered lightly when a cold breeze swept through the room. Rukia and Ichigo watched the pure look of terror cross Rangiku's face as Hitsugaya suddenly swept into the room through the window.

"You have been experiencing an increase in Hollows, correct?" spoke Hitsugaya in a serious tone and Rukia nodded her head once to answer his question. Ichigo's scowl deepened when he noticed how crowded his room was getting.

"We still don't know what's causing them to appear more often, Hitsugaya-taicho", Rukia explained and Hitsugaya crossed his arms over his chest before he closed his eyes deep in thought. Rangiku inched away from her captain slowly, but froze in place when his eyes suddenly snapped open.

"Rangiku", he said in a low tone and the lieutenant gulped as beats of sweat began to form on her face. Rangiku stared at her captain and a quick relief flashed through her when she noticed that he was in his gigai, at least he couldn't do her any bodily harm.

"I really hate to interrupt the issue that you two seem to be having, but Sado just called and Uryuu wants everyone to meet up at the park. Normally, I wouldn't give a damn what Uryuu wants, but he can be a real bitch when he doesn't get his way", Ichigo spoke up and Rukia stood up, before she smoothed out her strapless baby blue sundress.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, Rangiku-fukutaicho I think it might benefit you two to come with us. It may be a clue on why the sudden increase of hollows in Karakura Town has occurred", Rukia stated and Hitsugaya nodded, while Rangiku made a mental note to repay Rukia and Ichigo both for distracting her captain.

* * *

"Kurotsuchi-taicho", Nemu's soft voice spoke up and Mayuri turned to look at his daughter with a crazed gleam in his eyes. The elder Kurotsuchi took a step towards his creation and Nemu bowed her head low, as she fiddled with the bottom of her kimono.

"The preparations for your experiment are complete", she murmured and Mayuri smiled brightly, before he strode past Nemu without another word. Once her father had left the room, Nemu sank to the floor and sighed in relief, fear was the only emotion she felt when she was near him.

Mayuri walked into his lab and stared at the large black screen that flickered to life once he began to press buttons on a keyboard located in front of the screen. Mayuri had always been curious about the pasts of the shinigami in the Gotei 13 and so he decided to see just what everyone was hiding.

Mayuri's grin grew larger once he saw images begin to appear on the screen and he heard someone walk in the room, but he didn't bother to turn around. Mayuri knew the only person who was allowed in the lab was Nemu and he knew that she wouldn't interfere with his plans, she was here simply to observe.

Nemu watched her father continue to type in words into the machine and her eyes widened a fraction when she saw a image of Rukia in rags skit across the screen, before it was replaced with another pointless image.

"Whose past shall we observe first? So many wonderful choices", Mayuri spoke to himself and Nemu remained silent as she listened to the mad scientist rant and ramble to himself, in times like these she didn't even think of him as a human being.

"Ah! I know who we should start with!" Mayuri suddenly exclaimed and he began to press more button, Nemu allowed a small gasp to escape her lips when a familiar picture of a captain appeared on the screen.

"That brat, Torshiro Hitsugaya", Mayuri growled under his breath and after a few moments of silence a bar appeared on the screen and process of retrieving the shinigami's past began to download.

* * *

Hitsugaya sat on a park bench with a light scowl on his face as he watched Rangiku and Orihime, talk about everything except what was causing the sudden increase in hollow activity. Sado sat next to Hitsugaya with his bangs covering his eyes as he listened to the two blondes continued to talk happily, while Uryuu pushed his glasses up further on his face to hide the burning annoyance in his eyes.

"Uhm Rangiku-fukutaicho, Orhime-san don't you think we should be discussing the hollow activity?" Rukia spoke up when she noticed the growing ire of the males, especially Ichigo who had begun to grit his teeth.

"That's a excellent idea, Rukia!" Orhime said happily and Hitsugaya released a breath in annoyance, before he stood up and began to walk away. Rangiku ran up and stood in front of her captain with her hands on her hips.

"Where are you headed, Hitsugaya-taicho?" she asked and Hitsugaya glared her but she only smiled at him in response. Hitsugaya resisted the urge to pull out his hair and he growled in annoyance, he didn't have the patience for this.

Rukia looked at the captain of Tenth Division and decided to take pity on him, she took a step forward and suddenly the ground crumbled beaneath her. Ichigo's eyes widened and he recahed forward to catch her and succeeded, but somehow the two still managed to fall down the hole. Everyone crowded around the hole and shouted for Rukia and Ichigo, waiting to hear a response.

"Rukia! Ichigo!" shouted Sado down the hole and no one made sound when they heard a light groan come from the hole.

"Dammit, Rukia get up your heavy!" they heard Ichigo snap and everyone sighed when they heard a loud 'thump' followed by Ichigo's shout of pain. Obviously the two were okay, if they could still do bodily harm to each other.

"We are going to have to go down after them", Hitsugaya stated after a while and Rangiku made a sound of protest, which quickly died down in her throat when Hitsugaya shot her a dark look.

One by one, everyone slowly jumped down in the hole and their eyes widened at the amount of space that was down the hole. They had expected it to be cramped or at least compacted, but the truth was that Ichigo and Rukia fallen into a large underground cave.

"How could no one know that this was beneath the park?" Uryuu questioned out loud and Orhime shrugged, before she sprinted over to where Ichigo and Rukia were glaring at each other; oblivious to the world around them.

"Kurosaki-kun, Rukia are you both alright?" asked Orhime in a worried tone and Rukia smiled at the blonde haired girl briefly, while Ichigo nodded his head once. Hitsugaya glanced around the cave and noticed the crystal like rocks that were on the ceiling that were used as a light source.

"How do we get out of here?" asked Rangiku and Hitsugaya began to walk deeper into the cave, until the voices of the others became nothing but a soft whisper behind him. Hitsugaya turned the corner and his eyes widened at the sight that greeted him.

A large iceberg stood in front of him with a pink haired girl inside. If Hitsugaya didn't know any better, he could've sworn that she was sleeping. Hitsugaya reached out a hand to touch the iceberg and he faintly noted Rangiku's gasp in shock behind him. The Captain of the Tenth Division closed his eyes and released an icy breath.

"Sakura."


	2. Divisions

Hey everyone, thank you for reviewing! It makes both me and Monica happy! Sorry for the late update, I was really sick so I hope to make up for it with this chapter. Ah, from here on out its gonna be a flashback story. Anyways, please read and review! :)  
Note: Toshiro is extremely OOC

**_Chapter 2: Divisions  
Recommend Song: Vox Populi by Thirty Seconds To Mars_**

* * *

It was early spring in Konoha and everyone was happy about the pleasant whether that they were experiencing, well almost everyone. Sakura Haruno stood in front of her mentor and the Hokage of Konoha, with a look of determinationon her face. The Hokage appraised her apprentice slightly and slowly folded her hands underneath her chin, before she looked at the other genin presented in front of her, Hinata Hyuga, Chouji Akimichi, and Naruto Uzumaki.

Tsunade looked passed the genin and nodded to Shizune, who was standing beside the door. Shizune opened the door and a man clothed in regal robes walked in, scowled at teenagers and turned his attention to Tsunade.

"These brats are the ones who are going to help caught the infamous Kaito Shiro? Is this some kind of joke, I am not going to pay for these failures!" snapped the man and Naruto gritted his teeth and began to stalk towards the man, but Sakura placed her hand on his shoulder in a painfully tight grip to stop him.

"Hitoshi-san, I can assure you that we will not fail you. Although we are young in age, we each posess a skill that can work in your benefit", Sakura responded in a level tone and Tsunade resisted the urge to smile at her pink haired apprentice.

"Little girl, please refriam from speaking unless you are spoken to directly. This is 'adult' business and I wish to speak to another 'adult' on the matters", Hitoshi replied in a snarky tone and a vein began to throb in Sakura's forehead; this man had his nerve.

"Hitoshi-san, that is quite enough. I can assure you that these four genin are more than qualified to help you with your problem and I advise you to treat them pleasantly", Tsunade finally intercepted when she saw Sakura was quickly losing her pateince with Hitoshi.

"Sakura, you will be the team leader and you will take as much time as you need for this mission. This mission is C rank, so I trust that you will be able to handle all responsibilities. Is that understood?" Tsunade directed to her student and Sakura bowed to her mentor in affirmation.

"Good. You and your team will leave within the hour and I trust that Hitoshi-san will brief you on the details of the mission", Tsunade clarified and all the genin nodded, before all except Sakura disappeared to pack for the mission. Hitoshi glared at the pinkette, but she chose to ignore the rude man.

"Shishou, I know that it is not my place to ask but when we return from this mission I would like to request that Naruto take up that training with Jiraiya", the pinkette spoke up in a low tone and Tsunde raise done of her eyebrows in question.

"I know that he won't go because he's worried about me ever since Sasuke-kun left the village, but I don't want to hold him back. Please, can you find a way to convince him to go?" Sakura pleaded to her sensei and Tsunade gave Sakura a rare smile.

"Hai, I shall see what I can do. Sakura, just focus on your mission and leave other matters to me."

Sakura smiled at her mentor and nodded happily, before she bowed once again and disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms. Hitoshi stared at where the pinkette had been standing and couldn't help but question what he had gotten himself into.

* * *

A hour quickly came and the genin soon found themselves walking past the gates o Konoha with Hitoshi in tow. Naruto was muttering under his breath about 'cranky old men who didn't know anything', while Chouji munched down happily on a bag of chips and Hinata twiddled her fingers and blushed when she occasionally glanced at Naruto. Sakura allowed her team to walk ahead of her and Hitoshi, it would give her a chance to get more information on the mission.

"Hitoshi-san, where exactly are we headed?" Sakura asked in a pleasant voice and Hitoshi scowled at her, which Sakura once again politely chose to ignore. Hitoshi had a superiority complex it seemed, because he thought he was so much better than the genin.

"It's a small village on the outskirts of Yukigakure, nothing peasants like you would be familiar with. Our village is very wealthy and we choose not to associate with rift raft, such as yourself", Hitoshi responded in a smug tone and Sakura's eyes widened at how bluntly rude he was. How could someone ask for help, but care not to offend their assistance?

"Money is the root of all evil", Chouji spoke up suddenly and Sakura turned her attention to the Akimichi who was now looking very displeased with Hitoshi. Sakura could understand why he was upset; no one liked to be called 'peasants' or 'rift raft'.

"Money is what keeps the world in balance. Mankind is spilt into two groups, the rich and the poor. I happen to be rich and that is why I require your assistance and it is because you are poor that you accept my proposal", Hitoshi responded as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"That's a load of bullshit!" Naruto shouted in outrage and Sakura quickly made her way to her seething teammate, who looked ready to murder their client but she silently agreed with his statement.

"We accepted this mission out of kindness which someone like you would never understand! Money had nothing to do with it! Rich or poor, it doesn't matter! We are helping you, because you NEED help!" Naruto continued and Hinata stared at her crush with worry apparent on her face.

"Naruto, calm down!" Sakura whispered harshly in his ear as she continued to restrain the enraged Uzumaki. Hitoshi glared at Naruto, bright blue clashing with dark onyx and Sakura swore she could see visible sparks in the air.

"H-hitoshi-san, ano d-don't you think w-we should get m-moving?" Hinata stuttered out and Sakura sent the timid Hyuga a thankful glance, before she slowly released Naruto when she felt the blond relax.

Chouji stood beside Naruto and kept a careful eye on him, while Sakura made sure that if she were to converse with Hitoshi again, that they'd be out of ear shot. The Haruno lifted her head to the bright cloudless sky and a wistful sky escaped her lips, she couldn't help but wonder if Sasuke was okay. Was revenge really worth all the pain that he was causing her and Naruto?

Sakura shook her head to clear her depressing thoughts, she had a mission to focus on. She glanced at Hitoshi and frowned slightly, something didn't sit well with her about him and it wasn't the obvious rude demeanorhe had. Sakura didn't dwell to far into her thought, before Hitoshi looked her direction sharply and glared at her from staring at him for so long.

"Is there something that I can help you with brat?" he snapped and Sakura shook her head, before she forced a disgustingly sweet smile on her face. She hated that she had to pretend to be 'civilized' with this man, but being a kunoichi meant you had to do things you didn't want to do.

* * *

Sakura didn't know what to expect when they arrived in the unnamed village, she had a general idea that people like Hitoshi would be strutting about as if they were Kami themselves. The Haruno was sorely mistaken at her initial thought and she looked at Hitoshi, who only glared at the obviously poor citizens that trudged through the streets. Hinata's eyes were widened in horror and Chouji dropped his bag of chips in shock. Naruto remained uncharacteristically quiet.

"These are the lower districts for the peasants and scum. They dirty up our village, but they do have there uses such as being hard workers and they make us rich folk feel better about ourselves", Hitoshi mused and Sakura stared at him, not bothering to hide her disgust.

Before Sakura could speak up in outrage a boy with snow white hair and bright green eyes walked up to them with a bright smile on his face, which was strange considering he was covered in what could easily be described as rags. Hitoshi grimaced at the stranger and the genin stared at the cheery newcomer with confusion and curiosity on their faces.

"Good evening, Hitoshi-san and young travelers. I hope everything is fine with you this wonderful evening", the stranger commented with a bright grin and Sakura resisted the urge to step back away from the overly happy boy, who looked to be around their age if not older by a year or so.

Sakura stared at the boy closely and couldn't help but notice that something was 'off' about the boy, but she couldn't really put her finger on it. Sakura opened her mouth to respond to the boy, but was quickly cut off as Hitoshi struck the stranger across his face. Hinata gave a out a small cry in alarm and Chouji restrained Naruto from attacking Hitoshi, while Sakura stared in disbelief.

"Filthy peasant, how dare you address me! I should have you punished for your insolence!" shouted Hitoshi in outrage and before Sakura could stop herself, she had slapped Hitoshi hard across the face and was kneling down beisde the fallen boy.

Hitoshi touched his brusied cheek and stared at Sakura in a mixture of rage and shock, before he opened his mouth to say something but stopped short at the death stare that Sakura was shooting in his direction. The Haruno's hand glowed green with healing chakra and she brought it to the stranger's cheek to heal the damage that Hitoshi had done.

"Are you alright?" Sakura asked in a soft tone and she found herself speechless when she found herself staring directly into the pair of the prettiest green eyes that she had ever seen, well in her own personal opinion. The stranger smiled at her and up that close Sakura, could tell that it was slightly forced.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It takes more than a slap to keep me down. I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya, but everyone calls me Hitsugaya", the stranger replied and Sakura stood up before she held out her hand to the stranger, much to Hitoshi's ire and disgust.

"I'm Sakura Haruno, it's a pleasure to meet you", she replied and smiled warmly, as Toshiro took her hand and together with her help he slowly rose to his feet.


	3. Intervention

Here's chapter 3 and thank you to all the reviewers! :)

_**Chapter 3: Intervention  
Recommend Song: Firework by Katy Perry**_

* * *

Sakura sat in Hitoshi's office with the rest of team with a guilty expression, border lining plastic on her face. Hitoshi's cheek was still bruised and Sakura had told the man that her chakra reserves were low and that she couldn't heal him, the other genin knew that she was lying but didn't say anything to prove her otherwise. Naruto was openly glaring at Hitoshi and Hinata was fumbling with the hem of her jacket, while Chouji munched on a bag of chips.

"Well, what are you waiting for? I expect an apology, brat!" snapped Hitoshi and Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to refrain from giving the man a piece of her mind, while Inner Sakura ranted on and on how she should knock Hitoshi into next year.

"I sincerely apologize for raising my hand to you, it will not happen again", Sakura lied through her teeth and gave Hitoshi one of her fakest sincere smiles, her jaw felt ready to snap under all the pressure she was putting on it.

Sakura wanted to get on with the mission so they could find the thief faster and leave this backwards village behind, along with Hitoshi. Sakura thought back to her encounter with the cheery boy named Toshiro and a small, yet sincere smile began to grace her features. He had promised to give the genin a tour around the village after they finished their business with Hitoshi.

"Hitoshi-san can you please tell us more about this thief, Kaito Shiro?" Sakura requested and Hitoshi sighed before he poured himself a glass of sake, much to the ire of the genin who already didn't like the snobby old man.

"Kaito Shiro is a menace that has been targeting all of us high class folk. Just recently he stole a very expensive diamond necklace from my neighbor, Niwa-san. Everyone suspects that I will be the one he targets next", Hitoshi explained calmly and Sakura nodded her head.

"Do you have guess of why he is targeting you?" Sakura questioned and Hitoshi snorted at he rolled his eyes at her question, which made Sakura ball up her hands into fists at her sides. This man was testing her patience in ways that would be considered dangerous.

"It's because we are rich of course! A few weeks ago, the brat stole a large amount of money from my brother's safe and gave it to those filthy peasants! That is a waste of good money!" shouted Hitoshi and Sakura bowed suddenly, before she excused her team and herself from Hitoshi's home, after promising to stop Kaito Shiro.

Once the genin were safely away from Hitoshi's home, Sakura released an outrage scream into the mid day air and the other genin looked at her with sympathetic looks. Sakura ran her hand through her pink locks before turned to her team with a serious look.

"Alright, here's the plan. Naruto and Hinata you two explore the grounds of the various high class estates and memorize all the exits and entrances. Chouji, you question the other 'high society' citizens and see if they have further information on Kaito Shiro. I will explore the village and get other citizens opinions and views on Kaito Shiro", Sakura explained and each genin nodded, before they headed in their respective directions.

Sakura sighed and gripped her hair in tight grip, before she groaned in frustration and walked towards the village gates where she would meet Toshiro. One part of her was curious about the white haired boy and another part was focused entirely on the mission, while Inner Sakura just commented on how Hitoshi was a 'bastard' and deserved to get robbed. Sakura laughed to herself, she was so indecisive but one thing was for certain; Kaito Shiro was going to be one interesting person to catch.

* * *

Toshiro waited for the genin by the village gates as he toyed with the hem of his sleeve, his mind drifted to the kind pink haired girl named Sakura, who had stood up to Hitoshi on his behalf; he a simple peasant. Toshiro closed his eyes and a small smile graced his face when she remembered how soft her hand had felt on his skin and how relaxing her chakra had felt as it soothed his stinging cheek.

"Ano, Hitsugaya-san?" a soft voice spoke up in front of him and he opened his eyes to see Sakura's face staring at him with a concerned look. Toshiro blinked before he gave her a bright smile and Sakura returned his smile with one of her own.

"Hey Haruno-san, sorry about that. I was thinking about something", Toshiro replied to Sakura in a sheepish tone and Sakura nodded her head in understanding. Toshiro didn't bother to ask Sakura if the other genin were coming or not, instead he simply took her hand and pulled her along behind him. The pancetta couldn't do anything to stop the bright blush that threatened to consume her face.

Sakura walked beside Toshiro and her eyes wandered over the poor citizens, who looked ready to collapse at any moment. The medic in training knew that most were ill and she didn't have a doubt in her mind that only 'rich' people received medical care. Sakura lowered her eyes to the ground and sorrow and tightened her hand around Toshiro's, much to the boy's surprise and confusion.

"Is something wrong, Haruno-san?" Toshiro questioned and Sakura looked up at him with bittersweet expression on her face. She couldn't understand how the boy could continue to be happy, when he lived in such a condition.

"How do you feel about this village, Hitsugaya-san?" asked Sakura in a soft tone and Toshiro shrugged in a nonchalant matter. The two teens continued to travel through the village with Toshiro pointing out different shops and hang outs.

"I love this village, but I do agree that changes do you need to happen", Toshiro spoke up suddenly in a serious tone and Sakura looked taken aback at his abrupt change in demeanor, but she didn't speak out against it.

"I never liked the thought of people being better than others. I'd like to believe that everyone is equal, of course some people will have more money but they shouldn't flaunt it", Toshiro continued and Sakura could only nod her head in agreement.

"So, this Kaito Shiro person? How do you feel towards him?" Sakura asked after silence had ensued over them and once again Toshiro shrugged as if he didn't have a care in the world, Sakura could easily place him as another Naruto; a more calm and intelligent Naruto.

"I don't have anything against him and he gives us the things that he steals from the rich people. I know it may not be ethical, but at least someone is trying to help us out. It's a start", Toshiro replied before he flashed Sakura a bright grin and pulled her along.

Sakura and Toshiro chatted about many things, small pointless things and deep meaningful things. Toshiro asked Sakura what her village was like and Sakura told him about it, her friends, the Hokage, the citizens and the shinobi.

"Are you a shinobi, Hitsugaya-san?" asked Sakura and Toshiro regretfully shook his head at the pink haired genin.

"Sadly, I'm not. This village doesn't have any shinobi in it", Hitsugaya responded in a distant tone and Sakura made a mental reminder to tell the other genin about that small fact. If there were no shinobi in the village, it was safe to assume that this Kaito Shiro character wasn't a ninja.

A crash was heard to the right of Toshiro and Sakura, which both teens turned their heads to investigate. A little boy around the age of five was on the ground crying and a girl who looked about eight or nine was crouched down in front of him, trying to get him to stop crying. No one moved to help the children, but some others casted the children sympathetic glances and Sakura felt a sick feeling settle in her stomach.

"Aoi-chan, Taka-kun are you okay?" asked Toshiro in a soft tone as he approached the two children and Sakura watched at the older girl, named Aoi, pulled on Toshiro's clothes and point frantically to the younger boy, named Taka.

Sakura stood a few feet behind Toshiro as he kneeled down in front of the crying boy and smiled at him reassuringly, before he looked over the boy for injuries. Sakura's eyes quickly located a nasty bruise on his arm and along with a small cut on his cheek, which she heard Toshiro click his tongue at. Without a word Sakura moved next to Toshiro and crouched down in front of the wounded boy, who stared at her with tears shining in his bright hazel eyes.

"Don't worry, she's a friend. This is Sakura, she's gonna make you all better", Toshiro murmured soothingly to the young boy, who nodded before Sakura activated her healing chakra and began to heal Taka's injuries. As the pink haired girl treated the young child she came to the conclusion; it was time for an intervention.

* * *

Sakura met up with her team around sun down and she told them about the village, while they relayed to her the information that they had gathered. According to Chouji, almost every rich person had been robbed by Kaito Shiro at least once. Naruto and Hinata reported that there were multiple exits that could be easily accessed by a shinobi, but only one or two for a normal thief.

"We have to do something about this town, its ridiculous", Sakura commented as she played with her food, she couldn't stand the thought of eating while people were starving all around her; Hinata seconded that thought.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Naruto with a mouthful of ramen noodles and Sakura had a thoughtful expression on her face, before she jumped to her feet with a bright smile on her face.

"I know just what to do!" exclaimed Sakura and the other genin could only watch with excited astonishment as Sakura told them her plan.

As night fell around them the four genin slowly made their way towards the lower district, each with a smile or grin on his or her face. Toshiro sat on a nearby bench with a faraway look on his face, before Sakura rushed over to him and pulled him to his feet.

"Hitsugaya-san, can you do me a favor? Could you somehow manage to convince everyone to go to the park in about twenty minutes?" asked Sakura in a excited tone and Toshiro could only nod at the excited girl before she pulled away and headed to the park with her team, leaving a puzzled Toshiro behind.

"Alright, Naruto you know what to do", Sakura stated in a cheery tone and Naruto pumped his fist before he gave her a foxy grin. Sakura watched Naruto as he preformed the _**Kage no Bunshin **_to form about thirty or so clones. He and his clones went to setting up equipment that Hinata was slowly releasing from scrolls that Sakura had given her.

Chouji and Sakura nodded at each other, before they each began their respective jobs. The genin quickly turned the large park into a small festival and they smiled when the villagers began to arrive all with looks of shock on their faces. Chouji set out the rest of the food and mentally cried on how they had used his _**entire **_supply of food on this event; Sakura had promised to make it up to him when they returned to Konoha.

"We hope you don't mind us intruding and setting up this event without your permission, but we just wanted to show you guys the kindness that you rightfully deserve", Sakura stated in a clear tone and one elderly woman approached Sakura with a stern look on her face.

Sakura was relatively surprised when the old woman suddenly hugged her and Sakura could feel tears dripping onto her shoulder. The pinkette returned the older woman's hug and rubbed her back soothingly with a soft smile on her face.

"Kami bless you all, child", the elderly woman spoke and pulled back before she graced Sakura and the other genin with a smile.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Let's have fun!" exclaimed Naruto and the villagers cheered before they all rushed into the park with looks of joy and gratitude all painted clearly on their faces. Toshiro stepped up beside Sakura with a look of shock on his face as he continued to stare at the festival behind him.

"Haruno-san, how in the world did you pull this off?" Toshiro questioned her in awe and Sakura giggled before she grasped his hand in her own. Toshiro looked down at their locked hands and gave Sakura a genuine smile.

"It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it", replied Sakura and Toshiro nodded his head in agreement. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura suddenly pulled away and pulled a scroll out of her back pocket.

"Sakura, it's almost time!" called Chouji from the distance and Sakura unraveled the scroll, which was blank on the inside. Toshiro was about to question Sakura but the pinkette just sent him a secretive smile and bit her thumb, drawing blood.

The Haruno smeared her blood across the blank scroll and jumped back just in time to see fireworks shot from the scroll and shoot high it the air, exploding in a shower of color. The villagers watched in awe at the sight of the fireworks and Sakura cheered along with the other genin; even shy little Hinata! Toshiro focused his attention away from the fireworks and back to Sakura, he openly smiled at her.

Sakura laughed and cheered along with Naruto at the firework show; it had been a complete accident that she had packed that scroll but she was now grateful for her mistake. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt Toshiro slip his hand through hers and she smiled at him, before they both turned their attention to the fireworks. Neither noticed the blush adorning the other's cheeks.


	4. Inception

Here's chapter 4 and thank you to all the reviewers! :)

_**Chapter 4: Inception  
Recommend Song: Wash My World by Laurent Wolf**_

* * *

"For the love of Kami, just shut up!" Naruto shouted in an enraged tone and Hitoshi stopped in mid-rant to stare at Naruto with an incredulous look on his face.

Sakura didn't bother to reprimand the Uzumaki, because she pretty sick of Hitoshi as well. The pinkette rubbed her temples and tried to fight of the migraine that she was beginning to develop. Sakura didn't know that throwing a festival for the 'lower class' citizens would cause such uproar among the 'higher class' citizens, but she didn't regret her decision.

"Look, you brats! You cannot come into our village and do as you please! Those peasants did not deserve such festivities and I am enraged that you acted without my consent!" snapped Hitoshi and Naruto verbally growled at the older man, while Sakura simply nodded her head with a dull look on her face.

"Is there any particular reason you called us here, or was it simply to chaste us?" questioned Sakura in an impolite tone and Hitoshi glared at her, but the Haruno simply didn't care. She refused to needlessly endure this man's verbal abuse.

"Actually, I do have a reason I have called you four here. While you all were out throwing that forsaken festival for those filthy peasants, I received a note from Kaito Shiro last night", Hitoshi revealed and the genin quickly pushed aside their dislike of Hitoshi to focus on the target of their mission.

"A note? Hitoshi-san, will you allow me to read the note?" Sakura requested and Hitoshi nodded curtly before he went into one of the drawer's of his desk and pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper.

The other genin quickly crowded around Sakura as she unfolded the paper and read the contents of the note:

_Dear Hitoshi,_

_Haven't you learned your lesson yet? I am impressive by your arrogance and greed; truly I have never met any other person, such as you. Maybe, this time my warning will sink into the thick skull of yours. __People are not your pets.__Now, that I have repeated myself yet AGAIN, I leave you with this riddle of what I will be targeting tomorrow evening:_

_**You cannot see him in the same way as you see others. His voice is different than what you hear. He is always with you when you are alone or in a crowd. He listens to each and every word you utter and he is your best friend but speaks to you once in a blue moon? Who's he?**_

_Good Luck,_

_Kaito Shiro_

Sakura stared at the note with clearly confused look on her face, that riddle made absolutely zero sense to her. Naruto had reverted back to his 'dumb blond' mentality the moment he finished the note. Chouji scratched his head and Hinata looked just as puzzled as Sakura was. Hitoshi stared at the genins' stumped faces and he scowled.

"Well, do you have any idea what he is after!" Hitoshi snapped and Sakura looked at the older man with unease on her face. The pinkette refolded the note and tucked it in her pocket before she gave Hitoshi a hard stare.

"I think you should have told us about these notes sooner, Hitoshi-san. Then we would have been more prepared", Sakura spoke in an even tone and Hitoshi turned red at what he suspected to be an accusation in Sakura's tone.

"If you weren't so busy attending to the needs of those scum of the lower class, than you would have realized Kaito Shiro is not your average thief!" snapped Hitoshi in a sharp tone and Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously, before she quickly calmed herself.

"Hitoshi-san, you misunderstood my statement. I was merely saying that it would have helped us more if you would have told us about the notes he sent, before he stole an item. Now, back to the matter on hand. The riddle itself is quite challenging and I would like to have your insight on it", Sakura spoke to the elder man in a diplomatic tone that would've made Tsunade proud.

Hitoshi smoothed out his clothes and regained his composure, before he looked Sakura in the eye and nodded his compliance. Sakura knew that she and the others were going to be in the presence of the annoying man for a long time, so they mentally prepared themselves. Sakura took a seat in front of Hitoshi's desk and nodded for him to begin his 'theories'.

* * *

Sakura could have cried on how badly her head hurt as laid down on her futon in the house that Hitoshi had so 'graciously' allowed the genin to stay in. The pinkette had dismissed her teammates and promised that she would contact them the moment she had new information. Hitoshi had been useless, which didn't surprise Sakura in the slightest.

'_Come on! I'm the smartest Kunoichi of our class, this should be a piece of cake!' _the Haruno mentally encouraged herself as she stared at the paper in her hands, the neat script seemed to be taunting her.

Sakura growled in frustration before she hopped off her futon and shoved the note in her pocket. The frazzled Haruno stormed out of the house and headed in a random direction, deciding that she needed some air to clear her growing headache. The young medic formed chakra at the tips of her fingers as she gently massaged her temples, sighing in relief when her cool chakra soothed her pain.

'_His voice is different than what you hear. He is always with you when are alone or in a crowd', _Sakura recited parts of the riddle and she closed her eyes trying to concentrate, only to crash into something hard and solid.

The Haruno's eyes snapped open as she tried to catch her balance, but a hand reached out and caught her before she could fall. Sakura looked up at her savior and a small smile graced her face when she gazed into the eyes of none other than, Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"You okay, Haruno-san? You seemed really distracted", Hitsugaya stated with slight concern in his voice and Sakura nodded her head with a fake smile adorning her face; she didn't want the boy to know what her dilemma.

Hitsugaya saw straight through Sakura's act, but he decided not to call her out on it. He would respect her need for privacy, even if was curious on what was going on through the pinkette's head.

"I'm alright, Hitsugaya-san. Thank you for catching me", Sakura spoke in a false cheery tone and Hitsugaya nodded his head, but didn't bother to even try to smile at the younger girl.

"Ano, Haruno-san would like to take a walk with me?" asked Hitsugaya out of the blue and Sakura looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, before mentally shrugged and nodded her head in confirmation.

The two teens walked around the village with a comfortable silence surrounding them, but Hitsugaya could easily tell that something was bothering the Haruno by the way she kept biting her lower lip and her eyes would go in and out of focus as if she were in deep thought. Hitsugaya eventually made up his mind to ask the Haruno what was troubling her, before she suddenly turned to face him.

"Hitsugaya-san, this may sound strange but do you have someone who listens to every single thing you say and is considered your best friend, but only speaks to you once in a while?" Sakura's sudden question through Hitsugaya for a loop and he rubbed the back of his head with a look of puzzlement on his face.

"Ah, that depends. How is that person perceived by the others around his or herself", Hitsugaya responded in an unsure tone and Sakura looked thoughtful, before she turned to look at the setting sun.

"You cannot see that person the same way you see others", Sakura murmured to herself and Hitsugaya placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder, which the Haruno turned to look at the boy who had an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face which quickly turned into a grin.

"I think that you are thinking to 'logically' on the matter, Haruno-san. What if that person was someone, only you truly know?" stated Hitsugaya and Sakura tilted her head to the side in the gesture of a confused puppy before realization dawned on her face.

"Dear Kami, I think I know the answer", Sakura whispered in awe and she took to Hitsugaya's eyes for confirmation, which she found when the older boy nodded with a smile. Sakura threw her arms around the boys neck in a quick hug before gave him a dazzling smile.

"Thank you so much, Toshiro-kun!" Sakura exclaimed happily before she pulled away and quickly sprinted away in search of her teammates, leaving a stunned Hitsugaya behind. The boy noticed that she had addressed him by his first name and he smiled brightly; surprisingly he didn't mind if anything he kind of liked it.

* * *

Hitoshi sat in his office with a half empty bottle of sake in his hand while he read various documents pertaining to the expansion of the Higher Class District, the expansion meant that the Slums, aka the Lower Class District, would be destroyed. Hitoshi put the documents away just as Sakura and her team rushed in his office, not bothering to knock.

"Have you heathens no matters!" snapped Hitoshi in annoyance and Sakura was caught off guard mentally by Hitoshi's newest insult; the word 'heathen' was somehow worst than peasants. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and waved the elder man's harsh words and criticisms.

"Old man, shut your trap and listen to Sakura-chan or Kami help you, I will kick your ass!" snapped Naruto when Hitoshi continued to speak despite Sakura's attempts to politely get his attention. Sometimes, she loved having her blond teammate around.

Hitoshi's jaw dropped at Naruto's brash nature and Sakura spoke before he could respond to the Uzumaki. "Hitoshi-san, I believe I know what Kaito Shiro will be targeting this evening", Sakura explained in a clear tone and Hitsohi looked at her with something akin to shock on his face.

"Are you serious? Not even some of our best detectives could crack Kaito Shiro's riddles and your saying that you, a mere child, has", Hitoshi commented with disbelief evident in his tone and Sakura openly rolled her eyes at the man's insults; he would not ruin her excitement for solving this riddle.

"I admit that I did have a little help. And, from the boy that you struck when we first entered the village", Sakura admitted and Hitoshi choked on his sake, before he stood up from behind his desk.

"You mean to tell me that you and a peasant managed to solve this riddle by yourselves, that is highly unlikely!" exclaimed Hitoshi and Sakura finally fed up with the man's arrogance grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and glared at him with everything she had.

"Kaito Shiro's target is you."


	5. Encounter

Here's chapter 5 and thank you to all the reviewers! :)

**_Chapter 5: Encounter_****_  
_****_Recommended Song: Fiery Night by Lord of Dance (Feet of Flames)_**

**_Note: Trust me; you'll definitely want to listen to that song during this chapter. You won't be disappointed! ;)_**

* * *

Sakura didn't understand how it had come to this; she had never felt so frustrated and annoyed at the same time in her life, which was saying a LOT considering her teammate was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura sat on top of Hitoshi's desk idly twirling a kunai between her fingers with a look of barely controlled rage on her face.

Tonight was the night that the infamous Kaito Shiro was suppose to make his grand appearance, but as fate would have it this was also the night of a grand ball that Hitoshi just **had **to attend. He and Sakura had argued continuously about whether he should go or not, apparently he thought he should but Sakura thought otherwise.

Hours had passed before Sakura was forced to relent to Hitoshi's decision or risk breaking the older man's jaw in her anger. Sakura had directed Hinata to keep a close eye on Hitoshi at the party and Naruto to go along with her. Sakura and Chouji stood behind at Hitoshi's manor in preparation of facing the thief, whom Sakura had no doubt would appear tonight.

The pinkette sighed softly to herself before she replaced her kunai back into the holster on her thigh and she ran her hands through her pink locks. Sakura tapped the radio collar on her neck and glanced around the room on her upmost guard.

"Sakura here. How are things looking over on your end, Hinata?" Sakura spoke in a soft tone and she heard static register before she got a faint reply from the Hyuga heiress.

"E-everything is fine on this end."

"Sakura-Chan! This is so boring! Why'd me and Hinata-Chan have to get stuck with Hitoshi-teme!" Naruto's loud voice blasted through the radio and Sakura grimaced as she resisted the urge to scream at Naruto for being such an idiot.

"For the last time Naruto, the reason you and Hinata were assigned to watch over Hitoshi is because her Byakugan makes the task easier. You two will be able to subdue anyone seems to act suspiciously around Hitoshi, without causing a scene," Sakura explained once again in a weary tone and Naruto made a sound of annoyance.

"I still think you and Chouji got the better jobs," he grumbled and Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes at that comment. The Haruno didn't want to stay in Hitoshi's manor any longer than was necessary, it was ridiculous on how wealthy the man was but he wouldn't even spare a cent for those who were suffering in the Lower District.

"Just focus on the mission, Naruto. The faster we catch this thief, the sooner we can leave this place," Sakura replied in a low tone before she ended her transmission and closed her eyes. She could faintly feel Chouji's chakra signature patrolling the grounds outside and Sakura couldn't help but smile at the Akimichi's dedication.

"Sleeping on the job, hm? Some guard you turned out to be," a foreign voice spoke up and Sakura's eyes instantly snapped open, acting on pure reflex as she whipped a kunai in the direction that the voice had come from.

Sakura saw the shadows move and she watched in shock as the stranger caught the kunai in between his middle and index fingers with ease. He looped his finger in the end of the kunai and spun it expertly around his finger. Sakura was completely stunned that she hadn't sensed the stranger's presence and even more so when she couldn't feel any chakra radiating from the stranger.

"Kaito Shiro," it was more of a statement than a question and the stranger stopped twirling the kunai to study Sakura's defensive posture. Everyone had chakra in their systems, even everyday citizens, so for the pinkette to not be able to feel the thief's chakra meant one of two things, either he was dead, which was just plain ridiculous or he was masking it, something only a shinobi could do.

"At your service," was the thief's clever response and Sakura pulled another kunai from her holster before she held it in front of her, defensively. Sakura had come to two conclusions in the few minutes that she had encountered Kaito Shiro. One, that he was without a doubt a shinobi and a powerful one at that and two, that her mission had gotten ten times more difficult.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata had become accustomed to the ball's constant classical music and boring conversations. Naruto could easily say that he could probably waltz in his sleep from how many times he had seen the dance preformed. So, it was completely understandable that when the lights suddenly dimmed and the music was changed abruptly, that the two shinobi were instantly on guard.

Naruto and Hinata were greatly confused when Hitoshi moved onto the middle of the floor with his date on his arm, a much younger woman who was wearing too much make-up. The music was dark and seductive causing a bright blush to cover the shy Hyuga's face as Naruto stared at Hitoshi with obvious confusion.

Hitoshi intertwined his left hand with the woman's right and his right was placed on the woman's lower back. The woman in response placed her left hand on Hitoshi's shoulder and she gave him a flirty smile, which made Naruto grimace in disgust and Hinata to cover her eyes in horror. Hitoshi's stepped forward with his left foot the and at the same time the woman responded by stepping back with right.

_Sakura rushed at Kaito Shiro with determination shining brightly in her green eyes. The thief wordlessly rushed at her as well and their kunai clashed together in the otherwise silent room, Sakura couldn't see pass the mask that he wore but she couldn't help the shiver that went down her spine as Kaito seemed to stare into her very soul._

_Kaito used his superior strength to press his kunai harder against Sakura's and the Haruno grimaced lightly. His right foot passed over his left as he pushed forward and Sakura's immediate response was to step back with her left foot passing over her right. Sakura didn't take notice of how intimately they were pressed against one another as her foe continued to overpower her._

Hinata and Naruto watched with pure fascination as Hitoshi and his partner seemed to turn the dance floor into their own personal world. The music seemed to lull everyone into a trance-like state and Hinata's face seemed to be permanently flushed. Naruto's ocean blue irsises leapt to the Hyuga and studied her features; he would admit that she was cute.

Hitoshi lead his partner around the dance floor with ease and the woman didn't seem to mind. As Hitoshi stepped forward once again with his right foot passing over his left, Hinata's surprised gasp caught Naruto's attention.

"I know this dance," the shy Hyuga whispered without stuttering as her eyes widened slightly and Naruto turned his attention back to Hitoshi and the young woman. The woman stepped back with her left foot passing over her right and she stared at Hitoshi with half-lidded eyes.

_Sakura couldn't help the grin that formed on her face as her fist shattered Hitoshi's desk, everything that she broke in his office would be justified by her telling the older man that she was fighting Kaito Shiro. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts as a wave of shuriken was released in her direction and quickly made the seals for a simple substitution. _

_"You are full of surprises," Kaito Shiro's voice broke the silence and Sakura sent him a sharp glare as she spun on her heel just in time to avoid a punch that would've knocked her down._

_Sakura's leg shot out to catch the thief in a kick but he was faster and quickly grabbed her right and with his other hand placed dangerously low on her hip. The pinkette growled and raised her free hand to grasp Kaito Shiro's shoulder so she would not fall as he dipped her back. Kaito Shiro pulled Sakura upright and took a step forward with his right foot causing the younger girl to reflexively step back with her left, effectively trapping her against a wall._

_"You lose this time," he spoke in a low tone and Sakura was suddenly aware on how close they were. She breathed in deeply hoping to clear her mind and fine a way out of her current predicament but her plan backfired immensely when she was assaulted by the thief's dark, masculine scent. Something spicy but at the same time cool to the touch, dark and tempting as it was dangerously addictive._

_Sakura kneed Kaito in the stomach and the thief groaned as he stumbled back in surprise that she had actually managed to hit him. Sakura didn't have time to continue in assault when she suddenly felt chains wrap around her body, constricting her movement. The Haruno glared heatedly at Kaito Shiro whom had his hand in a single tiger seal, tightening the chains around Sakura. The Haruno knew that she had loss this time._

As the song began to come to a conclusion, so did the dance and dipped his partner back in one extravagant motion before he pulled her back up to him with ease. The lights became brighter and a roar of applause sounded throughout the entire ballroom. Hitoshi kissed his partner's hand and guided her off the dance floor as other couples began to replace them.

Hinata's face slowly returned to its normal shade and Naruto released a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. That dance and music were a weapon it their own rights, everyone had been completely entranced. He turned his attention to Hinata, his eyes burning with silent question and she blushed prettily at the Uzumaki's intense gaze.

"Tango," was all the timid girl said in response and Naruto gave her a bright smile before he turned his attention back to watching Hitoshi. A dance of passion and seduction, it is sensuous, elegant and almost hypnotic. That is the dance known as Tango.

* * *

"Hitoshi isn't here," Sakura bit out harshly from her place where she was wrapped up on the floor and Kaito Shiro continued to rummage through various closets and drawers, what he was searching for, Sakura had no clue.

"I know," The thief replied after a while and Sakura's eyes widened slightly at Kaito Shiro's revelation. The Haruno stared at the thief for a long time in confusion before she scowled.

"But, I thought that he was your target for tonight," she insisted and Kaito Shiro stopped his search in order to turn and face the pinkette. He crossed his arms over his chest and Sakura wished that she could see his face to judge his expression.

"He is, but I wasn't targeting his actual person. He, himself, has no value to me at all," the thief explained in a serious tone and he turned his back to Sakura before he walked over to a large self portrait of Hitoshi. Sakura rolled her eyes at the large eye sore, unknown to her that Kaito Shiro was doing the same thing behind his mask.

The thief took down the large portrait and Sakura's eyes widened at the large safe that was revealed and Kaito Shiro immediately began to make seals with his hands. Sakura didn't recognize any of the seals that he made and she frowned when she couldn't hear the name of the justu that he had preformed.

Sakura watched in silence as a red ball similar to a Rasengan began to form in Kaito Shiro's hand and he aimed it at the safe. Sakura didn't expect the energy ball to shoot forward on its own and she closed her eyes when an explosion ensued with the ball's collision with the safe. The pinkette coughed when dust and debris filled the air.

She could faintly feel Chouji's chakra signature move towards her at a rapid pace and her eyes moved to the giant on the safe where Kaito Shiro had disappeared into. He re-emerged a few seconds later with a three foot tall statue of Hitoshi in his hands, but what caught Sakura's attention was the fact that the statue was made of solid gold.

The Haruno didn't believe it was possible for her resentment of the older man to grow anymore, but she was proven wrong when her eyes caught sight of the statue in the thief's hands. Kaito Shiro moved over to the window quickly his outline stood out promptly against the moonlight as he turned back to face Sakura.

"Until we meet again," he spoke simply and disappeared into the night, leaving Sakura in a emotional turmoil. She was annoyed that she had not been able to capture Kaito Shiro, she was repulsed and disgusted with Hitoshi's obvious greed, and she was surprisingly looking forward to her next encounter with the thief.

Sakura was relatively surprised when the chains that were binding her suddenly disappeared and she slowly rose to her feet just as a frantic Chouji rushed into the room. Sakura quickly explained the situation to the Akimichi, for some reason she decided not to go too into detail about her fight with the thief.

"So, Kaito Shiro is a shinobi?" Chouji asked for clarification and Sakura nodded her head. The two were quiet as a they both dwelled in their thoughts and Chouji coughed lightly, which made Sakura jumped lightly at the sudden noise.

"Hitoshi is not going to be happy about his office or the fact that we didn't catch Kaito Shiro," Chouji commented and Sakura sighed as she mentally groaned at the headache she knew that was sure to form when Hitoshi arrived back to the manor. Sakura was really beginning to question Tsunade's choice of participates for this mission.


	6. Home

Here's chapter 6 and thank you to all the reviewers! :)

**_Chapter 6: Home_****_  
_****_Recommended Song: Crush by David Archuleta_**

* * *

The disgustingly bitter, metallic taste of blood filled Sakura's mouth as she literally bit her tongue to keep from causing bodily harm to Hitoshi, who was currently verbally abusing her and her teammates to the point where Kami, himself, would lose patience. The whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks had deepened and his palms were bloody due to his sharp nails digging into his skin.

"H-hitoshi-san...," the timid Hyuga tried to stop the older man's rant as she could see that her teammates were quickly losing patience. Hinata turned to look at Choji who had a dark look on his face and was slowly eating his bag of chips, instead of inhaling them as he usually would do.

"And, futhermore how dare you neanderthals destroy my beautiful office!" Sakura's eye developed a strange tick as she forced herself to take deep breaths, while Hinata had grown silent at the newest insult.

"We did not expect him to be a shinobi," Choji interjected and Hitoshi shot a dark look in the Akimichi's direction but otherwise ignored the genin. "I believe some form of punishment is in order," Hitoshi spoke in a surprisingly calm tone and Naruto yelled in outrage.

"You can't punish us, you bastard! We are HIRED help, we don't have to do anything for you!" Naruto shouted and a frighteningly, cold smile slowly began to form on Hitoshi's face.

"Precisely, you stupid child. You are **hired **help, if you don't bow to my demands I will simply make sure that the surrounding villages NEVER employ Konoha shinobi for help. You see, it's like I've said before 'Money is Power'," Hitoshi spoke in a simple tone and Naruto grew silent. Choji dropped his bag of chips on the floor and gaped at Hitoshi in shock, while Hinata only stared at the man in shocked horror.

"Y-you can't do that!" Naruto yelled and Hitoshi laughed, causing all the genin to shudder at how wrong it felt.

"Of course I can, it's within my right and power to," Hitoshi spoek in a false charming tone and Sakura's hands balled up into fists as she bowed her head. Hokage or not, Tsunade was going to feel the full wrath of the Haruno.

"Do not patronize us, Hitoshi. It's really starting to piss me off," Sakura tone was cold and she raised her head to stare at the older man, whom looked shocked at Sakura's behavior.

"We will consent to your demands for now, but I will tell you this," Sakura's eyes burned with hell's fire and her tone went from cold to frigid, "**You will regret EVER crossing a Shinobi from Konoha."**

The sheer amount of promise that was held in that single sentence was enough to make Hitoshi sick with fear, but he had a reputation to uphold and he refused to be intimidated by the threats of a teenage girl. Hitoshi gave Sakura a nasty smirk that was equivalent to him saying, 'Bring it.'

"Now for your brats punishment," Hitoshi hummed to himself in delight at the prospect and Sakura narrowed her eyes at the man; screw trying to hide her dislike for the man, she HATED him.

"I'll take on all our of punishment. It was my fault that Kaito Shiro got away and I will take responsibility for it alone," Sakura spoke in a neutral tone and Hitoshi gave her a look of contempt, before he smirked.

"Masochist?" Hitoshi taunted and Sakura gave the man a sickly sweet smile in return.

"No, recently turned sadist," she replied without batting at eyelash and turned forced himself not to flinch away from the pinkette. Sakura could feel her teammates shifting restlessly on either side of her and she spiked her chakra to calm them.

"Alright, you little freak. I'll let you take the punishment for your little friends," Hitoshi spoke in a cruel tone and Sakura closed her eyes with a soft sigh. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Sakura and her team mde their way towards the Lower District each with a different expression on their face. Naruto looked feral as he kept glancing at his pink haired teammate. Hinata looked a mixture of angry and sorrowful, while Choji simply looked extremely irritated. Sakura had a stotic look on her face, but on the inside she felt murderous.

No one spoke as they walked through the poor district, but the genin immediately noticed the change in the atmosphere. Everyone seemed a little more cheerful and healthy.

"Not that I'm upset with the change, but what exactly happened here?" Naruto asked to no one in particular as he scratched the top of his head in confusion. Hitsugaya ran up to genin with a bright smile on his face and Sakura once again noticed that it didn't eaxtly meet his eyes.

"What's going on, Toshiro-kun?" Sakura asked in a curious tone as she looked at all the villagers and Hitsugaya blushed lightly at the use of his first name, but he quickly recovered.

"Kaito Shiro came last night and brought medicine, food and clothes. Everyone's pretty happy about it," Hitsugaya spoke in a proud tone and Sakura looked shocked at Hitsugaya's explanation.

"Wait! The thief, Kaito Shiro, gave you guys all of those things!" Naruto exclaimed in shock and a look of irritation flashed on Hitsugaya's face before it quickly disappeared, causing Sakura to wonder if she imagined it.

"Yeah. I don't think he's such a bad guy. He steals from the rich and gives to the poor," Hitsugaya replied in a easy going tone and Sakura just sighed in response, she was too tired to argue about ethical 'right and wrong'. All the young Haruno wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep.

"Toshiro-kun, I know this may sound strange and out of the ordinary but do you know a place where I can live for the time I remain in this village?" Sakura asked in a soft tone as she rubbed her temples with chakra laden fingertips to soothe her headache.

"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?" Hitsugaya asked with a small frown beginning to mar his face and before Sakura could reply, her blond teammate beat her to it.

"Because, that bastard Hitoshi kicked Sakura-Chan out of the Upper District because we failed to catch Kaito Shiro. Sakura-Chan agreed to take the punishment for all of us and now she has no where to go, nothing to eat, no way to survive," Naruto growled in a deep tone and Sakura placed her hand on her teammate's shoulder to calm him.

"It's alright. I'll be fine," Sakura tried to reassure her team but none of the genin looked relieved, if anything they looked more concerned for there team leader. Hitsugaya was now openly frowning at the situation before he stepped forward and placed his hand on Sakura's shoulder, looking at each of her teammates.

"She can stay with me," he spoke in serious tone and Sakura's eyes widened slightly before she glanced her shoulder to look at Hitsugaya. He met her stare and nodded his head once, Sakura in return gave him a thankful smile.

"You're awesome, Hitsugaya!" Naruto cheered and before Hitsugaya could stop himself he rolled his eyes at the Uzumaki's behavior. Hinata smiled lightly at Hitsugaya and Choji grinned at the white haired boy.

"Well, now that we've got that problem resolved I will go with Toshiro-kun to my new home. I'll meet you all the village gates at sunset and for the love of Kami, please endure Hitoshi's treatment," Sakura glared at Naruto lightly with her last comment but otherwise spoke to her entire team.

"Yeah, yeah. We'll see you later, Sakura-Chan. Thanks again, Hitsugaya!" Naruto called out before he turned to leave with Hinata and Choji who both said their good-byes, as well.

Sakura turned to face Hitsugaya and blushed brightly as she noticed that his hand was still on her shoulder. Hitsugaya quickly removed his hand and turned his head to the side as he rubbed the back of his head in embarassment. A short silence drifted between the two teens before Hitsugaya cleared his throat, catching Sakura's attention.

"Shall we go?" he spoke in a strangely polite tone and Sakura smiled before she nodded her head in response and took a hold of his hand in her own. Neither, spoke out on the strange development it simply felt right.

* * *

Hitsugaya lead Sakura to a small apartment building, not bothering to speak as he lead her up the narrow staircase. Hitsugaya's apartment was small, but Sakura wasn't complaining after all she could be sleeping on the streets. His apartment consisted of a living room, a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen and a small closet.

"Ah, welcome home," Toshiro spoke in a awkard tone and Sakura gave him a reassuring smile as she moved to sit on the small couch that was against the wall in the living room.

"It's simple. It actually feels like a home," Sakura spoke as she ran her hands along the couch and Hitsugaya found himself sitting down next to her on the couch.

"Kaito Shiro...he caused trouble for you and your team," Hitsugaya spoke in a low tone and Sakura looked up only to find herself locked in an intense emerald gaze.

"Ah, it wasn't too much trouble...besides, he's making a difference and I admire him for that. It surprised me that he was a shinobi, so I figure he can't be from this village," Sakura reluctantly tore her gaze from Hitsugaya's and began to pick at the lint on the couch.

"I'm sorry, that I can't be more help to you," Sakura's head snapped up when she heard Hitsugaya's apology and she shook her head violently, before she reached up to touch his cheek.

"But, you are helping. You are allowing me to stay here, you've shown me around the village and you've been kind to me and my team. That's more than I could ever ask for," Sakura replied to Hitsugaya and his eyes widened slightly at the Haruno's words.

"Sakura...thank you," Hitsugaya replied as he placed his hand over hers which was still positioned on his cheek. Sakura soon realized how close and intimate they were and she slowly pulled back, placing her hand on her lap.

"You have nothing to thank me for. It's me who should be thanking you," the pinkette replied with a crimson blush staining her cheeks and Hitsugaya found himself thinking about how cute the Haruno looked when she blushed.

"Toshiro-kun, would you mind if I take a small nap before I have to meet my team later?" Sakura asked once a comfortable silence had surrounded the two and Hitsugaya shook his head before he stood up.

"You can sleep in my bed. I'll take the couch," Hitsugaya lead the pinkette into his small bedroom and Sakura thanked him before she moved to the bed and went to lay down. Once he was that Sakura was comfortable, Hitsugaya moved to leave but Sakura's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Don't leave yet. Could you please just lay next to me until I fall asleep?" Sakura requested in a soft voice not looking in Hitsugaya's direction out of sheer embarassment. She didn't know what had posessed her to say that, but there was no way she could take it back now.

When she didn't hear any movement, Sakura felt a small pang in her chest but it quickly disappeared when she felt the bed dip as a larger weight was added. Sakura instictively moved closer to Hitsugaya and clung to his side, ignoring how tense he was. She breathed deeply and sighed in content before slowly drifting off to sleep; Hitsugaya really did smell good.

The white haired teen stared at the pinkette that was resting peacefully on his side and his body slowly began to relax. He slowly wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him, before he too closed his eyes. Sakura really was a cute girl, especially when she blushed.


	7. Comfort

Here's chapter 7 and thank you to all the reviewers! :)

_**Chapter 7: Comfort**__**  
**__**Recommended Song: I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner**_

* * *

Sakura sat on the ground beside her teammates as they once again read over the note that Kaito Shiro had sent to Hitoshi's estate. Choji munched on his chips and Naruto sat with his arms placed behind his head, a bored expression etched across his face. The sun continued its descent but none of the genin seemed to mind.

"So, Sakura-chan you can solve this one, right?" Naruto asked and Sakura looked up from the note with a dark look on her face. Hinata could sense the violence building up in the pinkette and she moved to intervene before the Haruno could cause bodily harm to the oblivious Uzumaki.

"N-naruto-kun, this letter is very tricky. I-it could take some time to s-solve," the timid Hyuga spoke in a soft tone and Naruto looked at Hinata with a confused look his face, before he shrugged with a grin. Sakura rolled her eyes at her slow-witted teammate before her eyes returned to the note with a look of exasperation on her face.

_Dear Hitoshi,_

_I am quite surprised that you've employed Shinobi to assist you in my capture. Tell me, am I really that much of a problem to you? This could all be avoided if you simply stop being a selfish bastard, but I know for certain that it will never happen. I've decided to change things up a bit this time, instead of making you figure out what I am going to steal I am going to tell you. Diamonds. I will be targeting your 'precious' diamonds tomorrow night, but I will not tell you which safe I will be stealing them from. You have to figure out that for yourself and so I leave you this riddle:_

_**Two ANBU want to get in an enemy's Hokage Tower. In order to get in they have to give the correct countersign to the guard at the Tower after he gives them the sign. So they wait hidden nearby the Tower in hopes that they will overhear the countersign from another Shinobi.**_

**_One shinobi comes and the guard gives the sign: "6". The shinobi answers "3". The guard lets him pass. Another shinobi comes. The guard says "12" and the shinobi gives the answer "6". The guard lets him pass. So, the first ANBU goes at the Tower and the guard asks says "10". The ANBU, sure that he knew the answer as he was, says "5". Immediately, the guard kills him._**

**_Then the other ANBU, who saw that his partner was killed when he gave the countersign, had now understood what the right answer would be to whatever the guard's sign was. So, he walks to the Tower and the guard says "22". The ANBU gives the correct answer and the guard lets him in. What was the answer that the ANBU gave?_**

_Good Luck,  
Kaito Shiro_

"Wouldn't the answer be eleven?" Choji spoke up after a while and Sakura shook her head with a frustrated scowl on her face. "We can rule out the possibility that the answer is half of the number, because the ANBU was killed for relaying five when the guard said ten," Sakura replied in a quiet tone and the genin grew quiet.

"Well, the Kaito Shiro guy will be coming tomorrow night so there is no rush," Naruto spoke up in an optimistic tone and Hinata nodded her head in agreement, but Sakura wasn't easily convinced. The Haruno slowly rose to her feet before she folded the note and placed it in her medical pack.

"I'll figure it out, there's no way that this riddle is going to get the best of me. We'll meet up here bright and early," Sakura relayed to her team as she narrowed her eyes at Naruto. "And, I do mean early Naruto," she repeated and Naruto frowned before he nodded with a dejected look on his face.

"All right, everyone get some rest. Contact me if something else comes up," the Haruno commanded before she dismissed her team and slowly began to make her way back through the Lower District.

* * *

Sakura made it back to Hitsugaya's house in a record time, where she promptly collapsed on his couch. She threw her arm over her eyes with a huff and sat there in silence just thinking. The pinkette didn't notice Hitsugaya come out of the kitchen until she felt a light touch on her arm which caused her to squeak in surprise. Hitsugaya chuckled slightly and Sakura blushed in embarrassment before she noticed the bowl in his other hand.

"It's Miso soup, I figured you would be hungry when you got back," Hitsugaya explained with a slight blush on his face and Sakura smiled at him before she took the bowl from him.

"Thank you," she spoke in an appreciative tone as she tasted the soup, her eyes widening in surprise at the taste. She didn't expect the white haired teen to know how to cook so well. Hitsugaya moved to sit down beside the pinkette as she ate the soup with obvious appreciation.

"So, how did everything go?" he asked in a casual tone and Sakura paused in her eating, before she carefully set the bowl down on the table and turned to Hitsugaya.

"Well, we received another note from Kaito Shiro but the riddle this time is absolutely ridiculous. He told us what he was targeting but we need figure out which safe that he'll take the item from. Hitoshi has hundreds of safes located in his house and creating clones to guard every single one of them is a waste of chakra," Sakura ranted in obvious frustration and Hitsugaya simply sat in silence, listening to the pinkette.

"I feel so useless! I don't come from a prestigious clan like Hinata and Choji! I don't have endless chakra like Naruto! All I have is good chakra control and book smarts! Maybe Sasuke-kun was right, maybe I am useless," Sakura covered her face with her hands as tears burned in the back of her eyes.

"I don't know who this 'Sasuke' guy is but he's wrong. You're not useless, Sakura," Hitsugaya spoke in a serious tone and Sakura looked in surprise at his tone and at the fact that he had used her first name.

"You don't have to belong to any clan or have a massive amount of chakra, you're fine just the way you are. All of that doesn't define how great you. You are one of the most determined and kind-hearted people I have ever met. You have great intelligence and can heal a person with a single touch, you are far from useless," he conceded in a genuine tone and Sakura's eyes shone with unshed tears.

Hitsugaya was caught off guard when the pinkette launched herself into his arms in a fierce hug. He recovered and slowly wrapped his arms around her slim body, returning her hug. "Thank you," she spoke in a soft tone before she slowly pulled back with a smile on her face and Hitsugaya could only nod and return her smile.

"So, who is Sasuke?" he asked unable to quell his curiosity and Sakura's smile slowly faded before she began to fiddle with the hem of her dress. Hitsugaya quickly opened his mouth to retract his question, but Sakura cut him off when she began to speak.

"Sasuke Uchiha was my teammate and my first love," she began in a soft tone as she told the story of the Uchiha who she had given her heart to only to have him throw it back in her face and betray everyone who ever cared about him in search of revenge. Hitsugaya listened in silence the entire time, not once interrupting the pinkette.

The two teens sat in silence once Sakura had finished her story and Hitsugaya wore a surprisingly stoic expression on his face. Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes and gasped when she felt Hitsugaya wrap his arm around her shoulder and pull her close to him. Sakura blushed brightly and she looked up at the older teen, who stared at back her with serious expression on his face.

"The Uchiha was an idiot. But, then again in a way so were you. How do you know it was true love? Sakura, you can't fall in love with someone who constantly berates you and calls you 'annoying', someone who leaves you on a bench in the middle of the night. I want you to be honest with me, what made you believe that you were in love with the Uchiha?" Hitsugaya spoke up after a while and Sakura looked shocked.

"Sasuke-kun was so cool! He was strong and fearless! He saved me more times than I can count. I just wanted to help him and be by his side. He looked so lonely and hurt," Sakura replied and Hitsugaya scowled before he shook his head.

"That is not love, Sakura! You were a fan girl! You liked him only because everyone else around you seemed to like him. Actually, maybe you did feel some bit of love towards him but it wasn't the love that you wanted it to be. You can't fix another person," Hitsugaya relayed the cold truth to Sakura and the Haruno stared at him in shocked silence.

"Maybe…maybe, I was wrong but that doesn't mean I still didn't care for him. We had a bond as teammates, maybe it wasn't the type of love that I thought it was but it still was love. It hurt so much when he left and it still hurts!" Sakura gripped Hitsugaya's shirt in a tight hold as she cried and he tightened his hold on the girl.

"It's going to hurt, that only proves that your feelings were genuine. But, you have to understand that nothing could have made the Uchiha stay with you and the way I view it is that he cared for you in return by not taking you with him. He knew that what he was doing was dangerous and he wouldn't endanger you that way," Hitsugaya soothed Sakura in a low tone.

"Toshiro-kun, do you know what true love is?" Sakura asked after a while in a sleepy tone and Hitsugaya didn't respond right away. "No, I don't. But," Hitsugaya shifted his body so he was lying down on the couch with Sakura resting her head on his chest. He glanced down at the Haruno, who had drifted off to sleep and he moved a strand of hair out of her face.

"I'd really like to find out," he murmured as he gazed down at Sakura's sleeping face, before he turned his attention to look out the window at the cloudless sky.


	8. Crash

Here's chapter 8! Please read and review! :)  
Note: Congratulations to _**Shinigami's-Neko-Gaki **_who guessed the correct answer to the riddle! ^^ Alas, I will find some way to reward you for your efforts without a doubt.

And to all of you who reviewed/alerted/favorited the story, you all are awesome and totally make my day! Hope you enjoy the chapter.

_**Chapter 8: Crash**__**  
**__**Recommend Song: Someone to Save You by One Republic**_

* * *

Sakura was the definition of fury at the moment and none of her teammates dared to cross her path. The reason the pinkette was in such a volatile mood was because one; tonight was the night that Kaito Shiro was going to make another appearance and she still hadn't figured out the riddle and two; Hitoshi had decided to make it known that in a few weeks time the Lower District would be completely wiped out to expand the Higher District.

To say that the Haruno was unhappy would be the understatement of the century. But, Sakura was a flexible girl and she was quick to think of a new strategy to deal with the Kaito Shiro issue. She had directed Hinata to use her Byakugan to observe the entire estate from the outside and Choji was to accompany her to keep guard.

The Haruno made Naruto create no more than twenty shadow clones, because she didn't want to throw off Hinata's Byakugan with so many chakra signatures scurrying around the place. Two shadows were stationed on each of the floors, one on each end of the hall and Sakura had put up chakra sensory seals on each of the windows for extra caution.

Sakura and the original Naruto were stationed at the bottom floor so it would be easy to get to whatever floor they had to when Kaito Shiro showed up. Sakura sat on one of the overly plush chairs as she twirled a kunai on her finger, before releasing it towards a tall portrait of Hitoshi and watching with satisfaction as it embedded itself right between his eyes.

Sakura stood up and made her way over to the portrait before she brutally yanked the kunai free and returned to her seat, before repeating the process over again for the tenth time. Naruto stared at his teammate warily and mentally debated whether or not he should stop her. He heard the 'thunk' of the kunai hitting the portrait again and he decided that he valued his life too much to interfere.

"Wouldn't it be nice if Hitoshi were to just lose all of his money? He wouldn't know what to do," Sakura's voice filled the silence and Naruto couldn't help but stare at his teammate in concern. He'd never seen Sakura this upset, not even when Sasuke left; it was frightening.

"Better yet, if all of the citizens of the Lower District suddenly became rich and he was forced to work for them. Now that," Sakura threw her kunai at the portrait with a grim smile, "would be poetic justice," she conceded as she pulled her kunai free.

Naruto didn't reply and he could tell by the way Sakura kept talking, that she wasn't entirely aware that he was there. The Uzumaki decided that it was best to just let his teammate vent out her frustrations. Seconds ticked by before they turned to minutes and before anyone truly noticed an hour had passed and it was exactly midnight.

Sakura had long stopped ranting about Hitoshi's demise and her brain had turned its attention back to the riddle, much to her irritation. Sakura scowled and huffed in frustration as she continued to draw blanks with the conclusion. _'What other connection does six have to three, besides being half? The same could be said for the number twelve,' _Sakura mentally questioned herself and she began to absent-mindedly trace the numbers along the cushions with her finger.

"Six…..three…..twelve….six," Sakura spoke out loud and Naruto glanced up from his place where he had been staring at the floor. The blonde scratched his head and cleared his throat to catch Sakura's attention.

"Ano, Sakura-Chan…I know I'm not all that good at math but is it possible that this Kaito Shiro guy is talking about the letters? There are three letters in the number six and six letters in the number twelve," Naruto quietly inserted his theory and Sakura's eyes widened before she leapt to her feet.

"And, there is three letters in the number ten which is why that ANBU was killed. Naruto, you're brilliant! The answer to the riddle is nine! Half of twenty-two is eleven, but there are only nine letters!" the moment that Sakura had found the answer a series of explosions went off through all the floors.

"All my clones have been dispersed," Naruto informed Sakura and at the same moment Hinata radioed Sakura, informing the pinkette that there was a foreign chakra signature making its way through the third floor at a rapid pace.

Naruto and Sakura wasted no time getting to the third floor and Naruto growled when he saw the large hole in the safe that was marked number '9'. Sakura was quick to sense the thief's retreating chakra signature and motioned for Naruto to follow her. The two genin quickly escaped into the night intent on following after the thief's faint trail.

* * *

Sakura and Naruto spotted Kaito Shiro a few minutes later, both of the genin channeled more chakra into their legs to make them go faster. Kaito Shiro glanced back when he felt their presence and both of the genin barely had time to dodge a foreign justu that was shot in their direction. Naruto yelled in outrage and made multiple shadow clones all of whom leapt at Kaito Shiro without warning, however; the thief was no rookie and quickly dispatched the clones.

Kaito Shiro quickly turned around to face the two genin while still back tracking across various rooftops. His hands moved in a rapid secession to form hand signs and Sakura's eyes widened as she recognized the last sign the thief had made. The Haruno quickly hopped to another roof but her blonde teammate was not as lucky; his eyes widened as the red orb of chakra flew in his direction and crashed into the roof that he was standing on.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed in concern as she stopped to see if her teammate was alright. Kaito Shiro made no such attempt and continued on his way, as Sakura anxiously waited for the dust to clear.

"I'm fine, Sakura-Chan! Just go catch that bastard!" she heard Naruto's voice call from the debris and Sakura sighed in relief before headed off, intent on following the Uzumaki's advice.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she once again caught up with the thief and she channeled chakra into her right leg before she bounded off one rooftop to catch Kaito Shiro off guard. Kaito Shiro narrowly avoided the kick that would have rendered him unconscious and threw multiple shuriken at the Haruno, whom dodged with feline grace.

Kaito Shiro stopped two rooftops away from Sakura and turned around to face the pinkette, who was panting slightly from the chase. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at the mask that concealed Kaito Shiro's true identity from her and the thief made no motion to move towards or away from her.

"It seems we have come to a stalemate. Tell me, what will you accomplish by capturing me?" Kaito Shiro's deep voice penetrated the silence causing Sakura to jump slightly, before her forehead furrowed in confusion at his statement.

"You're a thief and no matter how noble your acts may be its still not right to steal," Sakura replied in an automatic response and she could hear Kaito Shiro sigh from his position away from her. Silence engulfed the two shinobi once again, before Sakura shifted restlessly from one foot to another.

"What if I told you that I wasn't necessarily stealing? What if I told you that I was merely returning what rightfully belonged to others?" Kaito Shiro asked and Sakura frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'd call you a terrible liar and hope that you wouldn't believe me to be stupid," the pinkette spoke in a spoke tone and she watched in fascination as Kaito Shiro shook his head.

"I would never think you are stupid," Sakura's heart skipped a beat at Kaito Shiro's words and a sense of déjà vu washed over her, but she quickly shook it off as nerves. A small breeze passed between the two before Sakura slowly took a step forward.

"I want to let you escape," Sakura admitted quietly as she pulled a kunai from its holster on her thigh. Kaito Shiro mimicked her movements and pulled out a kunai of his own.

"I want you to capture me," he replied with genuine sincerity as he held the kunai out in front of him in an offensive position, while Sakura took a defensive position. Another silence spread between the two shinobi, before they both charged forward with their kunai clashing in the otherwise quiet night.

Kaito Shiro ducked under the roundhouse kick that Sakura had aimed towards his head and he retaliated with an uppercut to her abdomen that left her momentarily winded. The two landed back on their respective rooftops and Sakura's hands flashed through hand signs just in time to perform a substitution as Kaito Shiro released a wave of shuriken towards her.

The thief looked around frantically once her saw that Sakura had turned into a log. Kaito Shiro looked up from a shadow had suddenly casted over his body and he cursed when he saw Sakura diving towards him with her right arm burning brightly with blue chakra which would be more than enough to end their fight if it even grazed him.

Kaito Shiro knew that he didn't have time to move from his place on the roof so he quickly started a line of complicated hand signs. Sakura's eyes narrowed as she watched the thief and just as she was about to unleash her full chakra laden punch onto him, he raised his palm forward and a circular shield made of pure chakra appeared.

Sakura's fist collided with the shield and she grimaced when her chakra began to clash with Kaito Shiro's. The thief gritted his teeth from the effort that came with trying to repel the pinkette's chakra. The power outing lasted for a few more minutes before both of the chakras exploded in a white light, knocking both of the shinobi back.

Kaito Shiro groaned as he collided with a nearby building and he quickly scanned his surroundings to find Sakura. The Haruno lay a few feet away from him on a badly damaged rooftop, staring at him with unshed tears in her eyes which confused him greatly. This confusion turned into dread filled realization when he saw that Sakura had his mask in his hand.

"Toshiro-kun," her voice sounded undeniably hurt and feeble even to her own ears and the newly identified thief slowly tried to make his way towards her. The Haruno tried to move her bruised and battered body, but that proved to be a mistake once the rooftop began to crumble beneath her.

Sakura's eyes widened as she began to fall and she instinctively reached out her hand to Hitsugaya but he wasn't fast enough and his fingertips managed to only graze her own. The Haruno dared to look into Hitsugaya's eyes as she lost her balance and her heart clenched at the sight. Hitsugaya's bright green eyes shown with panic, concern, regret and deep heart wrenching sorrow. And, Sakura fell.

* * *

Sakura was falling. She could make out the intimidating black cement that continued to draw closer and closer at every passing second but the pinkette didn't focus on her imminent death; instead she focused on what she had discovered a few moments ago. The Haruno felt tears burn her eyes and she blinked to relieve the irritating sensation, but the effort proved to be futile.

Sakura estimated that she had about a minute before she hit the ground, thus concluding her young life and yet she couldn't find it within her to panic. She felt a lot of things at the moment; sorrow, betrayal, hurt, angry, and strangely enough, she felt sympathy. The Haruno closed her eyes and mentally counted the seconds that it would take for her freefall to cease.

_**One.**_

She mentally apologized to her teammates for failing the mission.

_**Two.**_

She regretted not breaking Hitoshi's jaw when she first had the chance.

_**Three.**_

She wished she had been able to tell her parents goodbye.

_**Four.**_

She hoped that Naruto would keep his promise and bring Sasuke back to the village.

_**Five.**_

She vowed that she would haunt Orochimaru for putting her friends and family through so much pain.

_**Six.**_

She prayed to Kami that the people of this village would have a better future.

_**Seven. **_

She promised to watch over all of those who were dear to her.

_**Eight.**_

She remembered that Kaito Shiro was none other than Toshiro Hitsugaya.

_**Nine.**_

She smiled as she realized that she had fallen in love him.

_**Ten…**_

She crashed.


	9. Release

Sorry for the late update, I got grounded for a while. The next update will be quicker because this is a relatively short chapter.  
Here's chapter 9! Please read and review! :)

_**Chapter 9: Release  
Recommend Song: Never Say Never by The Fray**_

* * *

"Kaito Shiro will no longer be a problem in this village," Sakura's words were solemn as she placed the thief's mask upon Hitoshi's desk. The older man merely folded his hands under his chin and directed his dark gaze at the serious pinkette.

"Well, that's good. It took you longer than I expected but all is well in the end, I suppose you are looking for payment?" Hitoshi's eyes glittered with malice as he spoke the last part and Naruto growled under his breath, while Hinata looked away uneasily.

"Keep your damn money, you fucking tyrant. We don't want anything from you," Sakura's words were sharp and Hitoshi's eyes widened at the Haruno's tone, as did her teammates who were equally as shocked.

"It would suit you well to watch your tongue, little girl. While you are in this village, you are still under my employment," Hitoshi leaned across his desk to growl at Sakura to which the genin responded by punching the man in the face, hard.

A small gasp escaped from Hinata, Naruto grinned and Choji dropped his chips at Sakura's bold move. The pink haired genin's body shook with rage as she watched Hitoshi rise to his feet with a look of vengeance on his face. Sakura was long past caring about the welfare of the mission and she was certain that Tsunade would understand her behavior.

"That will prove to be a grave mistake, brat! Konoha shinobi will never be hired by anyone again!" Hitoshi shouted in outrage as his face turned purple in his rage but Sakura merely tilted her head to the side in mock confusion.

"Who gives a damn? We help out other villages because we **choose **to do so, you arrogant bastard!" Sakura retorted with her eyes blazing with green fury and Hitoshi took a step towards her menacingly. Naruto stepped up beside his pink haired team leader with a look of warning in his eyes as he glared at Hitoshi, no one would harm Sakura under his watch.

Sakura shoved passed Hitoshi and rummaged through his desk much to his disbelief, before she pulled out various documents that were held together with a paperclip. Sakura scanned through the documents before she looked up at Hitoshi with as much hatred as she could muster and then she quickly tore the documents in half.

"What the hell are you doing! You little bitch, do you know how important those documents were!" Hitoshi shouted in anger as he tried to charge at Sakura but was stopped when he felt several jabs to his pressure points, causing him to collapse in a heap on the floor. Hinata stood behind Hitoshi with a nervous expression on her face and fiddled with her fingers over her impulsive actions.

"Think of this as our **payment**," Sakura spat out the last word to the man who was currently lying paralyzed on the floor. Hitoshi glared up at Sakura who was now sitting on top of his desk with a blank expression on his face.

"I won't forget this, you bitch. I'll make you pay for what you have done!" Hitoshi promised and Sakura looked out the window at the early morning sun, before turned her attention back to Hitoshi.

"I have a riddle for you, Hitoshi. Maybe, one day the answer will come to you and you'll understand why Kaito Shiro did all of the things he," Sakura spoke in a surprisingly soft tone as she hopped off the desk to crouch down in front of the immobilized man.

"_I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?"_ Sakura stood up straight and looked down at Hitoshi with a pitying look on her face.

"I'll give a small hint. You destroyed countless of these with your pride and greed, but it was never yours to own in the beginning," Sakura spoke cryptically before she dismissed Hitoshi's presence from her mind and turned to her team.

"Our mission is over. We leave at sunset," she said simply and the other genin merely nodded their head in response. Sakura gave them a small smile before she headed towards the door and disappeared into the early morning.

* * *

_**Last Night…..**_

_Sakura crashed. Her body collided hard with something that was firm, not necessarily hard, and surprisingly it was cold. The pinkette opened her eyes but all she could see was a whole bunch of white and she felt snow against her skin. It was snowing in the spring? The whiteness slowly moved from her vision and she was surprised to find that she was being carried by a large ice dragon._

_It carried her back up to the top of the roof where Hitsugaya stood with a long katana in his hand, looking considerably drained. Once Sakura was placed safely on the rooftop, the ice dragon disappeared and Hitsugaya fell to his knees in exhaustion. Sakura rushed over to him and even though he was suppose to be her enemy, she used her chakra to check over him._

_Hitsugaya's allowed his katana to slip from his grasp as he watched Sakura fret over him with upmost care, almost as if she hadn't almost died a few minutes ago. The white haired teen placed his hands on her arms to halt her movements and she looked at his face, momentarily stunned by the intense look in his eyes. A long silence stretched between the two, neither knowing what to say._

"_I didn't mean for this to happen. I'm so sorry," Hitsugaya was the first to break the silence and he reached up to wipe away a few of her tears that Sakura hadn't been aware that she had shed._

"_I hurt you and I would never do that intentionally. I can feel your heart bleeding and it's killing me," Hitsugaya's eyes held so much anguish that Sakura couldn't bare to look at them any longer. Tears continued to slip soundlessly down her cheeks as she tried to find anything that resembled normality; she wished that all of this was just a bad dream._

"_It's alright," Sakura tried to assure Hitsugaya but she couldn't even believe her own words, she knew for a fact that Hitsugaya wouldn't believe her. The infamous thief placed his hand under Sakura's chin, tilting the crying girl's face up so she was looking at him._

"_It's not alright, Sakura. None of this is alright," his voice was serious and Sakura placed her hand on his cheek, caressing, memorizing, cherishing. The pinkette pulled herself free from Hitsugaya's grasp and she stood up with a sorrowful smile on her face._

"_Kaito Shiro is too good of a thief to be captured. He is a strong shinobi, who is far beyond my team and I's abilities. I'm afraid to inform you that this mission has come to an end," Sakura spoke softly as she wiped her eyes, trying feebly to halt her tears and Hitsugaya frowned as he struggled to his feet even as his body disagreed with him._

"_Sakura no," Hitsugaya began but Sakura shook her head as she took a step away from him. Hitsugaya rushed forward with a sudden burst of adrenaline and he pulled the pinkette into his arms with no prior warning._

"_You don't have to catch the thief anymore, Sakura. He has surrendered," Hitsugaya whispered against her hair and Sakura grasped at the front of Hitsugaya's shirt as she tried to contain her sorrow. She didn't want any of this to happen._

_She remained silent as Hitsugaya slipped his mask into her hand and he pulled back to give her one last look. Sakura didn't move from her spot as Hitsugaya disappeared in a whirlwind of snowflakes. The pinkette slowly sank to her knees and as she looked up at the stars, uncaring that she was openly crying into the otherwise quiet night._

* * *

Sakura was running through the Lower District at a frantic pace as she kept checking the sun's position to judge how much time she had left. Sunset was roughly fifteen minutes away and she had spent her entire day trying to locate Toshiro Hitsugaya. She pumped chakra into her legs as she thought about everything she had gone through and experienced in this village, she had realized that she didn't want things to end as they were.

Sakura saw a flash of white out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see none other Toshiro Hitsugaya, standing under a cherry blossom tree looking up at the sky, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Sakura landed down in front of him panting heavily much to his surprise and she shook her head at him.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya," all she said was his name and Hitsugaya found himself taking step back, ready to escape. He didn't want to do this; he knew that they would wind up only hurting each other.

"Don't run away!" Sakura cried and Hitsugaya froze in his tracks as he heard the sheer pleading in her voice, he couldn't deny her. Silence stretched between the two shinobi as stared at each other with various emotions flashing in their eyes.

"Last night, you told me that you would never intentionally hurt me," Sakura voice was quiet as she struggled to keep her emotions at bay. "But, by you avoiding me…..you **are **hurting me."

Hitsugaya balled up his hands into fists at his sides as he listened to the Haruno with a pained expression on his face. Sakura wiped her eyes even though she wasn't crying. Hitsugaya took a small step towards the pinkette, who was trying her hardest to keep from falling apart. A small heart-breaking smile appeared on Sakura's face as her eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Can I pretend that nothing matters except this single moment? Am I being selfish? Can I pretend that none of this happened and that we are just two normal teenagers who are not faced with war and poverty?" a single tear slipped down Sakura's cheek as she stared into Hitsugaya's intense green eyes that were focused on nothing else but her.

"Can I pretend that telling you that I love you, will not break my heart in the process? I don't mind the pain; it just means that it was real for a moment. Can I pretend that if you kiss me, that you won't be saying goodbye?" tears were now openly flowing down her cheeks as she furiously tried to wipe them away but her efforts were in vain.

A long silence stretched between the two and Hitsugaya slowly moved towards Sakura, placing his hand underneath Sakura's chin forcing the sad pinkette to look at him. His eyes portrayed every emotion he was feeling, leaving Sakura breathless. His thumbed caressed her jaw gently and Sakura leaned into his touch as she waited for his response.

Hitsugaya was a rational person by nature, he wasn't one to go off and do things without some sort of plan. But, as he gazed into Sakura's emerald irises he felt compelled to do a whole lot of irrational things just in order to wipe the sorrowful expression off the pinkette's face and to see her smile once again. He moved his hand to Sakura's cheek and he took a deep breath.

"Yes," he said simply and without further hesitation he leaned down to capture Sakura's lips with his own, focusing on nothing but the single moment that they were in and ignoring the pain that they were surely causing each other. There was no Kaito Shiro, there was no Hitoshi, there were no shinobi. And as the sun began to set, all that mattered in that single moment was Sakura Haruno and Toshiro Hitsugaya.


End file.
