Unexpected || MadaSaku ||

The Tides of War Brew

|| Tobirama ||

Tracking Sakura became a far more difficult task than I initially anticipated. It seemed she had already expected us to tail her, she's smart I'll give her that. Though I did question her taste in men after she decided to attend the wedding alongside Madara. I didn't understand her infatuation with him, but then again it wasn't much of my business to begin with. Though her connection to Mito did stir up my curiosity. Mito seemed genuinely concerned about her safety. I'm flattered they both entrust me with bringing her back in one piece to begin with. 

Even though she was wise enough to cover her tracks, small traces of her chakra were instantly recognizable, almost as if she were careful yet careless all at once. Based on her impulsive decision to leave so suddenly, she's distracted. Not exactly the best head space to be in during these times. That just meant she was an easier target.

Although she had a clear head start, I figured by nightfall I'd be able to find her.

>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<

The sun began to lower itself, the low-light of cascading orange and pinks covered the valley, slowly withdrawing until it was surrounded in complete darkness. She was heading into Uchiha territory, a dangerous position for me to be in, so hopefully it was easier convincing her to return with me. There isn't any reason for either of us to have an run in with any of their clansmen, especially when I'm supposed to bring her back safely.

Up ahead, I noticed a shadow laying on the floor in the clearing ahead. As I jumped to the next tree for a closer field of view, I saw her lying there, so vulnerable to capture or worse...I didn't intend to startle Sakura, but something seemed to wake her. My eyes adjusted, taking instant notice of the dart that she pulled out of her neck.

Despite the fact that someone had shot a laced dart at Sakura to knock her out, they seemed more interested in simply taking her into their custody than killing her. I carefully watched as three men approached her body in Uchiha encrusted armor. I couldn't be rash especially when I was outnumbered. Retrieving her was my mission, not causing any more problems than we needed. One of the men pulled out a small kunai from its sheath, drawing it close to her head—though far too slow to want to efficiently stab her with—cutting off a small lock of her hair. As quickly as they arrived, they swiftly slipped away with her unconscious body into the night. Talk about a chase.

~~~

I knew I was in enemy territory since they were heading directly for the Uchiha campgrounds. Bringing Sakura back to our camp became the challenge of the decade. I followed her captors, being sure to mask my chakra and keep a reasonable distance. Though I was aware of the location of their headquarters, based off the information detailed our past infiltrators, they were veering off course. Typically, prisoners were kept closer to camp in order to keep a well maintained eye on, at least that held true for the Senju. Something just felt off. 

It was midday at this point, so if I intended to help her escape, it would have to be as soon as tonight. Who knows what they had planned for her next? I wasn't willing to waste time and find out.

The guards made frequent rotations throughout the day, unwavering in their positions to stand guard. "Just hang in there a bit longer, Sakura."

||Sakura ||

I remembered waking up in my cell, the air was cold and the hallway between the cells was dimly-lit. Though the guards were kind enough to bring me small portions of their scraps I'm sure they enjoyed for lunch. At least I was at the Uchiha camp, not sure exactly where, but it just made finding my way to Madara that much easier. I couldn't just bust my way out of the holding cell. I'm sure there were plenty of armed guards waiting, but I'd be damned if I sat here rotting. They were keeping me here for some reason and I had every intention of finding out what that reason was. The next rotation would be in the next ten minutes, it would be my only chance to escape.