Her Destiny

Realization

Sakura stood up from the crouch she had taken to pound her fist into the earth and looked at Genma, giving him a smirk.

"Pee your pants?"

Genma let out a laugh. "Gonna have to try harder than that to get me to pee my pants, Short Stuff. I've seen Tsunade-sama on a tear before." He looked around. "Granted she's never leveled a two mile radius before, but you command former Akatsuki members and Hokages. Gotta have some serious power packed into that tiny little body of yours."

Sakura snorted. "If you keep calling me small you're gonna give Sasori a complex. He's practically my size."

"I'll have you know that I-"

"You can't lie to me Sasori. I have access to all of the medical records. I'm a centimeter taller." Sakura stuck her tongue out at the puppet master. Genma could only watch on as the two continued to bicker like siblings.

The other ANBU cleared his throat. "Sakura-sama, Sasori-san, we may have taken care of these forces but there are still more in the village and I sense another force coming from the north."

Sakura blushed. "Ah, right. Sorry. Let's get back to the village."

As they took off back toward the village, Genma began to realize that if they had been even a mile closer to the village Sakura very likely would have flattened the village wall. Definitely stronger than Tsunade, he decided. She had surpassed her master by lightyears.

As they launched over the wall they saw a man standing in a strange symbol drawn on the ground, cackling as dozens of shinobi tried to land a hit on him only for a different shinobi in their ranks to get wounded.

"What the hell?" Genma muttered.

"That would be Hidan," Sasori explained. "He's probably got several of them nicked somewhere. Anytime one of their comrades takes a swipe at him now though, they end up injuring the people that he managed to nick with his scythe or kunai. He's a pain to fight against."

And from the looks of it, he was. One of the Stone shinobi landed a hit on Hidan's chest, likely hitting the heart, only for Hidan to laugh again as six of the Stone shinobi's own comrades fell from the exact same wound.

"Holy shit."

They heard an elated whoop from above as a hail of steel projectiles fell from the sky, thrown by a brunette kunoichi on the back of a clay bird, held by the back of her flack jacket by an Oto ANBU. As they watched the woman turned and slapped hands with the Oto shinobi, giving another whoop.

"They seem to be getting along well," Haku said.

Sakura laughed. "I would expect nothing less. Deidara's personality is infectious and TenTen is the most likeable out of the entire group of the Konoha 12. They were bound to hit it off."

As they watched though, someone on the ground aimed a jutsu at the two on the clay bird, lightning arcing toward the bird and crashing into it. The bird dropped from the air mid-flight, the two shinobi on the back stunned by the lightning unable to do anything as they fell.

"No," Sakura whispered, horror whisking her voice away. "NO!"

Hidan whipped around upon hearing his Kage's voice, and seeing where she was looking turned to watch as the two plummeted toward the earth. And then something in the already slightly unhinged man changed. Something in his eyes cracked, shattered, and fell to pieces.

With a cry of pure rage he took his scythe and swung it in a large arc, the staff of the weapon lengthening, the blade hitting more shinobi as he continued his circle.

In the distance Genma heard TenTen and Deidara drop to the unforgiving earth with a resounding and very final sounding thud.

"You killed her!" Hidan shouted. "You all killed her! I'll end you! I'll fucking end you!"

Genma could swear he heard tears choking the man's voice as he yelled at the enemy shinobi.

"Oh, Hidan," Genma heard Sakura whisper, her voice broken. He looked over to see her staring at the masked ANBU currently slaughtering all of those enemies, tears streaming down her face.

"Sakura-sama?" Haku asked.

"Hidan," Sakura's voice broke, "Hidan lost all of his family to his own hand, forced by another shinobi through a jutsu. He was very young. It's why he swore himself to Jashin. He never let himself get close to anyone after that. It's why he never let anyone see his soulmark. He didn't want anyone to tell him who it was. He never looked at it. But I think our conversation in the restaurant the other night got him curious. He looked."

"It was TenTen." Sasori didn't ask. He told. Genma could tell that the man knew. He knew that Sasori could tell from the reaction of the immortal that the girl was his soulmate. He had felt that once. A long time ago. Genma almost felt bad for the diminutive puppet master.

Sakura nodded, tears still streaming down her face. "She has to be. It's the only explanation."

Genma watched as Sasori reached up and took off his ANBU mask. Watched as a slew of emotions played out on the man's face. And then he knew. The puppet master was about to do something crazy.

"Sakura-sama."

Sakura turned to the redhead, surprised to see the usually strict man breaking protocol by taking off his mask.

"Sakura, it has been a pleasure working for you. I have gotten to experience what it is like to be a part of a family again, I have gotten to interact with my niece and nephews again, and I have gotten to pass on my knowledge to a promising new generation."

"Sasori, what-"

"Tell my brats that they made me proud. Tell Kankuro that he's in charge of them now. Tell him to take care of them, and my puppets too." The man handed over a large scroll.

"I have lived a long life, one that many think I have outlived the welcome of. I have met, and loved, my soulmate. I have also experienced what it is like to lose them. For this reason, I can't let it happen to the one man that has been trying so hard to redeem himself since coming to you."