Tasty Sasuke Crunchies

(I do not own Naruto)

Team 7 had just finished completing a mission with their sensei and were on their way home when they had to cross a river.

Kakashi eyed the water and said, "the water isn't that deep, probably goes up to shoulder height, current isn't too strong either. We can cross here."

Sakura put up her hand.

"Yes Sakura?"

"Our shoulder height or your shoulder height?"

Kakashi looked down at his student and realized that they didn't come up to his shoulders. "My shoulder height, but you can all swim cant you?"

Three nods.

Kakashi turned to Sakura and said, "I know you are a weaker swimmer so you can cross with me."

Sakura smiled gratefully and with that, Kakashi and Sakura stepped into the murky water and began to cross. When he was knee deep and Sakura on his shoulders, he turned to the other two, "if you struggle, swim to the tree in the middle of the river and hang on and I will fetch you."

Naruot bellowed that he could do it just fine and Sasuke just nodded to let him know he had heard him.

Kakashi had just about reached the end of the river while Sasuke and Naruto where halfway when Naruto cried out, "somethiuing brushed my leg!"

"Its probably a fish," said Sasuke, making sure he didn't go under.

Suddenly Naruto jerked visibly to the side. "No! Something big!" he yelled.

"Head for the tree!" yelled Sasuke, the tree being only a few metres away.

They both swam for it, Sasuke reaching it first. HE climbed out and saw a large shadow under the water heading for Naruto again. "Grab my hand!" he yelled and Naruto grasped it and was pulled out of the water as a powerful pair of jaws tried to snap at his legs.

Sasuke was barely able to hold onto the tree and the struggling Naruto as Naruto screamed, "what is that?!"

His question was soon answered as with a splash, the huge alligator jumped for the dangling Naruto.

Sasuke pulled Naruto higher, getting his teammate on a branch, but the momentum as well as the alligator landing on the base of the tree, sent him over the alligator's head and back into the river.

Just as he landed he heard Naruot yell, "Kakashi sensei! Help!"

Sasuke tried to keep his eyes open in the murky water, his heart beating out of control. They had never, never, in any of their classes, learnt how to deal with a huge freaking mutated lizard with sharp teeth.

HE felt something slam into him and wind him, then a crushing sensation on his leg, he then felt himself being whipped around. HE grabbed a kunai and aimed what he hoped was the eye. He hit something and his hand brushed rubbery scales. Whatever he hit caused the jaws to tighten on his leg. Then the spinning stopped and he felt the alligator sink, a dead weight. He felt hands grasping at his leg, trying to pry the jaws open. Water began to enter his lungs as his leg was suddenly free. A hand wrapped around his waist and then he was floating. He gripped on whoever was holding him and as his body screamed for oxygen, he blacked out.

He awoke wet and bloody, Sasuke turned over and vomited water from his lungs and then coughed, when he felt that he had hacked out his lungs enough, he turned to see Kakashi kneeling next to him, a worried Sakura nearby and Naruto making puking sounds.

"Ah, Kakashi sensei kissed you!" he yelled.

Sasuke looked at Kakashi who said, "CPR" and then pushed him down again. "I need to inspect your leg." He said.

He unwrapped Sasuke's bandages that he usually wore which were just bloody holes at the moment. Sakura turned away and Naruto muttered, "I'm really gonna be sick."

"Don't look." Ordered Kakashi but Sasuke looked anyway. His leg was punctured all over, dark red and bright red blood mixed together. He saw a bit of white and reached out a finger and touched it. He paled when he realized he had just touched his own bone.

Kakashi reached over and pulled Sasuke's forehead protector over his eyes. "Naruto, hold Sasuke's hands, don't let him stop me, Sakura I need you to bring the medical kit."

Sasuke felt Naruto's wet but warm hands circle around his wrists and hold them. "Naruto, sit on him" said Kakashi.

Sasuke felt a weight settle on his stomach as Naruto sat on him and still pinned his wrists.

Sasuke heard rustling and Kakashi thanking Sakura. "Why cant Sasuke look?" she asked.

"It's a psychological thing. Somehow when we get hurt, we feel more pain when we actually look at it, part of that is the shock the sight has on the body."

"Well I learnt something new today." Growled Sasuke as he tried to buck Naruto off. He felt a hand lay his leg out. Pain shot through him.

"Don't touch it! Just leave it!" he yelled trying to jerk it away.

Kakashi began stitching and bandaging his leg, trying to stop the flow off blood. Sasuke didn't cry once, but he did yell and try and fight Naruto at the beginning as Kakashi's skilled fingers put a splinter on his broken leg and swore as Kakashi sprinkled salt and herbs on the wound to stop infection. Naruto was kept busy trying to keep his teammate pinned down, Sakura held Sasuke's head and whispered words of comfort and wiped the sweat from him, all the while Kakashi did what he could to stabilize his student.

After an hour, Sasuke had stopped struggling, Sakura had stopped crying and Naruto had stopped swearing and Kakashi had finally finished.

He hoisted the semi conscious Sasuke on his back and they began the last few miles home.

The next day, Sasuke was in hospital, out of surgery and pumped up on pain killers. Naruto and Sakura where with him. "Look what I made." Said Naruto and produced four necklaces, it was just a piece of string with what appeared to be . . . an alligators tooth on each.

"Where did you get those?" asked Sasuke.

"Sensei pulled them out of your leg, there were more but four was enough. One for each of us."

"Uhhh." Said Sasuke, unsure of what to say as the necklace was looped over his head.

"I still cant believe out of all the things that we have faced, an alligator would …." Said Sakura.

"Its unbelievable." Agreed Naruuto.

"Death by alligator, what are the chances?" growled Sasuke.

"About a thousand to one." Said Ino appearing at the door.

"You really nearly got eaten Sasuke?" said Chouji with a laugh.

"What a bore." Said Shikamaru following them in.

"We had to see." Said Tenten.

"Bet it was just a baby alligator." Said Kiba.

The room was filling up quickly and Sasuke felt his eye start to twist.

There was a whistle at the window and everyone turned to see Kakashi balancing on a phone wire. "Bring Sasuke outside, I have something to show him."

So Sasuke was placed in a wheelchair and taken to the entrance of the hospital where Kakshi ushered them over to the entrance of the village. Everyone gasped at the sight of the huge, dead alligator, Sasuke's kunai sticking out of its head.

"Baby alligator huh?" said Naruto elbowing Kiba.

Sasuke couldn't help but smile. He grasped his necklace and felt the sharp edge of the tooth. In a really weird way, being nearly devoured by a freaking alligator was a great team building exercise.