"Fuck!" Naruto cursed as the blade caught him across the face, cutting into his eye. With his seal as screwed up as it was there was no way he could heal this. This wasn't going to end well if the blood running from under Sakura's hands was anything to go by.

Sasuke was down for the count because of whatever that snake freak had done to him and he wasn't getting up anytime soon. That left him and Sakura alone holding off six mist ninja by themselves.

Glancing at Sakura he could see that half of her face was covered in blood and she couldn't see the ninja trying to sneak up on her from the left.

"Sakura! Ten-o'clock!" She flipped around and managed to stab him in the neck. The remaining mist ninja did not give her time to contemplate her first kill. She spun and kicked a curved dagger out of one of her attackers hands and punched him in the throat, channeling chakra through her fist, crushing his windpipe. She went to engage the last mist nin attacking her when his eyes widened in surprise and he fell over dead with a variety of sharp pointy things sticking out of his back and a grim looking Naruto standing there.

"We're in luck. The two squads from mist had both of the scrolls we needed. Are you okay Sakura?" asked Naruto, concern showing through his one functional eye.

"No. They got one of my eyes too. Did they get at Sasuke?"

"They didn't get near him but he's not doing well" said Naruto looking over his shoulder at the tree where they stashed the third member of their team. He had been bitten by that insanely powerful freak and had collapsed soon after. "Sakura, we need to get your eye bandaged up so you don't lose anymore blood."

"Nrrrgh" Sasuke was waking up. He opened his eyes to see his blood-covered friends looking at him worriedly. They had each lost one of their eyes protecting him. That was irony any way he looked at it.

"Don't worry Sasuke everything will turn out fine" said Naruto, looking as if he so wanted to believe this statement to be true.

A sound of someone crashing through the brush kept Sasuke from answering. It was Kabuto.

"Shit! What happened to you guys!" He rushed over and started examining the mess that used to be Sakura's eye.

"Mist nins. Don't. It's useless" Sakura replied tersely.

"Relax Sakura. I'm a top-class medic despite the fact I'm still a genin."

"Then look at Sasuke. We don't know what's wrong with him" said Sakura, pulling away. He moved over to where Sasuke lay on the ground. Something had gone wrong with the curse seal he mused internally. I wasn't the black color that it should be; instead it was an angry red-orange color. There wasn't anything that he would be able to do. He doubted that even Tsunade would be able to save this boy. Orochimaru was not going to be pleased.

"Sasuke, you won't live more that five hours at this point. I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do. He went to move away when Sasuke grabbed his arm.

"Can you give them my eyes?"

"Sasuke no!"

"We can't take your eyes!"

Kabuto looked thoughtfully at Sasuke's eyes and then at Sakura and Naruto.

"I can do this if that is what you wish" Kabuto said, giving him room to back out if he changed his mind. That wasn't going to happen. If he could give this gift that would help keep them alive when he couldn't be there to help them… there was no way he wouldn't do this.

"Don't refuse this. I need you to do something and I want to be able to see it. I need you to kill Itachi. I need you to kill my brother. I need you to avenge my clan because I cannot. So you will accept my eyes and you will continue on. If we hurry, we can reach the tower in five hours and you can go on. Do this for me." Sakura looked at him with cold resolution and acceptance in her eyes. Naruto looked away.

"If this is what you want Sasuke" Sakura began, "Then we will do this for you. We will accept your eyes and we will kill the one who took your family from you."

"But Sakura…"

"Shut up Naruto! This is what he wants and we are not going to disregard his last wishes!" she turned back to Sasuke, "We will show you the future."

Naruto looked Sasuke in the eye and just looked at him.

"Do it Kabuto"

"This will hurt. Sasuke I need you to activate your sharingan."

TBC

A/N-I know I just killed off one of the most important characters in the show in the first chapter but in my defense it will have mucho points in the character development department. Oh yeah! HI ANDI! I still have your jacket. When should I give that to you?