A.N. This is a one shot written ages ago, that couldn't be published earlier. It's a collab between me and PetalMedic (she's an amazing writer, please do check out her other works!) We actually got the idea way back when Naruto was about to end. However, here goes. Hope you like it! Please follow, favourite and review! Flames accepted.
Obito has always wondered about the lone pink-haired girl on Team 7. Haruno Sakura, he seems to recall her name. Out of the original Team 7, she is the one he knows least about. Kakashi, he had been teammates with. Sasuke, he had seen plenty of the brat during their time in Akatsuki. Naruto, he had heard the rumors numerous times even before the war.
But the pink-haired girl remains as foreign to him as light is to darkness.
Compared to her notorious teammates – the Kyuubi container, the lone Uchiha survivor, and the Copy Cat Ninja – the girl is forgettable. From what Obito does know, the pinkette is from a civilian family, a mediocre fighter, a good medical ninja – and head-over-heels for her dark-haired, Uchiha teammate.
So, nothing special, but the Kyuubi jinchūriki seems to hold the girl in high regard, and even the Uchiha brat seems to have a soft spot for her, therefore Obito deduces there must be something – something – about this Haruno Sakura that garnered her the fondness – however minuscule – of both the world's most dangerous missing-nin and the container of the strongest tailed beast.
He watches her, out of the corner of his eye. Throughout the war, he observes, closely. Initially, he understands that she is an average ninja. Nothing great. He decides to leave it at that, when he sees a new side of her. He realizes that her medical skills rival those of the Slug Princess herself. When he finally decides to classify her as a proficient medic, he sees her rip the earth apart with her bare hands. He mentally adds 'extremely strong' to her abilities. Her attitude strikes him as compassionate, but with a fiery side. He sees an innocence in her, one that is still untainted from the blood and deceit of the ninja way.
But even as he sees this side of her, he is still puzzled. What was it that made her so special? What was this something that set her apart from any other kunoichi? What was it that had let her keep up with her extraordinary teammates? He muses over it and realizes, with a shock, that he does not know. The girl, despite being next to nothing, is an enigma to him.
He gets various opportunities to interact with her. But, in the middle of the war, he has enough to deal with anyway, without adding his interpretation of the mystery called Haruno Sakura. So, he pushes the thought aside.
Then, suddenly, he finds himself allied with Team Seven, against Madara. He is distraught after finding out the truth about Rin. Bolts of anguish shoot through his heart at the thought of the pain she had to endure, just so that he could be manipulated into destroying his beloved village. He hopes to redeem himself, even if just a little bit, by doing what he felt was right. No longer would he do what Madara brainwashed him into believing.
As he pours his chakra into Naruto, infusing him with a portion of Shukaku and Gyuki that he manged to get, he watches the pinkette pour her own healing chakra into Naruto, keeping him going. He notices the determination flaring in her eyes. He can see that her own chakra levels are dropping, but she continues giving it to Naruto. Obito concludes that either she is incredibly selfless or incredibly stupid. Or, as a thought flashes through his mind, she might just be that bonded with her team.
He begs the girl to destroy his Rinnegan. He sees that she understands the gravity of the situation, but hesitates to do so. As he urges her on, holding back Black Zetsu with every shred of his will, he sees Madara appear and prepare to strike her down. Instinctively, he teleports her out, leaving himself there at Madara's mercy. After that, his memory goes blank.
When he finally wakens, it is to find himself in an unfamiliar landscape. He is filled in by the others to find that he is in a dimension of Kaguya's creation. From what he gathers, Kaguya had separated Naruto and Sasuke, hoping to take them out one at a time. Sasuke is probably in an alternate dimension, as that seems to be her preferred move.
He watches Naruto take on the legendary princess alone. He observes, as is in his nature. His silver-haired friend and his pink-haired student watch them fight, emotions flitting across their faces. Helplessness, concern and worry. While they look at their teammate, Obito looks at Kaguya's technique. The slashes that she creates, ripping open the space-time barrier. Soon, he breaks it down into its components and realizes that it is very similar to the technique his Mangekyou Sharingan granted him.
When he shares this with the two, he explains that there may be a chance to bring back Sasuke, but the hit-and-miss method would require immense amounts of chakra. He is not surprised when Uzumaki's clone offers its chakra. But when the Haruno girl declares her intention to help, it takes quite an effort on the older Uchiha's part to keep a straight face. Inwardly, he asks himself if she was suicidal. The cuts and bruises on her body bore testimony to how hard she had fought. He had seen her pour almost all of her chakra into Naruto earlier, and there was no way that her chakra would have replenished itself so soon. And, he knew for a fact that no one had any soldier pills left. So, he muses, just what is it that prompts her to take such a rash decision?
Once they enter Kaguya's core dimension, hiding in his own dimension and re-emerging, with a passenger, uses almost all of Obito's already-drained chakra. When the pink-haired girl puts her hands on his shoulders, he understands the background of her seemingly bold and thoughtless decision. The stored chakra that she pours into him, shocks him with its intensity. Silently, he acknowledges that her nickname of the 'next Tsunade' is fitting. Her chakra control really is as exemplary as she is famed for. Accepting the offered chakra, Obito starts searching for the younger Uchiha's presence in various dimensions.
After opening and closing several gates, he asks the girl to pause, catch her breath. He is silenced by her words, that hint at a wisdom beyond her years. Her words remind him of something, something; but he cannot recall what. He has seen it before, but as to what it is, he cannot remember. Clearing aside his thoughts, he resumes his searching.
The next gate opens into a sea of acid, some of which spurts out before he can close it. He recoils instinctively, but his vision is obscured by pink. With a shock, he realizes that the pink-haired medic had shielded him with her body. He watches, stunned, as she throws off her destroyed flak jacket, which took the brunt of the acid. His eyes land on her arm, the flesh angry and red where a bit of the acid spilled on it. He tells her to heal herself before continuing.
He is only mildly surprised when she refuses. He knows that acid burns hurt a lot, and yet, she does not heal herself. The kunoichi gains a little more of his respect. Again, that 'something' about her knocks at his mind. Now, if only he could place it.
She assumes her position, hands on his shoulders and determination in her bright eyes. When she sends her chakra through Obito, he realizes that its intensity is weakening. The girl was on the last few drops of her Hyakugou chakra. The next gate he opens is in the middle of a desert. And standing between the swirling sands was the object of their search.
"Sasuke!" "Sasuke-kun!"
Identical cries escape both their lips. The Uchiha avenger turns, and on seeing them, races towards the opening. Obito concentrates with all his might on keeping the portal open, but he can sense the Haruno's diminishing chakra. The portal shrinks dangerously with the insufficient chakra. He hears a low hiss escape the girl behind him. Sasuke is still some way off, but the portal is on the verge of collapsing. Suddenly, the portal flares open for a few seconds, as Sakura pushes the last of her chakra into the elder Uchiha. Sasuke has almost reached it when the portal collapses before their eyes, shattering all hope of retrieving their comrade, and with it, the hope of sealing away Kaguya.
"No..."
One word, a low mumble, escapes her lips. Obito senses her sway unsteadily. Just as she is about to collapse, strong arms support her. Both, Obito and the girl, are astonished to find Sasuke with them.
"Sasuke-kun..." Her words are nothing more than a whisper, due to her exhaustion. Her eyes are half-closed as they share a glance with the Rinnegan-wielder. It is in these few moments, before she falls unconscious in the hold of her teammate, that Obito finally - finally - understands.
Haruno Sakura- civilian background, average fighter, skilled medic. At a fleeting glance, she seems mediocre. The 'something' that made her Haruno Sakura, the sole kunoichi of the famed Team Seven of Konohagakure, the very same 'something' that had plagued Obito for so long, finally lies unravelled in front of him. And he finally knows why it seemed almost familiar to him.
The answer is fairly simple. In fact, he noticed it on more than one occasion, but never connected it. The dynamics of Team Seven bear a close parallel to his own team, when there still had been one. Both the groups of incredibly mismatched ninja were held together by their kunoichi. Compared to their teammates, the girls seem almost fragile, but were powerful in their own rights.
Nohara Rin and Haruno Sakura. The treasures of their respective teams. The friendly, caring and warm aura overflowing from Sakura, that Obito feels, is the same as the one his love exuded. The sparkle in her eyes, is one Obito has seen numerous times in the eyes of his, now dead, teammate. The loving smile etched on Sakura's face, as she is assured of her teammate's safety, is one Obito has committed to memory, having observed it on Rin each time she patched up him or Kakashi after another one of their brawls.
The two kunoichi have always been defined by who they were, and not so much by their rankings in the Bingo books. They cared deeply about their teammates, and were ready to do anything for them. (Both of them also have a knack for ending up in life-threatening situations, Obito realizes.) It is this love which makes both kunoichi stronger.
It was this 'something' that was the lifeline of Team Seven.