A.N.: Hey everyone so this is the first chapter of my Naruto fanfic. I'm sure you are all aware that it is a sasusaku fanfic. Throughout the Naruto manga and anime, I have always wanted this pairing to happen. Even though Sakura in her younger years was quite annoying...

Anyway, there will be some other minor pairings throughout the story as well but lets not spoil the surprise.

As always here is the Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

EDITED: 7/11/2014

Chapter One: The Power of One

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this,

that he lay down his life for his friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command.

I no longer call you servants,

because a servant does not know his master's business.

Instead, I have called you friends,

for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

- John 15: 12-15

Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi Sensei are on an S rank mission to kill the rest of the Akatsuki members. But they are leaving Sasuke to track down his brother Itachi. Tsunade felt that it was best to leave it that way.

The Akatsuki posed a threat to Konoha and the other villages, and could not be left to linger any longer. On the matter of Sasuke, Tsunade was at a crossroads. Even though Sasuke left the village, there were still many people here fighting and hoping that he would one day return. Perhaps once he has completed his revenge he would come home. It seemed to be best to leave him to settle what he needed to and leave him be, for now that is. He has crimes against him and he must be made accountable for them; the elders seemed to be waiting for that. If he kills Itachi, Tsunade may be able to use this to bargain with the elders for a lesser sentence.

For now though, there wasn't anything they could do but wait and see what the next few months bring.

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Team 7 had been tracking some of the remaining Akatsuki members for weeks now, however they could no longer remain in the shadows gathering in-tell. Now they had not move in and complete their mission. Nagato and Konan were the two that the group had targeted. Nagato had become too reckless and too power-hungry to be left alone. Team 7 were moving at a moderate pace through the trees, headed to the presumed current location of the Akatsuki pair.

"Kakashi-sensei, do we really have to kill him?" Naruto said in a somber voice. His brows were knitted together, deep in thought. Naruto and the others had learned a little about the Akatsuki members when they were mere children under Jiraya's care and guidance.

Kakashi said nothing to this, he knew nothing he said would put Naruto at ease. This was a mission, one that not only Konoha was relying on but the rest of the villages as well, to be successful.

"Dammit!" Naruto clenched his fists in his frustration.

Sakura looked over at Naruto. He always tries to see the good in everyone, and always strives to save as many people as he can. It was some of the many things Sakura admired about him. She knew that one day he would be the next Hokage and she would still be by his side supporting him. He is her dear friend, and one that she doesn't know she would be able to live without.

"um... Sakura-chan?" Sakura was pulled out of her thoughts.

"What is it Naruto?" She said with a smile.

"You were staring at me for quite a while... AH! wait, don't tell me... you were struck by my charm and good looks! Right, Sakura-chan?" Said Naruto with a cheesy grin on his face. Oh, how he loved to tease her! This of course resulted in him getting punched. Naruto was just able to stop himself from falling from the trees.

"As if!" Sakura exclaimed, but with a smile.

"Ne, Sakura-chan, you are no fun..."

"Alright you two, it's time to put the fun away" said Kakashi not turning around.

"Speak for yourself! You are still reading Icha Icha Paradise!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing at the book in Kakashi's hands.

Kakashi coughed awkwardly and put the book away. Then Team 7 stopped all their jokes, for they knew that the battle that lay ahead would be one of the most difficult ones they have faced yet.

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Not long after, Team 7 came into a clearing and the battle they had been preparing themselves for, commenced!

Kakashi and Naruto are fighting the leader of the Akatsuki (Nagato), leaving Sakura to fight the other member (Konan).

Sakura hadn't been told much about Konan, but from the start of the fight, she knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Konan possessed the ability to use Paper Ninjutsu. Sakura hadn't ever seen anyone use this type of ninjutsu before, but she did remember reading about it once. It's where the user can mold their chakra into paper and then manipulate the shape of the paper in a variety of ways.

As Sakura looked at the other kunoichi, she saw she had already started to manipulate the shape of the paper floating around her. She took up a defensive stance as paper shuriken had been launched in her direction. She clutched a kunai in her hand and deflected them easily. Sakura looked up in time to see Konan smirk. Then one of the shuriken exploded. Sakura was sent tumbling backwards from the blast. It had not hit her directly, but she now knew to be on her guard.

'She must be using explosive tags hidden within the normal paper!' she realised, as she picked herself up off the ground.

She glanced over at Kakashi and Naruto. They were both depending on her to do this.

"I am not weak!" She exclaimed, as she concentrated chakra into her fists and feet, before running to attack!

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Sakura had just finished healing a wound on her leg where she had been hit by an exploding shuriken.

She still did not know how she had managed it, but she had been the one to walk away from the battle between Konan and herself. Though she knew that her genjutsu skills had played a significant role in swaying the outcome of the fight in her favour.

Still utterly exhausted, Sakura looked over at how Kakashi and Naruto were doing. She started running to the area that the battle took place but Kakashi stopped her.

"Sakura I know that you want to help but if you get injured you can't heal us. So stay back but don't let your guard down and if it looks like we need your help badly come and fight but only as a last resort!". Sakura nodded and jumped back a couple feet away so that she could watch the fight at a safe distance. Normally she would argue the point but now was not the time.

Judging how long the fight had gone on already, neither side was even close to giving up, she would need almost all her chakra to heal them both enough to get back to Konoha. She eyed both Naruto and Kakashi, and tried to examine their physical wounds from the distance.

The Akatsuki leader, noticing Sakura's failure to keep an eye on him, broke through Naruto's and Kakashi's defenses. The leader ran past Naruto and Kakashi and was now coming for Sakura. She mentally cursed her lack of concentration.

Sakura tried to prepare herself. 'Think Sakura, think!'

But her chakra was already low, she couldn't afford to use any more.

Suddenly two flashes appeared in front of her.

Kakashi and Naruto had transported themselves in front of Sakura. They were then running at the Akatsuki leader both using their signature jutsus (Chidori and Rasengan).

There was a bright flash that blinded Sakura, then followed by a large explosion.

Sakura closed her eyes and tried to brace herself, but the power of the explosion was too great.

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Sakura opened her eyes and gathered the strength to pull herself to her feet.

The first scene she saw made her gasp in shock. Trees had been ripped out of the ground by the blast and up ahead, there was a large crater.

Her thoughts went straight to Naruto and Kakashi.

She ran to that spot and found the Akatsuki leader, dead. In the corner of her vision she could see orange. She turned her head to the side and her mouth dropped. There in front of her was her Naruto and Kakashi, lying on the ground with severe wounds. Sakura couldn't believe her eyes as she rushed over to the two and immediately started using her medical ninja skills to try to heal them.

"Come on guys, stay with me!" she shouted. But no matter how hard she tried the bleeding did not stop.

Naruto as weak as he was, managed to reach out and place his hand atop of hers. She looked down at his face and he was trying to smile. To smile for her. He was always trying to make her feel better, to know that everything would be ok.

Then suddenly, his eyes started to close.

She cursed out loud. The green healing chakra emitting from her hands was slowly starting fade.

"Now is not the time to be so weak Sakura!" Soon the light went out completely.

Sakura sat, with utter disbelief and sheer horror on her face.

Kakashi and Naruto were no longer with her.

She had failed. She had failed them, the village, and herself.

She is left all alone in the middle of a forest surrounded by blood, dead Akatsuki members and dead friends.

Tears stream down her face as she sat next to the people that died to save her.

She is all that is left of team 7.

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A.N.:

hey guys, sorry that the first chapter was so depressing! Nearly made me cry whilst writing it. Just so you know this will be the shortest chapter I will release. All the other chapters will be a lot longer!

I hope you liked the start of this story, the next chapter will be out by Thursday this week (21/08/14).

I love hearing from you about your thoughts and where the story might go next. See you next chapter!

IMPORTANT: Some people may be a bit annoyed with me about how both Naruto and Kakashi get killed during the first chapter. Without spoiling anything, I will let you know that they will still play a role in this story. So don't worry! :)

Also, if you are up to date with the Anime/Manga, you know that the true leader of Akatsuki was someone else. However, the time that I'm basing my story in is where they believe Nagato is the leader.