Sleeping Dogs, a naruto fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, for if I did I would buy a pony. For Pony!

Sakura looked at the young man in front of her and contemplated how to say exactly what she wanted to say. She had been getting better at speaking what she had on her mind, not holding back in fear of what people would think of her. No, make that, what this person would think of her. The barrier between what was said and what wasn't was at its thinnest point at the moment, and she was very scared of going too far.

Sasuke was waiting.

"I just wanted to share my feelings" this was a good a start as any.

Take a deep breath Sakura she thought to herself. Let it all out you need this, cleanse this festering wound get it all out in the open so it can heal. With that done she looked Sasuke in the eyes unafraid and uncaring of what he could do to her. She needed strength, or in the least put on a good show of it.

"I wanted to tell you that what you have become, or maybe what you have always been is a weak person."

So what if her legs were now jelly, and her heart was beating with trepidation. There were worse feelings in life. She looked down at the unconscious Naruto at her feet and sighed. Now there was strength. Not in the bound fox demon, but in the boy himself. How could she have ever been so blind as to not see it. Naruto, her friend who tries so hard, who never gives up, who was currently lying unconscious under her seal. It was something that needed to be done, or this would have been the end of Naruto, and Sakura couldn't have that on her shoulders. Sasuke could never kill Naruto, but if Naruto killed Sasuke trying to save her it would be at the cost of Naruto's soul. Killing Sasuke would put such a heavy burden on Naruto that nobody, not even Sakura herself, could help him with. But...

Sasuke was waiting

"You know he would have killed you if I hadn't sealed the fox demon"

She thought of a long ago conversation between Tsunade, and she can't remember who else. It had only been four tails that has almost killed Jiraiya, how many was it just now, four, or was that the start of a fifth at the end. Everything had happened so fast it had taken almost everything she has to put the seal on Naruto. Sakura shook her head hoping it would put her thoughts in order.

Sasuke was waiting, and she had to tell him.

"I know now that I never loved you. I had a crush on the idea of you, on the ideal image you projected. I thought you were so good at what you did, and I wished I was half as good as you seemed o be. I didn't notice that you had given up when your family had died. Guess you didn't hate your brother enough to keep trying, huh? You said you did though. You said that you wanted to avenge your family, what a farce.

I will say you put on a good show of it at least.. Naruto confessed to me one time that you had said that you couldn't die until you had beaten him. Later he found out thehim was Itachi.

Goodbye floodgates have a nice vacation hope to see you soon.

"I didn't know that you were coasting on what you learned from that time when you were serious. When you had poison in your heart, and aimed it right at Itachi and your father. They had a bond that you couldn't touch. Your father had such esteem for Itachi, such high regards. You, Sasuke, were less than a ground worm in his eyes, not even high enough to look at the pedestal that your brother was standing upon."

Maybe she was going a little too far. Shit, she couldn't stop now even if she wanted too.

"You needed to fight, and better yourself to take your fathers pride."

No reaction.

Huh, Sakura thought, she would have guessed that would have made him flinch. Maybe she was still being too nice.

"You were better then us, after your brother left, but still not even able to touch Itachi's desecrated pedestal."

Sakura thought she saw a glimmer of outrage in Sasuke's eyes.

Good girl, she thought, keep it coming.

"The difference in our levels made us either worship, or hate you, but I assume you wanted the later. Itachi didn't think enough of you to kill you, or maybe he thought too much of you and is waiting for you to kill him. Who will ever know? Itachi's crazier then a shit house rat. You will never get a straight answer from him. I hope you aren't waiting for one because you are in for a world of disappointment if you are."

Naruto chose this moment to shift. Sakura thanked the ancestors, that meant he was sleeping now and not unconscious.

Finish this girl or you never will, she thought, get back to what you were saying.

"I highly doubt you will ever reach that level as weak as you are. Taking the easy road to power using Orochimaru as a crutch to heighten your own natural abilities. Let me be the first to say what a joke. Orochimaru is a coward also following the easy route to power. In place of training and hardship he looks for the children of the clans with powerful natural abilities. You know he wants to steal your body, yes Naruto told you of this. Still, here you are following him like a little lost puppy hoping he will teach you a new trick."

Kiba would probably be upset with that expression, but what Kiba didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"Everyone in Konoha worked for our triumphs, I am not going to go into what I went through with Tsunade. This is not about me at all. It's all about you, and your nightmare, for surely it isn't a dream. You don't kill your friends in your dreams Sasuke. You don't betray your village, and your family for a dream you FUCK!"

She looked up at Sasuke again, and saw her words were starting to dig in, she saw it in his eyes. She thought for a moment, her heart tightened, and bile rose up in her throat. Stupid girl, that makes perfect sense, why hadn't she thought of that before?

Sasuke was waiting.

"I just wanted to share my feelings" this was a good a start as any.

"I wanted to tell you that what you have become, or maybe what you have always been is a weak person."

So what if her legs were now jelly, and her heart was beating with trepidation. There were worse feelings in life. She looked down at the unconscious Naruto at her feet and sighed. Now there was strength. Not in the bound fox demon, but in the boy himself. How could she have ever been so blind as to not see it. Naruto, herfriend who tries so hard, who never gives up, who was currently lying unconscious under her seal. It was something that needed to be done, or this would have been the end of Naruto, and Sakura couldn't have that on her shoulders. Sasuke could never kill Naruto, but if Naruto killed Sasuke trying to save her it would be at the cost of Naruto's soul. Killing Sasuke would put such a heavy burden on Naruto that nobody, not even Sakura herself, could help him with. But...

Sasuke was waiting

"You know he would have killed you if I hadn't sealed the fox demon"

Sasuke was waiting, and she had to tell him.

"I know now that I never loved you. I had a crush on the idea of you, on the ideal image you projected. I thought you were so good at what you did, and I wished I was half as good as you seemed to be. I didn't notice that you had given up when your family had died. Guess you didn't hate your brother enough to keep trying, huh? You said you did though. You said that you wanted to avenge your family, what a farce.

I will say you put on a good show of it at least.. Naruto confessed to me one time that you had said that you couldn't die until you had beaten him. Later he found out the him was Itachi.

Goodbye floodgates have a nice vacation hope to see you soon.

Maybe she was going a little too far. Shit, she couldn't stop now even if she wanted too.

"You needed to fight, and better yourself to take your fathers pride."

No reaction.

Huh, Sakura thought, she would have guessed that would have made him flinch. Maybe she was still being too nice.

"You were better then us, after your brother left, but still not even able to touch Itachi's desecrated pedestal."

Sakura thought she saw a glimmer of outrage in Sasuke's eyes.

Good girl, she thought, keep it coming.

Naruto chose this moment to shift. Sakura thanked the ancestors, that meant he was sleeping now and not unconscious.

Finish this girl or you never will, she thought, get back to what you were saying.

Kiba would probably be upset with that expression, but what Kiba didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

She looked up at Sasuke again, and saw her words were starting to dig in, she saw it in his eyes. She thought for a moment, her heart tightened, and bile rose up in her throat.

Stupid girl, that makes perfect sense, why hadn't she thought of that before?

She knew what she had to do. She had to really piss him off first though. Sever all ties.

Sakura started to cry.

"I hope you enjoy this new life you have chosen for yourself because after I am done here, I NEVER want to see you again. I told Naruto to bring you back to me, and he made it the promise of a lifetime. This promise I don't want him to keep, so I want you to swallow the 1000 needles."

Sakura then tossed the jar she had been keeping on her for all this time just for this moment. Yeah, so what if is was a little obsessive, grudges are sticky dirty things that grab a hold of a person, and drain all common sense. She knew this as a medic, but she had held on to this one for all that it was worth.

Sakura smiled ironically through her tears. What was a grudge if not another attachment?

"Ah, I am a hypocrite. Who am I to talk of grudges. You just keep going after your brother maybe you'll kill each other off. The there would be two less martyrs in the world of woe is me."

Sakura looked up. At last it looked like Sasuke was going to speak, and the rage, oh the rage she saw in his spinning eyes.

Finally, what she had been waiting for.

"I never wanted to hurt you Sakura, nor did I want to hurt Naruto. I care about you two very deeply."

Sasuke voice was guttural from talking over the emotions that he was trying to hide. Sakura laughed out loud and took a deep breath. It was time.

"What a fucking joke Sasuke. Your eyes are seeing the truth now Sasuke, and don't you dare look away."

Sakura glared him in the eyes, and defied him to break away from the staring battle.

"What lies have you told yourself Sasuke? That I was like a sister, and Naruto like a brother. Please, quit lying to yourself, you have never cared about anyone but yourself. Admit it. Everything you have done, you have done for Sasuke. You wanted to be better than your brother. You wanted your father's praise. You wanted revenge. You wanted to be the best of us. When Itachi wanted Naruto for his own machinations you felt threatened, and lashed out. This is when you finally saw what Naruto was going to become, what he is still becoming, and you were scared. He is better then you, and your brain can't handle that. Someone other then Sasuke being the shining star. No. Never. Not going to happen."

Sakura leaned down to pick up the sleeping Naruto, as she did she gave him a quick once over and saw that the fox demon was healing her friend of the self induced wounds that four tails inflicts on him.

"You have now seen the truth with your own eyes Sasuke. You can now retain it, and, gosh, maybe even use it. I really hope you start by using it on yourself, you need too. Now this has been a blast, but Naruto is going to wake up soon, and I am sure that I have some friends lurking in the woods that are waiting for me to get done."

Sure enough, Kiba and Shikamaru stepped out from behind her, and she was sure that Akamaru was somewhere behind Sasuke.

"Have a nice life Sasuke. Kill your brother. Do some soul searching. Just leave me and Naruto out of it."

Sakura leaped off in the direction of home. Not looking if her friends followed her or not. She had Naruto safe, and her friends would watch her back.

"Wow, Sakura!"

Sakura looked over, and Kiba was right next to her.

"When they speak of sleeping dogs they don't say kick it in the ass"

So he had heard the puppy comment. Oh well. Sakura looked Kiba full on and opened her mouth.

"That dog Kiba. Not anymore could I let that sleeping dog lie."