CRASH
Naruto flung back 20 feet onto the sandy beach. He quickly picked his head up out of the sand and ignored the cold chill of the grey sky above him threatening to rain.
Sakura gripped her kunai and looked over her shoulder to check on her partner. Seeing that he was already hopping to his own feet she took her stance on the ocean waves and turned her attention back to her opponent.
Charging at the mizu nin who summoned a giant squid she took out two more kunai and jumped into the air. Giving a shriek of approval she chucked the piercing metal blades at him and his summon. The squid was pierced in the side but it was only a minor thorn compared to a full out damaging attack while the ninja just smirked and blocked.
"Damn…" she cursed under her breath landing defensively back on the waves. Naruto sprung from over head making shadow clones and growled. While one was busy taking on the nin and the others making random kicks and punches to the summon Sakura took this time to help. She ran at the squid full intention of doing a large amount of damage with her new found strength Tsunade had taught her.
Swinging her arm back and then forward she managed to make a big impact on it's side making it squeal with displeasure.
"Yes!" Sakura grinned seeing it sink a bit as another tentacle popped Naruto's shadow clone.
But then a scream pierced her ears and she shot her vision over to Naruto whose lower body was falling making him splash on a wave. He had a kunai embedded in his calf and was trying to get up and attack but the water nin already had his weapon out. It was a large pole coated in purple liquid that he was aiming at Naruto's back.
Sakura's eyes widened seeing this. She dashed to where the two were fighting trying to get there to block the attack that was going to do massive damage at the speed it was going if it hit Naruto.
"Naruto!"
Sakura managed to get there in time only to get pierced through her side flinging her back until she landed on the beach, her back pressed against a rock that the pole was holding her to.
Naruto shot his head up when he heard Sakura scream only to have blood splatter on his face and see Sakura fly the opposite direction at a dangerous speed. His eyes widened when the red liquid coated his skin.
Hearing a wheeze, he looked back to his displeasure to see Sakura pinned to the rock with the pole in her side and blood flowing from her lips.
"Sakura-chan…" he mumbled in shock that she actually protected him from such an attack.
"Heh heh, that was a very foolish decision. That pole was coated with a poison that is sure to kill. By the looks of it, just taking it out of her side would speed up the process of death." Spoke the water nin with a grin on his face.
Naruto's eyes widened more before rage took over him.
"Bastard!" he yelled and ripped out the kunai ready to kill the man who did this to his Sakura. His friend. His partner.
Before he could have the knife make contact with the nin's throat a tentacle whacked him in the side flinging him over the waves with a grunt.
Sakura looked up with huffing of air, ceasing her hard attempt at sucking air into her lungs.
"Naruto…"
'I have to help, even if….'
Gripping the pole with quivering hands she knew if she could not ever save her team mate then what was the point of even living with the guilt of choosing yourself over someone with more potential in life.
"Sakura-chan! Wait!"
Sakura looked over at Naruto who was on his knees standing up, his voice urgent and desperate. Reaching out with a hand, he shivered at thinking of the consequences of what she was about to do.
"Don't pull that out. I can do this on my own!" he said his eyes shone with worry.
Sakura let another stream of blood befall her lips and dribbled down to her chin before she lowered her eyes and let go of the pole. Seeing that Sakura wasn't going to do anything drastic, Naruto turned back to catch another tentacle that was being swung at his body. Gritting his teeth, Naruto gripped onto it and threw it back the way it came.
As the fight went on Sakura observed how Naruto fought with full strength trying to kill the animal and then go for the nin. But she also observed every mistake he was making and how many times certain attacks, if they hit just right, would have killed him instantly.
Naruto coughed up blood and leaned over gritting his teeth again.
Sakura couldn't take seeing her friend start to get badly injured while she stayed pinned to a rock.
"Die!" the nin laughed and shot kunai towards Naruto in his unguarded form. Sakura immediately ripped out the pole and ran towards him to help.
"Sakura-chan!"
--
Naruto walked with rain dripping from his injured body carrying a limp girl with pink hair in his arms weakly. He had light tears coming down his cheeks but you couldn't tell but from the sadness in his eyes because of the rain.
Blood soaked both of their forms even the rain couldn't take away.
Naruto sniffed and lost his footing a bit leaning against a tree and dropping Sakura half way but had her arm around his shoulder now and her feet on the ground. He groaned and looked up to see beyond a few trees the tip of the entrance to Konoha not to far in the distance.
"We're almost there 'kay Sakura-chan? Then Tsunade obaa-chan can get you cured alright?" He asked and looked over at the girl who had her head hanging. More tears flowed down her face seeing her not answer him.
Getting his balance back he pushed off of the trunk of the tree and kept walking.
Mean while outside the gate of Konoha was a certain bowl cut ninja who was just walking out to go train. Yes it might have been raining but that wouldn't stop him.
Making his way out towards the forest he saw an orange form.
"Mmm?" he mumbled and squinted to see a better picture. Smiling when he saw it was Naruto and Sakura coming back from their mission he ran up to greet them.
"Naruto-kun!" Lee said but his words faltered as well as his smile when he saw Naruto's saddened face and their blood soaked bodies.
"…Gechi mayu…Sakura-chan….we need to get some help…" he said his face contorting into a sob. ( I think that's how you spell what he calls lee. I will look it up later)
Lee's lower lip shook a bit seeing the blood dribble to the ground, then without a moment of hesitation he immediately dashed over to Naruto and took Sakura on his back.
"What happened?" he asked quickly only to have Naruto wince and lower his gaze. Pausing a bit, Lee turned his vision directly at Naruto.
"Can you keep up?" he asked eyeing his injured form. Naruto nodded. He could keep up till they got to Konoha.
Running back along the forest floor, they all made their way to the Konoha hospital.
"…Lee-san….sorry….if I'm getting you dirty…" Sakura mumbled weekly referring to the blood coming out of her body and coming onto Lee's jump suit.
"Mmm." He shook his head." It's alright."
--
"…."
Sakura sat up in her hospital bed, the sun now shining brightly. Squinting her eyes, she leaned her back against the head board and saw that her abdomen was wrapped in bandages.
"Sakura."
Sakura looked over to see Tsunade standing next to her bed.
"Tsunade-sama." Sakura said a bit surprised.
"Sakura….how are you feeling?" she asked a bit worried.
"Oh?" she mumbled and smiled at her." Well, I do feel a little sore but that will pass I think."
Tsunade's eyes softened.
"Maa, Sakura that's good to hear…Demo, I have to inform you of something so I will get straight to the point." Tsunade mumbled making Sakura give her undivided attention.
"The weapon that pierced you was coated in a poison that is supposed to shut down all your systems in your body and cause as much pain as possible over time, unless it is treated immediately."
Sakura smiled.
"Thank you Tsunade-sama."
"…Unfortunately, you weren't treated as soon as 30 minutes when you were stabbed so that was not immediate attention." Tsunade said and felt a pang in her chest seeing the fear half etched on Sakura's features.
"You will probably experience horrible pain that you have yet to experience in your life as a shinobi. Each passing day it will get worse, while other days will feel numbing or you're just fine. But either way, I wouldn't say it's pleasurable."
Sakura gripped her sheets and stared at her hands.
"Ah…"
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled flinging the door open. He looked as good as new. Of course, it had already been a week since they arrived back.
"Sakura-chan! You're awake! Those nurses lied to me and said you were still passed out." He grumbled but then grinned at her.
"Wow, Tsunade obaa-chan really fixed you up. I think you can get back up and training in a few days." He snickered and rubbed his finger under his nose.
Everything was silent.
"Naruto, Sakura isn't going to be training with you anymore." Tsunade stated.
"Eh? Why not?" he asked with little closed fox eyes.
"Sakura….will not be able to stay with you for a long time. I don't even think she will make it till the end of this month."
Naruto stared with wide confused eyes over at the kunoichi in the bed.
"What do you mean? She looks great, you cured her up good." He argued.
"Naruto, Sakura is slowly dying."
His heart skipped a beat.