Disclaimer: All characters and materials of Naruto are the property of it original Japanese writer. I don't own any of them, so I am not responsible for any dissatisfaction with the series—anime nor manga.
Spoiler Warning: STOP!! If you haven't watched the first episode of the Naruto Shippuuden series, then don't keep reading!!
Setting: After Sasuke says to Naruto, "That's why this time, at my whim, you'll lose your life."
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"Hold on, Naruto" Sakura said, the panic rising in her voice. Tears were streaming down her face. All the training that she had had to keep her emotions hidden wasn't helping at all.
"I told him…this time he would die…" Sasuke stared at the situation uncaringly.
"S-Stuff it!" Sakura yelled angrily at Sasuke as she desperately dug through her bag for bandages.
"He'll be dead soon…don't worry."
"Shut up!" Sakura shouted back at him. She desperately searched through her pack needing to find materials to stop the bleeding…something…anything. Looking down at the yellow-haired fifteen-year-old boy cradled in her lap, she was forced to swallow down another sob that threatened to come over her. Where in heaven, hell, or earth had Sai run off to?
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to your grief. Next time, don't expect me to be so forgiving," Sasuke hissed. In an instant, he was gone and Sakura was left with a dying Naruto.
"Naruto…hold on…you have to hold on," she pleaded, wiping the tears out of her eyes. When had she started to care so much for him? Was it when he came back from training all grown up and actually pretty mature? Her head was swimming as she pulled out a bandage and antiseptic at last and turned his body over to reveal the deep flesh wound that Sasuke had inflicted on Naruto. She poured the liquid over the wound and frantically started to wrap the wound. Cursing the fact that they didn't have anything for stitches, she forced the skin together with her hands and wrapped it around tighter. As she did this, she started to notice that the skin was already starting to heal itself back together. Was that the power of the fox? As the bandaging was finally finished, she set out a blanket on the ground. He may have been healing rapidly, but his wound was still bad enough that moving him was not wise, not for a least a day.
The day turned into night and several hours after she fell asleep at his side, she woke to his feverish tossing and delirious shouting. As she put her hand to his forehead to feel part of the sweat and fire that was plaguing his entire body, she realized that something was very wrong. She turned him back over, and unwrapped the bandages to take a look at his back. It was just a shallow wound now, but a kind of sickly green color had taken residence around it. Sasuke had put poison on the blade.
"Curse you, Sasuke," Sakura spat. She felt suddenly helpless to care for him. She was nowhere near any of the herbs or fresh water that she needed in order to treat him. She looked around frantically trying to catch a glimpse of anyone that might be near enough to help her, but just as she thought, there was no one within miles.
"Naruto…hang in there. If you can hear me, don't you dare die on me." Although she would never admit it, she was starting to lose hope. Starting to feel helpless again, she did the only thing she could think of. She put a fresh bandage on the wound, took everything out of their packs that wasn't essential, tied the remaining pack to her waist, and gently hoisted the blonde-haired, injured boy onto her back. He was surprisingly lighter than she expected. With what strength that she didn't already spend from crying, she jumped out of the canyon-like depression with Naruto on her back and started running back towards the Konoha village. She just hoped more than anything that he would last that long.
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Thanks for reading! Please take the time to review and tell me how you liked it. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I get done writing it…hopefully soon. Bye pplz!
