((Hello everyone! Yay, this be my first fanfiction as an aspiring writer. NOTE: If you don't like NaruXSaku, then you don't have to read, and please don't be rude in commenting, though constructive criticism is encouraged, as well as nice comments... Nice commenting would be wonderful. Also, there is likely to be other little pairings scattered throughout, such as ShikaXTema and SasuXHina. UPDATE: I will be writing "blank's POV"in blod above a line barrier to show the change in character. Yay.

DISCLAIMER: Naruto is not owned by me, and if you think it is, you are as smart as a sack of potatoes...))

The world seemed to stand and wait as the two figures charged at each other, the display of their great strengths refused to allow any straying eyes. It was almost breathtaking the way they fought, a fixated goal in each head. For one, it was to kill, the other to retrieve, but for both, only one could succeed.

Sakura's POV

It was hard to forget the last time Naruto and Sasuke had come face to face. It had been during the last retrieval mission, a failure like all its predecessors. The entire team had been severely injured, and it was weeks before anyone, including Naruto, was able to even get out of bed. They had all trained hard, Naruto especially with his "promise of a lifetime", but from what she could see, it wasn't likely to make any difference on their seemingly indestructible foe, Sasuke Uchiha. A taunting voice mocked her from behind.

"What, your girlfriend too weak to fight?" Sasuke smirked at her, knowing his remark would get a rise out of at least one of them. She tried to ignore him, reasoning with herself A medic ninja had to stay out of the fray, and if Naruto loses control, it would be her who healed him before the Kyuubi's chakra could further damage him.

"DON'T YOU EVER INSULT SAKURA-CHAN!" She was right to ignore Sasuke, as Naruto had obviously taken the bait. His control of the Kyuubi was beginning to slip, and his cyan eyes were developing a reddish-tint…

"NO, NARUTO! THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS!" She yelled in vain. There was no way he could suppress the Kyuubi now. Even though he'd been training all this time to suppress the demon's chakra, in a situation like this, it was nearly impossible. Naruto's cyan eyes finished their twisted transformation, becoming blood red, and a thin layer of the Kyuubi's chakra began to envelop his body. She had to stop him before any more tails formed. Weighing her options, she decided the only way was to distract his attention. Sakura sprinted towards him, all her hope placed on a single half-baked idea.

"PLEASE! LISTEN TO ME!" She wrapped her arms around him, screaming as the red chakra harshly cut into her skin. He lifted an arm to shake her off, but she still held on, until all her strength was gone and he could throw her aside, while slicing a deep cut into her other undamaged arm. She was knocked senseless into a hard rock wall, and blackness slowly clouded her vision. Damn it! Still useless… She slipped out of consciousness…

Naruto's POV

"SAKURA-CHAN!" The sight of her unconscious body was enough to snap him out of his blind rage. What had Sasuke done to her in the few minutes he'd lost control? He glared at his enemy, and saw he hadn't moved an inch, his stupid smirking face was in the exact spot it had been only a few seconds ago. A horrific realization came over him. Had he hurt Sakura-chan again under the Kyuubi's influence? That was the only possibility, so her injuries would be severe, all thanks to him. A sense of urgency filled his thoughts. He had to defeat Sasuke and bring him back for Sakura-chan. He gathered up all his regular chakra, and formed a Rasengan. This would be the last time…

Sasuke's POV

Sasuke stared haughtily at his ex-team mate. How was it possible Naruto could still act like such a loser, even though it had been another year since he'd last tried to bring him back to Konoha? A year spent training, no doubt, and yet he'd learned nothing at all. How pitiful. Yet suddenly, this pitiful ninja was no longer there. How was this possible? He quickly activated his Sharingan, and Naruto was back in his line of vision, but much closer than he expected. It must have been his speed that had made him disappear. Therefore, he had a limited amount of time to defend himself.

"Chidori Nagashi!" A quick burst of chakra filled his body, but was suddenly gone. What the hell? Angered by his sudden disability, he tried again to concentrate his chakra.

Click.

There had to be a reason for this. He deactivated his Sharingan, and tried again.

Click.

Was he really completely out of chakra? Like a lighter without fluid, he was unable to do anything. His legs began to wobble, a sickening display of weakness, and he fell, a strange vision of a cloaked figure laughing at him dredged up by his conscious before he slipped into blackness…

Naruto's POV

Had he really done it? Was Sasuke really defeated, and could he finally drag him back to Konoha? Naruto could only ponder as he stared at his rival's comatose body. What was it about this boy that Sakura loved so… SAKURA! How could he have forgotten that she was just lying there, bleeding from the wounds he'd inflicted? Sprinting back across the huge crater, he knelt down by her unconscious body. There was his beautiful Sakura-chan, bleeding profusely from her many gashes. Scrounging his brain, he tried to remember the little information she'd taught him about healing before they'd left. Concentrate some chakra to the ends of your hands and… there! A feeble aqua aura coated his hand. He held it over the worst wounds, where the bleeding slowly began to stop. Continuing up her torso, he came across one gash right below her chest. Mind out of the gutter… god help him. Jiraiya was starting to rub off on him… Finally, all her wounds stopped bleeding, and his chakra was almost completely gone. Gathering Sakura in his arms, he walked back over to Sasuke, who was still out cold on the ground. A noise from above startled him, and he looked up to see Pakkun, one of Kakashi's ninja dogs, indistinguishably yelling gibberish at him. Finally, he was able to decipher that he should stay where he was and that Kakashi was coming to find him. Thank God he wouldn't have to bring them both back alone…