I launched off the ground with my toes, speeding past Naruto.
"S-Sakura-chan?! Wait!" I heard him call.
"I'm just checking the cliff, Aoi might be wrong!" I reassured him.
Why did he always feel the need to keep an eye on me during missions? I could take care of myself far better than he could. Hell, I'm the one who knows medical ninjutsu. If anything, he needs someone to keep an eye on him.
I skidded to a stop on my heel at the cliff's edge. Scanning the woods below for a sign of some sort that our target was still around. Sure enough, a small stream of smoke leaked out from the dense forest.
"Naruto," I called back to him, confirming out lead, "I found—AH!"
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
My foot had slipped. I was falling face first down into the valley. A slight panic rose in my chest, but soon vanished. I'm a shinobi, I can survive this easily.
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"
I'm not too sure why Naruto was screaming my name over and over, I could handle this. All I had to do was grab a branch and haul myself back up with chakra.
"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!"
There goes, still calling. Why did his voice sound so urgent?
"Sakura-san! Look out!"
Huh? That sounded like Sai. He's not supposed to be here yet. Wait, look out? For what?
I twisted around to look up at them, to show them I was okay in my free-fall. That's when I noticed.
I was not going to be okay.
"NO!" I heard Naruto scream.
I hit the ground, hard. The air was knocked out of me—it hurt. Harder, heavier objects than I hit the ground around me, making loud clunking noises. I cracked open my eyes in time to see a large shadow looming over me.
"No…"
I guess that was going to be my last word. Why couldn't I have said something better?
All I could hear was Naruto screaming as I promptly blacked out.