A/N: I wanted a longish talky chappy, hope you like!
Disclaimer: All related material belongs to Masashi Kishimoto…:-D but if it didn't -
Chapter 2
nnnnn Sakura POV nnnnn
Sakura felt her body relax again and attempted to turn around when she nearly fell over in pain.
She stood panting for a moment, confused at her present condition before attempting to move again...her muscles ached! The jounin started making her way slowly to the nearest tree for support, trying her hardest to bear the tremendous pain her body was now going through.
Sai's version never left me like this!
-Ne forehead, he didn't learn it from Orochimaru now did he?
What did he...do...?
-He left us physically handi-capped, that's what he did!
Damn right he did but still...the fact that I didn't feel it until now...
"Aaaahh!" She let out a loud cry as she finally collapsed against the tree. She slid down the side of the tree-trunk and sat there for a while before moving again.
Ne…he must have combined his jutsu with something else…
"Hmmp!" Sakura grunted.
Dobe! He knew I'd catch up with him, no wonder he left me like this!
Even though she was irritated by her condition she felt a slight air of satisfaction, she felt almost at equal with the Uchiha knowing that he wasn't taking any chances with her.
Almost.
She felt a moist wetness on her face and looked towards the dark-hued sky scowling but soon felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
It was raining.
nnnnn Naruto POV nnnnn
Hmm…he came this way…Kyuubi growled. We'll have to change paths.
"Are you sure?"
Don't doubt me kit…
nnnnn Sasuke POV nnnnn
A half-moon had risen above the tall branches, washing its silvery light across the dark and dank forest .A huge branch with thick green leaves hid the Uchiha entirely from view, he was a long way off from Konoha but still took precautions in concealing his chakra while he rested.
The brunette ran his fingers through his thick spikes and sighed, inwardly of course (because that's just the Uchiha way), reflecting on the night's events.
He smiled as he remembered Sakura's familiar irritated look when he had escaped her earth-prison, to his knowledge alone was by luck and chance. If his chakra level hadn't been perfectly balanced, he would have blown off his own feet by the unstable amount of energy output.
She always was perfect with her chakra control …
Sasuke suddenly felt a wave of sadness seep precariously into his soul, or rather what was left of it and quickly dispelled the feeling, especially afeeling that he thought he had left particular feeling that left him both annoyed yet content; that served retribution and even gave him some sense of morality; the same feeling that has left him up up to this day, miserable.
But that was long forgotten and he intended to keep it forgotten. He was in no condition to let himself be taken up by past afflictions.
I must stay focus on my purpose...
Sasuke leaned backwards on the rough bark of his tree-comforter, fixating himself contentedly on the considerably spacious tree branch he was occupying, all of a sudden remembering the painful chakra-controlling sessions he had endured back as a genin when he felt something odd.
Sasuke's head snapped up.
Someone was coming, or rather…something with an enormous chakra-level.
Could it be…
-No! A firm voice in his head dismissed the thought before he could even voice it in his head.
Ne Itachi…?
-Not likely…this wouldn't be his chakra-level even if he tried…
Sasuke wasn't even sure if it was actually chakra he was sensing, it was too...distorted. He heard the thing stop right underneath the thick leaves shielding him from his said enemy.
"Either way…it's dead…"He voiced silently to himself.
Sasuke drew his katana mutely and leapt from his hiding spot, ready to deliver his blow on…
A squirrel?
You've got to be kidding me… Sasuke felt like a complete idiot.
He angrily kicked the wretched animal into the side of a nearby tree-trunk instantly killing it and began securing his sheath when an unfamiliar yet familiar male voice called out to him.
"Still as cruel as ever, Sasuke."
Sasuke scowled. He spun around to face familiar spiked blonde hair and bright ceruleans.
"Are you following me?" Sasuke questioned the said blonde.
It was you.
The young man sneered, "Why would I waste my time following you?" Naruto took a few steps toward Sasuke before continuing, "I've more important things to do that don't involve you, for once."
Furious onyxes locked on cold ceruleans.
The tension between the two missing-nins intensified...
Sasuke had instantly spotted the vile corruption that had replaced once- innocent azures. But that wasn't the only difference about Naruto. His usually tanned-skin was paled, almost deathly and his attire consisted of complete white: his hakama and coat covered his entire body and his pure-white sandals were unusually clean despite the weather, he bore no head-band.
Kyuubi doesn't waste time, does he?…what's he after…? Sasuke decided to probe the blonde for a bit.(2)
"Is this what you've been doing? Following me and making up crap because I caught you?"
Naruto turned his back to Sasuke. "I've been searching for my equal for the last five years, not Sasuke-kun."
"So that's why you left the village?" Sasuke asked rhetoricaly. His equal…? "To run after another one of your already-screwed-up dreams?" Sasuke smirked. "You're even more pathetic than before."
I just hope I don't push my luck too far...
Naruto turned to face Sasuke again, grinning. "After I kill him I'll know my purpose and finally be what I always wanted to be, the last one and the first of my kind to be destroyed and the most powerful without this sin to mark me anymore." Naruto smiled darkly at the Uchiha. "Of course you would know about achieving ultimate power regardless of the consequences."
"What ?" So the fox is granting him power in exchange for his release?
Naruto took a few more steps towards Sasuke, "Why did you leave Konoha?" The blonde boy's azure eyes flickered red. "You preach about not being able to love anything or anyone, about how attachments only make you weaker but you're a victim of your own philosophy." His voice was unstably -rushed and heated.(3) "Tsk, tsk, Sasuke-kun didn't have a choice now, did he?" He smirked.
But doesn't Naruto know that he'll die in the process…unless he...but na the baka wouldn't...or would he...?
"You left Konoha...you left us...because that snake-bastard wanted her blood." (4)
Sasuke snapped back to reality.
"But you know what? I've begun to realize it's not even important anymore...Heh..you're not important anymore." His eyes held nothing but emptiness. "What I'm aiming for is far more important than whatever friendship I believed we had because frankly, you didn't give a shit so I wouldn't either." He turned his back on the raven. "I could kill you right now but I wouldn't, like I said I have things to do."His voice continued to sound inhumanly uneven .The blonde cast a shadowy look at the dark-haired man. "Don't believe I'm being nice by not ripping you to shreds, I'm just repaying the favor."
The blonde was gone before Sasuke had even blinked.
The Uchiha swore loudly.
nnnnn Sai POV nnnnn
By the time Sai had caught up with Sakura, it had finally stopped raining. He spotted her in a slumped position against a tree and the said battle field a mess: the earth was cascaded into deep muddy craters leaving the rest of the ground completely torn and bits of bits of trees were strewn everywhere.
"Sakura!" Sai yelled franticly, running and half-slipping in puddles of mud in vain to reach the said nin. Please be alright. please be alright. please be alright…
Sakura looked up to see a blurred image of a dark-haired boy. "Sasuke? ''
"Lie…It's me, Sai." Sai leaned down towards the injured girl and attempted to pick her up when she screamed out in pain. Sai let go and asked her what was wrong.
"His jutsu…" She was breathing heavily. " …impaled my muscles..."
Sai observed Sakura's condition with both fascination and rage.
How the hell did he manage to do that…?!
"Couldn't you heal yourself ?"
"No. It's like he blocked my chakra flow for the time while he was impairing my body!" Sakura fumed. "But it's so strange how I didn't actually feel him do it…only the aftermath."
"Did he hit any vital spots?" Sai persisted.
"No. He didn't get to hit me at all!"
How did he do that if he didn't have physical contact with her?
-Maybe he punched her out cold and she didn't even realize.
She wouldn't go down that easily... but I would have expected her to at least break a few of his bones...she should have fought better than this unless...
-Unless she didn't want to...?
Sakura touched the side of her cheek unconsciously, instantly remembering the trail Sasuke's fingers had imprinted secretly on her face just before he left.
"Sai, he touched my face."
"Nani?" Sai asked irritably, obviously deep in thought and pace.
"He touched the side of my face after he froze my body, his hand felt cold but I..." She lowered her head in shame, fortunately Sai mistook this for exhaustion. "-didn't think much about it." Sakura explained.
Sai's eyes widened slightly -of course-."His chakra." Sai began pacing furiously now talking fervently. "He channeled his chakra into energy or rather, electricity in his case, through your body literally smoking your tendons while, at the same time blocking off the chakra located there in case you wanted to heal yourself. "
Sai pondered some more on this new set of information…
In order to direct the energy path to a designated point he needed to know the hag's exact chakra points… but how did he know which points to block off…?
-Sharingan …?
But I've studied his kekkei genkai thoroughly, the sharingan can only do so much…
-Then how did he do it?!
Something was missing…(5)
Sai tired from thinking, plopped himself down beside Sakura, not paying much attention to the large amount of muddy water that he splashed on his uniform, and leaned his head against Sakura's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I didn't show up sooner, Sakura-chan."
Sakura looked into saddened charcoal eyes. Even though the ANBU bore a striking resemblance to the Uchiha, they were two completly different people and ever since Naruto left , both of them felt the necessity to protect each other at all times, no excuses, after-all they only had each other left.
Sakura hugged the boy tightly , he felt her wince slightly in pain. "He would have smashed you to bits, idiot! Did you even pause to look at what we did to this place?!" She was grinning.
"With my moves?" Sai smiled smugly and wrapped his arms around her. "He wouldn't stand a chance." They looked at each other and cracked up with laughter.
Sai picked himself off the floor and lifted Sakura off the muddy-floor bridal-style. "Where to, Sakura-chan?" Sai smirked. Thought I lost you.
Sakura played along. "Home onwards, Sai-kun ." I'm not that easy to get rid of. "Actually, it's better we go to the hospital 'cause I think I broke something!"
Sai laughed. "Yeah yeah."
"Don't 'yeah yeah' me! I have a name you know!"
"Yeah yeah, ugly." Sai laughed again at her continued quarrellings and her failed punching attempts as they made their way back to the village.
Finally done with chappy #2 ! Yes I know it's kinda long but I really felt I needed to get all of this out in the 2 nd chap. sakura's recovering as sasuke meets up with kyuubi- induced naruto that took a while to create (blows whistles at accomplished task) since this is the 1 st time I've ever had any going ons with a dark Naruto. Oh and another thing, sai and sakura will NOT end up together, please don't be misled, however they're will be some kind of action in store for sai but that's later on so plz plz for some reviews ! thanx!
1)That's the best I could come up with, I hate describing plp clothes!
2) Yes, Sasuke IS nosy.
3) No, Naruto isn't on the verge of insanity, he's just a little unstable as outlined.
4) Yes, Orochimaru threatened to kidnap Sakura unless Sasuke brought him a dozen 13-year-old boys as the ransom payment. ( haha just jking. this is sasuke's why-i-really-left-konoha theory )
5) Yep yep something is missing hehe I wonder what...
Thanks for reading and latas plp!
