The guilt of knocking Lee, Sai, and Kiba out when they were simply trying to aid her was beginning to creep like fog into her quickly working mind. Surpressing the devastating thought, Sakura fueled chakra into her feet and zoomed threw the forest towards her destination

'Kiba-san, where exactly is Sasuke?'

'Facing directly north at 2 o'clock, up on kilometer.'

Deciding travel by trees would be quicker, the small woman propelled herself to the canopy overhead, before speeding up again.

Sasuke..when did I fall in love with you? Back in those days, I was just infatuated with how cool you were.

She sighed as her childhood memories began to play just behind her spring green eyes.

"I'm in love!" she proclaimed, running to her friends, "can you guess with who?"

"Keep it short. And don't say its Sasuke."

The toddler Haruno squeeked, "How did you know?"

Then you became my team mate..

The beloved memory of Team 7's birth dominated her mind. She remembered it like it was yesterday. She remembered Kakashi requested each fresh new pupil to state their name and something they liked.

She exhaled deeply. Had she really been so naive?

"I'm Haruno Sakura! What I like..I mean who I like is..my future dream is.." She was gushing at Sasuke and squeeling like an insane fangirl.

Team 7..

"Your assignment for today is to take these bells away from me by noon," Kakashi waved two bells infront of his face that were laced by a tiny piece of thread. As if to second the copy nin, the bells rang lightly. "Those who can't do it won't get lunch."

Her brain flashed to the results of she and Sasuke recieving lunch and Naruto ending up tied up to a wooden pillar.

Noticing the blondes stomach growl, the only Uchiha held his banto up to him. "Here,"

Sakuras emerald orbs opened slightly. "H-hey Sasuke, sensei just said-"

"It's okay, there's no sign of him now," His cool voice cut in, "In the afternoon, the three of us will go and get the bells. It'll be trouble if he becomes a hindrance to me so.."

Naruto smiled bashfully as the pinkette held her banto up to him aswell.

Surprising the living daylights out of the new team, Kakashi appeared in a puff of violent smoke.

"N-Nani?" Naruto exclaimed, frantically jerking against the ropes that bound him in his place.

"You guys!" Kakashi was hovering over the trio, "You pass!" His single visible eye crinkled at the ends as he smiled brightly.

"W-we passed?" Sakura asked, flinching away from her bipolar teacher, "Why?" She questioned, suddenly suspicious.

"A ninja must see through deception." The still smiling Kakashi replied,"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

'Being team mates didn't change me..I was still hopelessly in love with the cool Sasuke..'

She thought, her mind wrapping around a memory of the two of them traveling in the trees together during one of their first missions.

'Just staring at his handsome profile was enough for me. I never gave a thought to who was really behind that pensive face.'

Her brain transitioned to the instance in the chunin exams when Sasuke had recieved his infamous cursed seal.

Sasuke gripped his neck where Orochimaru had bit it, and fell to his knees. "You! What did you do to Sasuke-kun?"

Sinking eerily into the forest floor, the oddity replied "I gave him a parting gift."

Sakura gasped as she rushed to the Uchihas side, and fell on her knees before him.

"S-Sasuke-kun? Hang on Sasuke!" She could feel the tears threatening to fall. "Please!" She lifted his hand and gripped it within her own, heart sinking at his pained expression.

'But..'

"At last, I understand I'm an avenger." A dark purple aura was surrounding Sasuke as fire-like marks began to spread across his face.

"With the path i'm on, I must acquire power at any price, even if it means being consumed by evil."

Sakuras expression darkened.

Sasuke attacked the sound nin who had hurt Sakura, and broke both of his arms behind his back. Turning to the last remaining of the sound nins team,

he hissed "Youre the only one left. Make it a little more fun for me."

With that, he began to walk towards the shaking nin.

Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

Jumping up from her position beside Sasuke, she ignored her bruised arms and aching legs, and ran towards him.

"Stop!" She screamed, hugging him from behind and crushing her swelled cheek into his back. "Stop it! Please.." She whispered. Slowly, the fire like symbols that had engulfed his body began to sink back into the odd markings on his neck.

She sighed at the painful piece of Sasuke that had remained dormant in her mind.

"Don't say anything about this bruise." He ordered smoothly, holding her wrist within his grasp. "Why are you pretending to be tough? I don't want to watch you suffer all the time anymore! To me you are.."

His gaze hardened as he cut her off. "This has nothing to do with you. Mind your own business."

The pinkette hissed. She launched herself onto the next tree violently.

"Sasuke-kun!" The girl yelled, wrapping her clammy arms around the bed ridden Uchiha. He simply looked at her, and allowed her to do so.

'The shadow that you carried..When I finally noticed, it was too late.'

"N-nani?"

"Fight me right now." Sasuke replied curtly.

Sakuras jaw dropped.

"This is perfect. I was just thinking I wanted to fight you." The blonde shot back, meeting Sasukes dangerous eyes.

The medic pressed even more chakra into her limbs as she moved even faster now.

"Damn it!" Sasuke hissed, gripping his wrist as his chidori formed. He dived towards Naruto who had his rasengan in hand, and ready.

"Stop it!" She screamed, running as the two picked up momentum, "Stop it! Both of you!" Tears were streaming down her adolecent face.

Unexpectantly, Kakashi grapped both boys wrists and veered them away from each other. As well as the now unharmed Sakura.

Flash stepping to Sasuke, their sensei gave him a stern look. "That Chidori you used was slightly bigger then one you'd direct at a comrade from the same villiage.

Were you thinking of killing Naruto?"

Noticing the trees were becoming sparse, Sakura quickly leaped down to the forest floor and continued running.

'Naruto knew..he knew about your shadow.'

"Sakura-chan..don't interfere.."

'Before I knew it, Naruto had matured and was standing face to face with you. I was the one left behind, yet I didn't change.'

"I'm not the same as you." He replied, not even turning around to face her. "I'm traveling on a path the rest of you can't follow."

"I love you so much, Sasuke!" She screamed, blurred vision bore into the backpack that rested on his shoulders. "If you stay with me, I won't let you regret it, no matter what! Everyday will be fun, and we'll be happy! I'll even help you get revenge! I'll make it happen somehow, I promise you! So please... Stay here with me. And if you cant..

If you can't, then take me with you!"

she lowered her head and let her tears fall like rain onto the cement below her.

"Youre still annoying." She lifted her head to see his handsome profile was looking at her now.

In an instant, he wasn't there anymore. She felt his presence behind her.

"Sakura.." She held her breathe when he said her name. "Arigato."

Then everything went black.

Kibas directions on where the avenger would be suddenly knocked Sakura out of her wandering thoughts. Facing directly north at 2 o'clock, up on kilometer.

She was almost there.

The wind was blowing wickedly, causing Madaras cloak and Sasukes loose garments to billow faintly to the left. The Uchiha smirked from where he was perched at the sight beneath him.

Danzou was dead.

"That was a close call," Madara chirped, obviously referring to when the elder had used his deadly 'Reverse tentagram sealing' technique, and nearly killed both men now

gazing down at his corpse, "That was the Collateral Damage Sealing jutsu. He couldve dragged you inside his corpse and sealed you inside. He probably set it up to activate at the moment of his death." The cloaked man explained.

Sasuke simply nodded, then his eyes focussed on the hawk that flew over the pair.

"We'll head for the hidden Leaf next," He murmured, eyes still on the soaring bird.

"The hidden leaf, huh?" Madara jumped down to Danzous corpse in one fluid movement. "I'm taking his eye,"

He declared, before adressing the Uchiha once more. "Sasuke, don't be hasty. Go back to the hideout and rest. You used up too much of your visual powers.

Eventually you won't be able to keep it up. Your eye is losing its light. What can you do by yourself now? Patience is necessary to reach ones goal. "

Sasuke simply met the mans single crimson eye, and watched as he retrieved Danzous valuable eye.

"Sasuke," Madara looked up at the younger Uchiha. "I'm gong to give you a bit of advice." He turned his head towards Karin, who was injured and bloody

only feet away from him. "If you don't need that woman, make sure you finish her off. She knows too much about us."

" 'Us'? When did I join you?" Sasuke cut in smoothly.

"Well, nevermind. We'll meet again." Madara muttered before being sucked into a portal that he himself had only just made.

Leaping down from the bridge, Sasuke began to make his way to Karin. She was whimpering and had suffered a high number of fatal wounds.

Blood trickled from her mouth as she tried her best to breathe.

Her eyes shot open when she heard the low approach of foot falls.

"Later." Sasuke smirked down at her. Raising his hand, Karin flinched when the noise that only Sasukes chidori produced reached her ears.

She didn't have to ask what his intentions were.

This really was the end for her, wasn't it? She stared at Sasukes hardened face.

In all the months that she had accompanied the devilishly handsome man infront of her, never once had she seen any other expression other then the one that was staring down at her. So expressionless. Like a grand field without flowers.

'I wish I couldve seen him smile..atleast once..'

"Uchiha Sasuke!"

Said man visibly tensed, and his chidori dissapeared with seconds noticed. His bloodied eyes widened slightly, and his eyebrows rose.

'Guess he does have flowers..' She inwardly mused.

"Kiba-san. How much further is it?" Yamato questioned, turning to the tracker.

"We should be there in about five minutes."

Naruto didn't say anything, but only motioned for them to go further.

He couldn't bare the thought of losing her.

A/N: Poor Naruto. D; Read/review for more!