I knocked out the branches connected to the ground on the shelter, which was the base of the shelter, making it collapse camouflaging Sasuke and I for a short moment. Quick Sakura, you have less than 5 seconds to think of a plan. If I were to run in either directions, left or right, I still wouldn't be able to escape conflict. Who are they? Dammit what have you gotten yourself into Sasuke? Sasuke, he is my top priority, he can't fight on his own. I'll have to keep him away from the fight, and I know what I have to do.
"Sasuke, I'll come back for you." I promised, without asking for his opinion, I swinged him three times before throwing him deep in the forest. Then I flanged myself to the man who was in front of me. I kicked hard, aiming for his face, but he barely deflected my blow. I twisted my body and kicked him again, but to his chest and luckily this kick landed on him. Thump. A log fell to the ground, he used a substitution justu.
The forest was quiet and only nature could be heard at this moment. I searched for the other ninjas, but the two on the trees were not there anymore. A loud rustle of leaves came from my left, I hastily turned to the direction of the sound. All I saw was the man from before and his knuckles hitting the side of my face. The blow was so hard and so strong, his hand felt like a rock. I could feel blood gushing out of my cheek, but before I could panic, he was going to hit again, but this time on my stomach. I focused chakra on my right hand and punched him on his side with all my might. My punch hit him, but his punch also hit me. My stomach felt like it had just been crushed. I was too scared to look at the damage his hit brought me, so I looked up. The two other ninjas were running to me, and with all the adrenaline I had left, I ran from that battle field as hard as I could, knowing I could not fight anymore.
.~.~.
I seemed to have lost those ninjas, sometime ago. Now adding thirst to my exhaustion, I had to find water. My stomach started to hurt even more, and my cheek stopped feeling numb and all the pain came at once. I couldn't run anymore. I sat down, leaning on a tree taking a break. I looked at my stomach, there was no blood on the outside, which meant all the pain came from inside of my stomach. I quickly started a healing ritual on my stomach. This lessened the pain by a large margin, but it exhausted me even more than I was before. My vision started to blur again. My stomach hurt less now, but my cheek still stung. If I wear to heal my cheek now, I would risk exhaustion and even fainting. Ignoring my pain is the only thing I could do for the time being. The only effective thing I could do now is to find water.
I stood up and began my search for water again, in hope that water would help wake me up. I thought of my plans and began to organize; After water comes shelter, then after that I heal my wounds, and after that I find Sasuke, who is hopefully secluded from the those ninjas. I have too many goals, I can't just rest now or pass out, and every minute I spend resting I risk Sasuke's safety. I must find a water source quickly. Use your brain Sakura, think of all the rivers and ponds you have passed by in this forest. There's a pond West of the shelter, but I am now East of it while Sasuke is at North. That pond is far too inconvenient. Think harder, what other pond did you pass by?
"Dammit, how could I have forgotten about that river?"
.~.~.
The water tasted like blood and hurt my cheek because of the wound. I could feel my eyes opening, I used this refreshing feeling as an advantage and started healing my cheek. My stomach would come after because I desperately need water in my system, and the only way I could do this is to heal my cheek.
After a few minutes of healing my cheek, I was able to comfortably drink the river water. Healing my cheek took a lot longer than expected, but that blow must have hit me hard, or maybe it had a special effect implemented with it. Did he use a jutsu before hitting me? What I knew was that if healing my cheek took way longer than I expected, then my stomach would take longer. I immediately started healing my stomach after I drank all the water I needed.
"There you are." I heard, and suddenly felt a hit on my left arm. This hit was so strong that I flew and hit against a tree three meters away from where I was sitting. I was in shock, it all happened so fast, I couldn't even react to the punch. I knew it was the same guy that punched me from before by the way his hand felt. My arm wasn't numb like my cheek or bearable like my stomach though, this time, his blow was much stronger. My arm felt disabled from my body, I couldn't move it. I could just feel the intense pain that ran from my arm to my finger tips. I tried to hold back a scream, but the pain was too great and I began to whimper. I heard footsteps coming closer to me and a female voice talking, "That's what you get for punching him so hard. I don't blame you for whining, it must hurt like hell. After all, Shin is a very talented chakra user."
"Stay back Luz! Let me keep hit her some more before you start the interrogation. She needs to see who she's messing with!" exclaimed a man who I guessed was Shin. I slowly opened my eyes, wanting to see their faces. "Okay, one more punch, but don't you dare knock her out Shin." With the initiative given, Shin grabbed me by the collar with one hand and raised me up to my feet. He raised his other hand and threw a punch headed directly to my face, but was intersected by a punch on the elbow of the arm that was holding me then his face. This threw Shin off a bit, and the person who saved me used this moment to turned to me and hastily picked me up and started the escaped from the two ninjas. I looked up and saw his charcoal colored eyes and hair.
"Don't you dare throw me ever again."
"Sasuke, who are they? Why are they following you?" I asked sounding embarrassingly weak.
"You were being followed, not me." he explained expressionless.
"I thought you were-"
"We'll talk later." he said, cutting me off.
If I really am the one being followed, what did I do? And why was Sasuke hurt earlier? Was it also because of them? If he wanted to protect me then why did he try to kill me before?
