Kai, rubbing his jaw, held up his arm, it silenced his crew who had been on the verge of charging the two remaining Konoha Ninja. Naruto had grabbed and wrestled Sakura away, too late to stop her from her own impetuous actions.

"If you won't act like a gentleman, then I will not act like a lady!" Sakura, held back only by Naruto's tentative grip, was yelling as she tried to continue her attack.

Kai smiled. "Fine little girl, have it your way." He waved his arm down, motioning for his crew, all of them looking backward at him, to let loose. "What are you looking at? Get them!"

Naruto let go of Sakura, with a quick set of hand signs, he called forth shadow clones to stop the ensuing group of enemies. Each clone took on one of the thugs, creating a sea of hand to hand fist fights, puffs of white smoke occasionally bursting into the air as a clone was defeated.

Sakura, kunai in hand, was defending and dodging attacks, countering others and generally making her way to where Kai was watching the commotion take place. Each enemy she defeated drew her closer to her target. A fist came flying, she ducked and countered with her own chakra-filled punches, sending the combatant into the crowd, opening a path for her to continue through.

Kai never did let go of his smile. He was standing, watching the carnage around him. He had since taken out his weapon of choice, a thick ball and chain that he lazily spun around. He watched as his comrades fell by that annoying blonde boy with his many clones and the mousy pink haired girl.

It was quite obvious to Kai that Sakura was making her way to him; Kai stopped looking at all other happenings, he enjoyed how this young woman was coming to him, to fight him and in the end, to die by his hands. Swinging his chain, he caught every glimpse of her lithe body, sweaty and dirty, as she knocked down attackers who threw themselves over her. He reveled in every grab his men made as they grappled her into neck holds and bear hugs then being tossed aside by her camouflaged strength. Just as Kai thought his fight with her would have to begin, she was blindsided, a punch landed.

Sakura didn't see it coming soon enough. The rock-hard fist came across her face sideways sending her reeling to the edge of the cliff. Her vision went blurry and she couldn't keep her feet steady as she tried desperately to regain her stance. Just as she pieced together her wits, her last step, barely missing the edge of the cliff, sent her careening outward toward the horizon.

Without a moment to ponder the misstep or the fall downward, a hand grabbed her. With a mighty pull, Naruto whipped her back to solid ground. As she flew by him he gave her a nod, and with the momentum the two had gathered, sent her running to her ultimate target, Kai. Sakura smiled at the teamwork the two had developed over the course of their friendship. They didn't even need to exchange words to know what the other was thinking or to develop a plan of attack.

She saw Kai wind up his weapon, and fling the iron ball in her direction, the chain coiling behind. It was an easy dodge, too easy, like it wasn't meant for her...She watched the iron ball fly past, looking back just as the weapon made impact, hitting Naruto in the head. The blow, unexpected, sent him reeling off backwards, the same fate Sakura had suffered. She turned, sprinting to where she had just come from, trying to stop Naruto's plummet. He had already begun to fall, his feet in the air, arms reaching out toward Sakura's. The two made eye contact, a stare that screamed a thousand words: don't let me fall! I won't let you! Grab my hand!

Just as Sakura reached out in what would have been the nick of time, her fingertips barely grazing Naruto's, she felt chain wrap around her leg yanking her and her only chance to save Naruto away. As she was whipped backward, she could only watch as Naruto fell past the cliff. She kept waiting for him to disperse into white smoke, perhaps just a clone, but it never happened.

Sakura landed hard against the side of the mountain, Kai's chain no longer squeezing tight around her leg. She had no words, nothing to scream, she just breathed heavily, looking out to where Naruto had fallen out of view. She tried miserably to rid herself of his last haunting expression, one of fear and desperation, but it was no use, she couldn't and the effort was squeezing tears from her eyes. Moments later the clones, who had still been fighting all around her, vanished in a great puff of smoke only to be blown away by the wind.

There she stood, backed against the rocky wall. Time enough to pull her black leather gloves tight to her palms, her stare never wavering from the numerous glares of enemy combatants waiting to make their moves...


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