The trio of teens were safely nestled behind some large rocks as their brave captain moved over the bridge in his Sassori disguise. With all the wind it was a good spot to hide, the breeze howled loud enough to drown out any sound and swept their sent away from the spy waiting for slow moving wood puppet. When the man removed his hood, surprise had free rain to play over the minds of the two originals from team Kakashi.
"Kabuto," snarled the blond as the pinkette held fast to his arm to keep him from leaving their hiding spot.
Time slowly ticked by for the ones stuck behind the boulders but for the man on the front lines it flew by with frightening speed. He was trying to be careful, safe, make sure he squeezed out every precious drop of information he could, and all that time not give himself away as a fake.
Naruto tried to remain calm, to wait for orders, like a good ninja but his mind told him something was wrong. They needed to act now, but Captain Yamato would not be forgiving of him acting on his gut instinct. He was sure the two off to his side would also have scolding words for him, especially his temperamental pink haired teammate.
"Just give the fucking signal," Naruto spat out in his frustration.
"This is Kabuto we're dealing with, chill the fuck out," snapped Sakura. She wanted that damn signal just as bad as her friend but charging in ahead of everyone like the blond tended to do wouldn't help them here.
"There is such a thing as being too slow," Sai spoke up.
Right then the girl had to check if this was a nightmare or a illusion because she never thought she would live long enough to hear Sai ever come so close to agreeing with Naruto. Moving her attention back to the tense happenings of their mission, her eyes widened in horror as a third man joined the two on the center of the bridge dangling over a vast gorge. It was a man she wished to see bloody and no longer breathing, Orochimaru. She had to grab Naruto's arm for a second time but it was to root her to the ground instead of him. They waited painfully as the fake puppet master and the spy squared off against the snake. It surprised everyone when the ninja in glasses turned on their captain. Now, both impatient teens were itching to spring into actions.
Watching Yamato become entangled with snakes made the girl's skin crawl. All the slimy serpents got for their efforts of tangling and biting the man was a large chunk of a wooden doll. Watching the stand off between the three was slowly killing Naruto, there was the man who ruined the lives of team seven, there was the man who abducted his friend with promises of power. His gaze was so intent on the sickly looking man that he almost missed the signal he'd been dying to see. The three sprung into action, landing on the bridge before their captain with a small thud, noise was an enemy to these masters of silent killing.
"Let's play with these mice for a bit, the fox boy should prove somewhat entertaining," grinned the evil snake man, "maybe if you're a good little demon, I will tell you who is stronger now, you or my Sasuke."
"Give him back," Naruto growled out.
"There is no giving back what left of their own free will, you need to stop acting so childish," corrected the white haired medic with a taunting smirk.
"Shut the fuck up, ass hole," snapped the girl, she could see her friend shaking in rage at the other medic's words, "you don't know anything about our feelings, and even less about Naruto."
"If you want to know about your friend so bad, you could try forcing it out of me, that could be fun," Orochimaru hissed through a sick sadistic smile.
It almost made the girl loose her cool again, she wanted to wipe those looks off their targets faces and replace them with ones of pure anguish. A force beside her broke a part of the wooden planks under their feet, Sakura had to block the dust and wood that came flying from the enormous pressure that sprang from beside her. Naruto, the friend she would die for, was attacking the snake wielder, leaving her in the dust once again.
His rage was giving way to something deeper, something dark and uncontrollable. His seething contempt for the man who brought such heart ache to members of his team was palatable, he felt it bubbling off of him in waves. His hate for this man oozed out of every pour in his skin. He wasn't thinking, he was acting with how his body demanded, and it cried out for this man's head to be separated from his body. His clawed fingers sank into the fleshy false face of the bitter snake. Naruto found a small ting of pleasure by the slight fear in the overconfident man's eyes. The snake eyed man went flying off the bridge and thrashing through the woods.
When Naruto looked back, Sakura didn't see him, she saw the beast in his eyes. His predatory red eyes burned at her soul, his fangs protruded passed his lips, and his chakra formed large ears at the top of his head. She had know the fox was in there for a while now but to see it was different. It wasn't fear that sprang forth in her chest, as his single tail swished back and forth, all she felt was concern, if he was lost to the demon fox, what would bring him back?
Kabuto and Orochimaru complimented him on being a fine sacrifice, a child given up to jail the demon of the nine-tailed fox. They had no right to look at him like he was an lab subject they could dissect and figure out how he ticked. The boy had been treated less than human, like he carried some kind of plague. She had been guilty of following the group mentality but all it had taken was a misunderstanding and then the truth for her to see what kind of person he was. He still got annoying with his screaming about being Hokage so everyone would see him, acknowledge his existence but what else could a boy do when the world abandon you for something you had no control over. She saw him, he wasn't a sacrifice, he was someone who over came that bitch fate. Cruel destiny had dealt him a shitty hand and he was playing it like a champion.
In this moment Sakura worried he was about to fold under the pressure and become what everyone accused him of being, a monster. Her mind snapped out of her pondering of the blond in front of them to hear that their dear, sometimes scary, captain was part of the experiments Orochimaru preformed. It explained why the man could use the wood style only one man had been able to.
"I wonder who would win in a fight, my Sasuke or this little fox boy," mused the snake in his deep silk voice.
"He's not yours, don't call him that in front of me," snarled the demon boy as two more tails formed.
Chakra spun uncontrollably in the air away from the boy, it burned and clawed at the living things around it. Naruto felt himself slipping, he was succumbing to the pleasure of the pain, he longed to kill the man before him. Death whispered sweet nothings of hate and agony for the enemy of the Leaf, the enemy of life, the cheater of death, and the soulless monster who took his best friend, Orochimaru had to die. The pale snake just smiled in the face of untamed fury, even though, powerful, life ending, hate swirled around in the orange chakra erupting from the boy, he found it funny.
Sakura shivered as the uncontrollable force caressed her skin. For a smart person, she watched as Kabuto did the stupidest thing she had ever seen in her life, and she was teammates with Naruto, he attacked the bubbling mass of anger, power, and hatred. The roar the demon released was so powerful that he sent the spy flying back the way he came and the bridge crumbled underneath such over whelming raw power. The girl felt her feet leave the wooden structure only for her to come down hard, head first.
Captain Yamato didn't like how the situation was spinning out of control, this was not how he operated a mission. He tried to save what was left of the bridge with his wood techniques but it was a lost cause. He noticed his team's medic still on the falling structure and uncontentious. He watched as Naruto took off after the traitor of the Leaf, as the pink haired girl started to slip down the crumbling wood, stone, and wire, while Sai made a great bird of ink and took flight with it. Sakura fell to the abyss as the captain ordered for the artist to save her. The boy flew by her lifeless body without a second thought, he had his secret mission to attend to. The wood user slammed his hand down, sending a twisting beam after her. He stopped her downward descent as gently as possible but the sudden halt against his hard wood would probably bruise the creamy skinned girl but it was a far better thing than death at a rocky bottom.
Naruto didn't hear the words spoken by the man who taunted death but he felt the smugness in the words about having stolen someone who held an important place in his heart. He moved weightless into the realm of the beast, in the cage he was captured and lost himself to the madness as the forth tail burned its way out. His skin pealed away, unable to stand the concentration of toxic chakra any longer.
Sakura came to, her body hurt, quickly she fixed what she could while apologizing to her captain. She watched in awe as he created a wood clone and it went flying after a target she wasn't sure of, she didn't see her other two teammates. She took note of the destruction around her, she knew what had happened, Naruto had done it all but the question still come out of her mouth, "what happened?"
"Naruto did this," answered the captain, "he's on the other side, fighting Orochimaru."
A hauntingly painful howl was all the warning the ninja's received before a massive explosion ripped through the trees. The wood clone, protected himself with a wood rampart from the powerful force. The artist's ink bird of prey was turned to liquid by the blast.
"Naruto, you are just too much," hummed the real monster, enjoying his time toying with the destructive fox.
As the dust cleared a miniature demon fox with four tails whipping high into the blue sky stood in the newly created crater, "crap," growled the clone seeing the number.
The snarl from the boy taken over by the fox at the snake man sent chills down the spine of the artist. He had wanted to get closer but the demon was keeping everyone at bay, intent on killing the source of his current pain. Snake after snake came spewing out of Orochimaru's mouth. With one swipe of his bloody claw, the innumerable nest of serpents was destroyed, the back lash was felt by the timber clone and the hiding artist. They watched from their different vantage points as the the four tailed Naruto raised his arms skyward, then slammed them to the ground. The snake user moved quickly from his spot, narrowly avoiding the claws that came up from the earth. The retreating form of the snake master became a blur as he dodged the reaching tail hand of Naruto in his four tailed state.
The pair of on lookers became awe struck by their displays of powers; tails, second bodies, cutting Orochimar's body in half only for him to pull it back together with snakes, their level was beyond what they expected.
Sakura sat in silence, listening to the far off cries of battle, monsters were leaving their scars on the landscape.
"Don't worry, I was sent for a reason," the captain tried to comfort her, only giving him a slight nod that she heard him.
"I see, so either Sassori has been captured or is dead," Kabuto observed as he dusted himself off.
"He's dead," Sakura confirmed with no emotion.
"Excellent," smirked the spy.
Another explosion drew everyone's attention back to the battle waging just out of sight. The medic of Team Kakashi didn't have time to worry about Naruto, he'd been pushed back to the side of the ruined bridge they were all on. As the dust cleared she saw him, four tails, chakra ripping his body apart only to build it back together in rapid repetition.
"He's become more monster like already, they're no longer ninja at this point," commented the white haired medic ninja, an insane grin on his face.
Sakura felt her body shake, she needed her Naruto back. The bratty kid who did things for her attention, the one who kept his ninja word, but not this way, not loosing himself to the hatred to do it. Before she could think of what to do to help him, strong arms wrapped around her, sailing away from the blood of chaos. Another disturbance to the ground as a cloud of dust formed. A monstrous roar filled their ears.
"He doesn't even know who he is right now. It must be a pretty powerful drive to bring him to this madness," the off handed remark of Kabuto bothered the girl.
This was her fault, he made that promise and it drove him to insanity. An overwhelming sense of helplessness flooded her veins. She had to do something to purge it from her body. The dust hadn't even settled yet and she was moving, desperation demanded she move faster. More words were spoken to her by the ninja around her but she didn't hear them, just the hammering of her heart and the torturous cries of the beast taking over her friend.
Head long into danger, she rushed to him, begging him to stop. He didn't need to go this far, she'd fix this, she'd fix everything, he just needed to come back to her. As he saw her approach one of the venomous tails lashed out, striking her upper arm. Her scream of pain went unnoticed by the beast. He almost struck again but found himself ensnared by timbered bindings. She laid on the ground, a new experience of pain starting in her open wound, spreading like a wildfire through her system. Refusing to be healed as the blood didn't want to cooperate and stop flowing.
She didn't hear the men converse, she didn't see how Captain Yamato brought Naruto out of this demonic state and she didn't see their target vanish. All she saw was the blinding pain of her arm and heart. A broken promise, she had failed to catch up to him, to be useful to him. Forcing herself off the ground she scrambled to him, his skin raw from the abuse of the tainted nine tails' chakra. Healing him through her own pain, she made him whole again little by painful little. It hurt to see him so slow to respond to her restoration of his tortured body.
"Can you teach me? Teach me how to stop this?" she asked, choking back a sob.
"I wish I could, but only I can do this," answered the man who had been of use to her friend.
He went on to explain the true reason he placed as the team's captain. Despite him just being a lab experiment, he was still useful at somethings. The necklace around the tattered boy's neck responds to only to the wood user because he was forced to have the First Hokage's cells.
"At least you can really help him, all I do is these stupid small things for him," sniffled the girl.
"Its not what you do, its the feelings behind what you do that counts. From what I've seen, I think you really love him or could if you let yourself," spoke the man.
"Naruto scares me," she confessed, still healing him.
"Don't let what happened today make you rethink your feelings," encouraged the captain.
"Its not the demon who frightens me, I made my peace with that years ago," confusing the man, it was suppose to be a secret, "at first, I shied away, like a child, afraid of the monster under the surface but I've grown to respect him. Its Naruto himself that I'm afraid of, because of what he could do to me if I lost him. If I let myself love him, I could fall harder for him than I ever did Sasuke. If he died chasing Sasuke or his dream of becoming Hokage, I wouldn't know how to go on," she explained.
"Sakura," moaned out the boy under her hands.
"Naruto," she breathed a sigh of relief.
"What are these tears for?" he asked reaching to wipe them away with his calloused hand.
"Idiot," she sniffled.
"Did that jerk Sai say something? Where is he? I'll kick his ass if he called you mean names again just because you're a little flatter than other girls or was it your brutish strength he made fun of?" questioned the young boy.
The angered pinkette punched him in the chest, then looked at the older man, "where did that ass hole take off to?" she asked.
"Seems he's gone with the enemy," noted the captain.
They moved across the gorge to inspect the damage done by Naruto, not that he knew it was him. Sakura lied to him about what happened there, to protect him, she lied. She didn't feel good about it but she did it. There they discussed the possibilities of Sai having a side mission from the war-hawk Danzo putting the Leaf in grave danger. Sakura had no qualms about disposing of the pale artist. She had given the boy enough warnings, she wouldn't hold back next time.
"We need to hurry," ordered the wood style user.
"Let's go," Naruto confirmed only to fall face first in the dirt.
Sakura went to him and gently pulled him into her lap, his breathing labored, "looks like we'll have to wait a bit," she stated looking him over.
"We'll have to leave him behind, he can make it back to the village when he feels up to it," ordered the captain.
"Kakashi would never leave one of us behind," yelled the rosette.
"I know how he would be, but I'm not him," countered the commander, "I can't smile at you and tell you its all going to work out. We're two different people."
"Believe me I know that, I'm ninja, I'm not going to ask you to hold my hand and protect me. Kakashi may not be here but I am his student so I am going to smile and tell you I won't let you get hurt. I'll tell you another thing, I won't become scum and I'll send you right to hell before I take a step leaving Naruto in this condition. You want to follow those traitors so bad, hop to it. Team Seven will be along shortly," she spoke clearly, her green eyes locked on his, showing no sign of backing down. She had been weak, she'd watched helpless from the sidelines, now she was going to make up for it.
"Are you refusing a direct order?" he questioned, more than a little surprised.
"I may not have special DNA injected in me by a psycho, any clan secrets at my disposal, or a monster caged inside me, but I'll tell you right now, if you want to go a round with me, I will make the fucking price so high you'll wish you never stepped one foot out of the Leaf with us," warned the disciple of the Fifth.
"Stop making such a big deal," the boy moved off her lap, "let's go before you two kill each other," Naruto grinned, banishing the pain from his face. He loved it when she got intense but right now was not the time. He'd push through this, for her he'd find new power deep inside him. He didn't want her passion to get her into trouble, not for him. Even if it was their sensei who taught them how ninja should be, and it didn't matter if it was only due to Kakashi's teachings, he was glad she didn't abandon a comrade.
They were moving through the forest, making good time when the young lady grabbed a branch with her injured arm. A cry of pain, and she was hurtling out of control to the unforgiving ground. Naruto tried to reach her before her sudden stop but he wasn't in the best condition either. The captain she had threatened earlier saved her just in time. Yamato watched as she suffered because of the vicious chakra acting like a poison. He listened to her lie to the boy again only for the boy to tell her to keep from danger. Her soft spot for the boy was admirable but it was a hindrance for him.
"Guess we're taking that break," he saw her eyes tighten into a glare at him, "we can't finish this mission without our medic," he reasoned, leaving her to work on the wound, while signaling Naruto to follow him. They moved off a ways, making sure they were out of earshot of the medic, "Sakura lied to you, you hurt her. I am sure she did it to protect you but who is going to protect her from you?" he asked the boy who had slipped into shock.
"Sakura," he murmured guilt filling him. It made sense, he and the pervy sage had had a similar thing happen during his training.
"You don't need his power, you can bring Sasuke back on your own without the use of the nine-tails' chakra. If you need help, lean on support that won't burn you or hurt those around you. I have the ability to suppress the nine-tails and I am going to be doing that from now on. Its not going to make you weak, its going to show you exactly how much you don't need him," encouraged the man.
"What if you're wrong, what if he's all I got," Naruto wondered.
"I'm not wrong, not about this," answered Yamato, crossing his arms over his chest.
Naruto nodded and moved back to the medic, she was struggling with the wound. He moved toward her, she had been so angry with him for hiding the truth, she didn't get to have double standards. He straddled her, blocking off her retreat as he leaned in close to her face, bracing himself with his hands on the tree over her shoulders.
"Who hurt you?" his voice boomed out strong and resolved.
"I told you," she started, only to be halted by his eyes.
"Don't lie to me, who hurt you?" he asked again.
"Bastard," slipped out through her clenched teeth, Yamato had told him.
"We don't get to decided what truths we tell each other. You were so angry I didn't tell you something then you lie to my face. How do you think I feel finding out from the captain who really hurt you?" he moved his hand toward her arm only for her to wince before he even touched it, so he put his hand back on the tree, "I did this," a tear slipped down his whiskered cheek as he spoke.
"This is why I didn't tell you," she choked up wiping his tear away, "it wasn't you, I didn't see you at all," she cried.
His face fell, she'd finally seen the fox inside, brought forth in his moment of weakness. This time it wasn't just him she was lying to, she was lying to herself as well. She was refusing to believe he could hurt her.
"It was me, I lost control and you got hurt. Its not going to happen again," he promised, leaning his forehead to hers.
"I'm sorry," she whispered softly, moving so she could look deep into his crystal like eyes.
"We're so busy trying to protect each other, we forget how much it hurts to be lied to," he kissed the side of her head, "I forgive you," he spoke into her pink hair.
Experimentally she moved her arm, the pain now a dull roar instead of a raging inferno. Noticing her tentative movement he carefully placed his palm on the wound, trying to will the chakra back into his body where it would no longer harm her, but it was never that simple. She would be burdened for his impatience with trying to keep his promise. With his skin contacting hers, she felt her hands ache, but it wasn't a pain, it was a longing, a need to feel him under them. She knew her emotions were a raw exposed bundle of nerves, they'd been through too much with this mission and it was far from over. Giving into the need, fingers traced over his cheeks, pulling his face to hers.
"Naruto," she breathed, teasing his lips with her own, "don't scare me like that again," she said as she pressed their mouths together. He could taste the need as more tears spilled over her cheeks. It was a mutual need, something about her calmed the storms of his heart. Even though she was foul mouthed, hot headed, and a pain in the ass most of the time, with her around he felt more at ease, like they could do anything as long as they were together.
Yamato knew this broke the rules, but Sakura had already broken several, and he was sure Naruto somehow broke a few. He'd turn a blind eye on the teenagers for now. Sometimes it took a little rule breaking to live with yourself after the mission.