This is short, but the update was fast, huh?
Sasuke, in his overconfident and powerful state decided that they would not move after all.
"You see, Sakura," he said abruptly while they waited for Sakura to regain her sense of balance, "if we stay here we can draw other teams to us instead of having to hunt them down."
Sakura could immediately think of several flaws in his plan.
"With Naruto out cold we're too weak to fight anyone, Sasuke," she warned.
He lifted his mouth in the shape of a smile; "Too weak?" he laughed bitingly, "No, no team here has a chance of standing up to me."
She eyed him wearily but said nothing. That seal changed more than Sasuke's chakra levels. It somehow affected his personality and made him rash and brutal. She would need to remember to tell Kakashi about it when -if- they got to the tower.
He stood and stared down at her. "You stay here and act as bait. I'll remain in the trees as an ambush."
He vanished before she could manage a reply. She sighed and rested her head on the tree she sat against. She had not slept for more than 24 hours and her chakra levels were dangerously low. She would be useless in a fight. She thought of the chakra pill Hasumi gave her. It sat in her pocket like a weighted ball. No, she could not let it tempt her. It could easily kill her.
It was all damn Sasuke's fault. Let him get himself killed, she raged to herself, she never wanted to become a chuunin in the first place.
She sighed and closed her eyes. If Sasuke thought he could get the next scroll by himself, let him. She would get some much-needed rest. It only took her a minute to drift into the realms of sleep.
Sakura's eyes snapped open as a flood of adrenaline hit her system. She leapt into a crouch, Wrath drawn protectively in front of her. The forest around her looked empty but she somehow knew instinctively otherwise. She could feel Sasuke in the tree tops just as she could feel three signatures in the forest near her. One was moving toward her, the other two toward Naruto who still lay unconscious.
She could feel someone merely three feet from her but she could not see anything.
"Fuck- release!" she exclaimed when she realized she was entrapped in an illusion.
The ninja became visible immediately. She gasped and rolled away from his kunai-lead strike. She snaked forward with Wrath, immediately going on the offensive. The ninja easily parried her off-target strike and snapped a kick at her stomach. Sakura hit the tree behind her hard. The ninja drew back his kunai, ready to send it into her forehead.
Just as she tensed for the blow, the metal tip of a kunai blossomed in the ninja's throat. He gargled, looking surprised as he fell onto her. Sakura impatiently pushed the body away. Sasuke engaged the other two ninja in a furious battle. He danced between and deflected the two's Kanata's easily. If it were not for the vicious and almost insane grin on his face, his movements would have graceful, serene even.
One of the ninja saw Sakura standing on the edge of the fight. He broke away from Sasuke and charged her, his Kanata high above his head.
"Sloppy…" Wrath muttered in the corner of her mind, "Kids these days…"
Sakura ignored him and slid into a defensive stance, waiting for the ninja to attack. She calmed her mind, using her adrenaline as a tool to sharpen her awareness. He would attack directly, from above. It would be an overconfident swing and he would leave his left side open.
When the ninja swung his Kanata down Sakura stepped aside easily. She pushed his two handed grip on the Kanata to one side, opening his left side further. It was easy enough to slide Wrath across his stomach. Still in a focused state, she only briefly noticed the rush of blood that splattered her.
Sasuke continued to battle the last ninja. They seemed matched, neither able to get in a final blow. Sasuke bared his teeth letting his moves get sloppier in his frustration. He jumped back and quickly started a katon justu. As he shot off fireball after fireball, his seal activated, marks flowing across most of his skin.
He started screaming as purple chakra burst out of him, lifting his hair. Sakura shielded her face against the flow of hot air. She knew that it could not be good if Sasuke used his newfound power again. He could become something dark and immoral if she let him abuse it. She did not want to lose the Sasuke she admired.
"God damn it," she muttered.
She ran forward, entering the range of the purple chakra. It felt like she had just submerged herself in a pool of scalding hot water. She shoved the pain back, not letting it stop her. She reached forward to grab Sasuke's shoulder.
"Sasuke-" she cut her plea short when he whipped around with a fist raised.
Taken off guard, the attack clipped her nose. She heard something crack and a rush of pain blinded her thoughts. Had Sasuke just hit her?
"Stay out of this!" Sasuke yelled at her, turning back toward the last ninja.
Her anger suddenly swelled and like a tsunami, it swept her into its depths. A growl rumbled deep in her throat. How dare Sasuke hit her! She would not let him get away with it.
With a cry, she tackled Sasuke into the ground. She grabbed his hair and slammed his head down. In a smooth movement, he flipped his body onto hers. If she were in a normal state of mind, his expression would have scared her. He slammed his forehead into hers with a dull sound. The hit dazed Sakura for a moment then like an animal she shook it off and pulled her arm back for a quick double jab. He caught her fist on the second jab. He paused mid punch, looking up at the sound of rushed footsteps.
Sakura and Sasuke leapt up simultaneously to respond the enemy ninja's attack. They flowed around the ninja, completely synchronized. The ninja grew frenzied as they gained the upper hand. Soon, he left an opening. Sakura kicked the Kanata out of his grip as Sasuke went in for the kill.
The ninja's hands fluttered around the kunai lodged in his stomach, as if unsure of what to do with it. He died slowly, blood dribbling out of his lips, his tears running down to join the flow. Sakura and Sasuke watched on in silence until the ninja finally toppled over with the departure of his consciousness.
The sounds of Sakura's and Sasuke's combined breathing filled the forest. Sakura stared into Sasuke's eyes, unable to react to the emotionally charged moment. Sasuke returned her incredulous stare, his mouth slightly agape. She realized that sometime during their fight, the seal had retreated from Sasuke's skin.
"Sakura…" he started unsurely, "I'm- … I didn't mean to hit you. I just…"
He let the sentence hang in the air, unable to finish.
She laughed, sounding weak and awkward.
"I think we're even," she said, trying to sound cheerful, "Lets agree not to do again, huh?"
She extended a fist with an inviting smile. Sasuke stared at it, and then scoffed, shaking his head. A smirk broke out on his face as he bumped his fist against hers.
"It's a deal."
They remained silent, staring at each other. A loud snort broke the moment.
"Don't take my ramen!" Naruto yelled.
He jumped up, whipping his head around as if to find something.
"Hey Sasuke, Sakura, did you see…" Naruto trailed off as he saw the carnage surrounding him, "What the hell happened here?" he finished.
Sakura broke out laughing. Her laugh sounded fake and slightly hysterical but if she did not laugh, she was sure she would start crying.
