Reading Ahead of the Lines - Chapter 7

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Neji's whole body tensed as Uchiha Sasuke appeared out of the forest on the other side of Sakura. Damnit, how many times was he going to get caught by surprise today? The intensity of Sasuke's fight with Naruto and Sai was written across his body in blood and bruises, and his clothing was in ruins.

With her back to him, Neji couldn't see Sakura's face, but her voice wavered when she spoke. "Sasuke-kun."

The younger Uchiha stared wordlessly at the unconscious body of his brother now lying face up on the ground. Blood streaked down Itachi's face, matted in his hair, and covered his entire torso. Sakura was likewise smeared in blood and gore.

Neji had only a split second warning when Sasuke's crimson eyes flickered to where Sakura knelt beside Itachi.

Sakura's eyes widened as Sasuke charged straight for her. He drew his shirasaya in one smooth motion and swung the blade towards her neck. She knew she should duck or roll away or block with a kunai, but her body felt paralyzed under Sasuke's red-eyed glare.

Suddenly, the spell was broken as Neji appeared between the two former teammates. His left hand was clasped firmly around the forearm holding the sword, and two fingers of his right hand pressed into the pale skin of Sasuke's neck.

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Neji growled angrily.

"We were never friends," Sasuke replied coldly.

Sakura, who was still kneeling on the ground, wilted at the statement and looked down at the blood drying on her hands.

"Bonds like that can never be broken no matter how much you deny them," Neji replied just as evenly. "And that's the only reason you're not on the ground with your brother."

At the mention of Itachi, Sasuke's eyes narrowed with rage. Neji saw the chakra accumulating throughout his body and quickly placed his right hand against Sasuke's bare chest. Just as the electricity began forming around Sasuke's body, he was launched backwards by Neji's Hakke Kuushou.

Sasuke caught his landing, but it was obvious he was tired and weary. Neji's nerves were starting to hum again as he waited for the Uchiha to make the next move. He was so focused on his new opponent that he nearly jumped when a blood-soaked glove touched his outstretched arm.

"Neji-kun, wait," Sakura said, looking up at him with sad, green eyes. "Sasuke-kun's not thinking rationally right now." He studied her face for a moment before lowering his arm.

Turning towards Sasuke, the hand on Neji's arm trembled slightly. "Sasuke-kun, where's Naruto? Where's Sai?"

The Uchiha stood with his head down and didn't respond. "Where's Naruto?" Sakura asked again.

Finally, Sasuke raised his head and looked at them with coal black eyes. "Why? Why do you two still care about me? I turned my back on you. I cut you from my life. So why are you both still here?!" His voice was shaky as he pointed his sword at her.

Neji tensed for another attack, but Sakura squeezed his arm reassuringly. He looked down at her again, and the quick smile she gave him reminded him that they were in control of this situation. They might as well try to talk to him first.

"Because we want to help you, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied earnestly.

"But why?!" Sasuke shouted back. "Why do you want to help a worthless person like me who doesn't even want your help?!"

He opened his mouth to shout again, but a slight movement near Sakura's feet caught everyone's attention. Itachi's fingers twitched again, and then his hand clenched into a fist.

Sakura frowned and withdrew another syringe of sedative. "Neji, I might need you to shut down his chakra system altogether," she said worriedly.

Itachi's mouth opened, but he only succeeded in producing a gurgling noise. He convusively swallowed the blood in his throat and spoke again. "Sasuke?" he whispered hoarsely. "Is that Sasuke?"

Neji and Sakura had another silent conversation before backing away slightly from the fallen Uchiha. "It's me, Itachi," Sasuke replied. He changed his grip on his sword as he approached his brother's body.

"I have taken everything from you, little brother," Itachi rasped. "And left you only hate and revenge."

"You have," Sasuke replied. He raised his blade and held the tip above Itachi's eyeless head.

"Then let me take one last thing from you, little brother," Itachi said. The three younger shinobi waited for him to continue, but instead, his head rolled to one side, and his hand fell motionless to the ground.

"No," Sasuke whispered. "No." His arm fell slack to his side, and his sword slipped from loose fingers.

Sakura rushed over to the body and felt for a pulse. She had been sure his condition had been stable, if severe. Neji also watched with surprise as the life in the body dimmed to nothing.

Then he spotted it. "His ring," Neji said out loud. The red stone on Itachi's finger had been flipped open to reveal a small compartment inside.

"There's a needle here," Sakura said, gingerly taking Itachi's limp hand and inspecting the ring. "It looks like he pricked his thumb on it."

"Poison?" Neji asked. He knew he should have bound Itachi right away.

"I don't think so…," Sakura said uncertainly. "There's no trace of any chemical."

Sasuke mumbled something under his breath, and both Neji and Sakura turned their attention to him.

"What was that, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked in a kind voice.

"Get away from him!!" Sasuke shouted. His eyes were glazed again, and Neji tugged Sakura to her feet by her elbow.

The last Uchiha made no move to attack, however. He stooped down to pick up Itachi the way a man might carry his bride. With stumbling steps, he carried his burden towards the opening in the forest where the sky met the sea.

"Sasuke-kun? Why don't we take the body back to the others?" Sakura suggested gently. She and Neji exchanged puzzled glances when he didn't respond.

"If you tell me to, I will stop him," Neji whispered in her ear.

"Not yet," she whispered back. "It will only make him aggressive again."

They followed the dazed Uchiha to where the cliffs fell 500 meters to the crashing water below. Finally, Sasuke looked over his shoulder and spoke, "Sakura, please tell Naruto I'm sorry."

Realization hit Sakura like a brick, and she dashed towards her childhood crush. "No! Sasuke-kun!"

With a sad smile, Sasuke stepped off the edge of the cliff.

Sakura didn't hesitate a beat and dove head first after him into the open air.

"Shit, Sakura!" Neji cursed. He looked over the lip of rock at the three figures free falling towards the ocean. Sasuke had his arms outstretched, and he held Itachi's lifeless hand in his as if they were walking down the street together.

Sakura kept her body in a tight nosedive and managed to make up some of the distance between her and the two brothers. She began carefully making hand seals and prayed that her timing and control would be good enough.

"Suiton, Suiryuudan no Jutsu," she said as she passed the halfway mark to the ocean below.

Two dragons made of water rose from the crashing waves and rushed towards the falling shinobi. Matching the speed of their free fall, the dragons gently enveloped the three bodies in water and began slowing their descent. By the time they reached the heaving water below, it was like jumping into a swimming hole back in Konoha.

Sasuke's head broke the water half a second before Sakura. "Why?!" he screamed over the waves breaking against the base of the cliffs. "Why do you keep interfering?" Why do you care?!"

Neji arrived at the bottom of the cliff after having sprinted down the sheer face. Carefully, he stepped out onto the undulating water.

"Because Naruto needs you," Sakura shouted at Sasuke. "We need you."

"But WHY?!" he was still clinging to his brother's body, and the tears on his face were mingling with the spray of salt water. The freezing cold plunge must have brought him back to his senses because his obsidian eyes were clear and focused now.

"Because you were the first person Naruto and I ever loved," she told him simply. "And we want to save you."

Neji held out his hand, and Sakura let him pull her to the surface. She wobbled on the water for a moment before regaining her equilibrium, and Neji slipped his arm around her waist to steady her. That last ninjutsu had used up most of her remaining chakra.

"You can't save me," Sasuke said sullenly.

Sakura gave Neji a grateful smile, and they walked over to where Sasuke was floating in the water. Sakura put her hand on Sasuke's arm and loosened his hold on Itachi. When it was obvious that Sasuke wasn't going to resist, Neji hauled the body out of the water.

"Do you have enough chakra to walk back up?" he asked Sakura.

"I think so," she told him. "I need to get off this moving water, though."

Neji rode one of the waves over to the cliff and stepped back onto the slick rock. He positioned Itachi awkwardly over one shoulder and held out his hand.

Sakura studied the water for a moment before likewise surfing over to the cliff. "That would be fun if I wasn't so damned tired," she said with a small smile as she took his hand.

"Is it alright to leave him there?" Neji asked as she joined him standing on the side of the cliff face.

"He needs some time alone right now," Sakura said, looking over her shoulder at the dark head bobbing in the water. "But I think he will make the right choice."

With a sigh, she began trudging up the cliff towards the top. "For now, I just want to find Naruto and Sai and get in touch with the rest of the team."

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AngelWing1138: ROFL Actually, I like the after-time-skip Sasuke a lot more than the before-time-skip Sasuke, but he's still a jackarse either way…

Da Cute Snowbunny: Yeah, I didn't pull any punches (literally) while finishing off Itachi. I figure, there's no clean way to kill Akatsuki. And I don't fully understand the details of healing jutsu, but Sakura didn't use the jutsu Tsunade uses, which decreases life span. She used the one Kabuto used, and Kishimoto didn't say if that affected your life span one way or the other.

miss neji: Glad you liked it!

The Galaxia Chronicler: At least I don't keep you guys waiting long, right? Thanks for checking out this fic!

Lady Light: Ooh, I'm glad you thought it was unexpected! Sometimes it's hard to get perspective on your own writing when the story has been rolling around in your head for a while. Also, with the overwhelming amount of fiction on this site, it's hard to know if you're being original or just using a cliché that's been done many times before.

KunoichiruleALL: Glad to be of service XD Thanks for keeping up with my fic :)

TouchofPixieDust: I'm glad you liked last chapter – I read it over and over and over before posting. Hope you liked Sasuke's reaction X3

cocoapuffaddict: Ye of little faith! There was no way Sasuke was gonna have the satisfaction of killing Itachi!

animevivverz: Nothing says Drama like Uchiha Sasuke ;)

bubbleyum: Mad… and slightly psychotic ;)

nejisakura: And the updates continue! I might pick up the pace even more because the manga might finally be getting interesting!!

A Cynical Person: Heheh, that was probably my worst cliffhanger yet, ne? I'm sooo glad you liked the fight scene. The more and more I thought about it, the more I realized they were the perfect people to take down Itachi – genjutsu resistance, speed, and good teamwork.

chaosdragon82: Hugs, I'm glad you liked the fight scene! I really wanted to show how well they worked together and how talented they've become. I figured at the beginning of this chapter, everyone was pretty tired and worn out, but Neji and Sakura would still have the upper hand.

Jemiul: Thanks for keeping up with the updates! I'm glad you're enjoying this fic!

pixiedust8831: LOL I'm glad I had you faked out for a little bit X3. In my head, I know what's going to happen so I can't surprise myself, so it's hard to get a good perspective of what other people are thinking when they read it.

Mayumi Crescent Moon: No arse kicking needed, Sasuke is self-destructive enough to do it himself XD

icy-cold refreshment: Sakura might still have a few hang-ups about Sasuke, but the obsession is over (thank goodness). Hope you enjoyed this chap :)