Well, here's another update on my story. And hey, I managed to make it a bit longer this time. Ok, I know it's no very long, but it's better than the previous ones. Hope you enjoy. Review!

Chapter 10

A Hero's Sacrifice

What had just happened? Sakura was only a few words away from finally telling both Naruto and Sasuke how she felt, when a razor sharp blade slashed through the air. Sakura couldn't even move, she had dropped her guard completely. Thinking about her love life and her own problems she had placed her life in danger. Not only that, but also the lives of the two boys she cared for the most.

She then snapped back to reality. She felt no pain whatsoever. Had the attack missed, or was she already injured but couldn't feel it. Sakura slowly placed her hand on her chest, there was no blood nor was her shirt ripped. She took a glance at the scenery, trying to make out what had just happened.

She saw Naruto close to her, closer than when they were attacked. He had probably moved closer to her. No doubt to protect her. He didn't look injured. She took one last look at him and then realized, he wasn't bleeding, but his arm looked like if it had just healed. The wound, or where the wound had been, however wasn't made by the blade she had seen earlier, it was made by a kunai. But, where did the kunai came from. She quickly remembered her other teammate. 'Sasuke!' She mentally screamed.

She turned her gaze upon the Uchiha boy who was standing next to her. He was standing up, Sharingan activated, and on his guard stance. On the floor, next to him, was a summoning scroll, an broken one. It had apparently been cut. On his other hand was bloody. But, to the eyes of an expert medic such as herself, it wasn't Sasuke's blood. It seemed to be Naruto's! Had Sasuke attacked Naruto some how? But shouldn't they had been fighting that other ninja.

That's when she turned to face the ninja that had just attacked. He was tied to a nearby tree, not tied, but held. By snakes. So Orochimaru had taught Sasuke how to summon snakes, but, why did he need the scroll for it. She then lifted her gaze and saw a bloody kunai stabbed onto the ninja's left shoulder. 'Wait, I remember now…'

Flashback

As the ninja was only a few inches away from her. She did all she could and screamed. Sasuke quickly took out a scroll, but it was quickly cut in half by the ninja's blade. "Childs Play." was all he said, mocking the Uchiha.

Before anything else happened Naruto took out a kunai and stabbed himself on the arm.. He quickly threw it at the ninja. The ninja used his sword to hit the kunai, but the kunai vanished. 'It was fake.' Was what the ninja said before feeling the pain of the real kunai pierce his left shoulder. He moved his hand only an inch to try and remove it, but was pushed back by an incoming fist on the face, apparently he had forgotten about the young Uchiha.

Naruto threw a few more kunai at him, but the ninja easily evaded them. Sasuke then activated his Sharingan and thought: 'I didn't have much time to work on this new jutsu, but I need it now more than ever.' He quickly yelled. "Naruto, come over here!" Naruto, not really knowing what he wanted, moved towards his companion. "Remember about the jutzu I told you about when we waited for Sakura in the apartment. I need to use it." Naruto smiled and said. "That's why I stabbed my leg stupid, you think I like that."

Sasuke quickly pressed his hand on Naruto's wound, and as his blood dripped on Sasuke's hand, Sasuke dropped the broken scroll. Sasuke quickly made a few hand signs and shouted. "Blind Snake Summon, Blood Pursue Jutsu!"

As the incoming ninja came for a second attack he saw the snakes appear. "Fool, you need my blood for that trick to work." He said, but to his surprise both Naruto and Sasuke were smiling. "Fool, that's why he has mine."

The snakes quickly tied the ninja onto a nearby tree with incredible force. "But…but how, you also have a wound with your blood, it should have attacked you!" Sasuke smiled as Naruto laughed. "True, but I've already healed."

Flashback ends

'So that's what happened. Naruto and Sasuke protected me from that guy, did the defeat him?' she thought, looking at the trapped ninja, and at her two teammates that had just saved her life.

She took a glance at the ninja that had just attacked them. He was tall, probably taller than Kakashi, had short brown hair, and a sound headband. 'He's a sound ninja, does that mean…'

"Sakura-chan."

Before she could continue she was interrupted by a familiar voice. She turned to look at the blond ninja that had just spoken to her.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you alright?" Naruto asked, worrying for he pink haired kunoichi. Sakura was still a bit shaken up by the attack, but managed to nod. He relaxed as a smile found it's way back to his face. He quickly turned his gaze towards the sound nin.

"Hey, what do you want."

The sound nin smiled as he spoke. "We're playing a little game, just to see which one of you is in fact stronger. And apparently, that girl is important to both of you, so I'll just take her."

Before either one could talk the sound nin became a pile of wood. "Substitution!" Sasuke shouted as he jumped to the side and two kunai appeared where he had just been standing. In an instant Sasuke felt the ninja placed his arms on Sasuke's chest and in a flash Sasuke was slammed, headfirst, onto the ground.

"Sasuke!" Naruto quickly moved towards his teammate, but was stopped by a kick that had somehow found it's way onto Naruto's back. Naruto quickly flipped and landed a kick on the ninja's face. Naruto swung his fist and relied on his taijutsu skills, not to great, but managed to hold his own. As the ninja threw a few punches towards Naruto's face, Naruto managed to easily evade them and counterattack with some of his own, but those were also avoided. Naruto found himself on the defensive and not able to counterattack.

'This guy's great at taijutsu, better change my style.' Naruto had little time to think as one of the ninja's fist found its way onto Naruto's stomach. Before another hit, or namely a backhand blow coming right towards him, could make contact, Naruto jumped and moved out of the way. He quickly regained some ground and shouted. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" As seven Naruto's appeared, eight including himself, he quickly attacked.

One of the Naruto's went for a direct attack, but was cut short, literally by the ninja's blade. The other seven threw themselves at him, but where only pushed back. The ninja quickly slice two of the shadow clones, and made his way close to the other five, Naruto included. Naruto quickly pushed him a bit and before the ninja knew it, the other four clones kicked him and threw him up onto the air. The clones jumped and managed to axe kick him down, shouting: "U" "za" "ma" "ki". Naruto then finished his combo with a powerful kick and shouts: "Naruto Rendan."

"That was awesome Naruto." A familiar voice said. Naruto quickly looked at the pink haired kunoichi that had just spoken. "Sakura-chan, I'm glad you'll alright." Sakura smiled as her head were filled with questions and doubts. She managed to ignore that and just relax. "Hey Naruto."

"Yeah?" The blond ninja spoke, as did his four other clones.

"Where's Sasuke?"

"Sasuke! I forgot about him, better look…" Before Naruto spoke the ninja stood right up and in a flash all of the shadow clones vanished. As the real Naruto was cut on the shoulder the ninja made his way towards Sakura. "You all disappoint me."

In Naruto's mind all that he could see was Sakura's death at the hands of this ninja. His blade slicing through her, her blood spilling on the ground, her last words being a scream of the intense pain she felt. That, was something he wouldn't let happen.

In an instant, Naruto appeared between Sakura and the ninja. The sword sliced through his skin, and a mortal, to any other person, was made on his body. "NARUTO!"

Naruto fell, bloody onto the ground. The ninja swung his blade again, but was stopped this time by a raven haired ninja by laying a solid kick onto the ninja's face, throwing him back a few feet.

"Sasuke." Sakura said, as she looked at Naruto's broken body. "He… He tried to save me, he did this for me."

She was on the point of crying, tears streaming down her face. Sasuke only looked down and said. "Sakura, listen to me, get Naruto and yourself out of here. I'll hold him off."

"But… Sasuke, he…"

"Do it! He's after you, not me."

"But…" she said, shaking.

"NOW!"

Sakura shook her head and wasted no more time. She picked up her fallen savior and ran through the woods, praying that they, along with Sasuke, would be alright. Sasuke, on the other hand, had his Sharingan eyes set onto a different target. The ninja was walking towards him, like if he was talking a walk through a park.

'Mock me will he.' the Uchiha boy thought, getting even more annoyed at his opponent.

As the ninja approached he let out a laugh. "You ready kid." Sasuke just took his stance once again and said: "Come on."

Meanwhile as Team Seven struggled with their enemy, Kakashi also had his hands full. His opponent had the upper hand, not in strength, but on knowledge. "What, may I ask, do you want with me." He asked.

"Fool." The kunoichi said with a laugh. "Who ever said I wanted you."

Kakashi quickly realized what the were actually after. "No."

"Oh yes, you're a bit on the slow side, aren't you?" She mocked.

"This whole time, you never meant to attack the village, you wanted one of my group. Who!" Kakashi shouted, anger on his gaze.

"Now, now Copy Ninja. We haven't solved that problem ourselves. Probably the one that doesn't die comes with us." She said smiling as if it were a mere joke. Kakashi just looked back, he hated people like this.

"Sorry, but you can't have any of them." Kakashi said as he lifted his headband revealing his Sharingan eye. He then heard the woman laugh, which irritated him even more. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"You really think one eye would make a difference?" She asked, mockingly.

"You wouldn't know how much." He answered, knowing that he had just gotten on a fight that was going to be harder that what he had originally though of the mission. 'Why does this always happen.

Meanwhile Sakura had managed to hide herself, and Naruto, in a small cave. There she covered his wound and placed a wet cloth on his forehead. She looked at the wound, which was healing, but due to his loss of chakra, at a slower rate. She took another look at the blond boy in front of her and wiped a single tear that was coming out of her eye.

'Naruto… please wake up. You've done so much for me, but… I need you. Now more than ever… Please… Wake up…'

Well, it was a bit longer than the others, have to work on my chapters lenght. Anywho, this story will soon come to an end. I won't spoil anything, and it still has a few chapters to go. So if you like my story don't worry, there is still some more drama coming soon. (R&R)

P.S.: The "Blind Snake Summon, Blood Pursue Jutsu!" is my own invented jutsu. Just thought Sasuke could use what he learned from Orochimaru to invent his own jutsu.