Raven: Aw man... ok I have an announcement... unfortunately school is starting tomorrow and I have to do my homework now… so this will probably be the last update I get to post for at least a week or something… anyway… my point is I won't be updating so fast anymore but I'll try to ok? Enjoy! I made it extra long for you!
P.S. there are probably a few mistakes here and there because I'm uploading it so quickly AND without double checking it so yeah…
Chapter 9: The Chunin exams!
They stood in front of room 301; two Chunins weren't letting anyone in…
Sasuke had noticed the obvious illusion.
"Let us through and drop the illusion while you're at it. I have business on the third floor" he said and the Chunin smirked, "So, you noticed?" he asked.
"It was easy… right Sakura?" he asked and the girl's eyes widened, "You were probably the first to notice… after all, you're the most analytical and the best of our cell at understanding the art of illusion." He said and winked at her, Sakura blushed and lowered her head, giving a soft smile, 'Sasuke-kun… thank you…' she looked up and smirked, "of course I did, obviously we're still on the second floor" she said.
The illusion broke.
Sasuke gave a barely visible smile, happy that he succeeded in lifting the pinkette's spirits.
Suddenly, the Chunin went to attack the Uchiha but a boy clad in green with a black bowl-cut hairstyle stopped both Sasuke's and the Chunin's kicks… surprising all of them.
"That's not what we agreed! You're the one who insisted we should avoid drawing attention to ourselves." Another boy with pale lilac eyes scolded him, "But…" the boy in green started, he looked at Sakura and blushed… which caught all of team 7's attention.
A brown haired girl with two buns shook her head, "here we go again…" she mumbled as he walked over to the pinkette.
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"Hi, my name is Rock Lee. You're Sakura aren't you?" the black haired boy asked and the girl slowly nodded, not sure what he wanted…
"Will you go out with me? I promise I'll protect you with my life!" he announced and Sakura sweat dropped at the sudden, unpredicted question…
Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance and Sasuke only rolled his eyes, already knowing how this would end.
"No way… for two reasons…" She lifted her index finger, "One: I don't even know you…" the girl grumbled, lifting her middle finger next to the index "…and two: you're not my type…" she deadpanned and Lee slumped in rejection "Aww…" he grumbled; Naruto chuckled and Sasuke smirked at the humorous sight but his attention turned elsewhere when he heard someone calling him, "Hey you!" the Uchiha turned around to see the lilac eyed boy walk up to him, "What's your name?" he asked and the whiskered boy sizzled, 'it's always Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke!' He growled under his breath.
"It's common courtesy to give your name first" Sasuke replied and the boy narrowed his eyes, "Hm… You're a rookie aren't you?" The boy questioned, ignoring the Uchiha's remark and Sasuke narrowed his eyes as well, "I don't have to tell you anything" he replied and with that, both turned away from each other, 'this exam is turning into a freak show' Sasuke thought.
"Come on guys let's go!" Sakura chirped as she grabbed her comrades' hands and skipped away, pulling a sulking Naruto and a disgruntled Sasuke along.
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Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke and the boy accepted.
Sakura shuddered when Lee winked at her, "No Way!" she yelled, "You're an angel!" he replied and the poor girl dodged the heart being aimed at her face…
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Naruto had challenged the boy first but it ended before it even started…
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Sasuke finally fought Lee but lost to him as well even if he lasted longer than the blonde.
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After the awkward moments with Rock Lee, his freaky teacher Gai and confronting Kakashi in the hallway, they finally reached room 301…
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Just as they entered, they were shocked to see so many people… 'Whoa…" Sakura thought anxiously.
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Suddenly someone tackled Sasuke from behind!
"Sasuke-kun! Where've you been, cutie?" a voice piped and Sakura looked to see Ino clinging to the Uchiha from behind, "I could hardly wait! It's so exciting seeing you again!" she squealed in delight; Sakura growled.
Her Inner snarled in anger and Sakura accidentally voice out her thoughts…
"Ino-pig, get your hooves off of MY friend!" she yelled…
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…Startling her two team mates with her weird behaviour.
Sakura blushed when they looked at her oddly, "Uh… I mean… he doesn't seem to enjoy being tackled" she tried to cover up, "Nice to see you too Sakura" Ino rolled her eyes and got off of Sasuke, she placed a hand on her hip, "Long time no see forehead-girl" she said and Sakura scowled, "Yeah, how've you been doing Piggy?" she shot back and the girls glared at each other, they then turned away from one another, "Humph!".
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The rookie nine had met up and proceeded with the first exam…
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The exam was a written test…
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26 teams had passed thanks to Naruto.
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"Naruto, you are one unpredictable ninja" Sakura laughed and patted the boy's back as they walked towards their next exam… the boy's cheeks flushed a rosy pink and grinned, "Thanks Sakura-Chan!" he chuckled and scratched his head.
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They reached the forest of death… and all gulped down their saliva in nervousness…
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Sakura felt restless for some reason… and it wasn't from the creepy looking forest…
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She now knew that she got this chill whenever a person's aura radiated death, bloodlust or danger.
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Though this specific threat wasn't aimed towards her, she still didn't like it…
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The pink haired girl looked around and caught sight of a mysterious ninja with a straw hat, long black hair and strange attire with a weird looking purple belt on.
The girl followed the Shinobi's gaze and saw Sasuke…
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A feeling of protectiveness filled Sakura's being as she noted the ninja looking at him with bloodlust; the raven boy didn't notice…
Her instincts screamed PROTECT as she stepped next to the Uchiha in a specific angle that prevented the creepy Shinobi from staring at the raven boy any longer because she was in the way. The pinkette didn't make eye contact with the ninja so he wouldn't notice she did it purposely, but she could still feel the annoyed glare stabbing her back and the girl inwardly snarled, glancing back at the man.
"If you stare at Sasuke any longer I'll stab your eyes out with a kunai and stuff them down your throat!" her inner thoughts hissed as she turned back to the examiner.
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The examiner named Anko smirked in seeing the Genins' nervous state, "You're about to find out firsthand, why they call this 'the forest of death'" she stated and Naruto huffed.
"Oooooh, 'you're about to find out firsthand, why they call this 'the forest of death' Hah! Like that's going to scare me!" the blonde mocked in a girlish tone "Cocky one aren't you?" Anko grinned evilly.
Before he could comprehend what happened, the woman took out a kunai and threw it at the side of his face; a small graze ripped across Naruto's left cheek, leaking a little blood as the kunai embedded itself in the ground not too far away; she was behind him before anyone knew it and the boy gasped, "heh… your kind are always the first to go…" Anko grinned and licked his cheek, lapping up the blood that trickled down the blonde's face, "…spilling all that rich, red, lovely, luscious blood" she smirked as his eyes widened.
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Sakura's eyes narrowed in a glare, "You dare threaten Naruto! I'll kill you and then suck the blood out of you, witch!" the voice screeched in rage.
Sakura tensed; that chill came back full force as the grass ninja that was staring at Sasuke came up behind Anko and Naruto, holding the kunai with his… abnormally long tongue.
"Your kunai knife, I believe you dropped it" he said politely; Anko licked the blood from her lips and smirked, "thanks" she said and took the weapon. But instead of backing away, the Grass ninja didn't move.
Sakura's instincts flared when she noted that the Shinobi was looking at Naruto in a way she didn't like… more specifically, his bloody cheek… Naruto noticed his stare and gave a very visible shiver, his eyes bulging in slight fear.
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"Don't just stand there radiating bloodlust, unless you're in a hurry to die" Anko said and the man recoiled his tongue, "I'll try to keep it under control but the sight of warm, fresh blood drives me crazy… and I was already revved up in losing a strand of my precious hair" he apologized, not really being sincere.
Sakura walked over to Naruto, pulling the boy behind her in a slight tug; the blonde looked at her in question but she didn't acknowledge him as she gave the grass Nin an ice cold glare.
The strange Shinobi looked at her…
A thin layer of goose-bumps covered her skin but she didn't look away out of stubbornness…
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That look the grass Nin had… a predator's stare…
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She knew by intuition that this guy wasn't one she could mess with… he was much, MUCH more dangerous than that Gaara kid… something rang at the back of her mind in alarm, his gaze literally chilled her to the deepest part of her mind… even her 'Inner Sakura' was uncomfortable as she tried to stand tall…
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The grass Nin did a once over to Sasuke that was standing not far away with a cautious look on his face, then at Naruto behind the girl who was confused and nervous; then his gaze shifted at her again, a small hum escaped his lips after a moment and he retreated back to his team mates; he seemed to be interested in her team and Sakura did not like it one bit…
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The purple haired woman smirked, "Hm? A little protective of your team mates aren't you?" her question was more of a statement and Sakura shifted her gaze to the woman, "Yeah and I suggest you don't do that again" the pink haired girl said, gesturing to the scrape on Naruto's cheek as the boy wiped the blood off.
The woman's smirk widened, "Or what?" she asked, lowering her head to the girl's height, flashing her kunai knife at her and looked at the pinkette straight in the eye …
"You touch my boys and I'll rip that pretty face right off your skull!"
…Anko's pupils dilated in curiosity when she spotted a strange spark in Sakura's eyes light up for a second and felt the smallest of difference in the girl's charka signature, like a flicker of electricity would be spotted for a millisecond. Nobody else noticed it because it was so faint; they weren't as close to the pinkette as she was but that charka signature the kunoichi in front of her flashed for a moment perked her interest.
The woman's eyes shifted to Sasuke, Naruto and then back to Sakura; she grinned and stepped away from the girl, "Hm… looks like we have a hot-blooded team on our hands this time out! Should be fun!" Anko chirped and started explaining the rules and was about to hand out consent forms.
"That's right witch, don't mess with me!" Sakura gave a satisfied grunt and turned to her team mates who looked at her with confusion; she gave a reassuring smile, easing their minds.
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They finally entered the forest of death…
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A scream caught their ears… "Did you hear someone scream?" Sakura asked as they all looked behind them, "This place is creeping me out…" she shivered, rubbing her arms…
"Relax Sakura-Chan, it's no big deal" Naruto said and placed his hands behind his head in a careless manner.
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No… When she said that, she didn't mean the forest's appearance… she felt eyes shift over her…
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"Aw man! I gotta leak!" the blonde practically announced and a vein popped in Sakura's forehead, her thoughts vanishing with that single... stupid sentence…
The blonde went to take the leak in front of her but before he could unzip his pants the girl hit him over the head, "You idiot! Not in front of a girl! Haven't I taught you ANY manners since we first met? Go in the bushes!" she yelled at him and he rubbed his sore head, doing as told.
"If it were Sasuke on the other hand…" the dark part of her mind snickered and the pinkette's cheeks burned…
'Oh Kami… I can't believe I just thought of that…' she huffed in embarrassment and crossed her arms, deciding not to make any eye contact with anyone…
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Naruto came out of the bushes, grinning, "Aw man what a relief! That felt good!" he chirped, Sakura was about to shoot a remark back for his terrible manners but then noticed something wrong…
She couldn't explain it…
But she knew…
That wasn't Naruto…
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"Guys? What-" before the blonde could say anything more he was punched in the face by Sasuke… he crashed right into the tree, "Where's the real Naruto?" the Uchiha ordered and the blonde looked at him confused, rubbing his cheek, "I don't know what you're talking about!" he shouted, "What happened to the wound the examiner made on your face? Also, your shuriken holster is on your left leg, Naruto's right handed… you are worse than Naruto in transforming… you fake loser" Sasuke glared at the impostor and 'Naruto' smirked, "How unlucky… I guess I have no choice" he said and in a puff of smoke the ninja appeared!
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The impostor had ran away after Sasuke injured him.
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The three Genin sat on the ground; Sasuke took on a grave expression and looked at both of his comrades, "If the three of us get separated, don't trust anyone even if they look like one of us. There is a possibility that an enemy will transform into one of us and approach… that's why we'll decide on a password" he stated and the whiskered boy hummed, "A password?" he wondered and Sasuke nodded, "If a different password is given, assume that he of she's an enemy no matter what they look like, got it?" he said and the two nodded…
"I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully… "Ask the ninja song Ninki"… the answer is the following…
'It is a good chance when a large number of enemies are making a scene, there are no hideouts even in a quiet place, it is important for a ninja to know the right time, the time when the enemy is tired and let his guard down'… that's it." Sasuke finished and Naruto sweat dropped, "Uh… can you say it one more time?" Naruto asked and the girl sighed, now understanding why Sasuke said a long password…
"I said I'm only going to say it once, you moron; you don't remember anything do you?" Sasuke deadpanned and the blonde fumed, "Yeah I do! I just wanted to hear it one more time to make sure!" he defended and the boys started their insults again…
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That same chill ran up her spine… her eyes widened.
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"Oh yeah? Well-" Naruto started but a hand covered his mouth, "Shhh!" she shushed harshly, "Sakura, what-" Sasuke started but she shot out her other hand on his own mouth; "Shhh… someone's watching us…" she whispered and Naruto's eyes widened; Sasuke didn't look surprised as they slowly got up…
But instead of a frontal assault like they expected… something sharp pierced Naruto's cheek; suddenly the wind blew around full force!
They got separated as they were all thrown in different directions.
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Sasuke lay under some bushes and scanned the area… he saw Sakura walk up and look around; he got up and out of the bushes "Sakura!" he exclaimed when he saw her but then he narrowed his eyes, inwardly cursing himself, 'Damn it! I gave away my position too quickly! What if that isn't Sakura? I let my guard down around her too much!' He thought sourly.
When she approached him he held up his kunai, "Stay back! What's the password?" he asked and the girl nodded, repeating every word.
Sasuke inwardly sighed in relief and lowered his kunai, "Okay…" he said and they saw Naruto run up to them, "Hey guys are you ok?" he yelled.
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That cold feeling again…
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"Wait Naruto, what's the password?" Sasuke asked and the boy grinned, "oh the Ninki right?" Naruto stated and scratched his head; the girl narrowed her eyes…
"Danger!" her instincts screeched.
Before the boy even started the password Sakura flung a kunai towards him, he dodged it and looked at her in shock, "Sakura! What was that for?" the blonde yelled; Sasuke stared at her bewildered, "Sakura, he didn't even start the password! What if it really is Naruto?" Sasuke shouted in question and the pinkette glared at Naruto
"That's not Naruto…" she stated; the Uchiha was confused, "How do you know if he didn't say the Ninki?" he asked and the pink haired girl growled, "Sasuke-kun… I've known Naruto ever since we were six, you can't seriously expect me to not see all the flaws…" she growled and took out another kunai.
"What flaws? It's me!" The blonde shouted but the girl remained tense.
"…In case you haven't noticed he always calls me 'Sakura-Chan' not just 'Sakura'… he dodged my kunai differently… he doesn't scratch his head in that fashion…" she said and Sasuke narrowed his eyes, realising she was right.
"…His grin is off, I know exactly how OUR Naruto smiles and that's not the way he does it… but what really gave him away was his eyes… they don't reflect the boy I know" she finished.
Sasuke now glared at the faker, "Show your real self" the Uchiha demanded; Naruto smirked and licked his lips "I see"…
A large poof of smoke and the grass Nin appeared…
Sakura gasped, "Hm… you sure keep your team mates close enough to know every detail about them" the Shinobi stated, "So you don't keep your guard down… looks like I can have more fun than I expected" he smirked, 'I hope Naruto is ok…' Sakura thought and tensed as the Shinobi went to grab something in his pouch; he took out the scroll of earth…
The two gasped and the Ninja laughed "This is the scroll you're looking for? Well…" he started and literally swallowed the scroll whole!
Sakura's stomach lurched…
"Now let's begin… the fight over our scrolls… by putting our lives on the line!" he said and pulled down his eye lid!
Sakura and Sasuke gasped in shock as they looked into the Shinobi's eye…
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Suddenly blood splattered everywhere; Sakura felt like she was burning alive as thousands of tiny needles pierced her skin… a kunai embedded itself in her forehead…
She gasped for air… a screech pierced the air as she slowly perished…
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Sasuke threw up...
He tried to stand but he couldn't… the only thing he knew was that he was alive 'It was just intent to kill! After seeing his eyes, I was imprinted with an image of death! But he made me feel it… and believe it! Who is this guy?' the Uchiha thought as he trembled in shock and fear; he slowly turned his head around to look at his friend beside him… 'S-Sakura…' his eyes widened when he saw her state; tears ran down her face as her whole being trembled.
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Death…
She died…
Everything was black…
She couldn't see anything even if her eyes were wide open…
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"No!" a voice rang in her mind, "Move!"
Her vision was slowly turning colourful again… "Move!" it repeated.
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Sakura now saw and thought clearly but she still couldn't move, she looked up to see the kunai flying towards her head… "MOVE!" her instincts screeched and she managed to dodge just in time; arms wrapped around her frame before she could do anything else, abruptly lifting her up and shot off in the trees.
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Sasuke held Sakura in his grasp as he ran away from the insane Shinobi, his thigh hurting from piercing the kunai in it to escape, 'we need to run… I have to keep Sakura safe from that freak and I have to find a way to evade him! He's not normal!' he thought hastily.
Finally they reached a specific spot and landed on the huge branch; Sakura managed to get herself together and looked at her team mate, "Sasuke-" she started but she was abruptly grabbed by the arms, turned around and her back slammed on the tree trunk… a trembling hand slapped over her mouth; Sasuke sat on his knees an inch away from her covered face, his pupils were dots as sweat dripped down his chin, the look in his eyes told her he was not only afraid… but frightened.
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She had never seen him like this…
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The pink haired girl was rather uncomfortable from being sandwiched between the humongous tree and Sasuke; he stood close to her as if trying to protect her; his whole being shivered in fear…
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If any other less dangerous and life threatening situation, she would have blushed a deep scarlet from being so close to her crush… but now her mind didn't even think of that.
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Sakura lowered his hand from her mouth, cupped his face with both hands and looked at him in the eye "Sasuke! You need to snap out of it!" she whispered harshly.
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She had definitely never seen him like this… the boy grabbed her hands that held his cheeks but never made a move to remove them… he was still in the state of shock and fear.
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Sakura's eyes bulged in terror when she saw a huge snake just behind Sasuke not too far away, ready to attack; "Sasuke get out of the way!" she yelled and the Uchiha finally snapped out of it and looked behind him to see the huge reptile attacking!
He pushed the girl out of harm's way and jumped away from the snake as it attacked again; Sasuke activated his Sharingan and in the snake's eyes… saw the grass ninja glaring at him!
Now full out terrified Sasuke screamed in horror and threw shuriken at the huge reptile, "GET AWAY FROM ME!" he yelled; the shuriken embedded in the snake, effectively killing it.
He landed in a tree not too far away and looked to see Sakura a few trees further down, they both looked back at the snake and gasped in horror; the Shinobi crawled out of the snake… "You can't let your guard down for even a second, stay on your toes like a good prey should! It makes the chase much more rewarding… for the predator!" The black haired grass Nin smirked and his body twisted around the tree in a way that only a snake could…
But shuriken embedded themselves in front of him, making him stop.
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"Sorry Sasuke… but I don't remember that stupid password!" they looked up to see their blonde friend, Sakura smiled brightly, thanking Kami he's alright. "Naruto! That was awesome!" she cheered and the snake Nin glared at him.
"Naruto! You must have come here to show off by helping us, but don't get involved! This guy is way above our level! Run!" Sasuke yelled and the blonde looked at the man's twisted body, "so you've defeated the giant snake… Naruto-kun" the Ninja stated.
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Sakura furrowed her brows in frustration, what can she do?
The fear had overwhelmed Sasuke and Naruto went berserk from fury, while the blonde had literally punched some sense into the Uchiha who had shockingly acted like a coward and tried to give up their own scroll of heaven…
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She thought hard but didn't manage to do anything as she watched Naruto getting thrown around by the Ninja and the recently summoned snake…
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"NO! DO SOMETHING!" Inner Sakura yelled; the girl held her head in pain as massive amounts of charka gathered in her forehead again, just like at the land of waves...
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She was shocked to find Naruto stop the giant snake from attacking Sasuke… all the while she watched them…
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"MOVE, YOU USELESS LITTLE WEAKLING!" her thoughts screeched as her forehead burned…
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"Hey… are you hurt… you big chicken?" Sakura gasped at Naruto's words… even if it was directed towards Sasuke she couldn't help but feel like she was the chicken… she didn't do anything while her friends were getting killed out there…
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'You're weak…' her father's words rang in her mind…
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Ire filled her being… 'I'm not weak!' she thought angrily as she sprinted off the ground with kunai in hand. The girl attacked the Grass ninja from behind; at the last second he caught sight of her and blocked the kick being aimed at his head, surprise showing his features.
"GET AWAY FROM THEM!"
Sakura's scream echoed in the forest as she threw the kunai at him, it embedded in his shoulder and he grunted; he didn't expect the girl to attack him.
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"Sakura-Chan?" Naruto's voiced out; his red hues turned blue again from hearing her voice and they both looked to see the pinkette attacking the Snake Nin.
He pulled out the kunai from his shoulder-blade as Sakura went for another attack, barraging the ninja with shuriken; he managed to leap off the snake and on a tree to avoid the weapons, "Sakura?" Sasuke shouted in confusion as the pinkette stood on the now unmoving snake.
The grass Nin was rather surprised and curious about the change in her charka, "Hm… I honestly didn't expect you to attack me… but you ARE rather protective of your friends as I noticed at the gates before…" he said; the two boys looked at her in shock.
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Sakura now let her inner thoughts and feelings partly leak out…
Meaning she's furious…
"HELL YEAH! YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON MY BOYS AND YOU'RE A DEAD REPTILE YOU CREEPY BASTARD!"
She yelled rather loudly and pointed at the Shinobi, his eyes glinted, "My boys? So you have a strong connection with them…" the Snake Nin smirked, "this will be fun…" he cackled as the girl attacked once more.
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Sasuke's eyes widened when he noticed the man smirk, "Sakura NO!" he yelled but she didn't listen and aimed a punch at the man's face… he dodged easily and struck her in the ribs, cutting her air for a moment and just as quickly his tongue shot out and wrapped around her neck, she gasped in pain.
"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto yelled and shot forward but the huge snake finally moved and flung Naruto on the other side; the boy crashed in a tree as he tried to get up but he couldn't in his slightly weak state… he looked to see the pink haired girl squirming in the man's grasp, his heart raced for her well being, "SAKURA-CHAN! Let her go!" he screamed out.
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She struggled, clawing at his tongue but it was no use…
"LET ME GO YOU FREAK OR I'LL SHOVE YOUR TONGUE UP YOUR NOSE AND STAB YOUR BRAIN WITH IT!" she threatened in a screech.
The snake Nin narrowed his eyes in annoyance and offence, "Now that's not nice…" he hissed and approached the girl, "You need a lesson for manners" he smirked and the pinkette coughed, now out of breath "And you need some breath fresheners!" she managed to shoot back and the man chuckled, tightening his hold on her neck; she gasped in pain, her lungs now burning from the lack of oxygen "oh my, this one has a sense of humour" he laughed.
She glanced over at her team mates, Naruto continually tried to get up and Sasuke stood stock still in shock.
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"Sakura…" the Uchiha whispered when he saw the look in her eyes… they presented a whole new different Sakura…
Her emerald orbs were now wild and ferocious… opposite to the usually cheerful and caring girl he knew…
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Seeing her friends in need, her insides burst in flames of fury as she struggled once more even if she couldn't breath… with the last of her strength she grabbed a kunai from her pouch and stabbed the man's tongue, he gasped in pain and harshly threw her aside, "but still an annoyance!" he hissed.
The pinkette slammed on a nearby tree, feeling her bones rattle and her muscles ache from the force of the blow; she coughed out blood on impact and fell on the lower branch, trying to get up but couldn't… her body now utterly weak…
"Stay conscious… stay conscious…" she chanted, succeeding to sit up and forcefully clear the black spots in her vision.
Her Will the only thing keeping her from fainting of exhaustion…
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Naruto looked at the girl. "Sakura-Chan…" he whispered, growling animalistic when his gaze shifted back to the Snake Ninja and he saw red once more…
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The man saw the boy attacking "AAAAHHHHH!" Naruto screamed in fury as he clawed at the Shinobi but he was prepared this time and swiftly tangled his tongue around the blonde.
"LET ME GO YOU SNAKE BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FOR HURTING HER!" he yelled, squirmed and clawed the air with his sharp nails, trying to break free as the man wrapped his tongue around him even more, 'I better end this quickly, I can feel even more Kyubi charka leaking out of the boy in his anger, I won't be able to sustain him if I wait any longer!' the man thought as he preformed the hand seals, he got the boy closer and lifted his shirt, seeing the seal of the nine-tails…
His fingers glowed blue and slammed his hand on Naruto's stomach, "AGH!" Naruto screamed in pain as his vision blurred, the charka dispersed and Naruto's eyes turned blue again as they shifted closed…
The boy fell unconscious…
"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled and tried getting up to catch the blonde as the Snake threw him behind him and pummelled to the ground but she couldn't… thinking quickly, she threw her kunai knife at him, it caught the loose end of his jacket and pinned the boy to the tree, saving his life.
Sakura looked over at Sasuke and the girl's eyes narrowed at his still frozen state; she would have punched him out of his stupor herself if she could move.
"SASUKE!" the girl screamed and the boy snapped out of his stupor at the sound of his name being called, he shot his head towards her… "Naruto may be an idiot but at least he helps his friends when they need him! HE'S NO COWARD! RIGHT?" she yelled in anger.
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'Foolish little brother… you're pathetic…' His brother's words echoed in his mind…
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If you want to kill me, settle for hating me until you can…
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Hate me…
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And live like the coward you are!
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Cling to life… without honour!
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Something snapped in Sasuke…
"NO!" he yelled.
Sakura gasped when she saw him activate his Sharingan and attacked the Snake man…
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I've been living with the hope of one day killing my brother. I thought it was the most important thing…
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Sasuke barraged weapons at the man as he dodged and went to attack the boy but with the help of his Sharingan he ducked and went to strike the snake ninja again.
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But maybe I've been the idiot all this time!
Because someone who can't stand up and fight in times like this, wouldn't stand a chance against… HIM!
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Sakura! Naruto!
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He threw some shuriken again and the man dodged but ended up tied to the tree by sting and Sasuke preformed the dragon-flame technique!
The man burned…
Sakura grinned, "He did it!"
She leaped over to Sasuke, finally having enough strength to move…
Sasuke panted, "Are you ok Sasuke-kun?" she asked and placed a hand on his shoulder.
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But they gasped when the man easily broke free of the restraints… his face was melted off… but under the flakes of peeled skin was another face…
They did a huge mistake by looking into his eyes…
They couldn't move… a paralyze technique…
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"Heh… That one so young should have such mastery of the Sharingan mirror eye power; truly a worthy successor to the honoured name of the Uchiha clan! In fact, I want you after all!" the man laughed.
Sakura snarled, "You want him? Over my dead body!" her Inner screeched as she clenched her fists.
"You two really are brothers! Your eyes say that you carry even more potential than Itachi himself!" he smirked and Sasuke gasped at hearing his brother's name, "WHO ARE YOU?" he yelled, the man took out their scroll of heaven and burned it in his palm…
"I am Orochimaru, if you wish to see me again, pass this exam like your life depended on it" he said and the scroll burned to ashes…
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Suddenly he preformed another seal and his head dislodged and his neck expanded to impossible measures…
Sakura's eyes widened… she knew he was going for Sasuke… but she was paralyzed and couldn't move…
"NO!" her inner screeched for the Uchiha boy as Orochimaru bit down on his neck…
"KILL HIM!" Inner Sakura screamed in fury as the girl somehow managed to move, she yelled and aimed a hard punch at Orochimaru but she missed when his head quickly retreated back to his body… his neck taking on its normal appearance…
Sasuke screamed and held his neck as he fell on his knees in pain.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM YOU SON OF A-?" Sakura yelled but Orochimaru interrupted her.
"I just gave him a farewell present… he will soon seek me for power… you were a bit interesting as well, I'll remind myself keep an eye on you" he chuckled; Sakura snarled "I'LL KILL YOU!" she screamed and shot off towards him but he sank into the ground before she can lay a finger on him…
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The pinkette punched the place he was just moments ago, "I'll kill you… I'll kill you when I find you and feed your limbs to the wild dogs!" she yelled in the distance but Sasuke's screams of pain made her turn to him, "Sasuke!" she shouted and jumped back to him…
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He kneeled on the ground, gasping and yelling in pain…
Sakura's heart raced in worry, "Hold on Sasuke, don't give up!" she started panting in panic… "N-Naruto! Sasuke is…" she paused and looked over to the boy… he was still hanging unconscious…
"AAAAUGH!" Sasuke screamed and squeezed her hand tightly, it hurt and knew it would bruise but that was the very least of her problems…
The raven boy fell unconscious in her arms…
"Sasuke!"
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A cold fear crawled its way into her heart… the fear of losing them…
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Saltwater brimmed in her eyes as she started hyperventilating, "what should I do…?" she breathed out as the tears trickled down her face, "Oh Kami…" she sobbed and held onto Sasuke tightly…
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"Get a grip SAKURA! Don't cry like a sissy while their in pain! Protect them!" that voice yelled and she furrowed her brows in determination; she lay Sasuke down gently and jumped over to the tree where Naruto hung limp…
The girl ripped out the kunai lodged in the bark of the tree that kept Naruto up and grabbed a hold of the blonde's limp form' she gasped as white hot pain shot all over her body, 'Argh! My muscles hurt! I must have damaged my body when that snake slammed me on the tree!' she thought but sucked it up and placed the blonde over her right shoulder, went to Sasuke and picked him up under her left arm; she shot off into the trees, carrying her two friends…
"I have to find a safe place!" she thought and looked around…
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Finally she saw a large space under huge roots of a tree that acted as shelter; she sighed in relief and jumped down.
The girl kneeled down and carefully placed Naruto down first on his back and then she turned Sasuke around on his back as well, next to the blonde…
The pinkette checked Naruto first; she unzipped his jacket and lifted his shirt to see if he had any injuries because of that strange Jutsu that bastard preformed on him…
She caught sight of the tattoo…
He had told her about that and said it was just a tattoo he made and liked it… she wasn't sure of that but never said anything about it…
She placed a hand on his chest to see if he was breathing properly… he was fine so she covered his chest and stomach with his shirt again and zipped up his orange Jacket.
Sakura then turned to the Uchiha who started hyperventilating; she lifted his head and removed his head protector, feeling his forehead and gasped 'he has a high fever!' she thought hastily and took out a small water canteen out of her pouch, she gently lifted his head and placed the tip of the water canteen on his lips, tilting it so the cool substance would relieve his dry throat… she ripped off a strand of her shirt, wetting it with the water and placed it on his forehead, 'what if enemies come? I need to set traps!' she thought and took out all the weapons she had, even taking some of Naruto's and Sasuke's…
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She had set the traps and was now sitting next to them, 'I will protect you even if it cost me my life…' the pinkette thought and shifted her gaze to Naruto… 'That's MY promise of a lifetime' she smiled, placing her hands over theirs; she looked at Sasuke 'his breathing is now stable but he still has a high fever… Don't worry Sasuke-kun… I'm here… and I WILL keep you safe… no matter what…' she breathed out.
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Her eyelids were slowly drooping; she shook her head, 'No! Stay awake!' she mumbled and slumped down again…
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Sakura snapped her eyes open when she heard a yawn… she looked to see Naruto sitting up and stretching, "Ah… That was a great nap!" he chirped and glanced at the girl, his smile brightened, "Sakura-Chan!" A smile graced her lips when she saw her friend wake up, "Naruto!" she yelled happily "Ugh…" her gaze landed on Sasuke to see him sit up as well, he looked at her… "Did you nurse us?" he asked and the girl nodded; Naruto grinned "Thanks Sakura-Chan! I feel a lot better now!" he said, Sasuke smiled slightly… just like he had when they were younger… before the massacre of his clan… he had never smiled like that ever since…
"Yeah, thanks…" he said and the girl's eyes brimmed with water, she abruptly hugged the two boys, "I'm so glad!" she whispered happily.
She let go and the two boys started talking at one another…
…But she could hear a word they were saying…
Something was wrong…
She looked behind Sasuke and saw Orochimaru…
Her eyes widened when she saw someone else next to him…
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She saw… herself…
This wasn't the girl that she had seen before and had labelled as Inner Sakura
No… this was an exact copy of herself… the only difference was that the doppelganger had a nasty smirk on her face; her emerald eyes glinting in bloodlust…
"One who is prey needs to always strain their mind and run around… in front of a predator!" the man and herself had voice out in sync… Orochimaru's head twisted again and shot at Sasuke once more…
Her two friends, who were chatting, didn't notice a thing…
"You have a strong connection with them… this will be fun!" her other self cackled but she heard Orochimaru's words twist in with her voice…
She went to defend her friends but she was frozen in place… she tried to warn them but no sound came out… 'I can't talk!' she thought, grabbed her throat and watched as the Snake ninja bit onto Sasuke's neck once more… he shot a hand out and grabbed Naruto by the shirt, lifting it and slammed a hand on his belly, they both screamed in agony…
'NO!' she tried to scream and shout but nothing came out of her…
Orochimaru smirked and threw them aside, slamming the boys on the tree and he disappeared into thin air…
She unfroze and ran towards their slumped figures… "Naruto, Sasuke!" she yelled and kneeled next to them…
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"Guys?" she asked and went to see if they're ok…
She froze when a clawed hand swiftly grabbed her wrist rather painfully tight before she can touch them; the two boys lifted their heads in sync and glared at her…
She gasped… half of Sasuke's face was covered with black tattoo-like marks and his Sharingan was activated… the difference was that his eyes were yellow and snake-like…
Naruto's eyes were blood red and slit vertically… his whiskers thick… fangs poked out of their lips and clawed hands grabbed her arms and shoulders…
They snarled demon-like… her eyes widened in fear as they went to strike by biting onto her…
…
Raven: 0.o Sakura's in trouble! What did that snake do to them a second time? Will she be able to help her friends and live through it? Only the next chapter can tell!
By the way… the purpose of Sakura's Inner, her sharp instincts AND her past will be explained WAY later… when they grow a bit older…