Ketsora: Thanks guys for reviewing this story and giving me inspiration. This is a milestone, the 10th Chapter! Hoping to see you in the next 10.
Edward Elric: Get on with the story.
Ketsora: Ed, you lil' midget why are you here?
Ed: Who are you calling so short that he wasn't allowed on the kiddie rides in an amusement park?!
Ketsora: Onto the story and away from Ed and FMA… This takes place a short amount of time after Ch. 9.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXNaruto sat at Konoha's gate. He was sitting on the same granite bench that lost both Sasuke and Sakura. This object, though never speaking, told the story of both his friend's departures. And Naruto knew this… so he sat there every evening, watching the ravens flutter from each cherry blossom tree to the next.
Sakura stood at the gateway to Konoha. It was a really bittersweet revelation. There was Naruto, sitting on the bench that Sasuke-bastard left her on. She only needed five minutes, and then it'd be complete. Itachi and Sasori could come in if she only made sure no one else was here.
"Hey, is that you, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. Sakura snapped back to the reality of it all. "Yeah. Sorry Naruto, I have some business to take care of…" she was cut off by a fist that barely missed her face. "That can't be you… you can't be Sakura! You're a fucking Sound ninja in disguise! Tell me that you are!" Naruto's eyes were flickering red and he was shaking.
"No. I'm not a Sound ninja. Naruto, please get out of the way, I need to speak with Tsunade-sama," Sakura reasoned coolly. This time, the fist hit her square in the jaw and Naruto was infuriated. "Really, don't be mad at me for leaving to find Sasuke, okay!" Sakura tried, still unflinching with Naruto's fist on her chin.
"You're wearing an Akatsuki robe. I have justified reason to be mad at you! You betrayed us!" Naruto scowled. Sakura shrugged and evaded the barrage of punches he was now throwing. 'It's just like when I fought Sasuke. She can almost predict my attacks!' Naruto figured. He stopped for a split second to lock eyes with the kunoichi. They weren't green, and that was enough proof for him. He jumped backwards and produced four shadow clones. The five Narutos were staring intensely at Sakura.
"The one on the far left is the real one," Sakura answered the unspoken question with her eyes closed. Naruto let some of the Nine-Tails Fox chakra leak out. "How did you know? You weren't even looking, and you could still pick the right one…Sakura, I haven't seen you in about 2 years and you're already not the same."
Sakura looked highly amused. "You're not the same either Naruto. So much weaker and slower than last time, eh?" she jested. Naruto led his shadow clones into the Uzumaki Barrage formation, which Sakura found strange. That was one of his old techniques that she knew. It wasn't even close to powerful either. Even stranger, Sakura let his attack go through.
"Na…ru…to! Uzumaki Barrage!" the clones yelled in unison. At the last drop kick on the opponent, Sakura grabbed the real Naruto's foot, and quickly spun it around, so that she had the leg in an arm-bar like position. "Please Naruto, don't make me have to break your leg," was Sakura's calm request. Naruto growled, "Stop jerking me around!"
When the two hit the ground, Sakura was on top, with minor bruises from the barrage's attack and Naruto was facedown below. "You've gotten good, Sa… Sakura-chan," Naruto half grinned, "With that Sharingan of yours. But you're not talking to the Hokage, or getting me to surrender."
"Really," Sakura smiled sadistically, "That's good, because I had no business with any of you from the beginning." Naruto stopped grinning and kicked Sakura with his free leg, "So it was a distraction. Dammit, I'm so stupid to have fallen for that." It was Sakura's turn to smile now. She got back into a fighting stance and said, "Well, I'm sure Itachi and Sasori's mission is already done, so why don't we finish this little sparring match."
Naruto held out his hand and looked at it, focusing his chakra into the swirling form of the Rasengan. "This… ends… here… Sakura…" Naruto growled, pulling his arm back. Sakura was ready to dodge the attack and go in for the quick kill when something caught her attention, her mind stopped and she only felt pain all throughout her body. The Rasengan hit, and in a vital spot.
"Is that how it happened?" Itachi asked, highly amused. Sakura grimaced as he helped her along, "Not quite. I gave him a nice finishing blow after that Rasengan, but that's pretty much the whole thing." Sasori closed his eyes and said, "Sakura, you did a good job, don't get depressed over not being able to beat Naruto." Said kunoichi scowled as Sasori opened the door to the hideout, "I wasn't beaten. I would've been able to kill him if my body didn't just stop for that one second!"
Itachi looked at her sternly, "Why, do you think Sakura, you stopped when you were about to kill Naruto? Why?" She laughed, "Hell if I know, Itachi-kun." He glared at her, "Because you couldn't. No matter how hard you try, you will probably be capable of killing anyone, but you don't really have the courage to."
Sakura looked shocked at this statement, but kept her head down. "Maybe, I guess. How did your mission go anyway?" Sasori smiled. "We got the information that we need on the 7-tailed bijuu. All set, you should go rest, that wound may open again."
Ketsora: I have to admit. That was a pretty bad chapter. Well, review and prove me wrong, would you? My writer's block is over, I think!!