Exit Strategy by Crackalive

Summary: Kenobi escapes by jumping into a random simulation. However, things go wrong and he cannot leave. What he needs is an exit strategy... but is he ready to follow it?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Rated T for some language and violence.

Before you read, ask yourself this question: Are you willing to give up someone you really care about for their own protection? Are you ready to make them hate you to keep them safe?

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PART 6:

III- HURT

I sat on my cushion. Sakura squeezed in next to Kakashi.

"Well, everything is set," I said. "so how about we-"

"Thank you for the meal!" Naruto shouted. His chopsticks darted to the main dish and he started loading his plate and mouth simultaneously.

I sighed and started eating as well. It was my turn to cook and I had tried something more appetizing than soups and noodles.

Kakashi cleared his throat after a few minutes and turned to Sakura. His mask was on. It was always on. I put down my chopsticks and listened.

"So Sakura, what brings you here?" he asked smoothly.

The kunoichi placed her chopsticks on their holder and recited serenely. "Tsunade sent me here to assist Naruto in his training mission, and complete my report on Itachi's actions with the help of Kenobi." Kakashi nodded absent-mindedly.

"But…" I completed. "if Tsunade sent you on this mission, you should be aware that Naruto is undergoing special solo training. It would in fact be counterproductive if you interfered. Also, I was preparing my report to be sent over to you, so you didn't have to be sent here for that either." She glared darkly at me. "My conclusion is that you asked to be here. Which begs the question: why?"

Sakura's expression had turned sour. I smiled innocently. Yamato looked up with an amused glint in his eye. Naruto was on his second helping, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"I-I…I did ask to be sent here." she stuttered. Suddenly, she took up a resolute look and raised her voice. "You and Naruto are on a team! Team 7! And we work together! Train together! That's what you taught us, Kakashi!"

The silver-haired jonin simply his head, eye creased in delight. I frowned and opened my mouth to protest. I wasn't allowing her near the Kyuubi's chakra if I could help it. My jaw clamped shut when she pointed a finger at me, green eyes blazing.

"And you! You promised special training for me. You're healed, there's a training field outside and we have jonin supervisors. Did you think I'd forget about that promise?" Yamato rose an eyebrow at me. I squirmed on my cushion.

"Well… I do remember something like that…"

Sakura stabbed her plate. I smiled weakly.

"Sure, Sakura, I've got a training program all set up. I'll make sure it's extra special." Her glare faltered slightly. Yamato looked at each of us in turn.

"More salt?" he proposed. The kunoichi slowly nodded and I looked down at my plate.

We returned to our meal. Relative silence returned.

"Hey guys, what's with the mood?" Naruto commented, loudly. He pointed at his plate with greasy chopsticks. "This is awesome stuff. You should be enjoying it! What did you call it again, Kenobi?"

"French fries."

"Yeah! Fwench fees are the best! You could make a living out of it." He scratched his chin pensively. "Not as good as ramen though. Don't worry Kenobi, you'll make good competition."

I cracked a smile. Kakashi loaded another plate and spread salt generously over it. Where his first helping had gone, I didn't know.

A warm breeze ran over the bright green grass. The sun shone overhead, granting weather befitting of spring. We were as far as possible from Naruto and his demonic chakra, in a clearing facing the edge of the forest.

Sakura sat cross legged, facing me. She was wearing a long-sleeved jumper, as I had asked her to, and trousers running down to her ankles. I tried to find a teaching voice, but I ended up imitating Yamato when he tried to explain something to Naruto.

"From what I've seen, Tsunade taught you to dodge attacks and destroy targets using your chakra enhanced strength, if it comes closer. Essentially, it's all defensive."

She nodded.

"Now, you want to go on the offensive. For that, I've devised three techniques that will change the way you'll fight." Sakura opened her mouth to say something. I cut her off. "No, these aren't new jutsu. Simply new ways to use what you already know."

She tilted her head to the side, curious. I leant closer, opening my hands to ask for explanations.

"I don't know much about chakra and how it is used, but your chakra enhanced strength… it's a more advanced method of what ninjas use to reinforce their body, right?"

"Yes, it is. The results are proportional to the person's control of the chakra. It overcomes the limitations of muscular strength."

I flexed my fingers. "Okay. But what you used against Itachi, when you punched the ground… that destruction technique. It wasn't just a reinforced arm, were you? The effects of that technique don't add up with a simple punch."

She smiled as if I had just realized an evident truth. "No, the destruction technique is different." The kunoichi looked down and clenched her fist. "I accumulate and compress chakra in my fist, then use the momentum of the punch to force it into the ground. Once outside of my body, that chakra expands and breaks up the surrounding matter."

I frowned. "Pushing it into the ground, is it like pushing healing chakra into a body?"

"Tsunade derived the destruction justu from that technique. She adapted the nature, and concentration of the chakra used for another effect entirely."

"Perfect then!" I grinned and stood up. She followed me. "The first thing I want you to learn is… to use the destruction technique without all the unnecessary movements."

"Unnecessary mo-"

"All that jumping and punching the ground. With your levels of chakra control, I'm sure you can use the destruction technique with a simple tap."

She frowned. A breeze rustled her pink locks.

"Push the destructive chakra into the target as you would for a medical technique."

Her face suddenly brightened. "I see! What you want me to do… is force it in myself? Do you want me to fight like the Hyuugas? Did you pick up the idea from the Gentle Fist style?"

The girl was smart. I smiled but shook my head. "Not really, Sakura. No closing tenketsu points, just aim to hit a vital point once. The second technique I wanted to teach you is blocking in a way to allow you to use the first one."

"What do you mean?"

"Look…" I assumed one of her regular stances, open palm forward and fist ready to strike by my side. With slow movements, I straightened my left arm into the sky and used it to make an imaginary downwards strike slide off to the side. My other arm extended and rose into the space where an enemy's undefendable right armpit would be. "…your opponent won't be able to reach across to block this strike, and you remove an arm."

I repeated the final movement, aiming instead upwards, for the head, then again, meeting a left-armed counterattack. "Your technique can destroy any solid matter your enemy uses, so you always want to be in a position to meet his or her attacks with your fists, and nothing else."

"Hmm." I could see on her face that she was working out the implications. "I understand what you are trying to do. The third technique?"

I answered with a smile. "Kunai throwing. Your opponent will use distance to escape your fists."

Sakura crossed her arms at that. "That's not a technique… Kenobi, I've been practicing my throwing for years." she said, scowling.

"A little more won't hurt." I tried not to look intimidated by her white knuckles. "Shall we begin?"

I drew four metal rings from my sleeves. "Here, put these around your wrists and ankles."

The kunoichi took them warily, before shrugging and sliding them on. As soon as they were in place, they split into hundreds of wires that wound themselves up to her knees and elbows. She jumped up, startled.

"Wha-What is this?" she stammered, trying to shake off the metal. I waved my hands dismissively.

"Relax." I told her.

Magnetic fields gently lifted and lowered her arms. "I can control them by acting on the metal around them, to help you train." I pointed at her jumper. "The long sleeves keeps it from chafing against your skin."

She clenched her fists, waving her arms around to get used to the new weights. Suddenly, the ground rumbled and the soil in front of me broke up. The kunoichi hopped backwards before realized I hadn't moved. She stomped back.

When the cloud of dust settled, a thick plate of iron stood between us. I looked across. Her green eyes glared at me and her lips mumbled curses.

"Warn me next time!" she shouted. I suppressed a chuckle and beckoned her closer.

"Loosen your limbs now, and pay attention to their movements. I'm going to synchronize them with my own movements, okay?" She nodded and assumed a taijutsu stance. "At the end of each move, I'll have you tap that metal plate over there. Use your destruction technique if you can. Most of the energy will be absorbed, so don't worry if you use too much chakra."

I moved to stand next her, then copied her stance. The metal wires tightened under the influence of opposing magnetic fields.

"Ready?"

With a deep breath, she got rid of her annoyance. Her eyes burned with determination. A frightening smile then danced on her lips.

"Ready for anything."

Tongue dry. Muscles sore and trembling. Lungs burning with each breath. Blood thumping against a piercing headache. I was at my limit.

Shadows darkened the clearing, and rain clouds loomed ahead.

Instinctively, I started the following maneuver. My left elbow moved to trap a knife lunge against my side, hand moving up to grab the arm. With a twist, I pulled on it. The opponent's neck/head area met my right fist. A loud clang resounded next to me, followed by a wave of heated air. Sakura had ended her move with a chakra-charged strike.

I forced myself to stop and face my training partner. She was panting, sweat wetting her hair and dripping at her chin. I had ceased magnetically controlling her limbs hours ago.

"Sakura, I think it's enough for tod-"

The kunoichi had already moved on to the next combination of moves. She bent out of the way of a knife lunge to the chest, the lashed out with her left fist in one lightning-quick maneuver.

"Sakura!"

She shifted back to her initial stance, eyelids half shut. I re-applied magnetic pressure and froze her. Her muscles contracted in a memorized sequence. The metal wires tightened and pushed her arms down and her legs next to each other.

"Kenobi, what are you doing?" she mumbled between breaths.

I placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her upright. "It's enough for now." I rasped. "Let's rest."

She shook her head weakly. "No, no… I can still continue. You… you don't even look tired."

My short chuckle was interrupted by the need to breathe regularly. "I'm exhausted actually. Let's return before it starts raining, okay?"

"But…"

"You were better than I expected, Sakura. You've accomplished enough for one day." My vision blurred. Cool drops of water splashed on my skin. "There's no point… in pushing yourself harder. Come on, I'll help you."

I stepped to her side and helped her walk. She didn't seem fully conscious. After a few steps, she faltered and leaned heavily on me. Her arms swung by her sides. "I'm so tired, Kenobi." she muttered.

I lifted a numb arm and patted her shoulder. "Come on," I whispered. "Don't want… to get soaked."

She was silent for a few seconds. A raindrop fell on my eyelid. I batted the water out.

"Carry me."

I couldn't see her face, and I was happy she couldn't see mine. Never would the regular Sakura ask such a thing from me… but she was too tired for her antics. This was her subconscious speaking. Mustering the last of my energy, I sighed and crouched to scooped her up. My muscles refused to lift. I gritted my teeth and used my magnetic powers once more. Thankfully, he kunoichi was surprisingly light. My muscles ached just the same

I arrived half an hour later, drenched.

"Hey Sakura, you might want to go meet the others on your own feet…"

I looked down. She was silent, water plastering the hair against her head, buried in my chest. I nudged her gently. The kunoichi was asleep.

I frowned. Her clothes were soaked, but she was not shivering. I rushed inside.

The door handle unlocked itself and opened. I trudged inside, dripping water onto the floorboards. Yamato and Kakashi looked up from the scrolls on the table. I ignored their stares and hopped up the stairs. The pain was filtered with great difficulty.

Sakura's room was locked… but not for long. With the last of my strength, I dragged her in. The shower was to the right of the door. Carefully, I layed her down inside of it and turned the hot water tap on. The warm water would prevent hypothermia and a nasty fever later. Her eyes flickered open, darted over to me… and rolled back to sleep.

I looked at her one last time. She looked so vulnerable, curled up in there. My heart jumped with a sudden feeling of empathy. Her world had been turned upside down, and beneath the ferocious determination to get stronger, she was still dealing with her fears and doubts. What she needed was someone to lean on…

I stumbled out, locked the door behind me and shuffled to my own room, feeling utterly spent.

When I woke up again, night had fallen. Rain drummed on the wooden window panel.

My muscles creaked as I pulled myself to a sitting position. Lighting the lamp magnetically was punished by a disproportionate bolt of electricity running up my arms. Exhaustion…

I disconnected my spirit from the body. With a familiar manipulation of the data streams, I cut off the pain and over-rode the limitations of my muscles. When I reconnected, my limbs felt very distant, as if I was a puppeteer pulling on the strings. Exhaustion was foremost a mental state, therefore I could remedy it.

What mattered was that I got up, wiped the floor, showered, changed clothes and managed to get down to the kitchen to search for leftovers.

To my surprise, Sakura was standing by the counter. A towel was wrapped around her hair, and she wore loose trousers under her pink nightgown.

"Y-you're up?"

The kunoichi whirled around, chopping knife in hand. For a split second, I imagined her taking revenge for entering her room without permission by murdering me, then moving on to other offenses.

"Ah… it's you." she said. "Yeah, woke up for a quick dinner. No good sleeping on an empty stomach after all that, right?"

I watched her, hiding my nervousness behind a perplexed llok. She didn't sound like someone who had trained from morning till dark.

"But… how?" I tilted my head and motioned vaguely in her direction. "You exhausted your chakra and fell asleep just a few hours ago."

She waved her free hand dismissively. "I'm fine now, don't worry."

"But how did you recuper-"

"I'm a medical ninja!" She snapped, but softened quickly. "I didn't use up all my chakra… I had enough to repair the exhaustion."

She adjusted the towel over her head and returned to the chopping block in front of her. This time, I noticed her sluggish movements and the absence of tension in her shoulders despite her movements.

"You had me worried."

The chopping paused for a second. "Sorry." she mumbled.

"Eh, Sakura… no problem. Just don't overdo it again." I scratched the back of my head. "I guess its kunai throwing for tomorrow then!"

The kunoichi remained silent. I went for the fridge. Before I reached for the handle, Sakura called out from the counter.

"Wait! Kenobi. I prepared donburi for the both of us. I'll finish quickly!"

I raised an eyebrow. "I can cook for myself you know… and how did you know I was going to wake up? I could have continued-"

"Please!" She thrust a bowl of rice topped with chopped meat and vegetables, bowing deeply. "Thank you for training me." she said, blushing with embarrassment. "And thank you… for taking me home."

I lost my words and gaped.

Sakura was thanking me. That was polite. What scrambled my thoughts though was the image of a fiercely independent kunoichi refusing any assistance clashing with what she had just said.

This was monumental. The closest to a…confession I would ever get. No- it was an allowance. You, Kenobi, are permitted to help me, and I, Sakura, promise not to beat you to pulp for getting close to me. Suppressing a smile, I returned the bow. "I accept the meal… as compensation for all that you put me through."

Heavy silence fell between us. I hoped I wasn't blushing like she was. After what felt like hours, I cleared my throat. We both looked up, feeling rather silly bowing to each other, alone in the kitchen. Her smile quickly became a frown. Deftly, she placed the bowl on one end of the table, walked up to me and clobbered me on the head. I didn't miss the amused tint in her eyes.

"You put yourself through this-you're the one who wanted to train me!" she exclaimed.

I grinned. "But-" My counter was knocked short by a fist.

"I don't remember asking you to pick me up, okay?!"

Her pink cheeks complimenting her hair color reduced the effect of the angry glare she gave me.

"Yes, sorry, it never happened. Let's eat, okay?"

I rubbed my head and sat down, grinning. Moments like these reminded me that she there was a sixteen year old girl under the deadly kunoichi. I watched her as she fretted with around the table. For the moment, whatever exhaustion she felt was locked away as she tried to impress me with her meal of gratitude.

The girl really did try too hard.

"Hey Sakura, there's enough on the table."

She looked up from the mound of carrots, onions, eggs, boiled potatoes, salmon, seasoning herbs... "Bu-… I haven't finished the salad!"

I chuckled. "I won't stay awake long enough to eat anything else. There's no hiding it; you look like you're going to fall asleep on your feet too. Come on now."

She sighed, wiped her hands and pulled up a chair. I split my chopsticks and dug in.

Halfway through the meal, I noticed she had barely grazed her own.

I looked up at her. Her eyes shifted to me hesitantly, as if she expected something. "It's delicious." I said, adding I warm smile. "I guess I should train you more often." She beamed.

When I went to sleep, my cheeks felt as tired as the rest of my body. I had been smiling the whole time.

The next day, we practiced the art of throwing a kunai. It was much less physically intensive, and my ability to attract the metal projectiles back from wherever they landed meant the training session consisted of only aiming and throwing.

Sakura, true to her word, needed no lessons from me. In fact, I found myself imitating her smooth and precise movements. My arms did not have the tone and reflexes that came from years of throwing, so my kunai went all over the place until I corrected their path magnetically.

At midday, we took a proper rest. Naruto joined us to eat from the picnic basket Sakura had prepared. He had returned to the house even later than we did. Excitedly, he revealed that he had managed to adapt some of his ninjutsu to draw on the demon's chakra, including the trademark Rasengan. The fact that none of that chakra could be felt on him as he ate, despite maintaining the four tailed mode for hours, was testament enough to his progress.

That night, Kakashi gathered us on the living room floor to note down our progress. It wasn't something he'd normally do, but since this was a mission from the Hokage, he 'had to keep up appearances'.

With a bored look, he revealed that next week, we were to practice team maneuvers while handling Naruto's new abilities. The objective was to demonstrate to the council members that the village's jinchuuriki had some level of control over the Kyuubi, and that he could be sent out on missions without risking losing him.

Before that though, we were being sent back to the village for two days. Yamato and Kakashi had been recalled for an urgent matter. Immediately, I set to modifying my plans for avoiding Danzo, but when I steered my gaze to the right… I knew just what to do.

"Feeling better now?"

Sakura nodded as she ducked down to remove the wires from her legs. A quick manipulation of their magnetic fields loosened them for her.

"I've got enough chakra to use it safely again." she said. The kunoichi hopped a few times, getting used to the absence of weights. "How about you?"

I stepped in front of her and assumed a basic aggressive stance. "Doesn't matter."

She frowned slightly before sliding her feet sideways and moving her fists to face me.

I cleared my throat. "For the next two hours, we'll be alternating aggressive and defensive roles. Use the attack moves I just showed you. These-" I clanged the metal plates on my arms against the one on my chest. "-will protect me."

She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. My muscles tensed.

"I'll alternate fighting styles without warning. Watch out."

The kunoichi's pink locks of hair rustled in the afternoon breeze. Far behind us, the ground rumbled from Naruto's demonic powers.

Her lips moved. "Begin."

Sakura ducked under the diagonal kick to her head and reached for the fabric on my leg. I saw her move and reacted. I swiveled on my heel and lashed out with a gut punch. She dodged. Low kick. Stepped aside. I followed her move with a spinning elbow.

The kunoichi absorbed the strike to her chin, capturing my arm- my metal plates rippled, transmitting the shock away from my chest. The vibrations were instantaneously absorbed by the magnetic field surrounding my armor and redirected. However, it did not cancel all of the force.

I staggered backwards. I took a few deep breaths before righting myself.

Her voice called behind me, slightly worried. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine. It just felt weird." My eyes wandered over to her. She didn't look tired at all. "How are you holding up?"

"I can continue!" she answered with a smile. "The chakra drain has been minimal."

I frowned and took a step closer. "Minimal?"

The kunoichi shuffled uneasily. "Well… I've really reduced the power of the technique, since I'm using it on you. Don't want to get hurt training, right?"

"No wonder it felt wrong…" I muttered. Anger strengthened my voice. "Why would I get hurt? I already told you I'm protected from its effects! What have you been doing, Sakura?"

"Whoah, calm down Kenobi! It's just training-"

I stomped forwards. "Just training? Next time you're in a fight, it won't be just training!" I was shouting. "You'll die, Sakura, you'll die because you're afraid of hurting me! Look at Naruto! He's risking his life to become more powerful." As if on cue, the ground shook. She shuffled backwards, looking down.

"I- I don't..."

Something about her churned my stomach. Without thinking, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Sakura flinched. "Look at me!" I searched for her eyes. "I'm an enemy ninja. I've come to kill you, your friends, everyone!" My following words came out as a whisper, menacing. "You only have time for one strike. What will you do then? Minimal chakra drain, huh?"

She swallowed, looking away. I sighed and let her go.

"Sakura, you wanted to take on a more aggressive role. I did as you wished, and showed you how. There are deadly risks involved… I'm not doing this so you that you can throw yourself at the enemy without having actually fought before."

"But Kenobi!" she cried. Her eyes were moist and her arms shook. "I-I can't use this technique… on people! It'll… They'll get k-" She choked on the last word.

That feeling… I knew what it was now. It was disgust. The Sakura in front of me wasn't the determined, witty girl I felt affection for, it wasn't the one who had resolved to stand up for herself and deal with her problems headfirst. No… this was the scripted Sakura. The old Sakura. The character that never changed, that followed a predetermined plot… programmed, fake. The sickening sensation grew and made me shudder.

The feelings I felt were real. There was a slim chance… but given time and the proper attention, this character could be turned into a person. It had been done before; digital humans basing their personality on a program. If it came to that, I would create her. With my own hands, I'd make her real. I'd become the Blue Fairy for her.

"Sakura." The girl froze at my voice. Whatever emotions it carried, I did not care anymore. "I'm not going to lose you on a battlefield. You fight for real or we're done here."

Worry drained her face. "K-Kenobi?"

"You are weak! You were nearly defeated by a clone! A clone made by Itachi, suffering from chakra exhaustion and bearing no weapons." My eyes bore into hers. I hoped she could see my pain. "You promised to fight instead of waiting to be rescued. What did I do?! I had to come and save you! Is that all you can do?" I pointed an accusing finger. "It's because you don't take training seriously that you ended up being useless. You are scared of using your most powerful technique on an opponent because he'll die? What do you think throwing shuriken and explosive tags do?!"

I trampled on the cold grass to get next to her. She was shivering. "That makes you a failure as a ninja, Sakura."

Suddenly, it ended. I felt the change. My words had struck a nerve, and now her worries and fears were being washed over by anger. Her trembling gave way to tightened fists, leather gloves creaking.

It wasn't enough.

I struck her stomach. Hard. She doubled over, gaping. I loomed over her as she retched on the ground.

A ninja did not stay down. I kicked her stomach, then stomped the spot that her arms did not cover. She rolled with the blow and stumbled up, teeth gritted. Her feet moved to form a shaky defensive position. Immediately, I feinted to the right. Sakura unbalanced herself to catch the attack from the opposite direction. I rammed my knee into her gut. She fell again, quivering.

I kept my face blank, my heart was cold.

Seconds passed as she brought herself up again. I waited. Our eyes met, brown on green. Realization widened her. She knew what she had to do.

"No…" she whimpered.

I batted her defending arm aside and slammed a palm under her nose. It was painful to force her to confront her fears. I pushed that pain aside. Having her die on the battlefield would be much, much worse to watch… and so I attacked again.

I acted the role of an aggressor… became the aggressor. When I hit, I intended to demolish. She blocked and parried, used the moves I had taught her but when the time came for her to use the deadly jutsu… she froze, staring at her fist in disbelief.

My fist lashed out in an arc. She ducked instinctively, falling instead to a low kick that swept her feet off the ground. An elbow smashed into her jaw on the way down.

Sakura took longer to get back up, dazed by the blow. Her eyes were still dull.

I slammed into her as soon as she regained her footing. She barely managed to absorb the blow with her arm, dropping to her knees.

A foot dug into her ribs, sending her sprawling. Moisture and blades of grass now dotted her uniform. I followed her down onto the ground.

My weight held her down. One knee pinned down her right arm. The other was held under my armpit. I had one free hand… and she had none.

Her eyes… they were pleading. I raised my fist. She did not want me to hurt her, and I did not want her to see her dead... I brought it down.

And again. And-

Chakra-enhanced muscles surged under me, lifting me off the ground in a powerful convulsion. She slammed her palm against the ground, following me into the air. Her fist drew back.

My metal armor vibrated from the impact. It… wasn't the destruction technique. Making a split-second decision, I extended a metal tendril through my sleeve and coiled it around her extended fist. Inertia strained the magnetic fields holding it in place, before it rebounded and annulled itself.

We landed on our feet, at arm's length. I quickly contracted my muscles and reeled her in. Her neck jerked backwards from the following punch. The metal stretched taught again, and the dazed kunoichi woke to a sternum-shattering upper cut as she rolled to the ground.

Specks of blood wet my knuckles. My jaws tightened. This was blood I wouldn't have to see later. Roughly, I slid over to where she had stopped moving and gripped her wrist.

Wild eyes darted to the hold. A flick of my wrist spun her around, a second movement locked her arm behind her back.

Sakura grunted when I pulled her up, her weight straining the twisted joint. Her back straightened against the lock, and as I applied pressure, she tiptoed to relieve it. Beyond the treeline, I felt Kakashi watching. From the outside, it must have looked like unwarranted aggression. Proving all of his foreign spy theories, I mused grimly.

"Sakura…" I was just behind her, whispering into her ear. Her hair tickled my nose. "You can do it. You have a free arm, my flank is open."

The curve of her cheeks hinted at a mask of pain. No words escaped her… a muffled gasp left her lips when I twisted further. Her elbow bulged unnaturally.

I tried again. "Do it. Hurt me. See me as an enemy, right now, or you'll lose this arm. I swear it: if it means you won't die as a failed ninja then I will twist." Her breath hitched. Pain or surprise, I did not know. "If you cannot, take off that headband and stay that frail little girl that does nothing but watch the backs of those who protect her-"

My words were cut off. Concentrated power slammed against metal plating. The magnetic limiters broke down correctly, allowing the fields to synchronize and transfer the force of the strike away from my body… but the force, the intensity was too great. The surplus energy rushed back up the link and knocked me out.

I blinked my eyes open. Everything under my neck was just… numb. A giant bruise. I staggered, stumbled to the ground. A long trench carved into the dirt led to the crater I lay in.

My breath rasped, as if my lungs had been shredded. Suddenly, strong hands gripped me and pulled me out and onto the grass. I sunk into the shoulder supporting me, trying to regain my composure.

It was Sakura. Her eyes were darting all over my body, checking for damage.

"Hey… I'm not injured." I croaked. "I told…" -cough- "I told you I could take a hit."

I did my best to smile, reassure her. Something about her comforted me. Not her fragrance, not the way she held me… not even the warm chakra infiltrating my skin. It was the simple knowledge that she was real.

She did not answer.

This Sakura wasn't some author's creation. She wasn't a simulated character. This one hadn't backed down. This one, this special one, had used a lethal technique on her teammate to prove her worth.

I looked up again… and stifled a cry of anguish. Blood dripped from a split lip, and a livid yellow bruise ran an arc under her left eye. Her nose was swollen. Underneath her injuries was something much more frightening: it was the hateful glare her bleary eyes gave me.

The glowing chakra in her palms did not feel comforting any more. I looked away and shivered.

When frigid words escaped her swollen lips, I froze. "You won." she said. "You made me do it." My eyes darted back, and I winced under her fierce stare. "It was cold of you, Kenobi."

With those final words that shook me to the core, she got up and left.

I couldn't sleep that night.

My thoughts were jumbled, my mind unable to rest. If I closed my eyes, all I would see was a pair of dark eyes deep-set in bruises. She hated me.

I shifted on the wooden tiles, silver colored in the occasional beam of moonlight the pierced the clouds. Underneath me was Naruto's room. He hadn't seen Sakura yet. When he did, he'd probably kill me for it… maybe he had the right to. I myself couldn't completely justify my actions.

One half of me, rational and calculating, weighed the risks. Teach the kunoichi a more aggressive role in the team without giving her the intent to actually harm the opponent, and have her die, or attack and hurt her but keep her alive, despite losing her affection? After all, it was said, the heart could be healed but death was permanent.

The other half though… cried. I had lost Sakura. Her swollen face conflicted with the happy blush of the night before. All she saw in me now was a cruel monster. A brutal one. Cold. I clenched my hands and tried to pass off the feelings as fake. I was in a simulation after all, Kenobi was just a character and whatever I did was-wasn't simulated. What I did here was something I could repeat outside of the simulation.

If Kenobi was a cruel, brutal monster that struck down the people he cared for, then I was like that.

I ran my fingers through my hair and gritted my teeth. Far above, the moon disappeared.

I took the decision. I had to leave, hunt the Akatsuki on my own. If I stayed any longer, I would just hurt more and more people. My legs slid forward and I shifted my weight to stand up.

A pair of arms held me down.

Slowly, the clouds moved. An eerie glow illuminated the roof. Wrapped around my chest were her arms.

I wasn't surprised. A ninja could move and kill without being heard or seen. My hand moved to cover her thin fingers. She tightened her grip, and I felt a warm chest against my back, a chin on my shoulder, a lock of hair on my cheek.

"I-I'm so sorry, Sakura."

She exhaled down my collar.

"I shouldn't have done that. I hurt you." I whispered, frustrated that I could not put all of what I felt into words. "I-There could have been another way. I was so… so worried for you."

"Shut up."

I held my breath. There was no anger in her voice, just a soft murmur that wanted to tell me something.

"You act so clever and yet you're such an idiot at times." As she spoke, her right hand slid up my chest to rest on my heart. "You haven't seen what Tsunade put me through. I healed myself in all of ten minutes. The old lady took an hour every day."

I looked down, trying to sort out my feelings. There was a pressing question though.

"Then why did you… say that-"

"I'm an idiot too sometimes." the girl interrupted. "I'm a ninja. When I stay back and wait to heal your injuries, I forget that my first role is to kill the enemy. Yamato reminded me."

Despite myself, I smiled. "He gave you the speech too, didn't he?"

I turned in her arms to face her. Our noses touched, and I looked into her eyes. They were not cold or hateful. A few seconds later I realized that I was too close for comfort, so I shifted to sit facing her further away. I made no reaction to the nervous shiver that traveled down her thin night gown.

I broke the silence. My heart still raced, trying to knot of guilt. "I'm… still sorry."

"You better be." The kunoichi waved a fist in front of me. "When we get back, training won't be so easy!"

I frowned. "Sakura…"

The ground shook and a cloud of dust obscured the clearing. Rising above the field were dozens of metal tubes of various diameters, some hollow and wrapped in wires, others filled and spinning on axis. They extended spherically from a central hub; a faceted sphere that reflected the moon with alternating flashes of light. Magnetic energy rippled throughout the construct, dispersing the dust.

"I don't think we're returning here again."