A/N: Thank you so very much for your feedback and patience with me! So I get the sense that the last couple of chapters were emotional roller coasters (by a combination of your reviews and the fact that I needed to nap immediately after writing them lol). This chapter takes things down a notch and focuses on dynamics. Hope you enjoy!
Note: I decided to use the Japanese term fūja houin instead of the direct English translation, Evil Sealing Method, because to me that just sounds pitifully lame. xD
Muse: Patience – Take That
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fan fiction using characters from the NarutoTM world, which is trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto. The story I tell here is created for entertainment only and is not part of the official NarutoTM storyline. I do not profit financially from this story.
Chapter 25: Hit List
Sakura and Naruto unanimously agreed to leave the war-torn clearing immediately.
Although Orochimaru was certainly gone – perhaps even out of the Forest of Death altogether – there were remnants of his corrupted energy wafting through the frigid night air and crawling over the fresh craters in the open terrain. On top of that, the three cloaked, diseased corpses were still splayed out amidst the rubble and quite literally smelled like death. They radiated a sickly aura that made even Sakura's, a high standing medic's, stomach turn. That wasn't just any illness. That was an illness Orochimaru specifically designed for her. Why? She had no idea. But if he was hoping to unsettle her by it, it was doing a damn fine job.
Frankly, at this point, Sakura just wanted to get the hell away from any reminders of the recent battle and perhaps even indulge in a fleeting, ignorant fantasy that the entire day never happened at all. It was probably the worst day in either of her lives (so far), which really did say something. After all, medical ninjas tended to encounter some particularly disturbing shit.
But of course, she didn't have time for such naïve, delusional thinking. Her work for the night wasn't finished yet. As soon as Sasuke opened his eyes, which wasn't long after Sakura's chakra coaxed him out of his slumber, and she confirmed that his vital signs were in working order, they departed.
Naruto led the way through the night carrying Sasuke on his back, pushing through the looming trees in an uncharacteristically stoic silence. About ten minutes later he and Sakura slowed their paces down to a walk, partly because they were exhausted and injured, and partly because it was dark and there was no way they'd find an optimal hideout until the sun was up again anyways. They spotted a small bed of bushes smack dab in the middle of the woods. They caught eyes and exchanged a nod. It was no safe haven, but would have to do.
Naruto eased Sasuke down onto the rough ground while Sakura tried to smooth out a clear patch of earth among the matted tangle of twigs and dried leaves. Their teammate was still conscious but rapidly slipping in and out of sleep, running a terribly high fever, and probably numb from the sheer pain of the fresh curse mark. While Naruto quickly scouted out the area for enemies, Sakura pulled off her medical pouch and rooted through it for some quick remedies to calm his aching body.
She found the anti-inflammatories first and wasted no time propping Sasuke's head up onto her lap, ignoring the twigs painfully cutting into her exposed knees, and slipping two pills into his mouth. His body was treating the curse like a foreign virus, which explained his fever - his body's desperate, final line of natural defenses. And it was all in vain.
"Swallow it," she commanded and through his heavy-lidded daze, he managed a shaky half-nod and did as instructed. It was a miracle he survived at all but it was no time to celebrate just yet. Sakura didn't want to risk him passing out now while the curse was still unsealed. When that happened last time around, it had taken advantage of his vulnerable state and controlled his mind and body when he woke.
She hastily reached for her strongest painkillers without sedative properties (she couldn't afford for him to get any groggier) and shoved those in his mouth as well before digging out a small water canteen and holding it against his lips. Sasuke managed a few weak gulps, several droplets dribbling down his chin, while Sakura pushed his matted hair away from his face. His forehead protector was tucked away in Naruto's weapon pouch to give his burning head access to the crisp air, which she hoped might calm his fever a little faster.
Naruto retuned soon after and offered a weak smile and thumbs-up. "Coast is clear," he said before crawling over to join his teammates in the shelter of the bushes. "Now what, Sakura-chan?" His gazed drifted down to Sasuke who was obviously still completely out of it.
Sakura considered Naruto's question for a moment. "I'll seal the curse," she said slowly, her eyes flickering up to meet his. "But not here. We'll need a better hideout with more space and protection – probably some traps – because the procedure is long and intricate. And I suck at sealing so I might need to give it a few tries." Sakura knew she wouldn't manage a flawless fūja houin seal like Kakashi did last in her old life, but she needed to try - even if it was just something temporary to get through the rest of the exam.
Naruto nodded, looking at her expectantly. "Should we find somewhere for that now?" he asked, hints of desperation in his voice.
Sakura shook her head. "Not only will it definitely leave Sasuke unconscious, but it'll drain a huge portion of my chakra, even with my new seal," she explained, and sensing Naruto's eyes drift to her forehead at her comment. "It might even knock me out too. And I'm not sure you're up to babysitting both of us at the moment…" Her voice trailed off and she gave her friend a meaningful look.
Naruto met her gaze and nodded. If they got ambushed, they'd be screwed if Naruto was stuck protecting two useless teammates. He was low on chakra, mildly traumatized, and it was pitch black outside. "We should lay low and get some rest until the sun rises then," he proposed in a tone reminescant of his older, more mature self.
"And we keep him conscious," Sakura added, beckoning towards Sasuke with a tilt of her head. "I'll also patch up some of your injuries."
Naruto shifted backwards, raising his hands in protest. "Don't heal me! I'm fine. I heal pretty fast on my own, anyways. You've gotta save up your chakra if you're gonna seal the bastard's curse thingie."
Sakura fought the temptation to grin as some of Naruto's typical spunk entered his voice. "Tell you what," she said. "I mend your injuries then you take first watch. That way I can sleep and replenish some chakra before my shift."
Naruto shot her a stubborn, scrutinizing stare, his arms folded across his chest. "Okay, fine," he huffed. "But how are we going to keep him conscious, anyways?"
She cast a nervous glance down Sasuke and placed her hand on his forehead. His skin was just as hot as it was before. Those anti-inflammatories weren't helping yet and until they did or he regained enough of his own chakra to keep the foreign curse under control, his body was at risk of shutting down entirely. Sakura gritted her teeth and rubbed her temples, racking her brain for a solution.
"All right," she said after a pause. "I know what we'll do." And with that she carefully lifted Sasuke's head off her lap, hooked her other arm below his shoulders, and pushed him up into a sitting position. Naruto caught on and grasped Sasuke's upper arms to steady him. Sasuke, who was extremely delirious, groaned and put his face in his hands.
"Don't you dare puke on me," Naruto snapped with his usual flare, but his face fell slightly when Sasuke didn't respond. "So, what's next?" he asked, anxiously shifting his focus back to Sakura.
She raised her hand, palm up, and closed her eyes in concentration. Although this was a trick she'd done countless times in her other life, it required immaculate chakra control and every ounce of her focus. Plus, aside from the trickle of moonlight from above, it was still pretty dark. "I'm going to manually increase his chakra supply," she answered simply as she squared her shoulders to Sasuke's back and the blue glow of pulsating chakra enveloped her hand, illuminating the surrounding branches.
Naruto watched in fascination as the blue ball of lethal energy in her hand was cloaked in yet another layer of chakra – this one a soft green. She lifted Sasuke's shirt and placed her glowing hand onto his bare back while Naruto stared on, entranced and visibly confused. Sakura decided to walk Naruto through the procedure since he was paying such close attention anyways. "I'm taking some of my own chakra and pumping it straight into his chakra circulation," she explained as the blue and green chakra started seeping into his skin. "My medical chakra is coating and guiding my regular chakra to one of his chakra points and protecting his organs from damage while it moves through his body." Then she felt her chakra latch onto the point right in Sasuke's back near his left kidney. "Having another ninja's chakra in you feels pretty weird. Weird enough to keep you awake for a while, I think." And weird was an understatement. Pumping your chakra into someone's body was no blood transfusion. Chakra had a life of its own and reeked of its owner's signature.
"You're amazing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered with a goofy, admiring grin on his face. Sakura rolled her eyes. He doesn't understand my explanation at all, she thought, but not terribly surprised. That wasn't what made Naruto's company so refreshing anyways. No, it was that boundless supply of positive energy that he radiated everywhere he went. Even in the most terrible, unforgiving of circumstances, there was something about Naruto that made you feel absurd things like hope.
And that was probably why the two of them had become such a spectacular team over the years. She too had a raging fighting spirit, and Naruto knew just how to keep it blazing.
She smiled to herself. Boy was she ever glad she stopped Orochimaru from getting to Naruto this time around. Not only did the snake fail to inflict a Five Elements Seal (meaning Naruto still had full access to the unique, ceaseless powers of the Nine Tailed Fox), but Naruto was just the company she needed to keep her chin up enough to function.
When all the chakra she expelled was in Sasuke's system, she kept her hand on his back to steady herself through the dizzying rush of chakra loss. Then, to her relief, Sasuke shuddered and his head jerked up. "Ah! It's about time!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin and patting Sasuke firmly on the shoulder. Sakura quickly rounded on him so she could see his face, crouching next to her orange-clad teammate. Sasuke's eyes were wide and trained on Naruto, apparently just realizing he was there, and his skin was ghostly pale. Sakura's heart fluttered with happiness over seeing him up like this – still pretty out of it, but a million times better than he had been before.
She instinctively touched his forehead to test his temperature (and it was receding slightly, perhaps thanks to his increased chakra levels). He turned in her direction upon the contact. "What did you do?" he growled, his voice deep and slightly cracked, while looking her dead in the eye.
"I-I gave you some of my chakra for an energy boost," she explained, struggling not to trip over her words under his penetrating stare. Yup. He's feeling uncomfortable as hell right now. "It's coated in medical chakra so your body won't reject it."
Sasuke was watching her through the moonlight. "You're inside of me," he stated. Sakura couldn't help but smirk as he looked at her with what appeared to be a combination of terror and amazement.
"She's inside you? I thought it was supposed to be-," Naruto cackled, not missing a beat, but he was quite abruptly interrupted by Sakura's elbow colliding with his head, sending him face-first into the dirt.
Ignoring Naruto's comment and keeping her eyes trained intently on the ground, she continued. "This doesn't give you access to any of my powers or anything. My chakra will blend with the rest of yours eventually. But that process can feel a little… unnatural."
"Right," he answered flatly, also determinedly ignoring the chuckling blonde between them, though one of his eyebrows was twitching.
Next, Sakura examined them both for injuries that hastened immediate medical attention. Sasuke was fine, aside from some unattended senbon puncture wounds from earlier that day, and Naruto wasn't in terribly rough shape either, aside from two fractured ribs and several cuts (but nearly healed, thanks to the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra). Overall, their statuses were pretty impressive considering the monstrosity of an enemy they'd just faced.
Once the boys were patched up to her liking, Naruto stood and claimed that he "desperately needed to take a leak" before he rolled out of the alcove of bushes and creeped away into the darkness
Sakura regrettably let her gaze wander over to Sasuke, specifically, to the slope of his neck where Orochimaru's foreboding black curse mark was in plain sight, popping out against his pale skin. Her own skin prickled uncomfortably and she averted her eyes, desperately blocking out the impending feelings of dread. "How are you feeling?" she asked both because she was genuinely curious and to distract herself from her thoughts.
"Terrible," he deadpanned while glaring into space.
"Can you sleep?"
He ran his hands over his face and through his unruly hair, evidently frustrated. "Probably not."
Sakura nodded briskly, feeling a surge of satisfaction. As much as she wanted him to feel rested and well again, she knew he'd have to experience some short-term discomfort first. It was certainly better than risking the alternative, which was an uncontrollably murderous, curse-driven rampage.
"Good. Don't," she quipped before stretching her arms above her head and yawning. And then she promptly pushed aside the mess of leaves and twigs on Sasuke's left and plopped herself down onto the now-cleared spot, facing away from him. Sasuke pulled his hands from his face and gaped at her, clearly surprised by her response. As she nuzzled herself more comfortably against ground she mumbled, "Naruto's taking first watch. Wake me up in a couple of hours."
"Why can't I take first watch?" he shot back stubbornly but he already seemed to predict her answer because he went ahead and eased himself back down onto the ground. She felt him fold his hands over his stomach, the side of his arm resting against her back, but his attempts to get comfortable were futile. Sakura could feel his chakra rolling beneath his skin in a manner that would keep even Shikamaru awake.
"You're too tired and sore to take watch," she chided but her voice was softening as the exhaustion settled in. Sakura swore she'd never experienced anything so cozy and inviting as the rough, flat ground below her. It felt like weights were attached to each of her limbs, pinning them in place.
"Then why can't I sleep?" Sasuke asked quietly after a short pause.
Sakura clenched her fists and frowned. She had a feeling he already knew what this was about. And she really didn't want to get into the gritty details right now, now that she'd finally managed to calm herself down enough for a decent rest. "I'm going to seal up that mark on your neck in the morning. You can't sleep until I'm finished with it," she said, opting for a blunt, sparse answer, and silently praying he wouldn't probe any farther. She needed to cut this short before she was reminded that the boy behind her, with his arm leisurely pressed against the curve of her spine, was on his way to becoming the monster of her nightmares. "I'll explain more tomorrow. I need to recharge first," she added, her words slurring together.
Her dry eyes were aching so she squeezed them shut and curled her arms and legs into herself more tightly. Her body was craving sleep. Unlike the boys, who'd at least managed to get a short rest during her original watch duty at the other hideout, she had been running on pure adrenaline this entire time.
"I told you," Sasuke grumbled, cutting through her slumber. His tone was accusatory.
She opened her eyes again, feeling a little agitated but also surprised that he was initiating conversation. "Told me what?" she asked without the slightest idea what he was getting at.
She felt him switch positions, rolling over so he was facing her back instead. Geez, was he going to let her sleep at all? His body was looming directly behind her, mere centimeters away and she could feel his warm breaths tickle the back of her head when he spoke. "That you'd unlock your seal."
She blinked into the darkness. "Oh. Yeah, I did," she answered quietly.
"You worried for nothing," he added and he sounded smug so she nudged him with her elbow.
"Quit acting like I'm the only one who worries," she shot back, only realizing after the words were out of her mouth that she was indirectly taking a jab at his confession while he was hugging her earlier that evening.
"I can't sleep because I don't know how to help you, Sakura."
Shit. The one time Sasuke decides to show real concern for me I throw it right back in his face. Well played, Sakura…, she thought with a grimace, her face flooding with colour.
"Tsk," Sasuke huffed in response before lightly shoving her with the side of his arm.
"Hey!" Sakura groaned, though she was relieved that he didn't seem offended, but rather, vengeful, which was pretty typical for Sasuke. "Goodnight," she hissed over her shoulder because she really did need to sleep now. And thankfully she managed to soon after with her lips curved into a smile. And, if she had the energy to twist her head around, she would see that, despite his bruises and tired eyes, Sasuke wore a small smile of his own.
Two days later, Sakura woke to a gentle waterside breeze tickling the bare skin of her arms and face and the sound of rushing water nearby. She creaked her eyes open to a high afternoon sun and gauged her surroundings. She was sitting on a rocky ground, propped up against a large, flat protruding stone and the sparkling blue of a rushing stream was just visible through the sheltering trees ahead.
Detecting a presence directly on her left, Sakura tilted her head to the side and found Sasuke sitting there, leaning against the same rock, eyes closed and breathing deeply. Sakura frowned and inched closer to her resting teammate. Last time she'd seen him awake, before she began a periodic cycle of resting and taking watch with Naruto, Sasuke had been withering in pain in the aftermath of the sealing procedure.
Fuuja houin was famously known for the pain it inflicted on the receiver, and even though she had been aware of this, it certainly didn't stop the overwhelming guilt Sakura felt for causing it. The entire sealing had lasted about a two hours, including the three times Team Seven was forced to relocate (after detecting nearby enemies) and the time Sakura screwed up writing some of the characters and had to start the whole thing over. The bulk of the procedure itself was preparing the ritualistic circles of kunai around Sasuke's body and writing out all of those damn characters (like hundreds of them) along the ground and up Sasuke's body. And all were written in Sakura's own blood (thank God she could heal up her sliced fingers because otherwise they'd be covered in band-aids). That part was certainly a pain in the ass. But in the end, Sakura only needed to refer to the instructions she'd scrawled in one of her pocket scrolls once, and by the time it was finished, everything seemed to go by the book.
She leaned forward, peering around to the other side of her teammate's neck where the three tomoe of Orochimaru's curse mark were encased by the fuuja houin circle. Good. It at least looked like her seal was holding up.
"Sakura-chan!" came a bubbly voice from ahead.
Sakura spun around to find Naruto's blonde head poke out from behind a nearby tree. She raised a finger to her lips and beckoned to their sleeping teammate. "Shh! He's not up yet," she hissed.
"Bah, we won't wake him up, trust me," Naruto said with a chuckle and drawing nearer with a filled water canteen in one hand and a dead fish in the other. That was when Sakura caught sight of the nearby stack of branches assembled into a miniature fire pit and five other dead fish stacked next to it. "Those new drugs you gave him really work. I tried to get him up before but he wouldn't budge."
"Oh yeah," Sakura answered a little distractedly and turning back to Sasuke who sure didn't look like he was ready to get up anytime soon. Before the sealing process, she'd warned him of how dreadfully painful it was going to be but also promised him her strongest painkillers – ones that would knock him right out.
"How many more pills did he take while I was resting?" she asked and quickly examining Sasuke's vitals.
Naruto dropped the newly killed fish in the pile and scrunched up his face in concentration. "Er… two. One last night and one this morning," he said and Sakura nodded with approval. Good to hear Naruto didn't accidentally stop his heart or anything.
Sakura stood up and stretched out her arms and back. Despite the stiffness, she was feeling almost entirely reenergized and it was a truly thrilling sensation – this was the first time she'd experienced a fully-loaded Strength of a Hundred seal outside of the heat of battle. She had so much power that she almost didn't know what to do with herself.
But that certainly didn't stop the distinct hunger pains from pulsing through her abdomen. No matter how much chakra a ninja had, basic human needs trumped all.
"I'll help you cook the fish," Sakura offered and approaching Naruto, who was crouched on the ground and sizing up the fish, undoubtedly trying to determine which one was the biggest. His hair was matted and he still had some dried mud and snake blood caked on his face and clothing (and now that she thought about it, she did too… gross), but despite that, his bright blue eyes were filled with energy and determination. Sakura smiled and folded her arms. Any normal person would be exhausted after tending to his deadweight teammates for two straight days, but Naruto's stamina was second to none. "And thanks for taking care of us," she added as sincerely as possible because she really meant it.
Naruto glanced up and met her gaze with a cheeky grin. "Anything for you, Sakura-chan!" he said happily and motioning for her to come sit by him. "Glad you're awake too. I was getting tired of watching over my useless team," he added and instinctively ducking, anticipating Sakura to hit him for the comment.
But she laughed instead. "Got any matches to light the fire?" she asked.
His face fell. "No," he said slowly. "Do you?" Sakura nodded, pulling out a pack from her weapon pouch and preparing the fire pit. Meanwhile, Naruto's eyes drifted back over to where the third member of their party was dozing off. "Y'know, I hate to admit it, but he's pretty useful to have around. Being able to breathe fire and all," Naruto muttered, a little dazedly.
Sakura looked up and opened her mouth to agree, but Naruto continued. "This isn't about the exams anymore, is it?"
She froze. One of the logs caught fire and the flame began to spread, shriveling leaves and bark in its wake. "What do you mean?" she asked quietly and watching Naruto intently. He looked extremely troubled.
"Is Sasuke going to end up like that blonde kid in the lake?" he asked, turning back to the burning logs.
Sakura grabbed a fish and began to skewer it on one of the nearby sticks. "No," she answered. It was interesting that Naruto managed to connect the disease to Sasuke's curse – it appeared they both reeked of Orochimaru, even to an outsider who didn't know him well. "Sasuke isn't sick. But… what he's got is worse."
Naruto's eyes flickered up to hers. "Can you cure it?" he asked, and there was a nervous edge in his voice. He was clearly extremely worried for his friend.
She shook her head. "I can't cure it, but I can suppress it," she answered honestly, deciding it would be best for Naruto to know what he was up against. "Orochimaru's curse will offer Sasuke power. A lot of it. But the catch is, if he chooses to use it, he could lose a part of himself."
"But he probably won't use it, right?" Naruto asked, his expression perking up a little. "He's already strong so why would he want that power anyways?"
Sakura pursed her lips and extended the stick over the flames to cook the fish. "H-he might," he said, her voice catching slightly. "I hear the power it offers is pretty tempting." She clenched her teeth together and fought against the swell of disastrous memories from resurfacing.
"Shit," Naruto muttered and poking at the fire with another nearby stick. He frowned. "But I know he won't. If you don't want him to, at least."
Sakura looked up and raised her eyebrows. "What?"
But Naruto just rolled his eyes and leaned forward to snatch at a fish to roast. "He's crazy about you. I've seen the way he watches you and follows you around," he grumbled and puckering his lips like he just tasted something sour. "And he's not a bad guy either. So there's no reason for me to stop you guys from dating or whatever, as much as I want to." He sighed. "I dunno. He's still an asshole but he's mellowed out a lot too. Maybe you're helping him."
Sakura felt her face flush as she stared determinedly at the fire, which was fully ablaze now. "Maybe," was all she managed to choke out. Naruto was clearly totally suckered into their fake dating scheme. And he was clearly reading too far into everything. Because surely, surely he was misinterpreting Sasuke's behaviour.
But what about that hug? Sakura's heart started to beat a little faster at the thought. She'd acknowledged it herself that Sasuke clearly felt something for her. Something beyond a typical teammate-level bond.
And… mellowing out? Yeah, maybe he was. Naruto would probably know better than she would anyways because he was the primary target of Sasuke's angry outbursts. Sasuke had rarely ever been outwardly aggressive towards her so she wouldn't know the difference.
Well… Until he defected the village, but that was a whole other story. And not to mention, Naruto always did have a special way of understanding some sides of Sasuke better than she ever did. So was he actually onto something?
No. He's not. Relax.
Sakura shook her head. Now was not the time to succumb to old, childish daydreams. Naruto had this way of making her feel way too damn hopeful, and sometimes that hope was blinding. Like how he promised to bring Sasuke home to her a lifetime ago. And we all know how well that turned out, don't we? Yeah, exactly. It didn't.
They managed to cook all six fish over the next half hour or so and chatted light-naturedly about what their next course of action should be to complete the exam. It was hard to say how many teams were left in the forest, and although Team Seven was still one scroll away from passing, having the extra Heaven scroll could come in handy if they found an opportunity to bargain their way out. But they didn't make any definitive plans yet since Sasuke would probably want a say on the matter when he woke up.
The idea of passing the exam was sort of losing its zeal for Sakura now that she had so many other problems to deal with. Sure, getting promoted to Chūnin and gaining that hospital reputation would give her a huge advantage in hunting Orochimaru down effectively, but what about the broken time travel scroll at home? Regardless of how powerful and influential she became in the village, what good would any of it be if she was destroyed from the inside-out? Naturally, since unlocking her seal, she was feeling loads better, but, as Tsunade had explained, the seal would merely keep her alive in her travels across dimensions – not necessarily stop them from happening.
"You okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked then, cutting through her thoughts. He'd already wolfed down his first fish and was flicking the bones back into the fire pit. Sakura, on the other hand, had barely touched hers.
"I'm fine," she said, managing a weak smile and biting into the warm, juicy flesh of the cooked fish in her hand. And holy shit was it ever marvelous to eat something hot and filling again, let alone anything at all.
Next, Sakura persuaded (okay… more like threatened) Naruto to wake Sasuke and feed him one of the fish while she washed up in the stream. Because, God forbid, if she had to stand around covered in dried mud and snake blood for a minute longer, someone would undeservedly face the wrath of her brand new Strength of a Hundred seal. And that someone was ninety-nine percent likely to be Naruto.
She grabbed two wash cloths and a travel-sized container of liquid soap (which she always kept on her for cleaning out wounds) and trekked over to the rushing body of water just beyond the trees. Once she was safely out of sight, Sakura stripped off her clothes and lowered herself into the cool, rushing current. She wasted no time scrubbing her body down with soap and combing her lathered fingers through the gnarled strands of her short hair until they were smooth and slick in the water.
Once her body was entirely free of dirt and blood, she paused to scan the area for chakra signatures because the last thing she needed was to get abducted again and this time naked. That would certainly be a traumatizing rescue for both herself and her poor male teammates. But there weren't any ninjas in range, so Sakura stayed submerged in the refreshing stream for a little bit longer while she teased some stains out of her clothing with the soap. There was no way she'd manage to wash her clothes entirely, but she could at least wipe off some of the mud and grime.
She finished up soon after, patting herself down with an unused wash cloth, and basking in the heat of the high afternoon sun. She'd dry off in no time at this rate.
When she returned to the clearing a short while later, Sasuke was up and about, just taking the last bite of his roasted fish. "Hey!" she called over, struggling to contain her excitement over seeing him in a relatively pain-free state again. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," he answered shortly and turning in her direction, his eyes lingering on her dripping wet hair.
"I just washed up," she said, answering his unasked question. "And you guys would probably um… really benefit from doing the same." And that was no exaggeration.
Naruto sprang to his feet and punched the air, a little too enthusiastically. "You heard her, bastard! Our turn!" he exclaimed and reaching for Sasuke, who all of a sudden looked like he was about to lose his recently-consumed fish.
But Naruto ignored Sasuke's reluctance and proceeded to drag him ahead towards the stream, swiping the liquid soap and wash cloths out of Sakura's hands as he past her. "Feel free to join us, Sakura-chan," he added with a flirtatious wink while Sasuke mumbled something about wishing he was still unconscious.
While the boys washed, Sakura packed up the three remaining fish (surprisingly Naruto hadn't devoured them yet), stamped out the fire, and picked berries and edible greens from nearby bushes and shrubs. Together with the leftover fish, they had enough for a salvageable dinner to last the night.
And so once they were clean and their belongings were packed away, Team Seven set out in pursuit of a new hideout. They agreed that one more restful, combat-free night would serve them well and that they'd hunt down an Earth scroll the following morning. But healing itself was only half the challenge – if they truly wanted to avoid fighting for another night, they'd have to find a really good campout spot to reduce the chances of a late-night ambush.
They spent the next few hours laying low, avoiding potential opponents, and scouting out new hideouts. And finally, just as the sun began to set, they found a shallow cave in the side of a rocky mound obscured by a tightly-knit pattern of trees. There were remnants of a fire pit (some of the embers were still hot) and leaf piles used for pillows splayed on the ground, so clearly this spot had been occupied not long ago. Team Seven searched it from top to bottom until she was entirely certain it was vacant before the team declared it their hideout for the night.
They wasted no time setting intricate systems of traps along the parameters using an array of weapons, explosive tags and metal wires, until their cave was as ninja-proofed as it was going to get. By the time they finished eating, night had fallen and this time the moon was partially concealed behind wisps of grey clouds. Sasuke volunteered to take first watch and neither Naruto nor Sakura had the will to protest. He woke Sakura for the next shift, which she willingly agreed to. Naruto deserved a long sleep after the hell he must have endured caring for the both of them.
Thankfully, this night was drastically less eventful than two nights prior. Sakura's biggest cause of alarm during either of her watch duties, in fact, was when a rabbit ventured just a tad too close to one of her kunai-laced traps, and so she proceeded to chase it away to safety.
When her second shift came to an end in the wee hours of the morning, the sun was poking over the tree tops and casting a soft glow across the dew-laden greenery. She returned to the cave to wake Naruto for the last shift, but, to her surprise, when she got there, both boys were sitting side-by-side with their backs propped up against the cave wall, apparently engrossed in conversation. They silenced when she reached the mouth of the cave and turned to face her.
"Were you even sleeping?" Sakura asked and placing a patronizing hand on her hip. She hoped they weren't ready to leave the hideout just yet because she'd been looking forward to her last couple hours of shuteye.
"Don't worry, I just woke up," Naruto said, smiling much more widely than most newly-awoken human beings were capable of. "Get some rest Sakura-chan. I'll take the last watch," he added before rising to his feet, stretching his legs, and bounding into the dark trees above and out of sight.
Sakura sighed with relief and slumped down in the very spot Naruto just departed from. She glanced tiredly at Sasuke, who had his forehead protector back on and was staring determinedly at the opposite wall of the stony cave. "Have you slept?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. There was absolutely no reason for him to be awake at this hour.
He let out a long breath through his nose and shook his head. "Not really," he answered quietly and frowning into space.
Sakura stirred with concern. "Well you should try to. You aren't fully healed yet," she ordered gently, her eyes instinctively flickering to the black mark at the pit of his neck. Her breathing hitched slightly. Even though the curse was sealed away, this was the first time she'd interacted with Sasuke directly since the curse had been inflicted. And although she knew he was still in control of his thoughts, she was reminded as plain as day that he was now a ticking time bomb. "Is my seal holding up?" she asked tentatively and squeezing her fingers into fists. He seemed loads better now that he was awake and rested, but there was no telling what it felt like to have Orochimaru's energy coursing through his veins, regardless of her seal's existence.
He was silent for a long moment, and when he finally spoke, he didn't answer her but instead asked, "How do you know that man?"
Sakura felt her face drain of colour and she pulled her eyes away. "Orochimaru, you mean?" she asked quietly. She felt Sasuke watching her in affirmative silence. "We've got… some dark history," she added honestly and racking her brain for a way to safely confide in him without giving too much away.
"What history?" Sasuke prompted a little aggressively, his eyes narrowing.
And it dawned on her then that if she danced around the subject too vaguely, Sasuke might start getting even more suspicious of her mysterious backstory. God, and if he somehow got the impression that Orochimaru was her psychopathic ex-boyfriend or something, that could certainly rouse a slew of unneeded drama. So maybe it would be best if she just cut to the chase.
"Long story short, that serpent is the reason my mission exists in the first place. And I -"
"You need to kill him," Sasuke interjected, his words flat yet sincere.
"I need to kill him," she confirmed and nodding gravely. A silence followed, and Sakura bit her lip as the words sunk in. Yes, and she really needed to kill him now. Now that Sasuke was branded with his life and sanity on the line. Again.
"And once you do, will your mission be over?" Sasuke asked with mild interest while leaning more comfortably against the wall of the cave, like this was a conversation they might as well be having over dinner.
Sakura shook her head slowly. "Not exactly. I've sort of got a… a hit list of enemies," she admitted and chucking darkly to herself.
"What enemies?" Sasuke asked and leaning in closer, lowering his voice so that it was barely louder than a whisper. Sakura shot him a sideways glance and very nearly laughed at how eagerly he was staring. His face was as carefully impassive as usual, but the look in his eyes told her otherwise. There was nothing like talking about killing to rile Sasuke up.
Ha. Dinner conversation indeed.
"This is hardly a talk to have at bedtime," she groaned, but he just shook his head.
"Try me," he shot back with a victorious smirk, clearly aware he had her cornered. And Sakura got the sneaking suspicion she'd been tricked somehow. She had known that, for quite some time now, Sasuke had been itching to learn the finer details of her revenge mission and that he had a dangerously effective skill in probing her to divulge more of it than she would normally be willing to.
But even then, despite her concerns, and before she could really process what she was doing, Sakura was suddenly pouring everything out to him, right there in the cave in the early hours of the fourth day of the Chūnin Exams.
She told him about the Akatsuki, about the hideouts she knew of, and of several members she was more familiar with – Kisame, Deidera, Sasori (who, she disgruntledly realized, would have to be killed again in this life), and Pain. Sasuke listened gingerly, offering encouraging questions throughout her explanations. And aside from a few rather significant details (including that she was from the future), she openly told him about several monsters who lurked beyond Konoha's boarders.
Hold your tongue, Sakura…, a voice nagged at the back of her head, but for some reason, she didn't really care. Finally putting her disjointed plans out in the open for someone else to hear felt like a part of the heavy burden was being lifted off her aching shoulders. And Sasuke was a particularly keen audience.
"So who would you go after first?" he asked with genuine curiosity. She could practically feel his autonomic responses heightening. The asshole was having fun listening to stories of her messed up life and impossible goals.
She paused and realized she'd never really thought that through before. Which Akatsuki member would be best to target first? Or maybe she would be better off chasing down Orochimaru, assuming he didn't somehow die before the Chūnin Exams were over? Not that she was in any of their leagues, but, hypothetically, assuming she was… "Hm," she said thoughtfully, her eyes drifting up to the low ceiling of the cave. "Well, it depends on where they are when I set out to kill them, I guess," she said with a shrug. "There have been times when members were lured right to Konoha, so maybe I could just lie in wait. I mean, Pain, Kisame and Itachi have all been right inside the village before."
She hummed to herself for a few quiet moments afterwards, lost in her thoughts, hardly noticing the newfound stony silence enveloping her teammate. She caught on soon after and shot him a questioning look, only to find he was staring at her with such a stoic expression that her heart skipped a couple of beats. She opened her mouth to ask what just got into him when he interrupted her with a single, gut-wrenching word.
"Itachi."
Oh. Fuck.
She'd said his name hadn't she? During her absent-minded rambles? And Sasuke, who was clearly as attentive as ever, was not going to let it slide.
"You want to kill my brother," he said quietly, his voice laden with emotion. "You."
She bravely turned in his direction, feeling very much like a dog with its tail between its legs, and offered him a shaky smile. There was no sense lying now. He was far too perceptive for that. "N-not necessarily," she said defensively, but her voice came out squeakier than anticipated. "It's just a hit list. Wishful thinking, you know?"
Sasuke was looking at her like he'd never seen her before, his intense, calculating eyes scanning and taking in every inch of her face. Sakura shivered under his stare, not quite sure what to make of his reaction. His face was so pointedly blank that he might be on the verge of screaming at, punching, or even kissing her, for all she knew. And the silence was so treacherously painful that she wanted to run and hide, perhaps even pretend this conversation never happened in the first place. Oh, but it was far too late for that kind of thinking now. The words were hanging in the air and there was nowhere to run, or even budge given her cramped position in this tiny, secluded cave.
"We could do it together."
Sakura's green eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. "What?" she gasped, her thoughts hazy from the whirl of nerves. Does he mean…?
He averted his gaze to the ground and took a breath. "You and me… Both of us," he said quietly, like he was struggling to find the right words. His eyes flickered back up to hers. "We'll keep training together for a few more years, come up with some clear plans and then… we'll take care of them ourselves. Orochimaru, Itachi, the Akatsuki. All of them."
She blinked rapidly, crystal clear realization crossing her features. "You mean that we… defect the village. Leave Konoha together."
"Yeah. I guess," he answered, his voice a little strained, seemingly marvelling at the immensity of his own proposition.
Sakura's heart was drumming in her chest because despite her logic screaming for her to end the direction of this conversation now, another stronger part of her was floored by how provoking this proposal was… "We won't be strong enough to kill them for a long time, you know," she offered pointedly, partly trying to steer her own hopes away from his preposterous offer.
He nodded and answered automatically, like he'd planned it all out. "Then we go in a few years when we're ANBU. Defect while we're out on a mission. No one has to know." He seemed shocked even as the words poured out of his mouth, but at the same time he was looking at her expectantly, trying to gauge her response.
And oh God, oh yes she liked the idea. Okay, sure they would technically be doing just what Sasuke did in her old life: abandon the village in pursuit of revenge. But this would be different, wouldn't it? They wouldn't be betraying the village by any means, but rather, protecting it from the outside. They'd eliminate enemies the village didn't even know it had if they could set out on this adventure soon enough. And besides, it wasn't like she would be totally going against orders. Tsunade assigned her a mission to save Konoha and this just might be her best shot at doing that.
And aside from the mission, the prospect of traveling around the world with Sasuke was pretty appetizing in itself. An image flashed across her mind's eye of an older version of the two of them, adorned in sleeveless ANBU Black Ops uniforms with matching tattoos on their upper arms. Her mind began to wander. They'd certainly make a great pair of assassins after all the years they'd spend training together. And not to mention, surely they'd be famous, given their high-standing reputations and eventual title of Akatsuki hunters. Sakura felt a spark of genuine excitement as her fantasies started to run wild. Sasuke's ANBU mask would probably be something cunning – a cat or a wolf maybe. And her own? She'd choose something a little fiercer. Perhaps a tiger? Maybe a bear?
Oh, and, in Sakura's fantasy, they'd be lovers too, of course. If they spent the rest of their lives traveling together, why not, right? After all, there was only so much time a sexy man and a sexy woman (because, in Sakura's mind, her future ANBU self was irresistibly sexy indeed) could spend alone together before catching feelings.
And speaking of feelings, Sakura only then noticed the warm tears on her face when they dripped off her chin and landed on the bare skin of her knees.
Sasuke was looking at her with confusion written across his face. He leaned forward and brushed a few stray tears from her cheek with the back of his index finger. "Sakura," he prompted and raising his eyebrows.
She realized that he was waiting for a response from her, because aside from the odd question she asked about his scheme, she'd provided no affirmation that she'd actually be willing to take part in it. And so she opened her mouth to answer, but that was when she was struck by a new thought that rendered her speechless.
She remembered the letter she'd discovered in the Hokage's office before the start of the exams. The letter that quite plainly suggested that Itachi was probably not the right person to include on their hit list. And so far she hadn't found the guts to confess this to Sasuke. She was withholding information that would change his life plans, change his future.
A heavy guilt settled in her core.
Sasuke detected her hesitation but clearly got the wrong idea about it. "Your ex-boyfriend might not like it if we leave though," he said with a frown and folding his arms. "But if he's as messed up as you say he is, we might as well add him to that hit list of yours anyways," he added darkly and turning away.
Sakura stared in disbelief, her guilt temporarily dissipating. He was still going on about that so-called ex-boyfriend of hers (who just so happened to be his future self)?
"He is not in the picture, Sasuke," she said, shaking her head and suppressing an untimely laugh. And that effort was just enough to push more water out of her tear ducts.
Sasuke raised a cynical eyebrow. "Stop crying," he commanded and moving in to wipe off her tears again, but his hand never made it to her face because Sakura lost patience and draped her arms over his shoulders, pulling him against her in a forceful hug.
"I'm happy, okay?" she hissed against his neck and squeezing tighter, hoping her actions spoke loudly enough to convey how she felt. Her stupid tears were falling again now, wetting the collar of his shirt. "I'm happy," she repeated quietly for good measure.
And Sasuke didn't responded, but instead wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her right to him. And soon she was nestled between his legs with her body pressed so closely to his that his hair was all over her face and their hearts were thudding against each other.
They eventually fell asleep like this, with Sakura feeling safe and content enough to push her guilty thoughts aside. She would tell him about the massacre later when they were out of this forest and when she wasn't so distracted by the blissful sense of completeness in knowing she had someone to share her burdens with. Someone who, despite the impending lure of the treacherous curse on his neck, seemed to want her in his life as much as she wanted him. And nothing else in the world could take that feeling away from her.
Not even what Naruto would make of it when they woke up like this in the morning.