Naruto's mind was nearly trapped in battle rage. All he could think about was Sasuke. Sasuke's weak points, Sasuke's stance, Sasuke's electrifying, deadly chidori.
And then, some tiny part of him heard a scream of complete, stricken horror.
"No!"
From the corner of his eye, he saw Annie step onto the rooftop. Wind from the Rasengan and Chidori blew her hair around her face, and billowed her red t-shirt and washer necklace. Her face was sheet white with fear and shock, her hand reaching for him, her pupils pin-point sized, and her night-blue eyes swimming with tears.
His mind snapped from the battle rage. He realized Sakura was about to run between him and Sasuke and get extremely hurt.
But he couldn't stop in time.
Suddenly, Naruto's hand was crushed and he was thrown across the roof. His head hit something metal. He looked up, the pain in his head making his vision swim.
Kakashi was glaring down at Sasuke and him, his one uncovered eye full of enough anger for two. He had crushed Naruto and Sasuke's hands in an effort to redirect the attacks to two water towers on a distant roof.
"What were you two thinking? Couldn't you see that Sakura could've been killed?"
"I did...but too late..." Naruto muttered, his head down in shame. Sasuke said nothing.
"And, Sakura, don't step in the middle of an attack like that!" Kakashi chided her.
Annie stood, frozen, as she watched Kakashi continue to chide Sakura, and Naruto and Sasuke sat with dazed, ashamed looks on their faces. She tried to register what she had just seen.
Her confusion and shock quickly churned into anger. "What the freak? You two—you just tried to kill each other! Why would you do that? What could I have possibly missed that could explain how a common rivalry turned into murder?! I am going to—you two better run fast! I'm gonna—I'm gonna—Grr!"
She flew into the sky, yanking her hair in frustration.
Naruto stood up. "Wait, Annie! Come back!" He jumped the buildings, trying to keep the disturbed girl in sight, leaving behind Team 7.
Sasuke's head was still down in shame, as he thought about how he hadn't seen Sakura, and he might've killed her and Naruto right in front of Annie. He had been so angry that Naruto, the orange loser, had become more powerful than he was, that he lost control and tried to fight him.
That flash of horror on Annie's face...he'd caused it...
He'd thought that sudden kiss had wasted any chance he'd had with her. But, no. The fight had.
He left the roof, vanishing behind the two water towers that had taken Naruto and Sasuke's attacks. Sasuke's Chidori had made a big hole, ripping all the way through the tower. Naruto's Rasengan made a much smaller hole, a perfect circle that didn't appear to be very damaging, but then he glanced at the back of the water tower, and found that almost the entire backside of the water was gone. His Rasengan seemed as strong as Sasuke's Chidori, if not stronger.
He growled in frustration and took off, before Kakashi could catch him and say a word.
Only Sakura and Kakashi remained on the roof. Only they seemed to be mere bystanders to the suffering of Team 7.
