Note: Upon request, I stopped bolding the quotations. Sorry if that bothered anyone :)


Sakura


I'm so sorry, Kakashi sensei! Gomenasai! Kami, tatsukete, I have to help Naruto and Kakashi sensei! If they die, it will be my fault, and I cant' live with that! Sakura turned with her new found determination, eyes blazing and kunai drawn. I'll stop him here and now...He's hurt..worse than me..I can do this..I have to do this... The young woman narrowed her angry eyes as she prepared to charge the injured Kabuto with all she had. He was prepared, that was obvious. She did not care, this had to be done or she'd never forgive herself later. I can do this, dammit...Even though there is the smallest part of me that doesn't want to hurt him, it's only the medic in me...I will kill that section of my mind, at least where it involves him.. As the young woman ran at him, Kakashi too was doing the same.

Clink!.

Kakashi and Kabuto clashed. Sakura stood back, not wanting to mess this up any further than she already had. She'd wait until the two were at a stalemate before interfering. If Kakashi sensei kills him, I won't have to.. she told herself, taking a deep breath and sending one last shot of chakra at her wounded abdomen. Much better...The pain is almost nonexistent.. The young woman was sent spiraling out of her thoughts as she heard something that infuriated her. Why you!.

"It's been awhile..I must say, your students are as hopeless as ever. I apologize for my Sakura, she doesn't think half of the time and tends to mess up elaborate plans.".

You fucking...You know what, I no longer have any problem whatsoever killing you, or even watching you die...teme... The kunoichi clenched her fists and grit her teeth so hard that she was almost drawing her own crimson nectar again. Without thinking or even caring anymore, she started shouting in obvious rage.

"You teme! Shut your fucking mouth! I swear to Kami if you call me your property one more time, I'll kill you where you stand! It would be so easy considering how weak and injured you are...Not that it wouldn't be nice to see Kakashi sensei kill you...He'd be much nicer than I would...Don't act like I'm some pathetic girl who is always messing things up. I'm different now, dammit!"

Emerald orbs blazed in the girl's fury. She'd been so angry that it actually caused her chest pain and she had to take in a sharp, hitched breath to be able to continue.

When Sakura opened her mouth again, it was to cough up more blood and she stumbled, covering her mouth so that the crimson liquid was all over her sweaty palm. Her vision was a little hazy from her sudden outburst and she had to take a step back to keep from falling. Shortly afterward, she felt something or someone behind her and started shaking. That presence was so familiar she could almost taste it. In both desperation and fear, the young woman turned with her kunai to attack the man behind her, but that plan was foiled by another snake getting up in her face.

"Eeep!" Sakura shrieked as the thing coiled around her, but instead of constricting her like before, it hissed in her face and struck at her with its sharp fangs. To avoid being bitten and poisoned, she weaved to the side, but that ultimately caused her to go tumbling backward to the ground. "Sakura chan, run!" she heard, head spinning and vision getting blurry again. "Itaii.." "Forget about him for now and get rid of her. She's no longer of any use to us. Kill her and make them suffer. And be quick about it, we don't have time for your fun." The pink haired kunoichi heard those words and her emerald hues widened as she dodged the snake's jaws once more, stabbing it with her kunai in the neck and relentlessly ripping it right back out. There. That gets rid of that problem.. she thought, quickly getting to her feet despite her spiraling mind.

"RAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GET AWAY FROM SAKURA CHAN!" Sakura looked up, distracted from her previous endeavors by the young blond who came towards them at full speed. It was half and half again. Naruto was clearly present, but Kurama was mostly in control. Naruto kun, nai! If you get hurt because of me, I'll never forgive myself!

"Stay back, Naruto kun!" she ordered, ignoring his angry cries as she whirled back around to deal with her current problem.

I won't die here..Not today..I won't let that happen..I won't let Kakashi sensei and Naruto kun suffer like that...


Kakashi


Kakashi jumped back, narrowly avoiding being hit with that dangerous chakra of Kabuto's. Shimata..Why doesn't she run?! Matte..Her legs..She's far too injured to go anywhere..Hang tight, Sakura chan, this will be over soon.. The Otogakure's words both frustrated and made angry the man before him. "My students have both become fine ninja..." he began, masking his irritation with his naturally calm voice. He noted the possessiveness in the young man's voice when he spoke of Sakura and that made him wonder just exactly what had happened, but he did not care to ask right now. "Sakura chan is not-" And he was interrupted by, speak of the devil, Sakura's angry outburst. She needs to calm down..If she doesn't stop moving around so much and getting so flustered, she could really hurt herself...possibly even pass out if she's dizzy enough..Judging by her stumbling around, she's not far from doing just that...

Kakashi's hands were soon glowing, not with chakra, but with lightning. I only have one shot at this... he thought, charging toward the silver haired man. "Lightening blade!" Too little too late. Orochimaru was there and a snake took the hit that was meant for Kabuto. Shimata! The white haired nin jumped back, kunai drawn once more and prepared to strike. Orochimaru..Why isn't he fighting Naruto san..? And then it hit him. The snake sanin's words cut through him like that sword had cut through Sakura's tender abdomen. He's going to kill her?! Nai! She's too far away for me to be able to get to her before he does...This isn't good..Naruto san, do something!.

Even though Kakashi knew that he was too far away and wouldn't make it, he ran anyway. "Sakura chan, run!" he commanded, watching the young woman stumble around and try to regain her balance. She looked prepared to fight and that confused him. What in the hell is she doing?! Does she want to die?! Run, baka!.


Naruto


Naruto roared in anger as he and Kurama charged relentlessly at the cocky snake sanin. An annoyance of a serpent was striking at them, forcing them to constantly dodge and keeping their attention off of their true target.

"I grow tired of this, Naruto!".

Then act! Kill this thing and get to Orochimaru! Dattebayo!.

"Don't order me around!".

The large, fox like paw swung down and disintegrated the snake almost immediately. It was no match for the swirling shield like chakra around the blond. Growling, Naruto ran at his true target, the snake now out of his way. Too late. Where did he go?! Kurama and Naruto simultaneously asked each other, blood red eyes darting around the field until they landed on Orochimaru once more.

What is he doing..?.

"I can't read lips, how should I know?!".

Lay off, Kurama. You're too touchy...

"Order me around one more time, I dare you...".

K-Ke, nani?! He's going after Sakura chan! Kurama, do something, now!.

"Shimata, I told you to stop ordering me! I'll kill him and he won't harm the girl!".

That was all it took before the young man came barreling towards the others. As expected, his rage increased ten fold and his running speed doubled to what it was normally. Still on all fours, he leaped into the air and landed with a large thud about twenty feet from the rest of the group. Sakura was in big trouble.

N-Nani?! He's going to kill her! Kurama!.

"He's too close...Even with my speed, it's uncertain as to whether or not we'd make it in time..Besides, if you touch her as you are now, you'll harm her..".

Teme! You knew that all along, didn't you?!.

"Ungh...I wasn't thinking about it particularly. Your master is closer than I. Perhaps he'll stop it..".

Kurama, I swear I'm going to kick your ass after I save her!.

"GET AWAY NOW!" the deep and growling voice rang out, paw in the air poised and ready to strike. Sakura chan, run, kurasai! Now isn't the time for you to act brave!.


Sasuke


"Can you?".

Shit!.

BOOM!.

The paper bomb exploded as the genjutsu disappeared. Sasuke flipped back, narrowly avoiding losing a limb. Anger boiling, he charged his hand again, prepared to send a second chidori into his palm until he heard something that finally distracted him. Naruto's roar. It was so loud and intense that it caused his gaze to shift backward. Just what is going on over there?! he wondered, jumping into a tree to get a better look. Of course...Sakura chan is a nuisance, as usual..All of this over her..Hmph.. With his answer, the raven no longer cared what was going on to the side of him and he jumped down, blade pointed at his brother.

"Can I, you ask...Of course I can..It's what I've been training to do for years..It's what I've waited for...What I've wanted.."

A deranged look made its way onto the young man's pale face, giving him the appearance of a psychotic maniac, which is what he basically was at the moment.

"Die, nii san!" he growled, thrusting his palm forward as he sped toward the older male in front of him. Just die already!.


Itachi


He had been able to trap his little brother in a gentjutsu. His aim was not to kill him, considering that his death was the last thing Itachi wanted. However, the explosion had nearly stolen a limb from Sasuke. His speed had saved him from such fate. His intense red eyes followed his brothers movements as he jumped into a nearby tree. Loud noises were going on nearby, and with a glance in the direction Itachi realized what it was. Naruto was quite literally losing control, however ironically it was likely that he was doing so on purpose, willed to by his anger and protective instincts. The pink haired kunoichi, friend to Naruto and former friend to Sasuke, seemed to be in trouble. For a moment, he wondering if Sasuke was worried for her. But no, that wasn't it. In fact, he seemed anything but. Instead, his brother leaped down from the branch and pointed his sword at him.

"Can I, you ask...Of course I can..It's what I've been training to do for years..It's what I've waited for...What I've wanted.."

A passion to kill was present, more so than ever. He shouted furiously as he sped towards the older Uchiha. As calm as ever, Itachi quickly lowered his body enough to reach under and grab onto the sword's handle as it neared him. He used the leverage as momentum to push himself back, and with a quick blur of his hands he blew fire from his lips and out towards his brother.


Kabuto


Sakura was his and Kabuto was pleased to let everyone know it. However, his cherry blossom was not as enthusiastic. Considering the situation she was in, he was almost surprised to hear every idiotic word spill from her lips. Almost, but not quite. This was her usual behavior after all, and in the time she has been here very rarely did she understand when it was best to stay quiet. And if she did understand, she ignored her common sense. She was much like her blond friend in that sense.

Although he heard her words, he didn't acknowledge them. He wasn't trying to be rude, honestly, his current situation was just a tad bit more important at the moment. Although he heard her coughs, he didn't acknowledge them either. He was dead set on not paying attention to anything except..well..his slowly deteriorating condition and the powerful lightning chakra heading straight towards him threatening his immediate doom if he didn't manage to dodge.

{Did I mention that at the time, I estimated my odds of survival at maybe 10 percent? Fighting Kakashi was not easy, however if I was in good health I wouldn't have worried. But..well..I wasn't. I hadn't accounted for the events that were to come.}

Kabuto clenched his kunai tightly and prepared to defend himself when a hissing noise echoed around them, followed by a girlish squeal. At the same time, a snake slithered its way in between himself and Kakashi, blocking him from the chidori. Now was the time to acknowledge the situation behind him. As he had assumed, Orochimaru appeared to save him; Surprising, however, he looked slightly worn out himself. Naruto was not an easy opponent right now, even for the sannin. His eyes then drew over to the kunoichi blossom.

A second snake had made its appearance while Kabuto had been busy. This snake was not meant for protection, but instead hissed and attacked Sakura. Her attempt at dodging was futile and put her in an even worse position.. Literally. She stumbled to the ground in a heap of battered weakness, cuing a shout from the white haired sensei of hers. He ordered her to run, and although the old Sakura would have obeyed, this new and older Sakura seemed to always want to prove that she wasn't weak. Since he was by far the closest to her at the moment, he suspected he was the only one without a sharingan who could see just how dazed she was. She appeared in and out of reality, blinking slowly, and seemed close to losing consciousness. Although he wasn't that far off yet, he was worse internally. He just knew how to hide it as best as he could.

And then, he heard those words. That order. Truly, he should have expected it. There was never a doubt in his intelligence. Once someone lost their usefulness, Orochimaru wouldn't keep them around much longer. It was very clear who had done just that. So why had the command caught him off guard? Why did these words chill him to his very core?

"Forget about him for now and get rid of her. She's no longer of any use to us. Kill her and make them suffer. And be quick about it, we don't have time for your fun."

Why did his eyes widen in unspoken shock? Why did his whole being become rigid and stiff? For a moment, he couldn't even speak. His mind was, for once, completely silent.

Over the years, he had discovered how to judge whether or not he should say something. It didn't mean he always listened to his rationality, but he knew how far to challenge a situation before it was time to stop. As Sakura would say, he knew just how far to push someones buttons. And at this moment in time, he knew it was not the time to do it. There was no 'but' or 'maybe' with this order. It was simply 'do'. And after gaining his composer, that is what he began to do.

"Hai, Orochimaru sama." he replied, gripping the kunai in his hand even tighter as he turned to his Sakura, who quickly rose from the ground despite the condition she was in. In that same second, he quickly appeared behind her.

The immense anger rolled off of Naruto in powerful boy shouted and demanded he leave his friend alone. However, Sakura was not involving the blond, that much was clear. He will hate me more than ever after this.

She spun around, determination in her eyes. Still, willpower alone was not enough this time. The second their eyes connected, his foot connected with her midsection and kicked her roughly into a nearby tree. She loudly smacked against the bark and at this rate, he knew she would die. Even If she somehow managed to run and escape, she was too low on chakra to heal herself much further. Internal and external bleeding would slowly, but surely, kill her. Yet his ordered were not to have her bleed to death. His orders were to kill her quickly and not have fun. But as he slowly approached her, he couldn't help but wonder. Is this fun? He couldn't tell. When it came to his current emotions, he had no clue. He didn't want to think about it, and eagerly pushed it out of his head.

He heard more shouts. He could feel her allies running towards them to save her. But although his mind was slowly processing every movement, in reality this was happening much too quickly for them to stop him. Very soon after her body shot against the tree, he was there. His hand thrust forward, but it was not to punch her. Instead, it arrived gently on her heart. This was meant to be quick, and what quicker way to kill her than from her source of life. He fully planned on ending it right here with his chakra. He could perform the most precise internal cut and end her life. But just as he was about to, something unexpected jostled him.

Her heartbeat.

The palpitations of her racing heart pulsed in his hand, pumping blood out and inside to various parts of her body. However, that was just simple biology. It was the electricity that felt so strangely natural yet was anything but that sped through his hand. He felt more alive than ever, and for once it wasn't due to the thrill of inflicting pain. He didn't want this feeling, but at the same time he craved it. As he looked down into her emerald orbs, he allowed himself to wondering if somehow she could feel this too, or if he was just borderline insane.

This was bad. This was very, very bad. He had to kill her. But every time he willed his chakra to do its duty, he stopped himself. His eyes softened as his conflicting thoughts revealed themselves.

"I'm sorry.." he apologized, to who he wasn't sure. Perhaps it was to Orochimaru for this hesitation, or more likely to himself for his new found sudden realization that he couldn't. He had to, but he couldn't. Willpower was on her side once more. He wanted to kill her more than anything. So why couldn't he?

With one small glance behind him, he knew he had to do it now, or it would never happen. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to kill her. And in that second, he acted. However, much to his dismay, his action didn't lead to her death. No, instead they disappeared with a puff of smoke. In almost an instant, they were a couple of minutes further into the woods.


Orochimaru


He anticipated this girls death. Normally he didn't particularly care whether someone lived or died unless they were a nuisance, but this was especially exciting because so many people were here to watch. He wondered how Sasuke would handle it, but considering the boy he had grown to be these last few years, there was little doubt in his mind that he wouldn't care. And of course, there was Kabuto, but he needn't worry about him. Kabuto was loyal, despite some of his questionable actions. Orochimaru watched as he kicked the girl and prepared her for her death. And when his hand shot forward, Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh darkly at this girls demise.

However, she wasn't dead.

How can she not be dead yet? Kabuto, kill her already. I'm getting tired of this game.

His right hand man glanced back, and his eyes narrowed. This was why Orochimaru assumed that this was it. He looked ready to kill. Except..that is not what happened. He was expecting a dead girl at their feet and received a puff of smoke and two ninja missing in action.

The serpant like man stared at the now empty space, his eyes widening in more surprise than he had felt in a long time.

"Kabuto?" he questioned, and received no answer.

"Kabuto!" he reasserted, this time shouting. His eyes narrowed in fury, realizing that this man just sneaked off with the kunoichi. How dare he..how dare he. After all I have done for him, and he betrays my orders now. When he comes back, he will discover that he has defied me one too many times.

Of course he will come back..I've no doubt. I need him far too much to let him slip away. Why would he pull this so suddenly? What nonsense. All for some toy that he'll get rid of eventually. This would intrigue me if I were not so angry.

"It appears our little skirmish will have to be put on hold for now, while I fetch my medic nin and kill yours." he stated, calmly walking in the direction the boy and his play toy ran off in.