Chapter 53 – Nothing Left But A Silhouette

There was no time to stare in awe at the sight of the Kyuubi, not when she had two people to heal and a group of Kiri-nin closing in on her. Sasuke was gone. He'd left to find and aid Tsunade. Kushina was taking on the Nibi. She was alone with no way to defend the people she cared for. It was like the chūnin exams all over again it filled her with an immense feeling of helplessness.

"Kill her," she heard one of them yell.

"Damn it," Sakura cursed, warily watching the woman charging towards her. There was a deranged look in her eyes, her harsh features twisted with bloodlust. She quickly returned her attention to the two laying before her. "Wake up, Naruto. Please."

The ground was shaking beneath her, the loud battle cries and screams of the Kyuubi alone threatening to distract her from her task. Adding the fact that she knew it was tearing chunks out of the Nibi and…

"Focus," she snarled at herself.

There wasn't the time to make another stone wall to protect them–

Realisation had green eyes going wide as pure dread had her freezing. With Naruto on death's door, his clones would have disappeared. Fearfully, Sakura spun to look up at the platform, shielding her eyes with a bloody hand as she tried to see the hospital, but it was too high. She would have to get up there.

"You don't have the time to worry about others," someone spat to her left, outstretched hand directed for her throat.

Before she even had the chance to face them, however, a large hand wrapped around the man's wrist, forcing him to come to a stop, the sight of her saviour's deadly gaze taking her breath away. Power oozed from every inch of his body as he came to stand in front of her, forcing the attacker to his knees where he cried out, the angle his wrist being held in undoubtedly causing great agony.

"Are you hurt, Sakura?"

Numbly, she shook her head, though belatedly realised he didn't have eyes in the back of his head. "N-No."

"Good," came his soft reply. "Do you mind if I assist you?"

It wasn't the time or place, but Sakura still barked out a disbelieving laugh, shaking her head fondly. "Always, Itachi."

He smirked.

"Oi, you-" the man began to struggle again, snarling and spitting in Itachi's direction.

Smirk vanishing, he regarded him with great disdain. "Focus on Naruto-kun and Nohara-san."

Without waiting for her reply and with a simple twitch of his hand, the enemy's wrist snapped in his grip, leaving the man to scream in agony. Again, there was no hesitation as Itachi spun on his heel, his other foot sending the guy careening across the battlefield.

"I will protect you."


"The Kyuubi, huh?"

"Shisui-sama, what should we do?" his clansmen asked.

They refused to show their fear or uncertainty, choosing to remain strong and assertive as they stood amongst the bodies of their enemies. It was something he commended, for even to a clan such as his, it was an unsettling situation. Apparently they'd taken out a great fraction of the ROOT operatives, holding others off long enough for the Hokage's arrival.

"This is a mess created by my predecessor," he'd said lowly while taking to the centre of the battlefield, standing off against the ROOT operatives. In that moment, Shisui's respect for the man all but exploded to new heights. It took a great man to admit his faults, let alone apologise for them. "And I will admit: I should have done more to prevent this outcome. Allow me to deal with this."

"We have our orders," came his bland reply.

Leaving their Hokage behind, even after all that had transpired between their clan and the village, left a bitter taste in their mouths. Perhaps Minato wasn't as experienced as his predecessors were, but like the Shodai Hokage, he wished to see the village unite as one. He didn't want to see anyone ostracised.

"Assist them," their Hokage ordered. "Assist my wife, Shisui-san."

He had his orders. In no way was he going to disappoint his Hokage. "We are the elite of the clan," Shisui informed them as they increased their speed. Behind him, he heard several clangs, followed by groans of death, telling him the Uchiha behind him had defeated enemies while they ran. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "When we arrive, I expect each of you to assist our comrades and aid in turning this ambush around."

"Yes, sir," they replied simultaneously.


What a fucking mess.

Gritting his teeth, he yanked Tsunade out of the hole her body had created, not caring about how gently he handled her. The woman was a formidable warrior who punched harder than any man he knew – why should he treat her delicately? Tsunade didn't seem to mind, either way. All she did was grunt as her knees hit the ground, arms shaking for the briefest of moments before she was dragging herself to her feet, wiping the blood from her chin.

"Bastards," she growled under her breath, honey brown eyes going in the direction of the battle. "So they managed to push Kushina this far?"

Apparently so. "How long can she withstand it?"

Uchiha Sasuke was not someone who made his bonds obvious to others. Those who were important to him knew who they were. They knew he cherished them in his own way, even if it wasn't always known to them. He cared for Kushina – he would admit that. He knew how badly it would devastate not only Naruto, but his own mother, if she died. But how was he supposed to protect her?

"Don't underestimate the Uzumaki Clan," Tsunade warned him and stood to her full height. The seal on her forehead glowed brightly as she spoke, making him narrow his eyes. If he wasn't mistaken, the Shodai's wife had a similar seal, hadn't she? Did that mean anything? He could've sworn Sakura said the Sōzō Saisei technique was Tsunade's. "They don't die easily."

Was she about to release her seal? Sasuke turned to face the battle once more, hand falling to the hilt of his katana. Everything was destroyed, but he recognised exactly where he and Tsunade were stood. It was a couple of streets away from the market he often frequented with his mother when he was younger, when he had no choice but to go along with her. As Sasuke got older, he refused to accompany her, believing himself too old to shop for groceries with his mother. Now, looking at the scene surrounding him, he silently vowed to accompany her on every trip he possibly could. He would carry the groceries home. He would even put the damn things away.

It was strange how the sight of his village in ruins smacked the brattish attitude out of him effortlessly. Something as mundane as grocery shopping now seemed like a priority.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He tilted his head to the side, assessing the state of Tsunade as she healed her most serious injuries, leaving the others to heal naturally. Once they were dealt with, she met his gaze, honey brown eyes narrowing fractionally. "I want you to return to Sakura's side and watch over her when she opens the immense healing network."

Immense healing network? Katsuyu was summoned and currently fighting alongside them, so why was he surprised? Shaking the surprise away, Sasuke nodded once. "And you?"

"I'm going back to the hospital," she replied, glancing up at the building that was hidden by the clouds. How high up had Sakura sent it? Was it entirely necessary? "With Naruto being unconscious, his clones will disappear. That leaves it at a high risk of attack – if it hasn't been already."

"Take others with you," Sasuke muttered, uncaring of the fact Tsunade was his superior and he had no right to order her around. He was merely stating the obvious.

"I know already," she snapped. "From there, I'll open the immense healing network and try to complete the evacuation."

"I'll spread the word."


Noticing the blonde hair on the platform as it dashed upwards, followed closely by several platoons of enemies, Shizune cursed under her breath and darted after Tsunade, dispatching of those trying to hold her back. Spinning when more tried the same, she breathed in deeply, encasing them all in thick, purple fog. One breath of it and they were done for and due to the sheer expanse of it, Shizune knew she had nothing to worry about. Foot touching down on the ground for a second, she leaped, sending chakra to her feet as she instantly began the run towards the others, forcing herself to move faster when she noticed how close they were getting to Tsunade.

Using her poison mist wasn't an option, not when Tsunade was so close to them. It was the blonde who helped her master poisons, after all. Her poison killed anyone who breathed it in. Even a Sannin as great as her.

Taking an extra leap, Shizune landed on the back of one of the kunoichi, planting her kunai deeply into the back of her head. Then, in the span of a second, she released the senbon from the device on her arm, aiming straight for the necks of the enemy. It disgusted her that they left their comrade behind, but upon seeing the differences in their forehead protectors, she realised the alliance between Kumo and Kiri wasn't strong. Possibly forged at the last moment.

Four down, she told herself and straightened up, the hair on her face falling back as she stood parallel with the ground at least a hundred feet up. The last of the platoons turned towards her, expressions one of disdain or bloodlust. Behind them, she noticed Tsunade freeze for a fraction of a second, saw her eyes narrowing with worry.

"Go, Tsunade-sama," Shizune ordered. The enemy would have gravity on their side if they were to attack, but she was fast. "Protect our hospital."

She expected the hesitation. She knew her shishou wouldn't want to leave her. Unlike her sibling disciple, Shizune was unable to master the Byakugō no Jutsu, meaning she could die in battle. She wasn't supposed to fight on the front lines. However, that didn't mean she was to be underestimated. She was strong in her own right. She wasn't Tsunade's attendant solely because of her organisational skills.

Honey brown eyes warmed at the determination in her eyes.

"You better get rid of them quickly, Shizune," came her haughty order. "I'm going to need your skills up here."

She smirked. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."


The Nibi was a difficult one, she decided while turning to dodge a swipe of its claws. And it was just as difficult to control the Kyuubi's movements in such a form, more than likely due to the fact that she had never used it before. It was why she relinquished the smallest ounce of control to the beast, allowing it to guide the movements more naturally. Several times, because of her inexperience, they'd suffered blows that could have been avoided had it been in control.

It was scary allowing it to happen, for there was every chance it could turn on the village. However, they both agreed on protecting Naruto. They needed him to live.

"Stop daydreaming," came the gravelly voice of the Kyuubi as it bounced around her mind, shutting down her thoughts.

She didn't care for his tone. The Kyuubi was rude and impatient. But she let it slide. Had to let it slide for now. Gritting her teeth, she swung her fist, grateful to find that it was becoming somewhat easier to control where her attacks landed.

"We want the Nibi out of the village," she told the Kyuubi.

In her mind, she saw it nod once. On the outside, the large mouth not far from where she was being held opened wide and she could feel the chakra accumulating, both her own and the Kyuubi's. The mixture was deadly, she noticed instantly and she was glad that the Kyuubi was doing most of the hard work. She lifted her hand and aimed, sending more of her own chakra to aid in the powerful attack, deciding she would put more of an effort in. There was no telling how long she could sustain the transformation for and she could feel exertion beginning to creep in already.

Much to her horror, however, the Nibi read their intentions and swiftly began powering up its own attack, making her eyes go wide as she realised where it was aiming. Damn it, it knew her weaknesses.

But just as that horrible sense of dread dawned on her, another somehow managed to join her, his powerful eyes bringing her a shred of hope as he nodded once, hand coming to her shoulder.


Green chakra suddenly coated the body of the Kyuubi, in the form of armour, and Sakura squinted, just barely able to see Shisui nod once at Kushina. Susanoo, she realised after a few seconds.

In front of her, Itachi stood strong, his kunai bloody as he tossed them to ground and effortlessly disarmed one of his enemy, taking their katana and using it against three of them at once. It was a breath taking sight, even if it was gruesome and dark. His strength had always impressed her, but witnessing it now brought forth a sense of pride. Why, she wasn't too sure. But when she looked at him she felt her chest warm, felt her stomach bubble with excitement. Her partner was a powerful man. A force to be reckoned with.

She turned her gaze back to the two before her and shut her eyes in concentration. Rin's wound was healed, though she would be scarred from her neck to her thighs for the rest of her life. How she'd managed to move and summon chakra – hell, how her organs had stayed inside her body was beyond her. However, the worst part was over. Rin was stable. She was breathing. It would take a while to heal and she wasn't sure if the woman would be capable of going out on missions any longer, but she would live. That was enough for now.

Naruto, on the other hand, was… She frowned. Placing her hands on his chest, she focused hard, sending her chakra to the damage caused. Rin hadn't taken a direct hit like Naruto had – she'd been further away, too. The Kyuubi's chakra was still active, she noted as soon as her own chakra entered his body. It was erratic, no doubt preparing to break free as soon as the seal disappeared.

The fact that it hadn't, however, gave her hope.

Naruto was still there.

Another coming to stand behind her had Sakura smiling somewhat. She didn't need to look to know who it was. "Don't worry, Sasuke-kun," she said teasingly. "Naruto's going to be annoying you for a long time."

He scoffed at that and held up his katana. "Tsunade wants you to open the network healing."

Already? There were that many who were injured? Then again, they were fighting two tailed beasts, Kumo, Kiri and ROOT. Sakura was surprised they'd lasted so long. "Understood."

Having Katsuyu around would be beneficial, too. When the healing chakra knitted together the last of Naruto's skin, Sakura pulled back, summoning another portion of Katsuyu's body. Unlike before, those around her were also lifted into the sky and she was relieved to spot Tsunade running up the platform. Katsuyu's body was just as big as the last, if not bigger, but it had to be, so she didn't class it as a waste of chakra. It had to be enough to heal everyone.

"Sakura-chan."

Bringing her hands together, she summoned her chakra, opening up her reserves for Katsuyu to use. "Katsuyu-sama, please divide and attend to all those who are injured."

"Yes, Sakura-chan."

By the time they reached the ground, there were several Konoha-nin surrounding her in defensive stances, each ready to spring to her defence should somebody try to attack. Smirking, she stood tall and prepared herself as she felt Katsuyu connect with the others.

There were many injuries, she noted instantly. Some more fatal than others. The two Katsuyu bodies that attached themselves to Naruto and Rin during the fall were of human size, encasing them entirely to add an extra layer of protection, considering one of them was the Yondaime's son, the other being his student. Thankfully, Naruto was breathing by himself again, his heart beating sluggishly but determinedly. If he stayed in Katsuyu's body and continued to use the Kyuubi's chakra, he would be fine.

Ignoring the shaking ground as the armoured Kyuubi forcefully pushed the Nibi back with a beast bomb, Sakura shut her eyes, the last thing to be seen being Itachi's back as he stood directly in front of her. The pause in battle would help him regain some stamina and through Katsuyu, she healed him of his minor injuries, not surprised to find there weren't many of them.

"The Nibi is out of the village," someone confirmed for her.

"But ROOT are making themselves known again."

"Probably trying to get the beasts back in."

"Hokage-sama is dealing with ROOT," came Itachi's level voice, speaking over them all. "As ROOT is a problem within Konoha, he believes it to be a battle only he can fight."

That didn't surprise her. Minato knew how dangerous ROOT was, even without Danzo looming over them and barking out questionable orders. Perhaps they were even more dangerous because Danzo wasn't there to lead them. After all, from what she'd heard, he had Konoha's best interests at heart, no matter how deeply one had to look to find said heart. Whoever the hell was leading ROOT now possibly didn't have the same wants. Or they were following in Danzo's twisted footsteps. She couldn't decide which one was worse.

"Focus on ending this mess," snapped Sasuke.

It seemed she wasn't the only one using the network healing, Sakura realised when she sensed another's presence via Katsuyu. Comforted knowing her shishou was up and about and still able to use her chakra (even though Sasuke wouldn't have left her otherwise), she gave her all to the network healing, willing herself to ease the suffering and pain of her villagers. She was focused so intensely on healing others that she stopped feeling the quaking ground. She no longer felt the rush of battle or heard their cries and yells. Everything else faded away to background noise, her mind going from one injury to the next, and the quickest, most efficient way to heal said wounds.

That didn't mean she was vulnerable, however, and she proved as much by tilting her head to the left suddenly, narrowly avoiding having her ear taken off. Common strategy meant taking out the medic of the enemy's squad – and she could heal hundreds at a time. The others were fighting with everything they had, so she didn't hold it against them that the odd weapon broke through their defences. It couldn't be helped in war.

She understood why Kiri and Kumo were better off than them, but it still stung to admit they were backed into a corner in their own village. Combining those two with ROOT and–

The network healing was suddenly broken as she tucked and rolled out the way, just barely missing a powerful blow to the face. She skidded for a moment and reached into her pouch, but the second her fingertips brushed against the handle of her kunai, that same attack was launched her way again and she was forced to dodge once more.

Shit.


Damn it.

If he was not mistaken, it was more than likely the final wave of enemies. The current wave was the most brutal. They bulldozed their way through their defences, tearing through them effortlessly. Gritting his teeth, he glanced in Sakura's direction, annoyed with himself for allowing an opening to her. He'd done his best to defend her and had done well until Kiri's ANBU became involved in the mix.

"Katon…!"

A Kiri-nin using fire style? While it wasn't unheard of, it was unusual, for they usually favoured water style jutsu (obviously). For one of them to use it meant they were extremely confident in their abilities, meaning it was more than likely a deadly jutsu. And his heart lurched as he realised at the last moment where the attack was being aimed. One of them had kept her distracted with his brute strength, pushing her back until she was much further away from the rest of them and Itachi was disgusted with himself for not noticing sooner. Now, the other one was about to attack from behind and from the chakra he could sense gathering, it was going to be devastating.

Damn it!

Sending chakra through his legs and to his feet, Itachi prepared himself to leap over to her. Even if it meant only having the time to shield her with his body, then that was what he had to do.

After all, Sakura was the future of–

"Sakura," he heard his brother yell, belatedly realising what was happening.

He wouldn't make it.

Her seal wasn't going to activate in time.

This is why you shouldn't make any bonds.

It was like a bomb had gone off exactly where the attack landed, the resounding boom echoing throughout the village, causing many heads to snap in their direction. He lifted his arms to protect his face and neck, though was unable to shut his eyes to the horror. The shock wave from the explosion flung many of them back and the only reason he wasn't thrown back was because of the chakra he'd earlier sent to his legs and feet, holding him in place. The flames engulfed her entirely and for a moment, all he could focus on was her piercing scream of pure agony, which he somehow managed to hear over the ringing in his ears. It almost brought him to his knees as the world around him stopped.

But then he was completely enraptured in the way she parted the flames with the shock waves of her punches, revealing a bloody, furious Haruno Sakura who was coated in a thick layer of water as she glared at the Kiri-nin menacingly. They could see the damage the explosion had inflicted, but they could also see that her wounds were already mostly healed, her seal standing out sharply against her pale skin.

Of course, he should have known Sakura wouldn't need saving, despite his heart begging him to do so. His partner was not a weak woman – she was one of the strongest he knew, if not the strongest. His assistance was unnecessary. She didn't need him to come rushing to her aid.

As though hearing his thoughts and wanting to prove them correct, she shot out of the flames, the ground crumbling around her. Her fists were glowing blue, the look in her green eyes hard and unforgiving.

"Don't come between me and my patients!"

She came to a skidding halt, only pausing long enough to give her attacker a feral smirk before her fist was striking him. Then, she was gone again, appearing just below him and kicking him high up into the sky. Even from such a great distance, Itachi could hear his screams over the other sounds of battle.

"Like hell I'm done with you yet!"

There was no saving himself. No slowing his fall back to the earth. His death only became more imminent as Sakura came down on him from above, green eyes narrowed.

"Bastard… Shannaro!"

Clenching her fist, she swung it forward and even Itachi was unable to keep up with the speed her enemy fell back to the ground, a crater forming around him as he completely disappeared from sight.

She was breathing hard by the time she landed beside him, seal still standing out sharply against her skin.

"Forgive me, I-"

"Don't be sorry," she muttered, glancing around them. "I'm somehow managing to battle as well as heal the others via Katsuyu-sama."

"Is that a wise decision?" he questioned. It sounded like she was going to exhaust herself before the climax of the battle.

"This is war, Itachi," came her soft reply and when her eyes met his, he found himself nodding once. Sakura needn't say any more because he understood perfectly. She smiled. "Go."

He nodded once, accepting his orders. "Understood."


A/N - I love writing a badass Sakura.

As you all already know: I usually update on Christmas Day for you all, as my gift to you. Unfortunately, I've been completely exhausted lately and was driving most of the day so that my sister could spend Christmas with us (though she couldn't stay the night due to living alone in a different town and having pets). Also, I spent most of Christmas Eve with my nephews, so I haven't really had the time to update. Oh, and I got engaged. So, you know. Life's gotten a bit busy ;-)