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Chapter 9 - Fight or Flight

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They left when the sun was still high in the sky; its light was bright and warm, and the only breeze felt heavy, suffocating even. The buzzing of cicadas resonated all around the fields, covering the noises of their tools as they harvested the crops.

But now, the golden rays of light are coming from straight ahead, and the icy wind that picked up half an hour ago sweeps away their warmth. Hana's ears quirk every two seconds with all the suspicious noises now surrounding her: the creaking of twigs, the wriggling of bushes and leaves, the rolling of pebbles. And what annoys her the most is the black-haired boy leading her; it doesn't seem like he wants to stop soon.

"If we turn back now, there's still a chance to reach the camp before nightfall." Sasuke dismisses her and picks up his pace in the direction opposite the camp. "Sasuke, please, this is ridiculous now. Not only have we found nothing, but the more we keep going, the farther from camp - and potential help if needed - we get."

The boy stops at last but keeps his back turned. "I didn't force you to come. And I'm not asking you to stay. You can leave."

"And walk through all this by myself? In the dark? With the possibility of having my head severed? No way. You're coming with me."

Sasuke sighs and turns to face her. "I guess we won't find anything in the dark, anyway."

"Exactly." Hana watches the boy as he seems to war with himself over something. His fists are tight, his arms straight on each side of his tensed body. There is a shadow in his dark eyes, deep thoughts that are clouding his mind. After a minute of awkward silence, Hana can't take it any longer. She leans against a tree with an annoyed sigh and sends him a quizzical look. "Why do you care so much about the mission suddenly?" He glances at her with the same dark eyes but keeps silent. "It's personal, isn't it? You knew the guy... Or it reminds you of something."

Sasuke snaps out of his daze and pushes past her, retracing his previous steps. Without a word, Hana follows him, eager to return to camp.

Today, she surprised herself. She tried to be nice to Sasuke, defended her "sensei" from ungrateful villagers, and courageously entered an unknown forest to go after a sick butcher. She never thought she'd risk her life for the sake of someone else, let alone for the greater good, but it doesn't feel that bad to be helpful, needed. It changes from being a burden, just another mouth to feed, another orphan.

But now that she has tried to be Sakura for a day, Hana can't wait to go back to being her usual self. She wishes she was at camp, safe and sound, with four grown-ups looking out for her while she dozes off in front of the fire on the opposite side of her teammates. She isn't a hero, doesn't want to be one. Her only desire is to be free; this has always been her primary goal. She would do anything for freedom.

The two teenagers walk in silence, their focus solely turned to the sound of the flowing water to their left. Hana's eyes divert often from the boy in front to the trees surrounding her. Her heart's pace has quickened a few minutes ago for an unknown reason. It's as if her body is apprehending an imminent danger. She licks her lips nervously before whispering: "Sasuke..."

"I feel it too. Stay close."

As soon as the last word escapes his mouth, a tall woman drops from a tree, blocking their path. Hana gasps, a hand flying to her pouch, but freezes mid-way when she notices the big straw hat and the black, shiny hair.

"You're a farmer," Sasuke says, a frown marring his features. "What are you doing here?"

"Why, I was following you, of course, Sasuke-kun." The woman's deep voice sends shivers down Hana's spine, but what really makes her knees wobble is the sight of a large grin spreading on her face, a smile that never reaches the eyes.

"W-Why?" Hana asks in a quivering voice. "You have information for us?" She gulps when the woman's eyes land on her, and a long tongue licks the lips, still stretched in a gigantic smile.

"No," the woman chuckles. "Only, Sasuke-kun has something for me." Her dark gaze returns to the black-haired boy. "But you will have to prove yourself first. I want to see if you really are worthy of the Uchiha blood."

The woman's hand reaches for two kunais, but a sudden dread freezes Hana to her spot, completely paralyzing her. She drops to her knees with a whimper. She's never been that scared in her entire life. Not when her mother tried to steal her life, not when the older kids locked her in a closet for half a day, not even when she let Sakura confront Haku. At this moment, she thinks nothing is scarier in the entire world than this woman. There is no way they are getting out of this alive.

She glances at Sasuke as tears stream down her face. The boy's entire body is convulsing, and his eyes are glued to her own trembling lips. The sound of the kunais being thrown reaches Hana's ears. But she doesn't move, only keeps staring at the boy's deepening frown.

She braces herself, accepting her fate as she looks at Sasuke's handsome features for one last time. Here she is, dying while staring at the boy she despises the most, this arrogant jerk who always acts as if he didn't care, as if he, alone, was suffering. She hates everything about him, from his attitude to his stupid good looks.

But as Hana lists all the things she loathes about the boy, Sasuke's hands close around her waist, and she feels herself being lifted. Her heart leaps because of the speed at which she's carried to safety. At last, she snaps out of her daze when they land on a tree branch.

The sight of Sasuke's wide, crazed eyes unsettles her. His hands are still wrapped around her waist. She can feel his limbs shaking, see beads of sweat pearling on his pale forehead. Her expression mirrors his when a large shadow creeps behind his crouched form.

"Sasuke-" He prevents her from speaking by applying a hand to her mouth, so she ruffly pushes him against the tree trunk. "SNAKE," she shouts as she throws five shurikens at the giant beast. Thanks to Wolf's teaching, her weapons reach their target. But the blades lodging in its skin don't seem to bother the snake at all.

Sasuke grabs her wrist and tugs her away from the fight to hide behind another tree. "What the hell is going on?" She asks him. He shakes his head, his lips pressed into a thin line. "I don't want to lose my head, Sasuke. Fucking do something!"

He frowns. "I don't know who that woman is, but there's nothing we can do. Haven't you felt her killing intent?"

She nods, her eyes darting left and right, awaiting the reappearance of the woman and her snake. "There's nothing we can do, but maybe..."

They jump just in time to avoid the snake's tail, each of them landing on two different branches. As soon as Sasuke finds back his footage, the woman charges at him. Hana watches from afar as the boy closes his eyes in defeat, his opponent quickly reaching his motionless body. But then he snaps them back open, a red glint shining through his dark eyelashes. He avoids the blow that was aiming at him at the last second by jumping to a higher branch, weapons flying away from his hands as he does.

She watches, helpless, the boy she hates fight for his life. She resists the urge to run away and instead rests her head against the tree trunk. If Hana leaves right now, there is no way to ensure her survival. There might be other assailants hidden in the shadows, and apart from throwing weapons she is basically useless. This means that even if she stays here, her chances - their chances - are low.

She sneaks another glance at Sasuke's fight. The snake's body is dangling, inert, from a branch, and the boy is now fighting the tall woman relentlessly. A bit impressed by his speed and skills, Hana still has a bad feeling about it all. She doesn't think Sasuke alone can defeat their strange opponent. Memories of the killing intent come back in force in Hana's mind, and the girl finally gives in. She closes her eyes reluctantly, just as the word Katon echoes in the dark forest.

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Sakura snaps her eyes open, her heart crashing against her ribcage. She tilts her head to the right and instantly notices Sasuke's exhausted state; the boy is kneeling on a lower branch.

"Sasuke-kun!"

She jumps to his level, assessing his state, putting a hesitating hand on his shoulder. "S-Sasuke-kun? What happened? Are you okay?"

The boy slowly lifts his head to meet her gaze. "I think I won." She tries to ignore how weak his voice sounds and glances at the inert woman, following Sasuke's gaze. Smoke obstructs her sight, so she quickly returns her attention to the panting boy.

Slowly, one of his hands reaches her forehead to remove a lock of hair from her face. She blushes under his intense stare. "Your eyes," he whispers. "They look normal again."

She tilts her head to the side with a frown. "What do you mean?"

A dark chuckle suddenly draws their attention back to the woman. Sakura's blood chills at the sight of her melting face. She feels Sasuke tense, but when he tries to stand up, a groan escapes his lips, and he falls back on one knee.

Sakura musters all her courage and steps in front of her teammate, hiding his weak form. It reminds her of another mission, and last time, it didn't end well for her. She gulps before squaring her shoulders. "What do you want from him?"

"I heard about you." The melting skin falls to the ground, revealing a pale face and yellow eyes. Gradually, the voice gets deeper. "Pink hair, green eyes..."

"You're a man?"

The chuckles resume. "If you want."

She grabs a kunai when he takes a step forward. "Stay where you are!"

"Or what?" The man snorts but stops. Sakura shivers under his intense stare. "My most faithful servant told me you felt special."

"I what?"

"What is your name, little blossom?" When she doesn't answer, he takes another step forward. "Mine is Orochimaru." He gives her a creepy smile. "If you tell me yours, I won't take another step."

Sakura sighs, and although she knows he's lying, she complies. "Haruno Sakura."

"What a fitting name." His tongue darts out of his mouth to lick his lips in a circle. "Civilian, I presume?" She nods stiffly. "How intriguing, really. Well, Sakura-chan, I heard Sasuke-kun has some trouble with your shifting personality. I, on the contrary, am fascinated by it."

Sakura frowns and turns to glance at Sasuke. "What?"

"He probably heard me earlier in the fields."

"I think you know what I'm talking about," Orochimaru adds. Sakura shifts her gaze back to him. "You're hiding something, naughty little girl." He clicks his tongue and resumes walking. "This will have to wait, though. There is someone I want even more."

His eyes drift to Sasuke before his head charges at him. Sakura's eyes widen upon seeing Orochimaru's neck lengthening, but she recomposes herself quickly enough to react on time. She kicks the man's head before it reaches Sasuke's neck and throws a kunai at him that he easily deflects with his own weapon.

Orochimaru's neck retracts, and his head regains his usual place on his body. "There is nothing you can do about it, pretty blossom. I will have Sasuke-kun's body, and he will be the one to reach out to me."

Sakura's face scrunches in disgust. "He would never do that, you sick pervert."

The man bursts out laughing. "Ah, dear Sakura-chan. You're the cutest little prey. Sasuke-kun seeks power; that's why I know he will come to me. As for his body, I want it for a whole different reason. Don't be jealous."

His smirk turns into a devilish grin, and he suddenly lunges at her at an impressive speed. She isn't fast enough to evade, so she blocks his kick and gets propelled back several feet away. Recalling Naruto's methods, Sakura creates three clones and quickly steps back in front of Sasuke. The black-haired boy curses upon seeing her fight, but his shaky limbs cannot keep him standing.

She twists her body, evading the punches and kicks, but cannot, for the love of God, find an opening. Her clones disappear one after the other in a cloud of smoke, and Sakura can only hope her last move will do the trick. She stops fighting and folds in two, a hand on her ribcage. Orochimaru faces her with an amused smile on his pale face.

Sakura inwardly curses. It is just a game for him, she realizes. For all she knows, he isn't even putting all his strength into it.

He smiles at her dejected frown. "Maybe you should seek power too because this is pathetic."

Sakura's eyes register the tightening of his grip on a kunai, and as he lunges forward, she waves her hands behind her back. A cloud of smoke suddenly irrupts between the two. She reappears in another tree and summons chakra to her fist. She didn't get to practice this a lot in the past few days. However, Sakura is confident that under pressure, her chakra will always come to help. So, before Orochimaru can register her substitution, she jumps back into the fight and lands a chakra-enhanced punch on the man.

Orochimaru comes crashing against a tree several feet away. Then, with a sinister, creaking sound, the tree breaks in two and falls to Sakura's right. At this sight, she drops to her knees, panting but confident that the fight is over, a small smile stretching on her lips. However, she pushes herself up abruptly when her eyes land on a dozen snakes winding quickly towards her.

She tries to escape their fangs but soon realizes there are snakes everywhere. Jaws clutch her calves from behind. A cry of pain leaves her lips at the sudden pain, and she hurriedly tries to pull the snakes away from her. However, the action only worsens her condition by tearing her skin a little more. She winces, but at the sound of clashing metal, her head snaps up, her pain already forgotten.

It would seem that Sasuke miraculously appeared in front of her in time to block Orochimaru's final blow. Her eyes widen upon seeing his pitiful state. He can barely stand. His skin looks clammy, his shoulders heaving because of his laborious breathing.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispers, in awe.

"Weakness, weakness, weakness," Orochimaru says with a shake of his head. "Such a pity, Sasuke-kun. And I thought you had no weaknesses." His neck elongates again, and before Sakura can realize what he's doing, his teeth penetrate the skin on Sasuke's neck.

The black-haired boy lets out a cry of pain and drops on his knees again as Orochimaru retreats in the shadows of the trees. "I guess I understand your weakness, though, Sasuke-kun. She is interesting, that is for sure." He smiles and turns to look at Sakura one last time. "Your punches are impressive. You remind me of someone, little blossom." He suddenly jumps down from his branch to disappear into the darkness.

"Come back!" Sakura shouts over Sasuke's cry. "What did you do to him?" She hurries to the boy's side and takes his hand in hers when she sees him curl up in a ball.

She stiffens when Orochimaru's voice echoes his answer, his body already gone. "I gave him a parting gift. Don't worry. We will meet again, Sakura-chan."

Sasuke's scream pierces her ears again, and she returns her attention to her teammate. She pulls on his hand, leading him to her lap, where he half-collapses in her arms.

"Sakura." His feeble voice tugs at her heart. She brushes her lips on the top of his head. "It burns." One of his hands reaches for the collar of his shirt, but she beats him to it.

Carefully, she assesses the wound with a frown. "I don't know what it is, Sasuke-kun. Everything looks normal." She applies her hand to it and winces when Sasuke lets out another cry. She shushes him and brings his head close to her face, her mouth aligned with his ear. "It's okay. You're okay. I'm here."

She kisses his sweaty forehead and runs a hand through his hair soothingly. Slowly, she feels his body relax in her arms and her own breathing ease. That is, until his whole weight collapses in her lap.

"Sasuke-kun?" When he doesn't answer, she hugs him tighter and rests her chin on the top of his head.