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Chapter 18 - True Power

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The flashes of lightning at his fingertips subside, and he is left staring at something surreal. The redhead who has his full attention throws his head back, laughing, when he notices Sasuke's expression.

"What the hell?"

One of Naruto's clones joins him, but Sasuke cannot take his eyes away from the gigantic arm made of sand. Kakashi's chidori is one of the deadliest jutsu; it should have harmed him; it should have been enough to stop him. Instead, the limb that took the blow seems to expand and the Suna guy, to turn into a demon.

And now they've reached a dead end. Naruto's clones will never be enough, and Sasuke produced his second chidori, his limit. And he worked so hard on that jutsu. It made him believe, for a moment, that he could one day surpass his brother and avenge his family. He's not so confident anymore.

He meets his opponent's eyes. They are the colour of seafoam and somehow remind him of Sakura. But dark circles are obscuring them, and there is no softness held in his stare, only tiredness and insanity.

"Yosh! Let's go, Sasuke. We can't give up now!"

The remaining of Naruto's clones lunges at the redhead, shouting, but Sasuke stays behind and watches the fight with a pang in his heart. He wonders how his blond teammate does it. How he's still able to fight after all that wasted chakra, while he, Uchiha Sasuke, the sole survivor of the famous Uchiha clan, cannot even put a foot in front of the other anymore.

With his chest heaving and his heart crashing against his ribcage, Sasuke witnesses another fail of Naruto's attempts. The sand coming out of the guy's gourd blocks every blow. And the redhead doesn't even need to see the punch coming; it's as if he had some kind of sharingan predicting the other's movements.

But with his own sharingan on, Sasuke can see that nothing logical can explain the accuracy of this sand; no doujutsu, no chakra strings, no help from the pigtail kunoichi standing behind, nothing. And he cannot wrap his mind around that expanding arm; how can someone become stronger after getting hurt? What does that mean? How are they supposed to end the fight, then?

When Sasuke's forehead is no longer damp with cold sweat, and his legs have stopped shaking under his weight, the black-haired boy readies himself for the next opening with little hope. He watches one clone getting smashed against a tree, then another being crushed by the sand until the body disappears in a cloud of smoke. When Naruto's eyes meet his, the blond nods upon seeing Sasuke's hand moving in front of his chest. Then, the black-haired boy's chakra morphs from blue to burning red. His chest expands, and a warm feeling settles in his lungs, bubbles up in his throat.

The clones lunge at the redhead and shield the guy from Sasuke's view for a moment. The black-haired boy leans forward and jumps in the melee when the dozen of Narutos get propelled in every direction under the strength of a blow.

Sasuke snakes his body around the falling blonds with chakra to his feet enhancing his speed, and when he gets a good view of his opponent's back, he spits the growing fire awaiting in his chest. The balls aren't worthy of an Uchiha, and Fugaku would probably sigh in disappointment if he could see them, but that's all Sasuke can manage without emptying his reserve of chakra.

And as expected, the sand blocks them all. Sasuke frowns in frustration and puts all his effort into the last fireball. The second after it leaves his mouth, the sand arm grabs his ankle before he can escape, and he feels his body being thrown several feet away, unable to prevent his fall. When he finally lands in a tree, he knows he broke some bones. He winces and lets his head fall back against the bark, eyes closed.

"Sasuke!? Dammit, asshole! You're going to pay for what you did to my friend!"

"Pathetic. Weak. That's what you are. And I am going to kill you all." Shivers run down Sasuke's spine upon hearing the high-pitch voice of the Suna guy. There's definitely something wrong with him, and if they don't stop him soon, who knows what he will do to the village, the helpless civilians and the young children.

Sasuke cracks an eye open upon hearing Naruto yell in pain. The blond is still standing and summoning new clones every two seconds as if chakra grew on trees or something. How does he? Is it because of the Kyuubi? Does that mean even Naruto is more powerful than him?

At that thought, jolts of electricity course through Sasuke's veins, and he brings his body on all fours. While staring at his shaking arms for a moment, he tunes out Naruto's fight, too engrossed in his own frustration. If Kakashi hadn't sealed Orochimaru's power, maybe Sasuke would have been able to keep on fighting along his teammate's side. Perhaps he would have been able to stop the redhead, show him who's the strongest genin of Konoha, and how great the Uchiha clan is. Instead, he wasted all his chakra and is now stuck facing the fact he is not enough, that he will never be, and that his brother's strength will always be out of reach.

Deep in his spiralling thoughts, Sasuke doesn't register what is going on around him for a while. His attention returns to the present moment only when a hand rubs his back. At the touch, he jerks his head up and leans back on his heels.

"Sasuke-kun? Are you hurt?"

The Uchiha shakes his head when the question sinks in but remains silent, his eyes riveted to Sakura's heart-shaped face. The small number of injuries she is bearing relieves him. It looks nothing like last time, and he feels a bit invigorated by that fact, like the worrying was sucking away all his energy. There is still blood smeared all over her face, though, and by the pallor of her clammy skin, he can tell she's exhausted.

"What happened?" His hand shoots to her cheek and strokes it, trying to find a wound under the blood.

"It's a sound technique. My brain is all fuzzy, but my ears and nose are not bleeding anymore. I take that as a good sign." She rubs his shoulder and sends him a concerned glance. "What about you?"

He holds her stare for a while, unsure of the type of answer he wants to give. He's probably in the worst condition out of the three, and he doesn't think he will win his fight, but to admit that to Sakura is a whole other story. And he doesn't need her help, doesn't want her getting hurt because of him for the umpteenth time.

When a clone lands a few feet away from their resting place and disappears in a cloud of smoke, Sasuke settles at last for a proper answer: "That guy is crazy. If you stay, he's going to crush you. Leave with Naruto; I'll hold him off."

"Sasuke," she says, frowning. "You look beat, so does Naruto. And I'll admit, I'm exhausted as well. The only chance of survival we have is if we stay together. Don't do that. Don't push us away again. Now is not the time to let your oversized ego take control."

"My oversized ego?" He raises his eyebrows at her, and a sudden blush creeps to her cheeks.

"You know what I mean."

Sasuke realizes his hand is still resting on her cheek and retreats it, embarrassed. "If you stay, I don't know if I'll be able to protect you."

"Good. You shouldn't need to, anyway."

Sasuke is about to argue, but Naruto interrupts him when he lands behind Sakura. So instead, the black-haired boy glares at the blond as he tries to convince himself he isn't jealous.

"I think I have a plan, guys." Sakura turns to Sasuke with a determined frown. "Cover me."

Sasuke nods reluctantly at her request and brings himself to a standing position. When his eyes land again on the girl, another Naruto is staring back at him. The henge is perfect, and this reminds him of Sakura's other skills, apart from her chakra enhanced strength. The jutsu is so precise that even with his sharingan on, Sasuke would have difficulty differentiating Sakura's copy from the blond.

After a big inhale, the girl jumps in the melee of clones, followed by the real Naruto. Sasuke activates his sharingan to make sure he doesn't lose sight of her. She draws a path around the other orange boys and, mostly, avoids the blows directed at her by using a clone as a shield. Meanwhile, the Uchiha uses his shurikens to stop the sand from reaching the girl by wrapping them in chakra.

Quickly, she reaches a point where the only other boy left is the real Naruto. Sasuke knows that because the blond is more careful, doesn't shout like the others, and covers Sakura with worried eyes. When his sharingan lands on a glowing fist, Sasuke's fingers hook around his last shuriken, but he has to duck to avoid the sand thrown at him. After retreating a few feet back, he notices one Naruto flying quickly towards a tree, propelled by a rope of sand still wrapped around his glowing fist. Sasuke instantly knows it's Sakura, but there is nothing he can do to stop her fall.

His fists tighten around his shuriken. He feels so useless, so weak. Not even able to protect Sakura, to help Naruto. How he wishes his neck would burn again, how power would course through his veins. Sasuke doesn't remain stuck in his spiralling thoughts for long, though; at the sight of Sakura's copy of Naruto dropping a paper bomb, his attention shifts back to the fight in front of him. His sharingan follows the bomb until it sticks to the girl's foot cloaked in green chakra. Before she lands in the tree, she twists her body around. The paper bomb flies towards to redhead when she releases her chakra and sticks to the small of his back. Sasuke sees Sakura's lips stretch into a proud smile before she protects her face from the explosion. Then, to Sasuke's dismay, the smoke momentarily shields her from view.

He jumps forward upon losing sight of her, but after landing a second time on wobbly feet, his legs give up under him. He squints his eyes and gets a glimpse of the redhead through the dissipating cloud of smoke. The boy's body is hanging from a lower branch, and sand falls from his gourd and onto the forest floor. Sasuke's shoulders relax upon seeing his opponent's state; now is the time to get his teammates and leave, he realizes. He glances around and finds Naruto's exhausted form. The blond is on the ground under Sasuke's branch, panting, a sheer layer of sweat covering his forehead and upper lip. When he meets his eyes, Naruto sends him a toothy grin and a thumbs up to what Sasuke responds with a shake of his head before turning to Sakura's side.

With the smoke now gone, the black-haired boy finally gets to see her condition. She's leaning against the tree, eyes closed, chest heaving. Soot is covering her face and darkening the red of her shirt. One of her legs is forming a weird angle, and pieces of wood are sticking out of her right arm.

He calls her but gets no reaction, so he hurries forward. Upon reaching her, Sasuke drops on his knees, reminded of his own exhausted state. He blinks a few times to dissipate the black dots that had emerged in his vision when he had to drop his doujutsu. Then, he extends a tentative hand towards the girl's broken leg but halts mid-way, unsure of what to do. Instead, he focuses on the pieces of wood in her arms, pulling them out one by one. His ministrations finally get Sakura out of her slumber. She rests two tired eyes on the Uchiha and sighs.

"I want to sleep."

"Tch. You overworked yourself."

"Mmm. I guess you're right."

Sasuke shakes his head as the last piece of wood leaves the girl's arm. "Are you able to walk, or should I carry you, again?" He refrains from smirking, knowing nothing is funny about the situation, but Sakura seems to catch the second meaning behind his words and narrows her eyes playfully.

"Oversized ego, right here." She lets out an exhausted laugh, then closes her eyes. "But, yeah, you'll have to carry me, I think." She peers at him through her heavy eyelids. "If you can, of course. You seem to have a hard time handling your own weight right now."

"Of course I can," he hurries to answer. "It's just Kakashi's stupid jutsu that took most of my chakra. But I'm in better shape than -"

Sasuke never gets to finish his sentence. Sakura's gasp covers his last word, and before he can glance back in alarm, she pushes him to the side.

"Sakura-chan!"

Upon noting the panic in Naruto's voice, Sasuke jerks his head around, but it is already too late. Under his eyes, Sakura gets hit by a large sand hand that pushes her against the nearest tree. Then, some of the sand detached itself from the arm to stay with the girl, keeping her in place and covering her entire body. The only things still visible are her face and her little feet.

"Why?" Sasuke's eyes snap back to the redhead teenager upon hearing his voice. His face is contorted in pain, and the conflict in his seafoam eyes is apparent. "Why? Why would she do that? Yashamaru?" The sand enveloping the guy's arm creeps up to his face, and the white of his eyes turns black under Sasuke's bewildered gaze. Then, his facial expression changes, and when he speaks again, his voice sounds different, colder if possible. "She will die, crushed by my sand. She will die. All this because of you," he says, staring at Sasuke. "Because of love."

Sakura lets out a sudden cry of pain, and Sasuke is left standing to the side, useless, not knowing what to do, how to save her. Why is she always risking her life for him, dammit? It should be him over there. It should be him.

"Sasuke!" Naruto lands at his side. "Why did you let her throw herself in front of you like this?"

"What do you mean, 'let her'? I didn't even know she could walk. Her leg was definitely broken."

"But you should know by now, asshole," Naruto says, grabbing him by the collar. "You should know she will always be able to walk for you, always have the energy to move if it means you'll stay safe. Don't tell me you haven't noticed she loves you. You, of all people, should know what love looks like, what it can do to people. Unlike others, you were once surrounded by it, after all."

That last sentence feels like a slap in the face, and Sasuke keeps staring at the blond as he waves some hand signs and summons, yet again, a bunch of clones. The Uchiha tries to invoke some of his chakra too, but quickly realizes he has almost nothing left in store.

"Naruto," he calls out when the blonds leave for battle again. "Win this fight. I can't lose my precious people again."

His teammate glances back at him, his eyes full of understanding. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I love you guys too. And just like Sakura, I can do anything for the people I love."

And with that, Naruto leaves Sasuke's side to join the fight between the growing beast and the sea of orange. After a while, when all the clones are gone, the blond bites his thumb and performs a new jutsu, taking Sasuke off guard. Since when does Naruto have a summoning contract?

When the cloud of smoke dissipates to reveal a toad of average size, Sasuke narrows his eyes, hesitating between laughing at the whining blond or cursing at his uselessness. His skepticism doesn't last long, however, and it dumbfounds the Uchiha when Naruto finally summons a giant toad that can rival the size of the sand beast.

From his spot in the tree, Sasuke can only see their legs. Each of their movements crushes a bit more the surrounding forest. More than once, they neared Sakura as they battled. But then, Naruto seems to realize it because, as his toad morphs into a giant fox, the two beasts gradually move away from the rest of Team Seven.

This is unheard of, never seen before, totally out of this world; this is a once-in-a-lifetime battle, something that can rival the fights of the greatest shinobis. Everything in Sasuke's life, coming up to this very moment, brought him to think he would be part of that fight, that he would be one of those great ninjas, of those feared beasts. He never once thought that Uzumaki Naruto would outshine him, would be the one saving the day, the village, Sakura.

But it's not fair. It's not even Naruto's chakra. Imagine what he, Uchiha Sasuke, could do with that never-ending source of power. He almost learned it, actually. But his sensei thought it was better to seal Orochimaru's power.

Sasuke's fists tighten at that thought. It's like he cannot stop thinking about it, like he needs it, craves it. That power, that purple boost of energy that creates a tingling feeling at the tips of his fingers, a burning fire in the pit of his stomach, that dark chakra that makes him feel unstoppable, like he's flying.

A loud shout from Naruto snaps Sasuke back to reality. The first thing he notices is the sand falling quickly from the beige beast. From the corner of his eye, he sees a pink and red form getting bigger until it falls and leaves his line of sight.

"Sakura!" He jumps forward and catches the girl before she can reach the forest floor. He lands on a lower branch, holds her tight against his chest for a moment, then lays her down, a hand lingering in her short hair. Her eyes are closed, and a trail of blood is flowing out of her mouth. And that's when Sasuke realizes he's been able to move again, that every time he thought he was out of chakra, of energy, something happened to Sakura that made him move, anyway.

Someone lands on a branch near them, and Sasuke moves on instinct so his body can shield the unconscious girl. Without effort, he summons a crackling chidori at his fingertips. The pigtail kunoichi now facing him lifts her hands up in surrender.

"Relax. I won't try anything. I just want to cross to get my brother." Sasuke's eyes narrow, and he glances behind at the redhead, lying on the ground, a few feet away from a crawling Naruto. "I'm... I'm sorry for your girlfriend."

Sasuke returns his attention to the girl, but when she jumps above him, he lets her go. He's too exhausted, anyway. Instead, he drops to his knees, his chidori long gone, and keeps staring at his hand, puzzled. How was he able to perform a jutsu with so little chakra? He knows what chakra depletion does to people. He's seen Kakashi being unconscious for an entire day because of it. And Sasuke knows he's at the brink of losing consciousness himself. So how did he do it?

Black dots obscure his vision as he glances at the pink-haired girl lying in front of him. What if Naruto was right, after all? For Sakura, somehow, he always seems to have some strength left in him. The boy closes his eyes at that realization and lets his body collapses beside his teammate. Some of Naruto's nonsense reaches his ears as he drifts into slumber. Stupid words about friendship and love that Sasuke is considering for the first time in his life. Maybe power is not only about chakra and skills. Maybe Naruto isn't stronger than him, after all; only loves more than Sasuke does. Or perhaps it is more about his openness than his love. Maybe Sasuke loves more than he thinks; maybe he's just not ready to accept it yet. Because if love gives strength, it also comes with more weaknesses.

[A/N] I was on vacation last week, hence the late update.

Thank you so much for the good reviews and the new readers. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

M.B.