Kabuto was delaying to sit down at the half U shaped table.
Sakura was far from him and he had to keep an eye on her, not to mention his chest clenched just looking at her.
She was sitting alone, super focused on her table, ignoring every loud person around her. He was almost proud of her.
But he already saw the Uchiha on the other side of the room, standing behind the sanin with a blank look wearing a dark purple kimono.
Kabuto didn't know what to do or expect, but when Sasuke sat next to her and her head shot up with a happy expression his jaw twisted and fists were tight.
Just why the hell couldn't she keep it low?
The dark haired boy was ignoring her which gave Kabuto a moment to breath before the leader of Otogakure came next to him, smiling slyly
"Are you enjoying the festivities?" he asked with a slimy tone and the grey haired teen took a second to look around the loud room before answering
It was un-normally warm looking with all the fire lights around them, everyone was drinking and talking with a drunk voice, gesturing in the air. It almost looked like any normal festival but something was off, Kabuto could feel it in his gut
"It's livelier than last year" he mentioned carefully, turning back to the sanin
On the man's face in front of him creeped a bigger grin, while he motioned with his chin towards the recent Konoha genins.
He turned there, faster than he wanted to and could watch it from front row fold it out
Sasuke was standing with an expression that was a mix between shocked and scarred, starring straight to the middle of the room, surrounded by the table, full with dancers.
The dancers all had black hair and clothes, and he slowly realized who they were
They were Orochimaru's recent additions to Otogakure, not as recent as Sasuke and Sakura, but still fairly new. The five of the dancers were siblings from a lost clan originating in Iwa, who's specialty was to change their looks to anyone.
Of course almost all nins could do that, but they went a step further, not just making themselves look like the chosen person but actually taking over their gestures, expressions and to a degree personality.
And now these people were parading as the last Uchiha's dead family.
There was a woman with kind and calm eyes, an older man with a more serious look, a younger looking nin with curly dark hair and happy face and an old lady.
Wait...there were only four...where's the fifth one?
Just as he looked around franticly to find the missing person, Sasuke started to scream and the pink haired girl next to him jumped up to hug him, only for the boy to push her away with a higher force.
Sakura fell on the ground, hair out from the bun, with fears in her emeralds
Kabuto couldn't stop himself for stepping closer
He actually wanted to scoop her up and get out of there, not even caring about the punishment from Orochimaru, when he heard her words
"Sasuke-kun, what happened? Please tell me!" she cried out and that seemed to awoke something in the panicked black eyes, because he took his gaze away from the dancers, to look at her
Kabuto saw the conflict on his face, while the boy exchanged glances with the sanin, too bad Kabuto really didn't care about him
"What's the meaning of this?!" demanded the boy, who was staring behind Kabuto
Orochirmaru didn't answer, instead the fifth dancer arrived to the scene
Itachi
Kabuto was next to Sakura one second later, and tried to pull her up, to take her away, but he was too late
As soon as Sasuke discovered the man posing as Itachi, he rampaged into the middle of the dance floor, screaming, with chirodri in his left palm, while the warm flames turned green and purple in the room, making everything sickly
Oh fuck
Kabuto remembered how they were trained, Sasuke had no chance against them...which means...
It was late
So late, that in fact Kabuto almost started laughing at himself of how could he ever think he could be on time, it was already late when they arrived.
Sasuke was held by the members of the lost clan, facing the Itachi looking person
"You are still weak" he said to the boy and that was the moment when he snapped
He activated the second state of the cursed seal
His skin turned grey, the white of his eyes black with a dark mark on is face, his hair blue and lastly the wings, ripping away the kimono he was wearing.
But before he could attack Orochimaru started clapping
"Great show Sasuke-kun"
The dancers turned back to their original selves, and left the stadium, leaving the Uchiha behind
Kabuto knew how he looked like in his second state, but he forgot that someone has never seen that before
"Sasuke-kun...?" she stood up with shaky legs, murmuring his name, and Kabuto honestly couldn't make himself to tell her "Monster...!" she said again, her voice filled with fear ringing in the quieted down room, reaching the ears of the boy's as well.
"Oh my my...miss Haruno, don't you recognize him?" asked Orochimaru in an amused tone, pointing with his palm towards Sasuke
He was in the middle of the room, still turned, standing there with a blank look...oh wait, it wasn't really blank, more like all emotions were sucked out of him
"That monster is...?" she said, and fell on her knees again, shaking, murmuring Sasuke's name
The boy's eyes, just for a split second, looked in pain, but it was gone before Kabuto could even realize it
Kabuto's mind was running wild, measuring every possible outcome of this
Did Orochimaru plan this?
Did Sakua react to it correctly?
Was this the goal all along?
He pulled down his palm to help her back up, but her hands were already crouching his, holding it so tightly, both of their knuckles whitened. The skin on his palm was pulsing where she touched him and he enjoyed it a moment longer before looking at her face.
Her eyes
That was the first thing he noticed
They turned glassy
Like a wrong move and they would break
And she was holding him like if she would truly break only by herself
The last Uchiha was turning back but it was too late, Kabuto knew it
Her eyes will never forget it and Sasuke will not be a peaceful thought anymore in her mind
Kabuto wanted to find out in some way about Sakura's fate from Orochimaru, when a distressed Tayuya came to them
"Kimimaro is coughing up blood again!" she half screamed
He knew what they had to do now, and picked up the pinkette to run with her towards the lab