She watched Sasuke's clone outrun hers by what must have been a few meters only. Her training with Lee was starting to breed results though she was nowhere near as fast as him yet. Sakura tried telling herself that ranking just below Sasuke was no small feat even as disappointment clawed at her chest.
Less so because she lost and more because of what that loss meant.
I can't make Sasuke-kun promise to stay with us.
There was no time to dwell on that, however. The sound of two kunai clashing together let Sakura know as much. From the clouds of smoke that the explosive tags left behind in their wake, she spotted Haku and Sasuke facing off against each other.
He is quick...she observed quietly, shoulders squared and looking for openings only for dread to fill her entire being upon discovering none. Jade green eyes were trying and failing to track his movements. Her dark haired teammate was having a hard time, also. Neither one of us can catch up to this guy...Although...
Sakura's brows furrowed as her gaze landed on their other foe.
...if Zabuza won't enter this fight until Kakashi-sensei shows up, then Sasuke-kun and I should be able to take down Haku.
"Katon: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"
More fire meant more smoke but she wouldn't let that slow her down. Pushing a bit of controlled chakra waves to her eyes, Sakura improved her vision, locating the fake hunter nin and sprinting to attack.
"SHANNAROO!"
Enchancing her fist's strength, she drew it back only to smack the ground. The pinkette watched as the bridge underneath them split itself open with a satisfactorily resounding crack. Nowhere near the damage her future self had been able to inflict but good enough to catch Haku off guard. Sasuke had moved out of the way moments before the impact, recognizing Sakura's battle cry and heeding its warning.
"What monstrous strength..." The young Kirigakure shinobi remarked, landing a bit less gracefully after almost getting his leg crushed. Had he been a few seconds slower, that blow would have rendered him incapable of moving. "It seems your combat abilities are just as fearsome as your power of perception...Sakura-san, was it?"
Joining Sasuke, she briefly scanned his body for serious injures, letting out a breath of relief when said search turned out negative.
"What's your strike limit, Sakura?"
She perked up at the question.
It was a sensible inquiry, she supposed.
What does he have in mind?
"Three times. Four, if I force it. But if I do that, I won't have any chakra left for healing." A pause, followed by a shake of her head. "We had the element of surprise, earlier but now that he knows what to expect... I doubt I will manage to land a hit."
Sasuke grunted, acknowledging her reasoning. He kept his eyes trained on Haku, wary. "...And what if you wouldn't use as much chakra?"
Does he want me to pull my punches?
Despite the strange nature of his request, Sakura frowned, deep in thought. "Eleven, maybe fourteen depending on how I distribute it but I don't-"
"The masked-nin saw what your punches can do and won't take the chance. So, it doesn't matter how much destruction you actually cause, Sakura...just the idea of it will be enough to keep him on the defensive."
Sasuke looked at her from the corner of his eye, serious. "I don't intend to sit by and watch, either."
She nodded, eyes glinting with determination of her own.
"Wakatta."
There was a faint smirk on the young Uchiha's features.
"Let's go, Sakura."
It was a smirk she mirrored right back at him, though hers was slightly more nervous.
"Hai, Sasuke-kun."
They had never fought back to back before. In the timeline she had come from, it was always Naruto and Sasuke teaming up together, protecting her. But now, it was just the two of them and this time, unlike their run-in with Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death, she'd be carrying her own weight.
Sakura couldn't be reckless and use too little chakra, however, since bluff or not bluff, her fist would be still making contact with the ground. Without enough chakra to cushion them, she'd be breaking her knuckles repeatedly - and that was without taking nerve damage into consideration which could end up paralyzing her hands for good.
Were she capable of performing the One Hundred Healings Seal, this would have been easy. She'd be able to regenerate over and over again without thinking about it, be less cautious about how her own strength and brute combat tactics could end up harming herself instead of the enemy.
But I don't have shishou's jutsu so I need to suck it up. Sakura gritted her teeth, relentlessly pursuing Haku.
While Sasuke remained standing beside Tazuna, he would alternate between throwing shuriken and using his fire jutsu, providing long range support and thus covering for Sakura's blind spots.
A bead of sweat rolled down Haku's forehead, her lips curling upwards at the sight of it. He was getting tired. Sasuke's plan was working.
Naruto and Kakashi-sensei will be here soon. We just need to hold on until-
A shiver ran down her spine as the air grew cold. Sakura's eyes widened at the sudden change in temperature, watching Haku form unfamiliar hand signs.
"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
All around the pinkette, mirrors made out of pure ice stretched out, effectively trapping her.
Sasuke can't see Sakura anymore.
Months ago, that wouldn't have bothered him. Good riddance, he'd think. A break, finally. One less fangirl to the amount he struggled with on a daily basis. That was months ago, though, while they were attending the Academy and the worst injury Sakura could have gotten was a sprained ankle or broken arm - and even that had been unlikely, considering how much Iruka doted on them as though they were his children.
He doesn't remember his own father being as caring.
But that's a thought for another time and a different place. Right now, his priorities lay elsewhere. They lay with his teammate. His teammate, who is stuck in an ice dome, a secret jutsu he knows nothing about. The only thing he is sure of it's that both Water and Wind Release had to merge for it to exist.
And though Kakashi had briefly tackled kekkei genkai that make up more than one chakra nature, there had been no details or ways of counterattack explained.
Probably thought we wouldn't need it at this point in our training.
Sasuke curses under his breath, glancing between Tazuna and the ice mirrors. With Zabuza around, he can't possibly abandon their client to help Sakura. His personal beef with Kakashi aside, whose to say Zabuza won't move to kill Tazuna the second he leaves him alone?
Put the mission first.
It's the code all shinobi must abide by, no matter what happens. He knows this, has prepared himself for this. Following said code shouldn't be hard-
Right at that moment, a blood curling scream tears through the young Uchiha's thoughts, the hair at the back of his neck standing up. The high-pitched noise is instantly recognizable, fills him up with dread.
His body moves on its own next.
"Oi, brat! What is-" Tazuna demands, trying to wiggle his arm free as though fearful Sasuke is going to exchange him for Sakura.
One glare is enough to shut the old man up and make him follow. If he can't leave him, he will drag him along. As they reach the ice dome, Sasuke goes through the handsigns, blowing a huge fireball in its direction. He waits, anxiously, for results but nothing happens. None of the mirrors melt. They would, if his glare were a jutsu but that's a privilege he has no access to yet. One day he will.
But that day isn't today.
So, he tries again. And again and again until he runs the risk of chakra depletion. It's all fruitless.
Put the mission first.
He repeats it tirelessly, just like a mantra, in a desperate attempt to tone out all else, tone out Sakura - Sakura, who needs him and whom he can't join because he is stuck with stupid guard duty and where is the dobe when he could fucking use some backup?
Put the mission first.
Sasuke can't see Sakura anymore, he can only hear her screams.
And it terrifies him.
A/N: Here I am, back with another chapter after all this time. I don't even know how long you guys have waited for it. A year, two...almost three? For what is worth, I haven't forgotten about this fanfic. Lots of stuff happened, most of them bad and thus I needed to take a huge break from it all. On a brighter note, things seem to be slowly getting better. Proof of that is my newfound motivation to continue writing my stories! I honestly thought I lost the ability to do so. I am glad I haven't and I hope it doesn't leave me again anytime soon.
That being said, I won't promise when the next update is going to be because I honestly don't know. I am pretty rusty (as you can see with chapter 11). It's much shorter than what you guys are used to getting from me but I'd wager a small start is better than nothing. I will try to write like I used to but for now I am happy I even managed to pull off this much. Sasuke and Sakura took the spotlight this time but don't worry, Naruto and Kakashi will be back next chapter.