Demons
Of Konoha
Chapter Four
Arrival
Uzumaki Naruto wanted to be the next Hokage.
The leader of a hidden shinobi village was the Kage. Depending on the village the title changed a little. For the village of Konohagakure in the fire country the title was Hokage. Naruto's childhood dream had been to be the Hokage. It still was. He hadn't gotten all the respect he had wanted. Yet he wanted one person to completely respect him first.
He wanted someone to acknowledge his existence as Naruto and not as the vessel to the Kyuubi.
Maybe even love him.
Naruto knew that being in the Syndicate he'd see Sasuke. He hadn't expected to see Sasuke so soon. Nor had he expected to see Sakura as well. At her cries for Sasuke he had instantly known it was her. So without waiting for Illia's consent he had run to find a good view. Finding one that overlooked the courtyard.
Sakura.
She was beautiful now. She had stood before Sasuke with nearly no fear. Instead as she recovered from the shock Naruto could tell she was upset. She was angry with the man standing in front of her. She had filled out nicely it seemed. Thankfully she didn't look like Tsunade. Jiraiya would've had a nosebleed if that were the case. Her green eyes were definitely darker that he could remember. He guessed it had to do with her anger towards Sasuke. Her pink hair was no longer still short. He had imagined she'd let it grow out. There it was in its shiny glory. Hanging loose and only out of her face thanks to her Konoha forehead protector.
If Sakura was beautiful...
Sasuke was plainly gorgeous…
His hair was longer now. Hanging loosely nearly reaching his shoulders. His normally black gaze was hidden behind the red eyes his bloodline was known for. His skin was still unbelievably pale and he still managed to keep his attitude. Sasuke didn't appear to have gotten taller. He also didn't appear to have gained any weight either. Seemed to have just lost a majority of the fat he still had when he was just a Genin. Yet he was Sasuke. Standing there staring down Sakura calmly.
He heard Aurie suck in a breath hastily as a woman came to Sasuke's side. Long dark red hair nearly dragged along the floor as she moved close enough to rest her hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The Kyuubi stirred uneasily. Her violet eyes seemed to glow nearly as she smiled slightly.
"Tsuki..."
Naruto jumped at the name. Glancing at Aurie's torn expression. He guessed there was Aurie's target. "Aurie?"
Aurie closed her eyes. The tears were falling again. "Damnit... She hasn't changed at all..." She slammed her fist against the windowpane. "She looks exactly the same as I saw her last year..." Aurie turned away and moved to leave. "I can't watch this... If she's out there with the Uchiha those Shinobi have no chance..."
Naruto suddenly found he had lost his patience with Aurie again. He grabbed her and pulled her back to the window. "Don't make a judgment so soon... Watch... They won't lose... It may be Sasuke... But he isn't that powerful... He'll lose to them... They outnumber him..."
"No... Sasuke won't lose..." Aurie assured. She chuckled darkly. "He won't even bleed... She'll be sure to protect him from any and all harm... So don't worry about your pretty boy... He'll come out of this... 'Game'... All in one piece..." Aurie sounded spiteful. Which surprised him greatly. He looked over the one Aurie called Tsuki. She didn't look special.
Actually Tsuki looked frail. Weak. She was beautiful in her weird way. She didn't even look like a fighter. Actually she looked like a whore. Crude comparison but she did look that way. He figured it was the image the others there were getting. She was Sasuke's whore. Then the thought struck him. What if she really was Sasuke's "whore"?
He couldn't stop the surge of jealousy.
"Don't be mad at her..." Aurie hissed. "She wouldn't ever touch Sasuke the way you're thinking of..."
Naruto frowned. "So that woman... She was the one who ruined your life..." Naruto frowned. There seemed to be a never-ending silence between Sasuke and the others down below. "She was the one..."
"She cursed me..." Aurie muttered. She glanced behind her and took note that Illia seemed to have disappeared. The demon had promised to return and reveal the rest of her plan to keep them hidden. At this point Aurie and Naruto trusted Illia. She had gotten them this far into the Syndicate. "Ruined every and any aspect of my life... She'll deny doing such a thing... But she did all of it..."
Naruto frowned. Then he redirected his attention to Tsuki and Sasuke again. Tsuki seemed to have moved behind Sasuke and draped her arms over his shoulder. She was whispering in his ear and Sasuke appeared to start smirking. He ignored the anger that began at that movement when Aurie did a similar motion to him.
"Stop worrying... They're testing if the girls in the group still have something for Sasuke..." Aurie motioned to Sakura. "Look... She flinched and took a step back... Also the blonde one clenched her fists slightly and glanced away... This will tell Tsuki that they will have some amount of hesitation in fighting Sasuke... They still like him... The boy standing to Sakura's left..."
"Shikamaru."
"He didn't react too much... Actually he just observed... Such a cool reaction tells the two he's the brain of the operation... The leader..." Aurie smiled. "The one to Sakura's right has a look of disgust..."
Naruto chuckled. "That'd be Rock Lee... He had a crush on Sakura..."
"Still has one... Tsuki and Sasuke will interpret that reaction as if he feels threatened by Sasuke's presence..." Aurie pulled her arms away and stepped back. "The blind looking one..."
"Neji. He's not blind... He has an advanced bloodline..." Naruto muttered. "What did he do?"
"Well... He just looked surprised mostly... But he seems anxious to fight as well..." Aurie paused before continuing. "That other one... Can't tell much... But he seems bothered in another way... Impatient maybe... Itching to start the fight... Like he wants to draw blood..."
Naruto shrugged. "Never seen him before... Guess he's a member of the Anbu..."
Aurie frowned. She looked around the room and shivered. "I think I need to leave... For a little while..." She hugged herself and breathed in shakily. "I can't be around her chakra flow for so long... It upsets them..."
Naruto reached out and caught Aurie's hand. "Her chakra flow is everywhere... You'd have to physically leave the syndicate..." He offered her a smile. "So just stay here... They won't attack me..."
"It's not you I'm worried about..." Aurie touched the windowpane again. "They're drawn in... Her actual chakra flow draws them in... You don't know what she is Naruto... If you knew... You'd understand..."
Naruto stared at Aurie momentarily before reassuringly squeezing her hand. "Stop worrying... And you don't have to tell me about it now... Let's just watch..." Naruto ignored the disappointment. He couldn't join in the fight now if he wanted too. Not even to save Sakura. He had been around once when Aurie had lost control. He remembered the damage. For everyone's safety he'd have to stay.
It was much the same as Gaara's insomnia. Aurie kept focused on the tasks at hand and avoided many things. One of which apparently was Tsuki. Otherwise the demons that tried to get to her actually won. Kyuubi even was sympathetic to her dilemma. Which was strange.
Actually... Kyuubi was weird now... Restless... Biting at the seal to be released...
"He feels it too..." Aurie whispered. "The Kyuubi can feel what the demons feel... The reason Tsuki's such a danger..." Aurie closed her eyes. "Her chaotic chakra... The one she never uses... They can feel it... We can't... Not unless she wants us too..."
Naruto frowned. "No I can feel it... It's not just Tsuki's chakra flow... Sasuke's chakra... It's bothering everyone too..." Naruto pressed his hand to the window. "It's different from back then... Chaotic... Dangerous... Dark... Evil..." Naruto shuddered. "Sasuke... What happened to you?"
Aurie turned to the matter at hand. "That Shikamaru appears to finally be talking... I can't tell what he's saying from here..." She frowned. "I think he's giving Sasuke the chance to surrender..."
Naruto watched as Sasuke seemed to listen before Tsuki shifted slightly. She was leering at Shikamaru. The chakra from Sasuke was getting worse. It was becoming slightly visible. It reminded Naruto of the chakra from the cursed seal. Sasuke seemed to shake his head at Shikamaru and point towards the exit. He was asking them to leave once more.
Sakura was yelling now. She tried to advance forward but Rock Lee held her back. She seemed to stiffen at his touch and shove him angrily. Naruto didn't remember Sakura being so ungrateful to Rock Lee ever before. She then resumed her advance till Ino grabbed her and held her back. Naruto bit his lower lip. Sakura looked so upset with Sasuke. Certainly far from thrilled to see the Uchiha.
Sasuke seemed indifferent to it all. His reaction reminded him of Itachi. Sasuke in many ways resembled Itachi now. Yet he was also a lot like Orochimaru. Like Naruto and Sakura he seemed destined to follow the path the Sennin had taken in their youth. He had become the evil member of their three-man cell. He could probably summon snakes and do a lot of things Orochimaru could do. Naruto wondered if he could even resurrect the dead. Also he wondered if that was even really Sasuke's real body.
What if Orochimaru did take his body and Sasuke had taken another?
No.
That made no sense. Sasuke still had the Sharigan. So it was his body. That was unless he had taken his brother's body. Naruto severely hoped Sasuke hadn't done such a thing. He didn't think Sasuke would consider in his rage to steal Itachi of his body. He'd be more focused on destroying it. At least he hoped.
Suddenly Naruto saw movement. The one he didn't recognize had moved. Rather quickly too. A katana flashed and he pushed past Shikamaru towards Sasuke. Sasuke didn't appear surprised as the shinobi struck on a slant. Actually he didn't move at all. He just stood his ground. He didn't even appear threatened to Naruto.
He didn't get hurt either. The Katana did tear through bones and flesh. It did rip through a heart and a stomach. It did effectively kill. Yet the damaged figure wasn't Sasuke. It wasn't even a last minute clone. It was a living breathing female.
Aurie shuddered. "I can't watch..." She shut her eyes. "Tsuki... Tramp! Whore! You Prostitute! You BITCH!" She shivered. Although Naruto figured it had to be because it was said out of habit. A habit maybe Aurie wasn't too fond of remembering. Especially at a time like this. "You still don't understand why do you... Why humans fear death... That's why..."
Tsuki.
She had moved into the attackers way and let the blade slice through her shoulder. A clear cut apparently. It shattered through her ribcage and killed her nearly instantly. She had thrown herself in the way like Haku had for Zabuza. Had died for Sasuke and stood in the way defending him.
And just like Zabuza...
Sasuke appeared to not even care. He leered at the attacker and wrapped his arms around Tsuki's lifeless shoulders. Naruto shuddered. He wasn't jealous at the motion. More like disgusted. Sasuke's arms were around a lifeless puppet.
"Sasuke..."
The one Naruto wanted acknowledgement from was a twisted creature now. He was a fallen angel whose wings had been clipped, burned, and broken. The Sasuke he was watching in no way resembled the one he love. He suddenly wished he hadn't come. He may have wanted Sasuke's acknowledge. Yet now he didn't want it.
He didn't want his dream either. He didn't want to be the Hokage. Sasuke would never return peacefully to Konoha. He'd never be pardoned for what he did. He'd be executed promptly. What was the point of protecting an entire village?
What was the point if his most precious person wasn't around?
He watched helplessly as his dream shattered and tightened his grip on Aurie's hand.
Why be the Hokage?
He couldn't even protect those closest to his heart...
----
Haruno Sakura had strived to be an excellent healer.
She had learned some helpful things on the side. So that she wasn't useless. So that she wouldn't be weak. She wouldn't need defending. Yet people still felt the need to defend her. She was still being pushed to the side and told to stay back. Maybe one day it would stop. She doubted it'd be soon.
In the meantime she'd defend the lives of her comrades. Heal them before they died. Keep them still alive in their world. They may be just tools on the battlefield to the lords. Yet they were still people at heart. That was what Sakura loved about shinobi. They still had hearts.
They still had reasons to be who they were. To train as hard as they did.
Sasuke used to be one of her reasons. She had loved him. Yet she was now staring at what he had become, a living nightmare to her. He was like all of those before him. Evil. His comrade stood before him having lost her life. Yet he didn't seem to care. He actually seemed to get off on her death.
Sakura shivered. What had become of Sasuke? What happened to him?
Shikamaru sounded disgusted. Stepping back. He didn't even seem to reprimand Kyu for attacking. Shikamaru had been trying to convince Sasuke to just give himself up. When the proud Uchiha had repeated his request, more like an order, for them to leave. Kyu had rushed forward and struck.
He had ended up killing the female that had come out with Sasuke. The one he apparently didn't care about.
Kyu snarled. He had missed his mark. He wasn't fond of slaying women. Yet there on his blade was the blood of a murdered female. Once violet eyes dark as the life was gone and still staring at him. They appeared to be daring him to try to kill Sasuke. He didn't understand the logic. Nor of Sasuke draping his arms around the lifeless body.
"Was she special to you Uchiha?" Shikamaru finally managed. He hadn't missed the look Sasuke shot all of them. He like Sakura had been surprised at the girl's presence. She looked like she came from a brothel or something. An innocent creature caught up in the fighting. It never was like Sasuke to get innocent people involved. He had changed. That and he had never been one to hang off a girl's shoulders.
Time did change people.
Sasuke seemed to Sakura as if thinking hard about his response. He had turned to the girl and brushed his lips on her ear. His eyes were on Sakura as he thought of a response. Finally when he closed his eyes Sakura knew he was going to respond.
"In a way... Useful..." Sasuke smirked. "Her strings are fun to pull..."
"You mean were." Neji interjected. "She's gone now Uchiha... Kyu there just killed her..." He motioned to the shinobi and the girl. "We didn't intend to kill her... She was an innocent victim..."
"She was in no way innocent..." Sasuke replied in a low tone. His eyes seemed to be laughing.
"Sorry Uchiha..." Kyu murmured. He didn't appear very sorry. Which Sakura took note of instantly. "I didn't mean to slay your whore..."
Sakura stiffened at Sasuke's next reaction. He laughed. But it wasn't a natural sounding one. It reminded her eerily of Orochimaru.
"Kukukuku..."
Sakura watched as Sasuke's eyes seemed to change. The white went black. The red seemed to glow as the symbols of the cursed seal started crossing his ivory skin like flames.
Rock Lee moved forward angrily. "Uchiha! To have given her life... She really cared about you! She was devoted to you! But you think that's just nothing! That she was nothing! You don't feel a thing! Are you really that heartless!"
Sakura flinched first. She had heard those words echo across the bridge Zabuza and Haku had died on. Naruto had called them out to the mist ninja. By the expression on Sasuke's face he was thinking about the similarity of the words. Sakura had retold that piece of the story to Sasuke. He was clearly thinking about Naruto now.
His face was an expression of pain it seemed. Rock Lee's words seemed to have struck a different meaning to Sasuke. Sasuke shifted uneasily and turned his eyes to his companion. "Tsuki..."
Sakura frowned. They had killed an innocent person. One Sasuke appeared to have loved.
"That's enough..." Sasuke hissed. "Time to wake up..."
Kyu chuckled. "Uchiha you're delusional... She's dead..."
"Am I?" Kyu pulled his katana out and backed up as the body Sasuke's arms were around started breathing again. The corpse's hand reached up and patted Sasuke's arms. "Uchiha... You can let me go now... You don't need to keep me standing..." Tsuki was straightening up as her eerie voice whispered to the Uchiha. Her violet eyes opened slowly and focused on Kyu. "I have a good idea why he moved so fast..."
Shikamaru took in what had just happened slowly. Before seeing Tsuki reach beneath her skirt and turn into view a leg holster. Out of which she pulled a double bladed kunai. "You're a shinobi..."
Sasuke smirked. He was taking in Sakura's expression now. She shivered. She didn't like the look in his eyes. It was too dangerous. It promised a lot of pain, physically and mentally. She recovered quickly and sent chakra to her hands and feet. This was going to be an ugly fight. Sasuke was promising one.
Tsuki spun the kunai experimentally. "Of course I am... I'm no whore... Despite my appearance..." She smiled. "This body was once called Tsuki Shinae... I... I was known in ancient lore plainly as 'Blood'... Right now though... I'm the Syndicate's Lady of the Silver Moon... I dislike dying like that... Do it again and I can't promise Uchiha I'll leave you alive..."
Sakura rushed forward. She pushed past Sasuke and swung her fist. It hit Tsuki square in the jaw and sent her flying backwards. The pink haired shinobi had heard enough. She had thought something was weird when she hadn't sensed any healing Chakra. Sasuke wasn't the one like Orochimaru suddenly. The female was. Whatever her name really was.
Sasuke glanced back in time to see Tsuki's body hit the Syndicate walls. The impact shattered the stone and Tsuki cried out. He leered at Sakura then. "I guess you aren't as useless as before... You're still annoying though..." With that he dropped to his hands and swept his leg for her feet.
Sakura cried out as the ground rushed up to meet her back and she hissed as her head slammed into the rock. She had been hurt worse but she hadn't expected that. When she opened her eyes Sasuke was too close, his eyes nearly boring into hers, their noses touching, and lips nearly up against hers. His action got the desired effect.
Rock Lee moved. He moved very quickly intending to use his Taijutsu to get Uchiha away from Sakura. As he was heading for Lotus though he was swiftly struck with projectiles. Neji came to his aid instantly and flung the kunai and shiruken away. Both searched around and found Tsuki walking forward spinning a new kunai in her hands. Sasuke had moved back to her side slowly.
Sakura rushed to her feet and to Rock Lee's side. Her heart was pounding. What was Sasuke up to? Shikamaru was already giving out orders to Ino who was already arming herself with the weapon her sensei used. Sending her chakra into the blades at the end and preparing to fight. It was well known to the group that Taijutsu was supposed to be the best bet against the Sharigan eye.
Kyu rushed forward with Rock Lee at Sasuke, both vanishing quickly. Sasuke's wheels spun and he blocked above. Where Rock Lee appeared to have tried to kick him. Sasuke pulled Rock Lee by his leg forward and slammed him into the ground. Then he twisted and balancing on his hands he kicked at the air. There was the sound of air escaping. Then Kyu appeared as he was kicked back towards the group. Sasuke moved out of the way as Lee recovered and blocked easily once more.
"He's being defensive..." Shikamaru whispered. Movement in the corner of his eyes alerted him of Tsuki joining in the fight. The normally lazy shinobi jumped out of harms way as kunai and shiruken impacted the ground. "She's keeping her distance..."
Sakura and Ino took the hint and rushed forward at Tsuki. Ino knocked away any of the projectiles in their path and swung at Tsuki. She dodged. But much like Kisame had with Asuma, she didn't see the blade had been stretched by Chakra. Sakura watched as she winced at the slash on her cheek. She then took advantage of her closed eyes and swung out to Tsuki. In one hand she grabbed Tsuki's long hair. The other swung for her stomach. Tsuki cried out on impact and tried to defend herself. Yet Sakura merely needed to tug on Tsuki's hair to distract her. She winced at any and all pain. Yet Sakura could see her attacks were doing practically nothing. Tsuki was healing them. She still sensed no healing chakra though.
Shikamaru watched carefully before deciding that Tsuki's obvious weak point would be her lack of tolerance for pain. He turned his eyes to Ino and gave her the okay. He watched his future wife rush forward and slice Tsuki's neckline. The dulling in the girl's eyes was immediate. Yet the time between her healing was different. Quicker. She was breathing again nearly instantly and she managed to free herself of Sakura and rushed at Ino. She looked clearly annoyed. She nearly hit Ino before Sakura finally sensed it.
"Shikamaru!"
Tsuki was frozen in her tracks. She shuddered and found she was trapped in place. Her violet orbs turned to the ground. Finding herself caught but she saw nothing. Till she realized her shadow was connected to Shikamaru. Sakura and Shikamaru didn't miss the tremble she gave when she realized she was caught in a shadow bind.
"I understand now..." Shikamaru grinned. "Clever... You have chakra drawn from others rushing above your skin... It automatically heals you with zero effort... But underneath all of that you have another chakra... One I can only see really in your eyes... That makes you nearly impossible to kill... You have no coil system..."
Sakura pulled her eyes away from the shocked Tsuki to the boys fight with Sasuke. Somehow the Uchiha was faring very well. He was predicting the attacks moments before they occurred. Even Neji was being avoided easily. Yet unlike Tsuki he hadn't taken an offensive front yet.
"Ninpo: Shintenshin No Jutsu!"
Sakura turned as Tsuki's body was invaded by Ino. She watched for a struggle. It had happened before, when Ino had invaded her body. She had tossed her out. Yet Ino gave Shikamaru the okay and she was in.
"Uchiha Sasuke!"
Sasuke paused in his actions and glanced over. He saw the slumped over Ino and Tsuki standing looking smug. It didn't take long to figure out what had happened. He dodged another blow and kicked Neji to the ground. Then used Neji as a stepping-stone and pooled chakra to his feet. He jumped off the Hyuuga high into the air and focused on Tsuki.
"If you don't surrender we'll kill her."
"Not possible."
"You forget I can read her thoughts when I'm in her... There's a way in here to be rid of her for good..."
Sasuke sneered. "Not true... I can hear her... Can't you hear me Yamanaka?" He pulled out a wind shiruken and opened it. "She wants me to kill you in her body!"
"Ino!"
Ino moved out of the way of the Shiruken and glared upwards to find Sasuke but didn't find him. She looked around in a panic. Finally she caught a glimpse of him. Rushing past Kyu after snatching the katana used earlier. He managed to evade Rock Lee and Neji easily as he charged towards her.
Kyu's reaction was too slow this time. He wouldn't make it in time either.
"INO!"
Sakura cried out as Sasuke drove the katana through Tsuki's rib cage and through her heart. Sakura had only seen this form of a reaction once before. When during their first Chunnin Exam they had seen Ino invade Kin of the Sound. Her team had turned against her and attacked her. Ino managed to escape that body still alive. But as the life faded from Ino's eyes she panicked. Ino would die. Tsuki wouldn't.
"Ino!"
Sasuke sneered. He pulled the Katana out and tossed it to Shikamaru's feet, the blood splattering on the ground. "She should've sensed that she didn't completely silence her..."
Sakura rushed forward as the body crumpled to the ground. She worked on healing the wound. What if Ino didn't make it? Tsuki's eyes were dulling. "Ino get out before the body dies! Ino!" A rush of relief came as Ino managed to release the jutsu just as Tsuki's eyes went blank. Sakura moved to rush to her friend's aid when she felt her shirt grabbed. She was yanked forward and met Tsuki's infuriated gaze.
"You're lucky he told me not to kill any one of you..." Tsuki hissed. Sakura shivered. At such a close distance Tsuki's real chakra was felt. It was unnerving. She hissed and slammed her fist into Tsuki's stomach and freed herself as the Shinobi winced. She backed up into Sasuke though, not very big steps in getting her freedom.
Sakura shuddered as Sasuke's lips brushed her ear. "You should've just left..."
Ino was coughing violently enough that she didn't see Tsuki move. Nor did she feel the chakra, till she was struck hard enough to slam into the Syndicate walls. As Ino tried to recover Tsuki struck her again. Sakura watched as Ino slumped to the ground unconscious.
"You can't save them Sakura..."
Sakura shoved away from Sasuke. His chilling voice made her body tremble. She stood in place as Sasuke rushed towards the stunned Shikamaru. Why couldn't she move? Why couldn't she defend them? Why couldn't she save them? Sakura shuddered as tears fell and she dropped to the ground.
"Sakura!"
She heard Shikamaru as he was attacked by her former teammate. She didn't watch. She couldn't. She was still weak. She was still pathetic. Still... Annoying...
Why be a healer?
She couldn't save her loved ones...
----
Uchiha Sasuke trained to be the perfect shinobi.
One who would make the village proud and put his elder brother to shame. He had wanted to protect everyone in the village. Make the clan's name mean even more than it already did. He maybe even wanted to be the head of the clan one day. All of this was impossible.
Itachi killed the clan. He left the village. All he had was that goal to be the best now.
Sasuke watched the bushes he had managed to throw Shikamaru into carefully. He had to be careful when it came to the genius from Konoha. He had overheard him analyze Tsuki's chakra flow already. If anyone could exploit a weakness it would be him. So he took advantage of the shock of loosing Ino to take care of the genius. When he was certain Shikamaru wouldn't be getting back up he turned to Tsuki.
He had been a tad frightened earlier when Ino invaded Tsuki's body. Yet the cryptic female had reassured him through their link that she was fine. So he took advantage and attacked Ino. Shikamaru's friend hadn't stood a chance. Tsuki had recovered quickly and took care of the blonde female. Giving him the chance to attack the leader.
Now the two members of Akumu turned on the remaining shinobi from Konohagakure, the place where Sasuke was born and raised. Where the majority of those still standing had known him. Had gone to classes with him. Had entered examinations alongside him. Yet their presence disgusted him. Only because he wasn't there with them…
Sasuke turned his gaze on Sakura. Messing with her had turned out to be a lot of fun. Yet he knew if she landed a hit on him he'd be in trouble. Orochimaru had problems with Tsunade. He'd be at a disadvantage in a fight with Sakura.
Sansukumi. Snake. Snail. Frog. Snake beat Frog. Frog beat Snail. Snail beat Snake. The three Sennin had been in many ways like that triad. The same rules could apply to the original members of Team Seven. Which meant Sakura would have the advantage in many aspects in a fight against Sasuke. Snail beat Snake.
Sakura seemed to have hit her limit. She charged forward at Tsuki though. Not towards Sasuke. She had an obvious reservation in striking the Uchiha, none at all in hitting Tsuki. Neji joined her automatically, the two deciding to together make the job difficult for Tsuki.
Sasuke directed his attention than forward at Rock Lee and Kyu. There was another weakness here he could exploit. "Hey... Lee was it?"
Rock Lee glared at Sasuke. He nodded. The Uchiha couldn't have forgotten his name right?
"Once... You could defeat me..." Sasuke started slowly. "I never got a rematch..."
Rock Lee frowned. He remembered that. He had experimented his skill by taking on the Uchiha. Defeating him with his high speed Taijutsu. Now though the Uchiha was standing his ground. Suddenly it occurred to Lee what Sasuke was up to. "Kyu... Careful... He'll copy our moves and make them his own..."
Kyu drew out a new sword. A shorter one this time so he could remain at a closer range. Better for his defenses too. "Don't lose your cool..."
Sasuke sneered. "He wouldn't lose his cool..." Sasuke reached up and tightened the white headband bearing Akumu's symbol. Letting the ends fall loosely down his back. "At least not until he realizes Sakura still wants me... And he was merely a very poor replacement..."
Kyu reached out a bit too late as Rock Lee charged forward. He stumbled at the force Konoha's green beast had sped past him in. "No. Lotus..."
Sasuke's eyes recognized the move. He saw the before images heading his way. He could tell where was best to dodge. He moved easily to the side and sent his own body into motion. As Lee skidded to a halt his body protested thanks to the strain he had put on his muscles. He had to be very careful not to mess up his body like he had years ago against Gaara. He frowned not seeing Sasuke till he was slammed up into the air. He had forgotten his own warning. Lee brought up his hands to defend himself. Expecting Sasuke's Lion Combo.
"Nice guess..." Sasuke whispered. He knocked Lee away from him a fair distance before summoning chakra to his cheeks. After executing the necessary katas he stopped on the seal of the tiger. Then blew from his mouth the Uchiha Clan's Grand Fireball.
Sasuke watched Lee try to protect himself best from the fireball as he prepared his next attack. He wasn't going to give Lee too much time to really recover. That could be dangerous. Lee might be faster than him. So he launched his next assault as Lee neared the ground. Better if he kept him off his feet. Sasuke landed on the Syndicate's roofing. Unaware that he had just landed directly in front of the window Naruto was still watching from. Because he didn't know he placed the reason for the sudden feeling of happiness in beating Rock Lee.
He launched a three-pronged Sharigan attack and wrapped Lee up in the thin nearly invisible strings. As with Orochimaru he managed the chakra to release the fire dragon flame technique and cover Lee in flames.
"Lee!"
Sasuke smirked. Sakura had suddenly become aware of what he was doing. He yanked Lee's burned body forward with just about the last of his momentum in the air. As Lee came close enough he initiated the last piece of his plan to rid himself of Lee. Now he'd use the Lion Combo.
"LEE!"
"Shit!"
"Lee!"
Sasuke moved away from Lee's shuddering body. He was still alive. Sasuke could've killed him at anytime. But then where would the fun be in that? "I win..."
He watched as Sakura desperately tried to free Lee and heal him all at once. Kyu tightened his grip on his sword, before moving forward and cutting the lines as carefully as possible. Neji focused on keeping Sasuke at bay with Tsuki. Sasuke motioned for Neji to come on forward. Like his brother had so many years ago.
Sure enough Neji rushed forward. Shikamaru said his attacks were pretty useless against Tsuki. There were no points to strike. But Sasuke was vulnerable to the attack. So Neji charged. They would not fail here.
Sasuke didn't move merely smirked. He didn't need to dirty his hands with the Hyuuga's blood. Tsuki stepped into Neji's line of sight forming Kata's quickly. She managed to pull off her intended jutsu and charge forward. Inches from impacting with Neji she leapt into the air. Freeing from her hair the large shiruken she used to keep her hair up in a ponytail and aiming for the ground.
"Try knocking this away..."
Sasuke watched as Sakura stopped trying to heal Rock Lee and looked up. The air had chilled considerably as black chakra released from Tsuki and wrapped around the projectile. As she flung it Sakura knew it was trouble. Neji would sense the attack's severity. Sasuke watched as Neji prepared his ultimate defense. Building up chakra to fling the shiruken back.
"No! That chakra will turn yours against you!" Sakura got up and ran forward. Not Neji too. She didn't want to lose another companion. "Run Neji!"
The attack hit and there was an explosion on the ground. Blood splattered across Sakura's face along with debris. She dropped to her knees and waited for the smoke to clear. Her knees felt weak she couldn't get up.
"Don't be dead..."
"I told her not to kill anyone..." Sasuke muttered. He didn't think too much about why he had decided to consol her. He just did, it was something in him that hadn't changed. He still acted without thinking too much about people's feelings.
Sakura gasped in relief seeing Neji's body still breathing. She watched Kyu run forward and survey the damage. "Kyu? What happened?"
"She just managed to blast his own chakra and her own back at him..." Kyu frowned. "She knew he'd defend like this... We're lucky he ran out of a lot of chakra earlier facing Sasuke... If he had used all the necessary chakra for his defense..."
Sakura shuddered. Sasuke could tell that the level of Tsuki's knowledge disturbed her. Sasuke decided it would be wise not to comment that Tsuki was only useful against advanced bloodlines. Speaking of which. She had told him earlier she knew why Kyu moved so quickly. He had an advanced bloodline as well.
"Tsuki?"
"Yes?"
"Take care of him..." Sasuke directed his attention to Sakura. "I need to speak with her..." He walked off as Tsuki rolled her eyes and moved towards Kyu. He didn't bother to really watch. He wasn't horribly fond of copying Tsuki's jutsu. They wasted an excessive amount of chakra. Plus the majority were mostly meant to just end the opponent's life. There was no fun in that.
Sasuke happened to like the horrified look crossing Sakura's face at that moment. He couldn't quite explain why but he did. She was moving in his way and protecting Rock Lee from any more harm. Raising her fists ready to attack. Sasuke kept advancing. He knew she'd never swing her fist at him. At least not yet.
He'd have to break her into a million pieces first. Just like Itachi did to him.
He watched her lower her fists, as he stopped not more than an inch away from her. Sasuke watched the tears that fell from her green eyes. They were red. She had been crying for some time now. He hadn't noticed earlier when she was holding up well against Tsuki. "Sasuke..."
He smirked and reached forward. She was still shorter than him it seemed. It wasn't by much. He was just barely taller. Her ran his fingertips over her skin. She tried to step back. Rock Lee was in the way. She shivered.
Sasuke's fingers ghosted over her skin. He stepped closer. Too close. Sakura could hear his soft breathing. Could see her reflection in his eyes. She glanced for Kyu, only to watch him cry out and fly into the bushes after receiving a brutal attack from Tsuki. The same ones Shikamaru had been disposed of in.
The raven-haired teen glanced to Tsuki. She was radiating anger again. As she dropped next to the bushes he realized something had gone wrong. He'd deal with it later though. He had Sakura to play with for now.
"I love you..."
Sasuke didn't seem surprised. He did lightly kick Rock Lee. Pointing out that Sakura had come with him.
"I love him too..."
Sasuke shook his head. She didn't seem to change too much. She had clammed up again being so close to him. He seemed to have that effect on people. He kept his gaze on her steady. He'd let her continue her mindless babbling. He would've paid more attention probably. If it had been the other member of Team Seven.
"I love him more than you Sasuke..." Sakura hissed. Clenching her fists. Glaring straight into Sasuke's eyes. "He was there for me... Always around... Just like Ino and Shikamaru were always around for each other! Do you even care about what you did? Sure you killed Itachi but you killed yourself!"
Sasuke shifted slightly and leaned forward. "I accomplished my goal... Neither Naruto or you succeeded in your goals..."
Sakura frowned. The goals they had told to Kakashi. That's what Sasuke had brought up. Old history. Sasuke's goal was to kill Itachi. Naruto's was to become Hokage. Sakura's was to get Sasuke. A hopeless dream now that she thought back on it. Yet there he was. So close to her. "Naruto would hate you..."
Sasuke pulled away automatically. He glared at Sakura. She had no right to claim what Naruto would feel. "You barely knew him... You ignored him constantly... He always liked you... Wanted you to go out with him... He generally liked you..." Sasuke smirked. "I always hated you... You were annoying..."
Sakura smiled. "That's what you say... At least I knew something about Naruto... He doesn't like those who step on others... He put up with you Sasuke... He probably won't with the monster you've become..." She shoved Sasuke back and raised her fists again. "He'll hate you!"
Sasuke stared as she hit the ground. Releasing the maximum amount of chakra from her fist and breaking the ground. Sasuke stumbled on the breaking ground and Sakura took her chance and ran forward. She wasn't intending to hit Sasuke though. She had been watching closely enough.
Tsuki obstructed her path predictably. Sakura gathered the most chakra she could and punched Tsuki's face. She watched the shinobi soar into the Syndicate building. Then observed as she tried to stand. She could see that she couldn't. Pain was one factor. Yet Sakura had effectively messed up her nervous system. She watched Tsuki cry out and try to get up. Till violet orbs dulled and she collapsed.
Sasuke stared. Sakura had knocked out Tsuki. That was something. Sasuke trained his gaze on Sakura. He had been very wrong. She had changed a considerable amount. She was stronger, a lot more than he had wanted to admit. She had wrecked the ground. Had knocked out Tsuki. If she had the strength to hit him he would've been out cold. Sasuke got to his feet and smiled finally.
"Sasuke..." Sakura stepped back. She never remembered a smile like that being directed in her direction. It reminded her why she once loved Sasuke. When he walked up to her this time she dropped her hands and intended to just stand there.
"Sakura..." Sasuke reached forward and ran his fingers through her silky pink hair. "I lied... I never hated you..." He stepped closer. "You've grown up..." His fingers went to her forehead.
He was watching her with bedroom eyes suddenly. She shuddered. Her body was reacting suddenly. She tried to remind herself that she loved Lee.
"You have such a noble brow. So charming... I could kiss it!"
Sakura gasped as Sasuke kissed her forehead. Her body was starting to feel like it was on fire. What was going on? Not too long ago he had the intent to kill her! Something was wrong... But it felt so right...
Sasuke pulled Sakura's chin up a little and his lips met hers.
Sakura was melting. She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's shoulders and closed her eyes. Unaware his eyes were still open as they kissed. As Sakura's knees were about to give Sasuke seemed to shift. Then she felt it. She realized she had been tricked. Sakura tried to pull away. Her hands slammed against Sasuke's chest and she cried out in her throat, tears falling again. He tricked her. Sasuke's teeth snapped down on her lips and he shoved her away.
He still held the kunai he had just stabbed her with. On his face was a sick twisted smile, his blood red gaze taking her in as she collapsed to her knees. For the same reason why she couldn't shove him away Sakura couldn't heal the wound. She had used up too much chakra too fast. She sobbed at the pain. Not from the wound, but of the betrayal. She had betrayed Lee to be stabbed by Sasuke.
Sasuke watched Sakura struggle to stay conscience and turned his back on her as her eyes rolled back. He started walking to the Syndicate as he wiped his lips. "Predictable..." He stepped in through the door and watched the members of the organization rush out. "Capture the Konoha ninjas and bring Tsuki back to her room." He ordered as he walked past them all.
He should've felt sad, maybe remorseful. He felt disgusted though. Annoyed at the tactics he had to use to defeat Sakura. That was his second kiss. Luckily it wasn't his first. This one he could ignore. The next one he intended to remember. And it wouldn't be a far away dream.
He longed to taste the Miso Ramen lips again...
Sasuke had proudly proclaimed to Sakura that he had succeeded at his goal. That had been a lie. He was still far off from being the perfect shinobi. He made careless mistakes. He had to resort to low tactics to avoid damage in the battle. He had come practically unscathed from the fight. Thanks to Tsuki that was.
By the time he reached the door to his room he thought over Sakura's words. Would Naruto really hate him? He thought carefully. Naruto wanted to be the Hokage. Sasuke wanted to be the best Shinobi around. The two would be able to maintain their rivalry if both dreams came through. If Naruto hated Sasuke... Then why bother at all?
Why be a shinobi?
If he wouldn't get to see the smile on his rivals face...