The Art of Deception
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Author's Note: This has the most reviews out of all of my other stories. Altogether, after one night, I had 20 reviews on one chapter, and that was a couple days after I actually posted it. So much love to all of you guys-- my loyal fanbase! I'm so glad you guys think I'm that good. Because you're so great, I decided to work my ass off and give you a shortchapter before I leave. The last chapter will come when I get back. Ja ne!
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Scroll VI: The Days We're Given
We live, we love,
We forgive and never give up...
-- Superchick; We Live
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"DAMN IT, LET ME GO!"
Sakura's enraged shout echoed throughout the compound as she kicked at her captors, consciousness barely returned. She could hardly see, but her voice burst from her lungs like a driven force before her eyes had even opened. Slowly, like a slide on a microscope coming into focus, she made out the silver ponytail that was Kabuto and the Sharingan eyes that were Sasuke. An iron grip closed on her wrists as she thrashed wildly, jade eyes clearing from their haze and sparking with anger.
"Kabuto, get on watch. Hyuuga will have informed the Hokage. There'll be teams on the way. Inform Orochimaru-sama."
The round glasses shined as Kabuto nodded and vanished, only a current of air signifying that he was once there. Sasuke turned to the pink-haired kunoichi in front of him, struggling furiously. "Let me go, Sasuke, I mean it." Her voice was soft and deadly. "I'm not joking."
"Neither am I, Sakura." He forced her against the wall, his hands closed against her wrists tightly.
"Why did you capture me in the first place?" she hissed, cursing Tsunade, her stupidity, Sasuke, and Ino for making her buy that damned dress all in one.
"You work with the Hokage, do you not?" he murmured, looking over her disheveled appearance with something close to pain. "Orochimaru-sama would love to hear those secrets... plus, you've interfered with our assassination mission."
"The Kage of Lightning, I suppose," she said with a little less bite, looking at him strangely. Why had he looked so sad when he'd looked at her? She didn't even know Sasuke could do emotion. And why, damn it, wasn't she fighting anymore? She couldn't let herself hurt him. He was part of Team Seven. He was her old love. Damn her, she was so stupid!
But when Sasuke looked at her again, the traces of emotion were gone. "Of course. Now, Sakura, if you'd be kind enough to divulge... we've heard that the Hokage has been planning an attack. I'm sure you'd know all about it, being her assistant of sorts."
Sakura scowled at him. She knew the details, of course, but she wouldn't tell him anything. "I'm not her assistant, you jackass, I'm her apprentice. I've been trained by her and many others."
He looked slightly surprised. "Apprentice? Others? Others, as in...?"
She sighed irritably. "Rock Lee, Hyuuga Neji, Naruto,Kaka-sensei... do I need to go on? And yes, I am her apprentice. Don't look so surprised."
Sasuke quickly wiped off the shock. "So you've learned new things." He smirked and chuckled coldly. "Still the same Haruno Sakura, though... still the same weak, annoying girl that pined over me when she was twelve. Sad, really."
Her temper rose immediately, and she clenched her fists. "What do you mean? You don't know anything about me, bastard! You haven't seen me in years!"
"There's not much to see."
She let out a roar of pure rage and used his grip on her wrists to pick him up and throw him across the room, eyes hard and battle-ready. "So there's not much to see?" she repeated through gritted teeth, ripping off the bottom of the dress to reveal short shorts for easier movement. "Let's just see about that."
"Let's." He landed gracefully on his feet, still smirking, Sharingan activated. He waited until she charged, shuriken flying towards him, and leapt over her head, making a move to kick her in the back. She grabbed his foot and stopped him, kicking his stomach. As he held onto her foot in turn, she used her body to twist and try and kick him again, but was rudely stopped as he caught that foot, too. "Sakura, Sakura... you should know better."
She twisted her upper body under his legs and grasped his katana, pulling it out of the sheath and faced him again, lunging her torso at him to stab him. He vanished with a quick leap, making her fall unceremoniously to the floor. "Shit," she cursed softly, using the katana to stand. She looked around frantically. Where was he? She slammed her fist into the ground, revealing a definitely-shocked Uchiha Sasuke.
The shock quickly transformed into a grudging respect as he ran at her, the two engaging in a quick spout of taijutsu. Evidence of Rock Lee was evident in her style, but there were also distinctly Sakura-esque moves in there, too. He copied them with his Sharingan, marveling in the way she moved, like it was a dance. "You've gotten better, I'll give you that," he said, blocking a punch that would have broken his neck, "but you've got a long way to go to defeat me."
"We'll see." She found an opening and quickly took advantage of it, kicking at him. The kick fell short, and he smirked. It vanished quickly, though, as pure chakra came from her foot, sending him through the wall and outside.
Sakura leapt after him, throwing a barrage of kunais and shuriken that was vaguely reminiscent of Tenten, Konoha's weapons mistress. His katana was tied to her waist by the scrap of dress she'd torn off, a work of quick and nimble fingers as she jumped. Sasuke leapt up, dodging most of the weapons (a couple shuriken cut his clothes) and launched himself towards her, performing handsigns. Fireballs shot from his mouth in quick succession, making her jump up from the ground several times to avoid them. She winced as a stray jet of fire scorched her arm, burning the flesh painfully.
The medic nin's eyes widened in fear as Sasuke bore down on her, punching her in the gut multiple times and kicking her into a tree. She coughed slightly, wincing at the blood that spattered the ground and ran from her chin. His face was sickeningly triumphant as he stood over her. "I told you, Sakura, you've got a long way to go before you defeat me."
"Shut... up, you... asshole..." Muttering more curses, she placed a hand on her stomach, reveling in his wide eyes as she healed herself. Standing steadily, she got into battle position once more, smug amusement flickering over her face. "Surprised, Sasuke? I told you I was Tsunade-shishou's apprentice, didn't I?"
Her answer was a series of kunais at the tree that she was leaning on. The girl quickly dodged them all, running towards him while forming handsigns. Two clones on each side appeared. They ran in diagonals, crossing in front of each other, and leapt at Sasuke, punching and kicking. Sasuke growled at the clones, slashing at each one, but they maddeningly leapt back. When he finally managed to defeat the last one, he looked around. Where was she? Before he could do anything, she landed in front of him, running at him with a determined look in her seafoam-green eyes.
He narrowed his eyes, his Sharingan analyzing her move. She would either leap over him and get him from the back, or do a head-on attack. When she didn't tense her muscles to jump, he got into defensive position. He was unprepared, though, for what happened next.
One arm went around his neck and the other, holding a kunai, into his stomach. From any other perspective, it would have looked like an embrace, but she was actually stabbing him. He felt her hand on his back, pressing him into the kunai. The scent of her hair washed over him like some sort of toxic perfume. With a swift kick, she was sent flying to the ground.
Wincing as she got up, a flash of fear crossed over her as she regarded his look of intense anger. His curse seal flashed, and the lines started crossing over his face. The kunai stuck in his stomach. "Sakura... damn you..." he mumbled. "Is that the best you can do?"
Regaining her courage, she smirked at him, standing up a bit shakily this time. "Sasuke, I think you should pay attention the hand I put on your back."
His Sharingan eyes widened as a boom came from behind him, fire spreading through his shirt as the exploding tag she'd stuck on him went off. Yelling at the burn, he threw his shirt off, not caring that it landed on a tree which promptly caught fire. "DAMN YOU!" he repeated loudly, charging at her.
Sakura's eyes widened. He was fast! "No...!" she whispered, starting to run herself. "He'll kill me with that curse seal spreading!"
"Indeed. It was unwise of you to taunt him so."
A serpentine voice, the voice that had haunted her nightmares, caused her to stop in her tracks and look behind her. Sasuke was being restrained by another legendary Sannin, a snakelike eye regarding her curiously. "O-Orochimaru!" she breathed, suddenly infinitely more afraid.
"Hai, Orochimaru." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's good to see you again... Haruno Sakura, was it? Sasuke-kun here has been missing you..."
She clenched a kunai tight. Missing me? Sasuke? Sasuke's burning shirt had spread now to other trees. Smoke filled the air.
"He was quite upset when he saw you and the Hyuuga boy together, you know. I'd suggest stopping the fight before you get more hurt." Orochimaru looked at her with a smile that made her want to retch.
"Move, Orochimaru!" she shouted, courage returning. "I will not give up! Not now! I will take him back to Konoha!"
"He'll be executed, you know."
"I DON'T CARE!" she yelled, half-sobbing.
"You do care, little one," he said with a pedophillic smile, "otherwise you wouldn't be holding back against dear Sasuke-kun here." He looked at her, tilting his head to the side. "Go on, little girl. Leave, or you'll be killed with the rest of this village. Report to little Tsunade, go ahead... give her my warm regards."
"Tell her yourself, bastard."
Neji flew from a tree, throwing a kunai at the snake nin.
Sakura nearly collapsed in relief.
Orochimaru hissed in anger at the interruption. "Sasuke-kun," he said to the boy, "I leave this to you." Without another word, the serpentine shinobi vanished.
Sasuke stepped forward, the curse seal spreading further still over his body. "Hyuuga. Glad you made it."
Neji stepped in front of Sakura, his pearl, chakra-fueled eyes narrowed with extreme hatred. "Traitor."
A stream of fire flew at Neji in response, who immediately leapt over it, his foot outstretched. It met dirt as Sasuke jumped back. Sakura dodged the fire, as well, running towards them. Neji growled, blocking a kick and returning with one of his own. "Sakura, get back!"
"No," she retorted, kicking Sasuke back, "I vowed along time ago not to watch from the sidelines anymore."
Sasuke snorted, a slightly crazed look in his eyes. "I don't need to waste my time with either of you. Hyuuga, it'd be better for you if you just surrendered the girl to me."
"I am not a posession!" Sakura shouted, running at him with a kick to the face. She noticed with a sinking heart that the forest was burning faster now. They needed to go, and soon.
He dodged it easily and slammed a fist into her stomach, making her cough up more blood on his arm. Neji, enraged, activated his Gentle Fist style, running at the Konoha traitor witha look of animosity in his eyes. The two battled quickly and effectively, Sasuke dodging Neji's touches and Neji blocking Sasuke's whirling extremities. Suddenly, Neji's palm was encased in chakra. Sakura gasped. He was pulling the ultimate... trying to actually kill Sasuke.
At the same time, Sasuke ran back, landing yards and yards away from the murderous Hyuuga. Blue chakra gathered in his hand as he sped forward. Neji ran towards him, too. An extreme sense of deja vu crossed Sakura's mind.
Naruto, with Rasengan.
Sasuke, with Chidori.
Both speeding towards eachother.
Kakashi's eyes widening.
Her own feet, carrying her towards them, trying to stop them.
And she felt them doing it again, molding chakra into her feet to go faster as the two ran to each other, homicidal glints in their eyes.
It all happened in slow motion.
Fire. Lots of fire, in the trees.
Sakura's mind whirled.
"Neji, NO!"
"Sasuke, NO!"
"NO!"
"STOP IT!"
"STOP IT NOW!"
Tears.
Salty tears, streaking down her face, dripping down her chin as she stood in between them, feet placed steadily, knees bent, hands outstretched, hair falling out.
They kept going.
It was when she opened her eyes that Sasuke stopped. Those eyes, brimming with tears, jade green with golden rims, with blood trickling from under the left eye from a cut he had given her.
It was when she sunk to her kenes that Neji stopped. That pitiful look, that burning horror he could feel emanating from her that she couldn't stop it, that she couldn't stop her two loves... one from the past and one from the present... from killing each other.
They stopped at exactly the same time, and ran to her at exactly the same time, but Neji was a split second faster in hugging her tightly. Sasuke could only watch, his curse seal dimming, his Sharingan eyes turning back to their normal onyx, as his rival enveloped one of the two women he'd ever cared for into his arms. "Stop..." she was mumbling. "I can't stand it..." She pushed Neji off her and stood, facing Sasuke. Her head was down, but she brought it up, staring at him intensely and stepping forward until they were inches apart.
Neji watched with a equal parts of anger, suspicion, and concern as the love of his life stared at the traitor.
Sasuke was taken aback. The green dress, tattered and ripped at the hips, was bound with the belt of the same material that held his katana. Her shorts were ripped in several places, blood leaking from her many wounds and the burn on her arm black, red, and angry. Tears were still in her eyes, still making their way down her cheek, around her nose, and falling onto the dusty ground, where they mixed with her falling blood. "Sasuke," she said sternly, "if you kill him, I will kill you." There was a significant push behind each word as she pronounced them with impeccable diction, never blinking at him. "If you turn on Konoha one more time, I will kill you."
"I want to go back," he said hoarsely, staring at her, "after I kill Itachi."
"Sasuke..." She looked at him almost pityingly. "That's the problem. After you kill Itachi, you'll still be hated. Unless you can kill Orochimaru, too, then you'll never be welcome in Konoha."
"What if I kill Orochimaru?"
"You can't."
"I'll try."
"Sasuke, you'll die," she protested, grabbing his shoulders and forcefully shaking him, "and I don't want you to die! You're my teammate, my friend, and... and even though I love Neji, damn it, in some horrible way I love you, too!" In the moment of silence that followed, the crackling of the flames warned her that they had to leave.
Neji looked at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She released Sasuke and backed into Neji's embrace thankfully. "Just... be careful. Please," she pleaded.
Sasuke looked at her, opening his mouth to say something, but was interrupted.
"NEJI! SAKURA-CHAN! SASUKE!" Naruto's voice was loud as he raced towards them, followed closely by Kiba and Shikamaru. The latter two grabbed weapons immediately, preparing to subdue Sasuke, but Sakura put out a hand.
"No, please. Not now." She grabbed Neji's hand and looked at Sasuke, then at Naruto. For once, the blonde seemed to understand a delicate situation and motioned for Shikamaru and Kiba to put their weapons away. "Sasuke," Sakura said, "leave. Go with Orochimaru. But remember my warning. Next time, I won't hesitate to kill you."
He nodded. "Dobe," he said, smirking, a shadow of his old self coming out, "Nara, Inuzuka. I'll see you around." He gave one last look to Sakura and Neji and nodded.
"Teme," Naruto grumbled, but there was a small smile on his face as the Sharingan-user ran away, melting into the smoke streaming from the fires. "I'm glad we found you two in time," he said suddenly, frowning. "The old lady at the inn said you two would probably be in danger... she was right. I smell Orochimaru... was he here?"
Kiba exploded with an interruption. "What the hell? Why'd you let the traitor Uchiha go? We could have captured him easily! He was wounded, I could smell a lot of blood! It would have been easy!" The dog-nin glared at Neji and Sakura, both of whom looked at each other with a mutual understanding, then at Naruto and Shikamaru, who nodded.
Shikamaru sighed, ruffling his already-ruffled hair. "I'm not going to explain to dog-boy over here," he said, looking at them."Not worth my time, as well as extremely troublesome. But I get it. Troublesome as it is..."
"Hai, hai, the whole world's troublesome," Naruto snapped sarcastically. "We know. But we've got to get rid of this fire first thing. It'll spread to the village if we don't. After that, Neji and Sakura-chan will explain... right?" He looked at them expectantly.
Sakura sighed, feeling suddenly extremely tired. A look from Neji and a reassuring squeeze of her hand, though, made her nod wearily. She took Sasuke's katana from her belt and weighed it in her hand, closing her eyes tightly to ward off the second set of tears she could feel coming.
"Right."