Chapter 3

All of the breath within Karin's lungs escaped in a harsh, dizzying rush. It was like being trapped under water, except she was drowning under the weight of Sasuke's female teammate. The stinging in her lungs persisted as Sakura kept firm on her hold. She pinned Karin to the ground with her boney kneecaps after a successful, powerful leg sweep.

Slowly, Sakura twirled her kunai around each finger, as if she were trying to extract information. When the blade landed right side up, Sakura pressed its sharpened edge to Karin's slender neck, drawing the first blood.

"I win this round."

The redhead was known for her temper, regardless of how cliché it sounded. Her fighting style was almost nonexistent—Sakura had heard someone describe her as a "non-combatant"—though research seems to suggest she has access to the unusual "Adamantine Sealing Chains" fuinjutsu. From this, Sakura deduced that short-ranged attacks and taijutsu would be her downfall, and as the woman seethes beneath her, Sakura's own heart jumps with short-lived cheer.

"Get off of me!" Karin screams out and flounders. When her long, manicured nails dig into the flesh of Sakura's hip, the rose-petal kunoichi finally releases her hold and rolls away from Karin's hissy fit.

The normally straight, soft side of her hair now matched the other, spiking out in random directions from her scalp. Karin struggled to catch her breath, sucking in humid air as she filled her lungs. Her whole body is numb and achy from each painful position Sakura had twisted her in. That girl was powerful, deadly, and gave no handicap—Karin despised the Tough picking on the Fragile.

Sakura was probably the top of her class, right along Sasuke. She was lucky to have been born strong, never having to struggle, always getting things handed to her because of her pretty face and unblemished skin. She had no idea what it was like to struggle. She had no idea what it was like to be the underdog!

Yeah, Karin despised people like that.

"You are such a bitch!" she yells out, pointing her finger towards her rival. "You're a conceited, snotty, spoiled little bitch and I hate you!"

The abruptness of her belittlements causes the thin, arched eyebrows on Sakura's face to rise in surprise. Sakura was not a bitch of any sort. Sakura was a kunoichi. This was a life of blood, sweat and tears. The Jōnin Exams would not be a slice of cake! If Karin wanted to gain Konoha citizenship, she'd have to win it honestly.

With a calm, collected voice, the pink-haired woman defends herself. "Don't call me names just because I beat you. You need to work on your taijutsu skills. Even child could have taken you down."

Karin sneers, crossing her arms over her chest. "You are a child, aren't you? I mean, hell, you're built like one!"

If Sakura was shocked before, it's even more apparent now. Ridicule is one of her most powerful driving forces. As a little girl, she was often made fun of for her abnormally wide forehead. In prepubescence, her flat chest was mocked, as well as her intelligence and attitude. These are things that chink her armor, that show her humanity.

Sakura opens her mouth to retort, but Suigetsu steps between them.

Watching a good, well-balanced spar was usually an excellent time-waster. Suigetsu enjoyed the way Naruto battled—how he saw openings that weren't there, how he managed to dodge the most impossible of attacks, how he could pop right back up after an incredibly vicious hit. There was nothing quite like the prowess of a Sannin, and both Sasuke and Naruto took their roles very seriously.

Still, he was just a man after all, and men like him are rather weak when it comes to bickering females. He'd been expecting a catfight for hours now—Karin had been a mopey, angry, grouchy panther all morning. If Suigetsu were truthful, he'd say that he'd been expecting a fight.

And, if Suigetsu were truthful, he'd say that he wanted one.

Suigetsu gives Sasuke's teammate an up down—checking out her physical body for all it had to offer. There was nothing special about her, aside from unique hair and wide, childbearing hips. Her cheeks were full and rosy, her lower lip was plump and peach-colored, and the lashes that surrounded her eyes were thick enough to cast shadow. Breasts, flat and unmoving, hid beneath a qipao top that was neither attractive nor unattractive. It was just there…doing its job.

Overall, Sakura was a 7 out of 10—if he were judging. He preferred women who didn't look so delicate—women who showed more skin and had sexual appeal.

Putting his arms up in surrender, the man shoots Sakura a toothy smile that he hopes is disarming. "Let's not fight, ladies."

Please, please do.

Karin pops up behind him, shooting Sakura the finger as she yells. "She cut me! She could have slit my throat had you not arrived! It's because you're bitter, isn't it? You want to keep Sasuke all to yourself!"

"I would not have done that!" Sakura retorts frantically. She bites her lip, unsure of what to say. Karin…was Sasuke's teammate. She was vulgar and dramatic, but she is someone that helped Sasuke achieve his goals—no matter how awful they may have been. After staring at the ground for a few seconds, decisiveness flows through her veins. Sakura clenches her fists and tips her head up high, unafraid to admit her feelings.

"I…I won't hurt people who are precious to Sasuke. You're important to him, so you're important to me."

Sakura was not a young girl swayed by jealousy anymore. The last thing she'd ever want was to keep Sasuke all to herself. Sasuke was a man who rarely found conviction in his comrades. All throughout their childhood, he'd been skeptical and aloof, weary of hidden intentions whether they existed or not.

Sakura was happy Sasuke had found people he could trust. "I'm sorry if I went overboard. It was just a spar. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The redhead keeps her place behind Suigetsu, eyeing Sakura not with skepticism, but with disbelief.

During their travels together, Sasuke never spoke of his old teammates. In fact, Sasuke never spoke at all unless necessary. Karin had heard stories, though, from Kabuto who found sadistic joy in the atrocities of Sasuke's adolescence. Like stories of Naruto, who was simpleminded, weak, and easily swayed…and stories of Sakura, who was egotistical, appearance obsessed, and incredibly brainy.

…and she'd heard stories of Sasuke, who risked his life repeatedly to save their pathetic, measly souls.

Before Karin can call her out, a painful grunt reverberates around the training field. Naruto drags himself from the crater his body had made and quickly creates a shadow clone, preparing a baseball-sized rasengan. Jugo does not match Naruto's speed, but his leaps are impressive, and with a massive jump, the transforming beast reaches his opponent and drives his elbow into his nose.

Sakura's body moves on its own, crossing the field quickly as she tries to make it to her comrade. Blood is flowing out in a thick stream, so she prepares her chakra, ready to heal any injuries that plagued Naruto.

Before she can make it to him, Sasuke intervenes, catching her wrist in a firm grip. "What—?"

He offers no explanation and instead, directs her back to Karin and Suigetsu with a gentle pull. Barking his order, Sasuke commands Suigetsu to watch Sakura, to which fish-face fervently agrees.

"GOD DAMNIT," Naruto yells out as Jugo swung again, burying his body into the tightly packed earth. His skull knocked roughly with each slam. Black, fuzzy dots peppered into his vision as he fought against the experiments' massive appendage.

Naruto's body tingles with adrenalin. He can feel himself start to crave Kurama's chakra—he needs the immersion, the help.

Just as that familiar red glow starts to engulf his body, Sasuke stops him in his tracks. His broad stance gives off an air of superiority, and when he crosses his arms, it means he's absolute. "Defeat him without relying others and show some independence."

For some reason, this causes a rage to well up inside of Naruto. Pain had always temporarily pissed him off, but this frustration stemmed from something else…as if a tightly drawn thread of anger was being pulled between the two.

When Sasuke had left the village on his journey of redemption a half-year ago, their goodbye was terse, but friendly. A lot had happened between since then, and time stood still for no man. Naruto fell in love and married; he became a Chunin after months of studying. He became popular, wanted, and most of all, he became someone that the villagers acknowledged.

What was left of Sasuke Uchiha? What was left of the man that had lost everything? He had no family, didn't rely on anyone, and remained just as brooding and withdrawn as he always had been. It seemed as though Sasuke only lived for his revenge.

Once all of his plans had been thwarted or completed, there was nothing left but a shallow, empty hole.

Naruto felt apprehension deep into his gut. It feels like he's facing Gaara all over again, who loves only himself, who lives only for himself, who fights only for himself. He didn't know what was worse—having Sasuke distant and unreachable when he traveled outside of Konoha, or having Sasuke distant and unreachable when he was right in Naruto's grasp.

In Sasuke's dark, mismatched eyes, he still sees true loneliness. It is the most painful form of suffering there is in this world. It seemed that, even after Sasuke had demolished all those who made him suffer, those eyes remain just as cold and passive as ever.

Naruto thinks, "If I could just knock him back into reality, everything will go back to normal." Most of all, he's willing to test that theory.

Naruto shoves Jugo hard, with more force than he'd been using to battle him. There is tenseness in the air now. It crackled around like electricity, warning every one of the storm to come. Jugo hits the ground hard, embedding his body into the soil.

"Why do you do this, Sasuke? Why does everything have to be so difficult with you?"

Both men step towards each other with clenched fists. Anyone else would take this as their call to leave—a battle between two Sannin was sure to deal a hefty amount of damage. Not Sakura, though. Instead, she pushes herself forwards, hurrying between her teammates.

The smile that graces her lips is a practiced one. Sakura should know by now that she can't pull wool over their eyes. "Hey now, there's no need to fight!" Sakura says. "Let's go eat ramen, okay? I'm very hungry. I'll pay for you both!"

Sasuke ignores her completely, stepping to the left of her body. "Why do you have to rely on others to feel strong? Why can't you do something for yourself, for once?"

Naruto growls because of course, words never worked with Sasuke. They were both just as longwinded and hardheaded as they'd always been.

Suigetsu helps Jugo to his feet as Karin watches Sakura in amazement. She had approached both men with no hesitancy whatsoever, as if she couldn't feel the hostility that rose between them. Not everyone could sense chakra, but human instinct—the itch on the back of your neck, the rise from every hair of your body—should have enough to halt her movements.

Karin saw the physical contact between Naruto's spirit and Sasuke's. Brilliant red clashed against deep, rich purple, swirling together as they silently battled. Between the two, a fuzzy, tense green that belonged to Sakura swirled like incense, perfuming between them as she struggleed to ward off the impending fight.

It happens in an instant.

Naruto reaches around Sakura and smashes his bare knuckles over the bridge of Sasuke's nose. Like two rabid wolves, the men start throttling each other. Droplets of blood mist over Sakura's forearms as she tugs relentlessly at clothing, using her massive strength to pry Naruto off, shove Sasuke away, anything to end this absurd scuffle.

Suigetsu's senses, much like Karin's, told him this wasn't just an alpha-male fistfight. He signs a special jutsu and dives towards the pastel-haired Sakura, capturing her within a liquid bubble before she even has a chance to fight him off. The grip she'd had on Naruto's jacket is released.

Though Naruto had landed the first blow, it had given him no advantage. Sasuke is quick to slam his comrade's whiskered face into the earth with a sickening crack, guiding the Jinchuuriki with a fistful of hair. From her container, Sakura thrashes helplessly as Sasuke hammers Naruto's face into the ground. His mouth is cut and split, causing red saliva to pour out with every impact.

Sakura's screams don't bypass the barrier.

Gaining a slight advantage by directing his shoulder into the floor in place of his face, Naruto kicks one of his long legs into the cap of Sasuke's knee. This causes the joint to hyperextend, and in turn throws him backwards a few paces.

Sasuke is fast when it comes to recovering, but not like Naruto. Wrapping steel hands around Sasuke's arm, the man flings him as far as he can into the thickness of the forest.

It takes only seconds for Sasuke to shoot a katon right back.

Fire erupts all around them within minutes. Such an intense heat causes the green, healthy pines burst into howling flames. Black smoke billows around, stinging Suigetsu's eyes as if he were dangling only inches away from it. The blaze evaporates his skin—his grip on Sakura becomes looser.

From opposite sides of the battlefield, both men stared down one another. Firestorms roar around them, charring grass and wood in its wake. From her thinning water imprisonment, Sakura hears the feint sound of chirping birds.

Sasuke summons his chidori.

Feeling his body buzz with exhilaration in response to his battle, Naruto takes in a deep breath of the tainted air and draws forth a shadow clone that makes quick work of a powerful rasengan. The bright cyan and blues of their jutsu is almost blinding.

The end draws nearer.

As much as Suigetsu would love to stay, and be caught up in the aftermath, he valued his life. His bucket list may be small, but it was important. Collecting the Seven Ninja Swords meant more to him than keeping this rambunctious, foolish girl under locks. He's never been known for chivalry, so Suigetsu decides to follow Jugo and Karin's footpaths before it is too late.

When he releases his jutsu, Sakura hits the ground running. The dampness of her clothing seems to cancel with the burning, relentless heat from Sasuke's flames. Her eyes sting as she barrels towards her teammates, ignoring the panic that willed her legs to stop moving.

Sakura was so tired of this fighting. She wasn't going to nurse their wounds as they looked at her with regret anymore. She'd had enough of this irrelevant competitiveness. This all needed to stop, and Sakura would do anything to end it.

…even if it meant ending her.

With a massive jump, Naruto and Sasuke plow straight ahead. Neither men would admit it aloud, but their aim was not to kill. Savagely maiming the other would be enough.

As Sasuke flies towards his brother, chidori blazing, he sees a flash of red cover his line of sight. It's bright amongst the blue swirls that intermingle between his and Naruto's jutsu.

For a moment, Sasuke doesn't know what it is. He doesn't know what those wispy, pastel-pink strands are doing in his pathway. He doesn't notice the shape of a woman until it's too late—until he's so close that he can hear her scream.

Sakura was still overprotective.

Her shriek was one for the ages. It was the pure embodiment of terror and hysteria, mingled with a high-pitched, feminine reverberation. Wide, glossy viridian iris connected with his own, and through them Sasuke saw something deeper than fear and bewilderment.

In Sakura's eyes, Sasuke saw resolution. As if she knew, she'd die by his hand and accepted the fact wholeheartedly.

Sasuke falters.

"Don't hurt him!" She yells, twisting her form to face Sasuke's electricity. "Stop this already!"

If there was anyone Sasuke would brand with true courage, it was Sakura. He couldn't even blame her pluck on idiocy, because Sakura was one of the most intelligent humans he'd ever come across in his life. Courage was not the absence of fear, and no one portrayed that better than the Slug Queen herself did.

As a girl, she'd protected her comrades from Orochimaru's subordinates with standard weaponry and basic ninja jutsu. She'd faced Gaara of The Sand with nothing more than a kunai. She'd even dared to take Sasuke's life, when evil had corrupted his soul and turned him into the monster he'd never wanted to be. Now, as a woman, she takes on a chidori and a rasengan with nothing more than an open posture, a plea, and salty tears.

Lucky for her, Sasuke would never hurt her in a million years.

The man reached deep into his soul, straining to disband his attack. He had only seconds left. The fabric of her clothing started to melt and reveal the clean, peach skin of her torso—skin that should never be marred by his touch.

Doing something he'd never done before, Sasuke fought against every chakra pathway within. The channels sizzled into nothingness after intense, mental pressure and he watched as the lightning from his fist pop out of existence.

Sasuke wraps his arms around Sakura's chest, focusing his rinnegan on the tree she'd uprooted the day before. Like an overflowing pot, each pathway he'd cut off flooded back to life with a mighty roar. The familiar stomach-churning drop of teleportation sent a flicker of static down the length of his spine.

Sakura, though, is sure that she is experiencing death.

For a moment, both he and Sakura are weightless, caught in a tunnel where nothing but time, space, and their own entities exist. Then, all too suddenly, they're back in the real world. The couple slams against the tightly packed earth painfully, burrowing deep trenches in their wake.

The first thing Sasuke hears when the ringing in his ears subsides is Sakura. Her brittle cry does not fade, even as her chest fills with choking smell of burning foliage. She is rigid and paralyzed underneath him, still yelling as though her life was still endangered.

Sasuke ignores the stinging of his forearms, where they'd dug into the ground to pillow Sakura's descent. He ignores the nauseous feeling of his trembling chakra paths that sting from the confusion of complete nothingness to full-on power. He doesn't care what happened to Naruto. He doesn't care that his body is cut and bruised.

Sakura's hurt.

"Just stop!" She yells out. "Don't do it, don't do it, Sasuke don't do this! Don't kill Naruto."

The woman shakes her head back and forth, tangling her hair with the twigs and clay from underneath her. The elastic of her ponytail has snapped, revealing every inch of her cherry-blossom strands.

"I didn't." He replies breathlessly. "I wouldn't."

Nothing seems to get through to her, though. It doesn't matter what he repeats to her, her body still shakes. With a sudden bout of resolve, Sasuke gathers her round face in his hands and runs the rough pads of his thumbs over the thin, wet flesh of her cheeks.

The dusty-rose tresses of Sakura's hair cascaded over his hands and tumbled down her shoulders, tangling in his fingers as he inspected her wellbeing. Her face was soiled with black dirt; her shirt was torn to shreds. Blisters from the burn of Sasuke's electricity branched out in dark patches across her exposed navel and stomach, almost as though an artist had painted a tree along her stomach.

She is panicing and unresponsive to his touch—a wilted blossom with no understanding of the world around her.

When Sakura opens her mouth, she decides that dying wasn't as painful as she'd thought it would be. She's amazed to find that her childhood fantasies reran with vivid, beautiful detail.

There was Sasuke in all of his glory, hovering above her. The warmth of his body, the rise and fall of his chest pressed against hers, the fan of his scentless breath as it tumbled over her face—it was better than any daydream she'd experienced.

Now, she wasn't so afraid of the afterlife.

The repeated phrase and yell that erupted through her mouth doddered out, and when Sakura gained the oxygen to speak to this incarnate, she sounded broken and small. There are so many things needs to say to this hallucination…so, she does.

"You really killed me this time."

Guilt raked its way through Sasuke's core at the realization of it all. He denies her statement fanatically. "I didn't."

When he came back to Konoha after the War, Sasuke was not foolish enough to think that everyone would accept him with open arms. He had done inexcusable things. He had hurt almost everyone—everyone inside of these walls, all innocent bystanders who knew nothing about his life or tragedies. Those people didn't trust him, they shouldn't.

Sakura and Naruto did, though. They were the only steadfast thing in his world of lies and misleading pathways.

Naruto would always be a friend, and Sakura would always love him, whether he wanted or deserved their affections. Sasuke longed for redemption, but his sins only seemed to pile up. How could he ever be forgiven if he kept hurting the ones that were most precious to him?

His hands were too tight on her face now. Ignoring the tugging strings on his regretful heart, Sasuke pulls that broken woman up to his chest and presses his face deep into the tender curve of her neck. He exhaled, breathing the heat of his clan into her body. The protection of his people—his father and mother, his brother and cousins—willed itself through the pores of her skin.

Sakura feels his warmth cover her like a blanket, and she has no need to shake anymore.

Naruto is the first to arrive. He practically falls to the ground, letting his hand hover over her shoulders as if she'd break into a million pieces with the slightest touch. "Please tell me she's okay. Please tell me I didn't hurt her."

Karin is there next, already exposing her slender forearm. "If she's injured, get her to bite me, quick!"

Sasuke knows Sakura doesn't need it. Her physical wounds are nothing compared to the mental devastation she'd just experienced. It's akin to the torture and horror of tsukuyomi, where your worst nightmares come to life and plague your consciousness. Sakura doesn't have the luxury of being in genjutsu, this time.

"Take her to the hospital."

Naruto doesn't even second-guess him. With Karin's assistance, Sakura is positioned across his back and taken through the streets of Konoha, directly towards the hospital where she spent so much of her time already.

Only when Naruto's orange body runs out of sight does Sasuke finds his solace in the dirt beneath him. Ignoring the curious, worried and amused stares of Team Taka, the man barks out his final order.

"Put out this damn fire."