Chapter 45:

A droplet, slow moving and lethargic, trails its way downwards from Shikamaru's hairline, directly into the outer ridge of his right eye. The salt burned, blurring his vision as he rapidly tried to blink away the pain. His hands trembled, frozen in sign as he desperately tried to keep his grip on the blue-skinned, white-haired Suigetsu. Repeatedly his flesh morphed into water, causing strain on the delicate shadow jutsu Shikamaru had cast.

Man, what a day.

"What's the big deal? We're not hurtin' anything."

Suigetsu speaks through his paralyzed teeth, fighting with as much strength as he could muster. You can hear his annoyance—the tone of his voice betrays his words almost humorously, as if his pleading could sway the likes of a hardened Konoha Jōnin.

In Shikamaru's peripherals, he sees that Karin is still flailing wildly. Chains—which give off an odd, yellow hue—seep from her body and connect to a large, spindle-like conduit that branches off into other smaller tubes. Undoubtedly, this odd set up is what keeps the TV above safe, and keeps Naruto from pouncing forwards recklessly.

"How could you have gotten caught?" The redhead screams. "You big idiot, you were supposed to turn into a puddle when you heard someone approaching!"

She is weak and pale, obviously chakra depleted from keeping her barrier up for so long. The tips of her fingers are turning bluer as the minutes tick on. For now, this is a game of time, and time is not on Sasuke Uchiha's side.

Naruto is quiet, more so than he's ever been. He isn't sure how to progress—tactical situations weren't exactly his forte. His brain works on overdrive as he analyzes his environment, wondering when to strike and how hard to hit. It seemed like Karin's tentacles were everywhere, and though they were slow moving, he certainly didn't want to risk entrapment.

In the back of his mind, he worries that this is all some elaborate plot concocted by Orochimaru to send Sasuke packing again. Naruto certainly wouldn't put it past this gang of misfits, especially considering the timing of it all.

The soundproof room they are battling in gives them no access to the outside world. For all they know, Konoha has erupted into complete havoc. The worst case scenario involves Sasuke hanging by a rope, and that would be a huge possibility if things weren't settled within the next half-hour.

Shikamaru, who is still at a stalemate, is sweating profusely.

Over the years, he had become a formidable ninja. The genius had even found his rightful spot in Jōnin rank, going on various secret missions and leading platoons of men into some of the deadliest of territories. Yet, this is a delicate situation, and he is searching his brain for the next plan of attack.

Naruto narrows his eyes, watching wearily as his comrade struggles. If Karin weren't here, it would be simple to bind the fish-man up and lock him in a closet. But every movement Naruto tries to make is trailed with a whiplash from metallic cables.

He tiptoes around, keeping a good distance from the spitfire up ahead who is surrounded by displays and screens of all types. Each one is extending from wall sockets and various extension cords, showing a mess of electronic whatsits that mean nothing to Naruto in the least.

Seeing an opening, the blonde makes his move. He starts to dash forwards, arms extended to tackle his sort-of cousin, when Shikamaru's strained voice halts him immediately. "Naruto, stop! You can't just charge in after her!"

"What, why?" He answers back, regaining his balance. It wasn't as if he just jumped in without thinking—he'd been watching the sway of her jutsu for some time now. "We've got to end this quickly! I really don't want to hurt her, so unless you have a better plan, let me do what I have to do!"

"I'm sure she's set up traps in here, don't you think? If you disconnect any of that software, Konoha could lose everything. Just give me a minute while I figure things out."

Naruto is pretty sure that, if the man had his hands freed, they would create that familiar bird's nest shape—his thinking pose. This, however, does not make him relax in the least. They didn't have a minute.

"What am I supposed to do, then?"

Could he, perhaps, use a chakra arm to knock her out? What if Naruto volleyed over all of those electronics?

Nothing he thinks of seems like it would do any good, and Shikamaru's silence only sends a bout of dread to roll around from deep within his stomach.

Naruto shakes his head at all of the flaws in his plans, and does the one thing he knows how to do best; talk. "You can't keep doing this, Karin."

She narrows her eyes, refusing to fall for the Uzumaki man's famous speeches. In her heart, Karin knows that this is the right thing to do, and Sakura deserved the truth. Her manicured fingernails hover dangerously over her keyboard, giving him the only warning she will offer. "I'll erase every hidden and encrypted file this village has ever obtained if you don't leave. This is my obligation; my duty."

"Your "duty"? Karin, you're not under Orochimaru's rule anymore! You don't have to do this!"

Her laugh is confusing—almost as confusing as the flip-flop of pain that immediately trails after it. Karin squeezes her bright eyes shut, trying to push herself farther past her limit. The Uzumaki were resilient, but that didn't mean she could last forever. She knew she had a good ten minutes before her body would give out.

"Orochimaru has nothing to do with it."

It may seem strange or unbelievable to the people around her, but Karin had a genuinely pure reason behind her meddling.

She had lived a hard life, treated worse than a slave, forced to expose her body and risk her life for the sake of those who didn't deserve it. Eventually, the woman started to fall into herself—she drifted off in the darkness of her soul for a very, very long time.

The smile that the boyish, 12-year-old Sasuke had shown her always popped up in the back of her head. Sometimes she thought of him when she was dying, left abandoned on the floor as her chakra tried to replenish itself. Other times, his face would appear in her dreams, warding off ever-present nightmares.

He was happy, so happy, and Karin wanted to be happy, too.

Karin started to fall in love with a produced product, coming up with her own distorted reality of the black-haired, blue-high-colored-shirt-wearing Genin that had saved her in the Forest of Death.

Perhaps he was a prince, bathed in the glory of wealth. Or, maybe he was showered in things other than coins—his parents probably spoiled him rotten and worried about him every single day. He probably had a lot of family—maybe he was coddled under their care. With a grin like that, there was no way he'd ever seen the tragedies of this world.

Oh, how wrong she was.

It was a few years before Karin saw him again. His face showed no shadow of that smile she'd daydreamed about—that smile she'd searched for in her own reflection. Instead, he was zombie-like, trailing behind Orochimaru without a delayed step. Most people ran from the Sanin's abuse, but not Sasuke.

No, he craved it.

After only a few weeks, she finally learned of his past. Kabuto was all too happy to tell her of the Uchiha demise. Sasuke had lost everyone he'd ever loved as a child—obviously he would turn out to be callous and emotionless.

But…he was certainly no child during the Chunin exams. He was kind, and happy, and sweet.

The face that he carried into Orochimaru's hideout was the face he should have held all along. This revelation only added to Karin's confusion, but it was easy for her to lock it up inside. Sasuke was still Sasuke, and in her musings, she'd fallen in love with him—bad chakra and all. Not once did she think that he could go back to his old self.

Not once did she care to help with that change—not like Sakura.

It had only been a few months ago when Karin had followed the Hokage, Shikamaru, Naruto and Sasuke into the surveillance sector. It was so easy to hide her chakra signature—she was an expert in the subject—and the last thing those great ninja were concerned with was a curious little rat.

The Sasuke that Karin had grown to know was nothing like the Sasuke Naruto and Sakura fought for. He had been a good young man once, a broken thing that was hell-bent on revenge and salvation. During their time as teammates, the barriers around Sasuke's soul had been chipped away—and while he was still cursed with hatred, he was not an evil person.

In that way, Karin can never forgive Sasuke. He had been offered a second chance—he had been blessed with unconditional love that normally only parents and siblings could offer. And what did he do with it?

Peeking through that door, she watched the boy, whose smile had been her salvation, die. The last piece of his heart, and of his humanity, was left with Sakura when he laid her on a stone bench, and ran away to get stronger.

Sasuke left his old life, because he found weakness in the feelings he had for his newfound family, and Karin could never forgive him for that. If she had had that chance—if she had been graced with a do-over, running to Orochimaru would have never happened.

Karin is lost inside of her head—even Naruto and all of his denseness could tell. The wetness that sheets her skin gathers atop her upper lip, and she's grown so pale that she almost looks dead. It worries him, and he doesn't know what to do or what to say.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try.

"I don't know why you're doing this. I don't know if you hate Sasuke, or if you love him, or if you have some other intention that you don't want to tell. It doesn't matter—Sasuke is my friend, and I can't let you take him from me again."

To his surprise, Karin laughs once more. The sound bubbles up from her chest and ricochets around the room, causing even Suigetsu to falter. After all, none of this was part of the plan, and her maniac giggling was starting to really freak him out. The poor guy just needed a strong partner to help him gather the rest of the swords he so longed for—out of Sasuke, Jugo and Karin, Sasuke was the least bothersome. He was sure once this video got out, they'd be Team Taka once more.

I guess fucking NOT.

"Sasuke isn't who I'm trying to help!" Karin exclaims. With that, she slams her hand on her keyboard and releases her jutsu.

Sasuke Uchiha has been gifted with many rare and unwanted sights within his lifetime. He has seen death, he has seen torture, he has seen pain—he's felt all of these things at least once, too.

The first time he'd ever seen the life drain out of someone's body, he was five years old. Sasuke had wandered off, looking for Itachi, when three ANBU jumped from beyond a thatch of greenery and dealt with a rogue ninja.

Now, Sasuke knows that this may have been a necessary task, but the look of absolute terror in that woman's eyes as a kunai lodged within her spine was one that he would never be able to forget.

Sasuke has killed. Sasuke has also saved. He has risked it all for people he loved, hated, or felt no emotion towards—all for the sake of ninja-dom—because that was what shinobi did. Never show emotion, never reveal secrets, and always remain vigilant.

And yet, through all of the sadness and despair he'd been graced with, none of this compared to the look of utter betrayal a twelve-year-old girl had managed to shoot right into the flesh of his heart.

"From here on out, we all begin new paths." His voice says. He wonders how he managed to keep it so…steady. He wonders if he's really that great at keeping his emotions in check, regardless of how weak and insolent he feels.

Sakura's warm body is no longer wrapped around him, and perhaps that's for the better. He doesn't want to hear, see, touch, or feel anything—it would be so easy to drift away into his subconscious and send his body on autopilot.

But Sasuke doesn't run away anymore. Instead, he remains paralyzed while clenching his fists and keeping his feet glued to the ground. He closes his eyes—his mind would never let him forget what he'd done. Not even the smallest of details, like…

…like the way Sakura's voice broke, the first time she confessed her love.

"I love you with all my heart! If you were to stay with me…there would be no regrets. Because every day we'd do something fun. We'd be happy…I swear! So…I would do anything for you! Please, just stay with me!"

And, damn that thin-limbed, tiny, cotton-candy pink-haired girl—it was such a hard proposition to walk away from. Sasuke's sure that could have given him every happiness he'd ever needed or wanted.

If things hadn't turned out like they had—if Orochimaru hadn't have shown up— Naruto and Sakura could have saved him from the Curse of Hatred.

Sasuke opens his eyes and looks up towards the monitor, watching as the piss-yellow barrier falls in shattered glimmers of light all around. He's sure that, whatever it was made of had to have come from a very formidable opponent—maybe even someone he's shunned in the past.

Every bit of this, he deserved. Though he's not proud of his mistakes, he accepts them, because he's proud of who he is now.

One of Naruto's clones dashes forward, ready to demolish the screen and keep everyone from watching the great SasuSaku travesty, but he's stopped. All it takes is that gentle clasp around his wrist and the dead-eyed stare of resolve his brother emitted to halt him.

Sasuke has decided.

"Shikamaru, sir, what would you like us to do now?"

"Work on your response time," The man barks back. He's livid, exhausted, and ready to tear into some subordinates. "Naruto and I have been down here for twenty minutes trying to hold of these two idiots. What were you doing?"

Naruto has really never heard Shikamaru berate anyone. In a way, the man looks fatherly. With his hands on his hips, sporting a splotchy red face, he waves a finger around and tells them to take Karin and Suigetsu to holding cell #2 for questioning.

Everything had happened rather quickly, almost too quickly to describe. Once Karin started the final video, Naruto had attacked harshly, slamming her whole backside against a cement wall. While a few of the screens had been damaged, everything else seemed to have remained in good order. The limp Karin fell to Naruto's feet, and Suigetsu gave up moments later with a dejected sigh and an eye-roll.

"How's Sasuke doing?" Shikamaru asks as he makes his way to Karin's cubby. There are still sparks flying from a few of the laptops, but he's sure he can figure his way around it. There's got to be something hidden amongst these zip-drives that he could put to good use. He opens Command Prompt, settling for the bare bones of the functioning computer.

"Well, he didn't want me to shut off the video." Naruto replies.

Very rarely did he sound sullen. Shikamaru knows he is at a standstill, unsure of what to do and who to stand up for. He'd seen true happiness within Sasuke—even if it was just in small bouts—but Sakura deserved the truth, no matter how hard it was to handle.

Everyone deserved the truth.

Shikamaru's fingers tap frantically as he tries to reach some of the arena's surveillance cameras, so they at least have an idea of what's going on. Naruto isn't sure he wants to see this play out, so he doesn't bother with any more clones and instead, lies down on the bare floor.

Though it's not his burden to carry, he feels guilty. "If I would have tried to talk to Karin a bit more, maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Shikamaru, who has no time for pity, shakes his head. "If Sasuke would have been honest with Sakura from the get-go, and treated her like he was supposed to, maybe this wouldn't have happened. Look, I'm in."

Sakura's muted voice plays from the computers. She' is telling Sasuke that she would give up everything for him—her home, her friends, her family—just to help with his revenge.

Shikamaru switches views, looking for Kakashi to make sure he's alright.

"So, you're not going to stop it?" Naruto says, not sure of how to feel.

"Nope,"

Through the Command Prompt, he sends a signal to Kakashi—Red Bird 2—the mission has been successful. Then, once more, he's back to his original screen. As scans, a light goes off in his head, and the smirk that spreads across Shikamaru's face is almost…relieving.

"Hey, Naruto, how about you go check on Hinata, and tell Ino she'll have a few people waiting for her in Interrogation? Leave the rest to me."

The blonde nods, having no other choice but to trust Shikamaru.

Sakura can't stop her hands from shaking. Her neck is hurting from the strain—she has too look so far up—but she can't pull her eyes away. Everything feels wrong, even as Kakashi's voice echoes from the intercoms.

"I am sorry about that, everyone. It seems there was a…technical mishap. It's being resolved as we speak, so please remain seated and calm."

There's a hatred welling up inside of her heart, and Sakura isn't sure who it's directed towards. She has never despised Sasuke—even during their darkest of moments together. But right now, she's not sure how she feels.

She throws him a glare, letting the confused shouts from the dome's audience fade into the background. "You're just going to watch?"

Sasuke blinks and slowly turns his head towards the girl, emotionless. Did he want Sakura to be humiliated? Why did he stop Naruto? Why wasn't he doing anything?

Why did she feel so…so weak.

"You really are annoying."

No one is laughing. No one that sees this thinks it's amusing in the slightest, but for some reason, Sakura swears that everyone is mocking her.

In her head, she hears the scornful ridicule of her peers. Emerald eyes grow blurry as they fill with tears that refuse to fall. Things flash in and out of her mind—little girls who tease her forehead and her hair—a boy that calls her a monster—an older man who says she's the most unfeminine thing he'd ever seen. "What a dork,", "You're such a bitch!", "Shouldn't you be training more?"

And, for Sakura, it seems like the world is out to get her.

It's funny how the mind can misrepresent reality.

Fury flows through her, and she's unable to stop her body from moving. In one powerful, painful blast, Sakura rears back and winds up a hit that could shatter Sasuke's bones and organs in one fell swoop. Lucky for him, Susanoo's ribcage takes the brunt of the force.

Naruto had just gotten to Hinata. He had gathered her puffy cheeks in his hands, kissed her nose, and nuzzled against her neck when an explosion rocked the stadium again.

The impact almost pushed him back—he steadied himself and his wife against the railing in the nick of time as a burst of wind whipped around them. Ino groans from her downward position—she is sprawled out on the ground, nursing her bruised elbow as she tries to make sense of what the hell just happened.

The people around her—civilian and ninja alike, all scramble up to their feet just as Sakura's shrill, anger-filled voice shakes the foundation.

"Fight me!"

Naruto's blue eyes widen in amazement at the crater in the side of the stadium. Dust and debris float from it in a dizzying whirlwind, and slowly, the purple, hazy skeleton of Sasuke's jutsu emerges.

Only a ribcage is visible, and it's crushed—crushed, by the bare-knuckled punch of Sakura Haruno.

Oh, fuck.

The last thing Sasuke expected today was to be leveled by the girl he'd made love to just earlier that morning. A lot of strange things have happened in his lifetime, but this really took the cake.

And Sasuke hated cake.

The Uchiha pulls himself from cement, falling to the ground in a defensive roll just as a toned, white leg flies past his side. Susanoo is dispersed as Sasuke clambers to his feet, regaining his balance as the earth warps and separates into rubble.

"What are you doing?!"

At first, he really isn't sure he said that. He's never heard anything like it come out of his mouth—not even during his worst days of puberty. Still, there was no denying the squeaky, amazed croak that flew from his lips and entered Sakura's eardrum.

"You think it's funny, do you? You like it when I look weak; when I look foolish?"

From out of nowhere a body drops into the arena. It rushes forwards, wrapping both arms around Sakura's hips just as she's about to go at Sasuke again. Sakura doesn't care who's holding her back, though—she's more concerned with Sasuke at the moment.

Her heart is breaking all over again. Her calamity is playing out for everyone to see—and Sasuke is doing nothing about it. Sakura throws both legs out, forcing Hojo to take the brunt of her weight.

"I loved you! I loved you so much; I was willing to throw everything away for you. Does my embarrassment please you, or something? Did Orochimaru fuck you up that badly? You stopped Naruto just so everyone can watch! I saw you!"

Sasuke wipes his cheek, smearing mud across it in the process. "What makes you think this is just about you?" He snaps. He's never been one to sugar-coat things. "If you wanted to stop it, I don't see you jumping up there to do so. Naruto's got to save the day again, right?"

"Hey!" Hojo hisses back. This time, he tosses Sakura behind him. She's so angry, so heated that she can't even think of what to say back. And yet again, someone sticks up for her.

And yet again, she lets them.

"What's so bad about relying on your friends? Our bonds make us stronger. You're the weak one, because you desert your countrymen and your companions to suite your needs!"

Sasuke has tried with Hojo, really. He ignored the soft touches he left on Sakura, he took the quips with a grain of salt, and he kept his hands firmly by his side no matter how much he wanted to use them.

Beyond all that, he was a prideful man. No one liked seeing someone weaker get stomped, and Sasuke was truly tired of being the "bad guy". But, Sasuke knew better than to let this pup keep nipping at his ankles. Sometimes, they needed to learn their place.

The first time Sasuke ever got into a fist fight, he was six-years-old. His cousin, Taki, had just thrown his pregnant dog into the river, and laughed as she struggled to the bankside. That was also the first time Sasuke thought that he could truly kill someone, if he needed to. He understood what it meant to protect.

His mother dressed his swollen lip that night, but didn't have the slightest hint of a frown on her face. Sasuke did great, Sasuke saved the day, Sasuke found a good home for that doggie—she was proud of her boy.

Sasuke is not protecting anyone, this time. No, Sasuke was the bad guy—he was not great, he was not going to save the day, he would not make his mother proud.

His knuckles sting from the cuts Hojo's teeth has left on them. He's sure that some are jagged and broken, but not even that stops him. Hojo desperately wraps his hands around Sasuke's neck, unable to reach for a weapon or weave any kind of hand sign. Sasuke has turned wild, ruthless, and unfortunately for Hojo, he's taking the brunt of it all.

Fuck this guy for trying to be great, for trying to save the day, for trying to give Sakura a good home.

Sakura's not a dog!

She's not weak!

She can handle herself!

Stop sticking up for her!

It's Naruto that throws Sasuke off—the entire ordeal had lasted less than a minute, but it's been a lifetime for Sakura. Time always seemed to stand still when Sasuke is at his worst. She falls to the ground beside Hojo, letting her healing hands cover his lips as all of Konoha screeches from the balconies.

"What are you doing?" Naruto yells, shoving Sasuke harshly. They are face to face, snapping snouts at one another for a moment before the blonde turns towards Hojo. He picks him up by the collar. "And you—get the hell out of here! You could have gotten killed!"

"I'm not going to leave her with this sociopath! Sakura could have gotten killed." His speech is slurred and blood stains his skin gruesomely.

"He would never—he would never do that!"

Hojo doesn't stop. "Are you serious? How can you defend him? What the hell kind of Hokage wants this guy in his village! We all saw what he did to her on those videos. He'll rip a hole through her chest in a second, and you don't care?"

Sakura screams out, grabs her hair and curls in on herself, tucking her face into her knees. "Stop! Just stop already!"

She's sobbing now, like a young child. The heaving of her chest makes her voice brittle and deep. Sakura is breaking apart in front of everyone—everyone that has or will ever matter to her—and there's nothing she can do about it.

Naruto approaches her, like she is a frightened rabbit and he is a trained veterinarian—like he knows exactly what to do. It's a part he's always played in her life. Naruto was the one that made everything better.

And this infuriates Sasuke.

When Sasuke grabs Sakura, he's not gentle in the least. He hauls that girl up to her feet and wraps his hands harshly around her shoulders, forcing her to look in to his deep, cold eyes.

He's always been beautiful to her—in the timeless sense. Rich skin, floppy black hair, a strong nose and fathomless irises that belong to his older brother—these are all things that make up Sasuke Uchiha. His nails dig into the skin of her collarbone, forcing more tears to well up and fall over her swollen rims.

"You stop! Stop letting everyone else stand up for you!"

She grabs his wrists, fighting off his pressure as she shakes her head frantically.

"You're strong, Sakura. You're the strongest woman I know. You don't need Hojo to protect you! You don't need Naruto to stop this video, or bring me back, or be your big brother. You don't need your mother or your father's approval for jack shit. You don't need Ino to tell you how to feel, or how to look, or what to do!"

"Let go!"

"Thank you."

It's Sasuke who said it, but not the Sasuke in front of her. She jerks her head towards the screen again, watching as that young boy delivers his blow and lets her drop to the ground in a mess of red and pink and sorrowful tears.

Except, he doesn't.

His young, toned arms gather under her knees and at the back of her neck. She weighs nothing in his arms. The boy walks her slowly to the stone bench, laying her body down gently and modestly. Sasuke clasps her hand, trying his best to remove it from the blue fabric of his shirt, but it won't budge. Even unconscious, Sakura refuses to let go.

The camera pans, giving everyone view from the lamppost. Hot, saltine trails stream down his fevered cheeks—his face shows strain, like his heart is breaking, like he's doing one of the hardest things he's ever had to do.

Sasuke's humanity is on full view, silencing the thousands of people who had despised him only an hour ago. The screen turns black, and then Shikamaru finally steps in, because there's more of the true Sasuke for all to see.