Restlessness was a fever lashing at him, the bodies of slaughtered ninjas falling to his feet.

He was doing more than what was his job, but who actually counted bodies nowadays.

Naruto swiped his forehead as the tremble of the ground subsided under his feet.

'Enough,' he called off his partner in crime.

Sakura looked back over her shoulders, her landing pose formed sharp by the enormous amount of chakra she released, her eyes glowing like a cat's, the emerald shape and color of it beautiful. If it were even possible, she was more violent than Naruto tonight, an elevated aggression riding her.

Naruto always wondered if Tsunade was even aware that Sakura's power was growing exponentially every day, or it was a calculated move on her part that she was not advertizing it.

' These trips have to stop,' he sighed, walking to her, his feet splashing in blood.

' We need an outlet,' Sakura shrugged, her eyes cold and practical as she looked around.

' This is not how you deal with oppressed emotions,' Naruto sighed.

' Is that what this is all about for you? I personally meant physical needs. I sit way too much at Tsunade's. It feels nice to stretch my legs.'

' You're such a clown,' Naruto murmured, pushing her a little and she stumbled.

' Hey!'

Their laughter must have sounded eerie flowing above the field of carcasses, but they didn't care.

' You're tired,' Naruto noted when Sakura stumbled again as they started back to the village.

' We did a good job,' Sakura nodded, ' I almost entirely emptied my chakra. I've never been even close before.'

' You might just reconsider calling that a good thing,' Naruto grabbed her arm, and Sakura went silent, her hearing is not as good as Naruto's.

Two figures parted from the dark, tall and easily recognizable.

' Are we in a genjutsu?' Naruto asked in a low voice.

Sakura extended her chakra and shook her head. Naruto leaned to a tree, linking his arm across his chest.

' Look at him. Playing the role of the little brother to his hero.'

' Why are you mad?' Sakura softly laughed,' He is his brother. Let them go. I'm too tired for this.'

' Nah. Hey, asshole, where did you leave your minions?' he cupped his hand around his mouth.

' Nice meeting you, Naruto, in the middle of the fucking woods,' Sasuke turned towards them, Sakura trying to avoid looking directly at him or his brother.

' Sakura,' Sasuke greeted her, his eyes finding her without a problem in the twilight.

' Great, this one went mute,' he pulled his mouth when he didn't get an answer back.

' Fuck you,' Sakura finally opened her mouth.

' Hi there,' Sasuke grinned at her.

' Don't talk to her,' Naruto protectively stood in front of her.

' Sasuke, are these your little teammates I have heard so much about?' Itachi closed their circle, his presence almost calming compared to Sasuke's.

' You were talking about us to others?' Sakura looked at Sasuke with raised eyebrows. ' Embarrassing.'

' I agree,' Sasuke mocked her.

' This reminds me, I haven't thanked you ... enough, for putting me together the other day,' Itachi turned to Sakura, who blushed to a deep red color.

' This reminds you how?' Sakura asked back.

' You know each other?' Sasuke asked, his face reflecting the same confusion as Naruto's.

' Why didn't you tell me about it?' Naruto now turned to Sakura with a betrayed voice.

' Tell me you're not serious,' Sasuke was eyeing Itachi, his face hardening when Itachi ignored his question.

' I won't let you near her. I will kill you if you touch her.'

' You get upset so easily,' Itachi murmured, but his eyes were still on Sakura.

' You're literally no one to tell me who to befriend,' Sakura narrowed her eyes at Sasuke.

' Befriend? Are you dumb? No one befriends Itachi. He is a fucking nightmare come alive 90 % of the time. Her ex "girlfriends" are all nervous wrecks.'

' Sounds like a challenge' Sakura grinned at Sasuke, just to annoy him.

' I hate to agree with Sasuke, but you shouldn't talk to him,' Naruto worryingly chewed his lips.

'This is quite enough,' Itachi interjected in a bored voice. ' You guys have deep-rooted issues I have no patience to, so if you will excuse us...'

Sakura could see a genjutsu coming from a mile away, but she was still surprised how quickly the quality of reality changed, and it was just her and Itachi standing in the same exact spot they did before.