Chapter 26 – Don't Fear The Reaper

"Sakura don't-"

Protect her.

But she was already gone, disappearing from his grasp like she hadn't been there in the first place.

Where had her chakra come from? Shisui was unable to answer the question, his red and black eyes following her movements easily as she leapt high into the air, her left hand drawing back, clenching into a tight fist.

"Shannaro!"

Shit.

Shit.

He hadn't expected such… such catastrophic destruction.

It was only with the aid of his sharingan that Shisui narrowly avoided the exploding earth, the trees that had once served as a cover for their group groaning as they came crashing down and he noticed that the sudden shards of rock shooting from the ground forced apart the other battles. It also aided Hinata in retrieving Naruto, helping him escape from his restraints, setting him loose on the ROOT operatives who were too enraptured by Sakura's attack. Apparently he was used to Sakura's destruction so didn't allow it to distract him for long, instead using it to his advantage.

Itachi appeared less startled than the rest, coming to a halt, crouching on one particular piece of rock even as it continued its surge into the sky, giving him a height advantage. His eyes urgently searched through the chaos, searching for something, making dread run down Shisui's spine as he realised that, despite how easily she'd attacked, Sakura would not have been able to dodge. Not in her condition.

He needn't have worried, for his friend suddenly lunged, using the rock as momentum, plucking her from within the jagged rocks and splitting earth.

Blood trickled from her knuckles and Shisui frowned at the sight of her dislocated shoulder when they landed beside him, informing him that she hadn't protected her own body from the damage her strength could cause. Why? Couldn't she remember how to do so? Was her sudden return of strength nothing more than basic survival instincts?

"Sakura-san, you are-"

Surprise had him meeting Hinata's startled gaze when Sakura growled, clicking her shoulder back into place roughly, rolling her shoulder. She didn't even wince. "He's not done."

"I saw your punch land-"

"No, Sakura is right," said Itachi, smoothly cutting Hinata off. Hand hesitating for a moment in leaving her, he took a step back, turning his back on them, body tensing somewhat. "Shisui, this is-"

"Izanagi," Sasuke breathed from several metres behind them, flanked by Kakashi and Naruto.

"We need to retreat," he told them, just barely keeping the shake from his voice.

With his sharingan being in the state it was in, with him not even knowing his own limits at that moment in time, he wasn't sure if he could go against Fugaku's mangekyō (they didn't even know what abilities those eyes possessed). Not if it granted Danzo the ability to use a technique such as Izanagi so effortlessly (when it should have rendered said sharingan sightless), his tireless form appearing at a higher level than them, towering over them as he stood on a large rock, cane still in hand. Annoyingly, he didn't even look winded. Not that Shisui truly expected him to, but it was still a cause for concern, his paranoia whispering potential horrors in his mind.

Narrowing his eyes, he assessed the older man, taking in the bandages, before asking Hinata, "You can see chakra pathways, correct?"

Thankfully, she understood that it was an order, her byakugan activating and focusing on Danzo. It only took a handful of seconds until she paled, saying, "His body has been unnaturally enhanced."

"Can you tell how?" questioned Itachi quietly, no doubt having caught onto what Shisui was thinking.

Countless Uchiha had been slaughtered during the attack on the village. Many powerful sharingan would have been taken and examined, allowing Danzo to know the secrets of their clan. But what if he hadn't stopped there? What if Danzo had gone that one step further and implanted them? He'd always had an unsettling fascination with the sharingan, after all. He could have many on standby, waiting to replace any that would undoubtedly grow damaged from overuse or – in their case – from the use of izanagi.

"There are ten foreign objects on his right arm," Hinata informed them, sounding sick. "I cannot distinguish what they are exactly, but-"

"It is the sharingan," Hanabi told them as she came to their side. "Danzo has enhanced his body with your clansmen's eyes. I recognise the chakra signatures that belonged to several of your elders' eyes."

Ten of them.

There were only nine elders.

"He also has one sharingan that has replaced his right eye, making it a total of eleven eyes," Neji added, his own gaze going to Sasuke's seething form. "I can confirm that it is Fugaku-sama's eye."

And then he was gone.

Itachi was too.

"You-"

But instead of attacking Danzo like Shisui had foolishly assumed he would, Itachi spun, catching his younger brother and restraining him with ease.

Sasuke was practically frothing at the mouth, struggling violently in his brother's hold, bloody eyes focused on Danzo without a break.

"Calm yourself," ordered Itachi, tugging him like that would be able to control Sasuke. "Danzo will kill you, Sasuke. Is that what you want?"

They were all exhausted, Shisui noted, glancing around. Not only from the previous battles, which had unquestionably depleted them of whatever chakra they'd had left, but also from weeks – no, months – of rations and lack of exercise and missions. They were rusty, their stamina weakening over time. He wouldn't deny the threatening shake of his limbs, or the throbbing behind his eyes, warning him about overusing his sharingan.

"He's-" The rage Sasuke was experiencing was intense, taking away his ability to so much as breathe normally. The Curse of Hatred truly had its claw in him, didn't it? "Father's…" Another struggle, his muscles rippling as he tried to break out of the hold. "He's using Mother's sharingan!"

It was a statement, as they all knew that their matriarch hadn't been a weak woman. She'd been powerful, her sharingan more so. Woman or not, Danzo would not underestimate the power in her eyes. He would utilise them.

"They're dead," he snarled. "They're all fucking dead!"

"And here we see the true weakness of the Uchiha clan," muttered Danzo and he stepped off the rock, coming down to their level, suddenly being flanked by his operatives. "The Curse of Hatred in all its glory."

Movement out of the corner of his eye captured his attention, alerting him of Hanabi holding out a hand, forcing Sakura to a halt when she tried to rush Danzo. Her byakugan was activated, eyes narrowing, the strength in her stance belying the momentary fear he saw in the young girl's features. It seemed the grim reality of their situation was hitting her, taking away any confidence she'd previously harboured. Then again, she was only young. The youngest of the group, in fact.

The others were no different. They each showed their fear in one way or another, especially the group of unknown Konoha-nin. The biggest of the small group clutched the sick boy close to his chest, looking lost and unsure of himself. When Itachi had handed Botan over, Shisui was unsure about the man's abilities. Now, he simply hoped his comrade was a fast runner.

"You're one to talk," snapped Sakura and she grabbed at Hanabi's arm, trying to move through the younger girl. However, she remained strong, gritting her teeth. "You call them weak, yet you're the one stealing their power for yourself."

"I never called the sharingan weak," Danzo corrected her with vague annoyance.

They had to retreat, Shisui repeated to himself, trying to think through all the noise of the battlefield. While the fighting had stopped for the time being, it was obvious that it wasn't over and it was by no means silent, not with Sasuke's cursing and threats or Itachi's attempts to calm him. Not with Sakura's demands to be acknowledged.

A horrific crack echoed around them and a second later, Sakura was running forward, not sparing a single glance to the girl whose arm she'd just broken without hesitation. Hanabi did what she could to bite back her yell of pain and anger, knees buckling for a second before she stood taller, paler, panting while clutching her arm.

"Sakura," he growled, out of annoyance and fear.

"Your time is coming, foolish girl," stated Danzo, making Shisui grit his teeth. "For now, you are useless to me."

Useless…

"What use are you now, Haruno?" questioned Danzo. "Are they really worth losing the one thing that makes you women useful?"

With the memory that was not his own playing through his mind, he shot off from his position, mangekyō activating, setting its deadly sight on Danzo.

Protect her.

But he was beaten to it, forced to skid to a halt as Hinata intervened, coming in on Danzo from above, just barely missing his shoulder, forcing the operatives back. She shared a momentary smile with Sakura when their gazes met, the latter of the two spinning on her heel, kicking out at Danzo. When he attempted to step back seconds beforehand, already predicting the attack, Hinata slammed her palm into his back, forcing him into the kick, before getting out of the way.

The distance alone was…

Shisui stared at the woman he'd come to love, eyes widening a fraction, lips parting.

Phenomenal.

But he didn't have time to stand around.

Taking advantage of Itachi's broken hands, Sasuke broke the hold, quickly creating distance and joining the two women, retrieving his katana on the way.

When Danzo attempted to stop his momentum, Sasuke appeared in front of him, his bloody eyes widening with deranged rage, katana drawing back.

It seemed that, even while lost in his madness, he was not a complete fool, for a second Sasuke shot out of the shattered ground when Danzo managed to deflect his katana. The sound of a thousand birds screaming all at once filled the otherwise silent clearing and the clone Sasuke had created at some point popped out of existence, his real self's hand and arm soon drenched in blood that splattered across his features.

Despite Fugaku's powerful sharingan, it was obvious he was no match for Sasuke's speed.

ROOT lunged for him the moment their leader was struck, forcing the rest of them back into battle and Shisui gritted his teeth.

It was when Danzo seemingly materialised behind Sakura that Shisui returned to the battle, forcing his body beyond its limits as he tried to reach her first.

But just as she was within arm's reach, the arm that was once hidden in Danzo's robe snaked around her bleeding neck, yanking her backwards, closing the distance between their bodies.

The sight forced him to come an abrupt halt, panting, her fear making his heart clench painfully.

"What will you do now?" questioned Danzo calmly, like Sakura wasn't struggling in his grasp or clawing at his bandaged arm.

"If you hurt her, I'll kill you," Shisui muttered.

"Hurt her?" he repeated and the smirk that stretched his lips made him feel sick. "I would do no such thing." There was no relief when he loosened his hold on Sakura and Shisui felt his paranoia was justified when Danzo suddenly gripped her matted hair, forcing her to turn, her body jolting suddenly. "You will be the one who hurts her."

What?

Much to his horror, he sensed the changes in Sakura's demeanour and he could sense Danzo's chakra seeping through the air, blanketing her, suffocating her. It had her warring with herself, body shaking with her determination not to allow him to take control.

Although he knew the risks of doing such a thing, Shisui broke the connection by snatching her away, leaping backwards and keeping her in his arms. She was rigid, as she had been when they first left the hideout and he struggled to get through to her. It was like she couldn't even hear him anymore. Whatever Danzo had done, ran deep.

"Get her out of here," Sasuke snapped while dodging a kunai to the face.

And take her where exactly? She-

Shit.

Firmly, Shisui shoved her behind his body, breathing in deeply before spitting out a fireball that covered a great deal of the area, instantly incinerating fallen trees. Others took advantage of his attack, throwing their enemies into the line of fire, but his sight was focused solely on Danzo, deflecting his weapons, attack soon hurtling towards him.

Until the woman behind him seemed to disappear, rushing towards Danzo with a new speed.

No.

Shisui was unable to stop his attack as Sakura launched herself in front of Danzo, arms crossing defensively, stance strong, ready to protect him.

No!

What the hell was happening?

"Don't, Shisui," ordered Itachi, blocking his attempt to grab her.

"She'll die!"

Naruto came to his other side, equally angry, but stunning him by not rushing ahead of everyone else. He remained tall, prepared, ready to strike the second Sakura was out of the way.

"No, she won't," he muttered, crouching somewhat, body eager to shoot off. "He's using Baa-chan's ability."

What?

When the flames slowly came to an end, Shisui felt relief almost overwhelm him when he immediately saw Sakura standing strong, lowering her crossed arms, glaring hatefully at them. Her clothes were singed, hair burned jaggedly, matts blackened at the ends, but her body was unharmed. In fact, it was covered in…

"What is that?" he questioned, surprised. Those markings held his gaze as they fully covered her body, taking his breath away when he noticed all wounds slowly, determinedly, fading away. Some were gone entirely, whereas others left angry scars in their wake.

She was unbelievably beautiful.

"Sōzō Saisei," muttered Itachi, watching as the patterns disappeared as quickly as they'd covered her. Like himself, he didn't fail to notice Danzo's annoyance at the technique not lasting long. Was that due to them restricting her chakra? Was it due to Danzo manipulating her mind? "We won't be able to kill either of them if she can use it more than once."

Skidding to a stop in front of them, Sasuke's left hand twitched, brief sparks between his fingertips making his breathing stop.

He wouldn't…?

"Don't you fucking dare," snarled Naruto, apparently catching on. His muscles were rigid, jaw clenched, eyes undeniably livid.

"She can't die."

"Hurt her and you are no brother of mine."

The harsh words belied the calm manner they were spoken, causing Sasuke to hesitate, eyes threatening to grow wide as they remained fixated on Danzo's.

"You are both making good progress," Itachi continued coldly. "Do not push me into a decision I don't want to make."

"Save it," ordered Kakashi. "Sakura's on the move."

"No matter what, he cannot take her again," stated Hinata, hands flat, palms facing Sakura.

She would be one of the best for the job of going against Sakura, Shisui decided. While she couldn't dodge her strength or counter it, she was capable of shutting down her chakra pathways. With her chakra restricted, they would be capable of escaping without leaving her behind.

Leaving her wasn't an option.

"Don't underestimate her," Kakashi warned.

"Go," Hanabi ordered of her sister. "I will back you up."

Wordlessly, Neji followed after his two cousins, aiding them in dodging Sakura's blows, the four of them seemingly entering a lethal dance of dodging and striking. Each movement was precise and well thought out, their dodging seeming well practised.

His hair barely escaped Sakura's punched when Neji ducked, finally managing to attack the chakra pathways on her right arm.

"Shisui."

They had to get rid of the operatives if they wanted to escape.

He nodded once, already knowing the combination he wanted to use, tearing his gaze from the battle. "Aa."

Without warning, he rushed forward. Usually, they would use their attack on a single opponent, but Shisui knew they would be capable of improvising. Instead of several fatal wounds to one body, they would produce a single fatal wound on many. While his speed wasn't up to his previous standards, it certainly was more than enough for the weaklings Danzo had dared to send their way.

Hands shifting, he produced several kunai in each hand, holding them between his fingers, launching them at the operatives, aiming for heads and hearts. His training had certainly paid off as he managed to hit most of his targets, following up by using a single kunai to slash at those who were more troublesome. Itachi accompanied him after a brief moment of pause, dodging and deflecting any attacks sent their way, covering all of Shisui's blind spots.

"Are you ready?"

They leapt back, making sure to keep their comrades behind them, both making a single hand sign before breathing in deeply.

"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!"

The flames would not hurt him with his speed. Knowing that, Itachi let him sprint off, once more covering Shisui by launching many kunai at those who somehow managed to dodge the fire dragon.

Time seemed to slow down as he skidded to a halt behind one particularly troubling shinobi, his hand momentarily touching the floor to stabilise himself before Shisui lunged forward, grabbing one of the kunai Itachi had thrown, striking the man's throat. Then he went after another, repeating the same moves, grabbing the kunai that had been thrown and using them when he found them necessary.

"Itachi," he muttered.

His friend was already there, joining him in attacking the final operative. The man stood ready, body tensed, hands flying through signs.

They did not give him the time to finish his jutsu.

Their blades mercilessly cut through his body – Shisui's cutting through his throat and chest, whereas Itachi sliced upwards from the abdomen.

They came to a halt on opposite sides of the clearing just as the fire died, breathing heavily, looking over their shoulders to ensure they got everyone.

"Your operatives are much weaker," Itachi commented, setting his deadly eyes on Danzo.

"You have many traitors," he responded simply. There was no concern for the lives of his men, no remorse or worry for his own life. No, Danzo remained uncaring, gaze glued to Sakura's shaking body, single eye narrowing fractionally. "Why would I bring my strongest with me when I am here?"

"You're bluffing," Shisui argued.

Before he was capable of answering, Sakura's heel slammed into the ground, further disturbing the earth, granting her distance.

"I won't let you," Hinata stated bravely, running after her, pushing off shards of rock to build her speed.

The sheer desperation that suddenly took over Hanabi when she realised the trap, freezing her in her place, leaving her wide eyed as she looked to her older sister, filled them with dread, especially as Shisui's sharingan predicted what was about to happen. "O-nee-sama, move-"

He couldn't let her.

It took more chakra than ever, the air around him flickering, the world a blur, until Shisui made it, heel digging into the dirt to help him stop between the two women. He did his best to ignore Hinata slamming into his back, feet planted firmly, his eyes glued to Sakura's when she spun, prepared to attack with Sasuke's katana, her green eyes wide with rage and madness and-

Heartbreak.

Deciding to take a risk, the second their eyes met, his sharingan deactivated, her eyes growing wider, fear etching deeply into her features.

The katana stopped short, almost scraping against his chest. Had Hinata been in his place, it would have been her throat.

"I can't let you hurt her," Shisui dared to say, barely refraining from swallowing. Had he not deactivated his sharingan, returning them to the colour she would feel most comfortable and at ease with, would she have killed him? "You love her too much, Sakura. Please remember."

It was like the day she woke up after first being rescued, when she'd been scared and confused, when he'd taken advantage of said confusion, attempting to calm her down. He tried so hard to reach out to her, to remind her of their bond, but Sasuke had broken the connection. Would someone else be capable of doing the same?

Indecision had her eyes shifting, meeting Danzo's cold gaze and her hands shook.

"Kill him," he ordered.

Nobody dared to move, he noticed. Like one sudden movement would cause them to lose her. He could sense the woman behind him faltering, hands coming to his back momentarily. After a second, he picked up on the healing chakra flooding his system in small bursts, discreetly healing him, preparing Shisui for subduing Sakura.

She knew he was the only one capable of getting close to her in that moment.

He was the only one who could reach her in her madness.

"Sakura."

The fear in her gaze sickened him, but Shisui didn't let it show.

"I love you."

It didn't bother him that the others could hear his confession. It didn't bother him that Danzo would use it to his advantage sooner or later. Hell, it didn't even bother him that he wouldn't hear it back any time soon.

What mattered, in that moment, was that light in her eyes. The determination. The return of her strength. The clarity.

Suddenly, her teeth were gritting, face flushing red and the shaking of her hands increased, the blade growing unsteady.

"Kill him-"

His eyes widened.

"Get out of my head," she snarled in response, readjusting her hold on the katana. "You're not the real Tsunade-shishou!"

But he wasn't fast enough.

He, Shisui of the Body Flicker, was unable to stop her.

Blood poured from her mouth the instant she shoved the katana through her own stomach, the small, relieved smile breaking him beyond hopes of ever being put back together.

"I love you too," she replied in an unsteady whisper, the blood staining her teeth disgusting him, chilling him.

A/N - To the guest account 'D': I'm sorry you feel that way about "whatever this is" and Sakura's supposed lack of progress. I'm not apologising for how the story's progressing or for Sakura being "annoying". If you truly prefer that I'd kept this "depressing" story as a one-shot, feel free to fuck off. Everyone else seems to be enjoying it so go read something else, no-one's forcing you to read it.