My eyes flutter open and I look around for the blonde haired woman, it should be my turn to take watch. Everyone is sleeping soundly, even Sasuke who's barely a foot away from me. Sitting up from the ground, I rub my eyes with the back of my hand and take a deep breath in. For once I don't feel sick after waking up. I start walking around looking for Ino, she might've wandered off a little further than our perimeter.
Since Kakashi told us to mask our chakra I can't get a read on her location. It's unusually quiet and a shiver runs down my spine as I notice a piece of green fabric stuck onto a bush. It looks like Ino's uniform; she can be a klutz but this looks intentional. There are signs of a struggle the more I follow a small trail that was left in the dirt. My gut is telling me this is a trap, reaching for a kunai I hold the sharp weapon at my side.
My feet carry me further into the forest, there's a trail of purple soldier pills. Ino's the only one I know that makes her own purple soldier pills. Whenever I find her, I'll spike my chakra letting the others know. A crunch echoes through the silent air as my foot crushes a stick, then I feel something cold against my neck. He set a trap for me, I can't believe that I didn't see it coming.
"Drop the kunai." The metal clinks against the ground and he shoves me forward. Before I let the others know, I need to make sure that Ino is fine. She's capable of keeping up with this creep unless he tried to get frisky, then she would've beat the hell out of him. His face moves to my ear and I feel his breath on my skin, disgust fills my entire body. Once this kunai drops from my neck I'm going to punch his lights out.
"Once we get to your friend, that's when the fun will start." At least she's safe, the boys are going to have a field day tearing this guy apart. We walk a few more yards and I see Ino passed out cold, tied to the trunk of a tree. Her hands are tied behind her back and there's something covering her mouth. My blood is starting to boil even more but then a sick feeling hits me, not now little one. The metal is moved and I'm pushed down beside my friend causing her to stir slightly.
"Unless you want to hurt that child of yours, you need to behave and be a good little girl." Hiroku's been watching me for the past few weeks, bastard. There's a pure evil smile plastered on his dirt covered face, he pulls a rope out and begins to tie my hands behind my back. These won't be able to hold me once I send my chakra into my hands, but I need Ino to wake up first. My com is snatched from my throat with brute strength, no doubt it will bruise.
Once he's satisfied with how tight my wrist and ankles are tied, Hiroku disappears into the trees. I'm too far away to wake up Ino, groaning I start to roll on my side trying to reach for my weapons pouch. Damn it! My fingers graze the top but the snap is too far away. My body starts to jerk like a fish out of water, I need to get these ropes loosened so I can break out.
Hiroku comes walking back carrying a large duffel bag, he looks at me with a sickening look. His green eyes are looking over my body and as he reaches me a sharp kick lands in my ribs, the air leaving my lungs. So he's going to try and torture me into submission, never going to happen. I watch his leg move back and I send chakra into my stomach to protect the baby, a sharp blow hits me in the face making my head jerk back. Unwanted tears fall from my eyes from the impact, I'm only angrier with each passing second. He squats down and looks over me like a predator would his prey, he wants to feel superior to me. I press my lips into a thin line as his face comes to my ear, licking the lobe. At this moment I want to vomit from him touching me, moving quickly I crush my head against him knocking him back a foot or two.
"Feisty. I like them with a little fire, makes breaking them even better." I roll away as a fist aims directly at my gut, he's going to end up hurting me more than I want to admit. I look over to the blonde and she her eyes starting to blink faster as she comes to, the shock hits her. Under the rope she thrashes and tries to break through but her strength is nothing compared to mine. Let the veil lift, my chakra will be detectable and Ino follows suit. The rope on my ankles snap and I stagger to my feet and run straight for the criminal.
My head rams into his gut sending him flying back, grabbing a kunai from the pouch and slice free my hands. I land another blow on his shoulder and he manages to hit me square in the face. The slap makes my ear ring and the skin stings, that was a bitch move. Hiroku doesn't have much training as a ninja so his street tactics are all he has. While my head snaps in one direction, a fist punches into my right side. I can feel and hear the bones crack from the impact, I can't breathe.
My body is trying to find balance again; my vision is still blurry from the slap. He takes the advantage to knock me over and sit directly down on my chest, crushing my ribs even more and constricting my breathing. It won't be long before I'm unable to breath, this isn't good. Screams are filling the void, Ino must've gotten the restraint away from her mouth. She's screaming for out team; they'll be here in a matter of minutes. His hand reaches for my hair and yanks the locks with his full strength, screaming out as my scalp feels like fire. What is it with the forest and hair pulling? It's really not polite.
"If I were you, I'd stop screaming. I could kill her right now, so quiet down." He's threatening my life while scolding my friend. Her voice dies down and I can hear the sobs taking over her body. I try to move my legs but he has them pinned down with his own.
"I'm…fine…" My words are confident as the air leaves my lungs again. Metal comes into view and I feel the skin on my cheeks start to sting, he makes a large gash down my cheek. His devilish laugh is sending shivers down my spine, I feel the blood drip down to my neck and the metal moves over to my shoulder.
"Already given up?" Now he's mocking me, trying to make me feel powerless and useless. I stopped being that a long time ago. I scream out as he stabs my shoulder with the tip of the kunai. Now I see red and I try to move away from his hold, he's going to make sure that he inflicts maximum pain before the others arrive. Trying to hold the screams in, another rough tug pulls at my hair. I can't let him have what he wants.
The sound of ripping catches my attention and the cool air hits my chest. Hiroku cut through my jacket and shirt, leaving me exposed to him. The only thing protecting my modesty is the chest bindings that are easily removable. My eyes widen and the tears fall as he slashes a dozen miniature gashes along my chest. The kunai moves away from my skin and his fist collides against my face, I groan but Ino's voice breaks me from the pain.
"Sasuke help her!" Hiroku is off of me in an instant, but I'm on my knees with my head being jerked back. The horror on my teammates face break my heart, Sasuke's emotions are taking over as his eyes turn crimson.
"Let her go." Sasuke's voice is dripping with a murderess intent. Once he gets his hands on Hiroku, the man is dead. My scalp aches again as he pulls tighter. Reaching for my weapons pouch, Sai's eyes lock onto mine and he understands what I need him to do.
"If you come any closer, I'll slit her throat." They all seem to be running through the options we have, but I know one that will work. My hand moves swiftly, cutting through the hair and I take off towards Sasuke. With the force he was holding me, Hiroku stumbles back only to be trapped by Kakashi and Sai. Naruto freed Ino from the tree and she runs over to us, but I'm shoved from Sasuke's arms into Naruto's.
Sasuke instantly had Hiroku pinned against the tree, his fist smashing against his face over and over…Blood smears on his knuckles then everything stops, Hiroku's face goes blank.
Sasuke's POV
The only thing I can hear is my fist connecting to the bastards face, everything went red once I registered how injured my wife was. My sharingan catches the criminal in a genjutsu and his face loses all color and expression.
Inside the genjutsu, Hiroku is bound to T shaped log and the confidence in his face has disappeared. Beating an innocent, pregnant woman is fun to him, that makes my anger fester again. I take out my katana and stab him through the stomach, more blood trickles down his chin. I can't contain the smirk that spreads across my face, it feels like I've slipped back into the familiar darkness. Removing the blade, I hold it up against his neck and press it hard enough to break the first layer of skin. A nervous laugh falls from his mouth and I stepped closer to him, applying more pressure on the blade.
"Why are you laughing?" This sick bastard could've taken Sakura and my unborn child away from me. My blade drops as I stare at his eyes; I know the glaze that covers his green orbs. He's been consumed by the same darkness I was once lost in, but the difference between the two of us is the fact that he enjoys torturing and embarrassing those women. Sinking my blade lower, I cut away his clothing just as he did to my wife.
"She has a fight to her that I can't wait to break." A low growl comes from my lips and I sink the blade into his chest, between his two lungs. A jolt of lightening runs through the blade and his eyes go wide. He has no right to talk about Sakura that way, if she wanted to she could easily take this bastard out. I put the blade further in until it hits the wood, I hear his spine crack and his eyes lock onto mine.
"I'll be the one to break you. Make no mistake, if you ever come near her again I will kill you." My chidori comes to life in my right hand, the electric current makes me feel empowered and alive. The hairs on the back of my neck stand as my hand pushes through his heart, blood dripping down my arm and splattering on my face. Hiroku lefts the air escapes his lungs and his head drops. The smirk comes to my face again as I let the genjutsu break.
Sakura's POV
"Sasuke!" I go crashing into him and wrapping my arms tightly around him. Hiroku's out cold, but Naruto makes a few clones to keep watch over him. Sasuke is reluctant to hold me, there's a fog covering his black orbs. I've seen that look so many times before, it breaks my heart. There's an intense inner battle going on in Sasuke, he let the darkness take over in his moment of rage.
"Don't ever wander off again Sakura." His voice cracks slightly as he begins to speak, I know that he was scared for a moment. I can't help but melt further into him, tears threatening to fall again. My entire body feels like fire from the pain, but being next to him is relaxing.
"I won't Sasuke." My head rests against his chest and I can hear his heart beating hammering against his rib cage. I let out a sigh, closing my eyes to rest for just a moment. The exhaustion is starting to kick in but falling asleep isn't an option right now. A kiss is placed on the top of my head and my cheeks warm from the gesture, he's never done that in front of anyone before.
The ripping of paper causes me to turn back to see Sai breaking the seal on the emergency scroll. At least someone is thinking rationally in this situation, I could've broken my seal ages ago and not gotten a good beating. I take a seat on the ground and start to heal my ribs, if they stay broken they could puncture my lungs. Kakashi is watching over the perimeter waiting on the Anbu to arrive, I feel Ino come beside me and she starts to help heals my shoulder.
Instantly shishou and Anbu are coming into view, I can't believe that Tsunade is here at two in the morning. She must've had an uneasy feeling, that's the only reason why she stays up late.
"What in the hell happened here?" She rushes for me and points to the criminal.
"Hiroku that is associated with 'The Masters' showed up under the pretense he was a chunin applicant. He abducted Ino to draw out Sakura, took both of them and beat Sakura. Sasuke managed to incapacitate him for now. We should have Anbu join us in the forest so we can survey any potential dangers." Sai is very precise and to the point. The remaining pain fades as Tsunade starts to work on me as well, one hand moves down to my abdomen to examine the baby, a smile spreads on her face as she sighs. Sasuke only moves closer after the Hokage's reaction, his eyes examining me.
"She's fine Uchiha, better yet the baby is fine. Looks like she put a chakra barrier around her womb. Smart girl." She whispers the last part to me and I smile with pride at her, it's not everyday you get a compliment. A wave of relief washes over me and I relax again, my eyes see slivers of pink spread across the ground. I must look completely chaotic right now, beaten and disheveled hair.
"I want all Anbu that are present in the village to report to the main entrance of the forest in ten minutes. They will be joining all other proctors and keeping a closer eye on the testers. Also, any information is to be reported to Team 7 members only. I need one of you to stay behind to take the criminal into custody and place him in a holding cell. GO!" Tsunade orders them like it's second nature, after being Hokage for so long it has to be. Following their orders, all but one of the Anbu take off into the trees. The other places a seal on Hiroku's chest, then he throws him over his shoulder like a doll and takes off as well.
"Sasuke you and I will speak in private later, but I want you to stay in the forest to assist. Sakura you are to go home and get some rest, Ino can tag along with you. We've healed most of the major injuries but the bruises will take some time to heal on their own." I can only nod in response since there's no point in arguing with Shishou, I learned that a long time ago. Tsunade stands and moves over to Kakashi, pulling him to the side. They glanced at us as they spoke causing a shiver to run down my spine. Sasuke's eyes never looked away while we were healing my wounds, it's like he's stuck in a trance. Even after Tsunade reassured him that we were both fine, he still looks out of it.
"Take care of her Ino." He breathes out as he bends over the offer me a soft kiss, this is the softest we've ever been. It warms my heart and I can't help but smile into the kiss, he pulls away and there's a slight pink to his cheeks.
"I want you to go home and rest. Please don't argue either, I'll be home in a few days." His forehead resting against mine, pained at the thought of leaving me after everything. This is way of loving me, actions speak louder than words.
"I will, I promise." A hand slips down to stroke the spot where our child was growing, it's a heartfelt action. He breaks away and give me one last look before he goes to speak with Tsunade. Ino helps me to my feet and we begin our journey back to the Uchiha compound. So much for an uneventful weekend in the Forest of Death.