Sasuke closed his eyes in frustration. "Will you be serious for once?" He snapped.
"But this is so boring-"
The young Uchiha opened his eyes with a deadly glare, revealing a familiar red. "You usuratonkachi!"
The blond in front of him raised his hands in defense. "No need to take out the sharingan,teme!" He laughed nervously, remembering the last time he was trapped in a Uchiha-induced genjutsu. "I'll read it again!"
"Naruto." Sasuke began firmly, pinching the bridge of his nose with a defeated sigh. "Don't you think you've got a little too much on your hands?"
His best friend looked up from the text book in front of him. "What do you mean?"
"Academic wise," He began, gesturing over the scattered papers and text books in the room. "You're a genin learning to be Hokage." He paused, meeting his friend's eyes. "And you're splitting your time pursuing a relationship with the Hyuga-"
Naruto raised a hand. "Stop right there." He said. "Hinata-chan is supporting me and helping me." He smiled, blue eyes narrowing into slits. "And always keeping me company."
He sighed once more. "You're distracted."
"I'm in love." The blond corrected.
Sasuke wasn't sure what to say next. His lips tightened thinly.
The orange-jacket clad man grinned with a bashful smile. "So much has happened." He began. "My dream is still to be Hokage and I won't stop going after it." He smiled. "I can't see myself getting there without her." He paused, looking out the opened window. "She gives me strength."
Silence enveloped them, as if Naruto purposely stopped to let him ponder on the thought.
The blond took a peek at him. "Maybe if you would actually let her know how you feel-"
"Shut up."
"I'm just sayin'" He grinned teasingly. "It's not like she doesn't feel-"
Naruto was cut short when the loud sound of an alarm rang from outside.
The two men shared a short look before realizing the alarm came from the hospital.
Naruto ran towards the window to see ominous smoke coming from the hospital's vicinity.
"Sasuke-"
He didn't get to finish what he wanted to say as when he turned back to the last Uchiha, he was already gone.
Sasuke didn't waste time when he arrived on scene. He was headed towards the destroyed hospital bridge when he was stopped.
"Sasuke!" A familiar voice called.
The young man turned back to his former sensei with a frown. "How serious is this that you were called?"
"Sakura's in there with an unidentified threat." The silver haired man stated. "That's enough to get me off my ass."
He glanced back towards the smoke. "She won't be there." He began, looking over the crowd of people. "The children..." He trailed, looking around once more.
"On the second floor." Kakashi pointed to the building on the right. "That's where her program is at."
Sasuke frowned at the sight of the building. "The exits are blocked." He stated. "She could easily leave."
"She won't, not when her patients are there."
"The building could collapse at any moment at this point-."
"There's no point of entry or exit from this end-"
"-The rescue team won't be able to enter without disrupting its balance."
"-Sakura will need to find a way out herself."
"Hn."
"Sasuke-!"
The Sixth Hokage watched in alarm as his former student entered the insecure building, quietly hoping his entrance won't shift the delicate balance.
His shoulders slumped with a sigh as Sasuke disappeared into the smoke and the building kept its ground.
"He can be such an idiot sometimes..." He muttered.
Sasuke wasn't surprised when he saw Sakura guiding the children out the window. He was surprised when the last one had gotten out and she turned around to run the opposite direction.
"Sakura!" He called, using his cloak as a shield from the smoke.
The pink haired woman stopped, surprised to see him. "Sasuke-kun?!"
There was a look of uncertainty in her eyes before she ran off again.
He followed after her immediately, running through the smoke and fire. He contemplated for a second whether or not to take the embers out but banished the thought when Sakura disappeared into a corridor.
He was only a few steps behind her when he heard an angry, muffled voice.
"Release Lord Kido!" The voice yelled.
Sasuke stopped at the corner, not far from Sakura, well hidden from the man at the other end of the corridor, but visible to the kunoichi.
The man wore the traditional Anbu gear and mask. His left hand was clasped down tightly on a little boy's mouth, muffling his cries. His other hand held a kunai dangerously close to the child's neck.
"I keep telling you," Sakura glared. "I'm not the right person to ask for that!"
The man chuckled darkly. "You're the hokage's bitch." He yelled.
Sasuke grimaced.
"He'll do anything you want."
Sakura's posture changed. Her feet separated, ready to launch forward. "The hokage would never release a traitor at his doctor's request!" She yelled, quickly taking out a kunai and throwing it pass the Anbu.
The man deftly moved to his left, child in tow. "You're skills have dulled." He mocked. "You're nowhere as skilled as I've heard, Haruno Sakura."
The kunoichi smirked, standing upright. "Did I?"
It took the man a second to process what was happening before Sasuke had knocked him out cold.
The little boy cried, running towards Sakura's open arms.
"Ichigo!" She held the child closer, before pulling away to examine him. "Are you okay?!"
Sasuke watched quietly as her emerald eyes moved over the little boy's body, trying to find cuts or bruises. Her hands moved quickly and gently to cup his face before her lips stretched into a smile.
She heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness!" She smiled, before turning to him.
"Sasuke-kun!" She called, carrying the boy into her arms. "Our exit-"
"I know." He cut her off, turning to his side to open a portal.
Sakura ran quickly over to him with the child in her arms, still crying, when the floor beneath her feet crumbled.
Sasuke's eyes widened as Sakura tripped over, nearly falling. Fortunately, he had reached out to pull her towards him with her free hand.
He held her close as the floor crumbled further.
"Thank you." She smiled, gripping the child tighter as her emerald eyes glistened gratefully for his quickness.
The kunoichi couldn't help but notice how he had looked away abruptly when she smiled. She also wasn't sure if it was because of the heat, but a tint of pink had made its way to his cheeks.
His hand remained protectively around her as he pulled her into the portal.
They were immediately greeted by familiar faces in which time Sasuke had already pulled away from her.
From the way Naruto was grinning at him though, it seems that he could have pulled away faster.
Sakura's hands glowed green as they made their way to his face.
She bit back a frown. "I'm sorry for worrying you..." She muttered under her breath, eyes focused on treating his eye.
"I wasn't worried." He grumbled with a pout. He'd have looked away by now if he could. "I was just in the area-"
"He was totally worried, Sakura-chan!" Naruto interrupted enthusiastically, ruffling Sasuke's head of hair.
It seems he had overused his rinnegan already over the past few days. After the portal had closed behind them earlier, he wavered slightly to which his best friend had caught him. Now, under the hokage's orders, he was benched over to be seen by a doctor. Which happens to be Sakura.
He glared at the blond with an onyx eye. "Urusai!" The words fell bitterly and harshly, but his cheeks tinted with pink once more.
Before Naruto could add anything more, Kakashi clasped his mouth shut.
"Now, now," The older man began, pulling a struggling Naruto closer to his side. "Let's let the doctor check on her patient privately." He smiled.
Sakura looked back to the duo with narrowed, oblivious eyes. "Why are you acting like strangers?" She asked. "It's not like-"
"Leave." Sasuke cut her off.
The pink haired doctor looked back to him and tilted her head, waiting for an explanation.
"Well," Kakashi interrupted, patting her head gently.
Two onyx eyes met a pair of emerald while one lone onyx watched on, annoyed.
"I'll leave it to you then, Sakura-chan." Kakashi smiled, earning a simple nod from the kunoichi. Also earning a deadly one-eyed glare from the injured man.
Sakura turned back to her patient as the duo left. "This isn't doing much." She stated, eyes focused on his rinnegan. "You'll need to recuperate properly. I know it's a long shot, but will you stay in the village longer while your eye heals-"
"Yes." He scolded himself inwardly. Perhaps he answered too quickly.
A smile spread on her lips.
"Will you be my doctor?" He was like a child asking for tomatoes-
Tomatoes? Do children usually beg for tomatoes? Wait, beg-
"I'll make sure of it." Her emerald eyes glistened with mirth.
Was she laughing at him?
"I'm not begging..." He muttered defensively, looking away from her.
Her smile faltered, replaced by an amused look. Her cheeks flushed at the rare sight of him pouting. He probably didn't even realize he was doing it.
"I just don't trust anyone else to treat me." He added, looking up to her emerald eyes. "I only trust you."
Her flush darkened and she gave him a shy smile. "I'll take care of you." She promised.