AN: I have but one thing to say before you read; "set jaws to drop."
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Chapter 11: To See Your Face Again
Sakura walked into Tsunade's office two days after her talk with Sasuke. Tsunade said she had a mission. Sakura reached Tsunade's desk and stopped, waiting for Tsunade to look up at her and give her the details of the mission.
Tsunade finally looked up and sighed, "no, you're not being put back to work at the hospital," Tsunade said, expecting Sakura to sulk and leave, when this didn't happen she raised an eyebrow, "if that's not it, why are you here?" she asked.
"Um, Shikamaru said you have a mission for me," Sakura said fearing he was wrong.
"Oh, right! Sorry… yes, I have a mission for you, it's a C rank, but you'll be doing it alone, plus with your abilities on the decline, I don't want to give you any harder ones," Tsunade said.
"Right, I know, I've started to work on getting my concentration back," Sakura said wit ha nod.
"Good. Well, your mission is a simple escort mission, you are to meet to client in Tanzakugai and escort her to the Wave Country. You don't have to take her back, you mission ends when she crosses the bridge," Tsunade said.
Sakura nodded and took the information Tsunade handed her. She headed home reading what the details were. She's never been to Tanzakugai, and it appeared to be pretty far, the mission was bound to take a few weeks. Sakura sighed; she wouldn't be able to work on concentration much on this mission.
Sakura went home and packed what she would need and left the village, wondering why this woman was traveling to the Wave Country. She was just out of sight of Konoha when she heard something. She froze, hand on kunai pouch. Then the sound came again, a rustling in the trees. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sakura was struck in the left shoulder by a needle.
She winced in pain and went to grab it but froze, 'oh god, please no poison,' she thought desperately as she grabbed it and pulled it out. She looked closely at the needle and a slight sigh of relief escaped he, no poison. But that only resolved the very minor problem, the major one is the person who threw it.
"Something about you… you fit a description I was told. Could you possibly be, ah, you are," said a voice from the trees, no two words from the same place.
"Who, who are you, how many clones did you make? What do you want with me?" Sakura asked.
"I've made no clones. I'm throwing my voice to hide myself. And my mother said ventriloquism wouldn't be useful in later life, ha, to think. As to what I want with you, my sources tell me you're a medic ninja. I don't know how, but Red can always tell just by looking at someone what their specialty is," said the voice, again from all around.
"Red? Then, you're part of the Alliance? I have no bloodline, there's no need to fight me," Sakura said.
"Oh, I know, that's quite true. No need to fight, but, I'm entitled to my fun," the voice said.
"Fun? I'm only going to warn you once, I hit harder that you'd think based on appearance," Sakura said with a grin.
"That'll add a new level to it. You see, medic ninjas are the most fun to kill, because you beat them to death, they heal, you beat them to death, they heal, you beat them to death, they die. It's like a three in one kill sale. I just love it," said the voice as it stared to laugh evilly.
"Who are you? A Head? A Color? Or are you a Kid?" Sakura asked, kunai drawn.
"I'll let you tell me," the voice said from the trees, "My name is Green," it said right behind Sakura.
Sakura turned and jumped back away from Green. He was like Red, dressed in his color. He had green sandals, dark green pants, a forest green vest and blue-green sleeveless shirt. He had black gloves, and though his head was shaved, you could tell by his eyebrows his hair was black. His eyes were brown and he stood as tall as Red. He had a scar that stared in his mid left cheek, went over his left eye, over the top of his head and ended where the head meets the neck. His left eye was still functioning. He wore his forehead protector on his left sleeve, it had the Grave symbol on it.
"Hmmm. A kunai, for a medic ninja? You're the first I've seen like that. Needles are their preferred choice in general; you can carry a hundred in the same space as one kunai. I must admit, I've converted from the kunai," said Green with a grin as he pulled out a few needles, "though, I never use poison, the fight ends too soon that way."
Green threw the needles and Sakura blocked them. She threw a kunai at him but Green just caught it. He grinned again and threw it at a tree; it dug deep into its trunk. Sakura's eye's followed the thrown kunai, and when she looked back, Green had vanished.
Sakura looked around, desperate for a sign, 'damn it, he's way out of my league, he stays to far away to hit with a punch, I can't last long in this,' she though right before she was hit.
Several needles struck her in the back, and as she took a step forward in pain she was hit by several more in the stomach and chest. And as she steadied herself Green appeared out of nowhere and kneed her in the face.
Sakura flew back into a tree. When she was able to move again she pulled out the needles, she could feel the blood start to trickle out.
"Where are these hard hits you're supposed to be giving me?" Green asked, a grin spread across his face.
"Oh, they're coming, I was gauging you, now I know where you're at, and I can start winning this," Sakura said as she stood up, a slight grin on her face. Oh yeah! That's it. Scare his into retreating!
Green was walking towards Sakura, he had four needles in his right had, ready to be thrown, and a large number in his left fist. Sakura started concentrating chakra into her right fist. Green kept at his pace as he approached her, not expecting anything aside from her healing her wounds. He was greatly surprised.
Sakura jumped at Green and belted him one dead in the face. Aside from not expecting it, Green was sent into the trees, taking one down as he went. "Maybe I put too much into it," Sakura said. Nope, if anything it wasn't enough.
Sakura was breathing heavy, her control was still on the decline, and to put that much into a hit took more chakra than she used. She couldn't afford to do another, nor could she heal herself. Green stepped out of the trees, his face bleeding heavily, his nose broken, and blood in his eyes, but he was smiling.
"You were right, I didn't expect a hit from you, let alone one that hurt like hell, which that did. But I see it wore you down, you're at your end. I may not get to kill you twice, but I still had more fun than with normal medic ninjas," Green said, his smile widening.
'Damn it, I don't know if I can block or dodge anymore needles. This is it, I'm gunna die here,' tears started down Sakura's cheeks, the first there since the funeral. 'I wish I could at least warn the others, warn the village, but I'm two far,' those thoughts came to her mind, and she was unaware that they weren't hers originally. Naruto had thought the same thing in the past, overcome with the knowledge and fear of death, but only thinking about warning and saving others.
"I'm sure you've seen some degree of Red's Fire Fist, unfortunately, I don't have any variation on that, in any element. But with how you are, I think a flesh and bone fist will be damaging enough," Green said as he clenched his left fist and ran at Sakura, his left arm pulled back, ready for the hit.
Sakura watched him, wondering why he was going to use his weak arm. Then she saw his right arm, twisted and bleeding, flaying limply as he ran, hitting the tree had broken it. As Green got closer Sakura clenched her teeth and shut here eyes, she knew he'd hit her in the face, it's what she had done to him. But then the footsteps stopped, and she hadn't felt the hit yet.
Sakura opened her eyes slightly, but what she saw made them shoot wide in shock. Green was in front of her, his left fist outstretched as far as it could, even with her face. But it had stopped, not of its own accord, but because a hand had caught it. A hand Sakura could see right through. But, though that would have shocked her, her eyes wouldn't have gotten so wide if not for the hands origin. It was coming out of her chest.
"What the hell jutsu is this?" demanded Green.
"Don't…" a voice called out it sounded like the last, fading call of an echo.
The hand stared pushing Greens fist back, and the arm and shoulder pulled out of Sakura's chest. Then Sakura's eyes widened even further, because with the shoulder came the head, and it was Naruto's.
"Hurt…" the voice said, it sounded the same, but came with the movement of Naruto's lips, he was saying it.
Most of Naruto's torso was out now, though it had stopped coming form her chest, it was as if he was standing behind her and leaning through her. It wasn't until Sakura blinked that she noticed that, aside from being transparent, Naruto was also bare chested, he didn't even have his forehead protector on.
Greens fist was now pushed back to next to his face, and he was wishing he could use his strong arm to knock this…thing…away and kill Sakura, but his right arm ignored all of the commands of movement he sent it.
Naruto's right arm started to swing out of Sakura and away from his side, "My…" his hand left the cover if her body and was revealed to be holding a Rasengan, "SAKURA!" Naruto yelled as he slammed the Rasengan into the side of Greens face.
With their left hands locked next right next to Greens head on the other side, he wasn't forced away by the attack, and instead it shredded his face, like it had done to the hand of Fraya's ally.
Naruto didn't release the attack until he was sure Green was dead. When he finally let go, there was a lot more blood on Green's face, and a lot less of his face to have blood on. Once Green had fallen to the floor Naruto's expression changed from anger to sorrow.
"N-Naruto, is that you?" Sakura asked.
"Yeah, it is," he said, the same faded echo voice.
"H-how?" she asked.
"I promised, didn't I? That I would protect you," Naruto said the sorrow becoming apparent in his voice.
x-Flashback-x
A young Sakura was walking home form school, her hair tied back in the red ribbon Ino gave her. She turned a corner to see a boy, much older that herself, standing in her way. She knew by the look on his face that she wouldn't get past without being hurt.
"Hey forehead, trying to sneak on by? I think you deserve a harder beating for that," the bully said.
Sakura whimpered and took a step back.
"Hey, leave her alone!" yelled a voice behind the bully.
The bully turned to see a young Naruto standing there, determination on his face, "oh yeah, you gunna stop me?" he asked.
"Hell yeah I am! I'm gunna be the Hokage one day, I can handle you anytime," Naruto said pointing a finger at the bully.
The bully grinned and ran at Naruto and proceeded to beat the living crap out of him. Sakura just stood where she was before, her hands clenched into fists over her mouth. After a few minutes the bully stood back up looking at the back of his right hand.
"You're lucky I cut my knuckle on his tooth, otherwise you'd be next," he said before running off.
Sakura ran up to Naruto, his nose was bleeding, his left eye was swollen shut, and blood was trickling out the corner of his mouth. Sakura didn't kneel down next to him, or help him up, she just stood next to him as he slowly got to his feet. "Why did you do that?" she asked.
"Because, nothing gives him the right to pick on other people. Nothing," Naruto said.
"But why did you…" Sakura said.
"I stopped him from beating you up, right? And if he tries again, I'll stop him again, even if he keeps taking it out on me. I'll always protect you, I promise," Naruto said with a grin.
x-End Flashback-x
"I wasn't going to let Roken make me break my promise," Naruto said.
"Oh, Naruto…" Sakura said, the tears coming back.
"Don't worry though, I'm not constantly watching you. You still have privacy, just when you get scared I watch, to make sure you're okay," Naruto said.
"How, are you here? Why through me?" Sakura asked.
The sorrow deepened on Naruto's face. "You're right, I'm sorry, I'll leave," he said and he sucked back into her before Sakura could answer him.
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AN: longest chapter yet, wonder if I can beat it?...