Disclaimer:Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
Bring Me To Life
Summary: After Sasuke left, Sakura didn't know what her purpose in life was anymore. Her presence has becoming nothing. When three years pass, Sasuke comes back to Konoha. At his return, Sakura is at a mix of emotions. "Save Me From The Nothing I've Become."
Chapter 9 – Retrieval
Pakkun dashed along with Team Kakashi hot on his trail, the ninja dog following the lead his nose provided him as he took the directions that lead to the Uchiha.
"Naruto…" murmured Sakura quietly as she jumped along trees beside the blond.
Upon hearing his name, the kyuubi vessel glanced at the medic nin. "Yeah, Sakura-chan?"
The said girl sighed, "I'm sorry, Naruto, for letting him escape so easily…"
Naruto blinked his cerulean blue eyes, "What are you talking about, Sakura-chan? I doubt you'd let him get away so easily! And, I bet Sasuke-teme's slowed down, thanks to you! Pakkun did say he wasn't too far, right?" He beamed at her a cheerful grin to lift her spirits.
Sakura gave a genuine smile, one that rarely graced her features any longer. "Thank you, Naruto."
He threw a puzzled look. "Eh? What for?"
"For always giving me hope about Sasuke-kun. For showing me to never give up. Thank you, for that," Sakura answered him, her warm smile still on her face.
His grin only grew at her compliments. "Sure, Sakura-chan! Anytime!"
Sai, overhearing the conversation, blinked his obsidian eyes slowly. "I still cannot comprehend why you hold the traitor so dearly…"
Knitting his brows together, Naruto gave the painter a pointed look. "Look, I don't like you. I'm only working with you because I will do anything to bring back a friend, so don't badmouth Sasuke like—"
Sakura's voice interrupted the blond's, her head tilting downwards as her jade gaze lowered to the ground many feet below their leaping forms. "I care about him…" she started slowly, thick lashes clouding viridian orbs, referring to Sai's former mentioned question.
"…because I love him."
Naruto looked at Sakura solemnly, an unconscious frown forming on his whiskery face.
Sai blinked his ebony eyes once more at her claim. "After all the hurt he's caused you both, I would expect one's natural reaction to be hate."
"Do you hate your brother?" Naruto murmured softly yet sternly, blond hair hovering over his cerulean eyes.
Sai glanced at the blond. "I don't see how this is relevant."
The kyuubi vessel shook his head, "I don't see how it's any different. Sasuke-teme's like my brother."
"…"
"Enough talk, you three," Kakashi's voice chimed in, interrupting Sai's response.
The three shinobi glanced at their commander before focusing back on the direction ahead of them, resuming their task – to find and retrieve Uchiha Sasuke.
"He's a few miles away," Pakkun spoke up, his nose lifting into the air as he took a few whiffs. "It looks like he's picked up his pace."
At the announcement, Naruto increased his own speed thusly. "Then we should too!" he barked out.
Sakura nodded in agreement, sending more chakra to her long legs to increase her chakra as Sai silently followed suit.
"Kakashi-sensei, come on!" yelled Naruto back to the silver-haired jounin, seeing the ex-ANBU lingering behind.
"Naruto, don't go too fast," Kakashi warned ominously, but the headstrong blond shinobi didn't listen, continuing his quick pace.
"Naruto!" Sakura called out but it was too late.
Naruto had already stepped into the discreetly placed trap.
"Oi, what?!"
Five kunai with explosive tags flew at Naruto with incredible speed, pinning him against the bark of a tree.
((SFX: BOOM!))
The explosives sizzled before they exploded, coating the area with thick smoke.
"Naruto!" Sakura called out, worry etched in her voice.
When the smoke finally cleared, emerald eyes searched frantically for her blond-haired companion. She heaved out a heavy sigh of relief when she saw Kakashi's arm grasping Naruto whose body hung over his arm, unconscious from getting the full hit of the blasts.
"Told you not to go too fast," drawled Kakashi idly to the lifeless body of the kyuubi container.
Sakura walked over to the silver-haired jounin, watched the ex-ANBU place Naruto on his back against the branch as Sakura hovered her hand, glowing with green healing chakra, over the blond's forehead.
Soon cerulean eyes fluttered open with life, sitting upwards rapidly as his hand flew to his scalp.
"Ugh… what happened…?"
His question was left hung in the air and indolently ignored.
Pakkun nodded at his silent theory that had formed in the dog's mind, "Looks like the Uchiha kid was only slowing down because he was planting traps. The area's full of them."
Kakashi nodded as well at the hypothesis. "Sasuke knew we would come after him."
"He knew I couldn't stop him…" mumbled the blossom-haired kunoichi to herself.
Kakashi placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, a small, soothing smile hidden underneath his mask. "It's not your fault, Sakura. Sasuke's an excellent shinobi, he probably predicted this beforehand."
Pakkun lifted his nose in the air, taking in a few whiffs of air. He pointed his gaze to his silver-haired owner, a frown marring the dog's face.
"Kakashi, the Uchiha kid is bleeding."
"What? What're you talking about?" Naruto instantly questioned, brushing himself off from his near-death experience as he stood up.
At the information, Sai pointed his obsidian gaze to Sakura. "Did you wound him during your 'fight'?"
The pink-haired girl shook her head at the claim. "No… Pakkun, are you sure about that?"
The ninja dog nodded. "Without a doubt. There's a strong stench of blood in the air following his scent."
"Oi, look over there," Kakashi spoke up, pointing to an already activated trap. "Seems as though Sasuke accidentally stepped into one of his own traps."
Naruto shook his head, "You know Sasuke isn't stupid enough to do that, Kakashi-sensei."
Pakkun lifted his nose in the air. "Hold on, there's someone else with him."
"Someone else?" Sai chimed in his inquiry, his expression stoic.
"Someone's following him," concluded Kakashi.
But… who would be after Sasuke-kun? Sakura thought to herself, a perplexed look fixing itself on her face.
"But who would be after Sasuke?" Naruto questioned, voicing the kunoichi's thoughts, baffled. "He already killed that snake bastard!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes as his thoughts came upon one conclusion. "What about Orochimaru's right-hand man?"
The kyuubi vessel scratched his sun-kissed blond hair in a mystified manner.
"He's referring to Kabuto, dickless," Sai answered for the blond-haired shinobi.
Sakura's emerald green eyes widened slightly as comprehension dawned her. "Sasuke-kun didn't mention anything about killing Kabuto."
"Precisely," murmured Kakashi. "Pakkun, do you smell anyone else with Sasuke?"
The ninja dog shook his furry head. "Is this Kabuto person a medic nin?"
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "Why?"
Pakkun looked at her as Team Kakashi continued pursuing Sasuke, "He has poison with him – a type of acid I'm assuming medical ninja are specialized with."
Emerald eyes expanded visibly as Naruto and Sai simultaneously glanced at her. She swallowed the lodge forming in her throat, her heartbeat increasing with anxious worry.
"We better hurry," Kakashi ordered lightly.
The leaf shinobi sprinted, going as quick as they could.
Kuso, they're catching up, thought Sasuke with a scowl. I knew I put too much of my time into those traps, all they did was slow them down for a small period of time.
His onyx eyes shifted left to right as they searched around his surroundings, sensing a familiar chakra other than Team Kakashi's pursuing him as well.
Kabuto, Sasuke concluded instantly, recognizing the energy signature. Damn, I forgot all about him.
Sasuke picked up his pace, carefully unsheathing the sword of Kusanagi from its sheath.
"Long time no see, wouldn't you agree, Sasuke-kun?"
Kabuto suddenly appeared in front of the Uchiha, one arm behind his back as his other hand pushed his glasses higher up the bridge of his nose.
By this time, Sasuke halted his pace, onyx orbs squinting as he blinked. When his eyes resurfaced, the ebony color was long gone, replaced with the threatening scarlet shade of the Sharingan.
"I thought I killed you," Sasuke spoke somberly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Did you honestly think I would let you get away with killing the noble Orochimaru-sama so easily?" Kabuto replied evenly.
"You actually care about that treacherous snake?" Sasuke retorted back with narrowed eyes. His face remained serene. "That's pathetic."
The silver-haired man mockingly shook his head. "Don't underestimate me, Sasuke-kun. Just like you, I, too, was taught by Orochimaru-sama. Just because you got special treatment doesn't mean you're more powerful than I am."
"Is that so?" challenged the Uchiha in response, activating Chidori Nagashi around his body. He channeled the strong electricity through his Kusanagi sword, mentally smirking as he felt the immense power his body contained.
Kabuto scornfully shook his head once more, "Tell me, Sasuke-kun, coming from an Uchiha himself," the silver-haired medic nin spoke gradually. "Are Uchihas always overconfident?"
Sasuke narrowed his Sharingan eyes at the vain use of his family's name. Hoisting his sword higher so it stood out horizontal over his shoulder, he vanished in a blur, reappearing in front of Kabuto as he thrust his unstoppable blade deep inside the man's shoulder, blood immediately splashing from the deep gash.
The medic nin remained unfazed, forming a few hand seals, activating his Shōsen Jutsu.
"I'm not that easy to kill, Sasuke-kun," taunted Kabuto smoothly, his wound from Sasuke's Kusanagi healing instantly as flesh clogged the gaping hole.
Sensing the chakra signatures of Team Kakashi closing in on where Sasuke stood, the raven-haired male muttered a few inaudible words beneath his breath.
Shit, what are they doing here? the Uchiha thought. Can't they stop pursuing me? They're wasting their time.
Sasuke's breathing hitched instantly in his throat, watching Kabuto's arm outstretched with a vial, the needle of the shot right above the curse seal, infused within his bloodstream. He mentally cursed himself, realizing he had been distracted by his thoughts to not notice the sudden movement.
"Damn…" he hissed, his hand hovering over the injection area, one onyx eye coming to a close as he winced. He could feel his curse seal pulsing, the black marks having remained imbedded in his skin even after Orochimaru had been defeated.
Soon the throbbing pain became a blazing inferno burn as it spread all thought Sasuke's body. Onyx orbs widened at this as he coughed out air, his throat feeling as though it were constricted. With his hand gripped over the juncture where his neck his shoulder meet in a vice grasp, the Uchiha fell on his knees, a pained groan escaping his mouth as his torso fell over.
Kabuto chuckled evilly at his pained state. "You see, Sasuke-kun? You were no match for me." He took out a kunai, expertly spinning it over his finger as he crouched on his thighs to where Sasuke knelt. His onyx eyes were shut tight, teeth gritting roughly against one another from the burning sensation that engulfed his whole body.
"Say hello to Orochimaru-sama for me."
The male medic's mouth quirked up in a malicious grin, hanging the kunai loosely over Sasuke's neck. Then, without hesitation, he thrust the weapon downwards, the sharp edge of the kunai aimed directly for Sasuke's neck.
((SFX: SLASH))
((SFX: Splat!))
Blood sprayed in mass quantities against the floor.
But, instead of the severed head of the Uchiha rolling against the floor, the bloody fingers of Uzumaki Naruto grasped the kunai imbedded in his palm, tearing the dagger away from Kabuto's grasp.
"You bastard," Naruto growled out, his mouth clenched tightly.
"Sasuke-kun!" the said person heard Sakura gasp out his name, her form immediately rushing over to his side, to his aid. He could hear her footsteps approaching him, his eyes still shut tight. She lowered herself to his kneed over position, the Uchiha feeling her place a small hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun," she spoke in a soft murmur to him, "let me see your wound."
In response, Sasuke said nothing, instead his hand gripping over his curse seal tensed tighter as another pained groan escaped his mouth. Trained jade medic eyes immediately flashed over, locating the source of his pain instantly by his movements. A frown marred her pretty face – she knew the pain he suffered from his curse mark all too well.
"Kakashi-sensei, he's been poisoned," Sakura confirmed, giving Sasuke a comforting squeeze from the hand placed on his shoulder as the Uchiha let out another grunt of agony.
Immediately, Kakashi nodded, a plan already formed in his brilliant mind. "All right, listen up, everyone. Naruto and I will take care of Kabuto. Sakura, you will heal Sasuke. Sai, protect her just in case anything happens. Pakkun, go back to Konoha and fetch assistance."
The shinobi all understood their tasks and simultaneously nodded. In a flash, everyone except for Sai and Sakura vanished, following as according to plan.
Instantaneously, Sakura began forming hand seals in rapid speed as Sai took a place near her, obsidian eyes shifting around the area warily.
Dokunuki no Jutsu, she thought upon completing her hand seals.
Sasuke groaned in grief as the blossom-haired kunoichi gently placed her hands over his own gripping the injection site, tugging his hands a few times before forcefully removing his grip. Upon feeling her cool hands press against his blazing, pulsing curse seal, Sasuke let out a viscous hiss.
"S—Sakura…" he growled. Despite his hoarse, breathy tone, it was still laced with malice warning.
Leaning her upper torso forward, she tenderly grasped the Uchiha's shoulders, turning him over from his kneeled position as he felt his back come in contact with the coarse ground. His onyx orbs were faintly open, his vision blurred as he saw viewed a haze of pink hovering over him.
"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun," he heard her speak in susurration, her tone laced with comfort and ease, confident in her abilities. She placed one hand on top of the other before resuming their previous position, just barely above the curse seal. "This is a poison extraction jutsu that Tsunade-shishou had taught me. Keep your breathing even – you'll be fine, I promise."
She removed her top hand, gently swiping the side of his face with her fingers, ridding the thin layer of sweat that had formed on his panting face. She placed her hand on his forehead, her large sea green eyes etching with worry when she felt blazing heat beneath her palm. With her medical experience, she could easily tell he had a fever – a dangerously high one, too.
As the green healing chakra flowed through her fingers tips, a frown crossed her face, realizing hardly any of the chakra had escaped his body.
Oh, no… Sakura thought, biting her lower lip in fret. Too much of the poison has already imbedded his bloodstream. This poison extraction jutsu isn't enough!
"Kakashi-sensei, Naruto!" she called out, turning her head at their direction, the curing energy continuing to flow through her fingers.
Her emerald eyes witnessed the two male shinobi she had called to double-teaming Kabuto, throwing punches and shuriken at the silver-haired medic nin.
"What is it, Sakura-chan?" Naruto's response immediately came, panting as he threw a fist at Kabuto's face that he caught. Deep cobalt eyes flickered over to her own for a mere moment, cueing that he was listening.
"Too much of the poison has already entered his body, it's deeply imbedded in his bloodstream and spread throughout his body. I need to get him back to the hospital in Konoha, I need Tsunade-shishou's help to heal him!"
Kakashi frowned from underneath this mask. "Then we need to end this quickly," he murmured, his tone grave serious. He formed hand seals swiftly to perform a jutsu only him and the second Hokage could complete, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!"
Naruto stood in awe, his expression gawking as he witnessed two massively powerful water blasts in the horrifying form of dragons attacked Kabuto maliciously.
The said man barely evaded the attack, gripping his vigorously bleeding and broken arm as one eye was closed, wincing from the pain.
"Looks like I have to cancel our little sparring match," he murmured brashly before holding up his index and middle finger in front of his chest, vanishing suddenly from sight.
"Kakashi-sensei! That was awesome!" Naruto exclaimed with amazement twinkling in his cerulean eyes. "I can't believe you're able to generate water when there is no water around! That's so cool!"
Sakura cleared her throat, "Naruto, you idiot, don't forget we still have Sasuke-kun here!"
Naruto turned around immediately following the announcement, rushing towards the blossom-haired girl as he knelt down at her side. "Right, right! How is Sasuke, Sakura-chan?"
"He's going to be fine," she spoke in somewhat forced confidence, mostly trying to convince herself as her emerald eyes glimpsed upon his face, his mouth slightly parted as he breathed harshly with much effort. "I need you to carry him on the way back, Naruto."
Naruto's head bobbed up and down instantly at the request, shifting his position as he heaved the paling, sweating Uchiha on his back, securing his grip on his legs as Naruto hoisted Sasuke higher.
"We have not a moment to spare," Kakashi spoke somberly, the rest of Team Kakashi except for Sai nodding rapidly at the statement.
"Judging by his state, I don't think Sasuke-kun has much chance of surviving," Sai commented, his voice blank yet innocently blunt. "But according to the books I've read, it would serve him right, correct?"
Her hand clenching in a fist, Sakura didn't bother to strike lightly as she gave Sai an aggressive blow to the head. "Don't say that, Sai! I told you I wouldn't hold back if you bad-mouthed Sasuke-kun one more time, didn't I?"
Sai merely blinked his obsidian eyes slowly, not giving bother to the bruising blow Sakura had landed on him.
As Team Kakashi leaped hurriedly through the trees, dashing through each branch they landed on before pushing their bodies immensely further, Naruto averted his position beside Sakura. His arms continued to hold Sasuke against his back, hoisting the slipping Uchiha higher in his grasp.
"Oi, Sakura-chan," the blond called as emerald eyes flickered over to him before locking back on the road ahead. "How much poison did you get out of Sasuke-teme?"
"Enough where I prolonged his remaining life span," Sakura responded softly, biting her lower lip once more in anticipation.
"What does that mean, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked earnestly, frowning upon expecting a certain answer.
"Roughly estimating, he probably has a half an hour left to live…"
Naruto nodded at the mission. His cerulean gaze didn't miss the obvious pain that flashed across the blossom-haired kunoichi's face.
"He'll make it," he spoke soothingly to reassure his medic nin teammate. "You know Sasuke isn't someone to go down so easily."
"…I know," she spoke in a soft murmur, eyes glistening with a small gleam of hope.
Naruto frowned before craning his neck, his face looking forward.
Don't die, Sasuke…