Disclosure: Again, I don't own Naruto (can't help but feel stupid saying that).

Warning: Violence and language (to be safe)

Thanks: Sorry, it has taken longer then I thought to update this story; I have been so busy lately. Though, reviews always get me motivated again. So to all of you who reviewed: T-H-A-N-K-S! And thanks to all of you who favorited as well! Lastly, thanks everyone for reading. Thanks for your patience.

Criticism: Yes please! I really would appreciate reviews, preferably honest reviews, the franker the better. But anything goes!

A/N: The story takes place before the Chunin exams. And branches into an AU; the events that happen in this story will change the events of the Chunin exam. Also, Sakura is kind of in a depressive state here, so she probably won't think or talk very highly of herself, so keep that in mind. And thanks to those of you who have reviewed this story! Enjoy!

Synopsis: Sakura gets attacked while outside feeling sorry for herself that Sasuke does not love her, will Sasuke be able to rescue her? Or will she die unloved at the hands of her attacker?

To Die In Vain

Unbeknownst to Sasuke, the man before him had encountered one other opponent that used the Sharingan and it was through fighting this opponent that Sakura's attacker had learned its undoing.

When it all breaks down to it, the Sharingan is an ability that allows the user to understand how things work. This understanding is so great that it would appear that the Sharingan wielder could read his opponent's mind, and see his next move. However, this in reality is not true in the slightest. The Sharingan is simply a trick on the mind.

By examining their opponent as he fights

The attacker smiled to himself as he saw the boy's weakness expose itself so beautifully to him. He would allow the boy to think he had the upper hand; he would pretend that he had never encountered the power that was the Sharingan. It would be believable enough; Sharingan-wielders were scarce in these days. Besides even if the boy suspected his attacker to be familiar with the Sharingan, it was a powerful feat to defeat. The bloodline trait gave the Uchiha clan a sense of superiority among their fellow ninjas since few stood a chance against it; even if they did understand how it worked, there was a difference between merely understanding the theory behind something and putting that knowledge to practical use.

For the wielders of the Sharingan were given the ability to quickly learn all of their opponents' attacks and justus and then use them against their opponents in order to drive them mad and cause them to believe the illusion that somehow their moves were being seen before they actually made them.

Yes, he had come across a Sharingan wielder before, and the Uchiha had almost been the death of him, almost. The only thing that had saved him from imminent death had been the Uchiha's pride. The Uchiha had been so confident in his abilities that he was sure he had won the fight. So sure, in fact, that he had left his defeated opponent to die, thinking he had done the man in with his opponent's own, self-crafted jutsu.

However, he had not died. Like the Uchiha's Sharingan, he had a power of his own. He had chose to disciple a man powerful enough to bring the near dead back to life. This was his master, the one he had served since he was a boy. And while he lay there dying, he called out for his teacher who had given him a way to communicate via chakra connections; this had allowed the two to speak to each other from across long distances. Sure to his word, his master came and resurrected him from his near death state. His master was a powerful Medic-nin who possessed a signature jutsu that he used to regrow dead cells, clot deep wounds, and sustain the heart.

"Jin," His master had said to him, the ancient and wispy voice of the older man spoken in a tone that resembled affection.

"Yes, my master," he had replied in a drained and weak voice.

"So you finally found a battle far more than even you could handle, boy?"

He had only smirked at that, before unconsciousness had claimed him. It would be a month's time before he had healed enough to be on his feet again.

When he finally was able to move around, he went in search of his master. His teacher most often mediated. So it was no surprise when he found him sitting on the wooden floor of the dojo in a state of meditation.

He sat down at his master's side, his back perfectly straight, his legs folded beneath him. For awhile they looked like master and student of some old samurai faction, except that neither of them was dressed in such clothes. Jin wore his usual trench coat and black leather attire underneath, while his master was dressed in robes similar to a monk's. Finally after about an hour his master spoke.

"And now you are finally feeling better then?" Though it wasn't a question, but a declaration.

"You should know," Jin replied with a smirk, "You were the one to restore me."

"So I take it that the Uchiha did not fall short of my expectations?"

"Well, he did almost slay me."

"Hm?" his master thought, "Then I suppose I shall set off to retrieve him in the morning then."

"No, master," Jin replied, "Let me try him once more, for I think I figured out a way to beat him."

"Hm," his master seemed to think about that for a moment, then he paused, "I would have preferred to finally get an Uchiha; I have been quite curious how they work."

"Patience, my master," Jin replied emotionlessly, "There are plenty where they come from, there will be others."

His master went silent at this, Jin pressed onward, using the man's silence to his advantage. "If I am able to beat him, then this will work greatly in our favor. If I can prove my theory in how the Sharingan can be defeated, then any other Uchiha that we come up against will stand little chance."

His master seemed to be considering it. "And you are sure this theory of yours is relatively correct?"

"I would bet my life on it," Jin said with a smirk.

"Then so be it," his master said, "Kill this one, but bring his eyes to me for study."

Jin nodded in a silent reply, before closing his eyes again, and once more resuming meditation with his master.

Jin stared at the young Uchiha before him. Ever since the Uchiha massacre, he had promised his master that the next of that bloodline he encountered would go to his master's studies. Jin had heard there were only a few left. Only two in fact. However, it still didn't mean that Jin would not test the boy. One of the last Uchiha or not, there was no way he could allow a weakling to stand before his master. Not his master. There was no one Jin respected more in his life; no one he valued more, than his master. And he would be long since dead before he brought a weakling to stand before such a great man.

The dark haired Uchiha threw another set of shuriken at Jin; quickly he dropped into a crouch and allowed the weapons to pass over him, leaving him unharmed.

A smirk again came upon his features. It was only in the small details—the slight tremble of fingers, a fraction of a second delay between reactions—but Jin could tell that the boy was tiring. It seemed like the Uchiha had already exhausted himself earlier that night…

Jin wondered how long he would last.

Sasuke knew this man was testing him. It irked him that his opponent thought so little of him that he dared to toy with him.

Sasuke snarled at the man. He was an Uchiha; there was no way he could allow for such insolence, especially from an opponent.

His Sharingan already activated, Sasuke quickened the speed of his attack. He was done just using Taijutsu; it was time to show this bastard what the Uchiha family was really capable of.

Sakura was straying in and out of consciousness; her body felt so weak, so tired. Every time she came out of the void, more pain flooded her senses. When she woke, she would see more of the battle that ragged between Sasuke and her attacker.

Yet, she wasn't afraid for Sasuke; of all the people she knew, Sasuke-kun would be able to take this man.

Yes, her Sasuke-kun had come for her, and now he was fighting for her; there was no way he was going to lose. And with that thought, Sakura passed out again.

Sasuke made several more hand signs: flames burst forth from his opened mouth, sending a trail of fire directly down the ropes which held his opponent. He had managed to tie his opponent to a tree with an attack that the other man had not seen coming. Yet, something didn't feel right—the fight felt almost too easy.

After the man had found out that Sasuke was an Uchiha it seemed like he had gotten sloppy. Perhaps it was simply the fear the Uchiha name evoked, or the blood red the Sharingan turned his eyes, that had instilled terror into the heart of his attacker.

Yet, Sasuke wasn't so sure. He felt a bit naive thinking this way about himself. Perhaps if he was thinking about his father or brother, or some other member of his kin in these regards, then he might feel more comfortable believing that they had actually scared the attacker into stupidity.

Then Sasuke got angry; why was it so hard to believe this same thing about himself?! Sasuke had trapped the man, and with his last fire attack there was no way the man could be pretending unless he actually wanted Sasuke to kill him. And Sasuke would kill him too; he had every intention on murdering his opponent at the first chance of an opening the man gave him.

Flames flew towards the man trapped against the tree and engulfed him.

Sasuke breathed a sign of relief. Finally it was over.

Suddenly, the burnt man poofed into smoke.

"Just as I thought, there was no way it could be that easy. It was a clone." Quickly, Sasuke took a glance in Sakura's direction. The girl had passed out for the third time, probably due to the pain. But, at least his attacker wasn't anywhere near her. If Sakura didn't make it out of all of this, Sasuke was simply wasting his time.

It was then that several kunai rained down upon him, coming directly above him as if they were coming from the sky? Suddenly, there were hundreds of kunai showering him, as if it were somehow raining lethally sharp weapons. Sasuke immediately blocked his neck and head. If he got hit there it was all over.

This seemed like a different move for his attacker to make. But then again, it would serve as the perfect form of torture. And from his first search of the man's mind Sasuke knew Sakura's attacker thrived on torturing his opponents. Yet, when Sasuke had searched this man's mind with his Sharingan he hadn't seen this type of attack available in the man's repertoire. So, how had his opponent come up with this move?

Sasuke had dropped into a ball and began to roll on the floor, trying to keep his body as mobile as possible; it would be far more difficult for those weapons to get a direct hit if he was moving. He continued to roll; yet the storm of kunai seemed endless, as if he were racing through some large and seemingly never-ending rain cloud. Sasuke grunted; where the hell had this came from? His opponent had seemed pretty straight forward. Sasuke had understood all of his tricks and strategies; so how was it possible that Sasuke had missed this one? Somehow he had to turn the tables in this fight else he wouldn't be able to save himself from this, Sharingan or not.

Suddenly, a thought stung him like a wasp. Sakura?! Was Sakura in this maelstrom? If so, then this fight was all in vain. There was no way she would not receive a lethal hit from one of the kunai if she was just lying there in the open; it was statistically impossible. As if to confirm this, Sakura made a low cry as if something had dug itself into her gut.

Sakura! Sasuke's mind screamed. Was she alive? He couldn't see her, the storm of kunai was getting thicker. Pain was starting to spring up all over his forearms, back and legs where the daggers kept striking him. He didn't even know where he was going; he couldn't see anything but the blur of the ground beneath him. For all he knew, in a matter of minutes he would run into a tree or smack into a fence, or worse.

How had the battle turned into this? He was sure that he had been acting as cautiously and strategically as he possibly could, he had even managed to overpower his opponent. Not to mention, as his mind kept screaming, he was certain he had found every trick and technique this man had to offer.

Perhaps his control over the Sharingan was no where near the level of his teacher's. Surely Kakashi would have been able to see a jutsu as powerful as this when he scanned the man's mind? Perhaps there was nothing really wrong with the Sharingan as there was with him? Perhaps Itachi had been right to call him weak, maybe Sasuke wasn't as strong or as smart or as much of a genius as everyone thought?

Sasuke's arms were beginning to get raw from rolling about on the floor. Plus, he was exhausted. It really was the most ironic thing of all; the one night where he had just tired himself out to the point of exhaustion was the one night where he needed to fight a life or death battle to defend his teammate.

Teammate? Sakura was his teammate, of course he had to defend her. But, was he really going to die for her? There was so much he still had to do yet; if he died right here who would avenge his family's deaths, who would make his brother pay? How would he ever be able to prove to his brother that he was no longer the scared little boy that could do nothing to stop him, rather he was the one who would slay him: the Itachi Uchiha, the one his father only seemed to see, the shadow that when he was younger it seemed he could never get out from. That one, Itachi Uchiha, the one that taunted his dreams, and even his waking world with words that always seemed to echo in his mind: weak, worthless, not even worth killing.

Damn Itachi, Sasuke thought, I can not die yet; I still have someone I need to kill.

Suddenly, what he had been afraid of happened: Sasuke crashed into a thick object that was blocking his path. In a way he was glad; he felt like he had been rolling for miles now. And Sakura, where was she? Was she even alive? How far away was he from her now? And most important of all, where was his opponent?

Jin watched in mild entertainment as the Uchiha continued to roll away, managing to avoid any lethal strikes from the falling kunai. The young boy had ended up rolling down a small hill; the maelstrom of kunai following him as if they were falling from some cloud that remained above his head. Finally, he ended up colliding with a medium-size rock at the bottom of the hill. Somehow again the Uchiha had managed to protect himself from any serious injuries. Perhaps he was simply lucky; else perhaps he contained a strong self-preservation that had allowed him to instinctively protect himself.

Jin smiled, he would just have to see how far he could test the boy until he broke; Uchiha's were known to do this. The last thought brought a smile on Jin's lean face.

For a moment he was taken back to the time where he stood over the first black-haired Uchiha he had ever come across. Unlike the first time they had met, the other man now was on his knees begging Jin to spar his life. Such weakness, Jin had thought then: this was the mighty Uchiha clan. This was perhaps the result of too much seemingly effortless power; it turned one soft inside. So if ever that power were to suddenly be taken from the wielder, all he was left with was nothing more than a great name.

"Please," begged the man before him, "I have a daughter, she n-needs me."

Jin sneered at the man, "Now why would she need a father who can no longer see?

The Uchiha scooted on the floor towards the sound of Jin's voice, the skin of his bare knees catching against the ragged carpet. His arms out in front of him, wildly searching for the robes of the man that had taken his eyes. Blood trailed down both of the Uchiha's cheeks, spilling from the sockets where once the trademarked eyes of the Uchiha bloodline existed; now only raw, pink flesh remained covered by nothing but the juices and arteries that once held those beautiful weapons of power into place.

Jin only slapped the man's hands away. "You know," he said, his voice neutral, "For all the might of the Uchiha clan, without those eyes you hold so dear, you really are nothing more than weak, pathetic, little children."

"Please," the wounded Uchiha cried out. Jin raised his sword above the man's exposed back. "Please, I want to live."

"Please, I want to hold my daughter-" The blade sliced downward. With a grasp of pain, he crumpled to the ground. Jin held the sword in until the man's movements stopped. Then he abruptly removed the blade.

"Don't worry," He said in a calm voice as if he were talking to a friend, "You'll soon be able to hug her." Then he turned his back on the heap of bloodied flesh and headed for a door that lead to what looked like a child's room. In his hands he held a loose, leather-bound pouch; blood had soiled the bottom of it making the blue leather look almost black. The opening in the bag was just wide enough to reveal crimson light that was slowly fading in a deactivating Uchiha eye.

Sasuke did a series of blocks, his arms acting as a wave-like barrier that stopped the falling kunai from burying him; for now this seemed to be working. Though, he didn't know how much longer he could keep up these movements. For one moment, he wished that Kakashi, or maybe even Naruto was there. He wondered how different things would be if he were with Team 7 right now.

Part of him was so tired that it almost wanted to just drop his arms and let the kunai claim him. But another part, a part that was way to stubborn for that, knew that Sakura needed him; he couldn't just die and leave her defenseless with this psycho. It was as good as killing them both, and nothing would be more wasteful. The kunai were still managing to slice his arms, some slipped through the cracks of the barrier and hit his shoulders. Yes, he definitely wished Naruto was here, somehow that idiot seemed to have an endless well of stamina; he could really use that stamina right now.

Sakura's eyes opened again. Again more pain flooded her senses. This time though, she could no longer see Sasuke fighting her attacker. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open; where were they? Had the attacker won? No, Sasuke was too strong for that. If it had been Naruto then perhaps she would have been worried, but no, not Sasuke-kun, he was the best ninja she ever knew; he was near invincible.

Suddenly, her eyes were drawn upwards until they focused on a tall, lean figure standing on the top of a nearby small hill. Oh no. It was her attacker; he was looking down at the slope beneath.

"Is that rain?" Sakura thought, her mind must have been dealing with too much pain for her to be able to think straight, because now she was seeing what looked like heavy rain falling down upon the slope of the hill and no where else. Sakura could see her attacker's elbows sticking out from behind his back; he must have been forming hand signs.

Sasuke-kun? Was he down there, amidst the rain? Her mind dismissed the thought the moment it began. Not Sasuke-kun, he wouldn't have fallen for some trick jutsu, only Naruto would be that stupid, or me.

Suddenly, she heard what sounded like a cry; someone below had made a small, but still audible scream of pain.

"No," this time the words made it to her lips, "Sasuke-kun would never be beaten, not like this."

Sasuke had let out an uncontrollable yelp when one of the kunai made it past his tiring barrier and pierced his shoulder. It seemed to contain some ungodly force that made it dig straight into the bone. Yet, Sasuke could not drop his defense, else he would be dead almost instantly. "Shit," he thought, "Just how long can this go on for?"

"Fucking bastard, fight me already!" Sasuke would much more prefer hand to hand combat, at least then he could look his opponent in the eye before he died; this was just plain embarrassing. He was going to die, crouched on the floor, fending off an attack from some unknown source, while his opponent merely watched from the sidelines either bored that he was dying in such a weak way (Itachi most certainly would have been) or else laughing that Sasuke had been so weak and stupid to fall into such a trap and what was more, still weaker and stupider to not be able to get out of it alive.

"Fuck," he thought miserably. This was not the way he wanted to die. Not like this; this was too insulting. He was an Uchiha; the last survivor of his mighty line. He was suppose to die in the battle where he took Itachi's life, or else in some other battle long after he had repopulated his clan. Not like this, scuttling on the ground, barely blocking the kunai that kept falling mercilessly upon him. He was going to die from kunai of all things.

Now that he thought of it, just why was he dying? What was he going to die for? Sakura? The annoying fan girl that never shut her mouth once Sasuke entered the vicinity. No, he thought, chastising himself; he was going to die for a comrade. But even as those words entered his thoughts, he laughed bitterly. Sakura, a comrade? The best she ever did was get in his way and the worst, well look at him, look were he was, dying! So, Sakura, the comrade, really was only good for getting him into trouble, not helping him get out of it.

Again, he found himself wishing that Naruto was here; at least Naruto, though Kakashi and Naruto would have been better. He wasn't even sure when it had started happening, but somehow Naruto had grown from annoying and dead last to actually holding his own weight on the team and even at times—a lot of times now that Sasuke thought of it—Naruto was saving Team 7's ass. Not that he would ever admit this to Naruto.

If the word comrade was to be used, it would be used to describe Naruto, and not Sakura. The best word that could describe the annoying pink haired ninja was, scenery. The best thing Sakura ever did was to just get out of his and Naruto's way. That was the way he liked her, just standing there, not running over to him talking as if she thought he cared to hear what she said, or getting herself into trouble as she had done tonight.

Another kunai swiped down and broke through his barrier. This time, it was a lot uglier. The stray blade went and pierced him right between the hollow of his back between the shoulder blades. Fuck! Sasuke cried out in his mind, another small groan escaped his lips again. This wound wasn't as deep as the first, however it was in a more inconvenient spot; with the muscles it chose to piece it would certainly slow down his blocking arms, and this could result in…his death.

For the first time, Sasuke heard those words very clearly in his mind. His. death.

He was going to die.

Die?

Death, that endless black void from which there would be no awakening, no escaping…no returning from. He would forever be trapped there…no longer able to breathe fresh air into his lungs, or feel the wind on his face, no longer would he even exist. Sasuke couldn't even image the thought of not existing; it was just too foreign to him. As soon as he thought he imagined what is was like to simply fade away, he would go to a place where he would be watching himself fade away, yet that wasn't true. If he died, there would be no going to a place of watching, there would be no him to go to that place to watch. He simply would not exist. Sasuke started to shake inside. He felt small again, like he was eight years old staring up at Itachi's blood-covered blade. He didn't want to die. Not then, not ever! Sasuke wanted to live.

More and more kunai continued to rain down upon him. Another broke through; this time it targeted his lower back, fortunately it only just grazed the surface of his skin before it fell to the to ground. Sasuke had to do something. He had to or else he was going to die. He did not want to die, not now, not ever.

Suddenly, an idea sprung into his head: the Transportation Jutsu! Despite the fact that it was a more advanced jutsu that he was supposed to learn later, Sasuke had gotten into his father's scroll cabinet and had found that particular jutsu and had started to practice it early. He knew that he still held enough strength within him to perform it, however he had to make sure it transported him to a very far distance; after using a jutsu like that his already low chakra level would be just about depleted.

Just then Sakura's face swam into his consciousness.

That's right; Sakura is still there, if I make the transportation too far, I won't be able to come back for her.

But then again, with all of these kunai falling at this force and density, is she even still alive?

Wouldn't it be ironic if he died to save a girl that was already dead? But, then again he didn't know for certain that she was dead. What if his opponent was only targeting him with the kunai and not Sakura?

Only targeting him, only killing him.

That's right, he was dying. And why was he dying for a girl that could already be dead and was even more annoying while she had been alive?

No, Sasuke couldn't die, not yet, not for Sakura, not when she might be already dead. He didn't have much time; if he didn't perform the Transportation Jutsu soon he would loose the chakra that was needed to do it. Already the rapid movements of his arms were by now depleting his chakra in greater amounts than even he had anticipated. It was now or never.

It was a choice of either death or fleeing. Between the forever blackness of not existing, and escaping to safety.

Safety. Where he could still kill his brother, still obtain his dreams. Sakura might already be dead anyways, was he really going to give his life—willingly go to that black and never-ending void of forgetfulness—only in the end, to have gone there for nothing.

No, Sasuke Uchiha wanted to live.

Jin watched as with a poof of smoke the last Uchiha vanished from the spot beside the rock. Suddenly, hundreds of kunai piled into the shape the boy's body had made now that his barrier was gone.

A/N: Well, tell me what you think! Thanks again for reading :)