"What really happened to your hair?" Came Sasuke's completely out of the blue question.
"Excuse me?" Sakura replied taken aback. He gestured towards her pink locks then at Naruto, who was busy gathering firewood for the fire.
"You cut your hair. You told Naruto you just thought it was time for a change. What really happened." It wasn't a question but a statement.
She blushed. "Nothing happened, I just thought it would get in the way."
"You're a bad liar, Sakura."
"Ano… It's just… It's nothing."
"Tell me." He turned to face her. His obsidian eyes glared down into hers. She flinched.
"The sound ninja… They came while you were unconscious… They wanted to fight you. I said no. Lee came. He defended me…."
A tear came streaking down her cheek.
"But they.. they.. defeated him easily… They were going to kill you… The girl grabbed my hair… I- I- cut it off to get away."
She hung her head in shame of ever committing such a desperate act.
"I tried to fight them… I was too weak… Then you woke up, and beat them all easily. Just like always." She finished bitterly.
Sasuke's face had not changed the entire time. He remained stoic as his hand slowly came up to grip her shoulder. She was pulled into an embrace. The first and only one Sasuke had ever given since his family's murder.
"Arigatou. Sakura. You are not weak, remember that."