So, I noticed I haven't put up a disclaimer yet, making it official that a teenage girl does not, in fact own Naruto. (This will apply to past and all future chapters).

Crystal Aurora does NOT own Naruto.

Sprouting Wings

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Chapter V

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Holding on

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It was only when Sakura left the village and the inn they were staying at that she realized she was clueless as to what to do next. It had all seemed simple to her when she was filled with the hopes of rescuing Naruto from the clutches of the Akatsuki, but now Sakura was forced to face the terrifying fact that she was, indeed, lost.

She was tired, she was weary, her meager food supply had long run out, and what's left of her water from the last town she went through was quickly diminishing as well.

There's not a single person here…

There was nothing except the endless desert, with its unchanging landscape, and Sakura doesn't know how much longer she can keep going. She absolutely hated this side of her, this useless and weak side that she spent so long trying to cover. She trained with Tsunade, she should at least be able to do something to help Naruto!

With that thought in mind, Sakura forced herself to go on. She traveled till nightfall, until her feet were sore, she finally decided to rest. The temperature quickly dropped from the scorching heat of the morning, and it wasn't long until Sakura drifted to sleep.

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The next morning Sakura reached a large clearing, glad for the change of scenery, she decided to spend some time here planning her next move.

There was movement behind her, and Sakura caught a flash of yellow as a tall figure materialized before her.

Sakura had trouble remembering his name, but with his dark cloak with red clouds, it didn't take long for Sakura to realize exactly who this man was.

"Ahh, Sakura, I got orders to personally escort you, so how 'bout you don't give me any trouble, yeah?"

She narrowed her eyes at the tall blond man and took a step back. "How do you know my name?"

"We've been watching you, yeah, and right now, we need you to do something for us, so why don't you be a good girl and come with me?"

"Not a chance!" Sakura was stunned with her own courage, and the boldness in her voice.

"Well, if you insist on doing this the hard way." Deidara leapt up into the air and flung a series of kunais at the girl.

Sakura dodged these easily, but another came with an explosive tag attached and Sakura was blasted to the edge of the clearing. She stood up and analyzed the severity of the wound, and allowing herself a tiny amount of chakra to heal the burn.

For a brief moment, Sakura was at a loss for what to do about this. How could she fight an S-ranked shinobi, a member of the Akatsuki? She could hold him of, but how long would that last?

At that moment Deidara landed a few feet in front of her, and Sakura forgot about all else as she charged at him, with her fist drawn back, ready for her chakra enhanced punch to meet flesh.

Deidara easily darted to the side, but Sakura lost no time in swinging again, this time aiming for this face. She connected to the side of his jaw, but he seized her wrist in an iron grip and tossed her away. Sakura landed on the ground with a thud and disappeared in a burst of smoke.

She charged at him again, jumping into the air and bringing her foot down into the ground at the last minute. The ground ruptured beneath, and in the mayhem of debris flying everywhere, Sakura used this opportunity to land another kick to his side.

But Deidara seemed unfazed and grabbed her pale ankle, twisting it violently at an unnatural angle. Sakura cried out at the sickening crack of her bone. Her face was contorted in pain, and she landed on one leg. Biting her lower lip, Sakura jerked hard on the limb and sent a wave of chakra as she snapped the bone back in place.

"Hn, medic are we?" He flung another round of kunais before disappearing from her view. Sakura blocked them easily with her own, but after scanning the clearing and up above her, she does not know where the Akatuski member went.

Sakura stared at the ground beneath her, pooling chakra to her fist, before punching the ground. Only one way to find out.

The earth split open at the impact of her fist, and the air was thick with the dust. But Sakura already saw her target, and gripping his shoulders, she punched the shinobi with all her strength and was satisfied when she heard the crack of what she assumed was his spine.

Sakura swiftly pulled out a kunai, and plunged it deep into his heart. Deidara let out a choked gasp, before landing on the ground motionless.

She leaned down to inspect his pulse. It was puzzling to Sakura. From her studies with Tsunade, she knew what each member of the Akatsuki was capable of, the jutsu they use.

Deidara's specialty was bombs he creates out of clay, but not a single one was used in their battle. And Sakura doubts she could easily defeat an S-ranked criminal….

Her eyes widened as the dead Akatsuki member before suddenly turned into a different man. Sakura could not recognize him, and she guessed he was just a rogue ninja. This all made better sense to her now, she never fought Deidara, but why would he send a replacement to fight her?

A high-pitched laugh filled the clearing, and sent shivers through Sakura.

"Well little cherry blossom, you certainly did better than I expected, yeah."

She turned around to face the real Deidara, and her eyes instantly landed on the motionless body he was dragging behind him. Sakura knew the spiky, bright yellow hair. She used to see it every day, it was Naruto.

Deidara followed her gaze, and his face broke out into a large grin. "Got the Kyuubi right here, but stupid kid messed it all up, the bijuu can't be extracted from the vessel."

Sakura let out a choked sob at the sight of Naruto's beaten form and ran towards him, but with a flick of the nin's wrist, she was flung back.

"The kid's holding on for some reason, that's where you come in. He lets go of nine-tails, we don't kill you. Sound good?"

The pink haired girl stares at him. She can't abandon him now that she's found him. The Akatsuki member suddenly hoists Naruto up on his shoulder as he stares past Sakura.

Sakura turns around, and she willed herself to not breakdown. Because standing there were the samurai elites, and in the middle with his kusanagi drawn, was Sasuke.

"Sakura," he spoke in an even tone, "Get behind me now."

But she was staring at Naruto, wondering if he's still breathing.

"My orders were to get the girl, not to play with you children. Maybe next time, yeah!"

The blond nin reaches in his cloak, pulling out a small clay bird.

Sasuke's eyes widen at the sight of the bomb and the frustration in his voice becomes evident. "Sakura, don't be stupid, get out of there!"

But she was kneeled on the ground, hunched over. Naruto was lost, they are going to kill him, and Sakura doesn't want to live either. It was better this way; they could be together in the next life.

So she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as he threw the clay bomb into the air, waiting for it to touch the ground and blast her to bits. Sakura allowed herself to think of Naruto, his laughing face calling to her.

There was a loud explosion and she could feel herself getting knocked back. But the pain never came. She looked up and saw onyx eyes staring back at her. His arms were wrapped around her, shielding her, and she tried to speak, to ask why he couldn't just let her go.

"S-Sasuke, are you okay—" She pulled her hand back from his lower back and stared at the red blood covering it. Sakura couldn't hold her tears in anymore. Why did this happen? Why did Sasuke love her so much, risking his life for hers?

"Why?" It was the only word she managed to say.

Sasuke's eyes softened, and for a moment Sakura saw the warmth in it, saw the love he had for her every time she met his gaze but won't admit it to herself.

"I told you, I'll always protect you." His eyes closed and he collapsed on top of her.

"Sasuke! SASUKE!"

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Author Note-

This chapter's a bit shorter than the rest, but I felt like this was the best stopping point. So, usually I don't want to tell the readers what to expect, but in this case, I just want to point out that this story will NOT contain lemon. The rating is T and will not move up.

I been studying like crazy for exams, and its not over yet, so the next chapter won't be up till summer, but I promise I'll update faster in June:)

I had been reading the last chapter and noticed quite a bit of grammatical errors, so I think maybe having a Beta look over this will improve the quality….any takers?

Tell me what you think, and hopefully I can squeeze a chapter in before May ends XD

-Aurora