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Chapter Thirteen: Another One Bites the Dust

Kabuto glared. Damn, the Hyuuga heiress has been training since I last saw her. I've got to get rid of her…fast! But how? Kabuto grinned after realizing something. The Byakugan has one weakness…it's blind spot.

Hinata was panting. She stood in her stance, with her knees bent and one arm outstretched and the other bent behind her. She saw Kabuto grin, and a prickle of fear ran down her spine. She quickly brushed it away, for she had to protect someone very special to her.

She rushed forward, aiming for his heart. She was surprised when she actually hit the mark, as Kabuto had not even tried to block her. She was even more surprised when Kabuto grabbed her outstretched wrist, and then a fiery hot pain in her abdomen.

"Kuh!" Hinata looked down as blood spewed out of her mouth. Her violet eyes widened in shock as she saw a kunai sticking out of her stomach.

"Hinata!" Naruto screamed. He was about to rush forward, but Sai held him back. Naruto turned around to punch Sai, but Sai shook his head. "Let her finish it." Naruto glared, but nodded in acknowledgement.

Pain interrupted her initial shock, and she hit Kabuto in his heart with her free hand. The blow should have killed him, but it didn't. It did, however, make time for Hinata to quickly leap back.

She pulled out the kunai and put a hand to her wound. It was bleeding profusely, but it made Hinata all the more determined to beat him.

Kabuto coughed up blood. He was panting hard. Damn the Hyuuga heiress! He hadn't felt this tired since he fought Tsunade and Shizune almost three years ago.

He heard a scream and looked over to find Sakura dangling in the air, suspended by Orochimaru's tongue. He shook his head. Big mistake. Even I knew better than to directly attack Sakura while Sasuke is around.

He had to quickly whip his head around to catch Hinata's attack. He jumped and did a back flip to avoid a fatal hit. Well, for someone else it would've been fatal, but to Kabuto it would only have hindered him for a little while.

Hinata stood, panting, blood dripping from her mouth and torso wound. She fell to her knees, coughing up blood. Instead of finishing her off, Kabuto took the brief hiatus to see how Sasuke was faring against Orochimaru.

He was just in time to see Sasuke use his chakra blade to go through Orochimaru's hand. Damn! I've got to help him! Kabuto took a step in Orochimaru's direction, but as his foot landed on the ground, a kunai was imbedded to the ground, a mere centimeter away from his foot. Kabuto glanced in the direction it came from.

Naruto stood there, glaring. "You're not going anywhere."

Kabuto sighed. "Very well, then. It looks like Orochimaru's on his own."

Naruto smirked. "He's a dead man, then."

Kabuto smirked as well. "Oh, you think so?"

"I know so. Sasuke-"

"Learned everything from Orochimaru. There's no way a second-rate Uchiha could beat a legendary Sannin."

Naruto's smirk faded away. "I'd watch that mouth of yours, Kabuto."

"Oh? You don't like the truth? Just wait until you find out what I plan to do with your pink-haired friend over there."

"Leave her out of this!" Naruto growled.

Kabuto pushed his glasses. "Why do you think we kidnapped her in the first place? I wanted to see what made her…tick."

Naruto took a step forward, but was restrained by Sai. "He's not worth it, Naruto. Besides, I think Hinata needs you now."

Naruto glanced at Hinata, who was by now on all fours, coughing up blood.

Naruto shook off Sai and ran over to Hinata. He helped her up, and she leaned against him as her weak knees barely held her up.

"T-thank you, Naruto."

"Shh. You're hurt. You'd better have Sakura heal that."

Hinata nodded, tinges of pink in her cheeks at being so near Naruto.

Kabuto frowned. "What is the Hyuuga heiress to you, Naruto?"

"What is it to you?"

Kabuto smirked. "Leverage."

Before Naruto could blink Kabuto was in front of him, knocking him back into a tree. He grabbed Hinata by her hair and yanked her back, a kunai to her throat.

"Well, well," Kabuto said. "It looks like we're back where we started."

Naruto swore under his breath. Hinata looked about ready to faint. Sai was about to start drawing, but Kabuto threw a kunai at him, distracting him.

As Hinata staggered, Naruto did his Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) Jutsu and ran forward to finish off Kabuto.

Kabuto easily dodged him and took out the clones. Kabuto headed for Hinata.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled, but he was too far away to do anything. As if in slow motion he turned around and saw Hinata, shakily putting her hands up in a defensive position. Blood was continuously dripping from her mouth and wound. Her perfect vision grew hazy as she felt the realm of unconsciousness take over her.

Her eyes began to close as she saw Kabuto running towards her, the kunai raised to deliver the killing blow. Her eyes, feeling like they weighed a ton, closed, and she waited for the burning pain.

But it never came. Instead, she felt a warm liquid splashed upon her. "Kuh!"

She opened her eyes slowly, a frown upon her porcelain face. She gasped.

"S-Sakura?"

"Sakura!" Three male voices yelled at once.

Sakura coughed up blood as the deadly kunai that was meant for Hinata was now embedded in her shoulder.

Sasuke appeared behind Kabuto, a kunai to the back of his neck. He was about to kill Kabuto when Kabuto spoke.

"Do you really want to do that, Sasuke?" asked Kabuto, as he twisted the kunai in Sakura's stomach, making her whimper.

Sasuke's Sharingan eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't tempt me, bastard. I'll do it."

Kabuto smirked. "Would killing me give you more satisfaction than seeing this girl alive?"

"Hn. Maybe it would."

Sakura coughed up blood as tears formed in her eyes. She told herself that Sasuke was just acting like he didn't care, but there was always this part of her that would always question him. Old wounds took the longest to heal.

Naruto appeared beside Kabuto, and Sai on the other side of him.

"Give it up, Kabuto. Orochimaru's dead. You're done for."

Kabuto smirked. "You think so, eh?"

Naruto was not smiling. "I know so."

Sai spoke up. "If you kill Sakura, you'll be dead in an instant."

"Maybe so. But killing me wouldn't bring her back."

Naruto moved closer to Kabuto. "Why would you kill her when you said that you still had need of her?"

Kabuto gave a little shrug. "Plans change."

"Enough!" They all looked at Sakura. She reached down and grasped the kunai handle and Kabuto's hand.

"What are you doing?" Kabuto demanded.

Sakura managed to turn the corners of her mouth up. "Watch and see."

He felt his hand growing warm, and then it began to burn. "What the hell are you doing?!"

He began to see green chakra emitting from her hands. He tried to tug out of her grip, but it remained firm, and the kunai against the back of his neck pressed even harder, breaking the skin, which almost immediately healed.

"You may be invincible, Kabuto. But you're not immortal," Sakura whispered. She then sent her chakra through her hand and into his body, into his chakra system. It was the equivalent of sending bolts of lightning through one's system, like an electric current. Kabuto screamed.

It was like his body was exploding from the inside. His insides felt like they were on fire. Sakura kept pumping chakra into him. Just a little more, she thought. Just a little more.

"Stop!" Kabuto screamed. The chakra was emitting a light green, almost white, light. It was so blinding that Sasuke, Naruto, and Sai all jumped back, and held an arm to shade their eyes.

Sakura gritted her teeth against the pain. She had to concentrate. If she let one ounce of chakra go astray, it would be deadly for her as well.

Hinata fell on her knees behind Sakura, covering her eyes as well.

Naruto saw this, and anticipated the moment when time seemed to slow, and the final blow would come.

Sasuke, too sensed it. He looked at Sakura. She looked like an avenging angel, her halo of pink hair flowing all around her, and her pale skin against bright light around her. She looked ravishing, yet somehow intangible. She mouthed something to him, right before a blast knocked him backwards.

Hinata braced herself for it, but opened her eyes when she saw warm arms envelop her, and carry her to safety. A shock of bright yellow hair and cerulean eyes looked down at her.

"Naruto?" and then they were flying through the air, and Hinata's world went dark.

Sasuke managed to stay conscious, though he seemed to be the only one. Sai lay a few feet from him, banged up and unconscious, but otherwise unharmed.

He staggered over to Sakura, who was on her knees beside a barely recognizable Kabuto.

She looked up at him and managed a small smile. "Well, it looks like he won't be bothering us anymore."

Sasuke said nothing, but knelt down next to her and gently gathered her in his arms. Sakura's eyes widened. She cried out when nudged the kunai that was still lodged in her stomach.

Sasuke immediately let go. Sakura felt bereft of his warmth already. She set to work pulling the kunai out of her, and started to heal herself when she remembered Hinata's wounds. She healed enough of her wound so that she could function properly.

As she stood up, Sasuke grabbed her arm. "Sakura…"

"Yes?"

"I…"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

Sasuke swallowed, his throat dry. He gathered her gently in his embrace once again. "I'm glad you're alright," he whispered against her hair.

Sakura breathed in his scent. "I'm happy you're okay, too, Sasuke. You scared me back there."

"You…worried me too." Sasuke faltered. He didn't understand all of these emotions running through him. They had been buried and suppressed for so long that he wasn't sure if he could ever feel them again. Sakura was the key to unlocking them, he just had to provide her with the lock.

"Sasuke," she whispered.

"Hm?"

"I have to go and heal Hinata now."

Reluctantly he let her go, and then turned around assumed his cold disposition once more.

Sorry for the lateness of the chapter...I still got it in by Friday...and I apologize for the shortness of the chapter. I'm still trying to organize my thoughts on how to end this.

Please review ! (I almost said read and review...but that wouldn't make sense because if you're reading this than you've already read the chapter...heehee)