WOO! Sasuke blew the place up! Deidara would be so proud! Well, anyway, let's see what happened to everyone! But first Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto?

Sasuke: Hn.

Naruto: TRANSLATION: AKEMI DOESN'T OWN NARUTO! DETTEBYO!

Sakura: Quit yelling baka! *punches him into a wall* She only owns the plot to this story.

Sasuke: Aa.

Naruto: trans… translation: Read… an…and… review…. *passes out*

Akemi: … poor Naruto… Flames welcome! (-.-") enjoy!

Thoughts

Inners Thoughts

Narrative Accenting Of What's Happening

Flashbacks

Jutsus

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Sakura POV

"So what hit you?" I asked. I gave him my "I'll beat you in your sleep if you lie to me" face. I was fairly good at it, giving it to Naruto, Kakashi, and Sai all the time.

"Hn." He replied. My Sasukenese was a bit rusty but I was pretty sure that meant "kuni in my shoulder."

"Get off so I can see how bad it is." He complied, surprisingly, and I knelt down beside his sitting form. Sure enough, there on his left shoulder was a kuni. I winced slightly. It wasn't stuck in his shoulder, but on it. Like actually on it. It was on its flat side, burned into his flesh.

"Shit Sasuke…" I said as I pulled out a kuni and two senbon. "This is going to hurt." As gently as I could I placed the tip of the kuni underneath the right side of the one on his shoulder, gently pressing it into the skin so that I could slide it under easier. I gently pried it upwards until I could fit the senbon underneath. I replaced the kuni with the senbon, using one to pry it up some more and the other to hold down the flesh to as I pull away the blade.

I removed the kuni from him and winced again. His skin was burned in a sort of web-like pattern from where it bubbled and blistered under the hot metal, but in the distinct shape of a kuni blade.

"I have to remove the skin itself and probably the first layer of muscle. It's too badly damaged." I told him as I set to work, using my kuni to carefully cut away the skin. He was lucky. It hadn't affected his muscle. I glanced at his face. "You got lucky. The muscle's undamaged."

"Hn."

I sighed at the lack of syllables. I knew what he meant but he couldn't just say the words?

"You know, it wouldn't kill you to say a proper thank you instead of grunting."

"Aa."

I sighed again and went back to work. Focusing my chakra, I skimmed my hand over his shoulder, gently pushing my chakra into the wound, forcing the nerves to heal and the skin to knit back together. I pulled back with satisfaction at the new, baby pink skin.

"Done!" I grinned

"Thank you, Sakura." I stared at him in shock.

"You said more than one syllable in the same sentence." I felt his forehead. "Are you sick?" He glared at me.

"SASUKE-KUN!" I heard a shriek behind me right before something about the size and weight as a freight train knocked me away and I saw someone glomp onto Sasuke.

Scratch that. I'm pretty sure Karin isn't someone.

More like something. I agreed with my Inner.

"Karin. Get. Off." I heard Sasuke say. I could tell his patience with the red-haired it was wearing thin. So, to keep him from going psycho, and for my own personal enjoyment, I pulled her off of him and punched her like I Naruto… just a little bit harder though.

"Get your head on straight cow. Now isn't the time to hug anyone." She glared at me.

"You're just jealous because I got to hug Sasuke-kun." She scoffed. I rolled my eyes.

"Karin," Sasuke said with a smirk. When had he stood up? "You're annoying." He draped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close and tilted my chin to capture my lips with his. I stared wide-eyed for a moment before responding, turning into his embrace and resting my hands on his chest. His tongue tapped my lip asking, no, demanding entrance. I complied and groaned as his tongue grazed the roof of my mouth. Our tongues battled for dominance, neither one yielding though I was greatly tempted. We stayed like that for a minute, each playing with the others tongue before pulling away and smirking at each other.

"Enjoy that Sa-ku-ra?" He breathed in my ear. I felt chills run down my spine.

"As much as you did Sa-su-ke." I breezily whispered back before pulling myself from his embrace. I turned to see Suigetsu with his jaw dropped, Naruto being held back by Kakashi to keep him from killing Sasuke despite the murderous glare on his own face, Karin passed out, mumbling something about death, pink hair and kids, and Sai giving us one of his fake smiles.

"Itachi is gone, and Kisame is fried fish. Now is an opportune moment for you two to engage in coitus if that was your intention." He said. I turned bright red but used this as an opportunity, Naruto and I glanced at each other's faces and acted simultaneously. Sasuke, though emotionless on his face, was definitely shocked at Sai's words so I quickly hit a pressure point on his back, and he dropped.

Naruto had turned and slammed his fist in Suigetsu's face, making him stumble backwards into a tree where Kakashi, who caught on quickly like the smart, albeit perverted shinobi that he is, pinned him up against the tree and hit a point in his neck as well.

Soon all three members of Team Hebi were tied with chakra enforced ropes and were being hoisted onto shoulders. That's about when Kakashi and Sai's luck ran out. I had enough chakra to heal the necessities to make it back to Suna but would just barely be able to stay awake. Someone had to carry me back, I even had to use the chakra in my curse seal to heal them, and Naruto was the best option because he might otherwise try to maim Sasuke for the kiss.

"Ne, Sakura-chan." Naruto asked.

"Hm? What is it Naruto?" I yawned, barely able to keep my eyes open.

"I was wondering…Where did you get that seal? I've wondered since I first saw it but…" I was silent for a minute before answering.

"At one point when I was still in training I was attacked. A rogue nin with tattoos all along her arms and hands. They were part of her specialized jutsu. They weren't really tattoos, they were curses, it's why they constantly moved and changed. I was able to hold her off until Anbu got there but at one point her palm hit me in the chest. It didn't show up until the next day. At the time I didn't think anything of it, I thought it was a bruise and at the beginning it was. Just one big bruise. But after a while, instead of fading it turned darker and started shrinking into the shape of a little teardrop. So I went to Tsunade-shishou about it." I paused and took a deep breath before continuing.

"She couldn't figure it out at first either, but then things started happening…" I trailed off and shuddered slightly, remembering the terror. "Shishou put a seal around it. From then on I just started storing chakra in it for times like this, when I need it the most."

I hadn't been so drained since one night at the hospital when I was still a Chunin, a group of Anbu came back from a search and retrieve mission and had to fight off a group of Sound nin more than double the size of their group. I'm lucky for my seal; it kept multiple people alive that day, including me. It was also the only reason why my boys and I could leave with an unconscious Team Hebi.

I unconsciously traced the seal centered between my breasts, tracing the two unconnected halves of a heart, then the teardrop at the bottom, then the upside down one at the top, both between the heat halves, but not touching them, then finally the curse itself. The larger teardrop that started it all, all of it the same candy pink as my hair. The entire thing was beautiful, and the seal was very useful at times like these, but I still wished it wasn't there.

Yet you'd miss it if it was gone.

What do you expect? I've had it for so long it's almost as if I would be losing a small part of myself. I don't even notice it when I look in the mirror or bathe anymore.

Same reason why you don't really mind if I'm here.

Yeah I guess…

I slowly drifted off to sleep, thoughts of curses, seals, and the moment from when shishou sealed it running through my head.

"I won't lie, this will hurt Sakura, but it's for the good of the village as well as for you. I refuse to lose my daughter to this thing."

"Hai shishou, I agree. This needs to happen. For the good of the village, as well as my sanity. Please, begin before it starts to invade my mind again."

"Hai." She said, as she began the process. I felt an unbearable physical pain in my chest. Screaming was all I could do. I couldn't even move from the intensity of it all. I shrieked until my voice was gone but silent wails of agony still fell from my mouth. Never in my life had I ever undergone such physical torture but I would endure it. I would for the people I loved. I would do it for the village. And I would do it for me.

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Wow. Finally finished chapter 10….and 1:45 in the morning… I should probably sleep. But first, big thanks to Deranged Lunatics, GGirl, Grace Tarpley, Reshea, SakuraXMulti, SilverforsakenFox, StephJoann, Uzumaki Ricky, .xXxX, jenl821, kakiro19, and sunshinegirl306 for following this story, Deranged Lunatics, Gaara777, .xXxX, ecarG H. C, kairigurl08, and sunshinegurl306 for favoriting this story, and .xXxX, Gaara777, splash, Shadow Wolf, and Cherry for the reviews! You all really helped me continue this fanfic because I really wasn't even sure if I should. Curse my self-esteem issues and praise the reviewers, followers, and those who favorited Love and Revenge and helped me keep the ball rollin'!