Chapter Sixteen
Sakura finished healing Sasuke within the next five minutes. Silence dominated the room. Sakura refused to look at anything, but the ground. Sasuke finally cleared his throat and began speaking.
"Alright," He said, getting to his feet. "You guys need to get out of here and back to Konoha. Itachi will only be out for a little while longer so try to pay attention to what I'm saying. Once you get out of here it's a straight shot through the forest to Konoha. But you might want to find a cave or something to rest in and maybe tend to some of your injuries. Oh and make sure Kakashi is still alive."
Naruto looked at him curiously. "What about you, Sasuke?" he asked.
Sasuke turned away. He stared at Itachi's motionless body for a second, rage slowly filling him once again. "I have to finish him," he growled. (Uh-oh, here comes his "I am an avenger" speech) "I am an avenger. I trained with Orochimaru just for this moment. I'll catch up with you guys later. When he's dead." He twisted around to stare at Naruto and Sakura.
Sakura glared intently at him and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could do so, a long sword came speeding at her from out of nowhere.
Scarcely even moving, she conjured a wall of Chakra to protect her. The sword was persistent. It broke through the wall, but Sakura jumped to one side and grabbed a kunai out of Sasuke's weapon pouch, deflecting the sword with a flick of her wrist.
Sasuke gaped at her. She smirked back. The sword shifted position and stabbed her in the back.
She froze, the smirk fading from her face and keeled over sideways. Sasuke was at her side in an instant. The color of her tank top was darkening as vile red liquid seeped through the fabric. It gurgled out of the corners of her mouth as she made an effort to speak. "Behind…. you."
Sasuke whirled around. Itachi was on his feet, Chakra strings stretching from his fingertips to the sword still jammed into Sakura's back. He wore a calm expression that pissed Sasuke off more than words could say.
"Foolish little brother," He declared. "You are weak minded to think you could break our little deal."
Sasukes' fists clenched. He tensioned as Itachi passed him to enter the secret room where his former teammates resided.
Naruto jumped in front of Sakura to shield her from the elder Uchiha. Sakura herself was trying and failing to pull the sword out of her back. Kakashi lay on the ground wilted as ever.
"Get away you sick bastard," Naruto yelled as he was forcefully shoved aside. Itachi turned his murderous scarlet eyes on him.
"Naruto close your eyes!" Sasuke shouted, turning around so that he was facing him.
Naruto did as he was told. Itachi landed a blow on his head, sending him crashing into a nearby wall. He attempted feebly to get up before falling cataleptic onto the hard, cold ground. Itachi hauled him up and re-chained him. Sakura glared at him and began yelling incoherent words in his direction. Itachi kicked her brutally and she too plunged into unconsciousness.
"Looks like I don't need to chain her back up," Itachi sneered. He stepped on Sakura's arm until a loud resounding crack was heard. Sakura's brows knit together and her teeth gritted together in pain.
At the sound Sasuke snapped. Bellowing at the top of his lungs, he charged in Itachi's general direction. His brother moved slightly and deflected his attack as though swatting away a fly. Sasuke skidded to a stop in front of a wall, that he would have crashed into had he not had good reflexes.
"You have gotten sloppy," Itachi said. "And hasty. A fatal combination in a fight against someone from Akatsuki."
Sasuke growled from the back of his throat. Sakura's voice flashed suddenly through his mind.
Concentrate Sasuke-kun; don't let him trick you, she said.
What the hell? How did you…? Sasuke thought wildly.
I was worried about you, so I established a mind connection with a jutsu that Tsunade-sama taught me. It's a type of genjutsu you can use on an enemy to trick them, but I'm using it to help you.
So how does that work? I mean I thought you were unconscious.
I'll explain it to you some other time. Look out!
Sasuke narrowly avoided a blow Itachi was aiming at his forehead.
I thought I told you to concentrate.
You're the one distracting me!
I'm only trying to help.
Well you're going to get me killed!
Gomen
Why are you doing this anyway?
Because I care about you. You may not know this but you're the one who's been haunting my thoughts and dreams ever since you left Konoha. I think about you all the time. Sasuke-kun, don't you get it? I love you.
A/N- Soooooo sorry for the long wait, but I'm really lazy when it comes to typing. A little bit of a twist at the end. That wasn't originally in the story, but I added it to help Sasuke grow a brain and notice Sakura's feelings. Seriously though, Naruto even has a girlfriend!
Anyway, enough teasing Sasuke. What do you think of the chapter????