The morning sun was already high in the sky, and the sound of birds singing filled the clean crisp air of the forest. Standing at the top of a waterfall was Kakashi and the team. Looking down at the pool below, everything seemed tranquil except for one thing.

Floating at the edge of the embankment was the body of a decapitated person. The head was nowhere in sight, but judging by the muscular structure, they could tell it was a man. Kisame jumped down to the edge of the pool to get a closer look at the body.

"It was a clean cut, done by an extremely sharp object, long enough to do it in one swipe, probably was a sword," said Kisame, shouting to the others like a professor. "There's a strand of pink hair entangled with his clothing. He probably attacked Sakura..."

Kisame thought about the situation for a moment.

"She was alone... The clean cut was definitely Sasuke's blade, but he must've picked up on the attack later because it'd be incredibly difficult for a Sharingan user not to have seen him coming...That's the only way I can see it. Sakura isn't that easy to sneak up on either though...she must have been distracted, probably bathing by the looks of it," continued Kisame, looking up at Itachi.

Itachi showed nothing, but Kisame and Deidara already knew. Itachi's blood was probably boiling at the fact that Sasuke may have snuck a peak at Sakura, or even worse.

Sakura was becoming more relaxed. The woods were finally beginning to look familiar, but she felt as if she had a rope tied to her back that seemed to pull from where they came. She knew that in their situation they should be heading to Konoha, but at the same time, Sakura was worried about Itachi. She didn't know what was happening with him, and she didn't want him to think that she was in peril.

As the day continued on, Sakura became more and more worried about what was developing behind them. She began to lag a bit as she and Sasuke traveled forth among the trees, and by the time the sun reached high noon, it was obvious.

Stopping at the edge of a plain, Sasuke indicated to her that they were taking a break. He had not said a word to her since that night, and so he was now prone to making gestures instead. Sitting with her back to a tree, Sakura stared out onto the plane in the cover of the tree's shade. From the opposite side of the plain where they sat, Sakura could hear the loud roar of a waterfall. The smell of moisture was much stronger in the air. Closing her eyes, she let the breeze brush the tips of her hair against her nose.

Sasuke stood there watching her. Her sense of peacefulness made him calm, and it was the first time in a long time that he had really sat someplace to just breathe. Lowering himself onto the grass, Sasuke felt the touch of cool grass upon his fingertips. As the sun warmed his feet and shins, the shade made the rest of his body cool so that he let out a sneeze. Squirming, he inched his way while lying down so that sun came up to his hips, creating a balance of warmth and coolness.

Sakura let out a giggle. She watched his tussle with different temperatures with much amusement, and laughed at the thought that even the most skilled killers can have these moments of sillyness.

"Sakura..." said Sasuke.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you still wish that you had left Konoha with me?"

Sakura was shocked. What prompted such a question made her mind reel. Sasuke never asked her things like this before, nor had he ever spoken about subjects like this. She knew that it was a burning question that must have been growing in his heart, and she understood that it must have burned him extremely bad to get him to say it.

"I..." mumbled Sakura. "To be honest... I thought about it for a long time. I had always wanted to shadow you wherever you went, but then I realized something...I would have never been happy."

Sasuke was quiet and his eyes were closed.

"I'm not sure what kind of things Orochimaru dragged you through, and I don't think they were things that I would have been able to put up with. I...did love you, Sasuke... but I don't know if leaving with you would have destroyed my whole being...

"It... broke my heart when you left me back there... It took me a really long time to get over it," said Sakura, beginning to tear. "But...after a while, I realized that I would not be the shinobi I am today had I followed you. I do realize that I was young and naive, but had I left, I would still be that insignificant shinobi that just stood in the way..."

Sakura looked up at the sky, trying to speak her truth with calmness in her voice.

"I spent many nights crying, wishing you'd come back to me...I had always hoped that the reason you would have returned would be because you believed that I was worth it, worth forsaking your veangence for the chance at a full life... Everytime I passed the front gates I would look to the horizon hoping that you would suddenly appear, but you never did... I can't fully describe to you what it's like to have someone leave your heart bleeding by choice, knowing full well that they chose to take someone else's heart over yours. The best way I can describe it is it's like having a piece of your heart missing, except that you don't know it's gone until someone tells you it is, then the panic of loss and hopelessness combines to drown the rest of you because it's then when you realize...you never had it to begin with... I would have given anything to have made you stay... You were so very much a part of my life back then... your absence was unbearable, and it just got worse when Naruto left..."

A moment of silence passed before Sasuke opened his eyes. Sakura could tell from where she was sitting that they were lamentful. Sasuke sat up and crossed his legs. It was as if he wanted to be fully awake as he took it all in.

"Why Itachi?" he asked, his back turned to her.

Sakura held her breath. She had wished that this question would not come. Looking deep within herself, she knew that she had to fess up.

"Itachi..." Sakura fumbled. What could she say? There was nothing that she could say that would justify her falling in love with the person who massacred the Uchiha clan.

"Sasuke, I really don't know why of all people, it turned out to be Itachi... We fell...in love, I guess. I found qualities in Itachi that no one else has really seen. There are things about him that I can't describe that you nor anyone else would understand. He loves me for everything that I am, and I love him that way too. He is a man with many faults, but he is also a man whom of which I can see in his eyes, has acknowledged the wrongful doings of his past. There is nothing he can or could do to fix what he has done, and he realizes that. I do not know what Itachi was like when it all happened, but I do know that what I have seen before me was not the same Itachi as back then. He would give his life to protect me... and I would do the same for him."

There was no other way she could say it, and Sakura was hoping that Sasuke would not suddenly backlash at her for that. However, she had to confront him with her choice to the fullest degree, otherwise she could not be at peace with her decision and forever remain guilty.

The words "because you never came back" that had resonated in Sasuke's mind, suddenly grew to become as strong as drums that shook the heart. He felt like her loving Itachi was his fault, and he began to think that this could have all been prevented had he just stayed in Konoha. She had always loved him, but he had let vengeance overwhelm him, leaving his loss of her as the consequence. He did not know if Sakura still loved him, but perhaps there was something he could do to change his fate.

Sasuke stood up. When he turned to look at Sakura, she could see in his eyes that he was hurting. Walking over to her, Sasuke reached down to grab her wrist and pull her up. Staring into her eyes, Sasuke tried to tell her everything that he was feeling. Placing his hand on her face, Sasuke began to slowly reach down for a kiss.

Sakura was stunned and the world seemed to slow around her.

"No..." she whispered, pulling her hands to her chest.

Sasuke paused. Looking into her eyes, he could see that she still loved him, but he could also see that she meant what she said. Putting his hand down, he took a few steps back.

A moment of silence passed between them, and all that was heard was the rush of the wind through the void that separated them.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke, but I belong to Itachi now..."

Sakura looked at him with tears in her eyes, and Sasuke could see that she was heartbroken. He had left her. She had moved on, and there was no turning back.

Sasuke looked down at the ground and nodded. He understood. Taking her hand in his, he tried his best to look her in the eye. Sakura did her best to give a tiny smile, a gesture showing that she knew he had accepted her choice. And so, keeping her hand in his grasp, Sasuke began to lead the way across the sloping plain towards the roaring waterfall in the distance.

After a few steps however, Sasuke suddenly stopped.

"Sakura..." he said quietly with his back to her. "That time I hurt you..."

"I know why you did it... I don't blame you..." said Sakura, squeezing his hand tenderly.

When she did so, Sasuke turned his head back slightly towards her, and stopped breathing. He felt his heart crush from the weight of her forgiveness. It was then that he knew just how much he loved her. Not daring to make eye contact, Sasuke accepted her answer and continued on.

Suddenly out of nowhere a kunai shot right at the hand that held Sakura's. Sakura gasped. As Sasuke whipped her hand away the kunai missed, and he turned to see where it had come from.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke spotted a dark figure coming up quick. It was Itachi.

Itachi had seen Sasuke's advance on Sakura, and it pissed him off. Sasuke however, had become enraged within an instant. Without thinking, Sasuke grabbed Sakura from behind in a chokehold.

"Sasuke! Don't!" sobbed Sakura.

As soon as Sasuke got a hold of Sakura, Itachi stopped in his tracks just a few yards away.

"ITACHI!!" yelled Sasuke, a firey rage gleaming from his eyes as the Sharingan showed itself.

"SASUKE!!" belowed Naruto as he ran towards the scene with the rest of the group.

Naruto stopped short behind Itachi, knowing full well not to step in front of him. Normally Naruto would have been right at the forefront due to his irrational nature, but somehow his instincts knew that this situation belonged to them.

"Are you prepared to see her die!?" yelled Sasuke.

Itachi read Sasuke's thoughts as they stood there. He knew Sasuke wouldn't do it. Soon, Itachi began to slowly step towards him. However, as he came within several yards of Sasuke, he stopped. Narrowing his eyes, Itachi spoke.

"So...Orochimaru... who will you find next after I've killed Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked stunned. Suddenly from out of the trees stepped Orochimaru. Kabuto was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, I guess I'd have to use someone from the Hyuuga clan," said Orochimaru, scanning his eyes over Neji and the rest of them.

Sasuke, put his mouth into Sakura's ear.

"Run!" he whispered.

"What?" said Sakura.

At that moment, Sasuke yanked her by the wrist and took off at a full sprint, heading towards the waterfall.

As the others were stunned as to what to do next, either chase after Sakura or prepare for Orochimaru's attack, their decision was made for them as Kabuto came bursting out of the ground amongst them. Before they knew it, Naruto and Lee's Achilles were cut, but everyone else jumped out of the way just in time.

Orochimaru put his hands up to summon a serpent but soon found a kunai aimed at his hands from Jiraiya. As Jiraiya came in with lightning speed to deliver a Rasengan to Orochimaru's chest, it soon revealed that it was just a copy. Turning around, Jiraiya knew exactly where Orochimaru was heading.

"He's going for Sasuke!!" yelled Jiraiya to the others.

Kakashi turned to see that Sasuke was already more than a hundred yards away with only Akatsuki on his tail. Soaring through the sky was Deidara.

However, as soon as Kakashi's hope for Deidara to beat Orochimaru to Sakura appeared, so too was it quickly dispelled as a giant snake appeared to clamp down upon Deidara's bird. Though Deidara was forced to abandon his bird to avoid the serpent's jaw, he caused the bird to explode, turning the head of the snake into an exploding cloud of blood and venom. The smell was awful.

Down below, Kisame kept neck and neck with Itachi as they approached Sasuke who was slowed by Sakura's speed.

He's not letting her go... thought Itachi.

Itachi knew from a shinobi's standpoint that letting Sakura go would be the best alternative, so why would he continue to pull her along without killing her when he had the chance?

That's when it hit him.

He's protecting her...

Suddenly the ground between Itachi and Sasuke erupted with a giant snake.

"Itachi!!" Sakura screamed.

Sasuke yanked her to keep moving.

"He's catching up!" Sasuke yelled at her.

As they neared the edge of the cliff, the snake slammed into the ground sending a tsunami of earth that blasted Sasuke and Sakura out over the water, landing on a tiny island of rock that jutted out at the very edge of the waterfall. Sasuke fell onto the island, but Sakura shot just over its edge and was immediately swept out to drop.

Suddenly a hand shot out and caught Sakura's wrist. Looking up through the water that was striking her face, she could see it was Sasuke who held her life in his hands.

As Sasuke struggled to get a grip on her, he looked back over to where the snake had fallen. There, Sasuke could see that Orochimaru was now approaching him.

Looking back down to Sakura, he could see that the angle of the island hid her from Orochimaru's view. Thinking fast, Sasuke had to make a decision. As the spray of the waterfall mixed and dripped with his sweat, Sasuke looked into Sakura's eyes and whispered.

"I'll find you..."

Letting go of his grip, Sasuke watched as Sakura's pink hair faded into the mist.

Slowly pushing himself up, Sasuke found himself standing face to face with Orochimaru.

"So, Sasuke," hissed Orochimaru in anger. "You made me come all the way out here to make sure you're not dead. Is there something you want to tell me?"

Sasuke was silent.

"Now is not the time to be taking veangence on Itachi. You are not ready yet. You already know this."

"Urusai..." said Sasuke, gritting his teeth.

"Let's go, Sasuke."

"...I'm not done here yet."

"If you wanted to get back at your brother so badly, then you should have just killed Sakura and gotten it over with. Now you've got Jiraiya and the others involved," Orochimaru frowned. "...It was a real miscalculation on your part... Your yearn for revenge is turning out to be quite troublesome."

"I'm not done here," said Sasuke with a serious face.

Orochimaru stared at Sasuke with a look of annoyance. Behind him, Sasuke could see Itachi and Kisame fighting a clone of Orochimaru.

"Fine..." said Orochimaru. "Kill her, and be done with it."

Turning his back to Sasuke, Orochimaru stopped to look over his shoulder at him.

"I expect you won't take long..."

With that last note Orochimaru disappeared, but Sasuke knew that all he did was buy himself some time. Crossing to the other side, Sasuke made his way down to find Sakura.

As Jiraiya made his way over to where Akatsuki and Orochimaru were fighting, the battle that was being waged between Kakashi, Neji, and Kabuto was intense. Unable to move properly, Naruto and Lee were forced to watch from the sidelines, but every now and then, Lee's taijuitsu abililites allowed him to get a knee in whenever Kabuto got pushed close. Naruto on the other hand, proved to be incredibly clumsy without the use of one foot. His inabilitly to be involved in the fight drove him mad, and as usual, he resorted to an irrational move.

"KAGE BUUSHIN NO JUITSU!!" yelled Naruto.

Two clones without the use of their foot appeared on either side of Naruto. After creating a rasengan in his right hand, the two clones grabbed him by the pants and jacket, flinging him through the air at Kabuto. The improper balance of both clones however, caused Naruto to instead go sideways, nearly hitting Neji with his rasengan instead. As Naruto skidded across the ground, Kabuto laughed at his futile attempt.

Suddenly Orochimaru appeared beside Kabuto, and placing his hand on his shoulder, Kabuto knew that it was time to take their leave. As a whisp of smoke took them away, everyone left behind knew that it was better to go looking for Sakura instead of chasing after their backs. Looking over to where Akatsuki and Jiraiya stood, they could see that the battle had finished there too.

"Where's Sakura-chan?" said Naruto looking around desperately to see if Itachi had gotten to her.

"I don't know..." said Kakashi, his voice calm and cool. "...but Sasuke's gone too..."