Hi guys! So. Not sure if I really like this chapter. Someone said I should make a chapter a mission so I'm like, sure. So I went to type it, and I. was. Stumped. I had no inspiration whatsoever. No plot, nothing. Like, I was stuck on the first sentece for like three hours, and the title for like twelve! So I just wrote and wrote, and thus, this was born. So please, with this fair warning, tell me what you think. I really tried hard on a little action, don't be too harsh .

I don't own Naruto. Mehhh.

Silence. Both a gift and a curse. An oxymoron if you will; who knew silence could be so loud? It magnifies every step and breathe, any and every movement. Naruto found himself, completely still as he hid. One slight movement could give away their position amongst the trees. He crouched down, kunai ready in his hand. He could sense the enemy, about 4 kilometers north. He could also sense his partner's position, less than a kilometer west of his current position. Thinking this way made him feel like Neji or Shikamaru; he smiled at that thought. Suddenly, something whizzed past his head, just barely grazing his cheek. He jumped back as a barrage of kunai flew over him, deflecting them with his own. As he dodged, his movements were halted. All around him were metal wires, barely visible. He was stuck in an odd and vulnerable position.

'Dammit! How did I not see this coming?' He waited until he could hear the familiar shrieking sound of the wires being cut. Looking up, he saw his partner cutting them with ease, giving him an exasperated look. He grinned nervously. She rolled her eyes as she cut the last wire, dodging as another barrage of kunai came there way.

"Sakura, watch out behind you!" She looked back to see a sword going directly for her, dodging just in time. Naruto quickly subdued the enemy, running his ninjato through him, just missing any important organs. The enemy began to scream as he felt the pain. Naruto grimaced, but said nothing; now was not the time for sympathy, this mission was to be done quickly, efficiently, and ruthlessly. None of which fit Naruto's style, but who was he to complain? The security of the village depended on this mission. He removed the blade and crouched down next to the man.

"You'll be returning with us," he whispered, "you have important information about our village that we need to retrieve." He began to pull out scrolls to seal the body, when more ninja showed up. Three tall men, all clad in black outfits and tribal masks covering their faces.

"You're not going anywhere. Give us back Touun and we'll go easy on you." Naruto frowned, readying his weapon.

"No can do, we are under orders to bring you back dead or alive, and not to let you escape at all costs" Sakura answered, calmly. She stood next to Naruto, pulling out shuriken, laced with strong poison. The masked man pounced, then disappeared. Naruto and Sakura stood, back to back with their guards up. One jumped from the trees, slashing at Sakura with a machete. She flipped back, landing on a branch. He quickly hacked it and went for her limbs. Gathering as much chakra as possible, she caught the machete and smashed into pieces. She grabbed him and slammed him into a nearby tree, causing him to crash right through it and through three more.

Naruto ducked a punch and sent a kick his way, punching back with as must force as possible. They were stuck in a pretty even taijustu match, which would end up becoming a battle of stamina, one Naruto knew he could win. Jumping back, he created seals as fast as possible. He wanted to finish this quickly, the longer they fought, the more attention they would attract.

"Fuuton: Rasenshuriken." He gathered the chakra with just one hand, still proud that he finally managed to master it without using a clone. However, it expended a lot of energy just to through it, not counting the energy it took to create it. He threw it, hoping that it would work. The enemy did not expect to be attacked with ninjustsu, stepping to the side just in time. However, he didn't know it would expand. He watched in horror as his body began to be shredded, the sheer pain leaving him speechless.

Sakura walked over to the enemy, hitting a pressure point and knocking him out to be certain. As she went to pick him up, she felt cold steel on her neck.

"Don't you dare move ." He whispered darkly. They were so busy, they completely disregarded the third masked shinobi. Naruto stopped in his tracks when he noticed the situation.

"Sakura are y-"

"I SAID DON'T MOVE!" The man shouted, hysterical. He couldn't believe that the strongest shinobi in his small village had fallen to these sorry excuses for ninjas. Who the hell were they? He pressed the knife closer to her neck, drawing more blood. That's when he noticed that she had pulled out a kunai, readying for a sneak attack. He grabbed her hand causing her to gasp in surprise, using her own weapon to stab her in the stomach. He dropped her as she let out a scream.

"Sakura!" Naruto began to rush over to help her.

"Idiot! D-don't worry about me, don't let him escape!" Naruto stood, torn. Sakura looked awful, as she coughed up blood. But that information was important for the village, it's security was at stake. With inhumane speed, he rushed the enemy, catching him by the leg before he could make a leap for the trees. His anger clouded all his senses, his strength out of his control. He gripped the masked man's leg too hard, dislocating it and shattering every bone. The man let out a blood curdling scream as he feel, clutching his leg. Naruto stood over him, prepared to take his life.

"You w-wwouldn't d-dare!" The man shouted, haughtily. Naruto leaned over him, his expression unreadable.

"They want you back, dead or alive. If you're alive, they can torture you, if you're dead, they could pick your mind. You would be grateful if I killed you, it'd be far more peaceful for you." Sakura could hear the malice in his voice. Naruto was not in his right mind.

"Naruto, don't kill him." She stated shakily as she coughed up blood into her hands. She wasn't against killing the enemy, but Naruto wasn't thinking rationally; he'd definitely regret it later. Naruto looked at her, then knocked the masked man unconscious. He quickly made work of sealing the men. Once he finished, he rushed over to Sakura. She sat, sweat pouring down her forehead as she tried to heal her wound.

"Let's get you to some water so we can get that cleaned up." Naruto suggested, meekly. He knew how Sakura was, she didn't like feeling weak. She would probably decline any help. True to his thoughts, she shook her head.

"No, it'll be fine."

"Sakura, you really need to get that cleaned." He picked her gently as she protested.

"What the hell! I said no, I'll be fine!"

"Look, you're a nurse, you should no we can't let that thing get infected, or it'll become an even bigger issue" Sakura pouted angrily, but said nothing. She hated feeling like she needed to be taken care of, especially in situations like this. It's not fair; Naruto could take wounds to the stomach and walk them off like they're scrapes to the knee. If he could be tough, then so should she. Having to treat her wounds would just make them waste an extra night. She felt like it was all her fault.

"You were amazing, Sak!" Naruto said, breaking her out of her train of thought. He smiled softly at her, as if reading her mind. She looked away.

"You don't have to say that." She muttered. Naruto laughed. He adjusted her in his arms and quickened his pace.

"Of course I do, you're such an amazing fighter. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now." He slowed down as she began to try to heal her wounds with the green chakra shrouding her hands. After a minute or so, they found a small stream. Naruto sat her down softly and began to unpack all her medical stuff.

"Don't get so down on yourself; you're a great kunoichi."

"Yea, well for a great kunoichi, I sure do cause a lot of trouble. I swear, every mission I get injured and ending up being a burden."

"That's not true. Besides, a bunch of people fighting with sharp objects? Somebody'sgonna get hurt eventually." Sakura scowled.

"But you guys always bounce right back to action while I just stay down, and practically bleed to death" Naruto sighed, looking her in the eyes.

"Sakura, you and I are different. I have a little extra help from Kyuubi. You don't, and yet you have some kick-ass regenerating powers. Without you, I would've died fifty missions ago. Stop questioning your strength, you're so much stronger than anyone can imagine. You're not a burden. Heck, I feel like a burden, always falling for stupid traps." He laughed, scratching his head."But anyway, you're important to the mission. How would Baa-san react to you talking like that about yourself?" Sakura looked away and smiled. Naruto was really such an amazing friend. She could tell that he was being sincere as he spoke.

"You're right. Thanks Naruto, really." He gave her a big grin.

"No problem!" They stood, content with each other's presence as Sakura healed her wounds. Naruto was the one to finally break the silence.

"Soooo. If were gonna get that wound cleaned, you're gonna have to take off your shirt" He tried his best not to blush. Sakura narrowed her eyes.

"Idiot, was this all a plan so you could see me topless?" She teased.

"N-no!" Naruto defended, his face completely red. Sakura smiled.

"Perv."

"Saaakuraaaaa!" He whined.

"Fine fine. Don't look, perv." Sakura turned her back to him and stripped, slowly stepping in the water. As the water cleaned out the blood, she got out so she could put on the bandages. Naruto helped her to wrap them around and get her settled. They set up their camp and laid out their sleeping bags, getting ready to finally get a good night's rest.

Starring up at the sky, Naruto smiled. Sakura had long since fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful. It hurt him to know that she didn't understand her on worth. How much she truly meant to everyone else and himself. Especially him. But that was why he was here, to remind her how special she was every single day.

A/N: Please, don't throw tomstoes, I tried on this one, action just isn't my forte, but I figured it was worth a shot. I do take suggestions, especially since plot bunnies are a rare species to come buy. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to review! :3