Title: Rebuild
Full Summary: Somewhat AU. Following Pein's Invasion and Uchiha Sasuke's return, Haruno Sakura struggles to cope as Konoha struggles to rebuild itself. The terrifying, familiar poison of yesterday's past is back. Learning how to trust again is not an easy task - especially when her life is a spin-cycle of betrayal. Bang and beat, rinse and repeat.
Pairing: SasuSaku
Blow Me Away - Breaking Benjamin, Hanging On (without Tinie Tempah) - Ellie Goulding, Stay Awake - Madeon feat. Ellie Goulding, Where You Should Be - Skream feat. Sam Frank
How can I feel good about this life I'm living
when you're not here, right beside me,
not here, where you should be?
I stare at the phone, hoping that you might call –
wondering who you've been seeing and trying to make sense of it all.
~ Where You Should Be
Sasuke didn't feel better. Two days had passed, and yet there was no change. He was able to open his eyes, bloodshot as they were, but when he tried activating his sharingan the crippling pain left his breakfast all over the dirt floor. Sasuke gagged, but he'd emptied the meager contents of his stomach. He raised a trembling hand to wipe his mouth, trying to ignore the mounting hysteria. For the first time in his life, Sasuke had absolutely no idea what to do. Terror thrummed through him; there was no one to turn to now. He was utterly, completely alone.
Although Sasuke had no one to turn to for guidance, living his teenage years on the run had gained him invaluable mental skills. Thinking outside the box and being able to think quickly through pure chaos was Sasuke's strongest skill, for anyone could be an incredible fighter but fall apart under pressure. Sasuke dispelled his stricken emotions and meditated, eyelids drifting closed. When his mind was finally clear, he set on tackling the problem. The sharingan was what made Sasuke. He was talented in hand-to-hand combat, and well versed with his sword, but he needed the sharingan to discern the next attacks an opponent would use in order to block them. Sasuke couldn't use his super speed without the sharingan, either - normal vision simply couldn't keep up with the speed. His options were low, but at least he still had them. At least he wasn't blind.
Sasuke stuffed the mounting fury and fear deep, standing carefully in case it earned him another dizzy spell. When he stood without feeling the faintest traces of sickness, Sasuke grew more confident. He slipped kusanagi's holster over his shoulder, gauging the weight of his kunai pouch to ensure his weaponry was all accounted for.
He kept a firm hand on the rock wall beside him as he walked out of the cave just in case he fainted again. Sasuke peered through the gloom, frowning as he lit a match. He never realized he'd taken his bloodline limit for granted until now. The ground was unsteady, and without his sharingan Sasuke could only see as far as the match's light permitted. With mild effort he made it out into the sunlight, the tips of his fingers burnt. He wasted three matches getting out, and surmised that on his return trip he would lay down a rope.
The sun caressed Sasuke's face with gentle warmth, filtering down through the dense canopy around the cave. Sasuke enjoyed the sensation for a brief moment as he decided on the best spot to train. Choosing the densest, thickest part of the tropical forest, he strode forward, silent and careful to cover his tracks behind him. As silent as he was, however, Sasuke couldn't fool the evolved hearing of the animals around him. Birds took to the sky as he passed through, scattering into the early morning air. Sasuke kicked up quite a disturbance as he moved, something he took note of with a scowl.
Dew was still fresh on the grass, he noted, scouring the rainforest floor. He unsheathed Kusanagi faster than the eye could blink, tempered steel rasping with a lethal hiss. Sasuke sucked in a deep breath, holding it in his chest for a moment before letting go. As he breathed out he moved, cutting through the air and splicing water droplets falling from the canopy. Even without the sharingan, Sasuke was a force to be reckoned with. Swift and dangerous, he loped off nearby branches in a full circle in a handful of seconds.
As Sasuke completed the 360 degree attack, however, a rush of dizziness had him falling to his knees. He grunted in frustration, pressing a large hand to his head. He groaned in pain at the sudden, fierce pounding in his head. It felt as if someone had taken a battering ram to his skull. This time Sasuke could not ignore the worry twisting in his gut. The back of his eyeballs ached fiercely, the chakra pathways there constricting and causing the teenager immense pain. Sasuke cried out, crumpling into a ball as agony rolled through him, rendering him immobile. He staggered shakily upright, clutching onto tree trunks and half crawling back to safety, bewildered. Was he infected with a foreign disease? Had the operation gone wrong? Was he going to die? Terror gripped Sasuke then, as he clutched at the rocky wall and heaved himself along, ragged breaths falling from his lips.
He fell into the mouth of the cave, hands scrabbling for purchase in the gritty dirt. His fingers caught on pebbles and dirt dug under his pristine fingernails, but he paid it no heed as he crawled further into the darkness. Closing his eyes briefly, Sasuke recalled the path he'd taken out. With dirty, shaking hands he drew out a rope and dragged it along with him, keeping one hand on the rough wall as he progressed. The ground was rocky and rough and scraped across his knees, the heels of the palms of his hands rubbed raw. Sasuke kept silent, shifting kusanagi across his back with his shoulders. Beads of sweat ran down his face and soaked his hairline, and as he shuffled deeper into the gloom he heard the beginnings of rain. Soft, fine mist greeted his back, and cool wind rushed into the cave. Sasuke shivered, his fine hearing picking up the shifts in rainfall. The smell of rain met his nose, and with it the scent of dampened soil. What started out as several drops swiftly escalated into a torrential downpour, battering the trees and running down their leaves. The temperature dropped and Sasuke felt the chill in his bones, shuddering as another cool blast streamed into the cave. He scrambled forward, longing for the warmth of his bedroll.
Sakura stuffed her bedroll into her pack, clicking the clasps closed. She glanced over at Naruto and stifled an amused smile at the sight. The blond scratched his head, futilely trying to stuff his bedroll into his pack, but no matter how much he pushed it wouldn't fit. Sakura moved to help him when Hinata gently took the bag from Naruto's hands, sliding the halfway jammed-in bedroll out and refolding it for him. Sakura blinked, not used to sharing Naruto. She got over the slight unease stirring inside her and told herself she was just being stupid. Hinata was not going to steal Naruto away from her. Sakura knew this, but it didn't make her feel any better. She pushed a sigh down and stood, shoes scuffing against the forest floor, compacting soil beneath her feet.
It was a cold morning. Spring was starting to roll in, but the chilly days weren't over yet, not even in such a tropical place as Mist. Sakura shivered lightly, pulling on a dark rain jacket. She slipped her arms into the soft sleeves with a sigh of relief, pushing her hands through the cool fabric. She bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting for her body heat to become trapped by the material. Sakura turned her eyes skyward, meeting the dense canopy above. From what little sky she glimpsed through the leafy roof, it was a dark gray. There was no hint of blue, nor the sun. She made out a dim light radiating around the darkest of clouds and slid her hands into her pockets.
As the first drops of rain filtered down through the dense canopy, Sakura pulled the hood of her jacket over her head, rasping softly against her hair. She pulled on the strings and tightened the hood to her face. She smoothed the jacket down and pulled on her pack, surveying the forest. The trees were thick and green, moss and lichen crawling up their dark trunks. It was lush and tropical, housing a variety of insects and mammals. The group had lucked out on the clearing they'd chanced upon - most of the land was overgrown with flora. She turned around to see how everyone else was doing, the hood cutting off some of her peripheral vision. Ino was arguing quite heatedly with Sai and Kiba, a fierce frown marring her features. Kiba looked amused and Sai absolutely bewildered but trying to keep up anyway. Sakura's eyes roved over the rest of the group, her heart in her throat.
She had been keeping herself so preoccupied with the little details that she had almost forgotten what they'd came for. Sakura swallowed hard, mouth as dry as cotton. Her stomach writhed anxiously and she forced down the rising bubble of hysteria, desperately trying to pull herself together. She was a trainwreck. Her mood swung violently from hopeful to desolate at the flick of a switch. Sakura felt pathetic. She wished she was back in Konoha, and she really wanted a bottle of her shishou's strongest sake to wash away her troubles. But she wasn't in Konoha. She was leagues away in unfamiliar territory and she was steadily approaching the climax of Team 7's story. This was it. This mission would make them or break them. They would either go home happy or empty-handed. Sakura didn't know if she could handle the pulverization if they didn't... oh, god. She sucked in a breath. Not knowing was better than it being over, she reasoned weakly. She didn't know what she would do. For the past years, all she and Naruto focused on was bringing Sasuke back. She and Naruto had had countless sleepless nights where all they did was talk about what would happen when Sasuke came back, how he would integrate himself back into their lives. They hadn't planned for the unspeakable.
Sakura knew, deep inside her, that this was no fairytale. Looking at her shishou's past was more than enough of a sobering reality check. There was a very good chance that they'd lost Sasuke forever. Sakura knew that. She knew that logically, the best thing to do was to pack up and move on. But she and Naruto couldn't. They were both too loving, too naive, too much of romantics. Sasuke had left gaping holes in their lives and hearts that they could never refill. Everywhere they went they felt his absence. Every empty stool and seats in restaurants was a Sasuke-shaped-space, every time they left or came back from missions there was a Sasuke-shaped-hole that Sai could never fill. Naruto and Sakura didn't know how to let go. The more Sakura lingered on the topic the more hysteria threatened to engulf her.
Neither she nor Naruto would ever be complete without Sasuke. Sakura loved him, but that was infinitesimal to their friendship, the bond they had as a team. Naruto and Sakura needed Sasuke in exactly the same way. He was irrevocably a part of them, and it was agony to consider that perhaps they weren't a part of him. Sakura would have dwelled in her thoughts longer if not for Naruto. He appeared suddenly in her line of vision, startling her.
"!" Sakura's breath left her in a stunned whoosh, staring at Naruto with wide eyes.
"We're going to bring Sasuke back, believe it!" Naruto crowed, but his grin didn't reach his eyes.
"Don't, Naruto," Sakura said, and the smile fell from Naruto's face, and Sakura regretted the words as they tumbled out of her mouth. Naruto looked absolutely stricken, like she had dealt him the nastiest blow. And in a way, she had. Sakura stared at the tops of her sandals, face burning with embarrassment. 'I'm sorry' tumbled to her lips, but she couldn't find her vocal cords. Naruto looked like she'd slapped him. He turned away, the tips of his ears fire-engine red in mortification. Nearly everyone had seen their exchange, but politely acted as if nothing had happened.
Sakura pressed a hand to her face. She felt like everything was falling apart, as if her entire life was set up like dominoes and fate cruelly set them all collapsing on each other. Her relationship with Naruto was becoming strained, and she was hardly herself anymore.
Mount Nantai. This was it. The moment they'd all been waiting for - Kenta's most accurate guess of Sasuke's location inside Mist was here. It was one of the bigger islands in the chain; mountains reached skyward and brushed the clouds. There was a crescent-shaped beach carved into the island, a safe harbor for the boat. Sakura squinted through the ocean spray and gasped. She'd never seen such a stunning sight, even through the stormy weather. The ocean was rough and rocked the vessel, lapping against the sides of the boat. As the group drew closer and closer to Mount Nantai, Sakura found herself glancing at Naruto. He was bright and cheerful as always, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of them. His sunny smile seemed forced, though, and his exuberance was fragile. Sakura caught his eyes and they looked forlorn, disproportionate from the excited display he put on for everyone. Naruto couldn't fool Sakura, though. She knew him too well.
Sakura sucked in a breath, knowing she had to apologize. Naruto still hadn't gotten over what she'd said to him, and with one look she knew the words had slipped under his skin and sunk deep into his heart. Naruto seemed stronger than he had ever been, but Sakura knew it was a facade. Naruto was at his weakest. He was so fragile she felt he would shatter at any moment. She knew this about Naruto because she felt the exact same way. His display of bravado and confidence was only a mask. Sakura wondered how no one else could see it. It was so obvious; the grim line of his mouth when he thought no one was looking, his wistful blue eyes dark and rimmed with sorrow. She saw it in his step, the way he carried himself. It was the subtlest of changes, but Sakura caught them. His shoulders angled downwards, sloping ever so slightly. His grins and smiles were wider than normal, and although the corners of his eyes crinkled, Sakura could tell they weren't genuine. She looked at Naruto, caught in the circle of their friends, desperately trying not to crack his composure. Before she knew it her feet carried her forward, and she found herself in front of him.
"Hello, Sakura-chan," Naruto beamed, but he was a little bit too cheerful.
"Can I talk to you?" Sakura asked, her voice low. She kept her tone purposeful and calm, probing him with her eyes. Naruto's throat bobbed as he swallowed and he nodded, stepping away from the group. Hinata's eyes followed them all the way around the boat until she couldn't see them anymore.
Sakura rocked back and forth on her heels, unsure of what to say. The confidence that had driven her just moments ago scattered to the wind, lost in the wake of the boat behind them. Naruto was silent for once, deep blue eyes assessing her without any pretense of fake cheerfulness. He dropped all pretense the moment they were alone, knowing that while he had everyone else fooled, he couldn't slip it past someone who was a part of him. He was serious, the corners of his mouth flat. Sakura plucked up the courage to meet his eyes, and when she did, they burned through her. Sakura felt the heated force of his gaze, ablaze in quiet determination and passion. Naruto wore his heart on his sleeve, and in the early morning light, Sakura saw it. She read him like an open book. The drive in him was unshakable. The fire in his eyes was untamable, wild. Sakura felt washed out standing before him.
"Naruto, I..." Sakura started, her words unsure. Naruto stared at her in silence. He didn't twitch a single muscle, and Sakura couldn't discern what he was feeling. She tried again, licking her chapped lips. "I'm sorry, Naruto." Naruto regarded her, searching. It was unlike any other look Sakura had experienced before. With Sasuke, it had always been scathing, full of contempt and utter scorn. With Sai, it was a mixture of something almost judgmental and a mixture of new, unidentifiable hunger. When Ino did it she was unraveling Sakura at the seams, picking apart Sakura's barriers and defenses and unearthing the vulnerable part of her that she tried to keep hidden away. But with Naruto... it was so open. There were no expectations there. Naruto stared right back for what seemed like hours, searching, hunting. Sakura felt so vulnerable and exposed. It was as if all her thoughts were laid bare for his perusal, and while it was always the other way around - Sakura reading Naruto - she hadn't known it felt so personal. She felt like Naruto was seeing her deepest, darkest secrets. Naruto cleared his throat then, snapping her out of her thought process. He smiled, small and slow, and he opened his arms for her. Sakura took the first step toward him, he took the second. She leaned against his chest, dimly noting he was much taller than her now. Sakura's arms traveled around his waist, and she buried her head into his jacket, breathing deeply. Naruto smelled like a campfire and a little bit of sweat, and she felt oddly at peace in his embrace. Naruto's arms wound around her back and it was a little awkward, his arms balancing strangely around hers as he hugged her back.
"You and me, Sakura-chan," Naruto said gruffly, as if he were trying not to cry. He breathed out into her hair, fluttering coral strands. "We're doing it the right way this time, bringing him back. Together." At his words Sakura gave a little laugh, coming out in a strangled hiccup as she suppressed the urge to weep. He was so forgiving.
They had swept the island all around the mountain, careful to mask their chakra and speak in low, hushed tones over the receivers. They left summons when they got out of range, and leapt silently through the trees. What they weren't expecting was the wildlife to throw up the alarms. Birds took the sky with every snap of a twig, cawing out in danger.
"Everyone, try to be as quiet as possible. The birds panic when we make noise... we could be alerting Sasuke to our position," Shikamaru ordered through the mic, and as hushed agreements filtered in, Sasuke slept unaware deep in his cave.
Sakura crept through the undergrowth, Sai's inked rats scurrying along in front of her, marking the best path. Sai followed closely behind her, absolutely silent. The only sound they made was their sandals brushing against the grass, slinking through the grass like panthers. Naruto was only a handful of paces behind, letting some of the kyuubi's fox instincts take over. His whiskers grew more prominent, eyes scarlet. Naruto was utterly and completely quiet, his enhanced hearing and smell picking up the environment around them. Not even his feet made any sound against the grass, and Naruto looked completely feral. He loped behind Sai and Sakura on all fours, his nails lengthened into claws.
All was going swimmingly until Tenten cursed and free-fell. She'd accidentally grabbed a hold of a weak branch, giving a loud snap as she fell with it. Neji was above her in a flash, plucking her from the air and maneuvering them to the next branch.
"Thanks, Neji," Tenten panted, heart hammering in her chest. Neji had saved Tenten from a nasty fall, but they couldn't do anything about the branch. The reaction was instantaneous. Unfortunately for them, they disturbed a large collection of tropical birds, who took the skies shrieking. Tenten cursed quietly, eyes wide as she and her teammates stared at each other.
Deep inside the cave, Sasuke frowned slightly in his sleep, slowly coming to consciousness. His eyelids slid upwards, revealing ebony irises. He shifted, staring blearily at the rocky ceiling for several moments as his brain fully awakened. Sasuke sat up slowly, eyes darting around the cave as faint bird cries reached his ears. Sasuke froze - a whole flock was on the panicked move, which meant something big was in the forest. Sasuke reached for his kusanagi in a flash, swinging it across his back. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stood, tying his weapons pouch around his thigh.
He crept slowly down the rocky path, ensuring his chakra was completely masked. Sasuke came to the mouth of the cave, concealing himself in the dark shadows as he glanced at the sky. Birds were in flight, still calling out in terror. Their cries had already roused the rest, however, and Sasuke couldn't find the source of disturbance. If only he had the sharingan! But he couldn't risk trying to activate it for the immense pain was enough to incapacitate him.
Sasuke ducked through the trees, trying to locate the source of the disturbance. If only he had his sharingan!
Sasuke sucked in a breath, heightened senses fanning out to assess the forest. The immediate area was calm and undisturbed, which soothed him. Sasuke pondered staying in the cave, but if there did happen to be enemy ninja about, he would only be trapped. He had to ensure that whatever passing through wasn't a threat, which he would take care of if it was.
He crept through the forest floor, careful not to make a sound. Even if he couldn't use his sharingan, Sasuke was thankful for the pristine vision he now had. With his eyes, he'd only been able to see blurred shapes and blobs of color, but now he saw everything in vivid detail. He slid his katana out of its sheath, knowing that the use of speed would only tax on his chakra. Sasuke closed his eyes and fanned his awareness out, searching for telltale signs of chakra. There! A lingering burst made him freeze, pinpointing its exact location. The residual chakra was swiftly fading, but it was enough to tell Sasuke that there was a powerful shinobi in the area, if not more. He couldn't sense the user, and that worried him slightly. With the sharingan it would have been no problem, but now... the ninja was as good as he in concealment. He didn't know if there were more of them, or if he or she was on their own. Sasuke slunk toward the location of where he'd felt the chakra pulse, scanning around the trees and listening.
Using Byakugan and concealing the chakra emitted was a tricksome task, and only few members of the Hyuuga clan could execute the technique successfully. Neji was one of them, possibly the best in clan history. However, that didn't make it any less difficult. It was arduous and required that all his concentration shift towards the technique. Neji was thankful for Tenten at his side, ready to defend. With precision honed by years of experience, Neji cloaked and activated his Byakugan at the same time. Satisfied he'd been successful, he began to scan the area for foreign chakra signatures. He started at the back, at his blind spot, sweeping around slowly to a near 360 degree field of vision. He spotted the forms of Hinata's teammates. Though invisible to the average shinobi senses, no one could ever fool the Byakugan or Sharingan. The two powerful dojutsu could spot chakra no matter how well they were hidden. The only exception to this technique was to use a genjutsu on the person searching for you, which was a near impossible feat. Neji stiffened at the centerfield of his vision, eyes narrowing in concentration. There! Slightly off to the right, covering his chakra, was Uchiha Sasuke, infamous renegade shinobi. Neji's gritted his teeth and catalogued the exact direction, motioning to Tenten that he'd found who they were searching for. Neji paused. Something was off - there was no chakra in Sasuke's eyes. It was obvious he'd sensed an intruder, due to Tenten's fall, as Sasuke was actively hunting for them, but he was not using his sharingan. Neji didn't have an explanation as to why Sasuke wouldn't use his bloodline limit... unless he couldn't. Neji deactivated his Byakugan, careful to keep a thick shield around his eyes as the chakra dissipated.
"Tenten," Neji whispered, milky eyes fixated on hers. "We may have an advantage. Sasuke doesn't have his sharingan activated... it's a bit of a guess but I don't think he can use it for whatever reason. It might be the upperhand we need to turn the tides in our favor," Neji whispered, and Tenten nodded in agreement. They crept forward after informing Lee. Lee had watched the entire spectacle unfold, knowing that he was near useless on the rescue mission. Lee couldn't use chakra; born without it, he was destined for the civilian life until Gai had shown him otherwise. Lee wished he could be of service, but he couldn't sense what everyone else could, his only talent was his speed and strength. "Lee," Neji murmured. "I've found Sasuke. Can you inform the others? Tenten and I are going to try an ambush." Lee was about to protest, but Neji held up a hand. "It doesn't look like he can use his Sharingan, so we should be alright for a little while at least. I'm not completely sure he can't use it, but it seems very probable." Lee nodded his assent, off like a shot through the trees, hunting for the closest teammates.
Neji and Tenten took off through the trees, kunai unsheathed. Tenten was determined to make up for her tumble in the forest, her eyes fixated on their target.
Sasuke moved toward that chakra pulse, even though the residual tendrils had faded away. He stalked forward, keeping his ears alert in case they were close. It was in this fashion that he narrowly avoided impalement by whizzing kunai, all lodging deep into the trees behind him. Sasuke pushed back in surprise; he hadn't sensed their movement or heard the weapons. Alarm ran through him as he flipped backward, sending back his own kunai towards his assailant. He still couldn't sense their chakra, fervently wishing for his dojutsu, avoiding the deadly kunai that hurtled past him into the trees.
Even without the sharingan, Sasuke was an incredibly formidable opponent. Through years of enhancing drugs and strict, grilling training, Sasuke was honed into the ultimate shinobi. He was incredibly talented, adept at learning new techniques, and with the arsenal of the sharingan he was near unstoppable. Sasuke had focused on nothing else but training his entire life away from Konoha, which turned him into the deadly ninja he was today. Sasuke deftly dodged a slew of spiked chains and kunai, his mind faintly recalling one kunoichi who carried such a variety of weapons. Anger thrummed low in his stomach, catching fire. Konoha shinobi. Sasuke's lips twisted in a soundless snarl as he sent out a shockwave of chakra, careening into the shinobi in vicinity. Neither Tenten nor Neji was prepared for the assault, and their concealments were stripped away in the blast.
There were two! Sasuke, faster than thought, sent several shuriken hurtling towards the source of all the deadly weapons, delighting in the soft grunt of pain. He'd hit his target, but the wound was probably only a passing nick. Scowling at how far he'd fallen, Sasuke brought out the ninjutsu, done playing games. He devastated hundreds of yards of rainforest with a single katon, blowing fire everywhere the ninja turned. Cruel satisfaction flooded him, and Sasuke smirked, sending immense fireballs toward his opponents.
However, out of the black smoke came a staggering attack. Neji lunged into the fray, his palms seeking to strike and block Sasuke's chakra pathways. Sasuke narrowly managed to avoid the assault in time, noting with a silent curse that the Byakugan was activated and that Neji could see Sasuke's every movement and even predict them. Neji launched forward into a powerful attack, Tenten at his rear, flinging every weapon imaginable at Sasuke. Sasuke defended himself with practiced ease, but weariness was beginning to catch up to him from his injuries and lack of meal.
Neji flickered after Sasuke with crippling speed, dodging Sasuke's every jutsu with his protection of chakra. Sasuke was fighting a losing battle. Neji got too close with one of his attacks, and Sasuke, acting on pure survivalist instinct, activated his sharingan without thinking. Intense pain seared the Uchiha, and he let out a strangled yell, falling away from Neji as his pain-filled yells rent the air, hands pressed against his burning eyes. Sasuke swiftly teleported before Neji could snatch him, collapsing into a heap as he barely restrained a howl. Agony seized his body and he writhed upon the stone floor, clutching his head in terror. What the hell was going on?
The pain was searing, rendering Sasuke incapable of moving. He crawled forward, forgetting about dignity and pride, hands scrabbling for purchase on the earthen floor, dragging his body toward his bedroll. He had to pause several times and wait for the pain to subside enough to start moving again, hissing in agony with each movement. Every time he pushed forward it jarred his head, sending hot fire surging down his chakra pathways each time. Sasuke continued his arduous crawl to his bedroll, barely restraining screams behind his teeth, hands trembling. His face had gone as white as snow in pain, eyes squeezed shut. He was afraid to even open them, on the verge of unconsciousness.
Sasuke fought to stay awake, biting his nails into his palms in an effort to keep from succumbing to the void. He barely felt the crescents carved into his skin; the bite of his nails paled in comparison to the absolute agony in his eyes. He let out a rattling breath, wincing as he moved his head, setting his head pounding. Worry gripped him then - was this how he was going to spend the rest of his life? Crippled from using the sharingan, unable to fight?
Sakura and Naruto raced to Sasuke's last appearance, deaf to the shouts spilling out of their radios, hellbent on their singular goal. Lee had caught up to Kiba's cell first, panting through the radios as he informed everyone of Sasuke's whereabouts and Neji and Tenten's location. They were engaged in battle, Lee had said, and it sounded like Sasuke wasn't able to use sharingan.
Neither of them knew that Sasuke had already vanished, whisked away by the smoke and wind. But they thundered through the forest, blind to the disturbance they left in their path; wildlife shrieking, birds taking to flight in panic. Sakura ducked beneath branches and slid under vines and glanced at her teammate. Naruto loped slightly ahead of her on all fours, feral and graceful. There was a slight glowing of red chakra around his clawed hands, but no tails. Naruto lost himself to the fox's instinct, hunting for Neji and Tenten by scent. He was lost to human reason, and it was only the familiarity of Sakura's chakra that he didn't take her out as a threat. Sakura was the only person who the kyuubi trusted almost as much as Naruto - the two were blood-bonded, something that had occurred on an A-ranked mission deep in the land of the mist. Sakura had sacrificed Inner-Sakura to the kyuubi, who in return had poured his healing abilities into what should have been a fatal wound. She and Naruto were now linked for the rest of their lives, something no one else knew but the two of them.
Sakura ran alongside Naruto, her mind devoid of anything but Sasuke. She raced through the underbrush, feeling strangely calm in her mind even though adrenaline thrummed and spiked inside her, making her pulse race and her pupils dilate. The moment they'd been waiting for for years was finally here, and Sakura felt peaceful. She was nervous, of course, but her mind wasn't the scattered, chaotic mess she thought it would be. There was silence in her head, no self-doubt or fear present. She and Naruto were together now, and together, they were unstoppable.
They tore up the ground behind them, a well-oiled machine, Sakura easily keeping pace with Naruto. He ran like hell, like he was on the run from the devil, and Sakura simply kept up. Nothing or nobody could leave her behind now. She wasn't that weak, smitten, thirteen-year-old girl anymore - she was full of talent, strength, and self-assurance. This time, she had Naruto's back. He'd always had hers, but now she was reciprocating. Sasuke was just as important to her as he was to Naruto, and even if she and the Uchiha didn't have the brotherly bond that he and Naruto did... he was just as important to her.
They leaped into the clearing at the same time, skidding on ash and burnt soil, scanning for any hint of their lost teammate. Sakura's eyes fell upon Neji and Tenten, questioning, cataloguing the immense damage done to the forest. Naruto growled beside her, his head snapping gracefully from side to side as he loped around her, and Tenten eyed him somewhat fearfully. Naruto snarled at the two unfamiliars, completely feral. He pirouetted in a circle around Sakura, protecting, searching for any sign of his teammate. He was able to pick up the scent, but the trail ran cold at Sasuke's teleport.
"Naruto," Sakura soothed, trying to placate her teammate as she reeled from shock herself. Right now, her first priority was not to interrogate Neji and Tenten on Sasuke's whereabouts, but to calm Naruto down before he tore anyone's throat out. Sakura reached out with her calming, healing touch, infusing her chakra into Naruto's stomach, letting the chakra travel directly through the seal and into the kyuubi. Neji watched the entire process with the Byakugan, something that didn't escape Sakura's notice. She hoped he wouldn't ask questions, for at her chakra-infused touch, any trace of the kyuubi melted away. Naruto's eyes dimmed back to blue, claws retracting and his whiskers becoming less prominent. He straightened up from his defensive crouch, towering over Sakura at his full height. He shook his head, slightly disoriented, nodding his thanks at his teammate. Neji carefully filed away the information for later discussion - it was the first time Neji had seen anyone calm Naruto down without a seal, and if Sakura wasn't around to prevent his next half-transformation, Naruto was a possible liability. "What happened?" Sakura asked as Naruto recovered himself.
"We were fighting - and Sasuke teleported. He must have a base on the island. He didn't even sense our arrival until we attacked. I'm pretty sure he is unable to use the sharingan... he seemed to be in great pain when he tried to activate his dojutsu. I got too close in one of my attacks and he activated it in instinctive defense, but the flow of chakra through his eyes seemed to cause him great pain. He teleported right after." Neji explained, meeting Sakura's gaze levelly. Sakura simply nodded, and Neji turned to scan the rest of the island with his Byakugan. He suddenly cursed. "Damn! Sasuke put seals all over the valleys and mountains. They're chakra-blocking... I can't use my Byakugan to penetrate the soil and rock. He's brilliant, I'll give him that. There are too many blocked places for us to investigate..." Sakura only nodded, taking it in stride.
"We'll scout the perimeters of all the blocked areas. If Sasuke was so pained by trying to activate his sharingan that he had to teleport, it must be extremely serious. He's bound to slip up if he falls unconscious. Sasuke doesn't just up and abandon fights - he stays until the job is done. He had a pretty serious intent of harming you. The forest is decimated. He wouldn't let shinobi pass through unchecked if he gave up his position like that... the pain must have disabled him too much to fight. There's a chance his chakra signature might escape. Sasuke wouldn't let any threat around him, especially if he can't use the sharingan," Sakura surmised, and she was almost surprised to see Neji readily agree.
"It's a good plan," he stated. "Did everyone hear that?" Neji asked the radios, everyone replying in affirmative. Neji began ordering everyone around the impenetrable spots, forming an effective barrier around the mountains and valleys. Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi were assigned to the scorched clearing. Kakashi offered to search with his sharingan, but Sakura quickly shot down the notion.
"The sharingan is taxing - one of us is bound to notice Sasuke sooner or later. You'll need to be at your full strength for a possible confrontation - you're the only dojutsu user here able to take on Sasuke in a fight if he manages to use his sharingan. We need you at tip-top shape, sensei, but thank you for the offer," Sakura smiled, ignoring Kakashi's grumble on how he'd asked her to call him sempai instead.
Sakura shut her eyes and expanded her field of awareness, taking even breaths as she concentrated. Extremely precise chakra control had gifted her incredible chakra detection - she could pick up on any tendril of chakra immediately, even better so than Karin. It was a trait she kept hidden. Years of honing her precision under the tutelage of Tsunade had fine-tuned her radar even wider. Sakura could virtually pick up anyone within radius, their status, and minute details like chakra fluctuations.
She reached out to Inner Sakura, deep inside Naruto's seal. She asked the kyuubi to guide her through the forest, for the most precise chakra detection required the most concentration. Both she and Naruto froze, locked in a stare, as Kakashi watched with a suspicious gleam in his eye. Naruto's claws grew and his eyes glowed red, the grooves on his face growing more prominent. Unlike before, however, Naruto didn't descend into a survivalist, feral state. He stood, perfectly still, locked in a staring contest with his teammate. Naruto gave a quick, sharp nod, and then he and Sakura turned around at the same time. Kakashi watched somewhat uneasily; he'd never seen the likes of it before. Their movements were mirrored, exact... it was almost as if one mind was controlling both bodies. Naruto shifted and Sakura did too, her eyes closed in utter concentration.
No one but Naruto and Sakura knew of the deep bond between them. The Council would consider the arrangement dangerous, not to mention the questions it would raise. They'd returned quietly from their disastrous mission, entirely changed but nobody knew. Kakashi was a brilliant man. He knew there was something running beneath the surface, but now wasn't the time to ask. He stayed silent, tucking away their mirrored movements as they started their sweep.
Kakashi detected something entirely fishy going on. Whatever Naruto did, Sakura copied flawlessly, perpetually in sync. They were never off from their mirror images, and both were entirely silent. Kakashi swallowed the questions in his throat, keeping an eye out for danger around the two. Naruto looked dangerously wild, but instead of letting go to the fox's instincts he seemed to be entirely himself. It was some kind of link between them, Kakashi decided, but there was no chakra connecting them. He briefly wondered if they were connected through another dimension, another plane. The idea was not impossible. The kyuubi was the strongest of the tailed beasts, the most powerful. The demon certainly had the power to cross dimensions, and bring others along with him with ease.
Kakashi was beginning to lose hope several hours later when Sakura gave a sudden start, jerking out of her eerie, synced trance she had with Naruto. Naruto froze the same time she did, and Sakura pulled free from the bond, off like a shot, not bothering to offer any explanation. Naruto transformed the second she broke their strange connection, and he swung around, following her a heartbeat later. Kakashi was left to catch up. He used a burst of super speed, shocked at the events unfolding. What in kami's name was going on between his two students? They had never been so connected.
Sakura crashed through the forest, feeling a bit wild from her continued connection to the kyuubi. His feral, baser instincts had blended with her own, giving her a heightened reaction that continued even after she broke free. Sakura offered no explanation, so singularly focused on her target she didn't notice Naruto beside her, loping, his pace exactly matching hers.
Deep inside the cave, his scent hidden by the Waterfall, Sasuke lulled into unconsciousness. He groaned, fighting to keep awake, but his eyes felt no better. They still seared like the fires of hell, even thought it had been hours. For hours he'd laid upon the bedroll, feverish, unable to move as the agony had kept him pinned in place, fixated like a dead butterfly impaled with a pin. The pain threshold had been crossed an hour ago, and Sasuke could no longer fight his body's instincts. He desperately needed sleep to repair to the best of his body's abilities, and his body refused to be denied that healing any longer.
Sasuke didn't realize as he passed into the void, drifting seamlessly into calming, soothing blackness, his clenched fists falling limp as he succumbed. He did not notice his hold on his chakra concealment slip, he didn't notice the sudden spike of chakra sent through the cave as unconsciousness rendered him unable to mask it. Fresh blood dripped off his fingernails, testament to the extreme pain and how long he'd endured trying to keep awake.
It was in that moment Sakura had detected him, a flicker deep in the mountain, hope setting her aflame. She found the cave with ease, using her chakra to light a path. Her eyes fell upon a thick, soot-stained rope lying in the cavern, following the fraying line up to the chamber Sasuke was housed in. She could barely hear anything above the pounding roar of a waterfall, feeling Naruto at her back. For once, she mused, he was watching her back, not the other way around. The thought didn't bring a smile to her lips, not now. She'd detected Sasuke was unconscious from the brief spike. Her predictions supported her hypothesis. Sasuke had given into pain, which had then given up his position.
She scrambled forward, stunned, her throat dry and her eyes wide. Sakura fought the gloom, a beacon of light even without her glowing hands. She stood out in the darkness, like a target in the night. Naruto was no better. Sakura gave a little cry as she spotted Sasuke's dusty feet, unable to believe the sight before her. She stumbled over the uneven cave floor, unable to filter any thoughts. Naruto gave a similar, strangled shout, and Sakura's feet seemed to slowly melt into the floor. Naruto shot off like a rocket, falling to his knees beside the fallen Uchiha. Sakura snapped out of her trance when Kakashi appeared behind her, touching her shoulder gently. Sakura flinched before she began moving again, falling roughly to the ground beside Naruto.
Their team was complete at last. It wasn't how she'd imagined their reunion, shattered to pieces on a dusty cave floor in the middle of mist country. Sasuke was deathly pallid, life bleached from his skin in pain, his face gaunt and hollow, looking more starved than healthy. She hadn't expected their reunion to be so broken. Sakura reached out a trembling hand, unable to believe it. She barely brushed against the skin of Sasuke's arm, surprised at the clamminess of his skin. She noted the beads of sweat upon his forehead, the downturned grimace of his mouth, the sharp, angular planes of his face. He looked starved in every way. Even in sleep he looked haunted, like the ghosts of the past clung stubbornly to him. Sakura knew the image would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life.
She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe Sasuke was here, in the flesh, and she reached out for Naruto's hand. He gripped her palm a little too firmly, staring at Sasuke desolately. Sakura brushed away her thoughts and pressed a trembling hand to Sasuke's cool forehead, his forehead too hot. Healing chakra encircled her hands, glowing, and both Naruto and Kakashi watched in utter captivation as Sakura assessed Sasuke, her eyes closed, glowing hands traveling gently around his torso. She looked like an angel in that moment, they silently agreed. Her hands were made for healing.
Sakura banished herself away, dragging out her medical, clinical side. She forgot everything but the fact that Sasuke was human, and he needed her help. She made his name disappear, cataloguing his present injuries. She could see previously fractured bones, showing evidence of remodeling, scanning his damaged chakra pathways, checking for anything dangerous lurking beneath the facade of his skin. Sakura continued her methodical sweep, tendrils of hair falling into her face as she worked over him. She didn't heal, simply cataloguing. There was nothing life-threatening going on, but as she swept up the sides of his neck and up his face, she couldn't contain the horrified gasp.
Sasuke's eyes were horribly damaged - the pathways. She noted with mounting horror that the eyes were not his. They were transplanted, and Sakura fought to keep down the bile rising in her throat. Her face paled in revulsion but she pressed onward, hands trembling at the botched operation. The transplant was not done by someone with good medical experience. They had left several veins unconnected, and Sakura didn't know if she could salvage them. She explored the chakra pathways and tried not to shake too badly. Sasuke was nearly blind. If he used the sharingan one more time... it would be his last. Sakura wondered how he'd managed to survive with the excrutiating agony, much less fight with it. He was malnourished and Sakura could see the remnants of heavy drug abuse lingering in his system, horrified by the state Sasuke's body was in internally. She thought about his back, some of the muscles healed wrong. She wondered how many had been healed by Karin - Karin's method was effective but extremely crude. It would never replace a medic's healing. Sakura opened her eyes, pulling her trembling hands from Sasuke's head. She swallowed, blinking as she realized the rest of the team had crowded into the cave.
It took her several minutes to pull her composure together, but she was falling apart.
"I need to operate," Sakura finally said, speaking so quietly they barely heard her. Life had flown from her in that moment, leaving her as white as the sheen of Sasuke's skin. "Tomorrow. We can't head back for Konoha until I conduct the operation." Naruto tried to rouse more out of Sakura, but she would not speak. Fear lanced down her spine. What if she botched the operation? What if Sasuke's eyes were unsalvageable? Sakura calmed enough to raise her bleached fingers to one of the lapels on her vest, fumbling with the buttons. She withdrew a syringe, tapping at the glass. She loathed to add a sedative into Sasuke's bloodstream, considering his past drug use and his stricken body, but the risk of Sasuke activating his sharingan under duress made the sedative necessary. Sakura withdrew the needle, pocketing the used shot as she stood on shaky legs. Naruto had never seen her so horrified. "We need to move him. We need to get him back to Tazuna's, now." Sakura didn't say another word, falling into Naruto's shaking embrace.
Sakura felt catatonic with the extreme shock, giving in to full-body tremors as Naruto held her. He was shaking too, hot, pregnant tears sliding down his face as he wept. Naruto cried openly, tears cutting searing paths down his cheeks as he enclosed Sakura in his hold, burying his wet face into her hair, reeling from the shock. Sakura did not cry, rocking back and forth in her teammate's arms. She held him to her tightly, sick to her stomach at the trauma she'd just witnessed. Nausea overwhelmed her senses and she clenched Naruto's jacket beneath her fists.
Kakashi felt frozen in time, mirroring his former students' grief. He couldn't fathom the bone-deep fright on Sakura's face, but he guessed that Sasuke's prognosis was grim. Sakura had refused to say another word, and Kakashi didn't blame her. He swallowed his emotions and straightened, clearing his throat as he blinked away the unshed, burning tears. He began to instruct the group of ninja around him, swallowing his grief and pocketing his turmoil in order to lead. The group needed a leader now more than ever, and Kakashi was determined to lead them. He would not fail Team 7 a second time. He wouldn't let them become tragedy. Kakashi refused to let them repeat and live his own past. Hope was too late for his team, but there was still time for Team 7.
This is so long! And probably full of errors and plotholes and a smidge atrocious because I really just want to put this up. I know that Karin can use Mind's Eye of the Kagura, and her detection should be better than Sakura's, but... whatever. Happy Holidays, everyone! Hope you have a fantastic New Year :)