When Sasuke awakened in the Forest of Death, the first thing he saw was Sakura. She was bruised, dirty, and her hair was much shorter than before.
Somehow, this made the rage already consuming him burn stronger, filling him with the overwhelming desire to kill.
"Sakura, who the hell hurt you?"
Soon, Sasuke found himself gripping the wrists of a terrified Sound shinobi. The sadistic need for bloodshed over powered all rational thought. With a violent tug, he tore the defenseless ninja's arms out of their sockets.
But he was unsatisfied, and turned his attention to the other man, hoping he would offer a more gruesome battle.
"Stop!"
Sasuke felt Sakura wrap her arms around him, begging him to stop. He couldn't understand why; he was protecting her, she should've been happy.
He turned his head and saw tears flowing down Sakura's cheeks.
She was afraid.
Somehow, the realization that she was frightened helped him regain control of himself. The power of the curse seal slowly ebbed away.
Author's Notes: Ehhh... I'm not too pleased with the ending, but the rest of it seems fine. xP Tell me what you guys think, 'kay?
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto' or any of its characters.