Sakura doesn't have time to contemplate about her new power because the instant the clone disappeared after getting pierced by her bones, she is suddenly attacked from behind.
Without preamble, she is launched up in the air and slammed against a tree trunk. She feels a lance of pain that radiates from her back and down her hip just as a huge snake wraps around her torso in a vice-like grip.
She grunts in pain while she pumps chakra into her limbs, ready to tear herself out of the snake's grip but she is far too slow. In a flash, a katana pierces through her right shoulder and pins her against the tree trunk.
She screams in both surprise and agony. Completely taken unawares, she is not able to move fast when the real Orochimaru suddenly appears.
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
She can hear Naturo shouting a distance away and she looks up to see him still fighting Orochimaru's clone like Sasuke is doing.
Sakura understands perfectly that neither Naruto or Sasuke can't save her in time.
So she has to do the saving herself.
"It looks like you ran out of time, kunoichi," Orochimaru says as he elongates his neck and then shoots his head towards her. So fast that he becomes a blur but Sakura's improved eyesight is able to track him down and are able to judge the distance between them.
She barely has time to evade Orochimaru's attack but despite the time constraint she has enough time to swiftly cycle chakra into her feet and arms. Then with a burst of speed, she tears the snake around her body to pieces and pulls out the katana from her shoulder right when Orochimaru nears her. Afterward, she swings the katana at Orochimaru's elongated head, who hisses at her in obvious annoyance.
"You are proving to be quite a troublesome kunoichi," Orochimaru remarks as he withdraws from her and stands a distance away. "The only person who uses augmented speed and those earth shattering attacks is Tsunade. However, I know she hasn't taken a new apprentice. So who are you and how do you come by with those skills and those kekkei genkais as well? Who train you and what clan are you from?"
Sakura grits her teeth while she lets a trickle of her chakra knit her wounds. She decides not to respond to Orochimaru's question. Instead she takes stock of her current situation and quickly tries to find a way to escape her predicament.
She is getting weaker. Even her legs are shaking and can barely support her. Her chakra is nearly depleted and she is approaching chakra exhaustion. She knows that she barely has chakra to fight, much less fight someone of Orochimaru's caliber.
"It doesn't matter. I will have my spies look into your profile once I place the curse seal on you," Orochimaru tells her while Sakura tries to steady her shaking legs.
Even without running a diagnostic jutsu on herself, she knows that she has torn muscles on her legs and arms, a slightly healed stab wound on her right shoulder and a nasty large cut across her back. Despite her dire wounds, she doesn't dare use more of her chakra to heal herself for fear of hitting her chakra limit.
"RUN SAKURA!"
Sakura hears Sasuke yell at her while he continues to fight Orochimaru's clone.
She watches as Orochimaru glances at Sasuke and Sakura becomes alarmed when she notices Orochimaru's smirk.
"Let's see if you can protect your teammates with your speed this time," the snake sannin says to her right before he moves towards Sakura's team mates.
"NO!" Sakura shouts in horror when Orochimaru leaps towards Naruto's unguarded back.
Without thinking, Sakura moves swiftly. Her muscles scream in agony as she pushes her chakra to the absolute limit to protect Naruto.
In just a blink of an eye, she appears in front of Naruto just as the katana slides true and straight through her chest and out her back.
A taste of Iron burst in her tongue as she gargles up blood from her throat. However, she keeps her mouth shut despite the excruciating pain she is feeling. At the same time, she watches when Orochimaru grins triumphantly at her right before he pounces on her.
With a katana still lodged in her chest, Sakura can't move at all when Orochimaru finally lunges forward to bite her neck and place the curse seal on her.
The moment she feels the bite, Sakura starts screaming loudly as the curse instantly activates and spreads from her neck and all throughout her body.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO SAKURA-CHAN, YOU BASTARD!"
Sakura can hear Naruto yelling close by but her vision has whitened to a point that she can't see at all.
She senses it when the katana is pulled out of her while healing chakra is being poured into the puncture wound in her chest. She can hear someone cackling close by which sounded like Orochimaru.
Sakura no longer understands what is going on. She is in so much pain that she can hardly process what is around her. It feels like she is being burned alive with how the curse seal runs fiery hot through her veins. Then, as her body feels like being washed by Lava, she finally loses consciousness.
And Haruno Sakura knows no more.
.
.
.
Sakura wakes up a few days later to the sight of Naruto and Sasuke hovering beside her inside a room.
She hasn't even prop herself up from what felt like a futon when Naruto says, "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan is awake!'
Sakura winces at the loudness of Naruto's voice while her stomach tightens when she realizes what will happen once Kakashi talks to her. The boys probably told Kakashi about what happened and what she did.
Perhaps I should have been discreet with my abilities, Sakura thinks with worry. Now, they are going to send me to T & I just for acting differently during our encounter with Orochimaru.
"I can see that, Naruto,"
Sakura's head whips up when she hears Kakashi's voice and immediately finds their jounin sensei leaning against the wall with an Icha Icha novel in his hand.
"Sasuke, Naruto kindly leave the room. I need to speak to Sakura alone." Kakashi says coolly while his lone eye narrows on her.
Sakura feels dread pools at the pit of her stomach as a single silver eye meets her emerald orbs thereafter.
Author's Notes: Thanks so much for reviewing Nemie-Chan, moodymel and osterreicher97! Happy New Year everyone!