Don't mind the jenkiness and confusion. Consider it added effect.

Sakura scrabbled at the arm holding her.

Things were not… going to plan. If there even had been a plan.

Trapped beside her, Naruto was screaming with anger, his eyes full of tears as he thrashed against the arm pinning his throat.

"You killed Sasuke! You killed Sasuke, bastard-"

But then the arm was pressing them harder to the man's torso, and suddenly it was all they could do to get in any breath at all.

Sakura felt so helpless, so weak. It had taken him exactly zero time and effort to incapacitate them both. She knew this had been a bad idea, the enormous, incomprehensible gap between them had been obvious from the moment he had used that wind jutsu gale in the Forest of Death. But she'd thought…

Well, she didn't know what she'd thought.

Why was the Hokage not doing anything? He stood only metres away, staring upon his former student with anger and regret.

Like Naruto, who was pressed shoulder to shoulder with her, she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. But where Naruto turned his emotions into strength, into passion and action even if it was just useless flailing and screaming, all she could do was freeze.

"What an adorable litter of children, wouldn't you agree dear sensei?" That silky-smooth voice all but cooed, and Sakura couldn't even shrink away as she felt a long-fingered hand pet her hair. "It's such a shame the little Uchiha didn't survive my gift."

Naruto was sobbing now, only just able to get enough oxygen to sustain himself, and with each exhalation it sounded like a heartbroken cry. Until his arm tightened that much more and they couldn't make any sound at all.

"Orochimaru…" Hokage-sama said warily, and she wanted him to hurry up and do something because hello they were dying over here! "Stop playing around. What is it you want from me?"

"I want to kill you, for betraying me. And I intend to make it hurt," He smiled, slow and wide, as the two genin began to go limp.

And then- just when she thought she was going to black out, with a gentle push the two were sent staggering towards the Hokage, gasping for air. Sakura tripped on a loose tile and toppled onto Naruto, and they collapsed in a shuddering heap.

"Put up a good fight, and I might even spare the little lambs."

And before Sakura could so much as blink, she and Naruto were whisked away by a giant monkey.

Summons, Sakura realised.

There was only so far that the monkey could take them with the deadly purple barrier; while the two legendary ninja fought, the monkey protecting them from stray projectiles.

And she could barely keep up with what was happening; the two were moving too fast, trading blows quicker than lightning.

Then there were faces she recognised; the first two faces from the Hokage monument (but how?) and there was the Shinigami and thank kami the Hokage was going to win this-

Until he wasn't. Naruto was crying, and the Third Hokage was collapsing and-

The monkey disappeared.

And the once God of Shinobi lay in a pool of his own blood. Orochimaru stood over the corpse, his delicate features contorted with fury because it was clear there was something very wrong with his arms.

From her side, Naruto suddenly lunged, no longer held at bay by the summons, letting out a scream of outrage as he charged.

But no, even injured and worn down by the fight, there was no way Naruto could win this. Had he not just seen the battle, or glimpses of it at least? And from the pure malice radiating from the man, this man that had just defeated the God of Shinobi!

She had to stop him. She couldn't let another teammate die. She had to-!

"Naruto! Stop!" She yelled, and she was so scared because she was running closer to that terrifying man and Naruto was almost upon him-

She tackled him from behind, taking them both to the ground, and they were barely a metre from the sannin.

"Let me go!" Naruto yelled, desperate and trying to throw her off. "Let me go, Sakura! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!"

But there was none of that strange power he had exerted in the forest, none of that redness, of those slitted eyes and elongated canines. Not since the man before them had jabbed him with that five-pronged seal jutsu – and just what had he sealed anyway?

Not that it would have helped them. Naruto's strange power hadn't helped them in the forest, and it wouldn't help them now.

Sakura wanted to close her eyes and hold on for dear life, but she couldn't help but watch, breath caught, as Orochimaru stared down at his former teacher. His fury slowly seemed to evaporate until he was just staring blankly down at Sarutobi.

And finally, he seemed to come back to himself. Sakura felt dread pool in her stomach as he slowly turned his head and looked down at them, at a thrashing, screaming Naruto and at Sakura, who was struggling to hold him down. There was no humour in his expression anymore; only a hint of calculation.

Without taking her eyes off him, her fingers found a loose tile. If he moved, if he so much as twitched, kami help her she wasn't going to stand back anymore.

Then a ghost of a smile quirked his lips as his eyes flickered to hers. Just for a moment, she had his full attention. His cat-like eyes appraised her with mild curiosity, daring her to try, to fight for her pathetic life even though they both knew it was pointless.

But she really had no other choice. She felt her leg muscles bunch up as she prepared to lunge-

But then he vanished and then there was a foot pressing into her spine, the breath rushing out of her as her torso was forced against Naruto's back and they were effortlessly pinned together – and to the ground.

From this angle, there was little she could do with the tile she clutched in her hand, other than wave it about fruitlessly.

We're going to die, she knew. As if it finally got through his thick skull, Naruto fell still.

But he was ignored. Instead, that purple barrier surrounding them vanished, and suddenly there were four people surrounding them. The four that had held up the barrier.

"We are taking the boy. Jirobo," Sakura found herself lifted by the neck, freeing Naruto to be grabbed by the large teenager with the orange hair – or what remained of it.

The other three immediately began engaging the swarm of Konoha ANBU that had been waiting for the barrier to drop.

Help us! Please! Internally Sakura was screaming, but the ANBU weren't breaking through fast enough.

"If I can't have the Uchiha, I may as we get something out of this endeavour," mused the monster behind her, mocking, taunting – as if it was just a throwaway thought that he should kidnap her teammate.

He couldn't have him – couldn't have Naruto too, couldn't take him from her. Naruto might be the most annoying, idiotic, dumb blond she ever knew but that didn't mean she could just let this lie.

And yet, what could she do? She had never felt so helpless as she was held by the back of her neck like an errant puppy. But she had to do something, or she knew she would hate herself for not even trying, just like she did when she stood back and let Sasuke get bitten, let him die.

"We're not going to let you get away with this. Not ever!" Naruto said, eyes blazing with that unwavering conviction. His voice was suddenly calm. It seemed impossible, yet his conviction paired with the fury in his eyes gave her goosebumps.

Naruto's proclamation had changed something. It had given her resolve. She couldn't let him down. She had to try, for his sake. The ANBU couldn't help them right now.

She only knew three jutsu. Substitution, transformation and clone jutsu. Before, she thought these would all be useless, but a thought occurred to her in her desperation - a textbook excerpt flashed through her mind.

'While the substitution should only be attempted on a subject of equal or similar matter, it is possible to exchange positions with a subject of greater or smaller mass. However, the exponential drain on chakra have rendered some who have attempted this technique dead or with crippled coils. One must have extremely high chakra capacity or chakra control to complete a substitution with a subject of dissimilar matter.'

It was a terrible idea. A horrible risk.

But she was going to die anyway, wasn't she? They would kill her, and she would be forgotten once she left their view, nothing more than a pathetic little fly they once swatted.

And before she could think about it too much, her arm whipped ahead like a viper striking – launching the tile straight at Jirobo's head. Her aim had always been good; if she could throw a kunai to catch Naruto falling to his death in the forest, a mere hairsbreadth from his head, she could aim a tile at almost point-blank range.

But Jirobo was fast; his head tilted incrementally, allowing the tile to soar past him – and by then her hands clashed together forming the signs and she felt her chakra flow into sequence.

A sudden drain, tremendous for her meagre reserves but not enough to cripple her, not with her perfect control. Then she found herself staring at the back of Jirobo's head, still suspended in mid-air but no longer were long, spindly fingers wrapped around her neck.

With a cry her hands found each side of his head and she twisted.

She felt the snap, the body crumpling like a puppet with its strings cut.

Then Naruto was there, freed, and he crouched in front of her. They were both looking at the yellow-eyed man, frozen and waiting, drawn taut like an arrow.

"Well, that was certainly unexpected," he said, with a soft laugh. His eyes gleamed with something Sakura didn't understand. Approval? Interest? Nostalgia?

"Oh, and I was just kidding."

And then, he raised his blackened hand in a signal and suddenly Orochimaru and his three remaining ninja were gone.

This all really was just a joke to him. They were a joke to him. He didn't even seem to care that his subordinate lay at their feet, like his life had meant nothing, too. A life wasted just for him to have a moment of sick entertainment, taking enjoyment in their desperation and fear.

Sakura collapsed, and everything seemed to catch up with her because she was shaking. Naruto dropped down beside her, and then they were surrounded by ANBU.

"One day we're going to kill him," Naruto vowed, and Sakura nodded, despite her tears.

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