AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hope everyone's hanging in there these days! This next chapter is a special one for me. By a longshot, it took the most time to write (and rewrite and edit and nitpick and so on lol). Haven't written pacing like this in a long time, possibly since A Twist in Time. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 13

With that, the hunt was on.

Sakura's body moved on reflex, propelling her through the dark forest at full speed. Chakra cushioned her landings and powered each leap as they followed the trail of wreckage to track down the source of the destructive blast.

It must have been a targeted attack, Sakura realized, considering how precisely the blast had been aimed at hers and Sasuke's position in the tree. Her senses sharpened and heart thudded as she whipped through the darkness with Sasuke close on her tail.

Adorned in her red cropped shirt and skirt, grey cloak, and Konoha head protector, all Sakura had on her were the weapons in the holster secured around her thigh, and the meagre supplies in the medical pouch on her belt. All the rest of their belongings – camping supplies, food rations, spare clothes – had been left at the base of the tree when the blast had struck.

Which meant they had most certainly been decimated.

Sakura only hoped what she had on her person was enough for whatever situation awaited them on the other end of the blast. The rest could be dealt with later.

Nearly half an hour into their pursuit, Sasuke raised his hand, signaling to stop.

The trail of destruction had grown more prominent, with fewer trees for cover available, indicating they were nearing the blast's source.

He ducked behind a patch of thick foliage. Sakura followed, crouching in close to ensure she was fully hidden, and turned to him expectantly. With nothing but the moon to light their surroundings, Sasuke's Sharingan was their best option for reconnaissance.

"What it is?" she whispered, her breaths coming out in cloudy puffs as a chill swept past them, fuelled by the cooler temperatures of the surrounding mountainous terrain of Northern Earth country.

"There's a swarm up ahead," Sasuke replied, his voice pitched low. He glanced at her, his irises alight with the powers of his dōjutsu.

But as soon as their eyes met, Sakura was struck by an untimely jolt of embarrassment, sending shivers through her that had nothing to do with the nighttime breeze.

Perhaps Sasuke felt it too because he wrenched his gaze away, refocusing on scouting out the scene ahead, his jaw clenched.

Over their weeks on the road, Sakura had readily endured many tender moments with romantic undertones – kind gestures, shared blankets, clasped hands – that she could chalk up to coincidences, mere friendliness, or her own overthinking.

But it has hard to construe a kiss as an accident.

Sakura's face warmed.

No. Focus.

She shook her head, determined to clear it for what awaited beyond this patch of trees.

There'd be plenty of time for working herself into a confused spiral later.

And probably for the rest of her life, so long as Sasuke remained a part of it.

She cleared her throat. "How many are there?"

"About thirty. Half a kilometer out."

"Thirty?" Sakura repeated, her eyebrows shooting up. If her suspicions were true, that the chakra she was sensing matched that of the ninjas she'd faced during the storm ambush, then maybe they were approaching the enemy stronghold.

Or an ambush of grander proportions.

"That's not all," Sasuke added, his eyebrows furrowing. "There's another chakra source. It's… big."

Sakura nodded and narrowed her eyes. "The source of the blast?"

"Maybe. Let's go."

They closed in with increased stealth and precision, keeping to shadowy patches as their options for cover grew thinner. Soon, the trail of flattened trees opened to a clearing, exhibiting a rather surprising scene cast in moonlight.

Donning the exact blue and white masks and dark gear that Sakura's ambushers had worn, was a crowd of ninjas, leaving no doubt that this altercation and her ambush were connected events.

But this was no ambush.

Not only were the enemy ninjas standing around in plain sight, but they weren't paying attention to their surroundings or searching for targets. Rather, their attentions were on something happening within the group, from where traces of muffled shouting could be heard.

"Let her go! Hey – mmph!"

"No! Laidon!"

A sharp smack resounded through the clearing – like someone had been struck.

"Quiet, you!"

That was when, through the shifting crowd of bodies, Sakura spied the source of the disturbance.

Amongst the ninjas were two others, clad in bright colours and without traces of chakra signatures. Civilians.

But it was the state they were in that ensnared Sakura's attention

One of them, a man, was on the ground, bound and gagged with ropes. And the other, a woman in a yellow dress, was pinned to a masked ninja, a kunai held to her throat.

Hostages?

The woman whimpered, her eyes squeezing shut.

Sakura had seen enough.

She leapt onto the scene, landing in a low crouch with her fists closed and readied at her sides. A throb of power chased down her limbs, rumbling through the ground on impact, with wind swirling around her from the sheer strength of it.

Sasuke, on the other hand, flickered into the clearing with a single, unhurried step, coming to stand behind Sakura, Sharingan ablaze and taking in the scene, his demeanor calm, disinterested, and utterly deadly.

All heads turned in their direction as everything quieted.

Sakura straightened up and snapped on her black gloves. "This seems like overkill for a couple of civilians," she observed mildly, with just a hint of venom.

One of the masked ninjas took a bold step towards them. "It's you again!" they snarled and lowering into an offensive stance.

Sakura raised her eyebrows. "Have we met?" she asked sweetly.

Then, she spotted the thick bandages wrapping around where the ninja's hands should have been. And realized that perhaps she did know this one.

The fool who'd nearly strangled her during the storm ambush.

And who'd lost their hands for trying it.

A kunai, carried by a burst of chakra, whizzed towards her face.

Sakura drew her own and blocked it with a sharp, ringing clang.

Still a fool, then.

"So that's how we're playing," Sakura muttered, as eight masked ninjas advanced.

She and Sasuke exchanged a look. And then they sprang forward to intercept, Sasuke taking the right, and her, the left, a tantalizing rush of chakra rippling through Sakura's legs as she advanced.

She swooped into a low duck, evading a blade aimed at her chest, and sent a chakra-laden kick for the nearest opponent's ankles. They leaped over it, narrowly, but failed to account for the shockwave of chakra that burst from her foot, sending them stumbling backwards into one of their comrades.

Two others took advantage of Sakura's recovery from the first attack to coordinate their own. In an instant, Sakura's arms were bound by a thick, metal chain with sharp ridges, tearing straight through her grey cloak and nicking the skin of her biceps. It was the same troublesome type of chain that had been used to strangle her in the last battle.

But she wouldn't fall prey to it again.

Holding onto opposite ends of the chain, the two opponents yanked it taut.

But their hold wasn't strong enough to keep Sakura from thrusting her arms apart, forcing the chain loose and causing the pair of masked enemies to stagger back with surprise. She gripped the chain with both hands and sent a pulse of chakra through it in each direction, her chakra's raw power disintegrating the chain as it rolled forward.

Too late, her opponents realized their trap had been weaponized against them. They hurriedly released the chains just as Sakura's chakra met them, sending them reeling to the ground and destroying the remnants of the chain in a shower of heat and metal shards.

With her opponents in varying states of disarray, Sakura leaped back to reorient herself, while brushing metal bits from her cloak. As planned, her four opponents were unhurt but clearly outmatched, as indicated by their swift defeat, which she hoped would urge the others to consider a more diplomatic approach to engaging her, going forward.

Sasuke appeared beside her, having taken care of the other four enemies in a similar manner, leaving them in a tangled, cowering heap.

"What do you want?" Sasuke demanded coldly to the group at large.

But, to Sakura's disbelief, their opponents clambered up, readjusting their masks, drawing weapons and charging chakra through their limbs, readying for their next assault.

"Didn't get the message, huh?" Sakura grimaced, equal parts annoyed and impressed that their opponents had the gall to try again.

Fine. Round two.

Wasting no time, Sakura dropped to a knee and slammed her palms to the ground. With a pulse of controlled Earth release chakra, spears of dirt and rock sprang from the earth, blocking and trapping all eight of their opponents' ankles and calves.

The earth spears halted their advance, opening a brief window for a counterattack.

Now, to finish them with–

"Chidori Nagashi!"

Sakura jumped as a shrill, crackling chirping met her ears.

Threads of electricity emerged from Sasuke's outstretched hand, casting an ice blue glow over the shadowy battlefield.

In a flash, each thread struck an opponent trapped by Sakura's Earth release barricades, clean through their chests with surgical precision. A chorus of surprised cries and gasps resounded through their masks as each and every one of them slumped to the ground.

Sakura's medically-trained eye assessed the electrocutions as just strong enough to render their opponents immobilized without leaving lasting damage.

A compliment to Sasuke's handiwork was on the tip of her tongue.

…But was interrupted by another crowd of ninjas, twice as large as the last, leaping over the bodies of their fallen comrades and closing in.

"More, huh?" Sasuke grunted, clearly irritated, and backing towards Sakura.

"Let's make this quick," she said and eyeing the civilian hostages wearily.

Sasuke nudged her with his elbow, prompting Sakura to peer over her shoulder, her eyes meeting the ominous glow of his Rinnegan.

Suddenly, Sakura knew, in some unconscious way, what was coming next.

She swiveled back around, facing the attackers, her closed fist brimming with a surge of chakra, ready for release.

Sasuke's back made contact with hers.

"Banshō Ten'in!"

Suddenly, the advancing opponents stumbled, their feet skidding and lifting off the dirt. And then, one-by-one, from the force of Sasuke's gravitational pull, each of them hurled forward.

Towards Sakura.

Where her fist found them – one-by-one.

She and Sasuke pivoted in sync, spinning quickly with their backs pressed together, with Sasuke pulling each opponent in and Sakura's fist meeting target after target with sure, definitive strikes, her momentum amplified by the pull of Sasuke's power.

In mere seconds, they were standing amongst a tidy circle of collapsed, mangled bodies.

Sakura released a slow breath and straightened up, flexing her fingers. Her lips lifted on instinct as she scanned the aftermath of their coordinated attacks.

Fighting in tandem with a ninja as formidable and unbearably cool as the last Uchiha was no small feat. "Nice teamwork," she remarked.

Sasuke shrugged. "We're Team Seven," he replied, like that explained everything.

A rush of warmth swam through her chest.

Because it did.

If only the others were around to see this. Though, Naruto might have thrown a tantrum for being left out of the maneuver.

Kakashi, on the other hand, might have shed a tear.

But Sakura's admiration of their teamwork had to end there. Because it had succeeded in buying them just the opening they needed.

She and Sasuke darted from the circle towards the trapped civilians, surrounded by the few masked ninjas left standing.

Wordlessly, they set out for different targets - Sasuke to the girl with the knife at her throat, and Sakura to the guy on the ground, bound by ropes. There were three masked enemies flanking him, standing guard.

The civilian, who appeared to have chewed through the rope gag, bristled at her arrival. "Sakura Haruno? Is that really you?" he gasped, his voice strained.

Fleetingly, Sakura faltered in her approach.

Do I know this guy?

He was rather handsome, with kind, piercing grey eyes, short brown hair, and a well-manicured beard. But Sakura couldn't place him.

Before she could respond, however, the ninja guards dropped into battle stances and drew weapons, intending to intercept her.

Sakura sighed, entirely out of patience for these pests.

A blink later and Sakura had completed the hand signs for a genjutsu. Its effects were immediate.

All three opponents swayed on the spot, weapons slipping from their fingers, while their minds succumbed to Sakura's disorienting illusion world, in which, from their perspectives, the forest was tipping, sliding out of proportion.

It wasn't a terribly jarring or difficult illusion to counter, but in the five seconds it took the masked ninjas to realize what was going on, Sakura had already landed swift strikes to pressure points in their backs, knocking them unconscious.

Sakura exhaled sharply, blowing a stray strand of hair from her face, before whipping out a kunai and making quick work of the civilian man's rope bindings, severing them in a single slash.

Together, they removed the loosened bindings from his arms. "Ms. Haruno," he breathed, his wide eyes glazed and trained on her face, like he was caught in a genjutsu of his own. "I can't believe… Thank you. I-I'm a huge fan of your work."

Sakura lifted an eyebrow while giving the man a brief once-over for injuries. He appeared okay, save a few bruises on his arms, likely from the bindings. "Have we met before?" she asked.

He shimmied off the remnants of the ropes and stepped up to his full height. The guy was quite tall, with at least a full foot on her. Sakura got up too and noticed, while she brushed dirt from her arms and skirt, that his eyes roamed her body – the parts of her that were visible beneath her cloak – not in a lecherous way, but to scan, to assess…

It clicked. Sakura recognized those instincts.

Ah. He's a medic too.

His eyes flew back to her face. "No, we haven't met," he said, smiling sheepishly. "I've just–"

But he was cut off by a swirl of wind and leaves materializing beside them, sending him toppling sideways towards Sakura, who stuck out an arm to catch him.

Then, Sasuke appeared there, with the civilian girl in a yellow sundress braced against him, and the wind subsided.

The girl, who had a vice-grip around Sasuke's shoulders, had brown skin, thick-lashed luminous dark eyes, and long, braided hair tied to one side. She was ogling up at her saviour, visibly amazed with her mouth hanging open.

Well, Sakura couldn't blame her.

Not only had that girl just endured what was likely a traumatic kidnapping, but it wasn't everyday you were rescued by a mysterious stranger who was the walking definition of tall, dark, and handsome.

Beyond them, it seemed Sasuke hadn't much trouble with the girl's captors, with how they were flailing around, tending to fresh burns on their legs.

Fortunately, the girl appeared relatively unhurt – just trembling all over.

"Talako?"

The civilian guy yanked off the last bit of rope and stepped forward.

The girl's head jerked towards him and instantly, her body relaxed, her grip on Sasuke slackening. "Laidon!" she sobbed, tears spilling down her face, and then the two of them were stumbling into each other. The guy – Laidon, the girl had called him – took her face in his hands, his thumbs sweeping the tears from her cheeks as his gaze roved down, that trained eye scanning.

But there was something more there, with the way he touched her – a reverence.

These two were no acquaintances.

"I'm okay," Talako sighed, her lips lifting into a watery smile as Laidon pulled her in for a tight hug.

Sakura couldn't help her own smile forming and heart fluttering at the tender reunion.

But Sasuke was not so easily distracted. "What happened here?" he asked sharply, cutting to the chase.

Laidon rested his chin atop Talako's head and released a shaky sigh. "Wish I knew. We were almost home to Adakite from an errand in a nearby town. Then we got mugged by these masked guys. Never seen them before." His eyes focused on Sasuke. "Thank you for saving my fiancée," he said and running a soothing hand down Talako's back, whose face was buried in his neck. "And, Ms. Haruno," he added, turning to her. "I still can't believe–"

But Sasuke interrupted by raising a warning hand, his Sharingan reigniting.

That was precisely when a terrible chill crept over Sakura's skin, turning her stomach.

And then came the overwhelming sensation of chakra building, strengthening, fortifying, at an alarming rate.

Laidon froze, his face paling.

A loud slam echoed through the forest, followed by ferocious quaking, trees trembling, and branches bowing.

Then there was another slam, this time closer, louder, drawing nearer.

"It's back!" Laidon choked, as he and Talako tumbled sideways, into Sasuke, from the force of the quake.

"What's back?" Sakura asked slowly, her mouth drying and dread settling in her gut as a looming presence approached the treeline ahead of them.

She had an inkling they were about to solve the mystery of the massive chakra source Sasuke had detected earlier.

With a deep growl that echoed through the vicinity and had Sakura's skin crawling, an enormous reptilian beast emerged, flattening trees and bushes with each pounding step.

Its dark, scaly body and monstrous head swayed as it moved on all fours, nostrils flared, pointed fangs bared, and the slit pupils of its golden eyes locked on the four of them.

Sakura shot a worried glance to Sasuke and found his unphased demeanor betrayed by the subtle crease in his brow and narrowed eyes.

The beast coiled, as if preparing to launch forward.

Heart in her throat, Sakura charged chakra to her feet, readying to lunge for the civilian couple and get them out of the line of fire.

But as the beast continued winding up, its mouth stretching open and spear-like teeth glinting in the moonlight, the sensation of chakra building and pooling and needing release became dizzying.

With a rush of alarm, Sakura realized just what it was winding up to do.

It wasn't about to attack with its body.

Sasuke's hand closed around her wrist and tugged sharpy, forcing Sakura down into a crouch.

"You two, get down," Sasuke called.

The beast tilted its head back, its belly straining, at full capacity.

And when its head snapped forward, with a mighty roar, it released the blast – a colossal funnel of Wind release chakra, expelling through their surroundings, demolishing the earth, uprooting trees, tearing apart the bodies of fallen opponents.

A heartbeat before they were swept up, with Laidon and Talako huddled against them in sheer terror, the great, skeletal face of Sasuke's Susanoo emerged in a blaze of purple chakra, with leering pits for eyes. Its ribcage engulfed them.

And then, everything went dark.

Talako screamed into the pitch black and scrambled closer to Laidon, bumping into Sakura at the motion.

"It's safe in here," Sakura promised, her voice echoing through the dark cavern, while placing a hand on Talako's arm in an effort to calm her.

The air stilled, entirely protected from the blast, with the trembling ground beneath their feet and the sounds of debris striking the outer later of Sasuke's impenetrable shelter signaling that the blast had not yet subsided.

Sakura fought to steady her breathing and not let the disbelief overwhelm her as they waited, with Sasuke's grip on her wrist a steadying anchor in the darkness.

After many long seconds of dreaded anticipation and catching their breaths, the rumbling came to an abrupt halt.

Sasuke dropped the Susanoo and released her wrist. Immediately, he and Sakura sprang up, taking protective steps in front of the civilians.

Sakura blinked as she regained her bearings. As anticipated, the moonlit landscape was even more battered than before, with fresh grooves and craters strewn throughout the clearing, which had grown in size with even more of the surrounding forest destroyed.

The beast seemed disoriented as it recovered from the blast's recoil, its black, scaly form heaving and swaying.

They needed to strategize their next move quickly, before it built up enough chakra to fire again.

"With that kind of power, it's got to be a summoning animal with a strong source," Sakura mused while taking in its gigantic, dragon-esque body and crazed eyes.

Sasuke nodded, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword. "The summoner can't be far," he said, Sharingan gleaming. There was a single bead of blood forming at the corner of his eye.

Sakura's chest tightened. He's overusing his dōjutsu…

"Sasuke, are you–," she started, but faltered when Sasuke's glare locked on something just past the shadows of the treeline, on the beast's left.

From where a person emerged.

A man with dark, curly hair styled in a faded undercut, casual civilian clothes– green pants and a black button-up shirt hugging his figure– and a look of vague disinterest, sauntered into the moonlight.

At a glance, he was rather unimposing. But there was something about that calm demeanor and the off-kilter tune he was humming as he looked the beast up and down, entirely unphased, that was downright unsettling.

The summoner?

Sasuke's eyes were fixed on him. "He's a chakra user," he muttered. "But… not the scale you'd expect for a summon this size."

Sakura frowned.

Whether or not he had full control over the beast, the man certainly carried the air of being its master. He ran a hand along the scaly beast's enormous leg as he passed, perhaps signaling it to stand down.

Then, he lifted his eyes to the four of them and dropped his tune. "I was wondering what it would take to lure you out of the woodwork, dear Sakura Haruno," he drawled, while tracing his fingers down the column of his throat.

Sakura's mouth fell open.

Me?

But before she could pry further, Laidon, who was peering around Sasuke's shoulder at the newcomer, said, "Wait. Is that you, Heizō?"

The man's eyes flicked to Laidon, something menacing flashing through them.

"You know this guy?" Sasuke asked.

It was Talako who replied, her eyes wide, voice wavering. "Yes, w-we… We used to be friends."

Heizō tossed his head back and barked out a deranged laugh. "Friends? Friends?! Another dagger in my chest, Tal!"

Talako climbed to her feet and took a brave step forward, her hand inching for Laidon's. "Of course we were. There was never… We never… You know I never returned your feelings."

Laidon took her hand and stood taller, sizing Heizō up. "Is that what this whole thing's for? Is that why you kidnapped us? Because Talako picked me?"

All this for… jealousy?

Was Heizō in love with Talako? And instead of contending with the fact that she didn't feel the same, that she'd chosen someone else, he'd gone to these lengths?

Heizō's eyes turned fierce. "Oh, foolish Laidon. You stole her, is more like it," he snapped.

Sakura positioned herself beside Talako and gritted her teeth. "And you thought holding her hostage was how you were going to win her back? Or talking about her like property?"

With an iron grip on Laidon's hand, Talako asked, with a little more confidence, "What happened to you, Heizō? What are you even trying to do?"

"And if your problem's with me, why kidnap her too? This is way overkill," Laidon pleaded, gesturing around to the fallen mercenaries and the reptilian beast, which had coiled in wait for Heizō's next command, watching through those piercing, golden eyes. "I mean, if it weren't for Sakura and this guy showing up, we'd be done for. What's your plan?"

But Heizō merely laughed again and it was an off-kilter sound, like his humming had been. His hand pressed to his own throat, his mad eyes wide, unfocused.

There was something truly off, truly out-of-reach, with him.

"Vengeance does not lend itself to sound plans," Sasuke muttered gravely.

Fuelled by hatred, falling out of touch with friends, losing sight of his own ambitions…

With a pang of sorrow, Sakura realized that Heizō was just the sort of person who would inhabit a decrepit lair like the one they'd found in the waterfall village.

Or… like the one in Orochimaru's hideout, all those years ago…

She cast Sasuke a solemn look and found his eyes downcast.

But Heizō ignored all of it.

"I'm playing fair, though," he explained, his voice chillingly steady as his gaze shifted from Sasuke to Laidon to Talako. "You take something from me."

Then, he turned to Sakura.

"So I take something from you."

Sakura tilted her head. What?

Laidon's eyes darted between them, his face paling. "No," he said, having pieced something together. "Don't, Heizō."

But Heizō merely chuckled. "Make no mistake, Laidon. You are the one I'm after. But where's the fun in that – simply killing someone as pathetic as you?"

Laidon flinched.

"So first, I'll destroy your dream."

Sakura's eyes widened, the dots connecting.

So that's why. Laidon's a medic. And I'm…

Laidon massaged his forehead. "Ms. Haruno, I think it's…. it's my fault that you're…" He took a shaky breath, on the verge of tears. "Heizō must have known that you're my idol. And thought taking you down would mess me up." He swallowed and peered at her nervously, like he feared some kind of reprimand. "I'm so sorry."

But Sakura only found herself hurting for him.

If this Laidon guy truly idolized her work as much as she was gathering, and pursuing a path like hers truly was his dream, this situation was akin to someone targeting Tsunade to break her.

Sakura's fury boiled.

There's no chance in hell.

Heizō's revenge on Laidon had driven him to terrible heights of cruelty.

Hiring mercenaries and making a contract with a dangerously destructive summon.

Endangering the woman he loved.

Thinking he could take on Sakura.

Someone needed to put his misguided ambitions in check.

Sakura took a protective step before the group. "Sasuke," she said, who looked utterly pissed off by the whole exchange. She flexed her knuckles. "Get them out of here."

He shot her a disbelieving look, but Sakura continued before he could protest.

"Get them somewhere safe and rest your eye. I'm the target, right?" She squared her shoulders to the beast, whose mouth began to part, a sheen of saliva dripping from its fangs.

It's coming for me next.

And she'd rather that happened without civilians in the way.

Sasuke searched her face, the crease returning to his brow.

Please. I need this.

After a long moment, he signed and turned to Laidon and Talako. "Come on," he said, and beckoning for them to grab onto him.

Laidon frantically shook his head. "No, Sakura! This is my fault. What if Heizō–"

Sakura placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about me," she said.

Sasuke helped Talako onto his back and reached for Laidon's arm. He gave Sakura a final once-over, her heart pounding and adrenaline surging when she met his dark eyes.

"I'd be more worried about your old friend," he told Laidon before taking to the trees.