Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ These Eyes Betray ❯ Chapter One: Broken - And No One Cares ( Chapter 2 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: dark_liandrin 
Chapter One
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.07.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 244 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter One
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 08.07.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 244 | Status: Work In Progress
A/N: Okay, one day I was in a restaurant with a knapkin and a pen, and I started writing a random poem. So I decided to put poems on each chapter. They're crap, I know, but humor me.
By the way, the editor thingy on screws with my chapters, so if words are pushed together it's NOT MY FAULT! hehe . .
I was so surprised at the amount of reviews, alerts, and favs I got for the prologue alone. I've been put into two C2's! This story has already surpassed my others in popularity, so I think it's safe to say people want me to continue with this, right?
By the way, I got bored yesterday and started drawing, and it morphed into a piece of fanart for this story. It's a pick of Deidara, Sakura, and Itachi, and I don't know if it's good, but I think I might actually finish it, so when I do I'll post the link on my profile, okay?
______________________________________________________________________
Chapter One: Broken - And No One Cares
Wound me with
the words you say
silent tears run
down my face
salty trails that
will not cease
making their way
down my cheeks
self-proclaimed avenger
you turn your back
and leave everything
your brother lacks
darkness greets me
as you walk away
I will not rouse
till dawn next day
- Sakura
_______________________________________________________________< br> She thought the red was beautiful.
As it slipped down her skin, standing out in sharp contrast on her pale arm, she watched it, transfixed.
She was an artist, her kunai was her brush, and she painted haunting lines on her fair skin.
Once upon a time, there had been pain, and she had been glad, because it was better than nothing. But now that was gone, too. A shame, really.
The house around her was still and empty, standing silent testament to her nightly doings. She didn't care. Watching the blood, it made her feel alive. She was paying for her life of worthlessness, but it didn't seem enough.
If everyone hates me, should I hate me too?
She shook her head free of thoughts with a sigh. It seemed not even this would help her tonight.
Sakura watched her arm for a few seconds more before standing up and glancing at her bedside clock. Three a.m. already. She had a mission tomorrow, so she should probably sleep.
She washed her arm free of blood, and ran a hand across the new cuts as she pocketed her kunai. They were deeper today. She hadn't really noticed as she was doing it. The blade seemed to move of its free will.
Holding her arms up to the flickering bathroom light, she studied them silently. No inch of skin up to her elbows was now untouched, and the scars crisscrossed their pale way across her skin to achieve a complex tracing, like a perverse piece of art. She found she liked the effect, though she knew if anyone else saw them they would freak. After over a year of this her arms were forever marred, even though she could have easily healed the cuts without a scar. That wasn't the point though, was it?
She placed a finger to the cuts, and traced them with healing chakra, leaving more white lines behind. When she was done she wrapped her arms in white bandages. No one looked at her oddly for it, for wrappings were a common addition to a shinobi's look. Plenty of others had it.
She would have preferred to let her arm heal on its own, but if she did the other ninjas would have been able to smell blood on her. A ninja's senses had to be perfectly trained, and she was no idiot to be discovered in such a way.
She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to will her body to sleep. It didn't work. She hadn't been able to sleep for a while now. She had acquired dark circles around her eyes, and she feared she was on her way to looking like the insomniac Kazekage, Gaara. That would be odd, but amusing.
She didn't really know why Tsunade-shishou kept assigning her to these missions; it was obvious she wasn't getting any stronger. Sakura considered herself a liability, and she was treated as such. She figured it was because of the shortage of good medic-nins. Though Sakura was weak, she had blazed her way through the medical field, and now stood head to head with the Hokage in skill. But knowledge would not help her on a high class mission.
Once again she had been given a mission that far exceeded her. She was to travel with three jounins on a scouting mission outside of Konoha. It wasn't supposed to be exceptionally dangerous, but on any A-class missions things could easily blow up in your face. And she was a chuunin. She only hoped it would go smoothly.
Her eyes blinked open as she mused, and when she realized where they had strayed, she cursed. She was looking at her old team photograph. Again. Naruto and Sasuke looked back at her, while Kakashi lazily held his book. Beside them was a naive little slip of a girl, with pink hair and emerald eyes that sparkled in their innocence. Sasuke had his usual arrogant air about him, but despite being so young he was handsome as a boy could be. She had fallen for him so easily.
And crashed.
Sakura glared at the picture that held so many good memories. They only hurt her now. Sasuke had left, and she hadn't seen Naruto in over a year. He was off training with Jiraiya, and he would most likely return stronger than ever.
And the girl beside them, her eyes held so much joy and hope for the future, it was so obvious her life would be filled with the happiness present at that moment . . . .
Those eyes . . .
Those eyes betrayed her.
These eyes betray.
She pressed her fists against her eyelids, trying to suppress fresh tears. She was such a crybaby.
It was at times like these, when she looked at that picture, or when she was out in Konoha, witnessing how the lives of others had blossomed so well, and how hers had died slowly, like a flower without sun . . .
Or knowing that no matter what, she would always be stuck watching Sasuke's and Naruto's backs, watching them leave her behind . . .
It was at times like these when she wished that she could rip her eyes out, destroy them so that she would never again have to witness such things.
If the darkness came for her, if it was all she had . . .
Maybe she would be better off.
___________________________________________________________
Na ruto stretched happily as he waited for his sensei to catch up to him. "Ne, ero-sennin, hurry it up, hurry it up!" he whined. Konoha was still a while away.
Jiraiya stopped his muttering (He was plotting out his newest novel) long enough to give his young charge a glare, "Calm down, boy, we'll get there eventually."
Naruto made a noncommittal noise, letting his sensei know what he thought about that. He wanted to see Konoha again, he couldn't wait. He was so anxious to see everyone again, see how they'd changed, let them see how he'd changed. He had grown a lot taller over the year; it seemed he had hit his growth spurt. He knew he'd probably tower over Sakura when he saw her again.
Sakura.
Naruto ceased his antics and walked normally as he hit that train of thought. It was the mental equivalent of crashing into a wall.
The last time he'd seen her, he'd been worried. She'd been pale, and he didn't know if she was eating right. She'd assured him she was fine, to leave, she'd see him when he returned.
She'd still had that light in her eyes as she spoke, so he'd believed her, and left.
He'd always been gullible, especially when he was younger.
Though he was still young at heart, a year of training had done a lot to mature him.
He was now no longer so sure that Sakura had been telling him the truth.
Uzumaki Naruto was worried.
______________________________________________________________ _________
"Haruno." The Jounin next to her (Kaji? She couldn't remember) said as they made their way quickly through the trees.
She tensed. "My name is Sakura." She hissed back. She had renounced her family name not long after her parent’s death. She didn't think she was worthy of it anymore, and it brought back too many painful memories. The jounin beside her knew that, so he had no reason to call her by it.
There was a tense silence.
"Sakura." He amended, not sounding the least bit sorry. She shrugged his disdain off, having gotten used to it over the years. "If a fight breaks out, you are to stay out of the way and tend to the wounded when needed."
She glanced at him sharply. "Of course. But may I ask why you seem to expect us to be attacked? Earlier I was informed that the mission was over." It was true, they had already begun their long trek back, and Konoha was less than a day away.
He bit his lip for a moment, then seemed to make a silent decision. "One of our scouts just informed us that there have been reports of Akatsuki activity in the area. We are now on high alert."
Sakura gasped. "Akatsuki? But what reason would they have to attack us?" Inside she already knew the answer. Akatsuki didn't need a reason to kill, they just did. If it was Konoha nins, it was even better.
"Akatsuki is Konoha's top enemy at the moment." He said, trailing off.
"Because they want Naruto." She finished. "But he's gone."
"He should be back any day now," Kaji replied.
Well, hell. One more thing she had to look forward to.
"And they would take any chance they get to weaken us." Kaji continued. "Because of Sound's attacks, we have a shortage of manpower, and any loss will take its toll . . ." the words had an ominous ring to it.
They continued in an uneasy silence, three jounins and one chuunin feeling as if they were racing for their lives.
It was supposed to have been an easy recon, get in, get out, no contact, and no bloodshed. Sakura was just for emergencies.
If only life was so simple.
_______________________________________________________________ __
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade paced, worrying the ends of her blonde hair between her fingers restlessly. Her Anbu captain was in front of her, having just delivered the bad news.
They had established radio contact with the four man scouting team she had sent out a few days back. They were almost home.
"So far, so good." Came the blurry voice of the team leader, Kaji. It was practically a whisper, betraying his own nervousness.
Tsunade sighed in relief. So far the Akatsuki seemed to be ignoring the team.
She kept the Anbu on high alert, unless she needed a rescue team. She wouldn't send one out unless the situation called for it, there was no need to draw attention to her team, and Akatsuki had shown that they could easily deal with Konoha's top shinobi before.
What was I thinking, sending Sakura out into that? She criticized her judgement for the umpteenth time that morning, cursing silently. They were short on medic-nins, true, but a chuunin would never be able to hold her own among jounins.
She had thought that this one time, it would be okay. The mission was only A ranked because of the valuable information involved.
She had never been so wrong.
She was jerked out of her thoughts by single buzzing voice from the radio, uttered in a clear mixture of surprise and horror. "Kuso!"
There was a slight whine, and a blip, and the connection failed.
"We lost it!" Someone said behind her.
"Damn damn damn!" Tsunade cried, "Send out an Anbu rescue team, now!"
_______________________________________________________________ So near, yet so far. Konoha was only a half hour away . . . but it might as well have been a million miles, for all that it mattered.
There was a moment of utter silence, a quiet so complete and unnatural in its stillness that not even the forest life could be heard. It was like the calm before the storm, and the air felt charged with potential and energy, sending adrenaline pumping through the four team members, their bodies instinctively going hypersensitive and on high alert.
It felt like it lasted for hours, a moment of silent standoff, when in actuality it lasted for only a few seconds.
Then Sakura gasped, choking on the air as it and everything around her became filled with what could only be killer intent, and the most powerful chakra signatures she'd felt in her life.
That was the only warning before all hell broke loose.
There was an unnatural movement of the air beside her, and Sakura turned in time to see one of the jounins go down in a flash of crimson, crashing through the branches as he tried to fight off his attacker.
There was a poof, and he turned into a log, having used substitution jutsu to escape certain death.
Or not.
Sakura was too shocked to scream as his body was cleaved in two with the single swipe of a disturbingly large sword. He fell in two pieces.
She felt like she was going to hyperventilate, the opponents sheer presence was enough to send her reeling. How could so much chakra come from one person?
She gritted her teeth, trying to calm her erratic heart. She pulled out a kunai with a hand that was trembling so much she thought she was in danger of dropping it.
"Sakura!" There was a hiss from behind her and she whirled, eyes wide with fear but ready to attack. She was met with the eyes of her team leader. She could see the whites of his eyes, and knew he felt the fear inducing chakra as well, but he was handling it far better than her.
"You have to run," He hissed at her, "This is no place for a chuunin, and if you go now, we can buy you enough time to escape." The Hokage would have wanted the same thing, he knew. It was the smart decision.
Sakura shook her head, still trembling, "No! I'm a ninja, and a medic! I can't leave my team!"
His expression hardened. "Do you want to die? Leave. It's an order."
Sakura stared at him before nodding. He was right, she had no chance.
She turned and bounded through the trees as fast as she could. She tried to keep her mind off the fact that her teammates were facing certain death while she headed for safety . . .
There you go again. You're running away from the danger, and others are forced to protect you.
No, she was too weak, it was what a smart kunoichi would do -
Story of your life. You always have to do the smart thing. Bullshit, it’s just another excuse to run away. Sasuke was right, you're worthless, and you always will be. You talk big about changing, but it comes down to it you're all bark and no bite. No wonder Team Seven split.
Sakura stopped bounding through the trees, breathing fast and clutching the kunai reflexively to her chest.
Inner Sakura continued her rant.
You're just a burden, one more person to watch out for. You're a defective ninja, and because of you people will continue to die.
No, it wasn't true . . .
Was it?
Sakura saw flashes in her head, memories of similar situations racing through her skull -
- Sasuke, unconscious, senbon needles sticking through his neck, she refused to believe he was dead -
- You're really annoying, you know that? -
- Worthless -
- Sasuke walking away, leaving -
- thank you -
- Naruto, raging in a ball of the Kyuubi's chakra as it engulfed him, eating at his skin, there was a bubbling as a fourth tail began to emerge, she was losing him -
- Her parents lying in their own blood -
- She couldn't do anything -
- What was the point of love if you weren't strong enough to protect it? -
- Sasuke, in Sound garb, gazing impassively as Sai spoke about wanting to understand the bonds between him and Team Seven -
- He wouldn't return, she'd trained as hard as she could and he'd simply ignored them all and left with that snake once more -
- Why was she so weak? -
No.
Not again. If she turned and ran like this, then she deserved to die.
They may have been stronger than her, but they were still her team.
And a ninja who abandons his teammates is worse than trash.
Sakura pivoted, and, still waging as war in her own head, began to race back to the battle.
Are you willing to die for what you believe in?
I may be weak, and this may mean my death, but if I'm going to die I want to do it honorably, even if no one will remember me -
Kaji was the only one still standing.
A blue skinned man that closely resembled a shark was attacking him, and behind him was the one person she hated most. She'd only seen him once, but it had been enough.
Uchiha Itachi.
Murderer of the Uchiha clan.
Cause of all of Sasuke's pain.
He didn't even acknowledge her as she flung herself at Kisame, merely watching as she was immediately blasted back into a tree. She coughed blood at the impact. Kaji parried his blow, but he was running out of chakra, slowing down.
Kisame swung his sword, and in that one move, all of Kaji's chakra was stolen away, leaving him powerless in the midst of his jutsu, and he could only watch in a sort of abstract horror as Sameheda cleanly separated his head from his shoulders.
With a wordless cry of defiance, Sakura managed to gather the strength to attack, and the forced her chakra into her hand and she swung her punch.
Kisame hadn't expected it, and it caught him in the jaw, crushing it with a resounding crack. He let out a slight cry of indignation.
Then, a blur of black and red, and she was thrown to the ground, completely drained of chakra and at the mercy of the two Akatsuki.
Having your chakra removed from you forcibly hurt like hell, and she felt tears well up and spill.
She'd never hated herself more than she did at that moment.
She was so useless.
Sakura let her limbs go slack, too tired to retaliate again.
__________________________________________________________
< br> Team Seven is gone
Was it ever there?
All my dreams shattered
without a care
Everyone's leaving
and I don't know why
leaving me behind
with nary a goodbye
You left for the snake
and Naruto with the Toad
everyone says
I must carve my own road
But I find I cannot
as I collapse in the dirt
Watching your backs
something in my chest hurts
I try to estimate
my own worth
and come up with nothing
my existence is cursed
With nothing to live for
but too weak to die
I fade into myself
And once more
I cry
- Sakura
_______________________________________________________
A/N: Mwahahaha, a cliffhanger! Does she die? Who knows! But here's a hint: reviews make me happy, and when I'm happy I write more, and when I write more I POST more! Okie? Then push the button thingy and review!
By the way, the editor thingy on screws with my chapters, so if words are pushed together it's NOT MY FAULT! hehe . .
I was so surprised at the amount of reviews, alerts, and favs I got for the prologue alone. I've been put into two C2's! This story has already surpassed my others in popularity, so I think it's safe to say people want me to continue with this, right?
By the way, I got bored yesterday and started drawing, and it morphed into a piece of fanart for this story. It's a pick of Deidara, Sakura, and Itachi, and I don't know if it's good, but I think I might actually finish it, so when I do I'll post the link on my profile, okay?
______________________________________________________________________
Chapter One: Broken - And No One Cares
Wound me with
the words you say
silent tears run
down my face
salty trails that
will not cease
making their way
down my cheeks
self-proclaimed avenger
you turn your back
and leave everything
your brother lacks
darkness greets me
as you walk away
I will not rouse
till dawn next day
- Sakura
_______________________________________________________________< br> She thought the red was beautiful.
As it slipped down her skin, standing out in sharp contrast on her pale arm, she watched it, transfixed.
She was an artist, her kunai was her brush, and she painted haunting lines on her fair skin.
Once upon a time, there had been pain, and she had been glad, because it was better than nothing. But now that was gone, too. A shame, really.
The house around her was still and empty, standing silent testament to her nightly doings. She didn't care. Watching the blood, it made her feel alive. She was paying for her life of worthlessness, but it didn't seem enough.
If everyone hates me, should I hate me too?
She shook her head free of thoughts with a sigh. It seemed not even this would help her tonight.
Sakura watched her arm for a few seconds more before standing up and glancing at her bedside clock. Three a.m. already. She had a mission tomorrow, so she should probably sleep.
She washed her arm free of blood, and ran a hand across the new cuts as she pocketed her kunai. They were deeper today. She hadn't really noticed as she was doing it. The blade seemed to move of its free will.
Holding her arms up to the flickering bathroom light, she studied them silently. No inch of skin up to her elbows was now untouched, and the scars crisscrossed their pale way across her skin to achieve a complex tracing, like a perverse piece of art. She found she liked the effect, though she knew if anyone else saw them they would freak. After over a year of this her arms were forever marred, even though she could have easily healed the cuts without a scar. That wasn't the point though, was it?
She placed a finger to the cuts, and traced them with healing chakra, leaving more white lines behind. When she was done she wrapped her arms in white bandages. No one looked at her oddly for it, for wrappings were a common addition to a shinobi's look. Plenty of others had it.
She would have preferred to let her arm heal on its own, but if she did the other ninjas would have been able to smell blood on her. A ninja's senses had to be perfectly trained, and she was no idiot to be discovered in such a way.
She lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to will her body to sleep. It didn't work. She hadn't been able to sleep for a while now. She had acquired dark circles around her eyes, and she feared she was on her way to looking like the insomniac Kazekage, Gaara. That would be odd, but amusing.
She didn't really know why Tsunade-shishou kept assigning her to these missions; it was obvious she wasn't getting any stronger. Sakura considered herself a liability, and she was treated as such. She figured it was because of the shortage of good medic-nins. Though Sakura was weak, she had blazed her way through the medical field, and now stood head to head with the Hokage in skill. But knowledge would not help her on a high class mission.
Once again she had been given a mission that far exceeded her. She was to travel with three jounins on a scouting mission outside of Konoha. It wasn't supposed to be exceptionally dangerous, but on any A-class missions things could easily blow up in your face. And she was a chuunin. She only hoped it would go smoothly.
Her eyes blinked open as she mused, and when she realized where they had strayed, she cursed. She was looking at her old team photograph. Again. Naruto and Sasuke looked back at her, while Kakashi lazily held his book. Beside them was a naive little slip of a girl, with pink hair and emerald eyes that sparkled in their innocence. Sasuke had his usual arrogant air about him, but despite being so young he was handsome as a boy could be. She had fallen for him so easily.
And crashed.
Sakura glared at the picture that held so many good memories. They only hurt her now. Sasuke had left, and she hadn't seen Naruto in over a year. He was off training with Jiraiya, and he would most likely return stronger than ever.
And the girl beside them, her eyes held so much joy and hope for the future, it was so obvious her life would be filled with the happiness present at that moment . . . .
Those eyes . . .
Those eyes betrayed her.
These eyes betray.
She pressed her fists against her eyelids, trying to suppress fresh tears. She was such a crybaby.
It was at times like these, when she looked at that picture, or when she was out in Konoha, witnessing how the lives of others had blossomed so well, and how hers had died slowly, like a flower without sun . . .
Or knowing that no matter what, she would always be stuck watching Sasuke's and Naruto's backs, watching them leave her behind . . .
It was at times like these when she wished that she could rip her eyes out, destroy them so that she would never again have to witness such things.
If the darkness came for her, if it was all she had . . .
Maybe she would be better off.
___________________________________________________________
Na ruto stretched happily as he waited for his sensei to catch up to him. "Ne, ero-sennin, hurry it up, hurry it up!" he whined. Konoha was still a while away.
Jiraiya stopped his muttering (He was plotting out his newest novel) long enough to give his young charge a glare, "Calm down, boy, we'll get there eventually."
Naruto made a noncommittal noise, letting his sensei know what he thought about that. He wanted to see Konoha again, he couldn't wait. He was so anxious to see everyone again, see how they'd changed, let them see how he'd changed. He had grown a lot taller over the year; it seemed he had hit his growth spurt. He knew he'd probably tower over Sakura when he saw her again.
Sakura.
Naruto ceased his antics and walked normally as he hit that train of thought. It was the mental equivalent of crashing into a wall.
The last time he'd seen her, he'd been worried. She'd been pale, and he didn't know if she was eating right. She'd assured him she was fine, to leave, she'd see him when he returned.
She'd still had that light in her eyes as she spoke, so he'd believed her, and left.
He'd always been gullible, especially when he was younger.
Though he was still young at heart, a year of training had done a lot to mature him.
He was now no longer so sure that Sakura had been telling him the truth.
Uzumaki Naruto was worried.
______________________________________________________________ _________
"Haruno." The Jounin next to her (Kaji? She couldn't remember) said as they made their way quickly through the trees.
She tensed. "My name is Sakura." She hissed back. She had renounced her family name not long after her parent’s death. She didn't think she was worthy of it anymore, and it brought back too many painful memories. The jounin beside her knew that, so he had no reason to call her by it.
There was a tense silence.
"Sakura." He amended, not sounding the least bit sorry. She shrugged his disdain off, having gotten used to it over the years. "If a fight breaks out, you are to stay out of the way and tend to the wounded when needed."
She glanced at him sharply. "Of course. But may I ask why you seem to expect us to be attacked? Earlier I was informed that the mission was over." It was true, they had already begun their long trek back, and Konoha was less than a day away.
He bit his lip for a moment, then seemed to make a silent decision. "One of our scouts just informed us that there have been reports of Akatsuki activity in the area. We are now on high alert."
Sakura gasped. "Akatsuki? But what reason would they have to attack us?" Inside she already knew the answer. Akatsuki didn't need a reason to kill, they just did. If it was Konoha nins, it was even better.
"Akatsuki is Konoha's top enemy at the moment." He said, trailing off.
"Because they want Naruto." She finished. "But he's gone."
"He should be back any day now," Kaji replied.
Well, hell. One more thing she had to look forward to.
"And they would take any chance they get to weaken us." Kaji continued. "Because of Sound's attacks, we have a shortage of manpower, and any loss will take its toll . . ." the words had an ominous ring to it.
They continued in an uneasy silence, three jounins and one chuunin feeling as if they were racing for their lives.
It was supposed to have been an easy recon, get in, get out, no contact, and no bloodshed. Sakura was just for emergencies.
If only life was so simple.
_______________________________________________________________ __
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade paced, worrying the ends of her blonde hair between her fingers restlessly. Her Anbu captain was in front of her, having just delivered the bad news.
They had established radio contact with the four man scouting team she had sent out a few days back. They were almost home.
"So far, so good." Came the blurry voice of the team leader, Kaji. It was practically a whisper, betraying his own nervousness.
Tsunade sighed in relief. So far the Akatsuki seemed to be ignoring the team.
She kept the Anbu on high alert, unless she needed a rescue team. She wouldn't send one out unless the situation called for it, there was no need to draw attention to her team, and Akatsuki had shown that they could easily deal with Konoha's top shinobi before.
What was I thinking, sending Sakura out into that? She criticized her judgement for the umpteenth time that morning, cursing silently. They were short on medic-nins, true, but a chuunin would never be able to hold her own among jounins.
She had thought that this one time, it would be okay. The mission was only A ranked because of the valuable information involved.
She had never been so wrong.
She was jerked out of her thoughts by single buzzing voice from the radio, uttered in a clear mixture of surprise and horror. "Kuso!"
There was a slight whine, and a blip, and the connection failed.
"We lost it!" Someone said behind her.
"Damn damn damn!" Tsunade cried, "Send out an Anbu rescue team, now!"
_______________________________________________________________ So near, yet so far. Konoha was only a half hour away . . . but it might as well have been a million miles, for all that it mattered.
There was a moment of utter silence, a quiet so complete and unnatural in its stillness that not even the forest life could be heard. It was like the calm before the storm, and the air felt charged with potential and energy, sending adrenaline pumping through the four team members, their bodies instinctively going hypersensitive and on high alert.
It felt like it lasted for hours, a moment of silent standoff, when in actuality it lasted for only a few seconds.
Then Sakura gasped, choking on the air as it and everything around her became filled with what could only be killer intent, and the most powerful chakra signatures she'd felt in her life.
That was the only warning before all hell broke loose.
There was an unnatural movement of the air beside her, and Sakura turned in time to see one of the jounins go down in a flash of crimson, crashing through the branches as he tried to fight off his attacker.
There was a poof, and he turned into a log, having used substitution jutsu to escape certain death.
Or not.
Sakura was too shocked to scream as his body was cleaved in two with the single swipe of a disturbingly large sword. He fell in two pieces.
She felt like she was going to hyperventilate, the opponents sheer presence was enough to send her reeling. How could so much chakra come from one person?
She gritted her teeth, trying to calm her erratic heart. She pulled out a kunai with a hand that was trembling so much she thought she was in danger of dropping it.
"Sakura!" There was a hiss from behind her and she whirled, eyes wide with fear but ready to attack. She was met with the eyes of her team leader. She could see the whites of his eyes, and knew he felt the fear inducing chakra as well, but he was handling it far better than her.
"You have to run," He hissed at her, "This is no place for a chuunin, and if you go now, we can buy you enough time to escape." The Hokage would have wanted the same thing, he knew. It was the smart decision.
Sakura shook her head, still trembling, "No! I'm a ninja, and a medic! I can't leave my team!"
His expression hardened. "Do you want to die? Leave. It's an order."
Sakura stared at him before nodding. He was right, she had no chance.
She turned and bounded through the trees as fast as she could. She tried to keep her mind off the fact that her teammates were facing certain death while she headed for safety . . .
There you go again. You're running away from the danger, and others are forced to protect you.
No, she was too weak, it was what a smart kunoichi would do -
Story of your life. You always have to do the smart thing. Bullshit, it’s just another excuse to run away. Sasuke was right, you're worthless, and you always will be. You talk big about changing, but it comes down to it you're all bark and no bite. No wonder Team Seven split.
Sakura stopped bounding through the trees, breathing fast and clutching the kunai reflexively to her chest.
Inner Sakura continued her rant.
You're just a burden, one more person to watch out for. You're a defective ninja, and because of you people will continue to die.
No, it wasn't true . . .
Was it?
Sakura saw flashes in her head, memories of similar situations racing through her skull -
- Sasuke, unconscious, senbon needles sticking through his neck, she refused to believe he was dead -
- You're really annoying, you know that? -
- Worthless -
- Sasuke walking away, leaving -
- thank you -
- Naruto, raging in a ball of the Kyuubi's chakra as it engulfed him, eating at his skin, there was a bubbling as a fourth tail began to emerge, she was losing him -
- Her parents lying in their own blood -
- She couldn't do anything -
- What was the point of love if you weren't strong enough to protect it? -
- Sasuke, in Sound garb, gazing impassively as Sai spoke about wanting to understand the bonds between him and Team Seven -
- He wouldn't return, she'd trained as hard as she could and he'd simply ignored them all and left with that snake once more -
- Why was she so weak? -
No.
Not again. If she turned and ran like this, then she deserved to die.
They may have been stronger than her, but they were still her team.
And a ninja who abandons his teammates is worse than trash.
Sakura pivoted, and, still waging as war in her own head, began to race back to the battle.
Are you willing to die for what you believe in?
I may be weak, and this may mean my death, but if I'm going to die I want to do it honorably, even if no one will remember me -
Kaji was the only one still standing.
A blue skinned man that closely resembled a shark was attacking him, and behind him was the one person she hated most. She'd only seen him once, but it had been enough.
Uchiha Itachi.
Murderer of the Uchiha clan.
Cause of all of Sasuke's pain.
He didn't even acknowledge her as she flung herself at Kisame, merely watching as she was immediately blasted back into a tree. She coughed blood at the impact. Kaji parried his blow, but he was running out of chakra, slowing down.
Kisame swung his sword, and in that one move, all of Kaji's chakra was stolen away, leaving him powerless in the midst of his jutsu, and he could only watch in a sort of abstract horror as Sameheda cleanly separated his head from his shoulders.
With a wordless cry of defiance, Sakura managed to gather the strength to attack, and the forced her chakra into her hand and she swung her punch.
Kisame hadn't expected it, and it caught him in the jaw, crushing it with a resounding crack. He let out a slight cry of indignation.
Then, a blur of black and red, and she was thrown to the ground, completely drained of chakra and at the mercy of the two Akatsuki.
Having your chakra removed from you forcibly hurt like hell, and she felt tears well up and spill.
She'd never hated herself more than she did at that moment.
She was so useless.
Sakura let her limbs go slack, too tired to retaliate again.
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< br> Team Seven is gone
Was it ever there?
All my dreams shattered
without a care
Everyone's leaving
and I don't know why
leaving me behind
with nary a goodbye
You left for the snake
and Naruto with the Toad
everyone says
I must carve my own road
But I find I cannot
as I collapse in the dirt
Watching your backs
something in my chest hurts
I try to estimate
my own worth
and come up with nothing
my existence is cursed
With nothing to live for
but too weak to die
I fade into myself
And once more
I cry
- Sakura
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A/N: Mwahahaha, a cliffhanger! Does she die? Who knows! But here's a hint: reviews make me happy, and when I'm happy I write more, and when I write more I POST more! Okie? Then push the button thingy and review!