SALVATION

Chapter 5: One Look: Part 1

Sasuke stared at the pink-haired girl as she charged at him. So many thoughts were running through his mind right now he couldn’t decide which one to focus on.

She looked exactly as he had seen her only five months before, but this time he saw something he didn’t before: anger.

When he had confronted Sakura before, all he could see was sadness and shock, but not this time.

She kept questioning him, prodding him for answers, and he was surprised to find himself answering her more than he should. It shook him a little to know that he enjoyed the sound of her voice; it was something he actually hadn’t heard in quite a long time. At their last encounter she barely spoke more than a sentence to him, and now she was going on and on.

He was curious as to why she wanted to fight him. She had to know she was no match for him; she was surely to be killed. He couldn’t understand her motives, but he also couldn’t understand why she and Naruto had so much determination to bring him back.

Hadn’t he proven time and again he was not going back? He was done with that life, and he was engrossed in a new one. He was training and had become so much more powerful, much more powerful than he would have ever been if he would have stayed in Konoha. How could they give him power? He needed it, thrived for it. It consumed his life, his very soul. His mind only comprehended one thing and that was to kill Itachi. Nothing else in life mattered, not Naruto, not Sakura; not even his own life. He would trade it all in to have the means to kill his treacherous sibling, and he was not in the least bit ashamed about that.

Although, he could not deny either that Naruto and Sakura meant something to him once; but that was long in the past. He had severed those bonds when he walked away that night. Would he seriously have to resort to beating the two of them near death so that they would leave him alone? He didn’t know, but he did know he could do it. He had to do it. It was something he set in his mind the moment he walked into Orochimaru’s lair almost three years prior. Since then, he had done many things for that man, terrible things. He did however hold one moral for himself and that was not to kill unless he had to; so most of his victims had survived, at least in the literal sense. Most were not even capable of feeding themselves anymore, let alone continue to be a ninja. Did he care? Not really. A part of him wondered how he could be such a monster, but the other part knew that if you want to kill a monster, you have to become one yourself. He was more than willing to give his soul up for the cause; as long as the end result was Itachi’s demise.

Shaking from his thoughts, he continued to smirk as he watched Sakura run his way, fist poised to attack.

She pulled back, aiming right for his head. Sasuke side-stepped to the right, avoiding her fist, but he was startled when Sakura’s leg came in contact with his shin.

He flipped back, the pain not evident to him as his mind was trying to wrap around the concept that Sakura had actually landed a blow; and one that possessed obvious strength. Had he not moved that little bit, his leg would have easily been broken in two.

Sakura smiled to herself as she watched Sasuke’s eyes flicker with the smallest amount of shock. She knew he was not expecting such a thing from her, which gave her the upper hand. She was ready for Sasuke, she knew he was going to be a challenge, but Sasuke’s biggest fault would be underestimating her.

Sakura quickly regained her motion, and slammed her fist into the ground. It split in half, a wide crater making its way to Sasuke. He jumped just in time.

Reaching into his pack, Sasuke grabbed a few kunai, launching them at Sakura. She avoided them easily.

Sasuke watched, seeing if Sakura would notice the hidden kunai. They soared through the air, hitting her still form. Suddenly, she vanished, and in her place was a log. Sasuke looked around, but he could not find Sakura anywhere. Where are you Sakura?

As if on cue, the ground began to shake. Sasuke leapt up to the wall, attaching his feet with chakra. The ground gave way and Sasuke waited for Sakura to pop out. Before he registered what was happening, Sakura had grabbed Sasuke’s feet, pulling him through the wall and into another room. She pulled his body close, hoping to land a punch, but Sasuke wouldn’t have it.

Taking out an exploding tag, he flung it at Sakura. She had no choice but to let go, but she did so with extreme force. Sasuke was sent flying headfirst into the ceiling. Sasuke was able to turn his body so that his arm would take the impact. He smashed into the wall with extreme force. Rocks embedded his arm and he could feel the warm sensation of blood flow from his arm. He was sent flying into the air and he landed against a tree. Sakura through me so hard I smashed through two levels and flew fifty feet into the air?

Sasuke turned to get up and his body ached. His shoulder was dislocated and his spine hurt. This was tougher than he thought. He was already panting, and the fight had only begun.

Sakura took a moment to catch her breath. The rapid succession of attacks and the amount of chakra it took to launch Sasuke out of the hideout was taking its toll. Sakura was glad though. She needed to get out of that small room and into a large opening. She needed more room if she was going to get anywhere in this battle. She was surprised to find she didn’t have too many wounds on her body at the moment. A few scratches, but Sasuke had yet to do any real damage to her. She watched as he slowly got up and she could tell he was in pain. She was torn between running over there, healing him, and saying she was sorry or continuing the fight. She knew though, deep down, that she had to continue. It was the only way.

He realized now that Sakura did grow and that she wasn’t messing around. I have to end this quickly. With that thought, Sasuke activated his sharingan.

Sakura saw that Sasuke had activated his sharingan. A shiver ran down her spine. She wasn’t going to deny the fact that Sasuke scared the hell out of her, and the sharingan was his most deadly asset. But she was not going to be swayed in her decision to fight. She owed it to Sasuke, to Naruto, and also to herself. She had grown and she was going to give Sasuke a piece of her mind and fist.

She needed to stall for a few more moments so she could replenish some much needed chakra. Taking the opportunity, she decided to just state things that he had missed while away.

“Do you know, Sasuke, that I’m now Tsunade-sama’s apprentice? She says that I’m only a few years away from surpassing her,” Sakura began.

Sasuke watched her as she spoke. He did in fact know that she was the hokage’s apprentice. Kabuto had mentioned it once. He was surprised to find himself relatively happy at the news. He always knew that Sakura’s hands were meant for healing, not hurting, and he also knew that she would make a wonderful medic-nin. He did not, however, anticipate her to inherit Tsunade’s monstrous strength.

“Naruto, he’s learned so many things from Jiraya-sama. He’s even developed his own original jutsu. It’s really powerful, powerful enough to take out one of the Akatsuki members,” Sakura continued. She watched Sasuke closely, hoping to get a read on him. She could tell he was shocked at what she had just told him. Thinking this might be a good route to take, she kept going. “That’s right. Shikamaru also had his revenge by killing another member of Akatsuki.”

Sasuke stood still. “What do you mean Shikamaru’s revenge? Revenge for what?” Sasuke said, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Oh, that’s right, you probably don’t know. Asuma was killed by a couple of the Akatsuki members,” Sakura explained. She watched for any reaction from Sasuke, but she found none.

Sasuke was shocked by the news, but not that affected. He didn’t know Asuma that well, so the death wasn’t that important to him, but to know that the Akatsuki took out one of the most powerful jounin in Konoha did affect him. Just how strong are they?

“Shikamaru was like you. He wanted revenge, and he, Ino, and Chouji were about to leave the village to get revenge, but Kakashi-sensei stopped them. Kakashi-sensei, however, understood their need for revenge, so he went with them. Later, me, Sai, Naruto, and Yamato came to help and we ended up defeating both Akatsuki members,” Sakura stopped for a moment, letting the information sink in.

Sasuke was angry now. How could Sakura compare Shikamaru’s revenge to his? “How dare you say that Shikamaru is like me? He lost a teacher; I lost my entire clan to my own brother!” Sasuke shouted, not able to control the outburst.

Sakura felt bad at the moment. The truth was-she couldn’t compare the two. It was completely different. She didn’t want to anger Sasuke, only make him see other ways for his revenge. Feeling the need to explain herself, she stuttered out an apology. “Sasuke, you’re right. I’m sorry. I can in now way compare what happened to you to what happened to them. But, I will say this-I may not understand what you are going through, but I’m willing to understand if you just help me!”

Sakura stared at Sasuke and he just stared back. Sasuke sighed, before shaking his head and looking to the ground. “You can never understand. This has nothing to do with you! That’s what I want you to understand! I want you to leave me alone! Go your own way Sakura; it’s the best thing for you. And allow me to go my own way!” Sasuke shook his head. He couldn’t take her anymore or this situation. He was getting restless. He didn’t like all these emotions or feelings Sakura was enticing in him. He worked hard to bury his emotions, and yet here she was trudging them up again.

Sakura kept the unshed tears at bay. She wanted to reach Sasuke; somehow she had to reach him. “That night, when you left, I meant everything I said. And I still do,” Sakura admitted. She didn’t even care about the fact that she was blushing. She had to say this, and say it now.

Sasuke was a bit confused by her confession. He was irritated. She still held on to that futile crush all these years! He wanted to strangle her.

“I don’t know why I do, but I know I do. It’s my resolve. Just as yours is to kill Itachi, mine is to save you from yourself,” Sakura said.

“I don’t need saving! If you love me like you say you do, then you would leave me alone like I asked!” Sasuke said, his voice raising just a few notches above normal.

“No Sasuke, it’s because I love you that I can’t leave you alone. I have to keep trying, even if I have to give my life up,” Sakura admitted.

Sasuke stared; his heart was pounding a little in his chest from anger. Will this girl never learn? It was time to continue the fight, no more useless words. Slowly, he unsheathed his katana. He pointed it directly at Sakura and said, “I hope you mean that, because I’m not going to go easy on you. Today Sakura, you just might die.”

Sakura wanted to cry from the harsh words Sasuke had just said, but she remained strong. She was expecting this, right? She could handle this, right?

Getting into a fighting stance, she eyed Sasuke. “If that’s my fate, then so be it. But, here I stand, saying to you that I’m not leaving without you,” Sakura said.

“Hn,” was all Sasuke could say before he vanished in front of Sakura’s eyes.

Sasuke moved quickly behind Sakura. He poised his sword, ready to thrust it into her chest. I will finish this in one quick move. He thrust his sword, but Sakura ducked down, the sword slicing open her shoulder.

Jumping forward, to get away, Sakura saw Sasuke’s shocked look once again. “I’m full of surprises,” she merely said to him.

She mentally thanked Tsunade for forcing her to train with a blind-fold. When she and Naruto had come back from their first encounter with Sasuke and informed her of Sasuke’s amazing speed, Tsunade had suggested they both train all of their other senses. She and Naruto wore a blind-fold every day for two months. Both of them improved their other senses dramatically. They now could tell where someone moved, just by the angle of the wind. They could feel everything around them, to the point where they knew almost everything that lay before them. Their hearing increased dramatically. After the two months, both her and Naruto were strong enough to give Gai-sensei a fairly decent match blind-folded.

She ran forward, ready to attack, keeping her senses sharp and alert. She punched into Sasuke, but was shocked to see him vanish and be replaced by a log. She looked around, hoping to spot him.

She listened for him and just when she thought she knew he was coming from the left, she felt a sharp jab in her right.

Sakura turned to face Sasuke. “You’re not the only one full of surprises,” Sasuke said, before he ripped his sword from her side.

She stumbled for a moment, but quickly healed it haphazardly. She couldn’t waste any unneeded chakra. The wound was sealed, but she knew that there was still damage that needed to be fixed.

“Go home Sakura, before you really get hurt. You’re no match for me,” Sasuke said.

“You still think I’m weak, don’t you Sasuke-kun,” she said the last word with malice and even Sasuke felt a chill run down his spine. He had noticed that she stopped calling him Sasuke-kun, but when she said it now, with such hate, he sensed an unknown feeling growing deep inside. Why, he didn’t know.

Sakura took the initiative and charged. Aiming a well placed fist to the ground, the ground underneath Sasuke gave way. He jumped up, and away from the hole, but as he moved, Sakura’s fist came in contact with his cheek. He was sent sprawling to the ground.

Using the advantage, Sakura continued to assault him. Landing punch for punch. Sasuke, grabbed her wrists, and kicked her hard in the stomach. She flew across the ground and landed against a nearby tree.

She looked over and saw Sasuke staring at her with so much hate. She just smiled. “What’s wrong, Sasuke? Can’t handle being beaten by a girl, no less me?” Sakura sneered. She looked to the ground, ashamed. Why was she acting so cruel all of a sudden? Wasn’t her objective to save him, not hurt him?

She was about to look up and apologize when she felt breath on the back of her neck. “Never turn your eyes away from the enemy, Sakura,” Sasuke said, hatred hanging off every word.

Sakura gasped. She felt a strong kick to her back, and she was thrown to the ground. Turning over, she almost cringed. There was Sasuke, but not the Sasuke she knew. No, standing in front of her was something she hoped she would never be on the receiving end of: The curse seal.

Sakura didn’t know what to think as fear consumed her. Black marks spread over Sasuke’s body, and he was looking at her in such a way she felt like she would turn to stone.

Sasuke no longer saw Sakura. He saw hatred, anger, and power. He felt the seal flowing through his veins, and he wanted revenge on Sakura. How could she belittle him like that? How could he let her get in so many hits? It was beneath him. He should have been able to take her out in one hit. How could he be challenged by someone this weak? How weak was he? I’ve been training and working so hard, and this stupid annoying medic-nin comes and shows me up!

Sakura used her hands and knees to crawl away from Sasuke as he slowly made his way towards her. This was not good. She was no match for Sasuke this way. She could feel the anger radiating off his body and she shivered. Tears gathered in her eyes as she stared at the boy she loved.

Before she could register anything clearly, Sasuke was upon her. He punched her repeatedly. In the face, back, stomach, legs. Sakura tried to counter, but she was too slow. He was always one step ahead. Her chakra was depleting, and she didn’t know what she could do.

He stabbed her a few times with his sword, before grabbing her by her throat. Sakura felt faint. Her body hurt so much, and she didn’t have enough chakra to heal any of her wounds. She felt her face swelling up, bruises forming all over her body, and countless wounds bleeding. She knew she had quite a few broken bones, but nothing could compare to the broken heart she now had. This was Sasuke, the man she loved. He was actually doing it. He was actually trying to kill her. He’s probably going to succeed.

Please Review! The second part should be out soon, I already have most of it written. Sorry about the cliffhanger, but they’re one of my specialties and I love them!