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Top-Class Ninjas

At the end of the argument with Sasuke, she tried to remind herself of all the things she'd told herself over the past three years. That he was just stressed. That learning the truth about Itachi had put an extra strain on him. That he was simply anxious to avenge his family.

She'd tried to tell herself those things, but all she could think was fuck it.

Sakura walks through the gate of Konohagakure two days after abandoning Taka with her hands raised over her head. Izumo strips her of her weaponry while Kotetsu secures her hands behind her back. She'd left behind her slashed forehead protector and Akatsuki cloak, so all she wears are her sandals, white shorts, navy blue tank top and long gloves. She remains silent throughout the entire process.

Izumo stays at his post to keep an eye out for anyone that may have come along or followed her while Kotetsu leads her to the Hokage Tower. "Never thought you'd come back here, Sakura-chan," the bandaged shinobi remarks, tightly gripping her wrists. The words are said with a snide tone. Ostensibly, he's not glad of her return.

"Me neither," she whispers, neck craned downward and hair hanging in her face without her forehead protector to hold it back. She always imagined she'd die before she returned to Konoha, or that she would come upon it as it stood under siege. Nonetheless, she's content having come back despite the uncertainty of how she'll be received. The air in Konoha has always felt fresher to her, perhaps due to all the time she's spent underground and inside mountains.

Once they reach the Hokage Tower, Kotetsu guides her through the building and up the stairs. She sustains a mix of malicious and surprised glances as they go. The most unpleasant look comes from Shikamaru, who regards her with a wary stance. She turns her head, unable to bear his scrutiny for too long.

When they enter the Hokage's office, Sakura finds that Tsunade is already expecting her. The older medic ninja probably felt her presence when she entered the village gate. Tsunade nods at Kotetsu, and he leaves Sakura alone with her. Neither kunoichi says anything for a short juncture of time, each of them clearly expecting the other to speak first.

Finally, Tsunade breaches the silence, "So, you've returned." Her slim, red-lipped smile is sly, but her eyes remain vigilant lest Sakura make any sudden movements. "Where's your boyfriend?"

Sakura doesn't miss a beat. "I left him in a forest outside of Unraikyo with the rest of his team. They're working with the Akatsuki to capture the remaining jinchuurikis, Killer B and Naruto."

Tsunade raises her brow, evidently surprised by Sakura's willing admission. "You've come here to spill your guts in exchange for clemency." It's not a question. Sakura nods, and Tsunade picks up a pen. "Let's get started, then."

The two of them remain sealed in the office for nearly ten hours as Sakura recounts every detail of the last three years of her life. Tsunade listens intently, asking for details about Kabuto, Sasuke and the Akatsuki here and there.

Tsunade asks for clarification on the meeting between Taka and the Akatsuki. "So, Uchiha Madara said the Akatsuki was going to move on Konoha in order to capture Naruto, yes?" Sakura nods in affirmation. "Do you know when?"

Regretfully, Sakura informs her, "No. They never wanted to give us too much information. Honestly, I'm not even sure why they agreed to work with Taka in the first place."

Tsunade nods, biting her lip in a mix of frustration and contemplation. "Very well. I'll send out some scouts and triple the village's sentries." Her face turns to her desk as she scribbles more notes for herself.

Sakura sits there awkwardly, not quite sure how things will proceed from here. As per her verbal agreement with the Hokage, she should be released into civilian life with no jail time. Nonetheless, she still finds herself shifting nervously in her chair.

"Stop squirming," Tsunade barks, not looking up. A little resentfully, Sakura complies. After a few more minutes, Tsunade turns her attention back to Sakura. "Well, you're free to go, I suppose." The pressure in Sakura's chest dissipates, and she stands, smiling. As she makes her way to the door, Tsunade calls out to her, "Provided your cross-examination with the Analysis Team goes well, of course."

Sakura whips back around, cotton candy-colored hair flying about her face. "What," she snaps, incredulous.

"What," Tsunade intones, leaning back in her seat. "You thought I was just gonna take your word for everything, little miss missing-nin?"

Sakura's lips twist, and she growls. She should've expected this. They could've sent her to the Interrogation Force right out of the gate, but having her speak to the Hokage first would prove her trustworthiness. Oh, well, she sighs. At least, I was honest. There's nothing to worry about.

"Don't worry," Tsunade sardonically croons. "As long as your stories match up, you'll be fine. Though, if they don't, you'll find yourself behind bars for the rest of your miserable life, 'kay?"

Sakura gives no outward reaction, opening the door and stepping into the hall. She's met by Yamanaka Inoichi, who gazes down at her with a dour, displeased frown. Inwardly, she cringes. She'd been hoping she could put off the disappointing reunions until tomorrow.

"Sakura-chan," he greets, not unkindly.

She swallows past the lump in her throat. "Inoichi-jii-san," she returns. He turns, and she watches his long, blond ponytail sway back and forth as he walks. As she follows closely behind him, she thinks of how poorly Ino is going to receive her when they inevitably see each other again. Not well, in all likelihood.

Her interrogation takes about three hours due to her compliance, but by the time it's over, she's nevertheless exhausted. She's been awake for three straight days, after all. She wants nothing more than to curl up in her childhood bed, something she's been dreaming about for years now.

Another familiar shinobi meets her outside of the Konoha Intelligence Division. "Glad to see you back, Sakura," he addresses her, sole visible eye crinkling warmly.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei," she breathes, finding relief in the first non-hostile exchange she's had in months. She feels even more allayed when he pulls her in for a hug, but then the dam breaks. "I'm so sorry," she sobs into his chest, maybe squeezing him a little too hard. "I never should've left with Sasuke. I should've known—"

He shushes her, comfortingly stroking her hair. "It's okay," he reassures her. "What matters is that you're back now."

Sakura nods, still weeping and smearing snot all over his flak jacket. "Sorry," she mumbles as she pulls away and wipes her tears.

"Save your apologies," he advises, beginning to guide her down the road. "You'll need them for where I'm taking you."

Laughing nervously, she cracks, "How ominous." Not amused, he levels her with a sobering stare. Her laugh dies out. "I guess it's time to face the music, huh?"

He lays an arm over her shoulders. "Sakura, every week for the past three years, I have updated your parents on any and all non-confidential information about you. They desperately want to see you. It may be a little rough at first, but it's going to be okay."

"Wow," she sighs, her voice a shaky exhale. "When did you get so good at consoling people, Kakashi-sensei?"

He shakes his head, eye rolling. "Naruto whines a lot, so I get plenty of practice."

A hearty guffaw spills from her lips, though she does feel bad about laughing at Naruto's misery. "Where is he, by the way?"

Kakashi is quiet for a second before answering, "I'll tell you some other time."

She nods, a little shamefaced. "Right. I get it." He doesn't trust her just yet, nor does he want to tell a potential enemy the whereabouts of the village's jinchuuriki.

The rest of their journey to her parents' home is spent in silence. When they arrive at the Harunos' doorstep, he stands back and nods at her encouragingly. Swallowing tightly, she knocks at the red wood of the door. Inside, a light turns on, shining through the upstairs window. Within a few seconds, she can hears footsteps sounding in the front hall. The door is opening before she can quite prepare herself, and across from her stand Haruno Kizashi and Mebuki.

Sakura's father's spiky pink hair is shorter than she remembers, and his shoulders are tight with something she can't quite identify. Her mother gazes down at her with a well-worn face. She's grown older than Sakura could've imagined in only three years, probably as a result of all the stress. Neither of them draw a single breath, nor utter a simple word.

Sakura's tears come back to her much too easily. "I—" Her voice sticks in her throat. "I am so sorry, Okaa-san, Otou-san. I missed you so much. I never should've—"

She's cut off as her father's arms suddenly snap out, hands coming to grip her shoulders and pull her into his chest. The rest of her offerings of remorse gets muffled into his pajama shirt along with her wails of guilt. Her cries only grow louder as she feels her mother's arms join her father's in curling around her back.

Her hands grip tightly at their sides as she pulls back to look into their faces. Her father's cheeks are streaked with tears, much like she imagines hers to be. "I'm home."

"So, you and Sasuke were replaced after Naruto returned from training with Jiraiya. Sasuke by this pseudo-ANBU guy, Sai—who is super cute, by the way," Ino rambles, having been speaking for about fifteen minutes straight now.

When Sakura had first returned, Ino had studiously avoided her, insisting that she wanted nothing to do with her "absolute traitor of a former best friend." For the past few months, Sakura has abided by her less-than-pleasant request, miffed but empathetic. Today, she'd run into Ino on the street and they'd engaged in a brief screaming match before calming down, and then Ino had dragged her away to their old breakfast spot.

The blonde girl continues, "And you by this girl named Setsuko whose original team died in this tragic accident, but she kinda went crazy so you don't have to worry about her tryna upstage you."

Sakura pushes the eggs around on her plate. "I don't remember her from when they infiltrated the compound."

Ino nods. "Yeah, I think she was already gone by then. I'm telling you: she didn't last long."

Sakura feels a twinge of commiseration. "That's unfortunate."

Shrugging, Ino says, "It's a hard life for us ninjas." Her eyes turn up from her smoothie, sparkling from under her pale lashes. "Speaking of, how was life as a rogue ninja?"

Shaking her head, Sakura leans back in her chair. "You know I can't tell you any confidential information."

Ino titters, but there isn't much joy in her laugh. "I mean, why did you finally drop Sasuke and hightail it back home?"

"It's a long story," Sakura sighs, scratching her nose. "I went with him so that I could watch out for him—keep him tethered to reality—but it was all in vain. There was nothing I could do to deter him from the path he's taken."

Somewhat sympathetic, Ino purses her lips. "I'm sorry, Forehead."

Sakura snorts, pleased to hear her friend reverting to her old nickname. "Thanks, Pig."

"I have to ask, though," Ino continues, leaning forward. "Did you guys ever—"

Screams sound from outside the café, garnering the attention of both kunoichi. They run outside, Sakura absentmindedly dropping a few ryō onto the table.

Under the beating sun, Sakura spots a figure in a billowing red and black cloak soar through the sky. "Oh, no," she whispers, frozen with fear. "They're here."

The Akatsuki attack on Konoha had been a long and brutal battle. Everyone had pitched in to fight Pein, even Sakura, who had been stripped of her status as a shinobi. Nonetheless, they'd been losing miserably until Naruto had shown up, adorned with colorful robes and sporting flashy new senjutsu techniques.

After the battle, they'd finally had a chance to speak after so much time apart. Sakura was infinitely pleased that Naruto had welcomed her back with open arms. It was good to see her friend so admired by the village, as well.

Unfortunately, their elation at winning the fight against the Akatsuki members hadn't lasted long. Since Tsunade was effectively out of commission, Danzo had been appointed as the next Hokage and immediately ordered that Sasuke be killed on sight. Naturally, Naruto had hightailed it out of the ruins of Konoha to find Danzo and convince him to change his mind.

Sakura and Shikamaru had organized a makeshift team to safeguard Naruto from his own foolhardiness. She had known he'd never be able to deter Danzo from killing Sasuke, not after the heinous man had massacred the Uchiha clan years earlier. Not to mention, she knew that Sasuke was after Danzo, and she desperately wanted to keep Naruto from running into him. She'd only just reunited with her estranged friend and teammate; she couldn't lose him now.

When her team had finally caught up with Naruto, Kakashi and Yamato, it'd hurt to lie to Naruto about her feelings in order to stop him, but it had to be done. She knows he'll never be able to convince Sasuke to change his mind about Konoha. She knows that she has to stop Sasuke from attacking their village.

She knows that she has to kill him.

After Sakura knocks out Sai, Kiba and Lee, she heads for Sasuke. She runs through the terrain at top speed for one kilometer before she spots him in a rocky, man-made gorge. He's standing over Karin, chidori ignited in his hand and drenched in blood. His sharingan is deactivated, but Sakura's not fooled into a false sense of safety.

"Sasuke-kun," she yells, catching the attention of the other two nin. Karin looks relieved to see her for the first time ever. Sasuke, on the other hand, looks wholly disheveled and angrier than he did the day she last saw him. Panting, she stops, and the two of them regard each other from afar.

He's like a different person, she thinks. Is this even Sasuke?

"What do you want with me," Sasuke asks, expression deceitfully impassive.

Sakura slips a kunai out of her thigh holster, holding it outside of her cloak for him to see. He doesn't react. Her eyes dart down to the red-headed girl bleeding at his feet, and a pang of concern sweeps through her. "What are doing to Karin," she asks, rather than answering him.

"As you can see," he drawls, "She's useless to me now."

"So, what," Sakura barks. "You're just gonna kill her after everything she's done for you?"

"Hn," he affirms as she nears him in slow, cautious steps. He conveys absolutely no remorse, which makes Sakura feel sick.

How heartless. He really isn't the old Sasuke-kun anymore, she reflects, reminiscing on their genin days for a brief moment. He's completely changed.

When she reaches her rogue ex-teammates, Sasuke turns to face her, but she keeps her attention focused on Karin. The poor girl is bleeding out. Karin needs medical assistance as soon as possible, but Sakura can't heal her until she's dealt with Sasuke.

If I can stab Sasuke-kun right now, she considers, bottom lip trembling despite herself, this will all end!

She closes her eyes to muster up the courage to kill the boy she loves, kunai clutched in both hands in front of her. She has to do it. This is the time. She'd already decided. She just needs to get it over with.

"Sasuke, don't do it," Karin mutters weakly, breaking Sakura from her stupor.

She feels the thrum of electricity behind her and knows that Sasuke has engaged his chidori once more, but this time he means to kill her, not Karin. With the utmost urgency, she turns. Eyes wide, she watches as his lit-up hand approaches her neck. The endless black eyes she adores so much are tinged with madness.

Panic flares within her as she releases he's too fast and close for her to get out of the way in time. Devastated at what their relationship's come to, she almost resigns herself to her fate. She can't help but feel that a part of her drove him to this. Her betrayal of him was so recent, after all. Not to mention, she'd come here to kill him.

Just before Sasuke comes in contact with her, their old sensei shows up out of nowhere, grabbing Sasuke's hand and pushing it down. "You've fallen so low, Sasuke," Kakashi says, disappointment evident in his voice.

Sasuke, just as surprised as Sakura by Kakashi's sudden arrival, twists his wrists and flips away from the white-haired jounin. "Ha," he shouts. "They just keep on coming!"

Kakashi crouches next to her in a defensive position, muttering out of the corner of his mouth, "You were trying to kill Sasuke on your own, weren't you, Sakura?" Ashamed despite her earlier conviction, she turns her face to the ground. "There's no reason for you to shoulder this burden all by yourself," he goes on. "As the leader of Team Seven, I blame my own personal shortcomings for the team failing. I apologize, I've been a terrible sensei to you all."

At his final remark, Sakura looks up, unpleasantly surprised. "No, you . . ." She trails off, unable to put her thoughts into words. She wants so much to apologize once more for her contribution to the team falling apart. She can't help but think that if she never went with Sasuke—if she'd just been a little bit stronger and self-assured—everything wouldn't be such a mess. Her eyes turn to Sasuke, finding that he doesn't seem remorseful in the least.

Kakashi's eyes land on him, too. "Sasuke, I hate having to repeat myself, but I'll say this one last time." Sasuke doesn't visibly react, and Kakashi continues, "Stop your obsession with revenge!"

Abruptly, Sasuke throws back his head and descends into voracious, mad cackling, as though he thinks Kakashi's entreaty ridiculous. Sakura and Kakashi both startle at the display of their unhinged former teammate. Just as suddenly as his manic hilarity had appeared, it vanishes. He draws in a slow, deceptively calm breath. "Bring back Itachi, and my mother, and my father, and my clan! Bring them all back! Then I'll stop!" He gets angrier and angrier the longer he speaks. "And you," he shouts, pointing at Sakura. "I have a bone to pick with you! You were just gonna kill me after everything I've done for you," he spits, throwing her words back in her face. "If I hadn't brought you along, you'd still be just as helpless and pathetic as you were three years ago, you fucking traitor!"

Sakura steels herself so as to not let his words sink too deep into her skin. He doesn't mean it. He's just lost his mind. And that's not my fault, she assures herself. With everything that's befell him, it's entirely unsurprising that it's come to this.

Having observed quietly, Kakashi interjects. "I don't want to kill you."

Psychotic countenance still intact, Sasuke snarls, "Oh, you think you can just take me out whenever you want, huh? Don't act like you're still my teacher. That time's over!" He lurches forward with intention. "I want to kill you so badly I can taste it."

Sakura looks away, brow twinged with unease. It was one thing to listen to him talk about destroying Konoha when it was just Team Taka, but to hear him threaten Kakashi like this is utterly distressing.

Without taking his eyes off Sasuke, Kakashi addresses Sakura, "Take this girl and get her stabilized to the point she can talk. There's still time. She should know a lot of information about our . . . enemy." From his pause, Sakura can tell he is hesitant to refer to Sasuke as the enemy. Notwithstanding the current circumstances, the young Uchiha was one of his precious students.

"And you, sensei," she asks, worried that if she leaves she won't see one of both of them ever again.

"Sakura," he says, voice firm, leaving no room for argument. "Take that girl and get out of here." He turns his head to shoot her a reassuring smile. "I will see this through with the same determination and resolve as you. That's my job, after all!" Her lips turn down in an anxious frown, nonplussed by the way he speaks of killing Sasuke as though it's some sort of simple task, like delivering a scroll. "Now, get going, Sakura."

Biting the inside of her cheek, she does as he says, throwing Karin over one of her shoulders and makes a run for it. Sasuke watches her leave, visibly unaffected.

She runs as carefully as she can until she reaches a large pillar on top of the bridge that hangs above the gorge. Mindfully, she lays Karin on the ground and begins healing the wound on her scarred chest. From what she can tell, the puncture—sizable as it is—was caused by Sasuke's Chidori Eisō. She can only imagine why he'd shot Karin at such an odd angle.

"Y-You're—" Karin starts, voice unsteady and distorted as blood gurgles in her throat.

"Don't talk yet," Sakura shouts, pushing more chakra into Karin's chest. "I'm almost done." As she observes the wound sewing itself together, her eyes stray to Karin's face. It is only in watching a tear trail down the side of the Uzumaki's face that she realizes she herself is crying, too. Salty tears stream down her cheeks, and snot dribbles from her nose. She grits her teeth to keep from sobbing.

Suddenly, Sakura's stomach plummets as she feels Sasuke's chakra flare enormously from far away. He must have activated some high-level jutsu. I hope Kakashi-sensei is okay.

"His chakra's colder than ever," Karin wheezes, having also felt his chakra flare. "Sasuke's not the person we used to know."

Adrenalin flares throughout Sakura. She removes her hands from Karin's chest and stands swiftly. She needs to go assist Kakashi. The jounin can usually hold his own, but one can never get too much help.

Karin sits up and pulls her shirt back together as Sakura jumps onto the wall beside her. "Where are you going?"

Sakura doesn't answer as she jumps to the opposite wall and drops below. She channels chakra into her feet so that she can dash across the underside of the bridge. Beneath her, Sasuke and Kakashi continue to duke it out. When Kakashi notices her, he dashes forward with urgency. Determined, she presses onward. I won't let you carry the burden, Kakashi-sensei!

Yet as she jumps from above to land on the water directly behind Sasuke, her mind forces her to look back over all the years she's known him. The day they started at the Academy, the day they were assigned to Team Seven, their first mission, the day they left Konoha.

The day she swore to herself that she would be the one to end him. That she wouldn't burden Naruto with it.

Kunai extended, her hand halts in its progression. Close as she's come, she just can't kill Sasuke. I thought I could do this, she thinks regretfully, tears streaming down her face once more.

Eyes ablaze, Sasuke whips around when he notices her presence at his back. Fast as lightning, he has his hand at her neck, gripping tightly. He steals the kunai from her hand. His wide eyes appear unseeing, as though he's worked himself into a stupor.

In the distance, Kakashi cries, "Don't do it, Sasuke!"

Choking, Sakura watches as the poisoned blade nears the delicate skin of her throat, but the contact never comes. An unexpected weight hits her in the side, and she's lifted away from the boy for whom she'd once risked everything. Looking up, she's greeted by the sight of her savior. "Naruto," she whispers, voice hoarse from the strangling she'd just received.

As Naruto sets her down, Sakura can't believe her luck. She had to be saved twice by both of her teammates within less than half an hour. No wonder everyone thinks of her as weak. Nonetheless, she thanks Naruto for showing up in the nick of time. Better to be protected than dead, she supposes.

"Sasuke," Naruto calls. "Sakura-chan is a part of Team Seven, just like us." Simply too morose, Sakura doesn't let her heart warm at the blond's sentiment.

"In case you forgot," Sasuke sneers. "I'm ex-Team Seven." His eyes drop to meet Sakura's. "And so is 'Sakura-chan,' really. Why don't you two leave us to our business?" He levels her with an intimidating stare, but she doesn't feel any fear. Possibly because he's already tried to kill her twice. Shit gets old.

Kakashi steps in front of Naruto, likely having heard enough. "Is that enough proof, Naruto? Sasuke's not the same person anymore." He faces Sasuke, who stands around twenty feet away, with renewed fortitude.

Unrelenting, Naruto ignores the older man. "Sasuke . . ."

"What," Sasuke snaps.

Not one to be deterred by Sasuke's brash temperament, Naruto exclaims, "Sakura-chan told us the truth about Itachi! Everything you've done—I understand why you did it!" Everyone's eyes snap to Naruto, stunned by his statement. Even Sakura, having been there when Sasuke discovered the truth, having held him in her arms for several consecutive nights as he wept for the brother he'd spent so many years hating—the brother he'd killed—even she cannot understand why he's so intent on killing everyone he has left, too.

"Naruto," Sasuke seethes, narrowing his onyx eyes. "I told you once before, you never had parents or siblings. You never had anyone." His angry scowl morphs into a furious glower. "So, shut up, you outsider!"

Finally having breached her limit, Sakura pins Sasuke with a glare and brashly steps forward. "Naruto's had faith in you, Sasuke-kun! No matter how badly the world or I slandered you, he still considered you a friend!" Calming down a little, her eyes slide to Naruto. "He still does."

Sasuke's upper lip curls and his nose scrunches up in displeasure, but he elects to ignore her, changing the subject. "Just moments ago, I finally got revenge for Itachi on one of his betrayers. One of the Leaf's top brass, Danzo." Sakura and Kakashi recoil in shock, but Sasuke disregards them. "It was a high unlike anything I've ever felt. Like I was finally cleansing the Uchiha name of the stigma that's dogged it for all these years. Like I was freeing the Uchiha from being associated with this corrupt shinobi world. In a sense, it's what the Leaf's always wanted. After rejecting my clan for generations, I'm finally going to wipe it from your memories." Madness seeping back into his eyes, he screams, "By killing every last one of you, until the Leaf is crushed forever! Any link to the Uchiha will be severed and our name will be purified! That is how I'll revive my clan!"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura sighs, almost resigned. She's heard this all before from him, but it's never been directed at her. His conviction and rage has only grown with time and her desertion.

Naruto makes himself two clones in preparation for the inevitable continuation of the fight, but Kakashi holds a hand out in front of him. "This is my job," the older man declares. "You two, get out of here!"

Sakura objects, "Kakashi-sensei—"

"I don't want you to have to see this. Get out of here now," he orders. From across the pond, Sasuke steps forward and ignites his chidori once more. Kakashi doesn't falter, his stance rigid with tenacity.

He really is going to do this alone, Sakura thinks mournfully.

"Kakashi-sensei, are you . . ." Naruto starts, surmising the same thing as Sakura from their sensei's disposition. "Are you going to kill Sasuke?" Once again, Kakashi tells them to leave.

Naruto's lip curls in affliction. He advances, rasengan in his right hand. One of his clones takes hold of Kakashi from behind, hindering their mentor's movement.

"You've left him vulnerable," Sasuke proclaims, surging forward, as well. "I won't hesitate for a second!"

Sakura and Kakashi both call out for Naruto to stop, but on the boy presses. He and Sasuke near each other with dangerous momentum. Neither of them slow down in the least, apparently uncaring that they're likely about to blow off their arms. Soon enough, they're colliding, and the small lake bursts into an eruption of warm water. Their impact generates heavy waves, pulling Sakura, Kakashi and Naruto's clones backward. From the focal point of the blast, the boys come flying out. Naruto crashes into Kakashi, while Sasuke is caught by Zetsu before he hits the wall of the ravine.

Standing again, Naruto most ominously states, "Now, I'm certain," eyes fixed on his former best friends form at the other end of the cavern.

Sakura gives him an odd glance, as does Kakashi. "Certain of what," he barks, brow furrowed and ever-growing stress evident on the visible sliver of his face. "What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto ignores him, keeping his angry gaze on Sasuke.

Sakura follows his line of sight as watches as the air next to Sasuke swirls and contorts in an all too familiar fashion. Madara materializes from the void.

Oh, no.

"Hi, Sakura-chan," the masked Uchiha calls with a wave and the usual annoying veneer that accompanies his voice. "You wanna come back to us? I promise not to punish you too harshly!" She responds his a simple sneer and flip of the bird. Madara shrugs and turns to his companions, exchanging a few words too quiet for the Konoha shinobi to hear. For a moment, Zetsu duplicates himself in the water, but he quickly retracts his clones after another couple of directions from Madara.

Glancing over at Kakashi, she finds him with his sharingan activated, analyzing the situation and likely trying to determine the best plan of attack. Ultimately, he must decide that now is not the optimal time for a fight because he turns to Naruto, urging him to retreat.

"I know, but there's something I need to say to Sasuke," the younger man responds. The boys' eyes connect, and Naruto calls, "Sasuke, do you remember what you told me back in the Valley of the End? About top-class ninjas?" Sasuke must follow his line of thinking because his face contorts in fury. Naruto steps out again, and Sakura almost rolls her eyes despite the serious atmosphere. Why can't he just stay near us where it's objectively safer? He continues, "One direct clash later, I understand a lot more. We've become top-class ninjas, Sasuke. Both of us."

Sakura scrunches up her nose, miffed at being left out. She supposes it's true, though. She's not at their level, and probably never will be. While they were being trained by legendary Sannins, she was learning a couple tricks from a twisted medical ninja.

Naruto fold his arm over his chest and closes his eyes. "So, tell me, did you see what was in my heart? How I really feel? Did you see what'll happen if we fight again?" He opens his eyes and smiles. "We're both gonna die." Sasuke doesn't react, but everyone else starts, uneasy at his certainty. "Our battle will be inevitable if you really do attack the Leaf. So, keep your hatred, let it fester, and hit me with its full force! I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hate! It's my job, no one else's! I'll bear the burden of your hatred, and we'll die together."

Sakura's nose scrunches up again, once more put out by Naruto's words. She knows he doesn't mean to detract from her, but the sentiment behind his feelings stings nonetheless. All for naught, she'd spent so many years trying to be the one to bear the brunt of Sasuke's hatred. Clearly, her efforts had all been in vain. Naruto really is the only one that can match Sasuke.

"What," Sasuke shouts, flabbergasted. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why do you care about me so much?"

"Because I'm your friend," Naruto answers, smiling serenely. "Sasuke, we'll never be able to understand each other from words alone. I knew that from the moment I met you. The only way you and I can communicate properly is through our fists! Remember what I said: we're both top-class ninjas now." He holds out a clenched hand, as though to ask for a fist bump. "I haven't given up yet!"

Oh, Naruto, Sakura thinks, wishing her friend would just give up on Sasuke like she did. He's very much a lost cause.

"Still," Naruto proceeds, shrugging and smiling cheekily. "I'm done ranting at you. Hell, I can barely string a sentence together. I shouldn't be lecturing anyone!" He scratches the top of his head, snickering. "If we really do take this all the way to the end and both die, we won't be Uchiha, jinchuurikis, or anything. There'll be no more burdens to bear. We'll come to understand one another in the next world!"

Naruto, you're—

"I will never change," Sasuke cries, breaking Sakura from her thoughts. "I don't want us to understand one another, and I'm not gonna die. You will."

"Enough, Naruto," Kakashi says, very much ignoring Sasuke. "I'll handle Sasuke. You still have the dream of becoming Hokage." Eyes weary, he glances at Sakura for a second before telling Naruto, "Sasuke may have fallen, but don't let him drag you down, too—"

Angry, Naruto scoffs, "How can I call myself Hokage if I can't even save one friend?" A wild look in his eyes, he declares, "The only person Sasuke's fighting is me!"

Sakura and Kakashi both shake their heads, but Sasuke laughs. "Have it your way. I'll kill you first."

"Heh," Naruto jeers. "You still haven't accepted me as your equal."

Naruto's really made up his mind. His resolve now is nothing compared to mine, she laments, wiping away a few stray tears. Too bad he hasn't realized acknowledging others isn't Sasuke's thing.

"Okay, Sasuke is all yours, Naruto," Kakashi sighs, shifting almost imperceptibly on the water's surface. Swiftly, his left eye opens, kamui spinning within the fringe of his irises. Evidently, he means to take out Madara before this goes any further.

Madara holds up a hand. "Don't bother, Kakashi. Techniques like that have no effect on me." For whatever reason, Kakashi takes Madara's word for and stands down. The Uchiha nods. "Let's go, Sasuke."

Sasuke, Madara and Zetsu disappear. The three remaining nin share knowing glances.

The war has begun.