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"I-I can't believe this...! What am I even doing here...?! My sensei is about to meet his maker, and what am I doing...?!?! Crying helplessly on the sidelines, being nothing but a liability, always needing to be saved, like always...? T-This is not happening...! This must be a bad joke...!"
Those were those exact words that rang inside the medical nin's mind, over and over again, like a pain-filled yearning for peace, without it ever arriving, in the brewing storm, that was both her aching heart, and her subconscious. There she stood, upside down, under the bridge bordering to the Land of Iron, being confronted with the cold reality of her beloved Sasuke having completely morphed into something completely unrecognizable. Every last possible trace of humanity, everything that she had grown to love about him, is now almost completely absent, buried under the fiery, empty husk of hatred and never ending misery that now enveloped his entire being. He looked ready to taste blood. In fact, he would have very nearly done so with her, hadn't Kakashi interfered in time.
To say that she was so deeply heartbroken, just by her having to witness him being this lost and enraged beyond all reason, would be the understatement of the century. But this wasn't what broke her, may it be on an emotional, or mental level.
Once again, no matter what she did, it always ends up getting worse, the moment she gets involved. She trained so hard. She perfected the art of medical ninjutsu, applying techniques that took years for Tsunade to master, which roughly took her only half of that needed time to get it all under control. Her physical prowess has become downright superhuman. Her Taijutsu, perfectly up to snuff, thanks to Lee's and Might Guy's training. She went above and beyond, just in hopes of finally being able to match up to Sasuke, just so she can relieve Naruto of his responsibilities, and proudly share the load with him. Like a true friend should...
...but all this has lost all its meaning. Because now, here she is, having backstabbed everything she had ever proudly stood for, just in hopes of relieving Naruto of the promise he had made to her, all those years ago. Not only did she essentially ruin their friendship, possibly beyond all repair, having practically tried to emotionally manipulate him into believing "she had always loved him"...
...and even now, that specific course of action still makes her feel so low, she can't even put it into words. Naruto trusted her, with all his heart. And how did she repay him? Emotional gaslighting. And what makes this even worse, she knew he and Hinata had already become a couple, after the battle with Pain. It was more than clear that by this point, she had done nothing, but delude herself into believing she had everything under control, when really... She was a wreck. Through and through.
She saw how much Naruto was hurting, knowing that Sasuke's actions against the Raikage's brother, Killer Bee, reflected very negatively on them as a team, and the entire village. She knew Naruto very well, he was practically an expert at putting on a mask for everyone, just so they won't grow concerned about him, thinking he can carry everything by himself. To her, he was a terrible liar. But what does that make her, now that she lied to him about her "unrequited feelings" for him...
And it doesn't help that she even poisoned Kiba, Sai and Rock Lee, in the middle of enemy territory, just so she can approach Sasuke, without any interruptions. She was ready to refer to Sasuke as the "traitor" of the village, but so far, everything she did, was far more telling of her being one, as opposed to him, knowing she had used every shinobi, that ever put faith in her, as a stepping stone, just to do what? Bring her old teammate "back to his senses"?
...Looking at him now, it just gnawed even harder at her conscience. She claimed this was all in the name of the village, and Naruto...
...but who was she kidding? Nothing about her has changed. She can train all she wants, she can waste countless years of her life, improving her skills as a shinobi, but in the end, all of this, amounts to nothing. Because, here she stands, upside down, being nothing but a liability, once again. She had put everyone she had ever cared about in danger, just to put Sasuke out of his misery on her own terms, so that no one else would have to bear the burden of killing him, except her. Better for her to rob him of his life, than a bunch of angry villagers from enemy nations, who will never be as merciful as their home base. The horror of what they might have done to him, probably parading his corpse around like a public display of shame and ridicule... Her heart just couldn't take this horrifying and barbaric imagery of seeing her beloved Uchiha, reduced to a mere war trophy.
But in the end, even with the sentiment, what does that leave her with, now? Teammates, who will probably never entrust their lives to her, ever again, neither as a fellow shinobi, or a doctor, a father figure, who will very likely never acknowledge her as anything more than a risk factor, and a friend, whom she had cold-heartedly stabbed in the back, with the convenient excuse being, "to relieve him of his responsibilities"...
She had put so much on the line, only for it to backfire on her, in downright biblical proportions. She had sacrificed, not just her self-respect, her meaningful connections to those, who had entrusted their lives to her, and a family that may probably never forgive her, even if she were to make amends for it later. And she has no one to blame, but herself. She had no self-defense either, everything she did was for a man, who can neither see, hear, or feel her anymore...
She literally had nothing left...
She was all alone...
And she knew, here, in this very moment, she wouldn't go down with a cry for peace, but a mere whimper. Very befitting of a woman, such as herself, who had put every meaningful connection she had ever had, on the line, for a man, to whom her own love, can no longer reach him...
In a fit of her own sanity slowly melting away, she grabbed her own head, as she got down on her knees, while still remaining upside down, digging her fingernails into her skin, sobbing uncontrollably, unable to cope with the reality of what she had done.
"D-Damn it...! Is this really how it ends...?! I have all this power... And yet, I still can't get anything right, when it truly counts...?! I have to be the one to be saved all over again... helpless in the face of adversion...?!?! What is even happening, anymore...?! What am I doing...? Everyone hates me... I betrayed my own team... My village... And the one enemy I love, with all my heart, even with all this hatred enveloping him like a loveless blanket...! I only, wanted to save everyone... But no matter what I do, the moment I get involved, everything goes from bad, to worse... I can't... I can't let it end this way...! I can't...! If I don't stop Sasuke now, everything I have done, will have totally been in vain... Everyone, I am so sorry... You may probably never hear this, but... I really didn't mean to hurt anyone of you...! But... What am I supposed to do...?! No matter what action I take, I only end up making things worse...! No... No...! I can't let Madara win like this...! I CAN'T...! COME ON! COME ON!"
In that moment, through sheer will power, wanting to take notes from Lee and Guy-sensei, she decided to open three of the Inner Gates, as opening them was truly painful to her, and downright suicidal against someone like Sasuke, but she stopped caring about the consequences altogether. Her father figure is held at razor's edge by her lifelong love, and she doesn't have the time to waste anymore. She needs to repay him for all the times he, Naruto and Sasuke saved her lives. And with that, a blood-curdling battle cry escaped her lips, as, with tears of pure, unfiltered grief, knowing what is now awaiting her, she calls out Sasuke's name, with her pink hair slowly growing mildly spiky, her front hair pointing upwards, the side effect of opening three Gates at once.
"SASUKEEEEEEEEE!!!"
He swiftly turned around, ready to hit her away...
...but his eyes rolled back into his skull, when he felt one very brutal slug connecting with his dried blood-soaked cheek, as he angrily croaked out:
"What in the--?!?!"
And as the punch sends him flying, far away, Sakura gathers more momentum, and speeds past Kakashi, who could only stare, wide-eyed, in pure shock, as he witnessed his daughter figure turning Sasuke into a personal punching bag.
She bounced off of the rock formation in front of her, to fly straight for the Uchiha, who crossed his arms, desperately trying to block in time, cursing to himself:
"Is Sakura doing this...?! Where the hell did she get all that power...?!?! Damn it, I can't see her, where is she going to--"
But before he could respond to himself, the medical nin punches right through his defenses, screaming at the top of her lungs, trying to cope with the burning pains of the 8 Gates technique...
...but that pain did not even remotely compare to the heartache she was feeling in that very moment. She hated every passing second of this. She really didn't want to hurt Sasuke any further than he was already feeling, deep down. No matter what it was that Madara had told him about the Leaf village, she will find out eventually, but she also cannot allow him to go any further. She MUST stop him, right here. Right now.
With the tears persisting in her eyes, she bounced off another nearby wall, to fly straight at the airborne Uchiha, slamming her entire forearm against his face, sending him crashing, right through the bridge, and because she had made his arms go numb from that singular punch to his crossed forearms, he couldn't even block. But not wanting to give him any room to breathe, she speeds across the water to reach him mid-flight, jumping up in a backflip...
...and performing a backflip soccer-like kick to his spine, as he was still airborne, causing him to crash right into the bridge, all over again. But this time, Sasuke was growing truly annoyed now. He could barely see a glimpse of Sakura jumping right at him...
His anger reaching another boiling point, his forehead veins pumping like crazy, he growled, muttering to himself, losing the remainder of his sanity in that very moment:
"You have GOT to be kidding me...! Heh...! Hehehehe...! Me? Getting treated like a ragdoll by Sakura... Of ALL people...?! This has GOT to be a morbid joke being played on me... No, NO! I will not stand for this...! I WILL NOT! I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET NOT HAVING KILLED ME, WHEN YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE!"
With all the strength remaining in his already exhausted and strained body, he nails Sakura mid-flight with a kick, right in the stomach. But he refuses to go easy on her, and just grabs her, before he could drop down, by the throat and violently slams her into the nearby tree...
...but she was quick to recover from that hit, as she kneed him right in the stomach, too quick for him to react, as she no longer felt like giving him any easy wins here. Even telling him, in a genuinely apologetic tone of voice, not caring if he heard or not, sounding pretty grief-struck:
"I am sorry, Sasuke... But I can't let you win...! Please, forgive me... This is the only option left for me, I beg you to not resent me!"
"You've got some nerve, wounding me like this, Leaf ninja...! Not to worry, I will take my sweet time making you suffer, before you die...!"
But as she threw a punch at him, he barely managed to catch it, as her three opened Gates began to waver, becoming too painful for her to keep active. Giving Sasuke the edge again. But with the remainder of it, she violently headbutts the Uchiha, causing him to see nothing but stars for a brief moment, giving her the window of opportunity needed to get all in, and with a little wind up, roundhouse-kicking him cleanly across the bridge. With his face rubbing across the pavement.
As the kunoichi rushes in to grab Sasuke, he swiftly returns back on his feet, and roundhouse kicks Sakura, from a handstand, right into against her shoulder, engaging in CQC with her. Every hit of his was driven by sheer fury, not planning to give the opposition any freebies, but despite her body gradually now starting to protest, after having relied on the 8 Gates, Sakura managed to hold her own pretty well. She blocked his punches, and he did the same, and for a while, it appeared to be a stalemate. Neither of them felt like giving up, despite their exhaustion gradually settling in. And soon, Sasuke raises his forearm to block her incoming roundhouse kick, only to elbow her right in the gut, before grabbing her by the collar, and throwing her off of the bridge…
…but regaining her focus, in spite of the rough hits she received earlier, she opened her eyes, and safely landed on the water, using her chakra to stand afloat. But just witnessing Sasuke on the very edge of the bridge, gazing down on her with such contempt in his eyes, this is when she realized: This entire scene seems awfully familiar.
Naruto had told her years ago that when he fought Sasuke, that is exactly how it felt fighting him. Him on the very bottom, with the Uchiha looking down on him, with the bloodthirst being written all over his face. And just witnessing this parallel now, this only causes the medical nin to feel her chest aching. With new, fresh tears forming in the corner of her eyes. Muttering to herself, just now catching on to how Naruto must have felt, fighting Sasuke this way.
“Naruto… Is this what you saw…? Is this how Sasuke and you were forced to fight? Him looking down on you, and everything else we fought for growing up…? I am so sorry… The only way I may ever truly be able to make it up to you, is when I face what you had to face. I was a selfish cow, I always was. And my recent actions only prove to me that nothing has changed about myself. It was always about me, and I never once stopped to ask how you felt, “breaking” the promise we made to each other years ago… Well, I say… Screw all of this!”
And witnessing Sasuke charging up for one more Chidori, his empty, soulless eyes staying firmly fixated on her, merely viewing her as prey, in that moment, this is when Sakura knew what she had to do. She began gathering the remainder of her chakra into her right hand, balling it tightly into a fast, ready to meet her match with him. To her, this was her one and only chance to redeem herself. She had to face Sasuke head-on. Exactly like this. Only then will she finally be able to understand the depths that her beloved teammate had to go through, just to keep a flimsy promise.
Sasuke glared down, witnessing the chakra slowly forming a blue sphere around her entire strong right. He tells her firmly:
“You should have run while you still could, Sakura. You should have stayed right behind the sidelines like a good little girl. Your “heroism” will only get you so far. And now… You can die, like the rest.”
However, the medical kunoichi refused to take this insult sitting down. Scowling in return, she called out to him, bluntly stating:
“Ha! Big words for someone, who couldn’t even bring himself to kill his own teammate, while she was already bleeding out on the ground. Asking me to finish the job for you. Honestly, I never saw you as the type of individual to ever become this cowardly, Sasuke. The way I see it, all I hear from you is nothing but hot air.”
“What did you just say…?”
“If you can’t even be bothered to put your own teammate out of her misery, while she was already out cold, what difference in outcome were you expecting with yours truly? If you can’t even kill her, you won’t be able to kill me, either. So naturally, I am just going to assume… …you are all bark, and no bite.”
“...Nuisance.”
And with that, fully charged in his signature technique, Sasuke runs down the wall, charging straight at Sakura…
…and she ran ahead, her right fist burning hot with chakra, glowing in a blue light…
…right then and there, they both clashed, with a considerable explosion of chakra and pure fighting spirit filling the air, causing the water beneath them to flow chaotically, in every conceivable direction. And no matter what, Sasuke couldn’t break through, Sakura was in way better condition than he was, and her chakra reserves were still higher. Naturally, he groaned out loud in frustration, trying his absolute hardest to break through her fist, but to no avail. She was way stronger than him, at that moment.
In the end, Sakura overpowered him, and landed yet another very painful punch, directly in the face, which would be enough to break someone’s nose. And the impact was so strong, Sasuke bounced off of the water, and landed back on top of the bridge, clutching his face in raw agony.
The medical kunoichi took no joy in this victory. Every time she had to land a hit, it tore her heart up even more. And either way, she thought to herself:
“That was too close… Lady Fortuna would never smile that way down on me again, should we do this, when he is at full strength… He would have penetrated my chest with ease, had he had more chakra left, and he wasn’t in such poor condition… But the fight isn’t finished yet…!”
Sakura runs up the wall, jumping high up to catch Sasuke by surprise, ready to do Tsunade's signature heel drop kick…
...with the Uchiha barely managing to roll out of the way, and then, both decided to go hand-to-hand now, with Sakura catching his incoming fist with her hand, and doing the same with the other, as the two engage in a Test of Might. Trying to overpower one or the other, and Sasuke, being at the end of his wits, having barely any chakra left, and now needing to deal with Sakura, he couldn't help but feel insulted.
"Really...? Is this what my life has come to, now...?! Getting evenly matched by the same crybaby, who couldn't even lift a finger, without my help...?! If this is meant to be funny, I am not laughing, Sakura... You should have stayed well out of my way, because now... I shall take great pleasure in making your last moments on earth its most agonizing--"
But Sakura wasn't buying any of this. To her, Sasuke had never looked this pitiful in her entire life. All these threats with murder, craving to taste blood and mutilation of human life...
...she could only feel sorry for him. But she had to be consequential, firmly firing back, which surprisingly makes him go quiet, with his eyes wide open in astonishment:
"Shut your mouth, Sasuke. Just look at yourself. ...Am I supposed to be scared of you? And yes, I take great pride in knowing, I just managed to go even with you. Thanks a lot. You want me dead? You're itching to kill even your own sensei? ...You have sunk to a new low, Sasuke. Regardless of what Madara told you, every course of action of yours thus far, just keeps proving me correct... Revenge won't make anyone happy. Much less you. You killed Itachi, just like you wanted. And what does that leave you with, now? ...Nothing. Do you feel free? Liberated?"
Her voice starts cracking apart, as she could tell, just by looking into his eyes, how much she was suffering on the inside. All this rage, whatever Madara must have told him, must have been devastating, and piecing it all together with everything she knew about the Uchiha clan, she could only guess, NOTHING was as it seemed. And Sasuke's behavior was truly telling of this. With more tears running down her cheeks, her lower lip quivering, she answers for him:
"...No. You don't. I can tell... But Sasuke, whatever it was that you were told, if the elders are behind it, please, listen to me...! I genuinely didn't know...! You can hate the village to your heart's content, at this rate, not even I am so sure anymore, where my true allegiance lies, but I can tell you right now... Out of everyone, you can at least trust me...! Along with Kakashi-sensei and Naruto...! You have no idea how much pain you are causing me, just by acting the way you do right now...!"
But growing angrier, with every second he was forced to listen to her tear-filled pleadings, he gradually pushes her forward, his face contorting into that of pure, unfiltered fury, telling her, with a strong hint of sadness and confusion shining through in his wording:
"D-Damn you...! Why do you have to be so annoying...! I am not interested, Sakura! Don't you understand?! I am no longer taking any part in your activities, we are enemies, plain and simple...! It will be either me, or you! Even if you were to know the truth, what difference would it make...?! I have lost everything, don't you understand?!?! EVERYTHING I have fought for, everything I have ever believed in, means nothing! DO YOU HEAR ME?! BRING BACK MY CLAN, MY FAMILY, ANYONE, AND I MAY RECONSIDER! I BET YOU CAN'T, RIGHT? I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LIVE FOR!"
"Sasuke, listen to me--"
“SHUT UP!”
His rage was gradually being replaced by pure desperation and grief, he just wanted to cut off all ties with them, he just doesn't know what to do with himself anymore. Everything he used to believe in, was nothing, but an orchestrated lie. His bonds mean nothing, because, to him, after everything Madara told him, they are all part of a past that no longer exists to him. It was too painful to remember, even for him, so much so, even his voice starts cracking along the way, being knee-deep in self-hatred, with no way out for him.
"Sakura...! Just, leave me be! My whole life is nothing, but a huge comedy act! I trained so hard, my whole life, just in hopes of finally avenging everything that was once important to me...! I left the village, because I truly believed our bonds meant anything to me... But now, all of it has no meaning, don't you understand?! Just cut me off! Cut me off! I have nothing left to say to you, or Kakashi, or Naruto...! I WILL destroy everything! And you won't stop me, I... I... I am no longer part of your ride...!"
"Sasuke, please, stop it!"
Her tears now flowing freely, her heart aching beyond healing, she lets go of his knuckles, tackling Sasuke to the ground, pinning him down with her entire weight, and pressing her hands down against his forearms to render his arms unuseable, wanting him to look at her. And focus only on her.
"Please... Listen...! As always, no matter what I try, I only end up causing the problem to worsen...! I made so many horrible lapse in judgment on the entire situation, you wouldn't even believe that my IQ equals that of a genius..."
Sasuke tries to break free, but unfortunately, he was pretty drained and the injuries that Sakura inflicted on him only rendered his defense practically useless. But what truly made him freeze, was the sight of Sakura's tears. Those same tears, emanating from those pure, emerald green eyes, were shed in his name, having pleaded with him to stay. And sure enough, it made him stop dead in his tracks.
"Sasuke... As always, I am a good-for-nothing, no matter what course of action I take, I only end up in failure, as always... Especially when it comes to you... And as always, all that I can do to make you listen, is to bawl my eyes out, because it's literally all I am good for...! I want to hate you... Resent you, for all that you make me suffer through, but... Curses on you all, I can't do it... I can't...! How do you expect me to take any enjoyment out of hurting you, when, right now, as we speak, every second you draw breath, you are in agony, a pain that not even I can begin to fathom...! And there is NOTHING I can do to help you..."
"...!"
Despite his blood thirst driving him, just witnessing this young woman shedding tears for him, pouring her heart out to him in such a heartfelt way... For one brief moment, he felt his own humanity returning, as it was truly painful, even for him, to listen to her, knowing all too well how much she must be hurting in his stead, too.
And what made it worse, she even lets go of his forearms, draws her own kunai, that was laced with poison, meant to knock you out cold without being lethal, and just drops it right next to him. Giving him all the chances in the world to kill her, right then and there.
"What is she doing...?!"
Kakashi was watching this entire "spectacle", closeby, wanting to back Sakura up, should Sasuke get any funny ideas of striking at the worst possible time. But even he felt baffled over what she was trying to do...
...and immediately, he felt his heart sinking. To him, this was the purest form of love a single person can possibly express. He knows what her plan is, immediately. She goes for the psychological warfare route, tempting Sasuke with the kunai to see if he will actually do it.
But even still, just witnessing his own students being this emotionally and psychologically drained, and at the end of both their wits, was enough to break his heart. And he felt one strong level of contempt boiling from within, for not only Madara, but the Konoha elders, too. He knew Sasuke wouldn't even be acting this way, had Danzo not interfered and messed with his existence, time and time again. And now knowing that Danzo essentially used the Uchiha massacre as THE golden excuse to steal their eyes, he truly felt his anger reaching dangerous levels. His sympathies for Sakura grew only stronger, as his eyes began softening, majorly...
"Oh, Sakura... I would really hate to be in your shoes, right now... All you have done so far, was purely driven by love... It was reckless, but I suppose, Naruto must have been rubbing off on you, way more than you will ever be willing to admit... Still, should Sasuke dare to take the opportunity, I will be right here. Always."
But the Uchiha felt all kinds of angry and confused, going all:
"What are you doing?! Have you gone truly mental now, Sakura...?! You shouldn't be giving the enemy such an opportunity...!"
"Sasuke... I will not fight you...! It doesn't matter what I do, there is no medicine to heal a broken heart... But, if my death shall serve to calm your blazing soul, then go ahead... I am wide open, I am more than ready to accept my fate, for all the people I have hurt for failing you...! You want to kill? Go right ahead, I am right here, and won't go anywhere... I am no longer approaching you, as a shinobi, but merely, as Sakura Haruno... If you truly believe that all of our bonds were merely a lie to you... ...then go right ahead. Kill me. I will not stop you."
Sasuke was confused out of his mind. Why would she offer herself on a silver platter like this? And Kakashi is closeby, ready to strike, whenever, and yet, he didn't even appear to be in attack mode. He has no idea how to react to all this. Sakura is offering her life as payment for all the times she supposedly failed him...
...his hand was already sliding towards the kunai...
...but just when he was about to reach it, out of nowhere, Sakura lowered her head...
...her lips, tenderly interlocking with his, which spoke a language, way louder than any words could. She was practically begging for him to end it all. Lowering all of her defenses.
She knew there was nothing she could do to change his mind. Not like it would have worked either way, because, in the grand scheme, who even is she? Just a woman, unable to mend the broken parts of a man’s soul, that was tarnished by the very same village she swore to protect.
But at the very least, she can offer him a parting gift, wanting to remind him what bond he was calling a "lie" here. Her kiss was so tender and loving, he knew immediately, that wasn't an act. But he already had the kunai in his grip. With the cold metal hovering close to her throat. Just one slice at her neck, and it was all over. Just one... just... one...
...but then, Sasuke, felt the biggest heartache of his life, and for the first time, he felt himself hesitating, in that very moment. The moment presented itself right here, every muscle in his body demanded for him to just finish the job. To just kill her, right then and there, and all of his problems will be solved. He was itching to have her blood on his hands…
…and yet…
…He began feeling so genuinely filthy, for even attempting this. As tears began flowing out of his eyelids, too. He really wanted to curse this woman for even loving him this much, and yet...
...In no time at all, he actually melted into Sakura's lips, closing his eyes, dropping the kunai to the side, running his hands through her hair, unable to stop himself. Even wrapping his arms around her neck, he wanted to resist, but his body spoke a different language...
...almost as if the kiss gave him a moment of clarity... He just lacked the heart to kill her. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't. And despite his worsening eyesight, he could tell she was crying purely for him.
And when they parted, he asked her, with tears in his eyes now, too, firmly grasping her left forearm with his own left, his voice now too hoarse with raw confusion, and a whirlwind of conflicting emotions:
"...Why...? Tell me, Sakura...! Why… Why do you still insist... on getting in my way...?! I swore to destroy everything, and I meant every word that I said...! I am not playing around, I will wreak havoc on all those, laughing down at the Uchiha... ...So why?! WHY WON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! YOU’RE WASTING YOUR TIME!"
And then, she told him, in a voice, so gentle, so fragile and full of pure heartache, it could take flight, while running her gloved hands through his unkempt hair:
"Because... I love you, Sasuke... I love you so much... Whatever path you shall take from now on... I just wanted to let you know... ...We would never betray you... Much less me... I could never truly resent you, no matter how much I want to, it just wouldn't feel right... Time and time again, you were lied to, and put in situations that no one will ever truly understand... You are hurting too much already... Even as an enemy... my feelings will never change about you... In the war, should we fight on opposite sides... at the very least, never forget me... please... This is the LEAST I can ask from you..."
This declaration of undying loyalty to him, caused Sasuke to waver even more in his own convictions. None of this was an act, and he knew it. No one would be this spineless enough to offer her neck to him, ever so casually. She knew exactly what was driving him, and still, he curses her name, she never fails to make him second-guess himself in his own decisions. His ice-cold scowl barely came back, which he wasn’t even able to maintain, as he averted his eyes, gritting his teeth in frustration, no longer wanting to be met with the sight of her unholy tears…
"Don’t think this… changes… anything…!"
Kakashi felt a lump forming in his throat, knowing that all this came right from the heart. Even at their darkest hour, Sakura just reminded Sasuke: She will never regard him as the enemy. She is even willing to die for him, if it means repairing his broken heart. In all his years of reading romance novels, no love confession he had ever witnessed, was ever this genuine and deep-rooted. As two huge tears escaped his eyelids, too, feeling his heart hurting for his two students.
"Sakura..."
Now bearing the knowledge that the Konoha elders might be behind the entire Uchiha massacre, he could not even bring himself to judge Sasuke for killing Danzo. It all reminded him way too much of his own situation with his deceased father. He died for those he respected and loved, and in the end, his entire legacy ended up being tainted by the elders, who did nothing to ease the humiliation Sakumo was feeling at the time.
In a very rare moment of pure, unrestrained anger, Kakashi slams his fist into the concrete, causing cracks to show up, his tear-filled eyes narrowing, his shoulders shaking, with the rage slowly boiling over for him. He thought to himself, putting all the pieces together, going off of what Sasuke had told him in their previous confrontation:
“If all the gathered evidence and intel aligns, on how Pain came to the village first before Naruto, and it can all be traced back to the elders, especially Danzo… If what Sasuke claims is true, that the elders had approved the entire massacre of the Uchiha… …then Homura and Koharu will have some serious explaining to do… And this time, I will not let them get away with this…! My entire life, me and my father had served the village with everything we had, and how do they repay us? By making my own students turn against each other, nearly resulting in their deaths?! Once I become Hokage… …they should not push their luck with me!”
But this moment of a temporary truce was rudely interrupted by none other than Madara, who just appears out of nowhere, from the Kamui dimension, grabbing the kunai that Sasuke dropped earlier, ready to slice at her, coldly telling them all:
"Did you forget about me? Pardon the intrusion, but I can't have the fun ending so soon, now can I...?"
But as an immediate reaction, Sasuke pushes Sakura off of him, just in time to avoid Madara harming her, and in fact...
...Naruto arrived in the nick of time, carrying Sakura out of the way, preventing Madara from killing her.
Sakura's sacrifices weren't in vain, after all...
THE END