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Haku

"What! What are you waiting for? Kill them and kill that bridge builder!" Gato shrieks as he flees into the crowd. Zabuza takes no time as the crowd surges towards them, "Water Style: Water Bullet!" The water exited his mouth, it was a big water spout, and it was very fast. It rams through the thugs easily throwing them, but loses power and momentum until it slashes harmlessly. It almost hit Gato himself. Most of the thugs the jutsu hit didn't stand back up. Others escaped by driving out of the way.

Kakashi and Zabuza ran down the open lane to where Gato was attempting to hide. That's when some of the thugs ran towards her and Naruto. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu." Naruto said summoning four clones.

"Go Naruto, take as many as you can out, I'll get the remainder."

"You betcha Sakura-chan!" Naruto hollars before charging the thugs. His clones easily beat them down. Three of them manage to slip past. Sakura gives one glance back at Tazuna who is kneeling down over Sasuke's body.

Her rage surges and she charges the thugs. "You'll have to make it past me."

The first one reaches her, his weapon swinging wide at her, she ducks under it. The staff of the weapons glides over her head and she turns her kunai up, burying it in his gut. He makes a grunt of pain. His weapons are forgotten as he tries to reach her. She jumps out of his reach, watching as blood pours out of the wound. She sees a big of his stomach organs start to slip out briefly before he falls over.

She doesn't waste anymore time as the other two charge her at one time. They both carry swords and try to slash her. She dodged to the left side, the sword barely missing her.

She reached in her pouch and with the same movement, launched four shuriken at the man on the right, and she was sure at least three of them hit before charging the left one since he was the closest. He stabbed at her and she almost avoided it, the blade glazed her right side, at the same time when her foot planted she lunged at him, pulling out a kunai smoothly. She could see his eyes widen as her kunai planted itself into his right eye socket. He screamed out in pain. Sakura wasn't done as she hammered down on his sword hand causing him to drop the sword.

He let out a growl before throwing his entire weight onto her. "You bitch!" He screamed as they both fell to the ground. He has her pinned and she knows she's screwed. His bloody eye drips all over her face. His hand goes up and comes down as a punch. Sakura pulls her arms up to her face to defend as he rains down on her. Each heavy punch felt as though it was breaking her arms. There is no one to help her now.

Just as the man tries to pry her arms apart, he lets out another grunt of pain, and is kicked over, off of her. She looks up at the person that saved her. Tears came to her eyes as she shakily said, "S-Sasuke... you are alive?" Inner practically screeches in her head.

He looked impassive. "I'm fine, just needed a small break." Sasuke dismissed while he held out his hand for her. She reached up with her bruised and aching arms and grasped his hand. Inner screeched in her mind again. "Eeek, our first hand holding with Sasuke!"

As Sasuke helped her back up his expression changed, a big grin gleamed on his face. The widest she's ever seen. "I don't know exactly how we got into this situation, but it seems like Kakashi and Momochi killed Gato."

Sakura's head whipped around to see the glutton of a man's head roll to a stop. Somewhere deep inside, she felt satisfied. The bastard got what was coming to him. Now for those thugs. Sakura reaches her bloody hand into her pouch for another kunai, only feeling four left in there.

Sakura heard a bunch of footsteps as she turned her head to face the entrance of the bridge. Hundreds of villagers with crudely made axes, hoes, spear, crossbows, and other weapons. Inari stood before them all with a makeshift helmet made from a frying pan.