Kakashis comforting smile. Narutos huge grin with blood dripping from his mouth and nose and red eyes when stopping the snake from reaching the Uchiha.
Him waking up with a towel on his forehead. Hearing voices the dark-haired boy looks around, the sight of Sakura Haruno with bruises, one eye swelling shut, cuts and chopped hair had filled him with rage.
"I told you." Had said the snake men dressed up as a woman with a smirk on his face." You cannot save anything" whispered Orochimaru, fueling his rage. The curse mark was finally activated.
Two long hands are holding his shoulders, but these arms are coming from above. Arms are encircling his neck from behind, a breath tickling his ears. The snake Sannin figure coming out of a tree murmuring words Sasuke hates with a passion. "You're weak"
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Sakura is slowly waking up; she feels something warm on her left hand. She looks up to see the Avenger holding his neck in pain where the curse mark resides. "...Sasuke-kun...?" The grip is light on her hand this time, yet she can feel him shaking. Shocked she immediately sits up straight and scoots closer to her crush. "Sasuke-kun... Are you okay?! It's that mark again... Isn't it?" exclaims the girl with a concerned look.
"Sakura..." gritting his teeth when another wave of pain hits him, he stops talking. "...Sorry." mumbles Sasuke rubbing his hand on his forehead protector. "I'm sorry." He says while looking down not being able to look into her eyes. "I promised myself... Someday I will accomplish... I'm going to be strong! I'm not going to die!"
The Kunoichi is perplexed as to why he apologized. Grabbing his hand with her bruised hand she pulls him towards her. Wrapping her other hand around his neck she lays her head on his shoulder. Holding his hand with her wounded hand lightly.
An eight-year-old boy crying alone after the death of his whole clan.
"Everything I wished for..." Sasuke closes his eyes and leans into her hug relishing in the comfort she gives him. "Somewhere else."
A boy dead set in his goal looks at someone. "... I think he never had any parents..." A boy his age with blonde hair and cerulean eyes sporting a huge grin. Narrowing his eyes at that scene the Uchiha turns around.
"Things that Naruto will never know... Things I forgot..."
"Sasuke-kun, thank you for always protecting me." Sakura knew that he needs to hear these words. "But I want to protect the people I care for."
Sasuke feels his neck burn at her words, even if she doesn't want to be protected, he will always protect her.
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The hand which Sasuke had gripped tightly after he had received the curse mark and was writhing in pain is now being bandaged by him.
"Do you know the significance of a three men team?" Sakura asks.
He raises an eyebrow in question.
"It's to share a common destiny. Ino taught me that." She smiles fondly recalling the memory with her former best friend. "So, it's the same for me having a strong will to protect my teammates!" Declares the spring girl with enthusiasm.
The Uchiha looks down to hide his smile. "... I see."
"But Ino went overboard on the first aid! I look ugly." The Yamanaka girl had patched Sakura up after trimming her hair. Sakura has an eyepatch on her left eye which is swollen due to the punches she had received. To hold the eyepatch in place Ino had put some bandages around it and an "X" on the patch to keep it from falling. On her right check is a bandage in size of her thumb.
The boy slowly lifts his right hand to her bandaged eye and touching some strand of her to see the eyepatch more properly. Smirking the Uchiha decides to lift her spirit. "... Don't you think it looks cool?"
She was shocked at his actions and when he had said those words, she knew that she was blushing. She felt thankful for that. Chuckling at the memory of Zaku giving her the bruises to hide her tears.
Sasuke is perplexed as to why she is chuckling right now. He didn't miss the tears in her eyes. Lifting his hand again he lays it on her hair by the side with the bruised eye.
He holds the arms of a guy pulling backwards, his foot on his back pushing him forward and breaking his arms.
The tears fall from her eyes onto the ground at his action.
"Huh, you did your best Sakura."
She snakes her arms around his torso and buries her head in his chest while Sasuke is leaning on a tree still having his hand on her hair.
"I promised myself I'd reach my goals, and I've focused my whole life on achieving them."
He is being consumed by the Cursed Seal of Heaven and she clings onto his back to stop him.
"At that time, I only saw the darkness." He muses.
"It doesn't matter to me if Sasuke-kun has some great hidden power. Even if you go looking for power somewhere else to get revenge, I'll be okay." She grips his shirt tighter by her own words.
Sasuke looks down at her head. "Sakura, I..."
"We'll wait for you here. Everyone is here for you, and I'll say for you 'Welcome home.'" Sakura reassures him.
The dark-haired boy is surprised at her words, yet he is immensely grateful for them. "Thank you."
Sasuke Uchiha stands shocked at his parent's bodies lying in their own blood. He falls to his knees and tries to wake them up, his hands full of blood. He breaks down crying at the realization that they'll never wake up again.
He now hugs her with both hands and his eyes closed while saying "Thank you."
At his words the pinkette is overcome with a new wave of tears, she hugs him tighter. "Sasuke-kun..."
"As for my name... I wanted it to be something precious, maybe something good."
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"Let's go!" Kakashi tells them smiling down at his cute little genin.
"Don't just stand around like that bastard!" Shouts Naruto at Sasuke." With a person like you! I can't get along!"
Sakura is irked that the both of them haven't start walking yet. A vein on her forehead is visible. "Shannaro, can't they just move their ass!" roads Inner-Sakura in her head.
Sighing and looking at Naruto the Uchiha simply insults him. "Shut up, loser."
Before the both of them starts bickering their Sensei tells them to start walking. Being curious the grey-haired man starts walking next to Sasuke. "Hey..."
"Hn?"
"Nothing..." Kakashi looks to where Sasuke is looking and sees Sakura lecturing Naruto, the blonde-haired boy having a grin on his face. Smiling he interrupts them and starts explaining the mission to his team.
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"Everything will be fine. Everything.
