An Inch of Gold

13

This chapter has been beta-read by: Sakura's Unicorn

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 "Sarada? Sarada!" Sakura cries as the other girl slumps forward, blood trickling from her nose. She catches her and sends Kakashi a panicked look. "What's wrong with her?!"

Kakashi wants to tell Sakura to calm down, but his own concern for the unconscious girl supersedes that wish.

"She used the last of her strength," he says, grimly noting the shallow rise and fall of her chest. Her eyes don't move beneath the lids, and when he gingerly reaches out to check her pulse, he finds a much slower one than he would like. "Ruptured a few blood vessels doing it, too. If she's lucky, they were in her nasal passages and not her brain." Sakura appears horrified. "We need to wake her. The longer she's unconscious, the more likely she might have neurological damage," Kakashi continues. "I'll do what I can—"

"But you're still hurt!"

"You have a more important job right now," he replies with gentle firmness. "I can't move very far, and I need you to get Bull. My orders from before still stand. We need to get out of here and regroup." He's not one to run from a fight, but in this case, the most intelligent course of action is retreat.

Sakura is smart enough to know this as well because she gets to her feet and heads off, skirting the ongoing melee.

Kakashi inhales a shaky breath, returning his attention to his unconscious charge. Seriousness of her condition aside, he can't fight back the mounting sense of awe at what she's done today alone. Sasuke and Sakura's daughter is a force to be reckoned with, a true prodigy with her father's skill and mother's resilience. Part of him wonders if he—his future self—had any hand in shaping her as well. There's not much else he can do right now but try to wake her. Healed or not, he's weak, and won't be fighting any time soon. Which means, unless he can orchestrate a miracle from afar, the boys are the ones running the show. The problem is both are now the very worst versions of themselves. They might win the fight, but utterly lose their sanity in the process.

Naruto has tapped into the fox demon's power, a change which Kakashi can sense despite his own lack of strength. The boy's usual overwhelming chakra is different—darker—and, unless it's brought under control soon, he might break Lord Fourth's seal. As for Sasuke, he's using the curse seal that Kakashi explicitly warned him about. While it's granting him uncanny strength now, it will soon begin to eat into his chakra, draining his life force.

And yet...

In spite of the dire circumstances, the common enemy has united the boys. They're working together with a seamless, instinctual teamwork that Kakashi has only seen hints of previously.

A savage barrage of kicks from Sasuke forces Mumyōi to stagger back. Seconds later, Naruto lunges, seizing the clawed man around the middle, knocking him to the ground. Clambering across the prone man, he crouches on his chest and grips him by the shoulder, elongated nails sinking in. Mumyōi yells, bucks the blond boy off, and prepares to attack—but is grabbed by Sasuke. Barely exerting any effort, Sasuke tosses him across the room, the force causing Mumyōi to spin in the air and hit a far wall face-first. He crawls to his feet, but Naruto is already there, taking a swing. Blood sprays through the air as Mumyōi's cheekbone shatters, his jagged teeth cutting across the back of Naruto's fist. As he reels, Sasuke takes hold and swings him over his back, dropping the clawed man until he lays prone on his back.

In spite of the beating, Orochimaru's experiment still gets to his feet. The only difference now, is that he eyes them warily.

"You should stay down," Naruto growls, a part of him still trying to keep this fight from ending with anyone dying.