"He's not breathing! Sasuke- Sasuke-kun's not breathing!" Karin's wails fill the air, sending chills down everyone's spines.
"N-n-nice joke, Karin. Now, tell Sasuke to get up." A Konoha ninja says.
"I can't! He's not breathing! I can't heal him! SOMEONE GET A MEDIC!!! SASUKE-KUN'S NOT BREATHING!!"
Far away, the pinkette gasps, as somehow Karin's voice has reached her ears. Naruto's not breathing, and Sasuke's not breathing...
A terrible weight sets on the pinkette's chest, it feels as if she can't breathe herself. Yet, she can. As long as I'm here, breathing and alive, I'll protect Sasuke-kun and Naruto with all my being.
"Gaara." The pinkette says, and the red-headed male turns towards her.
"Nani?"
"Take me to Sasuke." She says, a different sparkle in her eyes. The red-head notices, and as much as he wants to follow the plan made by the five kages, cannot.
"Hai."
The sand dissipates and Sakura grabs Naruto, hoisting him over her shoulder. She stumbles a bit, yet quickly regains balance and runs to Sasuke. She drops Naruto by his side.
"W-what are you doing here, you forehead?" Karin asks, wiping the tears from her eyes.
The pinkette sighs heavily. "I'm going to save both of my teammate's lives. Now please, take a step back. I need to concentrate." Karin does as told and the pinkette's hands light up green. However, nothing happens. So, the pinkette activates her byakagou and forces more chakra into her palms, her chakra changing to a blood red color. Minutes pass, and the pinkette grows weaker and weaker, her strength leaving her as her blood-like chakra enters her teammates. Her face turns ghostly white.
"Sakura.. maybe you should stop. You're not looking too good." Karin says, noticing something is wrong.
"No. I need to do this. As long as I'm here, alive, I will protect these two with everything I have. I will not let either of them die." The pinkette responds, her hands becoming shaky.
"SAKURA!!" Her shishou's voice booms, and the battlefield goes deathly silent as the teacher and fifth hokage reaches her student, realizing the task she is trying and going to accomplish. "I CAN'T LET YOU DO THIS!!!"
Tears fall down the pinkette's face as the last of her chakra leaves her body. "It's... it's too late, shishou..." she whispers, smiling as she sees the rising and falling of both Naruto and Sasuke's chests.
And with that, she collapses to the ground, never to wake again.
"W-what happened?" Naruto asks, patting his head and slowly sitting up, Sasuke doing the same. His eyes focus and he notices Lady Tsunade hovering over them. "Did you save us, Granny?"
Tsunade shakes her head, tears falling down her face as she drops to the ground, gently touching her student's lifeless body.
Sasuke's eyes travel down to the pinkette, as does the blonde's.
"Is Sakura-chan okay?" The blonde asks.
"Sakura..." Tsunade says, tears falling down her face. "Sakura..."
"She's dead, isn't she?" The raven asks, emotions overwhelming him as he looks at his pink-haired teammate, the woman that he fell in love with. He hasn't felt this way since his clan, his family, was slaughtered.
"Y-yes. S-Sakura's d-dead." The fifth hokage chokes out, and Naruto's eyes widen in shock.
"T-this... y-you're joking, right, Granny?" The blonde asks, not wanting to accept reality. The woman shakes her head. "No! There's no way that she's dead-"
"How'd she die?" The raven whispers, trying to contain his emotions, yet unsuccessful, as tears slip out of the corners of his eyes and fall to the ground.
"She died saving both of your lives, with a forbidden jutsu that she created. It was called the Shūfuku-jutsu, or the Restoration Jutsu, in which someone with the 100-healings mark could activate their seal and add so much chakra that it would take their own blood to heal, or even bring someone back to life; however, it would cost the user their own. Sakura... she gave her life for you two, so don't let her die in vain, please." Tsunade says, hugging her student's lifeless body to her chest.
"Sakura, don't worry, wherever you are. You gave me back my life, so I'll be sure to beat up everybody that poses a threat to the village and become the hokage, dattebayo!" Naruto says, standing up and glancing at the pinkette.
"Hn. I'll be sure to beat up the dobe for you." Sasuke says, and he imagines the pinkette's lips turning upwards into a smile, almost as if she is saying, 'Arigato!' "Thank you, Sakura, for giving us another chance at life. You're so strong, for sacrificing something so precious, your own life. I wish you were still here with us, but we'll do the best we can before we join you." Sasuke says, and then finishes his little speech with,
"I love you."
