The Breaking Point (SasukeXOC)

41

"Naruto! Great job!" Sakura cheered happily.

"Forgetting the code word is a 'great job'?" I muttered. My anger had faded to annoyance with my waning energy.

"Man, Miyu! You're seriously beat up! Thank your lucky stars I arrived to save you all!" Naruto cheered.

"You try going one-on-one against this freak!" I growled back with a glare that for some reason was lost on Naruto.

"Listen, Naruto, I know you think you're a hero and you're here to save us but forget it! Seriously! This enemy is on a whole different level than us; we don't stand a chance! Just run away!" Sasuke shouted.

"If Naruto ran away we would all die." I deadpanned earning no more than a glance from Sasuke who still held me to his side, supporting my weight.

"So, you defeated that giant snake huh, Naruto?" the woman mocked with a smile. From the corner of my eye I could see Sasuke regarding me carefully. I turned to meet his gaze. I expected him to look away having been caught staring but instead he locked eyes with me.

Sasuke's eyes shone with some sort of emotion I couldn't identify. He wasn't... worried about me, was he? Despite my confusion his gaze made me breathless.

"What?" I breathed, breaking the spell between us. Sasuke turned away from me. Despite the cold shoulder he tightened his grip around my waist in a gesture that felt oddly protective...

I never could figure out what's going on inside Sasuke's head.

"Here, take the scroll and leave us alone." Sasuke told the woman. He pulled out our scroll while the rest of us watched with wide eyes.

"Sasuke, what the hell?" Naruto barked.

"S-Sasuke! But why?" Sakura stammered.

I frowned. Surly he had a reason...

"Ah, I see," the woman chuckled darkly, "the only way for prey to escape their predator is to distract the predator with a different meal." Sasuke wordlessly tossed the scroll towards the woman. An orange blur intercepted the scroll midair and landed beside us.

With an angry battle cry Naruto socked Sasuke in the face. Sasuke stumbled and released his hold on me. I stumbled to a branch I could hold onto for balance but luckily didn't fall. My energy was slowly coming back.

"I don't remember the code word, so I can't ask you for it. But I know for sure," Naruto started to Sasuke's shocked glare, "you're not the real Sasuke!"

"Naruto, what the heck are you doing?" Sakura yelled.

"You idiot! Of course I'm the real Sasuke!" Sasuke growled. Naruto practically trembled with anger.

"Liar..." he muttered under his breath. "There's no way a stupid coward like you is the Sasuke I know! Even if you did give her the scroll there's no telling if that would make her go away! The Sasuke I know wouldn't be too freaked out to think clearly and give up so easily!"

"Hmm, good assessment, Naruto." The woman purred as she bit her thumb and slid the blood down a tattoo on her arm, "I can just kill you all and take the scroll."

"Shut up!" Naruto screamed and charged her head on.

"Naruto, don't!" Sasuke yelled. I gaped at Naruto and stumbled a step towards him. I wanted so badly to fight again and help him. Naruto had no idea what he was up against. But my body wasn't ready yet.

"Summoning Justus!" the woman yelled. The puff of the summons was so powerful it literally threw Naruto through the air. He shattered tree limbs on impact before hitting the ground hard.