Taming Your Demon (Sealing Series Part I)

Reunion: Team Seven

Naruto stood on the water between Sasuke and Sakura. The anger in his eyes overtook his face. "Sakura! Are you ok?"

Sakura sat up on the water surface, collecting herself and retrieving her weapon. Softly, she replied, "I'm ok."

"Good." Now, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "What are you doing? Where is Hinata? And why would you attack Sakura?"

"Team seven..." Sasuke stood up from where he stopped himself from sliding and sheathed his sword. Not answering any of Naruto's questions, he continued, sarcastically. "All back together again. What a reunion."

"I'll ask again. Why would you attack a comrade?!?" Naruto demanded.

"I'm not a comrade anymore. Besides Sakura attacked me. I warned her... she didn't listen." Sasuke replied stoically. "All of you should know by now. You get in my way... you die."

"You needed to see for yourselves. But now you've seen. Naruto... Sakura... Sasuke's intent to kill is undeniable." Kakashi stated as he walked towards his students. He had only let out that last breath as he saw Naruto appear, tossing Sasuke and Sakura apart. They would have both been dead if he had arrived a second later. "He is no longer the teammate that the two of you once knew."

Naruto ignored Kakashi and said to Sasuke. "I know now... I know the truth about Itachi. That Tobi Madara guy told us. Then again... maybe he was lying. I don't really know for sure, but it doesn't matter. I understand. I understand how you feel."

Sasuke frowned and growled, clinching his teeth together. "Like I said before, Naruto. You never had a family nor siblings in the first place, so you can't possibly know what it's like to lose your entire clan. I don't need your fake understanding. All of you outsiders can just go shove it."

"Are you kidding me?!" Frustrated and tears forming in her green eyes, Sakura stood up and moved to Naruto's side, placing herself slightly in front of her teammate in a subconsciously protective manner. "Naruto may still see you. But I don't recognize you anymore! You just kidnapped the one person, who IS Naruto's family. And you have the nerve to say he doesn't know what it's like to lose family?! And after all of the horrible things that you've said and done to him, he still goes out of his way to understand you! Everyone else... including myself has given up on you, but he alone still believes that you can be saved and this is what you have to say..."

"Save me from what?" Sasuke interrupted arrogantly. He narrowed his eyes irritated that Sakura was choosing to protect Naruto. "I don't need saving. I'm supposed to be impressed that Naruto is slower to catch on than the rest of you? I'm exactly where I want to be, and I'm exactly who I was meant to be."

"That's not true!" Sakura yelled back. Her face turning red and now the tears streamed down her face. "You were meant to be OUR teammate, OUR friend... and the boy who I fell for!"

"You fell for a figment of your imagination." Sasuke retorted, rolling his eyes. Then he paused and inspected the kunoichi in front of him with a new malicious look to his eyes. "But then again, you've proven today that you might be more useful than I once thought. You say you love me. That you'll take Hinata's place. Prove your loyalty to me. Use that poisoned kunai and kill Naruto. Maybe then, I'll take you with me, Sakura."

Sakura frowned at him and clinched her teeth. The bossy look taking over her face. "No! That is NOT how today is going to end. You are going to come with me... one way or another, Sasuke Uchiha!"

"Vengeance..." Naruto mumbled, stepping in-between Sasuke and Sakura again. "This vengeance and hate that you've carried around with you for years. It's a burden you can let go of now... You can come back home at any time. No matter what. You are still our friend."