Hello everyone! I'm writing this author's note from the future (December 21st, 2018) to help divert the most common question/comment that I get (it's often accompanied by some vitriol). The character who dies immediately was killed for a very specific reason. If you keep reading, you will understand why I made that decision. With that being said, Naruto is full of instances where death isn't the end of a story arc. ;)

That's enough blood. They'll have what they need to run all the tests. I think her iron's a little low; I'll put a note in her file to keep an eye on it.

Withdrawing the syringe from her patient, Sakura smiled reassuringly at the father-to-be standing anxiously by. "You'll get her results within the next couple of days. I'll send someone by for you."

The expectant mother rubbed the inside of her elbow. "Thank you. I really hope the results are positive."

Nodding in understanding, Sakura capped the vial of blood and inscribed the label. "I'm sure they will be; you and the baby are both healthy. Do you need a wheelchair to help you out?"

Sakura glanced up in surprise as the clinic doors suddenly slammed open. A panic-stricken intern stumbled into the room. Sakura rose to her feet, and rushed over to support the poor woman. The patients in the room began to whisper amongst themselves, staring at the commotion.

"H-Haruno-san!" She gasped, face white as a sheet. "There's an emergency on the ground floor! They need you right away!"

Sakura nodded, and guided the girl to an empty chair. "Mika, can you look after things here for me? I need you to make sure things are under control."

Hesitating only enough to make sure she nodded, Sakura took off at a sprint down the stairwell.

Reaching the ground floor, she pushed her way through patients and visitors jammed in the hallway watching. The timing couldn't have been worse, visiting hours were just coming to an end and the flood of people impeded her path.

"Umi-san, get all of these people out of here!" She snapped at the nurse on duty at the visitor desk who was standing on her chair to peer over the crowd. Sheepishly, the nurse jumped down and began to herd the spectators away.

Spotting the source of the rubber-necking, Sakura dashed down the hall pulling on surgical gloves. The patient was strapped to a gurney, and she could see the scarlet flash of blood dripping to the floor. There was so much blood; she couldn't tell where the source was. Please don't let it be anyone I know.

Reaching the stretcher, she nodded to her fellow paramedics. "What've we got here, how long has the patient been like this?"

"Two minutes at most, Haruno-san. Made it here and collapsed in the entry. He's a male, twenty-two years old, shinobi; femoral artery is slashed, punctured lung, stab wound to the upper chest. Likely caused by a katana, or a kunai. Laceration length is four inches." One of her colleagues listed calmly.

"Got it. We need to do everything we can to save him."

Time was of the essence, she would get the full report later. She ripped the restraining bands off the victim's body with little effort, ignoring the knots keeping them taunt. Pushing the gurney down the hallway, it sloped gently downwards and gained momentum. She was fully concentrated on stemming the flow of blood seeping from the leg wound, and she darted a quick glance at the blood bubbling from the victim's chest.

"Kira-san, notify operating room seven, we've got incoming and I'm going to need lots of blood. O-negative if you can get it. Get the Hokage, she's got the new trial blood transfusion jutsu ready, he-"

She stopped suddenly, as she finally got a good look at her patient's face.

"S-Sasuke?" She stammered, her blood running cold as she took in the sight of her dying former teammate. No, this can't be happening!

Sasuke Uchiha frowned weakly at her. "Don't…stare…annoying." His voice was no more than a whisper as he struggled to breathe. Blood dripped out of the corner of his mouth, and she could hear his breath rattling in his chest.

He coughed suddenly and another wave of blood came seeping out of the slash on his leg. She pressed her hands frantically over the opening, trying to staunch the bleeding. "Don't speak, save your energy!"

Her colleagues continued their course towards the operating room, and she shakily attempted to pull herself together. Loading her hands with chakra, she concentrated on boosting his platelets, needing his blood to coagulate. His heart beat frantically, as his survival instincts kicked in and sent his system into overdrive. He continued to bleed out, and she switched tactics. Focusing on the jagged edges of his skin, she shaped her chakra into threads and fed it into his skin. It closed and she let out a sigh of relief.

Seconds later, the pressure built up by his racing heart burst through the fragile restraint and splattered over the medics racing to save him. Ignoring the blood now peppered over her skin and in her hair, she heated her chakra as quickly as possible to try and cauterize the cut.

"Don't you dare die on me, you jerk!" She was almost hysterical, seeing him like this sent adrenaline through her veins and her chakra-lit hands flickered as her control wavered. She was so meticulous about her chakra wielding that losing the slightest amount of concentration shook her badly.

"Dammit!" She exclaimed, panic racing through her as Sasuke's eyes glazed over and his head drooped sideways. "Somebody get Tsunade-sama now!"

She could distantly hear herself giving orders, to keep pressure off the punctured lung, and to intubate and support the undamaged one. Her mind was far away as she did so, working automatically as her muscle memory took over. I haven't lost a patient yet, not going to start with him!

One of her fellow medics reached around her and packed bandages and gauze into the wound. "Keep the pressure on it, we're almost there." He informed her calmly. She nodded, trying to stay focused.

After what seemed like an eternity, they burst through the doors and screeched to a halt. Sakura fumbled with an IV, trying to find a vein. They had all collapsed from constriction and she swore. Eyes on his face, she began to hyperventilate as the color faded from his cheeks and his eyes rolled back into his head.

"Can anyone get me a vein in his foot, or his scalp?!" She demanded, as she tightened a tourniquet around his upper arm. "I need that blood, now!"

"Sakura, you need to breathe. Relax and remember what I taught you."

Sakura almost collapsed with relief as Tsunade swept into the room. Breathe, in and out.

The medics jumped to attention and two continued to feed healing chakra into the arterial cut. She turned her attention back to Sasuke and finally managed to slide the needle into a vein. Sakura moved her hands to his chest to heal the damaged lung, and jerked in shock as Tsunade covered both hands with her own.

The Hokage looked down sadly at Sasuke and shook her head. "You need to leave. Now."

Tsunade took Sakura by the shoulders and moved her out of the way of the gurney. Kira rushed to Sakura's vacated position and began to work on the damaged lung.

Sakura's eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. "No, I can still save him, there's still time!" She could hear her voice rising, and she continued to babble incoherently. "There's enough blood in his body from when I managed to cover the wound, if I can do it again his heart could-"

She cut off abruptly as Tsunade suddenly shook her. "Stop, Sakura! You know the protocol; you are too emotionally invested in this patient. I can't allow you to continue to operate."

Sakura was speechless; she stared blankly as Tsunade propelled her from the room. "I'll do everything I can to save him, but I can't have you here. Go to the waiting room."

"No, you have to let me help!" Sakura insisted, struggling as two waiting shinobi, one of whom was Kakashi she noticed dimly, took her arms in iron grips and began to tow her from the doorway.

"I'm sorry. I need to get back in there, keep her from entering this operating room." Tsunade addressed the guards with the last statement. "Someone find Uzumaki Naruto, have him meet Sakura."

She shot a concerned glance at her hysterical student. "Don't let her be alone right now."

Sakura didn't protest any further as Kakashi steered her away and then gently sat her down in one of the waiting rooms adjacent to the operation.

He didn't say a word, just sat down next to her. He laced his fingers together and was still as a statue, save for his left leg bouncing; the only outward sign of his anxiety.

They sat in silence, Sakura was still in shock. As the adrenaline ebbed from her body she suddenly felt exhausted. For the first time since Sasuke had been wheeled in, she felt the urge to sob. I thought he would be the last person I'd see in that condition.

She lost track of time, and the sweat on her brow cooled and she felt chilled. She rubbed her eyes in futile attempt to keep her tears contained. Drawing them away from her face, she stared at them as though seeing Sasuke's splattered blood across her knuckles for the first time.

"He's going to die, isn't he?" She asked quietly, tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

"I don't know." Kakashi replied, his voice hoarse. "Hokage-sama will do everything she can. Don't lose hope yet. "

"You didn't see his injuries, did you?" Her voice was flat, her tears already drying on her cheeks. "I couldn't stop the bleeding."

He sighed. "I know it looks bad, but-"

"Sakura, Kakashi-sensei are you guys okay?! I got here as soon as I got the bird! What's going on?"

Sakura glanced up to see Naruto running full-pelt towards them. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the looks on their faces. "Sakura?"

She shook her head, lips pressed together. She had no idea what to say, he would either be completely crushed or go running into the operating room; she wouldn't stop him. She would follow him into the surgery, Tsunade's protocols be damned.

Kakashi put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and stood up. "Sasuke's badly injured. We're waiting for news; Sakura was the first to try to stem the bleeding. I'm sorry, but it's not looking good at this point."

Naruto's mouth fell open, and for once even he was speechless. Turning abruptly, he punched the wall behind him so hard that three of his knuckles broke. Sakura flinched as they cracked.

He stood there for a moment, completely silent. His entire body was shaking and there was blood dripping from his split knuckles.

"How in the hell did he, of all of us get so fucked up?!" He growled through gritted teeth. "How are you so calm?!"

"Naruto." All three members of team seven looked up; Tsunade was soaked in blood and looked completely drained. "I'm so sorry."

"What…what do you mean?!" Naruto stammered, his arm bracing his weight against the wall. Sakura shot to her feet, her stomach plummeting with the news.

Kakashi was still silent, but Tsunade could see him trembling. "How…?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "He'd lost too much blood already by the time he got here. The blade he was stabbed with was coated with an anti-coagulate and there was no way to stop the bleeding. There was nothing we could do."

Sakura's hands were shaking uncontrollably, and she felt like she couldn't breathe. "I didn't check his body for poison, I should have checked, he might still be alive right now if I'd done my job-"

"Sakura! That's enough!" Tsunade's command cracked through the room like a whip. "You did your best."

Naruto scrubbed the tears away from his eyes, and turned away. "I want to see him." His tone was colder than Sakura had ever heard it.

Tsunade flinched, and closed her eyes briefly. "Not yet. I have something to discuss with the three of you first. Follow me."