Labyrinthine—an Itachi & Sakura story
By: F.M. Wrights

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

CHAPTER XXIX

"Sasuke!" she called out, giving Itachi one last glance before sprinting after her team mate. "Sasuke!"

Sasuke was far ahead of her, leaping from rooftop to rooftop in graceful movements. He paid her no heed and disappeared into the administration building. Her heart raced as she went in after him, jogging down the circular hallway to catch up with him as her mind worked to process the last few minutes of her life.

"Sasuke," she hissed as she slowed down to a normal pace a few steps behind him. Ahead of them stood Naruto, head perking up as he saw the two of them approach. "Can we talk?"

"No," he said, stalking straight for the door. Naruto gave her a look as Sasuke knocked so hard on the door she feared he would punch it right out of its hinges. He strode in without waiting for Kakashi to answer, Naruto staring in shock at the open door before hurrying in after his best friend. Sakura took a deep breath through her nose and walked in.

She found Kakashi on his feet, dressed in the new jounin uniform. He eyed Sasuke, a frown pinching his brow, before his gaze shot to hers. In an instant, Kakashi had grasped the situation, understanding dawning. "Sasuke. Next time you feel the need to break my door, I'll tie you to a tree and give you another one of my talks," Kakashi said. Though framed as a joke, his tone was serious.

"Man in the mask?" Sasuke replied.

Naruto looked at her from behind Sasuke's back. 'Shit mood,' he mouthed, rolling his eyes before returning to Kakashi. She wished she could laugh at her team's antics. Instead, she was paralyzed.

"Tobi," Kakashi said, pocketing his hands. "I'll brief you once your replacement captain comes." Kakashi gave her a once-over, eyes crinkling in that comforting smile of his. "Here he is now."

Yamato knocked on the doorframe, peering into the room. "I was summoned?"

"Come in, Tenzou, close the door," Kakashi instructed.

As Yamato joined the rest of Team Seven, Kakashi straightened behind his desk and rose to his full length. "The man in the orange mask—Tobi. According to the reports we received from both Itachi and Sasuke, he introduced himself to both of you as Madara."

The name rang a bell. "The Uchiha clan progenitor?" she said, recalling what Itachi had once told him about Madara. A shinobi strong enough to control the Nine Tails with his Sharingan. Those legends had set off Sasuke's search to help Naruto.

Sasuke gritted his teeth beside her, fists balled.

"Correct," Kakashi said. "We have received reports of him traveling the Fire Country. Last night, our ANBU scouts encountered him near Konoha." He turned his gaze to Yamato. "Your mission is to find him and put a stop to him."

Naruto whistled. "Assassination?"

Kakashi sighed. "Knowing you, it won't be much of an assassination."

Naruto's face fell.

"Do we know anything regarding his skill set?" Yamato asked, combing through his still-wet hair. It seemed he had been summoned right from the shower. He was dressed only in his black shirt and pants, the face mask and his vest forgotten.

"Our ANBU reported he employs space-time ninjutsu to avoid damage during attacks, but that he has remained on the defense," Kakashi said, pocketing his hands. He observed them all for the longest time. Despite the professional attitude he cloaked himself in, Sakura spotted the worry in his eye. She knew him well enough to know he would worry sick about his precious people. "An ANBU cell will be ready to rendezvous with you," he said, pointing at the map. "We have no other intel. Be careful."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," the three of them said while Sasuke continued to seethe.

As Yamato closed the office door behind him, he gave the three of them a searching look. "I see you've all equipped. Good. Meet me at the south gate in ten minutes." He nodded and vanished from the hallway.

Sakura opened her mouth to speak to Sasuke, but the coldness in his eyes stopped her. Mouth gaping, she watched as he disappeared, leaving her and Naruto alone in the corridor.

"Okay," Naruto said, scratching his forehead. "What the fuck is going on?"

Resisting the urge to grab Naruto to teach him a lesson regarding his vocabulary, Sakura sighed and scrubbed her eyes with her palms. "It's a long story."

Naruto cocked his head. "Are you okay?"

"No," she replied with a curt laugh. "But I will be."

"Yep," Naruto said, slinging an arm around her. "You're one of the strongest people I know, and I'm not just talking about those muscles," he teased. "Now let's kick Tobi's ass."

"You're chipper about it," Sakura said, walking down the stairs with him.

"Well, I've been working on a new move," he whispered, cupping his hand over his mouth. He dropped his hand and smiled. "Don't worry about Sasuke."

"I can't help but worry," Sakura sighed. She fidgeted for a moment, took a deep breath and looked at Naruto. "I'm dating Itachi."

Naruto's eyes grew comically wide as he turned to her, missing his step on the stairs. He stumbled down, yelping as he dropped a few steps before finding his balance. Heaving a giant sigh, he turned to her, electric blue gaze stunned. "Uchiha Itachi?"

She nodded, biting her lip.

"Fuck," Naruto exclaimed, pushing both his hands through his hair. "No wonder Sasuke is in a shit mood." He paused. "Did he find out?"

"This morning," Sakura said, climbing down the stairs. "Itachi was still at my house when Sasuke came to get me for the briefing."

Naruto stopped in the middle of the street. "Wait. Wait. Wait!" He turned to her, bug-eyed. "Did you and Itachi have se—"

She rushed at him and slapped a hand around his mouth, looking around the street to see if anyone had overheard. "Are you out of your mind?" she hissed. Naruto mumbled a response against her fingers. She released him with a glare.

"You did, didn't you?" Naruto groaned, covering his face with his hands.

"We don't have time for this, Yamato is waiting."

"The older Uchiha, I can't believe it," Naruto muttered, before leaping onto the rooftops. She followed him, admiring the way the sunlight caught his blond hair, turning it almost golden.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Sakura said, hopping from building to building. Naruto turned to look at her, chewing his bottom lip. "We were supposed to talk to Sasuke about it, not have him find out like this. He will hate me forever."

"No, he won't," Naruto said.

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked.

"How many people does Sasuke care about?" Naruto said. Without waiting for an answer, he grinned at her. "Exactly. You're one of the most important people in his life." He belted out a laugh. "You owe me sixty ryo though."

"What?" she frowned.

"I found out who you're in love with."

He laughed and dodged her punch. Unable to stop herself, she giggled along with Naruto, reveling in the feel of being honest with the people closest to her. As they reached the south gate and found Sasuke leaning against the weathered wood, the smile faded from her lips. "I'm happy for you," Naruto said, his blue eyes soft and kind. "Just… give him some time. He's a bastard, but he's not an idiot."

"Right," Sakura said, leaping off the building toward the gate.

The last vestiges of the setting sun had just disappeared beyond the horizon when Yamato stopped them at long last. Their trek from Konoha had been hard; Yamato had pushed them hard to shave a few hours off their time, receiving reports along the way to steer them in the correct direction. He currently stood atop of a branch, surveying the perimeter with a stern expression before turning to Sakura. "We'll pause here for the night. Sakura, set up camp. Naruto on food duty, fire duty for Sasuke."

"Yes, Captain," the three of them said, landing in the clearing beneath.

She chanced a peek at Sasuke as she folded her hands together. He hadn't looked at her once throughout their entire journey, nor had he responded to Naruto's attempts to goad him. He dropped his backpack without ceremony and stalked into the woodlands, disappearing behind a tree. Naruto shot her a quick look and shrugged, walking into the opposite direction.

Biting her lip, Sakura focused on clearing her thoughts and visualized the tiny house Yamato always raised during previous missions. She altered the flow of her Earth and Water chakra, aligning them, and brought her hands down to the earth. Immediately, sheets of wood shot from the ground in a perfect square, a roof creeping over the walls. Satisfied with her cube, Sakura rose to her feet and strode over, pressing her hand against the smooth surface, forming a door and a few windows.

Gathering both Sasuke and Naruto's backpacks, she deposited them inside and looked to where Sasuke had vanished behind the tree line. She remained still for a moment longer, squared her shoulders and stepped toward the end of the glade.

Twilight stole the red and gold colors from the forest, daylight fading as she headed for Sasuke. He busied himself tearing one branch loose from another, back going rigid once he noticed her there. She swallowed at the lump in her throat, at a loss for words as she watched him struggle with the wood. "I wanted to talk to you, but now that I'm here, I'm not really sure what to say," she said with a humorless chuckle.

"Then leave."

Ignoring the frost that coated his words, Sakura stepped closer. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lied to you. It was wrong, and you didn't deserve it." She closed her eyes. "I was selfish." She paused, peeking through her lashes. "I—I love him, Sasuke. I wouldn't have — I would never—" Words ceased falling from her lips, silence reigning in the forest.

She bit her lip, tracing the swirling symbol on the back of his vest while she waited for him to say something, anything. The quiet grew to be unbearable, interrupted by the rustling of leaves or the faint cawing of a crow. Unable to find anything else to say, Sakura shifted to leave.

"How long?" Sasuke's voice rang out, deep timbre reverberating.

"Three months," she answered.

He scoffed.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, looking over her shoulder.

Sasuke had abandoned his stack of wood, face angled to the darkening sky. He dropped his gaze and tilted his head. Rage teemed within him, but there was an overlaying sense of resignation to him that looked wholly unfamiliar in Sasuke's dark stare.

Though there were no more than a few paces between them, the distance between them felt insurmountable. A potent combination of fear and grief washed over her, but she squashed it away as Yamato's voice came from behind her. With a final look, she strode off toward the clearing in search of their team captain.

Yamato stood in front of the hut she created, appraising it as a messenger bird swooped down and landed on his free arm. He unrolled the tiny scroll attached. "The Sixth is sending out a second squad to assist us. They're just behind us." He scribbled a note and tied it to the bird, helping it back into the sky. "Good job on this," he smiled, knocking on the house. "I see you've been practicing."

"Hmm," she said in return, scrutinizing it. "I still haven't learned how to create windows and doors while forming the base."

"I'll teach you when we get back," Yamato said affably, raising an eyebrow at Sasuke who returned to set up the fire. Naruto entered the glade only moments later, balancing two armfuls of mushrooms and fish in his arms. "I would like to plan a sparring session, if you're interested. Never did have an opportunity to battle another Wood release user."

"I'd like that," Sakura smiled.

"So, Captain Yamato, what's next?" Naruto asked, squatting down beside the stack of logs Sasuke was arranging, shooting a look at their team captain.

"We rest up for now. There should be two ANBU cells roaming around—I've sent out bunshin to seek them out," Yamato said, forming a bench for them to sit. She plopped down beside him, intending to give Naruto a hand.

"Oh, no need," a voice came from the trees. The four of them leapt back.

In the foliage that bordered the glade, Tobi crouched on one branch. "Looking for me?" he said gaily, cocking his masked head. "What a surprise finding you all here!"

"Tobi, or is it Madara?" Yamato said, voice steady as though he were discussing the weather. "We're apprehending you on Konoha's orders."

"O-ho?" Tobi exclaimed, rocking back on his heels. He lifted his hand and made a show of counting them. "But you're four against one?! Little Tobi doesn't stand a chance!"

Yamato shuffled in front of them, signaling his orders with his hand as he reached for a kunai. She peered at his hands through her lashes and took a step back, making room for Naruto to circle around the perimeter and to start his pincher move along with Sasuke.

Just as Tobi stood to his feet, Naruto and Sasuke reached him in a dazzling display of speed. Naruto thrust a Rasengan toward him, Sasuke's palm filled with crackling lightning. Even after all this time, she watched them work in perfect synchronization with bated breath. As the men were about to hit Tobi, however, their hands went through Tobi rather than hit him. Naruto cussed loudly as he rolled to dodge Sasuke's Chidori, the latter leaping backward as Rasengan spun toward his chin. "Missed me!" Tobi exclaimed joyously, kicking Sasuke into the tree.

Beside her, Yamato leapt into the same sequence of movements as her, branches sprouting from the trees to envelop Tobi from both sides. "Wow! Wood release!" Tobi shouted as he evaded the wooden limbs slithering toward him. Naruto had regrouped, forming another Rasengan that held the same high-pitched noise she had heard during the battle with Kakuzu. A flash of panic shot through her.

"Naruto, stop!" she yelled, voice lost in the onslaught of wind. "You'll hurt yourself!"

Sasuke gritted his teeth and howled something at Naruto, but the wind drowned away the sound. Naruto dashed to Tobi, the wind-fuelled Rasengan howling. Beside her, Yamato made another seal, preparing to lock Tobi into place. Taking her cue from him, she did the same, praying this time the attack would hit, though keeping her eyes firmly trimmed on Tobi. Space-time ninjutsu or no, there was always an underneath the underneath, and she was determined to find it.

As before, Tobi remained in place as Naruto thrust his palm forward, the Rasengan passing right through him. This time, even Naruto seemed prepared for it as he kept his balance and held the ball of pure energy still in his hands, evidently searching for a way to hit Tobi.

Tobi cocked his head at Naruto, looked down to where Naruto's arm penetrated his stomach and let out a soft 'hmm'. He instantly followed up with a series of jabs, one of them landing in Naruto's abdomen, sending him stumbling back. The Wind Rasengan dropped from Naruto's palm and fizzled away with a final ear-piercing whistle. "Got you!" Tobi said with glee, moving toward Naruto.

Yamato moved at the same time as she did, razor sharp branches sprouting between Tobi and Naruto. "Woah!" Tobi called, though his body fell through the stakes. Naruto stumbled back just as Yamato summoned a snake-like branch that wrapped around Tobi.

The masked man sighed theatrically and held up his arms, turning his face to the both of them. "Well," he declared dryly. "Can we all agree those attacks are useless?"

"Sakura," Yamato whispered. "He's right, this is meaningless. We should think about a strategy while Naruto and Sasuke distract him. The more information we can glean from this, the better."

"We know he isn't always invulnerable, otherwise he wouldn't be able to hit Naruto just now," Sakura said, narrowing her eyes at the masked man. Sasuke had come up from behind him, a loud crackle in the air as he started another Chidori. "So... Logically, that would give us an opening. Just before he attacks."

Yamato nodded beside her. "We strike the second he tries to counter-attack Sasuke."

A thought struck her. "He appears and vanishes at will. Assuming it's a space-time technique, we should focus on the body part he'll use to attack with." Seeing Yamato's questioning gaze, she continued: "Let's work under the assumption that he can't only slip his entire body through objects, but also individual body parts."

Yamato nodded in understanding.

Bracing herself, Sakura watched without blinking as Sasuke reached Tobi, his hand passing through Tobi once again. She reached into her pouch with careful precision, moving slow enough Tobi wouldn't detect the movement, and removed a kunai, pitching it into Tobi's direction right as he cocked his arm back.

Caught by surprise, Tobi lowered his arm just a fraction. Instead of hitting his arm, the kunai both nicked him, ripping through the black cloth of his coat before embedding into the trees beyond him. As though not quite comprehending what was happening, Tobi lowered his gaze to his torn clothes and back to the two of them.

"Very good," he said. As before, his voice and composure had changed. He straightened out, gave Sasuke a look and turned back to them. "I think it's time to put an end to this little game." He turned to Naruto. "Naruto, I'll be taking you now."

"Like hell you will," Sakura shouted, slamming her fist into the ground. A fissure split the earth and reached the tree the three men stood on. Sasuke and Naruto leapt down to the ground while Tobi stood and hopped off just as the timber hit the ground.

"It's four against one," Yamato said again. "I'll say this one more time: give up."

"You're right," Tobi replied. "Let's even the odds, shall we?"

He formed a sequence of seals faster than she had ever seen before in her life and slammed his hand down on the forest floor.

A large, wooden coffin rose from the ground. Beside her, Yamato made a sound of surprise and formed a seal, a tree trunk rapidly growing over the sarcophagus to prevent it from rising. "Sakura! Naruto! Sasuke!" Yamato yelled. "Help stop that coffin!"

Naruto and Sasuke nodded, rushing at both Tobi and the coffin while she copied Yamato's technique, an additional set of tree limbs wrapping around the casket, gripping it in place. "What is in the coffin?" Sakura dared to ask.

"It's not 'what', it's 'who'," Yamato said grimly." And I'm betting we don't want to find out."

'Good enough for me,' she thought, feeding the branches with more chakra. "Naruto, Sasuke," she called out, drawing both men's attention. "Counter when he tries to attack you!"

"Sharp girl," Tobi replied, vanishing. He reappeared near the coffin, holding out a hand to the branches the both of them had formed around it. With a flick of his hand, he incinerated the tree limbs, freeing the coffin to rise to the surface entirely.

In horror, Sakura watched as the coffin stopped and the door creaked open.

Inside it was a tall man in red armor, with long dark hair and a gunbai strapped to his back. He was oddly colored, like someone stole the color from his skin. "This is bad," Yamato said beside her, voice disbelieving. "We're going to have to retreat.

"Who is that?" Sakura asked, attempting to stop Tobi from placing something that looked like a kunai in the sleeping form in the coffin. He slipped through the confines as though they weren't there and placed the kunai in what looked to be the man's neck.

"That," Yamato said. "Is Uchiha Madara."

She fell silent as Madara steadily gained color. Both Naruto and Sasuke ceased their attack, watching in silence as Madara stepped out of the coffin and creaked his neck. His long hair flowed gracefully in the wind as it picked up, a disdainful look on the man's face as he regarded her and Yamato with all the grace of a housewife regarding a cockroach, before turning to Naruto and Sasuke.

He was strong, without doubt. She wasn't able to get a read on his chakra, which was no doubt a result of the Edo Tensei... But there was something in his gaze that turned her cold as ice, the hairs on her neck raising.

"Obito," Madara spoke, voice smooth and dangerous. He took a second to observe the perimeter. "This wasn't our deal."

Beside her, Yamato gasped. She turned to find Yamato take a step closer, eyes wide as he regarded the masked man. "Obito?" Yamato called. "Uchiha Obito?"

The name rang familiar to her. Sakura searched her memory, finally landing on the list of Kakashi's former teammates. Long ago, he divulged what happened to his team and how everyone he loved died. It was one of the rare occasions in which Kakashi had been open regarding his past. Though he hadn't shared the details, the three of them had read the reports the next day, finding Obito died beneath the rubble of Kannabi Bridge and Rin had died not too long after, though the details of her death had been deemed classified.

"He's dead," Sakura said, turning her gaze to the masked man. "Uchiha Obito is dead."

"If there's one thing I've learned as a shinobi, it's that someone is not dead unless there's a body," Yamato replied through gritted teeth. "What are you doing, Obito?" he called out. "You're a Konoha shinobi. Why are you siding with Akatsuki? Why haven't you returned to Konoha? We thought you died at Kannabi."

The masked man, Obito, cocked his head at Yamato. "I died at Kannabi," he said after a long pause, the playful tone gone. "When I opened my eyes, I found myself in hell. I have only returned to sever the nexuses of the world." He watched as Madara folded his arms. "Madara, I leave this to you."

"Bound for Konoha, are you?" Madara asked, a deep boredom coloring his voice.

"Hmm," Obito said. "Meet me there when you're done here."

Before they could make a move, the very air around him distorted and swirled until Obito vanished.

"We need to get back," Yamato stated. "We need to warn Konoha."

"If he uses Space-Time ninjutsu, there's a high probability Obito is already in Konoha," Sakura said, thankful for every second Madara waited. Both Naruto and Sasuke had stilled on either side of the Uchiha progenitor, both assessing him and shooting looks at both her and Yamato. "Can we send a clone?"

"Try to send one, and Sakura," Yamato eyed her. "Stay behind me. If even a fraction of what I've heard of Uchiha Madara is true, we'll need a medic."

Mute, Sakura watched as Yamato shuffled in front of her, forming a human barrier between her and Madara. In a flash, she was back to being twelve and protected by a much smaller Sasuke and Naruto, as well as Kakashi and even Lee. That time when she was thirteen and Naruto saved her from Gaara of the Sand. That one time when she was sixteen and fully trained, but Sasuke still leapt in front of her to save her from a rogue samurai. 'Every time,' she lamented, eyes trimmed on the figure in red in the canopy. 'Every single time.'

There was a ringing in her ear as she observed both Sasuke and Naruto jump into action, their signature movements spinning and crackling in their palms as Yamato defended her from harm. Even without seeing his face, Sakura knew he was thinking of an escape plan. Madara dodged the attacks with the ease of a man who had fought thousands upon thousands of shinobi in his lifetime, dancing around both boys as though they were genin fresh from the academy. The next second, he spun around Naruto, grabbing the arm that held Rasengan and slammed it into Sasuke's mid-section.

Time ceased.

Sakura remained immobile as the Rasengan slowed into a small whirl, every single rotation cutting further into Sasuke's green jounin jacket until it ripped through, rivulets of blood spraying into the clearing as her best friend in this world stepped backward, choking up blood while Naruto yelled in horror, trying to reach for him. Sasuke stood still for just a moment longer before toppling down the trees.

Regaining her self of self, Sakura fueled her legs with chakra, rushing to where Sasuke was going down just as Madara kicked Naruto away. She heard the telltale creaking of branches that told her Yamato was on it and ran on, catching Sasuke just as he reached the ground.

She rolled him onto his back, assessing the damage done as she quelled the stifling fear that threatened to wash over her. 'Severe bleeding, Rasengan hit his kidney, liver... and heart.' Tears burned in her eyes, but she shook them off as she activated her chakra, letting it pool over him. Within him, his liver knitted back into place with relative ease, as did his kidney. His heart, however...' she brushed at a droplet of sweat on her forehead, recalling the lessons Tsunade taught her.

'Listen, Sakura. Of all vital places, the heart is the hardest to mend. It is the place where most chakra pathways converge. Every second someone's heart stops beating is critical. I don't care how you do it, always keep that heartbeat going. Always.'

"Every second," Sakura said, gritting her teeth as below her fingers, Sasuke's heart stilled. Keeping one hand on his liver to continue the healing process, she formed a scalpel from chakra in the other and cut into his side. Without hesitation, she slipped her hand into him, trying her hardest to separate her growing feelings of anxiety from her professionalism and grasped Sasuke's heart within her hand, beginning internal compressions to the rhythm of a song she used to like, drowning out the sounds of battle further ahead. "Every second."

Finally finished healing his liver, she turned her hand to his heart, slowly stitching together the fragments of his heart valve. 'Once I heal this, the flow of blood should return and I should be able to jumpstart his heart.'

Once, Naruto appeared before her, orange marks around his eyes signaling Sage Mode was on. He swept his eyes over Sasuke, then to her, and nodded before jumping off again.

'Naruto. I'll be taking you now.' Obito's words turned over and over again in her head. 'But he left... Is he counting on Madara to capture Naruto?' She frowned and looked into the direction of the battle site. Between the branches, she saw the red of Madara's armor flash by. 'If so... Naruto isn't safe here... We need to get him out of here.'

Blood pooled over her knees from the cut she created on the side of his torso, sweat dripping down her neck as she moved as fast as she could to repair the damage done, cursing at Rasengan, Madara and herself while pleading Sasuke to stay alive.

"Sakura!" Yamato called out, dashing toward her and Sasuke. "Sasuke?"

"Hit in three vital placed. I've healed most of the damage, but I'll need more time for his heart," Sakura said, looking up at her captain. She braced herself and took a breath. "You need stop Madara. Naruto has to go back to Konoha while you distract him."

Yamato opened his mouth. "No, listen," Sakura said firmly. "They're after Naruto and we're alone here without backup. The team behind us will be here soon, but they might not be in time or enough to stop Madara. He's reanimated. He'll fight forever if we don't stop him. But Kakashi... Kakashi can stop him. He'll send him right into the other dimension." She paused, seeing Yamato understood. "He's not after Sasuke, or me. He's after Naruto and we can't give him to Akatsuki."

"The other team is half an hour away at most," Yamato said, glancing over his shoulder to where Naruto and Madara were battling. He looked torn. She tucked away the guilt at forcing her captain into a situation that spelled certain death. Shinobi rule number twenty-five said not to show emotion during a mission; where she had learned that breaking those rules would be beneficial from time to time, there were certain moments that they could only hope for the best. This was one of them.

"Trust me," Sakura whispered at him, pleading with him to understand her.

Yamato stood still. "I'll send Naruto toward Konoha and draw Madara further away to keep you safe. I'll leave Sasuke in your hands."

The next moment, the clearing was empty except for her and Sasuke. The clanging of kunai hitting kunai and the sudden blazes of furious fire that erupted from further ahead lessened until they faded. She wasn't sure how long she had applied compressions to his heart for when the valve healed. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sakura molded chakra to her fingertips and applied the weakest of lightning jutsu she could think of, zapping it back into action.

There was a second of silence.

She remembered the first time she saw Sasuke.

There was another second of silence.

She remembered the time he almost left, and she convinced him to stay.

There was a third second of silence.

Sakura remembered.

During the fourth second, Sasuke's heart began beating of its own accord.

Gasping with relief, Sakura blinked away her tears and slipped her hand from his body again, knitting the wound she created shut again. Sasuke breathed ragged breaths beneath her. Unable to stop herself, she reached out to grab his vest and bowed her head, waiting for him to regain consciousness.

"Sakura..." he breathed. Bringing her head up, Sakura watched as Sasuke's midnight eyes regarded her through half-lidded eyes. "You're heavy..."

Behind her, the backup team arrived.

Somehow, she knew exactly who Kakashi had sent to them.

"He's okay," Sakura said, looking at Itachi over her shoulder. "But you need to warn Konoha—Uchiha Obito is in the village and he's revived Uchiha Madara."

"Go," Itachi said, holding up his arm to his team. Without another word, the three others vanished from the perimeter. "Sasuke?"

"Rasengan to the chest, he'll be alright," Sakura said. "Yamato is ahead and battling Madara... But I don't know how he's doing."

"Let's find out," Itachi said, stepping up to cast a glance to Sasuke. The brothers regarded each other. "Sakura... Can you fight?"

She stared at him. "Yes."

"Sakura..." Sasuke said, struggling to sit upright. He looked pale, clutching his recently stitched skin, and glared at her. "Don't."

"It's fine, Sasuke," Sakura said with a smile. "I'm not just a medic. I've been training to become more than that."

With a glimpse at Itachi, who regarded her for a quick moment before giving her an encouraging nod, Sakura focused her chakra and thought of her arduous training sessions with Lee. 'Ten minutes, that's all I have. Ten minutes to keep myself and the rest of them safe. Sasuke… Naruto… This time... Take a good look at my back,' Sakura thought, squaring her shoulders.

Sakura released her Byakugou Seal and used the immense surge of chakra to open the Third Gate.

A/N: Soooo... It's been a while. Sorry for the long hiatus. I was suddenly hit by a wave of work that hasn't really stopped but stole most of my time and energy to write. And then I expanded my family with a new kitten which stole even more time. But here I am, getting ready to finish up Lab! Hope next update won't be two months away.

A big thank you to all of you who sent me superkind messages asking how I was doing and about my work. I'm doing really good and I never lost my job (it's impossible to get fired from the company you own, it seems. I tried.) but Covid did make a dent into my work. All is back on track though. :-) Thanks for the concern!

Just a few more chapters to the end. This chapter was dedicated to Shannaro-Sakura, for being an allround awesome and kickass person and one of the strongest women I've got the pleasure of knowing.

Until next time!