Hey guys! Welcome to the FINAL CHAPTER OF SAKURA'S MOMENT!
DUM DUM DUM!
Disclaimer: Attention, please. K-chan just found out that she doesn't own these characters, and she is very distressed. I'm sure that any reviews you can spare will help her to recover. Thank you.
Ok, on with the story! (note the quick update...ehehe i wish to remain whole and unscathed! hehehee...)
The two ninja stood in the hallway, staring one another down until the information clicked in Sasuke's head.
"What?" Sasuke looked at his sensei like he had lost his mind. "Sakura?"
"Yes. Sakura is much more powerful than any of us could have imagined. We always knew that she had advanced chakra control, but this…" Kakashi shook his head and rubbed his eye with his scarred hand.
"But she isn't powerful! Not more powerful than me!" Sasuke said as if this were the most obvious thing in the world. "She can't stand up to Itachi, there's just no way!"
"And besides," Sasuke continued, "if all Itachi wanted was to kill Sakura, why did he bother with these other people!" He asked, motioning towards the recovery room.
"Itachi was scared to just come after Sakura, strange as that sounds. He knew something about her that we did not. Her power is immense, and even she didn't know it. The most dangerous thing in the world is unbridled power." Kakashi explained. "So, he decided to weaken her first. Torture her, both mentally and physically. He started by beating her-"
"Exactly, if he was scared of Sakura, why did he attack her? And why didn't she defend herself?" Sasuke cut in.
"First of all, the Itachi that beat Sakura was a dopple ganger. Naruto said that he disappeared leaving a note behind. Itachi put a jutsu on the note, causing it to become a dopple ganger. Sakura actually did fight back, she punched the replica. When he disappeared, it was a delayed reaction to that punch, so the illusion was destroyed, leaving the note behind." Kakashi said.
"But she should have been able to-" Sasuke started.
"She couldn't use her power, Sasuke, because she has a seal on it." Kakashi ground out with control obvious in his voice.
Sasuke shut up.
"Its not unlike the seal keeping the fox demon within Naruto. There isn't anything residing within her, but when she was small, she couldn't control the chakra she had and it was actually harming her body, so it was contained. Without that seal, she's a danger to herself and potentially to anyone around her."
Kakashi looked hard at the younger man before him. "You know, one of the strangers is awake. The girl. She said that when they found Sakura, they thought she was dead. She kept repeating over and over, 'I have to be stronger'." The copy ninja gave a bitter laugh. "Well, she succeeded. Itachi's torture plan worked, her seal has been broken. That means, when he tries to kill her, the chakra will have already done most of the job for him."
"Torture plan? What you were saying earlier?" Sasuke asked, mind spinning with all this new information. He couldn't believe it, Sakura….flirting, laughing, weak Sakura?
"He attacked her, tricked you into betraying her, she suffered severe wounds and traveled too far for her body to handle, and then he put her into an illusion and made her do severe damage to these strangers who had apparently helped her. He has weakened her body and mind. Now all he has to do is sit back and let the chakra do the rest." Kakashi sighed.
"In short, Sasuke, he planned it all."
"And that means he's coming…" Sasuke spoke softly, anger and determination in his voice.
"We need to reseal Sakura so that she won't die."
"No." The two men spun around, startled at the soft voice coming from the Recovery room door behind them.
"I don't want to be resealed. I want to harness it, and I want to kill him." Tears were welling in her eyes, but these eyes were not weak or helpless, they were determined and angered.
"No, Sakura, the chakra will-"
"Shut up, I can handle it! I know none of you think I can, but I can. This is what I've always wanted, and I'm not going to let it pass me by!" Her hands formed fists at her side and her eyes never lost their passionate intensity. "Itachi may think I'm done for, but it takes more than that to bring me down! I won't let Tsunade-sama's life be in waste!"
Kakashi looked at the pink haired kunoichi before him, standing strong for something she believes so strongly in, and for the first time in days, he smiled.
"I'll help you Sakura. I believe in you."
Sasuke looked away as Sakura smiled up at their sensei and limped toward him. He couldn't bear to see all the damage inflicted upon her.
Sakura grinned and shook Naruto awake. "Naruto! Wake up stupid, you have to help me be strong!"
Naruto woke up, jumping as he saw Sakura above him before crushing her in a hug.
"Sakura-chan….Tsunade…she's…" He croaked but Sakura hit him over the head.
"I know, Naruto, I heard! But are you just gonna sit there like a dobe and let that piece of slime get away with what he did!" She yelled, grin still in place.
Naruto's determined grin replaced his depressed frown. "Ok, Sakura-chan, we can make you strong, believe it!"
Kakashi grinned at his team. 'Naruto, such an idiot. He doesn't even know what we're talking about, but he's still willing to help.'
"Yeah…we'll make you strong. He won't get away with this." Sasuke spoke darkly.
Naruto shot up and stood protectively between Sakura and Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke-teme, who said you get to help!"
"Naruto, shut up and come on, we have work to do!" Sakura said, pulling him behind her by the collar with Sasuke and Kakashi behind.
Kakashi grinned again. Just like old times.
Same clueless Naruto.
Same brooding Sasuke.
Same optimistic Sakura.
'Its all just more intense.' He thought to himself as he and his team walked towards the very training grounds where this story began. 'But we'll be ready, if these lazy strangers would wake up they can help Sakura too.'
"Come on, Kakashi-sensei! Don't be late again!" Naruto yelled back at Kakashi, breaking him free from his thoughts.
"Yeah, and none of that 'I got lost on the path of life' stuff!" Sakura chimed in, limping beside Naruto.
Kakashi smiled and walked towards his team, who were already bickering about something senseless.
'We'll all be ready when he comes back. He'll beexpecting a weak Sakura, but oh how surprised he'll be with what he finds!'
TO BE CONTINUED!
Ok…I decided that this was a good place to stop and to leave it open ended but happy too! - I hope you like!
I'll do another fic to continue this one if I get enough feedback! PLEASE REVIEW!
to kttykiwi: i didn't make it a dream, but that wasa REALLY good idea! haha! Someone's thinking like an evil writer!
Luv ya mina-san!
Ja!
-K-chan