Chapter Thirteen

The shrill cry of her screams echoed through the field as the ten tails had been summoned to the ground. Naruto was focused on the threat before him, but was also aware that one of his closest friend was in the most excruciating pain she could have ever imagined.

Before Sakura could lose complete consciousness she quickly evaluated the problem at hand. Her senses were heightened to their limit due to the fact she was at battle, and that whatever Obito unsealed from the black mark on her neck had released a poison she did not know about. At the time she didn't really know anything.

The world around her was going by with a blur, but the pain of the poison stayed with her like tar. Once the pain began to sink in and she could no longer feel anything but the numbness, she could finally see what was ahead of her clearly. Those dark onyx eyes that had captured her heart the first time she had seen them, stared at her with such worry and sorrow that tears were brought to her eyes. They were eyes she hadn't seen for a long, long time.

"Stay with me okay!" Sasuke said with a shaky, irritated voice. He looked back into the green eyes he always knew, the ones that never left heart. They slowly became darker and emptier. The idea that the girl he had cared so much for, the girl he did almost anything for would die in his arms.

In an instant there was a new group that had arrived. The Five Kage had arrived with Orochimaru, Juugo, Suigetsu and Karin. The faces of the ones he had known for the past while had been astonished by the great Uchiha who was quivering with fear as he held the fading pinkette, but of course he did not care what anyone else thought. He focused his serious gaze to the fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade, and begged with a strong but weak voice,

"Help her." Tsunade only gave the nod of her head as the others retreated to the battle at hand. Sasuke stood above the two looking down to see the light green chakra emit from the hokage's hands as she began her work. His eyes went a blank as the memory of leaving the village came to fog his mind.

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The sun was setting as Sasuke sat on the tree branch thinking about what his sensei had just said. For week, months, and years words that had been poisoning his brain were suddenly whisked away. Kakashi had not only told Sasuke he wasn't the only one who was suffering, but let him know that he knew of his only weakness.

Sakura Haruno, the little girl he had met so many years ago. They had been almost inseparable when they were children, but once Itachi had murdered his entire clan he became distant. He no longer spoke to anyone, not even Sakura. Every day he had trained so he could become the best ninja that would have ever lived, and so that he could one day avenge his clan.

For such a long time he had been by himself, but Sakura never forgot about him. Everyday day she would bring him his favourite dango treat, and a couple bags of his favorite tea. He never opened the door to her, but she would always make sure they were set on a safe place by the front door.

Once he knew she was long gone he would pick them up and put them to good use. This only went on until they would graduate from the ninja academy, and as fate would have it she would be on his team.

Team 7 was announced that name and it was made up of three extraordinary genin. Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki. There had been a quick twinge of happiness once he heard her name with his, but it was quickly diminished when the number one knucklehead ninja joined in. That day he thought it would be another horrible year, especially if he had to face it with Naruto. Thinking back to the time he thought that way, he could only agree with how stupid he was.

The days that followed had been his happiest. Not only did he forget about every bad thing that had happened to him, but Sakura was back at his side and he had made many unintended life-long friendships.

It was decided. Vengeance was no longer the young boy's goal. The village would be his heart home and he would stay there forever. The promise he had made to Sakura would be kept. Though that had quickly changed.

In front of him were five unfamiliar faces, but their attire was of Ninja of the hidden sound village who were responsible for the attack on the hidden leaf village, during the chuunin exams. They had told Sasuke that their master, Orochimaru, was ready for him to join him at their hideout.

They also informed him that they would not force him to go but would only persuade him. Of course the Uchiha shot down their offers without a second to hesitate, though one of the threats took a hit back.

"If you do not join us, then someone will have to die. Someone that is very precious to you." Said the leader of the group, Sako. Sasuke went quiet as he waited for him to continue. Instead of him speaking, the girl with the pink-red hair spoke for him.

"We'll kill that girl, the one with the pink hair." Sasuke bit his lip to the thought he would lose her.

"You can't, she's in the village with others around her. She is safe and there's nothing you can do about it." Sasuke protested with the most utter confidence.

"Not the way that you think. Back during the chuunin exams, master Orochimaru captured you both in his genjutsu. During that time he placed that curse seal on you, correct?" Sasuke huffed as the seal began to burn from the anger that raged within. The girl named Tayuya continued on as she had noticed the flame in his sharingan.

"You weren't the only one who left that arena with a curse. There is a certain black mark that no one will see until it is released or near the sealer himself. He is here right now and is currently trailing the girl as we speak. If you don't agree we let him know, and he will kill her on the spot."

"I don't believe you. Before he could do anything further I got out of the spell and retreated with her. There is no way he could have left anything like what you speak of." Sasuke said with a sly smirk knowing he had already won. Sako returned that sly smirk as he took the place to speak again.

"Orochimaru wasn't the only one there. There is another man he has recently, allied with if you could say. That man left the mark on her, and he is here now. Would you like to see him?"

Before Sasuke could protest, the air behind the five began to swirl.

Behind them appeared a man in a pitch black cloak with a white swirled mask to match that covered his face. On the mask there was one hole to let one eye show. The stained red of the sharingan shone back to look at the confused Uchiha.

"What the hell is this!" Sasuke yelled with even more angst and confusion.

"Agree to their terms boy, and I will let the girl live." Spoke a dark, terrifying voice from behind the white mask.

"I don't believe you!" He screamed, stepping back against the tree. The eye had only made him fear him even more. The thought that Itachi Uchiha could be behind that mask made him burn with intensity. "Who are you!" The eye that hid smiled with such evil.

"Madara Uchiha." The curse mark began to burn across his skin as he lunged forward yelling at all five that he would kill them all. Not even a second after he was pinned on the group with one of the sounds foot. He struggled as he looked up to the so called Uchiha.

"You will go with these five to Orochimaru. When it is your time I will return for you. Now go, before I decide to kill the girl for fun." He disappeared as fast as he had arrived. The five sound ninja laughed as they said they would wait outside the village for him.

Without thinking he jumped across the rooftops as he desperately looked for Sakura. Stopping he hears the itching voice of Naruto from inside of Ichiraku's ramen shop. With his very analytic eyes he notices a piece of Sakura's red outfit. He sighed with relief as he darted back to the Uchiha mansion. For the rest of his life he would regret the decision he would make.

Quickly packing the basic necessities, he stared at the official photo of team 7. That day was probably one of the best days since everything had happened. Slowly he placed the photograph that was neatly placed in the wooden frame he had gotten from Kakashi, down to face the dark wood dresser. He cursed the moon as he began to leave the Hidden Leaf, for what would seem like the very last time.

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Tsunade looked up to the Sasuke Uchiha standing above her and Sakura whispering loudly to himself repeatedly.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault." Before Tsunade could snap him out of his daze, she could already feel the dark chakra emitting from him. Sasuke turned around to face the threat in front of him. He called out Naruto's name with a boom. Naruto darted to his side to see what was happening.

"Sasuke, what is it?" Naruto could feel the intensity coming from his friend as soon as he arrived.

"Let's kill him." He looked as his friend in surprise to see so much emotion in his face. Naruto became serious and gave him a warm determined smile. The two stepped forward, far enough away from Sakura and Tsunade to keep them safe. The two bit their own thumbs to place them on the ground for their own summoning jutsu.