Mortal Blow:

Spoilers up to manga 384

Who is Sasuke’s true enemy? Will his former teammate be able to erase the damage of his greatest mistake and stop Itachi’s death? Sasuke x Sakura

“Are you deaf, brother? I said this was the end,” Sasuke said as his sword pierced through the flesh of his mortal enemy.

Itachi spit up blood under the attack as the sharp blade sliced through his chest. His goal had been achieved. Sasuke was truly stronger than him, but this was not how it was supposed to happen. He was supposed to explain first.

“Now answer me. Why? Why did you do it?”

Itachi closed his eyes, the pain was unbearable but it was nothing he didn’t deserve. He did—after all—slaughter almost his entire clan. “Because if I didn’t do it, neither you nor I would be alive. And if we were dead then no one would be able to defeat Madara.”

Sasuke’s hands released his sword leaving it impaling his brother from the back. “The founder of the clan?” he asked in disbelief. “You lie!” His hands wound back around the sword’s hilt as he prepared to push it more decisively into his brother and finish him off.

“Perhaps you and the nine-tails container can defeat him. He is more brother than I ever was,” Itachi whispered as his world began to fade to black.

Sasuke let go of his sword again and rushed to the front of the throne Itachi was sitting in, his legs crossed casually at the ankle and hands resting comfortably on the armrests. The look of ease was ruined by the large bloody sword protruding from his chest.

It was at that moment that Sasuke realized Itachi was telling the truth. There had been a reason to the madness that led to the death of their entire family. Itachi did it to save him so that they together could defeat the real enemy.

“No!” Sasuke shouted in frustration. He moved to pull out the sword.

“I’ll die faster if you pull it out. There is only one that could possibly save me from mortality.”

“There’s no way I can make it to Konoha and back. Tsunade would never heal you! You’re a traitor no matter what the reason! And I’m a traitor for leaving, she’d lock me up before I could even ask.”

“Not the hokage. I speak of her apprentice. Haruno.”

“Sakura.” Images of his annoying teammate flashed through Sasuke’s mind. His last night in Konoha when she begged to come with him, clinging to him from behind. On their last meeting at Orochimaru’s lair she wasn’t timid, but she certainly didn’t seem any stronger. How could she possibly save Itachi?

“But only if you bring her here now,” Itachi said blandly. Sasuke met his brother’s gaze to see the older Uchiha looking at him in annoyance.

Sasuke made his decision. He could kill Itachi later if he was lying. But he needed to know more. He ran out of the cave as quickly as possible. Naruto and the others weren’t far behind. And now-a-days he knew very well that wherever Naruto went Sakura was never far behind. In his absence the two of them had formed a bond stronger than any bond of friendship he’d ever witnessed. And that bond was formed because of their strong attachment to him.

He wouldn’t worry about that right now. Sasuke pushed himself to run faster. The members of his group ‘Snake’ were split up and facing the ninja of the leaf village. One of Naruto’s clones found him and Sasuke took him roughly by the shoulders.

“Sakura. Where is she?”

“Sasuke-teme, you’re going back with us!”

“Shut up you dobe and tell me where Sakura is!”

“Sakura-chan is with Yamato and Kakashi-sensei.” The Naruto clone gestured over to the east. “About half a mile that way.”

Sasuke nodded and slammed the clone into the nearest tree, careful not to destroy it lest Naruto know his intentions and try to stop him. He didn’t have time for such distractions.

He hurried in the direction and cursed under his breath when the clone disappeared. He should have realized Naruto would have better control over his abilities.

It wasn’t long before he could see that his former teammates were engaged with his current teammates. Kurenai’s team, sans their leader, were also present. His eyes were immediately drawn to Sakura—just in time to see her destroy a tree with her fist and send it crashing over Jugo.

The scene was mildly impressive, but he had no time to observe such trivial matters when Itachi was about to die without explaining himself properly. He leapt from the tree and landed behind Sakura.

“I need you,” he said tossing her over his shoulder.

“Sa-Sasuke?” she stuttered pounding on his back. Obviously she wasn’t trying to escape too hard since her pounding didn’t hurt and he’d just witnessed her shatter a large tree. “What are you doing? Kakashi!”

His former sensei turned in their direction at the sound of Sakura’s distress cry and he stared at Sasuke with his Sharingan eye.

“Keep them busy!” he shouted at Jugo and Karin.

He ran back as fast as he could and noted that Sakura was silent and no longer pounding on his back. It didn’t take long before he reached the cave again. Itachi was right where he left him. And he didn’t appear to be breathing.

He let Sakura on her feet once they reached Itachi’s side.

Without having made his request Sakura immediately placed her hands over Itachi’s chest and a green glow began to emanate from her palms. The wound he’d given his brother was nothing short of mortal and yet he watched as Itachi’s breathing evened out and his eyes became focused.

“Pull out the sword, Sasuke.”

Sasuke obeyed her order and eased his blade out of his brother’s back. He noted that this was the second time she’d said his name and neither time had she used the ‘kun’ suffix.

“I don’t have enough chakra to seal the wound completely.”

Without a word Sasuke moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist with his skin touching her flesh where her shirt gapped away from her shorts. He rested his chin on her shoulder pressing his face next to hers. Skin to skin contact would make the transfer of chakra stronger and more potent. At least, that’s what he thought and it seemed logical enough.

He could feel his energy being drained from him and channeled into Sakura’s healing hands. The blood stopped flowing out of Itachi’s chest and he took in a deep, shuddering breath of air.

“Itachi, do you want me to fix your eyes?”

“That’s okay, Haruno-san.”

Sakura pulled her hands away from Itachi’s now whole chest. “I’ve done all I can,” she declared. “You can let go of me now, Sasuke.”

He continued to hold her close and pressed his nose against her throat and breathed her scent in deep as he took in a shuttering breath calming himself. “Thank you.”

She laughed quietly. “I suppose that’s all you can say to me.”

“I meant it both times.”

“Touching reunion,” Itachi said rising from his throne-like chair. “You’ve grown much stronger, little brother. If you’ll excuse me I need to find your friend Naruto.” He burst into a flock of black birds and disappeared before their eyes.

“Why did I just save the life of the man you vowed to kill?”

“Because I didn’t understand.”

Sakura twisted her neck to face toward him. “And now you do? Because I certainly don’t.” She elbowed him hard in the ribs—it felt as if she broke some in the process—and stepped out of his embrace. “And now he’s going after Naruto! If anything happens to him I’ll kill you myself, Sasuke!”

He held his hands up in a gesture of peace. “We need to find Naruto.”

“Of course we do…” she trailed off and blinked at him stupidly. “We?”

“Yes, we.” Sasuke reached out for her hand. “Let’s hurry. I’ll explain later, but Itachi’s not my enemy.”

“The Akatsuki are the enemy. Itachi is a member. How is he not the enemy?”

“The enemy is Madara Uchiha.”

“But he’s been dead for over half a century. He died with the first hokage!”

“Apparently he did not.” He traced his finger along her jaw. “Sakura, I need you, Naruto, and Kakashi. You are the only ones I could ever trust. Please?”

Her hand lay gently on his injured ribs and he could feel them mend under her touch. “Just remember, I can break every bone in your body, Sasuke-kun,” she said sweetly.

Sasuke felt his lips twitch into a smile. His name had never sounded so good.

FIN --for now