Chapter 38: Flickering Flames
However, Sasuke just gave a dismissive, twisted smirk, her gaze on Naruto filled with a feverish discontent. "No. With this power, I can achieve my dream. Naruto… I really want to test it now. Let's fight!"
Before the last word left her lips, a fierce, unstable fighting spirit erupted from her. Intricate black markings, the pattern of the Curse Seal, crawled up her fair neck and across her cheek, giving her a sinister, unnatural appearance.
Naruto opened his mouth to reason with her again, but Sasuke moved. A punch, shockingly fast and powered by the alien chakra, shot straight for Naruto's face.
Seeing this, Anko flashed forward, interposing herself between them and blocking Sasuke's strike. She shot a glance at Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto, she's not in her right mind! I'll hold her! Knock her out, now!"
Naruto gave a grim, reluctant nod. But just as he tensed to move, Anko gasped. A flash of blue-white lightning crackled. Naruto's face changed. He flickered behind Sasuke in an instant, his arm swinging in a controlled chop to the side of her neck. She crumpled, unconscious.
He looked back at Anko. An alarming splash of bright red stained the front of her vest. In the split-second distraction as Anko spoke, Sasuke had used the Chidori. Anko, a skilled Tokubetsu Jonin, had managed to twist at the last moment, avoiding a fatal blow, but the raking lightning had still carved a searing gash across her chest.
Sakura cried out and rushed to Anko's side.
Clutching her chest, Anko waved Sakura off with a pained grimace. "It's… not deep. Just a scratch." Sweat beaded on her forehead. Seeing Sasuke subdued, she let out a shaky breath. "Careless. Didn't expect her to have learned Kakashi's signature move… This is a major breach. I have to report to the Hokage immediately. You take care of Sasuke. Get to the tower as soon as you can. Her condition will need further… containment."
Naruto, supporting the unconscious Sasuke, nodded. "Understood. We'll handle it here. Tend to your wound first, Sakura."
"R-right!" Sakura fumbled in her pack, pulling out a roll of sterile bandages and handing them to Anko.
Accepting them, Anko offered a pained but grateful smile. "To think the chief examiner ends up needing help from the examinees. Uzumaki Naruto… I'm becoming more and more interested in you." With that cryptic comment, she turned and vanished into the trees.
Naruto blinked, momentarily nonplussed, then shook his head. He looked up. The forest canopy had deepened into twilight; full night was approaching.
"Sakura, we'll need to camp for the night," he decided after a moment's thought. "Trying to move in the dark is an invitation for an ambush."
"I'll do whatever you say," Sakura murmured, all her usual fire extinguished, leaving only exhaustion and reliance.
"Then let's find a spot."
In the heart of the dark forest, a small campfire crackled to life, its light pushing back the oppressive silence. Naruto and Sakura sat beside it, speaking in low tones. Between them, Sasuke lay motionless on a bed of gathered leaves, still unconscious.
"Are the perimeter traps set?" Naruto asked.
"Yeah," Sakura nodded, then stifled a massive yawn. The day's relentless shocks had pushed her far past her limits. Facing the warmth of the flames, a profound drowsiness pulled at her. How nice it would be to be safe at home right now…
Seeing her struggle to keep her eyes open, Naruto spoke gently. "Get some sleep. I'll take first watch."
Sakura jolted slightly at his voice. She looked up at him, her expression vulnerable. "Naruto… am I useless? When Orochimaru came… I was so scared I couldn't even move."
Hearing the self-loathing in her voice, Naruto smiled and shook his head. "It's not like that. Facing an opponent like Orochimaru was just… bad luck. Surviving it at all was fortunate."
"But…" Sakura wanted to argue. You sent him flying. And I was a statue. The comparison was a knife to her heart.
"Enough, Sakura." Naruto placed his hands on her shoulders, his smile warm and steady in the firelight. "People grow through struggle. Feeling powerless, recognizing your own weakness—that's the first step to getting stronger. You've realized it now. So I know you will become stronger. So don't dwell on it. What you need to do right now is rest. Leave everything to me." His smile was like a beacon, so bright and reassuring that for a moment, Sakura felt the night itself had been banished.
"Naruto…" In an instant, the dam broke. Sobs wracked her body as she threw herself forward, burying her face in his chest and crying out all the fear and frustration.
Naruto was momentarily startled, then sighed inwardly. He wrapped his arms around her trembling form. "It's alright. Don't cry. A ninja has to be strong, remember?" His voice was a soft, steady murmur.
Crying in his embrace, Sakura felt an unexpected, profound sense of safety settle over her. His hold was so warm. She found she didn't want to let go. Listening to his gentle words, her heart felt like it was melting.
Her parents had always warned her to stay away from Uzumaki Naruto. The village whispered he was a monster. But in this moment, Sakura cast those thoughts aside forever. She would never believe them again.
Gradually, her sobs subsided, her breathing evened out, and she slipped into a deep, exhausted sleep, a faint, peaceful smile on her lips.
Feeling her go slack, Naruto adjusted his hold, letting her sleep against him. His mind, however, was churning. How to deal with Orochimaru? In terms of raw chakra and even presence, he wasn't inferior. But control, ninjutsu mastery, battle experience? He was a novice compared to the legendary Sannin. In a true death match, his odds were bleak.
Lost in thought, a sudden prickle on the back of his neck made him turn his head.
Sasuke's dark eyes were open. She was watching him, an inscrutable, intense expression on her face.
"Sasuke. You're awake. How do you feel?" Naruto asked, surprised.
Sasuke merely responded with a cold "Hmph," turning her face away in a clear, inexplicable sulk.
"What's wrong?" he pressed.
At that, Sasuke sat up abruptly, her voice flat. "You two got awfully close while I was out."
"Eh?" Naruto was taken aback, then realized—he was still holding the sleeping Sakura. So that was it.
He almost laughed. Could she actually be… jealous? But explaining felt pointless; it would only make things messier. He changed the subject. "Does your neck still hurt?"
"I don't need your concern!" Sasuke snapped back. She stood up, gathered some dry kindling from nearby, and with brisk, angry motions, lit a second small fire several feet away. She then sat with her back against a tree trunk and closed her eyes pointedly.
Inside, however, she was a storm of confusion. Those two… getting all cozy. Fine. Out of sight, out of mind. I won't speak to him again!
Naruto, watching her fume, felt a twinge of exasperated fondness. He wasn't emotionally dense. The signs of a teenage crush were obvious. But mentally, he was still an adult. While he cared for these kids deeply, the idea of romantic entanglement at twelve felt absurd.
Shaking his head, he let it be. He simply held Sakura, not wanting to disturb her hard-won rest, and settled into a cross-legged meditation pose, circulating his chakra through the night.
Soon, a pale grey light began to seep through the dense canopy. Dawn was approaching.
Naruto slowly opened his eyes. A night of cultivation had replenished his energy. He stretched slightly—and remembered Sakura. The movement stirred her.
She blinked her eyes open, dazed and adorably sleepy. "Oh… I… I fell asleep?"
Naruto just smiled.
Seeing his smile, the memories of last night came rushing back—throwing herself at him, crying, falling asleep in his arms. Feeling the phantom warmth still on her skin, Sakura's face flushed a brilliant scarlet. She sat frozen for a long moment, mortified.
Finally, she scrambled to her feet. "O-oh! Right! Where's Sasuke?"
Her eyes darted around and found the other girl sitting by her solitary fire, deep in her own chakra meditation.