Night fell.
Darkness blanketed the forest.
The campfire in the middle of the campsite crackled and popped.
The Konoha group finally stopped to rest for the night.
The Konoha genin sat around the fire with dry rations in their hands, still talking excitedly.
Because everyone was discussing the battle from earlier that day.
"That was incredible..."
Choji chewed on his chips and mumbled, "That Kazekage made Kitsuchi cough up blood with a single punch."
He gestured animatedly as he spoke.
"Just one punch!"
Shikamaru leaned against a tree with his hands behind his head.
Staring up at the stars overhead, he said, "Yeah, he really is strong."
Then he paused and let out a sigh.
"But that's exactly why this is troublesome."
Choji blinked.
"Troublesome? Why?"
Shikamaru glanced at him, but did not explain.
The slightly older ninja nearby, however, all understood what he meant.
The Kazekage was too strong. For Sunagakure, that kind of strength was naturally a great thing.
But for Konoha?
Whether it would turn out to be a blessing or a disaster, no one could say.
"No matter what..."
Ino suddenly cut in. Her eyes were shining brightly.
"He saved us! If it weren't for him, those kunai would've turned us into pin cushions already!"
Her tone was full of open support.
That made the people around her look at her with a bit of surprise.
Ino noticed their stares, and her face reddened slightly.
But she quickly glared right back at them, full of righteous confidence.
"What? Am I wrong?"
"You're not... not exactly wrong."
Shikamaru gave her a thoughtful look.
"But you seem especially protective of that Kazekage today."
Ino's heart skipped a beat.
"I-I'm not!"
She turned her head away, not daring to look at him anymore.
"I'm just telling the truth!"
No one thought too much of it.
They only assumed she was speaking up for the person who had saved their lives.
Only one person had remained silent the whole time.
Sakura sat at the edge of the campfire circle with her head lowered, not saying a word.
The firelight flickered across her face.
He was too strong.
She thought that quietly to herself.
That man's strength was so overwhelming it left people feeling powerless just standing before it.
A powerful shinobi like Kitsuchi could not even take a single punch from him.
Those kunai, those jutsu, that carefully prepared ambush...
In front of him, all of it looked as laughable as children playing pretend.
A man that powerful...
How could she possibly ever break free from him?
The moment she thought about how he was still going with them to Konoha, how he would continue appearing in that village...
Sakura felt as if a great boulder had been dropped onto her chest.
She could barely breathe.
"I..."
She suddenly stood up, her voice unsteady.
"I'm going to step away for a bit."
No one paid much attention. They only nodded casually.
Keeping her head lowered, Sakura quickly walked toward the edge of the camp and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
...
Deep in the woods, moonlight filtered through the gaps in the branches.
It spilled across the ground in broken patches of silver.
Sakura walked fast.
She only wanted to leave that place, leave behind those voices discussing him.
Leave the place that made her feel suffocated.
After a while, she finally stopped and leaned against a tree, breathing hard.
Then...
"My little pet, where do you think you're going?"
A familiar voice sounded from behind her without warning.
Sakura's body instantly went rigid.
Under the moonlight, a tall figure was leaning lazily against a tree.
That handsome face. Those eyes that always seemed to be smiling.
Teizawa.
He looked at her as if he were watching a small animal that had wandered straight into a trap.
Sakura's pupils contracted violently.
"You... how did you..."
Her voice trembled, and she instinctively took a step back.
Teizawa did not move.
He only looked at her, the smile on his lips slowly deepening.
"What?"
he said softly.
"Not happy to see me?"
Sakura opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But she found she could not force out a single word.
Only her heartbeat remained.
Fast enough that it felt ready to burst out of her chest.
Fear.
Anger.
And a faint emotion she herself did not want to acknowledge...
She could not even name it.
Teizawa straightened from the tree and took a step forward.
That single step seemed to swallow up all the space around her.
"D-don't come closer..."
Sakura's voice shook.
Teizawa stopped.
He halted just one step away from her.
Then he lowered his eyes and looked at her.
That gaze felt as though it could see through everything.
"Sakura."
He softly called her name.
Her whole body shuddered.
"You know..."
Teizawa bent slightly, leaning close to her ear, his voice so low it sounded like a devil whispering in the dark.
"You can't escape."
Tears finally spilled from Sakura's eyes.
Not because of fear.
Because of despair.
A deep, crushing despair she could not break free from.
Teizawa's expression did not change. He simply stood there and watched as Sakura's emotions crumbled.
Moonlight poured silently through the forest.
After a while, Sakura's tears finally slowed.
But the wet tracks on her face still shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
Her lips trembled.
Not with fear, but with something deeper, something too painful to put into words.
"What... what do you want from me before you'll leave me alone?"
Her voice was broken, trembling badly.
Teizawa raised a finger and pressed it lightly to his lips.
"Shh..."
His voice was low, carrying a faintly amused note.
"Keep your voice down."
He tilted his head slightly.
The glow of the campfire could still be seen dimly through the trees.
Every now and then, faint laughter and conversation drifted over from that direction.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Sakura again.
"What should we do?"
Sakura's body stiffened at once.
"That sweet, obedient little Sakura..."
Teizawa's voice was so soft it was almost a murmur, yet every word burrowed clearly into her ears.
"And yet here you are, alone with the Kazekage of Sunagakure in the middle of the woods."
"I'm not!"
Sakura refuted him almost on instinct.
"You're the one forcing this!"
Teizawa smiled.
There was something in that smile that made the blood run cold.
He spoke softly, and Sakura froze.
"At that point, if the story gets out and Sasuke hears about it..."
He deliberately dragged out the words, clicking his tongue lightly.
Sakura's pupils shrank violently.
Sasuke.
That name struck her like a knife.
That always-distant boy, that boy who never spared her more than the briefest glance...
If he found out...
"You..."
Sakura's voice trembled.
"You promised me! You said you wouldn't tell anyone!"
Teizawa looked at her with a calm, unreadable smile.
"Of course I won't say anything," he said lightly.
"But that depends on whether you behave."
Sakura bit her lip hard enough that it nearly bled.
"Once we get to Konoha," he said, "I'll have a few personal matters for you to take care of. Nothing that will harm Konoha."
Really?
Sakura wanted to ask that.
But looking into those deep eyes, the question reached her lips and died there.
This man would never tell her the full truth.
Inwardly, he only thought: all I need is for you to introduce Hinata, Tenten, and the other kunoichi to me.
How would that harm Konoha?
Of course, he did not say any of that out loud.
He merely reached out and gently rested a hand on top of Sakura's head.
Her body trembled slightly, but she did not pull away.
"That's enough for tonight."
Teizawa withdrew his hand and gave her a long look.
Sakura's eyes widened suddenly.
She looked up at him, stunned.
"H-here?"
Her voice was barely above a whisper, full of panic and resistance.
Teizawa watched her expression, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepening further.
"The wilderness has its own charm, doesn't it?"
Sakura's face flushed red all at once.
She wanted to resist, to refuse, to run...
But when she looked into his eyes, all of that strength seemed to drain away.
Sakura bit down hard on her lip and pleaded in a tiny voice, "Then... then please make it quick."
Teizawa did not answer.
He simply stepped closer.
Moonlight spilled quietly over the two of them.
Far away, the campfire still crackled on.
No one knew what was happening here.
No one knew what that seemingly well-behaved Sakura was being forced to endure.
The rest of the night passed in silence beneath the trees.
When Sakura finally returned to camp, her face was pale, her eyes red, and she said nothing.
No one asked.
And in the depths of the forest, the moonlight remained as cold as water.
(End of Chapter)
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