Satisfaction

Sasuke sighed. He was tired and sweaty and damn it Madara would not shut the fuck up. He knew the old man was crazy Sasuke wasn't stupid. But honestly did he have to prove it daily, hourly, minutely, and every single second of every damned day.

Currently he was telling Sasuke about what he needed to do to catch the kyuubi, the only problem being that the old geezer was over complicating it all. Honestly all he had to do was let Naruto know he was in the area and the damn Dobe would come running like a dog.

It was truly pathetic.

"Sasuke-kun are you even listening?" Sasuke glanced at the man from the corner of his eye. "Hn, no" Madara chuckled "Sasuke-kun, when will you learn that your cockiness will get you nowhere" Sasuke snorted "I'm doing just fine."

The older man just shook his head before leading Sasuke off of the main path and into a densely forested area, before stopping in a small thicket "we'll rest here, I have some business to attend to, I'll be returning in three hours time be ready to leave."

Sasuke merely nodded and sat his pack down on the ground before unbuttoning the first three buttons of his red black and white cloak. He then quickly climbed a tree and perched himself up against the strong trunk, Katana in easy reach.

He sighed and looked around it was spring and the area was dotted by small withered cherry blossoms tree's exploding into pinks and whites. It was peaceful and beautiful. It was wonderful and perfect. And Sasuke Uchiha hated it for many, many reasons.

He sighed and that's when he felt the small tremor shaking the earth. Curiously he waited and then when he heard an explosion, he decided that it was time to investigate. Slowly and silently he jumped down to the ground, with the grace of a cat, and the teeth and claws of one as well.

He silently crept through the forest his feet barely making a sound against the soft maltch on the ground. The tremors were coming more frequently now and he could tell he was reaching the epicenter. Finally he jumped into the nearest tree masking his chakra he stared down at the center of a bright green field.

A field that was dotted with injured and dead shinobi. A field where a single female was surrounded by forty or so shinobi. A field were the ground was split in two in places. A field were a pink haired shinobi wearing the alliance forehead protector was fighting and winning a very challenging battle.

He would even be struggling with this many shinobi.

Apparently little Sakura Haruno was not weak if she could do all this, and apparently she had much more to offer then he had seen before. He watched her with a strange and dangerous mix of wonder and humor.

Sakura sent a shinobi flying backwards into a tree and sent said tree flying back into about three or four more, sending them crashing to the ground. He figured that accounted for some of the tremors he had felt. Sakura moved with a grace he had never seen before, one that he was sure didn't come easy, he was sure she had to work for that grace.

Where was the girl who couldn't kill him?

Because the one in front of him was graceful to a point that had him almost envious she handled her opponents with a clear mind and one that was not clouded by emotion. A shinobi was sneaking up behind her as she fought of another two.

And he was angry with the wide majority of his being that was begging him to intervene.

But apparently he wouldn't need to.

Sakura stomped her foot creating a clean crack in the ground that had the shinobi falling into the ground, and at the last minute she spun around and in a move similar to one he had only seen a Hyuuga do disabling his chakra points. Sending the shinobi crashing to the ground in dizziness. But not before the enemy Nin could cut a large wound all the way down her right side.

He was shocked by the sudden anger that rushed to his mind clouding it with the intent of murder.

He watched from his perch as Sakura did a set of hand signs and another Sakura emerged with a puff of smoke. A shadow clone. The shadow clone defended Sakura in the front and Sakura did another set of hand signs before an earth wall rose to protect her on the other three sides.

Sasuke watched as she raised her left hand and placed it onto her bleeding side. He saw the green chakra emerge from her hands and watched as her skin slowly knitted itself back together. So she was a medical ninja, somehow the thought didn't shock him, and he was surprised he didn't realize it before.

After all she wore the balky medical pack around her waist one side sliding down to rest on her right hip.

Sakura sent the shadow clone away in a puff of smoke before letting the earth wall fall again to the ground again in a mound of wet earth. Wait wet. He could understand her having a affinity to earth. But water?

He didn't have time to ponder that however as the fast paced battle continued. Sakura was up against about thirty shinobi now. He wondered if she was good enough to beat them. But to his surprise she took them down with little to no problems.

She couldn't be this good could she? At this rate she might even be a challenge to him in a fight. The very notion would have been hilarious if he hadn't seen this fight, would have been hilarious if it was a few months ago, hell a few weeks ago. But now he wasn't so sure.

The very thought worried him. What happens when the weakest link becomes equal? Do the links complement each other or do they clash until they are bashed and bruised and oh so broken. Sasuke leaned towards the latter.

Sakura was down to two opponents now the rest being either dead or too injured to stand. The two charged at her at once and Sakura smoothly side stepped them so that the two Katana's they were each aiming at her, plunged into each other taking them down without Sakura doing a single thing.

He expected her to move on now. Expected her to fall to the ground or let out a shout of victory. What he didn't expect was her to turn to face him with a stony face and a death glare. "Come the fuck out" Sasuke was about to jump down when he realized that she wasn't talking to him.

She was talking to the dark haired man in the Akatsuki cloak who was clapping his hands. Madara. What the hell did Sakura have to do with his 'business?'

"Bravo Sakura you managed to take out the men I sent after you" Madara smirked cruelly and Sasuke was shocked by how much the sight disgusted and angered him. Sakura laughed "so it's you that sent them, I should have known that you're a coward, so what is it this time."

Sakura stared at Madara the glare still intact and Madara's chakra flared in anger. "Well I'm waiting are you going to kidnap me again, torture me to try to get info on my brother, because it didn't work last time and it won't work this time, I'm not a traitor."

Madara laughed "last time I checked you and the Kyuubi brat weren't related" Sakura glared "his name is Naruto, and you don't need blood relations to share an unbreakable bond with someone, don't need blood to want to protect them with your life, that's something my two boys taught me."

Madara smirked "really Saki-chan because the last time I checked you had three males on your gennin team, don't you count Sasuke?"

Madara knew he was here. And he was baiting him. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction for falling for it. Still no matter much he told himself he didn't care, he was interested in her answer. Sakura shook her head. "Sasuke broke the bonds the four of us once shared, he has made that clear on more than one occasion, I'm not as blind as Naruto, Sasuke has fallen too far into the darkness to be saved by the light."

She shook her head "and I'm done wasting my energy of trying to save someone who doesn't care to be saved." Sasuke tried to pretend the fact that the one person that in the back of his mind he was sure would never turn on him did turn on him, he tried to pretend it didn't sting.

Sakura sighed "so why are you here Madara, you've already made me battle my parents after you rose them from their graves, or are you here to flaunt the fact that you are going to win." And she smirked "by the way Itachi says to tell you that Naruto is going to beat you but not before he gets a crack at you for corrupting his brother ."

Madara only smirked "so you have met Itachi, tell me how's it feel to have to fight an innocent man to the death, didn't you state you would never harm the innocent and that's why you wouldn't give me the Kyuubi's location"

"That and the fact that you would do anything to protect the Kyuubi, but really Sakura I don't think you're doing a very good job, you know by lying about loving him."

What… was all that filtered through Sasuke's mind. Sakura charged at Madara and the man easily dodged smirking at her. "You failed at beating me last time Saki-chan so what makes you so sure you'll succeed. Face it you're going to die here, and then the Kyuubi and Sasuke will fight it out and your worst nightmares will come to light."

Sakura charged at him her fist raised and ready to strike but it went right through Madara and fell to the ground causing a fissure to open up. Madara continued to smirk "face it your still weak little Sakura, you can't protect them can't protect the Kyuubi and Sasuke, just like you couldn't protect your parents."

Sakura charged again this time much faster "I TOLD YOU HIS NAME IS NARUTO!" and finally she landed a hit to his right cheek causing him to fly back and through about nine tree's before finally stopping.

He smirked and wiped the blood from his lips "face it little Kunoichi you will die here today, and with you gone nothing will be able to stop those two from killing each other."

Sakura turned towards Madara drawing a blue and white Katana she stared him down. "Even if I die here, no one will give up if anything Itachi, Naruto, Ino, Kiba, Sai, Hinata, and everyone I love will fight harder to make sure I did not die in vain."

She shook her head "besides death does not frighten me like when we last met" she smirked at Madara's incredulous look "death is not something to fear it is only a means to a new beginning, and as long as I fell for what I believed in then I feel no terror at the thought of dying."

Madara smirked "you sound like Itachi, and the many loyal leaf ninja who fell before you, who all begged for their lives in the end." Sakura glared "Itachi did not beg" Madara smirked "so you have fallen for the Uchiha, what is it with you and loving us Uchiha's what's next you'll be falling for me."

Sakura spat on the ground in disgust at the very suggestion of loving Madara. "You will not disrespect someone who fights for peace something that is only a dream in the modern society, you will not disrespect the things that Itachi stood for, everything about you disgusts me from you actions to your very face."

Sasuke's mind was a blur. Sakura knew Itachi. Sakura's parents were dead and she had been forced to fight them. Sakura had been tortured by Madara before. Sakura thought he was too far gone to be saved. Madara knew Sakura's worst nightmares which meant he had used the Mangekyō on her, the very thought left a bitter tang in his mouth.

No matter how much he wished for Kohana's downfall to see the place in smoldering ruins. He knew what the Mangekyō could do and he wouldn't wish that on anyone, because he had experienced it himself he would never use his Mangekyō on anyone who didn't rightfully deserve it.

And Sakura didn't. Maybe Naruto on his worst days. But never Sakura.

"We'll end this now little girl" Madara activated his Sharingan and Sakura pulled her headband down over her eyes in response. Madara cackled "getting cocky Sakura, you think you can beat me with you eyes covered, you'll have less a chance then when their open."

Madara cackled again and lunged at Sakura. Sasuke was ready to intervene but stopped when he saw the smile on Sakura's face. And she smoothly dodged Madara. "Don't forget I've trained with three Sharingan users."

She raised a hand ticking off the people she trained with, and dodged Madara again and again. "Let's see I trained with Sasuke briefly when we were gennin, Kashi-sensei usually trains with me and Naruto every Wednesday and five months ago started to train us in ways that could help us combat the Sharingan."

Madara was getting angry now; this girl was dodging him smoothly something that even Sasuke and Itachi sometimes would struggle with. And with her eyes covered like that his Sharingan could not do anything but copy her jutsu's at this point, and because she wasn't using any it was basically useless to him besides watching her movements.

This girl was beyond irritating.

Finally Madara had had enough of her and decided killing her could wait for another day, and if he was lucky Sasuke would kill her for him. After all he had been watching the whole time. Now if he could think of the right way to provoke him.

Ah yes that one would work. "So is it true Sakura that you were the one to diagnose Itachi and then wouldn't help him?" Sakura stared at him in shock her mouth falling open in shock. And when Madara realized Sasuke had finally unmasked his chakra and with a pleased smile he noted that his turbulent chakra was festering with rage.

Well might as well leave now. Sasuke would do the work for him. And with that he teleported himself away from the field.

Sasuke jumped down and crept up to the Kunoichi who was still blindfolded. She turned towards him "I have nothing to say to you after what you have done." At first he thinks she believes him to be Madara but the more he thinks about it the more he knows she knows who she is talking to.

"Why didn't you help him" he growled out. Sakura snorted "why do you care you only wanted his death, even though I told you it would bring you no happiness."

Those words…..all those years ago, she knew…..

"You knew what was ordered didn't you Sakura all those years ago." Sakura nodded "my grandfather's name was Danzo I'm sure you knew him." Sasuke growled so she was related to that bastard, she wasn't making a good case for herself.

"I didn't get along with him in fact he hated me as much as I hated him for his actions, I read his journal it said it all. That was two years before we became a team." Sasuke stared at her. She had known for that long.

He glared at her "why didn't you tell me?" Sakura stared at him "would you have believed me?" and he knows he wouldn't have but still it burns to know she knew why he was doing what he was doing and yet she still tried to kill him.

"No"

She nods "I thought as much, which is why I never told you, I hinted that night but you didn't comprehend what I said." And he smirks "Really I got it loud and clear you love me, and that's why you can't kill me and why you're weak around me."

Sakura didn't deny it. "True I did and most likely always will, but there are more important things to worry about now then if you love me, like the fact you must die." She still hasn't uncovered her eyes and Sasuke knew he could kill her any moment with one blow and even if she dodged she was low on chakra and wouldn't last long against him when his reserves were so high.

But he didn't want to.

"Or like the fact that Naruto is going to give his life for yours because you refuse to come home." Sasuke glared "Kohana is not my home Sakura, it can't be."

Sakura shook her head "no it is, you are just to blinded by anger right now to see it, you're traveling a dangerous path Sasuke" he noticed the kun was not present and it hurt even though he told himself it was for the best.

"Hate breeds revenge, revenge breeds hatred, and so on and so forth the cycle cannot be broken until someone learns to forgive, are you ready for that Sasuke can you do that?" she licks her lips "or am I right, are you past the point of redemption."

She turns away from him and starts to walk away "goodbye, Sasuke I hope you make the right decision" she continues to walk and he realizes she had never answered his question. "Sakura wait" she turns her head back to face him "yes" and Sasuke is quiet for a moment "Itachi why didn't you help him."

"Because there was nothing I could do but prolong his life and make it as pain free as possible" and Sasuke doesn't like the answer, but he knows she wasn't lying to him there was too much honest regret and sadness in her voice and on her face.

She must have tried so hard to save him it was written all over her face. Sasuke knew medics weren't gods and there were people they couldn't save. He knew that and he was at least grateful that someone had cared enough to try to help Itachi. That was more then he could say for himself.

Sasuke nodded "thank you" he hesitated when she flinched "for at least trying" she nodded and uttered a soft "you're welcome."

He stood in the center of the field watching her walk away and when she was almost into the tree's she turned back to face him, a sad smile on her face "Sasuke think about you decision carefully, choose wisely because if you choose the wrong choice them the next time we meet, we will be enemies."

It was a while after she left that he realized she didn't consider him an enemy yet. And so he sat in that field for a long time considering his options and thinking long and hard about what Sakura had told him.

Finally three hours after he was supposed to be back at camp he had made his decision.

Apparently it was the right one because three years later the war was over, Madara and the Akatsuki were no more, team seven was whole again, and he was getting married.

He smiled softly as a beautiful pink haired women walked down the aisle to him in a white dress that had his smiled turning into a full blown grin.

Because she was the most satisfying thought he had had in a long, long time.