Chapter Text
It was the middle of the night, the kind where the world seemed to hold its breath. Wind whispered through the trees lining the empty streets, rustling leaves like distant murmurs of secrets never meant to be heard. Every house stood dark and silent, its occupants wrapped in sleep, unaware that something irreversible was unfolding just beyond their doors. Beneath the pale glow of the moon, two figures stood facing one another, their shadows stretching long across the stone road like fractured reflections of what they once were.
The stillness of the street shattered with the soft, broken sound of Sakura’s sobs. Each breath trembled as it left her chest, her hands clenched tightly at her sides as though holding herself together was the only thing keeping her from falling apart entirely. She pleaded with the one person she loved more than anything, fear clawing at her heart as she watched him slip further and further into the darkness she could not follow.
The thought of losing him—of standing still while he disappeared—was unbearable. Her chest ached, her vision blurred, and before she could stop herself, the words poured out. She confessed her love, raw and desperate, and begged him not to leave the village. However, he remained quiet.
Her heart sank.
If words alone couldn’t reach him, then she had only one option left.
"I'll help you with your revenge; just please stay," she paused, "and if you can't..."
The sentence fractured under the weight of her emotions. She barely recognized her own voice anymore. Every boundary she had once sworn never to cross crumbled beneath the terror of losing him. After everything she had already said, there was no turning back now. Drawing in a shaky breath, Sakura asked the one thing that could destroy or redefine everything between them.
"Take me with you, Sasuke-kun."
"You're annoying," Sasuke told her in his usual monotone voice, slowly turning around and looking her in the eye.
For a fleeting moment, time seemed to freeze. Moonlight reflected in Sakura’s tear-filled eyes, making them shimmer like twin stars struggling against a storm. Her face was etched with desperation, every emotion laid bare, and the quiet of the night carried the echo of her sobs straight into his chest.
Deep inside, Sasuke battled emotions he refused to acknowledge. Affection—dangerous and unwanted—warred with the iron grip of his resolve. She was his teammate. Someone precious. And yet, she was everything that tethered him to a past he was determined to sever. He had already chosen his path, and hesitation would only weaken him.
Turning away, he began to walk—away from her, away from the village, away from everything he once was.
"Don't leave me!" she yelled, her voice breaking the fragile silence as she took a step forward, instinctively reaching out as though her fingers could grasp hold of his retreating form and pull him back. "If you go, I'll scream and—"
Sasuke moved from several feet in front of Sakura to directly behind her in a flash of speed, silencing her with the whisper of his breath against her ear. She froze instantly, her body locking in shock as his presence engulfed her.
"Sakura," he whispered. "Thank you for everything."
Her eyes widened, confusion crashing into despair. Thank her? For what—loving him? Believing in him? Leaving her behind? A sharp sense of dread curled in her stomach, and instinct screamed at her to move.
She spun around, slapping his hand away before he could touch her, and leapt backward several meters, landing shakily in a defensive stance. Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
Sasuke stared at her, genuine shock flashing across his features before he carefully masked it. He hadn’t expected that—not from her. After a moment, he asked her why she was willing to go so far for him.
"I'm not going to let you do this alone. Besides, I also want to get stronger. I need to get stronger," she answered, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her, determination blazing in her eyes.
His heart fluttered despite himself. That look—unwavering, resolute—was unfamiliar. Doubt crept into his thoughts. He had chosen a road drenched in hatred and blood, one he believed she could never understand. And yet, the girl standing before him felt different. Stronger. As though she had shed something fragile and stepped forward as someone new.
"Just don't get in my way," he warned her, walking past her while trying to hide his smirk.
Sakura’s breath caught in her throat. Had he really—? Excitement surged through her veins, nearly overwhelming, even as uncertainty lingered like a shadow at her heels. This was no simple promise. It was a descent.
"Y-yes!" she yelled in surprise, clenching her fists tightly as she hurried after him, her heart racing with disbelief.
As they reached the edge of the village, Sasuke stopped. He turned to her one last time, his gaze sharp and unyielding, and asked if she was truly prepared—to betray the village, her friends, her family. To abandon everything she knew and live a life fueled by hatred. This was her final chance to turn back.
Sakura closed her eyes, inhaling deeply, as though committing the moment to memory. Faces flickered through her mind—Naruto’s grin, Kakashi’s quiet guidance, her parents’ warmth. The ache was suffocating. But beneath it burned a flame she refused to extinguish.
"I don't mind, as long as I'm with you. I told you already, I'm not going to let you do this alone," Sakura answered with unwavering confidence as she met his gaze.
The weight between them was heavy, almost tangible.
"Alright," he finally said, the faintest hint of a smile ghosting across his lips. "Then let's begin."
Before following him, Sakura looked back one last time at the village that had been her home.
'Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Mom, Dad... I'm sorry,' she thought.
And then she turned away.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The hill outside the village loomed quietly under the moonlight. As they approached, Sakura noticed four unfamiliar shinobi waiting ahead, their presence unsettling. Beige sleeveless tunics marked with a strange symbol, black pants, and thick purple rope belts knotted at their waists.
Her pulse quickened.
'Who are they?'
The first one, Sakon, had dark blue hair, a smirk on his face, and his head slightly tilted down. Another head protruded from the back of his upper back and hung limply, causing the hair to cover its face.
The second, Jirobo, was a large and imposing young man with orange hair, fair skin, and narrowed, slanted orange eyes.
The third, Tayuya, was a fair-skinned girl with long, untamed dark pink hair that fell past her shoulders, with long parted bangs framing either side of her face and one between her eyes.
And the fourth, Kidomaru, was a dark-skinned shinobi with black, shaggy hair tied into a ponytail and black eyes. He had six arms and an eye on his forehead that was usually closed and concealed under his black forehead protector, which bore the symbol of The Village Hidden in the Sound.
'Sound Village? Are they waiting for Sasuke?' Sakura thought nervously.
Sakon broke the silence, kneeling and apologizing for their earlier behavior.
"What's with the change of attitude? Whatever, let's go," Sasuke replied dismissively as he walked past him.
"Orochimaru-sama never said anything about someone else coming along, Sasuke." Kidomaru's voice dripped with a mix of curiosity and challenge.
Sakura felt their eyes crawl over her, doubt and scrutiny weighing heavily on her chest. She had promised herself she wouldn’t falter—but fear gnawed at her resolve.
"She has the same goal and seeks power from Orochimaru. She came of her own free will," Sasuke explained without looking back at Sakura.
"You think that just wanting power is enough to convince Orochimaru to train her?" Tayuya stepped forward, her voice laced with contempt. "He doesn't just hand out gifts to wannabe shinobi."
Her thoughts raced. This was it. If she hesitated now, everything she’d sacrificed would be meaningless. The sweet, obedient girl she had been would not survive here.
She let out a low laugh, letting her bangs fall to hide her eyes before lifting her head again—her gaze sharp, dangerous.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
The air shifted.
"I followed him on my own. I want to get stronger, and Orochimaru is the key to that. You want to stop me? Go ahead, I dare you."
Silence pressed down hard.
"But I promise you this: Orochimaru would have been delighted if he knew I was seeking him. And if he finds out that one of you killed me," she paused and stepped beside Sasuke, "who knows what he might do to you?"
Tension snapped like a wire pulled too tight.
Sakura's bold words rattled the group, and the air grew thick with tension. Sasuke, standing beside her, couldn't help but turn his head slightly, intrigued by the fierceness she was suddenly exhibiting.
"Is that so?" Tayuya stepped forward, still towering over her with a dismissive grin. "You really think you can pull one over on Orochimaru? You think your bravery impresses anyone here?"
The words struck like sparks against dry tinder. Heat rushed to Sakura’s cheeks, not from embarrassment alone, but from the sharp sting of being underestimated—dismissed as fragile, insignificant. Her fingers curled at her sides, nails biting into her palms. For a heartbeat, doubt threatened to rise, whispering that she was out of her depth, that she didn’t belong here among monsters who thrived on cruelty.
But she crushed it.
She lifted her chin, emerald eyes hardening as something colder and sharper settled into her chest. "I'm not here to impress you. At the village, I was trained under Tsunade, Orochimaru's former teammate—one of the Sannin. The very same person Orochimaru went to ask to heal his arms. I'm pretty sure he would be interested in what I learned from her."
The air shifted subtly at the mention of Tsunade’s name. Sakura felt it—the flicker of attention, the reassessment. Still, Tayuya’s grin only widened, contempt curling deeper across her face.
Having had enough of this, Tayuya launched an attack just to prove how weak Sakura really was.
The kick came fast, slicing through the air with lethal intent. Sakura barely had time to think—her body moved on instinct alone. She twisted away at the last possible second, feeling the rush of displaced air graze her abdomen. Tayuya’s eyes widened, surprise flashing for a fraction of a second.
Sakura didn’t retreat.
She surged forward, all hesitation burned away by adrenaline. Her fist connected, driving Tayuya’s face into the dirt with a sickening force. The impact echoed through Sakura’s bones. She dropped down with her, fingers snapping around Tayuya’s arm in a vice-like grip, strength she hadn’t realized she possessed flooding through her muscles.
"You wouldn't mind if I break one of your arms, would you?" Her voice came out low and dangerous, paired with a bright, unsettling smile that didn’t reach her eyes. In that moment, she felt terrifyingly alive—power humming beneath her skin, fear drowned out by the intoxicating realization that she could do this. That she was doing this.
Even though he wasn't showing it, Sasuke was quite shocked by Sakura's transformation. The girl he had known—the one who had cried for him mere moments ago—was now unleashing an intensity he had never witnessed before. There was something raw and feral in her expression now, something unrecognizable. She felt powerful in this moment, keenly aware that she had crossed an invisible threshold into a world where mercy was a weakness and strength dictated survival.
"Y-you bitch!" Tayuya cursed, thrashing beneath her, fury and disbelief tangled in her voice.
Sakura tightened her hold without thinking. The threat of bones snapping felt real—temptingly close. For a fleeting, horrifying moment, the enchantment of violence surged through her veins. The rush was intoxicating, drowning out guilt and fear alike.
"Enough."
Sasuke's voice sliced through the chaotic atmosphere, sharp and absolute. The authority in it was undeniable. Sakura froze—and then immediately released her grip, the spell breaking as abruptly as it had formed. Tayuya scrambled back, coughing and seething, rubbing the bruised spot where her face had struck the ground.
"Enough of your petty squabbles," Kidomaru interjected, crossing his six arms in disbelief, "Welcome, Sakura. Just remember; don't get in our way, or you'll die."
Sakura slowly straightened, her heart hammering violently against her ribs. Her hands trembled now that the adrenaline was fading. Fear crept back in, cold and sobering. She couldn’t quite believe what she had done—or how close she’d come to going too far. And yet, beneath the fear, a spark of exhilaration burned brightly.
She had been accepted.
Relief washed over her, bittersweet and heavy. She was glad—desperately glad—to be able to stay with Sasuke. But the thought of Naruto, of Kakashi, of her parents lingered painfully at the edges of her mind. She shoved those thoughts aside. Regret had no place here. She had chosen this path, and after what she’d just done, there was no turning back.
Especially not now.
Sasuke glanced sideways at her, an odd mix of pride and unvoiced concern flickering in his dark eyes. He didn’t comment, didn’t acknowledge it aloud—but something about her boldness had caught his attention. This was the resolve he had wished to see before, the kind forged not by words, but by action.
"Let it begin," said Sasuke, looking back at the village before departing and making their way to Orochimaru.
~To Be Continued~