The Uchiha Massacre - 4

Sakura tripped over a garbage can ungracefully when she heard a yell outdoors. She stood up and brushed her knees off, looking over her shoulder towards the origin of the sound.

'What in the world is going on here?' She slipped down an alleyway as quietly as she could manage, 'Is anyone alive? Who was shouting? Oh...I have to find Sasuke!'

There had never been a time in her life in which she had wanted her parents near her so badly. All the death and gore was making her feel violently ill, and the only way she could bring herself to ignore the bloody chaos was the thought that her friends could be in mortal danger.

For a moment she questioned herself, weighing her chances of survival in a possible death trap, and felt stupid that she hadn't sent for help or looked for any signs of life or...anything rational that she could have done.

Nope. Irrationality went hand in hand with the actions of a frightened little girl.

At the time she had seen Sasuke take off like a bullet, she hadn't thought of the consequences of following him...or getting lost in a huge clan estate full of dead people.

Sakura considered herself at the moment, and rightfully so, more foolish than brave, but resolved that it would be better to find Sasuke and escape rather than to not find Sasuke and escape.

The makings of a kunoichi: guts and blind devotion.

Sakura hopped up stairs to a new part of the district. It was empty. She didn't see any more bodies...or Sasuke. Knowing that calling out to him could warrant her death, or possibly her friends' deaths, she mentally kicked herself for not having a backup plan.

'Think Sakura! Think! What would Haku-kun do?'

Haku's brilliant mind would have made her search a lot easier if she hadn't left him behind (or had he not had a nervous breakdown). But no, she had to focus on the task at hand. There was a good chance she could find her mark, and leave the Uchiha compound unscathed, that was, if she found him at all.

'Okay...what would Sasuke do? If I came home to...to this...what would I do?' Sakura took a moment to organize her thoughts, 'I...well...I'd look for my mom and dad...wait! He must have-!'

From behind the barrel she had been using for cover, she surveyed the other side of the street and laid eyes on a small figure on the ground. Sakura leapt from her hiding place and dashed across a small pebble garden to where Sasuke had fallen.

"Sasuke!"

Darn, and she thought Naruto was dense. At that moment, she felt like she understood the blonde and his big mouth a little better. Sakura just couldn't help herself at the time.

She kneeled down next to him placed a hand on his shoulder. He drew a breath and she exhaled in relief, glad that he was alive. He was sweating and unconscious. His upper left arm was bleeding.

"Sasuke-kun?" Her voice was soft, "Wake up! What happened?"

He leaned into her arms as his eyes peaked open. He had a far-off expression and did not seem to be completely aware of where he was.

"Did he…leave?"

"Did who leave?"

"Am I dead?"

"No! You're okay." Sakura consoled him, "I won't let anything happen to you."

"...h-he killed them." His voice cracked. Exhausted, his head dropped and he lost consciousness again.

He was definitely in bad shape, Sakura determined. She wrapped him in a tight, sympathetic hug before hooking his arms in her own. She pulled him away from the center of the road and over to a low porch. Sakura laid him flat, supposing that she would not be able to get him away from the estate by herself. To leave and find help may also be dangerous.

'This is terrible. He just wanted to be friends with us and exchange jutsu…show us his home…' Sakura thought sadly, 'Why did the day he met us turn out to be his worst day?'

In spite of the horrible massacre that had taken place, Sasuke had at least made one friend. In the brief moments he had woken to inquire about his safety, Sakura's face was immediately engraved in his mind and associated with care and protection. While he had forgotten a detail or two about his brother; Sakura, at least, remained.

Sakura deliberated on how to act next. She willed herself not to cry, although she knew how she would feel if she had come home to find her family murdered. Keeping her composure was no easy task. She needed help, but she was unsure of how she was going to get it. It was still unclear if the danger had passed, 'Sasuke is hurt but he's alive…did the killer leave like he said?'

They had only just met and it felt like a piece of her had been forcibly ripped away, and all she wanted to do was sit there and hold the Uchiha boy, and pray that somehow they could leave the compound alive.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry that this happened to you." Her words were quiet, "I'm sure you and your family didn't deserve it. I hope whoever did it pays…and I am sorry that I may not be able to get you away from here."

She felt the soft raven spikes of his hair brush against her hand while she attempted to fortify her nerves. His breaths were quiet. Sakura surveyed the area thoughtfully before she stood up.

"I'll go as fast I can and get you some help!" She was determined, "Hang in there! I'll be back."

"Come on Haku! Wake up!" Naruto shook Haku by the shoulders, attempting to revive him.

The farm boy had passed out after he had seen the dead bodies lining the street, and Naruto had sat there, frantically trying to wake him up.

It wasn't working.

"This is bad." Naruto looked around and shuddered, "All of these people..."

Haku was deathly pale, and the way he had freaked at the macabre scene hadn't made Naruto feel any more at ease.

'Haku may be smart and strong, but...' The blonde shook his head, 'Jeez, he just totally flipped out!'

He was about ready to 'flip out' as well. Naruto had never been acquainted with death before, and he wasn't sure how he should handle it. He could throw up in an effort to relieve his anxiety like Haku had, or he could run around like Sasuke and Sakura and hope that this was all a bad dream.

Neither option seemed very appealing to him.

"Where did Sakura-chan and Sasuke go anyway?" Naruto frowned.

The thought had crossed his mind that they could be in danger or something worse. He could not do much about it with Haku out of commission

He propped Haku up in a sitting position against a wall and sat down next to him, trying to avoid the sight of all the lifeless people down the road. Naruto felt bile rise in his throat, maybe he was going to be sick like Haku.

His nausea immediately passed when he saw Sakura sprint down the street towards him. Naruto grinned in relief and jumped to his feet.

"Hey! Where did you go?" He raised his eyebrows, "Sasuke isn't with you?"

Sakura gave him an update, "Sasuke needs help. He's alright but he's unconscious and I can't move him…"

Naruto glanced over to Haku, who was still out cold, "I know that feeling. Haku's been out too but I don't know if we can just leave him here…man this is annoying."

Sakura crossed her arms and tapped her foot while she thought. How terribly inconvenient that only two people were awake and functioning! Only one solution came to mind.

"Naruto-kun, I need you to do something very important okay?" Sakura spoke up in a strange take-charge sort of voice.

He looked at her, responding to her confidence.

"I'll stay here. I'm going to keep trying to wake Haku up and maybe he can help me get Sasuke out of here. If not…we can just wait for help." She explained, "But I need you to go find Hokage-sama as fast as you can and tell him what happened here!" Sakura's command was straightforward enough and he understood.

"You've got to be careful, okay Sakura-chan? We don't know if it's safe yet." Naruto replied, "But I will! I'll hurry, you can count on it!"

And he was off at top speed. Thank goodness for that boundless energy of his…

She kneeled down beside Haku and began tapping his cheeks with wake-up slaps.

'Hurry back, Naruto. I'm not sure what happened…but this could be bad for the entire village…'