Chapter 22

A choked sound left Sakura's mouth as she stared, wide-eyed, at the blade Obito held embedded in her stomach. The pain was so great that she struggled to comprehend it.

"I meant it when I said I hadn't wished for things to end this way. If only you were less observant or a better actress."

Trembling hands lifted to encircle his hand around the knife's hilt, her nails digging into his skin as the woman tried to inhale.

"You know you'll bleed out faster if I take it out. Is that what you want? You might not live long enough to see Madara die."

Sakura's teeth gritted at the mention of her downed boyfriend, fire igniting within her veins as the rage finally snapped. With strength even she was surprised by, the woman tore the knife from her abdomen and Obito's hand before swiftly reaching behind her in a stabbing motion. The blade punctured the man's shoulder so she could slip from his grasp.

Stumbling forward and turning to face her foe, Sakura kept as firm a grip as possible on the bloody weapon. The stab wound on her midsection was bleeding heavily, and her free hand pressing against it did little to change that.

"Color me impressed. Here, I thought you'd be in too much pain to move." Obito pointed the gun he'd taken at her, using his uninjured arm, "If you want to say goodbye to Madara, I won't shoot you. Go ahead. You're dying anyway."

'He's right. If paramedics aren't called in the next few minutes, I'll die.' The green-eyed young woman's body was positively vibrating with agonizing pain, but it was nothing compared to the hatred fueling her forward, 'If I'm dying anyway, I'll protect Madara. I'll take this bastard out with me.'

With that thought in mind, Sakura lunged forward, dashing to the right instantly to successfully dodge the surprised gunshot the dangerous man before her took. Then, she tackled him to the ground, bringing the knife down toward his face with all her might. Obito dropped the gun and grabbed her forearm just in time for the blade not to touch.

Through gritted teeth, he said, "You're just as crazy as the rumors say."

Blood, tasting of iron, met the woman's throat and then her tongue as she struggled to overpower the man, shaking heavily as her life force poured from her stomach wound onto him. Tears dripped down her cheeks and nose to land on his face as she panted for breath.

Obito looked genuinely surprised by her efforts, but it still wasn't enough. In a blink, she was on her back, and he was holding the quickly stolen knife to her neck, "Quit being stubborn and pass out already. I haven't seen someone struggle this much in years."

Sakura choked on the blood rising in her throat, the deep red substance dripping down the sides of her face from the corners of her mouth as she glared at her attacker. Her voice was hoarse and hardly understandable, but she still said, "Fuck you."

The edges of her vision had already become blurry. It wouldn't be long before she'd faint.

Just as the woman was about to accept her fate, a large hand grabbed Obito's jaw, another landing atop his head. Then, his neck was snapped in an instant, and he fell sideways off of her body. Behind him knelt a heavily sedated Madara, fighting tooth and nail to remain upright.

'How'd he come out of it so quickly? It's barely been five minutes!'

"Sakura, Baby, tell me what to do," his voice was surprisingly calm, as was his face, but the terror in his eyes was undeniable.

~

The woman on the floor looked like a corpse the moment he laid eyes on her. When he woke, he heard her curse Tobi, or Obito, so he thought she was fine, but that was not the case.

'There's so much blood.'

Madara's thoughts whirled uncontrollably, each more panicked than the last. His body acted on auto-pilot as he tore her shirt away from the wound and applied pressure. Tears welled in his eyes when she weakly lay a hand atop his.

'She's already accepted it.' The warm look on Sakura's face made him want to be sick with grief.

"...you....can't...." It wasn't the voice of the love of his life. It was too choked and harsh.

Only one choice might save her, and it wasn't even a for-sure thing, but Madara didn't care. He'd even trade places with her if he could, so, with the hand not pressuring the stab wound, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number he prayed was still in service.

To his relief, a familiar, deep voice answered after only one ring, "Speak."

The Uchiha man said the house's address, then ordered, "Send your best medics. I need them here right now."

"...Understood."

The line died, then, and Madara let the device fall to the blood-stained carpet as he leaned over Sakura, who was inches from losing consciousness. He could see it in the faraway glint in her eyes.

His voice cracked as he pressed his forehead to hers, "Don't give up yet." The woman didn't react, making him pull back and realize she'd finally fainted. Her green eyes were shut, which was a good sign. If they'd remained open, it'd mean she was dead.

Multiple loud footsteps came from the staircase maybe three minutes later, and he straightened his spine to see two familiar faces and one new one. Kakuzu knelt beside Sakura's body, "Move. You'll just get in our way." The stranger carried a large box, likely filled with medical supplies.

Having no choice but to trust the high-risk help he'd summoned, Madara got to his feet and let the two men try to save his dying girlfriend. "You understand that you owe us whether or not she lives, correct?"

The Uchiha man glared at Obito's dead body nearby, "How much did you offer him for us?"

"Four million."

"I'm flattered."

Pein's purple eyes remained focused on his subordinates, "Was disposing of Danzo always your plan?" Pein is Yahiko's twin brother or was since Yahiko died. 

Madara responded, brow furrowing when the green-haired, yellow-eyed stranger began preparing a large blood bag for a transfusion, "I'm not talking about this right now." The Uchiha "ghost's" reputation as a man of little words and a lot of action preceded him because the intimidating orange-haired man remained silent after that.

~

Sakura groaned, eyes creeping open only slightly before squeezing closed again because a wave of nausea threatened to make her sick.

'I can't feel any pain. Was it just a dream?' When the woman tried to lift her arm to put a hand over her eyes, there was a tug, which successfully woke her the rest of the way. 'No, that's definitely an IV. I'm probably on painkillers.'

The undeniable sound of a door opening and closing nearby met her ears, followed by approaching footsteps and an unfamiliar voice, "You're awake."

She swallowed, her throat incredibly dry, but said, "Where is Buki?" Even in her sedated state, their identities needed to remain hidden, especially since she wasn't in a position to defend herself.

"Madara is asleep at your bedside."

"...Who are you? You look familiar." 'They know his name, so they probably know mine, too.'

It was a low, dark voice that responded. It made her a little uncomfortable, "Pein. I believe you met my twin brother, Yahiko. I'm the reason you're alive."

'Ah, I see it now. They have subtle differences.' Sakura's eyes crept open again and blinked to clear the foggy vision, "Why?"

Purple eyes locked onto hers as she turned her head. The man was tall and lean with dozens of piercings, pale skin, and orange hair. His face was as serious as his voice, "Madara requested it."

The woman tried to sit up to verify the Uchiha man was at her side, but the man lifted a hand, "You can't feel it, but your wound was quite serious. If you move, do so with extreme care."

Nodding, Sakura carefully sat up, looking over to see Madara sitting with his arms crossed over the edge of the bed, his head resting against them as he slept. His long hair was messy and fell over his shoulders freely. Dark bags were under his eyes, and his skin lacked some of its usual color.

'How long was I out? I bet he's been worried sick.'

"You've been unconscious for eight days. My medics warned you may not wake at all, so this is unexpected," Pein's expression didn't betray any emotion.

"Who are you really?" The woman asked, wishing the Uchiha man was closer so she could reach him with her free hand.

"I'm your boyfriend's new boss." Sakura's eyes darted back up to Yahiko, narrowing. She didn't need to ask because he explained, "My men's help doesn't come free. He knew that when he called. We agreed he'll work for me until he's paid back the four million dollars Obito stole from us."

Sakura felt dizzy but still said disgustedly, "You're another Danzo."

The orange-haired man didn't acknowledge the insult, instead saying, "Speaking of Danzo, I wish to extend my thanks for being rid of him. I've tried to get a man on the inside for years," he lifted a sleek brow but otherwise remained stoic as before, "It turns out all I needed to do was find an inexperienced, stupid girl."

She didn't allow the jab to hurt her feelings, instead glancing down at Madara and lowering her voice, "I know you're dangerous and won't hesitate to kill me, but just know that if you try to use him as Danzo did, you'll end up dead, too, one way or another."

"You really are an ignorant girl, threatening someone like me in your state," Pein scoffed, the slightest bit of surprise meeting his features. After a moment, his lips tugged into a hint of a smirk, amusement warming his deep voice, "I suppose you'd need to be insane to entangle yourself with a man like The Ghost."

"I'll take that as a compliment." The woman hadn't heard Madara referred to like that before and was still a bit curious about just how dangerous he was since he obviously intimidated powerful men like Danzo and this Yahiko guy, but didn't want to admit that aloud.

With her green eyes turned onto her sleeping boyfriend, she changed the subject in a softer voice, "Will you let me help repay the four million? I have medical training. I can be useful."

"That was never a question. You owe us your life, after all," he turned and began walking toward the door, "Rest while you can. That debt won't deal with itself."

Author's note: Sorry for the shorter chapter! This past month or two has been crazy irl. I believe things will calm down again in a week or two, so please bear with me until then.

Thanks again for reading!