The Return

Chapter 61

 The Flame of the Uchiha

Every fear Sasuke had, suddenly became a reality. His mind went blank as his wife cried out in the clearing. What should he do in a situation like this? Where should he take her? What should they do? There was no one around for miles!

"Ah! Shannaro! Damn it!" Sakura cried, grabbing his hand through the pain.

Good lord, her grip was strong! The pain of her grasp brought him back to his senses, though. The Hidden Grass. There was someone he knew from there. It was a desperate plan, but there was no time to think. He only hoped he didn't cause Sakura and Sarada more distress in the process.

"S-Sasuke" Sakura gasped, looking up at him desperately. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

"It'll be okay" he breathed, trying to reassure himself as well. "It'll all be okay." 

He took a deep breath and activated his Rinnegan. He thought about a certain person, the only one he trusted to help his wife in as desperate a situation as this. There was no time to get to the Leaf. Yes, it had to be her who delivered Sarada. Placing his arm protectively around his wife, he teleported them into the Hidden Sound.

They emerged in the woods near Orochimaru's main hideout. Damn, he thought. He meant to get them closer to the Northern Hideout, which was a good hour away.

"Ah!" his wife cried out, her knees buckling beneath her.

"Sakura!" he dropped down beside her. "We're almost there, just hold on." His voice rose in panic as he knew the situation was growing more serious. Would Sarada and Sakura be ok after all of this stress? No, he couldn't think like that. They would be fine; he'd make sure of it. Looking ahead, he knew what he had to do. They had to keep moving forward somehow.

Looking down at her face contorted with pain, he thought back to the Forest of Death. He remembered his run-in with Orochimaru so clearly. When the curse mark was placed on him, he felt like he was burning alive. It was the worst pain he'd ever felt. Even to this day, nothing could compare to that. Only Sakura had been there to help him at the time. Although scared, she was there for him when he needed it the most. She was the reason he survived that encounter, the reason why he was still here today. He remembered grasping her hand, just as she was reaching out for him now. It dawned on him that their roles were reversed this time. He had to help her despite the fear and anguish burning within him, as he watched her suffer. This was his moment to show her just how far he was willing to go for them both.

Without saying a word, he took Sakura's hand, despite his now sprained fingers, and fought through the pain before helping her up gently. Even though he only had one arm, he scooped her up, so she was curled against him. She wrapped her arms around him, accepting his help at that moment. She gave him a weak smile between labored breaths.

Looking ahead, he sprinted through the forest. Almost there, just a little further, he thought as his wife shook and tensed up against him. As she winced, he found himself holding her tighter, longing to take the burden away from her. Sarada, why? He thought as they continued onwards. Why are you coming to us so early? We should've had a full month to prepare for this at least. He thought about his wife. She was the type of person who thought of others more than herself. Could it be that he overlooked her iron intake? Could it be due to her anemia? If so, would that make Sarada's birth more difficult? His breathing got heavier as his thoughts began racing out of control. Shut up, I need to focus. But even so, he couldn't seem to bring his attention away from his wife no matter how hard he tried. 

"Sasuke?" a voice called out in the distance.

A figure emerged at the edge of the forest. "I thought I sensed your chakra. What's going on? Wait a minute...is that-?"