A changed path

Chapter 22

A/N I'm so sorry for not updating in forever. My phone has been bugging out a lot, and a lot of school work, you know? I'm like, one hundred times sorry!

Everyone turned their heads towards the voice. It was a young boy, bags so dark around his eyes, they were black. His red hair was cut short, and a red symbol lay one his forehead. "Naruko!" The peanut shaped jug on his back was as large as him, and he had the symbol of the sand village.

The boy ran up to Naruko, who was trying to reach out to him. Rage filled his tired eyes, "Let go of her!" He flung off those who didn't move when told, and glared at others. The boy held Naruko's face in his hands. "I'm here, Naruko. Calm down. You can stop crying now," the still unknown boy whispered sweet nothing in her ears, trying to calm the tears. "Who hurt you, Naruko. You can tell me," she sniffled softly. Naruko hesitantly pointed at Neji. And she snapped her eyes away from him. The boy glared in anger. You could cut the tension with a butter knife at this point.

"So, you hurt her. You're the guy she told me cheated on her." Neji swallowed his fear, a lump still settled deep in his stomach.

"Who're you to know and care." The intense glare caused Neji to look away.

"I'm practically her brother," the red-head glared. "And I am Garra of the village hidden in the sand." The whole group swallowed down their fear. As he probably controlled an element related to sand. Or sand itself. Only Hinato controlled the element of water. And the focus of his clan is earth. So if they agitated him, they'd all be done for.

"I'm sorry, but this is on a topic a whole entirely different from whatever lovers' quarrel or drama that has you agitated right now." Sasuke of course, the only one who has the nerve to piss off someone who has the advantage right now. He's already pissed enough.

"Well, whatever it is, it obviously has something to do with Naruko. And she has been with me since I was only six years old," he glared at everyone who had pinned Naruko down. "And I don't really appreciate you pinning my Naruko down. She was obviously helpless," Garra's voice started to rise. "For Kami's sake, she was crying! Was it really necessary to pin her down like that!" Garra had started to stand up at this point, sand leaking from the jug on to the floor, scattering seemingly harmlessly.

"Well then. You should've gotton your ass here sooner!" Sasuke also yelling at a loud volume. Sakura cowered behind Sasuke. She trembled when Garra's infuriated gaze landed on her. He saw her hair, then looked at Naruko's.

"What happened to her hair?" Garra's eyes were dull and hallow. "Who did this to her beautiful, sunny, golden, long licks if hair?" Shikamaru and Sasuke purposely pushed Sakura to the front. Everyone happy she was about to get what she deserved. Sakura looked about ready to burst into tears. Garra pointed at Sakura, then he signaled towards Naruko. "Did you do this to her hair?" Sakura slowly nodded. Flinching when he took a step foward. Then she was lifted off her feet by her hair, she was screaming and writhing in pain. Soon, whatever that was left of her stupidly pink hair would soon be gone.

Everyone could see strands and locks of her hair falling out, as Garra shook her like a rag doll. Sakura's eyes were sqeazed shut in pain, she luckily could not see her hair being yanked out from her head, and the blood that had started to drip from her scalp. Ino, being Ino, pitied her. They afterall, used to be the bestest of friends until Sasuke came along. And seeing how they cruely pushed her towards Garra, just wiped any platonic feelings that were left towards Sasuke. Sure, she needed a proper punishment, but this was not the punishment she had in mind.

Ino merely looked away, when Sakura had called out for help from anyone, and she covered her ears when her shrieks of pain became nonstop. It was absolutely horrible to listen to this. Ino just wanted to disappear, or for everything to rewind so that they could fix all of this and avoid all of this.

Sasuke may have pushed her up there himself with Shikamaru, he couldn't help but feel a tad bit of pity for Sakura. But he didn't deny that this is what she deserved, to have her hair ripped out to an extent where her scalp was bleeding from all the hair being ferociously ripped from her scalp. "Help me!" She screamed. Her cries were ear splitting, and Naruko seemed to be enjoying it all. She had a erry smile plastered on to her face, her eyes were hallow, but puffy at the same time, but something in her eyes gleamed insanity. It sent shivers down Sasuke's spine.

Garra's mind was merely red. All red. And Naruko knew this. She knew that no one could stop him, but her. Not even his blood-related siblings could stop him. This information made Naruko, happy. Errily happy that she knew she was the only one able to stop this from becoming a murder. To stop him from going over the edge and simply killing everyone in the room with them, heck, even the whole entire town if he were to go too far.

"Garra. That's enough," Naruko stood up. She dusted herself off as though everything was normal. "Put that thing down. You can take your leave now. I'm fine. They won't hurt me." Naruko whisperes gently as though she was whispering to a child. Stroking his red hair, Garra slowly let go of Sakura's, letting go whatever was left of her hair.

"Okay. But you must tell me whenever they make you cry,  okay?" Naruko nodded in reassurence. She smiled, her eyes crinkling at the edges. Her canines boasted themselves.

"I will. I promise."

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