𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 || sasusaku

Chapter Ten: Mission Concludes

The last time Sakura felt helpless was when Sasuke left the Village when they were twelve. It was the time when she felt as if she was the weakest person in Konoha to not be able to stop the boy she love from walking towards the dark path. She ran after him. Always being left behind, trying to catch up while unconsciously placing all the burden on Naruto. And when she finally realized the burden Naruto had to carry, she decided to get stronger so she could fight on her own.

It was during the War when she felt like she was no longer the same young kunoichi. It was the time when she finally got tired of looking at he back of her two teammates because it was their turn to look on her back. Since then she never felt helpless. She knew she could fight alongside them, in battle, guarding each other's backs.

Since then she never felt helpless.

Until now.

There were seven men, grown up and twice her size. She was battling four of them, giving no sign of weakness and destroying them utterly with her bare hands. She did well showing her brute strength. She is, after all, a kunoichi of the Hidden Leaf, survivor of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, disciple of the Fifth Hokage.

There is no way she would lose a fight with half-baked, amateur bandits whose big bulky bodies are just for show.

That's right. She knew she could win.

Until their leader got a hold of Kanao. His hand holding a nasty scimitar with the blade in front of Kanao's neck.

"One more move and I'll decapitate her." The leader threatened.

Sakura knew well than to follow his threat. But while she was busy assessing the openings to deliver a blow towards the leader, someone put a cloth on her nose and mouth. Her utter surprise made her gasp and she smelled the liquid on the cloth that can make a grown man unconscious in just a sniff.

When Sakura came into, it was already dark. Her hands were tied behind her back tightly and as it wasn't enough, her waist was also tied around a tree.

Once her vision cleared, she saw Kanao tied up, her big eyes stained with tears.

"You bastards!" Sakura's teeth grit in anger. "Can't you see the little girl's hurt? Loosen the rope around her wrist or I swear once I get out of this you'll be seeing the sun tomorrow with half lidded black eyes."

The leader cackled up, a very sickening laugh that made Sakura gagged. "So the rumors are true. Haruno Sakura of Konoha. Such a fine young lady with brute strength hiding behind those porcelain skin. You damn bitch broke four of my men's jaws and shoulders."

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, her eyes firmly on the leader as she concentrated into untangling the rope around her wrist.

"We don't need anything from you. But what we do need, is something from the young man you are with."

Sakura frowned, half in concentration and half in thought about what the leader said. The young man she's with. Sasuke? Who do they need with him?

"We can't afford to fight the man head on. So what do you do when you wanted to catch a big fish?" The leader walked towards Sakura, his big hand cupping her cheeks tightly.

"We use tiny fish as bait." The moment he said it, the rope around Sakura's wrist loosened. It gave her enough strength to snap the rope around her waist and kicked the man's chin. She made sure to kick it hard so the man would lose his balance and it would render him from moving for a few minutes.