ReTurn

Chapter 10: To Experience Another's Anger and the Seeds of Suspicion

Startled, Sakura stiffened at the familiar voice, and turned around to calmly meet Sasuke's gaze.

"Yes?" she stammered.

"Kakashi sent me to tell you we're about to head out," he reported. "Just wanted to let you know. What are you doing?"

Sakura shook her head as she walked across the room. "Nothing. Come on, let's go," she said and Sasuke stood aside, so she could pass him.

As she walked down the hall, square shouldered, Sasuke's gaze trailed after her. That memory flashed in Sasuke's mind and replayed.

FLASHBACK TIME: A few hours before Sakura awoke, after the battle.

When they finally got to Tazuna's house, after discussing with his daughter, she lead them to the extra rooms and allowed them to put Sakura and Kakashi in a different room, so she could treat their injuries. Sasuke and Naruto would have offered to help, but there wasn't much they could do. The didn't know what to do.

Several minutes later, Tsunami reported to them that Kakashi had a sprained ankle and that he just needs rest, but Sakura was a different case. The wound on her shoulder would need more time to heal, and because of the gash on her shoulder, she had lost a lot of blood. Tsunami told them that she would only be able to clean the wound with rubbing alcohol before it could get infected, but other than that, she couldn't do anything else.

As Tsunami went to gather her supplies, Sasuke left Naruto snoring in the living room to check on Sakura. Quietly entering her room, Sasuke made his way to the far side of the room, where Sakura's futon laid. He kneeled down at her side and gazed down at her peaceful face. Then his dark eyes trailed down from her pale face to her shoulder. His gentle gaze turned into a hard glare as he looked upon the bandaged wound.

Sakura's hurt and it's all my fault, he thought angrily. He clenched his hands on his lap into tight fists, gritting his teeth. He was furious at himself. First, he stumbled and almost died. Second, he let Sakura sacrifice herself for him and become critically injured. Lastly, he felt weak and reckless!

And Uchihas are not weak or reckless.

He continued to glare down at her bandaged shoulder, glaring even harder when he noticed the blood starting to seep through and stain the gauze, a scarlet splotch slowly growing bigger and bigger. Where was Miss Tsunami?

But how could Sakura defeat Zabuza?

Now the thought of Sakura's newly discovered  strength invaded Sasuke's mind.

Sasuke had seen the way she had fought and he still was in shock. Sakura was stronger, smarter, more logical, more mature. She hadn't bothered to ask him out in weeks! It just didn't make sense to him.

The Old Sakura, the one he knew in the Academy, was bubbly, confident, and easily angered. The Old Sakura was innocent. She hadn't been corrupted to the harsh truth that is reality. She never felt the stinging of an injury, the hurt of betrayal from someone you trusted, the loneliness of loosing someone you loved. That Sakura was full of pure light, she was like the spring.

And he liked that.

This, New Sakura though, was like the winter, dark clouds hiding the sky. New Sakura was quieter, mysterious, and logical. She didn't whine, she acted on instinct and put herself to work. She was actually being...

A great shinobi.

She was still confident, but unlike Old Sakura, New Sakura was harder to read, like she put up walls so no one knew what she was thinking. Actually, he couldn't tell what she was thinking at all.