***

She did not just make a pun.

Oh, but she did.

Had this been another, much more, appropriate timing, C would have cackled.

Especially at the miniscule faltering expressions that kept flickering across the Uchiha's face.

They were bloody priceless.

Maybe, if he'd met Sakura in different circumstances, C would have immediately told the Haruno girl that he loved her.

Not to say that she isn't growing on him now, but the heavy tension between the duo, solemnly reminds C to sit back, and watch it unravel.

***

Her heart was beating so fast, and so damn loudly, she was afraid everyone within a ten mile radius could hear it.

Sakura was angry, frightened-- hopeful, of all things-- and last but not least ready to give sasuke a piece of her mind. Especially when he came through that door and demanded for one of them to get up. Turned out to be her, surprisingly.

Which skyrocketed her anger, even further.

Her pun wasn't intentional, but she saw the chance and took it.

Childish, yes.

But her petty self was so pleased that she didn't have the heart to discipline herself.

It was the first time she felt so alive since being, embarrassingly, kidnapped.

Even better though, was the raw and genuine emotions that flickered, and flared then plunged into the swirl of the sharingan.

Sakura grinned, unable to help it.

Totally worth it.

And everything went pitch black.

***

Sasuke was at his breaking point.

Anymore of this, and he would probably, most likely-- after defeating Naruto and the leaf-- would jump off a cliff. Literally.

The fuck.

He expected something like this from Naruto or one of the weaklings from konoha.

Not diligent, stuck up, over-the-top Sakura Haruno.

Since when have you not considered her a weakling?

Sasuke wouldn't write her off just yet.

Not after what Kabuto told him.

But goddamn he will break some bones. Hers or his, still undecided.

As he looks into his sharingan-- a batshit fucking crazy thing to do-- he sees her grin (-memories resurface. Younger faces. Ponds and weeds. Cats in trees and catching flying puppies. The satisfaction of completing dumb and useless missions. Sakura and Naruto grinning because finally- finally no more bloody D-ranks. Sasuke allows himself to quietly smirk too. They'd been a pretty great team.)

Quickly, he snaps her out of the shackles and catches her form before she can fall, and throws her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Before leaving, he glances over his shoulder at her cellmate-- C-- he distinctly remembers her calling his name.

"You saw none of this."

The cell door closes with a thump.

***

"That was an entertaining twist of events." White zetsu comments. "Should we report it to them?"

"No," Black zetsu shakes his head, "let this play out. I have a feeling it will only get more interesting. Also, he probably knows by now."

***