Well, this is my first time posting a story. This is original as far as I know. If anyone feels I've copied, just send me an email or something and we'll work something out. I admit that the beginning will have a lot of fluff, but later chapters should have more drama, fighting, possible lemon if I feel led that way, etc. This is my first one, so I'm trying all types of various things trying to get a feel for things. Any tips or ideas or comments are greatly appreciated. and with that, please enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 1: Dawn of a new day

As morning comes, and the first rays of sunlight pierce through the opening of a large tent, an emerald eyed kunoichi slowly starts to wake.

Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she leans back to stretch her weary body. It had been a long night, a lot of injuries, a lot of deaths. She could remember the screams, the blood, and the tears that had been shed just hours ago. She reached up and wiped some of the dirt and dried blood from her face. She laughed to herself, remembering how she was one of the most desirable kunoichi in all of the village, but right now she didn't look like it.

The red sleeve-less top that she wore was tattered, and covered with dirt and blood. She wore black riding that was covered by a tan skirt which had pouches for her medical supplies, that were in the same condition. Her normally flower pink hair was now dark, knotted together with dried blood. She tried to clean herself up, but to no avail. She sighed, this wasn't her, normally she was a lot cleaner than this, this wasn't the normal Sakura Haruno.

Sakura shook her head, and decided to look around and see who else was in the tent, the make-shift hospital. In the far corner sat her rival, and her closest friend, Ino Yamanaka. Ino and Sakura had been very close, best friends actually, before being torn apart by a rivalry over a boy, Sasuke Uchiha. They fought constantly trying to get his attention, though he never cared. Eventually Sasuke had run away, leaving Konoha, leaving them. Since that time they both have become close again, forgetting their rivalry over someone that, they realized, never really deserved their love and care in the first place.

Ino sat near one of her comrades whom she had been desperately trying to save the night before. The boy, no, the man had tried to protect Ino. Ino desperately tried to save him, pouring all of her chakra into him. Eventually, she was able to stabilize his condition. In the process she claimed that she has grown to love him. Before passing out, Chouji was one of the happiest men on the planet. Now he laid unconscious in the cot next to Ino.

Behind Sakura sat her sensei, Tsunade, the Hokage of Konohagakure no sato. She was fast asleep next to a white haired old man, Jiraiya. Jiraiya and Tsunade were both a part of the Sannin, three of the most powerful shinobi in all the Hidden Villages. Jiraiya lay motionless, his body and face covered with bandages. Jiraiya had faced off against the other Sannin, Orochimaru. It had been a long fight, but Jiraiya finally came out on top, severing the snake sannin's head.

Looking at them, and remembering how Tsunade tried to save the perverted old Sannin, she knew that deep down Tsunade had deep feelings for him.

The only other person in the tent was the person she had tried to save, the person that had protected her, the person that deep down she had feeling for.

The blond haired shinobi laid pale, lifeless almost, his body covered with scars. Looking down at him with tears coming to her eyes as she remembered what had taken place just three days ago.

--Flashback--

Naruto and Sakura ran towards the fighting brothers. Itachi and Sasuke were fighting to the death. Neither one clearly holding the upper hand. Both opponents seemed equal.

"You've improved little brother, but you're still weak. It's time that I finished this reunion."

"You bluff, you're not that powerful."

Itachi's eyes changed, taking form of a shuriken, "Mangekyou Sharingan."

The battle immediately turned in Itachi's favor, Sasuke started losing. He could no longer keep up with his brother's movements. Itachi knocked the sword from Sasuke's hand and in one fluid motion pinned him to a wall by his throat. Sasuke struggled, trying to break free from his brothers hold, but to no avail. Sasuke looked into his brother's eyes, and noticed what looked like black fire dancing in his eyes.

Naruto and Sakura had ducked behind a building about 40 yards away and were watching as their former companion was pinned hopelessly to a wall.

"Naruto, we have to save Sasuke."

"Dammit, why is he losing! If he loses I'll kick his ass!"

"Naruto, baka, we're supposed to save Sasuke." Sakura elbowed Naruto in the ribs, somewhat calming the blond down.

"Oh, right...Hey, I got an idea...I have a technique that Ero-Sannin taught me, thought I'm not supposed to use it because I haven't mastered it yet, that would let me save -teme"

"How can you use it if you haven't mastered it yet?"

"Well, I can use it, but if I do there's a possibility that I might hurt myself."

"Naruto...I don't think you should."

"I have to, we don't have a choice. And besides, I promised that I would bring Sasuke back to you. It's the promise of a lifetime, and I'll die before breaking a promise, especially to you Sakura-chan."

"Naruto..." Tears started to come to Sakura's eyes.

"Well, here goes nothing." Naruto jumped out of his hiding place, with a strange kunai in his hands. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he threw it at Itachi.

Itachi had his back towards the Konoha shinobi, and was about to finish off Sasuke, seeming to be completely unaware of their presence.

As it neared Itachi, he moved his head and the kunai embedded itself into Sasuke's shoulder.

Naruto started forming a Rasengan in his hand and...vanished.

Sakura just stared, somewhat confused. 'What was that technique?'

She looked towards Itachi and Sasuke and saw Naruto standing in between the two.

Itachi barely had anytime at all to react before Naruto finished the attack he had been forming.

"Fuuton Rasengan!" Naruto rammed the glowing sphere into Itachi's stomach. Itachi winced from the pain, before a great wind knocked Sasuke and even Sakura (who wasn't even near them) a good distance away.

Naruto stood in the center of a large crater, a deformed Itachi pinned underneath him. Cuts covered the Akatsuk's body, his body appeared as if it was ready to fall apart.

"hOw, sO FaSt..."

"Shunshin no jutsu...My father, the Yondaime invented that technique to protect people who were precious to him...Sasuke is like a brother to me, and I won't let you hurt him anymore."

Naruto turned and started slowly walking towards Sasuke. A kunai was sticking out of his left shoulder, 'Heh, that was a little close, he almost got me.'

Sakura came running over to the blond shinobi, she immediately noticed the kunai. Naruto raised his hands and waved her off.

"I'm fine...just a little tired, check Sasuke-teme."

Sakura stopped, and hit Naruto, hard across the top of his head.

"Ow! Sakura-chan! What was that for?"

"Baka! Don't worry me like that! You could have...have...died" Sakura said, with tears streaking down her face. Naruto noticed she was staring at the kunai in his shoulder.

"Ehhh! Sorry Sakura-chan, please don't cry!" Naruto reached his hands toward the kunoichi in an attempt to calm her, only to have his hands knocked away by the teary-eyed kunoichi.

"No, stop. I have to tell you something. I should have told you a long time ago, back when we were with Yamato-taichou and Sai. I...I realized something. I know that you made that promise, but I don't want you to keep it. Not if it means that...that i might lose you."

Naruto just stood there with a confused look on his face.

"Naruto...I...I..."

"You bastard." came a ragged voice from behind them.

Sakura and Naruto turned to see Sasuke standing near them, sword drawn.

"You killed my brother...you-you took my revenge from me...you made me look, WEAK!" Spitting the last word as if it were poison.

"I'll make you pay, and you will pay dearly. I'll take your dreams, the things that you hold and want more than anything. And you will suffer, and I will exact my revenge upon you, and I'll start with her."

Sasuke turned toward Sakura, sword raised, and charged toward her.

'Shit. I have to do something!'

Sakura stood there, confused, not knowing what was going on. She quickly shut her eyes, trying to make it all disappear. 'This isn't happening, I'm just imagining things. I'm tired, that's all.'

She opened her eyes and noticed Sasuke standing in front of her, swinging his sword at her. She brought her arms up and braced herself for the blow, and at the last second Naruto flashed in front her. The sword cut Naruto from his right shoulder down to his left hip, blood gushing from the open wound.

"Naruto...NO!!!!"

Sasuke stared at Naruto, and in a rage, continued to hack into Naruto's back, Naruto just stood there, his blue eyes never breaking from their hold on Sakura..

"Naruto, Stop! Please!"

"I'm sorry Sakura-chan, but I can't. I won't let him hurt you. I'll die before I let him hurt you." Naruto flashed her a fox-like grin, before turning his head towards the Uchiha, "You hear that, you bastard. If you even look at her wrong, brother or not, I'll kill you."

"NARUTO!!!" Kakashi, Neji, and Shino were sprinting towards the three shinobi, kunai drawn, looks of shock and anger across their face.

"Heh...well, this should be interesting then." Sasuke stood up, and wiped the blood from his face. " I'll spare you this time, but I will come back to finish this,it's the promise of a lifetime. Until then dobe."

Sasuke rammed the sword through Naruto's back, piercing through his stomach, "Chidori Nagashi!" Electricity pulsed from Sasuke's body, through his sword. Naruto's skin blackened, a strong smell of blood and burnt flesh immediately filling the air.

Naruto screamed, Sakura was crying, and Sasuke vanished.

--End Flashback--

Sakura gently rolled Naruto over and checked his wounds. His back was covered by many scars, some places hadn't even healed yet, being held together by crude stitches. Naruto had never scarred before, the Kyuubi always healed him. It had always taken only one day for Naruto to completely heal. Sakura crudely wiped her tears away with her arm, as she gently laid Naruto back down. She didn't understand what was going on with Naruto, but she would do all she can to help him.

"Sakura, you should go get cleaned up, he'll be fine."

Sakura looked up to see Jiraiya looking at her, smiling through the various bandages around his head.

"He'll be ok. His healing has just slowed down because he's used up too much chakra. You and the other girls just go out and relax, I'll keep an eye on him and Chouji."

"Hai. Arigato Jiraiya-sama." Sakura bowed slightly to the Sannin, before going to wake up Ino and Tsunade. She quickly led the two groggy medics out of the tent and guided them towards the bath house that had been built. As the kunoichi left, the blond eyed shinobi opened one eye slightly and watched them walk away.

Sakura remembered how the bath house was made. Yamato-taichou used his Mokuton jutsu to create the bath house, and Jiraiya-sama used the last bit of his chakra to summon two toads to heat the water in the womens side and the mens. Konoha may be in a war, but people can still have to get cleaned up. After all, a clean and healthy ninja is better prepared to fight. At least, that was her excuse to go and take a long hot bath.

Konoha...it's seems like a dream. Well, more like a nightmare. Konoha is no more. It was destroyed in the war against the Sound and Akatsuki. There were a lot of injuries, a lot of deaths. Kurenai was among one of the many shinobi that died. Though, she passed with a smile. The last thing she said before she died was, "Asuma, I'm be there soon." She remembered watching Chouji defend Ino as she tried to heal their injured comrades. Even though he was injured himself, he still protected her. She watched as Neji followed TenTen closely, making sure nothing happened to her, as Kiba and Akamaru took a barrage of kunai to keep them from hitting Hinata.

It was strange, but even in times of war, there was still a strong bond holding them all together. A love that made the shinobi preserve through even the bloodiest of battles.

She watched as Gai and Kisame faced off, and how Kisame eventually took the upper hand and mortally wounded the ever smiling, handsome beast of Konoha. She remembered as an enraged Lee finished off Kisame, and watching him cry as Gai congratulated him at becoming a greater ninja than he could ever hope to be, before he died in Lee's arms. She remembered watching Lee cry, as he had achieved his dream, but lost a father figure, lost his best friend.

Akatsuki is no more. All but Itachi had died in the initial battle, and Naruto finished off Itachi, the last surviving member, in the final hours the war. Sakura could remember how Naruto smiled at her after he defeated Itachi, and she remembered how he smiled while protecting her from Sasuke.

'How could I ever care about someone so heartless...I thought I loved him, but, maybe not. But if it wasn't love, then what was it?'

Sakura was broken from her thoughts as Tsunade spoke up, speaking as if she knew exactly what she was thinking.

"It's strange, isn't it, how in the desperate times, when you need help the most. The one person you never expected in the least is the person that comes to your rescue."

It was odd hearing Tsunade talk like this. She was a very strong and independent woman. Or, at least she acted like one. In the tent while they were trying to stabilize the condition of the shinobi closest to them, Tsunade told Sakura what had happened to Jiraiya in more detail. She and Jiraiya had faced off against Orochimaru, and had defeated him. As Jiraiya cleaved the Snake Sannin's head off, thousands of snakes exploded from his body, each snake with a sword coming from it's mouth. Both Tsunade and Jiraiya were almost out of Chakra, and had no time to counter the Snake sannins final attack.

Right before the attack reached them, Jiraiya stepped in front of Tsunade and took the brunt of the attack. Tsunade, struggling to keep her tears back, couldn't help but yell at the old pervert. Jiraiya just smiled, and said "I may be a pervert, but I have enough sense to protect a lady with my life, even if she is a drunk...and completely sucks at gambling." Jiraiya fell unconscious, and Tsunade rushed to his side. She checked for his pulse, and listened to him breath steadily. She smiled, though strange as he is, she didn't think she could go on if she knew the old pervert had died. "Arigato, Jiraiya-kun." She said softly, as she carried him out of the battle field.

Walking towards the bath house, looking at all the tents, it brought a tear to her eyes. To see all the orphaned children, with bandages and crutches. To see adults, who though they were injured, still tried to create a home for their families. Even though they were broken, the spirit of fire still burned in them, and they persevered. They would make it through this.

(A/N): Well, that's it for my first chapter. I've got the next two already typed. As of now, I plan on this being a lengthy story so that I can try various things just to get the experience. So, R & R. Thanks in advance, peace to you all.