Dear Masashi Kishimoto,
Thank you.
~ ok I havent been keeping up with the series for the longest time ever, so consider this all AU because idk what the hell is going on anymore ok ~
Hi, I'm in dire need of a motivating Beta. PM me? c:
"When do you think he's coming back?" A once high pitch voice has now deepened with maturity. It hasn't changed much, for that slight rasp was still there which made it so recognizable. Naruto, once considered the vile scum of Konoha was now largely regarded as a top-notch ninja in the history scrolls. He was unsure as to where the question came out of. Only mere seconds ago were they enjoying the silence, an activity he only rarely partakes in for he was famous for his boisterous persona.
Sakura let out a bitter laugh of amusement. So many times she has been the one to ask that question, sitting around and hoping for what seemed like the impossible. Now she has a new question to answer with; "Who says he's even going to?"
"Sakura, you can't lose faith." Naruto pleaded, distress laced in his voice. It absolutely pained her to hear it. Her heart gave a squeeze as he stared up at her, his large ocean blue eyes sparkling in the sun with innocence despite the bloodshed he experienced many times before. This was a trait Sakura was genuinely surprised that he could retain, but one she loved so dearly. It took all the will power she had not to lift her hand and caress his cheek, willing away all his displeasure and hurt. How in the world would she try to do that when she could barely keep herself happy?
It's been three years since Sasuke Uchiha had abandoned his team, his friends, his village. Every day since then, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, former members of the once close-knit Team Seven visited the top of a hill. The bluff was so special to them, mostly Sakura, because it overlooked the gates of Konoha. The very gates he chose to leave, and quite possibly the ones he will one day enter. In the path of the gate was a horrid stone bench to which Sakura pointedly ignores every time they're up on their little spot. Her vivid green eyes would look over it's eroded surface, and she would try her hardest to shove aside the heartbreaking memories that came along with it.
Sakura's legs were dangling over the edge of the cliff, swinging to and fro to a silent beat. Her bottom was cushioned by the patch of grass, and was shielded by the sun by the tall tree behind her. The valley they sat at were keeping to its namesake, village of the leaves. It dipped down, straight into the forest that encircles and protects Konohagakure. Naruto's legs were crossed in front of him, him being more fearful of heights than his pink haired friend.
The two visited the spot not for the view, but in hopes that someday if he ever decides to return to his home, they'll be the first to see.
"I'm not losing faith." Sakura sighed, and angled her head to the sky, tearing her eyes off of the path that she'd been staring at for the past three, nearly four years. "Just becoming a bit more realistic. The annoying little Twelve year old in me can't help but wish."
Wish, wish, wish, that's all they ever did.
Naruto let a small smile grace his face, tanned from spending so much time in the sun training to get his team-mate back. His friend. Naruto worked himself to the bone so that he could get things to be like they used to. When the only thing they had to worry about is what kind of medieval torture Kakashi would bring upon them the next day for training. Whether it be some boring assignment that involved chores or if it be a life or death situation. When the two would playfully fight, rather then Sasuke constantly trying to rip apart his ex teammates throat apart. Back when life had two sides, good and bad. Not this complicated mess of things.
"I miss the old annoying you. She used to smile more."
That earned him a light punch on his shoulder.
"Are you implying I was annoying?" The corners of her lips twitched upwards, and the movement sat Naruto up.
"Smile." He leaned to her. "Please, smile." He was begging, but the tone of his voice didn't even reveal a fraction of how strongly he truly felt. His day would begin with the sight of it, and end with the conjured image from his fresh memories. Now he had to struggle to remember what it was like.
Sakura did it, though. She owed him that much.
"Good enough."
"That wasn't good enough for you?"
"No." Naruto deadpanned. Sakura twitched in annoyance. "It doesn't quite reach your eyes. They're still sad."
Sakura let her face relax into a straight line.
"I'm sorry." Sakura sighed, her voice low and her best friend could barely hear her with the wind. Naruto looked away from the gates, the gates he wished so badly to open and reveal the raven haired boy. "I'm sorry for not being good enough." She continued, her voice barely a decible above a whisper.
Naruto stood.
"No Sakura –" Begging, pleading, his voice was distorted with many emotions mixing into one. "You'll always be good enough. You're too good." Naruto's worry flared off, and he sat down as a comforting, but rather depressing thought dawned on him. One that he should have realized the second that Sakura was assigned with him on their first day of being a Genin.
"You're too good for this broken, jumbled up team."
Sakura's ears perked at his unusually melancholic words.
"No." she smirked. "I have every right to be in this team."
Naruto raised his eyebrow. In front of him was a girl with no flaws. Her intelligence, beauty and grace was something he, along with the rest of the village, admired and appreciated greately. How in the world would she belong in the same category as him and Sasuke?
"Why's that?"
"I'm just as broken and jumbled as all three of you!" She chirped. A smile that mirrored Sai's spread on her face. Not exactly true, but at least it let Naruto know her cheek muscles were capable of more than just a frown that she seems to wear a lot. It wasn't nearly as beautiful as the real deal, though.
Naruto raised his eyebrows at her strange musings.
"Maybe even more! I mean, come now! A boy with a beast in him, a sole survivor of his clan, A ninja who gauged his own team mate's eyes . . ." She laughed. It was, in his opinion, beautifully pained. The blonde's nose stung with the hint that he may cry soon, but he tried his hardest to swallow it down and put on a brave face. His emotions were the contrary, though. He wanted so badly to cry with her, to just hold her and cry like they did the first month that Sasuke left.
"Then there's the girl with the horrible temper, who's parent's disowned their only daughter just for being in the same team as the Jinchuriki and the traitor Uchiha!" She let her pent up anger flow freely now. In doing so her tense muscles began to loosen up, and it was as if this immense weight was lifting off her shoulders.
"'Being on their team is putting a bad image on our family name' they said! The nerve! And who am I? The girl who was the weakest of them all! Even though my parents weren't shinobi, I took on the job. No matter how many times they yelled at me. No matter how many times they told me I was going to die, I still did it. Not for Sasuke, thought I have to admit back then he was part of it…but for myself. I wanted to see what it was like outside of these walls keeping little, precious Konoha safe."
Naruto turned back to face the path once again. He listened, committing her heartfelt words into his brain, memorizing this small rant. He knew no one gave her enough credit. It's true, she's strong. Where he and Sasuke rose from the rubble of a tragic past, she was from nothing. From nothing she made something, and that is truly impossible.
"So now I know what's behind these walls." She sighed for the second time, her anger drifting off into something more mellow. "And I wish I never looked behind them."
With that, she stood.
"Ichiraku's?"
Naruto's sullen face brightened into a grin. "Yes please."
The intense, dismal emotions that swirled the vicinity quickly dispersed and was replaced with a unlax, eased feeling. The norm for them, and how it should always be. Naruto stood and dusted off his bright orange pants, a color that strangely suited him well. He scampered off ahead of his female friend, excitement fueling his newfound energy. "Oh, man I wonder which one I should get today!" and with that he began to start on his usual tangents, discussing his favorite bowl and whatnot. Sakura turned to follow him, trying her best to catch up to his fast paced conversation.
That is, until Sakura saw a staggering shadow make its way down his path.
"N – Naruto." She breathed. Her voice was soft and surprised. The said Jinchuriki container looked up at her. Following her perplexed stare, he turned his head.
"S – Sakura." He answered. He reluctantly turned his gaze away from the figure. It confused him far too much, and he wanted to look at her familiar face, if only for a moment. "Is it –?"
His pink haired teammate clenched her fists. "Let's go find out."
Pumping chalkra to her feet, Sakura jumped from her position, flinging herself down the cliff. Sakura soared, and for a fleeting moment it were as if she were flying. Her landing was imminent, and almost instantly she mounted onto a branch of a tree, ignoring the scratches she earned from her reckless act.
Naruto scrambled to catch up, the initial shock still wearing him down. He repeated her actions and managed to land right beside her. Simultaneously they jumped. They slammed the soles of their ninja sandals on the flimsy branches. It heaved under their weight, then retaliated when they moved on to the next one. Soon the forest began to thin out, and they were down to the last few that littered the vicinity. The two shinobi ran as fast as their legs could take them. The large amounts of chalkra they were using up burned their feet, but the pain was the last thing on their minds.
It didn't necessarily matter if Sasuke had come with a troupe of Sound ninjas, or if he was here to kill them both, or if the Hokage would have his head, though the last one matters in the future. The only thing that was registering on their minds was that he's here.
He's back.
That god damned bastard was back.
Soaring through the rooftops, they made it to the front gates in record time, with speed Rock Lee would envy. The one half if Team Seven crossed the bridge joining the path to the gates and the village, but that's when Sakura stopped.
"What's wrong!?" Naruto asked, irritation edging on his voice. He wanted so badly to make his way to the path. To see with his true blue eyes if it really was him, if it really was Sasuke Uchiha. The only thing that held him back was his best friend, who could only stare at the gate as if it were on fire. He didn't want to meet Sasuke without her, and so he stood planted by her side.
"It's just . . ." Her chest hurt so much. The beating of her rapid heart made it worse, but she focused on it.Ba-dum ba-dum Ba-dum. It was the only thing that felt real at the moment. The world was just a dream, and the figure up the path was a figment of Sakura's inner yearnings, and was a simply tease that her heart gave her. Soon, she will awake from her slumber and laugh at the idiocy of it all.
"Sakura." Naruto grabbed her hands, the action snapping her from her internal battle. "Sakura, let's go get that piece of shit back."
A ghost of a smile played on Sakura's face. Naruto could convince her to kill an entire village if he wanted her to, she swore. Sakura nodded, her pastel pink hair swaying along with her, for it had grown long and managed to tickle Narutos chin.
The duo ran hand in hand to the large green gates ahead. Sakura kicked them open, forcing them to reveal shadowed man. The guards that protected the village jumped at the sudden loud noise, waking from their usual afternoon nap. They blinked at the familiar faces, confused on the antics they tried pulling today. They grunted then faced the path, jumping at the mysterious figure before them.
Standing there was, as expected, Sasuke Uchiha in all his spiked ebony haired glory. At least, half of it were spiked while the rest were matted down with mud and blood. In fact, his whole body was covered by it. Small bits of gravel were engraved into his skin, falling off as it rubbed against his large white robe. He donned an outfit much too similar to Orochimaru's, the same as he wore the first time Sakura had seen him since his departure. He was an absolute mess.
"Sasuke." Naruto whispered.
He made no move of recognition. The man simply stood his ground and completely still, staring down at the two of them. He had a crazed look in his eyes, which were shining from the sun's glare, but he never blinked.
Sakura dared a step forward. Sasuke's eyes flashed to her.
"Sasuke . . ." She spoke slowly, cautiously, as she edged her way to him.
An unreadable emotion flickered through his eyes. Hope bubbled in Sakura's chest that maybe, possibly he would –
"Argh!" He yelped as he gripped his head in pain. He collapsed to the floor, groaning and moaning. His muscles twitched as he rolled on the dirt road. His ex team mates immediately surrounded him. Sakura set a hand on his head, seeping chakra through his scalp to pinpoint the area that's causing him so much agony.
"Head trauma." Sakura mumbled to herself. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise.
"Is he going to be okay?" He asked, frantic. Sakura ignored him, all her focus going to how she was going to heal him, how she could do so, and what could have possibly caused his injuries. Her focus switched from concerned friend to medic in an instant, and she let her internal instincts take over. Naruto watched her transform as he's done numerous times before, and immediately he shut up and let her take control.
"Naruto, we need to take him to the hospital where I can properly treat him." She snapped, pulling the Uchiha up with her as she tucked her shoulder beneath his arm and stood. He hung limply on her side, still groaning in discomfort. His head lolled, snuggling into the crook of her neck.
"He's losing consciousness – fast. Let's go!"
"So what happened? How is he?" Naruto demanded as soon as Sakura opened the door of the operating room. She quickly shut the door behind her making sure that Naruto doesn't see the mess inside, knowing that it'll only worry him more. Inside the room were bustling nurses, working fast on sterilizing the work space and getting all the blood mopped up. It was a messy job, but it had to be done.
"He's fine . . . now." She mumbled. The long, strenuous healing session made her far too weary, along with the events of today. Too many injuries. How did he even manage to stay standing for so long? All she could remember while being in that room was flitting from every side of his, knitting back together his torn skin or relocating misplaced joints. When Sakura is placed with a task, she blocks out who she is operating on. Her focus zeros in on the injury and her mind goes to work, along with her chalkra.
She pushed Naruto back down on his seat as she sat in the one next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. She released a sigh, letting her tense muscles relax.
"He had such a long deep gnash on the left side of his skull, slicing into the Right Encephalon Entropic. Not only did it slice into his brain, it fractured his skull, lodging pieces of it deep inside. Took me hours to get them out without damaging anything even further." She let her medic side do the talking now as her brain recited the same information that was on his patient chart.
Naruto gulped. "Y-you went inside his brain?"
"How else was I supposed to heal him?" Sakura frowned and leaned more closely into Naruto.
"I -" She tried to form the words. How was she supposed to tell him without worrying him? Hell, she was pretty worried herself, but . . .
"I think he has brain damage that affected his memory."
"What?" Naruto pulled himself from under Sakura's head, and turned her shoulders to him so that they were properly facing each other. Sakura couldn't detect the emotion that was going through his mind. His eyes were wide, but his eyebrows were furrowed, as if agitated with what she told him.
"What do you mean the Bastard's memory's gone?"
"He has amnesia, Naruto. You can't take a blow to the head and be perfectly fine. It's deeply damaged. I wasn't even sure if I could have healed him properly." She began to babble, her tone verging on hysterical as she tried to sort out her thoughts.
"But you did! You did, right?"
Sakura didn't have the heart to truthfully answer.
I don't know.
It was the third week since Sasuke has been back.
Tsunade wasn't all too happy to hear that instead of reporting it right away, Sakura immediately tended him to the hospital. Hell, what Godaime wouldn't be?
'He could of died! Do you know how much blood was coming out of his wounds? Not to mention there were multiple lacerations all over his body, mind you. "Her apprentice tried to argue in defense of a boy who had broken her heart too many times. How in the world she could still hold compassion for that cold hearted baka was something, the Hokage may never understand.
"No excuses. You don't just sneak a S-Class rouge into the village without telling the goddamn Hokage first!"
"We didn't sneak him in. Passerby's in the village saw us carry him from the gate back here. I hardly call that sneaking." Sakura folded her arms across her chest, her body language showing frustration with the close minded thoughts of her Shishou.
Tsunade's anger flared. Only sparsely did Sakura dare show negative emotions toward her, much less talk back of all things! Though she's sure when it comes to her insane friends, Sakura is as feisty as a stray cat. A trait they both shared begrudgingly. Maybe that was why she was so angry with the whole situation. Sakura was like the daughter she never had, and protecting her came as second nature to Tsunade. She knew that this nuke nin was capable of taking her slowly mending heart and breaking it once again.
"Sakura –" Tsunade warned, her eyebrows tensing, her previously annoyed facial expression transitioning to one serious.
"Shishou." her apprentice answered. "You and I both know that he wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Naruto and I rushing him to the hospital. Like it or not, he's most likely killed Itachi by now."The possibility had only now dawned on the Hokage. Her eyes widened as she worried that since Sasuke has gotten so strong that he murdered his own kin, what would he do to the village?
"That makes him the last of the Sharingan wielders." Sakura explained, hoping this logical explanation with disperse the cloud of personal emotions Sakura had so blatantly displayed."With such weaponry like that, Konoha will rise even higher in the –"
"I get it, I get it. Uchiha Sasuke is an important asset to the village, but do you seriously expect me to just leave it as that? To pretend like the things he did never happened?" She leaned forward, challenging the pink-haired girl to attempt to crawl her way out of that logic.
"Of course not." Sakura looked down to the floor, a morbid smile gracing her lips. "Hell, I'll even join in on that punishing. But shishou, you and I both know that . . ." She found herself unable to finish the sentence. Yes, Tsunade, Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi all know that he had his reasons.
"But he didn't have to do it likethat." The Hokage voiced the exact thought that drifted into the pinkette's head. "He could have stayed. He could have gotten stronger like you did. Instead of taking that kind of path, he could have continued on with his life, along side with Team Seven."
"He could have, but he didn't." Sakura bit her bottom lip, regret filled her as soon as she said the statement. It would only encourage the blonde woman to magnify his sentence.
"No, he didn't." The blonde gave an unidentifiable look to her student, then slid her eyes to the window beside her.
"We'll finish this discussion when he wakes up."
The conversation ran through Sakura's mind.
She inwardly scolded herself for being so emotional during the talk. She wished she hadn't let her anger, confusion, and sadness take over her words and actions. Maybe if she had focused on the benefits more, then she wouldn't have left the compromise so unstable.
'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' She chanted to herself. 'I'm really, really stupid.'
She walked up to the two ANBU who were stationed outside of Sasuke's hospital room. One she did not recognize, but the other she identified as Neji Hyuga, for his mask was one she had worked with before. She nodded at him, and he returned the gesture.
"Sakura." He said.
"Yes?"
"Hokage-sama said that after Uchiha's daily check up, you have a mission right after. Be sure to go to her tower after this. It's important."
"Hai. Thank you." She gave him a small smile and nodded in acknowledgement.
With that, she turned the doorknob and pushed the wooden door open.
The room was dark. The curtains were drawn, concealing the bright light of the sun, though little rays managed to escape through little open spaces. Sakura walked towards them and opened them slightly, enough so that she could see clearly, but not enough to hurt her eyes from the sudden change in luminosity. She walked to the foot of his bed where his clipboard lay. She took it, along with a pen that was in her pocket. She turned to his heart monitor, beeping a mellow rhythmic melody.
At least he's alive.
Then a question she had so blatantly ignored creeped into her thoughts.What will happen when he wakes up?Will he be the same Sasuke who teased Naruto during their missions, or will he be the Sasuke who didn't even bat an eye as he sheathed his sword, poised for attack?
Sakura clenched her fists.
Why the hell did he even have to leave? He could have gotten stronger is he just stayed in the goddamn village! Were we not worthy for him? Does he really see us as weak and unable? She most definitely is far from it, compared to how she was back then. Sakura gained so much strength, literally and figuratively. She was an ANBU now, one of the top ranking ninja in the city. Her name was often spoken among different civilians, as she were famous for her healing skills that were up to par with the Hokage, even. She had improved greatly, for Sakura Haruno was no longer the scared little girl she were back then.
Back then . . .
When we were happy.
A tear escaped the corner of her eye. Surprised, she wiped it away. She hadn't cried in years, but she let herself go just this once, because the feelings were simply overflowing at this point. She were surprised she didn't break any sooner.
'He's back!' She wanted so badly to scream the words at the top of her lungs. She wanted the world to know that Sasuke Uchiha is back in Konoha, and she was happy. Really, really happy. The tears of sadness were replaced with one of joy. She smiled to herself. Look at her, crying and smiling at the foot of Uchiha's bed. How . . . nostalgic. Sakura closed her eyes, feeling the tears well up and fall.
A gentle tug of her white lab coat brought her back to reality when she realized that no one should even be awake to tug on her. Her jade eyes snapped to the person on the bed. They widened at the sight of Sasuke Uchiha, fingering the material of her coat. He looked at it with interest, but his jet black eyes trailed from her hands up her arm, and finally resting on her face.
"Sakura." Her name rolled off his tongue effortlessly. "Don't cry."
He smiled.
It was the most beautiful thing she's seen in years.