Disclaimer: I do not own Uzumaki Naruto or any of the characters in the anime/manga. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. So please don't sue me… XD +winks+

Chapter 1: Trails of Memories

"I'm different from you guys. I walk a different path than you."

"Are you going to choose to be alone again? I have my family and friends… But if you're gone… it's the same as being alone… So please stay with me…"

"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura muttered in her sleep. The night is deep and Konoha is sleeping soundly. Back in her apartment, Haruno Sakura is being haunted again by the nightmare that tormented her slumber for three years now.

"I love you very much, Sasuke-kun! If you stay with me… Everything will be fun… I'll help you with your revenge… If you can't stay… Then at least take me with you…"

"…Sakura. Thank you…"

"Sasuke-kun!" The name echoed throughout the room. Sakura took gaping breaths as she looked around. It took a while for her to remember that she is not in her own apartment right now. She is in the Hokage tower and will be staying there for months together with Naruto and Shikamaru. From the window of her room, she can see the moon hanging up in the sky with the clouds floating around it. It's 3:15 in the morning. The morning is still young and Konoha is still safely tucked away for the hours of darkness.

I see… Tonight is like that night… Sakura's lips curved up in a pained smile and looked up to the moon. She carefully crept out of bed and walked to her dresser. On that dresser, the frame that held team seven's memory stood strong and tall among the rest of things… Sakura's weapons… the bells that they used for training and her forehead protector. At a single sight of the picture, it brings a hundredfold of memories for her. Even up to now; one of the persons in that picture is nowhere to be found. It brings painful stabs into the kunoichi's heart. Yes, one is still missing… for the piece to be complete for her… for her to stop having those screaming nightmares over and over again. Uchiha Sasuke.

It's not like she never did anything to stop Sasuke from leaving. She wanted to find him, at all costs… so she can relieve her guilt of not doing anything. That's why she asked Godaime Hokage to be her teacher. With Sasuke's exodus, she learned and valued everything that she has. Not all things in this world can be learned the easy way. Sometimes, it has to be taught the hard way so that it will leave a mark on one's strained and sorry conscious. But, is she doing something at all? Is she really benefiting from trying to convert the seclusion into a reason for her to work even harder?

Three years… What am I going to do? It's going to be in a few months time…When that time comes, Sasuke-kun… Sakura glared up and screamed at the top of her lungs. She screamed over and over again as she held their picture close to her heart. "No! Sasuke-kun! Stay with me… please!" I want to lose myself… I can't take it anymore! I need him back! I don't want to lose him!

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan! Open the door!" From outside the window, Naruto called out and pounded at the door over and over again. He is still wearing his nightclothes and just heard Sakura's frantic screams from his room next door. "Sakura-chan! Calm down and open the door!" Naruto repeated.

"What is that screaming early in the morning?" Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage came out from one of the rooms. She motioned herself beside Naruto and looked at the door. "This is Sakura's room, right?"

Naruto nodded as she looked at Tsunade. "Tsunade-obachan! She's been been fine up until now, right?"

Shikamaru peeked out from the door of his bedroom. "How troublesome. Is Sakura having nightmares again?"

Tsunade lowered her head and prepared her fist. "I'm afraid she is, Shikamaru."

With that, Tsunade sent a fraction of her monstrous strength towards the door, sending it flying into the room and landing just below the window. As the three stepped inside, they saw Sakura unrifled beside her dresser. In her hand, she held a broken frame with the picture of Team 7 in it. Tsunade's eyes were distraught as she looked down at the emotionally fragile girl. Looking at her everyday in training… It's hard to believe that a cheerful and strong-willed girl would break down at night. Losing someone very dear to her heart at such a young age… it made her stronger and …depressed at the same time.

Tsunade stooped down and enveloped her arms around her sobbing student. "Sakura… It's okay. Everything is going to be fine… We're doing all that we can to seek information." She whispered to Sakura's ear.

"But… Tsunade-sensei… Any month or even weeks now, Orochimaru might transfer to Sasuke's body. We might lose him…" Sakura muttered in between sobs. "I'm training to be of use for this village and for him… But, I don't even know if I am really making progress…"

Tsunade closed her eyes and channeled chakra into her hand. "Iie… You are doing just fine, Sakura. Whatever the outcome might be… it's none of your faults." She placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder and waited for the effects. After a while, Sakura fell into a deep sleep. Tsunade took Sakura in her arms and laid her safely to bed. "That should do for now…" she pulled the blankets over Sakura and stood beside her.

Naruto looked at Tsunade, then at Sakura. "Ne Tsunade-obachan. What did you do to Sakura-chan?" he asked.

Shikamaru stretched his arms and placed it behind his head. "Don't worry, Naruto. She just used her chakra to send Sakura back to sleep." He explained.

Tsunade nodded as she looked at Naruto and Shikamaru. "She won't wake up until dawn the other day. That will buy us much time to double our information search." She looked at Sakura and continued. "She has her point. But we can't tell her that we still don't know where Orochimaru is hiding Sasuke. The three-year wait is almost over. We've been very busy with a lot of things that we overlooked our pursuit for Uchiha Sasuke." Using Sasuke's revenge as a tool to lure the boy to him… He deserves to die…

"But, can we really acquire information within two days?" Shikamaru asked. "And if we ever did, are you going to send Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"Gah! Tsunade-obachan! That mission is too dangerous for Sakura-chan! Don't allow her to go! Let me go there instead! I have a score to settle with that teme!" Naruto yelled with high hopes.

Tsunade lowered her head and nodded. "Keep it down, kid! We'll discuss this when we have the needed information. Well, I need to return to the office and try to find some jounins who can gather information. You two, go back to sleep… Or you can train whatsoever if you're fully awake." Tsunade walked out of the room and went to her office.

Shikamaru yawned as he walked out as well. "Well, you heard Godaime-sama. Let's leave Sakura for now." He called out to Naruto. "Hn…" Naruto took one last look at Sakura before following Shikamaru. As he passed by the dresser, he noticed the frame by the floor. He quickly picked it up and placed it on the dresser in spite of the big crack on the glass that separated Sasuke.

Sasuke… you idiot!

Meanwhile, somewhere out on the Country of Field, the sound-nins are busy training. Orochimaru is fast asleep in his room. Kabuto is busy looking for someone. He is been going around Orochimaru's underground lair for half an hour already. But he can't seem to find what he's been looking for. Where is that kid! I'm pretty sure that he's still around. But where…

Out on the roof of the entrance, a raven-haired shinobi lay there quietly looking up to the moon. He's been very irritable lately because of Orochimaru's blabbing about he's going to give power to him soon. He didn't let him train or even move around. It's as if he wanted him to stay stagnant until he can use him for a mission. But Sasuke isn't good at slacking around and doing nothing. He has to be strong. He doesn't have time to receive the royalty treatments and practice matches with Sound-nins everyday. His goal is still clear to him and he needed that power as soon as possible. Yes, it is true that he is getting stronger as the years pass. But everything is not enough. He needs power… He needs it for his goals… for his revenge. His unfathomable revulsion for his brother grows stronger with every technique that he learns. If he wanted to kill his brother, he has to keep up the hatred that swells in him and to acquire the strength far more than Itachi himself could imagine. He didn't trade his comrades and his home for nothing.

"Sasuke-sama!"

Damn it… He figured out where I am… Sasuke irritably sat up and looked down at the ground. Kabuto is looking up to him looking crossed. Sasuke cursed under his breath and looked away. "What do you want?" he called out in an annoyed tone.

Kabuto forced himself not to climb up that roof and beat the living daylights out of the rude kid. But he can't do that, if he wanted to live longer at least. "Sasuke-sama. Didn't Orochimaru-sama tell you not to wander off somewhere by yourself? He did even tell you not to get so close to the village's borders!" he called out.

"What the hell do you care? I will go wherever I please and I will do whatever I want. He should be thankful that I'm making myself stronger…" Sasuke snapped at him.

"If Orochimaru-sama finds out—"

"I don't give a damn! Just leave me alone for a while. I'm tired from training and I need time for myself." Sasuke called out.

Kabuto is still fighting the urge to start an argument. He cursed silently and walked away. "Fine… If that is what you want Sasuke-sama."

Finally…I'm sure Orochimaru will consider what I want…He have to agree with me or else he'll lose his precious container… Sasuke thought to himself. He lay again on his back breathing a breath of relief. He watched as the leaves crossed his view of the moon making soft rustles around the tranquil forest. Sasuke couldn't care less and just placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"I love you very much!"

Sasuke anxiously opened his eyes. The view is still the same, the moon, the leaves and the clouds. No one is around to say those words at all. "What the hell is that?" he asked himself. He remembered, no one ever told him those words at all. But still, there is the exception of the one who tried her best to understand him everytime.

"Please… stay with me…"

Damn it! What is with this thoughts in my head! Sasuke held his forehead and tried to shake away the thoughts. Those words never haunted him up until now. He never even considered on thinking about his past. But it seems like his thoughts and his memories developed a mind of its own. They're trying to show Sasuke something by themselves.

This must be from lack of training… Sasuke got off the roof and ventured deep into the woods of the village. One of the Sound-nins saw him walking by himself and tried to warn him. But he turned around and left the shinobi to call out for him.

"Everyday will be fun…"

"Darn it! Leave me alone!" Sasuke yelled at the top of his lungs as he dragged his Chidori across the forest, totally destroying half a mile radius. But he is still not satisfied. He continued to run and destroy everything that gets in his way. Leave me alone…. What do you want from me? I don't want to remember my past anymore! My path is here… I will never be like you or anyone else in Konoha…

At the underground lair, Orochimaru watched in silence as Sasuke destroys the entire forest. Kabuto is behind him, on his knees as he looked up at Orochimaru. "Do you still want to ban him from going around too much, Orochimaru-sama?"

Orochimaru smirked as he watched the boy in amazement. "Let him do what he wants. If it is for the sake of making himself stronger, then I won't get in his way… My future is within that child… and the hatred that swells in him… Uchiha Sasuke…"

A while later, Sasuke stopped himself and looked at his path. The forest that was once there was nothing compared to what it is now. All that was left are broken trunks and fallen trees. With the power that he has now, he completely destroyed an entire forest in seconds. He smirked at the destructive masterpiece that he did.

"Sasuke… forget about revenge…"

"I'll help you with your revenge… I'll do something! I'll do anything for you! Just… stay here… with me…"

Sasuke couldn't take it any longer. He fell down on his knees and waited for him to fall down completely on the ground. Why… why won't you leave me alone? Don't you understand what my purpose is? Or rather… what am I here for? Are you really trying to show me something?

"Sakura…"

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Setsuna Eleison's tagspace ---

Eheheh… this is supposed to be a one-shot fanfiction, but I still have a lot of ideas in my brain cells and I can't squeeze it in one chapter. Hehehe.. I'm not so good at one-shot fics, so yeah. Hope you like my chapter one. I'm still a newtype (err… Gundam?) in writing Naruto fanfics. XD Well, I have one but it has so many misleading facts so I think I'll revise it somehow. Heheh… Anyway, enjoy! Please drop a review on your way out!

Chapter 2 to be posted soon…

---Setsuna +Ramen-chan+ Eleison---