She jumped up on top of the outer wall to Konoha, panting lightly. Even several hours into the battle, she was still full of energy. Her deep gaze took in the destruction. It had been going on since just before dawn. This was the final strike they had all been waiting for. The strike they knew that had been coming. The Akatsuki, were here for the Kyuubi.
They had had very little warning. Somehow one of the border guards had made it back to Konoha barely alive after the Akatsuki had passed through killing all of his team mates. Naruto, Sasuke and Sai had rushed out to see how close they where and caught the Akatsuki right at the outer gate of Konoha. Five Akatsuki members greeted them with eager blades along with an army from cloud. Itachi had been among the Akatsuki.
Sai, though fighting alongside with his companions, had mange to send back an ink bird with a warning to the Hokage. The Hokage in turn had quickly summoned the shinobi of Konoha for the battle. How they had not noticed before that a small war was being waged at their gates, was unsure. Most would claim later that they had thought Sai and Sasuke were at it again and Naruto had joined in. Along with the shinobi of Konoha, Sakura and she had set out to join the fight. They had just made it in time to see the three men finish off Itachi. Sasuke of course had been the one to give the finishing blow to his brother, but the other two had clearly helped in the fight. The sight of Naruto and Sai fighting to accomplish Sasuke's goal and the fact that Sasuke let them help him, warmed the women's hearts. It was a sight that no one had ever thought to see. It surged the shinobi of Konoha on. Uchiha Itachi was finally dead.
The battle had continued with certain jounin teams attacking an Akatsuki member, rotating the teams has they grew tired. The other shinobi fought against the shinobi of cloud. Sakura and the other medics rushed between groups giving aid. The only group that wasn't rotating out was team seven. Those 3 men could not keep themselves from battle. Rotating between the four Akatsuki members, it allowed them to give the other teams a chance. This was close to the few times those three ever fully got along, this time and their time with her.
When Sasuke had returned with team seven after killing Orochimaru, she had known that the team had assumed things would be like they were before. It was deemed not to be. Those three small years apart had brought a lot of change to everyone. Even Naruto, who supported Sasuke's return the most, had trouble forgiving him. Not for the fact that Sasuke had almost killed him, but for leaving in the first place. Sasuke leaving had hurt the blond more than anything else. Sakura, upon returning with Sasuke came to realize that she did not love him anymore. The childhood crush on him had melted away over the years, but her faith him never wavered. She had known, like Naruto that he would come home, but instead of the lost love she had expected. She came to realize that he was more of a bother to her, much to Sasuke's pleasure. It had been a hard time figuring out the new dynamics to their relationship.
Most of the village hadn't trusted Sasuke when he had returned, even though he had put his life in the way of the killing blow Orochimaru had tried to deliver to Naruto. Orochimaru hadn't been willing to kill his container and it had been his undoing. It had allowed Sasuke and Naruto to turn to the offensive and call down the fury of the Gods on Orochimaru. The village didn't care about that. All they saw was a traitor coming back, not being punished. The Hokage had thought he had proven his loyalty, at least, to the point where he wasn't willing to let his best friend die. She knew the way the village would mistrust him would be punishment enough.
Sai had been another matter. Though they would never admit it, they were a bit too much alike. It was instant hate. Sasuke felt as though Sai had been his replacement and resented the man for it. Sai felt that Sasuke didn't deserve the love and loyalty that both Naruto and Sakura gave him freely. A love and respect that had taken Sai a while to earn himself. The battles that occurred between them had become legendary, to the point of nearly killing each other off. It had taken a while, but at least now every argument did not turn into a killing match between the two. Many knew that had much more to do with Sakura's poundings on both men then anything else. Soon the fighting between them had melted down to words only. It was hard not to fight when they spent so much time together. They where Naruto's best friends and saw each other every day. A strange short of friends developed between the two though they would never admit it. It was what allowed them to fight like they were now. Back to back to back. The three of them where the strongest shinobi in Konoha. When they came together on something mountains moved. And they were moving mountains now.
She had joined them in the battle, being nearly as strong as the three of them but had switched back and forth between fighting alongside them and healing them when they needed it. As the battle drew on she also turned her attention to help the medics. Her own healing abilities where unsurpassed, even by the Hokage. Yet all she would do was pull the wounded off the field, so that the medics could tend to them in relative safety. She dared not heal any but her men. She had Cheza to thank for that. Her mind was sharp and she knew where she was needed. She had spent years battling and knew what her strong points were. She was pretty good strategist, not as good as Shikamaru, but she had been one of the best. Her quick thinking mind had become a value that was strongly needed in her line of work.
Not many survived in her line of work. She had chosen to do what few ever could. She was a Demon Hunter. Many shinobi sought become one, but few survived after their first experience. The Demon Hunters were their own organization that stood outside the 5 great villages. They ruled themselves, though most Hunters followed the rules of the Kages to try and keep the peace between them and the villagers. The Hunters where highly respected, but also feared making them outcast and never truly wanted around. Most hunters had a personal grudge against a demon, which had left them severely scared. Due to the nature of their jobs most were extremely powerful and tended to be hermits. They spent years at a time in the field hunting and tracking demons. Hunters where a bit quirky. Though most would call the Hunters weird or creepy. She had fit in, right along with that description for the most part. The biggest different between her and the other Hunters was that she herself had a demon sealed inside her, making her uniquely suited for the job though it had made her an outcast among outcasts.
As she stood on the wall she saw the tides of the battle turn. Turn for the worst. Konoha was starting to lose. It was time.
She had known this day would come. Her life would end today. She only hoped that her loved ones would forgive her. As if summed by her dark thoughts her three men landed near her. She watched the battle for a few minutes before turning to them. They had come to expect this of her. She would not let a single thing distract her and would not say a word until she was ready to. They waited for her to tell them where she wanted them to go next, what to do next.
She turned towards them, but instead of giving orders as she was proven to do she threw her arms around Sasuke, her mask pulled down, her lips meeting his in a deep passionate kiss. When she finally pulled away from him, she tuned to Sai and did the same. Then to Naruto, but Naruto with a unlike Naruto understand, had a feeling of what she was about to do. He had known her the longest. He reached out and took a hold of her arm his voice soft, "What are you going to do?"
She turned towards them, letting her one blue and one green take in the beauty of her men. She had never expected to be able to love a man and her she had found three. She lifted her voice and said the one thing they never expected to hear, "I love you."
Her eyes took them all in, letting the love she had for the three of them truly fill her once lifeless eyes. Those three simple words rocked the men to their cores. Those simple words grounded them there like statues. Itachi could have run past them naked at that point and they never would have noticed.
She had been a type like Kakashi. The love and leave them type. It wasn't to be cruel that they both did this. In fact it was the opposite. They where tools and tools should not love. Kakashi had learned his lesson about companions but he could not let himself fall in love. In a shinobi's life, your loved one had the potential of becoming a target to make the Shinobi weak. It had happen before and it was going to happen again. Kakashi felt that he wasn't strong enough to be able to handle it.
She had another reason altogether. The demon sealed inside of her. The problem with being a jinchuuriki was that you never knew when the seal would break. Her seal was very different from Naruto's. His only let a bit of chakra slip into his system from the demon. Hers allowed everything to slip into her system. After getting the demon sealed inside of her, gaining all of the demons memories and emotions it had driven her insane for a few years. When would the stress and wear on her soul become too great? And there was always the chance that she might lose her mind again. But that wasn't the only reason. She was a hard woman. Most of her life she had been surrounded by blood. She was a Demon Hunter. She had seen and done things that would give the strongest Shinobi nightmares to drive a person insane. When they first met her, she had considered herself to be a demon and no longer human. A wolf in sheep's clothing. They had long since changed her mind about how human she was but some things never change. They had known she would never say it openly, but had loved her none the less.
It was during this moment of shock that she took to slip off her words ringing in their ears as she disappeared towards the fight, "I really, truly love you. Live for me."
Darting through the woods she pulled out her sword, her companion of 28 years, "It's time Suzanhao." she felt the soul in the blade send his undying love and support. It was a good day to die.
Upon hitting the clearing she put herself in the path of Kisame's chakra eating sword, blocking it with her own. Stopping him from killing a Konoha ANUB. She lifted her musical voice and shouted a battle call, "Konoha retreat." She repeated it a few times; words none of the shinobi expected to hear from her of all people, but soon followed. Kisame stood there staring, but soon they parted both jumping back away from the other. The other 4 remaining Akatsuki members landed next to Kisame. They clay molding Deidara lifted his voice, "What is this? You bastards giving up?" a smug expression touched his face.
She sheathed her sword, then unbelted it from her waist setting it down she whispering to the blade, "Thank you Suzanhao. You have served me well." The blade melted into mist disappearing, its voice echoed in her ears, "My Lady"
She turned towards the four, "I have come to give you a Demon." She lifted her left arm caressing the seal that bloomed over her chest, releasing the seal.
Naruto stared after the woman as she jumped into the trees. After a few minutes he jerked himself to reality, her words haunting his ears. He took a step forward, but an explosion of charka forced him to step back into Sasuke and Sai. Both men gasped slightly, then had to quickly catch Naruto has he clasped to his knees. Both Sasuke and Sai glanced at the other in confusing over the top of Naruto's head, but did not threaten the other for being so close let along touching each other. Naruto was crying. The chakra kept building, its weight pressing down on them. "Dobe, what's going on?" Sasuke's voice openly held his concern.
"We've won." Naruto's voice bare carried to their ears.
Confusion crossed both their faces as they stared down at Naruto. Those should be words filled with joy, yet they held a sorrow so deep. What had she done? The words she left them with came haunting back. Before either could ask Naruto answered.
"She's won this for us. She's taken Cheza's true form. She will win and then she will die."
Both set of eyes snapped open, both started to get up, to stop the woman they loved, but Naruto held onto them tightly, "It's too late…..too late."
Dropping to the ground the three of them held on another. For once not teasing, not tormenting, not bickering, and just crying. Crying for the woman they all loved as they watched the white form of the wolf demon take shape. As the wolf's form rose above the tree's Sai and Sasuke huddle around Naruto, their sun.
She had once said to them that Naruto had been their sun. She had said that she, Sai, and Sasuke, where like men huddling around the fire of Naruto's heart. All three of them had lost the warmth in their own hearts. They no longer felt the warmth from the sun. Naruto had given them a chance to be warm again. A chance to feel again besides the death and cold they surrounded themselves with. Naruto was their sun. She was their moon. She was the one to guide the three men through the darkness of their own souls that even Naruto was prone to. She was the one who made it able for them to be together in a way no one had thought possible. She was their Moon to show them where the bridge was at night that allowed them to love one another. She had been the one to get them to admit that they loved one another in more than just a friendship way. She had given them all so much.
Close by Kakashi fell to his knees in grief as he watched the white wolf take on the remaining Akatsuki and cloud shinobi. How could she have done this? There had to be more options left then this. Sakura placed her hand on Kakashi's shoulder trying to give him any comfort he would take. Sakura knew as well what the white wolf meant. It hurt Sakura to see Kakashi is such great pain and be unable to comfort him the way he needed but she knew when she entered their relationship that he was a man with large personal space. All that space did not exist when it was just the two of them or when she was around but not in public. She had been the one to bring Sakura and Kakashi together. She had helped Kakashi in a way that was mostly seen as a hindrance. The normal stoic copy-nin couldn't be his aloof normal self when she was around and it was that, that had given his and Sakura's relationship a real chance.
And she would be gone soon. How had it ever come to this……?