AN: This is my first Naruto fanfiction, so I hope I don't end up embarrassing myself with this little project. It had been a while since I read the manga or watch the anime, so please don't treat me too badly. This story is slightly AU, as I can't find myself to leave poor Tenten without Neji and I don't particularly like Sasuke's Rinnegan, so in this fiction his eyes are normal onix with two Sharingans. A BIG fair WARNING for a good amount of grammatical mistakes, as English is not my language, yet how else will I learn if I don't keep practicing until I reach the so hard eluding perfection? LOL. I don't own Naruto. Also, this Sasuke is no longer the cold hearted jerk that care not for others, he had learn his lesson and his only goal now is to achieve forgiveness, Thanks for reading.

Appeasing Karma

Chapter One: The Unexpected Encounter

Sasuke

It was getting darker deep in the forest, even if the night sky was going to be blessed with a full moon once the night fully claim her place in the sky, in an hour or so. The reason for the early darkness were dark clouds covering most of the sky, as perhaps some rain was due to fall at some point during the night. Given the possibility of rain, Sasuke hurried his pace trough the tick trees in his solo flight toward Konoha, wanting to find a suitable place to make camp, preferable away from the cold water that could soon, drench everything from miles. He had travel right and left for the last three years all over the well-known Shinobi Countries and he knew that near the river not too far from his spot, he will be able to find shelter in some old forgotten ruins.

Although he had decided that it was time to return to Konoha to actually begin to atone for one of his greatest sins against those he blindly and selfishly pushed away in order to accomplish, the biggest sin of all, kill his own brother, he was in no hurry to make it back. Yes, he had finally accepted the cruelty of his reality and there was no point in dueling in what cannot be changed, no matter how desperately he wished for such a miracle. Itachi was dead and no matter how much he wanted to change thing back, there was no way he could turn back time and make the amends. However, there was something he could do for those who were still alive and awaiting for his return, for those who had embrace it all in hope to bring him back and sacrifice more than he deserved, to make it happen. He still needed to redeem himself to Naruto and Sakura, but specially Sakura.

Despise the many wrongs he had done to Naruto and how much he had hurt him, they had a less complicated way to settle their differences, while fighting one another. To be honest, they had already settle their score a long time ago, in their last fight in where both of them had lost an arm and by fighting with each other, they understood more than what mere words could not fully express, especially when he wasn't exactly someone who liked to talk more than necessary. Naruto was easy to handle, his personality alone make his mistakes a bit less painful and easier to handle his guilt.

However, Sakura, unlike Naruto, was way more complex and needed more than just confrontations to understand him and to heal. She needed words, many in fact, which would sooth her heart and mind alike, words that he was willing to give, even if he was at lost in selecting the ones that could truly set her free of all the pain he had inflicted in her wounded heart. The heart that she had refuse to let go of him, even when she had seen him at his worst. Yeah, she had definitely witnessed in a front row how cruel and cold he could be, of how little he could care for even her own life when she was getting in his way.

"Hn." He grunted to himself, in anger and self-hatred just thinking in how low he had gone in his search for power, in how close he had been to make one of the biggest mistakes of his life. The first few months after he leaved Konoha in search for redemption, he had been plagued with endless nightmares, pretty much in pair with the Genjustsu Itachi had inflicted on him while relieving the massacre of his clan. The only difference was, that this time it was him killing both of his best friends in cold blood and with no reason whatsoever to do so, other than they were just in the way. He simply killed them in a wimp, as he had told Naruto a long time ago.

It was for that reason the he had avoid coming to Konoha sooner. He needed the time to face himself, to face the monster he had permited to grow inside of him for years not caring for anything nor anyone that didn't help him accomplish his damn goal, before he was ready to take the full weight of his sins head on. Yet, he had make Sakura a promise that he was going to keep no matter how hard it cloud prove to be.

Just before he left, she seemed still interested in him, but three years of absence could had make her change her mind and even if she was waiting for him even now, he could not return her feelings just yet. It wasn't that he didn't felt anything for her at all, because thinking back, he could tell that he had some feelings for the girl in the past. He had felt it in the moment she was able to calm him down with a hug when he first receive Orochimaru's curse, and before that when he had wake up with her crying over his chest when fighting Haku, although it wasn't near enough to call it love, the same way he could not tell her now he had develop such feeling while away. The last thing he wanted was to toy with her already wounded heart, nor that would she allow him to keep doing so, as there was a limit even for her devotion.

Sasuke sighed, while he moved through the forest in a flash speed. He owed Sakura greatly, yet he wasn't sure of how much he could give her in return. He realize it didn't looked fair to anyone that knew the things he did to her and the cruelty he inflicted in the past, but also, he would end up being even more cruel if he simply throw himself to her and confess something that it was fairly possible but not real just yet.

"Damn it…" He cursed openly. It was extremely hard to believe he had been the kind of jerk that had broken the very heart that he wanted to save now, that he wanted to heal, even if one step at the time. He knew that Naruto will give him some hell, remaining him time and time again of how much he owe her. The stupid Dobe was simple minded that way, Sakura loved him so he should love her back and make her happy for the rest of his life. That was his way of thinking, he didn't saw the pain that was behind her love, the guilt that was behind his own regrettable actions toward her and the pain that he will be inflicting her if they end up being together, as much people in the village will think he only wanted her to revive his clan, which was of course, a complete lie.

These days, he wasn't sure he even wanted to keep his cursed bloodline alive after so much tragedies and unforgivable mistakes. Just imagining having his own kids was enough to make his body death cold with shame and fear. How would he tell his children of the awful things he did while blinded by revenge, how will he excuse himself of the terrible things he did to his own brother who protected him to the point of becoming a mass murderer and an enemy to his village? How will he explain the fact that he was just an inch away from killing their mother at some point and best friend who knows how many times? How will he explain to them that he was a traitor to his friends and village? That he tried his best to bring down destruction to their home? It will be more than hard, I will be, unbearable and even if she forgive it all, like Naruto, she will end up being a victim in the crossfire between his dark past and their future.

"Sakura…" He whisper, while his heart begin to bleed in remorse once again. It was curious how guilt could bring down anyone for more almighty they believe themselves to be. He had been too immerse in his own arrogance and now he just wished he had stayed when Sakura had pleaded him, while opening her heart to him or when the Dobe had tried to stop him. It had being for that, he had stayed away from Konoha for the last three years, but enough was enough and he needed to face his own demons sooner or later, not matter what. He owed Naruto and Sakura much more than that. He owed them everything he had left, he owed them his very life.

"Wait…" Sasuke halted completely in his dash, out of instinct, just before hearing an explosion no so far from his position. He had been so immersed in thoughts that he had carelessly move through the forest without his Sharingan activated. He should had known better than to rely on instinct alone while in open lands in the Wind Country. The war may have ended, but the world was certainly no less dangerous and just a few days back he was close to the Hidden Sand Village, in which, he wasn't exactly welcome. Facing Gaara was another of those things to do to redeem himself in his long list, yet, he needed to appease his karma in Konoha first.

Although he did avoid coming too close to Suna, there was a possibility, of someone noticing him. He let his eyes bleed crimson red with the Sharingan, in order to look for chakra signatures. Right at that point, there was not a village close by and the closer one was still days away in the River Country. He detected two chakras signatures, a bit further and several fainted ones. For some reason, one of them felt somewhat familiar, it was bigger than ordinary, yet less than his own or Naruto's. To his eyes it seemed like the two were engaged in a fierce battle and just before a small quake hit the earth under his tree, he gasped in realization. He knew that kind of chakra release over the land that could ripple when controlled enough, a bit farther from the released point and there was no way he would stay put when the very woman he was just thinking about was fighting, on her own for her life.

"Just hold on Sakura… I'm on my way to you, at last…" He thought while dashing full speed toward her position, while releasing his Kusanagi sword out of it sheath with his one hand.

Sakura

"Shannaro!" Sakura yelled, directing a fist infused with chakra to her opponent, completely pulverizing a big tree in where the head of the ninja had been a second before dodging her and attacking back. She dodged too, while keeping herself in one piece. She was exhausting herself at that point. She had fight a good number of unknown ninjas already and she had been greatly injured. She had healed the worse of them, yet she could not replenish the blood lost with her chakra reserve and her movements were beginning to slow down as a wave of dizziness was threatening to take over.

With this one ninja, he was having troubles, as his attack came so repeatedly from a distance that she was having trouble keeping up with the speed while half dragging herself to keep focus. If she couldn't land a good hit on him soon, she was going to faint and be killed. There was also another factor for her to land just this one hit as soon as possible, she was now certain that the kunai she had failed to dodge back when the ambush started was cover with poison. She could already begin to feel the effects and she knew she was not the only one.

Just around her, her teammates were dangerously low on chakra and seriously injured. They all needed her medical attention, yet she was waiting her reserves of chakra in a fight that should be over already if not for the unexpected circumstances. She wished that Naruto could had been able to come with her to Suna, because she could use the help of his undying fighting spirit as well as his great chakra, but he was out on his own mission with his wife, Hinata, Lee, Tenten, Kiba and Shikamaru.

She gave a fast glance in Ino's direction, wishing she was still hanging in there. Choji was out cold too after over using his chakra. It was actually a matter of time as they were greatly outnumber with a fair amount of strong ones. They held together for a good while, but eventually and perhaps because of the poison that was slowly working his way into their system, they had no chakra left to keep up with just the three of them. It was only thanks to her own reserve that she was able to hold her own with the rest of their opponents, but she too was losing it.

Another explosion send her flying toward a tree trunk, stealing the air from her lungs and Sakura knew that it was over. She could not lift a single finger now, as her body was going numb on her and she had to admit that his time, she had lost her change to live for good. She could only find herself wishing for Naruto not to take her death too badly and go out rushing to avenge her to who knows where, just like Sasuke did in the past with Itachi.

Sasuke… Uchiha Sasuke… she thought while she saw the ninja coming closer to finish her off. It had been so long since she last saw him, yet she wished he could see him one last time. She had tried her best to move on from her unrequired love, as it was more than obvious that she would never be good enough to make him stay despite his promise to come back, but at the very end, when she was going to be killed, she was stupidly yearning for him one last time.

If she had even an ounce of strength left, she would had slapped herself for her weakness. If Sasuke ever come back to Konoha, it would not be for her and it didn't matter now anyways. She was not going to be there to find out what could had happen if he had kept his promise. Tears of sorrow begin to run her checks as she mentally apologize to both of her companions that would certainly die along with her. She had fight fierily to protect them and she certainly didn't give up until her body simply couldn't keep up no longer, so at the very least, she was going to die with her head up in defiance. For Ino and Choji, she wished they could make it, even if she knew it will not be the case, because if her death would greatly affect Naruto, to Shikamaru was going to be another hard blow to lose his two best friends at the same time. For that, she was very sorry, for not being able to keep them alive.

"I'm sorry, everyone..." She whisper as she looked into the eyes of her soon to be killer, who was now lowering his weapon to stab her in her chest, yet she widen her eyes in genuine shock, when she heard the unmistakable sound of Chidori behind her killers back and saw the ninja fall to the ground by her side. She expected to see Kakashi stand in front of her, however the one looking back at her, owned not one, but two Sharingan eyes. She was barely staring at the one and only Uchiha Sasuke in his full glory and the last thing she thought before losing consciousness was that she was delusional enough to have hallucinations of his former crush at the very end. How sad Sakura… she scolded herself, but still it was damn good to see him at last, even if was just the product of her last wish.

AN: Thanks for reading. No fast updates, sorry. I have far too many stories to finish, yet it was fun writing for Naruto. Take care, ^_^