Only Hope

The sun went down hours ago, yet their comrades continued into battle, knowing wether or not they'll live through, battling until the final beats of their hearts, their last breaths, the very last of their power...and here they were, safe and secured from harms way, in the most luxurious situation a shinobi's life ever could be, while deaths and bloodshed of their comrades went on.

Here, deep in the forest, reassembled once again for one final fight, for either life or death, about to perform a long forgotten, forbidden, deadly, dangerous jutsu, they have been brought back together. Leading them through, is their father figure of a sensei, Hatake Kakashi, who is one of the only people who knew of this jutsu.

With him, his former students joined. The kyuubi vessel, Uzumaki Naruto, who volunteered to become a power source for it. The only female student he has had, whom insisted to be allowed to perform with them, Haruno Sakura. And the avenger, who has gotten what he has wanted all along, revenge...Uchiha Sasuke...coming back from a long three years absence, now wanting to save his beloved home and its people, and the remaining of his family. Team 7.

Before beginning, he spoke to them. "This, is a matter of life and death. Lives of our comrades and our homes depend on us now. The four of us are now heavily crucial. Whatever happens once we perform this, our comrades shall fall, but there is no guarantee to the other effect of this jutsu..." He sighed, poise still in tact, but inside, he shook from the pressure. "...There is no stepping out once we begin..."

"Kakashi-sensei..." Blue eyes looked up to his onyx and red ones. "We know the price to pay for using this jutsu...there's no use of sulking now right?" He forced a laugh, and roughly scratched the back of his head. "Right now," His voice became hard and serious, and mostly inspirational. "We should focus all we have to this jutsu...the use of this jutsu is to kill all our enemy shinobis, and the other part...is to revive all our fallen comrades from battle..." His face became stern, but soft. He looked towards his sister-like friend.

He nudged her playfully, but seriousness flowed in his voice. "This is where you get to test your skills, neh Sakura-chan?" He smiled sheepishly at her, putting his hands at the back of his head like he always do.

The pinkette looked at him, inspired, and more than ever, determined. His words carried no deceit, for when the Hokage has explained them of this 'mission', she had her and Shizune compete shortly although knowing the pinkette would've won anyways, seeing she has already surpassed the Hokage herself. She insisted to help perform this jutsu from the beginning, before she had won against her senpai. She knew how big the part of the medicinal ninja would play. Lives were at stake, and they all depended on her ability.

She nodded aknowledgingly to her friend. "Hai, Naruto-kun..."

Looking over secretly to the young Uchiha, she saw him smile at them sincerely. Like the one he'd use to do only to them before he left the village. She looked away, and looked over Naruto. She no longer saw a childish, loud, kid. No, she saw something she would've sure seen in the great fourth Hokage that everyone spoke about mightily. She saw a powerful, trusted, and depended upon leader and friend. She saw everything others had told her about the Fourth Hokage, in his very son. And she knew Naruto wouldn't die there tonight, because she was sure he will become the next Hokage. And even if it didn't matter anymore, he has gained her uttermost respect. She saw that he was a man now, one who could surpass the most powerful Hokage, who was his own father as well, and she had no doubt that he would be able to do much more than the fourth ever has, and he will continue his father's legacy, and fulfill all that is expected of him because of his lineage.

Now shifting her gaze towards her former sensei, a huge smile pulled her lips upward. The admiration she had for Naruto, she also had for this man. Naruto wouldn't have gotten so far without him, and because of him, team seven became not just a team, but a family, she knew would never fall apart forever. Kakashi Hatake, the son of the great white fang of Konoha, Sakumo Hatake. This man was everything she wanted for as a father. Strong, reliable, intelligent, and the root of team seven. She looked up to him the most, and had the greatest respect for him. Knowing that even though he hasn't thought her much, nor given her much attention before, he was undeniably one of the reasons she was who she was today, the one who surpassed Tsunade in her own skills. Now, she was one of the strongest kunoichi in all of Konoha. With perfect chakra control, strength that could throw someone off hundreds of miles away with only a flick of her finger, the natural talent of medical ninjutsu, which surpassed one of the legendary sannin's own, and the genjutsu Kakashi has taught her. She was thankful to him.

Shifting her gaze to the young Uchiha, she caught his eyes staring at her own, and they kept it that way for a while. He smiled to her, his beautiful smile from when they were still genins. They were filled with sincerity, and so much more...so much she could no longer decipher.
Not even realizing that he has walked towards her, he placed a short chastised kiss on her cheek. She already knew he saw her blush, because he smirked at her, so she didn't even try to hide it. Everyone still knew she was still in love with him, and she didn't care, but she didn't know that her two other team mates watched them both closely, but had not said anything. That one small kiss meant that Sasuke was the old Sasuke again, the one who cared about his team mates, and that was all she could ever ask for, because even through all those years, her feelings for him never changed.

"Ahem...We should begin..."

"Hai Kakashi-sensei..."

The copy-nin made several unfamiliar hand signs, and Sasuke copied all of them with the help of his sharingan. They both paused time to time for either Naruto, Sakura, or both to do what they had just done. Soon the jutsu had finished, and sweat rolled down their foreheads.

The completion of the jutsu was slowly taking their breaths away. They were all slowly falling...

Soon, not even noticing who had gone down first, Kakashi and Naruto fell to the ground, their parts done. All that was left was Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke continued to give his all to reinforce the jutsu, and Sakura trying her best to fulfill her part.

She hasn't given up seeing that the dead body of Hyuuga Neji, which they placed in their midst, to help Sakura, has not moved. Still continuing her part with all she's got, she hadn't noticed a pair of eyes watching her.

Now it was his turn to see how much she's grown. Right before his eyes, he continues to see how much she's surpassed all of his expectations. Surpassing her senpai, and most importantly her teacher, the fifth Hokage herself, she's no doubt the most powerful kunoichi in all of Konoha. Her physical, emotional, mental, and will strength to prove it. Her non stop improving of chakra control, though most saw it already as perfect, it always improved with every time she tried, and trained to do so. Her medical ninjutsu was also yet another evidence of it. It was natural, and no doubt already surpassed the fifth's herself, the greatest medical nin in all of the fire country. And to top it all off, her exceptional skill of genjutsu. She was undeniably...something he never expected.

His eyes, unwillingly, closed and he fell after his comrades...But not before seeing Hyuuga Neji come back to life, then he smiled. The jutsu was a success...and not too soon, he felt Sakura fall and heard the thud she made.

6 Months later...(Six months after the war)

Saying his last prayers, he stood and slowly made his way back to the main building of the Uchiha compound. Seven months ago he walked through the empty streets of his clan's compound. It was the same as empty as filthy, untouched, and lonely...but now...it was the complete opposite.

Some of those who were able to flee before the masacre, came back and lived in the compound once again. And his older brother, Uchiha Itachi was revived because he was no enemy...in fact, he was the ultimate hero, and now he lived with him and some other remaining members of the Uchiha clan that escaped and survived has come back to live with them both. Needless to say the Uchiha clan and the compound itself has become lively. Children played on the streets of their compound, new members of the Uchiha clan through marriage has come as well.

Useless to even say that Konoha has won the war, but not without the prices paid...Thankfully, Kakashi has lived and continued to live the shinobi life like him. Naruto as well had lived, in fact, he was already entitled as the next Hokage. And everyone else...everyone else was well and alive due to the jutsu's success. Shinobi's like Neji Hyuuga, who died during the war, was revived. But one that stood out the most from the revived, was Sarutobi Asuma. The jutsu reached him and he was revived like all the others...the power of that one kunoichi was stronger than he thought. But like all great events, something terrible has come out of it.

And it was just the worst thing that he could've imagined. Sakura Haruno was close to death, has been for the past six months. She's been kept hospitalized and well treated by the Hokage herself. But she showed no sign of recovery...

After they had performed the jutsu, they all became hospitalized after they found it successful. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi left a week after, not even notified about their female team mate's condition. They only found out four months ago, when they haven't even seen her once after the event, and after annoying the remaining legendary sannin into telling them.

Ever since, they have all been having sessions of praying of her conciousness, but mostly him doing so in secrecy.

Seven Hours Later...

"Ahh...Tsunade-baachan...why'd you call us now of all hours?!"

"Tch. Stop whinning, Dobe..."

"Boys...quit your arguing and lets give the Hokage our attention, shall we?"

"Haiiii...Kakashi-san."

Silence filled the room. The Hokage hasn't said one word to them ever since they entered the room. Somehow, Kakashi already knew what this was all about, but he was wishing he was wrong.

Breaking the silence, Naruto decided to speak up, cautious. "Neh...Baa-chan...err Tsunade-sama...what's wrong...? I'm almost afraid of the answer...you look too serious..."

Finally, the first movement that the Godaime has made since they walked in, she looked up to them with teary eyes. "I-I'm sorry...I c-couldn't do anything anymore...not e-even for her..." All their eyes widened. And just as when Naruto was about to blow up and demand an explanation, Sasuke and Kakashi stopped him, allowing him to continue. "When...when I came in this morning to check on her...the monitor no longer beated for her heart beat...and-and..." She gulped, tears finally falling. "Her breathing stopped..."

All of them froze. And no one could misread that Kakashi was crying...Naruto was shaking...and Sasuke had so many emotions in his eyes, and was slightly shaking...

"We should let Sai know...he's also our team mate..." Everyone turned to see Naruto, still shaking.

Shizune spoke for her mistress, hiding her few sobs, and stopping her tears. She never felt that attached to the young girl before, but now she felt as if she was dying as well, realizing this girl was like her little sister. "He's been informed...he's currently at the hospital in her room..."

Those few words were enough to make the three men dash out of the room, and run to their team mate's side.