Gray: the only shade that was appropriate in describing the atmosphere created by the remnants of a long, hard battle. Dark and ominous clouds decorated the open skies, going out of their way to ensure that the sun wouldn't get the opportunity to escape from their shadow. The jagged tops of the large pieces of the cliffs that had broken off during the skirmish protruded from the placid waters below. The great statues of the two men who made history in this now desolate place suffered a significant amount of damage. Newly formed cracks and craters could be found throughout each blackened structure. However, these great figures continued to stand tall, as if they continued to fight for their individual causes, their eyes locked in battle for all eternity. The Valley of the End, the name by which this battlefield was known, was where all the conflict began, and now, this is where it ended.
The unsettling silence that had established its throne among this valley was suddenly interrupted by two sets of panicked footsteps. The footsteps grew increasingly louder until they revealed that they belonged to a pair of talented shinobi, whose appearance added some color to their gray surroundings. They halted on top of the head belonging to the Hashirama Senju statue. Catching their breath, they surveyed the scene to look for any signs of life.
"Kakashi-sensei, I don't see anything," said the pink-haired kunoichi to her companion.
"No, I felt large amounts of chakra coming from this direction only moments ago. You must have felt it too, Sakura. I'm positive that this is where they ended up," Kakashi replied. 'After all, this is where they ended up last time. I only hope that they didn't end up pushing their limits.'
The dead silence caused Sakura to doubt her old sensei's words. Just as a look of dismay was beginning to cross her searching emerald eyes, she caught a glimpse of blonde hair behind one of the many boulders in the vast stream of water.
"Kakashi-sensei!" she called out in an urgent tone. By the time Kakashi had turned to look at her, she was already half-way down the cliffs, hurriedly making her way towards her fallen comrade. This quickened pace suddenly slowed into a hesitant walk. The closer the boulder got, the more unavoidable the situation appeared. An uncomfortable lump found its way to base of her throat as many possibilities began racing through her head. The reason was simple: she was afraid of what she would find on the other side.
Due to her hesitation, Kakashi had no problem catching up with Sakura. He was instantly by her side, gazing unknowingly at the current state of his former pupil. Any fear and sympathy was quickly cast aside, however, and he put a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder. She looked at him with worry in her eyes, and he nodded to her. Both of them knew that time was of the essence.
Sakura approached immobile body, seemingly mentally prepared for what was to come. She was wrong. Her knees gave out without warning and hot tears invaded her vision. Naruto, whose high spirits filled everyone with life and power, was now reduced to a lifeless lump of wounds and broken bones. The warm smile that everyone had become so familiar with would no longer return.
Sakura broke into an uncontrollable fit of sobs, refusing to accept this reality. Her hands shook as she cradled the head of her dear friend. Kakashi's visible eye was deep-set with sorrow. He couldn't stop himself from looking away, and he inwardly cursed himself for another failure as their sensei. Only this time, this failure cost one life too many.
Whether he had successfully defeated the opponent or not, with Naruto gone, everything was lost. It was done. All hope was completely gone.
"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, her voice cracking from the tears as she pronounced his name. She felt it. It was very weak, but she felt a small amount of chakra flow through his body. "Naruto!" she called again. As if awoken by the sound of her voice, Naruto slowly lifted his eyelids, revealing the cerulean eyes that they feared they would never see again. Sakura smiled with relief and tears started cascading down her cheeks once more.
"Well, well, well, I guess you managed to pull through after all," said Kakashi, with hints of a gentle smile visible underneath his mask.
After attempting to wipe away the tears from her eyes, Sakura focused her chakra into her hands until they began glowing a familiar shade of green. "Naruto, don't move until I'm done."
"I'll call for reinforcements."
Sakura nodded in acknowledgement towards Kakashi and turned her attention back towards her current task. Starting with the most serious wounds, the warm flow of her chakra soon coursed through his body. Color began to return to Naruto's face and his breathing became less labored.
After a few minutes of medical treatments, Naruto managed to acquire the strength to speak. "Sa… Sakura-chan…"
"Naruto, I told you not to move until I was done!" scorned his pink-haired friend. She was in the process of inspecting and repairing his major internal organs. This was a delicate procedure in which she needed the most concentration that she could muster.
"Sakura-chan…" Naruto repeated in a pleading voice.
"Okay Naruto, what?" demanded Sakura as she rubbed beads of sweat off her forehead. Although she was getting slightly annoyed at her teammate's stubbornness, Sakura decided to give in. The sooner she could get peace and quiet, the sooner she could heal him.
Even though Naruto's voice could barely muster up a whisper, his next words seemed to echo throughout the recesses of Sakura's mind.
"It's Sasuke." He slowly lifted up a finger and pointed towards the other side of the valley. "He's over there."
The flow of green chakra came to an abrupt stop. Sakura hesitantly turned her head towards the indicated direction, her heart beating rapidly at the mention of that name.
'Impossible,' she thought. 'I didn't feel his chakra anywhere. Then that means…"
Sakura rapidly got to her feet as an indescribable force took control of her body. Whether it was worry, longing, or a mix of both, she didn't know. Whatever it was, it enabled her cast aside any initial fears of being in his presence again. Now that Naruto was in a stable condition, she had one main priority now.
"Kakashi-sensei, please stay with Naruto."
Kakashi, who had just returned from summoning reinforcements, was caught off-guard by this sudden sense of urgency, which caused him to be further unprepared when his former pupil dashed towards the opposite side of the valley.
"Sakura! Wait!"
'No, I can't turn back now. I have to save Sasuke-kun. If I didn't feel his chakra then that would mean that he's in the same condition as Naruto or he's…'
Sakura was unable to finish that thought for the simple possibility of it made her heart drop down into her stomach. Nevertheless, she continued forward, checking every possible rock and corner. Finally, she caught sight of the form of his body, sprawled beside the valley walls. Her pace quickened until she reached her designated target. A rush of emotions returned as she inspected his unconscious form, but right now, she had to act as a medic, not a love-sick girl.
'This doesn't look good. He's in worse shape than Naruto was when we found him.' Sakura knelt down beside him and focused her chakra. Her hands emitted the same green glow and she placed her hands on his chest.
'His heart's beating, but just barely. As long as I repair most of the internal damage I-'
"Sakura! Above you!"
Her eyes quickly averted to the top of the cliffs, and she was met a pair of menacing eyes.