Hello to all who read the first installment to this little series Severed Teammate! This is my second Naruto fic so I'm glad you all decided to take a look! I'm here to let you all know that this story here, Unspoken Lies is the sequel to said story only a few moments ago. For some who thought that this was some SasuNaru Yaoi fic well it's not. So go look somewhere else….I'm kidding! You're welcome to read this fic and I do hope you like it. I'm also welcome to any constructive criticism as well so I can know what I can improve on.
For those who are coming back to read this sequel, I do hope you all enjoy the first chapter and hopefully it isn't that much of a disappointment to some. And thank you to those who put out some suggestions for this sequel, hopefully you'll see some of them throughout it.
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Chapter 1: Long Forgotten Friend
Through the soft sound of falling rain, water fell from the leaf of a tall oak tree, flowers bounced from the rhythmic fall of raindrops, and a sweet calmness swept over the forest. However, that moment ended as quickly as it came.
A water slicked tree branch vibrated slightly as a foot tapped on it lightly, resting for only a second before dashing off. Followed by this were three other footfalls, all on different branches as they followed the one in front. A man clad in Jounin gear led the group, his spiky silver hair drooping from the water that rained down on him. He only glanced back at the rest of his team when he heard a few kunai whizz past his ear, the rest of them blocked by his teammates. His silver eye locked on to the form behind him, carrying a small bundle in her arms.
"Sakura how is she?" He asked as he glanced back once more.
The pink haired Jounin who carried the bundle lowered her eyes as she examined the girl with calculating eyes. She was no more than nine, and yet she's already being pursued by enemies. With fiery red hair and eyes to match, this little girl was the keeper of a sacred technique, going by Yuki. And the team that had her now was the ones who needed to protect her till they reached the village where her family was. Her previous village had been burned down when the ones who wanted the technique arrived. Luckily, the entire village had already moved to the one over. Sakura placed a hand on her forehead and widened her eyes at how hot it was.
"Not good. We need to reach that village soon," She replied, glancing up at the silver haired ninja in front of her. She exchanged glances with her other teammates, both clad in Jounin gear as well.
They were the same team, and yet they weren't. There is a big difference to what was then; and what was now.
"Alright then, pick up the pace." Kakashi snapped as the four of them summoned chakra to their feet, increasing their speed through the trees.
"Sakura-chan, are you alright holding her so long?" Naruto asked from her right, a concerned look in his bright blue eyes as he met her gaze. Smiling softly, she nodded silently, not wanting to wake the girl in her arms. The blonde blinked for a moment before sighing and nodding, dismissing the subject. Sakura suddenly widened her eyes and whirled around as she sensed the presence of one of the enemies approaching fast. Instantly, both of her male teammates covered her, moving behind her with their kunais poised.
The enemy was several rogue Cloud ninja who wanted to take the technique to bring to their leader. They had captured Yuki and were just about to send her off when the team sent to protect her had come in, ambushing them and running off. Now in a heated pursuit, they were giving it everything they had to keep her safe.
"Sakura go!" Her chicken-ass haired boyfriend snapped as he launched his kunai at the person in front, colliding with it, sparks flying.
"We'll back you up!" Naruto exclaimed as he fought against the other one that threw himself at Yuki. Sakura nodded and turned around; leaping off from the tree branch she was on, not caring about the pelting rain that was coming down on her. Catching up to Kakashi, the two of them increased their pace even more as their pursuers advanced, reinforcements coming in.
"You know what to do." Kakashi quietly said as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The pink haired kunoichi set her jaw and nodded, stopping on the branch she was on for a moment. The silver haired Jounin landed on the branch only a few feet away from her, guarding her as she prepared.
Making a hand seal in front of her, Sakura took a deep breath and exhaled as another clone of her and Yuki appeared on the branch across from her. Glancing back at Kakashi, they both nodded and dashed off in different directions, one the right way, the other the wrong. The rogue Cloud ninja just thought that they were sent to take her away as long as it wasn't with them, so hopefully they wouldn't realize. As soon as Kakashi saw that the real Sakura was hidden under her own created genjutsu, he sheathed his kunai and followed the fake Sakura, watching as the ones who came after them followed his pace.
Sakura kept her breathing steady as she dashed along the ground silently, her chakra presence covered and the genjutsu working perfectly. This would only work if the other Sakura had managed to pull it off. Looking down at Yuki, her eyes softened as she took in the sight. The sleeping figure of an adorable nine year old girl; it was too sad that she had to be the keeper of such a dangerous technique. Leaping over large tree routes, she began to believe that the plan had actually worked. Still remaining as silent as possible, Sakura leaped back up to the tree branches and stopped for a second, catching her breath as she glanced behind her.
From far away, she would just look like the normal tree behind her. She just hoped that that was what she looked like. She turned, about to start again when she froze, eyes widened. Reacting instantly, she made a hand seal and disappeared in a white cloud just as a barrage of kunai rained down on the spot where she was.
While Sakura reappeared behind a tree only a kilometer away, three to four rogue Cloud ninja landed around the barrage of kunai thrown. One of them scowled at their uncaught prey and barked orders, possibly the one who led all of them Sakura thought. Narrowing her emerald eyes, she frowned as she caught look of the man who called out orders; pale complexion but steely gray eyes. Deciding it was time to leave; she turned and flicked up the hood of her cloak and dashed off, tightening her grip around Yuki.
"Oi, found her!" A voice suddenly called from above. Cursing silently, Sakura glared up at the man who was on top of a large branch, tanned skin but with hardened brown eyes. Said man sent the branch he was standing on crashing down, almost falling on top of the pink haired kunoichi if it weren't for her fast reflexes. Flipping over the falling branch, she landed on the other side and instantly dashed from side to side, barely avoiding the thrown kunai.
From the corner of her eye she caught the faint hissing and gritted her teeth, jumping into the air to avoid the inevitable explosions. She realized that their plan was to lure her up as she appeared under the man with the tanned skin, kicking him in the face and using the momentum to spin on her heel and dash off. Hearing him fall to the ground, she knew by now that the others heard it as well, alerting them of her presence. Shifting Yuki to one arm, she whipped out a kunai and turned around just in time to block a Cloud nin's kunai. It was the man with the steely gray eyes.
"Just give her to us and you won't have to die." He growled as gray clashed with emerald. Sakura scowled and shoved him back, jumping away from him.
"Like I'd ever do that," She replied as she detected his chakra presence. Smirking, she summoned chakra to her feet once more, exploding off of the branch and towards the village at lightning speed. Above her, she caught sight of his black chicken hair and smiled as he went straight for the man with the pale complexion. A flash of orange came from her right and she glanced over as Naruto grinned sheepishly.
"We're almost there Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei already alerted the village as soon as he finished the Cloud ninja who were behind him. I'm sure he'll be coming any second now." He explained quickly as they both dashed through the forest, rain soaking them down to the bone.
"Right," Sakura replied as she sheathed her kunai and took Yuki in both of her arms once more. She looked into the distance and saw that they were coming close to a clearing. Approaching it fast, the two of them leaped out of the trees just as lightning came down and struck the one they were just on, making it come falling down towards Sakura.
The pink haired kunoichi instantly jumped out of the way, spinning on her heel to raise her arm against her face, blocking the small sword that was meant for her face. She was met face to face with yet another rogue Cloud ninja, one with bright blue eyes. He jumped away from her just as Naruto barreled into him, knocking him into the ground.
"Get to the village!" Naruto yelled as he fought the other ninja who surrounded him. Sakura, getting up to her feet, began running towards the village that was just past the clearing. At this time, Yuki began to stir in her arms. She moaned slightly, catching Sakura's attention immediately.
"Shh, Yuki just keep your eyes closed alright? We're almost there." She softly whispered in her ear, picking up the pace when the remaining Cloud ninja burst out from the trees, blocking both of her paths. Skidding to a stop, she looked from left to right, seeing that there wasn't a way to evade their attacks.
"Alright then," She softly said before making a hand sign, dozens of clones of her appearing beside her, all armed with a wave of kunais. All at once, all of them launched themselves at the remaining Cloud ninja, letting Sakura slip through unnoticed. Sprinting as fast as she could, she sighed softly when Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi popped out of the trees, recreating the formation they had as they made their way to the village.
As the four of them made their way to the village gates, reinforcements from the village came out to get rid of the Cloud ninja still fighting. When they walked into the village, into its safety, Sakura looked for Yuki's family, eyes searching. Suddenly, a voice called out and she turned her head to see a woman push herself out of the crowd, fiery red hair just like Yuki's.
"Oh Yuki!" She cried out as she approached her daughter, arms outstretched. Yuki, now awake, brightened up when she saw her mother's face, climbing into her arms.
"Thank Kami you're safe!" The red haired mother exclaimed, kissing her daughter's head as tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked up at Kakashi and beamed, bowing her head, thanking him over and over again. As usual, the silver haired Jounin rubbed the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly. Seeing that the mission was a success, Sakura smiled as Yuki reached out her hand towards her.
"This lady was amazing! She-" Yuki suddenly stopped talking when her eyes fluttered shut, her cheeks dusted with pink. Sakura instantly widened her eyes and put a hand to her forehead, immediately shocked at how she was burning up.
"Yuki? Ah, she has a fever!" Her mother cried as she put her own hand on her daughter's forehead, eyes filled with concern. The pink kunoichi volunteered before she even knew what she was doing.
"I can heal her," She accidentally blurted out, her eyes widening at what she had done. Immediately, heads turned, and her teammates looked at her with surprise. Before anyone could respond, someone else wandered through the crowd; an old woman with her long gray hair pinned up in a bun.
"There's no need for that dear, you've done enough for us." She kindly said, putting a hand over the pink haired Jounin's. Sakura nodded to the old woman in thanks and smiled as the woman stepped back, taking Yuki in her arms and leading her to a nearby building, probably the hospital.
"Why don't you rest after such a long mission?" Yuki's mother asked as she stood in front of Kakashi, a polite look in her eyes. The silver haired Jounin grinned but put his hand up, declining.
"I'm sorry but we have to leave, we've got another mission ahead of us." He sincerely said, giving the woman a sheepish smile once more when he saw her frown slightly.
"A-are you sure? Please, buy anything you need before you leave." She replied, bowing before she left to take a look at her daughter. Kakashi turned to his teammates and smiled, nodding.
"We'll head out soon. Go grab something to eat and I'll meet up with you soon." He said before he walked off, his hands shoved in his pockets as he held his familiar green book this time. Sighing, Naruto hooked his arms around his teammates, startling them slightly.
"Let's go eat some ramen!" The blonde energetically said, leading them over to the nearest ramen shop. Sakura grinned at this while Sasuke simply scowled, giving in to the idea as they sat down next to each other, Naruto on the side.
"Sounds good Naruto! You're paying though!" Sakura cheerfully replied, getting her order ready. The blonde deflated instantly, but regained his composure, grinning as a bowl of his favorite kind of ramen was placed down in front of him. Turning to her boyfriend, she grinned as he broke his chopsticks and started stuffing his face, grabbing her free hand with his own under the table.
"Thanks for the save earlier," She started as she broke her chopsticks by putting one of them in her mouth and pulling it. "You looked pretty mad too~" Sakura added with a smile, knowing that talking about it would just irk him.
Hey, if she was his girlfriend, he'd have to deal with it; after all they had been together for like what, two years?
"Say, when we get back why don't we do something? It's been a while since we went out on a date." At the mention of the word 'date', Sasuke scowled, his eyebrow twitching. Sakura caught this immediately and slapped him in the arm angrily.
"Aw come on, they were fun! Admit it, I saw you smiling on our first date." She said in a low voice, casting him a glance along with a grin.
To be honest, it had been two years since their first date and yet Sakura seemed to have remembered everything so well. Down to the last little detail. And the memory of him actually smiling was a keeper. It had been two long years since Miu had come to the village in wreak of havoc, two long years since Sasuke had been the one to tell her loved her, and yet things still didn't seem like they were real. The only thing that made her realize it was real was Sasuke looking at her with a look she had never seen before. That was her reality. The curse mark hadn't reacted ever since Miu left, and hopefully it stayed that way. All she wanted was to spend the rest of her life with the man to her left.
If she could only hope. Living a ninja life was as hard as it was, so having a relationship would just make her life even more interesting.
"You still remember that?" Sasuke inquired as he quirked an eyebrow up at her. The pink kunoichi tilted her head down with raised eyebrows as if to say, 'really?'
"Idiot," She muttered under her breath as she rolled her eyes jokingly. Sasuke squeezed her hand in response and proceeded to continue stuffing his face with noodles. It wasn't long before everyone finished their little snack and was headed down the road to who knows where when Kakashi suddenly appeared again, a troubled look in his eye.
"What's wrong?" Sakura inquired as he started leading them off towards the front gate of the village. With this action, the three teammates immediately knew what was going on. All the fun and games were over as they waited for what their old sensei was going to say as he turned around at the edge of the gate.
"We need to finish the other mission. C'mon, I'll explain more on the way." At the end of his rant, he turned and leaped into the raining sky followed by his three teammates.
-.-.-.-
"Hey, you've got it right?" A shadowed figure asked as he leaned against the cave, the fabric covering his nose, only revealing his eyes. In response to his question, a small box was thrown from above, landing by his feet softly, something bouncing around inside. The man who leaned against the wall bent over and picked it up with a fingerless gloved hand. He lifted his head for a moment, the top part of his face visible for a second before he retreated back into the shadows.
"Your payment," He growled out as he shoved someone in front of him, that person stumbling slightly as he was pushed into the pouring rain, his Jounin gear getting drenched in seconds. His silver hair was matted to his head as the rain suddenly became harder, feeling like a thousand needles.
"This brat? What makes you think we need him?" The voice demanded from above, his tone filled with anger. The masked man from inside the cave chuckled, startling the silver haired teen slightly.
"He's a Jounin from the Land of Lightning. One of their top ones, I'm sure you can steal some of their techniques." The silver teen whirled around fuming as he broke free of his bonds and pulled out his sword from under his sleeve, coming at the masked man with surprising speed. Acting quickly, there was the sound of weapons clashing and fabric ripping. With his hand pressed against his side, blood seeped in between his fingers as he backed up into the rain again, his sword still in hand.
"Where is he?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes cold as he glared at the man in front of him. The one who took him laughed, echoing from the walls of the cave.
"Where is the one who learned all elemental jutsus!" He demanded as he took a step forward, instantly jumping into the air when a paper bomb was thrown at him. Taking shelter in the trees, he glanced over to the side to see a shinobi from the Land of Lightning. He took a good look at his headband and saw that the symbol had been crossed out; a rogue.
The silver haired teen noticed that he wore a mask so that no one would recognize his face. But there was something familiar about him that he just couldn't place. Haru decided that escaping was a better option than confronting him, and turned around, just about to leap into the air back to his village when he caught something glint in front of him. Immediately stiffening, he was pinned against a nearby tree with a kunai poised by his throat, the rogue from the Land of Lightning standing so close to him. Haru gritted his teeth as the wound on his side started to bleed even more profusely than before, staining his clothing.
"Why…do you seem so familiar?" The silver haired teen asked through a clenched jaw, trying to move the other man's hand away from his throat. The rogue froze for a second before pulling away from him, raising his free hand to reach up for his mask.
"You don't recognize me?" He inquired through a mocking voice, taking the mask off of his face. Slowly, he pulled it down and watched as Haru's eyes widened in shock. At first it was of shock, but soon changed into one of pure anger.
"So, you're the one who wanted me then? Huh Takashi!" Haru yelled out in rage as he pulled out his sword once more, holding it out in front of him defensively. His former best friend raised his eyebrows at him and crossed his arms as if in a bored manner.
"I'm not going to go back with you Haru. I still have work to do." Takashi quietly said as he stretched a hand out in front of him, purple electricity starting to buzz around his hand like a snake. Haru widened his eyes at this and tensed as he realized what it was.
"You've actually done it? You've mastered every elemental jutsu, including the ones that are legend?" He exclaimed in complete awe and astonishment. He didn't believe it was possible but ever since he had met him that last time, nothing was impossible now.
"Yes, the things that are impossible can be possible; with this." At this, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a red looking stone that shined even in the dullest of days like this. The silver haired teen gasped silently when he laid eyes on that stone.
"That's not-!" Takashi grinned at this, happy to know that someone like him actually knew about something as rare as this.
"It quite is my friend, the Stone of Light."
-.-.-.-
"This mission is concerning someone we know. Being a Jounin from the Land of Lightning, he was taken for his certain abilities and was offered up as payment to someone. Our mission is to bring that person back to the village. However there is also a rumor that there is a destructive item that was offered up in exchange for this teen. Naruto and I will go and try to retrieve it, Sasuke and Sakura, bring that person back to the village, and we'll be with you soon."
Sakura could only wonder who this person was, and the only one who came to her mind was Haru. But why would he be taken? And is he alive? These questions popped into her head as the three of them replied, "Hai!" and followed Kakashi's lead at lightning speed. The pink haired kunoichi glanced over to Sasuke and Naruto who both had their game faces on, tightening their headbands and gloves just in case they all come into fight.
"You think Haru's alright?" She inquired quietly as she leaped on a branch, pushing herself forward as she came up in the middle of the two of them.
"He's gotta be. I mean, he's Chihiro's brother isn't he?" Naruto reassured her with a pat on the back, a small smile on his face. Sakura nodded in response and clenched her fists as they all came to a stop, Kakashi raising his head, eyes alert.
There was a moment of silence before he sniffed slightly, his eyes closed as he listened to the movement around him. In a second, he turned to look at them with a serious gaze in his silver eyes. They all knew what that meant. Split up and complete the mission. Naruto met Kakashi's gaze and nodded, both dashing off in silence off to the other side of the area where the object was. Sasuke exchanged glances with Sakura and nodded, leaping over to another area, concealing their chakra presences.
The two of them were just about to move again when Sakura widened her eyes, sensing a powerful presence. In reaction, she grabbed Sasuke's wrist, pulling him back closer to her. He glanced back at her with a look of confusion but saw her expression, immediately understanding it. They peered over the side of a tree trunk to see Haru leaning against the trunk of a tree with a gash in his side, staring at something that looked like a red stone in the hand of someone with black hair and tanned skin.
Sakura met Sasuke's gaze as if in to ask what is that thing? In response to her muted question, Sasuke simple shook his head with narrowed eyes as he glanced back at the pair of teen's only a couple trees away from them. If they listened closely, they would be able to hear the conversation that was going on between them. But that wasn't what the mission stated.
Sasuke tapped Sakura's shoulder and slid down from the side of the tree, splinters digging into his back as he landed on the ground silently. He glanced up at her and saw her looking down at him, their plan at the ready. Nodding, he sped off in the direction of where Haru was, making sure to conceal his presence and leaning on the trunk from below. Sakura, knowing what to do, closed her eyes and took a breath before conjuring a few hand seals and throwing the ball of paper straight at the two, invisible to the human eye because of her genjutsu.
With a bright flash, Haru shielded his eyes, immediately knowing who it was. At the last second, he dashed forward and managed to grab the stone out of Takashi's hand, landing on the other side of the tree. Moving as quickly as possible, he hung off of the branch and fell to the ground below where Sasuke was waiting.
"It was nice of you to find me." Haru greeted as the two of them dashed through the trees, with Sakura approaching quickly above them, constantly glancing over her shoulder.
"No time for talking," Sasuke bit out as they leaped over a large root, jumping into the trees to meet up with Sakura. The Uchiha saw his pink headed girlfriend as he came up but when he turned around, she wasn't there anymore.
Narrowing his eyes at this, he knew that something was wrong. However, knowing that the mission was at stake, he gritted his teeth and stopped for a moment, hesitating as he glanced backward. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion and a cry of pain as Sakura appeared above the branches, holding her shoulder as she dashed over to the other two of them. She met Sasuke's gaze and narrowed her eyes, a scowl on her face as if in to say get the hell out of here! Scowling at this, Sasuke turned and grabbed Haru's wrist, pulling him along as he dashed through the trees, increasing his speed.
Sakura ripped her arm away from her shoulder and pulled herself forward into a flip just as that powerful presence flew straight over her. Landing on the ground, she immediately slammed her fist into it, causing the earth to rise up, messing up the person's landing as he came down on his back. Using this chance to escape, she summoned chakra to her feet and flew past him, not giving him a second chance to attack. When she had threw the flash bomb, that man immediately knew where she was and met her gaze before putting that mask of his back on. The way his chakra presence was so powerful concerned her as she caught up with Sasuke's back.
"Hey," She softly greeted as he glanced back at her, a relieved look in his onyx eyes as he nodded in response. Sakura glanced over at Haru who looked like he was about to pass out, the wound in his side deep and gushing with blood. Frowning, she took his arm and helped him move, taking most of the weight over to her side. After a few moments, there was nothing but forest when Sasuke and Sakura both detected two familiar presences. They turned their heads when Kakashi and Naruto came out from the side, looking completely unharmed.
"Turns out that the person who exchanged Haru for the item is gone now, I have Pakkun tracking his scent though." Kakashi explained as they moved quickly through the trees, soon reaching a large path.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed when he saw her bleeding shoulder; to top it off, to see Haru in worse condition than she was in. Sakura met her friend's eyes and shook her head, her emerald eyes concerned for Haru.
"We need to stop to heal him or he'll die of blood loss. And it seems like there's something wrong with that man back there." She explained as she glanced back at the spot where they just came out of. Haru gasped as he tried to stay conscious, his hand pressed against his bleeding side.
"I'll…explain…later," He whispered as he lost consciousness. Sakura looked down at him for a second before meeting Kakashi's gaze, the importance of this mission becoming even more evident. The original team seven all exchanged glances and nodded, Kakashi taking Haru on his back as they all headed towards the cliffs that led towards the village. Hopefully they'd be able to find some shelter before the fog set in. Something told all of them that this mission would be different and much more complicated than the others they've had in the past.
-.-.-.-
Hi guys! It's been such a long time since I finished Severed Teammate! I'm glad that you all read the first chapter and I do hope that you stick to this story just like the first one! This is only the start to a really great story so please stay tuned! I do hope that I managed to get Sakura and Sasuke's relationship a little better from the first one! Remember to all kindly leave a review! I'd really like to know your opinion on what you thought of the start of this sequel! Some more action packed stuff will come in later, as will SasuSaku moments!
-FallenWing21