A/N: I'm back! Those of you who have read some of my other stories know that I put a poll on my profile page asking your opinion on the use of Japanese words in anime stories. Thanks to all the data I gathered from that poll, I was able to start this story and knew how it was going to feel. I didn't like the use of Japanese words when I first started reading fanfics, but after I learned what the words meant and grew comfortable around them, I think they give a much better idea of the situation and the relationships between the characters. Honorifics are wonderful at showing who feels strongly for whom. There will be a word list at the end of the chapters for the Japanese words. To let you all know, this is not going to be like my other stories; it will not solely be about sex (there will be lemons later, but it won't be the focal point). I am trying to write more action, but it is not my strength so please let me know what you think of the action scenes and how they could be improved. Lastly, thanks to everyone who have read my stories and keep coming back for more. If you haven't read any of my other stories, I hope you will give them a shot the next time you are in the mood for some lemons. Enjoy!

I do not own any part of Naruto in any shape or form nor do I make any money from this story

The rain splashed upon the ground, transforming the dirt streets into trails of mud. The mud made it difficult enough to walk, let alone run through, but that is exactly what Naruto Uzumaki was doing and he was not about to let up until he reached his goal. The sky had been cloudy all day but there was no rain at all up till now, it was as if the clouds knew what was going to happen today and waited to rip open until that point in time. Naruto was going as fast as he could, holding back tears as he ran.

"It can't be true, please don't let it be true!" Chanted through his mind.

When he arrived, Naruto pushed his way through the crowd and saw the body of his friend covered in blood lying on the ground. He kneeled down next to her, reaching down to support her head.

"Na…Naruto?" She said weakly.

"Please, tell me what happened!" He screamed, unable to control the volume of his voice.

"She… she came looking… for you."

"Who… Who came looking for me?" He asked confused.

"She had light blue hair and… (cough)… and a choker with a purple jewel." Blood spurted out of the girl's mouth with each cough. Naruto didn't even flinch when a few drops sprayed his cheek.

Naruto looked down her body and noticed the fatal wound she had, a bloody gash extended from the side of her stomach to an inch before her belly button. It was obvious that a kunai could not have caused this much damage, only a katana or kodachi would be capable of slicing through a person that deep. This gave Naruto the final clue he needed to indentify the attacker.

"Gomen Naruto-kun. I wasn't… (cough)… able to stop her. She said she is coming for you." His friend told him.

"Please stop talking. You have to conserve your strength until I get you to the hospital." He quickly replied.

"It's too late, sayonara… Naruto-kun." Her head fell limp in his hand and her breathing came to a stop.

"No, please don't go!" He shouted at her, but there was no response, "C'mon… please wake up! DAMN IT!" He punched the ground. He held her body close as the tears he could no longer hold back streamed down his face.

EARLIER THAT DAY

It was just another lazy, cloudy afternoon in Konoha and on the bed in his apartment, clad in his black and orange jacket and orange pants, lay Naruto. He didn't have a mission today, in fact it had been over two weeks since his last mission, and thus his free time was usually spent training. Due to his own rigorous schedule, he chose to take a day off. His apartment was of modest size, there was his bedroom which fit a double bed, a night stand and a dresser on top of which sat a TV. Connected to that was a hallway that led to his living room/kitchen and his bathroom. The living room/kitchen consisted of a dining table and chairs, a refrigerator, a stove, a sink, and a microwave, and the entranceway was off to one side. The bathroom was a typical bathroom consisting of, a shower, a toilet and a sink with a mirror.

The door to his apartment crept open slowly, the old hinges creaking as they rotated. A figure with long purple hair and lavender eyes walked through the doorway. She was wearing her usual lavender and white jacket with purple pants and carrying a bento in her hand. Hinata figured she would find Naruto in his apartment since she didn't see him at his usual training spot where she usually went to give him lunch and spend time with him. They had been going out for about eight months and she couldn't be happier about it. It started when Hinata grabbed the cup of sake her father had set on the kitchen counter thinking it was a cup of water, and due to her zero tolerance for alcohol she became drunk almost instantly. In her drunken stupor, she thought it would be a great idea to tell Naruto how she felt. She ran over to his apartment and as soon as the yellow-haired ninja had opened the door, Hinata confessed her love and kissed him on the lips, passing out seconds later. After waking up in Naruto's bed the two talked for a long time and realized they both had feelings for each other and started dating.

Even though the door to his apartment was locked Hinata was easily able to sneak in since Naruto gave her a key two months ago. She tiptoed through his apartment trying to be silent so she could surprise him. When she found him on his bed he had his arms and legs, sprawled every which way, and a small trail of drool from his mouth to his pillow.

"Oh Naru-kun…" she thought to herself and shook her head. Quietly she walked to the side of his bed, set the bento on the nightstand and climbed in bed next to him. She aligned herself so her shoulder was just under his arm and laid her head on his chest. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, the one without drool on it, and placed her head back on his chest and snuggled into his body. They lay like that for half an hour until Naruto woke up.

"Huh… wha…" he snorted as he came to, "oh, Hina-chan when did you get here?"

Hinata had dozed off, but woke up when Naruto did, "Konnichiwa Naru-kun."

"What, it's afternoon already?" He said puzzled.

"It's already 2 p.m. silly; you have slept most of the day away." She bonked him on the head playfully. "Did you forget that you promised to go shopping with Sakura-chan today?"

"That's right, I did promise her. I still have an hour until I have to meet up with her and I think I smell one of your famous bentos, Hina-chan."

"Yep, I thought you would be training again today so I brought it with me. When I figured out you were probably at home I thought I would just bring it to you anyways." She said with a smile.

"Thanks Hina-chan, you're the best." He kissed her softly, but she backed away just after it started.

"I love you Naru-kun, but you have horrible morning breath." She waived her hand in front of her nose to get rid of the smell.

Naruto just laughed, he was thrilled that they had a relationship where they could be honest about stuff like that and not feel guilty for saying it. "Ok, I'll go brush my teeth then I want to enjoy the lunch you brought me. Could you set it on the dining room table for me and get me a glass of water."

"Of course Naru-kun."

After Naruto brushed his teeth, he went to the kitchen where he saw a box filled with rice, rolled up omelet, chicken skewers, and pickled vegetables. He looked over the food and while he was happy she brought it for him he was still a little disappointed.

"Naru-kun I know what you're thinking. You can't have ramen every day; you have to eat other foods to stay healthy."

"You're right Hina-chan, thanks for making this for me." He wasn't going to hurt her feelings by asking for something else, besides everything that she cooked was delicious. "Itadakimasu."

While Naruto ate, Hinata poured herself a cup of tea and sat across from him.

"So why are you going shopping with Sakura-chan today?" Since Sakura was on Naruto's team, Hinata had gotten to know her better. They had become pretty close friends and would often team up against Naruto when he did something stupid.

Swallowing the food in his mouth he replied, "She is buying more ingredients for medicines and stuff and said I have to carry the bags because she used up everything on me." Sakura frequently had to bring medicine to Naruto after his training due to his habit of always pushing himself to the point of collapse.

Naruto ate the last bite of food and took the bento box over to the sink. "Thanks again for the food Hina-chan."

"You're welcome Naru-kun, but you better get going or you will be late."

Walking over to her chair, he leaned down and gently raised her chin before bringing their lips together in an embrace. Hinata closed her eyes as the warm touch of Naruto's lips on her's made her whole body melt. She reached behind his head and pulled him closer loving how his soft blond hair felt between her fingers.

Naruto slowly broke away from the kiss, leaving Hinata pouting and wanting more.

"I promise to finish what I started later tonight after I get back, ok Hina-chan?"

"Ok," her pout turned into a more seductive look, "I'll be waiting for you."

"Ittekimasu!" He yelled out, walking out the door.

"Itterasshai!" She answered back.

Sakura had just started walking down Naruto's street when he came up running to her.

"Oi! Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled out to her.

"Hello Naruto-kun. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's get going, Hina-chan will be waiting for me when I get back so we can… 'play some games' later." Naruto chuckled slightly saying the last part.

Sakura stopped in her tracks, "NARUTO!" She yelled angrily and punched the back of his head making him fall face first into the ground. "I don't need to her about what goes on in your bedroom!"

"Gomen Sakura-chan, I won't say anymore. Just don't mention this to Hina-chan, she still gets easily embarrassed in public so I doubt she would like it if others knew what we did in private."

"For Hinata-chan's sake I won't say anything, but you better not do anything stupid the rest of the time we're out, you got it?" She warned him.

"Hai!" He replied quickly.

The two continued walking toward the store, Naruto kept his mouth shut in fear he would anger Sakura again. Feeling a little guilty for yelling at him, Sakura broke the ice.

"So you and Hinata-chan are really close now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm really happy that we're together." A large, warm smile drew across his face as he spoke about Hinata, "she is the best girlfriend ever, she brings me lunch, she is sweet and caring, and she loves me the way I am."

Sakura nodded along, "well I'm glad for the two of you, you guys make a great couple. Now I just need to find a guy for myself."

"Don't worry; I'm sure you will find someone just for you. What about Lee, I think he really likes you."

In her mind, Sakura pictured Lee standing there in his green unitard and big, bushy eyebrows. With a giant grin he gave his signature thumbs up. "Uhhh… I don't think he is quite right for me."

Naruto and Sakura kept chatting and laughing as they got closer to the store, unaware that someone was watching their every move.

"Naru-kun, I finally find you and you are with another girl? Have you forgotten me and how you are destined to be mine? I will make your lover feel my punishment's wrath for you, then you will be all mine again." A voice spoke quietly to itself from an alley several yards behind Naruto and Sakura.

An hour or so later Naruto and Sakura left the store having purchased all the ingredients Sakura needed. She was carrying one small bag, while Naruto had two large bags in each hand and one bag hanging from his mouth. After reaching her apartment a few minutes later, she unlocked her door and directed Naruto to set the bags on the table.

"Thanks for carrying all that Naruto-kun, now we're even for you using up all my ingredients."

"Don't you think you went a little overboard though, I mean won't some of this go bad before you can use it all." Naruto complained stretching his arms out.

"No, most of these have pretty long shelf lives and I have some experiments that I have wanted to try out. Besides if I have to take care of your wounds again I'm going to need all of this."

Naruto just laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, well I am going to get back to Hina-chan, unless you need help putting any of this away."

"No, no, I've got it from here. I really do appreciate your help though." She said sincerely.

"See ya!" He said running out the door.

"Bye" she said back but he was already gone. "That Naruto, he must really be in love with Hinata. It doesn't seem like that long ago since he was trying to get me to go on a date with him, but it has been almost 5 years since then. After he got back from training with Jiraiya-sama he stopped asking me out and then a few months later he and Hinata were going out. Seeing them together kinda makes me wonder what would have happened if I had ever said yes to him, oh well, at least they are happy and I'm sure I will find someone in the future." While talking to herself, Sakura was taking out all the items that she had bought, but realized she forgot to buy one. "Damn, now I have to go back to the store and get it."

As Sakura walked out of her apartment and locked the door, she was met by an unfamiliar voice.

"Hello there." The unknown voice said.

Sakura turned around from her door and saw a girl her age standing there. The girl had light blue hair tied in a pony tail that went just past her shoulders. Around her neck was a black choker that had a purple jewel encased in the middle of it. The clothes she wore were a blue samurai robe with long sleeves that dangled a foot down from her arm. The robe was tucked into her black hakama that reached just above her feet. Tied around her waist was a black obi with a katana tucked in on her left side.

"Do I know you?" Sakura asked, a bit confused by the girl's outfit.

"No, but I know all I need to know about you, Naru-kun's lover!" The girl declared loudly and pointed at Sakura.

"What? I'm not-" Sakura was cut off by the unnamed girl.

"Enough! I don't need your explanations. I saw you two together and now I am going to cut you down." Her left hand gripped the scabbard of her katana just below where it met the hilt.

Seeing the obvious intent to attack, Sakura too took a fighting stance and took out a kunai. "Just who are you?"

"I am Misaki Iwahara and I am the only one who can love Naru-kun. Anyone who goes near him and gets in my way will die." Misaki's right foot slid forward and she centered her weight over her knee. Her right hand hovered just above the handle of her katana, preparing to draw.

"Alright, once I see her start to draw her sword I will rush in with an attack to catch her off guard." Sakura thought.

A few drops of rain started falling from the sky, gradually more and more came and soon the rain was pouring down. A crack of thunder boomed out of nowhere; Sakura's hand twitched and Misaki found her moment to attak. Her eyes opened wider and with a powerful push off her right leg, ran towards Sakura.

"What? She didn't draw her sword, what kind of attack is this?" Sakura said surprised.

"DIE!" When Misaki was just a few feet from Sakura, her left thumb pushed against the hilt and popped the katana an inch out of the scabbard, just enough to draw smoothly. Her other hand grasped the handle tightly and unsheathed it while pressing the blade against the inside of the scabbard, increasing the drawing speed. Just as the tip became fully exposed and before Sakura could react, the blade started to slice into her stomach. By the time Sakura was able to counter attack, by jabbing her kunai into Misaki's arm, the blade had already cut a third of the way through her body. Misaki was surprised that Sakura was able to counter her attack and quickly fell back. Sakura collapsed to the ground writhing in pain and holding her right side.

The fight, while lasting only a few seconds, had made enough commotion to draw the attention of other shinobi in the village.

"Hmph, looks like I have to go." Misaki grumbled, pulling the kunai out of her arm and throwing it to the ground. "While it isn't an instant death, that wound will still kill you, not only have I sliced through your kidney and part of your intestine, my katana is made of anti-chakra material and severed your chakra network. My job is done here and after I tend to this wound, I will go track down my Naru-kun again." Misaki ran off and disappeared.

Kakashi was the first to arrive at the scene, he tried to pick Sakura up to get her to the hospital but every time he moved her she would scream in pain.

"It's ok Kakashi-sensei… I know it is already… too late. As a medical-nin… I know there is nothing… that can be done for me. Please… bring Naruto here; I… have to tell him…" She said in gasps.

"Don't talk Sakura-chan, I'm sure there is something that they can do." Kakashi was surprised that she was only asking to speak to Naruto and not trying to get help for herself.

"PLEASE… SHE'S AFTER NARUTO-KUN…I HAVE TO TELL HIM!" She tried to yell but it was barely louder than her usual voice. Her breathing had become heavy and her face was going paler by the minute. By now, more shinobi started appearing around Sakura.

"Kakashi-sensei, what happened?" Asked the shinobi in the Jounin vest and black spiky hair.

"Shikamaru, go and bring Naruto here immediately." Kakashi ordered.

"Hai!" From the tone of Kakashi's voice, he knew not to bother with any questions.

Shikamaru ran back towards Naruto's house which was thankfully only a few blocks away. When he got there he noticed the window was opened so he yelled out for him rather than wasting time knocking on his door. "Naruto, hurry, come quick!"

Naruto had just gotten back home and was drinking some tea with Hinata when he heard Shikamaru's voice.

"Yo, what's up Shikamaru?" He answered back sticking his head out the window.

"It's Sakura; she's was badly injured outside her apartment and Kakashi-sensei said you need to get over there. You have to hurry!"

Without hesitating Naruto leapt from the window and hit the ground running towards Sakura's apartment. The muddy ground gave little traction to his feet, but he didn't slow down, he just kept running to get to his injured teammate.

"Naru-kun?" Hinata called out after him as ran off.

"Come on Hinata, we have to go too. Sakura's been hurt." Shikamaru told her.

By the time the two of them got there, Naruto was already next to Sakura and she was telling him what happened. Hinata saw the gash in Sakura's side; she gasped and turned away, unable to watch her friend's final breaths.

THE PRESENT

Naruto was still punching the ground and cursing as Sakura lied lifeless next to him. Tsunade, Konoha's 5th Hokage, and her assistant, Shizune pushed their way through the other shinobi who were gathered around. They knelt next to Sakura and used their medical jutsu to analyze her vital signs. Tsunade's face grimaced as she turned to the crowd.

"Sakura has passed on." Was all she could manage to say.

"What the hell happened here?" Shikamaru wondered aloud.

"Battojutsu." Naruto replied softly.

"What was that Naru-kun?" Hinata knelt down next to Naruto and stroked the back of his head attempting to comfort him. She could see his pain written all over his face, his eyes looked dull and his hands were trembling.

"It wasn't any kind of ninjutsu and it wasn't with a kunai. It was done with a katana and using a sword style called battojutsu, which uses ultra fast sword draws to slice the enemy in half. Sakura must have been able to counter the attack before she was completely cut in two." He told them.

"Then you do you have an idea of who did this?" Shizune asked.

"…Yes, I know who it was and I know why…"

A/N: If you couldn't tell I was watching a lot of Rurouni Kenshin when I started this story and thought 'why make another ninja when I could have a samurai and mix things up a bit'. If you haven't seen Rurouni Kenshin (go watch it now first of all since it is easily my favorite series) Kenshin is a master at battojutsu. Please review and tell me what you think of my new story. Those of you who have created an OC, how did you come up with a name and an idea of what they looked like? I had a horrible time when I started, trying to picture what mine looked like. I actually used the character creator in Soul Calibur 3 because I had to make a picture of her. For the name I looked through websites of Japanese names until I found ones I liked.

Honorifics: ex. -chan, -kun, -sama are used after someone's name to show them respect and the relationship between the two people. –chan and –kun are used when talking to or referring to a girl or boy respectively and are more informal than –san. –sama is used when talking to or referring to someone of much higher rank and is more formal than –san, it is sometime translated as "lord".

Gomen: I'm sorry or excuse me

Sayonara: Traditionally used when saying goodbye when you probably won't see each other ever again or for a long time, but now used as a casual good bye as well.

Kunai: small dagger that can be thrown or wielded like a knife.

Katana: Japanese curved sword.

Kodachi: Shorter version of a katana.

Sake: Alcoholic drink

Bento: A Japanese lunch box with compartments to separate the different kinds of food in it.

Konnichiwa: Good afternoon

Itadakimasu: Said before eating, it does not have any religious connotation it is just something that is said to express gratitude for the meal

Oi: A casual, informal hello or a way to get someone's attention. Similar to "hey"

Hai: yes

Shinobi: ninja

Hakama: man's formal divided skirt (taken from jisho (dot) org, a great dictionary by the way)

Obi: belt